SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

Bergr Sokkason's Michaels saga 355
many holy men.! then with even greater enthusiasm he
says that Bergr compiled in the northern tongue the sagas
of many holy men "which will be seen and known as long
as this land is inhabited". 5 As well as these indications of
Berg's actual work Einar notes also his qualities and
talents. Bergr is praised for his "scholarship, writing,
singing and eloquence"," and a manuscript variant also
mentions that he was an impressive preacher. 7
Einar also provides some useful details and dates. He
mentions that Laurentius had taught Bergr at Munkapvera,
and tells us also that the period when Laurentius
was there was from the spring of 1312 to the following
year. Then in the Lent of 1317 when Laurentius and his
son became monks, Bergr also joined the I:>ingeyrar
community. It seems very possible that it was while he
was at I:>ingeyrar that Bergr did some, perhaps much, of
his work of translation. In 1322 Laurentius appointed
him head of the monastery at Munkapvera in matters
temporal and spiritual, and the care of that monastery,
temporarily without an abbot, must then have left him
little time for other activity. Einar gives the impression
that he threw himself into the work with customary
energy. 8
In the winter of 1324-5, as Einar records, Laurentius
chose Bergr to be abbot of Munkapvera and consecrated
him at Holar the next year, but we learn from the various
annals? that Bergr resigned that position a decade later.
Nothing appears to be recorded of his activities from then
until 1345 when he resumed his position as abbot of the
same monastery. Possibly the years of his resignation,
1334-1345, were again quiet ones in which he was able to
• "-harm setti saman margar sogubrekr heilagra manna i norrsenu mali mei'l
mikilli snild" (Bps. I 832).
• "Samansetti hann margar heilagra manna sogur I norrzenu sem birtaz
mun ok auosynaz meoan petta land er bygt" (Bps. I 850).
• "-klerkd6m, letr, song ok malsnild" (Bps. I 850).
7 Bps. I 891.
• "Sarndi br6i'lir Bergr par pa pegar agreta siou' (Bps. I 840).
• lsi. Ann. 349: "Bergr aboti at Pvera lagi'li abota vald fyrir litilleetis sakir."