A Study of Women’s Agency in Laxdæla saga and Nítíða saga

Abstract

This thesis explores the complex interplay between gender and power that characterises the narrative of two different medieval Icelandic texts, Laxdæla saga and Nítíða saga. The aim of this research is to unravel how these sagas both uphold and challenge gender norms, with a specific focus on the portrayal and role of women in them, while also providing valuable insights into the complex power structures prevalent in the society of the time in which they were written. Firstly, the saga genres that the texts under analysis have been associated with will be presented, as well as how women are generally portrayed in them. Secondly, Laxdæla saga and Nítíða saga themselves will be studied in regard to the ways in which women act and react in them. The final part of this research engages in a comparative analysis of the two sagas, highlighting both their shared and divergent aspects in regard to the portrayal of women's agency, while also considering the two different saga genres they have been associated with, in turn, this will allow to shed light on the complexities of power dynamics that characterized medieval Icelandic society more in general, especially of the time in which the authors of the texts operated.