Icelanders' sagas

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The Icelanders' sagas (Icelandic: Íslendingasögur) - many of which are also known as family sagas - are prose histories describing mostly events that took place in Iceland during the Age of Settlement (870-930) and the following century. They are the best known element of Icelandic literature nowadays.

The saga writers sought to record their heroes' great achievements and to glorify the virtues of courage and honour. Almost without exception, the names of these authors are unknown. One - Egils Saga - is often ascribed to Snorri Sturluson, a descendant of its hero, but this is not certain.

There are certain traits that are pertinent to the description of Icelandic sagas. One is that they are a literary phenomenon from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries AD. Another is that they are focused on history, especially genealogical and family history, describing events from the previous centuries. They also reflect the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the second and third generations of people who settled there after coming from Europe. There are many sagas that include struggle in the midst of personal honor, heroism, and life in their community, all within the context of historical events. It was therefore a challenge to construct this form of narrative, one that is both culturally satisfying and entertaining to listeners, but also historically significant. In doing so, however, the Icelanders patented their own styles of literary culture while at the same time preserving their history in the oral tradition.

Many sagas were the products of oral tradition, as most were not taken through compositions in writing. Due to this oral tradition, certain characteristics appear within these sagas. One is the parallelisms that begin to appear between many of these sagas over time due to the process of assimilation, which affects the manner and style in which the saga is depicted. Particular words and phrases also begin to be included over time, especially when applied to specific situations and circumstances. These also create a sense of unification between the sagas, which only grow in similarity as time goes on. Listeners (or readers) would react to these key words and phrases which would then cause them to react to another particular saga including the same phrase. Therefore, the more often it is used, the more it will be connect in the consciousness, and then be used in other related sagas. This is not due to many similar stories being told, but due to many people passing down the same story to the next generations, and in this way individuals were unable to alter it in their own fashion.

Who exactly was able to speak of these sagas, to recite them in a manner worthy of respect to their history and heritage? It is clear that the common Icelandic farmer most likely would not be able to do justice to the immense sagas at that time, so some people were specially skilled in that art form (reminiscent of classical Homer). There were not many of these professional story-tellers or minstrels, for they were not very common, much like talented musicians in todays society. There were also different varieties of these story tellers. Ballad-singers had powerful and melodic voices and were fond of reciting poetry. Tellers of folk-tales put an emphasis on the supernatural and would use vivid imaginations and story-telling techniques in order to put emphasis on such tales. There were also narrators of true stories and histories, who focused more on study than literary technique. Throughout time the methods used for story-telling changed, as did the tales themselves. Therefore it would become necessary to adapt with the changing literary climate, although in some ways the preservation of tradition was still stressed as to not completely change how these sagas were passed down.

There are certain features that pertain to Icelandic family sagas that help distinguish them from other forms of literature in its day. The Icelandic sagas indeed were passed down over time and eventually made their way to other parts of Europe, but only in Iceland were these sagas written down in the same way they were passed down, remaining unedited and unrevised. This helped preserve the traditional Icelandic saga that was handed down from the beginning. This decision was imperative, especially at the time it was done, since many of the sagas would have been lost if people had waited until the later centuries to write down their own oral histories. The Icelanders also had a certain taste for the genealogies and memoirs of the people, which are reflected in their sagas, with evidence of this being the writings of the lives of Norwegian kings. There are many theories that are attributed to the success and artistic value of the Icelandic sagas, some of which being continuous story telling at social gatherings, family pride and subsequent family feuds, and an aristocratic community.

However, although there may be catalysts for the writing of the sagas, there are also attributes that must be present in order to sustain the continuing survival and evolution of the sagas. The continuity and focus on genealogical ties from generation to generation is one of the necessary factors that must be present in order to preserve these memoirs. The people carrying on the sagas must adhere to the same traditions of those who came before, or else the remembrance and customs would eventually be forgotten. Another factor that aided in the preservation of Icelandic sagas was the population of Iceland, or lack thereof. An orator would not need to cater to the masses, nor alter the context of the story in order to suit a changing society, which would undoubtedly happen in a larger population. Therefore, the preservation of the original sagas flourished in a society such as this, one large enough to ensure the survival of such stories but small enough to preserve them as they were. Ulitimately, though, it was not the population or focus of the family that lead to the survival of these sagas; it was the fact that they were finally transcribed into written literature after the interest was taken by government and clerical figure at that time.

Many sagas have been translated into English. There are many popular sagas, including Egils saga, Njáls saga, the Laxdaela saga and the saga of Grettir the Strong. Other known sagas include The Vinland Sagas, The Saga of the Confederates, and The Tale of the Story-wise Icelander.

See List of Icelandic sagas for the main Icelandic Sagas (Íslendingasögur).

The original vellum manuscripts as well as later copies of them and some present-day translations of the sagas can be studied on-line.


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External links

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References

  • Arnold, Martin. The Post-Classical Icelandic Family Saga. The Edwin Mellen Press. United Kingdom. 2003
  • Karlsson, Gunnar. The History of Iceland. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 2000.
  • Liestol, Knut. The Origin of the Icelandic Family Sagas. Harvard University Press. Norway. 1930.
  • Miller, William Ian (1990). Bloodtaking and Peacemaking: Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Ornolfur, Thorsson. The Sagas of Icelanders. Leifur Eiriksson Publishing Ltd. Great Britain. 1997
  • Thorsson, Örnólfur, et al. :The Sagas of the Icelanders: a selection (Penguin Classics, 2000).
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See also

el:Ισλανδική Σάγκα is:Íslendingasögur

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