Many of his contemporaries looked on Snorri as the leader that he was and they were eager to have him as a friend. He was twice a lawspeaker at the Althing and was better received by the Norwegian king than any other Icelander. It's no wonder that much has been written about the man Snorri in old Icelandic literature.
Writers also mention Snorri's faults and shortcomings. He was thought to be very opportunistic, i.e. a man who only does what serves his own interests and he even joined his enemies when he could make a profit out of it.
The writers also point out Snorri's passion for power and money. A good example of that is that he without hesitation married his daughters into famous and powerful families, even against their will. Another example of this is that when the Norwegian king is going to subjugate Iceland for himself and Snorri is going to help him in exchange for a good position at the king's court. So much was his passion for power and money that he didn't hesitate at getting his country under the leadership of another country. This was due to the quarrels of Icelanders with some merchants. All this influenced Snorri's life and his political future tremendously.
People who read about Snorri Sturluson today, often form their own opinions as to whether Snorri was a good guy or a bad guy. It will in most cases make a lot of difference in the readers' mind how Snorri was conductive to the Icelanders becoming the subjects of the King in Norway - in the 13ht century. It's almost impossible for people to know whether Snorri was a good or a bad politician, because our historical and literal sources all tell different stories about him in this matter.
One thing is certain, however. He was a controversial figure. He was a great aristocrat, received many great titles and had a lot of power and a lot of enemies. All sources agree on his thirst for power and money, though.
Personally, we think itīs impossible for us to say whether or not he was a good guy or a bad guy. But despite that fact he was a very interesting man, and itīs very interesting to read about him and his works, and we recommend this reading to all people!
