EASTERN EUROPEAN ELEMENTS OF EGILS SAGA EINHENDA OK ÁSMUNDAR BERSERKJABANA THROUGH THE PRISM OF GRECO-ROMAN, AND GERMANIC MYTHS

Abstract

Fornaldarsagas are an important source for studying the historical memory of the Scandinavians. These works absorbed cultural elements of different eras and inherited their own literary canon. The perception of Rus' and Eastern Europe is a kind of litmus test of such a canon. Information about these lands came to the north after centuries of intercultural communication between the Normans and the people of Eastern Europe. Moreover, the historical memory of the Scandinavians preserves the stories of the era of the Great Migration. These plots were directly related to this place, which gave it the characteristics of exceptional space. The involvement of the Scandinavian kingdoms in the European scientific tradition gave a new impetus to interest in these territories. In the 12th century, European stories about Trojans, Scythians, Amazons, and other folks, penetrated Iceland. These stories have found fertile ground in the local tradition. That is how the myth of Eastern Europe was formed, which combined European and Germanic elements of cultural memory. Egils saga einhenda ok Ásmundar berserkjabana is an eloquent example of its genre. This work became the quintessence of these elements. The author of this work skillfully combined the classic plots of legendary sagas and created his own image of the East. The study of this image became the purpose of our article.