him and suggested he would win more if he stopped hunting mere birds and rode to battle against foemen, that he should seek the halls of Dan and Danþír, who were wealthier than he. At that point the poem abruptly cuts off. Historical significance A key aspect of historical scholarship on this poem is that theories of date and provenance range from the tenth to the thirteenth century and from the Old Norse-Icelandic-speaking areas of the British Isles to Norway. Initially it was viewed as an ancient poem; later research postulated that it came from the thirteenth century, but some modern scholars continue to place it as early as the Viking Age. Additionally, the dating problem is complicated by the poem's history of oral transmission, which tends to warp pieces as long as the Rígsþula as they are recited numerous times. In terms of provenance, although there has been some speculation in the past as to Celtic authorship of the poem, the modern consensus is to ascribe Icelandic authorship to it. The historical significance of the poem would necessarily change based on where in history the text itself is situated. However, the general consensus is that the poem is from Viking times and can be read as descriptive of those times: "The political setting of the poem has already drawn it out of the realms of fancy upon historical ground; and in its details, the description of the customs and manner of life among the different classes, it is most valuable." There is of course a need to remember the literary nature of the poem when reading it as a historical source as certain aspects do not translate literally and must be read allegorically and stereotypically. For example, despite the explicit and detailed physical differences between the classes in the poem, slaves, freeman, and aristocrats did not necessarily look different. Thus although qualitative aspects of the social classes are difficult to determine from the text, there is broader understanding that can be gained. Firstly, the poem presents a view of Þræll in line with certain slave tropes found throughout Old Norse literature, as dark, short, stupid, gloomy and ugly. Þræll and his aged parents live as tenants in one farmhouse and he and his sons engage largely in menial labor such as keeping the household in firewood and cutting turf. Although his working status is indeterminate, the field work in