Écrire l’histoire d’une faide dans l’Islande du XIIIe siècle. Quelques remarques sur la Saga des Svínfellingar
This study is based on two purposes. First, it analyses the mechanism of a feud in an area of Eastern Iceland in the middle of the 13th century. Then it demonstrates the value of a contemporary saga as a historical source. The feud between the local elites appears in two written sources: the Iceland...
| Published in: | Tabularia |
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| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English French |
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OpenEdition
2016
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.4000/tabularia.2285 https://doaj.org/article/602f49b7d6714bdeb7ede77809027100 |
| Summary: | This study is based on two purposes. First, it analyses the mechanism of a feud in an area of Eastern Iceland in the middle of the 13th century. Then it demonstrates the value of a contemporary saga as a historical source. The feud between the local elites appears in two written sources: the Icelandic Annals and the Saga of the Men of Svínafell (Svínfellinga saga). After a careful inspection of the sources of this feud, one can observe the importance of the saga testimony. The coalitions between the elite and the limitation of violence are analysed as a fundamental aspect of the feuding game. The process of conflict resolution and its social stakes are reconstituted through a meticulous study of the mediation. When it is relevant, one establishes a parallel between this feuding system and other examples, taken from other feuding societies, in Saga Age Iceland and in Feudal France. |
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