Heimskringla - History of the Kings of Norway

Heimskringla – History of the Kings of Norway By Snorri Sturluson Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (1178/79–1241) ca. 1230. The name Heimskringla was first used in the 17th century, derived from the first two words of one of the manuscripts (kringla heimsins - the circle of the world). Heimskringla is a collection of sagas about the Norwegian kings, beginning with the saga of the legendary Swedish dynasty of the Ynglings, followed by accounts of historical Norwegian rulers from Harald Fairhair of the 9th century up to the death of the pretender Eystein Meyla in 1177. The exact sources of his work are disputed, but included earlier kings' sagas, such as Morkinskinna, Fagrskinna and the twelfth century Norwegian synoptic histories and oral traditions, notably many skaldic poems. Snorri had himself visited Norway and Sweden. For events of mid-12th century, Snorri explicitly names the now lost work Hryggjarstykki as his source. The composition of the sagas is Snorri's. The earliest parchment copy of the work is referred to as Kringla. It voyaged from Iceland to Bergen, Norway and was moved to Copenhagen, the University Library. At that time it had lost the first page, but the second (the current beginning of the Ynglinga Saga) starts Kringla heimsins, "the Earth's circle" of the Laing translation. In the 17th century copies were made by Icelanders Jon Eggertson and Asgeir Jonsson. Eggertson's copy went to the Royal Library at Stockholm. The Copenhagen manuscript was among the many valuables destroyed in the Copenhagen Fire of 1728. Only one leaf of the manuscript survived and it is now kept in the National and University Library of Iceland. This edition of Heimskringla, is the translation of Lee M. Hollander. Translated with Introduction and Notes by Lee M. Hollander. 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. Snorri Sturluson was, without compare, the greatest historian of the Middle Ages. His translator, the late Lee M. Hollander, was a noted authority in the field of Old Norse literature. 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 Ōláf Haraldsson, who became Norway's patron saint. Originally published in the Middle Ages, this history influenced the thinking and literary style of Scandinavia over several centures By Snorri Sturluson ; Translated With Introduction And Notes By Lee M. Hollander. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [825]) And Index.