Laxdæla Saga

by Anonymous, Silvia Cosimini (Translator), Alessandro Zironi (Contributor)

Come scrive Borges, è nelle saghe islandesi che nasce il romanzo moderno, in quel mondo di eroismi, intrighi, epiche famigliari e vicende intime. E fra tutte la Laxdæla saga occupa un posto di assoluto rilievo per la bellezza poetica e le passioni che rappresenta. Coprendo 150 anni, narra le tormentate sorti di un clan norvegese che alla fine del IX secolo è il primo colonizzatore dell'Islanda dell'ovest, la valle del Laxá, il Fiume dei Salmoni, restituendoci un potente affresco del Medioevo vichingo in un'età di transizione, quando il cristianesimo fa breccia nell'antico universo pagano. Ma questa saga deve la sua speciale fama e unicità anche al ruolo dominante che hanno le donne: la grande matriarca Unnr, che conduce la famiglia dalla Scozia alle Orcadi alle Faroe prima di prendersi la sua terra sul suolo islandese; la schiava Melkorka, che si finge muta per non rivelare al padrone e amante di essere la figlia di un re d’Irlanda; e soprattutto Gudrún, “la donna più bella che fosse mai nata in terra d'Islanda”, fiera, passionale, femme fatale e "femminista", una delle eroine più popolari e affascinanti delle antiche saghe. Protagonista di un dramma di amore e vendetta che porterà Kjartan e Bolli, amici fraterni, a combattersi fino alla morte, Gudrún si chiuderà in una dolorosa e algida solitudine, finendo i suoi giorni come suora eremita.

Genres: Classics, History, Medieval, Mythology, Literature, Poetry, Scandinavian Literature

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1245

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Yules · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the Icelanders have taught me about courtship and marriage:

(1) If a man proposes, you should pass the buck in accepting. Do not under any circumstances accept responsibility for this decision!

Father: “Bjorn consented for his part, and said in his opinion his daughter could not wish for a better marriage, but referred the question to her.”
Daughter: “my father will have the deciding say, as I will abide by his wishes.”

Father: “it will depend mainly on how Thordis feels about it, because she will only be betrothed to a man of her liking.”
Daughter: When the question was put to Thordis she replied that she would abide by her father’s guidance.

Widow: “My sons will have the deciding say in this matter”
Son: “My mother will know what is best and I agree to her wishes”

(2) If you no longer wish to remain married, accuse your spouse of wearing clothing suitable for the opposite sex, which is considered grounds for divorce.

(3) If a man tries to woo you with stories of his courageous stunts, tell him, as one woman does, “You must think you’ve done more dangerous things in your life than talk to women.” Do not play into his delusion that Viking exploits have trained him for single combat with the likes of you!

[Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Tell me one thing, Mother,' he asks, 'whom did you love most?'

One of the most well-known of the Old Norse sagas, the Laxdæla Saga follows Guðrún Ósvifsdóttir and her kinsfolk in the Icelandic region of Laxriverdale. Guðrún is mythically revered as the most beautiful woman in the history of Iceland, and the saga details the history of her life and her four very different marriages, through romantic and violent tragedies of all sorts. In the end, the twists and turns and mysteries of her love life are left up to the reader to wonder about.

As one of the Icelandic family sagas, the story of Guðrún is based on true events, but with a rather fluid sense of historical truth beyond this. Most of the saga should be treated as fictitious embellishment, but appreciate it as simply a fantastic story, and that is what you shall receive. An excellent tale of a strong and independent woman and her changing fortunes, in love, grief and vengeance.

Much of medieval literature remains rather obscure to the modern reader (aside from those few of us who spend our lives living in the past), especially when it comes from such a small and seemingly insignificant corner of the world. But the Laxdæla Saga is a rather accessible story which not only has withstood the test of time remarkably, but commands a literary quality beyond the capabilities of most modern authors.

[El · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm well aware that the Laxdaela Saga is considered the "most important of the Icelandic sagas", so it's probably good that I chose this as my first Icelandic saga. However... if this is touted as being the best, I'm not sure what I'll do about reading the others.

There's a lot of cool stuff here, and I learned quite a bit actually - like how if a woman wanted a divorce she could dress more manly (a man could get a divorce by dressing more effeminately as well), and that one hundred marks of refined silver is about the same as approximately 425 milch cows. Y'know, to give you perspective and all. (Where was that latter tidbit in my math classes in school I ask??)

I made the mistake (perhaps) of reading the Introduction first, which broke down in some detail the different chapters of the book. Considering the chapters are generally about a page and a half long, the Introduction was rather lengthy. I also felt that the summaries were quite sufficient. By the time I got to the text I felt like I had already read the stories (because I basically had), so the joy of the experience was sort of lost. Swordplay, however, is always pretty neato, and the chicks here would... well, slaughter me with their bare hands if they heard me call them "chicks". All of these things I can respect.

Also worth noting are the names in this text. You can't make this stuff up. Ketil Flat-Nose? Unn the Deep-Minded? Olaf the Peacock? Thorgrim Hoary-Head? Snorri! Bolli! Lambi! No one took any shit off of Lambi either, despite the soft quality of the name.

Still, I wasn't engrossed throughout this reading as I had hoped to be. The chapters were short as I've already mentioned, which provides very little time to really get into the meat of the story. Just when I was ready for it to go somewhere, the chapter ended and it was on to the next story. In a lot of ways the text is somewhat clinical, very matter-of-fact. I'm not sure if that's typical of 13th-century Icelandic literature or not, but eventually I'll continue my foray into the world of the Vikings and I'll let you know.

It's like that time in college when my English professor told the class about an Alaskan story in which a boy who was very close to his mother was unable to cope well with her death, and so he kicked her head around and chased it over the world and that's how the story ended. I remember one girl, Toni, who nearly had a breakdown. "What, but how does it end?" The professor had to explain over and over again for the rest of the semester that that was it, that was the story, The End. I can respect the storyteller's choice to end a story in that manner, but holy crap. Seriously? He just kicked his mom's head around the world a bunch?

I still can't do algebra, but that Alaskan story has stayed with me. That'll get me far. Thanks, Professor.

[Óttar Kolbeinsson Proppé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annar/þriðji lestur: 5 stjörnur
Hef ekki lesið annað en þessa sögu og greinar um hana síðustu mánuði. Algjört meistaraverk. Vel uppbyggð og skemmtileg allan tímann. Svo er í henni eitthvað fyrir alla; það er hægt að líta á hana sem ástarsögu, sögu um valdabaráttu, stéttskiptingu eða sögu sem talar inn í pólitíska umbrotatíma á 13. öld þar sem konungsvaldið var á allra vörum.
Sannarlega king shit.
Besta Íslendingasagan - ekki @ mig.

Fyrsti lestur: 4 stjörnur
Veislusaga

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights include an ox with four horns, inappropriate clothing decisions as grounds for divorce, ZOMBIES, and this poem:

Here we both lie
In helplessness,
Halldor and I,
Both powerless.
Age afflicts me
And infancy you;
It’ll get better for you
But not for me.

[Stijn Bakker]

I love the human spirit so much. in medieval Iceland people loved and hated, they were jealous and had pride, they cherished and laughed and cared. they feared, they mourned, were courageous, adventurous and homesick. we often say that human nature is evil and flawed and doomed to destroy, but when I read a book like this, I can only think that humans are wonderful and beautiful, then and now. we will prevail any circumstance and create the most beautiful art (way better than every computer ever will, fuck AI (yes I will say this at any chance I get)). in the harsh and difficult Iceland of the 11th century we did, and we still do.

[Graychin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laxdaela Saga is a multigenerational soap opera focused on several families of 10th and 11th century Icelanders. There are unlucky lovers, long schemes, extemporaneous versifyings, magic swords and blood feuds galore. The story also provides fascinating cultural and historical perspectives on topics like civic governance, women’s rights, notions of honor, luck and cursing, and the inconveniences of living with murderous, misanthropic ghosts.

If you read Frans Bengtsson’s The Long Ships and enjoyed it as much as I did, Laxdaela Saga strikes me as a good first step into the actual Scandinavian literature of the era. Two bits of advice, however: Don’t get bogged down trying to keep all the names straight – the main characters will stick. And read the footnotes or else you’re going to miss some of the best stuff.

For example, if you didn’t read the notes you’d never know that when Thorgills Holluson has a strange encounter with a large woman on his way to the Althing, he’s just seen his fylgja, or “fetch.” A fetch is, according to the note in my Penguin edition, “the personification of [a person’s] luck... Fetches often manifested themselves before death or at other times of crisis. Elsewhere in the sagas, these fetches are said to have passed on from one member of the family to another.”

[Magnús Jochum Pálsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Þvílík snilld. Saga sem hefur allt; flóttamenn, afturgöngur, höfðingja, ribbalda, seli, skítkast, hnyttin tilsvör og hryllileg morð.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the great Icelandic sagas. It revolves mainly around the life of Gudrun, a strong woman of four husbands and three sons, who have an important role in the saga.

At some point this text becomes a typical saga, with a chain of murders and revenges. But the most interesting point is its telling of the first introduction of Christianity in Iceland, which took place during the time of king Olaf I of Norway.

Three Norwegian kings are important in the saga: Harald, Olaf I and Olaf II (the holy). Harald was a Pagan, the two Olaf were Christians. Nothing is said about their death in battle and the relapse of Norway into Paganism between Olaf I and Olaf II.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's interesting how the way people tell stories differs between times and places. This sage does not have the kind of storyline that I'm used to, which makes it more difficult to read and appreciate. Yet I was still drawn into it and still appreciated the story and characters.

The advantage of this difference is that you do really get a sense of what was important to the culture of those who wrote it. In many ways medieval Iceland came alive for me by reading this. It's a fascinating culture that was in some ways unique in medieval Europe. Without kings, families governed themselves and each other by making laws together. Since there was no police force or legal system, however, it was left up to individual family members to enforce these laws, which could lead to cycles of violence. This saga shows the preference for peaceful solutions and the difficulties the system could run into. Life may have been very different then, but the obstacles faced in living together peacefully were quite similar.

It's also a classic love triangle story, for those who are into that.

This translation reads well. The introduction was useful and not overly long.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the founding sagas of Iceland and in part the basis for Wagner's Ring Cycle (or at least some of the Brunhild parts). Not only is the founding of Iceland described, but also the drama of kidnappings, jealousy, and freezing cold winters. While this saga doesn't directly take place too close to Reykjavik, the landscapes of the Icelandic countryside are 100% more exciting knowing how much drama there is imbedded in the history and literary tradition of the place.

[Isabella Leake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Icelandic sagas in general, but I'm pretty sure this one takes the cake! Not only is it full of interesting elements -- dreams and prophecies, marriages and family betrayals, treasures and gift-giving, feasts and farming, voyages to Norway and Ireland and hobnobbing with the royalty there, blood feuds and cursed swords, problems with sorcery and conversion to Christianity -- but it's finely crafted, with a rich narrative texture, psychological complexity to the characters, and the most delightful, tersely humorous dialog.

I've struggled to define exactly what I mean by narrative richness, because it's certainly not the kind of narrative richness you find in a novel. The closest I've gotten so far is by comparison with the Gospels. The difference in narrative style between this saga and others I've read feels something like the difference between the narrative styles of Matthew and Luke. Matthew tells the full story but pretty simply, whereas Luke goes out of his way to include details and present the material in an artful way. So, for instance, "Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth" (chapter 1, v. 39-40). The author could have simply said that Mary went to visit Elizabeth (which would have been the shortest path between A and B), without the extra details that let us picture her movements (she *arose* and went *with haste*), the landscape (hill country), and the dramatic scene when she arrived (she *entered* and *greeted Elizabeth*, just prior to the greeting from the unborn John the Baptist). I would contend that this narrative richness extends throughout the book of Luke, whereas Matthew's MO is to write more straightforwardly.

The same kind of narrative richness is what makes Laxdæla Saga such a delight to read. I found the first 10 chapters are kind of a slog, with much exposition and introduction of principle characters, but after that it's quite a page-turner and so engrossing.

The characterization is also superb. I was reading this saga concurrently with a Sigrid Undset novel, which caused inevitable comparison between the two books. While I expected that the saga would lose by comparison (I thought I would often be wishing, "if only Laxdæla Saga could be as rich as Sigrid Undset!"), I was surprised to find myself often wishing that the Sigrid Undset novel were as rich as Laxdæla Saga. I'm still confused by this response, because again I can't put my finger on what Sigrid Undset could be lacking that Laxdæla Saga contains, but someday I will solve the mystery and then be better able to elucidate the saga's greatness.

Reading this saga was such a good experience, I'm planning to reread it annually.

[Áróra Davíðsdóttir]

💔💔

[Valgerður María Þorsteinsdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besta Íslendingasagan sem ég hef lesið hingað til, action allan tímann #teamKjartan og alltaf ehv drama

[Bob Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Dudes with Axes Run Amok---NOT !

The past is clouded over, dark and murky. Once in a while, a hole opens up and we peer in, not sure what we are going to behold. Sometimes the view is understandable, more often, it is difficult to fathom, given our contemporary attitudes and expectations. For a view of another culture far away in time and place, you cannot do better than to read the various Icelandic sagas, though "The Tale of Genji" is certainly up there too. Some people may think Beowulf is only about fighting with monsters. Similarly, if you approach the sagas, like this one, with the idea that it's about fighting and vengeance (which it is in a way), you are going to miss the most interesting aspect of it. The Laxdaela Saga is named after a river in northwest Iceland where the events told about took place in the early 11th century. In my opinion, aside from its literary merits---which I will leave to others to discuss---this saga gives us a wonderful window on an ancient society. We see how they talked, how they worked, traded and travelled, their relations with other parts of the ancient world, from Norway to Byzantium, and how they related to each other. Most of all, as you can read in great detail in Jesse Byock's "Viking Age Iceland", we can learn how they managed their king-less society in which women had a strong voice (compared to any other European society of the day). Laws, negotiation, and an annual `parliament' called the Althing helped control the usual human impulses. Vengeance took place only when all else failed and even then, negotiation and compensation could stop feuds in their tracks. So far from being a `blood and guts' adventure, this is a document unparalleled in its drama, human emotions, tragedy, color and depth. Family and breeding are far more salient than fighting. If you are at all interested in history, you can't miss this and others of the sagas.

[Liz M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Laxdaela Saga contains various figures and events, some legendary, some historical, all exaggerated to epic proportions. Though I was drawn in by by the odd names, traditions and blood lust of the Icelandic Viking culture, what set this story apart was the striking modernity at the heart of the plot. It is essentially a strung out love triangle and tale of revenge centering around a woman of extraordinary courage and ambition, Gudrun Ósvífrsdóttir.
Unlike in other pre-modern literature, the women of Viking sagas retain their power and influence beyond their youth. They are responsible for defending their land and rights while their husbands raid foreign shores. Gudrun, in her quest for avenging a wrong between clans, plays a of Lady Macbeth minus the stigma as her fixation on the revenge coincides with the cultural norm and is a triumph over the weaker wills of her clansmen.
The story contains various subplots and a rich insight into the Icelandic family structure. Key among practices is fosterage, in which an adolescent is taken into another family of equal rank, thus forging an alliance between the young man and his foster family. At any hint of dishonor- and there are some comically trifling ones here- a vast array of characters is forced into a continuing cycle of violence and retribution.

[Audrey Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

A necessary read for the chivalric literature module, probably the best and most interesting medieval literature text I’ve read

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not only my favorite saga but also in the top five of my all time favorite books. I can read it over and over and never tire of it. I love the cast of strong, interesting women. Gudrun is an amazing character! I love how Gudrun's description, although it does contain some physical details, focuses on her intelligence and shrewdness. In contrast, Kjartan's description is almost all physical. This contrast seems to indicate that this is a very different type of saga. Gudrun intrigues me to the end--I'm still not sure which man she loved the most.

[Francesca · Rating 4 out of 5]

After watching a documentary about the Laxdæla saga, showing where (with relative accuracy) in Iceland most events took place I decided to buy this saga.

Some thoughts I had while reading/after:

- You can sort-of compare the type of narrative with that of the bible or gospel texts, only that this is more interesting. It doesn't read like a novel because it's goal is not to entertain but rather to document how the people living in Salmon River Dale went about their lives between the 9th and 11th century.

- Viking life was harsh and brutal but also poetic in its own right. Vikings are often portrayed as the most savage of men, but after seeing some documentaries, and even reading this saga one can appreciate their relationship with nature and also the sense of communal feeling. Even if it to plot a murder.

" Then Bersi said this ditty:

Here we both lie
In helpless plight,
Halldor and I,
Have no power left us;
Old age afflicts me,
Youth afflicts you,
You will get better
But I shall get worse."

- Several elements made this an interesting read: love triangles, introducing Christianity, curses, reading deeply into dreams, deceit, voyaging to faraway lands as a means of venture and earning respect, hallucinations, and much much more. It's really incredible to read something that was written in the 13th century. It captures the spirit of the dramatic life at Salmon River Dale and all the voyages to Norway and back.

-As with several Icelandic sagas, the author is unknown. We are really lucky that such writings were preserved well enough for us to enjoy today. Despite being a description of daily life, the line between fact and fantasy was still somewhat fuzzy because of the vikings' 'modus operandi'. This made it all the more enjoyable.

- I really like how age is described; "... Winters old", and the 'nicknames' used which are simple but equally descriptive; Ketill Flatnose, Harald Fairhair, Unnr the Deep-Minded, and my personal favourite, Thorhalla the Chatterbox.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around 3.5 stars, rounding up for now.
It's a little hard to keep track of everyone and their relationship to one another especially in the first half, but the latter parts were more focused and easier to follow, so they were quite enjoyable. Generally, super interesting and I learned a lot both historically and culturally!

[Skúli Garðarsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algjör snilld. Hlustaði á hana á Storytel Silja Aðalsteinsdótir lesari par exelance

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gudrun Osfivsdottir is described by her (third) husband's killers as a woman of "strong character." It's a phrase that might evoke in a modern reader the idea of kindness, or maybe honesty. A reader of continental romances might imagine that the descriptor, applied to a medieval woman, could reference her piety or her chastity. In the honour-ethics world of the icelandic sagas, though, Gudrun's strong character means that she never lets a slight against her go unavenged, preferably by blood. It is a character trait that makes for a gripping and tragic story.

I had very foolishly procrastinated on reading laxdaela saga, mostly because it had been described to me as a saga concerned with romance. (read Egil's saga if you like an engrossing character analysis! read Njall's saga if you like masterful examination of moral themes! and read laxdaela saga if you like... romance...). I was understandably not enthused by the idea of an "icelandic romance" in a genre known for its blunt lack of emotionality. (I imagined something along the lines of " she was a beautiful woman and he a strong youth. That summer they spend many days together, and those who saw them said that they seemed to enjoy one another's company. There was a wedding the next spring and many notable icelanders were in attendance. they had seven children named Thora, Thorstein, Thorald, Thoralf, Thorgrim, Thorkel, and Thorvald")

It's lucky that romance was not, in fact, what the story was mostly concerned with, because those aspects lived up to expectations. The main courting of the couple happens in a few sentences which don't do much more than tell us that they got along well. It is a style charming in its own right.

I think that the frequent description of Laxdaela saga as a romance arises merely from the fact that its protagonist, Gudrun, is a woman, and as such much of the content of her life, as well as her power in her life and her role in her society, has to do with her marriages. I think most people would not describe Egil's saga as a saga about the Norwegian court, or about raiding. rather, the various exploits of Egil's life flesh out his world and his character. I think then that Gudrun should receive a similar treatment. For a woman protagonist, the negotiation of the terms of her marriage contract is her summer spent raiding. Her honour, no less important to her than to any of her counterparts, cannot be won in Norway but through subtler dynamics among her immediate community. In my reading, above all else, Laxdaela saga is a saga about Gudrun Osvifsdottir, her power, and her honour.

Even for a woman in medieval iceland, Gudrun is in many ways especially powerless (which is not, as some might imagine, merely a feature of the times). This is the same saga that introduces us to Unn the deep minded, one of the most formidable matriarchs in literature. It is the same saga in which Egil, knowing his daughter's strong mind and caring for her, asks her for her own opinion on her marriage. It was not inevitable that of all Gudrun's marriages, she is not consulted about the first three of them.

Her powerlessness is underlined the moment she is introduced- with a prophetic dream in her childhood that foretells how each of her four husbands will die. As a child, she accepts this gravely. There was a part of me that would laugh through the saga every time she marries someone new and never thinks to warn them that, hey, I had this dream that everyone I marry will die and each of the three men prior to you died in the exact way it was foretold. By the forth man it seems almost cruel, and I can't help but being a bit bemused, in a first reading, at her grief from these losses. It was an avoidable situation, Gudrun! But that might not be the case, and Gudrun's lack of action to prevent her prophecy may have more to do with the themes of the story than with lazy narrative foreshadowing.

There are plenty of characters who, upon receiving some foresight, act upon this information for their benefit. Although often futile. characters take council and choose their course on prophetic guidance all the time. Gudrun's passivity is somewhat unique, and I think it is no accident that the area of her life that is bound by fate and beyond her control is in marriage.

I find the moment where she asks Kjartan to take her with him to Norway very interesting. I can't think of another instance in the sagas of this happening. It shows that she has much the same longing for variety as the male protagonists of other sagas. As we read of all Kjartans (extended) adventures) it is hard not to think of Gudrun's frustration growing, and growing, and growing at home.

You can also feel her palpable frustration at Kjartan's failure to secure their marriage. They clearly do care about one another. For the reader it is at first difficult to tell if Kjartan does care for her. We see him staying out on his aventures for much longer than he meant to, he doesn't arrange for the very common three year engagement, he sends no word back with Bolli. All his behavior points to apathy. But the moment where we find out he does care for her is I think one of the quintessential examples of saga writing evoking strong emotion through its sparsity. The Norwegian Princess hopes that Gudrun will like her wedding gift, and in that one instant we realize that he has been thinking of her all those years. the princess who we thought he loved instead, he has told all about Gudrun. You might imagine the loving language he used to do it, and the hope and excitement as he sails back to the one he intends to spend his life with. Kjartan's inability to treat Gudrun like he loves her is all the more frustrating, for Gudrun and for the reader, because it seems clear that he does.

the rising feud that culminates in Kjartan's death- orchestrated by Gudrun, is hard to read. I always find feuds hard to read, but especially to see the meanness, the pettiness, and the cruelty here knowing all the while how deeply she will come to regret it. It feels more personal and senseless than other feud narratives because it often is. Although honour remains the pretext, with slanders and slights spurring rising tensions, the underlying motives are so clearly hurt feelings and pride, from both Kjartan and Gudrun. Although the violence of Gudrun's passive aggression is hardly justifiable, it does fit well with her character. It makes sense to me that someone so strong willed who has just been forced into her third unwanted marriage might lash out at the world a bit, and especially at the man who might have given her a happy life but left her instead. It is particularly hard to read how she manipulates Bolli and others into doing the dirty work, but readers should remember that Gudrun does not have access to the same recourse to legal settlements to maintain honour. Moreover, the wrongs that have been done against her are not even the sort that her society acknowledges as a wrong. The role of an icelandic wife to goad her husband to action is one of her only avenues, and we see her push it to its fullest extent.

Gudrun is a perfect antihero. Her pride is her downfall. She is both a victim of her circumstances and capable of immense coldness. She is a great many things, and I would not rank love interest fought over between two brothers in the top 50.

I focused on her relationship to her power and honour here because I think that's the line I found most engaging, but there is plenty to unpack in this magnificent saga from a hundred different angles. It is the history of a region as much as of an individual. It spans the settlement when markers were guided by gods to the conversion by the end of the saga. It includes many beloved saga figures like Olaf peacock, or a welcome visit from Egil Skallagrimson as an old man. It is in part definitely a saga about. I also want to note that I'm not saying that the author had in mind a story about women and power necessarily, just that I find Gudrun's character a vibrant crucible for teh idea, and the issue of Gudrun's forced marriages probably had to do mostly with christian ideas about consent that would have predominated by the time of writing.

Last thing, I hate Bolli so fucking much. What a little shit. ASK your brother if it is ok to marry his love straight out before leaving Norway, not in a weird round about way that you know he is too prideful to answer to. And if a woman tells you she would absolutely hate to be married to you do not marry her! Especially if that woman is Gudrun because you will probably die quickly! How would it be fun to be married to someone who hates your guts no matter how hot she is I don't understand this man's motives! And then he is fucking dumb while Gudrun is manipulating him! She's wrong to do it but what kind of man acts on his wife's behalf to get revenge on the man she loves for his not being with her????? I genuinely think at this point he might not even be malicious just very stupid??? And then he stands lamely at the ambush and allows himself to be goaded into killing his BROTHER in like 2 seconds???? This man has no backbone??? I hate him. He is so awful. If he hadn't wanted to one up Kjartan the whole thing would have been avoided. If he had had one honest conversation with his dearest friend and foster brother, it would have been avoided. If, when given the chance to CHOP his foster brother in half or to NOT do that, he had chosen the latter, the bulk of everything could have been avoided! terrible man. My favourite moment in the saga might be when he is about to be killed and he tells Gudrun to leave the room and she tells him she's fine to see whatever happens next.

[Amalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Icelandic Sagas are the best of the medieval literature. Among all that, Laxdaela Saga is one of the best of the sagas to come from the Viking world with amazing stories of human interaction. Reading this was an amazing experience, specially once you realize that these were real people, whose names are enshrined in the history of Iceland by their descendents.

Laxdaela Saga has a lot of characters (above 150) but that doesn't mean all the characters are equally important. It first traces the story of the families involved before leading into the main story, namely the story of Gudrun Osvifs-daughter and her four marriages.

Tolkien's "The Silmarillion" is similar in style to Laxdaela Saga.

The segment that describes the historical conversion of Iceland to Christianity, was fascinating.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of the Laxdaela people, the Salmon-Valley people. Most consecutive story-line is Gudrun and her husbands, revolving around blood-feuds, drownings, prophecies, and a bit of magic. Heroic not chivalric, but more realistic, if not sometimes difficult to keep different persons straight (ie remember who is son-of-who).

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tedious at first, it picks up with love triangle and clan blood feuds. So much travelling back and forth to Norway and being entertained by the King. While wealth and power are flaunted, so are honesty and loyalty in conflict--some wise men emerge. Powerful women too.

[Saga]

Halldór följde närmast efter sin mor, och de red tills de kom förbi gården på Sælingsdalstunga.
Då vände Þorgerð sin häst upp mot gården och frågade: ”Vad heter den här gården?”
Halldór svarade: ”Det frågar du inte av okunskap, mor, för du vet att gården heter Tunga.”
”Vem bor här?” frågade hon.
”Det vet du, mor”, svarade Halldór.
Þorgerð suckade då och sade: ”Visst vet jag att här bor Bolli, mannen som dödat er bror, och mycket skiljer ni er från era berömda förfäder att ni inte vill hämnas en sådan bror som Kjartan. Så skulle inte er morfar Egil ha handlat. (…) Jag säger detta särskilt till dig, Halldór, eftersom du påstås vara den främste bland bröderna. Nu kan vi vända tillbaka, för mitt främsta syfte var att påminna er om detta, om ni skulle ha glömt bort det.”
Halldór svarade då: ”Inte kan vi skylla på dig, mor, om det faller oss ur minnet.” (s. 85–86)

Tog ett tag att komma in i berättelsen, men den är verkligen episk.

[Maren]

Jeg har ENDELIG blitt ferdig med denne, og dæven for en reise det har vært. De første 50 % av denne var brutal. Det var som å lese et eneste stort familietre med detaljerte beskrivelser av hvert eneste menneske på kryss og tvers av relasjoner. Men, da fortellingen begynte å bli mer sentrert rundt noen generasjoner - og ikke minst trekantdramaet mellom Kjartan, Bolli og Gudrun - var jeg overraskende oppslukt. Dette er en flott fortelling som sier så mye om vikingtids/middelalder-mentalitet når det kommer til temaer som familie, ære, kjærlighet, ambisjon og ikke minst hevn. En utrolig interessant saga, som fremstiller hvordan vi som mennesker kanskje kan være delt av flere hundre år, men samtidig opplever de samme følelsene, problemstillingene og tankene.

Og ikke minst hadde den en del episoder som var sentrale for masteroppgaven ;))

[SheVanishes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating saga, showcasing the complexity of female experiences of the time in Iceland from the Settlement Age to the Eleventh Century. Memorable characters (especially women) and a plot that truly captures the tragedy of the protagonists' fate.

Unfortunately, sometimes the Italian translation by Iperborea feels a bit awkward. This is the only reason why this edition deserves 4.5 rather than a full 5 stars.

[Michael Eklund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing how you get caught by this Icelandic sagas. A lot of names, relations and geography and you get confused by it all. But still, you can not help getting gripped by this stories, they feel so real and human. The wheels of revenge, incited by women who amazingly are never touched in this horrible bloodshed.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my bookshelf for decades; avoided by me under the impression it was akin to fantasy, so it was a very pleasant surprise to find how easy to read and absorbing it was; a fast-paced litany of names and marriages, property and children. I'd've read to the end had Christianity not reared its ugly head.