Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Page 135

Víglundar saga
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rival and enemy, the author closes the bridal-quest narrative of the forestory.
Gunnlaugur, who is skilled in the law, is given the task of deciding how the case
is to be settled. He declares the legality of the marriage of Þorgrímur and Ólöf,
but voids her right to her inheritance, which is to revert to her father, Earl Þórir.
This is to be inherited in turn by Gunnlaugur’s own father Ketill, who in exchange
is to give his daughter Ingibjörg in marriage to Trausti Þorgrímsson, while his
brother Sigurður is to marry Helga Þorgrímsdóttir. With this single verdict the
forestory is finally concluded. The union of Þorgrímur and Ólöf is declared valid;
Ketill is compensated for the loss of his bride; and peace between the erstwhile
rival suitors and their families is assured through the marriage of their children.
The only fate as yet left undecided is that of Víglundur and Ketilríður.
The most curious character in Víglundar saga is Þorbjörg, Ketilríður’s mother.
We know nothing about her except that she is the wife of Hólmkell at Foss on
Snæfellsnes and the mother of Jökull and Einar. The same year that Ólöf gives
birth to Víglundur, Þorbjörg gives birth to Ketilríður. Her hatred of Víglundur’s
father Þorgrímur is explained by her extraordinary envy of his good fortune. We
learn that within a short time Þorgrímur became “höfðingi mikill og hinn mesti
risnarmaður” (p. 1963), and we know that she concurs in her son Jökull’s desire
to undermine his standing in the community. Þorbjörg’s hatred of her daughter
appears to be entirely unmotivated, however. Her refusal to give Ketilríður a
fitting education leads to the first, albeit unspoken disagreement with her
husband. The reader’s suspicion of her lack of maternal instincts vis-á-vis the
daughter is confirmed by Ketilríður herself, who voices her awareness of her
mother’s dislike of her: “Hefir hún lítið ástríki á mér” (p. 1964). The comment
is made in the context of Víglundur’s wooing, and follows her assessment of who
has the say in her family: she does not consider it fitting to make her own
decisions; she does not wish to oppose her father in any way; but in the last
analysis, she knows “að þar ganga mest að ráð móður minnar” (p. 1964). As it
turns out, the major source of conflict and the chief obstacle to Víglundur
marrying Ketilríður is her mother.
The impediment to the successful conclusion of a bridal quest is often an
inimical father who opposes all suitors either because he loves the daughter so
much that he wants to keep her for himself or because he does not consider any
of the wooers good enough for his daughter.23 In the forestory of Víglundar saga
the role of inimical parent is played by the father, but in the main narrative it is
allocated to the mother. Indeed, Þorbjörg fulfills a function that is similar to the
one given to the evil stepmother in both romance and fairy tale. The part enacted
by Þorbjörg is unique among the Islendinga sögur, however, which know of many
a father-son conflict but none comparable to the mother-daughter conflict
depicted in Víglundar saga.
The only other mother in medieval Icelandic literature who bears a resem-
23 Cf. Kalinke, Bridal-Quest Romance, pp. 41-44.