16 h 2 minAudiobook9 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the northern islands, an earldom is won by the sword—and shared rule offers no promise of peace.
The Orkneyinga Saga follows the Norse earls of Orkney and Shetland from the first settlers to the late twelfth century. Its opening legends reach back to kings and giants. Then generations of one ruling family struggle over land and power, in a world where the sea connects Norway, Scotland, Ireland and the Hebrides.
There is no single hero here. Thorfinn Sigurdsson becomes an earl while still a child. Cousins Magnus Erlendsson and Haakon Paulsson share rule amid bitter strife. Rognvald Kali Kolsson claims his uncle’s earldom, while Svein Asleifarson brings the farmer’s life and the raider’s life together. Plain prose and dry humour give these lives their edge.
What you’ll discover
- Legends before history Follow the earls’ ancestry into a northern world of old kings and giants.
- A child becomes earl Meet Thorfinn the Mighty as his story grows into the rule of a sea kingdom.
- Cousins divided by power Watch Magnus and Haakon struggle with shared rule, family ties and open conflict.
- A poet with a claim Discover Rognvald, the poet who claims an earldom and builds a cathedral for his uncle.
- The farmer who raids Enter Svein Asleifarson’s world, where life on Gairsay includes a summer of raiding.
Is it for you?
This book suits readers of Viking history, lovers of Scotland and its islands, and anyone who enjoys family feuds told with dry humour. It may suit you less if you want one tight plot with a single hero.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An earldom is won by force
- Thorfinn the Mighty rules a sea kingdom
- A saint is murdered at Egilsay
- Rognvald builds a cathedral for his uncle
- Svein Asleifarson, the last great raider
- How the saga was made and why it lasts
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 16 h 2 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 9 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works · 60-day guarantee
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, for the whole household.
- We remind you first. We email you 7 days before your first payment. Then your first year is 50% off: 0,14 USD a day, then 0,27 USD a day, never raised. Or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
60-day money-back guarantee. If the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Saga des Orcades in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Read it side by side
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- The whole household
Starts right away, on any device
Read free60-day money-back guaranteeRenews every yearCancel anytimeHow it works
Language: Français
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 6
An earldom is won by force
The saga opens with legend before it reaches history. It gives the Orkney earls a long ancestry that runs back to old Norse kings and giants. Then it moves to firmer ground, with Harald Fairhair, the king who is said to have pulled Norway under one crown. Many chiefs who hated his rule sailed west, and some used Orkney and Shetland as bases to raid the Norwegian coast.
Harald answered by sailing west himself and clearing the islands of these raiders. One of his closest friends, Rognvald of Møre, lost a son in that campaign. As payment, the king gave Rognvald the islands. Rognvald passed the earldom to his brother Sigurd, who became the first earl in the saga's account, and the family line begins with him.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, for the whole household. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - The whole householdUp to 5 readers
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
More by Anonyme
All 37 books
Free
Free
More like this
Free
Free
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
Questions about Saga des Orcades
Can I read it free?
Yes. The beginning, from the first page to the end of chapter 1, and the first 5 minutes of the audiobook are free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 90 days, with the eBook to keep. After that, your first year is 50% off. You also get 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
Can my family read too?
Yes. The whole household reads and listens: up to 5 readers, each with their own shelf and their own place in every book.
What if it is not for me?
Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. If you have paid and the library is not for you, ask within 60 days of your first payment and we refund it in full.
What is the Orkneyinga Saga about?
It is the history of the Norse earls of Orkney, told from the first settlement of the islands to the late twelfth century. It covers their wars, family feuds, voyages, and the rise of Christianity in the islands.
Who wrote the Orkneyinga Saga and when?
The author is unknown. Scholars think an Icelander wrote it around 1200, using older oral tales, written sources, and poems by court poets called skalds. It is among the earliest Icelandic sagas.
Is the Orkneyinga Saga a true story?
It mixes history with legend. Later chapters, closer to the author's own time, are generally more reliable, while the earliest parts include myth. Historians use it carefully as a source for medieval Orkney and northern Scotland.
Popular in myths & legends
See all
Free
Free
Free
