Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse
kings' sagas. It was written in
Old Norse in
Iceland by the poet and historian
Snorri Sturluson (1178/79–1241) ca. 1230. The name
Heimskringla was first used in the 17th century, derived from the first two words of one of the manuscripts (
kringla heimsins -
the circle of the world).