Gripla - 2022, Page 105

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prevent injury, is also called off, now because of a broken shoulder suffered
by Þorvarðr. As previously, unambiguous sword wounds that draw blood
are not the norm in these encounters. In sum, in Kormáks saga, duels are
never ideally executed and are further compromised by attendant magic.
They are largely inconsequential, and social interaction between the com-
battants continues despite hostile meetings on the dueling islet. From the
perspective of the Christian author of Kormáks saga, the old ways of real-
izing justice seem muddled, discredited.
Masculine vs Feminine: Steingerðr and Female Agency
The scene shifts to Norway, and Kormákr seems to grow in stature, jet-
tisoning his petulance and impatience and behaving as a conventional
hero. At this point in the discussion, we may turn from the matter of just
how poorly the tinsmith Þorvaldr matches up with Kormákr or Bersi,
and consider a less symmetrical relationship – these men in comparison
with Steingerðr, although she must be viewed from the perspective of a
different set of criteria. Women can achieve no equivalent of male public
social competency. Any power or influence is exercised from the house-
hold scene. Still, wives are often shown being consulted by their spouses.
Despite their sex-determined domestic and social roles, the women of
the sagas do at times exhibit a surprising degree of agency, to which the
Guðrún of Laxdæla saga or Hallgerðr of Brennu-Njáls saga attest. What
truly counts is what women prompt men to do. The saga-typical introduc-
tory portrait of Steingerðr betrays these assumptions: “Þorkell hét maðr,
er bjó í Tungu; hann var kvángaðr, ok áttu þau dóttur, er Steingerðr hét;
hon var í Gnúpsdal at fóstri” (There was a man named Þorkell who lived
at Tunga. He was married and had a daughter named Steingerðr; she was
being fostered in Gnúpsdal).70 Kormákr’s verses add little to this, since the
female figure is idealized, equated with various goddesses but displaying
nothing of a personal nature. The saga seldom details the inner workings
of Steingerðr’s personality. Her interest in Kormákr, as well as annoyance,
is then difficult to pin down. Yet inferences may be readily drawn. Only
in the case of Steingerðr is the saga’s leitmotif of diminution reversed. She
gains in agency as she matures, first as having some say about Kormákr
70 Kormáks saga, ch. 3, 206.
RINGING CHANGES