Víkingabók Database Project: Íslendingasögur og Íslendingaþættir (Sagas of Icelanders and Tales of Icelanders).
Komiði sæl og blessuð, vinir,
This post is part of a collective project called the Víkingabók Database. The goal of this project is to compile various resources, whether as links or lists (particularly of books, articles, or sites), that relate to the fields of medieval Scandinavian and Irish studies. This project began on the 6th of December, 2016. This post may be updated in the future so that the information it contains remains current and applicable. In such instances, an amendment date will be provided. As of the date provided below, you may view this post, and the others associated with it, on the following platforms: Tumblr and Wordpress.
This post was last updated on: 14 DEC, 2016.
ÍSLENDINGASÖGUR OG ÍSLENDINGAÞÆTTIR
(SAGAS OF ICELANDERS AND TALES OF ICELANDERS):
The following sagas and tales refer to the families that settled and lived in Iceland during and after the Viking Age. They provide tremendous insight into the society and culture that produced them, when read with care. I have listed them, with minor alteration, as they are presented in The Complete Sagas of Icelanders, which is to say that they have been ordered based on their relative subjects (outlaws, poets, supernatural, feuds, etc.).
Due to the massive amount of sagas and tales there are in this category, I have not providing detailed descriptions. I have, however, provided estimated dates (as they appear in The Complete Sagas of Icelanders). This is included for all sagas. Tales, however, will not be as likely to include dates.
All resource links are to English translations. Icelandic and Old Norse resources will be provided in a separate post at a later date (I will update this post, however, to include a link once I have made such a post). All of the following sagas and tales are included in The Complete Sagas of Icelanders, therefore a link to this resource will only be included if the saga is unavailable (reliably) elsewhere.
As for reliability, online sources are free, but their translations are terribly outdated. The best translations come from The Complete Sagas of Icelanders, followed closely by any of the other books provided. Online sources are great places to begin, but, if at all possible, move to the provided book resources at some point.
Citations are provided in the Chicago Manual Notation Style. In these citations, I have also provided links to each book and website listed, when appropriate.
KEY (BOOKS INCLUDE CITATIONS):
CSI Only = Only available in the Complete Edition.
***Out of 40 sagas, 8 are currently labelled as ‘CSI Only.’
***Out of 49 tales, 30 are currently labelled as ‘CSI Only.’
Viðar Hreinsson, Robert Cook, Terry Gunnell, Keneva Kunz, and Bernard Scudder ed., The Complete Sagas of Icelanders. (Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing, 1997).
PSI = Penguin’s Sagas of the Icelanders Collection.
Örnólfur Þorsson and Bernard Scudder ed., The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. Preface by Jane Smiley. Introduction by Robert Kellogg. (New York: Penguin Books, 2001).
WPS = Penguin’s Warrior-Poet Sagas Collection.
Örnólfur Þorsson and Bernard Scudder ed., Sagas of Warrior-Poets. Notes and Introduction by Diana Whaley. (London: Penguin Books, 2002).
CST = Penguin’s Comic Sagas and Tales Collection.
Viðar Hreinsson ed., Comic Sagas and Tales from Iceland. (London: Penguin Books, 2013).
HRAF = Hrafnkel’s Saga and Other Icelandic Stories.
Hermann Palsson trans., Hrafnkel’s Saga and Other Icelandic Stories. (London: Penguin Books, 1971).
TIS = The Icelandic Sagas (with illustrations). (***Third Party! Expensive - look around)
Magnus Magnusson ed., The Icelandic Sagas. (The Folio Society, 1999).
ERO = Eirik The Red and Other Icelandic Sagas.
Gwen Jones trans., Eirik The Red and Other Icelandic Sagas. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2009).
PEN = Individual Saga/Small Collection Published by Penguin Books.
OXF = Individual Saga/Small Collection Published by Oxford World’s Classics.
OTHR = Individual Saga/Small Collection Published by Other Presses
***These are often only available via third party sellers. They are also often expensive, and so I advise considering the ‘CSI Only’ source before spending too much money on these options.
***Online sources may overlap in available translations. I have provided multiple websites to accommodate possible preferences in format or accessibility. They are listed in the order of my own preference, which is based on format and reliability (but also frequency, the last three on this list are only used one time each).
ISD = Icelandic Saga Database.
VSWeb = Viking Society Web Publications.
ARC = Archive.org.
MCL = Medieval and Classical Library.
STA = Sacred Texts Archive.
NOR = Northvegur.org.
OLL = Online Library of Liberty.
NOT = Notendur.
HARV = Harvard.edu.
***An ‘eBook Only’ resource category will likely be added at a later date. Most books currently listed have eBook options provided upon following the link.
[1] Brennu-Njáls saga (Burnt-Njal’s Saga): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PEN, TIS, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, OLL, STA, NOR, MCL.
[2] Laxdæla saga (The Saga of the People of Laxardal): Mid-Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PEN, PSI. Online Resources: ISD, STA, NOR, MCL.
[3] Bolla þáttur (Bolli Bollason’s Tale): Related to Laxdæla saga || Book Resources: PEN, PSI.
[4] Eiríks saga rauða (Eirik the Red’s Saga): Early Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: OXF, PEN, PSI, ERO, TIS. Online Resources: ISD, ARC.
[5] Grænlendinga saga (The Saga of the Greenlanders): Early Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PEN, PSI, TIS. Online Resource: NOT (not a complete version).
[6] Egils saga Skallagrímssonar (Egil’s Saga): Early Thirteenth Century Version || Book Resources: PEN, PSI, TIS. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb, STA, NOR.
[7] Kormáks saga (Kormak’s Saga): Early Thirteenth Century || Book Resource: WPS. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb, NOR, MCL.
[8] Hallfreðar saga vandræðaskálds (The Saga of Hallfred the Troublesome Poet): Early Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: WPS, OTHR.
[9] Bjarnar saga Hítdælakappa (The Saga of Bjorn, Champion of the Hitardal People): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: WPS, OTHR.
[10] Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu (The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: WPS, PSI, TIS, ERO, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb.
[11] Víga-Glúms saga (Killer-Glum’s Saga): Early or Mid-Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: OTHR, OTHR, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, ARC, STA, NOR.
[12] Ögmundar þáttur dytts (The Tale of Ogmund Bash) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[13] Þorvalds þáttur tasalda (The Tale of Thorvald Tasaldi) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[14] Fóstbræðra saga (The Saga of the Sword Brothers): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: CST, OTHR(?).
[15] Þormóðar þáttur (Thormod’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[16] Þórarins þáttur ofsa (The Tale of Thorarin the Overbearing) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[17] Víglundar saga (Viglund’s Saga): ca. 1400 || Book Resource: WPS. Online Resource: ISD.
[18] Arnórs þáttur jarlaskálds (The Tale of Arnor, the Poet of Earls) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[19] Einars þáttur Skúlasonar (Einar Skulason’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[20] Mána þáttur skálds (The Tale of Mani the Poet) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[21] Óttars þáttur svarta (The Tale of Ottar the Black) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[22] Sneglu-Halla þáttur (The Tale of Sarcastic Halli) || Book Resources: PSI, CST, OTHR.
[23] Stúfs þáttur hinn skemmri (Stuf’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[24] Þórarins þáttur stuttfeldar (The Tale of Thorarin Short-Cloak) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[25] Þorleifs þáttur jarlsskálds (The Tale of Thorleif, the Earl’s Poet) || Book Resource: CST.
TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL:
[26] Kumlbúa þáttur (The Tale of the Cairn-Dweller) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[27] Bergbúa þáttur (The Tale of the Mountain-Dweller) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[28] Stjörnu-Odda draumer (Star-Oddi’s Dream) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[29] Þiðranda þáttur og Þórhalls (The Tale of Thidrandi and Thorhall) || Book Resources: TIS, ERO.
[30] Þórhalls þáttur knapps (The Tale of Thorhall Knapp) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
OUTLAWS AND NATURE SPIRITS:
[31] Gísla saga Súrssonar (Gisli Surrson’s Saga): Mid- or Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PEN, PSI, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb, STA, NOR.
[32] Grettis saga (The Saga of Grettir the Strong): ca. 1400 || Book Resources: PEN, OXF, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb, STA, NOR, MCL.
[33] Harðar saga og Hólmverja (The Saga of Hord and the People of Holm): Late Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: OTHR. Online Resource: VSWeb.
[34] Bárðar saga Snæfellsáss (Bard’s Saga): Late Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: OTHR.
CHAMPIONS, ADVENTURERS, AND ROGUES:
[35] Finnboga saga ramma (The Saga of Finnbogi the Mighty): Early Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[36] Flóamanna saga (The Saga of the People of Floi): Early Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[37] Kjalnesinga saga (The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes): Mid-Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: OTHR.
[38] Jökuls þáttur Búasonar (Jokul Buason’s Tale) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[39] Gull-Þóris saga (Gold-Thorir’s Saga): Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[40] Þórðar saga hreðu (The Saga of Thord Menace): Late Fourteenth Century || Online Resource: ISD.
[41] Króka-Refs saga (The Saga of Ref the Sly): Late Fourteenth Century || Book Resources: PSI, CST, OTHR.
[42] Gunnars saga Keldugnúpsfífls (The Saga of Gunnar, the Fool of Keldugnup): Fourteenth or Fifteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[43] Gísls þáttur Illugasonar (Gisl Illugason’s Tale) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[44] Gull-Ásu-Þórðar þáttur (The Tale of Gold-Asa’s Thord) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[45] Hrafns þáttur Guðrúnarsonar (Hrafn Gudrunarson’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[46] Orms þáttur Stórólfssonar (Orm Storolfsson’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[47] Þorgríms þáttur Hallasonar (Thorgrim Hallason’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[48] Eyrbyggja saga (The Saga of the People of Eyri): Mid-Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PEN, PEN, TIS. Online Resources: ISD, NOR, MCL.
[49] Halldórs þáttur Snorrasonar hinn fyrri (The Tale of Halldor Snorrason I) || Book Resource: HRAF(?).
[50] Halldórs þáttur Snorrasonar hinn síðari (The Tale of Halldor Snorrason II) || Book Resources: PSI, HRAF.
[51] Ölkofra saga (Olkofri’s Saga): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: CST, HRAF.
[52] Hænsna-Þóris saga (Hen-Thorir’s Saga): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: ERO, OTHR, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, ARC.
[53] Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða (The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey’s Godi): Late Thirteenth or Early Fourteenth Century || Book Resources: HRAF, PSI, TIS, ERO, OTHR. Online Resource: ISD.
[54] Bandamanna saga (The Saga of the Confederates): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: PSI, CST, TIS, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, VSWeb, ARC.
[55] Odds þáttur Ófeigssonar (Odd Ofeigsson’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[56] Hávarðar saga Ísfirðings (The Saga of Havard of Isafjord): Fifteenth Century || Book Resources: CST, OTHR. Online Resources: ISD, ARC.
[57] Vatnsdæla saga (The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal): Late Thirteenth or Early Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: PSI.
[58] Heiðarvíga saga (The Saga of the Slayings on the Heath): Mid-Thirteenth Century || Online Resources: ISD, NOR, MCL.
[59] Valla-Ljóts saga (Valla-Ljot’s Saga): Thirteenth or Fourteenth Century || Book Resources: OTHR, OTHR.
[60] Svarfdæla saga (The Saga of the People of Svarfadardal): Late Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[61] Ljósvetninga saga (The Saga of the People of Ljosavatn): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[62] Reykdæla saga og Víga-Skútu (The Saga of the People of Rekjadal and of Killer-Skuta): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[63] Þorsteins saga Hvíta (The Saga of Thorstein the White): ca. 1300 || Book Resource: OTHR.
[64] Vopnfirðinga saga (The Saga of the People of Vopnafjord): Late Thirteenth Century || Book Resources: TIS, ERO, OTHR, OTHR.
[65] Þorsteins þáttur stangarhöggs (The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck) || Book Resources: PSI, HRAF, TIS, ERO. Online Resource: HARV.
[66] Þorsteins þáttur uxafóts (The Tale of Thorstein Bull’s-Leg) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[67] Droplaugarsona saga (The Saga of Droplaug’s Sons): Mid-Thirteenth Century || Online Resource: VSWeb.
[68] Fljótsdæla saga (The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal): Fourteenth or Fifteenth Century || Online Resource: VSWeb.
[69] Gunnars þáttur Þiðrandabana (The Tale of Gunnar, the Slayer of Thidrandi) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[70] Brandkrossa þáttur (Brandkrossi’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[71] Þorsteins saga Síðu-Hallssonar (Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson’s Saga): Early Fourteenth Century || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[72] Þorsteins þáttur Síðu-Hallssonar (Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson’s Tale) || Book Resourse: CSI Only.
[73] Draumur Þorsteins Síðu-Hallssonar (Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson’s Dream) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[74] Egils þáttur Síðu-Hallssonar (Egil Sidu-Hallsson’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
RELIGION AND CONFLICT IN ICELAND AND GREENLAND:
[75] Hrómundar þáttur halta (The Tale of Hromund the Lame) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[76] Svaða þáttur og Arnórs kerlingarnefs (The Tale of Svadi and Arnor Crone’s-Nose) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[77] Þorvalds þáttur víðförla (The Tale of Thorvald the Far-Travelled) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[78] Þorsteins saga tjaldstæðings (The Tale of Thorstein Tent-Pitcher) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[79] Grænlendinga þáttur (The Tale of the Greenlanders) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[80] Auðunar þáttur vestfirska (The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords) || Book Resources: PSI, HRAF, TIS, ERO. Online Resource: NOR.
[81] Brands þáttur örva (The Tale of Brand the Generous) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[82] Hreiðars þáttur (Hreidar’s Tale) || Book Resources: CST, HRAF.
[83] Íslendings þáttur sögufróða (The Tale of the Story-Wise Icelander) || Book Resource: PSI.
[84] Ívars þáttur Ingimundarsonar (Ivar Ingimundarson’s Tale) || Book Resource: HRAF.
[85] Þórarins þáttur Nefjólfssonar (Thorarin Nefjolfsson’s Tale) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[86] Þorsteins þáttur Austfirðings (The Tale of Thorstein from the East Fjords) || Book Resource: OTHR.
[87] Þorsteins þáttur forvitna (The Tale of Thorstein the Curious) || Book Resource: CSI Only.
[88] Þáttur Þorsteins skelks (The Tale of Thorstein Shiver) || Book Resource: PSI.
[89] Þorvarðar þáttur krákunefs (The Tale of Thorvard Crow’s-Beak) || Book Resource: OTHR.
I hope this information has been helpful. If you have any questions concerning this list, or pertaining to the project in general, feel free to contact me at [email protected]. If you are viewing this post on Tumblr, feel free to send me either an ask, message, reply, or reblog to voice any concerns or feedback. If you have any additional information you would like to add to this post, such as updated text availabilities, contact me using any of the methods listed above.
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