What does the Old Norse word saga mean?

In the context of medieval Icelandic literature, the Old Norse word saga (plural sagas) is a general term used to describe any type of story or history written in prose, regardless of its subject matter, narrative style, or intended purpose.12

In this broad sense, the term encompasses a wide variety of works, including:
* Hagiography: Biographies of saints.12
* Historiography: Factual records and chronicles of Scandinavia and Iceland.1
* Secular fiction: Including adaptations of Latin histories and French romances.1

In a more restricted, scholarly sense, the term is often used to refer specifically to the legendary and historical prose narratives written in Iceland between the 12th and 15th centuries. These works often feature imaginative reconstructions of the past, organized around the lives of heroes—such as Norwegian kings, early Icelandic settlers, or legendary Germanic figures—and are categorized into genres like the kings’ sagas, legendary sagas, and the Icelanders’ sagas.123