Gisli Sursson's Saga and the Saga of the People of Eyri

by Regal, Martin; Quinn, Judy

• ISBN13: 9780140447729
• ISBN10: 0140447725
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-01-27
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

'Fate must find someone to speak through. Whatever is meant to happen will happen.' Based on oral tales that originated from historical events in tenth-century Iceland, these two sagas follow the fate of a powerful Viking family across two generations, from its early Norwegian ancestry through to fierce battles to defend its honour. Gisli Sursson's Saga is a story of forbidden love and divided loyalties, in which the heroic Gisli vows to avenge the murder of his 'sworn brother' and sets in motion a chain of bloody events that culminate in tragedy. The Saga of the People of Eyri continues the story with Snorri, a cunning leader of the next generation, who uses his intellect to restore social order. Blending gripping narrative, humour, the supernatural and shrewd observation, these tales reveal the richness of the saga tradition and present a vivid record of a society moving from ruthless individualism to a Christian ethic of reconciliation and order.

Author Biography

V+¬steinn +ôlason is Head of the +ürni Magn+¦sson Institute in Reykjavic and has published numerous books on literary history and criticism, including the Literary History of Iceland.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Further Reading
A Note on the Translations
Gisli Sursson's Saga	p. 1
The Saga of the People of Eyri	p. 71
Notes	p. 201
Reference Section	p. 209
Family Ties in The Saga of the People of Eyri	p. 210
Structure and Feuds in The Saga of the People of Eyri	p. 212
Maps	p. 214
Historical Events linked to the Sagas	p. 218
Chronology of Gisli Sursson's Saga	p. 218
Social, Political and Legal Structures	p. 219
The Farm	p. 222
Early Icelandic Literature	p. 225
Glossary	p. 230
Index of Characters	p. 240
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