The Old Icelandic family sagas of the later period are characterised by a more heroic exaggeration and a greater emphasis on supernatural themes than the earlier ones. Alongside the Icelandic heroes, ghosts, undead, giants, trolls and dragons play a crucial role in the plot - and they are often closer to heroes than one would expect. The texts in this volume have been chosen to best show the diversity of the late family sagas. The saga of Dóri the Golden creates an interesting contrast between the ordinary life of medieval Icelanders and episodes full of magic and mythical creatures. In the Saga of the People of Kjalarnes, the fatal connection between the protagonist and the supernatural world is already more pronounced and the relationship between the two worlds more complex.
An extreme case is the Saga of Bárdu Snafellsás, where the mythical creature is even the main character. In stark contrast to all three texts, the Saga of Ref the Cunning, which contains not a single supernatural element, is no less fantastical.
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