The Sagas of Icelanders and Old Norse Literature
The Sagas of Icelanders are one of Iceland's greatest contributions to world literature. They were written in the 13th and 14th centuries by unknown authors and tell of the lives, feuds and fates of people in Iceland during the Saga Age, around 930–1030.
What are the Sagas of Icelanders?
The Sagas of Icelanders are prose narratives written in a realistic and objective style. The narrator describes events but rarely tells us what the characters think, letting their words and deeds speak instead. The sagas often deal with honour, revenge, love and fate, and genealogies and places are described in detail. Although they are based on real people and oral tradition, they are works of literature, and scholars debate how much historical value they have.
The best-known sagas
| Saga | Main characters | Setting | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Njáls saga | Njáll, Gunnar of Hlíðarendi, Hallgerður | South Iceland | Friendship, feuds and the burning of Njáll |
| Egils saga | Egill Skallagrímsson | Borgarfjörður, Norway, England | Viking and great poet |
| Laxdæla saga | Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir, Kjartan, Bolli | Dalir | Love triangle and tragedy |
| Grettis saga | Grettir Ásmundarson | North Iceland, Drangey | Outlaw and strongman |
| Gísla saga Súrssonar | Gísli Súrsson | Westfjords | Outlawry and loyalty |
| Hrafnkels saga | Hrafnkell Freysgoði | East Iceland | Power, pride and humility |
| Eyrbyggja saga | Snorri goði | Snæfellsnes | Ghosts and chieftains |
| Saga of the Greenlanders and Erik the Red's Saga | Erik, Leif, Guðríður | Greenland, Vinland | Voyages of discovery |
Famous quotations
- "Fair is the slope" – Gunnar of Hlíðarendi in Njáls saga, when he decides not to leave.
- "I was worst to the one I loved the most" – Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir at the end of Laxdæla saga.
- "Young was I once, I walked alone" – from Hávamál, one of the Eddic poems.
The Eddas and kings' sagas
The Eddic poems are ancient poems about the Norse gods and heroes, including Völuspá, Hávamál and Þrymskviða. Most are preserved in the Codex Regius of the Eddic poems, from about 1270. Snorri's Edda (the Prose Edda) is a handbook of poetics by Snorri Sturluson and the main source for Norse mythology. Snorri also wrote Heimskringla, a history of the kings of Norway. Other types of saga include the bishops' sagas, contemporary sagas such as Sturlunga saga, chivalric sagas and legendary sagas.
The manuscripts and their return
In the 17th and 18th centuries scholars collected Icelandic manuscripts and took them to Copenhagen and Stockholm. Árni Magnússon (1663–1730) was the most prolific collector. Part of his collection was lost in the great fire of Copenhagen in 1728. After a long campaign, Denmark agreed to return the manuscripts, and on 21 April 1971 the first two, the Codex Regius of the Eddic poems and Flateyjarbók, arrived in Reykjavík aboard the Danish naval vessel Vædderen. Thousands of people cheered on the quayside. The manuscripts are now preserved by the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies and exhibited in Edda, the House of Icelandic.
The sagas today
The Sagas of Icelanders have been translated into dozens of languages and have influenced writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien and Jorge Luis Borges. In Iceland they are read in schools, and saga centres around the country introduce them to visitors, such as the Settlement Centre in Borgarnes and the Saga Centre in Hvolsvöllur. Árni Magnússon's manuscript collection is listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.
Frequently asked questions
Who wrote the Sagas of Icelanders?
The authors of most sagas are unknown. Some believe that Snorri Sturluson wrote Egil's Saga.
Which Icelandic saga is the best known?
Njáls saga is the longest and best known of the sagas and considered by many to be the finest.