Gripla - 20.12.2007, Page 17

THE FANTASTIC ELEMENT
5 Kathryn Hume (1984:184-85) points out the possibility of a psychological interpretation of
Grettir’s dealings with Glámr, whom she sees as ‘really a projection of Grettir’s own inner
being, a kind of shadow’, which helps to explain the fascination of the incident, although the
interpretation is given in modern terms.
Grettir’s life.5 Fate is frequently mentioned; it has a different character from
the sense of fate or predestination created by Njáll’s prophecies in his saga. It
is in fact interesting to compare Grettis saga and Njáls saga. Although Njáls
saga describes many supernatural occurrences they do not play a crucial role
in the action of the saga. Divine or daemonic powers do not directly influence
the course of events. The revenant Gunnarr does not himself attack his
enemies as Glámr or Klaufi do. Njáll’s death is caused by a series of events
that have psychological and social explanations, but are in no way seen as
caused by divine intervention. The saga of Grettir is more tightly focussed on
the personal fate of the protagonist than most earlier sagas; he repeatedly has
direct, physical encounters with supernatural beings and is, in the end, con-
quered with the help of magic. In Njáls saga we are rather distant witnesses to
the strange vision of Gunnarr reciting his stanza in his mound or the norns
weaving and singing Darraðarljóð, while it is an insensitive reader who is not
deeply affected by the awe that for a while paralyses Grettir while facing
Glámr in the moonlight and listening to his curse.
A different tragic fate is suffered by the hero of Kjalnesinga saga, Búi
Andríðarson, who in the end is quite unexpectedly killed by the son he has
conceived with a giantess, after he has seemed to be invincible in numerous
confrontations. Although his saga has a regional name, and its setting within
Iceland is narrow, it is a strictly biographical saga. Búi „soon stood out from
other young men, bigger and stronger than the others and more handsome to
look at.“ He is fostered and protected with magic by his fostermother Esja.
She has the name of the mountain they live by and has access to hidden caves
in this mountain; it seems uncertain whether she is a normal human being,
albeit a magician, or some kind of a mountain-giant. Búi shows an aversion to
heathen practices and refuses to make sacrifices. When he has been outlawed
for this he reacts by killing the son of the goði of Kjalarnes and burning the
temple. His fostermother manages to protect him from revenge and other
dangers, and on his way to the ship that is to take him abroad he is attacked by
twelve men, kills six of them and gets away. In Norway he undertakes a
mission for the king and enters a mountain to visit the giant Dofri. Búi leaves
this place with the treasure he was sent to retrieve, but Dofri’s daughter, who
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