Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney

Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is an intriguing fusion of myth, legend and history. The only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, it tells of an era when the islands were still part of the Viking world, beginning with their conquest by the kings of Norway in the ninth century. The saga describes the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney and the adventures of great Norsemen such as Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy. Savagely powerful and poetic, this is a fascinating depiction of an age of brutal battles, murder, sorcery and bitter family feuds.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

5.10 "W x 7.80 "H x 0.60 "D 256 Pages Paperback

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S):

Author: Anonymous

Hermann Palsson studied Icelandic at the University of Iceland and Celtic at University College, Dublin. He was a professor of Icelandic at the University of Edinburgh and a general editor at the New Saga Library. Palsson wrote many books on the history and literature of medieval Iceland. He died in 2003.

Peter Economy is the associate editor of Leader to Leader magazine and an online expert for Allbusiness.com. He lives in La Jolla, California.