Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2016
Abstract
This paper deals with two Old Norse sagas about Tristan. The first of them, Tristrams saga ok Ísǫndar, is a serious translation of Thomas, commissioned by the Norwegian king Hákon the Old in the early 13th century.
The second text, Saga af Tristram ok Ísodd, was composed in Iceland in the 14th century, as a re-working of the Norwegian translation. My aim is to prove that the Icelandic saga is a deliberate parody.
If that is so, we should ask, what could the Icelanders in the 14th century perceive as comical and which specific elements of the original text were ridiculed? Was the purpose of the Icelandic saga pure amusement, or was it a deeper satirical reflexion within the courtly culture?