Sörli was a Viking warlord, prince of Oppland and son of King Erlingr, Norway at the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 10th century. His life appears detailed in the form of a short story in Sörla þáttr, one of the legendary sagas that comes from an extended version of Óláfs ​​saga Tryggvasonar and that appears in Flateyjarbók.

According to the saga, 24 years after the death of King Fróði, Sörli and his brother Erlendr are engaged in Viking raids until one day they face Sindri Sveigisson (Haki's grandson), on the Elfarsker Islands (near the current Gothenburg.) In the battle Sindri and Erlendr die, and from then on Sörli is dedicated to devastating the coasts of the Baltic Sea.

In one of his expeditions he finds a beautiful drakkar owned by a king named Halfdan of Denmark, who ruled his kingdom from Hróiskelda with his two sons, Högni and Hákon, both virtuous warriors. Sörli decides to kill the king and seize the ship, disregarding his lieutenant Sævar's warnings about Halfdan's sons. The king fights bravely, but dies murdered and Sörli flees sailing with his new ship.

On one occasion Sörli learned that Högni returned from one of his expeditions and was in Odense, so he wanted to meet with Högni and inform him of his father's death, with the intention of offering a wergeld (compensation) to the two brothers for the loss, but they did not accept and followed a fierce battle where Hákon, Sævar and Erlingr die, and finally Sörli ends badly wounded. However, Högni heals Sörli and agrees to be his brother in arms.

Sörli died in the east, possibly in Serkland, and when Högni learned of it, he went south where he won many victories, became a great king and had twenty other subjugated kings as vassals. The saga mentions that he was famous from the land of the Finns to Paris.

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