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Articles

The Historic Landscape of the Saga of the People of Vatnsdalur: Exploring the Saga Writer's Use of the Landscape and Archaeological Remains to Serve Political Interests

Pages 243-270 | Published online: 18 Jul 2013
 

Abstract

The saga of the People of Vatnsdalur (Vatnsdaelasaga) provides a case study for a new approach to the Sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur). This treats the saga as a cultural product of the 13th century that can give insights into its creator's ideas and worldviews. Fieldwork at five sites in the Vatnsdalur valley in NW Iceland seeks to establish what these places were like in the 13th century. This knowledge, alongside the saga and place-name evidence, illustrates how the saga writer, presumed to come from a powerful 13th-century family, systematically used the landscape and archaeological remains in the valley to serve his political interests when describing 10th-century events.

The saga of the People of Vatnsdalur (Vatnsdaelasaga) provides a case study for a new approach to the Sagas of Icelanders (Íslendingasögur). This treats the saga as a cultural product of the 13th century that can give insights into its creator's ideas and worldviews. Fieldwork at five sites in the Vatnsdalur valley in NW Iceland seeks to establish what these places were like in the 13th century. This knowledge, alongside the saga and place-name evidence, illustrates how the saga writer, presumed to come from a powerful 13th-century family, systematically used the landscape and archaeological remains in the valley to serve his political interests when describing 10th-century events.

Le paysage historique de la Saga du peuple de Vatnsdalur: exploration de l'utilisation politique du paysage et des vestiges archéologiques par l'auteur de la saga

La Saga du peuple de Vatnsdal (Vatnsdaelasaga) fournit une étude de cas pour une nouvelle approche des sagas des Islandais (Íslendingasögur). Celle-ci consiste à traiter la saga comme un produit culturel du XIIIe siècle qui peut donner un aperçu des idées et de la vision du monde de son créateur. Des fouilles menées dans cinq sites de la vallée de Vatnsdalur au nord-ouest de l'Islande cherchent à établir à quoi ressemblaient ces endroits au XIIIe siècle. Les résultats de ces fouilles, combinés aux éléments livrés par la saga et la toponymie, montrent comment l'auteur de la saga, que l'on suppose appartenir à une puissante famille du XIIIe siècle, a systématiquement utilisé le paysage et les vestiges archéologiques de la vallée pour servir ses intérêts politiques lors de la description d'événements du Xe siècle.

Die historische Landschaft der Saga von den Leuten aus dem Vatnsdalur: Wie der Verfasser der Saga Landschaft und archäologische Überreste politisch einsetzte

Die Saga von den Leuten aus dem Vatnsdal (Vatnsdaelasaga) dient als Fallstudie für einen neuen Ansatz bei der Betrachtung der Sagas der Isländer (Íslendingasögur). Hierin wird die Saga als kulturelles Produkt des 13. Jahrhunderts behandelt, das einen Einblick in die Gedanken und Weltanschauung ihres Verfassers geben kann. Feldforschung an fünf Stätten im Tal Vatnsdalur in Nordwestisland versucht herauszufinden, wie diese Orte im 13. Jahrhundert waren. Dieses Wissen, zusammengenommen mit der Saga und den Anhaltspunkten in den Ortsnamen, zeigt, dass der Verfasser der Saga, von dem man annimmt, dass er aus einer mächtigen Familie des 13. Jahrhunderts stammte, bei der Beschreibung der Ereignisse aus dem 10. Jahrhundert die Landschaft und die archäologischen Überreste im Tal systematisch einsetzte, um seine politischen Interessen zu unterstützen.

Il paesaggio storico della Saga della gente di Vatnsdalur: indagine sull'uso politico del paesaggio e delle vestigia archeologiche da parte dell'autore della saga

La Saga della gente di Vatnsdalur (Vatnsdaelasaga) fornisce uno studio di caso per un approccio nuovo alle saghe islandesi (Íslendingasögur). La saga viene qui vista come un prodotto culturale del XIII secolo che può rivelare le idee e la visione del mondo del suo autore. La raccolta di dati sul campo condotta in cinque siti della valle di Vatnsdalur, nel nordovest dell'Islanda, si propone di stabilire l'aspetto di questi luoghi nel XIII secolo. I risultati di queste ricerche, insieme agli elementi ricavati dal racconto e dalla toponomastica, dimostrano come l'autore della saga, presunto rampollo di una potente famiglia del XIII secolo, si sia servito sistematicamente del paesaggio e dei resti archeologici della valle per i suoi scopi politici mentre descriveva avvenimenti del X secolo.

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