The Story of Burnt Njal
Feud, Law, and Tragedy in Tenth-Century IcelandBy Anonymous
Length13h 43m
About this audiobook
The Story of Burnt Njal, or Njáls saga, is a masterpiece of Icelandic saga literature, combining the stark economy of prose narrative with an intricate study of law, honor, kinship, and revenge. Set chiefly in the tenth and early eleventh centuries, it follows the friendship of the wise lawman Njal Thorgeirsson and the formidable Gunnar Hamundarson as disputes escalate through cycles of litigation and violence, culminating in the burning of Njal and his family. Its restrained style, vivid dialogue, sharply etched characterization, and interweaving of historical memory, folklore, and Christian moral reflection exemplify the sophisticated narrative art of medieval Iceland. The saga's attention to legal procedure and social custom also makes it an invaluable cultural document, even as its dramatic structure gives it the force of tragedy. The author remains anonymous, as is typical of the Icelandic sagas, and the work was probably composed in the late thirteenth century from inherited oral traditions, genealogical knowledge, and earlier written materials. Its perspective reflects a society negotiating the transformation from pagan practices to Christianity, while also confronting the instability of an honor-based political order. The author's sustained interest in the limits of wisdom, compromise, and legal remedy suggests a thoughtful engagement with Iceland's history and institutions rather than a simple celebration of heroic violence. This book is especially recommended to readers interested in medieval literature, legal history, oral tradition, and the origins of the modern novel. Its compelling narrative and psychological subtlety make it accessible as a powerful human drama, while its rich social and historical texture rewards careful scholarly reading. Njáls saga remains essential for anyone seeking to understand the imaginative world of medieval Iceland and the enduring literary power of tragic storytelling.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (5.9K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length13 hrs 43 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 24, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Story of Burnt Njal
2CHAPTER I. OF FIDDLE MORD.
3CHAPTER II. HRUT WOOS UNNA.
4CHAPTER III. HRUT AND GUNNHILLDA, KINGS MOTHER.
5CHAPTER IV. OF HRUT'S CRUISE.
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER V. ATLI ARNVID SON'S SLAYING.
7CHAPTER VI. HRUT SAILS OUT TO ICELAND.
8CHAPTER VII. UNNA SEPARATES FROM HRUT.
9CHAPTER VIII. MORD CLAIMS HIS GOODS FROM HRUT.
10CHAPTER IX. THORWALD GETS HALLGERDA TO WIFE.
11CHAPTER X. HALLGERDA'S WEDDING.
12CHAPTER XI. THORWALD'S SLAYING.
13CHAPTER XII. THIOSTOLF'S FLIGHT.
14CHAPTER XIII. GLUM'S WOOING.
15CHAPTER XIV. GLUM'S WEDDING.
16CHAPTER XV. THIOSTOLF GOES TO GLUM'S HOUSE.
17CHAPTER XVI. GLUM'S SHEEP HUNT.
18CHAPTER XVII. GLUM'S SLAYING.
19CHAPTER XVIII. FIDDLE MORD'S DEATH.
20CHAPTER XIX. GUNNAR COMES INTO THE STORY.
21CHAPTER XX. OF NJAL AND HIS CHILDREN.
22CHAPTER XXI. UNNA GOES TO SEE GUNNAR.
23CHAPTER XXII. NJAL'S ADVICE.
24CHAPTER XXIII. HUCKSTER HEDINN.
25CHAPTER XXIV. GUNNAR AND HRUT STRIVE AT THE THING.
26CHAPTER XXV. UNNA'S SECOND WEDDING.
27CHAPTER XXVI. OF ASGRIM AND HIS CHILDREN.
28CHAPTER XXVII. HELGI NJAL'S SON'S WOOING.
29CHAPTER XXVIII. HALLVARD COMES OUT TO ICELAND.
30CHAPTER XXIX. GUNNAR GOES ABROAD.
31CHAPTER XXX. GUNNAR GOES A-SEA-ROVING.
32CHAPTER XXXI. GUNNAR GOES TO KING HAROLD GORM'S SON AND EARL HACON.
33CHAPTER XXXII. GUNNAR COMES OUT TO ICELAND.
34CHAPTER XXXIII. GUNNAR'S WOOING.
35CHAPTER XXXIV. OF THRAIN SIGFUS' SON.
36CHAPTER XXXV. THE VISIT TO BERGTHORSKNOLL.
37CHAPTER XXXVI. KOL SLEW SWART.
38CHAPTER XXXVII. THE SLAYING OF KOL, WHOM ATLI SLEW.
39CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE KILLING OF ATLI THE THRALL.
40CHAPTER XXXIX. THE SLAYING OF BRYNJOLF THE UNRULY.
41CHAPTER XL. GUNNAR AND NJAL MAKE PEACE ABOUT BRYNJOLF'S SLAYING.
42CHAPTER XLI. SIGMUND COMES OUT TO ICELAND.
43CHAPTER XLII. THE SLAYING OF THORD FREEDSMANSON.
44CHAPTER XLIII. NJAL AND GUNNAR MAKE PEACE FOR THE SLAYING OF THORD.
45CHAPTER XLIV. SIGMUND MOCKS NJAL AND HIS SONS.
46CHAPTER XLV. THE SLAYING OF SIGMUND AND SKIOLLD.
47CHAPTER XLVI. OF GIZUR THE WHITE AND GEIR THE PRIEST.
48CHAPTER XLVII. OF OTKELL IN KIRKBY.
49CHAPTER XLVIII. HOW HALLGERDA MAKES MALCOLM STEAL FROM KIRKBY.
50CHAPTER XLIX. OF SKAMKELL'S EVIL COUNSEL.
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