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Þorleifur Edmundsson (ca. 1265-1303) was a Swedish salesman and musician who was based in Livonia most of his life.

Edmundsson was born on the island of Gotland to Norwegian Vikings, who most likely had to flee from the Atlantic to the safer region of the Baltic Sea a few years before Þorleifur was born. He had one older brother and possibly one or two sisters. Young Þorleifur received a limited formal education, but his singing talent was noticed by a local priest, and he learned to play flute and lute. It is not clear what made Þorleifur leave the church and Gotland and become an amateur secular musician and a salesman in Livonia across the Baltic Sea. Edmundsson's music, unnoticed by his contemporaries, may have been a reaction to his life-long troublesome relationship and discomfort with adhering to the strict rules of the church. His music lacks a respect to the conventions of his time, but now, 700 years after his death, it is clear he was a musical genius. Edmundsson died in a social gathering, after a knife battle. The reason for the battle is not known, but it is believed to be about his love affair with a married woman of Russian-Ukrainian decent. Edmundsson was the father to one daughter, and possibly another older son or daughter.

The music Edmundsson left behind raises many interesting questions. For instance, researchers agree it was never performed publicly during his lifetime and for several centuries that followed. Stylistically it predates several musical phenomena used by Guillaume de Machaut. Some other musician-sailor who may have had contact with Central Europe possibly heard and copied his melodies and style. There may have been more works by Edmundsson, which have not survived. The music was discovered in 2002, having been erroneously archived for centuries under several European powers. What turned out to be the sheet music was first believed to be trade invoices or stock inventory of goods, and it was only recognized as music after two years of research at the University of Uppsala.

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