Sagas Authun and the bear Bolli Bollason’s Tale The Saga of the Confederates Egil’s Saga The Saga of Eirik the Red Eyrbyggja Saga 1 Eyrbyggja Saga 2 Gisli Surrsson’s Saga The Saga of the Greenlanders The Saga of Grettir the Strong The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue King Harald’s Saga The Saga of Hen-Thorir The Saga […]
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Saga and Viking reviews
Posted by Simon on February 1, 2023
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2023/02/01/saga-and-viking-reviews/
King Harald’s Saga
Introduction This is a relatively short and straightforward read in an excellent, fluent translation by Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Pálsson. It was published in 1966, 900 years after the events of the Great Year which it describes, for this is the life story of King Harald Sigurdsson, known as Harald Hardrada (hard ruler), the Norwegian king […]
Posted by Simon on May 23, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/23/king-haralds-saga/
The Saga of the Jomsvikings
Classifying sagas Hundreds of long prose texts were composed in Iceland in the 13th and 14th centuries, the texts we call sagas. Modern scholars bring some order to this profusion by classifying them as: sagas of Icelanders (Íslendinga sögur) – just over 40 texts describing what purport to be the true exploits of ordinary figures […]
Posted by Simon on May 17, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/17/the-saga-of-the-jomsvikings/
The Saga of Eirik the Red
Two short sagas deal with the legendary discovery of America by Vikings – the Saga of the Greenlanders (Grœnlendinga saga) and the Saga of Eirik the Red (Eiríks saga rauða). Eirik’s saga is slightly longer (13 chapters versus 8) and is thought to be the later of the two, though both only reached their final […]
Posted by Simon on May 13, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/13/saga-eirik-the-red/
The Saga of the Greenlanders
Two short sagas deal with the legendary discovery of America by Vikings – the Saga of the Greenlanders (Grœnlendinga saga) and the Saga of Eirik the Red (Eiríks saga rauða). To be honest, neither of them seem to me to have much literary merit and to be mainly of historical interest (which is considerable). The […]
Posted by Simon on May 12, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/12/saga-of-the-greenlanders/
The Saga of Ref the Sly
Króka-Refs saga or The Saga of Ref the Sly is a relatively short one, with just 20 chapters. Summary Everyone thinks Ref is a layabout till he kills his overbearing neighbour and escapes to Greenland where he kills five members of a family who slander him then outwits his pursuers using a Heath-Robinson system of waterworks […]
Posted by Simon on May 11, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/saga-of-ref-the-sly/
The saga of Hen-Thorir
Hænsna-Þóris saga takes place in Borgafjord in the west of Iceland. The old William Morris translation included a handy map: Short synopsis An unfortunate misunderstanding leads to the burning of well-thought-of chieftain Blund-Ketil. His son recruits powerful allies and brings the burners to justice, not without several bloody fights. Detailed synopsis 1 – Odd Onundarson […]
Posted by Simon on May 6, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/06/the-saga-of-hen-thorir/
The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue
A short saga at a mere 13 chapters, Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue is intimately linked with the other major sagas: the woman in the love triangle at the heart of the saga is Helga, daughter of Thorstein who is the son of Egil Skallgrimsson, the hero of Egils saga; his sister, Thorgerd (Egil’s-daughter) married Olaf the Peacock […]
Posted by Simon on May 3, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/03/the-saga-of-gunnlaug-serpent-tongue/
Eyrbyggja Saga 2
Could be called Snorri’s saga, as Snorri the Priest is born in chapter 12, dies in the last chapter (65) and dominates most of the action in between, if only as peacemaker between the various gangs which come to inhabit the Snæfelsness peninsula in north-west Iceland where it is set. He inhabits a larger proportion […]
Posted by Simon on May 2, 2014
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2014/05/02/eyrbyggja-saga-2-2/
Books & Boots 