Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (4 July 1924 – 23 December 1993) was an Icelandic religious leader and singer of rímur who was instrumental in gaining the Icelandic government's recognition of pre-Christian Heathenry in the country.
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson

Photograph by Jónína K. Berg · Scan (by me) of a photograph I borrowed from Jónína K. Berg. · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
- Born
- 4 July 1924
- Birthplace
- Iceland
- Died
- 23 December 1993
- Occupation
- allsherjargoði, sheep farmer, poet
- Spouse
- Svanfríður Hagvaag
- Languages
- Icelandic
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (4 July 1924 – 23 December 1993) was an Icelandic religious leader and singer of rímur who was instrumental in gaining the Icelandic government's recognition of pre-Christian Heathenry in the country.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson (1924–1993) was a poet, singer and writer, of Icelandic nationality. The poet was born and died in Borgarfjörður. Languages used include Icelandic.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 27 September 2026
VALÉORINE
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
gnd · 101299130X · wikidata · Q633941 · wikipedia · Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson • Born — 4 July 1924 • Birthplace — Iceland • Died — 23 December 1993 • Place of death — Iceland • Occupation — allsherjargoði, sheep farmer, poet • Spouse — Svanfríður Hagvaag
Biography
Biography
Sveinbjörn lived his entire life in West Iceland Borgarfjörður. From 1944 on, he was a sheep farmer while also pursuing literary interests on the side. He published a book of rímur in 1945, a textbook on the verse forms of rímur in 1953, two volumes of his own verse in 1957 and 1976, and edited several anthologies. He was married to Svanfríður Hagvaag with whom he had two sons, born in 1965 and 1966. The Ásatrúarfélagið ("Fellowship of Æsir faith"), which he co-founded in 1972, and for which he acted as allsherjargoði, was officially recognised as a religious body in 1973. Sveinbjörn is regarded with much respect and affection amongst Germanic neopagans. He was not only well known as a rímur singer, or kvæðamaður, in Iceland but also attracted fans and audiences throughout Europe and North America. He sometimes performed at rock concerts and is the opening act in the film Rokk í Reykjavík, directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. Sveinbjörn can be heard singing on the bootleg album "Ragnarok (A New Beginning)" by Burzum, on the last track of the album entitled "Hávamál". In 1978, Sveinbjörn appeared on the television program In Search Of in an episode on "Lost Vikings" which examined the possibility of Viking pre-Columbian contact with North America. Sveinbjörn can be heard performing Ásatrú marriage rites for Genesis and Paula P-Orridge on Psychic TV's LP Live in Reykjavik and on the double LP entitled Those who do not. • Illustration — Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's memorial stone in Reykjavík was erected in 2010. In 1982 Sveinbjörn released an album, Eddukvæði (Songs from The Poetic Edda), in which he recites in rímur style 75 stanzas from Hávamál, Völuspá and Sigrdrífumál. The album, on the Gramm label, included a booklet of the poems in Icelandic, with translations into English, Swedish, and German. David Tibet released a CD of Sveinbjörn performing his own rímur and reciting the traditional Poetic Edda under the title Current 93 presents Sveinbjörn 'Edda in two editions through the World Serpent Distribution. His biography Allsherjargoðinn was written by Berglind Gunnarsdóttir and published in 1992. A memorial stone for Sveinbjörn was inaugurated in Reykjavík on 22 April 2010. It is located next to the site of the planned hof Ásatrúarfélagsins on the hill Öskjuhlíð. His sister, Halldóra B. Björnsson, translated Beowulf into Icelandic as Bjólfskviða, "The Lay of Bjólfur" in 1968; a version was published in 1983.
As editor
As editor
• Illustration — Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson's 1982 album, Eddukvæði • Rímnavaka, 1959. • Rímnasafn, 1966. • Fúsakver, 1976. • Rimnasafn Sigurðar Breiðfjörð 1–6, 1961–73. • Borgfirðingaljóð: ljóð eftir 120 höfunda, 1991.
Identity
Identity
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson is recorded as writer, poet and singer.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1924
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson born at Borgarfjörður.
1993
Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson died at Borgarfjörður.
Writings
• Gömlu lögin, 1945. • Bragfræði og háttatal, 1953. • Stuðlagaldur, 1954. • Vandkvæði, 1957. • Reiðljóð, 1957. • Heiðin, 1984. • Gátur I-III, 1985–91. • Bragskógar, 1989.
Discography
• Snælda tengd Bragfræði og háttatali, 1981. • Eddukvæði, 1982. • 93 Current 93 Present Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson: Edda, 1990.
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Rímur in the Nuclear Age: Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Icelandic Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology, 2023
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2023
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 101299130X, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson.
Unverified · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
reference work
- “Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Literature
Literature
Rímur in the Nuclear Age: Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Icelandic Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology, 2023
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Berg, Jónína K. Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson skáld og allsherjargoði frá Draghálsi. Vor Siður. 5. 5–6. October 2021.
- 2.Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson. 7 January 1994. Dagblaðið Vísir
- 3.Minnisvarði um Sveinbjörn allsherjargoða. 22 April 2010. Vísir.is
- 4.Björnsson, Halldóra B. Bjólfskviða.
- 5.Knútsson, Pétur. Beowulf at Kalamazoo : essays on translation and performance. Medieval Institute Publications. 189 and 204 note 7. 2012. 978-1-58044-152-0.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson, Berglind Gunnarsdóttir. Allsherjargoðinn. Hörpuútgáfan, 1992. ISBN 9979-50-025-5.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Rímur in the Nuclear Age: Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson and Icelandic Traditional Music, Ethnomusicology, 2023Crossref registry
Verifiedauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 101299130X, Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
Those registers additionally record the form Beinteinsson, Sveinbjörn.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 15 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,988 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Svatopluk ČechAuthor
- Svatopluk KarásekAuthor
- Svava JakobsdóttirAuthor
- Svea Kristina FrischAuthor
- Sveinbjörn EgilssonAuthor
- Sven AggesenAuthor
- Sven DelblancAuthor
- Sven KivisildnikAuthor
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.