A book of Old Norse and Danish poetry, folk songs and ballads. These have all been translated by the author. In his preface, he states," In these translations from the Danish I have adhered strictly to the metres of the original; this, however, is not the case with those from the Old Norse. "

Legends of the Norse Kings brings together two epic medieval sagas of brave kings and fierce dragons, perilous journeys and deadly battles, tales of love, magic and destiny. The two sagas in this book date from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries. The Saga of King Ragnar Goatskin recounts the adventures of the famous Danish ruler who fought a dragon to win a princess's hand in marriage. The Dream of King Alfdan retells the legend of the heroic King who rescued princess Ragnild and her brother Guthorm and whose dream, of a son who would rule all of Norway, comes true. These stories of Norse kings are beautifully retold by the renowned storyteller Isabel Wyatt, drawing on the sagas recorded by the historian Saxo Grammaticus and other Scandinavian writers of the Middle Ages.

A history of the Norwegian kings.

Hell Hath No Fury Like a Princess Scorned! Princess Drifa can certainly see why Sidroc Guntersson is a living legend— on battlefield and in bedchamber both. But the King of Stoneheim’s willful daughter pitches a royal fit when she learns of the true reason for the virile Viking’s passionate attentions. A third-born son with no hope of inheriting the family jarldom, scheming Sidroc must marry and is interested in Drifa only for her father’s land and money. The barbarian is lucky she just cracks him on his fool head with a pottery pitcher! Five years later, Drifa needs Sidroc’s protection— in Byzantium, no less!—though revenge holds more appeal for this man she left for dead. ’Tis a pity two such perfect enemies match each other so well, passion for passion. So much so that the bold Viking berserker is soon thinking marriage again . . . only this time it will be on his terms!

Morkinskinna ("rotten parchment"), the first full-length chronicle of the kings of medieval Norway (1030-1157), forms the basis of the Icelandic chronicle tradition. Based ultimately on an original from ca. 1220, the single defective manuscript was written in Iceland ca. 1275. The present volume, the first translation of Morkinskinna in any language, makes this literary milestone available to a general readership, with introduction and commentary to clarify its position in the history of medieval Icelandic letters. The book is designed to be used by readers with no knowledge of Icelandic. The translation is keyed to, and may be used in conjunction with, the existing diplomatic editions. Notes on the manuscript problems, as well as introductory and appended matter, augment the text. Above all, Kari Ellen Gade's edition of the skaldic stanzas provides a substantial initial step toward a future edition of the Icelandic text: Morkinskinna is the first large-scale repository of skaldic verse. Morkinskinna also includes many semi-independent tales that recount the adventures of individual Icelanders at the Norwegian court. These tales, with their often humorous or ironic inflections, shift the focus of the chronicle from the deeds of the kings to the Icelandic perception of Norwegian royalty.