Gísla saga

Icelandic literature

Also known as: “Gísla saga Súrssonar”

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Gísla saga, an Icelandic saga set in northwestern Iceland and written probably before the middle of the 13th century, which tells of an outlaw poet, Gísli Súrsson (d. c. ad 980), who was punished by his enemies for loyally avenging his foster brother. It includes rich descriptions of nature and is said to contain many verses composed by Gísli himself. The best English translation, by G. Johnstone, was published in 1963.