Helpful Danes and Pagan Irishmen: Saga Fantasies of the Viking Age in the British Isles

The fornaldarsögur that subscribe to the myth of the Viking Empire have a degree of historical accuracy in that they describe Danes invading England, killing Northumbrian kings, and assuming rule there, whereas other fornaldarsögur portray Scandinavians in England as helpful heroes assisting rather weak Anglo-Saxon kings. Unlike the relationship between Scandinavians and the English, which these sagas represent as consistently positive, the relationship between the Scandinavians and the Scots varies, and the relationship with the Irish is entirely negative. The depiction of these peoples diverges considerably from that found in Íslendingabók, Landnámabók, Sturlunga saga, the Íslendingasögur, and the Íslendingaþœttir. The fornaldarsögur focus on England is argued to be the accidental result of mixing literary traditions handed down from the Viking Age with late medieval values and the influence of romance, and the contemporary relationships of Ireland, Scotland, and England probably reinforced their treatment in these fornaldarsögur.