Saga - 2008, Qupperneq 140

fió a› sk‡r og einföld ni›ursta›a um hlutskipti aldra›ra á Íslandi á
hámi›öldum hef›i eflaust glatt marga er henni ekki til a› dreifa —
fla› gat einfaldlega veri› fjarska mismunandi. fia› vekur hins vegar
nokkra athygli hversu ví›a er glímt vi› fletta vi›fangsefni í íslensk-
um mi›aldatextum og hversu mörg dæmi finnast flrátt fyrir allt um
Íslendinga sem sannanlega ná›u mjög háum aldri. fia› er í sjálfu sér
tilefni til frekari rannsókna á flessu svi›i.
Abstract
ármann jakob s son
E L D E R L Y I C E L A N D E R S , 1 1 0 0 – 1 4 0 0
Images of the aged in medieval written narratives
The status of the elderly in medieval Iceland is a complex topic, illuminated by
few and imprecise sources. Not only are people’s exact ages very seldom
revealed, but few documentary sources are available, leaving narrative sources
as the main material to build on. This article will examine various methodologi-
cal problems concerning research on the conditions experienced by elderly
Icelanders during the Middle Ages. Among other things, a few examples of what
age Icelanders actually attained will be discussed, as well as whether it was pos-
sible to maintain power and dignity at an advanced age. There are not many
examples to judge by, and they all involve people from the same class. Those
elderly Icelanders whose dying age we are able to determine all stem from the
chieftain class and thus do not represent the nation overall.
Because of the nature of the texts, the type of conclusions which it is easiest
to draw have to do with the image of the elderly in medieval Iceland. There are
quite a number of extant narratives in which elderly people play a role, and such
narratives are discussed here in detail in order to get a better grasp of the image
of the elderly. Some of these narratives describe the poor health of the elderly
and their lack of joy in life. There are quite a few examples of old women who
are ignored, with no heed being given to their experience, and some examples of
old men lusting after young women, which is severely mocked. Further exam-
ples present aged Vikings who are seized by aggressive urges in their old age, to
the extent that this leads to social anxiety.
As is the case almost everywhere in European medieval texts, such negative
images of the elderly are considerably more prominent in Icelandic sources than
the positive ones. Nonetheless, stories can be found in which elderly people pre-
serve substantial dignity and power at an advanced age, so the conclusion is that
the situation of old Icelanders in the Middle Ages might vary considerably.
Icelandic narrative sources from the Middle Ages reflect this variability.
ármann jakobsson140
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