The Sagas of Ragnar Lothbrok

The legend of Ragnar Lothbrok, one of the best known heroes of the Viking Age, has been told and re-told in an increasing variety of media. The rich tradition of Icelandic literature survived by oral tradition over several centuries before being written down in the 13th Century.

Old Norse is a North Germanic language spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia from about the 7th to the 15th centuries. Old Icelandic is a variety of Old West Old Norse that emerged during the Old Norse settlement of Iceland in the second half of the 9th century.

The meaning of the word ’saga’ (plural: ’sǫgur’ or ’sögur’) translates as ’that which is said’, or more widely: a ’saying’, ’statement’, ’story’, ’tale’, or ’narrative’.

This book contains:

- The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok (Ragnars Saga Loðbrókar)

- The Tale of Ragnar’s Sons’ (Ragnarssona áttr)

- The Lay of Kraka (Krákumál)

The texts are presented in their original Old Norse, with a literal word-for-word line-by-line translation, and a Modern English translation, all side-by-side. In this way, it is possible to see and feel how the Old Norse language worked and how it has evolved. Also included is a word list with 3,583 Old Norse words translated in to English, and 2,860 English words translated into Old Norse.

This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for the Old Norse or Old Icelandic language, Old Norse history, or languages and history in general.