Saga - 1995, Page 187

HÁKON HÁKONARSON
185
ungatal frá Hálfdani svarta ok síðan frá öllum Noregskon-
ungum, hverjum eftir annan.74
Sturla notar hefðbundið helgisagnaminni til að lýsa Hákoni, mann-
mum á bak við kónginn. Það eru þessir fáu kaflar sem dýpka lýs-
ingu Hákonar Hákonarsonar og gera það að verkum að þau ónot
sem íslenskir sagnfræðingar hafa hreytt í Hákon konung munu
aldrei komast í hálfkvisti við þá mynd sem Sturla Þórðarson dregur
af honum. Þar á hann sér málsvara sem munar um.
Summary
This article compares and contrasts the portrait of King Hákon
Hákonarson of Norway painted by modem historians with that of
the I3th century historian Sturla Þórðarson in his works íslendinga-
saga (the Saga of the Icelanders) and Hákonarsaga (the Saga of
Hákon Hákonarson). The views of modern historians have tended
to be uniform, blaming the king for the fall of the Commonwealth
ln 1262-64 and the subsequent „decline". It was generally accepted
by historians that Hákon, in his bid to bring Iceland under his mle,
had tricked the Icelandic chieftains, playing them one against the
other and was thus responsible for the hostilities Ieading to the end
of the Commonwealth. He was also thought to have forced the
Helanders to accept Norwegian bishops who were actively en-
8aged in furthering his aims and was further blamed for the killing
°í the historian Snorri Sturluson. When the two 13th century sagas
are carefully examined another picture emerges, however. In these
w°rks there is no suggestion that Hákon played a role in the
hostilities in Iceland or that he used treachery and intrigue to bring
Heland under his rule. There are on the contrary many examples
of Icelandic chieftains approaching Hákon on their own initiative,
and there is no evidence that he sought to gain possession of
fceland before 1247. When he did so it was done openly and
Peacefully. Neither saga mentions any other reason for his policy
fhan a genuine wish to establish peace in Iceland. In fact both these
acc°unts describe Hákon Hákonarson in a very favourable light,
and the traits in the description of his character are in full accord-
fnce with the concept of the ideal mler which was prevalent in the