saga
Sign in to saveSagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia.
AI overview
Sagas are prose stories and histories written in Iceland and other parts of Scandinavia that provide valuable records of medieval Norse culture, society, and events. They matter because they are among the oldest and most important sources we have for understanding the Viking Age and early Scandinavian history.
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Article
17 sectionsContents
- Etymology and meaning of ''saga''
- Genres
- Kings' sagas
- Sagas of Icelanders and short tales of Icelanders
- Contemporary sagas
- Legendary sagas
- Chivalric sagas
- Saints' and bishops' sagas
- History
- Explanations for saga writing
- Editions and translations
- Popular culture
- See also
- References and notes
- Sources
- Further reading
- External links
Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia.
The most famous saga-genre is the sagas of Icelanders, which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between Icelandic families. However, sagas' subject matter is diverse, including pre-Christian Scandinavian legends; saints and bishops both from Scandinavia and elsewhere; Scandinavian kings and contemporary Icelandic politics; and chivalric romances either translated from Continental European languages or composed locally.