Family: A Title

The family is the base unit of identity in every society. You are judged according to where you come from. There have even been cases where people present themselves by who their parents are more than their own name. This feeling of an identity is a very strong one. A bond of blood between brethren is an unexplainable force that unites people under one same title. In Njal´s saga the importance of family is nothing to take lightly. People kill and get killed for their linage, and they will do anything to bring honor to their ancestors and houses.

As we discussed in class, the purpose of the people in the plot is rather different from ours. Their objective in life is simply to bring honor and glory upon themselves and their houses. They are the protagonists of great deeds only to be remembered through history, to gain some title to their future linage. People always find help in their kinsmen, for the bond between them is so strong and they take it very seriously. An example of the importance people gave to family business is clearly seen at the beginning where Unn decides to reclaims her family’s money and their honor.

“It was through force rather than by law that Hrut pushed that through,” she said.”My father was old, and that was why men thought it best not to fight. Besides, there’s no one in my family to take up this matter if you don’t have the backbone to do so (p.36).”

When Unn asked this from Gunnar he accepted because he wouldn’t ever reject a petition from a family member, especially if it was to avenge the honor of her father. Gunnar offered to give her money but she rejected, which shows that her true objective wasn’t the material benefit, but it was to avenge her name and her house. It all revolves around family and the course of it though history.

People in Njal´s Saga had few objectives in life other than to obtain honor and glory for their families. The best family was always the one with the strongest and bravest men. For this reason people did all of what they did, to make their family more than a last name, a title.