Bersi the Wealthy, a priest who also holds a chieftaincy (he was ordained before Archbishop Eirik forbade the ordination of chieftains in 1190), owns Borg on Mýrar, Egill Skalla-Grímsson's old farm.
His daughter Herdís is Snorri Sturluson's wife and heiress, so Borg and the chieftaincy pass to Snorri on Bersi's death in 1201.
Who he is
- Name
- Bersi Vermundarson, called the Wealthy (inn auðgi)
- Title
- Priest and chieftain (goði)
- Since
- Not pinned
- Born
- Not pinned; he dies in 1201
- Family
- His daughter and heiress Herdís married Snorri Sturluson in 1199. His former wife Hróðný Þórðardóttir now lives with Þórður Sturluson.
- Confidence
- high
Íslendinga saga: "Bersi the priest, the Wealthy, died the same year as Bishop Brandur; that was 1201 years after the birth of Christ"; Snorri then inherited Borg and his chieftaincy.
What it holds
- Borg on Mýrar with its church
- A chieftaincy in Þverárþing (it passes to Snorri in 1201; its name is not given in the passages checked)
Allies and rivals
Þórður Sturluson (the saga: their friendship lasted long).
How things stand that morning
Alive and at Borg.
Wealth
Great wealth in land and goods (his byname; his daughter's dowry was eight hundred hundreds).
Military
Thingmen of Mýrar.
What the year holds
What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.
- 1201 (beyond 1200)Bersi dies; Snorri inherits through Herdís.Depends on: Natural death. Stopped by: Nothing in play.
Places of note
- Borg: Bersi's farm and church.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Íslendinga saga; his district is inferred from his farm.
On the map: A chieftain's power was over thingmen, not ground, and a farmer could in principle change chieftain; the polygon draws the district where his thingmen and farms lay that winter, from the saga evidence, not a border. The extent of Bersi's thingmen is an inference from his farm.
Primary sources for Iceland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- The Icelandic annals to 1578 (compiled from the late 13th century onward from older notes). Year-by-year notices that fix Icelandic chronology. Read online
- The saga of the Sturlungs: the compilation of contemporary Icelandic sagas, Sturla Þórðarson and other authors, compiled by Þórðr Narfason (the component sagas between about 1200 and 1280; compiled about 1300). The only contemporary narrative of Iceland. Read online
- The sagas of the Icelandic bishops: Páll of Skálholt, Guðmundr of Hólar and Þorlákr (Páls saga about 1211 to 1216; Þorláks saga about 1200 to 1210; the oldest Guðmundar saga in the 13th century). Páls saga is the life of Bishop Páll Jónsson of Skálholt (1195 to 1211), of the Oddaverjar, and tells how he had the churches and priests of his diocese counted, about 220 churches and 290 priests, how he furthered the cult of his uncle Þorlákr, whose relics were raised in 1198 and whose feast the Althing adopted in 1199, and how he dealt with the chieftains. Read online
- The Grey Goose laws: the law of the Icelandic Commonwealth (law first written down in 1117 to 1118; the surviving manuscripts Konungsbók (about 1250) and Staðarhólsbók (about 1270)). The law under which Iceland was run in 1200: the goðar and their thingmen, the local and quarter things and the Althing, the Fifth Court, the lawspeaker, outlawry, compensation and the Christian law section with the tithe. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.