Written by the Icelandic scholar and chieftain Snorri Sturluson around 1230, Heimskringla is the most important single source for the history of the Norse kings from legendary prehistoric times through the reign of Magnus Erlingsson in the late twelfth century. Combining myth, saga, and historical chronicle, Snorri portrays the great Viking Age rulers — Harald Fairhair, Olaf Haraldsson (Saint Olaf), Harald Hardrada — with narrative force and political insight.
Heimskringla is essential reading for anyone interested in Viking history, Norse religion and culture, or the medieval Scandinavian world. This English translation makes one of Europe’s great medieval chronicles fully accessible to the general reader.