The Saga of Grettir The Strong takes place around the time of the Christianization of Iceland. The pagan and Christian tension is noted and we see some of the results of that tension in the saga. The negative portrayal of paganism and of those who do not follow Christian doctrine in the death of Glam and the exploits of Thorbjorn and his foster-mother Thurid is a critique on the old Icelandic ways from a Christian perspective.
It takes Thorbjorn multiple attempts to get Grettir to get off the island. As Gretter’s sentence gets closer and closer to ending he is pressured to expedite his efforts. He turns to his foster-mother, Thurid, who is a known to practice magic. The book introduces her as a woman “who was very old and not considered capable of doing much” … and” had been well versed in magic and knew many secret arts when she was young and people were heathens”. The writing classifies those who are pagan as heathens. On top of that, even though it is recognized that she holds power, she is considered unable to do much. This is almost like the author is saying “all this magic business is great, but its nothing compared to the power of God and my religion.” The book continues on and touches on how paganism is forbidden, and if you are going to practice it you must not do it publicly. The legal punishments are also mentioned in the same paragraph. (173)
“Magic Circle” by John William Waterhouse (1886
Thorbjorn employs his foster-mother in his mission to kill Grettir. Thurid curses Grettir and sends him an object with curses embedded in it. Her magic would eventually kill Grettir. (185) When it is made public that Thorbjorn used pagan magic to kill Grettir, he is ostracized from many gatherings and can’t even collect the bounty on his head. This is significant considering how many people wanted Grettir dead. The way he is killed is so horrendous to the people that it seems to redeem and distinguish Grettir from his outlawry. The killing also made the practicing of black magic illegal. (190-191) The negative attitude toward paganism throughout this part of the story is obvious and nowhere near subtle. There are other events in the story that are less explicit but still hard to miss.
Glam is a character who doesn’t follow or care about Christian doctrine. Throughout his employment under Thorhall, nothing bad happened until Christmas Eve. Glam gets angry with the farmer’s wife because she refuses to cook for him. “It is not Christian custom to eat on this day.” Glam replies, “you have all sorts of superstition that I dismiss as worthless.” Glam then forces her to make him food and she warns “I know that you’ll suffer for it today if you go ahead with this evil act.” Sure enough, the next day Glam is found brutally killed. (77-78) This foreshadowing implies that it is Glam’s lack of Christian morals and practice that gets him killed. In addition to the previous point, this fast-acting display of the power of Christianity holds a contrast to the pagan magic that took time and effort to achieve its goal of killing Grettir.
Lord Grettir and Glamhttps://thepostgradchronicles.org/2017/10/29/monsters-and-the-monstrous-in-the-sagas-the-saga-of-grettir-the-strong/
Anti-pagan attitudes can be seen throughout the saga. The killing of Grettir is one of the most obvious and straightforward. This section of the story goes as far to talk about how Iceland is no longer pagan and the consequences of practicing magic. Even though Thorbjorn and Thurid kill Grettir an infamous and widely hated outlaw they are shunned for using magic. The faster acting and more efficient display of Christian power, on the other hand, implies Christian superiority over paganism. This is not only a criticism of traditional Icelandic life from a Christian perspective it’s a condescending Christian criticism.
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