Grettis saga

Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar ( listen ) (also known as Grettla, Grettir's Saga or The Saga of Grettir the Strong) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It details the life of Grettir Ásmundarson, a bellicose Icelandic outlaw.

The saga is categorised as one of the Sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur) all of which were written in the thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries and are fairly realistic accounts of events taking place between the ninth and the eleventh century in Iceland. The subject of such texts is usually conflicts over wealth, prestige, and power.

The author is unknown but it is believed that his story may have been based on a previous account of Grettir's life written by Sturla Þórðarson.

Grettir's intentions are not necessarily bad, but he is ill-tempered and often does things that he later regrets: He is also very unlucky, so some of his actions have severe, unintended consequences. Grettir spends most of his adult life in Iceland as an outlaw although he sails twice to Norway. He was related to King Olaf II of Norway. But in Norway too he gets into trouble and is sent away. He is not involved in the Viking raids that many other saga-heroes take part in.

Grettir is only introduced to the story in chapter 14. Up until then it tells of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather who lived not uneventful lives. His great-grandfather Önundur from whom he may have inherited his physical strength had been a Viking, and at one point fought a battle against Kjarval, who was king around Dublin. He settled at the northern coast of Iceland and had many sons. Grettir's life is told from beginning to end. As a child, he is rebellious and bad-tempered. He is described as red haired, somewhat freckled, and broad around the eyes. He is also courageous; he takes on and defeats the draugr Glámr, an undead being that is, in a sense, a corporeal ghost, strong and formidable. But the draugr curses him, and this is seen by the author as the cause of his later misfortunes.

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