Written between 1300 and 1350, The Saga of Hávarður of Ísafjörður is a ninth-century Icelandic tale of conflict over sheep and stranded whales, magic and ghosts, seduction, murder, torture and revenge.

Hávarður is an old man, a great Viking in his time but now past his prime, whose son Ólafur is killed by Þormóður, a local chieftain. The death of Hávarður’s son sets the scene for a  compelling narrative of revenge killings, lawsuits and settlements, which - through the saga’s structure and its picturesque details - provides a fascinating insight to the political  economy and social order of medieval Iceland.

The first English translation of the saga since 1906, and the  only one to remain faithful to the original text, Paul and Dorothy Durrenburger’s masterful study not only preserves the integrity of the saga as a cultural artifact, but their definitive  introduction  and notes provide the scholarly context and anthropological perspective that are essential to acquiring a comprehensive understanding of the saga and medieval Icelandic society.

Paul Durrenberger is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at the University of Iowa and Penn State University.
Dorothy Durrenberger (1942-2015) was a highly respected scholar who studied Icelandic at the University of Iceland.