Written by an unknown author, Njal’s Saga is widely
considered among the finest of all classical Icelandic
SAGAs. The original manuscript for Njal’s Saga has
been lost; the earliest extant vellum manuscript is
from ca. 1300. In its time the saga enjoyed great
popularity, which is perhaps why many of its manuscripts
have survived.
Broadly based on historical events that took
place some 300 years earlier, Njal’s Saga tells the
story of ordinary people in medieval Iceland became
caught in a complex web of revenge and
murder.Honor and familial obligation play a large
part in the events that unfold, as any insult,
whether real or imagined,must be revenged.
In straightforward, economical prose, the story
centers on Njal Thorgeirsson, an influential lawyer
and sage who becomes embroiled in a 50-year feud
that ultimately leads to his doom. Njal and his
family are drawn irrevocably into conflict through
his friendship with Gunnarr, who is portrayed as a
brave and honest man. The beginning of the conflict
is Gunnarr’s marriage to Hallgerd (a match
that meets with Njal’s disapproval). Hallgerd, who
is portrayed as very beautiful yet morally corrupt,
then sets in motion a bitter set of feuds, beginning
with her rivalry with Njal’s wife, Bergthora. The
following passage shows their initial exchange of
insults (characteristic of most family sagas):
Hallgerd seized hold of her hand and said,
“There’s not much to choose between you and
Njal; you have turtle-back nails on every finger,
and Njal is beardless.” “That is true”, said
Bergthora . . . “But your husband Thorvald
wasn’t beardless, yet that didn’t stop you from
having him killed.”
A killing match ensues, and seven men die before
the feud is stopped. Meanwhile, however, Gunnarr’s
mortal enemy, Mord, succeeds in bringing
about Gunnarr’s downfall, and the violence continues.
Eventually Njal and his family are burned
to death in their own home as a result of Mord’s
further machinations.
As a form of literary art, Njal’s Saga ranks
among the best of Icelandic sagas. Its characters are
highly developed and represent a broad range of
human characteristics—all of which play a role in
the development of a complex story riddled with
conflict. It is the saga’s human elements that make
it appealing even to modern readers and that have
given it a place in world literature.
An English Version of Njal’s Saga
Njal’s Saga. Translated by Robert Cook. New York:
Penguin Classics, 2002.
Works about Njal’s Saga
Byock, Jesse L. Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and
Power. Berkeley: University of California Press,
1988.
Helgason, Jon Karl. Rewriting of Njabl’s Saga: Translation,
Ideology, and Icelandic Sagas. Clevedon,
U.K.:Multilingual Matters, 1999.