From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the
colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. It covers not only mythology
and family sagas, but also looks at less well-known areas, such as oral
story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse.From runic inscriptions to sagas, this book introduces readers to the
colourful world of Old Norse-Icelandic literature. It covers not only mythology
and family sagas, but also looks at less well-known areas, such as oral
story-telling, Eddaic verse and skaldic verse. An introduction describing the
language and culture of the first settlers in Iceland helps readers to
appreciate the background against which this literature was produced. The book
acts as an introduction not only to Old-Norse Icelandic literature, but also to
its reception through the ages and its influence on literature written in
English. The author shows how a whole range of authors from Chaucer to Seamus
Heaney have been influenced by this body of work, pointing out that even King
Lear and Hamlet appear in Old Norse texts.
