Einar Pálsson (1925–1996) was an Icelandic writer. He was born in Reykjavík, Iceland. He is best known for his theories about the origin of the Icelandic Saga literature as relict mythology of pagan ritual landscapes. He acquired a cand. phil. degree in 1946, and a BA degree in English and Danish in 1957 (University of Iceland). He graduated from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1948. In 1995 he was awarded The Knight's Cross of the Order of the Falcon by the president of Iceland as recognition of his research into Old Icelandic literature. In 1969 he put forward his theories about the roots of Icelandic culture and developed them further in a series of 11 books. His theories can be grouped into four categories: Theories The mythology theory of Saga origin The Old Norse (Icelandic) Saga literature has a mythological background. The characters of the Sagas originated as personifications of mythological concepts such as fertility, justice, time, death and the four elements. Einar argued that many of the potential symbols in the Sagas would become meaningful when matched with symbols occurring in Mediterranean and Celtic mythology. In Njáls saga in particular, Kári would become associated with time and air, Njáll with creation, fertility and water, Skarphéðinn with death, justice and fire, Höskuldr with grain and fertility, Gunnar with the Sun, Mörðr with the Earth and Bergthora with the Underworld. The mythology was that of the Norse fertility deities Freyr and Freyja who were based on the same principles as fertility deities in the Mediterranean region, primarily Osiris and Isis. The fertility mythology became part of a local ritual landscape in each main valley of Iceland, - the same geographical unit as that of the Sagas. The establishment of the ritual landscape was, according to Einar's thesis, a vital part of the 9th-10th century settlement process, a way of taming the virgin landscape, - creating cosmos out of chaos. With time this localized mythology merged to a varying degree with historical characters and their actions, to become the material for the Saga writers centuries later. The theory of the allegorical Sagas Some of the Saga writers seem to have reworked their mythological material into full allegories. Njáls Saga, for instance, became a major allegory about the conversion to Christianity. The burning of Njáll at Bergþórshvoll was a conflagration marking the end of the pagan (and Celtic Christian)