Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1992, Page 55

Women and Men in Laxdœla saga
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author follows the same procedure of minimizing heroic actions that he
follows with the other leading males: Kjartan displays no heroism until his
death scene, and in fact spends most of his life in undignified quarreling
brought on by himself. The first thing he does is to establish a relationship
with Guðrún, whom he often sees and talks to at Sælingsdalslaug, but then -
without telling her or his father - he decides to travel abroad and purchases
a half-interest in a ship. Ólafur’s reaction is characteristically equivocal: “En
er Ólafur frétti þessa ráðabreytni þá þótti honum Kjartan þessu hafa skjótt
ráðið og kvaðst þó eigi bregða mundu” (40:1593). Guðrún too is shocked by
Kjartan’s suddenness, as the scene between them printed on page 44 of this
paper shows. The main point of that scene is not Guðrún’s struggle to escape
her feminine role but Kjartan’s thoughtlessness. Kjartan is not a typical male
doing a typically masculine thing; he is a particular male, a man who is
capable of being selfish and inconsiderate to someone he claims to be fond
of.
Another thing the saga says about Kjartan is that he and Bolli were firm
friends: “Þeir Kjartan og Bolli unnust mest. Fór Kjartan hvergi þess er eigi
fylgdi Bolli honum” (39:1592). But it is always clear that their friendship is
not, as true friendships must be, a relationship between equals. Bolli always
plays the secondary role. Kjartan’s way of speaking to Bolli (even before
their alienation over Guðrún) is not pleasant. When they are in Trondheim
and see the men amusing themselves in the river Nið, Kjartan asks Bolli if he
would like to take on the man who seems to be the local champion. Bolli
answers “Ekki ætla eg það mitt færi.” Kjartan then says, “Eigi veit eg hvar
kapp þitt er nú komið, og skal eg þá til” (40:1594). These words are insulting,
and not appropriate for a cousin, best friend, and foster-brother.
Kjartan displays the same kind of arrogance toward King Ólafur
Tryggyason, even before he knows who he is. When he has been outmatched
by the unknown stranger in the river, the stranger asks why Kjartan doesn’t
ask his name. Kjartan’s rude answer is “Ekki hirði eg um nafn þitt” (ibid.).
Later, though he has accepted the king’s “skikkja”, Kjartan shows his
gratitude by proposing that the Icelanders burn the king in his house. This is
a foolishly empty bit of talk, as we can see from the reaction of the rest of the
Icelanders, who agree with Bolli “að þetta væri þarfleysutal” (40:1596).
As often in this saga, the king’s reactions are more gracious than the
visitor from Iceland deserves, and King Ólafur admires Kjartan when he
boldly admits that it was he who proposed the burning. Instead of using
force on the Icelanders, the king adopts a policy of patience, thinking that it
is worth waiting for men of the caliber of Kjartan, and this policy pays off:
after listening to the king’s Christmas sermon, Kjartan persuades his fellow
Icelanders in Trondheim that they all be baptized.
But Kjartan’s Christianity, like his humility and graciousness, is a dubious
roatter. When he is given the choice between going back to Iceland to