Home

Gisli

Gisli is a masculine given name of Old Norse origin, used in Iceland and other Nordic countries. The form Gísli, with the accent mark commonly used in Icelandic, is the standard spelling in modern Icelandic. The name is traditionally connected to a root meaning “hostage” or “pledge,” concepts that appear in Norse storytelling and social practice.

The best-known bearer of the name is Gíslí Súrsson, the central figure of the Icelandic saga Gísla

Today the name Gisli remains in use in Iceland and, to a lesser extent, in other Nordic

saga
Súrssonar.
The
saga
is
one
of
the
classic
Íslendingasögur
and
is
set
in
Iceland
during
the
early
medieval
period,
portraying
themes
of
loyalty,
family
feuds,
hospitality,
vengeance,
and
fate.
Gisli’s
life,
his
alliances
with
friends
and
kin,
and
his
eventual
exile
and
death
explore
the
codes
and
tensions
of
a
tightly
knit
Icelandic
society.
The
work
is
believed
to
have
been
composed
in
the
13th
century
by
an
unknown
author
and
survives
in
medieval
manuscripts.
It
is
widely
studied
for
its
narrative
structure,
portrayal
of
social
norms,
and
its
portrayal
of
honor
and
adversity
within
a
feuding
culture.
regions.
In
English-language
contexts,
the
name
is
often
transliterated
as
Gisli.
The
legacy
of
the
name
is
closely
tied
to
Icelandic
literary
tradition,
where
Gísla
saga
Súrssonar
continues
to
be
read
and
discussed
as
a
key
work
of
medieval
Norse
literature.