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