The Laxdla saga is an Icelandic saga (story) of the
men and women of the Salmon River valley involving the
clan of Laxrdalur. It is one of the most important
Icelandic sagas, originally written in Old Icelandic;
probably sometime around the year 1245 AD. It is noted
for its mention of the first known Norseman in the
Varangian Guard: the Icelander Bolli Bollason. An
amalgam of historical fact, myth, epic, romance,
anachronism, and literary invention, the Laxdaela Saga
is, in essence, a dramatization of the circumstances
surrounding a blood-feud between two sides of a great
dynasty; in its second and decisive portion, it treats a
love triangle that re-ignites the feud and its adjoining
intrigues. Gurn svfursdttir, who is famous for her
beauty is our protagonist. Courted by the two
foster-brothers Kjartan lafsson and Bolli orleiksson.
Gurn preferred Kjartan, but she gave herself to Bolli,
because of a false rumour that Kjartan was engaged to
Ingibjrg, the sister of King lafur Tryggvason. The two
foster-brothers engaged in hostilities which ended with
Bolli killing Kjartan, and Bolli being killed by
Kjartan's kinsmen. The story is carried forward by the
mysterious workings of fate, symbolized by the prophetic
dreams of Gudrun. Noted for its detached narrative style
and ornately-patterned structure, the Laxdaela Saga
remains a highly influential work of Scandinavian
literature and is considered an outstanding example of
medieval prose romance. |
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