The Icelandic term
ævintýri(pl.
ævintýri) carries various meanings. Derived from the Old French
aventure, it initially referred to an unexpected event or love affair. Historically, the term was used to describe late medieval and post-medieval prose narratives with legendary and chivalric content, as well as medieval
exempla. While in contemporary Icelandic the word
ævintýrican mean
adventurein general, it primarily denotes the category of folktales commonly known as
fairy talesor
wonder tales. This modern usage was first established in the nineteenth century by Jón Árnason (1819–1899), a librarian and collector of folktales and legends (Árnason 1954–1961, II, 297). In this article, the term
ævintýriwill be used exclusively to refer to wonder tales.
Around 1700,
3674 words
Citation: Werth, Romina. "Icelandic Wonder Tale (Ævintýri)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 July 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19683, accessed 02 December 2024.]