Monsters in Society: Alterity, Transgression, and the Use of the Past in Medieval Iceland

256 Pages·2019·2.149 MB·English

by  Rebecca Merkelbach

RebeccaMerkelbach
MonstersinSociety
The Northern Medieval World
On the Margins of Europe
Editorial Board
CarolyneLarrington(Chair),St.John’sCollege,Oxford
OrenFalk,CornellUniversity
DawnHadley,UniversityofSheffield
JanaSchulman,WesternMichiganUniversity
JónViðarSigurðsson,UniversitetetiOslo
Rebecca Merkelbach
Monsters in
Society
Alterity, Transgression, and the Use of the Past in
Medieval Iceland
ISBN978-1-5015-1836-2
e-ISBN(PDF)978-1-5015-1422-7
e-ISBN(EPUB)978-1-5015-1409-8
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2019945466
BibliographicinformationpublishedbytheDeutscheNationalbibliothek
TheDeutscheNationalbibliothekliststhispublicationintheDeutscheNationalbibliografie;
detailedbibliographicdataareavailableontheInternetathttp://dnb.dnb.de.
©2019WalterdeGruyterGmbH,Berlin/Boston
Coverimage:Hallur.PenandinkbyJoanneShorttButler,2019
Typesetting:IntegraSoftwareServicesPvt.Ltd.
Printingandbinding:CPIbooksGmbH,Leck
www.degruyter.com
Acknowledgements
Morepeoplecontributedtothismonstrousendeavourthanitispossibletomen-
tionhere,butIwilltrynonetheless.Themostsignificantpartofmyjourney,and
ofthewritingofthisbook,tookplaceinCambridge,andthus,firstandforemost,
IwanttothankJudyQuinnforhersupportintheshapingofthisproject,andfor
her faith in my ability to pull all the various stands into one monstrous whole.
WithintheDepartmentofAnglo-Saxon,NorseandCeltic,whosesupportiveand
nurturing community has been so important to me and my research over the
years,IparticularlywanttothankRichardDance,ElizabethAshmanRowe,and
BrittanySchornfortheirinvaluablefeedbackandassistance.
During the time I spent studying, teaching, and conducting research in five
countries,Imetmorefantastic,inspiring,andsupportivefriendsandcolleagues
than any one person deserves. Many of these people have played a significant
partinthe writingofthisbook,by answering my manyquestions, by engaging
instimulatingdebatesthathaveprovedinvaluabletomyunderstandingofmedi-
eval Icelandic literature and culture, or by hosting conferences and workshops
thatinspirednewwaysofthinking.AnespeciallybigthankyougoestoCarolyne
Larrington,HeideEstes,EmilyLethbridge,andJóhannaKatrínFriðriksdóttir,for
their expert adviceand guidance, for conversations on social media and inreal
life, and for telling me that my work is necessary and valued. I also want to
thankTorfiTuliniusforadiscussionwehadafteroneofhisclasses,andwhich
ledmetochangethefocusofmyresearch,andÁrmannJakobssonforthehours
spent talking about various kinds of trolls. Finally, to my colleagues at the
University of Zurich, with whom I spent less time than I would have liked,
particularlytoLenaRohrbachandRagnheiðurHafstað:thankyou!
Lifewouldnotbethesamewithoutmyextensive,almostglobal,networkof
friends,andultimately,thisisasmuchyourworkasitwasmine,foryouwere
therewhenIneededyoumost.RyderPatzuk-RussellandJamesMcMullen,who
accompanied me on one of the most difficult and triumphant stages of this
process:thisisallyourfault.AndreasSchmidt,SebastianThoma,andallthe
other wonderful Bad Boys and Wicked Women in Munich: I am grateful for
everything you have done. Gwendolyne Knight, co-editor extraordinaire, Brynja
Þorgeirsdóttir, who gave me one hell of a mock viva and the best celebratory
lunch,SarahKünzler,forthemanyyearsandpintsandconversationsthatmean
so much, Anna Millward, for being yourself, Lena Moser and the people of the
Kochrunde, for welcoming me back, fellow teratologist Arngrímur Vídalín and
thepeopleofGimli,the NECRONnetwork,and alltheGrASNaCs:nowordscan
expressmygratitude.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501514227-201
VI Acknowledgements
My journey has been one of There and Back Again, from Tübingen into the
worldandback,fornow.Butthisjourneywouldneverhaveledanywherewith-
out a seminar taught by Hendrik Lambertus in the winter of 2008, which first
got me interested in Old Norse monsters. And it would not have brought me
backwithoutthekindandgenerousmentorshipofStefanieGropper,towhomI
owe so much gratitude. If more scholars were like you, academia would be a
kinderplace.
Finally,thereareasmallnumberofpeoplewithoutwhomIwouldnothave
been able to finish this monstrous project. The friendship, support, and kind-
nessofJoShorttButler,MariaTeresaRamandi,andMichiBremauerhavemade
allthedifference.Forlisteningtomymanyworries,foralwaysandunfailingly
being there when I needed you, and for providing much-needed distraction at
theright time,Iamforevergrateful.Youmeantheworldtome!Ialsowantto
thank Helen Conrad-O’Briain, without whose encouragement I would never
have applied to Cambridge, and whose continued support is invaluable. And,
lastbutbynomeansleast,tomyfather,AndreasMerkelbach,whohasalways
encouraged me to follow my passion and interest, and who has supported me
onthisdifficultpath:thankyou.
ThisisforallthosewhomIhavelovedandlost.
Earlier,shorterversionsofpartsofchaptersthree,four,five,andsixhavebeen
publishedas
“Engi maðr skapar sik sjálfr: Fathers, Abuse and Monstrosity in the Outlaw
Sagas.”InBadBoysandWickedWomen:AntagonistsandTroublemakersinOld
Norse Literature, edited by Daniela Hahn und Andreas Schmidt, 59–93.
Munich:HerbertUtzVerlag,2016.
“‘He has long forfeited all kinship ties’: Monstrosity, Familial Disruption,
andtheCulturalRelevanceoftheOutlawSagas.”Gripla28(2017):103–37.
“VolkesStimme:InteraktionalsDialoginderKonstruktionsozialerMonstrosität
in den Isländersagas.” In Stimme und Performanz in der mittelalterlichen
Literatur, edited by Monika Unzeitig, Nine Miedema, and Angela Schrott,
251–75.Berlin:DeGruyter,2017.
“Eigi í mannlegu eðli: Shape, Monstrosity and Berserkism in the
Íslendingasögur.” In Shapeshifters in Medieval North Atlantic Literatures, edited
bySantiagoBarreiroandLucianaCordoRusso,83–105.Amsterdam:Amsterdam
UniversityPress,2019.
“Enchanting the Land: Monstrous Magic, Social Concerns and the Natural
WorldintheÍslendingasögur.”InSocialNormsinMedievalScandinavia,edited
by Jakub Morawiec, Aleksandra Jochymek, and Grzegorz Bartusik, 213–27.
Kalamazoo:ARCHumanitiesPress,2019.
Contents
Acknowledgements V
1 MonstersinContext 1
Introduction 1
SagasandSociety:WritingaPastfortheNeedsofthePresent 4
MakingaMonster:Terminology,Theory,Methods 6
Hvatertrǫll:TheProblemofTerminology 6
MonsterTheoryContextualized 10
TowardsaTheoryofSocialMonstrosity 13
CorpusMonstrorum 21
2 RevenantsReconsidered 31
HybridityandTransgression 31
Observing(Inter-)Action 34
IndividualRevenants 34
GroupsofRevenants 39
EffectsofRevenancyandtheFeaturesofSocialMonstrosity 42
DestroyingtheUndead 44
3 BetweenHeroandMonster–Outlaws 51
“Engimaðrskaparsiksjálfr”:MonstersandTheirFamilies 52
VerticalRelations 53
HorizontalRelations 63
“Itscaresmetoclosemyeyes”:TheMonstrousOutlaw 71
HybridityandTransgression 72
Contagion 74
EconomicImpact 76
WhataboutGísli? 79
Fóstbrœðrasaga:BrothersinOutlawry 82
CursedandBroken:TheOutlaw’sDeath 86
4 NatureandNurture–Berserkir 101
GoingBerserk 102
HybridityandTransgression 103
Contagion 106
EconomicImpact 109
RapeCulture 110
FireandIron:KillingBerserkir 116
VIII Contents
5 WalkersBetweenWorlds–PractitionersofMagic 125
BlackMagic 127
HybridityandTransgression 128
Contagion 131
EconomicImpact 132
EnchantingtheLand 135
SticksandStones:ExecutingMagic-Users 140
6 TheSocialPerceptionofMonstrosity 149
LevelsofPerspective:Intra-andExtratextualPerception 149
PublicOpinion:ExpressingandPerformingPerception 152
ChangingOpinionandItsEffectontheSocialMonster 155
TheVoiceofthePeople 156
IndividualVoices 160
InfluencingOpinion:CuringandKillingtheMonster 163
Synthesis:TheFluidContinuumofSocialMonstrosity 167
7 ReadingMonstrosity 175
FamiliarMonsters,MonstrousFamilies:KinshipTensionsinthe
OutlawSagas 176
WhoWouldMarryaBerserk?:Women,Marriage,andMonstrous
Offspring 183
NeverLetGo:Revenants,Inheritance,andaHauntingPast 189
Magic,Power,andAgency:HumansandtheNaturalWorld 196
Conclusion:WritingaMonstrousPast 209
Abbreviations 215
Bibliography 217
Index 237