Discourse in Old Norse Literature by Bryan Eric Shane; Rikhardsdottir Sif; Larrington Carolyne

Author:Bryan, Eric Shane; Rikhardsdottir, Sif; Larrington, Carolyne
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer, Limited
Published: 2021-06-19T00:00:00+00:00

Gunnlaugr’s Tour of the North

In other Íslendingasögur, similar criticism of leaders in the North is executed through dialogue rather than narrative, depicting an Icelandic cultural identity that goes beyond just a sense of self-awareness and social consciousness. In the course of Gunnlaugs saga Ormstungu, Gunnlaugr takes a tour of the North, visiting the leaders of Hlaðir, Norway; London, England; Dublin, Ireland; then the Orkney Islands; Skarar and Uppsala, Sweden; back to England; back to Norway; and finally back to Iceland.30 Gunnlaugr in fact meets with every meaningful leader in the Anglo-Norse world with the (conspicuous?) exception of Sveinn Forkbeard in Denmark. All of these leaders were Norse speaking except Æþelræd. However, the saga writer makes the well-known claim that “the language in England was then the same as that spoken in Norway and Denmark” (“[e]in var þá tunga á Englandi sem í Nóregi ok í Danmörku”), an assertion that has been a source of interest and debate for scholars who argue for an affinity between Old English and Old Norse languages.31 It is difficult to prove the validity of the saga’s statement, but such arguments may be missing another important point. Regardless of the historical or linguistic validity of the claim, the saga writer aims to establish a literary and cultural context in which the titular character of the saga is literally conversant with leaders of the northern medieval world. Gunnlaugr’s ability to converse with these leaders is the key factor to understanding the saga because, as I argue here, it is through Gunnlaugr’s verbal exchanges with these leaders that the saga writer articulates a commentary on the socio-political conditions of the northern world. Thus, a pragmatic analysis of Gunnlaugr’s verbal exchanges with these leaders affords the opportunity to see how at least one saga writer perceives Iceland’s proximity to and perception of the geopolitical situation in the North just after the turn of the millennium, when the saga is set.

When Gunnlaugr appears before Earl Eiríkr at Hlaðir, the earl notices that Gunnlaugr has a nasty boil on his foot (which is never explained). The earl remarks that Gunnlaugr is not limping, to which Gunnlaugr responds that one should not limp as long as his legs are the same length. One of the Earl’s followers, Þórir, takes exception to Gunnlaugr’s comment and says, “Þessi rembisk mikit, Íslendingrinn, ok væri vel, at vér freistaðim hans nökkut” (“This Icelander puffs himself up quite a lot, and it would be good if we tested him a little”).32 It is unclear what type of test Þórir has in mind, but it is instructive to compare this scene with the verbal exchange in Beowulf in which Unferð and Beowulf argue about the swimming contest with Breca.33 Both Þórir and Unferð are close to their lords – Þórir is hirðmaðr (bodyguard or follower) to Earl Eiríkr while Unferð “æt fótum sæt fréan Scyldinga” (sat at the feet of the lord of the Scyldings);34 both Gunnlaugs saga and Beowulf depict a confident foreigner entering the court of

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