The Lack Of Forgiveness

We have all experienced disappointment. Sometimes people do things that hurt us, and we aren’t able to forgive them. When someone can’t forgive, revenge starts accumulating. You can have revenge many ways. Sometimes people take revenge in their hands and actually make a whole big plan to have revenge. This is very common in movies, it has become very cliché. Other times people leave revenge in faith’s hands, just as Hoskuld and Hrut did in Njal’s Saga. When Gunnar reclaims the money from the two brothers, Hoskuld says “bad things will only be your reward for this” (pag.42). Gunnar doesn’t seem worried and says “things will go as they must.” “It will be avenged against him, but the vengeance and the credit, for it will not be ours. It’s likely in fact, the he will return for our friendship.” (page. 43)
Its funny because in a way, Unn received her vengeance. Her land was taken from the brothers and now it was taken from them. So what the book is showing us is that vengeance is a cycle, a cycle created because we aren’t able to forgive and forget.

A Change, For A Change

Women’s role in Njal’s Saga surprised me. I am use to reading about well educated and respectful women, women who aren’t able to express their opinion and who are seen as inferior. On the contrary, women in this text are seen as strong human beings, just like men. One of the strongest of theses is Njal’s wife. One of the first times wee see her strict and strong attitude is in passage 36, when Atli comes looking for work and she decides to hire him. The reason why she hired him also surprised me. “I’ll give you a chance, provided you do whatever I ask you to- even if I send you to kill someone.” (page. 61) she assumes a somewhat violent role, while Njal even though has violent advice, does not assume a violent role.
The same violence is seen in Gunnar's wife, who kills Njal's servants and isn’t stopped by her husband. Both wives have control over their husbands. Even though Gunnar, and specially Njal may not always agree with what they do, they don’t question their power. Njal feels Gunnars wife will bring misery, and is worried about the arrangement while Gunnar is pretty confident nothing will change. “You will always make amends for her” (pag.54) Njal assures to Gunnar.
Women’s role in history changes with the culture. The background of this text made the women strong and fierce, just as the background of Shakespeare’s texts made women quiet and inferior. I see some of the traits of women in Njal’s saga in Colombian women. Iceland was a very violent place and women were either outspoken or stepped on. The same happens in Colombia. Most women have to assume the “ruler role” in which they have to make the big family decisions. They too have to either be outspoken or stepped upon.