Gripla - 20.12.2009, Blaðsíða 84
GRIPLA84
He points out that written sources make a clear distinction between
Norwegians and Icelanders, but thinks that this distinction was more
based on a feeling of region than of a nation state. further, Sigurður points
out two examples from medieval sources where Icelanders living in the
commonwealth period are said to have talked about Norway and Iceland as
one kingdom and about themselves as the “men” of the Norwegian king.15
To mention one last example of the new view, in 1997 a young Icelandic
scholar, Ármann jakobsson, published a book called Í leit að konungi (In
Search of a King). There he argued that the writing of the sagas of kings in
Iceland reflected the Icelanders’ consideration of the idea of belonging to a
kingdom, or even their wish to do so, in the century before they entered
the kingdom of Norway.16
One can discern here two basically opposite views of the Icelandic com
monwealth. One of them, which could be called romantic, sees it as a delib
erately founded egalitarian and democratic society, albeit with its inherent
weaknesses. The other one is a bleaker view which sees the commonwealth
as having been shaped by external necessity, without much thought or ini
tiative, mostly ruled by an oppressive upper class and longing for royal
power some time before it submitted to it. As I mentioned, I participated
in setting out this bleak view in the 1970s, but when I returned to the sub
ject in the late 1990s and began to write my book Goðamenning, I felt that
the revision of the romantic view had perhaps come far enough and that it
was now time to establish a more balanced view. I will use the remainder
of the present article to give a brief survey of my conclusions, some of
them set out directly in Goðamenning, others more or less implied there.
Iv
I do not find any pressing need to assume that the Icelandic common
wealth was founded on an idea of creating something new or original. It is
well known of course that Germanic people used to come together at
15 Sigurður Líndal, ”ísland og umheimurinn,” Saga Íslands I, ed. by Sigurður Líndal (Reykja
vík: Bókmenntafélag, 1974) 215–217.
16 Ármann jakobsson, Í leit að konungi. Konungsmynd íslenskra konungasagna (Reykjavík:
Háskólaútgáfan, 1997).