Gripla - 01.01.1993, Síða 205

SAINTS AND SINNERS
205
who come under consideration as potential saints had close ties with
the Church. Hrafn Sveinbjarnarson and his young kinsman, Aron
Hjörleifsson, were friends and supporters of Guðmundr Arason, and
both their sagas incorporate miracles attributed to him. Eyjólfr Kárs-
son and Sveinn Jónsson were also followers of Bishop Guðmundr,
whom Eyjólfr had once rescued from the hands of his enemies. Aron
Hjörleifsson’s brother, Ólafr, was abbot of Helgafell. The Ormssons
were nephews of Brandr Jónsson, abbot of Helgafell and subsequently
bishop of Hólar. Hákon Þórðarson was the nephew of Guðmundr dýri,
who ended his days in a monastery, and in whose saga Hákon’s death
is described.
Ecclesiastical connections are not in themselves proof that an at-
tempt would be made to sanctify a man; the churchmen who were
most likely to create saints might also want to demonstrate evidence
for salvation. By itself, the description of a death may not suffice to in-
dicate which issue was at stake. Knowledge of the life that preceded it,
however, can sometimes clarify the situation. It is worth examining the
careers of some of the individuals mentioned above to see what evi-
dence they provide.
Starting with Sturla Sighvatsson, guilty of peace-breaking and nu-
merous other crimes (including an attack on the saintly Bishop Guð-
mundr), Marlene Ciklamini has made a convincing analysis of his por-
trayal by his cousin, Sturla Þórðarson, in íslendinga saga.95 Dr. Cikla-
mini shows how, in this presentation, the pride of the warrior gives
way to humility and repentance at the eleventh hour; Sturla’s actions
before and during the battle of Örlygsstaðir can leave little doubt that,
at the moment of his death, his soul was in a more hopeful state than it
had been for some time. I would also submit that the references to his
attacking enemies as ‘fjandi’ and ‘smádjöflar’ suggest that he is under-
going the pains of purgatory in this world rather than the next. Given
his past history, such indications of contrition and punishment were
probably considered necessary to guarantee his salvation - there can,
however, be no question of sanctity.
Þorgils skarði is another unprepossessing character. The first anec-
95
Ciklamini, Marlene, ‘Sturla Sighvatsson’s Chieftaincy. A Moral Probe’, Sturlú-
stefna. Ráðstefiia haldin á sjö alda ártíð Sturlu Pórðarsonar sagnaritara 1984, ed. Jónas
Kristjánsson and Guðrún Asa Grímsdóttir (Stofnun Árna Magnússonar á Islandi: Rit
32), Reykjavík, 1988, pp. 222-241.