Theoretical part
The medieval Icelandic saga can be divided into various categories, but the most
widely known category is the Ãslendingasögur and it is on this that the focus of
this study has fallen. It was committed to writing in mainly the thirteenth
century and some scholars (for example Sigurðsson, 2004) allege that these
writings are based on an oral tradition. Actions described in the Ãslendingasögur
take place in the tenth- and early eleventh centuries and are based on the history
of the Scandinavian world and Iceland, and more specifically they are based on
those people who established a name for themselves in this period.
The narrative style is simple and objective: the narrator tells the saga as it would
be perceived by an outsider and therefore depicts characters without detailed
character sketches or by relating their thoughts. Rather are the characters
revealed by their actions and dialogue. The sagas are not moralizing in character
and therefore they differ considerably from other medieval literatures. It was
argued in this study that the majority of characteristics exhibited by the sagas are
determined by the focus on character and the attempt at creating a realistic
narration. This focus on character determines for example that detailed
descriptions of scenery and moralizations are omitted: the narrator strives to
depict his characters rather than embedding his text with lessons in morality.
The attempt at creating a realistic narration is established by incorporating scenes
from their everyday lives and by not omitting the peasants or even slaves. The Icelandic sagas also belong to the Germanic heroic literature and its characters
are heroes of this heroic milieu.
A further characteristic of the Ãslendingasögur is that poetry is also found which
belongs mainly to the skaldic branch, and for this reason Old Norse poetical
genres are briefly discussed in the theoretical discussion and its characteristics
indicated. Skaldic poetry is the most complex of these and terms such as kenning
are therefore explained and illustrated through suitable examples.
Lastly the sagas offer a glimpse into the medieval world and especially the
Viking Age and incorporate pre-Christian traditions and religious perceptions as
well as everyday realities which aid the interpretation of archaeological finds, for
example the descriptions of burials or ships. It is a genre which distinguishes
itself within the context of medieval European literature for it exhibits little
continental influence and thereby attains uniqueness.
Creative part
The theoretical part is followed by a creative application in the genre of the
Ãslendingasögur. Valgarðr Gunnvaldsson is a member of the Norwegian nobility
by ancestral right. The saga begins with his grandfather, Aldúlfr, and his
involvement in tenth century politics. Valgarðr's family fight in most of the
important battles in tenth century Scandinavia and goes on raiding expeditions
in Europe, and the saga tells of three generations involved in such activities. A
second family which features is the family of Ãorvaldr, who are mainly
merchants not wanting to involve themselves in politics, but even they are
offered no choice and eventually fight alongside Valgarðr and his companions. Valgarðr marries Ãorvaldr's daughter, GuðrÃðr, and she later bears him a
daughter called Ãshildr. Gradually everyone around Valgarðr dies and he
emigrates to Greenland along with the two Scottish widows (Kaðlin en Mýrún),
from where they conduct a series of expeditions to America (VÃnland). On these
expeditions contact is established with the indigenous population, but eventually
Valgarðr becomes ill and returns to Norway to be buried with his family.
Throughout the saga a character named Ãagall is present, but no-one ever
understands his true identity, involvement and motivation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ufs/oai:etd.uovs.ac.za:etd-03192010-111559 |
| Date | 19 March 2010 |
| Creators | Senekal, Burgert Adriaan |
| Contributors | Prof MM Raftery, Prof HP van Coller |
| Publisher | University of the Free State |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en-uk |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-03192010-111559/restricted/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University Free State or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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