Description
From the translator of the bestselling Poetic Edda (Hackett, 2015) comes a gripping new rendering of two of the greatest sagas of Old Norse literature. Together the two sagas recount the story of seven generations of a single legendary heroic family and comprise our best source of traditional lore about its members-including, among others, the dragon-slayer Sigurd, Brynhild the Valkyrie, and the Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok.
About the Author
After more than a decade as a full-time Instructor in Scandinavian Studies at such institutions as the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of California-Los Angeles, Dr. Jackson Crawford became a full-time public educator in all things Old Norse in 2020. Among other accomplishments, he has built up a large YouTube following and served as an Old Norse language and runes consultant on major multimedia projects, including some of today's most popular films and video games. He is currently a Resident Scholar at the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder. Learn more at www.jacksonwcrawford.com.
Reviews
"This is a wonderfully supple and idiomatic modern translation of the most important account of the legendary Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer and his family in Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Crawford's version is vivid, clear, and exciting, tracing the intrigues, killings, battles, and magic that shape the lives of Sigurd's kindred. Coupled with it is the brilliant sequel, the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Rarely translated into English before, the saga tells of Sigurd's daughter and her husband, the unparalleled Viking king and hero, Ragnar, who is also a dragon-slayer. Lively and fresh, with gripping dialogue and intense scenes of action, the saga has long deserved to be better known. In Jackson Crawford it has found the perfect translator."
-Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford
"A clear, idiomatic English style that also retains the feel of the original is no easy feat, and Crawford succeeds admirably. . . . This translation should serve well those who teach the sagas, their students, and any interested readers, particularly at such a reasonable price."
-Adam Oberlin, Princeton University, in The Medieval Review
"This is only the second English translation of these two sagas to be published in one volume. . . . The overall aim of the book seems to be the entirely commendable one of inspiring beginners, in which it will no doubt be wholly successful. . . . Crawford's translation of both sagas reads fluently and engagingly. Reading this book has been, for me, an enjoyable and stimulating experience, as it undoubtedly will be for the audience for which it is aimed."
-Rory McTurk, Leeds University, in Saga-Book
"The book is a gift, especially to beginning readers of the northern mythological literature. It makes its two texts approachable through the use of easy to read contemporary language. It also provides useful tools for the reader to get an overview of the stories through its explanatory matter. The book has a straightforward introduction that provides a nutshell of the sagas, a cast of characters, historical information about the origin of the tales, a brief outline of the chapters, a pronunciation guide, and there is an excellent and useful Glossary of Names and Terms at the end of the book. Crawford also includes notes throughout the text, including recommendations to see relevant passages of his translation of The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes. . . . I have read the William Morris translation (1870) a few times throughout the scattered years and I wanted to see what a contemporary translation would look like. I wasn't disappointed. I hope and expect that the Crawford translation will introduce many new readers to the pleasures of its two pieces of world literature."
-Phillip Fitzsimmons, in Mythlore
Book Information
ISBN 9781624666339
Author Jackson Crawford
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Hackett Publishing Co, Inc
Publisher Hackett Publishing Co, Inc
Series Hackett Classics
Weight(grams) 218g
About the Author
After more than a decade as a full-time Instructor in Scandinavian Studies at such institutions as the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of California-Berkeley, and the University of California-Los Angeles, Dr. Jackson Crawford became a full-time public educator in all things Old Norse in 2020. Among other accomplishments, he has built up a large YouTube following and served as an Old Norse language and runes consultant on major multimedia projects, including some of today's most popular films and video games. He is currently a Resident Scholar at the Center of the American West at the University of Colorado Boulder. Learn more at www.jacksonwcrawford.com.
Reviews
"This is a wonderfully supple and idiomatic modern translation of the most important account of the legendary Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer and his family in Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Crawford's version is vivid, clear, and exciting, tracing the intrigues, killings, battles, and magic that shape the lives of Sigurd's kindred. Coupled with it is the brilliant sequel, the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Rarely translated into English before, the saga tells of Sigurd's daughter and her husband, the unparalleled Viking king and hero, Ragnar, who is also a dragon-slayer. Lively and fresh, with gripping dialogue and intense scenes of action, the saga has long deserved to be better known. In Jackson Crawford it has found the perfect translator."
-Carolyne Larrington, Professor of Medieval European Literature, University of Oxford
"A clear, idiomatic English style that also retains the feel of the original is no easy feat, and Crawford succeeds admirably. . . . This translation should serve well those who teach the sagas, their students, and any interested readers, particularly at such a reasonable price."
-Adam Oberlin, Princeton University, in The Medieval Review
"This is only the second English translation of these two sagas to be published in one volume. . . . The overall aim of the book seems to be the entirely commendable one of inspiring beginners, in which it will no doubt be wholly successful. . . . Crawford's translation of both sagas reads fluently and engagingly. Reading this book has been, for me, an enjoyable and stimulating experience, as it undoubtedly will be for the audience for which it is aimed."
-Rory McTurk, Leeds University, in Saga-Book
"The book is a gift, especially to beginning readers of the northern mythological literature. It makes its two texts approachable through the use of easy to read contemporary language. It also provides useful tools for the reader to get an overview of the stories through its explanatory matter. The book has a straightforward introduction that provides a nutshell of the sagas, a cast of characters, historical information about the origin of the tales, a brief outline of the chapters, a pronunciation guide, and there is an excellent and useful Glossary of Names and Terms at the end of the book. Crawford also includes notes throughout the text, including recommendations to see relevant passages of his translation of The Poetic Edda: Stories of the Norse Gods and Heroes. . . . I have read the William Morris translation (1870) a few times throughout the scattered years and I wanted to see what a contemporary translation would look like. I wasn't disappointed. I hope and expect that the Crawford translation will introduce many new readers to the pleasures of its two pieces of world literature."
-Phillip Fitzsimmons, in Mythlore
Book Information
ISBN 9781624666339
Author Jackson Crawford
Format Paperback
Page Count 184
Imprint Hackett Publishing Co, Inc
Publisher Hackett Publishing Co, Inc
Series Hackett Classics
Weight(grams) 218g
