"Hon var ódmalug mjok ok medallagi vitr": Female Instigation in the Icelandic Family Sagas

Abstract

The author analyses the motif of the female instigator of the blood-vengeance in the eaerly family saga "Heidarvigasaga" and tries to answer the question whether the motif is a literary common place or whether it has some historical plausibility. The author reaches a conclusion that the archetypical scenes of the so called "frýja" are of a pure ornamental character in the analysed saga.

Keywords

• "Hon
• var
• ódmalug
• mjok
• medallagi
• vitr":
• Female
• Instigation
• the
• Icelandic
• Family
• Sagas