Illuga saga og Illuga dans

Abstract

THIS article reviews the problem of the relationship between the fornaldarsaga and the ballad about Illugi Gríðarfóstri, kappen Illugjen. In 1910 Knut Liestøl reached the conclusion that the ballad must be based on the fornaldarsaga in its present or a similar form. The inter-relationship of fornaldarsögur and 'trollvisor' is a field of study in which facts are hard to establish. It was therefore natural that Liestøl's conclusion became a rather important fixed point in the formation of his and other's opinions on these matters in general. This is not a detailed summary of the article. Much is left out. But it is hoped that the following brief re-statement in English of its main findings may be of use to some readers. There is no doubt that the fornaldarsaga and the ballad are made of the same story-matter. In their development of this material, however, they differ in some important points. Contrary to previous opinion which has accepted the saga as the earliest of the two, these differences are here found to show that the ballad gives us the story closer to its original form and that in comparison the version of the legend in the fornaldarsaga is clearly derivative. Saxo Grammaticus' account of Thorkillus' (Þorkell aðalfari's) second journey to the magical North is of key importance in this connection. It contains the story of the 'three truths' which the hero has to utter to giants that dwell in a cave in return for the fire needed by his companions. This tale, which is one of the elements in the Illugi legend, helps us to see how the ballad and the saga are constructed. The Ulugi legend appears to be a combination of two different tales grafted on to each other:

1. The tale of the fire and the three truths.

2. A simple folktale about the rescuing of a princess from a giantess who keeps her in captivity. The essential features of these two tales in combination constitute what amounts to a correct synopsis of the story told in the Illugi ballad. As to the fornaldarsaga, a critical look at its composition, particularly the ways in which it differs from the ballad, produces further evidence for the conclusion that the simpler tale of the ballad is the (more) original one and that the more complex tale of the fornaldarsaga must be derived from it.

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