Gripla - 2023, Blaðsíða 156
154 GRIPLA
PART II
i
Chapter 147, which concludes the J version of Árna saga biskups, notes that
some believed Þorvaldr’s distressed condition was due to his drunken-
ness rather than demonic possession: ‘Þeir voru nokkrir sem töluðu svo
hégómlega um þetta ok sögðu tilefnit vera af sterkri drykkju, ok þat hefði
hans vitleysi ollat’ (‘There were some who spoke falsely about what had
occurred, saying that it was due to heavy drinking and that this had caused
his madness’). What happened to Þorvaldr on his last voyage was clearly a
matter of debate. Although it is futile to speculate about what the author
knew of this incident, he chose to recount the episode at some length
and emphasise its truthfulness. The author’s defensive style may indeed
suggest that drunkenness was the prevailing interpretation of Þorvaldr’s
condition (and one which otherwise seems quite in keeping with his char-
acter). However, in order to convey the episode’s intended meaning, it was
necessary to incorporate demonic possession as a crucial element in the
story. In other words, the narrative was constructed for a specific purpose.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of this purpose, one must look
beyond Árna saga biskups, namely to an Icelandic text composed in the
same period. This is the so-called Magnúss saga lengri, ‘Magnúss saga the
Longer’, which recounts the life and death of St Magnús of Orkney (d.
1116/17).50 At the heart of this hagiographic work lies Magnús’ martyrdom
on Egilsay, a location where the earl had agreed to meet and negotiate with
his cousin and co-earl, Hákon Pálsson (d. 1123). As Magnús sets foot on
the island, he discovers that Hákon wants him dead. But Magnús neither
flees nor fights his corner. Instead, he spends a night in a church praying
for his salvation. In the morning, the earl has mass sung, and he receives
communion. The same morning, Hákon sends four retainers into the
church to apprehend him:
Þessir fjórir, er heldr megu kallast af sínum grimmleik inir skæðustu
vargar en skynsamir menn, jafnan þyrstandi til blóðs úthellingar,
50 Finnbogi Guðmundsson (ed.). Orkneyinga saga, Legenda de sancto Magno, Magnúss saga
skemmri, Magnúss saga lengri, Helga þáttr Úlfs. Íslensk fornrit 34 (Reykjavík: Hið íslenzka
fornritafélag, 1965), 335–383.