Overview
About Laxdaela saga
Love within a family feud
The narrative begins with Auður the Deep-Minded and her descendants before following Ólafur pá, his son Kjartan and his foster-son Bolli. Both young men become bound to Guðrún's story. While Kjartan is abroad, Bolli marries her; Kjartan's return intensifies the conflict between former companions. Guðrún urges action against Kjartan, and Bolli deals the fatal wound. Revenge then reaches Bolli and, eventually, another generation. Affection, marriage negotiations and public honour are inseparable from the killings that follow.
A medieval literary construction
The saga is generally placed around the middle of the thirteenth century, although its central events are set near the year 1000. Its editor's account identifies both inherited oral material and the influence of chivalric romances translated from French. Guðrún outlives four husbands, foreshadowed through dreams, and her final reflections leave room for interpretation. The work therefore rewards attention to symbolism and narrative design alongside its connections to named people and western Icelandic places.
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