142 Norway and the Norwegians 



Skdldskaparmdl, a poetical gradus ; and thirdly, the 

 Hdttatal (list of metres), a collection of specimens of all 

 the different metres used in Icelandic verse. This is 

 the second considerable work ascribed to Snorri. 



Icelandic literature may be said to end with Sturla 

 Thordsson, the author of the Islendinga Saga and the 

 Thorgils Saga. To him have been attributed the whole 

 mass of Sagas known under the head of Sturlunga 

 Saga or Sogur. But it is probable that only two out 

 of the collection are the work of Sturla. He was a 

 member of the great Sturlung family, and a nephew of 

 Snorri Sturluson. He was born a.d. 1214 and died 

 1284. 



In the later period, when the Sagas of the kings of 

 Norway began to be collected, some other collections of 

 Sagas were made, which are now known under their 

 collective names, as, for example — 



Orhuyinga Saga. The history of the Earls of 

 Orkney. 



Fccreyinga Saga. The history of the Faro Islands, 

 especially of the Christianization of them. 



Skjoldunga Saga. The history of the royal family of 

 Denmark (the Skjoldungs). 



Jomsvikiiiga Saga, of which we have spoken as the 

 history of the Joms-Yikings of Mecklenburg. 



When we read these Sagas of the kings, etc., it 

 becomes obvious that the compilers of them did not 

 always avail themselves of prose records only. Snorri, 

 for instance, seems to have been very largely indebted 

 to the court ballad poetry, of which we spoke in the 

 last chapter. 



