My interest in the Vikings, their history, their mythology, etc. was sparked several years ago, also in the light of a city-trip to Dublin, Ireland. Since then I've read some books on the subject:
[b:Gods and Myths of Northern Europe|864330|Gods and Myths of Northern Europe|Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348498642s/864330.jpg|1434173]
[b:The Prose Edda|24658|The Prose Edda|Snorri Sturluson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411896509s/24658.jpg|1198450]
[b:Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe: Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions|915212|Myths and Symbols in Pagan Europe Early Scandinavian and Celtic Religions|Hilda Roderick Ellis Davidson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348191810s/915212.jpg|1752976]
[b:The Vikings|604063|The Vikings|Else Roesdahl|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309283883s/604063.jpg|590625]
[b:The Norse Myths|497366|The Norse Myths|Kevin Crossley-Holland|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1446493100s/497366.jpg|25499]
[b:Sur Les Traces Des Vikings En France|12821757|Sur Les Traces Des Vikings En France|Jean Renaud|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1457438484s/12821757.jpg|17971422]
and of course most books (8 to 10 not read yet) of [a:Bernard Cornwell|12542|Bernard Cornwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1504578807p2/12542.jpg]'s fantastic The Saxon Stories.

My TBR-pile contains more books (in English and in French) on the Vikings, the Celts (preceding the Vikings), and the Normans. I hope to read them in this lifetime, hahaha.

As we all know, this people has written a lot of sagas, too many to name and many of them aren't even in existence any more. Several books have been published on the subject, the remaining sagas also have been published again and again, in their original or in one or more reworked version(s). My TBR-pile contains 3 of those, which are also (partly) discussed in Ms. Ross's book:
[b:Egil's Saga|331089|Egil's Saga|Anonymous|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1351208596s/331089.jpg|1753073]
[b:Njal's Saga|103104|Njal's Saga|Anonymous|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1369097748s/103104.jpg|1982703]
[b:The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason's Tale|2903714|The Saga of the People of Laxardal and Bolli Bollason's Tale|Anonymous|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311645418s/2903714.jpg|2930856]

Before I start reading those, I preferred to have some background info on them or on the sagas in general. That's when a Russian friend of mine - whose studies were (partly) about Norse mythology, the sagas, and so on - recommended me this little, academic work: [b:The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga|10291511|The Cambridge Introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Saga|Margaret Clunies Ross|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1390269942s/10291511.jpg|15193361].

The back of this publication says:
* Ideal for students, teachers, and lecturers (I would add: anyone interested in the subject)
* Concise, yet packed with essential information
* Key suggestions for further reading

Ms. Ross has divided this "Introduction" into nine chapters, each dealing with a different aspect regarding the sagas. One chapter deals with the country itself, the society of that time. Another will look at the specifications of an Old Norse-Icelandic saga and how it differs from non-saga stories. You'll also learn how sagas came into existence, how they were written, which kinds of sagas there were (about kings, about poets, about knights, about regular people, ...), who had such stories commissioned, and so on. Another examined aspect is the structure, the linguistics, the time of writing and publication, when and in which languages these sagas were translated, and more.

Last but not least, you'll learn how the sagas made it onto the European mainland, their (im)popularity in Iceland and abroad, and how eventually they reminded the Icelanders of their cultural heritage, which made them re-embrace the old writings.

While "only" 163 pages (to read, thus excepting the index and alike), it remains a serious work for which you have to pay attention. It's academic, remember? The writing is fortunately reasonably accessible.

In short: A recommended work for anyone interested in Viking Age Iceland, and especially the sagas themselves.

Online database: http://sagadb.org/ where you'll also find links to other websites on the subject. ( )

This was perfectly suited to my needs for a reliable, enjoyable introduction to the Old Norse-Icelandic Sagas. It is well organized, smoothly written, contains a useful bibliography, and offers temperate judgments when discussing controversial matters.

Clunies Ross has provided an exemplary work which gives all the essentials necessary to enable the reader to form a successful plan for further study in this field. ( )