Gripla - 20.12.2009, Blaðsíða 219
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In this way the ethos of the Free State appears clearly, yet admittedly from
a limited perspective.4
Let me explain this by means of an example. It has been convincingly
argued that in the context of the sagas, sœmd, or honour, was “at stake in
virtually every social interaction”.5 this interaction takes place against a
rich normative background which provides meaning and validity to every
day conduct and underpins the selfunderstanding and identity of the
actors. Presumably, these elements would not become subjects of a narra
tive unless they were somehow threatened so that they had to be explicitly
defended. It is the means of defending them, the ways in which conflicts
are handled that are in focus in the sagas. A major reason why the proce
dural aspects of honour come to the fore is that it affects the entire society
how conflicts are handled. So conflict brings not only the normative back
ground to awareness but also makes at least some of the actors aware of its
relevance for the entire polity. Personal honour – how it is regarded and
the way in which it is upheld and defended – thus becomes a concern of
the state or of the community at large.
there are various interpretations of the morality of the sagas and else
where I have roughly divided them into three main categories.6 I will
briefly summarize them here, draw out their distinctive characteristics and
relate them to recent interpretations of saga morality. I do this in light of
the question concerning whether or not the sagas portray value orienta
tions and ethical models that may be considered part of a distinctive nordic
civilisation. Since interpretations agree that sœmd/honour is a key concept
of saga morality, but conflict as to how sœmd is to be understood in the
context of the sagas, I use their portrayal of this notion to tease out their
differences.
I distinguish between romantic and humanistic interpretations of saga
morality which imply a radically different understanding of honour. In the
4 In her book, Ethics and action in thirteenthcentury Iceland (odense: odense university
Press, 1998), Guðrún nordal provides a rich general analysis of ethical norms and behaviour
which goes far beyond the political.
5 William Ian Miller, Bloodtaking and Peacemaking. Feud, Law, and Society in Saga Iceland
(Chicago: the university of Chicago Press, 1990), 29.
6 vilhjálmur Árnason, “Morality and Social Structure in the Icelandic Sagas,” The Journal of
English and Germanic Philology 90 (1990:2): 157–174; also “Saga og siðferði. Hugleiðingar
um túlkun á siðferði íslendingasagna,” Tímarit Máls og menningar 46 (1985:1): 21–37.
An etHoS In tRAnSfoRMAtIon