Scandinavian history in the Viking age - Department of Anglo-Saxon ...

Scandinavian History in the Viking Age
[B234] G. Karlsson, (ed.), Kilderne til den tidlige middelalders historie: rapporter til den XX nordiske
historikerkongres, Reykjavík 1987, I, Ritsafn Sagnfræðistofnunar 18 (1987) [UL 592:1.d.95.3]
[B235] M. Clunies Ross, Old Icelandic literature and society, Cambridge studies in medieval literature
42 (2000) [UL 752:16.c.200.1]. See in particular D. Whaley, ‘A useful past: historical writing in
medieval Iceland’, 161-202
[B236] H. ‘Donoghue, Old Norse-Icelandic literature: a short introduction, Blackwell introductions to
literature (2004).
And for weeding out all those puzzling ahistorical motifs and topoi:
[B237] I.M. Boberg, Motif-index of early Icelandic literature, Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana 27 (1966) [UL
S752:01.b.1.22]
For more detailed surveys of chronology and the earliest historians:
[B240] Ó. Einarsdóttir, Studier i kronologisk metode i tidlig islandsk historieskrivning, Bibliotheca
historica Lundensis 13 (1964) [UL 531:01.c.14.13] (E.s.)
[B241] S. Ellehøj, Studier over den ældste norrøne historieskrivning, Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana 26
(1965) [UL S752:01.b.1.21] (E.s.)
[B242] G. Lange, Die Anfänge der isländisch-norwegischen Geschichts-schreibung, StI 47 (1989) [UL
599:01.c.1.26]
See also:
[B245] K. Hastrup, ‘Text and context: continuity and change in medieval Icelandic history as “said” and
“laid down”’, (O40):9-25
[B246] G.W. Weber, ‘Intellegere historiam: typological perspectives of Nordic prehistory (in Snorri,
Saxo, Widukind and others)’, (O46):95-141
[B247] S. Tómasson, Formálar íslenskra sagnaritara á miðöldum: rannsókn bókmenntahefðar, SÁMÍ rit
33 (1988) [UL 752:1.c.5.37]; a classic study on authorial intentions as revealed through prologues
[B248] B. and P. Sawyer, ‘Adam and the Eve of Scandinavian history’, (O68):37-51
The Icelandic historians
Many of the references above such as (B231) or (B240-42) are the most useful places to start for the
origins and development of early Icelandic historiography. While the family sagas (B350 ff.) are largely
anonymous, the authors of the kings’ sagas (B290 ff.) produced in Iceland are often known to us.
Anthologies
[B250] G. Vigfusson and F. York Powell, Origines Islandicae: a collection of the more important sagas
and other native writings relating to the settlement and early history of Iceland, 2 vols (1905) [UL
752:34.c.90.4-7]; almost anything relating to Iceland can be found here, in both Old Norse and
(idiosyncratically) translated form
Sæmund Sigfússon
The first Icelandic historian known to us, Sæmund seems to have composed various works in Latin;
although none of them survive, he is cited as an authority by some later sources, most notably the Nóregs
konungatal (B560). He was also responsible for the foundation of the influential school at his ancestral
seat of Oddi.
[B252] H. Hermannsson, Sæmund Sigfússon and the Oddaverjar, Islandica 22 (1932) [UL 752:4.c.1.22]
For works produced at the school at Oddi:
[B253] E.Ó. Sveinsson, Sagnaritun Oddaverja: nokkrar athuganir, StI 1 (1937) [UL 599:01.c.1.1] (E.s.)
Ari Þorgilsson the wise
Ari’s only preserved work is the Libellus Islandorum or Íslendingabók ‘Book of the Icelanders’, a short
but authoritative history of the Icelandic Commonwealth down to the early twelfth century, with a heavy
emphasis on religious history. Like Sæmundr, Ari also composed material on the kings of Norway (as
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