Njal's Saga (the Saga of Burnt Njal)

Njal's Saga (the Saga of Burnt Njal) by Anonymous

'Njal's Saga' is rightly famous as one of the most heroic, and most poignant, of all the Icelandic narratives. Epic in scale, with battles, blood-feuds and storm-filled voyages that stretch across the breadth of the Scandinavian World, the tale is spiced with strange apparitions, ghostly singing and prophetic dreams. The anonymous author brings to life a variety of compelling personalities: the formidable Gunnar who excels in war yet detests violence, the scheming Flosi, Gudmund the Powerful, and Njal himself, gifted with second sight yet unable to save his family from a terrible doom.

The Saga also treats of more homely matters, from family disputes and divided loyalties to farming and failed marriages, giving the modern-day reader a broader, more nuanced perception of a people we too readily dismiss as axe-wielding, bloodthirsty barbarians.

This Aziloth Books edition includes both an introduction to the tale by its translator Professor Sir George Dasent, and a map of Viking Iceland.