Definition

Noun: 1. A long, detailed story of heroic achievements or a family's history, often spanning generations: Originally, a saga was a medieval Icelandic or Norse prose narrative recounting the adventures of heroes, families, or historical events. In modern usage, it can refer to any long, involved story or series of events, real or fictional, that resembles these epic tales in scope and detail.

Examples

• The are important historical and literary sources about the Viking Age.
• Her family's saga of immigration and survival is both heartbreaking and inspiring.
• The film trilogy tells the epic saga of a rebellion against a galactic empire.
• The board meeting turned into a long saga about budget allocations.

Advanced Usage

• "Saga" as a metaphor: The word is often used metaphorically to describe any long, complicated, and often dramatic series of events.
  • The saga of the company's bankruptcy took two years to resolve in court.
• In modern genres: The term is frequently applied to long-running novel series, film franchises, or television shows with complex plots and character development over time.
  • The popular fantasy saga spans seven books and dozens of characters.

Variants and Related Words

• Saga-like (adjective): Resembling a saga in length or epic quality.
  • He wrote a saga-like novel about three generations of a family.
• Saga novel: A modern novel that chronicles the lives of a family or group over a long period.

Synonyms

• Epic: A long narrative poem or story about heroic deeds.
• Chronicle: A factual written account of historical events in order of time.
• Yarn (informal): A long, often exaggerated story.
• Account: A report or description of events.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• Saga continues: A phrase used to indicate that a long, ongoing story or situation is not yet finished.
  • After another failed negotiation, the saga continues.
• To be a saga in itself: Used to describe something that is a long, complicated story on its own.
  • Getting the building permit was a saga in itself.

Noun

1. a narrative telling the adventures of a hero or a family; originally (12th to 14th centuries) a story of the families that settled Iceland and their descendants but now any prose narrative that resembles such an account