Chronicle
Morkinskinna: The Earliest Icelandic Chronicle of the Norwegian Kings (1030-1157)
Morkinskinna
Anonymous · 1220
Synopsis
A chronicle of the kings of Norway up to 1157, in which Magnús the Good and Haraldr the Ruthless occupy the largest place, before the reigns of Óláfr the Peaceful, Magnús Barefoot, Sigurðr and Eysteinn. The narrative is interrupted by short tales, the þættir, which follow Icelanders who came to court: Auðunn, who brings a bear to King Sveinn of Denmark, or the skald Ívarr Ingimundarson, whose brother has married the woman he loved, and whom King Eysteinn consoles by speaking of her with him every day.
Context
The chronicle, composed in Iceland around 1220, is known only from a single defective manuscript, copied in Iceland around 1275, whose text breaks off abruptly in 1157; the work perhaps ran to 1177. Its name, that of mouldy parchment, was first that of this book, brought from Iceland to Denmark in 1662 and kept at the Royal Library in Copenhagen. It brings together about two hundred and seventy skaldic stanzas, and its short tales, often funny or ironic, shift the gaze from the exploits of kings to what Icelanders thought of Norwegian kingship.
Who it is for
A long chronicle interspersed with short narratives that can be read separately; translated into English only.
Prizes and reception
The first complete chronicle of the Norwegian rulers, the basis of the Icelandic tradition; its 2000 translation is the first.