Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum
Sögubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum í Dana- ok Svíaveldi is a fragmentary Old Icelandic text dealing with some legendary Swedish and Danish kings. It is thought to be a part of a younger redaction of the lost Skjöldunga saga. While the older Skjöldunga saga is believed to have been written at the end of the twelfth century, the younger redaction preserved partly in Sögubrot is believed to have been written around 1250 by Óláfr Þórðarson. The older Skjöldunga saga is believed to have been concise and objective, and is therefore considered part of the genre of Kings' sagas, whereas the younger redaction from Sögubrot was lengthier and more entertaining, and is therefore considered a legendary saga.
Manuscript
Sögubrot survives in a single manuscript, called AM 1 e β I fol., which dates from around 1300. The manuscript consists of six trimmed and damaged leaves from a larger codex, which originally would have included the rest of the younger redaction as well as the Knýtlinga saga. Two leaves from the middle of the fragment are missing, leading to a lacuna in the story during the reign of Harald Wartooth. The headings are rubricated.
Content
The fragment begins in the middle of the story of Ívarr víðfaðmi, a king of Sweden who wins the realm of Zealand through trickery by playing the co-rulers of Zealand, Helgi and Hrærekr, against each other. Ívarr then commits suicide under strange circumstances while on an invasion of the realm of Ráðbarðr, who had married his daughter Auðr the Deep-Minded without his permission. The fragment then recounts the early life of Harald Wartooth but breaks off; it resumes with the arrival of Sigurd Hring, Harald's old age, and the colossal Battle of Brávellir. It breaks off again towards the end of Sigurd's life.