Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories
by Anonymous
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Description
Written around the thirteenth century AD by Icelandic monks, the seven tales collected here offer a combination of pagan elements tightly woven into the pattern of Christian ethics. They take as their subjects figures who are heroic, but do not fit into the mould of traditional heroes. Some stories concern characters in Iceland - among them Hrafknel's Saga, in which a poor man's son is murdered by his powerful neighbour, and Thorstein the Staff-Struck, which describes an ageing warrior's show more struggle to settle into a peaceful rural community. Others focus on the adventures of Icelanders abroad, including the compelling Audun's Story, which depicts a farmhand's pilgrimage to Rome. These fascinating tales deal with powerful human emotions, suffering and dignity at a time of profound transition, when traditional ideals were gradually yielding to a more peaceful pastoral lifestyle.--Publisher description. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The title story is much more consciously literary than the other stories in this short collection. It's a tale of broken oaths, murder, revenge, legal drama and redemption in medieval Iceland.
Several of the other stories have similar themes but have a somewhat different tone, being more like a cross between a short biography of an individual and the anecdotes about him that would get told down the pub on a long winter's night.
The latter-most stories take a wider look at the Norse world as they tell of Icelanders who travel abroad. One character goes so far as Rome, escaping the North altogether for a while.
Both types offer a fascinating glimpse of the prevailing culture in an entertaining fashion.
Several of the other stories have similar themes but have a somewhat different tone, being more like a cross between a short biography of an individual and the anecdotes about him that would get told down the pub on a long winter's night.
The latter-most stories take a wider look at the Norse world as they tell of Icelanders who travel abroad. One character goes so far as Rome, escaping the North altogether for a while.
Both types offer a fascinating glimpse of the prevailing culture in an entertaining fashion.
An anthology of shorter works from the Iceland's golden Age. The works are quite realistic by modern standards, and form an interesting addition to the "big" stories. They are worthy of the read.
Hrafnkel's Saga
Thorstein the Staff-Struck
Ale-Hood
Hreidar the Fool
Halldor Snorrason
Audun's Story
Ivar's Story
Seven stories written in thirteenth century Iceland. The first three are set in Iceland, and include murder, revenge and law suits. The other four are tales of Icelanders abroad, as they travel to their adventures at foreign courts and their relationships with the kings of Denmark and Norway. All seven are part of a literary tradition of writing realistic stories looking back nostalgically to the Iceland of the 10th and 11th centuries.
My favourite was "Audun's Story", in which a poor farmhand travels to Greenland and buys a polar bear to present to the King of Denmark.
Thorstein the Staff-Struck
Ale-Hood
Hreidar the Fool
Halldor Snorrason
Audun's Story
Ivar's Story
Seven stories written in thirteenth century Iceland. The first three are set in Iceland, and include murder, revenge and law suits. The other four are tales of Icelanders abroad, as they travel to their adventures at foreign courts and their relationships with the kings of Denmark and Norway. All seven are part of a literary tradition of writing realistic stories looking back nostalgically to the Iceland of the 10th and 11th centuries.
My favourite was "Audun's Story", in which a poor farmhand travels to Greenland and buys a polar bear to present to the King of Denmark.
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51 Works 14,489 Members
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Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Penguin Classics (L238)
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories
- Original publication date
- 1970 (Pálsson Translation) (Pálsson Translation)
- People/Characters
- Hrafnkel Hallfredsson; Thorstein Staff-struck; Thorhall Ale-Hood; Hreidar the Fool; Halldor Snorrason; Audun (show all 7); Ivar Ingimundarson
- Important places
- IJsland; Iceland; Norway; Denmark
- First words
- INTRODUCTION -- The stories in this volume date from the thirteenth century, the Golden Age of saga writing, and they exemplify the outstanding qualities of realistic fiction in medieval Iceland.
- Original language
- Old Norse
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, General Fiction
- DDC/MDS
- 839.63008 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Old Norse, Old Icelandic, Icelandic, Faroese literatures Old Norse fiction
- LCC
- PT7262 .E5 .H7 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures Old Norse literature: Old Icelandic and Old Norwegian Collections Prose Sagas
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 621
- Popularity
- 46,834
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.81)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 6
