Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Page 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