The Saga of the People of Laxardal



Viking Silver Brooches, British Museum

Author unknown in The Sagas of Icelanders, preface by J. Smiley, intro. by R. Kellogg, deluxe ed., New York: Penguin Books, 2000, pp 270-421.

While Egil's Saga is the story of a single warrior, The Saga of the People of Laxardal is a sweeping five-generation tale that takes place in the Laxardal region of Iceland.  This is a saga about a blood feud between two families.  Those related to Hoskuld, a rich farmer with many sons, do battle against the family of Gundrun, an ambitious and beautiful woman.  Written in the middle of the thirteenth century when Icelandic society was being destroyed by civil war, the People of Laxardal is concerned with the themes of land rights, the cost of violence, and the pursuit of power.  Each family seems to be testing the limits of social acceptance in striving to get what they want. 

The families and followers of both Hoskuld and Gundrun kill for honor and riches.  Honor is certainly not self-esteem or mere acclaim.  It's defined in saga literature as public recognition for bravery and wisdom.  Honor is collectively bestowed on an individual or her kin, but medieval Iceland was not a world of unfettered individuality.  Icelanders had laws that bound all members of their society, representative legislative councils (the Althing), and people who broke societal codes were branded as "outlaws" and could be killed on sight. 

The Saga Age was dominated by testy, independent farmers who threw off the influence of neighboring kings.  All this adds up to a notion of personal autonomy that's puzzling.  Individual protagonists are often drawn into violence for the sake of family honor and could exercise little choice in the matter.  Fate also undermines the idea of individual freedom. Gundrun has a dream that foretells how each of her four husbands will die.  A feeling of inevitability hangs over the stories.

The Icelandic sagas were written, roughly, 200 years after the events they depict and constitute a foundation myth of national identity.  Iceland was Iceland long before Britain or France ever achieved a unified geography.  The tales are so precise in their details of genealogy, location, and everyday affairs because they function as both historical records and artistic achievement.