Miller, William Ian. Looking Forward: Njal’s Prescience: Chapters 22–3

• Author: Miller, William Ian
• Title: Looking Forward: Njal’s Prescience: Chapters 22–3
• Published in: Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njals Saga
• Place, Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press
• Year: 2014
• Pages: 62-72
• E-text:
• Reference: Miller, William Ian. Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njals Saga. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 62-72.

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Annotation

In this chapter Miller questions the possibility of Njáll being prescient, treating him more as a ‘script-writer’ than a true prophet. His skills in understanding people are important for his role as a lawyer, and thus most of the advice he gives, argues Miller, is commonsensical. Miller dispels most of the acts of prophecy in the saga along similar lines, as well as remains skeptical of Svanr’s true paranormal attributes, and stresses the ambiguity of the author’s treatment of the paranormal.

Links

• Written by: Yoav Tirosh
• Icelandic/English translation: