Anonymous, Möttuls saga [The saga of the cloak]

Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland)

Ed. by Ármann Jakobsson, University of Iceland
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.3.4: Icelandic Writing and Culture.
Vol. editors: Ármann Jakobsson (University of Iceland), Sven Hakon Rossel (Universitat Wien), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jakob Stougaard-Nielsen (University College London)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1200 - c. 1300

Places

Iceland (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

Möttuls saga is a Norse version of the French comedy Le Mantel mautaillié, likely composed just before the end of the twelfth century or the beginning of the thirteenth. It is a type of chastity trial story. The Norse version of the cloak saga (named Mǫttuls saga or Mǫttuls þáttr in manuscripts) can be traced back to the thirteenth century. The foreword of the Norse composition appears to be the work of a translator. After King Arthur has been described at length, it is related how King Hákon Hákonarson commissioned the translation. In spite of the literary topos in this text, there is no reason to doubt the request of the king. This is the basis for the dating of the …

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1349 words

Citation: Jakobsson, Ármann. "Möttuls saga". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 March 2023 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=41001, accessed 21 November 2024.]

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