Króka-Refs saga

Króka-Refs saga (listen ) or the Saga of Ref the Sly is one of the Icelanders' sagas. Written in the 14th century the saga relates the adventures of Ref Steinsson, whose unpromising origins lead him to greatness in both combat and subterfuge.

History

Although first recorded between 1350-1400 AD, the only completely preserved saga is dated to the second half of the fifteenth century.[1] Taking place between 950-1050 AD, the saga spans much of the Norse world, including Iceland, Greenland, Norway, and Denmark. The Christianization of Scandinavia occurs during the timeline of the saga, with the main character, Ref, converting as well.

Synopsis

The saga begins in Iceland with an old man named Steinn, who had a wife named Thorgerd (Þorgerðr). They have a son named Ref who was known for being very lazy.[2] Stein had a neighbor named Thorbjorn (Þorbjörn), an unpopular man that had committed many manslaughters and never paid retribution. For the most part, there was little conflict between the men and they were able to settle any disputes.

However, after Steinn died from illness and Thorgerd was left to run the farm by herself, Thorbjorn allowed his livestock to graze on Thorgerd's land. Thorgerd then hired a man named Barda (Barða) to help keep Thorbjorn's livestock off her land. After some encouragement from his wife, Thorbjorn slayed Barda in his own shed. After learning of Barda's death, Thorgerd called her son Ref a coward for being useless and doing nothing at such a time. Ref then went to Thorbjorn's farmhouse and killed Thorbjorn with a spear. Thorgerd sent Ref to her brother Gest while the killing was settled. There, Ref found that he was an exceptional craftsman and built one of the greatest ships to have ever been built in Iceland, after having only seen a toy model of a boat. Ref used this boat to sail to Greenland, where he met a man named Bjorn, who asked Ref to put up buildings on his land.

Bjorn had a daughter named Helga, and Bjorn granted Ref his daughter's hand in marriage. Ref and Helga had three sons named Stein, Bjorn, and Thormod, and took over running the farm, with Bjorn continuing to live there. Near their farm lived a man named Thorgils, a hateful and difficult man. Thorgils and his sons began spreading slanderous rumors about Ref around the area, so Ref went to Thorgil's farm seeking reparations. When Thorgils refused to offer any compensation, Ref killed him and went to their boathouse to wait for his sons to return, then killed them too. Ref left on a ferry with his wife and children and couldn't be found, leading some to believe they had perished.

At this time King Harald Hardrada of Norway, sent one of his men, named Bard, to Greenland to acquire rare items. After reaching Greenland, Bard met Gunnar, son-in-law of Thorgils, who told him about Ref. They gathered seven men and launched an expedition into the wilderness in search of Ref. Eventually they came upon a great fortification near the bay and were greeted by Ref. Bard quickly ordered his men to burn down the fort, but water flowed out of the fort and put out the fire. After this Bard, Gunnar, and their men all left, unsure how to proceed. Bard returned to Norway with fine gifts from Gunnar, including a polar bear, a walrus skull, and a chessboard made of walrus ivory, that he presented to the king. Bard explained that all Gunnar wants in return was friendship and counsel on how to deal with Ref. King Harald warned Bard not to return to Greenland, but says that if he does, he should try to dig up the water pipes leading to the fort so that the people inside will have no way to put out a fire.

Bard returned to Greenland, where he again met up with Gunnar, and they sailed off with their men to find Ref. When they arrived they did as King Harald said and dug up the water pipes before setting fire to the fort. This time the fort did catch flame but the wall facing the water fell outwards, killing four of Bard's men. As the wall fell, a ship containing Ref and his sons ran down the wall on rollers into the water. Bard and his men jumped into their ship and were catching up to Ref. Seeing this, Ref told his sons to slow down so that Bard would overtake them. At the moment Bard passed them, Ref threw a spear through Bard and told his son to cut through the stays of Bard's ship. Gunnar and his men then went after Ref themselves, but by this time it was dark and Ref slipped away. Bard's men returned to Norway with his body and told King Harald about their encounter.

Ref and his family left Greenland for Norway, where Ref took on the alias of Narfi. While Helga was alone in the hut they rented, a man named Grani, who worked for King Harald, entered and tried to have his way with her. While Helga was fighting him off, Ref returned and Grani ran away. Ref was able to chase him down and killed him. Ref thought it'd be better to not keep the killing a secret and thus be charged with murder, and asked Helga to return to the ship. Disguised as an old man, Ref entered King Harald's assembly and confessed to the killing in riddle. After deciphering the riddle, King Harald sent his men to search for Ref. During this time Ref sailed to Denmark, where he told King Sweyn his story. The king gave Ref a farmstead and estates in exchange for his sons’ services. King Harald sent Eirik, Grani's brother, and with him sixty men, to Denmark to kill Ref. When they arrived in Denmark they came across an old man who agreed to lead them to Ref. He took two Norwegians ashore while the others waited on the boat, and led them into the forest, where Ref's sons and twelve of his followers charged at them and captured them.

The old man ripped off his rags and beard, revealing himself to be Ref. King Sweyn had also sent two longships with two hundred men, with whom Ref and his men met up with before attacking Eirik at sea. All but ten of Eirik's men were killed, but Ref allowed Eirik his life since he had killed his brother. Afterwards, King Sweyn awarded Ref a gold ring and twelve farms for his valiance. After staying in Denmark for years, Ref left on a journey to Rome, and caught an illness that caused his death. Ref's sons Stein and Bjorn remained a long time with King Sweyn, who arranged fine marriages for them. Ref's other son, Thormod, returned to Iceland.

Themes
  • As in other sagas, fate and foreshadowing play a prominent role in the unfolding of the story. During Bard's and Gunnar's first attempt to burn the fort down, Ref proclaims that it wasn't their destiny to guard his corpse, and the attackers soon return home empty-handed. Similarly, before Bard's return to Greenland, King Harald predicts that if he should leave, he won't be coming back. Ultimately, both predictions are realized when Bard is killed trying to capture Ref, who ends up escaping safely to Norway. Fate was an inescapable part of Norse culture, and it was believed that a baby's death was determined the day it was born by three Norns, or women of destiny.[3]
  • Another theme of the saga was honor, which was considered to be even more valuable to a man than his own life in Norse culture. Being called a coward or effeminate, was considered the greatest insult of all to a man's honor. Because of this, Ref was duty-bound to kill Thorbjorn after being called a coward by his own mother.
  • Homosexuality is directly brought up in the saga when Ref is called "Ref the Gay", which is rather unusual among the sagas. Homosexuality is depicted very negatively, with being called a homosexual considered as much an insult as being called a coward.[4]
  • Another theme of the saga is Ref's name itself. After hearing of the death of Bard, King Harald gives Ref the name of Ref the Sly. Although strong and powerful as well, Ref uses his canniness to outwit his dull opponents, who rely on brute force to get what they want. Ref generally tends to avoid violence and confrontation, unless he is forced to take action.

See also

References
  1. Clark, George. "Saga of Ref the Sly". Trans. of Islendinga sogur III, Reykjavik, 1987.
  2. Kellogg, Robert, and George Clark. "The Saga of Ref the Sly." The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. By Jane Smiley. New York: Viking, 2000. 595-625. Print.
  3. Short, William R. "Hurstwic: Honor, Dueling, and Drengskapr in the Viking Age." Hurstwic, 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
  4. Hallakarva, Gunnora. "Internet History Sourcebooks Project." The Vikings and Homosexuality. Fordham University, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.

Other sources
  • Clark, George. "Saga of Ref the Sly". Trans. of Islendinga sogur III, Reykjavik, 1987.
  • Kellogg, Robert, and George Clark. "The Saga of Ref the Sly." The Sagas of Icelanders: A Selection. By Jane Smiley. New York: Viking, 2000. 595-625. Print.
  • Short, William R. "Hurstwic: Honor, Dueling, and Drengskapr in the Viking Age." Hurstwic, 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2015.
  • Hallakarva, Gunnora. "Internet History Sourcebooks Project." The Vikings and Homosexuality. Fordham University, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
  • "International World History Project." VIKINGS. History World International, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2015.
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