The Saga of Grettir the Strong

We make it to a cluster of Old Norse tales.

Composed at the end of the 14th century by an unknown author, The Saga of Grettir the Strong takes place in the 11th century and is one of the last great Icelandic sagas. The tale depicts a conflict of the values of a heroic age with a Christian lifestyle.

There is a modern translation available in Penguin Classics by Bernard Scudder that I'm going to work from this but if you find other worthy translations please share in the meeting comments.

https://a.co/d/8ZH1JWX

Some items Susan M. helped pull together:

Why it matters: Focuses on an outlaw whose strength and misfortune isolate him from society.

Themes: Fate, marginalization, supernatural.

Influence: Blends heroic and realistic elements, critiques society from the outside.

The first saga is in a heroic-legend mode, while the next two include realistic details. Grettis saga has some similarities to Beowulf, although Grettis primarily is forced to become an outlaw. The events is his saga are dated between 9 and 11th centuries. Of course, they were oral long before they were written down.