Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Page 96

94
Fredrik J. Heinemann
The purpose of this segment, however, is not merely to characterize Þorbjörn
as over-ambitious but rather to suggest that Hrafnkell is not nearly so bad as he
might be. The saga has already established that he is unused to negotiating his
wrongdoings let alone offering compensation for his victims: Hrafhkellstóð mjök
í einvígjum ok bœtti engan mann fé, því at engifekk afhonum neinar bœtr, hvatsem
hann gerði (99). Thus, normally we would not expect a character firmly estab-
lished as a model of injustice to show even a modicum of decency in such a
situation, but despite Hrafnkell’s type he makes a lavish offer indeed. Other sagas
supply examples of the behavior from someone of Hrafnkell’s type in a similar
situation. One of the best examples of a negative response to a legitimate request
for compensation for the death of a young and promising son can be found in
Hávarðar saga Isfirðings. Hávarðr approaches Þorbjörn (described as inn mesti
ójafhaðarmaðr) with his appeal, to which he receives this response:
Þorbjörn svarar: “Kunnugt er þat, Hávarðr, at ek hefi margan mann drepit; þótt menn
hafi saklausa kallat, þá hefi ek engan fé bættan. En með því at þú áttir vaskan son ok
þér fellr svá nær, þá ætla ek betr gört at minnask þín í nökkuru, þó at lítit sé. Er hér
hestr fyrir ofan garð, er þeir sveinarnir kalla Dött; hann er grár at lit, afgamall ok
baksárr, ok hefir jafnan legit afvelta hingat til, en nú hefir hann verit á moðum nökkura
daga, ok ætla ek hann batnat hafa; far þú heim með hestinn, ef þú vill, ok eig.”
Hávarðr roðnaði ok mátti engu svara. Fór hann þegar í brott ok var stórliga reiðr, en
Vakr æpði at honum.(VI, 308-309)
While it is true that much of Þorbjörn’s conduct in Hávarðar saga parodies his
type, his behavior here does not exceed the bounds of what can be expected from
the ójafhaðarmaðr mikill. Even if Hrafnkell’s behavior never descended to the
depths of Þorbjörn’s brutal rejection of Hávarðr’s claim, we would still not be
surprised to find him rejecting the request out-of-hand. Without the contrast
provided by the scene from Hávarðar saga, Hrafnkell’s appropriation of sjálfdœmi
might seem overbearing. Instead, his generosity outweighs this impression.
Moreover, this scene shows us that, in fact, he is beginning, albeit in slow stages,
to change. He has not yet hit bottom in his fall from his high station, but even
his arrogance is tempered by a restraint missing in others of his type. He will not
really change until he renounces his religion, and before he does that he must
undergo humiliation and torture.
V. The Recruiting. Þorbjörn attempts to enlist his brother Bjarni before assigning
the eptirmál to his nephew Sámr. Bjarni tells him that he is a fool to reject
Hrafnkell’s offer. I have elsewhere discussed the toe-pulling scene at length (see
note 15); in contrast to most other commentators on this scene (Nordal 1940:54;
Pálsson 1971:68 f£; Slater 1968:40-43; Bolton 1971: 35-52),16 I see it as
16 On the other hand, R. George Thomas (1973:420) is one of the few critics who not only
recognizes comedy in the saga but accounts for its presence. For example, he states that Sámr