Morkinskinna

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

Date of occurrence c.1025- c.1157

Places

Norway (Location; Involved)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Morkinskinna is one of the largest Icelandic king’s sagas, narrating the history of Norway from c. 1035 to c. 1157. It is the oldest of three large kings’ sagas composed in the 1220s that combine biographies of several kings, a large number of skaldic verse and an intricate structure with a large cast of characters. Uniquely among the three, Morkinskinna focuses on particular on Icelanders as the subjects of the kings of Norway, with several short anecdotes (often called þættir) that illustrate the pitfalls and advantages of the relations between kings and their subjects.

Morkinskinna was long among the most underestimated of kings’ sagas, regarded as a mere …

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906 words

Citation: Jakobsson, Ármann. "Morkinskinna". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 September 2022 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19643, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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Morkinskinna

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

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