Abstract
Commentary volume to the bilingual edition of the Hervarar saga. Contains five separate studies into prominent aspects of the saga or themes featured in the saga.
The first study analyzes the origin, style and context of the riddle collection preserved in the saga, compares it with similar collections both in Latin and Old English and connects the frame narrative with parallels in Old Norse and medieval european literature. The second study analyses the narrative structure of the saga and argues that the seemingly heterogenous content is rationally constructed.
The third study analyzes the motif of warrior women or maiden ruler as attested in the written sources in Scandinavia. Special attention is given to the motif of virginity of the female warriors or their opposition to marriage as well as the motif of the sword as a symbolic representation of phallic authority.
The fourth study summarizes the topic of the hero's journey to the Otherworld, a space beyond the borders of everyday life, as well as a concrete instantiation of the Otherworld in the form of the inside of the burial mound. The fifth study concetrates on the final battle of the saga between the Goths and the Huns and shows how it is composed of both an ancient historical memory attested by the valuable toponyms and by a accretion of legendary and mythic material.
The volume is supplemented with comprehensive bibliography and several indices pertinent to both volumes.