''Alexanders saga'' is an
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
translation of ''
Alexandreis
The ''Alexandreis'' (or ''Alexandreid'') is a medieval Latin epic poem by Walter of Châtillon, a 12th-century French writer and theologian. It gives an account of the life of Alexander the Great, based on Quintus Curtius Rufus' ''Historia Alexan ...
'', an epic
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
poem about the life of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
written by
Walter of Châtillon
Walter of Châtillon ( Latinized as Gualterus de Castellione) was a 12th-century French writer and theologian who wrote in the Latin language. He studied under Stephen of Beauvais and at the University of Paris. It was probably during his studen ...
, which was itself based on
Quintus Curtius Rufus
Quintus Curtius Rufus () was a Roman historian, probably of the 1st century, author of his only known and only surviving work, ''Historiae Alexandri Magni'', " Histories of Alexander the Great", or more fully ''Historiarum Alexandri Magni Maced ...
's ''Historia Alexandri Magni''.
It is attributed in manuscripts of the saga to Brandr Jónsson, bishop of
Skálholt
Skálholt (Modern Icelandic: ; non, Skálaholt ) is a historical site in the south of Iceland, at the river Hvítá.
History
Skálholt was, through eight centuries, one of the most important places in Iceland. A bishopric was established in Sk� ...
who is also said to have been responsible for authoring
Gyðinga saga.
Kirsten Wolf has commented on the saga's literary qualities thus: "''Alexanders saga''
..has stirred the admiration of scholars and writers for centuries because of its exceptionally imaginative use of the resources of language and its engaging narrative style."
Manuscripts
''Alexanders saga'' is preserved in five medieval Icelandic manuscripts and a number of later manuscripts, of which only Stock. Papp. fol. no. 1 has independent textual value.
The main manuscript source of the text is AM 519a 4to, dating from 1270-1290.
A fragment of the saga appears in AM 655 XXIX 4to which dates from the same period.
It is also found in AM 226 fol (and its copy AM 225 fol) which contains the Biblical compilation
Stjórn. In these manuscripts ''Alexanders saga'' comes after ''
Rómverja saga'' and before ''Gyðinga saga''.
In AM 226 fol, AM 225 fol, and Stock. Perg. 4to no. 24 the text is shorter than AM 519a 4to and also contain a translation of ''
Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem
The ''Epistola Alexandri ad Aristotelem'' ("Letter of Alexander to Aristotle") is a purported letter from Alexander the Great to the philosopher Aristotle concerning his adventures in India. Although accepted for centuries as genuine, it is to ...
''.
Kalinke and Mitchell identified the following manuscripts of the saga:
[Marianne E. Kalinke and P. M. Mitchell, ''Bibliography of Old Norse–Icelandic Romances'', Islandica, 44 (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1985), p. 21.]
Editions
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Further reading
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References
{{Chivalric sagas
Old Norse literature
Sagas