The Legendary Legacy

Beskrivelse

Dive into the fascinating world of the fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda, a collection of around 35 Icelandic prose tales that recount the adventures of kings and heroes from late Iron Age and early Viking Age Scandinavia. These stories take place before Norway's unification under Haraldr hárfagri and before Iceland was settled in the late ninth century, offering a glimpse into a time before historical records became reliable.

An exploration of the legendary sagas’ origins, transmission, and enduring influence.

The fornaldarsögur, literally “ancient sagas of the northern lands” and often called “mythical-heroic” or “legendary” sagas in English-are believed to have been written down mostly in the 14th and 15th centuries, making them one of the later saga genres. Despite their medieval composition, many of these stories have roots in much older oral traditions. While some critics have dismissed them due to their frequent use of stock characters and fantastical elements, their popularity is undeniable. This is evident from the vast number of manuscripts-over a thousand-preserved from the early 14th century through to the early 20th century.

These sagas were also adapted into verse forms, such as rímur, long poems with intricate meters-or ballads. Their influence extends beyond Icelandic literature, inspiring notable authors like Adam Oehlenschläger and J. R. R. Tolkien.

This volume features essays from the research project Stories for all time: The Icelandic fornaldarsögur at the University of Copenhagen. The project’s main goal was to examine the full transmission history of these sagas. Reflecting this focus, the collected essays delve into various aspects of how the fornaldarsögur have been transmitted and received from their earliest forms right up to the present day.

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