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The Orkneyinga saga
The Orkneyinga saga This book, "The Orkneyinga saga," by Joseph Anderson, is a replication of a book originally published before 1873.
The Orkneyinga saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney) is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200. The saga has "no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland".
The Norse saga was written around 1230 (three centuries after some of the events they record) by an unknown Icelandic author and, as was generally the case with Icelandic language writing of this period, the saga is as much a fictional story as a historic document. It is thought to have been compiled from a number of sources, combining oral legends with historical facts to tell the lives of the earls of Orkney and how they came about their earldom.
After three chapters dealing with the mythical ancestry of the later earls, the saga's adventurous account begins with the semi-mythical tales of the conquest of Orkney by Harald Fairhair, the King of Norway before moving on to more factual matters.
The first three chapters cover text that provide the supposed origins for the Swedish and Norwegian (January/February) torsmånad after Thorri and (February/March) göjemånad after Gói. In modern Icelandic Gói is referred to as Góa and is also used as a female name. The first two chapters also give a unique explanation for how Norway came to be named as such, involving Thorri's sons Nór and Gór and their division of the land.
Throughout the story, a number of characters who are both historical and legendary are introduced: Sigurd the Powerful, Hákon Paulsson, Sigurd the Stout, Ragnvald, Earl of Møre, Earl Magnus Erlendsson later styled the saint, Ragnvald Kali Kolsson and Harald Maddadsson. One or two of these characters are still part of Orcadian folklore today. There are examples of obviously fictional elements – such as Earl Sigurd's raven banner, the poisoned shirt of Earl Harald, and elements of the Hrolf Ganger saga. The saga shows how one would typically become an earl in medieval Orkney, and the problems that would ensue if more than one person shared the earldom.
The Orkneyinga saga (also called the History of the Earls of Orkney) is a historical narrative of the history of the Orkney Islands, from their capture by the Norwegian king in the ninth century onwards until about 1200. The saga has "no parallel in the social and literary record of Scotland".
The Norse saga was written around 1230 (three centuries after some of the events they record) by an unknown Icelandic author and, as was generally the case with Icelandic language writing of this period, the saga is as much a fictional story as a historic document. It is thought to have been compiled from a number of sources, combining oral legends with historical facts to tell the lives of the earls of Orkney and how they came about their earldom.
After three chapters dealing with the mythical ancestry of the later earls, the saga's adventurous account begins with the semi-mythical tales of the conquest of Orkney by Harald Fairhair, the King of Norway before moving on to more factual matters.
The first three chapters cover text that provide the supposed origins for the Swedish and Norwegian (January/February) torsmånad after Thorri and (February/March) göjemånad after Gói. In modern Icelandic Gói is referred to as Góa and is also used as a female name. The first two chapters also give a unique explanation for how Norway came to be named as such, involving Thorri's sons Nór and Gór and their division of the land.
Throughout the story, a number of characters who are both historical and legendary are introduced: Sigurd the Powerful, Hákon Paulsson, Sigurd the Stout, Ragnvald, Earl of Møre, Earl Magnus Erlendsson later styled the saint, Ragnvald Kali Kolsson and Harald Maddadsson. One or two of these characters are still part of Orcadian folklore today. There are examples of obviously fictional elements – such as Earl Sigurd's raven banner, the poisoned shirt of Earl Harald, and elements of the Hrolf Ganger saga. The saga shows how one would typically become an earl in medieval Orkney, and the problems that would ensue if more than one person shared the earldom.
- GenresHistory
418 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 10, 2016
17 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Anderson
21 booksJoseph Anderson (1832-1916), was a Keeper of the National Museum of the Antiquaries of Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 4, 2019
Aaaaaaaawesome.
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November 15, 2023Veneilyä, riehumista, taistelua ja hurjia tilanteita. Erittäin mielenkiintoisia, joskin rajuja, ovat nämä muinaiset saagat. Tällaista klassikkoa ei pysty tähdittämään, mutta lukeminen kyllä kannattaa. Se voi tosin olla hidasta, koska henkilöhahmoja on paljon, eivätkä itselle vieraat skandinaaviset nimet välttämättä hahmotu helposti. Antti Tuurin suomennos on erittäin hyvä. Lopun paikannimihakemisto on erinomainen ja ehdotonkin tarinan seuraamiseksi.
April 4, 2020
Decent saga but this ebook edition is a nightmare to read because it's obviously just a lazy scan with zero effort put into format or OCR correction. Ow my brain!
December 27, 2021
Saaga kerto0 viikinkien vaiheista noin vuosina 700-1000. Tarinat ovat lopulta aika toisteisia: juodaan, taistellaan, käydään skotlannissa ryöstelemässä ja palataan kotikonnuille juomaan ja tappelemaan.
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April 17, 2009I got from reading Soil and Soul (in my books) to rereading George Mackay Brown, then very luckily came across this in a charity shop. Great stuff.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews