Eyrbyggja Saga Week 8 Prompts
Welcome to Week Eight of Eyrbyggja Saga! This week (Nov. 16th, 2020) we’re reading chapters 42-45, as laid out in Hermann Pálsson’s translation. This week’s section starts off as follows:
That summer a ship put in at Hraunhaven Mouth, and another at Dogadur Ness….Thorleif Kimbi walked with a wooden leg for the rest of his life.
Þetta sumar kom skip í Hraunhafnarós en annað í Dögurðarnes….Þorleifur kimbi gekk alla stund síðan við tréfót.
Below are some prompts to invoke discussion. You don’t have to answer them (unless you want to), and you’re welcome to ask questions of your own for the group to discuss! We ask that you participate at least once a week in one form or another, be it through a response paragraph, fanart, etc., but you’re free to choose whatever topic you’d like. Remember to DM a link to your responses to @edderkopper so we can find them!
1. We know that within saga society honor is the main social currency of the land, by which all men and women are measured. Take for instance this bizarre turn of events in chapter 44, where Styr slays his grandson Thorodd, who is fighting on Snorri the Priests’ side (Styr’s son-in-law), and is quickly goaded by Snorri into changing sides and fighting for Snorri (pg. 118)!! I think I actually snapped my neck so hard from the literary whiplash!
Do you think this system of honor is sustainable and valiant, or does it include drawbacks, and can you list any other examples for either case in this chapter? Does the law nicely align with the social rules of honor or is it a bit more complicated?
2. What characteristics and descriptions of Egil the Strong set him apart from other slaves within the saga narrative? How did you react to his demise—did you have hope that he would gain his freedom?
For a closer look at the behavioral description of slaves specifically in Eyrbyggja saga read Kanerva’s excerpt The Weak and Powerless Self-Killers in her article “Having no Power to Return: Suicide and Posthumous Restlessness in Medieval Iceland,” (pg. 66).
3. The supernatural elements keep comin’ folks! What do these mysterious omens (Eagles, smoke, severed heads) pertain to, and why do you think the characters in the saga never plainly discuss what the omen might mean?
4. Snorri the Priest seems to be the lurking figure behind these few featured chapters, and indeed tends to show up in a variety of ways. Some scholars have suggested that Snorri the Priest could thus be considered one of the main/central characters of Eyrbyggja saga (Morris and Magnússon). Many sagas have had central characters—consider Egil from Egils saga, Njal in Brennu-Njals saga and Gilsi in Gisli saga.
Would you consider Snorri the Priest in league with these main characters? If so, is Snorri a good man? A villain? Or is it just a lot more gosh darn complicated than that!
5. Speaking of Snorri the Priest, how do we feel about him? He seems a bit complicated! Is he a man to be respected, despised, or just a guy trying to hold onto his power as goði and merely playing the game of life as best as he can?
6. What did Snorri the Priest mean when he said “Good. That shows it’s not always best to walk behind,” in reaction to his uncle Mar Hallvardsson being killed by Steinthor’s spear throw (pg. 117)? Did the reference to the spear throw dedicated to Óðinn jar you into remembering the timeframe in which this is taking place?
7. The environmental descriptions in the saga, such as the collection of places names and details of woodlands and ice formations give the settings an intimate feeling. Are you surprised by the authors detailed knowledge of the land and weather conditions as it appears in every setting? For instance: the description of Vigra Fjord (pg. 120).
8. Which of the Thorbrandssn’s wounds after the battle on the ice was your favorite description of in chapter 45 (apologies if you are squeamish of gore!)? Other readers have pointed out additional scholarly discussions of physically disabled characters and accompanied works (previously we have encountered Thorolf Twist-Foot), so feel free to further this discussion especially with regards to battle wounds—Óðinn himself had one eye, and Týr one hand after all!
9. Also, just for fun: this week’s chapters have a lot of great “OH SNAP,” moments! What was your favorite scene, quote, or moment within these allotted chapters? (I personally loved the breaking of the oath ring on Snorri’s wrist by Steinthor’s betrayal—poetic as hell!)
