Snorri Sturluson

Legacy: the Artists Behind the Legends

Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic poet, historian, and politician, elected twice as the lawspeaker of the Icelandic Parliament, the Althing, and who also served as a royal vassal for the Norwegian King Hakon during an era of tremendous political upheaval amongst the Nordic states. As a writer, Snorri is best known for three major pieces: the Prose Edda, the Heimskringla, and though it is technically not confirmed, he’s credited additionally with Egil's Saga. Most notably, Snorri is responsible for saving huge chunks of Norse Mythology, all of which would have been lost to history if not for him, and additionally for documenting the monarchs and bloodlines of Norway that had yet to be recorded. But setting aside Snorri’s professional work, this guy lived a life that more or less mirrors the violence and politics of Game of Thrones with a dash of Vikings added to it – two wives, multiple concubines, lots of children, warring against his brother and other chieftains for power, manipulating monarchs, using his fame as a writer to stay alive...let’s just put it this way, this has been my favorite episode to piece together yet, and holy shit is it going to blow your mind. Let’s venture back to Iceland nearly eight centuries ago, grab a cup of mead, and dig into the life of Snorri Sturluson.