Laxdæla Saga
Translated from the IcelandicDownload Now...
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Customer Review: One of The Best!
I have spent reading Icelandic Sagas for a year now, almost exclusively. I skipped over this one, because I read that it focused too much on Christian Europe. So when I passed by this treasure, I inadvertantly saved it for a later time. So I bought it this past August and it is one of the best. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, it was very rich, great characters, vibrant storytelling, and wonderful imagery. This was just a superb story, one for the ages!
Customer Review: Includes interesting part of Iceland's conversion to Christianity
The feeling in this amazing saga is that Iceland is governed moreso by basic decency than by an organized religion. However, a segment in the middle describes the historical conversion of Iceland to Christianity, which may fascinate some readers.
Laxdaela Saga lacks any sense of organized religion until Kjartan and Bolli go to Norway and meet King Olaf. Prior to their trip, sporadic appearances of loosely connected superstitions seem to represent the belief system, such as the ghost of Killer-Hrapp haunting the living (77), the belief that quarreling brings bad luck in fishing villages (69), and the consultation of the "prescient" Gest for the interpretation of Gudrun's dreams (119). The author focuses on human relationships throughout the saga, but in the diction of chapters 40 and 41, a subtle dislike for the church shows through. While the narrative remains very matter-of-fact and with a tone of objectivity, the imposition of a new religion seems to annoy the characters, but they do not become volatile at all.
The author doesn't indict Christianity as a negative institution, but describes King Olaf Tryggvason as a ruthless leader in his campaign to convert Iceland. Olaf is politically shrewd, and knows when to placate Kjartan and when to turn the screws. The first mention of Olaf shows him ordering "a change of faith in Norway, but the people were by no means agreed on it" (143). Shortly after that, Olaf stifles the economy of Iceland by placing an embargo on them "because they refused to accept the new faith he was proclaiming" (144). After a swimming contest with Kjartan, king Olaf offers a gift to Kjartan, and the narrator comments on Kjartan's acceptance: "he put himself too much in the king's power" (145). The city of Trondheim is converted without bloodshed, and the tide turns in favor of conversion. Kjartan declares his opposition, threatening to "burn the king in his house" (146). One of Olaf's spies reports the threat, and Olaf shrewdly becomes magnanimous in a case where he could have executed Kjartan. Olaf understands the value of having Kjartan on his side, and says, "I shall not force you to become Christians on this occasion, for God has said that he does not wish anyone to come to him under duress" (147).
This speech serves Olaf politically, as the crowd cheers for him. Kjartan responds with thanks, and by this act of clemency, Olaf gains Kjartan as an ally, though unconverted. To Olaf's credit, his example of living impresses Kjartan, but while Olaf presents himself as trusting and holy, we learn that "he had spies in all the lodgings of the pagans" (149). During Christmas, Kjartan and Bolli are baptised into the Christian church.
After conversion, Olaf tightens his control over Kjartan by telling him, "I will only grant you leave on the condition that you...compel the people there to accept Christianity, either by force or persuasion" (150). The claim that no one should come to Christianity "under duress" is now abandoned. During the final steps of conversion, pagans are murdered, threats are made, and another embargo goes into effect (151). By the end of chapter 41, Kjartan and three others become political hostages in Norway. In the following chapter, "the whole of the people of Iceland accepted the faith" (153). In comparison to other conversion stories, such as Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the conversion occurs smoothly. The culture is not devastated. Once Kjartan returns to Iceland, we hear little of church affairs. Near the end, Gudrun becomes "a deeply religious woman, and was the first woman in Iceland to learn the Psalter" (153). As a whole, the saga does not seem too concerned with organized religion, but with simple decency.
Amazing stories of human interaction. In general, the characters cannot be categorized as black or white, good or evil, because the author concedes the nuances and imperfections that sometimes get left out of family histories.
Customer Review: You Can't Go Wrong With This
Icelandic Sagas are truly the best of Medeival literature. They are much easier for modern readers (and therefore more entertaining) than the epic-heroic poetry which was standard throughout the rest of Europe. Other reviewers have already said plenty about this saga. I just wanted to note that Laxdaela Saga is included in the collection "The Sagas of Icelanders" also published by Penguin Classics. That's the version I own. It seems that many of the sagas from that collection are also published in single volumes. If you're interested in sagas, the bigger book is a much better value than buying them all seperately.
Customer Review: History or soap opera?
Some of both, probably. The Icelandic sagas are a unique historical resource, a written capture of European oral history, back when the stories were still fresh. As part of the oral tradition, they had to be memorable, but also to focus on the men and women important to the clan where the stories were told.
This is really the story of Gudrun, a remarkable woman who successively married (and lost) four of the most influential men in the Lax river area. Iceland, around 1000 AD, was a male-dominated society, but with strong property rights and legal status for women. Many rose to positions of high influence and respect. This is hardly surprising, since they kept the household and lands working while men were out viking, or after the were killed in frequent vendettas. In fact the first few chapters talk about Unn and her supporters.
The narrative is a bit choppy, and lacks in character development. In that, it's not much different from other sagas I've read, and better than some. The translators have done a good job of rendering the story into modern English. They also add explanatory text that I find quite helpful. Footnotes are informative but unobtrusive, and often cross-reference the story at hand to other sagas. End matter draws the family trees, very important for understanding where loyalties lie, and indexs the dramatis personae. That's especially helpful, for example, in sorting out which of five different Thorsteins is under discussion.
The sagas are a wonderful complement to standard history. They describe history as seen by the people who made it. They put personal faces, meanings, and depth on dry facts, like "1000 AD: Iceland converts to Christianity." And, as always, they show the personal intrigues, vengeances, and triumphs of the individuals.
This saga, in particular, presents the complex, bloody, and dramatic events around a very powerful woman of the time.
//wiredweird
Customer Review: It transports you to another world...
I read the Laxdaela Saga more than a year ago for a class I took on Viking History. I have enjoyed few books in my life as much as I enjoyed this one. I've read it three times total now. For me, it was a life-changing book (due in no small part to the professor who was teaching the class, but I digress). Because of this book, I'm now majoring in Medieval History and plan to get a Master's degree in Sweden. While you probably won't find it quite as fascinating as I did, it is a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in the Viking Age, Medieval Europe or just a good read. The story unfolds throughout the settlement period in Iceland and chronicles the lives of the adventurous and bold people who lived in the Lax River Dale over the course of several generations. The center-piece is the tragic love-triangle of Gudrun Osvifsdottir, Kjartan Olafsson and Bolli, his cousin. It is speculated that because of the abundance of female characters and a strong sense of their motivation that this saga may have been written by a woman. The Magnussen translation balances native terminology with modern English and the footnotes, maps and family trees are invaluable. I highly recommend this saga. If you've read the Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien, you probably will find the Laxdaela Saga similar in style. A tip to keep in mind while reading: Don't try to remember every character; there are way too many. Just keep track of the major ones and refer to the glossary of characters at the back of the book as needed for family connections and the like.
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