Hryggjarstykki (Mid 12th c. Old Norse: [ˈhrʏɡːjarˌstʏkːɪ]; Icelandic: [ˈr̥ɪcːarˌstɪhcɪ], literally ‘sheldrake’) is a lost kings' saga written in Old Norse in the mid-twelfth century and dealing with near-contemporary events.
The work is cited by Snorri Sturluson in Heimskringla, where its reliability is emphasized.
It has been suggested that Morkinskinna, Heimskringla and Fagrskinna made use of three different versions of Eiríkr's work.
[3] Unlike most of the later kings' sagas Hryggjarstykki may have been an exclusively prose work, though it seems to have made some use of skaldic poetry.
[5] Its time of composition would then be around 1150, possibly making it the earliest saga.