Gísla saga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gísla saga Súrssonar is one of the Icelanders' sagas, written in the early 13th century.
Gísli Súrsson and his family come to Iceland from Norway in about AD 950. Shortly after 960 Gísli is outlawed for killing his brother-in-law, and then, for at least thirteen years, Gísli hides in remote north Iceland. He is finally caught and his enemies kill him. Surrounding this story, conflicting passions of love, hate, and complex emotional bonds are portrayed, as Gísli approaches his fate. Gísli has courage and strength, but is a poet and dreamer as well.
The berserker Bjorn the Pale has a small role in the saga.
In 1987 Gísla saga was made into a film titled Viking Outlaw, directed by Ágúst Guðmundsson. Arnar Jónsson plays the role of Gísli.
[edit] References
- The Saga of Gisli (1973). Translated from the Icelandic by George Johnston ; notes and introductory essay by Peter Foote. ISBN 0802062199
- University of Oregon review of the film
[edit] External links
- The Story of Gisli the Outlaw An 1866 translation
- Gísla saga Súrssonar Text with modern Icelandic spelling
