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''Njáls saga'' () (also ''Njála'' (), ''Brennu-Njáls saga'' () or ''"The Story of Burnt Njáll"'') is a 13th century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The principal characters are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson,〔The name Njál is Gaelic in origin, coming from ''Niall'', which is often anglicised as Neil.〕 a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnar Hámundarson, a formidable warrior. Gunnar's wife instigates a feud that leads to the death of many characters over several decades including the killing by fire of the eponymous "Burnt Njáll". The saga deals with this process of blood feuds in the Icelandic Commonwealth, showing how the requirements of honor could lead to minor slights spiralling into destructive and prolonged bloodshed. Insults where a character's manhood is called into question are especially prominent and may reflect an author critical of an overly restrictive ideal of masculinity. Another characteristic of the narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams. It is disputed whether this reflects a fatalistic outlook on the part of the author. The work is anonymous, although there has been extensive speculation on the author's identity. The major events described in the saga are probably historical but the material was shaped by the author, drawing on oral tradition, according to his artistic needs. ''Njáls saga'' is the longest and most highly developed of the sagas of Icelanders. It is often considered the peak of the saga tradition.〔Vésteinn Ólason 2006:134.〕 ==Manuscripts and editions== ''Njáls saga'' survives in around 60 manuscripts and fragments, 21 of which – an unusually large number – are from the Middle Ages.〔For the most recent full survey see Susanne M. Arthur, ''Writing, Reading, and Utilizing Njáls saga: The Codicology of Iceland’s Most Famous Saga' (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Wisconsin, 2015), pp. 40–48, 52–54, 57–58, 62–74, 77–92, 95–96.〕 The fuller vellum manuscripts are: * Reykjabók (AM 468 4to), c. 1300–1325 * Gráskinna (GKS 2870), c. 1300 and with additions from c. 1500–1550 * Möðruvallabók (AM 132 fol.), c. 1330–1370 * Kálfalækjarbók (AM 133 fol.), c. 1350 * Skafinskinna (GKS 2868 4to), c. 1350–1400 * Oddabók (AM 466 4to), c. 1460 The vellum fragments include: * AM 162 b fol. β (beta), c. 1300 * AM 162 b fol. δ (delta), c. 1300 * AM 162 b fol. ζ (zeta), c. 1325 * AM 162 b fol. κ (kappa), c. 1350 * AM 162 b fol. γ (gamma), c. 1325 * AM 162 b fol. θ (theta), c. 1325 * AM 162 b fol. η (eta), c. 1350 None of the vellum manuscripts survives complete, but they tended to be copied conservatively, indicating the reverence which Icelandic scribes have had for the saga and making it relatively easy to reconstruct a complete medieval text. The vellum manuscripts were classified most recently by Einar Ólafur Sveinsson in 1953, en route to his 1954 Íslenzk fornrit edition of the saga, which remains the standard edition.〔Einar Ól. Sveinsson, ''Studies in the Manuscript Tradition of Njálssaga'', Studia Islandica/Íslenzk fræði, 13 (Reykjavík: Leiftur; Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1953); Einar Ól. Sveinsson, ed., ''Brennu-Njáls saga'', Íslenzk fornrit, 12 (Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 1954).〕 However, a project 'The Variance of ''Njáls saga'' ', based in the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies, is reassessing the complete history of the manuscript transmission of the saga.〔http://njalssaga.wordpress.com.〕 The first printed edition of the saga, by Ólafur Ólafsson, based primarily on Reykjabók, with reference to Kálfalækjabók and Möðruvallabók, was published in Copenhagen in 1772.〔Ólafur Olavius (ed.) 1772, Sagan af Niáli Þórgeirssyni ok Sonvm Hans &c útgefin efter gavmlvm Skinnbókvm med Konunglegu Leyfi. Copenhagen: Theile. https://books.google.com/books?id=H_UqAAAAMAAJ.〕 A major step in the editing of the saga was the 1875–89 critical edition of Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson.〔Njála. Udgivet efter gamle håndskrifter af Det kongelige nordiske oldskriftselskab, ed. by Konráð Gíslason and Eiríkur Jónsson, 2 vols (Copenhagen: Det kongelige nordiske oldskrift-selskap, 1875—89)〕 The current main edition is that of Einar Ólafur Sveinsson from 1954.〔Einar Ól. Sveinsson, ed., ''Brennu-Njáls saga'', Íslenzk fornrit, 12 (Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 1954).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Njáls saga」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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