Saga of the Jomsvikings [Paperback]

Lee M. Hollander (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1988

In A.D. 986, Earl Hâkon, ruler of most of Norway, won a triumphant victory over an invading fleet of Danes in the great naval battle of Hjôrunga Bay. Sailing under his banner were no fewer than five Icelandic skalds, the poet-historians of the Old Norse world. Two centuries later their accounts of the battle became the basis for one of the liveliest of the Icelandic sagas, with special emphasis on the doings of the Jômsvikings, the famed members of a warrior community that feared no one and dared all. In Lee M. Hollander's faithful translation, all of the unknown twelfth-century author's narrative genius and flair for dramatic situation and pungent characterization is preserved.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Icelandic (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 116 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292776233
• ISBN-13: 978-0292776234
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #135,594 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Fairy Tales

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Skip the Intro, April 2, 2001

By 

thorvald (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Saga of the Jomsvikings (Paperback)

This was the first of the Viking sagas I read and I almost didn't make it to the saga part of the book. The introduction reads as a very scholarly, ponderous doctoral thesis (which I think it was). Not knowing what to expect from a Viking saga, wading through this over-written deconstruction was not a promising start. I had visions of the saga itself being much the same--a chore to read rather than a pleasure.

Fortunately I skipped ahead to the actual saga. The translation was bright and crisp, very well done, very readable. The story was excellent. This turned out to be a splendid Viking story that led me into all the others (the Paulson and Magnussen translations are equally good). The Saga of the Jomsvikings was exciting as an adventure story and fascinating as a look at the culture and thought processes of these people at this time (the beheading scene is particularly noteworthy).

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of great courage., November 4, 2003

By 

Matt Fellows (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saga of the Jomsvikings (Paperback)

This was only my second saga so I can't really compare it to many others. Having said that, this is a great saga to start out with. As expressed in previous reviews, "The Testing of the Jom'svikings" (chapter 23) is a great example of courage; men are able to face death completely void of all apparent fear, without so much as flinching at the blow of the sword. The excitement level is kept up very well throughout the story, especially for a tale which jumps around from different generations and countries as much as this. I never felt bored or that the book was slow moving. In other words, there was no constant strain for action. While it may be hard for the novice of the saga to get used to the long range of generations throughout the story, once you become used to it it becomes natural and easlily comprehensible.
Although many have expressed in previous reviews that the introduction was boring, I found it not too different from many other critical introductions I have read before. The introduction does what it needs to do, gives the reader an insight and an overview of the material that is to be read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of high adventure..., March 13, 2003

By 

Arne O. Peterson (THE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saga of the Jomsvikings (Paperback)

...And I'm not kidding.

The Saga of the Jomsvikings is just about the best of the sagas (with the exception of, perhaps, the Laxdale Saga). The action is almost non-stop (once you get through the ponderous, but still interesting, introduction) and gives you a good idea about what the 12th-14th century poets/historians thought 9th-10th century exploits.

The most compelling chapter is chapter 23 where, as stated in the introduction, the author shows us the face of "...Men who know how to die." There is no hyperbole in this statement, and has, I'm sure, been the impetus for more than one writer/screenwriter (insert sly sidewise look toward Michael Crighton here).