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Ála Flekks Saga
Ála Flekks Saga (The Saga of Spotted Áli) is an anonymous medieval Icelandic Romance Saga (riddarasögur). Composed in Iceland, possibly in Oddi in South Iceland and presumably around or shortly before 1400, the saga depicts the tale of Áli Flekkr, the son of king Rikarðr of England, as he faces a multitude of misfortunes. The saga's narrative style is easy to read and popular, and has been thus dubbed 'the most Icelandic lygĩsaga'.

Plot
As a baby, Áli Flekkr, the son of king Rikarðr of England is left exposed in the woods. The king ordered his wife to have their child killed if it was a boy as he had seen through his gift of foresight that his son would have a difficult life if allowed to live. However, Áli is rescued by peasants. They give him his name due to the birthmark upon his cheek. When he turns eight, he is taken back into the king's houosehold, but soon his sufferings begin. He becomes the victim of 'spells and compulsions no less than three times', and each time the perpetrator appears to have inadequate motives. First, a mean-spirited serving woman, Blátönn, persuades Áli Flekkr to go on a treacherous quest for the mere reason that he had never complimented her with fair words. He is sent into the path of a female troll Nótt. Eventually he is able to escape and he marries the maiden king þorbjörg. Following this, he is entranced by Nótt's brother Glóðaraugi who turns Ali temporarily into a wolf, again for no apparent good reason. He is caught and recognised by his foster mother becuase his eyes have not changed. The third misfortune to befall him is when a third troll sister wounds him while he is dreaming, and adds an álög (a potent charm, used mainly by witches, 'a combination of a wish and a behest') to this preventing any cure except at the hands of her brothers. Thus Áli, with his faithful wife by his side, must travel to India where the troll brothers are in order to be cured. Eventually Áli prevails against these unfortunate incidents, and succeeds his father as king of England.

Sources and Influences
Ála Flekks Saga is described by Marianne E. Kalinke and P. M. Mitchell as an amalgamation of motifs from the riddarasögur, the fornaldarsögur and other folk tales. Fairy and folk tale elements are present in the exposure motif, the magic spells and the werewolf theme. Pulsiano attributes this to Irish influence. Meanwhile, the maiden king and the battle scenes are motifs more fitting with the traditional riddarasögur. As Pulsiano also notes, 'Áli Flekks Saga shares characteristics with a number of fornaldarsögur, such as Hrólfs saga kraks and Halfdanar saga Bronufóstra, which contains an episode in the hall of the troll-woman'. Schlauch also provides extensive evidence to suggest that the saga has roots in medieval French literature, in particular the Tristan legends which depict journeys to far away lands.

Manuscripts and Date
The saga survives in more than thirty-five manuscripts. The oldest is dated to the latter half of the fifteenth century. Between the seventeenth and nineteenth century, three cycles of Rimur af Ála flekki were composed based on the material of the saga.