Gripla - 20.12.2017, Page 70

GRIPLA70
s u m m a r y
the Mysterious Death of Þorsteinn Kuggason: authorial Imagination and Saga
Narrative
Keywords: old norse literature, oral tradition, immanence, Icelandic family sagas,
íslendingasögur, characterisation
Þorsteinn Kuggason is a recurring character across several major íslendingasögur.
He exists on the fringes of significant political manoeuvrings in the sagas, and is
referenced in several well-known sources. although Þorsteinn might be called
a minor character in these sources, the tangible details of his life hint at more
dramatic instances in his story and the Icelandic annals record the fact that he was
killed in 1027. the circumstances of Þorsteinn’s death are not preserved in any of
the sagas in which he participates, although Grettis saga mentions it in passing, and
references to it may be discerned in Laxdœla saga and Eyrbyggja saga.
In this article, the portrayal of Þorsteinn in three scenes found in Laxdœla saga
and Grettis saga is re-evaluated. His characterisation is consistent across the sagas,
and his narrative role is largely connected to the portrayal of his more significant
relatives. It has previously been suggested that Þorsteinn was the subject of a lost
saga; Judith Jesch, however, has argued that Þorsteinn’s appearances were more
likely due to authorial “imagination” than to the existence of an earlier, written
saga. Here, the portrayal of Þorsteinn is returned to in light of an understanding
of the role of oral tradition and immanence in saga narrative. Thus, details
of Þorsteinn’s position in the narratives of Laxdœla saga and Grettis saga are
examined, and apparently irrelevant information in each saga is examined side
by side in order to demonstrate the evidence for a coherent reading of Þorsteinn
Kuggason’s life, and his death.
Á G r I P
Hinn dularfulli dauði Þorsteins Kuggasonar: Hinn dularfulli dauði Þorsteins
Kuggasonar. ímyndunarafl höfunda og íslendingasögur

Lykilorð: fornbókmenntir, munnleg hefð, almæltar sögur, Íslendingasögur, per-
sónu sköpun
Þorsteinn Kuggason kemur fyrir í nokkrum hinna stærri íslendingasagna. Hann
birtist þar sem aukapersóna í mikilvægum pólitískum atburðum og vísað er til hans
í nokkrum vel þekktum heimildum. Þótt hægt sé að segja að Þorsteinn gegni ekki
stóru hlutverki í sögunum má af ýmsu sem frá honum er sagt skynja sögulegri
atburði úr lífi hans en þar koma fram, og í íslenskum annálum er skráð að hann hafi
verið drepinn árið 1027. Hvergi í sögunum er lýst hvernig hann dó, en dauði hans