Saxo Grammaticus

`In the early years of the 13th century the Danish writer Saxo Grammaticus provided his people with a dignified and ambitious Latin account of their glorious past from the mythical past to the historical present -[He] collectedthe legends of Scandinavian gods and heroes, and arranged their exploits in a series of `biographies' which ostensibly formed an unbroken sequence. He took his tales from a variety of sources, and readers will find his collectionof myths, folklore and fabulous history fascinating - An accurate and readable translation of the nine mythological books based on the best scholarly edition'. RUTH MORSE, BRITISH BOOK NEWS. The first nine books of the Danish Historyof Saxo Grammaticus have long been recognised as one of the major sources for the heroic and mythological traditions of northern Europe; however, they present many problems, because of the complexity of Saxo's Latin style and of the material he has brought together from many different fields. This edition offers the first English translation since 1893; the translation is followed by a detailed commentary, the only one to be published in either English or Danish, and a discussion of Saxo and his work, with an index. Reissue in one volume; first published 1979.