Trójumanna saga (''The Saga of the Men of Troy'') is a saga in

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

which tells the story of the

matter of Troy According to the medieval poet Jean Bodel, the Matter of Rome is the literary cycle of Greek and Roman mythology, together with episodes from the history of classical antiquity, focusing on military heroes like Alexander the Great and Julius Cae ...

. It is the Old Icelandic translation of the ''Daretis Phrygii De Excidio Troiae Historia'' (''Dares Phrygius’ History of the Destruction of Troy''). The saga expands on the basic framework provided by Dares to create a story with many particularly Norse elements and values.

Composition and sources

''Trójumanna saga'' was most likely composed by an Icelander in the mid-thirteenth century. Today there exist three separate and different redactions of ''Trójumanna saga'', themselves dating from probably the thirteenth and fourteenth century. These are known as the ''

Hauksbók Hauksbók (; 'Book of Haukr'), Reykjavík, Stofnun Árna Magnússonar AM 371 4to, AM 544 4to and AM 675 4to, is an Icelandic manuscript, now in three parts but originally one, dating from the 14th century. It was created by the Icelander Haukr E ...

'', Beta, and the Alpha redactions. ''Trójumanna saga'' Alpha, though the last to be discovered by modern scholars, is the closest to Dares' ''Historia'' in that it uses fewer supplementary sources than the other two versions. As such, it was published as ''Trójumanna saga: The Dares Phrygius Version'', by Jonna Louis-Jensen. Randi Claire Eldevik states that although ''Trójumanna saga'' Alpha has only a few sources other than ''De Excidio Troiae Historia'', "its treatment of 'De Excidio Troiae Historia''is elaborately embellished in comparison with the other two redactions." These other sources are the '' Ilias Latina'' attributed to Publius Baebius Italicus, and ''

Heroides The ''Heroides'' (''The Heroines''), or ''Epistulae Heroidum'' (''Letters of Heroines''), is a collection of fifteen epistolary poems composed by Ovid in Latin elegiac couplets and presented as though written by a selection of aggrieved heroine ...

'' by

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

Synopsis of the Alpha Redaction

The saga begins with the journey of

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

and his Argonauts. On the way to find the

Golden Fleece In Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece ( el, Χρυσόμαλλον δέρας, ''Chrysómallon déras'') is the fleece of the golden-woolled,, ''Khrusómallos''. winged ram, Chrysomallos, that rescued Phrixus and brought him to Colchis, where ...

they stop at

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...

Laomedon In Greek mythology, Laomedon (; grc, Λαομέδων means "ruler of the people") was a Trojan king, son of Ilus and thus nephew of Ganymede and Assaracus. Family Laomedon's mother was variously identified as Eurydice,Apollodorus3.12. ...

, King of Troy, forces Jason to leave his lands for fear of a Greek invasion. This is the start of a feud between the Trojans and the Greeks. After Jason acquires the Golden Fleece, he remains in Phrygia with

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

, however, gathers a Greek army and returns to Troy. After a brief war, Troy falls and

Telamon In Greek mythology, Telamon (; Ancient Greek: Τελαμών, ''Telamōn'' means "broad strap") was the son of King Aeacus of Aegina, and Endeïs, a mountain nymph. The elder brother of Peleus, Telamon sailed alongside Jason as one of his Argo ...

takes Laomedon's daughter and Priam's sister,

Hesione In Greek mythology and later art, the name Hesione ( /hɪˈsaɪ.əniː/; Ancient Greek: Ἡσιόνη) refers to various mythological figures, of whom the Trojan princess Hesione is most known. Mythology According to the '' Bibliotheca'', the ...

, back to Greece. Priam, after rebuilding Troy, summons his five sons:

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

(

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Deiphobus In Greek mythology, Deiphobus ( grc, , Dēḯphobos) was a son of Priam and Hecuba. He was a prince of Troy, and the greatest of Priam's sons after Hector and Paris. Deiphobus killed four men of fame in the Trojan War. Description Deiphob ...

Helenus In Greek mythology, Helenus (; grc, Ἕλενος, ''Helenos'', la, Helenus) was a gentle and clever seer. He was also a Trojan prince as the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, and the twin brother of the prophetess Cassandra. He was al ...

, and

Troilus Troilus ( or ; grc, Τρωΐλος, Troïlos; la, Troilus) is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War. The first surviving reference to him is in Homer's ''Iliad,'' composed in the late 8th century BCE. In Greek myth ...

, and they decide to avenge their grandfather, Laomedon. Alexander tricks Helen into vowing to marry him by tossing a golden apple into her lap. On the apple is inscribed, "I swear by the god that I shall be wed to Alexander and be his queen henceforward," which Helen unwittingly reads aloud, thus binding herself by oath to Alexander, who takes her back to Greece, inciting the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

. The course of the war is described in detail from the first landing of the Greeks to the taking of the city. Hector is Troy's greatest protector until he is slain by

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's '' Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Pele ...

in an even fight. After this Troilus and the rest of the sons of Priam fill the role. Achilles is a less central character to the story than in

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

's ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'', though he is still most often responsible for the deaths of prominent Trojans. He falls in love with

Polyxena In Greek mythology, Polyxena (; Greek: ) was the youngest daughter of King Priam of Troy and his queen, Hecuba. She does not appear in Homer, but in several other classical authors, though the details of her story vary considerably. After the ...

, Priam's daughter, is drawn into an ambush for her sake, and is assassinated by Alexander after a heroic last stand.

Antenor __NOTOC__ Antenor ( grc-gre, Ἀντήνωρ, ''Antḗnōr''; BC) was an Athenian sculptor. He is recorded as the creator of the joint statues of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton funded by the Athenians on the expulsion of Hipp ...

and

Aeneas In Greco-Roman mythology, Aeneas (, ; from ) was a Trojan hero, the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (equivalent to the Roman Venus). His father was a first cousin of King Priam of Troy (both being grandsons ...

, along with many townsmen, betray the city by letting the Greeks in during the night. Neoptolemus Pyrrhus, son of Achilles, kills Priam at the altar of

Thor Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of humankind, hallowing, an ...

. In the days following the sack of the city Neoptolemus searches for and finds Polyxena (who had been under Aeneas' protection). Blaming her for his father's death, Neoptolemus insists on her execution. After she defends herself in a passionate, but futile speech, he cuts off her head. The saga closes with a very brief summary of the Greeks' return home and the casualty counts of the war.A synopsis of the English translation of Eldevik, 205-286

Editions

* Jón Sigurðsson, ed.
Trójumanna saga
" In "Trojumanna saga ok Breta sogur efter Hauksbok, med dansk Oversaettelse", ''Annaler for nordisk Historie'' (1848), 4-100 (Hauksbók version; repr. as ''Trojumanna saga hin forna, prentuð eftir útgáfu Jóns Sigurðssonar i donskum Annalum 1848'' (Reykjavik: Prentsmioja D. Ostlunds, 1913). * innur Jonsson and Eirikur Jonsson, eds."Trojumannasaga." In ''Hauksbok udgiven efter de Arnamagnceanske Handskrifter no. 371, 544 og 675, 4° samt forskellige Papirhandskrifter'' (Copenhagen: Det kongelige nordiske Oldskrift-Selskab, 1892-96). * Jón Helgason, ed. "Trojumanna saga." In ''The Arna-Magnæan Manuscripts 371, 4to, 544, 4to, and 675, 4to'' (Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1960). * Louis-Jensen, Jonna, ed. ''Trojumanndsaga'', Editiones Arnamagnaeanae, A, 8 (Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1963) (based on Univ. Libr. Uppsala, R:706 and Ihre 76; Royal Library Stockholm, Papp. 4:o nr 29 and Papp. fol. nr 58; AM 573, 4°; AM 598, 4°, IIα and β; AM 544, 4°). * Louis-Jensen, Jonna, ed. ''Trojumanna saga. The Dares Phrygius Version'', Editiones Arnamagnaeanae, A, 9 (Copenhagen: Reitzel, 1981

982 Year 982 ( CMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Europe * Summer – Emperor Otto II (the Red) assembles an imperial expeditionary force at Tar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trojumanna saga Sagas Icelandic literature North Germanic languages Old Norse literature Trojan War literature