Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE GREAT COLLECTOR
The saga manuscripts were first recognized for what they were and collected together by just one
man,
Árni Magnusson
(1663-1730). As the Icelanders became increasingly poor under Danish
rule, many manuscripts could be found stu
ng holes in farmhouse walls, and Arni Magnusson
made it his mission to save them and take them to Copenhagen for storage. Once there, however,
many were destroyed in a fire, though Arni managed to save some himself. Following Iceland's
independence in 1944, a strong political movement arose to return the manuscripts from
Copenhagen and an institute was established to receive them. Such was the political importance
attached to these priceless artefacts that some were brought back by gunboat.
the short but impressive
Hrafnkel's Saga
(see p.278) are other good examples. There are
also a few that focus on a particular area - most famous is the tragic love story
recounted in
Laxdæla Saga
(see p.162).
Other sagas range widely in theme, from chivalric stories of knights in armour and
outright romances (often influenced by contemporary foreign literature, or even
Homer), to folklore, lives of the saints and Icelandic bishops, and far more historical
works such as the
Vinland Sagas
, the massive saga of the Sturlung age (
Sturlunga
Saga
),
or Snorri Sturluson's
Heimskringla
, the history of the Norse Kings.
Egil's Saga
A powerful and lucid narrative, unmatched for
the vivid presence of the central figure, Egil, a mean,
mischief-making, murdering poet and grandson of a reputed
werewolf, whose last wish in old age is to cause a violent riot
at the Alþing by publicly scattering his hoarded cash.
Eirík the Red and other Iceland Sagas
(Oxford
University Press). The tale of one of Iceland's most notorious
Viking heroes, whose son went on to discover North
America, plus some shorter period pieces -
Hrafnkel
's and
the
Vopnajörd
sagas are the most coherent.
Eyrbyggja Saga
A strange and often unsettling story,
mixing historical events with tales of ghosts, Viking
ceremony and family intrigue, while mapping out the
shadowy life of Snorri Þórgrimsson, who advocated the
introduction of Christianity in 1000. Uneven, but with some
great set pieces and character sketches.
Laxdælá Saga
One of the world's great tragic love stories,
following the lives of the families sharing a river valley, and
the consequences of Gudrún Ósvifsdottir's forced marriage
to her lover's best friend.
Njal's Saga
The longest of all the sagas, this is a
compelling, visceral account of the schemings and
personalities involved in a fifty-year medieval feud, full of
bloodshed, pride and falls, and laconic humour.
Robert Kellog and Jane Smiley
The Sagas of Icelanders
(Allen Lane Penguin). Hefty compendium of a dozen key
sagas, including
Laxdæla
,
Egil's
,
Hrafnkel's
and the
Vinland
Sagas
but strangely omitting that of
Njál
. Comprehensive
explanatory text and a few less well-known short stories flesh
out the era - and the tale of Auðun and his bear is a gem.
Sagas of Warrior-Poets
(Penguin). Being a poet
brought respect in Viking times, but poets typically suffered
from thorny temperaments, often bringing unhappy fates.
The most famous is portrayed in
Egil's Saga
, but this
collection of shorter tales also emphasizes the poet's lot -
the best here is the wonderfully named saga of
Gunnlaug
Serpent-tongue
.
Seven Viking Romances
(Penguin). Unlike the moral,
realistic sagas, these contemporary tales stretch belief a bit
and have fun along the way, as warriors outwit gods,
overcome monsters and vast armies, and get up to all sorts
of bawdy mischief. Tellingly, this always happens away
from Iceland - and reliable witnesses.
Snorri Sturluson
King Harald's Saga
(Penguin). Part of
the
Heimskringla
, recording the turbulent life of King
Harald of Norway, felled in battle at Stamford Bridge in
Yorkshire, when invading England in 1066, just three
weeks before the Battle of Hastings - had he won, English
history might have been very different.
Snorri Sturluson
The Prose Edda
. The
Prose Edda
contain
almost all of what is known about Norse mythology, so for
the details on everything from the creation of the Æsir to
the events leading to Ragnarok, read this topic. The other
source of Norse myths is the di
cult
Poetic Edda
, an earlier
compilation of even older poetry fragments.
The Vinland Sagas
Two versions of the Viking discovery
of Greenland and North America (“Vinland”), recounted in
Saga of the Greenlanders
and
Eirik the Red's Saga
.
