Powell, F. York. Saga-Growth

• Author: Powell, F. York.
• Title: Saga-Growth
• Published in: Folklore 5/2
• Year: 1894
• Pages: 97-106
• E-text:
• Reference: Powell, F. York. "Saga-Growth." Folklore 5/2 (1894): 97-106.

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• Key words: orality, literary elements (munnleg geymd, bókmenntaleg einkenni)

Annotation

Powell posits a number of developmental phases through which oral saga narratives are expanded into lengthier and more complex written forms. In their initial form, sagas were short tales linking isolated traditions into a coherent whole. In their next phase, several sagas are combined to form a larger saga. Writers often make additions to sagas that imitate or amplify genuine narratives but have no historical basis, and extraneous folkloric materials may be used to expand on the actual remembrances of historical figures. To illustrate this, Powell takes the example of Egil’s saga, which he concludes to have little historical value and heavily padded with additions. He compares Egil’s saga with Færeyinga saga, which he also argues to contain much unhistorical material.

Links

• Written by: Katelin Parsons
• Icelandic/English translation: