Anonymous, Nítíða saga [Saga of Nitida]

Sif Ríkharðsdóttir (University of Iceland)
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Nitida saga

, also known as

Nítíða saga

, is an indigenous romance composed in Iceland, presumably in the fourteenth century. It forms part of a group of romances called

meykongasögur

[maiden king romances]. The so-called maiden king romances seem to form a unique sub-generic convention in Iceland that blossomed in the fourteenth century. They belong to the more expansive European tradition of the bridal quest romances. While the bridal quest romances all share a focus on the bridal quest of their protagonists, what distinguishes the maiden king romances is the generally stated desire of the maiden kings not to marry and to rule their empires as

maiden

kings, rather than as queens or empresses. The focus of the plot remains on the battle between the would-be suitor(s) and the maiden…

1462 words

Citation: Ríkharðsdóttir, Sif. "Nítíða saga". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 15 January 2024 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=40933, accessed 28 March 2024.]

40933 Nítíða saga 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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