Jakten på gulatingstedet

Sammendrag

The debate about the localisation of the medieval legal assembly Gulating has been going for almost 200 years. Collection, publication and discussion of historical legends (historiske sagn) has been an important aspect of this discussion. A study of how the term sagn (legend) has been used and understood by the discussants, seen in relation to the history of this concept within the discipline of folklore studies, reveals significant ambiguity and polysemy. In popular use, the term sagn is associated with oral and vernacular stories. The case at hand shows a more complex picture.