Vatnsdæla saga (Icelandic: [ˈvassˌdaiːla ˌsaːɣa]; listenⓘ; Old Norse: Vatnsdœla saga) is one of the sagas of Icelanders. The saga follows several generations of a family originating in Norway and settling in the north of Iceland until the arrival of Christianity in the late tenth century.[1][2]

Manuscripts and dating

A fragment of Vatnsdæla saga is preserved in a late-14th or early-15th-century manuscript (AM 445 b 4to).[3] Complete versions of the text are preserved in later paper manuscripts including AM 559 4to, written between 1686 and 1688, and AM 942 4to, written between 1700 and 1782.[4][5] These texts likely originate from a 14th-century source, while the saga may have originally been written in the late 13th century.[6]

Synopsis

Vatnsdæla Saga is essentially a family chronicle. It relates to residents of Vatnsdalur, a valley that runs south from Húnaflói, a large bay in the north of Iceland. The principal protagonist is a man named Ingimundr Þorsteinsson who fought for King Harald Fairhair of Norway at the Battle of Hafrsfjord winning his friendship and an amulet. At the instigation of a sorceress, he moved to Iceland to settle at Vatnsdalur in Húnaþing.

References

  1. ↑ "The Vatnsdæla saga (13th century)". astrofella.wordpress.com. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Vatnsdæla saga". Icelandic Saga Database. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  3. ↑ "AM 445 b 4to | Handrit.is". handrit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  4. ↑ "AM 559 4to | Handrit.is". handrit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  5. ↑ "AM 942 4to | Handrit.is". handrit.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  6. ↑ Pulsiano, Phillip, ed. (1993). Medieval Scandinavia: an encyclopedia. Garland reference library of the humanities Garland encyclopedias of the Middle Ages. New York, NY: Garland. ISBN 978-0-8240-4787-0.

Other sources

  • Jane Smiley (2001) The Sagas of the Icelanders (Penguin Classics) ISBN 978-0141000039


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