The Icelandic sagas, written in the 12th-15th centuries from a variety of traditional tales, poems and other oral sources, are Europe's first historical novels. Whilst their literal accuracy of events is uneven at best, the sense of place, the heroic ethos and the spirit of the Viking age revealed in these stories is unmatched. These are not precise historical documents, but exuberant, tumultuous tales of rough and prideful people - both men and women contesting in harsh lands. You don't have to believe everything - in fact, you clearly shouldn't - but instead immerse yourself in the atmosphere.
By our standards the sagas make unusual reading at first. Keep reading, they'll grip you. The prose is terse, with short words and few adjectives. The characters are introduced formally, with a great deal of personal geneology that means little to the modern reader. There is little 'interior life'; we know our characters not by what they think or feel, but what they say and do. These last are usually pretty direct and self explanatory. English translations of the sagas have been available since the mid C19th, and early versions (like Samuel Laing's 1844 Heimskringla, available in the Everyman's Library line) aren't easy to read. Much more accessible are the recent Penguin translations.
The sagas fall into three broad groups.
1) The Family Sagas (AKA the Sagas of the Icelanders) are the key sources for our man-to-man combat games, with small forces of men - usually less than a dozen, never more than a hundred - engaged in bloodfeuds, raids, ambushes, hall-burnings, murders, pointless quarrels and all the things we'd all like to do if we owned big pointy weapons and hadn't matuured emotionally siince we were about 14 --- this groups includes Njal's, Egil's, Laxdaela, Eyrbyggja, Hrafnkel's, Grettir's, Gish's and a dozen others of varying lengths. Njal's saga is one of the finest story cycles ever written.
2) The King' Sagas are chronicles of the Kings of Norway, including Sverri's Saga, the Heimskringla (Sagas of the Norse Kings) and the Olaf Sagas. Orkneyingasaga served the same purpose for the jarls of Orkney. These sagas tend to involve fleets and armies and general kingliness, which are rather daunting to the wargamer with two dozen vikings on his painting table.
3) The mythological sagas (known sometimes, endearingly, as 'Lying Sagas') are those mixtures of ancient legend, folktale and Medieval romance which feature giants, wizards and princesses. Geography is highly suspect, weapons are all magic, and everything happens in threes. If you like a fantastic element that is consistent within a single culture, these sagas may be of interest - see Hrolf Kraki's Saga, Volsungasaga, or the Penguin collection "Seven Viking Romances".
More Battle Troll
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Battle Troll: Viking Warfare in Sagas: Introduction
Battle Troll: Basic Rules
Battle Troll: Optional Rules
Battle Troll: Appendix 1: Hand to Hand Combat Example
Battle Troll: Appendix 2: Norse Names
Battle Troll: Appendix 3: Saga Categories
Battle Troll: Appendix 4: Icelandic Law
Battle Troll: Appendix 5: Figures, Books, and Scenery
Battle Troll: Raven's Tale Scenarios
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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