Faroese Oral Tradition and Icelandic Saga: The Case of the Asmund Cycle

The character of Ásmund – Faroese Ásmundur– appears in at least six Faroese heroic ballads: Gríms ríma (CCF nr. 52), Heljars kvæði (CCF nr. 63), Frúgvin Olrina (CCF nr. 81), Sniolvs kvæði (CCF nr. 91), Tíðriks kongs ríma (CCF nr. 97) and Torbjørn Bekil (CCF nr. 98). In addition to these, Ásmund the Champion-Killer is also mentioned in the so-called Dvørgamoy ballads (CCF 6, 7, 8, 9), a large group of texts dealing all the three thematic cores which, in Faroese oral tradition, are connected with the character of Sigurd: the Nibelung tradition, the Dietrich epic and the Ásmund tradition itself. A systematic study of the Ásmund matter in the Faroese oral tradition and of its relation to the Icelandic Ásmundar saga kappabana has never been conducted. The present study aims, therefore, at analysing the reception of the Ásmund narrative in the Faroes, on the basis of all the texts recorded. The image we get from this analysis shows the complexity of the development of this narrative material, which, far from being linear, is repeatedly altered and contaminated with other heroic traditions.