The Saga of the Volsungs, Jackson Crawford
The Saga of the Volsungs, Jackson Crawford
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The Saga of the Volsungs
With The Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok

Author: Jackson Crawford

Narrator: Jackson Crawford

Unabridged: 4 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/15/2019


Synopsis

From the translator of the bestselling Poetic Edda comes a gripping new rendering of two of the greatest sagas of Old Norse literature. Together the two sagas recount the story of seven generations of a single legendary heroic family and comprise our best source of traditional lore about its members—including, among others, the dragon slayer Sigurd, Brynhild the Valkyrie, and the Viking chieftain Ragnar Lothbrok.

About Jackson Crawford

Jackson Crawford earned his PhD in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and an MA in Linguistics from the University of Georgia. He has taught Norse mythology, the Old Norse language, and the history of the Scandinavian languages at UCLA and the University of California, Berkeley. He is currently instructor of Nordic studies and coordinator of the Nordic Program, University of Colorado Boulder.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Cinda on December 18, 2020

Clear, accessible translation by Jackson Crawford. Advice to the Volsungs: Do NOT marry a woman off against her will. Nothing good can come of it.......more

Goodreads review by Nikola on June 19, 2021

Jako zanimljivo slozeno i interpretirano. Bez neke duboke analize, sa radnjom koja tece i tece. Privlacno delo, ne smara i na jedan jako konkretan nacin vas upoznaje sa Nibelunzima i Ragnarom Lotbrukom i njegovim sinovima. Za one koji ne vole da se mnogo udubljuju ovo je zaista dobra knjiga. Meni li......more

Goodreads review by Noah on October 04, 2017

You can read all the history books you want, but it isn't until you read a people's literature that you can really get a feel for who they were, and reading The Saga of the Volsungs made it clear that my Norse ancestors were a tough, violent, crafty, courageous and magical people. The Saga is a coll......more

Goodreads review by Cori on January 12, 2022

Norse mythology contains a lot of cows. I'd really like to know the background for that. Like, what happened in history that made them write fearsome, bellowing, omnipotent cows into conquests and battle scenes. Dunno, man. But I have questions. I loved this Audible listen, and it was my first expos......more


Quotes

“A clear, idiomatic English style that also retains the feel of the original is no easy feat, and Crawford succeeds admirably…This translation should serve well those who teach the sagas, their students, and any interested readers.” Medieval Review

“Rendered with the mnemonic power distinctive in oral literature, the Icelandic saga is a unique experience in listening, a channeling of the ancient roots of storytelling. Crawford, a professor of Old Norse at the University of Colorado, narrates with an ease and comprehension that come from long acquaintance with his text and its more arcane features. The story line is rich in character and action, and just as interesting for the serious listener is the half-hour introduction in which Crawford discusses family relationships and nomenclature and fills in background and context.” AudioFile

“This is a wonderfully supple and idiomatic modern translation of the most important account of the legendary Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer and his family in Old Norse-Icelandic literature. Crawford’s version is vivid, clear, and exciting, tracing the intrigues, killings, battles, and magic that shape the lives of Sigurd’s kindred. Coupled with it is the brilliant sequel, the Saga of Ragnar Lothbrok. Rarely translated into English before, the saga tells of Sigurd’s daughter and her husband, the unparalleled Viking king and hero, Ragnar, who is also a dragon-slayer. Lively and fresh, with gripping dialogue and intense scenes of action, the saga has long deserved to be better known. In Jackson Crawford it has found the perfect translator.” Carolyne Larrington, professor of medieval European literature, University of Oxford