‘HUNGRVAKA’: ON THE WAY FROM THE SAGA TO THE CHRONICLE AND HAGIOGRAPHY?

Abstract

The paper deals with some generic characteristics of Hungrvaka, a 13th c. monument of Old Icelandic literature, which describes the lives of the first local bishops of Iceland. The author discusses some features of composition, narration and language which make this work close to family sagas, medieval chronicles and lives of Christian saints — genealogies, chronology, the annalistic list of secular and Church leaders, the bishops’ gesta, their portrait characteristics, miracles and omens. Despite the presence of some signs of foreign genres, in general this work remains within the poetics of family saga. The closeness to the family saga is found in genealogies and detailed description of the family ties that bind bishops to the epoch of the settlement of Iceland. Skalaholt, the first episcopal see in Iceland, is presented as a religious center, endowed with sacred significance; in its description we hear echoes of mythological notions of an ideal prototype of things. In accordance with family saga stereotypes are constructed the ‘portrait’ characteristics of bishops which correspond to the ideal image of höfðingi, a representative of the local nobility. It is only the portrait of Þorlákr Runólfsson (a prototype of Þorlákr Þorhallsson, the first national saint of Iceland) that fully meets the hagiographic canon. However, the secular behavior of the bishop may be combined in the story with his ascetic way of life or be interpreted in a Christian spirit. The anonymous author seeks to paint a picture of national consensus under the auspices of the Church, pushing into the background the war as the spring of action that leads to the generic transformation of the family saga. Death, accompanied by suffering and wonders, clarifies the meaning of the earthly ministry of the bishop. Its description contains predominantly hagiographical topoi, but sometimes also conveys the realistic details of everyday life. The death of every Icelandic bishop is correlated with the death of his contemporaries abroad, both the Church hierarchs and secular rulers. Noticeable is also the author’s desire to draw parallels between his characters and significant figures in world history.