The ''Karlamagnús saga'', also called ''Karlamagnussaga'' or ''Karlamagnus-saga'' ("

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

") 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) (; ) was King of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, King of Norway, and his wife Ingeborg of Denmark. Through his mother, ...

, of the

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...

''chansons de geste'' of the Matter of France dealing with Charlemagne and his paladins. In some cases, the ''Karlamagnús saga'' remains the only source for Lost literary work, 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 (; ) is a legendary paladin of Charlemagne who appears in many Old French ''chanson de geste, chansons de geste''. In particular, he features as the protagonist in ''La Chevalerie Ogier'' (), which belongs to the ''Geste de Doon de ...

; *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 romantic epics dealing with the Matter of France, including ''Orlando innamorato'' by Matteo Maria Boiardo and ''Orlando furioso'' by Ludovico Ariosto. He is a Saracen king f ...

), his son Jamund, and the giant Ferragut, 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), also spelled Jehan Bodel, was an Old French -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... poet who wrote a number of '' chanso ...

's ''

Chanson de Saisnes Jean Bodel (c. 1165 – c. 1210), also spelled Jehan Bodel, was an Old French -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... poet who wrote a number of '' chanso ...

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

The Song of Roland The ''Song of Roland'' () is an 11th-century based on the deeds of the Frankish military leader Roland at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in AD 778, during the reign of the Emperor Charlemagne. It is the oldest surviving major work of French li ...

'' 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’s '' Speculum historiale''.

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,'' with the earliest manuscript dating to 1480, followed by printed versions. '' Roland og Magnus kongen'' 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 file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...

. ''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 ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

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