The History of the Danes (2 Volumes in 1)

The first nine books of Saxo Grammaticus's The History of the Danes, dealing with the legendary kings and heroes of Denmark have long been recognized as one of the major sources for the heroic and mythological traditions of Northern Europe, including the earliest known account of the Hamlet story. However, they present many problems, because of the complexity of Saxo's Latin style and of the material he brought together from many different fields. This translation, with an introductory summary of the nature and content of each book, is followed by a discussion of Saxo and his work, with a detailed commentary and index.