Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway

by Snorri Sturluson

Overview

Written in Old Norse by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson sometime around 1230 AD, the "Heimskringla" is one of the best known of all sagas. It is in actuality a collection of sagas concerning the various rulers of Norway, from about A.D. 850 to the year A.D. 1177. While scholars and historians continue to debate the historical accuracy of Sturluson's work, the "Heimskringla" is still considered an important original source for information on the Viking Age, a period which Sturluson covers almost in its entirety. Contained within this work are the following individual sagas: Halfdan the Black Saga, Harald Harfager's Saga, Hakon the Good's Saga, Saga of King Harald Grafeld and of Earl Hakon Son of Sigurd, King Olaf Trygvason's Saga, Saga of Olaf Haraldson (St. Olaf), Saga of Magnus the Good, Saga of Harald Hardrade, Saga of Olaf Kyrre, Magnus Barefoot's Saga, Saga of Sigurd the Crusader and His Brothers Eystein and Olaf, Saga of Magnus the Blind and of Harald Gille, Saga of Sigurd, Inge, and Eystein, the Sons of Harald, Saga of Hakon Herdebreid ("Hakon the Broad-Shouldered"), and Magnus Erlingson's Saga.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596747715
Publisher:	Digireads.com Publishing
Publication date:	01/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Snorri Sturluson was, without compare, the greatest historian of the Middle Ages. His translator, the late Lee M. Hollander, was a noted authority in the field of Old Norse literature.

Table of Contents

	Introduction	ix
	Snorri's Foreword	3
	The Saga of the Ynglings: Ynglinga saga	6
	The Saga of Half dan the Black: Halfdanar saga Svarta	51
	The Saga of Harald Fairhair: Haralds saga Harfagra	59
	The Saga of Hakon the Good: Hakonar saga Gooa	96
	The Saga of Harald Graycloak: Haralds saga Grafeldar	128
	The Saga of Olaf Tryggvason: Olafs saga Tryggvasonar	144
	Saint Olaf's Saga: Olafs saga Helga	245
	The Saga of Magnus the Good: Magnuss saga ins Gooa	538
	The Saga of Harald Sigurtharson (Hardruler): Haralds saga Siguroarsonar	577
	The Saga of Olaf the Gentle: Olafs saga Kyrra	664
	The Saga of Magnus Barelegs: Magnuss saga Berfoetts	668
	The Saga of the Sons of Magnus: Magnussona saga	688
	The Saga of Magnus the Blind and Harald Gilli: Magnuss saga Blinda ok Harald Gilla	715
	The Saga of the Sons of Harald: Haraldssona saga	736
	The Saga of Hakon the Broadshouldered: Hakonar saga Heroibreios	768
	The Saga of Magnus Erlingsson: Magnuss saga Erlingssonar	789
	Index	827

Editorial Reviews

[Snorri Sturluson] speaks—as almost no other historian ever has spoken—with the authority of a man whose masterful skills would have made him one of the formidable, foremost in any of the events he records. So he saturates even remotely past happenings with a gripping first-hand quality...Hollander's translation is very good, fresh on every page ...Wherever you open the book, the life grips you and you read on....

New York Review of Books - Ted Hughes

Among the many contibutions to world literature that ancient Iceland has given us, Heimskringla stands out as one of the truly monumental works. Among medieval European histories in the vernacular it has no equal.

Modern Philology

"[Snorri Sturluson] speaks—as almost no other historian ever has spoken—with the authority of a man whose masterful skills would have made him one of the formidable, foremost in any of the events he records. So he saturates even remotely past happenings with a gripping first-hand quality...Hollander's translation is very good, fresh on every page ...Wherever you open the book, the life grips you and you read on...."

New York Review of Books