Heimskringla
Also known as: The Sagas of the Norse Kings, History of the Kings of Norway, Heimskringla saga
A sweeping cycle of Norwegian kings’ sagas from mythic Yngling origins to the late 12th century, blending skaldic testimony, oral lore, and prose to narrate rulership, war, law, and conversion.
Description
Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla arranges the history of Norwegian rulership from the euhemerized arrival of Odin and the Yngling line through the unification under Harald Fairhair and onward to civil strife. Drawing on skaldic poems, earlier sagas, and oral tradition, it interweaves battles, lawgiving, voyages, and diplomacy with the Christianization of Norway. The collection’s prose is punctuated by verse citations that anchor events to named poets and courts, offering a uniquely source-conscious medieval historiography that is both literary and documentary.
Historiography
The principal archetype ‘Kringla’ was lost in the 1728 Copenhagen fire; key witnesses include Jöfraskinna and other Hkr-group manuscripts. Snorri’s method foregrounds skaldic stanzas as evidence and adapts earlier compilations such as Morkinskinna and Fagrskinna. The work circulated widely in Iceland and Norway, shaping later royal ideology and antiquarian narratives. Modern scholarship debates Snorri’s chronology, use of sources, and the degree of euhemerism in Ynglinga saga.
Date Notes
Composed in Iceland in the early 13th century; synthesizes earlier kings’ sagas and skaldic verses; preserved in later medieval manuscripts after losses in the 1728 Copenhagen fire.
Symbols
Major Characters
- Odin
- Harald Fairhair
- Olaf Tryggvason
- Olaf Haraldsson
- Magnus the Good
- Snorri Sturluson
Myths
- The Ynglinga Descent from the Gods
- Odin’s Migration and the Founding of Kingship
- The Death and Sanctity of St. Óláfr
Facts
- Heimskringla begins with Ynglinga saga, presenting Norse gods as euhemerized ancient rulers.
- Snorri repeatedly cites skaldic stanzas as primary evidence for events and dates.
- Harald Fairhair’s unification and the Battle of Hafrsfjord are central political turning points.
- St. Olaf’s death at Stiklestad is framed as martyrdom and legitimizes later royal authority.
- The collection integrates earlier compilations, notably Morkinskinna and Fagrskinna.
- Manuscript ‘Kringla’ perished in 1728; Jöfraskinna preserves extensive text for later reigns.
- Heimskringla’s narrative extends to the reign of Magnus Erlingsson in the late 12th century.
- Christianization is treated as gradual, contested, and politically instrumental.
- Skalds such as Thorbjorn Hornklofi are used to corroborate Harald Fairhair’s era.
- The work shaped early modern Scandinavian national historiography and identity.