SOURCE: Gurevich, A. Ya. “Saga and History: The ‘Historical Conception’ of Snorri Sturluson.” Mediaeval Scandinavia 4 (1971): 42-53.

In the following essay, Gurevich explores various texts by Snorri to illustrate that the Scandinavians of his time did not interpret history theologically and that their concept of it is implicit in their sagas.

Discussion of the “general meaning”, or “tendency”, in Snorri's historical construction can be hardly considered finished. Divergencies in the appraisal of his views by H. Koht,¹ Fr. Paasche,² J. Schreiner,³ H. Lie,⁴ G. Sandvik,⁵ and S. Beyschlag⁶ testify to the great difficulties this problem has caused. In my opinion, it would be wrong to see in the Heimskringla only an expression of its author's ideas. Sagas, and kings' sagas in particular, belong to a genre which stands halfway between folklore and literature. The author of a saga did not realize himself as such, and considered his function to...