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October 24, 2006, 6 pages. Source: https://conventioneers.files.wordpress.com/
The saga of Gisli Sursson is the story of a man who is forced by events beyond his will to scoff the law of his people and uphold the honor of his word. Beneath this tale of vengeance and outlawry, the saga writer conveys the moral growth of the title character as he learns, over the course of a life violently shortened, what it means to be a brother and a kinsman. The reader must attempt to deconstruct the complex morality that guides Gisli's decisions if he or she is to understand the hero's sometimes baffling choices. This paper will progress through Gilsi's life and examine the evolution of his conscience to show that by the end of his life, he has not ultimately forsaken his oaths of brotherhood, but changed the meaning of brother.
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The Ethics of Brotherhood in Gisli Sursson's Saga Daniel J. Cottle October 24, 2006 The saga of Gisli Sursson is the story of a man who is forced by events beyond his will to sco the law of his people and uphold the honor of his word. Beneath this tale of vengeance and outlawry, the saga writer conveys the moral growth of the title character as he learns, over the course of a life violently shortened, what it means to be a brother and a kinsman. The reader must attempt to deconstruct the complex morality that guides Gisli's decisions if he or she is to understand the hero's sometimes ba ing choices. This paper will progress through Gilsi's life and examine the evolution of his conscience to show that by the end of his life, he has not ultimately forsaken his oaths of brotherhood, but changed the meaning of brother. Before Gisli Sursson's story begins, the theme of kinship is presented by the telling of how Gisli, son of Thorkel (our hero's uncle), avenged his brother Ari's murder by killing Bjorn the Black, a fearsome beserker. In doing this, he saved Ari's wife Ingibjorg, and all of Ari's former lands and possessions from being seized by Bjorn. This fairly straightforward example explains how a vengeance oath should work in the Icelandic ideal. By placing it at the beginning, the saga writer is setting the stage for Gisli's actions later in the saga and laying down the theme of kinship that will be challenged and explored. Gisli Sursson's rst act regarding kinship is to slay Bard, a man who is courting Gisli's sister, Thordis. Gisli's father does not approve of the match, but Gisli's brother Thorkel will not put a stop to the courtship, as he is friends with Bard. This must have infuriated Gisli. How could Thorkel value his friend's happiness over that of his own father? Gisli is forced to play the good son and remove Bard from the situation. We are told that after killing Bard, Gisli rode o home to tell his father, who was greatly pleased by the news. him. 1 Here, Gisli is clearly seeking attention from his father for having done right by His actions show that he still possesses a very simplistic idea of how one should uphold family honor. As the saga progresses kinship continues to be a central theme, and Gisli's attitudes toward it will begin to change. 1 pg. 501-502 1 The rst time that Gisli shows depth in his understanding of kinship is at the Spring Assembly, during the proposal and breaking of the blood-oath. The blood-oath binds its participants together, requiring that each shall avenge the others as if they were born brothers. The fact that Gisli proposes to enter into this kind of pact with two men who were not born into his family shows progress for his character. When Thorgrim is unwilling to take on Vestein as his sworn brother, Gisli stands up for his knew kin, saying, I will not burden myself with ties to a man who refuses to bind himself to V