Publisher's Synopsis
The story of Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald is the first Icelandic saga to be published in an English edition.
Gunnlaug the Worm-Tongue and Raven the Skald is an Icelandic saga composed in the 13th century, concerning the tragic rivalry of two poets for the hand of þorsteinn Egilsson's daughter, Helga the Fair. The rivalry is carried out first in poetry, and later with weapons, as Gunnlaug challenges Hrafn to a holmgang -- a duel recognized by the Norse as a way to settle disputes.
The saga, said to have taken place around the introduction of Christianity in Iceland, tells the story of two Icelandic poets, Gunnlaugr Ormstunga and Hrafn Önundarson. Their love of Helga the Fair, granddaughter of Egill Skallagrímsson, results in a competition leading to a deadly duel of honor.
