num_pages: 272
description: Written around 1245 by an unknown author, the Laxdaela Saga is an extraordinary tale of conflicting kinships and passionate love, and one of the most compelling works of Icelandic literature. Covering 150 years in the lives of the inhabitants of the community of Laxriverdale, the saga focuses primarily upon the story of Gudrun Osvif's-daughter: a proud, beautiful, vain and desirable figure, who is forced into an unhappy marriage and destroys the only man she has truly loved - her husband's best friend. A moving tale of murder and sacrifice, romance and regret, the Laxdaela Saga is also a fascinating insight into an era of radical change - a time when the Age of Chivalry was at its fullest flower in continental Europe, and the Christian faith was making its impact felt upon the Viking world.
language: English
title: Laxdæla Saga
titlecomplete: Laxdæla Saga
genres: Classics, Epic, Historical, History, Literature, Mythology, Poetry, Nonfiction, Medieval, Scandinavian Literature
ratings_count: 1279
places: The Hebrides, Scotland, Iceland
series: Íslendingasögur/Sagas of Icelanders
publisher: Penguin Classics