Árna saga biskups also Árna saga Þorlákssonar is one of the sagas of the bishops on the life and ministry of Árni Þorláksson, bishop of Skálholt between 1269 and 1298. Áni was born in Svínafell in 1237 and was educated by Brandur Jónsson of the familiar clan of the Svínfellingar, Augustinian monastery of Þykkvabœr. Arni was a loyalist monarchist and friend of the archbishop of Niðaróss (Trondheim), so he often visited Norway, where he died (in Bergen) in 1298. The saga deals with the events of his life up to 1291, although some final fragments of the work have been lost. The plot focuses on two main themes: the conflicts in Iceland between the power of the Church and the secular authority over ecclesiastical property (staðamál), and the ratification of Jónsbók in the Althing (1281). The saga is clearly favorable to clerical authority. It is theorized that it is an early 14th-century work of Árni Helgason, a relative who succeeded Árni, and well versed in the affairs of the diocese of Skálholt. The sources of the saga are based on medieval diocesan annals and records, and contemporary oral tradition.
Arna saga biskups is found in manuscripts that contain the last part of the Sturlunga saga, and shares the same descriptive style, though deeply linked with pious reflections on the affairs of men. The saga is considered among the most important sources on the policy between Norway and Iceland in the Average Age. Bibliography
wiki