Saga Studies

In Saga Studies, I am a modest proponent of the ‘free prose theory’ (Andreas Heusler, Mikhail Steblin-Kamenskiy); I admit oral roots of saga narratives, but find necessary to reconstruct protographs of literary sagas and do not ascribe variation in manuscripts to the impact of the alleged oral tradition. My research findings in saga and skaldic studies were presented at the International Saga Conferences (Akureyri 1994, Trondheim 1997, Bonn 2003; Durham 2006), in papers given at the Arni Magnusson’s Institute, University of Copenhagen (1998, 1999) and elsewhere.

See a draft of my talk given at the international workshop on Saga narratives and Local tradition in Moscow (October 2007).
local-tales

My views on the functions of skaldic stanzas in Sturla Þórðarson’s ‘Íslendinga saga’ are briefly summarized in my paper given at the international Saga conference in Durham (2006). I also adress some issues concerning the authenticity of skaldic poetry from ‘Íslendinga saga’.
durham2006

The so called ‘glosses about Bishop Guðmundr, and their status as possible interpolations in the body of Íslendinga saga is briefly discussed in my paper given at the international Saga conference in Bonn (2003). For an extended version of my analysis (in Russian) check my introduction to the edition of ‘Saga of Icelanders’ on a different page of this site.
bishopgudmundr2003