The influence of the ancient sagas (fornaldarsögur) on Swedish and Nordic culture has been very great, yet they have only been translated sporadically. The ancient sagas depict a mythical past, sometimes bringing to life historical figures such as Attila and Theoderic the Great, but more often describing events, heroes and divinities that have no basis in actual history. Written in the 14th century, they have little of the spare, understated style of the Icelandic sagas. On the contrary, they are characterized by a frustrated narrative joy, and they draw the reader into the events. A number of the ancient sagas are set in Sweden and have influenced Swedish culture in many ways over the centuries. Today, the most obvious influence of the ancient sagas can be seen in the international medieval craze that has been prevalent for a number of decades and does not seem to be waning. The reason is J.R.R. Tolkien, who was a professor of ancient English literature and thus also had great expertise in the Old Norse. He built the world made famous by Bilbo and the Lord of the Rings, mainly on the poetic Edda and the ancient sagas. The aim of the project is to offer the Swedish public a comprehensive modern translation of the ancient sagas, based on current research and generously annotated.