The Cauldron: A Pagan Forum

Hello everyone! I'm rather new to Heathenry and in the process of soaking up all the books that I can.

I'm reading through Carolyn Larrington's translation of The Poetic Edda right now, and going to work on Faulkner's Young Edda translation soon.

I was just wondering, since there seems to be dozens and dozens of the individual sagas, which would be best to read from a Heathen perspective?

I definitely plan on reading the Heimskringla and the Penguin Book of Icelandic Sagas, but I was wondering what others you would consider essential reading. I read the sticky at the top, and saw some of the sagas mentioned, but I was wondering about personal opinions from the perspective of our religion which sagas would be best for study.

Thank you for your time!

Hail Æsir!

-Ulfsdottir

There are several types of Icelandic sagas:

• Family sagas (About Icelandic families and their ancestors)
• Kings' sagas (About kings in Norway, Sweden and Denmark)
• Fornaldarsagas (Heroic mythology)
• Saints' sagas (About Christian saints)
• Chivalric sagas (About knights, some of them at the courts of king Arthur and Charlemagne)

The three types of sagas mentioned first in this list are important as sources to old Norse religion.

I would suggest that you read the fornaldarsagas, but I have no idea how many English translations of them that exists, nor the differences between the English translations.

Volsungasaga is important, in the sense that the story of Sigurd (Germans call him Siegfried. Don't let that confuse you) and his victory over the dragon Fafnir is told in it.

Hervararsaga is important, and contain the story about the cursed sword Tirfing.

I don't know if you watch the (sometimes very awkward) TV serial Vikings, but if you wonder from where the scriptwriters got some of their ideas, you have to read Ragnarssaga Lodbrokar and The saga of the sons of Ragnar.

The three sagas about Egil the one-handed, Hromund Gripsson and Halfdan Bronufostri, respectively, are very entertaining reads.

The Bosasaga takes place in East Gothnia, while Gautreks saga and Hrolfssaga Gautrekssonar takes place in West Gothnia. As a Swede, I am very fond of these three, of course.

If you are more interested in Denmark, you have to read Hrolfs saga Kraka and Sögubrot.

Sagas taking place in a mythological Norway (or at least beginning there) are:

• Ketils saga Hoengs
  
• Ans saga Bogsveigis
  
• Orvar Odd's saga
  
• Thorsteins saga Vikingssonar
  
• Fri∂thiofs hins froekna
  

Honestly they are ALL useful. Not from a religious perspective, but in order to help you build an understanding of the worldview that came from and helped build that religion.

If you are looking for deep religious or spiritual insight, you won't find them in the sagas. What you will find is a connection to a mindset that, while it may seem alien at first, you will come to appreciate and accept, and to build upon as you delve further into heathenry.

 
Thank you for the help! I know the type of 'mindset' you mean, and it's something that I am trying to get a deeper appreciation for, so that's very useful to know.

And thanks, FraterBenedict, for the list! I do know the story of Sigurd but never read the Saga, and it's one i'm pretty interested in. I'm definitely more interested in the Norse setting than Denmark, but those sound interesting as well. Thank you! I'll pick some of these up while I'm reading the Eddas, and start with some of your suggestions then go from there. Very helpful!