''Sverris saga'' is one of the

Kings' sagas Kings' sagas ( is, konungasögur, nn, kongesoger, -sogor, nb, kongesagaer) are Old Norse sagas which principally tell of the lives of semi-legendary and legendary (mythological, fictional) Nordic kings, also known as saga kings. They were compo ...

. Its subject is King

Sverre Sigurdsson Sverre Sigurdsson ( non, Sverrir Sigurðarson) (c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party ...

of Norway (r. 1177–1202) and it is the main source for this period of

Norwegian history The history of Norway has been influenced to an extraordinary degree by the terrain and the climate of the region. About 10,000 BC, following the retreat inland of the great ice sheets, the earliest inhabitants migrated north into the territor ...

. As the foreword tells us, the saga in its final form consists of more than one part. Work first began in 1185 under the king’s direct supervision. It is not known when it was finished, but presumably it was well known when

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 ...

began writing his ''

Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...

'' in the 1220s since Snorri ends his account where ''Sverris saga'' begins. Thus the saga is contemporary or near-contemporary with the events it describes. The saga is obviously written by someone sympathetic to Sverre’s cause, but the strict demands of the genre ensure some degree of impartiality.

Authorship and composition

The first distinct part of the saga is called ''Grýla'' and describes the events until the aftermath of Sverre's first major victory at the

Battle of Kalvskinnet A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

(''slaget på Kalvskinnet'') outside

Nidaros Nidaros, Niðarós or Niðaróss () was the medieval name of Trondheim when it was the capital of Norway's first Christian kings. It was named for its position at the mouth (Old Norse: ''óss'') of the River Nid (the present-day Nidelva). Althou ...

in 1179. Central to this part is Sverre's claim to be the son of King

Sigurd Munn Sigurd Haraldsson (Old Norse: ''Sigurðr Haraldsson''; 1133 – 10 June 1155), also called Sigurd Munn, was king of Norway (being Sigurd II) from 1136 to 1155. He was son of Harald Gille, king of Norway and his mistress Thora Guttormsdotter (''Þ ...

and his struggle against his rival claimant

Magnus Erlingsson Magnus Erlingsson ( non, Magnús Erlingsson, 1156 – 15 June 1184) was a king of Norway (being Magnus V) during the civil war era in Norway. He was the first known Scandinavian monarch to be crowned in Scandinavia. He helped to establish primoge ...

. According to the foreword, ''Grýla'' was written by

Karl Jónsson Karl Jónsson (1135–1213) was an Icelandic writer, poet and clergyman. Biography Karl Jónsson was abbot of the Thingeyrar monastery (Icelandic: ''Þingeyrarklaustur)'' dating from 1169 until 1181. In 1185. he traveled to Norway where he att ...

, the Abbot from Þingeyrar monastery in the north of

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 ...

. Karl Jónsson is known to have visited Norway from 1185 to c. 1188. Sverre is supposed to have served as ''Grýla''’s main source and decided what should be written. The Saga ends at Sverre's death in 1202 and was completed afterwards, perhaps by Karl Jónsson as well.

Style

''Grýla'' is written in a unique style that to some degree seems to be inspired by the long medieval tradition of

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

. The style and focus of ''Sverris saga'' is very unlike that of the earlier Norwegian synoptics. Instead of narrowly focusing on the king and major events of state, ''Sverris saga'' is a detailed and rich biography with a large cast of characters, elaborate scenes and dialogue. The saga is the most detailed in the depiction of the many battles Sverre led to win and retain the monarchy in the country, The saga is particularly detailed when it comes to Sverre's speeches, as well as his battles and military strategy.Ármann Jakobsson 2005:392.

References

Other sources

*Jakobsson, Ármann (2005) Royal Biography, in ''A Companion to Old Norse-Icelandic Literature and Culture'' (

Rory McTurk Rory W. McTurk is a British philologist. McTurk graduated from Oxford University in 1963. He took a further degree at the University of Iceland in 1965, and subsequently taught at Lund University, the University of Copenhagen, and University Col ...

, ed. Wiley-Blackwell)

External links

''Sverris saga'' in English translation by J. Stephton''Sverris saga'' in Norges Kongesagaer''Saga Sverris konúngs'' in Old Norse
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sverris saga Kings' sagas