Heimskringla: or, The Lives of the Norse Kings

One of the great medieval books. Written around 1200 it looks back to what happened in the two preceding centuries. And believe me this is good reading. Snorri Sturluson lived 800 years ago, but he wrote like one of our contemporaries. His style is every bit comparable to that of Hemingway. He tells his stories in the simplest of words, just mentioning what happens. And like Hemingway he makes us see the drama, the passion and the violent feelings that the characters must have experienced. He is also very much aware of the landscapes where the dramas unfold, and anyone familiar with the Norwegian landscapes will immediately recognize the setting and its almost mythical dimensions. A brilliant story that I never grow tired of.

Ignore the rather suspect black gothic text against a red background - this is an interesting book.

So far, the first bit, "The Saga of the Ynglings" consists of along series of basically crap kings who rule for about five minutes each. They all die in a ludicrous manner - one drowns in a vat of mead while wandering around (drunk) to look for a pace to take a pee, one gets lured into a cleft in a rock by a dwarf (while drunk) and is never seen again and others die by bull attack and nightmare.

While it is a great book to read for a glimpse of what was happening in Scandinavia in the dark ages, it is interesting to read it in conjunction with the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles where their timelines cross and events are mentioned from both sides.

I have to admit I never finished this, it was just too violent. But interesting.

Prev. issued Cambridge, W. Heffer and sons, 1932

Fra Far og Mor (Per K. og Ågot Kvindesland ) Til Per Inge 26 april 1993.

3 v.Missing first volume (v.7). Copy 1 of 350 printed for the Imperial Edition