Reading Reponse #3

I didn’t enjoy this saga as much as the others. It sort of felt to me like a recitation of facts, one after another, that went on for a long time. I also got confused with all the characters that popped in and out of the saga. I did, however, enjoy Gisli’s poems more than the others we’ve read so far. To me, they sounded more straightforward and flowed a little better. Perhaps this was because there wasn’t as much confusing poetic vocabulary used in reference to simple nouns (like “bearer of the ale-horn” for “women”). Also, he wasn’t using his poems to impress anyone, merely to state his dreams, which I found to be refreshing.

As in the previous saga, fate played a major role in this story. I remember in class, we talked about how often, characters learn of their fate and try to do everything in their power to change it, but by doing so, just make it happen faster. I was reminded of that comment in this story, when the four men learned that they were fated to break apart, and tried to make a blood oath in order to prevent it the split. But Thorgrim won’t bind himself to Vestein, and Gisli then won’t be tied to Thorgrim for this, and already they see their fate coming to pass.

Dreams were also very prevalent in this saga, as in the Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue. Gisli had quite a few more dreams, though, showing the importance the Icelanders placed on them. He relied heavily on his dreams, and they always turned out to be true.

I also noted how loyalty played out in this saga. It seemed to me to be an important quality. There were two examples that stuck with me: Helgi and Aun. I was kind of shocked to find that Helgi, as Ingjald’s son, would betray his father by revealing him to Gisli’s enemies (p. 536). It seemed odd to me that a son would do this when being loyal to one’s family through revenge is so heavily stressed. Also, I was impressed by Gisli and Aun’s loyalty to each other. Gisli always came back to his wife because “they loved each other greatly,” even though he was a hunted man (p.534). And Aun stayed with and helped her husband despite his dangerous status.