Vals alterations

12/07/2026

12/07/2026

Erling Haaland and his father, former Norway international Alf-Inge Haaland, spent 1.3 million Norwegian kroner, around $134,000, on the only surviving copy of a rare 1594 book of Norway's Viking royal sagas, a record for a book sale in the country. Rather than keep it, they handed it to the public library in Bryne, the town where Erling grew up.

Written by 13th century Icelandic historian Snorri Sturluson and later translated into Norwegian, the book traces the nation's history through its Viking kings, from ancient myth to the medieval monarchs who shaped the country. Under the terms of the gift, it has to stay on permanent public display so anyone can walk in and read it.

The Haalands also set up a reading competition for local schools, with the winning classes invited to watch the Norwegian national team play at Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo.