The ''Karlamagnús saga'', ''Karlamagnussaga'' or ''Karlamagnus-saga'' (" saga of

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

") was a late-thirteenth-century Norse prose compilation and adaptation, made for

Haakon V of Norway Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) ( non, Hákon Magnússon; no, Håkon Magnusson, label= Modern Norwegian) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, Ki ...

, of the

Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intellig ...

'' chansons de geste'' of the Matter of France dealing with Charlemagne and his

paladin The Paladins, also called the Twelve Peers, are twelve legendary knights, the foremost members of Charlemagne's court in the 8th century. They first appear in the medieval (12th century) ''chanson de geste'' cycle of the Matter of France, where ...

s. In some cases, the ''Karlamagnús saga'' remains the only source for otherwise-lost Old French epics.

The ten branches

The vast work is divided into 10 chapters, or "branches," as follows: *I. "Karlamagnus" (''Upphaf Karlamagnús'') *:Or "Charlemagne’s Early Life," a digested account of Charlemagne and his knights. Includes a version of the tale of the thief '' Basin'', which has not survived in French. *II. "Lady Olif and Landres her Son" (''Af frú Ólif og Landrés syni hennar'') *:Based on an English version (of the lost ''Dame Olive et Landri''), according to the author; it is an adaptation of the French chanson de geste ''Doon de la Roche'' a work also known in medieval Spain under the title ''Historia de Enrique, Fi de Oliva''; *III. "Oddgeir the Dane" (''Af Oddgeiri dansks'') *:Adaptation of '' La Chevalerie Ogier de Danemarche'', recounting the exploits of

Ogier the Dane Ogier the Dane (french: ; da, ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French '' chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (ca. 1220), which belongs to the ''Geste de D ...

; *IV. "King Agulandus" (''Af Agulando konungi & Ferakuts þáttur'') *:Lengthiest branch by far, chronicling Charlemagne and Roland's battle with Agulandus (

Agolant Agolant or Agolante is a fictional character in Medieval and Renaissance Romance (heroic literature), romantic Epic poetry, epics dealing with the Matter of France, including ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando furioso'' by ...

), his son Jamund, and the giant

Ferragut Ferragut (also known as Ferragus, Ferracutus, Ferracute, Ferrakut, Ferraguto, Ferraù, Fernagu) was a character—a Saracen paladin, sometimes depicted as a giant—in texts dealing with the Matter of France, including the '' Historia Caroli Mag ...

, attempting to stitch together accounts from '' Historia Caroli Magni'' and a version of ''Chanson d'Aspremont''; *V. "Gvitalin the Saxon" (''Af Gvitalín Saxa'') *:An account of a campaign against the Saxons, related to

Jean Bodel Jean Bodel (c. 1165 – c. 1210), was an Old French poet who wrote a number of ''chanson de geste, chansons de geste'' as well as many fabliaux. He lived in Arras. Writings Bodel wrote ("Song of the Saxons") about the war of King Charlemagne wi ...

's '' Chanson de Saisnes''; *VI. "Otuel" (''Af Otúel'') *:A version of the French poem ''Chanson d'Otinel''; *VII. "The Journey to Jerusalem" (''Af Jórsalaferð'') *:A "very close translation" of an identified Anglo-Norman manuscript of the ''

Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne ''Le Pèlerinage de Charlemagne'' (''The Pilgrimage of Charlemagne'')Also called the ''Voyage de Charlemagne à Jérusalem et à Constantinople'' (''Charlemagne's Voyage to Jerusalem and Constantinople''). is an Old French ''chanson de geste'' (e ...

''; *VIII. "The Battle of Runzival" (''Af Runzival Bardaga'') *:A version of ''

The Song of Roland ''The Song of Roland'' (french: La Chanson de Roland) is an 11th-century '' chanson de geste'' based on the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778 AD, during the reign of the Carolingian king Charlemagne. It i ...

'' textually close (although with a few notable differences) to the Oxford manuscript; *IX. "William Short-Nose" (''Af Vilhjálmi korneis'') *:A rendition of the ''Moniage Guillaume'' of the Guillaume d'Orange cycle; *X. "Miracles and Signs" (''Um kraftaverk og jartegnir'') *:Or "The Death of Charlemagne." Based on the account in

Vincent de Beauvais Vincent of Beauvais ( la, Vincentius Bellovacensis or ''Vincentius Burgundus''; c. 1264) was a Dominican friar at the Cistercian monastery of Royaumont Abbey, France. He is known mostly for his ''Speculum Maius'' (''Great mirror''), a major work ...

’s ''

Speculum historiale Richard of Cirencester ( la, Ricardus de Cirencestria; before 1340–1400) was a cleric and minor historian of the Benedictine abbey at Westminster. He was highly famed in the 18th and 19th century as the author of ''The Description of Britain'' be ...

''.

Translations

A modern English translation of the work, in three volumes, was completed by Constance B. Hieatt, with copious notes and index. The saga was translated into Swedish verse in the fourteenth century as ''Karl Magnus''. It was also given an abridged translation into Danish as ''

Karl Magnus Krønike Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...

,'' with the earliest manuscript dating to 1480, followed by printed versions. ''

Roland og Magnus kongen Roland og Magnus kongen literally "Roland and King Magnus," also known under the English title "Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux" is a Norwegian ballad about the legendary hero Roland of Charlemagne's court. The ballad is cataloged NMB 171 ( ed., ...

'' is the only Norwegian ballad to have been composed out of the saga, based on Branch VIII.

Holy war

The fear of a common enemy united the Christian fighters in Holy War. If the noble goals of religious war are abandoned, the author cautions that Christian forces will fail against the Saracens. ''Agulandus þáttr'' gives an example of the breakdown of class differences and routine disagreements for the duration of Christians' war against "infidels":

should all vandals and robbers reenter freedom and grace if they were ready to henceforth desist from the behavior and join God's knights, and he vowed to them to grant them again property that earlier had been lost and to make the poor rich.

It describes the Saracen warriors as "strangely dressed in a Saracen way, horned, and like devils, sharply striking tambourines". In this way they panic the Christian cavalry who lose control of their horses, forcing the Christian knights to withdraw temporarily. According to the chronicle King Karlamagnus is victorious in battle the following day receiving the

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

of the enemy king and taking the city of Cordova as a fiefdom.

References

* Hieatt, Constance B., trans., ''Karlamagnús saga: The Saga of Charlemagne and his heroes''. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1975/1975/1980. **vol. 1 (1975) - Kms 1 ~ 3 **vol. 2 (1975) - Kms 4 **vol. 3 (1980) - Kms 5 ~ 10 *Holmes, Jr, Urban Tigner .T. ''A History of Old French Literature from the Origins to 1300''. New York: F.S. Crofts, 1938. * Crosland, Jessie. ''The Old French Epic''. New York: Haskell House, 1951.

Notes

External links