Studia Islandica - 01.06.1993, Side 283

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rið, which means “swing”, a word used to describe people’s
conduct when their actions are characterized by “excess, vio-
lence and lack of restraint”. As a matter of fact, these three it-
ems are fundamental concepts in the sagas in general, appear-
ing under different labels in various circumstances.
St. Ólafr's expulsion of Barði actually makes him an outcast
in society and he ends his life in Constantinople where he
presumably redeems himself by killing heathen men in the
service of a Christian lord (i.e. the emperor). In the fight
Barði is killed and as a consequence gains salvation. I believe
this to be a fulfilment of St. Ólafr’s prophecy that something
mikilligt (great) was in store for Barði.
The structure of Heiðarvígasaga divides it clearly into two
sections, held together only by a thin thread of revenge. The
end of the saga, however, is an obvious indication of the au-
thor’s awareness and intentions. In Constantinople both
Gestr and Barði leave the scene of the story. This is where
loose ends are tied together, death becomes the reflection of
life and justice is dealt out. By placing the end in this manner
at the outskirts of the Christian world the theme of the saga is
seen in a world perspective.
Þuríðr Ólafsdóttir, Barði’s mother, is the personification of
revenge. This noble lady becomes the object of ridicule when
she falls off her horse into a brook on the point of setting off
with her sons to avenge her murdered son, Hallr. The motifs
of heroic tales and myths can be discerned in the accounts of
her as in other parts of the saga. It is not improbable that her
name is supposed to suggest Pór-ríðr, something which would
fit her role in the ideological world of the saga.
The inner time structure of the saga is divided into three
periods. Víga-Styrr represents the old times and heathen va-
lues while Barði is the champion of contemporary times, be-
lieving excessively in his own might and main at the expense
of God’s tenets. The third phase is expressed in the author’s
vision of a world without warfare or violence, a mirage of a
world where peace prevails. A possible personification of this
unspoken vision is found in the character of Vígdvalinn, a