Saga

Lore & Background

Sagas are prose stories and histories composed in Iceland and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Scandinavia. They originated in the Middle Ages and continued to be written in the following centuries. Unlike most medieval European historical writing, which used Latin, sagas were composed in the vernacular—Old Norse and its later descendants, primarily Icelandic. Although written in prose, sagas often resemble epic poetry, frequently incorporating stanzas or entire poems in alliterative verse within the text. The word *saga* derives from Old Norse, meaning 'what is said' or 'structured narrative', and was adopted into English by eighteenth-century scholars. The most famous genre is the sagas of Icelanders, which depict Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between Icelandic families. However, saga subject matter is diverse, encompassing pre-Christian Scandinavian legends; saints and bishops; Scandinavian kings and contemporary Icelandic politics; and chivalric romances, either translated from Continental languages or composed locally. Sagas are classified into several genres: kings' sagas, sagas of Icelanders and their short tales, contemporary sagas set in twelfth- and thirteenth-century Iceland, legendary sagas blending remote history with myth, and chivalric sagas. The verse quoted in most saga types is skaldic poetry, while legendary sagas typically use Eddaic verse.

Reader's Guide

Sagas are significant as a major body of medieval vernacular literature, offering insight into the history, culture, and values of Iceland and Scandinavia. They are classified into several genres: kings' sagas (e.g., Heimskringla), sagas of Icelanders (e.g., Njáls saga), contemporary sagas (e.g., Sturlunga saga), legendary sagas (e.g., Vǫlsunga saga), chivalric sagas (translations and local compositions), and saints' and bishops' sagas. The accuracy of sagas is often disputed; they are based on oral traditions, and scholars now generally believe they are conscious artistic creations blending oral and written sources. The vast majority of texts called 'sagas' were composed in Iceland, with exceptions like Þiðreks saga from Norway and Hjalmars och Hramers saga from Sweden.

Did You Know?

• The word saga is cognate with English 'say' and 'saw' (as in 'old saw').
• The reliability of contemporary sagas (samtiðarsögur) is debated among scholars, as they were often written decades or even a century after the events they describe.
• The North Icelandic Benedictine School was a distinctive literary movement in the 14th century involving sagas with identifiable authors and a Latinate style.