Saxo had set out to record Danish history, a task that he completed up to the year 1185 in sixteen books, the first nine of which dealt with the legendary past and introduced Prince Amleth. Catching the fancy of the public, Saxo's Amleth tale found its way into popular song at the end of the 1400s. In 1514 a translation of Saxo's work appeared in English, including the tale of Amleth. Such a prince probably did exist, but there is no positive evidence to prove this; how much of Saxo's history is fact and how much is fiction remains uncertain. Historians question the accuracy of Saxo's tale, but there are few other sources from which to glean information.
Medieval Denmark. Scholars date the beginning of the Middle Ages from the 400s A.D., after the fall of the Roman Empire. According to tradition, Prince Amleth came from an area of Denmark known as Jutland around this time. One scholar maintains that Amleth was "in truth a historical character regnant[ruling] in Jutland, toward the close of the sixth century" (Johnston, p.
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