Resources
Hákonarætt is committed to serious study of the Old Norse tradition and to making the sources of that tradition accessible to those who wish to learn.
This library brings together Eddic literature, sagas, historical sources, Old Norse language resources, and selected scholarship for study, reflection, and continued learning.
Many of these resources also support the educational work of the Hákonarætt Institute of Eddic Studies.
The HIES Open Library
The Hákonarætt Institute of Eddic Studies seeks to make serious study of the Old Norse tradition accessible without requiring expensive textbooks.
Whenever practical, Institute courses draw upon public-domain primary sources, historical scholarship, and responsibly licensed open educational materials.
Older scholarship is studied critically and in historical context. Institute instruction helps students distinguish primary evidence, scholarly interpretation, later developments in research, and contemporary application.
The sources are open. The study remains rigorous.
Eddas & Sagas
The Poetic Edda
Henry Adams Bellows, trans. • 1923
PRIMARY SOURCE
A foundational English translation of the Eddic poems, including Völuspá, Hávamál, Vafþrúðnismál, and the heroic lays.
The Prose Edda
Arthur Gilchrist Brodeur, trans. • 1916
PRIMARY SOURCE
Snorri Sturluson's influential account of mythology and poetic tradition and one of the principal surviving sources for the study of Old Norse mythology.
Heimskringla
Snorri Sturluson • Samuel Laing, trans.
PRIMARY SOURCE
The sagas of the kings of Norway, including Hákon the Good, providing important material for the study of kingship, leadership, religion, political history, and cultural transition.
The Story of Burnt Njal
George Webbe Dasent, trans.
PRIMARY SOURCE
A major Icelandic saga exploring law, honor, feud, friendship, responsibility, reconciliation, and the consequences of conflict.
The Story of the Volsungs and Niblungs
Eiríkr Magnússon & William Morris, trans. • 1870
PRIMARY SOURCE
The Völsunga saga tradition of heroes, kinship, fate, loyalty, conflict, and memory.
The Story of Grettir the Strong
Eiríkr Magnússon & William Morris, trans.
PRIMARY SOURCE
An Icelandic saga centered on Grettir Ásmundarson and themes of reputation, law, exile, strength, adversity, and social belonging.
Old Norse Language
An Icelandic Primer
Henry Sweet • Second Edition, 1895
REFERENCE
An introduction to Old Icelandic grammar with readings, notes, glossary, and foundational language instruction.
A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic
Geir T. Zoëga • 1910
REFERENCE
A practical dictionary for students reading Old Norse and Old Icelandic texts.
An Icelandic-English Dictionary
Richard Cleasby & Guðbrandur Vigfússon • 1874
ADVANCED REFERENCE
A comprehensive historical dictionary for advanced language study and textual research.
History & Society
Social Scandinavia in the Viking Age
Mary Wilhelmine Williams • 1920
HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP
A study of Scandinavian social life, household organization, customs, institutions, and society during the Viking Age.
Historical scholarship reflects the knowledge, terminology, and interpretations of its period and should be studied alongside contemporary research and Institute commentary.
Religion & Tradition
The Religion of Ancient Scandinavia
William A. Craigie • 1914
HISTORICAL SCHOLARSHIP
An early scholarly examination of Old Norse religious evidence, mythology, religious practice, and the limitations of the surviving sources.
Historical scholarship reflects the knowledge, terminology, and interpretations of its period and should be studied alongside contemporary research and Institute commentary.
Advanced Sources
Corpus Poeticum Boreale
Guðbrandur Vigfússon & F. York Powell • 1883
SOURCE COLLECTION
A major collection of Old Northern poetry for advanced textual, literary, and comparative study.
Origines Islandicae
Guðbrandur Vigfússon & F. York Powell • 1905
SOURCE COLLECTION
A collection of sagas and native writings concerning the settlement, early history, law, constitution, conversion, and cultural development of Iceland.
Hákonarætt Resources
As the Fellowship grows, this library will also include educational materials developed by Hákonarætt for the life of its kindreds and the wider study of the Old Norse tradition.
Future resources may include study guides, historical reference materials, leadership resources, educational essays, and materials supporting kindred life and formation.
Continue Learning
The Open Library is intended to grow alongside the Fellowship and the Institute, providing a lasting collection of sources through which the Old Norse tradition can be studied, understood, and carried forward.