Viking Age Iceland (Penguin History) [Paperback]

At a recent academic symposium about Viking culture, one member of the audience asked, "Why didn't the Icelanders protect their settlements in Greenland with police or the military?" From his point of view, it was a reasonable question -- except that he had missed the point completely about why Iceland, especially during its golden age from AD 870 through 1260, was a truly unique society.

Professor Byock in his excellent VIKING AGE ICELAND zeroes in on this period and answers the question why this society was like no other. Where mainland European societies were all ruled either by large or petty despots or by the Church, Iceland was governed more or less by the consent of the governed. There was some slavery, and people on the edges of society fared no better (or worse) than anywhere else -- but your average Icelandic freeman and even women had some protection from the rich and powerful.

Until its submission to Norway in 1260, Iceland was a country without an executive, without an army, without a navy. Instead, grievances were addressed by seeking powerful allies whose self-interest in the issue could result in some gain for them. If a neighbor or even a chieftain encroached on your property, you could bribe another chieftain to become involved on your side. You may lose some property, but keep the most part intact for your heirs. (On the continent, your life AND property would both be forfeit.) Chieftains had no clearly defined territory, but only adherents -- and adherents could at any time align with competing chieftains at any time. Any disputes that showed signs of getting out of hand were ultimately resolved at the althing, an annual meeting of the chieftains and their adherents at Thingvellir in the southwest of Iceland.

Byock takes the sagas as his principal source and carefully shows how conflicts were resolved in such a way that life and property were protected. That is not to say that bloody, long-lasting feuds did not erupt -- but the damage was limited by the intercession of chieftains so that the feud would not divide society at large. As Njal Thorgeirsson says in NJALS SAGA: "With laws must our land be built, or with lawlessness laid waste."

Some of the features of Icelandic society are difficult for us hieratic Europeans and Americans to comprehend. Byock provides detailed and lavishly illustrated examples to make his points clearly and convincingly. Indeed, in few historical works that I have ever seen has there been such superb illustrative maps and charts. Additional support is provided by comprehensive notes, bibliography, appendices, and index. This is at the same time a scholarly and an eminently readable work -- and by far the best study of Icelandic society to date.

This is an excellent book about the society that produced the great Icelandic Sagas. This is not a narrative history but an effort to describe the essential features of Icelandic life. While the period covered spans centuries, there is strong continuity in Icelandic culture during this time and the basic features of Icelandic culture were largely unchanged from the settling of the island to the establishment of Norweigian royal domination. Written by a leading scholar of Icelandic literature and history, this volume describes the material basis for Icelandic life, provides a good deal of information about the ecologic impact of the settlers, and provides an outline of the major historical events in the period from the settling of Iceland to the beginning of Norweigian lordship. The center of the book, however, is a detailed and lucid discussion of the unique political and legal structure of Iceland. Iceland was settled by Norse fleeing the emerging powers of monarchs in mainland Scandinavia. The near subsistence nature of Iceland's economy required dispersion of people across all the viable portions of the island and the absence of useful cash crops and other sources of exports prevented concentrations of power. Iceland had no central government, no towns, and a legal system based on relative equality. Iceland was not a feudal state, there were no overlords, and even after the conversion to Christianity, the Church had little power. Governence and justice were essentially private matters, worked out by individuals either informally or through a sophisticated legal system that ostensibly was based on equality. The key figures in this system were chiefs who commanded authority by virtue of family and political ties, legal skill, wealth, and charisma. These positions were not hereditary and were based partly on ability to command allegience of smaller farmers. Failure of chiefs to lead well could lead to desertion by followers. Excessive success by Chiefs in amassing power could lead to local violent reactions and the antagonism of other chiefs, preventing the emergence of regional leaders who could have become overlords. This system for centuries maintained a relatively egalitarian society very distinct from feudal mainland Europe. Byock does an excellent job of describing this society and tracing its ecological and historic roots. Byock provides also a very interesting and cogent analysis of feuds, which appear as central elements in many Sagas. While most commentators and readers are often impressed at the violence in the feuds, Byock points out the many ways in which feuding was channeled into non-violent ways of resolving disputes. In Byock's analysis, the manipulation of feuds is a cardinal example of the ways in which the highly individualistic and competitive Icelanders prevented serious damage to the social fabric. For Byock, the overarching theme of Icelandic culture during this period is the channeling of individual passions and resentments into non-destructive results, a remarkable goal in a society without formal government in our sense and entirely private means of seeking justice for grievances and disputes. It may also be this unique feature that gives the Sagas their great appeal. Byock uses effectively many quotations from different Sagas to illustrate his points. In so doing, he shows how the Sagas exemplify the cultural focus of Icelandic society.
It is surprising that a group of stories devoted largely to personal and legal conflicts among a group of Medieval farmers continue to command a large audience. The skilful composition of the best Sagas explains some of their appeal but other forms of Medieval literature do not attract this many readers. The underlying theme of conflict between individual impulses and social cohesion is tremendously appealing to modern readers.
This book contains a number of excellent additional features including good maps illustrating the locations of the major Sagas and other important aspects of Icelandic life.

Viking Age Iceland covers much of the same territory as Byock's earlier Medieval Iceland: Society, Sagas, and Power; however, it also includes some more detailed information about how the sagas reflect the society that created them.

Byock attempts to show how the (mostly) fictional sagas can still be used for historical study. Hidden within the fanciful tales are many details of Icelandic history and culture. Because of this, it is a mistake to dismiss the sagas when researching Icelandic history. That's Byock's premise anyway, and he argues it convincingly with numerous examples from the sagas that illuminate everything from the Iceland's legal system to the food the Icelanders ate to survive the long winters of isolation.

The book was worth its price for the maps of saga locations alone. There were also a number of sections that helped me to understand the social and personal motivations behind feuds and other elements in the sagas that were unclear to me without the better understanding of the way Iceland's society operated that I got from this book.

Whether you want to better understand the sagas or would like to know more about the history and culture of the Viking period, this is a must-read. The writing is clear and engaging, and the information presented by Byock is fascinating and seems to be very well researched.