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The Story of Burnt Njal is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The saga deals with a process of blood feuds in the Icelandic Commonwealth, showing how the requirements of honor could lead to minor slights spiraling into destructive and prolonged bloodshed. Insults where a character's manhood is called into question are especially prominent and may reflect an author critical of an overly restrictive ideal of masculinity. Another characteristic of the narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams. It is disputed whether this reflects a…mehr

Produktbeschreibung
The Story of Burnt Njal is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that describes events between 960 and 1020. The saga deals with a process of blood feuds in the Icelandic Commonwealth, showing how the requirements of honor could lead to minor slights spiraling into destructive and prolonged bloodshed. Insults where a character's manhood is called into question are especially prominent and may reflect an author critical of an overly restrictive ideal of masculinity. Another characteristic of the narrative is the presence of omens and prophetic dreams. It is disputed whether this reflects a fatalistic outlook on the part of the author. The principal characters in the saga are the friends Njáll Þorgeirsson, a lawyer and a sage, and Gunnar Hámundarson, a formidable warrior. Gunnar's wife instigates a feud that leads to the death of many characters over several decades including the killing by fire of the eponymous "Burnt Njáll".
Autorenporträt
The author of this saga is unknown, although there are different theories about the saga's authorship. The oldest idea, born in the early 17th century, was that the work's author was Sæmundrfróði, an Icelandic priest and scholar. Other suggested authors include Sæmundr's sons, Jón Loftsson, Snorri Sturluson, EinarrGilsson, BrandrJónsson, and ÞorvarðrÞórarinsson, which were known as states people and writers.