Njal's Saga Analysis

Throughout much of history the roles of men and women are quite different. This difference begins to blend in “Njal’s Saga” as the women take on a more powerful role in their society. In Icelandic culture according to “Njal’s Saga” the women are in charge of the household and are equal footing within their households with their husbands. Outside of the home women with powerful husbands are powerful in their own right but not as much as the men. The women can still travel to the Thing if need be to settle legal matters or purchase slaves and other property without the approval of their husbands or fathers. However with this power that the women have a common thread begins to show throughout the story. The women of “Njal’s Saga”are an impetus of conflict due to their large amount of power, and their willfulness for manipulation.

Some of the other cultures that have been discussed in class and previous readings hold women at a lower standard and withhold any power from them. The women of the Icelandic culture benefit greatly by receiving a fair amount of power. Women in “Njal’s Saga” are given the ability to take charge of the household which is typically a large property and this instills a large amount of influence in the daily working of the household. She is not merely in charge of the upkeep but is allowed to take on legal matters which involve the household and purchase what she wants for the property which can be seen when she purchases Atli. “Atli said, ‘Do you have any authority here?’ ‘I’m Njal’s wife,’ she said, ‘and I have no less authority in hiring than he does.’” (60) The purpose of buying Atli’s services is told to Njal by Bergthora as he is a good worker and works well with his hands, but she is also manipulating Nj...

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...ons lead to Gunnar and Hallgerd’s marriage and Njal and Bergthora’s marriage and then the feud between the two wives begin which weaves its way throughout the story until the ultimate death of Njal and Bergthora. If the women were not so lustful for more power than they already had then the manipulation between them would never have occurred and many lives would not have been taken and the untimely death of Njal and his wife may not have taken place. The manipulations caused by the women of the saga take more of a toll on the men of the story due to the fact that when much of the manipulation and devious events occur the women lay the blame onto someone else and do not take a responsibility for their actions. yet they leave the punishment and legal issues for their husbands to deal with which culminate in a disastrous ending for most of the male members of the story.