8. Implications for Saga Research The overall conclusion to emerge from this study is that, by assuming the existence of a living oral tradition in Icelandic society in the 12th and 13th centuries, the perspective of our research shifts fundamentally. This change applies equally to how we… Read more
Bibliography Published Editions of Works Referenced by Page Number Wherever possible, all references are to the editions in the Íslenzk fornrit (ÍF) series (Reykjavík, 1933-). (For an English translation of the sagas of Icelanders see: The Complete Sagas of Icelanders. Ed. Viðar Hreinsson. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson… Read more
Pronunciation Guide The information given here should help non-Icelandic speakers to make a recognizable attempt at pronouncing the words and names that occur in this book. It does not aim to give comprehensive details of Icelandic pronunciation. It gives only the main rules and ignores the numerous… Read more
Series Foreword This new series is dedicated to the empirical study of oral traditions in their historical contexts. The rigorous methods of investigation developed by Milman Parry and Albert Lord, as documented in Lord’s The Singer of Tales (Harvard University Press 1960; Harvard Studies in Comparative Literature 24. Second edition… Read more
Foreword In 1935 Professor Milman Parry, of the Department of Classics, Harvard University, as part of his wider survey of oral literature, was engaged in recording epic poetry in Gacko, on the border between Herzegovina and Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia. He took advantage of the abundant tradition of “women’s… Read more
Acknowledgements The path leading to the completion of this book involved many scholars, friends, and family members to whom I wish to express my gratitude. I am indebted to Mary Louise Lord, who generously shared with me her knowledge of her late husband’s fieldwork and of the materials held in… Read more
Introduction* [In this on-line version, the page-numbers of the printed version are indicated within braces (“{” and “}”). For example, “{69|70}” indicates where p. 69 of the printed version ends and p. 70 begins. These indications will be useful to readers who need to look up… Read more
Óðinn, Charms, and Necromancy: Hávamál 157 in its Nordic and European Contexts Stephen A. Mitchell, Harvard University Abstract: Óðinn claims in stanza 157 of Hávamál that he is able to carve and color runes such that a hanged man will walk and talk with… Read more
Vermin Gone Bad in Medieval Scandinavian, Persian, and Irish Traditions Joseph Falaky Nagy, Harvard University Abstract: The tales in medieval Scandinavian literature centered on the legendary entrepreneur Ragnarr loðbrók, his wives, and his sons famously feature several serpentine motifs. The narrative construct of a… Read more
Baldr and Iraj: Murdered and Avenged Emily Lyle, University of Edinburgh Abstract: Comparing the Old Norse myth about Baldr with the Persian Iraj story, this essay deals with methodological considerations about comparativism and structural models as heuristic tools for reconstructing ancient traditions. The essay… Read more
