52
LET ANOTHER’S
WOUND BE
MY WARNING
NJAL’S SAGA (LATE 13TH CENTURY)
R
ich in heroic exploits,
family feuds, love affairs,
legends, and historical
detail, the Nordic sagas were
written between the 12th and
14th centuries. By and large their
authorship is unknown. Until the
12th century, most belonged to
the oral storytelling tradition, and
were only written down by scribes
some years later. However, unlike
most medieval literature, which
was recorded in Latin, the sagas
were transcribed in the vernacular
languages of ordinary people, in
Old Norse or Old Icelandic.The sagas divide into five main
classes: sagas of the kings, mainly
about the early rulers of Norway,
but including Orkney and Sweden;
contemporary sagas, concerning
the secular matters of Icelandic
chieftains (and sometimes named
after the important Sturlung family);
the Fornaldsogur, which have
little historical basis and relate to
legendary and mythological times;
chivalric romantic sagas, such as
Alexander’s Saga, which started
as translations of French chansons
de geste (“songs of heroic deeds”);
and the Icelanders’ sagas.IN CONTEXT
FOCUS
The Nordic sagasBEFORE
12th century The first Old
Norse sagas, Konungasogur
(“Kings’ Sagas”), are written
in Norway and Iceland.c.1220 Icelandic scholar Snorri
Sturluson is believed to have
either written or compiled
the collection of myths known
as the Prose Edda.Mid–late 1200s An
anonymous verse collection
is compiled of Scandinavian
myths. It is later known as
the Poetic Edda.AFTER
13th century Translations
of French chansons de geste
(“songs of heroic deeds”)
inspire a genre of Icelandic
chivalric sagas.c.1300 Stories about the
Sturlung family in 12th-
century Iceland are collected
as the Sturlunga Saga.The Eddur
The Eddur (singular Edda) refers
to a body of ancient Icelandic
literature found in two 13th-
century books: the Prose Edda
and the Poetic Edda. Together
these two works form the
most comprehensive source
of Scandinavian mythology.
The Prose Edda, or Younger
Edda, was written or compiled
by Icelandic scholar Snorri
Sturluson (1179–1241) in around- It is a textbook on poetry
that explains the meters of early
skalds (court poets) and provides
a guide to mythological subjects
in early poetry. It consists of
a prologue and three parts:
Skáldskaparmál (“The Language
of Poetry”); Háttatal (“A Catalog
of Meters”); and Gylfaginning
(“The Beguiling of Gylfi”), which
tells of the visit of King Gylfi to
Asgard, the citadel of the gods.
The Poetic Edda, or the Elder
Edda, is a later collection that
contains much older material
(800–1100). It consists of heroic
and mythological poems
composed by unknown authors.US_052-053_NjalsSaga.indd 52 08/10/2015 13:03