Eiríks saga viðförla

The Eiríks saga viðförla (the "Saga of Eirík, the Far-Traveled") is a short Norwegian saga from the 14th century about Eirík's fantastic journey to paradise.

content

It is a compilation of adventure stories, Ridderasögur, scientific and visionary texts.

The history

Eirík, a Norwegian, wants to travel to Ódáinsakr, the “land without death”. One identifies this with the "paradisus terrestris". To do this, he first travels to Constantinople, where he inquires about the Far East and Paradise. From there it moves across the Jordan to India in the Far East until it reaches the Paradise River. A bridge leads across this river to paradise, but it is guarded by a dragon. He jumps into his throat and arrives in paradise, wanders through it and has a meaningful dream. He later returns home.

Origin of the motifs

The unknown author, who is assigned to the clergy, drew his motifs from various books accessible to him. He drew from the “ Elucidarium ” of Honorius Augustodunensis and his “De imagine mundi”. The Elucidarium had been in Icelandic translation since around 1200, but the textual differences between the passages in the saga and the corresponding passages in the Icelandic translation are so great that it can be assumed that the author only had the Latin version in front of him. The information about the circumference of the earth and other information are not taken from the Hauksbók , but directly from the Latin version of "De Imagine mundi". The bridge to the afterlife can be found in various works: “Konráðs saga keisarasonar”, where some literal matches can be found, “Hervarar saga”, “Þorstein's þáttr bæjarmagns”, but also in the Danish story of Saxo Grammaticus . The description of the paradise that Eiríkur wanders through can be found in the " Visio Tnugdali ", which was translated in Iceland in the middle of the 13th century under the name "Duggals leizla". Here, too, the comparison of the text shows that the author used a Latin version, although it cannot be determined which one.

With the aforementioned similarities with the Icelandic sagas , however, it cannot be said with certainty whether the influence of the sagas in the Eiríks saga or vice versa had an effect.

Manuscripts and editions

There are over 50 manuscripts, four of which are considered to be the main manuscripts: The Gammel kongelige Samling of the Royal Library of Copenhagen 1005, AM (Arnamagnaean Manuscript Collection) 657 c (4to), AM 179 and AM 346 I, (4to). The editions include CC Rafn, Fornaldarsögur Norðrlanda . Vol. 3 Copenhagen 1830; Valdimar Ásmundarson: Fornaldarsögur Norðrlanda Vol. 3 Reykjavík 1944; H. Jensen: Eireks saga viðförla . Editiones Arnamagnasanes, Series B Volume 25. Copenhagen 1984.

Effects

The multitude of manuscripts indicates that it was entertaining and popular reading for the medieval reader. The combination of epic and legendary elements met the taste of the time. Theological and scientific contents also shape the conception of the saga. Knowledge and curiosity are present, but always respect the limits of the medieval worldview.

The saga's value today is that it provides an important glimpse into Icelandic scholarship. While the inventories of the monasteries usually only indicate the number of books without their names, some works that were available to the author can be identified using the Eiríks saga viðförla.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Simek (2007), p. 75.
2. ↑ Simek (2007), p. 76.
3. ↑ Simek (1984), p. 110.
4. ↑ Simek (1984), p. 111.
5. ↑ Simek (1984), p. 112.
6. ↑ Simek (1984), p. 109.

literature

• Rudolf Simek : The sources of the Eiríks saga viðförla . In: Scandinavian Studies. Magazine for the language, literature and culture of the Nordic countries. Volume 14, No. 1 , 1984, p. 109-114 .
• Rudolf Simek, Hermann Pálsson : Lexicon of old Norse literature. The medieval literature of Norway and Iceland (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 490). 2nd, significantly increased and revised edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-520-49002-5 .