PIMSPontifical Institute
of
Mediaeval Studies

Unlike the courtly romances, such as the Arthurian narratives of Chrétien de Troyes, the French epics were anonymous; the earliest is the eleventh-century Chanson de Roland (Song of Roland), dated to around 1100. The epic poems were recited by jongleurs, itinerant storytellers, who performed, for example, at markets on feast days in exchange for payment. The French epics translated into Old Norse–Icelandic were composed a couple of centuries later, under the influence of courtly romance, and are commonly designated “romance epics.” They introduced the motif of the love of a beautiful Saracen maiden, la bele Sarrasine, for a Christian knight in Scandinavia. The romance epics are anonymous, unattributed narratives, which were subject to revision and to recreation. Each epic, Élie de Saint-Gilles, Boeve de Haumtone, and Floovant, has been transmitted in only one manuscript. Comparison of the Old Norse–Icelandic translations with the French epics reveals that the translations are renderings of variant versions of these narratives. At times the translations provide more information or less than the French epics; leave out entire passages or figures; or add new matter and conflicting facts. These translations resulted in the creation of a new Icelandic genre, the riddarasaga (pl. riddarasögur), or chivalric saga. Found in the oldest manuscript containing translations of French epics, Bærings saga stands at the head of this tradition, the first riddarasaga and a thoroughly original Icelandic narrative, despite a plot heavily indebted to Bevers saga.

Author

Marianne Kalinke is Center for Advanced Study Professor Emerita of Germanic Languages and Comparative Literature at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is the editor of and a contributor to The Arthur of the North: The Arthurian Legend in the Norse and Rus’ Realms (2011) and of Norse Romance II: The Knights of the Round Table (1999), as well as editor and translator of Möttuls saga, Ívens saga, and Erex saga in that volume; and author of Stories Set Forth with Fair Words: The Evolution of Medieval Romance in Iceland (2017). With Kirsten Wolf she is co-author and translator of Pious Fictions and Pseudo-Saints in the Late Middle Ages (2023), also published by the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

Endorsement

“This splendid volume presents the first English translations of four late medieval Old Norse–Icelandic texts, Elis saga, Flóvents saga, Bevers saga, and Bærings saga. All of them are unusual in transmitting versions of Old French chansons de geste whose originals are no longer extant. They are the product of a remarkable combination of translation, redaction, revision, and adaptation and mark the development of a new genre, the riddarasaga or chivalric saga. As such, they cast significant light not only on the development of Icelandic literature but also on the scope and practice of medieval translation more widely. Marianne Kalinke’s superb translation of these extraordinary and fascinating works is complemented by discreet and thoughtful annotation, as well as a rigorous historical introduction that will be welcomed by scholar and student alike. Found in Translation, in short, should serve as an excellent introduction to the intertwined history of both French and Scandinavian literature in the Middle Ages.” — Jürg Glauser, University of Zurich and University of Basel

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