Power, Deception, and Lies: A Case Study of Conflict and Social Bonds in Jómsvíkinga saga

Abstract

In the following thesis, the issue of conflict as it appears in Jómsvíkinga saga is explored in relation to social hierarchy and the roles of members of specific social ranks. Conflict within the saga is intrinsically linked to political power, and thus forms the basis of the social strife portrayed within the saga. The idea of social bonds and the obligations associated with them are explored in relation to achieving political success, mainly through the manipulation of such bonds. I argue that it is this manipulation that forms an underlying motif within the saga and results in both social and political achievement. Whereas the main focus of scholarship on Jómsvíkinga saga has been either that of genre or the origins of the work, in this thesis however, Jómsvíkinga saga will be approached from a cultural studies perspective. This thesis provides an extensive interpretation of the events within the saga, so as to organize an understanding of the differing roles of the differing social classes as they interact and play off one another. With a close reading of Jómsvíkinga saga, one is able to assess the contention that develops as prominent characters from differing social levels interact and vie against one another for success.

Rannsókn Jómsvíkinga sögu hefur aðallega verið tengd við uppruna og bókmenntaform; í þessari ritgerð er því fjallað um túlkun sögunnar: Verkefnið snýst um þemaið átök í Jómsvíkinga sögu með tilliti til samfélagslegs stigveldisins og hlutverk manna, sem eru með sérstaka þjóðfélagsstöðu. “Átök” í sögunni eru nátengd við pólitískt vald; þau móta grundvöllin ósættisins eins og lýst er í sögunni. Auk þess eru hugmynd um félagstengsl og skyldur rannsakaðar með tilliti til pólitísks árangurs; í þessu samhengi skiptir baktjaldastjórnun miklu máli. Í ritgerðinni er þess vegna haldið fram að baktjaldastjórnun sé mikilvægt viðfangsefni Jómsvíkinga sögu, sem beri árangur bæði í stjórnmálum og í samfélaginu.