Sturlu saga was probably composed in the early thirteenth century, but was later included in the larger compilation Sturlunga saga from the early fourteenth century. The narrative deals with events which occurred between 1148 and 1183, with the main focus on the chieftain Sturla Þórðarson of Hvammur (1115-1183), the ancestor of the family of the Sturlungar, which became very prominent in thirteenth-century Icelandic politics. The narrative follows the political competition between Sturla and other chieftains in the Western Quarter of Iceland and is divided into two main parts, before and after the battle of Sælingsdalsheiði in 1171, known as “heiðarvíg”. Sturlu saga is named for its eponymous protagonist and referred to as Heiðarvígs saga in medieval sources. It is likely that people who feature in the narrative and were still alive in the early thirteenth century, such as Guðný...
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Citation: Jakobsson, Sverrir. "Sturlu saga". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40962, accessed 14 December 2025.]
