ABSTRACT
This section of the anthology will devote itself to the Old Icelandic sagas, and, in the Custom Version, histories of the Norwegian kings, and short tales and anecdotes, called þættir (sing, þáttr). This will complement the many examples of poetry already on display. If Vikings were the pirates among whom some early Icelanders, such as Egill Skalla-Grímsson, made their name, ‘sagas’ are the stories written about them and their descendants. These sagas were written in Old Icelandic prose and the best-known category of them is called ‘Sagas of Icelanders’ (modern Icelandic Íslendinga Sögur). In their written form, these are largely a product of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. During this period it became a vogue to record and elaborate upon what had been a vigorous oral tradition of telling stories about the original settlers of Iceland, their ancestors and descendants. The years in question, broadly speaking, are from 850 to 1070. Forty sagas have survived, as well as over 50 short tales (þættir). Many others have been lost. The writers remain anonymous.
