Anonymous, Yngvars saga víðförla

Alessia Bauer (École Practique de Hautes Études PSL)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Kjerstin Moody (Gustavus Adolphus College), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1450

Places

Iceland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

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Yngvars saga víðförla

is a late medieval account of the Swedish Viking Yngvar, son of Eymundr, who led an expedition of a group of young men to the East in a sort of initiation journey. On their way to the source of a mythical river located somewhere in southern Russia, Yngvar Christianized the heathen people of Garðaríki they encountered, among others queen Silkisif, who chose him as her husband and king over her kingdom. Travelling back home, Yngvar died as a result of a pandemic that also affected several of his companions. After his death, his son Svein travelled to the queen, took over his role and married Silkisif.

The narrative contains features of king’s sagas and legendary sagas intermingled with didactic material, known from European medieval culture. Yet the story is

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384 words

Citation: Bauer, Alessia. "Yngvars saga víðförla". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 October 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41320, accessed 04 May 2024.]

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