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A review by mediaevalmuse
The Saga of the Volsungs by Jesse L. Byock
5.0
This is probably one of my favorite sagas and one of my favorite works of medieval literature in general - it's a fun epic that keeps readers wondering what fantastical thing will happen next, and it's not short on characters that stick with you as the story advances. While people more familiar with the workings of medieval heroic literature may derive the greatest benefit from reading this saga, it's also accessible to non-specialists and people who are just getting into older literature.
Things I Liked
1. Fantastical Elements: This saga is bananas. Wild things happen at every turn from shapeshifting to treachery to Odin walking around and dragon fights. Because of the sheer abundance of fantastical elements, there’s a little bit of something for everyone, and the saga absolutely takes each of these elements as legitimate storytelling devices. In other words, there is no sense that any of the magic or supernatural stuff is in here ironically - the saga-writer definitely considered each episode to be necessary in relating the history of the Volsungs.
2. Intertextuality: Although there’s no explicit reference to a source text or to other works of literature, I love that that this saga is so widely connected to other stories and artifacts from all over Europe. Because the Volsung legends were so popular, they show up in just about everything: Beowulf, The Nibelungenlied, and a lot of medieval art. Knowing this gives readers a sense of larger connectedness when reading the saga - you’re not just diving into Norse history and culture, but potentially a whole web of cultures.
3. Similarity with a Difference: For much of early medieval fantastical literature, there are certain formulas that structure the text, especially when relating stories about heroes or kings. For example, it’s a common trend to depict heroes as the product of incest or as fostered by wolves, and characters in the Volsunga saga definitely utilize Indo-European storytelling traditions. Rather than make this saga seem unoriginal, it actually made me think of the ways that the saga writer tried to make innovations. It was easier to see moments when the story broke from tradition or put a new spin on it, and I thought that was a really beneficial way of reading an early medieval text.
4. Women: It has become a stereotype that women in medieval literature are powerless, but that’s not the case in this saga. I really found the characters to be more in control of their actions and/or participants in their own stories, which I had noticed was lacking somewhat in a few sagas I read previously. Though the women may seem like stock characters in Volsunga saga, they’re well-developed and realized, and anyone who enjoys medieval literature yet tires of the lack of strong women might find delight in this book.
Things I Didn’t Like.
Nothing. I loved it all!
Recommendations: Enthusiasts of Norse or medieval history and culture will definitely love this saga, as well as anyone with an interest in heroic fantasy literature. You may also like this book if you enjoyed Beowulf, The Nibelungenlied, The Prose Edda, or History's tv show Vikings.
Things I Liked
1. Fantastical Elements: This saga is bananas. Wild things happen at every turn from shapeshifting to treachery to Odin walking around and dragon fights. Because of the sheer abundance of fantastical elements, there’s a little bit of something for everyone, and the saga absolutely takes each of these elements as legitimate storytelling devices. In other words, there is no sense that any of the magic or supernatural stuff is in here ironically - the saga-writer definitely considered each episode to be necessary in relating the history of the Volsungs.
2. Intertextuality: Although there’s no explicit reference to a source text or to other works of literature, I love that that this saga is so widely connected to other stories and artifacts from all over Europe. Because the Volsung legends were so popular, they show up in just about everything: Beowulf, The Nibelungenlied, and a lot of medieval art. Knowing this gives readers a sense of larger connectedness when reading the saga - you’re not just diving into Norse history and culture, but potentially a whole web of cultures.
3. Similarity with a Difference: For much of early medieval fantastical literature, there are certain formulas that structure the text, especially when relating stories about heroes or kings. For example, it’s a common trend to depict heroes as the product of incest or as fostered by wolves, and characters in the Volsunga saga definitely utilize Indo-European storytelling traditions. Rather than make this saga seem unoriginal, it actually made me think of the ways that the saga writer tried to make innovations. It was easier to see moments when the story broke from tradition or put a new spin on it, and I thought that was a really beneficial way of reading an early medieval text.
4. Women: It has become a stereotype that women in medieval literature are powerless, but that’s not the case in this saga. I really found the characters to be more in control of their actions and/or participants in their own stories, which I had noticed was lacking somewhat in a few sagas I read previously. Though the women may seem like stock characters in Volsunga saga, they’re well-developed and realized, and anyone who enjoys medieval literature yet tires of the lack of strong women might find delight in this book.
Things I Didn’t Like.
Nothing. I loved it all!
Recommendations: Enthusiasts of Norse or medieval history and culture will definitely love this saga, as well as anyone with an interest in heroic fantasy literature. You may also like this book if you enjoyed Beowulf, The Nibelungenlied, The Prose Edda, or History's tv show Vikings.