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Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997)
Saga

Tagged: Theme.

The word "saga" is Norse for "tale", and sagas were essentially retellings of Scandinavian history and Folktales in a narrative form. In giving them structure and continuity the sagamen, the Nordic equivalent of Homer or Scheherazade, turned history into Story, and made Heroes out of their ancestors. Most of the sagas are adventure tales, and are not fantastic. However, those derived from the Eddas (see Nordic Fantasy) drew more heavily on Myths and Legends. The original sagas were Nordic and Icelandic, and were written in the eleventh to fourteenth centuries. Most famous is Burnt Njál's Saga (eleventh century), about one of Iceland's most beloved and law-abiding countrymen. More in the realm of the supernatural is Grettir's Saga (eleventh century), an early form of Heroic Fantasy. Grettir, a young hothead, is banished after killing someone in a quarrel. In exile he undergoes many adventures, mostly supernatural, including the episode often reprinted in the version best known as "The Sword of Glam" or "The Ghost of Glam" adapted by Andrew Lang in The Book of Dreams and Ghosts (coll 1897). Grettir's Saga was translated in verse by William Morris and as a story by S Baring-Gould. Also famous is Volsunga Saga (final form thirteenth century). Poul Anderson retold another famous saga in Hrolf Kraki's Saga (1973). The best-known sagaman is Snorri Sturluson (1179-1241), who wrote the Heimskringla ["Orb of the World"], telling the history of the Norwegian kings.

The word "saga" is often used for any extended Story Cycle or mythos, most notably the stories about Arthur, Charlemagne and Dietrich of Bern, but these are more properly treated as medieval Romances. It is also used commercially to describe multi-volume Genre Fantasies. [MA]



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