The Separate (or Independent) Saga of St. Olaf (Óláfs sögu ins Helga inni sérstöku) is one of the kings' sagas. It was written about King Olaf II of Norway (Olaf Haraldsson), later Saint Olaf (Olav den Hellige), patron saint of Norway.

History

It was written in c. 1225 by Snorri Sturluson, who made use of the saga by the priest Styrmir Kárason, now largely lost except for some fragments in Flateyjarbók. A revised version of the Separate Saga was later incorporated into the Heimskringla (c. 1230), often ascribed to Snorri Sturluson. Like many other kings' sagas, the work cites skaldic poems for historical verification or literary embroidery. The work is also valuable for being preceded by two prologues. The principal witness of the text is MS nr. 2 4° in the National Library of Sweden (Kungliga biblioteket), Stockholm. In the longer prologue, Snorri Sturluson expounds on the historical value of skaldic poetry:

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Other sources