Discussion Literature / TheIcelandicSagas

I am currently reworking this page. My idea is to have only tropes that can be encountered in more than one saga on this page. Therefore, I have cut all tropes that only apply to one specific saga. Also, long quotes and stuff that is too specific. With the sheer multitude of sagas, collecting every trope found in any saga on this page is obviously a bad idea. (and makes it much too confusing to read, too).

Dumping cuts here. Maybe some of this can be recycled, should someone want to make a works page for a specific saga.

• Egil comes across as the worst [badass] by far, facing 11 men twice, 16 once and killing them all, and killing an opponent in a Holmgang by biting his throat as his weapons would not bite; then saying essentially "He had protected himself against weapons, but forgot that there is a weapon named teeth". The Sagas themselves says Gunnar of Njáls Saga was the greatest warrior ever on Iceland, but he is much less psychotic than Egil and almost comes across as embodying the Christian ideal of a fighting man (This is of course purposefully so, Njáls Saga was recorded late, Egils Saga early, and both preach a different morale).

• Badass Boast: In this dialogue from Njáls Saga, a Badass Boast goes horribly wrong when the addressee turns out to hold a higher position in the Badass Food Chain. (It is one of Skarphéðinn's numerous CMOAs).
  Thorkell hákur (Thorkel Bully) started up in a great rage and reached for his shortsword and said: "This sword I got in Sweden; with it I slew the greatest champion, and since then, many another man. As soon as I get to you I shall run you through with it and so repay you for your foul speech!"
  Skarphéðinn stood there with his axe raised and grinned and said: "This axe I had in my hand when I leaped twelve ells across the Mörk river and slew Thráinn Sigfússon while eight men stood by and could not lay hands on me. Nor have I ever lifted my weapon against a man without it hitting the mark."
  With this he broke away from his brothers and made for Thorkell. He spoke: "Now you either put away your dirk*

  ^{A short dagger. Read, "little knife".}

  , Thorkell hákur , and sit down, or I shall drive my axe into your head and split it down to your shoulders!"
  Then Thorkell sat down and sheathed his sword.
• Black Comedy / Bloody Hilarious: The Sagas are not without humor. Once in a while, a grisly death scene gets a comical treatment - mostly, but not only, through Dead Pan Snarking and memorable One Liners. The following is a piece from Njáls Saga:
  Kolr Egilsson said: "Let me get at Kolskeggr! I have always said that the two of us would be equal matched in battle!"
  "That we can find out right now!" said Kolskeggr. [..] Kolskeggr turned around quickly, rushed at Kolr, struck him on the thigh with his short-sword, and cut off his leg.
  "Well, did I hit you or not?" asked Kolskeggr.
  "That comes from not being covered with my shield," said Kolr, and stood for a while looking at the stump.
  Kolskeggr said: "No need to look! It's just as you thought - the leg is off!" Then Kolr fell dead to the ground.
  • And also this from Laxdæla Saga:
  Thorgils now began to count out the money. Auðgísl Thórarinson came near, and when Thorgils had counted ten Auðgísl struck at him, and all thought they heard the head say eleven as it flew off the neck. [..] These tidings came to the booth of Snorri Goði how Thorgils was slain.
  Snorri said, "You must be mistaken; it must be that Thorgils Hallason has slain someone."
  The man replied, "Why, the head flew off his trunk."
  "Then perhaps it is true," said Snorri.
• Deconstruction: The protagonists of Svarfadardal Saga behave so unsympathetically, even given Values Dissonance, that the saga might very well be an example of this. Its comparative lateness in the canon doesn't hurt that view.
• Important Haircut: Averted tragically with Hallgerðr.
• Losing Your Head: The deaths of Kolr Thorsteinsson in Njáls Saga and of Thorgils Hallason in Laxdæla Saga.
  That same morning Kári, too, went to the town. He came to the place where Kolr was counting the silver. Kári recognised him and rushed at him with his sword drawn and aimed a blow on his neck. But Kolr kept on counting the silver, and his head counted "ten" as it flew from the trunk.
• My Girl Back Home: In Njáls Saga a Norse queen, upon finding that a hero was going back to Iceland to see his girl back home, put a curse on him that he would never satisfy her.
  • Making the girl back home divorce him as she legally could. Who said Vikings were primitives?
• Our Werewolves Are Different: The above-named Kveld-Úlfr, Egill's grandfather, whose name means "Night Wolf". He worked hard all day but at night got ... cranky. Very, very cranky. His son Skalla-Grímr ("Bald Masked") inherited these traits, but less is made of it.
• Pregnant Badass: Freydís Eiríksdóttir who during an attack by skrælingjar*
  ^{Native Americans.}
  , grabbed a weapon and personally joined in, even though pregnant.
• Rapunzel Hair: Hallgerðr from Njáls Saga. It's a plot point.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: In Njáls Saga Njáll and Gunnar are Heterosexual Life-Partners. Njáll is skilled at law and clan diplomacy (and has a bit of the sight) while Gunnar is a stereotypically viking Boisterous Bruiser.
• Traumatic Haircut: Averted in Njal's Saga. Hard.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Elements of this in the Tale of Thorstein Staff-Struck, although it's somewhat ambiguous.
• World's Strongest Man: Grettir, the strongest man of his day — and any since.