Ebook: Fornaldarsagornas struktur och ideologi: Handlingar från ett symposium i Uppsala, 31. 8 - 2. 9 2001

It is customary to divide Icelandic saga literature into sub-genres, one of which, the legendary or mythical-heroic sagas (fornaldarsögur), deals with events and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavia. The articles in the present anthology, based on papers presented at a conference in Uppsala in 2001 on the structure and ideology of Icelandic legendary sagas, discuss among other issues the problematic concepts of genre and tradition, both oral and written, and offer fresh insights into the importance of the legendary sagas as sources for the history of culture and mentality.

While some authors employ new theories and methods in the reading of individual sagas, other focus on broader issues, such as the transmission of legendary sagas through the ages or on the occurrence of similar matter in other genres.