This book is intended for first-time visitors in Iceland who know that there is an important medieval literature in Icelandic but do not have easy access to it. There are many novel- of novella-length sagas, for which readers may not have the necessary leisure, but there are also short narratives (Icelandic þættir) that provide a quick and easy introduction to the style of Icelandic saga writing. The six samples translated here are from eastern Iceland, a region generally less well represented in the old literature than other regions but of equal distinction.

Translated by Theodore M. Anderson