Njal's Saga Literary Elements

Omniscient third-person

Epic saga in prose

"Flosi was so stirred that his face was, in turn, as red as blood, as pale as grass, and as black as Hel (sic.) itself." (195)

The verses contain a type of metaphor specific to Old Norse and Old English known as a kenning. They are listed below in brackets.

3.
"We have heard how, in the south,
the skipper of the sea-steed [=ship]
Gunnar, greedy for gore,
guarded himself with his halberd.
Wielding weapons against attack,
he gave wounds to sixteen
of the battle-bearers. [=warriors]
and brought death to two"
(128)

6.
"The tester of shields [=warrior/Thangbrand]
took his victory-tools [=weapons] south
to smite the Balder of weapons [=warrior/Veturlidi]
in his smithy of prayers [=breast]
The brave battler for faith
brought down with a clang
his axe of awful death
on the anvil of Veturlidi's head"
(175)

10.
"The shaping gods drove ashore
the ship of the keeper of bells [=priest/Thangbrand];
the slayer of the son of the giantess [=Thor]
smashed Bison on the sea-gull's rest [=sea];
no help came from Christ
when the sea's horse [=ship] was crushed;
I don't think God was guarding
Gylfi's reindeer [=ship] at all."
(177)

Some verses have metaphors and similes as modern readers know them as well, such as in this witch-ride:

12.
"I ride a horse
with hoarfrost mane
and dripping forelocks,
bringing evil;
the torch ends burn,
the middle brings bane;
Flosi's plans
are like a flung torch;
Flosi's plans
are like a flung torch."
(215)

Sigur Snake-in-the-eye (3)
Asmund Ash-side of Smaland (133)
Hallbjorn Half-troll (202)

"When they rode past, Kol said, 'Are you going to run away, Gunnar?' Kolskegg answered, 'Ask that when this day is done.'" (105)

[After Gunnar chops off Kol's leg, he asks,] "'Did that hit you or not?' 'This is what I get,' said Kol, 'for not shielding myself' - and he stood for a while on his other leg and looked at the stump. Kolskegg spoke: 'You don't need to look: it's just as you think, the leg is gone.' Then Kol fell down dead." (106-7)

Hildigun talking about the Njalssons' slaying of Hoskuld Thrainsson: "A manly deed this would have been... if one man had done it." (189)

"Njal spoke: 'What I have long feared is now coming true, that this case will bring us terrible harm.' 'That's not so,' said Skarphedin. 'They can never prosecute us, according to the laws of the land.' 'Then what will come,' said Njal, 'will be worse for everybody.'" (211)

Epic

Iceland

Distant; Sober; Matter-of-fact

Gunnar, Njal, Flosi, Mord, and Kari - each playing both parts at different moments

There are several major conflicts in the saga, but the overarching conflicts include: the legal system v. human instinct; failed marriages; divided loyalties; and the travesty of war on civilization. Within each of those broader conflicts arises Njal, who represents wisdom and prescience, Gunnar, a valiant warrior with an aversion to killing, and Mord, a villainous and deceptive man.

The burning of Njal at his home by Flosi and an army of 100 men.

The seating arrangement of Gunnar's wedding foreshadows future conflict: Gunnar is flanked on one side by the Sigfussons and on the other by the Njalssons. Later these two families will be in dire violent conflict.

Before the burning of Njal, there are several portents of Njal's burning. A woman curses a pile of chickweed to burn Njal in his house (Ch. 124); a man named Hildiglum has a dream of a man the color of pitch setting fire to mountains (Ch. 125); and Njal himself has a vision of the destruction of his hall (Ch. 127).

"'What was Njal up to?' [Hallgerd] said. 'He was working hard - at sitting,' [the itinerant women] said." (73)

"Gudbrand asked, 'Why is your axe bloody?' 'I have been taking care of Asvard's bachache,' [Hrapp] said." (143)

Chapters 100-103 are an allusion to Ari's Book of the Icelanders and Kristni Saga (the conversion of Iceland to Christianity). These chapters amount to a simple retelling of that book, inserted at what seems to be a whim.

"[Kol Thorsteinsson] had the most vicious tongue of all the burners." (Ch. 158, p. 308)

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