Njál's Saga

By: Anonymous

Narrated by: Gunnar Cauthery

Based on events that took place between 960 and 1020 AD, Njál 's Saga is a mesmerizing drama about a multigenerational cycle of violence and retribution, and the feuds and passions that perpetuate it.

The eponymous sage Njál, known for his keen legal mind, is one of Iceland's pre-eminent men, along with Gunnar of Hlidarendi, a fierce and formidable warrior married to the diabolical Hallgerd, whose conniving instigates the interminable pattern of romance, action and brutality - until one unforgivable act ends it all.

Njál 's Saga is considered the greatest of the Icelandic sagas and is notable for its historical value, as it provides glimpses of a society transitioning away from the Iron Age to the Middle Ages, and establishing the social and legal mores of its present.

Public Domain (P)2019 Naxos Audiobooks

Excellent

Njals saga is the pinnacle of family saga writing. This is a great translation as well.

Epic Story of a Bygone Era

This may not be for everyone. it is very violent and does not really read like a novel. Having said that, it is an amazing story if you have the patience to stick with it. It shows the transition of Iceland from pagan to Christianity. It also focuses on the deeds and laws of the people from that time.

Excellent!

The story in the performance of this saga were fantastic! I was very impressed with how engaging the narrator was. He did an excellent job of breathing life into a story written 800 years ago. I wish they would make audiobooks of the other sagas from Iceland!

Literary Classic and Rare View of the Viking Mind

I had read Njal's Saga before, but it's even better (and a little easier to keep straight) hearing it spoken. Though the tale gets a little redundant at times with all the blood feuding and legal actions, this work really gives you a front-row seat to what being a 10th-11th century Icelander was like and who Vikings really were. As popular as Vikings are, it is a shame that more people do not read (or have not even heard of) this book. The narrator is great and does a fine job pronouncing all the names and places. An excellent production of a literary masterpiece.

What Pinker's talking about.

This was so good. In Better Angels of Our Nature, Stephen Pinker talks about the violence in society without written structures of justice.

The dignity of self-defense: revenge, blood feuds, honor killings, preemptive, horrifying attacks on weaker groups.

The logic of might is right before there was another option.

It sounded foreign, unfamiliar, but it's all in here.

And told without any romantic embellishment. This is not a singer, telling a tale of glory. This is not Homer.

There's no embellishment.

It's more Thucydides. There's a respect, and a kindness, and a sadness, extended to all of the characters.