Product Description
In the early years of the thirteenth century the Danish writer Saxo Grammaticus provided his people with a History of the Danes, an account of their glorious past from the legendary kings and heroes of Denmark to the historical present. It is one of the major sources for the heroic and mythological traditions of northern Europe, though the complex Latin style and the wide range of material brought together from different sources have limited its use. Here Hilda Ellis Davidson, a specialist in Scandinavian mythology, together with the translator Peter Fisher, provides a full English edition; each of the first nine books is preceded by an introductory summary, and a detailed commentary follows on the folklore and life and customs of twelfth-century Denmark - including the sources of Hamlet, of which Saxo gives the earliest known account. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Latter-Day Nordic Gods and Heroes Rejoice!
The Danish monk Saxo lived from about 1150 to after 1216.His erudition and command of Latin got him appointed as scribe to the archbishop of Lund(site of Copenhagen), during which time he wrote the sixteen books of theGesta Danorum.This 'Deeds of the Danes' stands proudly beside Gregory'sHistory of the Franks, the Venerable Bede's History of the English Churchand Nation, and the other medieval histories of the European nations.Evenmore important, it stands beside the Eddas as a main source for scholars ofGermanic mythology.

This two volume edition, books one through nine, istranslated by Peter Fisher and edited by H. R. Ellis-Davidson, eminentscholar and Grand-Dame of Nordic Scholarship.A scholar's sorce book to besure, one volume text, the other notes and bibliography, this translationis, unlike earlier translations, very readable.

That out of the way, whoshould buy this work and why?

Saxo was indeed a man of God, but in hisbreast throbbed the heart of the Germanic/Nordic warrior-aristocracy in itstruest form.The modern reader senses that, on occasion, he may haveforgotten both his vows and that he was working for the archbishop.

Bookone begins in mythological pre-time with a legendary account of a King Dan,possibly of Greek (Danai) origin , who saved the Danes from the EmperorAugustus.Book nine ends with the life and times of the historical KingGorm III, shortly before Saxo's own time.

Dan's progeny, their retinuesand adversaries, include the widest range of boldest heroes, most dastardlyscoundrels, moralists, deviants, and about any other type imaginable. Perhaps the best known of these figures is the Amleth (book 3), who feignsmadness in order to visit vengeance on the uncle who murdered his fatherand became his step-father.This material came to Shakespeare by way of acontemporary French author.

One of my personal favorites has to beStarkather, whom Saxo presents to us with some license, but in a mostremarkable way.

Starkather, according to the somewhat garbled report,has been condemned by Thor to live three lifetimes, each separated by anact of treachery or betrayal.Books six and seven tell of the old heroduring his last lifetime and his long overdue death.He comes on as aleftover from a previous, more heroic time, before the Danish royalty hadsuccumbed to the decadent, courtly (French via 'Teuton') mannerisms thathad swept over Saxo's Europe."Frothi was succeeded by his son, Ingel... (who)abandoned the patterns of his forbears and surrendered himselfwholly to the baits of wanton extravagance. At variance with all that wasgood and upright, he grasped at vice instead of sound morality, severed thecords of restraint, neglected a sovereign's duties and became a vile slaveto riotous living."Further, "(h)is idea of greatness was tocollect fatteners of fowls, scullions, frying-pans, all kinds of factoriesfor the palate and various connoisseurs in the art of roasting and spicingmeats."A true warrior-king, we learn later, should be pleased to eathis rancid meat uncooked with his troops in the field.Ingel's main viceis, of course, that he hasn't avenged the death of his father.

We readabout Starkather's agreeing to stand by a Prince Helgi, who has agreed tomeet nine adversaries on the field the day after his wedding night. Starkather stands guard by the bridal chamber.At dawn he finds Helgislumbering peacefully in the arms of his bride.Reluctant to awaken theprince, he rides out onto the snow-covered plain to meet the opponents. When the nine find him he is covered with snow up to his shoulder blades,apparently half naked because he had removed his cloak to pluck fleas. They ask him if he wants to take them on individually or all together. "Whenever a sorry pack of curs snarls at me ... I usually send themscampering off all together, not one by one."Spaghetti-westernscript writers, look and learn!

The old Starkather dispatches all nine,but not before he is wounded so severely that his innards are hanging out. A man on a cart stops to tend to the badly bloodied hero.When the latterlearns that the man is a bailiff, "he was not content with rejectinghim, but crushed him with abuse."Two more passersby stop, but arealso rejected when our hero learns that the first has married a maidservantand is currently engaged in the process of buying her freedom.Be helpedby one who has "accepted a slave's embrace"?The second, a slaveherself, is sent "home (to) offer her teats to her squalling daughter,for he considered it utterly degrading to accept relief from a wretch ofthe lowest order."

Finally a farmer's son comes by in a wagon. His interview reveals that he has "a praiseworthy calling, in whichfolk sought their subsistence by a trade of honest labour and certainlyrealised no profit unless it were gained the sweat of their brows." How can you not love this guy?

Starkather's tirades are easilyrecognizable as Saxo's own scorn and derision, hurled at the courtlydecadence of his contemporary Danish aristocracy.

This translation wasfirst published in 1979 but has been unavailable in the American market formost of the past two decades.Buy this book and read it!We need more ofthese authentic histories. ... Read more

Product Description
Saxo Grammaticus, or ÒThe LetteredÓ, one of the notable historians of the Middle Ages, may fairly be called not only the earliest chronicler of Denmark, but her earliest writer, states the preface. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Accessible . . . but could be more useful.
The translation is proficient, and the resulting prose is very readable.I would have preferred a dual language presentation, though.In its present form, I had trouble finding some references.All in all, though, a good effort. ... Read more

Book Description
Saxo Grammaticus, who's believed to have lived from 1150 until 1220 (though the dates are uncertain), wrote a sixteen-volume history of the Denmark that he lived in. Volumes X through XVI (oddly -- or perhaps not so oddly -- written first) are a conventional history of Saxo's day and age. But the first the volumes are the stuff of myth and legend, delightful tales of mythic Norse persons and circumstances. This book is comprised of those mythic volumes, and it's special stuff indeed. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Scandinavian Studies, published by Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study on March 22, 1996. The length of the article is 3795 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Saxo Grammaticus: Tra storiografia e letteratura. (book reviews)
Author: Hans Kuhn
Publication: Scandinavian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1996
Publisher: Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study
Volume: v68Issue: n2Page: p242(9)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Children's book, also for adults. Tales of Danish gods, vikings,and semimythical kings. Grammaticus stories retold in English by Julia Adams. Contents include Five Adventures of Hading, The Warrior Princess, The Death of Balder the Beautiful, Amleth, Prince of Denmark, Uffe the Silent, The Quick Wit of Erik, Starkad's Vow, Modest strythe, The Faithful maiden, The White Hound of Oluff, The Far Journeys of Thorkill, The perils of Sigrid, and A Viking's Death. ... Read more