To start off will be a
classic from my teenage years
Njáls
saga – Author unknown (Icelandic folk tale)
This
is a smashing tome that was thought to be penned in 1270 -1290, and contains
copious amounts of blood feud fuelled violence, scheming and cunning. Stated
simply it is a Viking Sopranos, and it is a complex tale that focuses around
the lives of several Icelandic figures. The most pivotal of these are Gunnar
Hámundarson, Icelandic chieftain and supreme warrior, unmatched by any foe and
Njáll Thorgeirsson, cunning and intelligent lawyer, who using his unsurpassed
skill, manages to get Gunnar off the hook several times (one of which involves
getting off on the technicality that the crime was tried in the wrong part of
Iceland).
Gunnar Hámundarson
This tale is very interesting for a number of
reasons. Like most sagas it contains feats of thrilling combat, involving
fierce and skilled warriors, described in an exciting way. What makes Njal’s
saga interesting is its coverage of the political and cultural fabric of
Iceland during the late dark / early medieval ages. It contains many scenes
where disputes are (temporally) settled, not by arms, but through the courts.
In addition the various chieftains go to the Althing to discuss the government
of Iceland, which offers an insight into the first parliamentary democracy in
the world (Iceland had no Kings at this time). A major theme of Njal’s saga was
the conversion of the Icelandic peoples to Christianity and the methods of the missionaries
against the more committed heathens (which of course are very biased towards
Christianity). In addition there is also the timeless tale of
the carnage that can be caused by excessive pride and honour.
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