HRAFKEL'S SAGA: An Icelandic Story

by Barbara -- Adapt Schiller ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 26, 1972

This is taken from the Icelandic ""Family Sagas"" which as Schiller points out are notable for their realistic characterization and for the absence of supernatural elements or grand heroic adventures. Hrafkel is a powerful and able chieftain who is not above ruthless murder, and who is legally stripped of his property after half-reluctantly killing a neighbor's virtuous son who despite Hrafkel's warning rode his specially consecrated horse. A wiser Hrafkel in the end defeats the dead man's relative who had brought about his downfall; meanwhile we are given a clear-eyed look at all the principals, a strong impression of the old Icelandic social structure and legal system, and a feeling for the culture that gave rise to this remarkably down-to-earth chronicle.

Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Seabury

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION