Jones, Gwyn. The Religious Elements of the Icelandic “Hólmganga”

• Author: Jones, Gwyn
• Title: The Religious Elements of the Icelandic “Hólmganga”
• Published in: Modern Language Review 27/3
• Place, Publisher:
• Year: 1932
• Pages: 307-13
• E-text:
• Reference: Jones, Gwyn. "The Religious Elements of the Icelandic “Hólmganga”." Modern Language Review 27/3 (1932): 307-13.

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• Key words: religion, history (trú, sagnfræði)

Annotation

Two sagas, Kormáks saga and Egils saga, contain holmgang narratives that suggest there may have been certain religious elements to such duels as practiced in Icelandic society before being banned in the early 11th century. Kormáks saga makes mention of a tjösnublót in one holmgang, while a blótnaut or sacrificial bullock appears in both Kormáks saga and Egils saga. Jones argues that the tjösnublót sacrifice and the sacrifice of the blótnaut are two distinct forms of sacrifice, the tjösnublót taking place before combat and the blótnaut being then sacrificed by the victorious party. He also suggests, however, that by the 10th century these ceremonial sacrifices had largely lost their meaning and took place only on rare occasion, which would explain why they appear only rarely in literary accounts.

Links

• Written by: Katelin Parsons
• Icelandic translation: