Saga - 2005, Page 44

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EVA S. ÓLAFSDÓTTIR
Abstract
HONOUR AND INFERNO
The staging of death in the Sturlung sagas in the light of Christian
and secular medieval writings
What is the impetus behind the descriptions of death in the Sturlung sagas? The
text is seen as the attempt of the scribe to come to terms with the tumult of that
age. The foundation is taken as the belief system of the people, considering both
Christian texts and ancient historical heritage.
Religious doctrines affected people's behaviour, their consciences, and their
conceptions of good and evil. But Christian obligations were only part of what
individuals had to order their lives around during the Sturlung Age. Other
duties consisted of following laws, submitting to the obligations of clan society,
obeying leaders and allies, and last but not least, being loyal to friends. These
demands sometimes contradicted each other. Conflicts were common, with peo-
ple frequently erring in terms of morality and human behaviour. The Norska
hómilíubókin is a roadmap to paradise, like other Christian texts that were intend-
ed as models for the general public. In contrast with these religious precepts,
Konungs skuggsjá is intended to integrate the secular aspect of life with the
Christian aspect. Religious points that conflicted with secular obligations are not
discussed there. People were always to keep death in mind and avoid sinful
behaviour; at the same time, they were urged to strengthen their reputations and
seek vengeance rationally. Despite the dualism of secular and Christian virtues,
the church was not entirely against warfare. Soldiers could fight for the church
or in the name of divinity. With this in mind, the ideas of the church comple-
mented the martial spirit and hero-worship of the Sturlung Age. Heroism and
Christianity coalesced on the battlefields. Just as the hero ideal had once been the
guiding force that strengthened people, now it was belief in Christ that bolstered
their courage. Thus the demand for valour had not disappeared, but faith
entailed mesmeric effects. The hour of death was man's final tribulation. To con-
ceal one's suffering and die with dignity was the refrain. The distinctiveness of
the descriptions of death in the Sturlung sagas lies in contemporary people com-
ing to terms with a past that had left its mark on them for Iife. The Sturlung sagas
show confession or sincere prayer as an individual's final purification. The great
majority feel intense inner struggles. A pure martyr's death or hero's death is the
exception. In the Sturlung Age, the fighting of the protagonists did not involve
honour alone. Through men's arrogance, disputes escalated and ultimately con-
cemed control of the entire country. The saga scribes pass this story down to
coming generations and show what led promising men to min.