The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Anonymous (Author), Magnus Magnusson (Translator), Hermann Palsson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 30, 1965

One of the most arresting stories in the history of exploration, these two Icelandic sagas tell of the discovery of America by Norsemen five centuries before Christopher Columbus. Together, the direct, forceful twelfth-century Graenlendinga Saga and the more polished and scholarly Eirik's Saga, written some hundred years later, recount how Eirik the Red founded an Icelandic colony in Greenland and how his son, Leif the Lucky, later sailed south to explore - and if possible exploit - the chance discovery by Bjarni Herjolfsson of an unknown land. In spare and vigorous prose they record Europe's first surprise glimpse of the eastern shores of the North American continent and the natives who inhabited them.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Magnus Magnusson is an Icelander who has been resident in Scotland for most of his life, and is well-known for his presentation of the BBC's Mastermind. He is also chairman of the Scottish National Heritage. He studied English and Old Icelandic at Oxford University. Hermann Palsson studied Icelandic at the University of Iceland and Celtic at University College, Dublin. Formerly Professor of Icelandic at the University of Edinburgh and General Editor of the New Saga Library, he has written many books on the history and literature of medieval Iceland. He died in 2003. Magnus Magnusson is an Icelander who has been resident in Scotland for most of his life, and is well-known for his presentation of the BBC's Mastermind. He is also chairman of the Scottish National Heritage. He studied English and Old Icelandic at Oxford University. Hermann Palsson studied Icelandic at the University of Iceland and Celtic at University College, Dublin. Formerly Professor of Icelandic at the University of Edinburgh and General Editor of the New Saga Library, he has written many books on the history and literature of medieval Iceland. He died in 2003.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (May 30, 1965)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140441549
• ISBN-13: 978-0140441543
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #246,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Icelandic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classics of "first contact" literature, November 8, 2000

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

"The Vinland Sagas" brings together English translations of two medieval Icelandic sagas: "Graenlendiga Saga" and "Eirik's Saga." These tales tell the story of the discovery and exploration of North America by the Norsemen in the 10th and 11th centuries. Together, they offer fascinating glimpses into a remarkable era in the history of the Americas.

Translators Magnus Magnusson and Hermann Palsson have also produced a thorough 37-page introduction which discusses the archeological evidence for the medieval Norse presence in the Americas, the historical development of the sagas themselves, and the evolution of the saga as a unique genre of literature. Maps, a chronology, and other resources further enhance this book's usefulness for students and teachers.

But don't let the scholarly apparatus fool you into thinking that "The Vinland Sagas" is just a text for the classroom. The sagas themselves, likely written in the 12th and 13th centuries, are still great reading all these hundreds of years later. With their simple, no-nonsense prose style, along with the presence of characters with such names as "Thorhall the Hunter" and "Aud the Deep-Minded," the sagas have a truly unique quality.

And for those interested in the history of the Americas or in multicultural issues, these two sagas contain a wealth of tantalizing episodes and characters. Each tale reflects the conflict between Christianity and Paganism within Norse culture during that great age of exploration. Also fascinating are the accounts of the first encounters between the Norsemen and the "skraelings" (the Norse word for the indigenous inhabitants of this new world). Also noteworthy is each saga's colorful portrayal of the Norse women; both feminist scholars and general readers should be intrigued by these bold foremothers.

The "first contact" tale has long been a mainstay of classic science fiction in book, television, and motion picture form. Think of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "E.T." and other narratives that depict an imaginary initial encounter between human beings and alien cultures. The stories contained in "The Vinland Sagas" represent the great medieval precursors of such science fiction classics; even more remarkably, these Icelandic sagas are grounded in real history. These stories are full of insights and surprises; read them for both education and enjoyment.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good but needs up dated, November 9, 2007

By 

Spence the Elder (East TN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

The Vinland Sagas
The Norse Discovery of America
By Magnusson & Palsson

The Vinland Sagas, like all the Edda's & Sagas, are very difficult to review. The Sagas are what they are, collections of original tales, Myths, family histories & genealogies of Icelandic & Scandinavian origin. They ARE history, good, bad or indifferently, after a thousand years or so, they are history.

Magnusson and Palsson have given us two of the more understandable modern translations with more than adequate footnotes and explanations. The Authors introduction gives you an excellent and informative background on the exploration and colonization of both Greenland & Vinland. At the end of the book the Authors have included a useful glossary like chapter titled, "List of Proper Names". I found it very useful in clarifying individuals with the same or similar names. All in all a must for anyone interested in Norse Lore or early North American exploration.

On a side note, my copy is over 40 years old. I hope that Penguin, (or any other publisher for that matter), will revise the books format and maps. Additionally they need to add some notes or even a chapter on the archaeological finds on this subject that have taken place in the last 40 years.

In Frith,
Spence

"Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc"
M. Addams

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vinland Sagas, October 29, 2000

By 

Bob Dial (Glenville, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vinland Sagas: The Norse Discovery of America (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

The Vinland Sagas describe early Norse exploration of Greenland and North America. The two sagas, "Graenlendinga Saga" and "Eirik's Saga," amount to the only major written records of these adventures -- Eirik the Red's colonization of Greenland and Leif Eiriksson's landing on the North American continent, probably in L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, around the year 1000 AD. A mild climate and expert Norse seamanship made both discoveries possible.

The "Full Circle" theory of human migration holds that modern man's early ancestors parted ways about 100,000 years ago in Africa. Some turned east into Asia; some west into Europe. The two civilizations would not meet again until the Vikings encountered the aboriginal people of North America. The book's lengthy introduction provides an excellent primer on the history and controversy surrounding these sagas and the events they relate.

The Vikings treated native Americans -- whom they called "skraelings," which translates into something like "wretches" -- as shabbily as any later colonialists. From Eirik's Saga: "They came upon five Skraelings clad in skins, asleep; beside them were containers full of deer-marrow mixed with blood. Karlsefni's men reckoned that these five must be outlaws, and killed them." The five natives were, of course, a hunting party -- not outlaws.

Though they were probably the first Europeans to set foot on North America, pre-dating Columbus by 500 years, the Norse explorers failed to establish a colony on the continent. Thus, while fascinating, their adventures will never be as historically significant as those of later seafarers.