Eric Brighteyes

Henry Rider HaggardJan 2016

3.9

Word count: 131K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

An 1891 romance based on the Icelandic sagas, Henry Rider Haggard's Eric Brighteyes will stir the blood of even the most jaded of modern audiences. Drawn from the old stories of the north, it moves with a vigor that reaches across the centuries, quickening even readers whom modern fiction has left weary. Its saga blood runs hot, and the tale carries that heat with it from the first page to the last.

Editor's review

This work draws on Icelandic sagas to make a romantic narrative with the colour of legend. Its value lies in weaving the Nordic heroic themes of revenge, honour, love and fate into a highly readable framework, so that readers need not face the difficulties of the original sagas to feel that cold yet passionate narrative temper. Haggard writes with the manner of a nineteenth-century romantic adventure novel: scenes are vividly pictured and action drives the plot, suiting readers who like heroic legend and Nordic subjects. While reading, focus on the characters' choices and their sense of fate, and see how saga material is recast as a modern novel. Note that the treatment of female characters and some pacing bear clear marks of their period; modern readers should read with a critical eye, treating the book as a window on the reception history of Nordic material rather than historical reconstruction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who like Norse myth and saga subjects
Readers interested in heroic legend and adventure narrative
Those who want to see how nineteenth-century romance reworked folk material
Readers needing a plot-driven work to vary their reading rhythm

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strict historical scholarship or academic saga translations
Readers sensitive to nineteenth-century gender attitudes and narrative conventions
Readers who prefer fast-paced modern multi-strand structures

Reading tips

Learn a little about the basic background of Icelandic sagas before reading, to grasp character motives more easily.
While reading, note the hero's choices among honour, love and revenge, and make brief annotations.
Compare the plot with known saga stories and observe what the author rewrote, added or cut.
If the opening feels slow, focus first on the scene descriptions and the relationships.

Copyright information
DEDICATION
INTRODUCTION
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
XXIII
XXIV
XXV
XXVI
XXVII
XXVIII
XXIX
XXX
XXXI
XXXII
XXXIII

FAQ

Can I read this book without knowing Norse myth?

Yes. The story has a complete plot and can be followed without prior knowledge. But some familiarity with the basic framework of honour, revenge and fate in the saga tradition will make the characters' logic easier to understand and enrich the reading experience.

How does this book relate to the original Icelandic sagas?

It is a romance written from Icelandic saga material, a re-creation rather than a translation or scholarly edition. The author borrows saga characters and story frames and retells them in the manner of a nineteenth-century novel, so it should be read as literature, not as a substitute for the sagas.

Is this book suitable for young readers?

It can be recommended to stronger young readers as an adventure legend, but it contains violent conflict and period-bound gender depictions. Adults should look it over first and discuss its values with young readers afterwards, so that its treatment is not taken as historical fact.

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About the author

Henry Rider Haggard Author · British · 1856–1925

Henry Rider Haggard (1856–1925) was a British writer of adventure fiction, known for his exotic tales of exploration and regarded as one of the pioneers of the "lost world" literary genre. Born in Norfolk, he spent many years working in South Africa, an experience that provided ample material for his writing. His works are mostly set in Africa and ancient Egypt, with intricate plots and rich imagination; his representative novel King Solomon's Mines and the Allan Quatermain stories are widely known. Four of his works are included here: Moon of Israel, Eric Brighteyes, The Virgin of the Sun and Doctor Therne, commonly classified as inspirational growth. His influence continues to this day.