Snorri Sturluson (1178 – September 23, 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was three-time elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He was the author of the "Prose Edda" or "Younger Edda" and the "Heimskringla", a history of the Norwegian kings that begins with legendary material and moves through to early medieval Scandinavian history.