Abraham, Njáll og Byron

Abstract

Attention is drawn to similarities among the figures of Abraham, Njáll and Byron as decision makers. Each of them takes what Kierkegaard refers to as a 'leap of faith;' and the turning point in each of their lives comes when the demands of logic are denied and choices are dictated by faith and emotion. Kierkegaard wrote about Abraham's sacrifice in his book Frygt og Bæven (Fear and Trembling). He argues that if individuals feel obliged to violate an ethical law, no one can tell them whether this is a genuine decree of God or a mere temptation—such decisions have to be made in blind faith. This is Abraham's dilemma when he decides to offer up his son; and it is Njáll's dilemma when, fírstly, he resolves to add an item of women's clothing to the pile of money intended as compensation for the killing of Höskuldur, and, later, when he urges his family to go inside in order to defend themselves against Flosi and his supporters. By these decisions, Njáll sacrifíces his family and places his patriarchal role in the hands of God. Alongside Kierkegaard's view of Abraham's sacrifíce, Grímur Thomsen claimed in 1845 that Lord Byron had sacrificed himself for western culture. Such interpretations were not uncommon in the nineteenth century and may help to explain the popularity QÍNjáls saga during that period. Njáll's patriarchy may be seen as spiritually akin to that of both Abraham and Byron. Their personal freedom manifests itself not only in their apparent denial of reason and logic, but also in their respect for the dictates of their own emotions and beliefs. Many individuals in the nineteenth century identified with such dilemmas.