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2012:xenophon-icelandic-sagas

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Xenophon's Anabasis and Icelandic Sagas

Manuscript Drawing from Egil's Saga

<html><p xmlns:dct=“http://purl.org/dc/terms/”><a rel=“license” href=“http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/”><img src=“http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png” style=“border-style: none;” alt=“Public Domain Mark” /></a><br />This work (by <a href=“https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki” rel=“dct:creator”>https://lucianofsamosata.info/wiki</a>), identified by <a href=“http://meninpublishing.org” rel=“dct:publisher”><span property=“dct:title”>Frank Redmond</span></a>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</p></html>

Authored by Frank Redmond, 2012

One of my reading pleasures outside of the Hellenic realm are the Icelandic Sagas. Recently I read The Saga of the Greenlanders and I couldn't help but notice the narrative parallels between the saga and the Anabasis of Xenophon. Both are about adventure and exploit; both have sweeping narratives that move the reader from one action to the next. Having re-read Anabasis this winter, I have come to a greater appreciation of the use of bare and straightforward narrative. In the sagas as in Xenophon's Anabasis, one action might be only a sentence. X person has died. Or in the sagas, they have a penchant for saying and such and such is no longer is the saga. The character just disappears without much explanation. Anabasis is similar in that regard. I'm still exploring the parallels between the two texts.

Here are some examples from both texts that show the sparse language and narrative:

<blockquote> Chapter 2 - Saga of Erik the Red
Eirik and his people were outlawed at Thorsnes Thing. He prepared a ship in Eiriksvagr (creek), and Eyjolf concealed him in Dimunarvagr while Thorgest and his people sought him among the islands. Eirik said to his people that he purposed to seek for the land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf the Crow, saw when he was driven westwards over the ocean, and discovered Gunnbjarnarsker (Gunnbjorn's rock or skerry). He promised that he would return to visit his friends if he found the land. Thorbjorn, and Eyjolf, and Styr accompanied Eirik beyond the islands. They separated in the most friendly manner, Eirik saying that he would be of the like assistance to them, if he should be able so to be, and they should happen to need him.

Then he sailed oceanwards under Snæfellsjokull (snow mountain glacier), and arrived at the glacier called Blaserkr (Blue-shirt); thence he journeyed south to see if there were any inhabitants of the country.</blockquote> CITE: http://sagadb.org/eiriks_saga_rauda.en
<blockquote> Anabasis Book III, 3

After this, they breakfasted and crossed the river Zapatas, marching in regular order, with the beasts and mob of the army in the middle. They had not advanced far on their route when Mithridates made his appearance again, with about a couple of hundred horsemen at his back, and bowmen and slingers twice as many, as nimble fellows as a man might hope to see. He approached the Hellenes as if he were friendly; but when they had got fairly to close quarters, all of a sudden some of them, whether mounted or on foot, began shooting with their bows and arrows, and another set with slings, wounding the men. The rearguard of the Hellenes suffered for a while severely without being able to retaliate, for the Cretans had a shorter range than the Persians, and at the same time, being light-armed troops, they lay cooped up within the ranks of the heavy infantry, while the javelin men again did not shoot far enough to reach the enemy's slingers. This being so, Xenophon thought there was nothing for it but to charge, and charge they did; some of the heavy and light infantry, who were guarding the rear, with him; but for all their charging they did not catch a single man. </blockquote> CITE: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1170/1170-h/1170-h.htm#2H_4_0022

It's not 100% the same, but there are certain resemblances in the narrative focus and flow.

2012/xenophon-icelandic-sagas.txt · Last modified: 2015/12/16 11:03 by 127.0.0.1

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