Anonymous, Grágás

Sean Lawing (Bryn Athyn College of the New Church)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1200

Places

Iceland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

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Medieval Iceland’s early laws are found in lawbooks collectively known as

Grágás

is a vital source for understanding medieval Icelandic society. It provides unique insights not only into the functioning of Iceland’s legal system, but also into the culture, values, attitudes, and beliefs of medieval Icelanders whose lives were shaped by its laws.

Grágás

has served as a basis for numerous anthropological, sociological, literary, and historical investigations of medieval Iceland and Scandinavia. Particularly effective are studies which make comparative use of

Grágás

and Icelandic sagas, which were composed roughly contemporaneously with chief manuscripts of

Grágás

, in order to draw conclusions about life in Iceland during the Viking Age and into the…

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3335 words

Citation: Lawing, Sean. "Grágás". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40795, accessed 20 April 2024.]

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Anonymous, Grágás

Dates

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