author
Sturla Þórðarson
1214–1284
A key voice from medieval Iceland, this saga writer and lawman helped preserve the stories, power struggles, and personalities of the 13th century. His work gives modern readers a vivid window into the age of the Sturlungs and the Norwegian kings.
1 Audiobook
The Norwegian account of Haco's expedition against Scotland, A.D. MCCLXIII.
by Sturla Þórðarson
About the author
Born in 1214, Sturla Þórðarson was an Icelandic chieftain, lawman, poet, and historian. He was the nephew and pupil of Snorri Sturluson, and he grew up close to the political world that later shaped his writing.
He is best known for works tied to the great prose histories of medieval Scandinavia, especially Íslendinga saga, a major account of the turbulent Sturlung Age in Iceland. He also wrote royal sagas, including Hákonar saga, bringing together political detail and narrative skill in a way that still makes his writing important to readers of Norse history and literature.
Because he lived through many of the events he described, his work feels unusually immediate. Even centuries later, it remains one of the clearest literary records of how power, family loyalty, and conflict shaped medieval Iceland.