Svarfdœla saga
The Svarfdœla saga is an Icelandic saga that was probably written around 1300 or the first half of the 14th century. It is relatively unknown and is classified as rather "questionable" in research.
Lore
- The saga is set in the Svarfadar Valley in northern Iceland, west of the Eyjarfjord. Because of the very precise geographical description of the location, an author is believed to be from this area.
- The tradition is downright bad. A fragment of the saga has been preserved on a sheet of paper from a parchment codex from the mid-15th century. The oldest paper manuscript is a copy by clergyman Jón Erlendsson from the middle of the 17th century, unfortunately mutilated. It contains several smaller and one very extensive loopholes, the content of which has so far hardly been reconstructed. All other paper manuscripts (over 40) go back to this manuscript.
- Looking at the gap in the first part of the paper writing, the preserved parchment sheet and notes in 'Thorleifs þættir "(from the Flateyjarbók ) it is assumed that there was a version as early as the 13th century that was later rewritten and differs from the traditional version made a significant difference.
action
The Svarfdœla saga first tells of Thorstein Thorgnýsson's Viking journeys and his marriage to a Jarl's daughter before he settles in Norway. This is followed by the large gap, which probably comprised several sheets. Then it comes to the land grab of Thorstein svǫfudr at Eyjarfjord in the 10th century. It remains unclear in what relationship Thorstein svǫfudr stands to Thorstein Thorgnýsson and how the further action was linked to the beginning of the saga. Before this land conquest, Thorstein's svǫfudr sister is robbed and dishonored by a berserker, her brother goes to Iceland and leaves her to her fate. She later sends her two children, who emerged from this crime, to him, but only gradually does her son Klaufi manage to be accepted in Thorstein's family. After the conquest, there was a long-standing conflict between his family and that of Goden Ljótólfrs in the Svarfadar valley near the Eyjarfjord, where Thorstein svǫfudr has his court. The disputes are conducted with great brutality, whereby, in contrast to other sagas, there is hardly any attempt at least something like mediation to settle the issue. Klaufi finally uses a trick to force her marriage to Yngvildr fagrkinn. (The nature of Ljótólfr's relationship with her and her family is not entirely clear in the saga, in Thorleifs þættir she is Goden's lover.) With the help of her brothers, Yngvildr finally lures Klaufi into an ambush. He is killed and continues the fight on the side of his family as a revenant . Thorstein's son Karl inn raudi avenges Klaufi's death and is later killed by Skídi, a former slave and current follower of Ljótólfr, whose lip he split. Yngvildr fagrkinn also played a key role in his death, and made her consent to a marriage with Skidi dependent on it. Both start a family that is subsequently wiped out by Karl's son of the same name. Yngvildr fagrkinn is sold into slavery and bought back by him several times until she finally submits. Finally, there is reconciliation from which she is excluded. After the reconciliation, Klaufi's ominous hustle and bustle as a revenant is ended by burning his corpse and sinking the ashes in a lead coffin into a hot spring. Valla-Ljot, the son of Ljótólfr, succeeds his father as Gode.
Figure constellation compared to other Icelandic sagas
The fragmentary scene, where the son of Karl inn raudi kills Yngvildr and Skídi's children in front of their parents, is not only the most brutal scene of violence in an Icelandic saga , but also disturbed (probably not just from today's perspective) because of Yngvildr's behavior, who is obviously more important to her pride than the lives of her children. Compared to other Icelandic sagas, the Svarfdœla saga appears extremely "misogynistic". But the behavior of most of the other characters is also very strange, at least from today's perspective. On the other hand, some important roles in the Svarfdœla saga are occupied by those characters that are usually only found as marginal or secondary characters in the saga: social outsider characters, characters who are not at least from the "upper class". There are also some very interesting deviations from "patterns of action" familiar from other sagas. For example, gloomy, dubious characters (with berserk traits) who wreak havoc after their death as revenants can be found in several Icelandic sagas , but it is noticeable in Klaufi that his crimes, even as revenants, are only directed against those who had already been his Enemies or those of his family. Crimes against his own family are not shown.
Historicity / reference to other Icelandic sagas
It is usually assumed that the events are based on a conflict from the 10th century that actually took place in the Svarfadar valley, even if in the Svarfdœla saga it was based on "foreign" motives, e.g. B. from the prehistoric sagas and the knight sagas (Rittara sögur) is "overlaid". The remote location of the Svarfadar valley is also likely to be the reason why there are hardly any references to other Icelandic sagas. Exceptions are the Thorleifs þættir and the Valla-Ljóts saga , a continuation of the Svarfdœla saga. Individual motifs such as B. that someone who seeks revenge initially pretends madness, or the "Taming of the Shrew" can be found in later poems, for example in William Shakespeare .
reception
Max von Schillings composed his opera Ingwelde based on the saga (or a template based on it), although its content differs greatly from it.
Translations
- Thule Collection , Old Norse Poetry and Prose, Vols. 1–24, edited by Felix Niedner and Gustav Neckel, Jena, 1912–1930.
Secondary literature
- Jónas Kristjánsson: Eddas and Sagas. Medieval literature of Iceland . Transferred from Magnús Pétursson and Astrid van Nahl, H. Buske, Hamburg, 1994, pp. 253-255.
- Svarfdœla saga , in: Kindlers New Literature Lexicon . Study edition. Munich, 1988. Vol. 19, pp. 610f.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kindler's New Literature Lexicon . Study edition. Munich, 1988. Vol. 19, p. 610
- ↑ Jónas Kristjánsson: Eddas and Sagas. Medieval literature of Iceland . Transferred from Magnús Pétursson and Astrid van Nahl, H. Buske, Hamburg, 1994, pp. 253f.
- ↑ Freely based on Kindler's New Literature Lexicon . Study edition. Munich, 1988. Vol. 19, p. 610
- ↑ Kindler's New Literature Lexicon . Study edition. Munich, 1988. Vol. 19, p. 610