7 research outputs found
SigurĂ°ar saga fĂłts (The Saga of SigurĂ°r Foot): A Translation
This is the first English translation of the short Icelandic romance SigurĂ°ar saga fĂłts, with an introduction presenting the evidence for its dating and immediate literary context. Like most Icelandic romances, SigurĂ°ar saga is a bridal-quest story; the support of a foster-brother is key to the hero winning the bride; and the foster-brothers start out as opponents before recognising their mutual excellence and swearing foster-brotherhood. Uniquely, however, the men who become foster-brothers begin by competing for the same bride (SignĂ˝): the eponymous SigurĂ°r fĂłtr wins SignĂ˝ only because Ăsmundr gives her to him in exchange for foster-brotherhood. Ăsmundrâs decision can be read as demonstrating with unusual starkness the superior importance in much Icelandic romance of homosocial relationships over heterosexual ones, giving the saga a certain paradigmatic status. Translating the saga in an open-access forum and reconstructing its literary context will, we hope, encourage further analyses
SigurĂ°ar saga fĂłts (The Saga of SigurĂ°r Foot): A Translation
This is the first English translation of the short Icelandic romance SigurĂ°ar saga fĂłts, with an introduction presenting the evidence for its dating and immediate literary context. Like most Icelandic romances, SigurĂ°ar saga is a bridal-quest story; the support of a foster-brother is key to the hero winning the bride; and the foster-brothers start out as opponents before recognising their mutual excellence and swearing foster-brotherhood. Uniquely, however, the men who become foster-brothers begin by competing for the same bride (SignĂ˝): the eponymous SigurĂ°r fĂłtr wins SignĂ˝ only because Ăsmundr gives her to him in exchange for foster-brotherhood. Ăsmundrâs decision can be read as demonstrating with unusual starkness the superior importance in much Icelandic romance of homosocial relationships over heterosexual ones, giving the saga a certain paradigmatic status. Translating the saga in an open-access forum and reconstructing its literary context will, we hope, encourage further analyses