Hrafnkel&s saga

Hermann Pálsson

Penguin Books Limited, 1971 - Literary Collections - 137 pages

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 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.

What people are saying

Review: Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories

User Review  - Alex - Goodreads

I have not actually read this whole book, I just read Hraknkel's Saga in the larger collection of Icelandic Sagas I am going through and wanted a venue to review it on its own. This is a much shorter ...

Review: Hrafnkel's Saga and Other Icelandic Stories

User Review  - Stuart Park - Goodreads

The 7 tales are of a mixed quality. The 3 set entirely in Iceland are the strongest. Most of the stories focus on justice and retribution. They are also more 'human' than the other sagas, the main ...

About the author

Hermann Palsson was a Professor Emeritus of Icelandic Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Hrafnkel&s saga; Classics Series; Volume 15 of The Penguin classics
• Editor: Hermann Pálsson
• Translated by: Hermann Pálsson
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Penguin Books Limited, 1971
• ISBN: 0140442383, 9780140442380
• Length: 137 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Fairy Tales, Folk Tales, Legends & Mythology; Fiction / Sagas; History / Medieval; Literary Collections / Essays; Literary Collections / European / General; Religion / General