Miller, William Ian. Why is Your Axe Bloody?

• Author: William Ian Miller
• Title: Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njals Saga
• Place, Publisher:New York: Oxford University Press
• Year: 2014
• Pages:
• E-text:
• Reference: Miller, William Ian. Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njals Saga. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.

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Annotation

In this extensive close reading on Njáls saga, William Ian Miller looks to concile the different parts of the saga into a united whole, tying the plot together through a literary analysis that takes into account what Miller sees as the author’s genius. In many ways continuing his work in Bloodtaking and Peacemaking, Miller puts in the forefront of his analysis regional politics and the laws of feud. Miller somewhat absolves Hallgerður and Mǫrðr from their alleged villainy, while argues that the final decision to burn inside was made by Njáll who was disturbed by his sons’ single act of rebellion manifested in the killing of Hǫskuldr Hvítanessgoði. Miller attempts at explaining the end of the saga, which he considers disappointing, and decides that the author simply did not know how to conclude his masterpiece.

See also - Other

• Halldór Halldórsson. Lund i islänska källor

• Bennett, Lisa. 'The Most Important of Events': The 'burning-in' motif as a site of cultural memory in Icelandic sagas.

• Helga Kress. Ekki höfu vér kvennaskap

• Ármann Jakobsson. The impetuousness of Þráinn Sigfússon

• Ármann Jakobsson. Masculinity and politics in Njáls saga

• Tirosh, Yoav. Víga-Njáll: A New Approach Toward Njáls saga

Links

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