A Companion to Old Norse–Icelandic Literature and Culture

This major survey of Old Norse–Icelandic literature and culture comprises 29 chapters written by leading scholars in the field, over a third of whom are Icelanders. At the same time, it conveys a sense of the mainland Scandinavian origins of the Icelandic people, and reflects the ongoing contact between Iceland and other countries and cultures. The volume highlights current debates among Old Norse–Icelandic scholars specializing in different aspects of the subject. Coverage of traditional topics is complemented by material on previously neglected areas of study, such as the sagas of Icelandic bishops and the translated knights’ sagas. Chapters on ‘archaeology’, ‘social institutions’ and ‘geography and travel’ make it possible to view the literature in its wider cultural context while chapters on ‘reception’ and ‘continuity’ demonstrate the ways in which medieval Norse–Icelandic literature and culture overflow into the modern period.

Notes on Contributors viii Maps xii Introduction 1 Rory McTurk 1 Archaeology of Economy and Society 7 Orri Vésteinsson 2 Christian Biography 27 Margaret Cormack 3 Christian Poetry 43 Katrina Attwood 4 Continuity? The Icelandic Sagas in Post–Medieval Times 64 Jón Karl Helgason 5 Eddic Poetry 82 Terry Gunnell 6 Family Sagas 101 Vésteinn Ólason 7 Geography and Travel 119 Judith Jesch 8 Historical Background: Iceland 870–1400 136 Helgi Þorláksson 9 Historiography and Pseudo–History 155 Stefanie Würth 10 Language 173 Michael Barnes 11 Late Prose Fiction (lygiso¨gur) 190 Matthew Driscoll 12 Late Secular Poetry 205 Shaun Hughes 13 Laws 223 Gudmund Sandvik and Jón Viðar Sigurðsson 14 Manuscripts and Palaeography 245 Guðvarður Már Gunnlaugsson 15 Metre and Metrics 265 Russell Poole 16 Orality and Literacy in the Sagas of Icelanders 285 Gísli Sigurðsson 17 Pagan Myth and Religion 302 Peter Orton 18 The Post–Medieval Reception of Old Norse and Old Icelandic Literature 320 Andrew Wawn 19 Prose of Christian Instruction 338 Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir 20 Rhetoric and Style 354 Þórir Óskarsson 21 Romance (Translated riddarasögur) 372 Jürg Glauser 22 Royal Biography 388 Ármann Jakobsson 23 Runes 403 Patrik Larsson 24 Sagas of Contemporary History (Sturlunga saga): Texts and Research 427 Úlfar Bragason 25 Sagas of Icelandic Prehistory (fornaldarsögur) 447 Torfi H. Tulinius 26 Short Prose Narrative (þáttr) 462 Elizabeth Ashman Rowe and Joseph Harris 27 Skaldic Poetry 479 Diana Whaley 28 Social Institutions 503 Gunnar Karlsson 29 Women in Old Norse Poetry and Sagas 518 Judy Quinn Index 536

Rory McTurk is Professor of Icelandic Studies at the University of Leeds. Previously he has taught at the Universities of Lund and Copenhagen and at University College, Dublin. He is the author of Studies in Ragnars saga loðbrókar and its Major Scandinavian Analogues (1991) and Chaucer and the Norse and Celtic Worlds (2005), and has translated Kormáks saga for the Penguin Sagas of Warrior–Poets (2002).

"In a series that already has a large number and wide range of excellent titles to its credit, I would venture opinion that this volume is one of its best...we have here a major publication of considerable value, not to mention its intrinsic interest. Obviously it will be a necessary acquisition for any specialist collection and for any academic collection where aspects of Old Norse literature and culture may be needed...this will also be a useful addition to major general collections." Reference Reviews "...its chapters are crammed full to bursting with facts and figures, references to primary and secondary sources, swift overviews of past scholarship, and (very importantly) present debates. This is ostensibly a reference book, to be consulted on particular issues and subjects. But as with all the best encyclopedias...browsing becomes addictive...Mc Turk′s Companion to Old Norse–Icelandic Studies is a great resource for the scholar or graduate student who may think, mistakenly, that he or she is familiar with this field." The Review of English Studies "No one could read the volume and not learn something, indeed a great deal" TLS “A comprehensive guide to Old Norse–Icelandic literature which functions as a basic reference work for scholars in neighboring disciplines, a reliable introduction for students, and an interesting and informative read for Old Norse scholars … a remarkable achievement and a valuable resource.” Carolyne Larrington, St John’s College, Modern Language Review