Heiki Trolla (born 10 August 1970 in Võru ), better known by his artist name Navitrolla , is an Estonian painter whose work has been described as naivist or surrealist . Most of his works depict fantastic landscapes and animals. He spent his childhood in the villages of Trolla and Navi near Võru , which is the source of his pseudonym.
94-494: He works in his atelier in Tartu, but has a gallery in Tallinn . Navitrolla's uncle is philosopher of science Enn Kasak . This Estonian biographical article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Tallinn Tallinn ( / ˈ t æ l ɪ n / ) is the capital and most populous city of Estonia . Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of
188-460: A "very strong heathen spirit", antithetical to Christianity, in 13th century Iceland. Magnus Magnusson wrote that "[t]he action is swept along by a powerful under-current of fate" and that Njáll wages a "fierce struggle to alter its course" but that he is nevertheless "not a fatalist in the heathen sense". Thorsteinn Gylfason rejects the idea that there is any fatalism in Njáls saga , arguing that there
282-509: A chieftain. Njáll manages to get Höskuldur a chieftaincy by instituting the Fifth Court at the Althing, and Höskuldur and Hildigunnur are married. At this point, the saga recounts the conversion of Iceland to Christianity in 999. Mörður Valgarðsson now finds Höskuldur to be such a successful chief that his own chieftaincy is declining. He sets the sons of Njáll against Höskuldur; the tragedy of
376-878: A collection of heroic tales and legends published in 1905 and lavishly illustrated by Henry Justice Ford , includes three stories based on the saga: The Slaying of Hallgerda's Husbands , The Death of Gunnar , and Njal's Burning . Robert E. Howard 's story " The Grey God Passes, or The Twilight of the Grey Gods " (1962) also draws inspiration from the saga. There are also a number of poetic works inspired by Njáls saga . These include Thomas Gray 's The Fatal Sisters (1768), Richard Hole 's The Tomb of Gunnar (1789), Jónas Hallgrímsson 's Gunnarshólmi (1838), Sigurður Breiðfjörð 's Rímur af Gunnari á Hlíðarenda (1860), Grímur Thomsen 's Gunnarsríma (1890) and his Íslenzkar konur frá söguöldinni (1895), and Helen von Engelhardt 's Gunnar von Hlidarendi (1909). Dramatic works deriving from
470-458: A consequence. Ármann Jakobsson has argued that it is "difficult to find a man whose manhood is not vulnerable" and that Njáls saga criticizes the idea of a misogynistic society by showing that the ideal of masculinity can be so restrictive that it becomes oppressive to men and destructive to society. Omens, prophetic dreams and supernatural foresight figure prominently in Njáls saga . The role of fate and, especially, of fatalism is, however,
564-588: A first layer of argillite followed by first layer of sandstone and siltstone and then another layer of argillite also followed by sandstone and siltstone. In other places of the city, hard sedimentary rock is only to be found beneath Quaternary sediments at depths reaching as much as 120 m below sea level. Underlying the sedimentary rock are the rocks of the Fennoscandian Craton including gneisses and other metamorphic rocks with volcanic rock protoliths and rapakivi granites . These rocks are much older than
658-513: A gift of a fancy cloak. Flosi claims to be insulted by the offer of a unisex garment (an insult from Skarphéðinn also adds fuel to the fire) and the settlement breaks down, with Njáll's silence on the matter remaining unexplained. Everyone leaves the Althing and prepares, amid portents and prophecies, for the showdown. A hundred men descend on Njáll's home, Bergþórshvoll , to find it defended by about thirty. Any victory for Flosi will be at some cost. But Njáll suggests that his sons defend from within
752-503: A historical derivation of Taani-linna , meaning "Danish-castle" ( Latin : Castrum Danorum ), conceivably because the Danish invaders built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold after the 1219 battle of Lyndanisse. The Icelandic Njal's saga —composed after 1270, but describing events between 960 and 1020—mentions an event that occurred somewhere in the area of Tallinn and calls
846-466: A large castle" among the towns of 'Astlanda'. It has been suggested that one possible transcription, 'Qlwn', may have denoted a predecessor of the modern city and may somehow be related to a toponym Kolyvan , which has been discovered from later East Slavic chronicles. However, a number of historians have considered connecting any of al-Idrisi's placenames with modern Tallinn erroneous, unfounded, or speculative. The first archaeological traces of
940-432: A matter of honor. Þrainn refuses a settlement, and his retainers, including Hallgerður, on her last appearance, insult them. The most dramatic of the saga's battles follows. Njáll's sons, with Kári, prepare to ambush Þráinn and his followers. There is a bridge of ice over the river between them. Skarphéðinn overtakes his brothers, leaps the river, and slides on the ice past Þráinn, splitting his skull in passing. Between them
1034-505: A matter of scholarly contention. Halldór Laxness argued that the saga is primarily a book about the fatalism inherent in Norse paganism . In his view, the course of events is foreordained from the moment Hrútr sees the thieves' eyes in his niece and until the vengeance for Njáll's burning is completed to the southeast in Wales . In this way, Laxness believed that Njáls saga attested to the presence of
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#17328512676531128-573: A mercantile and military alliance of German-dominated cities in Northern Europe. The king of Denmark sold Reval along with other land possessions in northern Estonia to the Teutonic Knights in 1346. Reval was arguably the most significant medieval port in the Gulf of Finland. Reval enjoyed a strategic position at the crossroads of trade between the rest of western Europe and Novgorod and Muscovy in
1222-419: A new settlement is arranged, and Gunnar's reputation grows. Njáll warns him that this will be the start of his career of killings. Next, Gunnar accepts a challenge to a horse-fight from a man called Starkaður. In the course of the fight, his opponents cheat, and Gunnar finds himself in a fresh squabble. Njáll tries to mediate but Þorgeir Starkaðsson refuses to accept it. On a journey with his two brothers, Gunnar
1316-526: A number of dubious characters into killing members of Njáll's household and the spirited Bergþóra arranges vengeance. After each killing, their husbands make financial settlements according to the status of the victims. The fifth victim is Þórður, foster-father of Njáll's sons. Þráinn Sigfússon, Gunnar's uncle and Hallgerður's son-in-law, accompanies the killers. When the feud ends and settlements are made, Þráinn's presence at that killing later causes conflict. Hallgerður now has one of her slaves, Melkólfur, burgle
1410-403: A settlement, while everyone contributes to Ljótur's weregild, which in the end amounts to a quadruple compensation. The burners are exiled. Before the sons of Sigfús reach home, Kári attacks them, and most of the rest of the saga describes his vengeance for the burning. He is supported by Þorgeir and an attractive anti-hero named Björn. He pursues them to Orkney and Wales. The most dramatic moment
1504-418: A small hunter-fisherman community's presence in what is now Tallinn's city centre are about 5,000 years old. The comb ceramic pottery found on the site dates to about 3000 BCE and corded ware pottery to around 2500 BCE. Around 1050 AD, a fortress was built in what is now central Tallinn, on the hill of Toompea . As an important port on a major trade route between Novgorod and western Europe, it became
1598-567: A target for the expansion of the Teutonic Knights and the Kingdom of Denmark during the period of Northern Crusades in the beginning of the 13th century when Christianity was forcibly imposed on the local population. Danish rule of Tallinn and northern Estonia started in 1219. In 1285, Tallinn, then known more widely as Reval, became the northernmost member of the Hanseatic League –
1692-543: A threat of violence. Despite his humiliation, he sees future links with Gunnar. This comes about when Gunnar returns with honours from a trip to Scandinavia. He goes to the Althing – the annual assembly – in splendour, and meets Hallgerður. They are impressed with one another and are soon betrothed, despite Hrútur's warnings about Hallgerður's character, and Njáll's misgivings. Hrútur and Njáll are proven right when Hallgerður clashes with Njáll's wife, Bergþóra . Hallgerður charms
1786-662: A variety of media. A number of modern novels draw inspiration from the saga's plot. These include, for example, Friðrik Ásmundsson Brekkan's novels Ulveungernes broder/Saga af Bróður Ylfing (1924/1929) and Drottningarkyn (1947), Dorothy James Roberts' Fire in the Ice (1961), Henry Treece 's The Burning of Njal (1964), Tim Severin's Viking-Trilogy (2005), Þórunn Erlu-Valdimarsdóttir 's crime novel Kalt er annars blóð (2007), Robert Jansson's Kári's Saga: A Novel of Viking Iceland (2008), Janni Lee Simner's Thief Eyes (2011), and Bjarni Harðarson 's Mörður (2014). The Red Romance Book ,
1880-554: A woman in Iceland, she curses him so that he is unable to consummate his marriage. After Unnur divorces him, he retains the dowry by challenging Unnur's father, Mörður, to combat. Mörður refuses, as he knows Hrútur's reputation and that he will lose the fight. Because of this, Hrútur keeps the dowry. While this conforms to Icelandic law, it offends justice. The first chapter gives one of Hrútur's insights when he makes comments about his beautiful niece, "I do not know how thieves' eyes came into
1974-1166: A year. Snowfall is common during the winters, which are cloudy and characterised by low amounts of sunshine, ranging from only 20.7 hours of sunshine per month in December to 58.8 hours in February. At the winter solstice , daylight lasts for less than 6 hours and 5 minutes. Spring starts out cool, with freezing temperatures common in March and April, but gradually becomes warmer and sunnier in May, when daytime temperatures average 15.4 °C (59.7 °F), although nighttime temperatures still remain cool, averaging −3.7 to 5.2 °C (25.3 to 41.4 °F) from March to May. In early spring, freezing temperatures are common in March and snowfall can occur in April. Summers are warm with daytime temperatures hovering around 19.2 to 22.2 °C (66.6 to 72.0 °F) and nighttime temperatures averaging between 9.8 to 13.1 °C (49.6 to 55.6 °F) from June to August. The warmest month
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#17328512676532068-463: Is a man of outstanding physical prowess, and Njáll has outstanding sagacity; they are close friends. When Gunnar is obliged to revive Unnur's dowry-claim against Hrútur, Njáll gives him the means to do so. By skillful play-acting, Gunnar begins the legal process in Hrútur's own house. He follows Hrútur's doubtful example when it comes to court, and Hrútur, who has previously won by threat of violence, loses to
2162-459: Is ambushed by Starkaður and his allies. In the battle, fourteen attackers and Gunnar's brother Hjörtur are killed. Worming through all this is Unnur's son, Mörður Valgarðsson. Mörður envies and hates Gunnar, and uses other men to attain his aims. He has learned that Njáll prophesied that Gunnar will die if he kills twice in the same family and subsequently breaks the settlement for his death. He instigates an attack on Gunnar by persons dissatisfied by
2256-410: Is appointed by the city government. The function of the "district governments", however, is not directly governing, but just limited to providing advice to the city government and the city council on issues related to the administration of respective districts. The districts are administratively further divided into 84 asum (subdistricts or "neighbourhoods" with officially defined borders). The city
2350-567: Is cut. Hallgerður refuses to give him strands of her hair to restring his bow; this is in revenge for the slap he once gave her. Gunnar's enemies resist Mörður's proposal to burn him in the house as shameful, but eventually they take the roof off to get to Gunnar. Njáll's son Skarphéðinn assists Högni Gunnarsson in some acts of vengeance before a settlement is achieved. Scandinavian rulers honor two Icelandic expeditions: those of Þráinn Sigfússon and of Njáll's two younger sons. Both return with enhanced honor, but also with companions. Þráinn brings back
2444-516: Is governed by the Tallinn City Council which consists of 79 members elected to four year terms via party list. The mayor is elected by the city council. The population of Tallinn on 1 January 2024 was 457,572. It is the primate and most populous city in Estonia, the 3rd most populous city in the three Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), as well as the 59th most populous city in
2538-529: Is home to the headquarters of the European Union 's IT agency, and to the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence . In 2007, Tallinn was listed among the top-10 digital cities in the world, and in 2022, Tallinn was listed among the top-10 "medium-sized European cities of the future". The name Tallinn(a) Estonian: [ˈtɑlʲːinː] is Estonian . It has been widely considered
2632-421: Is mainly due to the location between a more maritime and a more continental climate and the variation in the duration of sunshine as a consequence of its high latitude. Riga and Helsinki took second and third places. . Tallinn is subdivided into eight administrative linnaosa (districts). Each district has a linnaosa valitsus (district government) which is managed by a linnaosavanem (district elder) who
2726-509: Is no hostile supernatural plan which its characters are subject to. The first episode covers the period from the betrothal of Hrútur Herjólfsson and Unnur to the ugly legacy of their divorce. We are shown Hrútur's exploits in Norway where he gains honour at court and in battle, but he ruins his subsequent marriage by becoming the lover of the Norwegian queen mother Gunnhildur . When he denies having
2820-428: Is now believed to have been composed in the period from 1270 to 1290. Among written sources which the author likely used are Laxdæla saga , Eyrbyggja saga and Ljósvetninga saga as well as the lost sagas Brjáns saga and Gauks saga Trandilssonar . However, the author probably derived the bulk of the material in the saga from oral tradition , which he manipulated for his own artistic purposes. Opinions on
2914-454: Is often considered the peak of the saga tradition. The author of Njáls saga , like the other sagas of Icelanders , is anonymous. There are, however, several hypotheses about the saga's authorship. The oldest idea, attested in the early 17th century, is that Sæmundr fróði wrote the work. Other suggested authors include Sæmundr's sons, Jón Loftsson , Snorri Sturluson , Einarr Gilsson , Brandr Jónsson and Þorvarðr Þórarinsson . The saga
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3008-500: Is situated on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland , in north-western Estonia. The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ülemiste (9.44 km (3.6 sq mi)), which serves as the main source of the city's drinking water. Lake Harku is the second-largest lake within the borders of Tallinn and its area is 1.6 km (0.6 sq mi). The only significant river in Tallinn nowadays
3102-487: Is the Pirita river, in the eponymous Pirita city district. Historically, a smaller river, called Härjapea , flowed from Lake Ülemiste through the town into the sea, but the river was diverted into underground sewerage system in the 1930s and has since completely disappeared from the cityscape. References to it still remain in the street names Jõe (from jõgi , river) and Kivisilla (from kivi sild , stone bridge). The length of
3196-567: Is the only regulated exchange in Estonia. Port of Tallinn is one of the biggest ports in the Baltic sea region, whereas the largest cargo port of Estonia, the Port of Muuga , which is operated by the same business entity, is located in the neighboring town of Maardu . Old City Harbour has been known as a convenient harbour since the medieval times, but nowadays the cargo operations are shifted to Muuga Cargo Port and Paldiski South Harbour . As of 2010, there
3290-544: Is titled "Njorl's Saga". The "saga" in question is quite unrelated to any events in Njáls saga, despite the similarities between the names. In DreamWorks' animated series Dragons: Race to the Edge season 3 episode 3 a small excerpt from Njáls saga is chiseled into a sword and a wall in a cave using the Futhorc runic alphabet . The trope of a man trapped in a building and burned to death drives
3384-424: Is to this day, the most populous district of Tallinn. The official language of Tallinn is Estonian. As of 2011, 50.1% of the city's residents were native speakers of Estonian, whereas 46.7% had Russian as their first language . While English is the most frequently used foreign language by the residents of Tallinn, there are also a significant number of native speakers of Ukrainian and Finnish . The pie chart to
3478-660: Is usually July, with an average of 17.6 °C (63.7 °F). During summer, partly cloudy or clear days are common and it is the sunniest season, ranging from 255.6 hours of sunshine in August to 312.1 hours in July although precipitation is higher during these months. At the summer solstice , daylight lasts for more than 18 hours and 40 minutes. Autumn starts out mild, with a September average daily mean of 12.0 °C (53.6 °F) and increasingly becomes cooler and cloudier in November. In
3572-515: Is when he breaks into the earl's hall in Orkney and kills a man who is giving a slanderous account of those killed at the burning. After a pilgrimage to Rome, Flosi returns to Iceland. Kári follows, and is shipwrecked near Flosi's home. Testing Flosi's nobility he goes to him for help, and they arrange a final peace. Kári marries Höskuldur's widow. Finally, there is a full reconciliation. Njáls saga has influenced popular culture in different ways across
3666-567: The Governorate of Estonia . The Magistracy of Reval was abolished in 1889. The 19th century brought industrialisation of the city and the port kept its importance. On 24 February 1918, the Estonian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed in Tallinn. It was followed by Imperial German occupation until the end of World War I in November 1918, after which Tallinn became the capital of independent Estonia. During World War II , Estonia
3760-704: The Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea , Tallinn has a population of about 457,000 (as of 2024) and administratively lies in the Harju maakond (county). Tallinn is the main governmental, financial, industrial, and cultural centre of Estonia. It is located 187 km (116 mi) northwest of the country's second largest city, Tartu ; however, only 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki , Finland , also 320 km (200 mi) west of Saint Petersburg , Russia , 300 km (190 mi) north of Riga , Latvia , and 380 km (240 mi) east of Stockholm , Sweden . From
3854-473: The Middle Ages . None of the vellum manuscripts survives complete, but they tended to be copied conservatively, indicating the reverence which Icelandic scribes have had for the saga and making it relatively easy to reconstruct a complete medieval text. The vellum manuscripts were classified most recently by Einar Ólafur Sveinsson in 1953, en route to his 1954 Íslenzk fornrit edition of the saga, which remains
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3948-480: The Papal -sanctioned Livonian Crusade in the 13th century. The first recorded claim over the place was laid by Denmark after a successful raid in 1219 led by King Valdemar II , followed by a period of alternating Scandinavian and Teutonic rulers. Due to the strategic location by the sea, its medieval port became a significant trade hub , especially in the 14–16th centuries, when Tallinn grew in importance as
4042-510: The 13th century until the first half of the 20th century, Tallinn was known in most of the world by variants of its other historical name Reval . Tallinn received Lübeck city rights in 1248; however, the earliest evidence of human population in the area dates back nearly 5,000 years. The medieval indigenous population of what is now Tallinn and north Estonia was one of the last " pagan " civilisations in Europe to adopt Christianity following
4136-423: The Althing having to plead for help. Skarphéðinn has become grimly fatalistic, and insults many who might help them. After some legal sparring, arbitrators are chosen, including Snorri goði , who proposes a wergild of three times the normal compensation for Höskuldur. This is so much that it can only be paid if the arbitrators, and many at the Althing, contribute. The great collection is gathered, and Njáll adds
4230-720: The Baltic Sea". One of Tallinn's sister cities is the Silicon Valley town of Los Gatos, California . Skype is one of the best-known of several Estonian start-ups originating from Tallinn. Many start-ups have originated from the Institute of Cybernetics . In recent years, Tallinn has gradually been becoming one of the main IT centres of Europe, with the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) of NATO , eu-LISA ,
4324-607: The Burner ), is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The saga deals with a process of blood feuds in the Icelandic Commonwealth , showing how the requirements of honor could lead to minor slights spiralling into destructive and prolonged bloodshed. Insults where a character's manhood is called into question are especially prominent and may reflect an author critical of an overly restrictive ideal of masculinity. Another characteristic of
4418-469: The EU Digital Agency and the IT development centres of large corporations, such as TeliaSonera and Kuehne + Nagel being based in the city. Tallinn receives 4.3 million visitors annually, a figure that has grown steadily over the past decade. The Finns are especially a common sight in Tallinn; on average, about 20,000–40,000 Finnish tourists visit the city between June and October. Most of
4512-662: The European Union. According to Eurostat , in 2004, Tallinn had one of the largest number of non-EU nationals of all EU member states' capital cities. Ethnic Russians are a significant minority in Tallinn, as around a third of the city's residents are first and second generation immigrants from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union; a majority of the Soviet-era immigrants now hold Estonian citizenship. Ethnic Estonians made up over 80% of Tallinn's population before World War II. As of 2022, ethnic Estonians made up over 53% of
4606-808: The German retreat in September 1944, the city was occupied again by the Soviet Union . During the 1980 Summer Olympics , the sailing (then known as yachting) events were held at Pirita , north-east of central Tallinn. Many buildings, such as the Tallinn TV Tower , "Olümpia" hotel, the new Main Post Office building, and the Regatta Centre, were built for the Olympics. In 1991, the independent democratic Estonian nation
4700-585: The Icelandic TV series Trapped (Ófærð) . BBC Radio 3 broadcast The Saga of Burnt Njal , an audio adaptation by Hattie Naylor based on a translation by Benjamin Danielsson and directed by Gemma Jenkins, on 24 October 2021, with Justin Salinger as "Njal", Christine Kavanagh as "Bergthora", Justice Ritchie as "Gunnar", Lisa Hammond as "Hattgerd", Jasmine Hyde as "Mord" and Salomé Gunnarsdottir as "The Voice of
4794-510: The Quaternary deposits are valuable as they constitute aquifers , or as in the case of gravels and sands, are used as construction materials. The Quaternary deposits are the fill of valleys that are now buried. The buried valleys of Tallinn are carved into older rock likely by ancient rivers to be later modified by glaciers. While the valley fill is made up of Quaternary sediments the valleys themselves originated from erosion that took place before
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#17328512676534888-482: The Quaternary. The substrate into which the buried valleys were carved is made up of hard sedimentary rock of Ediacaran , Cambrian and Ordovician age. Only the upper layer of Ordovician rocks protrudes from the cover of younger deposits, cropping out in the Baltic Klint at the coast and at a few places inland. The Ordovician rocks are made up from top to bottom of a thick layer of limestone and marlstone , then
4982-512: The Russian analog Revel ( Ревель ) were all gradually replaced by the Estonian name after the country became independent in 1918. At first, both Estonian forms, Tallinna and Tallinn , were used. Tallinna in Estonian denotes also the genitive case of the name, as in Tallinna Sadam ('the Port of Tallinn '). Henry of Livonia , in his chronicle ( c. 1229 ), called the town with
5076-554: The Saga." The saga's influence is also discernible in other aspects of popular culture. In numerous Shanghai magazines, the Chinese composer Nie Er went by the English name George Njal , after a character in the saga. The Hallgerda Mons, a mountain on Venus , is named for Hallgerðr. Njáls saga survives in around 60 manuscripts and fragments, 21 of which – an unusually large number – are from
5170-561: The Universe . Featured in the soundtrack is a song called "Brennu-Njálssaga," composed by the Icelandic new wave band, Þeyr with the collaboration of Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson . This song later appeared in 1981 when the group released its single Iður til Fóta (in the cassette version only). The 1995 adventure film The Viking Sagas is inspired heavily by the saga, through it features an original plot. Episode 27 of Monty Python's Flying Circus
5264-530: The attackers kill four men, including Hrappur. Þráinn's brother, Ketill, has married Njáll's daughter, and between them they bring about a settlement. Wishing to stop further contention, Njáll adopts Þráinn's son Höskuldur as his foster-son. Höskuldur grows up in Njáll's household, and is loved and favoured by him. When he is fully grown, Njáll attempts to find a suitable wife for him, Hildigunnur. However, she refuses, saying that she will only marry Höskuldur if he becomes
5358-422: The award was received on false promises since it won the title with its " 15-minute city " concept, according to which key facilities and services should be accessible within a 15-minute walk or bike ride but the concept was left out of the green capital program and other parts of the 12 million euro program amount to a collection of temporary and one-off projects without any structural and lasting changes. Tallinn
5452-613: The city. In the early years of the Protestant Reformation , the city converted to Lutheranism . In 1561, Reval (Tallinn) became a dominion of Sweden. During the 1700–1721 Great Northern War , plague - stricken Tallinn along with Swedish Estonia and Livonia capitulated to Tsardom of Russia (Muscovy) in 1710, but the local self-government institutions ( Magistracy of Reval and Estonian Knighthood ) retained their cultural and economical autonomy within Imperial Russia as
5546-471: The city. It can be seen at Toompea, Lasnamäe , and Astangu . However, the hill at Toompea is not geologically part of the larger limestone cliff. The rocks and sediments underneath Tallinn are of different composition and age. Youngest are the Quaternary deposits. The materials of these deposits are till , varved clay , sand, gravel, and pebbles that are of glacial , marine and lacustrine origin. Some of
5640-526: The consequences of vengeance as a defence of family honor by dealing with a blood feud spanning some 50 years. The saga shows how even worthy people can destroy themselves by disputes and demonstrates the tensions in the Icelandic Commonwealth which eventually led to its destruction. Any insult to one's honor had to be revenged: sometimes this includes slights which seem trivial to modern readers. Magnus Magnusson finds it "a little pathetic, now, to read how vulnerable these men were to calls on their honour; it
5734-505: The country's largest private energy company, Alexela Group , all have their headquarters in Tallinn. Tallinn is the financial centre of Estonia and also an important economic centre in the Baltoscandian region. Many major banks, such as SEB , Swedbank , and Nordea , have their local offices in Tallinn. LHV Pank , an Estonian investment bank, has its corporate headquarters in Tallinn. Tallinn Stock Exchange , part of NASDAQ OMX Group ,
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#17328512676535828-473: The driest months, averaging about 35 to 37 mm (1.4 to 1.5 in), while July and August are the wettest months with 82 to 85 mm (3.2 to 3.3 in) of precipitation. The average humidity is 81%, ranging from a high of 89% to a low of 69% in May. Tallinn has an average windspeed of 3.3 m/s (11 ft/s) with winters being the windiest (around 3.7 m/s (12 ft/s) in January) and summers being
5922-454: The early parts of autumn, temperatures commonly reach 16.1 °C (61.0 °F) and at least one day above 21 °C (70 °F) in September. In late autumn, snowfall can occur in October and freezing temperatures become more common in November. Tallinn receives 700 mm (28 in) of precipitation annually, which is evenly distributed throughout the year although March, April and May are
6016-462: The east. The city, with a population of about 8,000, was very well fortified with city walls and 66 defence towers . The city wall has been described as an outstanding example of German Medieval fortification architecture. A weather vane , the figure of an old warrior called Old Thomas , was put on top of the spire of the Tallinn Town Hall in 1530. Old Thomas later became a popular symbol of
6110-461: The end of the 20th century. It features film and hands-on displays that show how Estonian dwellers lived and survived. Njal%27s saga Njáls saga ( Icelandic pronunciation: [ˈnjauls ˌsaːɣa] listen ), also Njála ( [ˈnjauːla] listen ), or Brennu-Njáls saga ( [ˈprɛnːʏ-ˌnjauls ˌsaːɣa] listen ) (Which can be translated as The Story of Burnt Njáll , or The Saga of Njáll
6204-462: The family". The saga next follows this niece, Hallgerður, through her first two marriages. Both husbands die by the axe of Hallgerður's doting, brutish foster-father, Þjóstólfur. Hallgerður provokes the first death but not the second, although it follows from a disagreement between her and her husband. It is Hrútur who, despite the family ties, avenges the death by killing Þjóstólfur. Gunnar Hámundarson and Njáll Þorgeirsson are now introduced. Gunnar
6298-452: The historicity of the saga have varied greatly, ranging from pure fiction to nearly verbatim truth to any number of nuanced views. It can be regarded as certain that Njáll and Gunnarr were real historical people and their fateful deaths are referred to in other sources. Gabriel Turville-Petre said, "It was not the author's purpose to write a work of history, but rather to use a historical subject for an epic in prose". Njáls saga explores
6392-533: The home of a churlish man named Otkell. Gunnar immediately seeks to make amends, but his handsome offers are not accepted. A lawsuit is started against him which, with Njáll's help, he wins, gaining great honour. However, while remonstrating with Hallgerður about the burglary, Gunnar slaps her. This is followed by Otkell accidentally wounding Gunnar. Insult follows injury and Gunnar reluctantly goes to avenge himself. With belated help from his brother Kolskeggur, he kills Otkell and his companions. Under Njáll's influence
6486-519: The house, and they, while realizing that this is futile, follow their father into certain death. Flosi and his men set fire to the building. Both the innocent and the guilty are surrounded. Flosi allows the women to leave but beheads Helgi Njálsson, who attempts to escape disguised as a woman. Although Flosi invites Njáll and Bergþóra to leave, they refuse, preferring to die with their sons and their grandson Þórður (the son of Kári). Eventually eleven people die, not including Kári, who escapes under cover of
6580-400: The killing by fire of the eponymous "Burnt Njáll". The work is anonymous, although there has been extensive speculation on the author's identity. The major events described in the saga are probably historical but the material was shaped by the author, drawing on oral tradition, according to his artistic needs. Njáls saga is the longest and most highly developed of the sagas of Icelanders. It
6674-458: The least windy at around 2.7 m/s (8.9 ft/s) in August. Extremes range from −32.2 °C (−26.0 °F) on 31 December 1978 to 34.3 °C (93.7 °F) on 30 July 1994. According to a 2021 study commissioned by the British price comparison site Uswitch.com, Tallinn is the most unpredictable of European capitals in terms of weather conditions, with a total score of 69/100; the high score
6768-534: The maker of the internationally-known Vana Tallinn liqueur, is similarly based in Tallinn. The headquarters of Kalev , a confectionery company and part of the industrial conglomerate Orkla Group , is located in Lehmja , near the city's southeastern boundary. Estonia is ranked third in Europe in terms of shopping centre space per inhabitant, ahead of Sweden and being surpassed only by Norway and Luxembourg . Institutions of higher education and science include: Tallinn
6862-427: The malevolent Hrappur, the sons of Njáll and the noble Kári Sölmundarson , who marries their sister. But Njáll's sons also bring back a grievance, blaming Þráinn for the way in which the de facto ruler of Norway, Jarl Hákon , has treated them while looking for Hrappur, who had been hidden by Þráinn. While Njáll says they have been foolish in raising the matter, he advises them to publicise it so that it will be seen as
6956-656: The name that is also known to have been used up to the 13th century by Scandinavians: Lindanisa (or Lyndanisse in Danish , Lindanäs in Swedish and Ledenets in Old East Slavic ). In 1154, a town called قلون ( Qlwn or Quwri ) was recorded in the description of the world on the world map ( Tabula Rogeriana ) commissioned by the Norman King Roger II of Sicily and compiled by Arab cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi , who described it as "a small town like
7050-424: The narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams. It is disputed whether this reflects a fatalistic outlook on the part of the author. The principal characters in the saga are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson , a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnar Hámundarson , a formidable warrior. Gunnar's wife, Hallgerðr langbrók , instigates a feud that leads to the death of many characters over several decades including
7144-419: The northernmost member city of the Hanseatic League . Tallinn Old Town is one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site . In 2012, Tallinn had the highest number of startup companies per person among all capitals and larger cities in Europe. Tallinn is the birthplace of many international high-technology companies, including Skype and Wise . The city
7238-581: The place Rafala (probably a derivation of Rävala , Revala , or some other variant of the Estonian name of the adjacent medieval Estonian county ). Soon after the Danish conquest in 1219, the town became known in the Scandinavian and German languages as Reval ( Latin : Revalia ). Reval was in official use in Estonia until 1918. In international use, the English and German-language ( Reval ; German: [ˈʁeːval] ) as well as
7332-522: The population. Tallinn was one of the urban areas with industrial and military significance in northern Estonia that during the period of Soviet occupation underwent extensive changes in its ethnic composition due to large influx of immigrants from Russia and other parts of the former USSR. Whole new city districts were built where the main intent of the then Soviet authorities was to accommodate Russian-speaking immigrants: Mustamäe, Väike-Õismäe, Pelguranna, and most notably, Lasnamäe, which in 1980s became, and
7426-524: The proceedings by an infected leg. There is a legal joust between the parties. Eventually, when his legal action seems to be failing, Þórhallur lances his boil with his spear and begins fighting. Flosi's men are driven back until Snorri separates the parties. In the confusion, several are killed including Ljótur, Flosi's brother-in-law. Ljótur's father, Hallur of Síða, takes advantage of the truce to appeal for peace, and seeks no compensation for his son. Moved by this, all but Kári and Njáll's nephew Þorgeir reach
7520-667: The rest ( Paleoproterozoic age) and do not crop out anywhere in Estonia. Tallinn has a humid continental climate ( Köppen climate classification Dfb ) with warm, rainy summers and cold, snowy winters. Winters are cold, but mild for its latitude, owing to its coastal location. The average temperature in February, the coldest month, is −3.6 °C (25.5 °F). During the winters, temperatures tend to hover close to freezing, but mild spells of weather can push temperatures above 0 °C (32 °F), occasionally reaching above 5 °C (41 °F) while cold air masses can push temperatures below −18 °C (0 °F) an average of 6 days
7614-644: The right shows the distribution of religion in Tallinn as of 2021. Religion in Tallinn (2021) [1] Tallinn has a highly diversified economy with particular strengths in information technology, tourism and logistics. More than half of Estonia's GDP is created in Tallinn. In 2008, the GDP per capita of Tallinn stood at 172% of the Estonian average. In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city, Tallinn has seen development of an information technology sector; in its 13 December 2005, edition, The New York Times characterised Estonia as "a sort of Silicon Valley on
7708-510: The saga is that they are so susceptible to his promptings that they, with Mörður and Kári, murder him as he sows in his field. As one character says, "Höskuldur was killed for less than no reason; all men mourn his death; but none more than Njáll, his foster-father". Flosi, the uncle of Höskuldur's wife, takes revenge against the killers, and seeks help from powerful chieftains. He is pressured (against his better judgement) by Hildigunnur to accept only blood vengeance. Njáll's sons find themselves at
7802-415: The saga's plot and characters include Gordon Bottomley 's The Riding to Lithend (1909), Jóhann Sigurjónsson 's Logneren/Lyga-Mörður (1917), Thit Jensen 's Nial den Vise (1934), and Sigurjón Jónsson's Þiðrandi - sem dísir drápu (1950). Embla Ýr Bárudóttir and Ingólfur Örn Björgvinsson's graphic novel adaptation of the saga, consisting of the four volumes Blóðregn , Brennan , Vetrarvíg , and Hetjan ,
7896-465: The seaside coast is 46 km (29 mi), comprising three larger ( Kopli , Paljassaare , and Kakumäe ) peninsulas . The city has a number of public beaches, including those at Pirita, Stroomi, Kakumäe, Harku, and Pikakari. The highest point in Tallinn, at 64 m (about 200 ft) above sea level, is situated in Hiiu , Nõmme District, in the south-west of the city. A large limestone cliff runs through
7990-512: The settlement. Again, Gunnar wins the fight, but he kills a second man in the same family. The settlement that follows requires that Gunnar and Kolskeggur leave Iceland for three years. Arrangements are made for exile. But as Gunnar leaves home, he looks homeward and, touched by the beauty of his homestead, resolves not to leave Iceland, thus becoming an outlaw. He goes about as though nothing has changed but his enemies, Mörður among them, seek revenge. He defends himself in his home until his bowstring
8084-414: The smoke by running along the beam of the house. Flosi knows that Kári will exact vengeance for the burning. At the Althing, both sides gather. Flosi bribes Eyjólfur Bölverksson, one of the finest lawyers in Iceland, into taking over the case, while his opponents blackmail Mörður Valgarðsson into prosecuting, advised by Þórhallur, Njáll's foster-son, who was trained in the law by Njáll, but is kept away from
8178-470: The standard edition. However, a project on 'The Variance of Njáls saga ', based in the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies , is reassessing the complete history of the manuscript transmission of the saga. The first printed edition of the saga, by Ólafur Ólafsson, based primarily on Reykjabók, with reference to Kálfalækjabók and Möðruvallabók, was published in Copenhagen in 1772. A major step in
8272-488: The visitors come from Europe, though Tallinn has also become increasingly visited by tourists from the Asia-Pacific region. Tallinn Passenger Port is one of the busiest cruise destinations on the Baltic Sea, it served more than 520,000 cruise passengers in 2013. The state-owned energy company Eesti Energia , the nationwide electric power transmission system operator Elering , the natural gas distributor Eesti Gaas , and
8366-635: Was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku , Finland. Tallinn is home to more than 60 museums and galleries. Most of them are located in Kesklinn , the central district of the city, and cover Tallinn's rich history. One of the most visited historical museums in Tallinn is the Estonian History Museum , located in Great Guild Hall at Vanalinn , the old part of the city. It covers Estonia's history from prehistoric times up until
8460-419: Was fatally easy to goad them into action to avenge some suspicion of an insult". Insults involving a character's manliness are especially prominent in the saga. Thus, Njáll's lack of a beard is repeatedly referred to and used by his opponents to call his manhood into question. Another example, among many, is when the gift of a silk garment is considered an insult by Flosi and a hard-won settlement breaks down as
8554-641: Was first occupied by the Soviet army and annexed into the USSR in the summer of 1940, then occupied by Nazi Germany from 1941 to 1944. During the German occupation Tallinn suffered from many instances of aerial bombing by the Soviet air force . During the most destructive Soviet bombing raid on 9–10 March 1944 , over a thousand incendiary bombs were dropped on the town, causing widespread fires, killing 757 people, and leaving over 20,000 residents of Tallinn without shelter. After
8648-592: Was published in Iceland between 2003 and 2007. In terms of film, television, and radio, the Icelandic short film called Brennu-Njálssaga (known by its English title in Europe as The Saga of Burnt Njal ) was directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson and released 1981. It sarcastically depicted the burning of the book itself, not of the events described within it. The film is featured on the Icelandic DVD release of Angels of
8742-554: Was restored and a period of quick development as a modern European capital ensued. Tallinn became the capital of a de facto independent country once again on 20 August 1991. The Old Town became a World Heritage Site in 1997, and the city hosted the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest . Tallinn was the 2011 European Capital of Culture , and is the recipient of the 2023 European Green Capital Award . The city has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and takes pride in its biodiversity and high air quality. But critics say that
8836-510: Was still a small fleet of oceangoing trawlers that operated out of Tallinn. Tallinn's industries include shipbuilding, machine building, metal processing, electronics, textile manufacturing. BLRT Grupp has its headquarters and some subsidiaries in Tallinn. Air Maintenance Estonia and AS Panaviatic Maintenance , both based in Tallinn Airport, provide MRO services for aircraft, largely expanding their operations in recent years. Liviko ,
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