Gripla - 20.12.2008, Page 80

GRIPLA78
type also belong Egils þáttr Síðu-Hallssonar and Þorsteins þáttr skelks). These
tales share a common structural characteristic, i.e. a ‘framed construction’:
an account about the trial the hero undergoes as a result of his disobedience
invariably constitutes an autonomous embedded narrative, whereas the
story describing his relationships with the king forms the narrative frame.
A compositional pattern of this type is not rare in the þættir in general.
Among the obligatory properties of the embedded episode the following
should be singled out. Firstly, it is set in another scene of action, which
does not coincide with that of the main (or outer) story. Secondly, its dra-
matis personae differ at least partially from those the protagonist deals with
in the main story. Thirdly, there is the hostility the hero encounters in his
dealings with other characters of the embedded episode, which exposes
his life to danger. Fourthly, the hero’s behaviour and actions as described
in the embedded episode ultimately work to his benefit, so that after his
return the king not only pardons the Icelander but even rewards him with
his particular benevolence (Gurevich 2004, 115–134).
The story in question demonstrates all these formal properties. Here
the king becomes angry with the Icelander for his curiosity: Þorsteinn
looked into Haraldr’s bag when the king was bathing and found there
something he ought not to have seen. The object that attracted his atten-
tion was unprecedented indeed. It was two knife handles which seemed to
be made of pure gold, although apparently with wooden ends. When the
king noticed that Þorsteinn was examining his things he was displeased
and announced to the Icelander that he would no longer enjoy his favour.
Time went on, but the king did not forget this incident, and when the
summer arrived he demanded that the Icelander should pay for his fault.
To win the king’s favour again Þorsteinn was assigned a difficult task.
He had to undertake a dangerous journey to a distant land in order to
find and bring to the king the shoots of that marvellous golden tree from
whose branches Haraldr had cut the handles the Icelander had noticed in
his bag.
Þættir are sometimes compared to folktales and attempts have even
been made to trace them back to the latter (Lindow 1978, 178). However,
the postulated similarities normally do not go further than some very gen-
eral analogies. In both types of narrative we usually find a protagonist of
humble origin (it is worth mentioning that in the introduction to our story