Anonymous, Ljósvetninga saga [The Saga of the People of Light Lake]

Yoav Tirosh (University of Iceland)
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Ljósvetninga saga

 is a medieval Icelandic prose narrative categorised as one of the Íslendingasögur (Sagas of Icelanders), chronicling Guðmundr inn ríki Eyjólfsson’s struggles for political dominance in the north and northeast of Iceland in the late tenth and early eleventh century, and his haphazard attempts at avenging an insult to his masculinity. Following Guðmundr’s death, Eyjólfr Guðmundarson continues his father’s struggles against the neighbouring Ljósvetningar family.

The saga is usually dated to the early thirteenth century due to intertextual connections with Brennu-Njáls saga and Morkinskinna, as well as unsubstantiated notions about saga style (Ármann Jakobsson and Tirosh). What can be said for certain is that the first extant medieval manuscript AM 561

2544 words

Citation: Tirosh, Yoav. "Ljósvetninga saga". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 November 2022 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40698, accessed 12 October 2024.]

40698 Ljósvetninga saga 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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