Heimskringla: History of the Kings of Norway

Written in thirteenth-century Iceland and traditionally attributed to Snorri Sturluson, Heimskringla is the great medieval history of the kings of Norway. Beginning in a legendary past of gods and early rulers, it develops into a sweeping narrative of Scandinavian kingship, warfare, conversion and political rivalry, continuing through generations of Norwegian rulers and events into the late twelfth century.

Snorri draws on skaldic poetry, oral tradition and earlier written histories to create vivid accounts of rulers whose ambitions shaped Norway and the wider North Atlantic world. This University of Texas Press edition presents Lee M. Hollander’s complete English translation, long used by readers of Old Norse history and literature. At once a major medieval historical source and a work of narrative art, Heimskringla is essential for readers interested in Viking Age kings, the formation of Norway and the ways later Scandinavians remembered their past.