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Revision as of 13:15, 25 April 2004 by Wiglaf (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Snorri Sturluson (1179 - September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice law-speaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He was the author of the Younger Edda, which is comprised of Gylfaginning, a narrative of Norse mythology, the Skáldskaparmál, a book of poetic language, and the Háttatal, a list of verse forms. He was also the author of the Heimskringla, a history of early medieval Scandinavian history. He is also thought to be the author of Egils Saga.
Snorri sailed the summer of 1218 from Iceland to Norway. There he visited Skule Jarl during the winter, and the following summer (1219) the law speaker Eskil Magnusson (Bjälboätten) and his wife Kristina Nilsdotter Blake in Skara. They were both related to royal family and gave Snorri a nice insight into the history of Sweden.
Snorri became involved in an unsuccessful rebellion against King Hákon Hákonarson, the King of Norway, and was subsequently killed.
Note about the name: The correct spelling of the name is Snorri Sturluson. "Snorre Sturlason" is the modern Norwegian spelling, whereas "Sturlusson" is a Swedish spelling. Since Sturluson is a patronym and not an actual surname, Snorri Sturluson should always be referred to as either "Snorri Sturluson" or "Snorri", never as "Sturluson" only.