Die Karlamagnus-Saga I und ihre altfranzosische Vorlage

The 13th century Old Norse Karlamagnús-Saga, a monumental biography of Charlemagne from translated and adapted French Caroline epics such as the Chanson de Roland, is a fascinating example of intensive reception at a distance. Its first branch appears to pre-empt the whole in a compressed form, and has thus been puzzling scholars for more than a century. This study is the first to illuminate the circumstances surrounding the genesis of its French model, and a running commentary allows the present-day reader to approach the text (even without a knowledge of Old Norse).