Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Page 128

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Marianne Kalinke
obtaining a wife in both the forestory and the main narrative is the perceived and
real powerlessness of the desired woman to take charge of her own life.
Despite superficial similarities, obtaining primarily from the presence of rival
wooers in both the prefatory and main narratives, the two bridal quests in
Víglundar saga are quite different: the one occurring in Norway is achieved
through aggression, while the bridal quest in Iceland is brought to a successful
conclusion primarily through reliance on wit, patience, and perspicacity. In the
former quest, the protagonist himself attains his end by abducting the bride,
whereas in the latter he plays what may be considered a passive role, which obtains
from circumstances beyond his control, while the real action leading to a
resolution of conflict occurs both behind the scenes and outside the text.
The narrative proper may be said to contain a double plot, the one progressive,
the other retardatory. The suitor’s bridal quest, which is expressed mostly through
the emotion conveyed in the depiction of Víglundur’s and Ketilríður’s love for
each other, hardly advances the plot.17 The essential role in the quest is played by
Ketilríður’s father, whose efforts to hinder rival suitors and to obstruct his wife’s
and sons’ efforts to destroy Víglundur and his family can be interpreted as
implicitly advancing the cause of Víglundur’s quest for Ketilríður. Retarding the
quest are the repeated acts of aggression visited upon Víglundur and his family
by Ketilríður’s brothers and by one of her suitors, the Norwegian Hákon. Here
the mother plays a supporting but indispensable role as she eggs her sons on to
violence and supports Hákon in his competing quest for Ketilríður.
In the forestory, Earl Þórir is rather particular in respect to the men who seek
to marry his daughter. He rejects all suitors, including the protagonist Þorgrímur,
but not Ketill of Raumaríki, a friend of King Haraldur. When the protagonist,
who has been abroad, learns of the proposed marriage, he unsuccessfully seeks
help from the king, who suggests, however, that Þorgrímur marry Ingibjörg
instead, the daughter of KetiII, Ólöf’s intended bridegroom. The conflict is
resolved for the time being during the wedding festivities, when the lights are
suddenly doused and the bride disappears together with Þorgrímur. The means
for obtaining the desired woman in the first bridal quest of Víglundar saga is
abduction.
It is somewhat unusual for the protagonist of a romance to resort to abduction;
such an expedient is usually reserved for antagonists. The reason for this may be
17 The following passage not only expresses the “courtly” style prevailing in the erotic passages of
the saga, but also exemplifies the nature of some passages that have led scholars to consider the
saga a “love story”: “En þau unnust því heitara með leynilegri ást og fólginni elsku þeim í brjósti
þegar í fyrstu er þau voru uppvaxandi svo að rætur elskunnar og uppvöxtur ástarinnar er aldri
varð upprættur úr þeirra hjörtum eptir því sem náttúra er amorsins, að eldur yndisins og logi
elskunnar brennur því heitara og sækir því meir brjóst og hjörtu mannanna saman sem fleiri
vilja þeim meina og stærri skorður við settar þeirra vandamanna er áður hefir ást og elska saman
fallið þeirra á millum sem nú þessara manna, Víglundar og Ketilríðar, því að þau unnust alla
ævi svo heitt meðan þau lifðu bæði að hvorki mátti af öðru sjá þaðan af er þau sáust fyrsta ef þau
skyldu eptir því gera sem hugir þeirra stóðu til.” (p. 1967)