The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) [Paperback]

Anonymous (Author), Jesse L. Byock (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Classics | Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Based on Viking Age poems, "The Saga of the Volsungs" combines mythology, legend and sheer human drama. At its heart are the heroic deeds of Sigurd the dragon slayer who acquires magical knowledge from one of Odin's Valkyries. Yet it is also set in a very human world, incorporating strands from the oral narratives of the fourth and fifth centuries, when Attila the Hun and other warriors fought on the northern frontiers of the Roman Empire. One of the great books of world literature, the saga is an unforgettable tale of princely jealousy, unrequited love, greed and vengeance. With its cursed treasure of the Rhine, sword reforged and magic ring of power, it was a major influence for writers including William Morris and J. R. R. Tolkein and for Wagner's Ring cycle.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Byock is] very successful in his adept renderings of Eddic rhythm... The translation of prose is equally fine." -- Judy Quinn, Parergon --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140447385
• ISBN-13: 978-0140447385
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > More Languages > Icelandic

More About the Author

Jesse L. Byock is Professor of Old Norse and Medieval Scandinavian at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he is also a member of the Institute of Archaeology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: An Outstanding Rendering, January 9, 2005

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Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Jesse L. Byock's translation of the Old Icelandic "Volsunga Saga" -- a prose version of older stories, some surviving in Old Norse poems, including events going back at least to the fall of the Roman Empire -- is the most readily available English-language version, and in my opinion is one of the best -- arguably, the best, period.

"Volsunga Saga," the story of the ancestors and deeds of Sigurd the Dragon-Slayer, his murder, and the following vengeance, has been translated into English a number of times; a reflection in part of its own qualities as a story, in part of the celebrity of Wagner's "Ring" cycle, portions of which are, rather loosely, based upon it, as well as other Norse and German versions, and Wagner's own notions of what Germanic myths should have been. (The relations between versions of the tales, which seem to have been popular over a wide area for many centuries, are complex. I have discussed some examples in a review of another translation, as "Volsung Saga.")

The Saga differs from the "Nibelungenlied" in more than details, and in being in Old Icelandic prose rather than Middle High German verse; the Icelandic narrative is rich in a sense of personal honor offended, and legal precepts followed or ignored, in places where the German account is very much concerned with the outer signs of rank and feudal hierarchy. Both are equally reflective of reality; but different realities.

William Morris worked up a fine-sounding English version with the assistance of the Icelandic scholar Eirikr Magnusson, first published in 1870; it had a long-lasting paperback edition from Collier Books, beginning in 1962 (also published in a British edition as a Collier-Mac). That version had a good introduction by Robert W. Gutman, but lacked the corrections supplied by Magnusson, and incorporated in May Morris' edition of her father's "Collected Works" in 1911. Morris and Magnusson had the happy thought of including older versions of the story from the "Poetic Edda' (or "Elder Edda"), not then readily available in English translation; particularly those old poems barely summarized in the prose account, or omitted. Unfortunately, as "The Story of the Volungs and the Niblungs; With Certain Songs from the Elder Edda," with or without "Volsunga Saga," as the main or subtitle, it tends to be confused with Morris' own epic poem, "The Story of Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs."

Morris was not happy with Wagner's treatment of the story (or with the way it overshadowed his epic); but his translation has been linked to it in edition after edition. I love this version, and wouldn't give up my copy. But the language of the translation, although often beautiful, is rather alien to modern readers. Between Morris' actual mistakes, improvement in text editions, and advances in Icelandic studies, it hardly meets modern standards of reliability. And Morris' archaizing style in his saga translations suggests that the sagas' language is highly wrought and romantically lush, when, by all accounts, the style is notably sparse, and even severe. (I have discussed the style at greater length in a review of a Kessinger digital edition of the translation, the previously-mentioned "Volsung Saga" edition.)

In 1930, the American-Scandinavian Foundation published a new translation by Margaret Schlauch, which instead of Eddic poems included "Ragnar Lodbrok's Saga" and the poem "Krakumal," which follow "Volsunga" in the unique parchment manuscript, and were clearly designed to be part of the same story. (A practice which should have been followed by others, in my view.) It was simpler in style, although not really idiomatic. This was followed in 1965 by R.G. Finch's edition of the Icelandic text with facing translation, and then by George K. Anderson's translation with other supplementary material in 1982 (which I have examined, but not read with care). There were also translations of excerpts, some very appealing, including those by Jacqueline Simpson in "Beowulf and Its Analogues" (1971). Finally, in 2000, there was another bilingual edition for serious students, edited and translated by Kaaren Grimstad (published in Germany; not seen).

Of those older translations that I have seen, I think that Finch's was the most readable, although perhaps a little flat after Morris. There was certain clutter of notes and variant readings on the pages, but the English was clear. Schlauch's should have been easier reading than Morris' version, but slightly eccentric page layout often made it hard to figure out who was speaking to whom at first glance. Unfortunately, the Schlauch, Finch, Anderson, and Grimstad translations all have something else in common: they are out of print.

So, for most purposes, is the venerable Morris; there *is* a premium-priced edition available on Amazon.co.uk (which doesn't seem aimed at the curious reader!), and an on-demand text from Kessinger. The various digital editions being offered also may *all* be this well-out-of-copyright translation; the Kessinger e-book edition follows an 1888 printing, with a long-obsolete introduction, for example (and I assume is, with its misprints, identical to their 'hard copy' version).

But Jesse L. Byock's "The Saga of the Volsungs: The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer" is in print. Fortunately, it *is* a very readable translation, with extremely useful notes, and, having compared it to Morris & Magnusson, Schlauch, and Finch, I am inclined to trust Byock's work, as well as enjoy it. I have found it, in fact, the most easy to follow, while Byock's notes seem reflect a concern for precision in language.

Originally published by the University of California Press in 1990, it was soon issued in paperback with a cover based on an eleventh-century Swedish rune stone depicting the slaying of the dragon Fafnir (on eye-catching red). It was later picked up in Penguin Classics, with a cover showing a detail of a twelfth-century woodcarving of Sigurd and the dwarf Regin reforging the sword Gram. The Penguin edition of 1999 is a little smaller in format, but the two are otherwise identical. (Years ago I used the wider margins of my 1990 copy for notes, and cross-references to other translations; which proved handy in preparing this review.) The UC Press edition has more recently (2002) been reissued, with a rather nineteenth-century romantic version of Vikings at sea; an attractive cover, but not as relevant to the contents. (Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.ca also offer a 1992 Hisarlik Press edition, which appears to have a migration-age shield on the cover.)

The new cover of the UC Press edition also mentions Tolkien and "Lord of the Rings," along with Wagner (and why did they need to wait for Peter Jackson?). Tolkien's parallels to "Volsunga Saga" are clear, although mingled with other sources, and an abundance of Tolkien's own invention. Tolkien, unlike Wagner, could read the sources in their original forms, but he created anew, instead of purporting to retell. The points of contact range from aspects of "The Silmarillion" (mainly Hurin and Turin, where they are mixed with material from the Finnish "Kalevala," but also Beren's wolf-form, and a dragon's curse / prophecy) to the (off-stage) reforging of Narsil / Anduril in "Lord of the Rings." The clearest example is Tolkien's recasting of Sigurd's conversations with Fafnir into the chats with Smaug in "The Hobbit" -- the implicit contrast between Bilbo and Sigurd adds to the comedy for those fortunate enough to know both. (And, yes there is that business of the Ring, and its Curse. As Tolkien said, they are much the same; all of the rings involved are round and shining.)

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down--great saga, richly rendered, May 11, 2002

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Elliot Frye (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

It's rare to find a book that's a good read for readers of all stripes, but this is one of the them. History and saga fiends will love the maps and the way Byock's introduction ties the tale into other historical contexts. Lovers of literature will enjoy the prose and a fantastic episodic narrative that builds one story on top of another into a great epic. It helps that Byock's translation is superb--he catches the rhythm and flow of the original Old Icelandic while crafting a very readable text that isn't dry or overworked as some translations can be. The notes, too, provide a wonderful background that enriches the reader's experience of the saga.

This saga is the one to start with. It's a fun saga--with lots of action, and also one of the most important stories in western literature, a Viking Age epic of the hero Sigurd and his wild Volsung kinsmen. Along the way, the famous Attila the Hun and the Gothic horsemen of the steppes enter the story along with others of their ilk.

The Saga of the Volsungs is the core basis of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. Tolkien was a professor of Old English and taught Old Norse. In his creative way, he mined the Volsung story for the essential elements of his trilogy. If you want to understand Tolkien as well as Scandinavian myth and legend, then this saga is the best place to get started. The sword that was reforged, the ring of power and its connection with water, the Gandalf character, the origin of the Gollum and Aragorn, elves, dwarves, the riders of Rohan and much more all step off the pages of The Saga of the Volsungs.

I heartily recommend Jesse Byock's translation of The Saga of the Volsungs for new and old readers of the sagas, and of course for the Tolkien fans out there!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable rendering of seminal saga, April 2, 2006

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Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Saga of the Volsungs (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

This 13th century Icelandic saga of Sigurd the dragon slayer was rediscovered in 19th century Europe and was a prime source for Wagner's Ring cycle, especially the Siegfried part. Elements will also be found in Tolkien. Personally, I came to Norse mythology through the BBC's Adventures of Noggin the Nog (Did he ever put an end to Nogbad the Bad?).

It is a neglected tradition, as evidenced by the paucity of translations in print. We commonly talk of the Classical (Greek and Roman) and Judeo-Christian roots of our culture, but greatly underestimate the Norse and Celtic influences. The Volsung saga and the Niebelungenlied are among the best known and influential of the medieval epics and if you enjoy one you will probably enjoy the other. You might start with the Volsungs because theirs is the shorter and more coherent story, even though the more mythical and fantastic.

Byock's translation is very readable, reflecting the sparse, unadorned style of the original. His introduction is excellent, especially the notes on Wagner, in which he traces the influence of this work in the Ring.

The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok and The Lay of the Raven follow the Volsung saga in the original manuscripts and form a continuous narrative. So why, as the Volsung saga is quite short, are they not all three published together in one volume? I felt rather short changed. Even so, I heartily recommend this book.