A New English Translation with Old Norse Text, Vocabulary, and Notes
The Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck is a short saga set in Iceland’s East Fjords in during the VikingAge. Thorstein, a peaceful young man, is struck in the course of a horse fight by an opponent wielding a wooden staff used as a horse-prod. From then on, Thorstein is mocked and forced to live with the humiliating nickname “staff-struck.” Even Thorstein’s father, an old viking, looks down on his son as a coward. But Thorstein is no coward. Waiting for the right moment to take revenge, he reclaims his good name in a way that brings honor to both him and his chieftain.
This new English translation is a dual language edition that includes the complete Old Norse text with full vocabulary and notes. The combination provides the tools needed to read a saga in English and Old Norse.
About the Translators of the Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck:
Jesse Byock is distinguished research professor of Old Norse and Medieval Scandinavian at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), specializing in the study of the Viking World, its sagas, history, and archaeology. As an archaeologist, he is a professor at the UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. Jesse earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University after studying in France, Iceland, and Sweden. In Iceland, he directs the Mosfell Archaeological Project (MAP) and is a professor at the University of Iceland (Háskóli Íslands) in the Department of History and the Programs of Medieval Icelandic and Viking Studies. He is the author ofViking Age Iceland and books, articles, and saga translations.
Randall Gordon is a specialist in historical linguistics of Celtic and Germanic Languages, with concentrations on the development and grammar of Old Norse and Old Irish. He received his Ph.D. inIndo-European Studies from UCLA.
Jules William Press publishes a range of books about the Viking Age. Its series of Old Norse primers, grammars, texts, studies, and audio pronunciation albums answer the needs of the modern student, instructor, and self-learner. The books and materials are purposely affordable, and in many instances with free Answer Keys on our website, oldnorse.org. JWP also publishes a series of novels, eBooks, and audio books as well as archaeological reports about the Viking Age.
Everything you need to Learn Old Norse.
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