Orkneyinga saga

Icelandic literature

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July 1, 2026

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The Orkneyinga saga is a medieval Icelandic text that details the history of the rulers of the earldom of Orkney from approximately 900 to the end of the 12th century. It is considered a "kings' saga," a genre of Icelandic literature that focuses on the lives of rulers and royal families.1

Sagas, in general, are prose narratives from medieval Iceland. While the term can broadly encompass various types of stories, in a stricter sense, it refers to imaginative reconstructions of the past. These are categorized into kings' sagas, legendary sagas, and sagas of Icelanders. The Orkneyinga saga likely dates to around 1200 and is closely related to other sagas like the Færeyinga saga.1

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saga
Kings’ sagas
…of the 11th century, and Orkneyinga saga, dealing with the rulers of the earldom of Orkney from about 900 to the end of the 12th century. These two works were probably written about 1200. The history of the kings of Denmark from circa 940 to 1187 is told in Knýtlinga…
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…of the 11th century, and Orkneyinga saga, dealing with the rulers of the earldom of Orkney from about 900 to the end of the 12th century. These two works were probably written about 1200. The history of the kings of Denmark from circa 940 to 1187 is told in Knýtlinga…
Read More