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 (1179 – 1242) ca. 1230. The name "Heimskringla" was first used in the 17th century, it comes from the first two words of one of the manuscripts ("kringla heimsins" - "the circle of the world").