The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue: Original Texts, Translations, and Word Lists

The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue (Gunnlaugs Saga Ormstungu) is the story of a promising young man named Gunnlaug who achieves fame for his bravery and poetry in the courts of kings and earls throughout the Norse world. However, a prophetic dream foretells a love rivalry, betrayal, and tragedy. The rich tradition of Icelandic literature survived by oral tradition over several centuries before being written down in the 13th Century.

Old Norse is a North Germanic language spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia from about the 7th to the 15th centuries. Old Icelandic is a variety of Old West Norse that emerged during the Norse settlement of Iceland in the second half of the 9th century.

The meaning of the word 'saga' (plural: 'sogur' or 'sögur') translates as 'that which is said', or more widely: a 'saying', 'statement', 'story', 'tale', or 'narrative'.

This book contains:

- The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue (Old Norse Version)

- The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue (Old Icelandic Version)

The texts are presented in their original Norse, with a literal word-for-word line-by-line translation, and a Modern English translation, all side-by-side. In this way, it is possible to see and feel how the Norse language worked and how it has evolved. Also included is a word list with 3,019 Norse words translated in to English, and 1,846 English words translated into Norse.

This book is designed to be of use and interest to anyone with a passion for the Old Norse or Old Icelandic language, Norse history, or languages and history in general.

Translated by Matthew Leigh Embleton

Matthew Leigh Embleton is a language and history enthusiast, musician, composer, and producer living in London.

www.matthewleighembleton.co.uk