Book excerpt: "This book examines the cults and legends of Martha and Mary Magdalen in Scandinavia through the composite Mortu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu, compiled in Iceland in the mid-fourteenth century. The study treats the saga's manuscripts and various Latin sources, which lend insight into its authorship and provenance. Special attention is given to issues of style and content, and in particular, to views on women preaching in medieval Iceland. The book concludes with a normalized edition of the only complete redaction of Mortu saga ok Maríu Magðalenu, followed by its first English translation."--