Hedemark
Norwegian region where Thorer made a wealthy marriage, attested in the Heimskringla.
Hedemark is a district in Norway that appears in the Heimskringla as a region of some administrative and social importance. Queen Astrid had given Bjorn "farm-management and other offices in the upper part of Hedemark" (Heimskringla, 173. Of Bjorn The Bailiff). The district is also noted as the place where Thorer "had made a good marriage in Hedemark, by which he got great wealth; and was besides one of the most popular of men, and formed to be a chief" (Heimskringla, 175. Thorer's Death).
The Heimskringla mentions Hedemark in contexts that emphasize its role as a base for ambitious men. Both Bjorn and Thorer built their positions through Hedemark -- Bjorn through royal appointment, Thorer through marriage. The district functions in the narrative as a place where power could be accumulated through land management and advantageous social connections, reflecting the importance of regional districts in Norwegian political life during the saga period.
Appears in: Places, Entities in Heimskringla, Norse Tradition