James Baquet

    Iceland today is a small, progressive island country with a population under 350,000, most of whom live in the capital city of Reykjavik. But the country’s settlement goes back to the ninth century, when Celtic monks located there in order to practice austerities, later to be replaced by Scandinavian settlers. Sometimes joined to other Nordic countries, and sometimes independent, it developed its own language and literature, which remain of importance today.

    The very word “saga,” which has come generally to mean a long, drawn-out story, or more specifically a story of a family across several generations, was originally an Icelandic or Norse work telling the story of a particular hero and his lineage. Over 40 such tales can still be found, with such evocative titles as “Havathar Saga Isfirthings” (“The Saga of Havarthur of Isafjorthur”) and “Eiriks Saga Rautha” (“The Saga of Erik the Red”).

    Three in particular are still commonly discussed in English: The “Volsunga Saga,” “Njals Saga,” and “Norna-Gests Thattr.”

    The “Saga of the Volsungs” is actually set in what might be called modern Germany. Its hero, Sigurd, is better known as the German Siegfried, a hero of the German “Nibelungenlied,” the basis for Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” of operas. Sigurd is a dragon-slayer, and themes from the “Volsung Saga” show up in the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.

    “Njals Saga” is also called “The Story of Burnt Njal.” It tells of the lawyer and sage Njall Thorgeirsson and his friend Gunnar Hámundarson, a formidable warrior (thus representing the interior and exterior aspects of a man). Gunnar’s wife is an evil woman who instigates a feud causing the deaths of many, including that of Njall by being burned alive in a house with many others.

    Finally, “Norna-Gests Thattr” tells of Norna-gest, who is prophesied to live no longer than the life of the candle next to his cradle. The candle is immediately extinguished and hidden away to ensure his long life — said to have been 300 years! In the end, of course, the candle was lit and he died when it went out.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. ancestry, family descent

    2. starts, initiates

    3. foretold

    4. impressive, strong

    5. ascetic practices

    6. calling up memories or feelings

    7. moving forward, modernizing

    8. one who kills something

    9. bitter hostilities between two families over many generations

    10. from the north, especially the Germanic nations