THE HIES OPEN LIBRARY
Snorri Sturluson • Samuel Laing, trans.
Category: PRIMARY SOURCE
Heimskringla is a collection of Old Norse kings' sagas traditionally attributed to the Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson. It traces the rulers of Norway from legendary and early traditions through the medieval Norwegian kings and preserves important narratives concerning kingship, political authority, warfare, law, religion, conversion, and Scandinavian society.
Of particular importance to Hákonarætt is Hákonar saga góða, the Saga of Hákon the Good, which recounts the reign of Hákon Haraldsson and preserves traditions concerning his rule, religious policies, conflicts, and efforts to govern Norway during a period of significant religious and political transition.
This Open Library entry uses the English translation of Heimskringla by Samuel Laing. Laing's translation made Snorri's histories of the Norwegian kings widely accessible to English-language readers and remains a useful historical translation for the study of Old Norse historical and saga literature.
As with other historical translations and scholarship in the HIES Open Library, this edition should be read critically and in conversation with later scholarship and additional translations.
Kingship & Leadership
Norwegian History
Saga Literature
Religion & Conversion
Law & Political Authority
Hákon the Good
Cultural Memory
Historical Interpretation
Heimskringla is an important source for the study of Old Norse kingship, political history, religious transition, leadership, and cultural memory at Hákonarætt Institute of Eddic Studies.
It is especially relevant to the study of Hákon the Good and to courses addressing saga literature, Old Norse history and society, religion and conversion, leadership, historical interpretation, and the relationship between inherited narratives and cultural memory.
Inclusion in the Open Library does not mean that every saga or section is assigned in every HIES course. Specific required readings are identified within individual courses on the HIES Learning Platform.
Title: Heimskringla
Author: Snorri Sturluson
Translator: Samuel Laing
Resource Type: Primary Source / Translation
Language: English