Þorgils saga ok Hafliða (the saga of Þorgils and Hafliði) is a medieval Icelandic samtíðarsaga forming part of the larger, thirteenth-century Sturlunga saga. Þorgils saga ok Hafliða tells of the chieftains Hafliði Másson and Þorgils Oddason and about the dispute between them in the years 1117–21. The saga was probably composed in the early thirteenth century,Torgils og Havlides saga i Store norske leksikon but possibly as early as 1180 or as late as 1237 (after the death of Bishop Magnús Gissurarson).Jónas Kristjánsson. Eddas and sagas, Iceland's Medieval Literature. Translated by Peter Foote. Hið íslenska bókmenntafélag, 2007. .
Content The conflict arises as a result of misdeeds of Már, a relative of Hafliði, and it leads several killings, and with Þorgils being declared an outlaw by the Thing.Eldar Heide: Samandrag Soga om Torgils og Havlide The two parties are eventually reconciled, at the initiative of Bishop Ketill.Finnur Jónsson. Den oldnorske og oldislandske litteraturs historie; bind 2. København, 1898/1923 The saga gives the impression of being an exemplum for how conflicts can be resolved peacefully.Fredrik Paasche. Norsk litteraturhistorie. Bind 1: Norges og Islands litteratur indtil utgangen av middelalderen. Aschehoug, 1924. The saga is also known for the tenth chapter's depiction of Yngvildr Þorðardóttir's wedding at Reykjahólar in 1119: the passage is characterised by portrayals of the use of poetry and of oral storytelling as forms of entertainment, making it central to the literary-historical discussion of the oral saga tradition in Iceland.Resonnement fra innledningen til sagaen i samleverket Sagalitteraturen, 1984 Amongst other entertainments, the saga mentions that the farmer Hrólfr of Skálmarnes
Manuscripts The text is mostly preserved in post-medieval paper copies of Sturlunga saga, but the last part is found in an earlier parchment manuscript, AM 122A.
Editions and translations The saga is found in editions and translations of Sturlunga saga. Stand-alone handlings of the saga include the following. Þorgils saga ok Hafliða, ed. by Ursula Brown (London: Oxford University Press, 1952). Soga om Torgils og Havlide. Trans. by Jan Ragnar Hagland. Samlaget, 1979. (Norrøne bokverk ; 47). . Reprinted in 1984 in Sagalitteraturen vol. 3. .
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