Saga
/ˈsɑː.ɡə/noun
A long, detailed story or narrative, especially one of heroic or family history.
Did you know?In Old Norse, a saga was not just any tale—it was a formally told narrative, and the word is ultimately tied to the verb meaning “to say,” showing how storytelling was once treated as an act of power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sekʷ-
“to say, tell”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*sagǭ
“a saying, tale”
Old Norse
ON
saga
“story, account, narrative”
Middle English
English
saga
“a Norse prose story”
Modern English
English
saga
“a long, detailed story or sequence of events”