- Eyrbyggja saga
The Eyrbyggja saga is one of the
Icelanders' sagas . The name means the of the inhabitants of Eyrr, which is a farm onSnæfellsnes onIceland . The name is slightly misleading as it deals also with the clans ofÞórsnes andAlptafjörðr . The central character who should have given his name to the saga isSnorri Þorgrímsson or "Snorri goði", as he is better known.The saga begins at the time of Iceland's settlement, but most of the events, such as the adventures of
Styrbjörn the Strong , take place towards the end of the10th century and the early11th century . Even if it does not compare artistically toEgils saga ,Njál's saga andLaxdæla saga , it is an entertaining tale. There is internal evidence that the author of the saga knew of the Laxdæla saga and Egils saga, and it was written fairly late in the history of saga writing. However, the main interest of the saga is to trace a few key families as they settled Iceland, rather than to focus on a single hero.It has a certain historic credibility with the exception of a few supernatural events such as the haunting at
Fróðá and it is valuable because of its author, while clearlyChristian , evinces an interest in pagan practices. The hauntings occur after the death of avölva , and they mainly consist of visions of animals rising up through the floor and dead men coming into the house to warm themselves by the fire.The Saga also includes several references to the colonization of
Greenland and one toVinland - named as Vinland the Good.Eyrbyggia saga has survived in a number of MSs from the
14th century and in a fragment from the late13th century .ource
External links
* [http://www.sagadb.org/eyrbyggja_saga Eyrbyggja saga -- full text and English translation at the Icelandic Saga Database]
* [http://www.snerpa.is/net/isl/eyrbygg.htm The text in modern Icelandic]
* [http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/OMACL/EreDwellers/ A translation into English by William Morris & Eirikr Magnusson (site 1)]
* [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/eyrbyggja/001.php A translation into English by William Morris & Eirikr Magnusson (site 2)]
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