The Medieval Icelandic Sagas
The Medieval Icelandic Sagas is an introductory course on the single most characteristic literary genre of Medieval Iceland. Mainly written in the 13th century, the Icelandic Sagas are comprised of roughly 40 texts of varying length.
In this course, you will learn about three Sagas, written at different times, with the aim of giving an overview of the writing period and the genre as a whole. These are Eyrbyggja Saga, Njáls Saga and Grettis Saga. We will explore the landscape and archaeology of Iceland to see how they can add to our understanding of the Sagas as well as take an in-depth look at the most memorable characters from the Sagas.
Participants will have opportunities to engage with an online community of Icelandic and international scholars, learners and others to explore topics relating to Icelandic and Nordic Medieval history beyond the course curriculum.
The Medieval Icelandic Sagas course is associated with a two-year international master’s program in Viking and Medieval Norse Studies at the University of Iceland.
What you'll learn
- The history of Saga research since the 19th century.
- The fundamentals of Old Norse textual criticism.
- The benefits of exploring landscape and archaeological finds when reading the Sagas.
- Some of the most important character archetypes that reoccur in the Sagas.
- The interplay of Norse mythology and Christianity in the Sagas.
- Aspects of the supernatural in the Sagas.
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 2 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 weeks |
| Effort | 6 weeks, 2–3 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $74 |
| From | The University of Iceland, UIcelandX via edX |
| Instructors | Hjalti Snær Ægisson, Beth Rogers |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Humanities |
| Tags | Humanities History Literature |
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What people are saying
greatly enjoyed this course
I greatly enjoyed this course.
or norse literature going
Since I knew nothing about Iceland or Norse literature going in, the first week left me a bit overwhelmed, but I caught on after that and had a great time learning about the sagas as literature, and as reflections of Iceland's history and culture.
required reading is limited
The required reading is limited to excerpts and chapters (a plus to me), though of course anyone's free to read the entire sagas if they wish.
fascinating topic today
Through the various lectures, reading materials, links to additional sources, and podcasts, the instructors paint a vivid picture of why and how medieval manuscripts of islendingasögur came to be, and touch on why Norse culture is a fascinating topic today.
first week left
how medieval manuscripts
entire sagas if
great time learning
additional sources
bit overwhelmed
instructors paint
fun ! this introductory
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Production Editor, Medieval Institute Publications $55k
Production Editor, Medieval Institute Publications $55k
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| Rating | 5.0★ based on 2 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 weeks |
| Effort | 6 weeks, 2–3 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $74 |
| From | The University of Iceland, UIcelandX via edX |
| Instructors | Hjalti Snær Ægisson, Beth Rogers |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Humanities |
| Tags | Humanities History Literature |
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