Comic Sagas and Tales from IcelandComic Sagas and Tales brings together the very finest Icelandic stories from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, a time of civil unrest and social upheaval. With feuding families and moments of grotesque violence, the sagas see such classic mythological figures as murdered fathers, disguised beggars, corrupt chieftains and avenging sons do battle with axes, words and cunning. The tales, meanwhile, follow heroes and comical fools through dreams, voyages and religious conversions in medieval Iceland and beyond. Shaped by Iceland's oral culture and their conversion to Christianity, these stories are works of ironic humour and stylistic innovation. |
Contents
A Note on the Translations | |
Olkofris Saga | |
The Saga of the Confederates | |
The Saga of Havard of Isafjord | |
The Tale ofThorstein Shiver trans Anthony Maxwell The Tale of Sarcastic Halli | |
Further Reading A Note onPoetic Imagery | |
Acknowledgements | |
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Common terms and phrases
Alehood Althing andthe asked assembly Atli atthe avenge Bard Bersi Bjargey Bjarni boat booth Broddi chieftains companions composed earl Egil Einar Eyjolf farm farmhands fjord Flateyjarbók fromthe Gellir Gest godis Greenland greeted Grettir Grettir the Strong Grima Gunnar Hallgrim Halli happened Havard heard hehad Hermund hewas horse Hreidar Iceland Illugi inthe Isafjord itwas killed King Harald King Olaf king’s kinsmen Kolbak land Laugabol lawspeaker lived livestock Ljot look man’s Morkinskinna named Narfi night Norway Ofeig ofthe onthe Ospak outlawed poem poet Ref’s replied Reykjaholar Reykjavík rode Saga Sagas of Icelanders said,‘I saidthat sailed settlement ship Sigrid Sigurd Skuf spear spoke stay Steinthor Strandir Styrmir summer sword Sworn Brothers thathe thatyou theking There’s Thjodolf Thorarin Thorbjorn Thordis Thorgeir Thorgils Thorgrim Thorhall Thorir Thorkel Thorleif Thormod Thormod answered Thorstein thought togo told took tothe Trondheim Vali verse walked warrior winter woman wounded