The "Tale of Norna-Gest" is an Icelandic saga from about 1300 AD. It can best be classified as a lygisaga a.k.a. "fairy-tale saga", a literary Fairy Tale. A stranger called Gest appears at the court of King Olaf Tryggvason in Trondheim, Norway 998 AD. He is old yet surprisingly strong, and astounds the king's retainers by his skill in harp-playing and story-telling. Questioned how he can know so much about times long ago, the stranger reveals that he knew Sigurd Fafnisbane personally, as well as the sons of Ragnar Lodbrok, Harald Finehair of Norway and King Ludwig of Germany. This amazes the King and his retainers, as all these men are long dead, some of them for centuries. Finally Gest, who now reveals that he is also called Norna-Gest, tells his full story: