Gripla - 01.01.1975, Page 163

PAGANISM AND LITERATURE 159
Þorgerðr should have children called Geirr and Þorgeirr, and so
on . . .
A statistical study of all the names included in the samtíðarsögur
convinces us immediately that these principles were not applied in
Iceland. The only evidence is that one can possibly detect a pre-
dominating name within one given family, generally because this has
been the name of an illustrious ancestor: Sæmundr in the Oddaverjar
family, Gizurr in the Haukdælir, Þórðr and Magnús in the Reykhylt-
ingar, Egill amongst the Mýramenn, and so on . . . Moreover, we see
an increasing popularity of the names of saints, Icelandic saints chief-
ly, such as Jón. If we compare statistically the frequency of names in
Njála on one side and in the samtíðarsögur on the other side, we see
that the most popular names in Njála are Þorkell (18 out of 229
names), Ketill (16/229), and Þorsteinn (15/229) whereas in the sam-
tíðarsögur, they are Jón (166/401), Þórðr (119/401) and Þorsteinn
(117/401). Names which exist in the samtíðarsögur, but are absent in
Njála are: Páll (39/401), Andréas (20/401), Nikulás (14/401),
Markús (13/401) etc. . . . This is a good illustration of the progres-
sive substitution of the cult of the saints for the old cult of pagan
heroes.
We have just spoken of trolls. The notion is very complex. Kelch-
ner sets the equation troll — jötunn = the soul of a dead person,
ordinarily, somebody wicked.10 But the reading of the samtíðarsögur
shows that this description is not strictly limited to trolls, since it is
equally applicable, sometimes to draugr, sometimes to álfr, sometimes
even to landvœttr. The process of christianization has not missed the
opportunity of reducing all these categories to common devils; see the
expression troll vísi yðr til búrs (in Jarteinabók Guðmundar Byskups,
ch. 18). Troll is also assimilated to draugr or jlagð in many passages
of Prestssaga Guðmundar Góða or Jarteinabók Guðmundar Byskups.
The general impression is that it is very difficult to make a distinction
between these different forms of nomenclature.
On the other hand, there are clearly some Christian stories which
are given so-called pagan features when reference is made to the other
world. Such is the case of the vampire Faraldr, in Hrafns Saga Svein-
10 Dreams in Old Norse Literature, Cambridge, 1935, pp. 40-45. L. Musset
agrees in Histoire des peuples scandinaves, op. cit., p. 135.