Icelandic Sagas

Currently, I'm reading The Saga of the Volsungs, published by Penguin as part of their Legends From the Ancient North series (other titles include Beowulf, The Elder Edda, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Wanderer.

I am quite enjoying it so far, as well as some similar books I've read lately. However I've yet to read any of these sagas. There a few different versions from a few publishers. There are 49 Sagas total, so I'm going to look at which editions of the Sagas offer what.



First up is Penguin's Sagas of Icelanders. (ISBN: 9780141000039)

This collection offers some of the Sagas and Tales, and is a great 'best of' in that sense, or greatest hits. This edition also 'matches' some of their other deluxe paperback editions, such as Robert Fagles' translations of The Iliad, The Odyssey and The Aeneid; as well as some other titles (like Anna Karenina). Please note that the pages are 'deckle edge', so they're supposed to look old or tattered on purpose.

Anyway, here are the Sagas and Tales included (I kinda wish there weren't any 'Tales' and more 'Sagas' though I've yet to read it so I may be speaking too early)

Sagas:

Egil's Saga
The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal
The Saga of the People of Laxardal
Bolli Bollason's Tale
The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi
The Saga of the Confederates
Gisli Sursson's Saga
The Saga of Gunnlaug Serptent-tongue
The Saga of Ref the Sly
The Vinland Sagas (which includes The Sagas of Greenalnders and Erik the Red's Saga)

Tales:

The Tale of Thorstein Staff-struck
The Tale of Halldor Snorrason II
The Tale of Sarcastic Halli
The Tale of Thorstein Shiver
The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords
The Tale of the Story-wise Icelander

Also by Penguin are separate saga books featuring the same, and more, content. The Sagas of Icelanders is, as I said, a greatest hits, best-of, or taster. Another, slightly more (but not totally) method of getting the Saga books by Penguin is individually.

There also exists the Icelandic Saga Collection, which consists of 8 books in that "series." They are:

Njal's Saga
Egil's Saga
Sagas of Warrior-Poets
Gisli Sursson's Saga and the Saga of the People of Eyri
The Saga of Grettir the Strong
The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason's Tale
The Vinland Sagas
Comic Sagas from Iceland
It would take a while to list the content of each of those, however if you look them up on Amazon, you should be able to see the table of contents via the 'look inside' feature. Worst case I'm sure Penguin's product page/description can also have info.



Next up, and more luxurious, is The Folio Society's editions. They've got some of the sagas (again, not complete, yet more than Penguin) in two volumes, which are, as of now, out of print. These are called The Icelandic Sagas, and the contents are:

I:

Auðun's Tale
Grænlendinga Saga
Eirík's Saga
The Tale of Thorstein Stangarhögg (Staff-Struck)
Egil's Saga
Hrafnkel's Saga
Eyrbyggja Saga
Vopnfirðinga Saga
Bandamanna Saga
Gunnlaug's Saga
The Tale of Thiðrandi and Thórhall
Njál's Saga

II:

Ivarr's tale
Gisli's saga
Olkofri's tale
Laxdæla saga
Gunnarr Þiðrandabani's tale
Fostbrœðra saga
Hreiðarr's tale
Vatnsdæla saga
Hænsa-Þorir's saga
Grettir's saga

Finally (and the most pricey!) we get to The Complete Sagas of Icelanders. It can be bought, and there is a ton of info here about the set: http://sagas.is/yfirlit.htm



Here are the contents for the boxed set (I am unsure which sagas are in which volumes, so this is a complete, combined list for the set):

Eirik the Red's Saga
The Saga of the Greenlanders
Egil's Saga
Kormak's Saga
The Saga of Hallfred the Troublesome Poet
The Saga of Bjorn, Champion of the Hitardal People
The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue
The Tale of Arnor, the Poet of Earls
Einar Skulason's Tale
The Tale of Mani the Poet
The Tale of Ottar the Black
The Tale of Sarcastic Halli
Stuf's Tale
The Tale of Thorarin Short-Cloak
The Tale of Thorleif, the Earl's Poet
The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords
The Tale of Brand the Generous
Hreidar's Tale
The Tale of the Story-Wise Icelander
Ivar Ingimundarson's Tale
Thorarin Nefjolfsson's Tale
The Tale of Thorstein from the East Fjords
The Tale of Thorstein the Curious
The Tale of Thorstein Shiver
The Tale of Thorvard Crow's-Beak
Gisli Sursson's Saga
The Saga of Grettir the Strong
The Saga of Hord and the People of Holm
Bard's Saga
Killer-Glum's Saga
The Tale of Ogmund Bash
The Tale of Thorvald Tasaldi
The Saga of the Sworn Brothers
Thormod's Tale
The Tale of Thorarin the Overbearing
Viglund's Saga
The Tale of the Cairn-Dweller
The Tale of the Mountain-Dweller
Star-Oddi's Dream
The Tale of Thidrandi and Thorhall
The Tale of Thorhall Knapp
Njal's Saga
The Saga of Finnbogi the Mighty
The Saga of the People of Floi
The Saga of the People of Kjalarnes
Jokul Buason's Tale
Gold-Thorir's Saga
The Saga of Thord Menace
The Saga of Ref the Sly
The Saga of Gunnar, the Fool of Keldugnup
Gisl Illugason's Tale
The Tale of Gold-Asa's Thord
Hrafn Gudrunarson's Tale
Orm Storolfsson's Tale
Thorgrim Hallason's Tale
The Saga of the People of Vatnsdal
The Saga of the Slayings on the Heath
Valla-Ljot's Saga
The Saga of the People of Svarfadardal
The Saga of the People of Ljosavatn
The Saga of the People of Reykjadal and of Killer-Skuta
The Saga of Thorstein the White
The Saga of the People of Vopnafjord
The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck
The Tale of Thorstein Bull's Leg
The Saga of Droplaug's Sons
The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal
The Tale of Gunnar, the Slayer of Thidrandi
Brandkrossi's Tale
Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson's Saga
Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson's Tale
Thorstein Sidu-Hallsson's Dream
Egil Sidu-Hallsson's Tale
The Saga of the People of Laxardal
Bolli Bollason's Tale
The Saga of the People of Eyri
The Tale of Halldor Snorrason I
The Tale of Halldor Snorrason II
Olkofri's Saga
Hen-Thorir's Saga
The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi
The Saga of the Confederates
Odd Ofeigsson's Tale
The Saga of Havard of Isafjord
The Tale of Hromund the Lame
The Tale of Svadi and Arnor Crone's-Nose
The Tale of Thorvald the Far-Travelled
The Tale of Thorsein Tent-Pitcher
The Tale of the Greenlanders

Please do not the various editions of trying to figure out which sagas appear in which books intimidate you.