Excerpt from
Njáls saga in the
Möðruvallabók (AM 132 folio 13r) circia 1350.
The
sagas (from
Icelandic saga, plural
sögur), are stories about ancient
Scandinavian and
Germanic history, about early
Viking voyages, about migration to
Iceland, and of
feuds between Icelandic families. They were written in the
Old Norse language, mainly in
Iceland.
The texts are
epic tales in
prose, often with stanzas or whole poems in
alliterative verse embedded in the text, of heroic deeds of days long gone,
tales of worthy men, who were often
Vikings, sometimes
Pagan, sometimes
Christian. The tales are usually realistic, except legendary sagas, sagas of saints, sagas of bishops and translated or recomposed romances. They are sometimes romanticised and fantastic, but always dealing with human beings one can understand.
Background
The term
saga originates from the Icelandic
saga (pl. sögur), and refers to (1) "what is said, statement" or (2) "story, tale, history". It is cognate with the English word "say", and the
German sagen. Icelandic sagas are based on oral traditions and much research has focused on what is real and what is fiction within each tale. The accuracy of the sagas is often hotly disputed. Most of the manuscripts in which the sagas are preserved were taken to
Denmark and
Sweden in the 17th century, but later returned to
Iceland.
There are plenty of tales of
kings (e.g.
Heimskringla), every-day people (e.g.
Bandamanna saga) and larger than life characters (e. g.
Egils saga). The sagas describe a part of the history of some of the
Nordic countries (e.g. the last chapter of
Hervarar saga). The British Isles, northern France and North America are also mentioned. It was only recently (start of 20th century) that the tales of the voyages to America were authenticated.
Most sagas of
Icelanders take place in the period 930–1030, which is actually called
söguöld (Age of the Sagas) in Icelandic history. The sagas of kings, bishops, contemporary sagas and so on, of course have their own time frame. Most were written down between 1190 to 1320, sometimes existing as oral traditions long before, others are pure fiction, and for some we do know the sources: The author of King
Sverrir's saga had met the king and used him as a source.
Classification
Norse sagas are generally classified as:
Kings' sagas (Konungasögur)
These tell of the lives of Scandinavian
kings. They were composed in the 12th to 14th centuries.
Icelanders' sagas (Íslendinga sögur)
These are heroic prose narratives written in the 12th to 14th centuries of the great families of Iceland from 930 to 1030. These are the highest form of the classical Icelandic saga writing. Some well-known examples include
Njáls saga,
Laxdœla saga and Grettis saga.
Short tales of Icelanders (
Íslendingaþættir
)
The material of these sagas is similar to Íslendinga sögur
, just shorter.
Contemporary sagas (
Samtíðarsögur
or Samtímasögur
)
These narratives are set in 12th and 13th century Iceland, and were written soon after the events they describe. Most are preserved in the compilation Sturlunga saga.
Legendary sagas (
Fornaldarsögur
)
These blend remote history with myth or legend. The aim is on a lively narrative and entertainment. Scandinavia's pagan past was a proud and heroic history for the Icelanders.
Chivalric sagas (
Riddarasögur
)
Queen Ragnhild's dream.
Other
Styrbjarnar þáttr SvíakappaHróa þáttr heimskaEymundar þáttr hringsEindriða þáttr ok Erlings''
External links and references
- - The Icelandic sagas in the original Icelandic along with translations into many languages
Category:History of the Germanic peoplesCategory:Medieval literature Category:Sources of Norse mythologyCategory:Icelandic literatureCategory:Medieval ScotlandCategory:Old Norse literaturearz:ساجاbe:Сагіbe-x-old:Сагіbg:Сагаcs:Sága (literatura)da:Sagade:Altnordische Literaturel:Σκανδιναβική Σάγκαes:Saga (literatura)eo:Sagaofr:Sagagl:Sagako:사가 (문학)it:Saga (letteratura)ka:საგა (ლიტერატურა)hu:Saganl:Saga (literatuur)ja:サガno:Sagalitteraturnn:Sagapl:Saga (literatura)pt:Saga (literatura)ro:Sagaru:Сагаsk:Ságafi:Saagasv:Sagalitteraturtr:Sagauk:Сагаzh:萨迦 (文学)
