Gripla - 20.12.2014, Blaðsíða 105

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‘younger brother’ type – are central in his life.62 Atli is popular, friendly,
industrious, foresightful and sensible; a successful farmer, he is the per-
sonification of patience and moderation, and he (unsuccessfully) tries to
influence Grettir to that effect, encouraging him to be calm and prudent
during a horse fight.63 Atli becomes involved in a dispute with the unjust
Þorbjǫrn ǫxnamegin and dies heroically at his hands, and he is avenged by
grettir, who in turn is avenged by Þorsteinn drómundr in Miklagarðr, as
predicted by Þorsteinn.64 Illugi, too, is unflinchingly loyal, accompanying
his outlawed brother to Drangey and helping him during his last stand
against Þorbjǫrn ǫngull, following grettir in death rather than foreswear-
ing vengeance for him; before dying, Illugi delivers a scathing speech
in which he reproaches Þorbjǫrn for using magic to conquer grettir.65
Although Grettir proves to be unable to function in human society, his
unbreakable bonds with his brothers and the loyalty they show to each
other speak to the fundamental importance bestowed on brotherly bonds
encoded in these sagas.
Wisdom, foresight, moderation, loyalty and prudence are juxtaposed
against hotheadedness, impulsiveness, impetuousness and lack of respon-
sibility and self-control, personified in pairs of brothers.66 thus physical
and mental aptitude do not entail success if one’s disposition and behaviour
is bad, encapsulated in Grettis saga’s proverb ‘sijtt er hvort giæfa edr gior-
feleikr’ [luck and ability are two different things].67 the line is spoken by
Jökull Bárðarson, grettir’s maternal uncle, who is ‘mikell madr ok sterkur
ok hinn meste ofsa maðr ok mjog odæll ok mikel hæfr’ [a tall man and
strong and a violent man and very wild and distinguished], a description
that clearly aligns him with the ‘older brother’ type in the paradigm.68 As
62 Poole, ‘Myth, Psychology,’ 12–13.
63 f. 17v; Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar, ed. guðni Jónsson, Íslenzk fornrit, vol. 7 (reykjavík:
Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 1936), 99.
64 f. 24r; Grettis saga, 138.
65 F. 44r, Grettis saga, 263.
66 For discussion about some of these virtues in kings’ sagas and saga literature more
generally, see e.g. Ármann Jakobsson, Í leit að konungi. Konungsmynd íslenskra konungasagna
(reykjavík: Háskólaútgáfan, 1997), 222–239.
67 f. 20v; Grettis saga, 117. the line is spoken at a turning point in the saga, just before Grettir
goes to forsæludalr to fight glámr. russell Poole notes the resemblance between the two
relatives, see ‘Myth, Psychology,’ 7.
68 f. 20v; Grettis saga, 117.
IDEoLogY AnD IDEntItY In LAtE MEDIEVAL WESt ICELAnD