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The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics)
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 398
EAN: 9780140447385
ISBN: 0140447385
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 160
Publication Date: January 01, 2000
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
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Editorial Review:
One of the great books of world literature--an unforgettable tale of jealousy, unrequited love, greed, and vengeance. Based on Viking Age poems and composed in thirteenth-century Iceland, The Saga of the Volsungs combines mythology, legend, and sheer human drama in telling of the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer, who acquires runic knowledge from one of Odin's Valkyries. Yet the saga is set in a very human world, incorporating oral memories of the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun and other warriors fought on the northern frontiers of the Roman empire. In his illuminating Introduction Jesse L. Byock links the historical Huns, Burgundians, and Goths with the extraordinary events of this Icelandic saga. With its ill-fated Rhinegold, the sword reforged, and the magic ring of power, the saga resembles the Nibelungenlied and has been a primary source for such fantasy writers as J. R. R. Tolkien and for Richard Wagner's Ring cycle.Translated with an Introduction, Notes, and Glossary by Jesse L. Byock.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Reasonable translation, great work
First, I would add that for serious students looking at this work, you are better off starting with Prof. Hollander's translation of the Poetic Edda. That work contains the surviving source material the saga author had access to in English translation. When compared to source material, one can see how the author toned down to some extent some of the mythic and magical aspects of the story.
This is one of the most important stories in Western culture, on a scale with the Illead and ... Read More
Rating: - Siegfried Norse style
This is not the best Viking Saga I've read but it is pretty good. It is almost essential reading (if you're into understanding Viking culture). At times the story is confusing, because their are so many actors in this drama. There are some rather shocking/grisly bits in it, but on the whole it is one of those timeless stories, and so much better than "Lord of the Rings" (which was obviously inspired by this Saga). I will read it again - of that I am quite sure.
Rating: - A Norse Dynasty
"The Saga of the Volsungs" concern the epic tale of the Volsung family, from its patriarch Norse god Odin, through his decedents: Volsung himself, Sigmund and his sister Signy, their son Sigurd, and the tragic tale of his wife and children. If some of this saga seems familiar, it is because Sigurd is Siegfried in the German epic "Nibelungenlied". This is a really quick read, and I was surprised at how easy it is to understand. Don't get me wrong, it is still a challenge to read, you really have ... Read More
Rating:  - Greatest Saga
Epic, bloody and depressing. It's GREAT!!! Great fun for peoplewell versed and for the beginner. The classic root of the entire ring cycle myth. The Start of the Siegfried legend and inspiration for Wagner and Tolkien. Essential source material.
Rating: - A Great Translation
Jesse Byock's translation of the Völsungasaga manages to be both faithful and readable (not as common a combination as you might think), and it strikes a nice balance in its use of only the most important footnotes (a little more than 100 over the course of the saga). These are usually etymological / onomastic in nature, which was very much to my liking. I would have preferred them to be actual footnotes rather than end notes, actually, but that's just a quibble about having to flip back and forth ... Read More
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