Medieval Iceland produced a wealth of storytelling, from the well-known sagas of feuding farmers to tales rich in chivalry and imagination. Among these, Rémundar saga keisarasonar is notable both for its sheer length and for embodying the international spirit of the romance tradition within Icelandic writing.
A quest shaped by dreams and prophecy
The story centres on Rémundr, who becomes enchanted with a woman glimpsed only in his dreams. Carving a likeness of this dream maiden, he sets out from home in pursuit of her. His travels are marked by encounters and dangers, including a fateful duel with Eskupart. Eskupart, who has also claimed a connection to the maiden, is slain by Rémundr, but with his final words prophesies that only the world’s most beautiful woman can heal Rémundr’s wounds. After enduring a series of adventures, Rémundr reaches India and is cared for by Elina, the very woman from his dreams.
This tale borrows from a blend of sources, pulling inspiration from earlier works such as the Norwegian Tristrams saga ok Ísöndar as well as later medieval romances from continental Europe. In doing so, it places Icelandic storytelling within a wider landscape of European narratives about love, fate and adventure.
A manuscript legacy
The saga survives today in no fewer than 41 different manuscripts, beginning with vellum fragments from the fourteenth century and extending through copies made in the nineteenth century. These are housed across various collections, including the Arnamagnæan Institute in Copenhagen and British Library, as well as Icelandic archives and even a manuscript at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Each copy reflects both Iceland’s enduring interest in the tale and the manuscript culture that was vital to the island’s literary life.
While modern readers might access the saga in published editions, such as those edited by Sven Grén Broberg in the early twentieth century or as part of Bjarni Vilhjálmsson’s Riddarasögur series, each manuscript offers a tangible link to Iceland’s deep engagement with European romance literature.
