![Íslendingasögur](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/%C3%8Dslendingas%C3%B6gur.jpg)
The sagas of Icelanders ( is, Íslendingasögur, ), also known as family sagas, are one genre of Icelandic
sagas
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to th ...
. They are prose narratives mostly based on historical events that mostly took place in
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
in the ninth, tenth, and early eleventh centuries, during the so-called
Saga Age
The Saga Age ( is, Söguöld ) is the period in Icelandic history during which the majority of the sagas of Icelanders are set. It runs from the settlement of Iceland in 870 until about 1056 when the first bishop in Iceland
Iceland ( is, ...
. They were written in
Old Icelandic
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
, a western dialect of
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
. They are the best-known specimens of
Icelandic literature
Icelandic literature refers to literature written in Iceland or by Icelandic people. It is best known for the sagas written in medieval times, starting in the 13th century. As Icelandic and Old Norse are almost the same, and because Icelandic wor ...
.
They are focused on history, especially genealogical and family history. They reflect the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the early generations of Icelandic settlers. The Icelandic sagas are valuable and unique historical sources about medieval Scandinavian societies and kingdoms, in particular in regards to pre-Christian religion and culture.
Eventually many of these Icelandic sagas were recorded, mostly in the 13th and 14th centuries. The 'authors', or rather recorders of these sagas are largely unknown. One saga, ''
Egil's Saga
''Egill's Saga'' or ''Egil's saga'' ( non, Egils saga ; ) is an Icelandic saga (family saga) on the lives of the clan of Egill Skallagrímsson (Anglicised as Egill Skallagrimsson), an Icelandic farmer, viking and skald. The saga spans the yea ...
'', is believed by some scholars
Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors.
Education
Nor ...
had this to say in his edition of Egils saga: "This matter will never be settled fully with the information we now have. … As for me, I have become more and more convinced, as I gained a better understanding of Egils saga that it is the work of Snorri, and I will henceforth not hesitate to count the saga among his works, unless new arguments are presented, which I have overlooked." to have been written by
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...
, a descendant of the saga's hero, but this remains uncertain. The standard modern edition of Icelandic sagas is produced by
Hið íslenzka fornritafélag ('The Old Icelandic Text Society'), or Íslenzk fornrit for short.
Historical time frame
Among the several literary reviews of the sagas is the ''Sagalitteraturen'' by
Sigurður Nordal Sigurður Nordal (14 September 1886 – 21 September 1974) was an Icelandic scholar, writer, and ambassador. He was influential in forming the theory of the Icelandic sagas as works of literature composed by individual authors.
Education
Nor ...
, which divides the sagas into five chronological groups (depending on when they were written not their subject matters) distinguished by the state of literary development:
* 1200 to 1230 – Sagas that deal with
skalds
A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...
(such as ''
Fóstbrœðra saga
''Fóstbrœðra saga'' () or ''The Saga of the Sworn Brothers'' is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It relates the deeds of the sworn brothers Þorgeir and Þormóðr in early 11th century Iceland and abroad. Þorgeir is a capable and insanely brave ...
'')
* 1230 to 1280 – Family sagas (such as ''
Laxdæla saga'')
* 1280 to 1300 – Works that focus more on style and storytelling than just writing down history (such as ''
Njáls saga
''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) or ''"The Story of Burnt Njáll"'', is a thirteenth-century sagas of Icelanders, Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020.
The saga deals with a process of ...
'')
* Early fourteenth century – Historical tradition
* Fourteenth century – Fiction
List of sagas
* ''
Atla saga Ótryggssonar Atla saga Ótryggssonar () is a relatively recent text in the genre of sagas of Icelanders, most probably written in the 19th century.
The oldest known manuscript with this text is from 1820, where it is written down in a manuscript together with o ...
''
* ''
Bandamanna saga Bandamanna saga (Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It is the only saga in this category that takes place exclusively after the adoption of Christianity in the year 1000.
The story tells about the father and son, Of ...
''
* ''
Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss
''Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss'' (14th c. Middle Icelandic: ; Modern Icelandic: ) or ''Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss ok Gests'' is a late saga of the Icelanders with legendary elements. It falls into two sections, one about Bárðr and the other ab ...
''
* ''
Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa''
* ''
Droplaugarsona saga Droplaugarsona saga () is one of the Icelanders' sagas, probably written in the 13th century.
The saga takes place near Lagarfljót in the east of Iceland about 1000 AD.
It tells the story of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), sons of th ...
''
* ''
Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar'' – Egil's Saga
* ''
Eiríks saga rauða
The ''Saga of Erik the Red'', in non, Eiríks saga rauða (), is an Icelandic saga on the Norse exploration of North America. The original saga is thought to have been written in the 13th century. It is preserved in somewhat different versions ...
'' – Saga of Erik the Red
* ''
Eyrbyggja saga''
* ''
Færeyinga saga
The Færeyinga saga (), the saga of the Faroe Islands, is the story of how the Faroe Islanders were converted to Christianity and became a part of Norway.
Summary
It was written in Iceland shortly after 1200. The author is unknown and the original ...
''
* ''
Finnboga saga ramma
Finnboga saga ramma () (The Saga of Finnbogi the Strong) is an Icelandic saga that recounts the life of Finnbogi rammi. The story takes place in Flateyjardalur in Suður-Þingeyjarsýsla and in other places in Iceland, as well as in Norway. The e ...
''
* ''
Fljótsdæla saga Fljótsdæla saga () is one of the Icelandic sagas. It was probably the last one written, perhaps from the 1400s or 1500s. The text is known from several manuscripts which are from the early 1600s. It was probably written by an author in the east ...
''
* ''
Flóamanna saga
''Flóamanna saga'' ( 'the saga of the men of Flói'), also known as ''Þorgils saga Ørrabeinsstjúps'' ('the saga of Þorgils, foster-son of Ørrabeinn') is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga has been especially noted for the realistic dep ...
''
* ''
Fóstbræðra saga'' (two versions)
* ''
Gísla saga Súrssonar'', (two versions) of an outlaw poet – Gísla saga
* ''
Grettis saga
''Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar'' (modern , reconstructed ), also known as ''Grettla'', ''Grettir's Saga'' or ''The Saga of Grettir the Strong'', is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic ou ...
– Saga of Grettir the Strong''
* ''
Grænlendinga saga
''Grœnlendinga saga'' () (spelled ''Grænlendinga saga'' in modern Icelandic and translated into English as the Saga of the Greenlanders) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Like the ''Saga of Erik the Red'', it is one of the two main sources on t ...
'' – Greenland saga
* ''
Gull-Þóris saga
Gull-Þóris saga (; ) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga takes place in the west of Iceland during the Settlement of Iceland in the second half of the ninth century. It tells the story of Þórir Oddsson (nicknamed Gull-Þórir, "Gold-Þ ...
''
* ''
Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls''
* ''
Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu''
* ''
Hallfreðar saga ''Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds'' (, Old Norse pronunciation: ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga is preserved in several 14th century manuscripts, including Möðruvallabók and Flateyjarbók, with significant difference between the v ...
'' (two versions)
* ''
Harðar saga ok Hólmverja Harðar saga ok Hólmverja or Harðar saga og Hólmverja () is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It is preserved in two medieval, vellum manuscripts, Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, AM 556a 4to ff. 70r-88r (from c. 1475), and the fragment AM ...
''
* ''
Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings'' – The saga of Hávarður of Ísafjörður
* ''
Heiðarvíga saga
''Heiðarvíga saga'' () or ''The Story of the Heath-Slayings'' is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It is badly preserved; 12 leaves of the only surviving manuscript were destroyed along with their only copy in the fire of Copenhagen in 1728. The co ...
''
* ''
Hrafnkels saga
''Hrafnkels saga'' (; ) or ''Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða'' (O.N.: ; Ice.: ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of struggles between chieftains and farmers in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous main character, Hrafnkell, s ...
''
* ''
Hrana saga hrings'' (post-medieval)
* ''
Hænsna-Þóris saga''
*
Íslendingabók
''Íslendingabók'' (, Old Norse pronunciation: , ''Book of Icelanders''; ) is a historical work dealing with early Icelandic history. The author was an Icelandic priest, Ari Þorgilsson, working in the early 12th century. The work originally ex ...
(One of the earliest sagas written about the founding of Iceland by a priest called
Ari Þorgilsson
Ari Þorgilsson (1067–1148 AD; Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; also anglicized Ari Thorgilsson) was Iceland's most prominent medieval chronicler. He was the author of ''Íslendingabók'', which details the histories of the various familie ...
working in the early 12th century)
* ''
Kjalnesinga saga
Kjalnesinga saga () is one of the sagas of Icelanders (''Islandinga Sögur)''. It is preserved in a parchment manuscripAM 471 4to
The work concerns historical ages from the ninth to eleventh centuries, and was composed in the fourteenth century, a ...
''
* ''
Kormáks saga
''Kormáks saga'' () is one of the Icelanders' sagas. The saga was probably written during the first part of the 13th century.
Though the saga is believed to have been among the earliest sagas composed it is well preserved. The unknown author cle ...
''
* ''
Króka-Refs saga
''Króka-Refs saga'' () or the ''Saga of Ref the Sly'' is one of the Icelanders' sagas. Written in the 14th century the saga relates the adventures of Ref Steinsson, whose unpromising origins lead him to greatness in both combat and subterfuge.
...
''
* ''
Laxdæla saga''
* ''
Ljósvetninga saga Ljósvetninga saga () is one of the sagas of Icelanders, commonly dated to the thirteenth century and takes place between the end of the tenth century to the mid-eleventh century in the North of Iceland. The saga's main character is Guðmundr inn r ...
'' (three versions)
* ''
Njáls saga
''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) or ''"The Story of Burnt Njáll"'', is a thirteenth-century sagas of Icelanders, Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020.
The saga deals with a process of ...
''
* ''
Reykdæla saga ok Víga-Skútu Reykdæla saga ok Víga-Skútu or Reykdæla saga og Víga-Skútu () is one of the sagas of Icelanders
The sagas of Icelanders ( is, Íslendingasögur, ), also known as family sagas, are one genre of Icelandic sagas. They are prose narratives ...
''
* ''
Skáld-Helga saga {{Italic title
Skáld-Helga saga (the saga of poet-Helgi) is a lost ''Íslendingasaga''. The action is set in Iceland, Norway, and Greenland from around 1000 to 1050. The main character is Helgi Þórðarson, who travels to Greenland and becomes a p ...
'' (known only from ''rímur'' and later derivations of these)
* ''
Svarfdæla saga
''Svarfdæla saga'' () is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It was first recorded in the first half of the 14th century. It describes disputes which arise during the early settlement of Svarfaðardalur, a valley in central north Iceland.
The saga ...
''
* ''
Valla-Ljóts saga Valla-Ljóts saga () is one of the sagas of Icelanders dating from the 13th century.
The saga tells of events in Svarfaðardalur during and after the introduction of Christianity. The saga can be seen as a continuation of '' Svarfdœla saga'' whi ...
''
* ''
Vatnsdæla saga
''Vatnsdæla saga'' ( Icelandic: ; ; Old Norse: ''Vatnsdœla saga'') is one of the sagas of Icelanders.
The saga remains in manuscriptsAM 559 4to an138 fol
''Vatnsdæla Saga'' is essentially a family chronicle probably written just after the m ...
''
* ''
Víga-Glúms saga
''Víga-Glúms saga'' () is one of the Sagas of Icelanders. It takes place mostly in and around Eyjafjörður in North Iceland, and recounts the life and fall of Glúmr Eyjólfsson, a powerful man whose nickname, ''Víga'', refers to his propensit ...
''
* ''
Víglundar saga Víglundar saga () is one of the sagas of Icelanders. ''Víglundar saga'' utilizes the style and romance that also characterize the chivalric sagas. It is one of the latest of the Icelandic family sagas, dating to the end of the 14th or beginning o ...
''
* ''
Vápnfirðinga saga Vápnfirðinga saga or Vopnfirðinga saga (), named after Vopnafjörður, Iceland, is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It tells the story of Helgi Þorgilsson, a relative of Erik the Red, his murder and subsequent retaliation. The saga provides a win ...
''
* ''
Þorsteins saga hvíta''
* ''
Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar () is one of the sagas of Icelanders from the 13th century. The saga is only partially preserved and features a number of dreams and interpretations.
Torstein Side-Hallsson (''Þorstein Síðu-Hallssonar'') has a ...
''
* ''
Þórðar saga hreðu''
* ''
Ölkofra saga''
It is thought that a small number of sagas are now lost, including the supposed ''
Gauks saga Trandilssonar'' – The saga of Gaukur á Stöng.
See also
*
Norse saga
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Play ...
*
Family saga
The family saga is a genre of literature which chronicles the lives and doings of a family or a number of related or interconnected families over a period of time. In novels (or sometimes sequences of novels) with a serious intent, this is often ...
References
Further reading
* Arnold, Martin (2003). ''The Post-Classical Icelandic Family Saga.''
Lewiston, New York
Lewiston is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 15,944 at the 2020 census. The town and its contained village are named after Morgan Lewis, a governor of New York.
The Town of Lewiston is on the western bord ...
:
Edwin Mellen Press
The Edwin Mellen Press or Mellen Press is an international Independent business, independent company and Academic publisher, academic publishing house with editorial offices in Lewiston (town), New York, Lewiston, New York, and Lampeter, Lampete ...
* Ármann Jakobsson (2013). ''Nine Saga Studies: The Critical Interpretation of the Icelandic Sagas''. Reykjavík: University of Iceland Press. .
* Falk, Oren. 2021. ''Violence and Risk in Medieval Iceland: This Spattered Isle''. Oxford University Press.
* Karlsson, Gunnar (2000). ''The History of Iceland.'' Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
* Liestøl, Knut (1930). ''The Origin of the Icelandic Family Sagas.'' Translated by Jayne, Arthur Garland. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. .
* Miller, William Ian (2009). ''Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. .
* Smiley, Jane; Kellogg, Robert Leland (2001). ''The Sagas of Icelanders: a selection''. New York: Penguin Books. .
* Viðar Hreinsson (eds.) (1997). ''The Complete Sagas of Icelanders.'' 5 vols. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiriksson Publishing. . – see
External links
Icelandic Saga Database– many sagas of Icelanders, along with some translations into English and other languages
Proverbs and Proverbial Materials in the Old Icelandic Sagasfrom the University of Alaska
Icelandic sagas– a selection in Old Norse
Sagnanet– photographs of some of the original manuscripts
Harmony of the Vinland voyagesIcelandic Saga Map– an online digital map with the geo-referenced texts of all of the Íslendingasögur
{{Authority control
Sagas of Icelanders
Medieval literature
Icelandic literature
Iceland history-related lists