Comparisons between Njal and Moses in Njal’s Saga

Comparisons between Njal and Moses in Njal’s Saga

Njal in Njal’s Saga is a man of much mystique and knowledge, using his mind to solve his problems and never raising a weapon he is a true wonder in the Viking world of Iceland. Njal is able to see the future making him a prophet of sorts, he shares his gift with others offering his wisdom in matters and is very accurate. His advice is especially directed at Gunnar, his close friend. He lives a peaceful life yet meets a gruesome end when Flosi and his band of men burn him and a large majority of his family alive in their home. Throughout Njal’s life he reveals qualities and lives experiences similar to that of Moses and God in the Bible.

Njal’s advice that he gives through his power to see into the future is comparable to Moses’s delivery of the ten commandments to Israel through God. In the Bible the story goes that Moses and the Israelites journeyed into the desert and came to Mount Sinai and Moses went to the top of the Mountain and was given ten commandments by God to reiterate to the people of Israel so that they may lead an abundant and fruitful life that will eventually lead them to heaven in the afterlife. Njal’s advice to Gunnar is similar to this story. At Gunnar’s request Njal uses his ability to see into the future to give Gunnar advice to live a more peaceful and longer life. Njal first gives Gunnar advice at the beginning of their relationship telling him how to navigate about a case and hold himself at the Thingskalar assembly. His next bit of advice to Gunnar is to not marry Hallgerd, a spiteful woman who has already killed two of her previous husbands. Hallgerd proves to be an issue as Njal said she would be and Gunnar’s marriage proves to be a constant problem and leads to his demise. This event can be compared to the word of the Bible, that if the ten commandments given to Moses by God are not followed and an individual does not repent they will go to hell. The final bit of advice that Njal gives to Gunnar is “Never kill more than once within the same bloodline, and never break any settlement which good men make between you and others…” (Njal’s Saga, 94). This quote resembles the ten commandments that Moses reiterates to the Israelites, ‘Thou shall not kill, Thou shall not steal etc.’ Njal gives Gunnar this advice so because Gunnar and Njal have a great relationship as friends and wants to see him live a prosperous life. This is echoed in the bible by God, Moses and the Israelites’ relationship, wanting to lead each other in the direction they see is right and will benefit each other the most.

Njal’s relationship with Gunnar and Moses and God’s relationship with the Israelites are both beneficial to all parties. Njal gets to help a friend and Moses, God and the Israelites are able to unite and help one another through a common cause.

Before It's Time and Into A New Age?

Before It’s Time and Into A New Age?

This blog post will focus on the way Hallgerd was treated during her marriage agreement/contract processes and how that treatment was unlike what other women received or expected at that time. As we all know, Hallgerd’s first marriage to Thorvald does not go well nor does it end well. Although her next two marriages both end with her husband’s death, the marriage agreement process is different than the first marriage. Hoskuld and Hrut finally realize that Hallgerd’s opinion in who she marries may allow for a more successful marriage. Although her next two husbands die, the time before their deaths was not spent between them bickering and fighting like how she did with Thorvald. 

The point I am getting to is that Hurt and Hoskuld may have been the first men at that time to take into consideration the female’s opinion about whom she will marry. This action did not seem common at all given the pursuer went straight to the desired woman’s father to ask for her hand rather than her personally, not to forget that most of the time the pursuer had to meet his desired bride. After letting Hallgerd partake in the deliberation process with her pursuers, Glum and Gunnar, she seemed to act more civil during the marriage towards her husbands, at least for the most part.

Unn, on the other hand, was not offered the ability to talk with her father, Mord, about Hrut’s desire to marry her. Had she been given that chance she could have encourage Mord to resign the marriage offer for she could not ever see herself love Hurt. Or, Unn could have gotten used to the idea of marring Hrut and felt more comfortable doing so knowing she had some say in the marriage. Obviously, their marriage ended for nothing to do with the way Hrut treated Unn but for another, more personal, reason. I’m not saying allowing the desired bride to partake in the marriage agreement process guarantees that the marriage will be a long-term success, but at least entering the marriage would be less of a shock and an uncomfortable situation.

Given that the viking age is very old and our current marriage process is much different than at that time, I wonder if Hrut and Hoskuld’s allowance towards Hallgerd might have started an unintentional trend of giving women the opportunity to decide who they marry. This is a long shot of an idea, but there is a bit of a correlation. That small amount of freedom Hallgerd was granted could have double or tripled in amount from generation to generation, generation leading us to where we are now. And if this is true, it begs the question what the marriage process will be like one hundred years or two hundred years from now. What role will women have then? 

A gesture as simple as “allowing” Hallgerd to help decide who she will marry could have made a profound impact on the role women fill today. 

The Poetic Edda in Skyrim

The Poetic Edda in Skyrim 

\            So there I was, trying to enjoy my weekend, forgetting about my worries as I delved into the embellished world of Skyrim. The last thing on my mind at this time was my Vikings Sagas class (no offense, Doctor Blake). But as I was playing, the NPC’s started talking about a book called the Poetic Edda, and I literally did a double take. Literature from class was the last thing I expected to see in Skyrim, but it actually makes a lot of sense knowing that Skyrim is heavily inspired by Viking culture. In fact, there are many parallels in the things we’ve read about and the popular video game, one of them being the Poetic Edda.

            In real life, the Poetic Edda is a medieval collection of Viking poems that tells us a lot about Viking culture and mythology. In Skyrim, the Poetic Edda is literally the same thing, just written completely by wandering bards about the Nords and their culture and mythology. Clearly we see some parallels here; the Nords are supposed to be the Vikings and both have an old text telling of their cultures.

            Other parallels have much to do with culture and government. In Skyrim, each city has a Jarl (the old Norse term for ruler) and there is a god named Talos who can be compared to Odin. There is also an after-world called Sovngarde that is nearly identical in description to Valhalla. 

There is a legendary ax named Wuuthrad that is shattered and has to be remade, paralleling Gram, a shattered sword that is inherited by Sigurd in one of the Viking Sagas. 

Alduin, the big bad dragon in Skyrim, is a clear representation of Nidhogg, the dragon that is prophesied to destroy Midgard and Asgard in the cataclysmic event of Ragnarok. Even the regions of Skyrim are inspired of Scandinavian/Viking countries such as Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Honestly, from top to bottom, Skyrim is completely and wholly inspired by the Vikings and their culture. One of the clearest examples of that and its relevance to the class is the Poetic Edda. 

Syncretism of Christianity and Old Norse Paganism in Njal's Saga

Hey! It’s your friendly neighborhood anthropology major Nicole, back once more to talk about Viking culture. In this blog post, I’ll be discussing the syncretism of Christianity and pagan religion as it happened in Iceland around the year 1000. To do this, I’ll be looking at how this event was described in Njal’s saga—a saga that is known for mirroring some historical truths. What influenced the abrupt conversion to Christianity? How did it impact Viking culture? These are a couple of the questions I’ll be attempting to answer.

First, I think it’s necessary to define syncretism here. Syncretism is, essentially, a combination of religions, cultures, or modes of thinking. In this context, we’ll be discussing the amalgamation of the brand-new religion, Christianity, with the pre-existing pagan religion following the Old Norse gods. While it’s true that a conversion to Christianity took place in Iceland and the culture shifted rapidly, this doesn’t mean that the ways of thinking and existing that were tied to paganism completely died out. Instead, what Iceland was left with was this strange combination of the two lifestyles that, in the end, didn’t lead to a radically different culture for a long time.

What pushed people to convert to Christianity? Law was a major factor, it seems like. At the Thing in Njal’s saga, Thorgeir made a point that if everyone was split on their laws and religion, then peace would also be split, and nobody could live with that. He announced this once they had reached a decision:

‘This will be the foundation of our law,’ he said, ‘that all men in this land are to be Christians and believe in one God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and give up all worship of false idols, the exposure of children, and the eating of horse meat. Three years’ outlawry will be the penalty for open violations, but if these things are practiced in secret there shall be no punishment.’

It became the law for people to follow Christianity, and to only perform pagan practices in private spaces. It’s said here that later, pagan practices were prohibited in private settings, as well. But, this brings up a good point. Despite their conversion to Christianity, people still followed their old ways of living that were tied to their honor culture. They participated in pagan traditions, as well as violent acts—they would fight and kill each other over blood feuds, just as they had before the conversion. Christianity didn’t immediately make them any more mild or peaceful. Njal’s saga gives many good examples of this—one being when Hildigunn throws Hoskuld’s bloody cloak over Flosi’s shoulders and invokes God when she persuades him to avenge his fallen friend:

Then she spoke: ‘This cloak, Flosi, was your gift to Hoskuld, and now I give it back to you. He was slain in it. In the name of God and all good men I charge you, by all the powers of your Christ and by your courage and manliness, to avenge all the wounds which he received in dying – or else be an object of contempt to all men.’

She is reifying Viking honor culture and violence as she says this. Christianity didn’t have a large effect on how she thought he should handle this situation. If anything, the religion gave her the language she needed to convince him that avenging Hoskuld was something worth doing. While they are undoubtedly Christians, they also have their pagan identity that cannot be simply erased or replaced by a new religion or lifestyle.

There’s much more to be said on this topic, and many more examples to give—my account of syncretism between paganism and Christianity is simplified here, but I hope the point at least got across. Though Iceland did rapidly convert to Christianity, there wasn’t this copy and paste of Christian morals, ethics, and lifestyle. They remained true to their honor culture and pagan practices while also taking the path to follow a new religion.

The Strength of Women Threatening the Strength of Men

     In speaking on the topic of strong female figures in society, I believe an interesting character to note would be the evil foster mother Gothel from Tangled. Through this strange connection Gothel who is an elderly woman looking for the secret to youth is as stubborn and harsh as both Bergthora and Hallgerd in Njal’s Saga. As the story goes, Gothel happens upon a magical flower that when you sing to it, the flower both heals and preserves your youth. Rapunzel’s mother was very sick around the time of child birth and guards found the flower and gave it to her in order to heal her. Because of this, Rapunzel was born with magical hair that assumed the same powers as the original flower. Gothel, seeing all of these events take place, had one goal in mind, to stay young and live forever.

     Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel from the king and queen and set off into the forest. As Rapunzel grew older she became more independent and curious about the world and set off to see it while Gothel was away. After Gothel returned and saw that Rapunzel had left she again feared for her youth and beauty and soon turned into a very spiteful and vengeful woman as she searched for Rapunzel. Along Gothel’s travels in a never-ending search for eternal life and beauty, she encounters two henchmen who are known thieves throughout the forest. In an attempt to convince them to help her, Gothel bribes them with riches beyond belief and revenge on a fellow thief who betrayed them. Throughout the story we see how Gothel easily gets her way as she is tunnel visioned towards retrieving this magical power. Gothel is easily one of the most manipulative and clever characters in the film and truly proves that she will, by whatever means necessary, have her way. Towards the end of the film we see that she ultimately kills the only person who Rapunzel finds true happiness with and again proves the extent of her evil character.

      In a direct comparison, Bergthora and Hallgerd’s feud between each other is also over something as shallow as beauty and they too become tunnel visioned in their plot for revenge and the spite they have for each other. Both of these women characters in Njal’s Saga are very prideful and entitled and will not take offense to their title lightly. When these two hard headed women collide, it is as if Gothel has met her ultimate stubborn and unyielding match. In either case both Gothel, Bergthora and Hallgerd are conniving, manipulative and relentless when it comes to achieving their goal. In one part of the text Bergthora is attempting to coax her husband and sons to seek revenge on Sigmond who has insulted their character. In the text Cook relates, “Gifts have been given to you all, father and sons, and you’re not real men unless you repay them.” (Cook 74) . Evidence of their true authority reveals itself in that the people these women manipulate are not only other women but men as well. Bergotha and Hallgerd both manipulate their husbands to act out against their normal docile character in an attempt to seek revenge on the other. They also use male slaves as a source to get back at the other for petty revenge. Gothel manipulates strong and ill minded henchmen to follow out her will. Gothel also convinces a drunken man outside of a forest pub using her youth and charm in an attempt to obtain more information about Rapunzel and her whereabouts. Again, in both cases Bergthora, Hallgerd and Gothel are all very strong female characters who can easily manipulate and persuade others to get what they want no matter how small or how big their need/want may be. Overall, the true strength of women is shown not through their sexualization but through their cunning minds and their drive to get what they want however they have to go about it.

Norse Rock and Roll

Viking mythology has made its impact through all forms of media. Whether it be movies, T.V shows, books, video games, but what if Viking culture made its way to music. Classic rock bands such as Led Zeppelin have used Norse mythology to carve and flesh out hit songs that are still recognizable to this day. Songs such as Immigrant song, is filled with Norse references in the lyrics such as 

“We come from the land of the ice and snow

From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

Hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new land

To fight the hordes and sing, and cry

Valhalla, I am coming”

With this reference, it calls back to Odin’s son, Thor, and the place where all Vikings want to end up when they die, their Heaven Valhalla. Additionally, with more references to raiding, coming from a cold environment shows more intel on Viking life. More lyrics include 

“Can whisper tales of gore
Of how we calmed the tides of war
We are your overlords

On we sweep with threshing oar
Our only goal will be the western shore”

With the additional lyrics, Led Zeppelin reference sagas, the tales of Viking sagas, and the exploration and conquest Vikings were known for.

With more references to Valhalla, the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, dabbled In Norse culture, with their song titled Valhalla.Lyrics are included, such as 

“The Kingdom of Odin is the Kingdom of Gods
Where only souls of the brave may rest in peace
But someone among them had the skill of deceit
And raised the hand that would open the road to Hell”

With these references, again going with Odin, and the concept of Heaven and Hell, with Valhalla, and hell being hell. All the warrior’s goals being able to be admitted into the great hall.

With classic rock bands being influenced by Norse culture, a subgenre of rock and metal music formed, exclusively with Viking, and Norse culture. This genre is known as Viking metal, with lyrics and themes being focused on Norse culture. The emergence of Viking metal came from the late 1980s to early 1990s, coming from black metal. Although rooting with black metal, as an opposition to Christianity, Viking metal didn’t turn to Satanism, but towards Vikings and pagans. The band Bathory, a Swedish extreme metal band was cited as having the first Viking metal album Hammerheart. The album was a commercial success, the band continued to make Viking metal for the rest of its time, paving the way for the genre and more bands to follow.

With the emerge of Viking metal, it should be noted that the genre has been associated by Nazis, and fragile masculinity. Although some Viking metal bands contain some female lead singers, the genre is equipped to reinforce traditional gender roles, with males as the forefront leaders, with women just being along for the ride.

            Vikings, and their culture have made their mark on all mediums of entertainment. Even today, making their own genre of entertainment, Norse culture was able to slip into the modern world, with their own cult following, and is clearly here to stay in this day and age. 

Wise, Weary, and Being a Father: Master Splinter and Njal

Wise, Weary and Being a Father: Master Splinter and Njal

Njals wisdom, patience and unruly children were key components of his saga. He continued to help Gunner even when he married a well known murderess. He continues to stand by while his sons cause trouble, and he lets his wife continue her feud with Hallgerd. His attributes are very similar to the attributes of the 2012 Teenage mutant ninja turtles Master Splinter. In this blog well compare the twos wisdom, patience and children. While also contrasting their relationships with past friends.  

Wisdom

Njal shows great wisdom when Gunnar tells him he is planning to marry Hallgerd. When Gunnar comes and tells Njal about the marriage agreement Njal is understandably upset. He does not stand in the way of Gunnar but warns him of all the evils that Hallgerd will unleash upon Gunnar and his way of life. Gunnar, confident in his abilities to deal with what comes, tells Njal that Hallgerd could never ruin their friendship. Njal tells him that it will come close to     that and they part ways, agreeing to meet again at the wedding feast.

Master splinter shows great wisdom many times on the 2012 series, but one of my favorites is when he’s teaching Raphael to deal with his anger issues. He tells Raph that while anger might seem like a helpful tool in battle it can actually jeopardize oneself and those around that person. Raphael is well known for his angry outbursts and uncontrollable temper and when he’s shown through combat that his anger is detrimental he takes Splinters advice to fix himself and his issues. In this way Master Splinter showed great wisdom in helping his son to not place himself in dangerous situations because of an unbridled temper. 

Patience 

Later in the Saga Hallgerd and Bergthora begin a servant killing spree. Left and right servants are killing each other for their employers. Gunnar and Njal stand by and watch, each doing their part to pay the other for the feud. Later Hallgerd kills a free man named Atli who goes to work for Njal. When Gunnar tells Njal about this he shows great strength and patience in telling Gunnar that while he’s been trying to avoid a conflict between  the two men he can not take a slaves value for the slaying. Gunnar understands and they come to a mutual agreement for Atli, much to the chagrin of their wives.

Master Splinter shows patience when Michelangelo brings home a mutant alligator. Though the other three brothers show distant at the alligator, mostly because he kicked their butts before he passed out. Splinter understood that the alligator was not a bad person, just had a sever cause of PTSD.  With that understanding Splinter allowed the alligator to stay in the lair, chained up of course.

Unruly Children

Njals children are very unruly. They seemed to always be looking for a fight. In one of the most prominent instances of Njals children, we see them planing to go off to fight. When Njal confronts them, they tell him their going salmon fishing. Njal simple lets it happen and is continually stepped on by his children.

While Master Splinter is well known for punishing insubordination, it still happens. In an early episode of the series, the turtles are grounded for a week. Instead of sticking with their punishment they go up to the surface and beat up a dude named Baxter stockman. Though this seemed like an easy win, the turtles accidentally gave Baxter a way to upgrade his tech and become nearly invincible to their weapons. In the end, Master Splinter finds out and helps the boys, specifically Donatello, to defeat Baxter. 

Advice

Both men are well known for their advice. Each helping overs with their understandings of situations. Now we will contrast the two with their advice, specifically centered around their friendships. Interstingly enough both friendships lead to burning houses. 

Njal has a wonderful friendship with Gunnar, even with all the crap they have to put up with from their wives feuds, they still stay in touch. Whenever Gunnar comes and asks for advice Njal helps him. They never let the situation truly get between them.

Sadly, Master Splinter does not do the same with his friend. Through wise beyond his years he wasn’t always like that. He let his anger get in the way of his understanding of the situation and disgraced his friend in front of Splinters wife. With this small act of aggression he lost everything, his wife, daughter and his former friend, now known as the shredder. If he had followed his own advice, he would likely have never lost his family and home.

God of War 4 and Norse Mythology

God of War 4 is the newest installment of the God of War franchise. Its central focus is around Norse Mythology. The game does a fantastic job of nailing Norse Mythology on the nose, making it an authentic experience. The three major points of the game that make up the best part of the experience of Norse Mythology include the interactions with Mimir, the Aesir conflict and the interactions with Thor and Odin throughout the game. 

In Norse Mythology, Mimir is the person who provides Odin counsel to Odin throughout the lore of Norse Mythology, he is basically Odin’s number one advisor on his counsel. In God of War 4, Mimir provides Kratos (the main character) with the exposition of the lore of the throughout the game, providing the character with useful information. In the game, Mimir’s head gets chopped off by the Vanir, and Odin, upset that his best advisor was killed, decides to revive Mimir’s head and consuls him about things like Ragnarok. In both the game and in the lore, Mimir provides useful advice to both Kratos and to Odin, making the game very similar to what the lore was like. 

While Kratos journeys through the land, there are plenty of references to war between the Aesir and Vanir, which is a central part of Norse Mythology. Odin is the leader of the Aesir and Njord is the leader of the Vanir. The two sides combat each other throughout the game, making it feel like you are really a part of the action. 

The references to Odin and Thor throughout the game also provide details of how Thor and Odin really behaved. You hear stories about how Thor killed giants because they annoyed him and how Odin was mean to anyone he encountered, the references to the two and how they behaved in the game directly reflects their actual behavior in Norse Mythology, making the game come even closer to reflecting the actual aspects of true Norse Mythology.

Murder in a "Christian" Household

Njal’s saga’s setting is uniquely positioned around the Christianization of Iceland. This allows us to see the author's interpretation of how the Icelanders adapted to this fundamental change in their society. Using violence to solve problems (like blood feuds) holds contrast to the modern-day values of Christianity. In the saga, men who have adopted Christianity also hold on to the violent problem-solving methods common to the sagas, like blood feuds. This blog will talk about the interesting contradictions to Christian doctrine that shows up when the Icelanders convert. From revenge killing in the name of God, to planning to kill a family in the same room that your holy objects are in, this saga sees it all.

.           Almost immediately after the switch to Christianity, the saga has a killing in the name of God. Hoskuld’s son, Amundi the Blind, confronts his father’s killer. The killer refuses to offer him compensation for his father’s death. Amundi replies “I don’t know that to be just before God” …” seeing that you struck so close to my heart. I can say this-if I were sound in both my eyes, I would either have compensation for my father or take blood revenge, and may God now settle between us.” Amundi walks out of the booth and turns around to find that his vision has returned to him, he says “Praise be to God, my lord. Now it can be seen what He wants.” Amundi then rushes back into the booth and buries his axe in his father’s killer’s head. Even though he is a Christian he still kills in revenge. In this saga, killing someone isn’t a relatively villainous thing to do but even the real antagonist of the saga converted.

19th-century rendering of the Law Rock in Þingvellir. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Althing

            Mord Valgardsson, the antagonist of the saga, converted to Christianity. Its known to the people of Iceland that Mord is an evil person. He was partially responsible for the killing of Njal’s friend Gunnar. Mord’s father returns home and tells his son that he needs to kill the Njalssons to regain his authority, a classic villainous plan. After this planning Mord says “I wish, father, that you would accept the faith” … “you’re an old man.” Mord’s father replies “I don’t want to.” … “and in fact, I would like you to renounce the faith and see what happens.” Mord’s father then proceeds to break Mord’s holy objects. He dies soon after that Even though Mord is a true villain, he is Christian. He plots to kill a family in the same room he has holy objects in.

                                                  a broken crucifix on white background. 

            The adoption of a new religion is bound to be met with a little friction. This saga is set in a time that allows it to document the relatively odd and Anti-Christian practices of the Icelanders who call themselves Christians. This saga sees men kill others for revenge in the name of God and the antagonist of the saga plots the death of a family in the same room he holds his holy objects in. Controversy and friction experienced when adopting a new religion like Christianity makes sense, but the way these Icelanders make it work is something else.

The Role of Female Characters and Female Bodies in Pop Culture “Viking” Media

After reading Njal’s Saga, we get a clearer, more diversified picture of what female characters can, should, and will do in their lives. Based on Ibn Fadlan’s account alone, we would get an extremely limited and unrepresentative portrait of women in Viking cultures. When characters like Hallgerd and Bergthora are added to this tableau, however, we begin to see that while their environments are distinctly male-dominated and patriarchal, women still have opportunities to exercise power and influence events in major ways. This does not seem to have translated into pop culture, and the entertainment industry takes advantage of female characters for the benefit of a primarily male audience.

            If you were to ask someone at random today what their most recent or memorable encounter with Viking culture in the media was, they would probably point towards TV shows such as Vikings or The Last Kingdom, or perhaps even video games like God of War, For Honor, or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I personally only have experience with the first and last of these examples, so this is where this blog will be focused.

            First, let’s talk about armor. Specifically, let’s talk about the difference between “male armor” and “female armor” in media. Here, I’ll be using pictures from Skyrim to illustrate what it is I’m talking about, and I’m sure most if not all of you already know what I’m going to point out.

            The point of armor is to keep you protected from various forms of danger, like someone wanting to take care of your backache with an axe, or a formerly-blind man trying to chop your head off, just to name a few… This makes perfect sense, unless of course you’re designing armor for your video game or tv show characters. In these cases, it obviously (sarcasm) makes sense to make armor for female-bodied characters more… non-existent, because the most important thing about these characters is obviously the fact that they are female-bodied (sarcasm) and we need to remind consumers of this media of that fact by having them walk around in metal bikinis in frigid temperatures. This is totally what any sane person would do in a real situation (S A R C A S M). This approach goes in complete opposition to characters like the Valkyrie Brynhild/Sigrdrifa, who are portrayed as fully-armored, sword-in-hand, and ready to kick your butt straight to Valhalla.

Sure, this gendering of armor doesn’t always happen, but it happens often enough for us to notice a pattern and for things like “bikini armor” to become a defining aspect of the video game world. Additionally, you may want to point out that in a lot of pop culture material, Viking armor shows a lot of skin regardless of the sex of the person wearing it. Yes, it is true that shirtless berserkers and longaxe-wielding barbarians with exposed arms and legs. However, think about how this exposed skin is often used and sexualized. For males, the exposed skin accentuates their muscular bodies. For females, the exposure is done primarily to show off body parts that are often sexualized (cleavage, thighs, lower back, etc…). So it’s not just about the exposed skin and subsequent uselessness of their “armor,” but also about the purpose of exposing said skin.

Let’s shift gears and talk about the roles and personalities of female characters in a TV show like Vikings, and compare them to some female characters from Njal’s Saga. Vikings is known for having some “strong female characters,” and characters like Lagertha or Astrid certainly challenge the housewife/damsel in distress archetype by participating in “masculine” activities such as warfare and leadership. However, this comes at a cost. First, it implies that women’s only avenue to power or respect (from other men) is by becoming more like men. Yes, it challenges gender role archetypes, but it doesn’t actually challenge gender norms. While we don’t see as many physically strong female characters in the saga, we do see women subvert the plans and expectations of the men around them. Hallgerd, for example, is not described to be physically dominant; however, she is responsible for the deaths of countless people, including several husbands and a foster-father. She is able to work within the patriarchal system to exert power over others, especially men. Characters like Hallgerd and Bergthora are able to challenge the notion that women should be subservient, meek, and deferent towards men, not by being men, but by using the system itself to their advantage.

Lastly, I want to talk about sexuality and female characters in media. Focusing on Vikings, I have noted that most if not all female characters in the show are sexualized for the benefit of a heterosexual male viewer. If the women are not having sex with a man in the show, they have some sort of lesbian relationship. While portraying LGBT characters is admirable, it should be noted that we rarely (never in Vikings) see anything other than heterosexual or lesbian relationships, and the lesbian relationships we do see are fetishized or sexualized to please heterosexual men.

Is Njal a God-like Figure?

In Njal’s Saga, Njal is representative of some kind of higher power that is consulted but not always followed, creating this air of religious construct away from that of Christianity. From the very beginning, he is a person very different from that of the normal Icelandic man. He is seen as a man of power and great wisdom, far more than any other man seen in previous sagas. He was always odd considering that “no beard grew on him” (pg. 35). Men of Iceland were always known for being very large physically as well as hairy. Njal is envisioned as someone who is genuinely different and could represent a sort of god-like religious figure within the democratic structure.

            Despite the growing presence of Christianity in Iceland, there was still a continuous need for a wise being within the realm of the law. He consulted constantly throughout the saga, especially in cases that involve consequences and advice. When Bergthora and Hallgerd were doing their best to get people killed all because of a seat on a bench, Njal provided several pieces of advice, noting it probably wasn’t a good idea and he didn’t want to get involved. And when kinsmen of those who had been taken victim demanded that a settlement be created, Njal was always involved. Even with all of this wisdom and prestige, his friends and his family still wouldn’t listen to him. This mirrors that of what occurs in Christianity, the bible and other instances, where humans betray the given advice of God, despite the possibility of the outcome.

            He also has a magical ability to “see” the future, making his wisdom far more superior. He is able to predict the death of Gunnar and also of himself, claiming they were incredibly unexpected. He is able to see into the past and into the future, settle scores and bring peace. This ability makes him stand out from other men. The breadth of knowledge that Njal has is used by several men and women throughout the saga. They constantly ask him for help and consult on matters, but when it comes to providing advice that they don’t necessarily agree with, they don’t always take it, which is similar to that of Christianity or other religions. When faced with the odds of what is right versus what is wanted, people tend to abandon correct advice.

            Njal is a very complex person, with insane abilities that no other person has. He is so well read in laws that no one can match his settlements and rulings. He is able to see into the future and predict what’s going to happen. He can see into the past with vast memories. Even with the ability and unrelenting stream of advice for those who ask for it, people still disobey him and end up suffering the consequences. This is shown several times when people refer to their Gods in any sort of religion. Despite a clear image of what is seen to be right, they disobey. Njal acts as a democratic god-like figure for those in Iceland, with powers beyond those that are human.