Orkneyinga Saga

A fresh and vital fusion of myth and legend, lively anecdote and poetry

Written around AD 1200 by an unnamed Icelandic author, the Orkneyinga Saga is the only medieval chronicle to have Orkney as the central place of action, and from it we derive much of our knowledge of the Northern Isles and Caithness. The Saga describes the conquest of the islands by the kings of Norway during the Viking expansion of the ninth century and goes on to narrate the subsequent history of the Earldom of Orkney. Dominated by the great figures of the times – Sigurd the Powerful, St Magnus the Martyr and Hrolf, the conqueror of Normandy – the Saga is a powerful account of warfare and the struggle for supremacy.

This modern translation captures the force of the Orkneyinga Saga, which retains a special significance for the people of Orkney, sharpening their awareness of their dual cultural heritage, both Norse and Scottish.