“Eigi skal höggva!” (Do not strike!) were the last words of Snorri Sturluson, saga author and chieftain of the Sturlungar clan.
In 1241, during the height of the Age of the Sturlungs – the bloodiest period of Icelandic history – the ruling clans fought for power. Snorri was assassinated in his home Reykholt in Borgarfjörður by the men of Gissur Þorvaldsson of the Haukdælir clan. Three years earlier Gissur had defeated the Sturlungar in the fateful battle Örlygsstaðabardagi.
Þórður kakali, of the Sturlungar clan, sought vengeance resulting in Flóabardagi – Iceland’s only sea battle in 1244 – and later in 1246, Haugsnesbardagi (Battle of Haugsnes), when almost 100 men were killed.
In 1253, Gissur’s enemies set fire to his farm Flugumýri but he managed to escape. Ten years later, Iceland lost its independence to Norway which marked the end of the Age of the Sturlungs – and the Icelandic Commonwealth.
Wherever you’re headed on your travels in Iceland, pay attention to place names. You might recognize some from the sagas because this history is all around you. In Skagafjörður you’ll find Örlygsstaðir, where the largest battle in Iceland’s history took place in 1238. And in Sauðárkrókur nearby, you can participate in the battle through augmented reality.
Read on to learn about other Saga Age experiences in Iceland.
The Age of the Sturlungs
These bloody events are documented in Sturlunga saga. Most of them played out in Skagafjörður in North Iceland.
In Sauðárkrókur, the region’s capital, the Icelandic civil war is re-enacted at 1238 – The Battle of Iceland. Here, you can learn more about 13th century Iceland and participate in Örlygsstaðabardagi – the largest battle in Iceland’s history – through augmented reality... see if you can change the outcome.
Closer to Varmahlíð in Skagafjörður, Kakalaskáli, has an exhibition dedicated to the Age of the Sturlungs. It focuses on the story of chieftain Þórður kakali of the Sturlungar clan. Outside, the bloody Battle of Haugsnes is commemorated through a large-scale outdoor installation.
In West Iceland, visit Snorrastofa in Reykholt for an exhibition about the life and work of Snorri Sturluson. You can also see the original pool where Snorri used to soak and relax after a busy day.
Sagaland
In 1241, Snorri may have been silenced but his words will live forever. He chronicled the stories of the Norse kings in Heimskringla and helped preserve Norse mythology and poetry in Snorra-Edda. He was likely the author of Egils saga which largely occurred in West Iceland.
West Iceland is the cradle of the country’s literary tradition. It is where most of the manuscripts were written and many of the sagas were set. Sturlunga saga is a contemporary story but the other sagas feature much earlier events. So, as we dive deeper into history, prepare to travel back to the 9th and 10th centuries, when Iceland was being settled.
The settlers and the enslaved
In the Settlement Center in Borgarnes, you can learn more about the challenges the first Icelanders faced in an uninhabited land. People came searching for riches and freedom, or they were brought in chains and meant to serve as slaves.
Among them was Þorgerður brák, an Irish woman “owned” by settlers Skallagrímur and his wife Bera. They built their home in Borg á Mýrum, near Borgarnes, and charged Þorgerður with looking after their son, Egill.
Egils saga does not waste many words on Þorgerður or her relationship with her foster son, but it does describe how she tried to defend Egill when Skallagrímur attacked him. Skallagrímur turned his rage against her instead. Þorgerður ran into the ocean and tried to swim away but Skallagrímur threw a rock after her – she never resurfaced.
Egill later named his daughter Þorgerður. The channel where Þorgerður brák was killed has since been called Brákarsund. Learn more about Egill Skallagrímsson’s adventurous, violent and tragic history at the Settlement Center.
Voyaging far and wide
Further to the west, in the lush Dalir region, lies Eiríksstaðir of Eiríkur rauði. Conflicts prompted him to leave Iceland for a newly discovered land, Greenland, where he founded two colonies.
Eiríkur’s son, Leifur heppni, traveled further west and became the first European to reach North America around the year 1000 BC. Their stories are documented in Eiríks saga rauða and Grænlendinga saga.
At today’s Eiríksstaðir, a longhouse has been built based on archeological findings and written sources. It’s a living museum where you can experience the Viking era through storytelling by the fire, or by trying clothing and tools similar to what the settlers once used. Nearby is Vínlandssetur, dedicated to the explorations of Leifur heppni and his entourage.
On Leifur’s ship was also Guðríður Þorbjarnardóttir, who is said to have traveled further than any other woman in her time. After journeying to Greenland and North America, she moved back to Iceland and converted to Christianity. In her old age, she went on a pilgrimage to Rome. There’s a memorial of Guðríður at Laugarbrekka, the farm where she grew up on Snæfellsnes.
Deadly love triangle
“To him I was worst whom I loved best,” responded Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir when asked which of her husbands she had cherished the most. Readers of Laxdæla saga are still trying to solve the riddle. The saga revolves around a love story between Guðrún and foster brothers Kjartan and Bolli. Due to the theme of this saga, and the fact that the main character is a woman, academics have argued that the author may well have been a woman too.
Guðrún lived at Laugar í Sælingsdal. The pool where she used to bathe has been reconstructed and is open for the public. As you soak in Guðrúnarlaug, let your mind wander back to the time Guðrún frequented the pool with Kjartan and Bolli – and to the tragic end to their love story.
The fairest of hillsides
“Fögur er hlíðin” (fair is the hillside) said Gunnar á Hlíðarenda of his home in Fljótshlíð, South Iceland. He was about to leave the country to escape his enemies but decided to stay and face them instead.
Gunnar was friends with his neighbor Njáll of Njáls saga, who lived at Bergþórshvoll with his wife Bergþóra. She and Hallgerður, Gunnar’s wife, were no friends, and they contributed to the escalating conflicts leading to the arson of Bergþórshvoll and the killing of Gunnar.
Njáls saga is the longest and most colorful of the Icelandic sagas. In Hvolsvöllur, in the region where the story is set, Sögusetrið Saga Center is dedicated to the dramatic story and its main characters.
Njáls saga also inspired the making of the impressive 91.16m (299 ft) long Njálurefill tapestry, into which locals and visitors have embroidered scenes from the saga using a Viking Age technique between 2013 and 2020. Now an exhibition space for the tapestry is being made at the LAVA Centre in Hvolsvöllur. In Blönduós in North Iceland, a similar piece, the Vatnsdæla á refli tapestry, is currently in the making.
While you're in Reykjavík, visit the Saga Museum where you can meet and greet some of saga characters as lifelike wax figures.
The National Museum and the Settlement Exhibition provide further insight into the lives of the first settlers.
Finally, Þingvellir National Park is a key place to visit on your exploration of Iceland's history. This is where Iceland’s parliament was founded in 930 AD, and where the saga characters came to settle their disputes.
