Feud in the Icelandic Saga

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University of California Press, Mar 9, 1993 - History - 293 pages
Feud stands at the core of the Old Icelandic sagas. Jesse Byock shows how the dominant concern of medieval Icelandic society—the channeling of violence into accepted patterns of feud and the regulation of conflict—is reflected in the narrative of the family sagas and the Sturlunga saga compilation. This comprehensive study of narrative structure demonstrates that the sagas are complex expressions of medieval social thought.
 

Contents

Its Roots
24
The Syntax of Narrative Elements
47
Units of Travel and Information
63
The Feudeme of Advocacy
74
The Feudeme of Resolution
98
Feud Clusters and Feud Chains
114
The Importance of Land
143
Two Sets of Feud Chains
161
Saga Narrative with
191
Conclusion
205
B Examples of Conflict
222
Examples of Advocacy
245
Examples of Resolution
259
Index
277
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About the author (1993)

Jesse Byock teaches Viking history and archaeology, early Icelandic society, medieval feuds, and Old Norse saga literature. An archaeologist, Professor Byock directs the Mosfell Archaeological Project and is a Professor at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology focusing on Viking Archaeology. He has published widely on the society, archaeology, literature, and history of medieval Scandinavia with writings translated into numerous languages.

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