Kanerva, Kirsi. Rituals for the Restless Dead

• Author: Kanerva, Kirsi
• Title: Rituals for the Restless Dead: The Authority of the Deceased in Medieval Iceland
• Published in: Authorities in the Middle Ages. Influence, Legitimacy and Power in Medieval Society
• Editors: Sini Kangas, Mia Korpiola, Tuija Ainonen
• Place, Publisher: Berlin and Boston: de Gruyter
• Year: 2013
• Pages: 205-227
• E-text:
• Reference: Kanerva, Kirsi. "Rituals for the Restless Dead: The Authority of the Deceased in Medieval Iceland." In Authorities in the Middle Ages. Influence, Legitimacy and Power in Medieval Society, pp. 205-227. Eds. Sini Kangas, Mia Korpiola, Tuija Ainonen. Fundamentals of Medieval and Early Modern Culture 12. Berlin and Boston: de Gruyter, 2013.

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Annotation

In this article, Kanerva defines “authority” as the innate power of the living or dead over another individual or group. In the sagas, ghosts appear as corporeal beings and most are categorized as afturgöngur, those who return from the dead of their own volition to walk among the living. Those with berserker ability or other supernatural powers are considered highly likely to return, but it is possible to control or restrict their power through certain rituals. In Egil's Saga, Skallagrim Kveldulfsson is considered highly likely to return after death, as he is a berserker and has a complicated, unresolved relationship with his son Egil. When his father dies, Egill performs nábjargir on the body - that is, he closes his father’s eyes, mouth and nostrils in preparation for burial. Next, he creates a hole in the southern wall of the house, through which the body is carried. According to Kanerva, this is probably done to ensure that Skallagrim cannot find his way back to the house. Like his father, Egil is complicated, physically unattractive, and seems to possess magical powers. Therefore, he is also a likely candidate to return from the dead, but being buried with his weapons and clothes improves the chances that he will rest in peace.

Lýsing

Í þessari grein skilgreinir Kanerva hugtakið „authority“ sem meðfætt vald lifandi eða dauðs fólks yfir öðrum einstaklingum eða hópum. Draugar Íslendingasagna birtast sem líkamlegar verur og eru flestir afturgöngur, þ.e. þeir ganga aftur af sjálfsdáðum. Fjölkunnugt fólk, berserkir og aðrir sem búa yfir yfirnáttúrulegum kröftum eru líklegastir til að ganga aftur eftir dauðann. Kröftum þessara drauga má stjórna eða takmarka með því að ástunda tiltekna heiðna siði. Í Egils sögu býst fólk við að Skallagrímur Kveldúlfsson muni ganga aftur því hann er berserkur, auk þess sem samband hans við son sinn er stormasamt. Egill veitir Skallagrími nábjargir eftir að sá síðarnefndi deyr. Svo heggur hann gat á vegginn og er líkið borið út í gegnum gatið. Kanerva telur að þetta sé gert til að tryggja að Skallagrímur komist ekki aftur inn í bæinn. Egill er líkur föður sínum að því leyti að hann er líka ljótur, flókinn persónuleiki og virðist vera fjölkunnugur. Þess vegna er sennilegt að hann muni líka ganga aftur, en hann er grafinn „í klæði góð“ og með vopnum sínum og klæðum til þess að hann hvílir í friði.

References

Chapter 60: veitti honum nábjargir: “This service (nábjargir) generally included closing the eyes, mouth and nostrils of the deceased. After this he creates an opening in the southern wall of the house and the corpse is carried out through it. It is possible that this is done to prevent the return of Skalla-Grímr, since the deceased would not know its way back to the house if taken through an opening that is not normally there”(p. 210).

Chapter 88: færa Egil í klæði góð: “After his death, Egill is buried by Grímr Svertingsson, … in a respectful manner: ‘in good clothes’ (‘í klæði góð’) together with his weapons and garments … Egill’s own strong mind is thus pacified by respectful burial practices that apply him with good clothes and weapons in the afterlife, as well as Christianity and Christian men” (p. 221.)

Links

• Written by: Julie Summers
• English translation: Julie Summers