Fljótsdæla saga () is one of the

Icelandic sagas The sagas of Icelanders (, ), also known as family sagas, are a subgenre, or text group, of Icelandic sagas. They are prose narratives primarily based on historical events that mostly took place in Iceland in the ninth, tenth, and early elev ...

. It was probably the last one written, perhaps from the 1500s or

1600s 1600s may refer to: * The century from 1600 to 1699, almost synonymous with the 17th century (1601–1700). * 1600s (decade) The 1600s (pronounced "sixteen-hundreds") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on 1 January 1600, and ended o ...

. The text is known from several manuscripts which are from the early

1700s 1700s may refer to: * The century from 1700 to 1799, almost synonymous with the 18th century The 18th century lasted from 1 January 1701 (represented by the Roman numerals MDCCI) to 31 December 1800 (MDCCC). During the 18th century, elemen ...

. It was likely written by an author in east

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

and is a sequel to ''

Hrafnkels saga ''Hrafnkels saga'' (; ) or ''Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða'' (O.N.: ; Ice.: ) is one of the Icelanders' sagas. It tells of struggles between chieftains and farmers in the east of Iceland in the 10th century. The eponymous main character, Hrafnkell, st ...

''. The saga revolves around the lives and times of the residents of the

Fljótsdalur Fljótsdalur () is a valley in east Iceland, formed by the Lagarfljót River. Lake Lagarfljót and the city of Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of M ...

region in

, including Helge Åsbjørnsson (''Helgi Ásbjarnarson'') and of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), two sons of the widow Droplaug, a pair of brothers who have their own saga, ''

Droplaugarsona saga Droplaugarsona saga () is one of the Icelanders' sagas, probably written in the 13th century. The saga takes place near Lagarfljót in the east of Iceland about 1000 AD. It tells the story of Grim (''Grímr'') and Helge (''Helgi''), sons of ...

''.

Plot and Themes

Fljótsdæla saga primarily focuses on the lives of people in the

region, with a significant portion dedicated to characters from Northeast Iceland who intermarry into local families. The most prominent characters are Grímr and Helgi Droplaugarson, sons of the widow Droplaug Spak-Bersadóttir. Their own saga, ''Droplaugarsona saga'', tells a similar tale. A notable aspect of this

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

is the use of a

matrilineal Matrilineality, at times called matriliny, is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which people identify with their matriline, their mother's lineage, and which can involve the inheritan ...

name for the sons, "Droplaugarson," which is unusual. This highlights Droplaug's depiction as a powerful and cunning woman. She is portrayed as a

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

from the

Shetland Islands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the Uni ...

who was rescued from a giant by an Icelander, Þorvaldr Þiðrandason (son of Þiðrandi "gamli", a chieftain and patriarch of the Njarðvíkings of the Fljótsdalur region), whom she later marries. Þorvaldr later drowns when his boat capsizes in a storm. Similar to other sagas, some of the violence in Fljótsdæla saga is instigated by women and executed by men. Droplaug provides "cold counsel" to her sons, indirectly encouraging them to commit violent acts on her behalf. Specifically, she becomes distant from Grímr and Helgi until they kill Þorgrímr "Dungbeetle", who had slandered her name by linking her romantically to a slave named Svartur. In one scene, she urges her sons to cease hunting birds, implying that such activities make them appear more like Svartur (the slave whose name also appears in the Eddic poem, Rígsþula, to denote the origin of the

slave Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

class) than their esteemed father, Þorvaldr Þiðrandason, of the Njarðvíkingar. This parallels the crow's advice to Konungr in Rígsþula: "Why do you kill birds, young king? It would be better for you to mount our horse and kill men." This literary allusion suggests a commentary on

social class A social class or social stratum is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the working class and the Bourgeoisie, capitalist class. Membership of a social class can for exam ...

and the expectations of honor. The saga explores two prominent themes: # The special privileges of royalty and their impact on social roles and individual lives. This may reflect the socio-political climate of

during the 15th or

16th century The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...

, when it was under the control of the

Danish monarchy The monarchy of Denmark is a constitutional institution and a historic office of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom includes Denmark proper and the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Kingdom of Denmark was alrea ...

as part of the Kalmar Union (from 1380). Unlike earlier sagas that often glorified Icelandic independence and democratic governance of the Settlement Era, Fljótsdæla saga may have aimed to address issues of social class under entrenched monarchical rule. # The strong genealogical connections between the people of Fljótsdalur and those of the

Vopnafjörður Vopnafjörður (, meaning ''weapon fjord'') is a village and municipality in Northeast Iceland, standing on a peninsula in the middle of a mountainous bay by the same name. The main industries of Vopnafjörður are fish processing, agriculture an ...

region. This factual connection was likely preserved in stories to reinforce alliances between chieftains in these neighboring areas. The saga illustrates intermarriages between prominent families, such as Hrafnkell's grandson, Helgi Ásbjarnarson, marrying Þórdís "Todda", the great-granddaughter of Þorsteinn Hvíti (the main character in '' The Saga of Þorsteinn the White'' from Hof in Vopnafjörður). Þórdís "Todda" is also the daughter of Brodd-Helgi from ''The Saga of the People of Vopnafjörður''. Additionally, Geitir Lýtingsson (from Krossavík in

) marries Hallkatla, daughter of Þiðrandi "gamli" of

. The

further highlights the concept of social class by depicting an event where the son of a Norwegian Hersir (Viking military commander) accidentally kills Þiðrandi Geitirsson, a beloved figure. This incident leads to a marital dispute between Þórdís "Todda" of Hof and her husband Helgi Ásbjarnarson of Fljótsdalur. Þórdís insists on avenging Þiðrandi's death, even if it means defying her husband and sending the Norwegian to her brother, Víga-Bjarni. Helgi retorts by reminding Þórdís of her humble origins before their marriage and threatens to send her back to Hof if she proceeds. Ultimately, Helgi and Þórdís receive payment for their assistance in protecting the Norwegian, suggesting that in this narrative, justice can be influenced by wealth and power. Fljótsdæla saga offers a clear picture of relationships among Settlement Era families in East Iceland, presenting exciting adventures of regional characters. Some elements are fantastical, such as Droplaug's rescue from a

giant In folklore, giants (from Ancient Greek: ''wiktionary:gigas, gigas'', cognate wiktionary:giga-, giga-) are beings of humanoid appearance, but are at times prodigious in size and strength or bear an otherwise notable appearance. The word ''gia ...

Shetland Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

. The

effectively explores the impact of

on the lives of both powerful and weak individuals as

transitioned into centuries of

colonial rule Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...

Translations

*''The Saga of the People of Fljotsdal''. Translated by John Porter. In: Viðar Hreinsson (general editor): ''The Complete Sagas of Icelanders'' including 49 tales. (Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing, 1997. Vol. IV. pp. 379–433) . *"Saga of the People of Fljotsdal (excerpt)", pp. 73–86 in *An English translation is also available from the Viking Society.

References

External links

Full text at the Icelandic Saga Database
Sagas of Icelanders {{manuscript-stub