Einar Ól. Sveinsson. Journey to the Njála country, 7th August 1973

• Author: Einar Ól. Sveinsson
• Title: Journey to the Njála country, 7th August 1973
• Published in: Gripla 2
• Year: 1977
• Pages: 7-18
• E-text: timarit.is
• Reference: Einar Ól. Sveinsson. "Journey to the Njála country, 7th August 1973." Gripla 2 (1977): 7-18.

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Annotation

Einar Ól. Sveinsson’s article depicts his own experience visiting the territory in which Njáls saga is said to have happened. He argues that so little has changed from the landscape and one can experience the land and view that characters in the saga themselves had experienced. Einar argues that the saga-writer had immense knowledge of regional landscape, and that he most likely visited the saga-places and drew from personal experience, as seen in the detailed descriptions of Fljótshlíð. The same could be said for Þingvellir, Lómagnúpur, and probably also Kringlumýri in Meðalland. However, further from Fljótshlíð, the landscape knowledge the saga-writer offers is less accurate, as can be seen in the erroneous depictions of the landscapes in Norway. However, the saga-writer’s knowledge of Icelandic landscapes cannot be denied, as seen further in the depictions at Bergþórshvoll where the burning of Njáll’s farm took place. Sveinsson sates that while the landscape is important and the saga-writer has a rare visual talent for depicting the landscape, it is not the focus of the saga. It is the human aspect that drives the story and its characters‘ personalities that enliven the text.

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• Written by: Shanly Sullivan
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