Two Viking romances

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Unlike the Icelandic sagas with their firm grasp of realism and their moral imperative, these two Viking romances feature gods, heroes, trolls, kings and warriors, and are rich in imaginative power. Blending a range of influences from folklore, mythology, heroic tales and legends, they set out to amuse rather than inform, and as well as depicting the traditional Viking raider in his longboat, they also transport the reader to an imaginary world beyond history or geography. Written around 1300, Bosi and Herraud and Egil and Asmund appear in Seven Viking Romances, which is published in Penguin Classics.