Icelandic Saga:

1
Icelandic Saga Thorstein the Staff-Struck

• Written down in 13th C, but from oral tradition
  dating back to 9th C
• Both prose and poetic sagas survive
• poetic sagas in alliterative verse like Beowulf
• Although later in time than Roland,best compared
  to Beowulf because Iceland so isolated that it
  loses its pagan Germanic warrior culture later
  than does mainland.
• Emphasis on warrior virtue of prowess in battle
  and feudal virtue of lord/vassal loyalty.

2
Icelandic Saga Thorstein the Staff-Struck

• Thorstein only son of aging father breeder of
  horses
• Thorarin father of Thorstein
• Bjarni local chieftain, Thord, Thorhall and
  Thorvald are all his men
• Thord strikes Thorstein with his staff, wont
  give compensation, is killed by Thorstein
• Thorhall and Thorvald gossipers who criticize
  Bjarni for not revenging the death of Thord
• Ranneveig wife of Bjarni, who also criticizes
  him for failing to avenge the three killed men

3
Icelandic Saga Thorstein the Staff-Struck

• What are the obligations of a chief to his men?
• How important is reputation? What causes a man
  to gain/lose a good reputation?
• When Thorhall and Thovald allow Bjarni to
  overhear them criticizing him, he sends them to
  their deaths. When Rannveig criticizes Bjarni,
  he acts on her wishes. Why the difference?
• What values of the Icelandic warrior culture do
  you see revealed in the interactions among
  Thorstein, Thorarin, and Bjarni?