ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Sága

Okay, so imagine you are listening to a really cool story, but it's not just any story, it's a very, very old story that has been passed down from generation to generation, and people have been listening to it for hundreds of years. That's kind of what a sága is!

You know how you might tell your friends something cool that happened to you, and then they tell their friends, and then their friends tell their friends? That's kind of how ságas started. People would tell stories about their ancestors, their brilliant battles, or legendary heroes, and over time these stories became known as sagas.

Some sagas were written down on old pieces of parchment or animal skins, but most were just passed down orally, which means people memorized them and told them to others without the help of books. That's pretty impressive if you ask me!

Sagas are usually about Vikings, and they tell us what life was like back then. They tell us about big battles, super-strong warriors, and famous kings. But they also tell us about regular people, like farmers or bakers, who were just trying to live their lives in peace. Some sagas even have romance stories, just like the books your parents might read!

So, in summary, a sága is a really old story that people used to tell each other about their ancestors, heroes, battles, and everyday life. We learn a lot about history and culture from them, and they're fun to listen to!