Miller, William Ian. Valgard ‘the Wise’ and Hoskuld’s Blood: Chapters 107–16
- Author: Miller, William Ian
- Title: Valgard ‘the Wise’ and Hoskuld’s Blood: Chapters 107–16
- Published in: Why Is Your Axe Bloody?: A Reading of Njáls Saga
- Place, Publisher: New York: Oxford University Press
- Year: 2014
- Pages: 194-206
- 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 Valgarðr’s idea that Mörðr manipulate the Njálssynir against Höskuldr, and suggests that this relationship had already been quite strained before. Valgarðr also sees that it will be the people of Bergþórshvoll rather than his son Mörðr who will be targetted following Höskuldr‘s death because the former are considered violently powerful upstarts, while the latter is more predictable and thus less dangerous. Miller than discusses the killing itself, its construction as martyrdom, and the Njálssynir‘s motives behind killing their father’s favorite of the Sigfússynir clan. He then moves on to discuss the political logic behind Flosi being chosen as the avenger, and then discusses Hildigunnr´s blood-token ritual and connects it with other similar scenes in Njála and the bible.
Lýsing
See also
References
Chapter 116: Tók hún þá upp skikkjuna er Flosi hafði gefið Höskuldi: “Hildigunn is arguing that the gift of the cloak imposes more than an obligation on the recipient to make a proper return; it also continually obliges the giver to warrant his gift, to ratify it, to defend the possessor of it in his right to wear it, especially a gift that bears his name. “ (p. 204).
Links
- Written by: Yoav Tirosh
- Icelandic/English translation:
