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* SAGA. 422 SAQAB. and sometimes his descendants, recounted his life, his struggles, his travels, his loves, and his hates, and frequently, after his death, the ven- geance that was wreaked upon his enemies by his kinsmen. They are stirring accounts, vivid and forceful, and by the introduction of dialogue, have intense dramatic vigor. The events re- corded occur mostly between the years 874-1030, and they convey to us a fair and faithful picture of life in Iceland during those centuries. Several sagas are sometimes grouped together as the Effilssaga. and Giintilaugssaga, the Hrafnkclssaga and Draplaugarsonasaga. Some show evidence of several sagas combined, as in the Njdlssuga, which comprise both the Qunnarssaga and the Xjdlssaga. The Konungasogur contain the lives of the kings, mainly of Norway ; the most important is the Heimskriiigia, by Snorri Sturluson (q.v.) (ed. by Unger, Christiania, 1868). It contains among other well-known sagas the Olafs saga Trygg vasonar. Historical sagas rarely contain any personal views of the author and they at- tained under Snorri, about 1230, their greatest height. Some of the sagas of the classical period are literary and jesthetic works of art. The mythical or heroic sagas are quite diflfer- ent in form and speech from the historical. Some legend or hero is the central figure of the saga, and fact and fancy are mingled freely together. The most striking example of this type is the Volsungasaga (q.v.) (ed. by Bugge, Christiania, 1865), which is a prose rendition of the Nibelungen story as it is given in the Eddie lays. See Edda. The romantic sagas are mainly adaptations or imitations of Latin, French, or German themes, and were not reduced to writing before the mid- dle of the thirteenth century. There were sagas dealing with Alexander, Charlemagne, Parcival, Tristan, etc. The fslendingasogur may be divided according to the different geographical districts of Ice- land. As a rule the best sagas come from the West. Here are found, among others, the Egils- saga (ed. Copenhagen, 1809, 1856, 1888; trans, by Green, London, 1893) ; the Eyrhyggjasaga (ed. by Vigfusson, Leipzig, 1864; trans, by Morris and Magnflsson in The Saga Library, vol. ii., London, 1892) ; and the Laxdwlasaga (ed. by Kaalund, Copenhagen, 1890-92; trans, by Press, London, 1899). The last-named is a saga of romance and is the foundation for William Morris's "Lovers of Gudrun." The Gunnlaugs- saga, a continuation of the Egilssaga, is the most beautiful vet tragic Icelandic love story (ed. by Von Rygh, Christiania, 1862, tr. by Mor- ris anil Magnfisson, London, 1869). To the North belong the following: Kormakssaga (ed. Mobius, Halle, 1886), Reykdoclasaga (ed. by Xsmundar- son, Reykjavik, 1898), Svarfdcelasaga (edited by the same scholar, ib., 1893), Viga Glumssaga (edited by the same scholar, ib., 1898, tr. by Sir Edmund Head, London, 1866), Grettissaga (ed. by Magnflsson and Thordarson, Copenhagen, 1852-59, by Asmundarson, Reykjavik. 1900, tr. by Magnflsson and Morris, London, 1869). This is the story of the most famous of Icelandic out- laws. To the East belong the Vdpnfiryingasaga, the best saga from this district (ed. by Asmundar- Bon, Reykjavik, 1898). We have also the por- steinssaga hvita (ed. with previous saga by Thordarson, Copenhagen, 1848), the HrafnkeU- saga, a purely idyllic saga (ed. by Asmundarson, Reykjavik, 1893), and the Droplaugarsonasaga (ed. by Jonsson, Reykjavik, 1878). In the South is found the Njdlssaga (ed. by Asmundarson, Reykjavik, 1894, tr. by Dasent, Edinburgh, 1861). This is the foremiist of all sagas, full of intrigue and cunning, of hate and love, with remarkable characterization. Sagas relating to Greenland and. ierica are the Eirikssaga rauda, Fostbrcc]>rasaga. Grwh- Iciidiga ydttr in the Flatey-bdk (all ed. liy Rafn in A>iti(juitates Arytericana; Copenhagen. 1837), and bv Reeves, The Finding of Wiiwland the Good "(London, 1890). The HturUingasaga occupies a position differ- ent from the sagas mentioned above because we can here trace autliorship to Sturla Tliordsson (1214-84) (ed. with elaborate introduction by Vigfusson, Oxford, 1878). Historical sagas referring to other countries are the Knyyingasaga, giving a history of the Danish kings, and the Orkneyingasaga or Jarla- saga, giving a history of the earls of Orkney. The Flatey-bok (ed. by Unger and Vigfusson, Christiania, 1859-68) contains many p.-ettir. The most notable are Ogmund dytt and Thorstein Oxfot. In addition we have the Skroksogur or spuri- ous sagas which show the rapid decline of the saga in the fourteenth century. Consult: Muller, Sagabibliothek (3 vols., Co- penhagen. 1817-28. German tr. by Lange, Fr,ink- fort, 1832); Weinhold, Altiwrdischcs Leben (Berlin, 1856) ; Mobius. Veber die iilfcrcn islan- dischen Soffo.? ( Leipzig. 18,52); Dfiring, Veber Tiipus und Stil der isUindischen Sagas (ib., 1877) ; Vigfusson, Prolegomina in his edition of the Storlunga Saga (Oxford, 1878) ; Heinzel, Beschreibung der i-sMndischen Sagas (Vienna, 1880) ; Morris and Magnflsson, The Saga Library (London, 1884 et seq.) ; Mogk, "Norwegisch- islandische Literatur," in Paul, Grundriss der gertnanisehen Philologie (vol. ii., 2d ed., Strass- burg, 1902). SAGAING, sa'ga-eng'. A Division of Upper Burma, British India, comprising the districts of Upper and Lower Chindwin, Sagaing, and Shweb. Area, 30,038 square miles. Population, in 1891, 821,769; in I90I, 999,168. SAGAN, za'gan. The capital of the media- tized Principality of Sagan. in the Province of Silesia, Prussia, on the Bober, 82 miles northwest of Breslau (Map: Prussia, F 3). It has a castle with a beautiful park, a gymnasium, and a nor- mal school. Its manufactures include cotton and woolen cloths, pottery, porcelain, glass, and paper. Population, in 1900, 13,367. SAGAR, sa-ger'. An island of Bengal, India. See Saugor. SAGAR, SATJGUR, or SAUGOR. The cap- ital of a district of the same name in the Cen- tral Provinces, India, 47 miles southeast of Bina by rail, on the Sagar Lake (Map: India, C 4). It is regularly laid out, and has broad streets. The most striking feature is the fort on an ele- vated site overlooking the town ; it covers an area of 6 acres, and is surmounted by several towers. The military cantonment lies to the northeast of the city. Agriculture and the breeding of cattle and buffaloes are the leading