The Icelandic Sagas: Vikings, Women, and Vengeance

3 credits · Undergraduate credit

The Icelandic Sagas are unique literary documents from medieval Iceland. They inform us about the cultural, political, and religious currents of a land in tumult and transition. Unlike many contemporary texts, these are not inherently moralistic or celebratory - instead they are dark, matter-of-fact inquiries into the way individuals respond to often unresolvable situations. In this course, we will encounter vindictive women, treacherous kings, heroes and anti-heroes, lawyers, berserkers and poets. Texts include Njal's Saga, Egil's Saga, The Saga of Gisli the Outlaw, The Saga of king Hrolf Kraki, selections from Snorri Sturluson's Heimskringla, and several shorter sagas such as Hrafnkel's Saga and Thorstein Staff-Struck. Key themes engaged in the class include vengeance and feuds, magic and religion, conversion, and gender roles.