My Favorite Viking

After reading about all these great Viking men and women, it was very difficult for me to pick out my favorite Viking. However, in the end I went with the Viking whom I think "has the makings of a true Viking." Yes, I chose Egil.
His character seemed to embody all that it is to be a Viking, both the stereotypical characteristics and those which we have discovered throughout our journey through the Sagas. At the young age of 3 he rode a horse and wrote a poem. Then later at the old age of 7 he killed another boy; murder, your typical Viking action. He is a very short-tempered and easily angered man. He was also very cunning nad went on many vkining raids. These are all examples of the stereotypical Viking qualities of which Egil possessed. Egil, however, was very multi-faceted. He could write poetry, very good poetry in fact. This was a characteristic of Vikings that was new to me as we read through the sagas. I found it very interesting that a man so easily angered and seemingly full of hate, had time to write this beautiful, deep poetry. His character also surprised me when he fell in love with Asgerd, yet was too nervous to talk to her. He even wrote her a love poem.
Overall, I really enjoyed the character of Egil for his multi-faceted personality which always kept me guessing. I could never tell exactly what he might do next.

The Saga of Ref the Sly

Although I am glad that the semester is winding down, i'm a little sad that this is the end of my journey through the sagas.
This last saga was a very entertaining one. I thought it was interesting how many of the themes we have seen in the previous saga once again made an appearance. For example there was poetry, foreshadowing/fate, revenge, and the giving of gifts to secure friendships. The foreshadowing occured when King Harald said that if Bard went on the journey, he wouldn't be coming back. Even though the King told them how to go about bringing down Ref's fortress, Bard's fate was still sealed and he was killed by Ref.
One thing that i thought was a little unfair was the treatment of Ref. It seemed to me that he never actually did anything wrong, that his actions were usually justified. He may have killed 5 men, but those men had first of all allowed their animals to graze on his land, then secondly spread a rumor that he was gay. And another time he killed a man who was trying to rape his wife. Both of these times he acts out of revenge, yes, but he is giving these people what they deserve, at least according to the Viking custom of killing out of revenge.
Throughout the many sagas we have read, there has been this same sort of conflict: is the person justified in their actions or not? I must still have lots to learn about the laws of the Vikings, because it seems to me that you can never tell if a killing will be acceptable by the public or not.

The Vinland Sagas

I thought it was very interesting how both of these sagas told the same main story, but each saga included different details and slightly different versions of the events. This seemed like the result of the "telephone game" where something sounds completely different after being told from one person to another. I think that since the sagas both had the same main events and very good descriptions of the lands, they most likely have some sort of historical background,...the vikings did discover America! Sorry Columbus! Maybe the little details are a little scewed as the result of different peoples stressing different events when telling the stories, but the main events are still there. Overall, very interesting and entertaining sagas!

Egil's Saga (part 2)

The thing that stands out to me the most about Egil is his multi-faceted personality. The most defining characteristic of Egil seems to be his short-temperedness and his blood thirsty ways. This is exemplified throughout his life, beginning with his first killing before the age of 10, and continued with many other incidents of murder/viking attacks. Egil also seems to be very confident in himself and very bold, especially when he visited the King although he knew he was outlawed. Another interesting characteristic was his loyalties to his friends, such as Arinbjorn who he even wrote a long poem for. (his ability to write poetry also seems to be something unexpected of such a strong warrior type) I, however, thought that the most surprising characteristic of all was his shyness around his brother's widow, Asgerd. He wrote love poems about her, but was too timid to express his love to her.

Egil's Saga

Egil's grandfather, Kveldulf, is a shape-shifter. It says that he often went into some sort of angry fit/rage and was very strong and powerful during these, but afterwards would be worn out. I think this characteristic may be somewhat fanciful, like that of a werewolf. However, the characteristic of basically losing oneself in the moment continues to be seen with his grandson Egil, who seems to kill during fits of rage, without really thinking of the consequences of his actions.
Egil and his kin are also not very keen to submit to authority, as can be seen by Kveldulf who refuses to visit the King Harald, and by his son Skallagrim who refuses to join the King. The men are also very ruthless and vengeful, pillaging and plundering for their own good. The do seem to be somewhat wise, especially Thorolf (the first) who managed his possesions well, and was liked by many. The family was also very loyal to their friends.

Prologue to Prose Edda

The prologue seems to give some insight to how the Vikings veiwed the history and layout of the world. I found the description of creation, the flood, and the falling away from God's name to be quite interesting. This seems to be some sort of explanation as to why they would set up their own belief system, myths, and gods, rather than following the Christian religion right away.
Another thing i found intriguing was the description of the earth as having 3 parts. The descriptions of Europe, Africa, and Asia were all quite accurate, and i believe this is probably a strong reflection of the knowledge the Vikings gained from various explorations and trade missions. Finally, the description of Troy, it's Kings, and it's governmental system seems to somewhat give validity to the famous story of the Trojans.

Norse Mythology

Norse mythology seemed very confusing to me. I have never studied Roman or Greek mythology before, so this whole idea of multiple gods was difficult to keep straight. A few things I found interesting were the fact that our days of the week are derived from the nordic gods. I had heard that it was derived from pagan gods, but i never knew it was from the "Vikings!"
Another thing i found interesting was the fact that the Midgard serpent surrounded the earth and was underwater, and that Hel was deep under the surface. This i thought could have been derived from Christianity where the devil is often referred to as a serpent, and Hell is thought to be in the depths of the earth.
I also found throughout the book some references to giants, such as Gjalp and Gerd. The thought of giants in their mythology as well as the many references to elves and dwarves also reminded me of Lord of the Rings. The names of many of the poeple/gods/creatures in the book were very similar to those used in the stories. I can definately see a parallel between norse mythology and Tolkien's made up world.

The Saga of the Confederates

This saga did seem to have some elements which indicated a different or later time frame from the previous sagas. One element which I noticed, was the increased amount of dialogue between the characters in this saga. I though this could reflect a later telling of the story or a change in the structure of how they presented and recorded their stories. Another thing i noticed, was the structure of the poems. They seemed to be a little easier to understand and to flow like normal sentences, rather than being made up of mostly symbolism. Whether this reflects the change in time period or is just a nice change in the form of poetry, I am not entirely sure.
I also thought it was strange on page 469 where Ospak meets the woman Svalva, and eventually married her. It seemed to imply in the saga that she owned or was in charge of her own farm and property. This is something that i do not recall being present in the previous sagas. Also, on page 490, the Christian holidays, Christmas and Easter, are mentioned as part of the yearly festivities. I think this would reflect a later time period, showing how Christianity had taken hold in Iceland and was now accepted.

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this saga. One reason is that the story was told in a very straightforward manner making it easy to understand the plot. Another reason is that, unlike some of the previous sagas, there were only a few characters to keep track of.
There were a few things in this saga that i found interesting. First of all, I found it strange that Hrafnkel could get away with killing people, and never paying any compensation. This doesn't seem to correlate with the strong beliefs in revenge found in the other sagas. This man must have evoked a large amount of fear in other men, in order to keep himself from being killed out of revenge. Another thing I found interesting was that there were hardly any women in this saga at all. I think the only woman who actually appears in this saga is the woman who was out washing her linen, and she had a very minor part. This probably reflects the very masculine culture of the day.

Hovamol

Hovamol was interesting to read mostly because of all the proverbs which were included in its text. I found it interesting to get a glimpse into the "moral guidlines" of the Viking lifestyle. A few of the stanzas stood out to me:

1) stanza 6:
A man shall not boast of his keenness of mind,
But keep it close in his breast;
To the silent and wise does ill come seldom
When he goes as guest to a house;
(For a faster friend one never finds
Than wisdom tried and true.)

I found this stanza interesting because many times (especially in the honor's college) it can come off as annoying or stuck up to brag about how smart you are or how good of grades you have. Saying these types of things is often a way to make people not like you. I also thought it would be a good thing for some of the characters in the other sagas we have read to keep in mind, especially Sarcastic Hali, who pretty much boasted of his "keenness of mind" everywhere he went.

2) stanza 12:
Less good there lies than most believe
In ale for mortal men;
For the more he drinks the less does man
Of his mind the mastery hold.

Obviously, the Vikings knew the effects alcohol could have on one's inhibitions and actions. I think this stanza is one that many people, especially college students should keep in mind before they decide to drink a little too much ;)

3) stanza 78:
Cattle die, and kinsmen die,
And so one dies one's self;
One thing now that never dies,
The fame of a dead man's deeds.

This stanza is an example of the belief that one must make a name for himself while living so that his name will be remembered long after he is gone. This reminded me strongly of the attitudes of many war heroes in movies, especially of Achilles in the 2004 movie Troy. This same belief is stirred in Achilles by his mother, who urges him to make a name for himself:

"If you stay in Larissa, you will find peace. You will find a wonderful woman, and you will have sons and daughters, who will have children. And they'll all love you and remember your name. But when your children are dead, and their children after them, your name will be forgotten... If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years! And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again."

Gisli Sursson's Saga & Njal's Saga

Gisli's Saga was somewhat difficult to read. The story line involving the love triangle and the reoccurring fate was interesting, however the saga itself was written in a very dry way. It was difficult to keep track of the characters and the story kept switching to different people and stories without a clear transition.
One thing i found interesting was the fact that the vikings could get divorced if they so pleased, and to add to that, the women could choose to get a divorce, not just men.
My favorite part of Njal's Saga was when the berserk came and was challenged to run across the two different fires in order to see which faith was better. He could run right over the heathen fire but the christian fire made him feel like he was burning all over. I was confused in the part following it where it goes on to say how everyone joined in to kill the berserk,...why would they do this?
Finally, one proverb came up in this saga which i found entertaining: it says "A tree does not fall at the first stroke, as the saying goes."

The Saga of Gunnlaug the Serpant-Tongue

I really enjoyed reading this saga because it somewhat disproved many of the common Viking stereotypes found today. Why do I say this?
Well, first of all, in the very beginning of the story, Thorstein has a dream about a beautiful swan and two eagles that fight over it. As it turns out the swan represented Thorsein's unborn daughter, and the eagles were men who would die over her. I found this to be a very good use of the literary technique of foreshadowing. Also, the poetry once again appears throughout this saga and it's form and use of symbolism is quite interesting. Thus, it shows that the Vikings were not simply blood-thirsty men, but they had skills in story telling and prose.
Another thing about this saga that disproved some of the stereotypes was the story line of a love triangle. This I think showed how men and women did indeed have feelings, they fell in love, were jealous, and mourned the loss of of those they loved. This is a side of the Vikings that is rarely discussed. Also, the story line seemed to be comparable to the plots of many many novels and movies today. Thus this saga, although centuries old, is still entertaining to those who read it even today. I wouldn't be surprised if a movie has been made based on this plot line.
Finally, I just want to add one interesting little note,.....on page 567 it says "it was about this time that the best thing ever to have happend in Iceland ocurred: the whole country became Christian and the entire population abandoned the old faith." This I am sure is not a true account of Iceland, although they might have officially changed their religion, I doubt that they all abandoned "the old faith" or that any of the Vikings found it to be the "best thing ever." I am sure that some of the Christian scribes must have influenced this part of the saga.

Responses to the Tales

First of all, I must say that although the style of writing was a little difficult to follow, I rather enjoyed reading these tales.
I think the most entertaining tale was "The Tale of Sarcastic Halli." I enjoyed reading this tale because it included many short poems, which i found to be highly entertaining. The whole idea of people having to make up poems and recite them on the spot seems pretty intense, especially if one's life was at risk. I found King Harald to be a very proud and somewhat stubborn man. It was cruel and selfish of him, in my opinion, to not let the people eat once he had finished his food and was satisfied. Towards the end, the story as translated into modern english, became a little racy with the words that were chosen to be said about the Queen. I found it strange that the King would allow/request this type of thing to be said. Finally, I enjoyed the ironic ending in which Halli dies after eating porridge.
I also enjoyed the ending in "The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords" in which Audun gives the king the arm ring. I found the whole idea of loyalties and gift giving from the kings to certain men to be quite intriguing and i would like to learn more about how that whole custom worked in those days.

First Blog.....ever

Just testing out this blog thing....hopefully it works better than my e-mail did. :D