Thorvald Kodransson the Far Traveller (Old Norse: Þorvaldr Koðránsson inn víðförli) was one of the first Christian missionaries in Iceland and then in Belarus in the late 10th century. He was native to Iceland but went abroad where he was baptized by one Bishop Friedrich (Friðrekr), a German.[1] He returned to the island in Bishop Friedrich's retinue in 981.[2] They were especially active in proselytising among the inhabitants of the northern parts of Iceland.[2]
The account of their attempts at Christianizing Iceland is described in the Kristni saga and the "Story of Thorvald the Far Traveller" (Þorvalds þáttr víðfǫrla―from the Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar en mesta), but accounts given in these sources are considered historically unreliable.[3][4] The Íslendingabók (Ch. 8) records Bishop Friðrekr arriving, but furnishes no details.[5]
The sagas say that Thorvald participated in the bishop's conversion of his own father Kodran (Koðrán), who gave offerings to a certain spirit embodied in stone in return for favors. The spirit was referred to as a ármaðr (in Kristni saga), and also functioned as a soothsayer to his worshipper. Kodran promised to abandon his idol and convert if his the spirit could be defeated, and the household spirit (possibly a forerunner of a nisse) capitulated after the bishop started pouring holy water on the stone.[6][7]
Otherwise, Thorvald had little success with proselytizing during his repatriation, and was subjected to ridicule.[1] The Icelanders taunted Thorvald with níð verses, suggesting he and the bishop had children together.[4] Thorvald was involved in an altercation in which two men were killed in battle, and was expelled from the island in 986.[1][2]
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