ABSTRACT
This chapter examines how the concept of world view has been dealt with in several studies of Old Norse-Icelandic sagas during the last three decades. The main focus is on kings’ sagas but other texts are mentioned in passing. The chapter has two aims: first, to give an overview of studies concerning the world view found in saga literature, and second, to show how these studies are connected to general trends in the humanities during the past decades, with emphasis on the field of history. The concept of world view itself is very broad and can be understood from several viewpoints. In studies of humanities world view has often been investigated as a manifestation of a collective, such as nation or group of people that share the feeling of togetherness based on, for example, language, culture, or religion. World view is essentially connected to identities, especially group identity.
