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The sagas of Icelanders (, ), also known as family sagas, are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic
sagas Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
. They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
in the ninth, tenth, and early eleventh centuries, during the Saga Age. They were written in
Old Icelandic Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was 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 ...
, a western dialect of
Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was 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 ...
, primarily on
calfskin Calfskin or calf leather is a leather or membrane produced from the hide of a calf, or juvenile domestic cattle. Calfskin is particularly valuable because of its softness and fine grain, as well as durability. It is commonly used for high-qual ...
. 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 wo ...
. 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 regarding pre-Christian religion and culture and the heroic age. 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'' ( ; ) 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 years c. 850–1000 a ...
'', is believed by some scholars 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 th ...
, 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: ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry in alliterative verse, the other being Eddic poetry. Skaldic poems were traditionally compo ...
(such as ''
Fóstbrœðra saga ''Fóstbrœðra saga'' () or ''The Saga of the Sworn Brothers'' is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It relates the deeds of the sworn brothers Þorgeir and Þormóðr in early 11th century Iceland and abroad. Þorgeir is a capable and insanely bra ...
'') * 1230 to 1280 – Family sagas (such as ''
Laxdæla saga ''Laxdæla saga'' (), Old Norse ''Laxdœla saga'' (Old Norse pronunciation ) or ''The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur'', is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Written in the 13th century CE, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area in weste ...
'') * 1280 to 1300 – Works that focus more on style and storytelling than just writing down history (such as ''
Njáls saga ''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), or ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) (Which can be translated as ''The Story of Burnt Njáll'', or ''The Saga of Njáll the Burner''), is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 a ...
'') * Early fourteenth century – Historical tradition * Fourteenth century – Fiction This framework has been severely criticised as based on a presupposed attitude to the fantastic and an over-estimation on the precedence of ''Landnámabók''.


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. Manuscripts and dating The oldest survivin ...
'' * ''
Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss ''Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss'' (14th c. Middle Icelandic: ; Modern Icelandic: ) or ''Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss ok Gests'' is a late sagas of Icelanders, saga of the Icelanders with legendary elements. It falls into two sections, one about Bár ...
'' * '' 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 ...
'' * '' Egils saga Skalla-Grímssonar'' – Egil's Saga * ''
Eiríks saga rauða The ''Saga of Erik the Red'', in (), 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 in two manuscripts: ''H ...
'' – Saga of Erik the Red * ''
Eyrbyggja saga ''Eyrbyggja saga'' (; ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas; its title can be translated as ''The Saga of the People of Eyri.'' It was written by an anonymous writer, who describes a long-standing feud between Snorri Goði and Arnkel Goði, two stron ...
'' * ''
Færeyinga saga ''Færeyinga saga'' (; Danish: ''Færingesagaen''), the saga of the Faroe Islanders, is the story of how the Faroes were converted to Christianity and became a part of Norway. Summary The saga was written in Iceland shortly after 1200. The auth ...
'' * ''
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 ...
'' * ''
Fljótsdæla saga Fljótsdæla saga () is one of the Icelandic sagas. It was probably the last one written, perhaps from the 1500s or 1600s. The text is known from several manuscripts which are from the early 1700s. It was likely written by an author in east Iceland ...
'' * '' Flóamanna saga'' * '' 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'' – Greenland saga * '' Gull-Þóris saga'' * ''
Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls ( ) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. It is a late saga composed in the 15th or 16th century. It survives in 17th-century manuscripts. The saga takes place in Norway and Iceland in the latter part of the 9th century. ...
'' * '' Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu'' * ''
Hallfreðar saga ''Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds'' (, Old Norse pronunciation: ) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga is preserved in several 14th-century manuscripts, including Möðruvallabók and Flateyjarbók, but there are significant differences b ...
'' (two versions) * '' Harðar saga ok Hólmverja'' * '' Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings'' * ''
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, st ...
'' * '' Hrana saga hrings'' (post-medieval) * '' Hænsna-Þóris saga'' * (One of the earliest sagas written about the founding of Iceland by a priest called
Ari Þorgilsson Ari Þorgilsson (1067/1068 – 9 November 1148; 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 ...
working in the early 12th century) * '' Kjalnesinga saga'' * ''
Kormáks saga ''Kormáks saga'' ( Old Norse pronunciation: , ) 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 pr ...
'' * '' Króka-Refs saga'' * ''
Laxdæla saga ''Laxdæla saga'' (), Old Norse ''Laxdœla saga'' (Old Norse pronunciation ) or ''The Saga of the People of Laxárdalur'', is one of the sagas of Icelanders. Written in the 13th century CE, it tells of people in the Breiðafjörður area in weste ...
'' * ''
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 ...
'' (two versions) * ''
Njáls saga ''Njáls saga'' ( ), also ''Njála'' ( ), or ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' ( ) (Which can be translated as ''The Story of Burnt Njáll'', or ''The Saga of Njáll the Burner''), is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 a ...
'' * '' Reykdæla saga ok Víga-Skútu'' * '' Skáld-Helga saga'' (known only from ''rímur'' and later derivations of these) * '' Svarfdæla 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 follows several generations of a family originating in Norway and settling in the north of Iceland until the arrival of Christianity i ...
'' * ''
Víga-Glúms saga ''Víga-Glúms saga'' (Modern Icelandic pronunciation: ) 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, '' ...
'' * '' Víglundar saga'' * ''
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 wi ...
'' * ''
Þorsteins saga hvíta Þorsteins saga hvíta () is one of the sagas of Icelanders from the 13th century. The short story takes place in the east of Iceland in the 9th century. The main theme of the story is about the tragic consequences of the vengeance of Þorsteinn hv ...
'' * ''
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 ''Þórðar saga hreðu'' () is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga dates from about 1350 and takes place at Miðfjörður in the northwest of Iceland in the latter half of the 900s. The saga tells of Þórðr the Menace (''hreða''), ...
'' * '' Ölkofra saga'' It is thought that a number of sagas are now lost, including the supposed '' Gauks saga Trandilssonar'' – The saga of Gaukur á Stöng. In addition to these, the texts often referred to as the "Tales of Icelanders" (''Íslendingaþættir'') such as "Hreiðars þáttr" and "Sneglu-Halla þáttr" of the kings' saga ''Morkinskinna'' could be included in this corpus, as well as the contemporary sagas (written in the 13th century and dealing with the same period) incorporated into ''Sturlunga saga''.


See also

*
Norse saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...
*
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.''
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* Ármann Jakobsson (2013). ''Nine Saga Studies: The Critical Interpretation of the Icelandic Sagas''. Reykjavík: University of Iceland Press. . * Bampi, Massimiliano, Carolyne Larrington and Sif Rikhardsdottir (eds.
''A Critical Companion to Old Norse Literary Genre''.
Studies in Old Norse Literature 5. D. S. Brewer. Woodbridge, 2020 * 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. . * Mundal, Else (ed.)

'' Museum Tusculanum, 2013. * 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 Sagas
from the University of Alaska
Icelandic sagas
– a selection in Old Norse * – photographs of some of the original manuscripts
Harmony of the Vinland voyages

Icelandic 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