Essays bringing out the richness of the hitherto neglected Charlemagne
tradition in medieval Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Wales and
Ireland.
The reception of the Charlemagne legends among Nordic and Celtic
communities in the Middle Ages is a shared story of transmission,
translation, an exploration of national identity, and the celebration of
imperialism. The articles brought together here capture for the first
time the richness of the Charlemagne tradition in medieval Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Wales and Ireland and its coherence as a
series of adaptations of Old French chansons de geste.
Emerging from the French sources is a set of themes which unite the
linguistically different Norse and Celtic Charlemagne traditions. The
ideology of the Crusades, the dichotomy of Christian and heathen
elements, the values of chivalry and the ideals of kingship are among
the preoccupations common to both traditions. While processes of
manuscript transmission are distinctive to each linguistic context, the
essential function of the legends as explorations of political ideology,
emotion, and social values creates unity across the language groups.
From the Old Norse Karlamagnús saga to the Irish and Welsh narratives,
the chapters present a coherent set of perspectives on the northern
reception of the Charlemagne legends beyond the nation of England.
Contributors: Massimiliano Bampi, Claudia Bornholdt, Aisling Byrne,
Luciana Cordo Russo, Helen Fulton, Jon Paul Heyne, Susanne Kramarz-Bein,
Erich Poppe, Annalee C. Rejhon, Sif Rikhardsdottir, Hélène Tétrel.
