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parison between the latter and Gregory of Tours’s “barbarous” prose – a
contrast that Mark Phillips has characterised with the terms “representa
tion” and “argument”. According to Auerbach, Gregory’s Latin is primitive
and unclassical; he has no idea of composition and his detailed narrative is
so obscure as to be almost incomprehensible. on the other hand, Gregory’s
prose has a freshness and immediacy, derived from popular narrative,
which represent a renewal of the ancient tradition. In a similar way,
Phillips distinguishes between the vivid but chaotic Italian chronicles of
the 14th century and the classicising, abstract, well-ordered and intellectual
histories in Latin from the Renaissance of the 15th century, which aimed at
reviving the classical tradition.21
this contrast catches an important feature of the old norse sagas but
does not give a complete picture. the sagas are not chaotic; the visual
details serve to underline important points in the narrative. nor is there a
necessary conflict between representation and argument. Some of the clas
sical sagas, notably Heimskringla and Sverris saga, contain argument as well
as representation; visualisation is not l’art pour l’art, but has an intellectual
purpose. In Heimskringla, the story of Óláfr and Hákon is followed by a
series of others which explain how Óláfr managed to defeat his enemies
and become king of Norway in half a year.22 By capturing Hákon, óláfr
eliminates an important rival, while at the same time demonstrating his
luck, which – together with the wealth he has brought from England –
gains him the support of his relatives, the petty kings of Eastern Norway.
this in turn enables him to defeat his other rival, Sveinn jarl, in the battle
of nesjar. After this victory, the rest of his enemies, including einarr
Þambarskelfir in trøndelag and erlingr Skjálgsson in Sola, find it neces
sary to come to terms.
the story of óláfr and Hákon also plays a crucial role in the saga of
Óláfr as a whole. Readers of the saga can hardly avoid comparing this epi
sode with another episode towards the end, namely the last meeting
between Óláfr and Erlingr Skjálgsson which takes place at a time when
Óláfr is about to lose the country. Starting with the story of Ásbjǫrn
21 erich Auerbach, Mimesis. Dargestellte Wirklichkeit in der abendländischen Literatur (Bern:
francke, 1946), 81–97; Mark Phillips, “Representation and Argument in florentine
Historiography,” Storia della storiografia, 10 (1986), 48–63.
22 Sverre Bagge, Society and Politics in Snorri Sturluson’s Heimskringla (Berkeley etc.: university
of California Press, 1991), 90–92.
noRDIC unIQueneSS In tHe MIDDLe AGeS?