Eyrbyggja Saga - Synopsis

Synopsis

The saga was most likely written in its entirety in the mid-13th century or beginning of the 14th century, but historians have not yet been able to pinpoint an exact date. The narrative begins at the time of the Norse settlement in Iceland as early as the 9th century, but most of the events take place towards the end of the 10th century and the early 11th century. There is also internal evidence that the author of the saga knew of Laxdœla saga and Egils saga.

The Saga cannot be taken too literally, since it is a story and not a written history. Many of the places, events, and people are quite real, but the some of situations are questionable. The author tends to favor Snorri Goði over any other character in the Saga. This is probably due to the fact that the author was a Christian scholar and wished to praise Snorri for popularizing Christianity and declaring it the official religion on Iceland.

The story of the Eyrbyggja Saga frequently turns on actions that stem from greed, fear, ambition or downright meanness, as it describes cold hearted bargaining between farmers and chieftains. All of the events of the Saga take place in one small region of Snæfellsnes, shifting between Álptafjord, which cuts into the northern shore of the peninsula, and Helgafell, the farmstead on Thórsnes, where Snorri Goði resided. The Saga shows a steady shift from paganism on Iceland to Christianity over the course of roughly twenty years.

The Saga portrays the different families and individuals living on Iceland at Snæfellsnes. There is constant fighting between the different clans on Snæfellsnes, mostly over resources such as wood, property, and livestock. The different Norsemen represented in the Saga constantly turn to Snorri and Arnkel for advice and permission to take legal and/or physical action against perpetrators that have wronged them.