Gesta Danorum (Latin Edition)

Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum is one of the foundational works of medieval Scandinavian literature and history.

Composed in Latin in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries, this vast chronicle traces the legendary and historical past of Denmark across sixteen books, moving from heroic myth and ancient kings to the Christian monarchy of Saxo’s own age.

Within its pages are warriors, rulers, feuds, voyages, pagan traditions, conversions, dynastic struggles, and some of the most famous stories preserved from medieval Scandinavia. The work includes early traditions connected with Amleth—the figure who would later inspire Shakespeare’s Hamlet—as well as accounts of Starkad, Harald Bluetooth, Cnut, Valdemar I, Bishop Absalon, and many other figures from Danish legend and history.

This Nicholean Press edition presents the complete Latin text of the Praefatio and Books I–XVI in a single volume, newly typeset for modern readers. It also includes a substantial Latin reader’s glossary together with indexes of names, places, and peoples.

Ideal for readers interested in:

• Medieval Scandinavia
• Viking and Danish history
• Old Norse and Germanic legend
• Medieval Latin
• The literary background of Hamlet
• Christianization and kingship in northern Europe

Part heroic legend, part national history, and part medieval chronicle, Gesta Danorum remains one of the richest surviving sources for the historical and imaginative world of medieval Denmark.