Translations of Old Norse Prose 1950-2000
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The Grettis Saga Through Time and Space: an Exploration of Topics in Old Norse Sagas
Academic Journal 157 of Modern Kornelia Lasota Philology University of Silesia in Katowice ISSN 2353–3218 The Grettis Saga through Time and Space: An Vol. 10 (2020) s. 157–162 Exploration of Topics in Old Norse Sagas. Abstract The paper provides a brief summary of the Old NorseGrettis Saga and examines it in terms of research aspects outside of the field of literary studies. It highlights the historical, cultural, social, and religious contexts of the work, giving explanation as to where indications of them can be found in the saga. At the same time it tries to explain some of the more obscure aspects, such as the supernatural elements, in order to give clarity to the method of interpretation. Vital information on the grouping of Old Norse sagas, as well as the importance of ancestry in the texts, are provided and elaborated. Definitions of key terms essential to understand the source material are provided and kept on a level clear to a reader not fluent in the topic. Categorizations of the mentioned saga genre are also provided, with the hope to spark interest in the vast variety of motifs and key aspects of the Old Norse sagas. Further suggestions for research outside of the field are presented; however, they are not taken up completely. The paper shows the Old Norse sagas as potent, yet often overlooked, literary works worthy of attention as possible research material in the field of humanities. Keywords: Old Norse saga, Grettis Saga, literature, medieval studies, sagas of the Icelanders The aim of the following paper is to present the Old NorseGrettis Saga highlighting some of the many aspects in which the text can be useful in research, even outside of purely literary theses. -
Ordbog Over Det Norrøne Prosasprog
Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog © 2004 Den arnamagnæanske kommission Sats: ONP & UNI·C Skrift: Monotype Plantin Tryk: Grafisk Data Center A/S, Odense ISBN: 87-7001-285-7 Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog ONP 1-3 : Nøgle // Key Redigeret af Helle Degnbol, Bent Chr. Jacobsen, James E. Knirk, Eva Rode, Christopher Sanders, Þorbjörg Helgadóttir Udgivet af Den arnamagnæanske kommission København 2004 Foreword The principal aid to Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog // A Dictionary of Old Norse Prose (ONP 1 : a-bam, ONP 2 : ban-da, ONP 3 : de-em) is the volume of indices (ONP : Registre // Indices,1989). In the present booklet (ONP 1-3:Nøgle//Key) there is a short user’s guide in Danish and English, corrections and additions to the volume of indices (Sigla, Medieval Manuscripts), the most important corrections to ONP 1-3,acompletebibliographytoalltheONPvolumes,and a revised list of abbreviations and symbols. This booklet is therefore a complete replacement of the previous booklets, which can be discarded. ONP’s website (www.onp.hum.ku.dk) gives access to an electronic version of parts of the present booklet (Vejledning // User’s Guide, Bibliografi // Bibliography and Forkortelser & symboler // Abbreviations & Symbols). ONP’s indices (Sigla and Medieval Manuscripts) are also available on the website, and these are regularly updated. ONP’s postal address is: Ordbog over det norrøne prosasprog Københavns universitet Amager Njalsgade 136 DK-2300 København S Denmark e-mail: [email protected] website: http://www.onp.hum.ku.dk ONP’s publications can be -
A Study of the Figure of Prominent Woman in the Sagas of Icelanders
A STUDY OF THE FIGURE OF THE PROMINENT WOMAN IN THE SAGAS OF ICELANDERS, WITH A PARTICULAR FOCUS ON NJÁLS SAGA, LAXDÆLA SAGA, AND GUNNLAUGS SAGA ORMSTUNGU. The figure of the prominent woman is a common image throughout the Sagas of Icelanders, often resulting in some of the most memorable female characters found on Old Norse literature. The prominent woman is characterised by some admirable qualities, for example, wisdom, beauty, determination, and strong-mindedness. However, she is also often attributed with some less desirable characteristics, such as spite, greed, a vengeful nature, and a taste for violence. These women function in different ways in the sagas, sometimes appearing as the beautiful temptress, the whetter, or the wise woman, but all ultimately cause tragedy as a consequence of their actions. In this essay I am going to argue that the prominent women of the sagas represent the male’s misogynistic fear of the powerful masculine woman who threatens male dominance. I will focus on the prominent women in Njáls saga, Laxdæla saga, and Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu, particularly the figures of Hallgerd Hoskuldsdottir, Gudrun Osvifsdottir, and Helga Thorsteinsdottir (the Fair). In the texts, all of these women deviate from the societal norms expected of medieval Icelandic women, albeit in different ways. Indeed, all of these women have similar functions in the texts, appearing as scapegoats for male weakness and serving as a warning for both men and woman alike against the destructive power of the strong female figure. Women in medieval Icelandic society were under the control of the men in their family, whether that be a husband, father, or brothers.1 Indeed, women had little say in the important events of their lives and were expected to marry whomever the men in their family decided. -
Pilgrims to Thule
MARBURG JOURNAL OF RELIGION, Vol. 22, No. 1 (2020) 1 Pilgrims to Thule: Religion and the Supernatural in Travel Literature about Iceland Matthias Egeler Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Abstract The depiction of religion, spirituality, and/or the ‘supernatural’ in travel writing, and more generally interconnections between religion and tourism, form a broad and growing field of research in the study of religions. This contribution presents the first study in this field that tackles tourism in and travel writing about Iceland. Using three contrasting pairs of German and English travelogues from the 1890s, the 1930s, and the 2010s, it illustrates a number of shared trends in the treatment of religion, religious history, and the supernatural in German and English travel writing about Iceland, as well as a shift that happened in recent decades, where the interests of travel writers seem to have undergone a marked change and Iceland appears to have turned from a land of ancient Northern mythology into a country ‘where people still believe in elves’. The article tentatively correlates this shift with a change in the Icelandic self-representation, highlights a number of questions arising from both this shift and its seeming correlation with Icelandic strategies of tourism marketing, and notes a number of perspectives in which Iceland can be a highly relevant topic for the research field of religion and tourism. Introduction England and Germany have long shared a deep fascination with Iceland. In spite of Iceland’s location far out in the North Atlantic and the comparative inaccessibility that this entailed, travellers wealthy enough to afford the long overseas passage started flocking to the country even in the first half of the nineteenth century. -
Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them. Scripta Islandica 72/2021
Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them On the Concept of álfar in the Translated riddarasǫgur FELIX LUMMER 1. Introduction The process of translation attempts to enable the understanding of for eign concepts and ideas, something which naturally involves the use of both words and concepts that are already extant in the receiving culture. This natu rally involves linguistic problems, but more interestingly often results in the overlapping, alteration and merging of concepts, something that can have longterm consequences on language and cultural under standing. This article aims to explore how the Old Norse mythological concept of the álfar in the Nordic countries (especially Iceland due to its preservedmanuscripts)mayhavebeenalteredthroughtheinfluenceofthe trans lation of Old French romances into Norwegian and Icelandic during the Middle Ages. As will be shown below, the mythological concept that lies behind the introduction and use of the female variant of álfar (sg. álfr) known as álfkonur (sg. álfkona) in Old Norse literature (and culture) appears to have been that of the Old French fée (pl. fées). Indeed, prior to the translation of foreign (especially Continental) works, some of which appear to have been initiated by the Norwegian King Hákon Hákonar son (1204–1263) in the early thirteenth century, the álfkona (and motifs associated with her) seem to have been mostly absent in Old Norse Lummer, Felix. 2021. Of Magical Beings and Where to Find Them: On the Concept of álfar in the Translated riddarasǫgur. Scripta Islandica 72: 5–42. © Felix Lummer (CC BY) DOI: 10.33063/diva439400 6 Felix Lummer literature and folk belief (one minor exception is, for example, Fáfnis mál st. -
The Karlamagnús Compendium
Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Medieval Icelandic Studies The Karlamagnús Compendium Genre and Meaning in AM 180a-b fol. Ritgerð til M.A.-prófs Harry Williams Kt.: 151183-4419 Leiðbeinandi: Svanhildur Óskarsdóttir September 2017 Abstract This thesis is an examination of the fifteenth century manuscript AM 180a-b fol.; made up of a copy of the A version of Karlamagnús saga (180a) and seven further sagas - Konráðs saga keisarasonar, Dunstanus saga, Katrínar saga, Bærings saga, Knýtlinga saga, Vitus saga and Laurentius saga (180b), it originally formed one codex. The thesis has two main aims: to consider the generic position of Karlamagnús saga as it existed for the compilers of the manuscript and to speculate on the producers, purpose and use of the manuscript by means of a holistic consideration of its parts. The first aim is prompted by viewing the sagas of 180b as a reflection of the generic ambiguity of Karlamagnús saga. While patently belonging to the riddarasögur, Karlamagnús saga has affinities with hagiography and the konungasögur; representatives of these three generic classes are to be found in 180b. Structured by the theme of saintliness, in which a chronological line of saintly figures is presented, as well as shared geographical referents, the codex is marked by a wide-ranging intellectual curiosity. This is attributed to the concerns of the North Icelandic Benedictine School, the presence of which is marked in the manuscript, and to the wider intellectual atmosphere of fourteenth century Iceland in which saints' lives and romances were possibly written by the same people. 2 Ágrip Þessi ritgerð skoðar fimmtándu aldar handritið AM 180a-b fol.; sem samanstendur af A gerð Karlamagnúsar sögu (180a) ásamt sjö öðrum sögum- Konráðs sögu keisarasonar, Dunstanusar sögu, Katrínar sögu, Bærings sögu, Knýtlinga sögu, Vitus sögu og Laurentiusar sögu (180b), sem upphaflega mynduðu saman eitt handrit. -
The Transmission of Chretien De Troyes' Arthurian
Durham E-Theses Ór franzeisu í norrænu The transmission of Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances to old Norse literature Lorenz, Christine How to cite: Lorenz, Christine (2007) Ór franzeisu í norrænu The transmission of Chrétien de Troyes' Arthurian romances to old Norse literature, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2488/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 , "Or franzeisu i norrrenu" The Transmission of Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian Romances to Old Norse Literature by Christine Lorenz The copyright of this thesis rests with the author or the university to which it was submitted. No quotation from it, or information derived from it may be published without the prior written consent of the author or university, and any information derived from it should be acknowledged. Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD Durham University Department02007 of English Studies - 4 JUN 2003 Author: Christine Lorenz Thesis Title: "Or franzeisu f nomenu" - The Transmission of Chretien de Troyes' Arthurian Romances to Old Norse Literature Abstract The present dissertation examines the riddarasogur based on the Arthurian romances by Chretien de Troyes: Ivens saga, Erex saga, Parcevals saga and Valvens battr. -
The Role of the Dead in Medieval Iceland: a Case Study of Eyrbyggja Saga1
CM 2011 ombrukket7_CM 22.03.12 12:50 Side 23 The Role of the Dead in Medieval Iceland: A Case Study of Eyrbyggja saga1 kIRSI kANERVA The article concerns the ghost story of Eyrbyggja saga, the so-called ‘wonders of fróðá’ (fróðárundr), and examines the symbolic meanings of this episode as they were interpreted in medieval Iceland. The analysis presupposes that, although the restless dead could be understood as ‘real’ by medieval readers and as part of their social reality, the heterogenic nature of the audience and the learning of the writers of the sagas made possible various interpretations of the ghost-scene, both literal and symbolic. It is argued that the living dead in Eyrbyggja saga act as agents of order, whose restlessness is connected to past deeds of those still living that have caused social disequilibrium. In fróðárundr these actions involve expressions of disapproved sexuality and birth of offspring with indeterminate social status. for the ghost-banisher the hauntings represent an opportunity to improve his own indeterminate status. In this article I intend to discuss the role of the malevolent restless dead in medieval Iceland by making a case study of the so-called wonders of fróðá, the Fróðárundr episode in Eyrbyggja saga. In general, for the living such creatures seem to be a source of various forms of malice and fear. They can make people lose their minds, become ill or even die. Their strength often exceeds that of the living, but it is not limitless, and is always ultimately challenged and conquered by the hero, who with great strength and skill banishes the monster for good. -
Saga Scholarshipl
Herrn.ann Pillsson: Saga Scholarshipl Magnus Magnusson IT was an inspired idea to dedicate this annual meeting of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies to the enduring memory of Hermann Palsson, and to hold it in the David Hume Tower of Edinburgh University. It was here, nearly 40 years ago, that the first meeting was held to discuss a proposal that 'it would be very useful for to have a purely Scottish branch of the Viking Society for Northern Research'. That was on 14 February 1967. It took nearly two years for this proposal to become reality - well, they were all scholars, after all- 21 months of debate and discussion and good old-fashioned academic argy-bargy. At any rate, a constitution was finally adopted on 14 November 1968; and one of the first committee-members was Hermann Palsson; he remained a staunch committee member of the Scottish Society for Northern Research, and was President of the Society in the 1970/71 season. I am proud to be able claim that I was one of his many friends and admirers. And I feel very proud, and humble, to be his encomiast for the start the day's proceedings. It's a pleasing word, encolniast one who delivers an encolniuln, which from its Greek derivation means a 'festive panegyric'. Let me start with a brief sketch of Hermann's early days. He was born in 1921 in the north of Iceland on the farm of SauOanes a Asum, near Blondu6s on Hunafjorour, the sixth child in a family of twelve. He learned to read and write at the age of three by eavesdropping on Talk given at the Annual Conference of the Scottish Society for Northern Studies, 19 November 2005. -
Elements of Superstition in the Icelandic Family Sagas
ELEMENTS OF SUPERSTITION IN THE ICELANDIC FAMILY SAGAS by George J. Houser 1 ~ 1 l J o Elements of Superstition in the Ieelandie Family Sagas by George J. Houser A thesis submitted to the Faeulty of Graduate Studies and Researeh in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Department of English, MeGill University, Montreal. o August, 1966. ; (ê) George. J. Houser 1967 ffiEFAOE The Icelandic family sagas were cammitted to vellum fram oral traditions during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Con- cerned primarily with actual persons and events from about A.D. 825 to the middle of the eleventh centur,r, they also embo~ tales of supranatural occurrences and accounts of superstitious beliefs and practices, an analysis of which is the subject of this essaye A discussion of superstition in the family sagas neces- sarily entails references to the ~thical and heroic sagas, the l:. sagas of the Norse kings, and the Eddic literature. The appended list of Icelandic MSS. and Engl1sh trans- lations has been extracted fran the bibliographies of classic Ice- / landic literature campiled by Heldor Hermannsson and published in various issues of Islandica between 1908 and 1920, with supplements , by Professor Hermannsson in 19~5 and 19;7, and by Johann S. Hanneuon in 1955 and 1957. (Full details of the pertinent isques will be found in the appended list or reference works cited). This list embracea all the family sagas which have been rendered into English, but it inc1udes only those ~thical and heroic sagas and those Eddas which are actually cited in the essay, or which have been pub1ished in English since the completion of the work of Professora Hermannsson and Hannesson and up to the year 1965, the lut year for which in- formation was available at the time of writing •. -
Three Icelandic Outlaw Sagas
THREE ICELANDIC OUTLAW SAGAS THREE ICELANDIC OUTLAW SAGAS THE SAGA OF GISLI THE SAGA OF GRETTIR THE SAGA OF HORD VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON 2004 Selection, introduction and other critical apparatus © J. M. Dent 2001 Translation of The Saga of Grettir and The Saga of Hord © J. M. Dent 2001 Translation of The Saga of Gisli © J. M. Dent 1963 This edition first published by Everyman Paperbacks in 2001 Reissued by Viking Society for Northern Research in 2004 Reprinted with minor corrections in 2014 ISBN 978 0 903521 66 6 The maps are based on those in various volumes of Íslensk fornrit. The cover illustration is of Grettir Ásmundarson from AM 426 fol., a late seventeenth-century Icelandic manuscript in Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, Reykjavík Printed by Short Run Press Limited, Exeter CONTENTS Preface ............................................................................................ vii Chronology .................................................................................... viii Introduction ..................................................................................... xi Note on the Text .......................................................................... xxvi THE SAGA OF GISLI ..................................................................... 1 THE SAGA OF GRETTIR ............................................................. 69 THE SAGA OF HORD ................................................................ 265 Text Summaries ........................................................................... -
Speech Acts and Violence in the Sagas*
FREDERIC AMORY Speech Acts and Violence in the Sagas* “Tunga er hçfuôs bani” (“The tongue is the death of the head”) Old Icelandic proverb The American sociolinguist William Labov, who has been collecting and studying anecdotal narratives of street life among gangs of black youths in Harlem and the Philadelphia slums, also published a short paper (Labov, 1981) on the interaction of verbal behavior and violence in the experiences of white informants of his from other areas. As I have pointed out once before (Amory, 1980), but without denting the surface of Old Norse narrato- logy,1 both the materials and the methods of Labov are highly relevant to the Icelandic sagas and their folk narratives. In this paper Labov has addressed himself to the very contemporary social problem of “senseless violence” in American life, in the hopes of pinning down wherever he can some of the verbal clues to its psychological causes in the story-telling of his white informants - above all, in any of the spoken words between them and their assailants that might have led to blows. Such an approach to violent actions through narrative and dialogue would miss of its mark were the words that led to blows not “loaded”, i.e., possessed of the social or psychological force to make certain things happen under appropriate conditions. Words that “do things” this way are in the category of speech acts,2 and Labov’s paper draws * This paper, of which a lecture version was read to various university audiences in Scandinavia, Germany, and Switzerland during the first three months of 1989, has benefited by many comments and criticisms from fellow Scandinavianists such as John Lindow, Robert Cook, Anne Heinrichs, Donald Tuckwiller, John E.