Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Side 87

Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Side 87
Skömm er óhófi ævi 85 hans ofii hafði niðrfiallit, ok minnisk nú margr á fiornan orðskvið, atskómm er óhófi œvi.6 Conversely, any reversal of Hrafnkell’s defeat must be shown to be an aberration. In addition, in this kind of fictional world, there is only a limited amount of fortune, luck, and prosperity to go round, and if an undeserving figure chances upon a portion thereof, he must be shown to have usurped it from someone who merits it. But, in fact, in the saga as we have it Hrafnkell receives his prosperity on the silver platter of deus ex machina: Hrafnkell færði nú bú sitt austr yfir Fljótsdalsheiði ok um þveran Fljótsdal fyrir austan Lagarfljót. Við vatnsbotninn stóð einn lítill bær, sem hét at Lokhillu. Þetta land keypti Hrafnkell í skuld, því at eigi var kostrinn meiri en þurfii til búshluta hafa ... Þetta var skógland mikit ok mikit merkjum, vánt at húsum, ok fyrir þat efni keypti hann landit litlu verði. En Hrafnkell sá ekki mjök í kostnað ok felldi mörkina, því at hon var stór, ok reisti þar reisiligan bæ, þann er síðan hét á Hrafnkelsstöðum. Hefir þat síðan verit kallaðr jafnan góðr bær. Bjó Hrafnkell þar við mikil óhægindi in fyrstu misseri. Hann hafði mikinn atdrátt af fiskinum. Hrafnkell gekk mjök at verknaði, meðan bær var í smíði. Hrafnkell dró á vetr kálf ok kið in fyrstu misseri, ok hann helt vel, svá at nær lifði hvatvetna þat, er til ábyrgðar var. Mátti svá at kveða, at náliga væri tvau höfúð á hverju kvikindi. Á því sama sumri lagðisk veiðr mikil í Lagarfljót. Af slíku gerðisk mönnum búshægindi í heraðinu, ok þat helzk vel hvert sumar (121-122). Hrafnkell’s good fortune outrages no one. In fact, it all seems rather miraculous, as if nature were rewarding Hrafnkell rather than punishing him. Not only does he not take anything away from others, but everyone in the district — all of whom, we should not forget, have freely chosen to submit to his authority — shares in the bounty showered upon him. And far from being temporary, this plenty continues for several years. Of course, fortune alone does not bear the entire responsibility for his rise. Hard work, excellent management, and modera- tion also play a role. If we left this passage stand, no doubt some reader would be tempted to say that nature seems to be compensating Hrafnfell for the harsh, perhaps even unjust, treatment he has suffered at the hands of men. Therefore, drastic excising is called for. In addition, several other passages must be sacrificed. Sámr assumes authority over Hrafnkell’s former underlings, who játuðusk undir þat ok höfiðu þó enn misjafiht til (123). Despite Hrafnkell’s former injustices and for reasons we are left to speculate about, perhaps not everyone was glad to see him go. More important, many farmers harbored doubts about Sámr. The most important excision, however, is Chapter VII in the Fornrit edition. There Hrafnkell renounces his paganism and prospers even more than before. In addition to being richer and Foote (1988:291) translates the last dause as ‘the career of anything beyond the mean is short.’ He also remarks on “the view people generally and justifiably hold, whatever ethical intentions they may ascribe to the author in his work as a whole, that after his expulsion from Aðalból Hrafnkell was no longer the óhóftmaðr he had been.” 6
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