A Sense Of Belonging

Beskrivelse

Morkinskinna is a thirteenth-century Icelandic saga that details the reigns of Norwegian kings from the eleventh and twelfth centuries. It stands out as the earliest surviving Old Norse work to provide detailed accounts of multiple kings' rules.

An exploration of identity through royal courts, poetry, and saga storytelling.

Morkinskinna was created during a rich period of Icelandic Kings’ sagas and represents a significant moment in the genre’s evolution. Its unique structure sets it apart from other Old Norse Kings’ sagas, offering a distinctive narrative style. Ármann Jakobsson, a Professor of Early Icelandic Literature at the University of Iceland, based his doctoral dissertation on Morkinskinna and later edited it for the Íslenzk fornrit series. This book is a carefully revised and updated English edition of his earlier works, making his research accessible to a wider international audience.

Jakobsson interprets Morkinskinna as a search for identity shared by both the author and the audience, with the royal court and poetry playing central roles. The saga spans the era from King Magnús the Good (d. 1047) to King Ingi Haraldsson (d. 1161), portraying a courtly society that acts almost like the saga’s main character. Within this society, two figures frequently reappear in various forms: a king and a courtier, often Icelandic.

The saga delves into themes of narrative, poetry, and language, shifting between serious and adventurous tones. It tells the story of a king who leads a court filled with skalds and entertainers, and an Icelander who travels widely, sometimes accompanied by polar bears or bearing dirty hands, sometimes sharing witty songs, but mostly carrying poetry with him. This Icelander adopts the Norwegian court as his own community and the Norwegian king as his leader, allowing the Icelandic audience to connect with and feel a sense of belonging to Norwegian court life.

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