Sigrgarðs saga frœkna (modern Icelandic Sigurgarðs saga frækna, the saga of Sigrgarðr the Valiant) is a medieval Icelandic romance-saga, described by Finnur Jónsson as 'all in all ... one of the best and most worthy of reading' of the Icelandic 'stepmother-sagas'.'alt i alt ... en af de bedste og læseværdigste', Finnur Jónsson, Den oldnorske og oldislandske litteraturs historie, 2nd edn, 3 vols (Copenhagen: Gad, 1920-24), III, 121.
Plot and literary character
The plot of the saga was summarised by Marianne E. Kalinke and P. M. Mitchell:
Ingigerðr, queen of Taricia, and her two sisters, Hildr and Signý, are suffering from a spell placed on them by Hlégerðr, their father's concubine. No suitor can please Ingigerðr, while Hildr and Signý are turned into animals. When Sigrgarðr, a king's son, woos Ingigerðr, she repeatedly makes a fool of him. He leaves Taricia only to return disguised as a merchant. Ingigerðr outwits him when he attempts to abduct her by means of a flying carpet. Finally Sigrgarðr, posing as the viking Knútr, visits Ingigerðr with two foster-brothers. The three succeed in breaking the spells. The saga concludes with a triple wedding.Marianne E. Kalinke and P. M. Mitchell, Bibliography of Old Norse–Icelandic Romances, Islandica, 44 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985), p. 97.
Notwithstanding Kalkinke and Mitchell's summary, most manuscripts of the saga set Ingigerðr's kingdom not in 'Taricia' but 'Tartaria' (i.e. Tartary), and it has been argued that the lost original manuscript of the saga must likewise have read Tartaria.Alaric Hall, Steven D. P. Richardson, and Haukur Þorgeirsson, ‘Sigrgarðs saga frækna: A Normalised Text, Translation, and Introduction’, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada, 21 (2013), 80-155 (p. 83), http://scancan.net/article.htm?id=hall_1_21.
While the saga 'has a lot of rough edges' in its style and plotting, it has nonetheless been characterised as 'tightly and powerfully structured', 'throw[ing] itself with unswerving commitment into a wonder-tale of stepmothers and foster-brothers, curses, flying carpets, deception, disguise, shape-shifting, trolls, and bedroom antics'.Alaric Hall, Steven D. P. Richardson, and Haukur Þorgeirsson, ‘Sigrgarðs saga frækna: A Normalised Text, Translation, and Introduction’, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada, 21 (2013), 80-155 (pp. 89-90), http://scancan.net/article.htm?id=hall_1_21.
The saga has attracted particular critical commentary because of its handling of gender and sexual politics: it is particularly noteworthy amongst romance-sagas because the moral standing of the main male character is questionable. Before beginning to woo Ingigerðr, Sigrgarðr has previously developed a habit of seducing and discarding women; the degradations which he suffers at her hands can, therefore, be understood as comeuppance for his immorality.Alaric Hall, Steven D. P. Richardson, and Haukur Þorgeirsson, ‘Sigrgarðs saga frækna: A Normalised Text, Translation, and Introduction’, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada, 21 (2013), 80-155 (pp. 94-100), http://scancan.net/article.htm?id=hall_1_21.
Sources and influences
The saga draws on Viktors saga ok Blávus and Bósa saga ok Herrauðs. More distant similarities with other texts—both medieval ones and later folktales—indicate that the saga draws on oral story-telling traditions, with some details arguably indicating oral links with medieval Irish and Welsh traditions.Alaric Hall, Steven D. P. Richardson, and Haukur Þorgeirsson, ‘Sigrgarðs saga frækna: A Normalised Text, Translation, and Introduction’, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada, 21 (2013), 80-155 (pp. 84-89), http://scancan.net/article.htm?id=hall_1_21.
Manuscripts and date The saga is attested in at least sixty-one manuscripts, dating from the fifteenth century through to the early twentieth, mostly from Iceland, apparently all descended from a lost common original.
The earliest surviving manuscript is Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar, AM 556a-b 4to, from the later fifteenth century, known as Eggertsbók. Peter Jorgensen found that the saga must originally have been composed around 1450×75.Peter A. Jorgensen (ed.), The Story of Jonatas in Iceland, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, 45 (Reykjavík: Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Íslandi, 1997), pp. clxiii–clxiv.
The following list of manuscripts is based on the survey by Hall and others. Links to online catalogue entries are provided where available.
+LocationClassmarkdatecatalogue entry URLnotesReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 123 8voc. 1600http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/AM08-0123 FASNLfragmentaryReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 167 folc. 1660http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/AM02-0167Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 556a 4toC15http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/AM04-0556afragmentaryReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 588m 4toC17https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/AM04-0588mReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 588n 4toC17https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/AM04-0588nReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 592a 4toC17http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/en/AM04-0592-a FASNLfragmentaryHéraðskjalasafn Borgarfjarðar, BorgarnesMS 14 / Einkaeign 101862-1867https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Einkaeign-0010 FASNLReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarGKS 1002 folC17http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/GKS02-1002-1003Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍB 165 4to1778http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/IB04-0165 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍB 185 8vo1760-1780https://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/IB08-0185 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍB 224 8voc. 1750https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/IB08-0224 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍB 426 4to1877http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/IB04-0426fragmentaryReykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍBR 38 8vo1828-1831http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/IBR08-0038 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandÍBR 44 8vo1854http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/IBR08-0044Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandJS 411 8volate C17http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/JS08-0411 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandJS 632 4to1799-1800http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/JS04-0632 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1217 4to1817http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs04-1217 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1305 4to1869-1878http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs04-1305Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1446 8vo1864-1871http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs08-1446Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1500 4to1880https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-1500 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1637 4to1760-1800FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 1785 4to1833Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 222 fol1695-1698http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs02-0222 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 2316 4to1850FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 2484 8voc. 1852https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-2484Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 2786 8vo1869Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 3165 4to1870-1871https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-3165 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 354 4toC18http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs04-0354 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 3891 4tolate C19Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 3938 8vo1872Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 3966 4to1869-1871https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-3966Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4070 8vo1862Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 423 folC18http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs02-0423 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4447 4to1868-1869Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4718 4to1875https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-4718Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4825 4toc. 1775-1825http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/Lbs04-4825 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4847 8vo1868-1874https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-4847Copenhagen, Matthew DriscollEinkaeign 191875https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Einkaeign-0019Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4867 8vo1870https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-4867Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 4977 8vo1896https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs08-4977Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 644 4to1710-1750https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-0644 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 998 4tolate C19https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-0998 FASNLReykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 5480 4toC20https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-5480Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 5567 4to1913https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-5567Reykjavík, National Library of IcelandLbs 5767 4to1911https://handrit.is/manuscript/view/is/Lbs04-5767 (formerly Böðvar Kvaran, Tjaldanes MS I 2.b)Copenhagen, Royal LibraryNKS 1804 4to1681FASNLfragmentaryStockholm, Royal LibraryIslandica papp fol 1early C17FASNL, facsimileStockholm, Royal LibraryIslandica papp 4to 171640-1671FASNL, facsimilefragmentaryStockholm, Royal LibraryIslandica papp 4to 27c. 1650https://skaldic.abdn.ac.uk/db.php?id=15161&if=default&table=mssStockholm, Royal LibraryIslandica papp 8vo 61674FASNLStockholm, Royal LibraryIslandica papp fol 661690https://onp.ku.dk/onp/onp.php?m10901Copenhagen, Arnamagnæan InstituteRask 32later C18http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/en/Rask032 FASNLReykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarSÁM 471867-1868http://handrit.is/is/manuscript/view/SAM-0047Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarSÁM 1311871-1890https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/SAM-0131Copenhagen, Royal LibraryThott 978 2olate C17https://skaldic.abdn.ac.uk/db.php?id=15043&if=default&table=mssWinnipeg, Elizabeth Dafoe LibraryISDA JB3 6 8vo1838Alaric Hall and Katelin Parsons, 'Making Stemmas with Small Samples, and Digital Approaches to Publishing them: Testing the Stemma of Konráðs saga keisarasonar', Digital Medievalist, 9 (2013), §4.1; .fragmentaryIthaca, New York, Cornell University, Fiske Icelandic CollectionIc F75 A125, 8voC18Baltimore, Md, Johns Hopkins University, Nikulas Ottenson CollectionMS Nr. 11798https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_1425614New Haven, Conn., Yale University, Beinecke LibraryZ 113.821806http://hdl.handle.net/10079/bibid/1222356Jón Ófeigsson, Hafnarnes, HornafjörðurMS 1C19Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna MagnússonarAM 576b 4to1690-1710https://handrit.is/en/manuscript/view/is/AM04-0576b FASNLrésuméCopenhagen, Royal LibraryNKS 1144late C18FASNLrésumé Two manuscripts are listed by Kalinke and Mitchell as containing Sigurgarðs saga frækna which actually contain Sigurgarðs saga og Valbrands: Lbs 1496 4to (1883) and Lbs 2319 4to (1727-1729). Likewise, Handrit.is lists Lbs 4547 8vo as containing Sigurgarðs saga frækna, also incorrectly.
Editions and translations Einar Þorðarson (ed.), Sagan af Sigurgarði frœkna (Reykjavík: Einar Þorðarson, 1884), http://www.alarichall.org.uk/teaching/sigrgardssaga.php. [A popular reading edition.] Agnete Loth (ed.), Late Medieval Icelandic Romances, Editiones Arnamagæanae, series B, 20–24, 5 vols Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1962–65), V 39–107. [The principal scholarly edition.] Alaric Hall, Steven D. P. Richardson, and Haukur Þorgeirsson (ed. and trans.), ‘Sigrgarðs saga frækna: A Normalised Text, Translation, and Introduction’, Scandinavian-Canadian Studies/Études Scandinaves au Canada, 21 (2013), 80–155, http://scancan.net/article.htm?id=hall_1_21. [A normalised Old Icelandic text, and English translation, based on Loth's edition.]
References