Gripla - 20.12.2009, Side 236

GRIPLA236
and consciously against the prevailing ideas of greatness and honour. His
famous words: “Mun ek nú sýna þat, at ek em lítilmenni.” “Now I shall
again show that I am a humble man [small minded or ignoble man]” (Ch.
145),64 express his decision not to ask for reparations for his son, Ljótr,
while at the same time offering his adversaries “pledges of peace”. This
rather unexpected and apparently revolutionary move does not, however,
meet with astonishment: “varð rómr mikill ok góðr gǫrr at máli hans, ok
lofuðu allir mjǫk hans góðgirnd.” “His words were received with loud
approval, and all praised his good will.”65 And later he receives fourfold
reparations for Ljótr. this act by Síðu­Hallr breaks the vicious circle of
violence by upsetting the feudal scales of payment and repayment. neither
Njáll nor Hallr are warriors, both are men of good will and practical wis­
dom, but Hallr exceeds njáll in understanding the roots of the problems
that they are both apparently fighting. this is underlined by njáll’s expla­
nation for not accepting the offer of leaving his burning house: “eigi vil ek
út ganga, því at em ek maðr gamall ok lítt til búinn at hefna sona minna, en
ek vil eigi lifa við skǫmm.” “No, I will not come out, for I am an old man
and little fit to avenge my sons, and I do not want to live in shame” (Ch.
129).66
The words of Síðu-Hallr are revolutionary because they break with the
“old morality” of sœmd and shame. this amounts to breaking the “first
person perspective” and adopting a more general perspective which takes
the common interest into account. When I say that the virtues­based
morality of honour is limited to the first person perspective, I do not only
mean that it is fuelled by personal emotions but also and primarily that it
aimed to protect and defend the vulnerability of the particular person and
thereby his family. In the context of the sagas, Hallr’s position sounds
unrealistic since there is no institutional structure to uphold it. Síðu­
Hallr’s position is often associated with Christianity but as such, it is only
an abstract idea that lacks all concrete content except the pledge. the
pledge is dependent upon the will and virtues of individuals but cannot be
64 Brennu­Njáls saga, einar ólafur Sveinsson, ed., 408. Njal’s Saga, translation by C. f.
Bayerschmidt and L. M. Hollander, 316.
65 Brennu­Njáls saga, einar ólafur Sveinsson, ed., 412. Njal’s Saga, translation by C. f.
Bayerschmidt and L. M. Hollander, 318.
66 Brennu­Njáls saga, einar ólafur Sveinsson, ed., 330. Njal’s Saga, translation by C. f.
Bayerschmidt and L. M. Hollander, 258.