Lars Lönnroth is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Gothenburg. He is the author of European Sources of Icelandic Saga-Writing (1965), Njáls saga: A Critical Introduction (1976), Den dubbla scenen: Muntlig diktning från Eddan till ABBA (1978), coauthor and editor of Den svenska litteraturen 7 vols. (1987-90) and co-editor of Structure and Meaning in Old Norse Literature (1986).

Barry Millington is a music critic for The Times and Reviews Editor of the BBC Music Magazine. He is the author of Master Musicians: Wagner (1984), editor of The Wagner Compendium (1992), and co-editor, with Stewart Spencer, of Selected Letters of Richard Wagner (1987), Wagner in Performance (1992) and Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung: A Companion (1993).

Selma Guðmundsdóttir is a concert pianist. She has given many solo recitals and chamber music performances in Europe and the USA, as well as made recordings for TV, radio and several CDs. A board member of the Reykjavík Arts Festival in 1992–1994, she was in charge of the cooperation with the Bayreuth Festival on the Icelandic production of the Ring in Reykjavík 1994.

Stewart Spencer is an editor and translator. He is editor of Wagner, co-editor, with Barry Millington, of Selected Letters of Richard Wagner (1987) and Wagner in Performance (1992), and translator and co-editor of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung: A Companion (1993).

Vésteinn Ólason is Professor of Icelandic Literature at the University of Iceland. He is the author of The Traditional Ballads of Iceland: Historical Studies (1982), editor of Sagnadansar (1979), co-editor of Íslendingasögur, 8 vols. (1968–1973), and co-author and editor of Íslensk bókmenntasaga, vol. I–II (1992–1993).

Þorsteinn Gylfason is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Iceland. He is the author of Tilraun um manninn (1970) and Tilraun um heiminn (1992), co-author, with Peter Geach, of Þrætubókarkorn (1981), editor of the series Lærdómsrit Bókmenntafélagsins (1970–), co-editor of Einlyndi og marglyndi by Sigurður Nordal (1986) and translator into Icelandic of Kierkegaard, John Stuart Mill, Plato, Descartes and numerous poets. He wrote the script of the Icelandic version of Der Ring des Nibelungen.