UKRAINIAN HISTORICAL ANALYSIS OF ICELANDIC SAGAS

In this paper, we attempted to review the key works of Ukrainian researchers in the field of saga studies in the 21^st century. We outlined the preconditions for the formation of saga studies in Ukraine and identified key trends, directions, and prospects for developing this field in Ukrainian historiography. The research mentioned is situated within the broader context of intellectual tendencies over the past 30 years of Ukrainian history.

The starting point of saga research in Ukrainian historical science was the collapse of the Soviet Union and a reassessment of the national historical narrative, which considers Ukraine an organic part of the Pan-European space. Icelandic sagas offer a new perspective for envisioning Ukraine’s medieval history.

We identified the primary sources of influence and intellectual borrowings. Soviet and Russian works significantly impacted Ukrainian saga studies. Conversely, Omeljan Pritsak’s Norse studies also held immense historiosophical significance for Ukrainian history. They were translated into Ukrainian between 1997 and 2003. Methodological achievements and approach to systematizing Northern European medieval references to Eastern Europe highlighted directions that warranted further thorough research.

His distinct approach, diverging from that of Russian historians regarding state-building processes in Early Medieval Eastern Europe, enabled Ukrainian scholars to establish a new research framework. This framework allowed for the adaptation of sagas within the context of contemporary Ukrainian perspectives on the history of Rus.

Ukrainian researchers have primarily focused on studying Rus in sagas. Evidence from these texts is often used to support either Normanism or anti-Normanism theories. However, despite these limitations, sagas are often contextualized within a broader framework, comparing them with archaeological materials, ethnographic data, and local written sources. This multidisciplinary approach lends importance to these studies, not only for analyzing perceptions of Rus and its surrounding areas but also for their methodological value, as they can influence comparative studies.