Snorri

 

Snorri's House

A couple of days ago I was on a tour of Iceland. It didn’t involve flying, or even thick winter coats. It was a virtual tour, and the guide was telling us about one of their most famous storytellers, Snorri. I love the name (the Dutch word for moustache is ‘snor’). It summons up images of droopy moustaches, roaring fires and whole chickens being roasted and eaten, washed down with mead.

Snorri lived in the 12th century and was a rather wild character by all accounts, but he was also a poet and writer. Apparently, Snorri went to Norway and he became the king’s storyteller.

It sounded like those retreats or residencies for poets. After about three years, he seemed to have struggled with writer’s block and wanted to return home to Iceland. The king, like so many of our readers nowadays, clearly had no idea how hard it is to come up with fresh poems and stories every week, so he told Snorri to stay in Norway and to simply work harder to overcome his lack of inspiration.

Iceland looks amazing, no wonder he wanted to come back!

Snorri decided to return anyway and managed to get back to Iceland. Snorri set up a commune of writers and storytellers, and they looked after several calves to make parchment for their stories. Snorri recorded poems and stories and many of those are still preserved in a museum. You can also get them on Amazon, but then they’re on normal paper, not parchment.

The king of Norway missed his poet laureate, and he sent some men over to Iceland to bring the storyteller back. Or kill him. The tour guide showed us the basement bit that was still there.

The first time the men from Norway came, Snorri hid in his basement, and they didn’t find him. They heard about the basement though, so the next time they came, they searched properly. Snorri hid in the same space, so they went straight to him. We keep telling our kids when playing hide and seek, never hide in the same space twice. Snorri didn’t know that invaluable tip, obviously.

Snorri's Hot Tub, still there, still hot!

He was assassinated. The thing that fascinated me most is that he had built a secret escape tunnel from his house. So there he was, crouching in the dark, right next to an escape route, leading to a hot tub that he had installed as well. Rather than hope to be overlooked a second time, why didn’t he use the means of escape?

It just struck me that often we forget to use the means. God gives us opportunities to turn to Him, to pray and to rely on Him. Instead, we crouch in the dark, hoping that the evil will pass away and that our life will amble along again. The answer to our needs sometimes stares us straight in the face, but we hide in the darkest corner, frightened and alone.

Let’s aim not to be spiritual Snorris, ignoring the means of grace, but let us run to our Heavenly Father with all our needs, relying on Him, rather than an earthly escape route that might not serve us well. And be careful who you serve with your writing, some positions as Resident Story Teller might have strong strings attached!

(There is an article on Wikipedia about Snorri. I went with what the tour guide from Virtual Trips told us. If I got it wrong, it must be because I misheard or misunderstood what the guide told us!)


My name is Maressa Mortimer, and I’m Dutch. I live in the beautiful Cotswolds, England, with my husband who is a pastor. We have four (adopted) children. I’m a homeschool mum, so my writing has to be done in the evening, when peace and quiet descends on our house once more. I love exploring questions of faith using novels, as it helps me to see what faith looks like in daily life. My debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published December 2019. My latest novel, Walled City, launched on December 5th, 2020, and I’m nearing the first draft of its sequel! Visit my website www.vicarioushome.com to read my blog or to buy signed copies from my shop!



Comments

  1. A super story well-told, Maressa, with a salutory message!

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    1. Thank you! The guide's amazing accent made it even more special!

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  2. Enjoyed this, Maressa!

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  3. I love this, Maressa. It seems to have been a lot more dangerous to be a poet or storyteller in those days! I've just been listening to a BBC 4 programme about the poet, Keats. Some thought he died because of the scathing reports of his critics, actually it was TB. However, a journalist called Scott took a pistol shot to defend Keats' honour on Hampstead Heath, a well-known duelling field in those days. He died just a few days later. This writing can be dangerous!!

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    1. Goodness! That's incredible! So much for a safe hobby, haha.

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  4. Unbelievable story, Maressa! Thank you. I like the fact that he had a hot tub. Surely every writer should have one.

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    1. Absolutely! It might be early 13th century, so no chocolate, but a good hot tub makes up for that!

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  5. What a wonderful, inspiring post which really speaks to me today, Maressa. Thank you (Note to self: Don't be like Snorri) x

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  6. What a fascinating story. I was so cross Snorri got killed. Why didn't they take him back to carry on being their Bard? Crazy. By the way I learned that in Bronze Age communities the Bard was second only in importance to the Chief, and there was a special place for the Bard in the top Bronze Age roundhouse. I learned that at Flag Fen, Cambridgeshire.

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    1. Yes! Snorri had been chief for quite a long time, just because he was a famous poet...

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  7. Fabulous Maressa, on so many levels. I love his name and his story and the perfect spiritual lesson you draw fr om his hiding rather than using the escape route. This reflects my writing work and so spoke deeply to me. Thank you. The other thing is that over the last 6 months I have been expressing my desire to visit Iceland. I want to do a walking tour of the country and culture, but... Then you show a virtual tour! I have saved the link - is it free and is it worthwhile? I have heard that some virtual tours are scams, so it has sort of deterred me. could you perhaps FB message me a reply about this, as I can never see this once I hit "Send". So thank you for a very meaningful post.

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  8. This was wonderful, and you told it so well! Everyone else seems to have said it all! Just to say that I've shared it with three colleagues as we are on the communication team at Wycliffe Bible translators, going though a period of change and upheaval, so I have a feeling this could be useful.

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