Christianity did not come to Iceland until A.D. 1000, and The Story of Grettir the Strong—like many Norse sagas— reflects the tension between pagan and Christian ideals that characterized Icelandic society at the time. Grettir is born in A.D. 997 and dies forty-four years later. The setting of the saga ranges from the small family farms of Iceland to the stormy seas of the North Atlantic and the courts of the earls of Norway. Grettir finally finds refuge on a small island off the coast of Iceland, well-stocked with tasty sheep but surrounded by high cliffs and an icy sea. The book closes in Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, where Grettir's half-brother avenges the hero's death.