Miller, William Ian. Revenge for Gunnar: Chapters 77–81

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  • Author: Miller, William Ian
  • Title: Revenge for Gunnar: Chapters 77–81
  • Published in: Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njáls Saga
  • Place, Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press
  • Year: 2014
  • Pages: 144-52
  • 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

In this chapter Miller analyses the politics of feud and the decisions behind choosing the target. He discusses Gunnar and Njáll‘s imposing power over their district, to the extent that their Goðar are not clearly designated in the saga. This power must be re-affirmed following Gunnar’s death, and Miller describes how Njáll and his family take over the region. Njáll‘s positive reputation is discussed as a manipulated image he constructs. Finally, the chapter is concluded with a discussion of the pros and cons of the envy that Gunnar inspired in others, and that finally led to his death.

Lýsing

Í kaflanum greinir Miller pólitík deilunnar og varpar ljósi á hvernig skotspænir voru valdir. Hann fjallar um vald Gunnars og Njáls á suðurlandinu sem var svo mikið að goðar eru ekki greinilega nefndir í sögunni. Eftir dauða Gunnars er valdajafnvæginu raskað, Miller lýsir því hvernig Njáll og fjölskylda hans draga til sín völd eftir dauða Gunnars og yfirtaka suðurlandið. Jákvæð ímynd Njáls er rædd í kaflanum og hvernig hún virðist vera búin til af ásettu ráði. Í lok kaflans er rætt um kosti og galla öfundarinnar sem Gunnar vakti í öðrum og leiddi að lokum til dauða hans.

See also

References

Chapter 78: drepa menn nokkura í hefnd eftir hann.: “There is obviously no right to such revenge; should they pursue it they would leave themselves open to outlawry for taking it. But Njal believes that they can get away with it because, for one, Gunnar is too grand a man to die unavenged, so that there would be a kind of higher aesthetic justice served by avenging such as he, the law be damned. “ (p. 145).

Links

  • Written by: Yoav Tirosh
  • Icelandic translation: Andri M. Kristjánsson