Saga Club is the longest-standing reading group at UC-Berkeley. Members meet once a month to translate assigned passages of Old Norse literature with wine and snacks. Saga Club has its anchor in the UCB Scandinavian Department, but welcomes visitors, friends in other departments, and other enthusiasts with a few years of Old Norse under their belt.

History

Saga Club was founded in 1954 and counted noted linguists Madison S. Beeler and Stuart L. Fletcher among its first members. Around 200 people have participated in Saga Club over the years, including many local Old Norse students and enthusiasts, and a number of distinguished visitors. Saga Club recently celebrated its 60th anniversary and vows never again to read all of Heimskringla.

Saga Club reading assignments for Njáls saga, 1982

Useful Links
Cleasby-Vigfusson’s Old Icelandic-English Dictionary
Lexicon Poeticum
Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages Database
Zoega’s Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic