saga

Etymology

From Old Norse 'saga' (a narrative, a story, what is said), from the verb 'segja' (to say, to tell), from Proto-Germanic *sagjaną (to say), from Proto-Indo-European *sekʷ- (to tell, to recount). This makes 'saga' a cousin of English 'say,' 'saw' (a proverb), and German 'Sage' (a legend). The Icelandic sagas — prose narratives composed in the 13th century about Viking-age events — are among the great works of medieval European literature. English borrowed the word in the 18th century when Scandinavian literature was rediscovered, and it quickly generalised to mean any long, dramatic narrative. Key roots: segja (Old Norse: "to say, to tell").

Saga traces back to Old Norse segja, meaning "to say, to tell". Across languages it shares form or sense with German Sage, English say, Swedish saga and Icelandic saga, evidence of a shared etymological family.