Laxdaela is an Icelandic saga. It takes place in the years 850-1100. Its scene of action is mainly Iceland with a quickstop in Norway, Ireland and other European countries.
What makes Laxdaela saga different from other Icelandic sagas is that a woman plays the main role. The themes are love, revenge, jealousy and combats, like in in many other sagas.
Written around 1245 by an unknown author, the Laxdaela Saga is an extraordinary tale of conflicting kinships and passionate love, and one of the most compelling works of Icelandic literature. Covering 150 years in the lives of the inhabitants of the community of Laxriverdale, the saga focuses primarily upon the story of Gudrun Osvif's-daughter: a proud, beautiful, vain and desirable figure, who is forced into an unhappy marriage and destroys the only man she has truly loved - her husband's best friend. A moving tale of murder and sacrifice, romance and regret, the Laxdaela Saga is also a fascinating insight into an era of radical change - a time when the Age of Chivalry was at its fullest flower in continental Europe, and the Christian faith was making its impact felt upon the Viking world.