Gripla - 20.12.2017, Page 52

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own way in Laxdœla saga’s decidedly “extra-legal” dealings, and Grettis saga
provides entirely incidental details about his property and his abilities as
a blacksmith. Identifying Þorsteinn’s narrative function in these episodes
is not straightforward, as his scenes have very little bearing on the plots of
the two sagas.
It is my contention that Þorsteinn’s appearance in Laxdœla saga, and
the references to his farm and to his death in Grettis saga, are not wholly
the products of an imaginative author. rather, I will demonstrate that al-
though the material is manipulated by the narrative requirements of each
saga, these scenes point to a coherent understanding of Þorsteinn’s place in
eleventh-century power struggles: the place of a defeated political figure,
squeezed to the margins of the Íslendingasögur.
Laxdœla saga: Land and legacy
Laxdœla saga’s narrative tone undergoes a shift following the death of
Kjartan.38 as repercussions spread from Kjartan’s death and the obligations
of feud begin to take hold, Guðrún ósvífrsdóttir is briefly nudged aside
as the focal point of the story, and Snorri goði’s influence becomes more
marked. Snorri first helps Guðrún to persuade Þorgils Hǫlluson to kill
Helgi Harðbeinsson in vengeance for her husband Bolli’s death. Þorgils
expects to marry her in return for this deed, but Snorri advises Guðrún
to stipulate only that she will not marry another man in Iceland. Þorkell
Eyjólfsson, who is abroad when Guðrún makes this promise, remains eli-
gible, and thus he becomes her fourth husband, not Þorgils.
In introducing Þorgils and Þorkell to the saga, new narrative avenues
are opened up that lead the saga away from the story of Guðrún entirely.
one concerns Þorgils Hǫlluson’s death and another, through his relation-
ship to Þorkell, concerns Þorsteinn Kuggason’s interest in Hjarðarholt. In
Eyrbyggja saga, Þorgils and Þorsteinn are mentioned together as significant
enemies of Snorri goði. Eyrbyggja saga ends its narrative with this note; a
reference that harks back to the beginning of Snorri’s story and appears to
provide the closest thing this saga has to a theme.39
38 observations to this effect are numerous: examples include theodore M. andersson, The
Growth of the Medieval Icelandic Sagas (1180–1280) (Ithaca, nY: Cornell university Press,
2006), 141, and Thomas Bredsdorff, Chaos and Love: The Philosophy of the Icelandic Family
Sagas, trans. John tucker (Copenhagen: Museum tusculanum Press, 2001), 45–46.
39 torfi H. tulinius, “Deconstructing Snorri. narrative Structure and Heroism in Eyrbyggja