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It is long, detailed, and essential reading for any student of viking age Scandinavia.I, in fact, purchased this book so that I would own Egil's Saga, but I have been enjoying the rest of the sagas as well. This is an excellent collection of the sagas which have been translated into English by sundry authors.The first saga in this tome is that of Egil Skallagrimsson.
I bought it to read the story of Hrafnkel, Frey's Gothi, which depicts Icelandic concepts of honor, dedication of an animal to a specific God, sacrifice, Thing proceedings, etc. I love this book.
the saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue and the tale of Sarcastic Halli. In short, they're a must-read.This selection offers good value for money: it includes a lot of sagas, and -- unlike many paperbacks its size -- uses high-quality paper, and is well-bound and not especially liable to disintegrate. (If you're unfamiliar with the sagas, read Njal's first: it's a much more effective hook than any of the others). Some of the most famous sagas -- "Njal's Saga" and "Grettir's Saga" in particular -- have been omitted.
The Icelandic sagas are a magnificent and still underrated landmark of medieval literature. The introduction is thorough if somewhat boring, and the maps, charts, and genealogies are invaluable. On the other hand, several of the shorter sagas in this volume are excellent and less than famous -- e.g. They are unadorned, realistic prose narratives from an age that is otherwise best known for its religious and baroque tendencies; they are concise where most medieval literature is painfully diffuse; they deal with violence in a familiar and unsentimental manner ("He twisted the tail of his cloak around Thorbjorn's throat and bit through it, then snapped his head back, breaking his neck.
Some omissions were inevitable, because of space, but the omission of "Njal's Saga" was still unfortunate. The translations range from adequate to solid -- sometimes awkward but at least never archaic. With such rough treatment Thorbjorn quietened down considerably.") and the plots often move extremely rapidly, but the better sagas also have moments of great psychological insight. It is also just about light enough that you can read it in bed.
Although at 780+ pages, the editors didn't exactly skimp in terms of what they decided to include.First, to state what this book is not: it is not a collection which includes the semi-legendary sagas, such as Hrolf-Kraki and the Volsungs. It does contain a very strong representative selection from among the Icelanders' Sagas, that is those that take place in Iceland, or whose protagonists are Icelanders abroad, during and just after the Viking Age.
with detail maps showing the action of the separate sagas.I won't waste space describing the sagas themselves, under the assumption that someone considering purchasing this book has read at least one saga, and so knows what to expect from the genre. Finally, it does not contain every one of such sagas.The book contains Egil's Saga, as well as the Vatnsdaela, the Laxardaela, Hrafnkel Frey's Godi, The Confederates, Gisli Sursson, Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue, Ref the Sly, and the Vinland Sagas, as well as 6 short prose tales of other Icelanders, usually in foreign service.There is a great deal of supplementary information about the different kinds of sagas, Ages of Icelandic history, Viking ship types, Icelandic social and political structure, the Icelandic calendar, as well as a generous dose of genealogical tables and maps of Iceland, Norway, Vinland, etc.
I guess any attempt to provide a selection of anything will meet with some disgruntlement, in terms both of what is included and what is omitted. It is not concerned with any of the Sturlung Sagas of later Icelandic history.
But I can't resist quoting an Icelandic scholar referred to in the introduction, who describes the Icelandic sagas as "farmers at fisticuffs."I also own Njal's Saga, and once I acquire the Book of Settlements, these two works in addition to the present collection will probably complete my Icelandic saga needs, because this work is so thoroughly and attractively assembled.I also recommend Viking Age Iceland by Jesse Byock as a companion volume to this one. Based on some of the comments, this volume is apparently no exception.
It does not contain any King's sagas, such as in the Heimskringla.
Their adopted homeland was not inhabited until after the 9th century. It had no executive administration, king or monarch to speak of, but rather a complex sophisticated system of legislative and judicial institutions. Icelanders were prominently of Nordic Viking descent and were also amalgamated with Celtic/Gaelic peoples whom they often took as wives. The later Norsemen in these Sagas were more tempered than the ones of the earlier centuries. ~The Sagas of Icelanders: Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition~ is an intriguing collection of prose describing life and events in Iceland during the 10th and 11th centuries.
It involves a sense of familial belonging not unlike the Celtic clan system. Kinship as a concept is integral to understanding the Sagas. Iceland was very unique amongst European societies from the tenth to thirteen centuries. Whenever blood feuds and disputes arose, the offending party or parties could seek the support of his family and a tribal chief. Some see them as noble, genius at maritime skill and navigation, prolific traders and explorers. Iceland was kinship society. The image of the Vikings that inhabited this land is varied. Regional quarter courts were set up for adjudicating disputes.
They are extraordinary specimens of Icelandic literature. The Althing served as a national assembly. The de facto government would often broker peace so as to meditate conflict, but sometimes conflicts turned deadly when personal vengeance was sought to avenge perceived wrongs. Iceland is a desolate landscape of basalt and lava beds, punctuated by volcanoes, geysers, and glaciers, which makes it the site for some epic adventures. Others regard them as savage marauders who loot and plunder.
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