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Grega Saga

The 'Grega Saga' is probably part of the more known Riddarasögur (literally 'Sagas of knights', also known in English as 'Chivalric sagas'). Unfortunately, only few is know about this precise saga. It was composed presumably between 1300 and 1400 in Iceland. It was written on a vellum leaf, of which only few pieces lasted. According to the ‘Saga-Book VOL. XXV’ (Viking Society For Northern Research, University College, London, 1998–2001) the ‘Grega Saga’ is believed to have been written by Magnús Þórhallsson, an Icelandic benedectine priest known principally for being the author of the second part of the medieval summary Flateyjarbók'. As the author of the book explains:

‘Finally, on the basis of orthographically accurate copies by later scribes, I think I have convincingly shown that a largish codex called Vatnshyrna which contained a number of Sagas of Icelanders but which perished in the Copenhagen fire of 1728 was at least partly written in Magnús’s hand.’

At the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar í íslenskum fræðum) of Ireland is kept the only remaining page of this saga, in the summary AM 567 4.º (XXVI). Unfortunately, only few words of the incipit of the Grega saga are known:

''‘ok þui skal sia mær’ '' Which probably means;

‘Such yoke shall sieve (the) maiden’

As presented in the book by Marianne E. Kalinke and P. M. Mitchell ‘Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic Romances’ this saga was largely taken from the ‘Ivens saga’, better known as ‘Le chevalier au lion’. ‘Yvain, the Knight of the Lion’ as it would be translated into English, is one of the six works belonging to Chretien de Troyes, worldwide known for having originated the character of Lancelot, that were translated and made it through the years. ‘Ivens saga’, together with many others, owes its existence to King Hakon. Because of this it is taught to have been written in 1263. A note has been found attached to the manuscript of the text, written by Magnus Olaffsson, in which he attests that the original text was longer and that was done an effort only in preserving the plot. Seemingly, ‘Ivens saga’ and ‘Grega Saga’ have the same plot or very close anyway. Through Chretien de Troyes and the adventures of Yvain, the motif of the grateful lion was well known in the middle age and played a big role in that period. As Marianne E. Kalinke pointed out in another of her book about Old Norse-Icelandic literature ‘The Book of Reykjahólar: The Last of the Great Medieval Legendaries’:

''‘The twelfth century French romance was translated into Old Norse in the second half of the thirteenth century, and this translation, Ivens saga, inspired the composition of a group of Icelandic romances containing the grateful-lion motif. ‘''

In fact, she continues on saying that:

''‘Icelanderes manifested most readily their independence from French tradition when they took to devising new plots. Their main source of inspiration for the Icelandic recreations continued to be the imported literature from which they extrapolated names, motifs, topoi, characters, and even entire episodes.’ (Kalinke, Old norse Icelandic Literatur, a Critical Guide)

 References 
 * Marianne E. Kalinke,'The Book of Reykjahólar: The Last of the Great Medieval Legendaries', p.199
 * SAGA-BOOK ,VOL. XXV,VIKING SOCIETY FOR NORTHERN RESEARCH UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON 1998–2001 p. 141
 * Old Norse-Icelandic Literature: A Critical Guide, Volume 45,edited by Carol J. Clover, John Lindow, p.332.
 * Stories for all time: The Icelandic fornaldarsögur, A research project funded by the Velux Foundation
 * ISLANDICA,A SERIES RELATING TO ICELAND AND THE FISKE ICELANDIC COLLECTION, EDITED BY JOSEPH HARRIS VOLUME XLIV (CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES)Bibliography of Old Norse-Icelandic Romances Compiled by Marianne E. Kalinke and P.M. Mitchell, p.50