A saga is characterized by the ancient stories of Scandinavian and Germanic past. They are tales concerning historic battles, legendary voyages embarked upon by the Vikings and stories focused on family feuds. The texts within a saga are made up of epic prose, leading the reader through heroic acts of the past.
Historically, trilogies can be traced back to ancient times. The first trilogies of various plays were performed at the Dionysia festivals of ancient Greece. "The Oresteia" is one of the few lasting examples of these ancient trilogies.
A "saga" is generally defined as a written work encompassing a series of events that stretch over a long period of time. A heroic narrative, distinctly characterized by the recounting of the adventures of a hero or a family.
A "trilogy" can commonly be defined as a set of three stories connected to one another. These stories can be considered as a single piece of work, or can be looked at as three separate works which form one story.
The term "saga" originates from Iceland and the meaning translates as "what is said", or most relevantly as, "story" or "tale". The saga has sparked research and much dispute regarding the truth or fiction in each tale. The stories that make up a saga tend to be realistic but romanticised, often revolving around the human being.
The word "trilogy" is derived from the Greek "trilogia" meaning "three related works". Broken down, "Tri" is taken from Greek, meaning "three", and "logia" directly translates as "speech" or "reason". Most trilogies are works of fiction which share one or more characters, the same setting and similar themes.