Miller, William Ian. Conversion and the Genius of the Law: Chapters 100–6
- Author: Miller, William Ian
- Title: Conversion and the Genius of the Law: Chapters 100–6
- Published in: Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njáls Saga
- Place, Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press
- Year: 2014
- Pages: 178-93
- E-text:
- Reference: Miller, William Ian. Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njáls Saga. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
- Key words:
Annotation
Miller discusses the importance of the chapter beginning the story of the conversion being number 100, suggesting this was intentional authorial design. Miller does a close reading of the conversion story, stressing its ambiguity and agnosticism. It is not Þangbrandr’s ambiguous miracles that converted Iceland, Miller argues, but rather the Icelanders’ respect for the law, represented by Þorgeirr Ljósvetningagoði. He then moves on to argue that in this saga, rather than bring with it peace, Christianity complicated legal matters for Icelanders, forcing more rather than less violent action, though it does give those who choose peace a convenient ideal to stand behind. This would have reflected the turmoil and violence of the Sturlungaöld, which the author would have, according to Miller, experienced as a child or a young man.
Lýsing
See also
References
Links
- Written by: Yoav Tirosh
- Icelandic/English translation:
