Viking Age Iceland

Penguin Books, 2001

ISBN 978-0140291155

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Contents

List of Illustrations

List of Maps

Note on Names, Spelling, and Pronunciation

Introduction

1. An Immigrant Society
   Language and the Term "Viking"
   Leadership
   Mord the Fiddle: A Leader and the Law
   The Sagas: An Ethnography of Medieval Iceland
2. Resources and Subsistence: Life on a Northern Island
   Turf Housing
3. Curdled Milk and Calamities: An Inward-looking Farming Society Provisions, Subsistence Strategies, and Population
   Bad Year Economics: Difficulties of Life in the North Atlantic
4. A Devolving and Evolving Social Order
   Ranking, Hierarchy and Wealth
   Complex Culture and Simple Economy
   Privatization of Power in the Tenth Century
   A Proto-democratic Community?
   Icelandic Feud: Conflict Management
5. The Founding of a New Society and the Historical Sources
   The Effect of Emigrating from Europe
   Land-taking and Establishing Order
   Dating the Settlement: Volcanic Ash Layers
   Closing the Frontier and Establishing Governing Principles
   Written Sources: The Book of Settlements and The Book of the Icelanders
6. Limitations on a Chieftain's Ambitions, and Strategies of Feud and Law: Eyrbyggja Saga
   Ulfar's Land Shifts to Arnkel
   Thorolf's Land Shifts to Snorri Goi
   Ulfar Claims Orlyg's Land
   Ulfar's Demise
   The End of Arnkel's Ambitions
7. Chieftain-Thingmen Relationships and Advocacy
   The Nature of the Goor
   Advocacy
   Arbitration and Legalistic Feuding
   The Flexibility of the Goi ­ Thingman Relationship
   The Social Effects of Concubinage
   Distinction´s of Rank
   Hreppar: Communal Units
   The Orkneys: A Comparison
   Freedmen
8. The Family and Sturlunga Sagas: Medieval Narratives and Modern Nationalism
   The Family Sagas
   The Sturlunga Compilation
   The Sagas as Sources
   Modern Nationalism and the Medieval Sagas
   Conclusions
   Locations of the Family Sagas and the Major Short Stories
9. The Legislative and Judicial System
   Thing: Assemblies
   Options
10. Systems of Power: Advocates, Friendship, and Family Networks
    Advocacy
    The Role of Kinship
    A Balancing Act
    Friendship (Vinfengi and Vinátta)
    Women and Choices of Violence and Compromise
    Vengeance and Feud: Goading in Laxdæla saga
    A Goading Woman from Sturlunga saga
    Restraint within a Major Chieftain's Household in the Sturlung Age
11. Aspects of Blood Feud
    Territory
    Marriage and Confused Loyalties
    Some Conclusions
12. Feud and Vendetta in a"Great Village" Community
    The Language of Feud
    Norms of Restraint
    Bluffing and Violence
    Outlawry
13. Friendship, Blood Feud, and Power: The Saga of the People of Weapon's Fjord
    Inheriting a Foreigner's Goods
    Brodd-Helgi's Revenge against Thorleif
    Struggle to Claim a Dowry
    Skirmishes over a Woodland
    Seeking a Thingman's Allegiance
    Brodd-Helgi Breaks Vinfengi
    Geitir Establishes Vinfengi
14. The Obvious Sources of Wealth
    Sources of Income Available Only to Chieftains
    Early Taxes
    Price-setting
    Additional Privileged Sources of Wealth
    The Sheep Tax
    Sources of Income Available to All Freemen
    Trade
    Slavery and the Rental of Land and Livestock
15. Lucrative Sources of Wealth for Chieftains
    The Acquisition of Property in the Family Sagas
    Disputed Property in the East Fjords: The Saga of the People of Weapon's Fjord
    Disputed Property in the Salmon River Valley: Laxdæla saga Inheritance Claims in the Sturlunga Sagas
    The Struggle to Inherit Helgastair: The Saga of Gudmund the Worthy
    Inheritance Rights to Heinaberg: The Saga of Hvamm-Sturla
    Resurgence of the Dispute over Heinaberg: The Saga of the Icelanders
16. A Peaceful Conversion: The Viking Age Church
    Pagan Observance
    A Viking Age Conversion
    Geography and the Church
    Early Bishops, Priests and Nuns
    The Beginnings of a Formal Church Structure
17. Grágás: The "Grey Goose" Law
    Manuscripts and Legal Origins
    Women and the Law
    Marriage and the Church
    Bishops
18. Bishops and Secular Authority: The Later Church
    Bishops
    The Tithe and Church Farmsteads
    Bishops and Priests in the Later Free State
    The Church's Struggle for Power in the Later Free State
    Priests
    Monasteries
19. Big Chieftains, Big Farmers, and their Sagas at the End of the Free State
    Big Farmers and the Family Sagas
    Advantages Enjoyed by the Stórbændr
    The Saga of the Icelanders in the Sturlunga Compilation
    The Stórgoar, Not Quite Rulers
    Iceland's Jarl
    1262-64, The Covenant with Norway's King and the End of the Free State

Appendix 1: The Law-speakers

Appendix 2: Bishops During the Free State

Appendix 3: Turf Construction

Appendix 4: A Woman Who Traveled from Vínland to Rome

Bibliography

Index

Illustrations
1. The Knörr
2. Grelutótt in Iceland's West Fjords
3. Archaeological Floor Plan of Grelutótt
4. The Stöng Longhouse Ruin
5. Front View of the Longhouse at Stöng
6. The Effects of Erosion
7. Highland Erosion Sequence
8. Lowland Erosion Sequence
9. The Governmental Structure
10. An Alternate Concept of the Governmental Structure
11. Eiríksstair from the Mid Tenth Century.
12. Cross-section of Grelutótt
13. Cutaway of Grelutótt
14. Cutaway of the Eleventh-century Longhouse at Stöng
15. Side View of the Longhouse at Stöng
16. The Living Hall at Stöng
17. Cross-section of the Food Storage Room
18. Cross-section of the Latrine

Maps
1. The North Atlantic World of the Medieval Icelanders
2. Distance Between Iceland and Other Lands
3. The Travels of Unn and Hrut
4. Ocean Currents Surrounding Iceland
5. Skallagrim´s Land-take in Borgarfjord
6. Viking Age Sailing Routes to Iceland and Beyond
7. Land-takes According to The Book of Settlements
8. The Main Axis of Ash Fallout From Volcanic Eruptions, 870-1206
9. The Landnám Tephra Layers
10. The Location of Eyrbyggja saga on Snæfellsnes
11. Land Ownership in Álptafjord
12. The Effect of Arnkel's Actions on Land Claims in Álptafjord
13. Eyjafjord: Locations of Chieftains and Their Thingmen
14. Eyjafjord: Ties of Allegiance
15. 1-8The Family Sagas
16. Quarter Boundaries and Assembly Sites
17. Thorgerd's Feud
18. Routes to the Althing
19. The Arena of Conflict in Vápnafjord
20. Fagradalr, Geitir's Retreat
21. Principal Ship Landing Sites and Harbors until ca. 1180
22. Ship Landing Sites and Harbors in Use From ca.
23. The Range of Drift Ice
24. Chieftains and Farmers from Laxdæla saga
25. The Farm of Heinaberg
26. The Monasteries and the Two Bishoprics of the Free State
27. The Travels of Gudrid Thorbjarnardottir