Heimskringla

Snorri Sturluson, Lee M. Hollander

University of Texas Press, 1964 - Social Science - 854 pages

Beginning with the dim prehistory of the mythical gods and their descendants, Heimskringla recounts the history of the kings of Norway through the reign of Olaf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Once found in most homes and schools and still regarded as a national treasure, Heimskringla influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centuries.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - dylkit - LibraryThing

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 ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Henning_Hartung - LibraryThing

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.

Contents

• II: xxiii
• III: xxvi
• IV: 45
• V: 53
• VI: 90
• VII: 122
• VIII: 138
• IX: 239
• X: 532
• XI: 571
• XII: 658
• XIII: 662
• XIV: 682
• XV: 705
• XVI: 726
• XVII: 758
• XVIII: 779
• XIX: 817

About the author

Snorri Sturluson's fame as a historian---his main work is the 16 sagas included in Heimskringla (c.1230), a monumental history of Norway from its beginning until 1177---lies both in his critical approach to sources and in his fine, realistic exposition of event and motivation. A similar combination of scholarly and imaginative talent is seen in The Prose Edda (c.1220). Intended to be a handbook in skaldic poetry, it preserves invaluable mythological tales that were on the verge of being forgotten even in Sturluson's time. A large part of what we know about Nordic mythology stems from his Edda. The bibliography that follows also lists the anonymous Egil's Saga (1200--30), which many expert Scandinavian medievalists (e.g., Sigurdur Nordal and Bjorn M. Olsen) attribute to Sturluson. It is a fascinating account of life in Norway, England, and Iceland and of the poet-warrior Egil, whose skaldic verse is renowned for its unusual emotional and personal qualities. Snorri Sturluson's own life was as eventful as those about whom he wrote. Returning to Iceland from exile in 1239, he again became deeply involved in serious power struggles and was murdered in 1241.

Lee M. Hollander was Professor of Germanic Languages at the University of Texas at Austin and an authority in Nordic language and literature.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Heimskringla
• Authors: Snorri Sturluson, Lee M. Hollander
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: University of Texas Press, 1964
• ISBN: 0292730616, 9780292730618
• Length: 854 pages
• Subjects: Literary Criticism / General; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology