Sagas of Warrior-Poets

by Leifur Eiricksson

Lovers, poets, and dragon-slaying heroes populate the gripping Icelandic sagas included in this collection. Part of Penguin Classics' eight-volume Icelandic Saga collection, this volume includes stories that were composed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and are set more than two hundred years earlier-a time when the old Viking ethos of honor and heroic adventure merged with new ideas of romantic infatuation. Set in the farmsteads of Viking-age Iceland, each of these sagas features poet heroes, complex love triangles, and travels to foreign lands. In her informative introduction, Diana Whaley highlights these important themes and reveals how the authors used these tales to entertain, to preserve and shape traditions about the past, and to explore vital social issues.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, History, Medieval, Historical, Mythology, Folklore

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 29, 2002

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection edited by Diana Whaley is a collection of five relatively little-known Icelandic sagas with common story-threads: They are all about historical characters who were at one and the same time warriors and skalds (poets); they are, for the most part, unlucky in love; they all spend some time in the court of Norway composing poems and fighting battles for various kings, especially Harald Fair-hair.

Sagas of Warrior-Poets is mostly of interest to those who, like myself, are enamored of the Icelandic saga, even when it is not of the best.

In all five sagas presented in the book, the action is interspersed with poetic commentary that can include scandal:

Lily-white lad, though stripped of
luck and wealth in Solund--
I've often been in battle--
envy you avoided,
when I, my talents tested....

In this one Viglund bespeaks his love for Ketilrid:

I love another's lady,
though on a fair oaken keel
I seek the distant seas;
some won't think me manly.
I can not imagine
another woman ever
would be to me so dear.
The winds bear me from peril.

At their most irritating, these Viking poems are full of kennings, which Diana Whaley describes as two-part expressions referring to a single concept. Instead of saying "man" or "woman" or "sword" or "battle" or "ship," they may say (and repeat endlessly) such expressions -- respectively -- as "wearer of armour" or "goddess of sleeves" or "serpent of blood" or "spear-thaw" or "billow-steed." I suppose you have to be a Viking in those times to appreciate expressions such as these.

The two earliest stories in the collection are the most primitive: "Kormak's Saga" and "The Saga of Hallfred Troublesome-Poet." The last three, especially "The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue" are later and more sophisticated.

It is interesting that we, who associate poetry with epicene urban types, can experience a tradition of poetry mired in blood and sex by reading a book such as Sagas of Warrior-Poets.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always forget, when I haven't read one for a while, how many names you have to deal with when reading a saga. The five in this book are quite fun, and all of them seem to have frustrated love affairs in them, which is interesting, although there's a still a lot of feuding and killing and, obviously for this collection of sagas, slanderous poetry.

Each saga has a different translator, but they're all reasonably good quality.

I'll have to read these again by the time the class comes round, because all the Thor-whatevers are mixed up in my head already.

[Bree Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is a very interesting look into a specific type of character and plot structure among the Sagas of Icelanders. While I didn’t explicitly enjoy every one of them, they were all interesting at the very least, and there was at least one truly fantastic saga.

I enjoyed the poetry of Kormak’s Saga quite a bit; there were many kennings that alluded to Steingerd, the love interest, with imagery of both water/sea and fire which I thought was very interesting and poetic. The story acts as a typical Old Norse love triangle, but there was some depth given to the opposing party; Bersi is rash and stubborn, but honorable as we see when he saves Steinvor from those who kidnapped her. We also see that Kormak isn’t simply a love-struck hero and can be quite irritable, which is perhaps why he never marries Steingerd. I wish Bersi’s story wasn’t cut off toward the end in favor of Thorvald’s, who I thought was much less interesting. The last we see of Bersi is when he declares that he wishes to kill Kormak, which would be extremely interesting considering it would have been out of personal vengeance and not for Steingerd’s hand. But sadly we don’t get to see that, for some reason. It was a pretty typical saga and it was kind of a slog to get through, but the poetry was great. 3 stars.

The Saga of Hallfred the Troublesome Poet wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be, based on his character in Gunnlaug’s Saga (which I’ve read previously). I like his careless attitude and general mischief-making, but that’s nothing extraordinary for a saga protagonist. I did love how he kept his Pagan beliefs for so long, and that’s part of the reason he received the “troublesome” nickname. And I liked the small story with him and Thorleif and their mutual respect and eventual friendship by the end of the saga; even though Hallfred isn’t a Pagan by the time they meet again, I think it’s telling that he becomes good friends with one and doesn’t try to convert him. 2.5 stars.

I already read The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue, but I will say that having it in between Hallfred and Bjorn’s saga is great. It basically acts as a sequel to Hallfred’s saga and it pairs beautifully with Bjorn’s.

The Saga of Bjorn was fantastic. The language is as direct as any saga, but it flowed better than most. The characters were also amazing, and entirely three dimensional. As is typical of the genre, it’s a love triangle, but the two leading men have a more complex history than in other sagas. The author takes the time to develop their relationship before showing Thord’s betrayal, which makes the reader sympathize with Bjorn all the more. Not only that, but we see these characters grow and change; Bjorn is rash as a young man, a thrill-seeking Viking, until he serves under the king of Norway and learns what true honor is, at which point he dedicates his time to more pressing matters at home in Iceland. Thord doesn’t quite change, but that’s doesn’t mean he isn’t a realistic character; he’s a narcissist, a simple villain who’s a direct foil for Bjorn. And Oddney is also a major player, oftentimes being the voice of reason between the two men; she’s headstrong, but down to earth, and knows what she wants. Oddney doesn’t interfere with her perceived duty (staying married to Thord), but isn’t a docile damsel either.

I also loved the poetry in Bjorn’s saga. In many sagas, the main character recites verses about what’s going on or how he’s feeling, but with Bjorn it feels much more natural and built into the story. Bjorn is a poet and warrior, as opposed to a warrior who sometimes recites poetry. He recites verses when they make sense, for a specific reason. The same can be said for Thord, and the two often get into poetry battles. It reminded me quite a bit of The Saga of Gunnlaug, although I think I liked it more here.

There were also some really cool, albeit short, fight scenes in Bjorn’s saga, many of which took place on lava fields. And that’s really metal. Also, Bjorn slayed a dragon in the beginning of the saga, which is so cool. I know it’s a plot device to make the hero of the tale look accomplished, but dragons are so rare in the Icelandic sagas and I just thought it was awesome.

Viglund’s Saga is the first where the women seem to have a sense of real agency. Olof is married off to a man she doesn’t want to marry, until Throgrim crashes the wedding before the ceremony and takes her away. But he is only allowed to this because it is what Olof wants, and because she hasn’t been betrothed yet. But if Olof didn’t want it, if she hadn’t vowed to marry Thorgrim, he wouldn’t have been able to take him. While Thorgrim is the narrative device which allows her to leave, it is by her decision and wishes that she does. And later, when Einar tries to seduce her, she tricks him and scares him into leaving. She does this completely on her own, without the aid of any man.

The rest of Viglund’s Saga was pretty good! Nothing to write home about, especially coming off of Bjorn’s Saga. 3.25 stars.

[Adam Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Human history wasn't always written down. For eons, we passed our stories on through oral history, relating traditions and legends and myths at fireside or in big halls, or at home, telling tales of who we are and where we come from.

The stories of far-away places like Iceland and Norway were among some of the last true oral history tales that were committed to paper. The sagas contained within this volume, five in total, tells the tales of five legendary men known as "warrior-poets." A warrior poet is exactly what it sounds like: a warrior who also has skill for poetry and storytelling. William Wallace mentioned them in Braveheart, and was likely one himself, at least in his way.

These sagas, spanning years or even decades, originate from true stories that happened in the 11th and 12th centuries. After being passed on verbally, they were finally written down in their native languages, and eventually translated into English. They speak of Icelandic and Nordic warriors (Vikings, essentially) like Viglund, and Hallfred Troublsome-Poet, and Kormak. These men, and the others whose tales are featured, are flawed, strong, determined, and often spurned by the women they love, often by arranged marriages. Love triangles, battles, duels, and verbal exchanges between rivals abound.

I haven't read anything like this since college. There is no one author featured here. All five sagas were translated by academics who specialize in Nordic literature, and the stories are thrilling. They remind me of tall tales of valiant knights like King Arthur and Don Quixote. I had no reference point for this going in (my knowledge of Iceland consists of its Christmas Eve "Book Flood" tradition), but I'm looking forward to learning more about this part of the world and its literary and cultural traditions.

[Roelofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 Step closer to reading all the Icelandic sagas. too bad I read the best ones first and have to deal with the lesser/shorter ones now... They're still enjoyable, some are even pretty good.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what I'm really interested in--The role of the poet/poetic performance in Icelandic society.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting selection of Norse sagas which contain a combination of verse and prose.