Njal's Saga Essay Questions

In your personal interpretation, what is Gunnar's fatal flaw? Why?

The narrator asserts that Gunnar dies of exhaustion, but there are myriad causes for his death if we go back just a little bit. First, Njal says that Gunnar shouldn't marry Hallgerd, and he does. Then Njal says he cannot kill two people of the same family, and he does when he kills Otkel's son. Finally, Njal says he cannot disobey his sentence of lesser outlawry, and he does. The final damning cause is Hallgerd's withholding of support when his bowstring breaks. She remembers when Gunnar slapped her for burning down Otkel's shed and stealing his cheese. So Otkel's role in Gunnar's death is undeniable, but Gunnar's fatal flaw has nothing to do with Otkel in particular. Gunnar's real fatal flaw is his inability to accept Njal's foresight into the future. He knows his fate through his friendship with Njal, but when fate is difficult to accept, Gunnar relies on his prowess instead of his rational mind.

How do the two religions of Njal's Saga interact?

When Christianity is introduced to Iceland in chapter 100, the de facto pagan rituals come into question for the first time. While the pagan curses and spells seem to continue working, such as when the horse falls into a split in the earth, Christianity gains in social conduct and symbolism. In the Battle of Clontarf and Song of Dorrud, there is no doubt about which religion overpowers the other: blood appears on the hats of priests all over the realm; limbs and heads regrow on the Christian soldiers' side, but not on the pagans'; and the bodies of dead Christians are said to look more vital than their pagan counterparts. The two Viking brothers give the reader an even clearer understanding of the interaction between the two religions when the nightly storms of extraordinary symbolic and physical power attack only the pagan boat. While iron ravens and boiling blood sound like symbols of a pagan origin, they are in opposition to the pagan curses that have been declared, and are thus symbols of Christianity.

Who is the most morally repugnant character in the saga and why?

There are plenty of morally repugnant choices made by various characters throughout the saga, but there are certain characters from whom 'more evil than good comes'. In light of that statement, perhaps we can determine the worst character by measuring the ratio of evil to good that they perform. Mord Valgardson is definitely a strong contender, having initiated both the killing of Gunnar and Njal through manipulation of trusting peers, but we mustn't forget the terrible Killer-Hrapp either. He went back on many promises without any provocation, put the Njalssons' lives at risk for no reason, seduced Gudmund's daughter without consent, stole from the Earl, and even led an affair with Gunnar's widow. Mord, on the other hand, had the strong bond of kinship with his terrible father, Valgard the Grey, as grounds for most of his decisions. Overall, Mord's damage to the country and its people was far more severe than even the burning of live persons in their home carried out by Flosi, another despicable—albeit honorable—character.

Who is the most morally admirable character in the saga and why?

From the start of the saga, we can see that Hrut is a good-natured being. Yet his affair in Norway with the Queen led him to lie about his relationship with another woman back in Iceland, so he is not perfect. The way that the curse played out was rather odd, because it made him seem almost too perfect: he was incapable of pleasing his wife sexually not out of incompetence, but rather over-competence, to put it in polite terms. Yet, one cannot help but feel that Gunnar's reluctance to kill makes him one of the most admirable characters in the saga, even if he does not see this as a good trait. This is only bolstered by the fact that he is by far the most powerful warrior in the realm: he ends up playing the part of the benevolent god. His power and moral compass can't stop him from allowing his ego to overwhelm the wisdom of Njal, though. Perhaps the saga is trying to tell us that a man doesn't need a beard to be admirable when it shows Njal's body glowing and vital after his death in the burning. So between Njal, Gunnar, and Hrut, the choice is difficult, but it could easily be said that Njal inflicts the least damage on his peers because he is not a fighter, so he may be the best choice given that he instigates virtually no conflict.

How is a saga different than a novel?

While both novels and sagas have the single task of relaying a story, they each have distinct freedoms and restrictions. Sagas, for example, have a distant, matter-of-fact tone that oftentimes asserts a specific point of view. Novels on the other hand tend to support subjective points of view with psychological explanations, demonstrations of emotions, and foil characters. Sagas are also entwined in historical narratives, altering the author's main set of symbols for chapters and episodes at a time. Novels usually try to create a cohesive set of motifs and symbols that work together. When a novel makes an outside reference, it will often put it into its own terms, but a saga will take on an outside source as its own simply by placing it in the saga. Both of these forms have merits and risks associated with them, and each may be better suited to different types of stories.