Yngvars saga víðförla (also known as Sagan om Ingwar Widtfarne och hans Son Swen) is a legendary saga said to have been written in the twelfth century by Oddr Snorrason. The tale tells of a Viking expedition to somewhere in southern Rus, probably the present day region of Georgia in the Caucasus.
HINT:
👉 Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Legendary saga
A legendary saga or fornaldarsaga (literally, "story/history of the ancient era") is a Norse saga that, unlike the Icelanders' sagas, takes place before the settlement of Iceland. There are some exceptions, such as Yngvars saga víðförla, which takes place in the 11th century. The sagas were probably all written in Iceland, from about the middle of the 13th century to about 1400, although it is possible that some may be of a later date, such as Hrólfs saga kraka.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Yngvars saga víðförla
- 👉 Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Legendary saga
- Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Ingvar the Far-Travelled
- Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Eymundar þáttr hrings
- Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Ingvar Expedition
Yngvars saga víðförla in the context of Ingvar the Far-Travelled
Ingvar the Far-Travelled (Old Norse: Yngvarr víðfǫrli, Swedish: Ingvar Vittfarne) was a Swedish Viking who led an expedition that fought in the Kingdom of Georgia.
The Rus' undertook several Caspian expeditions in the course of the 10th century. The Yngvars saga víðförla describes the last Viking campaign in the Caspian in 1041, embellishing the historical facts with a great deal of legend. The expedition probably aimed to reopen old trade-routes after the Volga Bulgars and the Khazars no longer proved obstacles. Ingvar the Far-Travelled launched this expedition from Sweden, travelling down the Volga River into the land of the Saracens (Serkland). While there, the Vikings apparently took part in the 1042 Battle of Sasireti between the Georgians and Byzantines.
View the full Wikipedia page for Ingvar the Far-TravelledYngvars saga víðförla in the context of Eymundar þáttr hrings
Eymundar þáttr hrings is a short Norse saga, which is preserved in two versions. One of them appears as Eymundar þáttr hrings in the Flatey Book and the other one is an introductory chapter in Yngvars saga víðförla. They deal with the adventures of Varangians in the service of Yaroslav the Wise.
The main difference between the two versions is that in Eymundar þáttr hrings, the hero is a Norwegian, whereas in Yngvars saga víðförla, he is a Swede. In the version where he is Swedish, he is the relative of Erik the Victorious.
View the full Wikipedia page for Eymundar þáttr hringsYngvars saga víðförla in the context of Ingvar Expedition
The Ingvar expedition (Swedish: Ingvarståget) is the Swedish Viking Age event that is mentioned on a large amount of preserved runestones. About twenty-six Ingvar runestones in Sweden refer to Swedish Viking warriors who travelled east with Ingvar on his expedition to Serkland, or the Saracen lands. The expedition started in the second half of the 1030s and ended catastrophically in the year 1041, according to several Icelandic Annals, and was later the object for an Icelandic saga in the 12th century; the Yngvars saga víðförla. The Ingvar expedition seems to have been organized mainly on the basis of today's Svealand. King at the time was Anund Jakob. One of the most famous of the Ingvar runestones is the Gripsholm Runestone (Sö 179). Its inscription tells that it was raised in honour of Ingvar’s brother Haraldr who had died in Serkland.
View the full Wikipedia page for Ingvar Expedition