Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NJÁL'S SAGA
One of Iceland's best-loved (and longest) sagas is also one of the most complicated. The
story involves two friends and neighbours, Gunnar Hámundarson and Njál Þorgeirsson. A
petty squabble between their wives is a prelude to the feuds and battles that ultimately
leave almost every character dead. Written in the 13th century, it recounts 10th-century
events that took place in the hills around Hvolsvöllur.
Doomed hero Gunnar of Hlíðarendi (near Fljótsdalur) falls for and marries the beautiful,
hot-tempered Hallgerður, who has long legs but - ominously - a 'thief's eyes'. Hallgerður
has a falling-out with Bergþóra, wife of Njál. Things become increasingly strained
between Gunnar and Njál as Hallgerður and Bergþóra begin murdering each other's ser-
vants.
In one important episode, Hallgerður sends a servant to burgle food from a man named
Otkell. When Gunnar comes home and sees Hallgerður's stolen feast, his temper snaps.
'It's bad news indeed if I've become a thief's accomplice', he says, and slaps his wife - an
act that later comes back to haunt him. (Spoiler alert: each of Hallgerður's two previous
husbands was killed as an outcome of slapping her.)
Through more unfortunate circumstances, Gunnar ends up killing Otkell and is sen-
tenced to exile. As he rides away from home, his horse stumbles. Fatally, he takes one last
glance back at his beloved farm Hlíðarendi and is unable to leave the valley after all. His
enemies gather their forces and lay siege to the farm, but Gunnar manages to hold off the
attackers until his bowstring breaks. When he asks Hallgerður for a lock of her hair to re-
pair it, she refuses, reminding him of the slap she received (years earlier) - and Gunnar is
killed.
The feud continues as Gunnar and Njál's clan members try to avenge their slaughtered
kin. Njál himself acts as a peace broker, forming treaties between the two families, but in
the end, the complicated peacemaking is all for naught. Njál and his wife are besieged in
their farm. Tucking themselves in bed with their little grandson between them, the couple
allow themselves to be burnt alive.
The only survivor of the fire is Njál's son-in-law Kári, who launches a legal case against
the arsonists, commits a bit of extrajudicial killing himself and is finally reconciled with his
arch-enemy, Flosi, who ordered the burning of the Njál family.
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