Geirmund Hjørson, called Heljarskinn, was a leading Icelander of the late ninth century. He was the son of a Norwegian merchant and a Samoyed woman.[1] His nickname, an apparent reference to his complexion, means "Hel skin", which indicates either dark or "black" skin[1] or perhaps skin "pale as death".[2]
The sources for Geirmund's life are the Landnámabók and the Geirmundar þáttr heljarskinns [no], the first saga in the Sturlunga saga collection. According to these, he was the son of a Norwegian petty king and made a fortune as a Viking. On Iceland, he held four large estates and travelled with a bodyguard of eighty men. His lifestyle was supported by the wealth from his raids and could not be sustained off of his estates alone.[2]
