Gísla saga Súrssonar (The saga of Gisli Sursson) is one of the most famous of the Icelandic sagas, the well-preserved body of medieval Scandinavian literature.
Although comparatively short, Gísla saga has a highly complicated plot, with characters and loyalties intertwined through blood and marriage. It is often classed among the "outlaw sagas," since Gisli is banished, hunted down, and killed after his extended family falls apart amid feuding.
The Story of Gísla saga
Gísla saga's primary plot revolves around a core group of characters. Gisli and Thorkel are brothers who emigrate from Norway to Iceland with their families. This includes Aud, Gisli's wife, and Asgerd, Thorkel's wife; Gisli and Thorkel's sister Thordis, and her husband Thorgrim, as well as Aud's brother Vestein, also come along.
The saga begins with an ill-fated encounter between the brothers. Gísli plans to swear a formal oath of brotherhood between himself, his brother Thorkel, and their brothers-in-law Thorgrim and Vestein. However, Thorgrim backs out, causing enmity between him and Gisli.
Family relations deteriorate further when Thorkel discovers that his wife Asgerd was once Vestein's lover, and Thorkel moves in with his brother-in-law Thorgrim. Gisli fears that the two are plotting to kill Vestein, a fear which is realized while Vestein is visiting Gisli.
Gisli's stubborn sense of honor requires that he avenge the death of his friend and brother-in-law, and he murders Thorgrim as he is in bed with his wife, Gisli's sister Thordis. When Thordis discovers what Gisli has done, she moves to have him outlawed – in medieval Iceland, outlawry was a legal condition in which criminals were banished from society, and could be hunted down with impunity if they remained on the island.
With the help of his wife Aud, Gisli becomes one of Iceland's longest-lived outlaws. But he is eventually hunted down and killed all the same. The saga ends with Thordis regretting her role in Gisli's death, while Aud converts to Christianity and goes on a pilgrimage.
Some Unique Features of Gísla saga
Gísla saga is notable for its sharply drawn protagonist, who exhibits a psychological complexity not always seen in other medieval literature. Gisli's unbending sense of honor leads to his tragic downfall, as he murders one family member to avenge another, thus bringing vengeance back upon himself.
Gisli is an accomplished poet, a talent which the Icelanders, steeped in Norse mythology, esteemed. Dreams and premonitions also play an important role in the saga.
Gisli's wife Aud, moreover, is celebrated as one of the noblest female characters in all the sagas. She helps Gisli during his outlawry, scorning the rewards offered to her by Gisli's pursuers. Aud even helps fight them off before Gisli is killed, leading Gisli to remark "I knew a long time ago that I had married well, but never realized till now that the match was as good as this."
Gísla saga's Place Among the Icelandic Sagas
Gísla saga was likely one of the earlier sagas to be composed, and its style is very terse compared to later works, such as Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar. Yet its simple prose keeps the complex plot in focus, a story among the most famous in Iceland. Gísla saga is one of the few sagas adapted into a film (called Útlaginn, or "The Outlaw," 1981).
Accordingly, Gísli Súrsson takes his place, along with Grettir Ásmundarson and Egill Skalla-Grímsson, among the most compelling heroes of the Icelandic sagas.
Luke Arnott - Luke Arnott has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Western Ontario, where he is currently enrolled in the ...
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