Lönnroth, Lars. The Noble Heathen: A Theme in the Sagas

• Author: Lönnroth, Lars
• Title: The Noble Heathen: A Theme in the Sagas
• Published in: Scandinavian Studies 41
• Place, Publisher:
• Year: 1969
• Pages: 1-29
• E-text:
• Reference: Lönnroth, Lars. "The Noble Heathen: A Theme in the Sagas." Scandinavian Studies 41 (1969): 1-29.

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• Key words: motives, characterization (sagnaminni, persónulýsingar)

Annotation

The Noble Heathen, as typified by Þorsteinn in Vatnsdæla saga, is a reoccuring theme in the family sagas. While these pagan heros have no close contact with Christianity and do not themselves become Christians, they behave in a consistently virtuous, ethical manner and often forsee the arrival of a new (and greater) religion. Some sagas – Njáls saga in particular – contrast such noble heathens with Christians who behave in distinctly ignoble ways. In this paper, Lönnroth examines the characterisation of ethical heathens in a medieval Christian context and in the more specific context of thirteenth century Iceland. Depictions of pagan ethics are influenced by the doctrine of Natural Religion and Natural Law, as seen in the Prose Edda; the presence of ethical pagan ancestors arguably acts as a counterbalance to less acceptable elements of the pagan past. Mentions Egill Skallagrímsson only as an example of a non-noble heathen, comparing Þorsteinn and Jökull in Vatnsdæla saga to Egill and Þórólfr in Egils saga.

Links

• Written by: Katelin Parsons
• Icelandic/English translation: