A religious tale based upon the legends of the life of Buddha, 6th century Asian legends. Translated from Georgian into Greek, and Greek into Latin in the 11th and 12th centuries. From the latter, the tale was translated into European venaculars including Icelandic.

13th century saga translated from a lost version of the Anglo-Norman Boeve de Haumtone. Like its Norman source, the sprawling, adventure-filled narrative is replete with betrayals, abductions,  battles, intrigues and frustrated romance, yet underscored with a Christian tone. The story follows the ultimately tragic romantic adventures of Bevis, a young prince sold to seamen by his mother, after he thwarts her plot to have his father murdered by her intended suitor, the Emperor of Germany, by killing the Emperor first.  Bevis spends his life fighting  for the hand of Josvena, daughter of King Erminrikr, first against false accusations, and then the abduction by a giant whose life he had spared, and finally against her legal suitor.  Bevis is ultimately reunited with Josvena after many years only to find her gravely ill. Sick with grief, he lies down by her side and they both die. 

A native Icelandic saga composed before 1500, which follows the adventures of two brothers seperated violently at an early age. As adults they both end up in the African paradise of Blómstrvöllr ('Plain of Flowers') where they duel for supremacy of rulership of the land. Reunited through the action of mutual friends, they each recount their life story. The saga ends with a magnificent wedding feast in the fabled land. The author borrowed heavily from other sagas, particulary Þidreks Saga af Bern.

An Old Norse rendering of Geoffrey of Monmouth's Latin Historia regum Brittanniae (c. 1136) with additions from other sources. The text is poorly preserved existing in both a longer and a shorter redaction, the shorter of which is found in Hauksbók. The abridgement is especially pronounced at the end, which is unfortunate since Hauksbók is the only extant manuscript of Bretta sögur to contain the last chapters of the work.   The longer redaction is represented by two 14th century manuscripts, both defective. One has several lacunae and ends defectively within Valvers þáttr, which follows the death of King Arthur (Historia, Book 11) in this manuscript; the other breaks off in Historia, Book 5. A badly multilated fragment of an otherwise lost 14th century manuscript containing a fuller text of Bretta sögur was discovered in the binding of an Icelandic manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin in 1968.

A maiden-king romance which may stem from a lost Latin poem. According to an introductory passage in one group of manuscripts, the tale was "found" in France in Latin meter. The tale was then "told" c. 1300 by Jon Hallðorsson, then a student in Paris, later a bishop in Skálholt. If so, the Latin original is lost. This story appears to have given rise to the maiden-king genre in Old Icelandic, which also includes: Dínus saga drambláta, Nitida saga, Sírgarðs saga frækna, Sigurðar saga sögla, and Viktors saga ok Blávus.

A native saga probably from the 14th century, which is difficult to classify because of its religous and moral elements. Damusti, the son of one of King Jon of Saxony's wisemen, falls in love with a Grecian princess, murders her intended bridegroom with the consent of the wisemen, and ultimately obtains her hand with supernatural assistance. When the princess dies of a fatal illness, the Virgin Mary instructs him to go to her grave and defeat a giant there, who gives him a potion to resurrect her. When her father passes away, Damusti becomes Emperor.

A native Icelandic saga composed in the 14th century, transmitted in three redactions that vary considerably. The story concerns haughty Prince Dinus of Egypt, who is enchanted by a spell with a burning desire for the equally haughty Princess Philotemia of Bláland (Ethiopia).  They exchange a series of vengeful spells and counterspells before eventually reconciling and  marrying. The text unites the bridal-quest motif with that of the maiden king.

A comparatively short riddarsaga, probably composed at the beginning of the 14th century, concerning a young man named Jon who can interpret dreams. Earl Heinrekr of Saxland is jealous and hopes to steal his talent by eatinghhis heart. Heinrekr's wife Ingibörg who has consented to kill Jón in his sleep, deceives her husband and saves Jón at the last moment, substituting a dog's heart. The Emperor of Saxland comes to Heinrikr with a dream he cannot interpret, and soon learns from his wife that Jón is not dead. Jón is brought before the Emperior, where he tells his own story and interprets the dream, which signifies the Queen's adultery. The emperor puts the Queen and her lover on a ship never to return and exiles Heinrekr. The saga ends with the marriage of Jón and Ingibörg, and Jón receiving his earldom.  The tale was popular in Iceland as evidenced by five vellum mss. and about 45 paper mss.

A native riddarsaga dating from the late 14th to early 15th century, preserved in 45 manuscripts. After a brief summary of the events of the Trojan war, the story relates the adventures of a young Prince of Thecisia, dubbed a knight at 17,  named Ector after the Tojan hero Hector. At a tournament, he defeats six princes, who afterward offer him service. Living together in Ector's castle, the 7 knights decide to go off in search of adventure and agree to return after one year. Their seven adventures are related in turn. This saga with its seven tales of adventure represents the sole Ielandic expression of the medieval frame narrative. The episodes all employ the common folktake structure in which a hero sets out alone or with a companion to defeat an opponent who is menacing a kingdom, and as reward is granted the hand of a princess. Unity is achieved in the frame, but also through the device of interlacing such as when the hero of the sixth adventure gets the bride of the seventh, and visa versa.   The borrowed material appears to originate from an unusually eclectic variety of sources.

Composed at the end of the 14th century. Although certain motifs and characters point to foriegn influence, the saga seems to be an original composition. In the tale, King Flores of Traktia kidnaps Elina of Kartagia in Africa, who bears him three sons. In Flores' absense, Elina's father arrives and takes back his daughter and her children. The boat is shipwrecked. In time, Flores remarries and sires a daugher named Elina. Sintram a knight falls in love with Flores' daugher Elina. After a fierce fight for her, Flores captures Sintram, kills his two brothers, and takes three knights in his retinue hostage. Awaiting their execution, the three knights recount their life stories, allowing Flores to recognize them as his three lost sons. Flores pardons them all. Sintram marries Elina, and his three sons become rulers of England, Gaskonia and Africa.

Translated from French  "Floire et Blancheflor' (12th century). Composed in Old Norwegian prose probably between 1220 and 1230. The saga is a Christian romance about the young, loving couple Flores and Blankiflur. He is Islamic and she is Christian. Both are born on Palm Sunday, the day Catholics carry blessed branches and flowers. Blankiflur's mother is taken hostage on her pilgramage to Spain, and Blankiflur is raised together with Flores at the royal court of his father. Despoite their mutual love, th king doesn't want his son to marry the daughter of a Christian prisoner, as so sells Blankiflur to the King of Babylon. Discovering this, Flores sets off to find her.  After much traveling her finds he engaged to be wed to an oriental king, who keeps her locked in a tower with 40 virgins. After a victorious single combat, Flores frees her and returns home where he is crowned king and marries Blankiflur. Thanks to the initiative of Blankiflur, Flores and his people adopt Christianity, and in time their son assumes rule of the kingdom.

Flóvents saga, of the 13th century, is probably not a translation, but as its rambling style indicates, an adaptation of a lost French chanson de geste. There is no connection other than name with the Chanson de Floovant. The saga operates on such stock and trade motifs of the  chanson de geste as the rescue of the Christian warrior by a heathen princess who subsequently converts to Christianity and marries the hero, the suspension of combat for elevated prayer, the enumeration of military forces, the often lavish expressions of mutal admiration by fellow brothers-in-arms,  a fondness for carnage and multilation, and the loud tauntings and ravings particularly of the infidels.

Composed in Iceland in the 14th century. An amalgam of two motifs: maiden king romance and the union between a human and a fairy, from which it is indebted to Klári Saga and Paralopa Saga respectively. The tale shares and overall plot structure with Rémundar Saga, and elements appear to have been borrowed from Víktors Saga ok Blávus.

Translated from French. Based on the work of Chrétien de Troyes. While remaining faithful to the substance of its source, this saga adhere to the pattern of other translated riddarsögur omitting editorial intruion and reducing description. Iven fails to strike the proper balance between prowess and love, causing the breakdown of his marriage by forgetting to return at the agreed upon time from a year of triumphant combat, After a series of adventures acompanied by a lion he rescued from a dragon, in which the hero proves himself to be of exceptopnal valor and worth, the couple are successfully reconciled. 

Probably composed in the 14th century. A simple, well-structured saga which moves swiftly from event to event, using well-established native motifs, with some signs of foriegn influence. No complete edition of the saga has yet appeared in print.

With no known foriegn-language source, the saga is a fine specimen of early indigenous riddarsaga combining elements from native tradition with more fashionable ones from the Continent. The dominant theme is not that ignorance is a basic fault, but that naiveté and blindness to reality, inevitably lead to great peril.

1987 Otto J. Zitzelsberger, Konráðs saga keisarasonar

No known foriegn-language source. The saga is unique among ridaarsögur in that the hero's conversion to Christianity plays an important part in the story.  Although early editors postulated foriegn sources, there is no evidence that Mírmanns Saga is not a native composition. It borrows and adapts themes from continetal sources, but successfully shapes the borrowed material into a finely wrought whole with a strong narrative thread. The most unusual aspect is the active role of three female characters, and the correspondingly passive role of Mírmann himself.

1997 Desmond Slay, Mírmanns Saga

Composed in the middle of the 14th century, it is the longest of the indigenous riddarsögur and has no known foriegn-language source. After a feast, Remundr, the son of the Christian king of Saxland, dreams of a strange country with three fantastic buildings. The third is a castle with a revolving chamber on top. In the dream, Remundr weds a beautiful maiden, but awakes before he can consumate the relationship. When he awakes, the wedding ring is on his finger. The remainder of the tale chronicles his efforts to obtain her. His first obstacle is a giant named Eskupart, who wounds him in battle leaving the point of his sword lodged in his head, via a curse that can only be broken by Elina, the woman of the dream. Arriving in Africa, he must fend off the advances of a king's daughter and as a consequence is attacked by the king's men. His affliction worsens in India until an archbishop sends Elina to remove the piece of iron from his head. When the Prince of Sicily arrives to woo her, Remundr defeats him. With the help of a stone that renders him invisible, he is able to pay nightly visits to her. After returning home and fending off a pagan invasion of his country, he returns to India by way of Jerusalem with an army of 20,000 men, marries Elina and returns to Saxland to be crowned.
 
1909 Sven Grén Broberg, Rémundar saga keisarsonar

1990 Marianne E. Kalinke, Bridal-Quest Romance in Medieval Iceland: "Sigrgards saga ok Valbrands is unusual in that the man who, according to the rules of bridal-quest narrative, should not only obtain his bride but also live happily ever after with her, is cruelly slain just as the quest is completed."

1965 Agnete Loth, Nitida Saga. Sigrgarðs Saga Frkna. Sigrgarðs Saga ok Valbrands. Sigurðar Saga Turnara.

Composed in Iceland in the 14th century, the story is composed of coventional motifs borrowed from native and foriegn source. The plot although eclectic, is a good story, well told without excessive rhetorical elaboration.

A. Le Roy Andrews, The Lygisögur, Scandinavian Studies and Notes, Volume 2

Geraldine Barnes, Margin vs. centre: geopolitics in Nitida saga (a cosmographical comedy?)

Ingvil Brügger Budal, A Translation of the Fantastic 

Vera Johanterwage (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster): The Use of Magic Spells and Objects in the Icelandic Riddarasögur

Inna Matyushina, Magic Mirrors, Monsters, Maiden-kings (the Fantastic in Riddarasögur)