The Justification Of Killing In Hrafnkel's Saga

In this controversial saga that provokes the main character’s, Hrafnkel, innocence, it is imperative to note the culture and era of this Icelandic story to fully determine if his action of killing Einar, his shepherd, was justified or not. By modern rules and regulations, Hrafnkel would no doubt be considered a cold-blooded killer. However, one has to take into account the fact that everyone who resided in Iceland in the 10th century was illiterate, and thus Icelandic laws were implemented verbally to society instead of them being written down – everyone took oral agreements as seriously as written contracts, and this created a hostile environment since the justice system depended solely on integrity and savagery. This was proven to be true when Hrafnkel declared himself as “their priest and chieftain” and whenever he was “harsh and ruthless to his enemies and to them he showed no justice”.

Hrafnkel’s personality fully demonstrates how poor the justice system was back then at preventing major conflicts among the commoners. The saying, “Every man for himself” has never been truer in this context, as the Icelandic people did whatever they deem to be beneficial for themselves. Furthermore, authorities such as the government and police did not exist in the era Hrafnkel was in; everything was agreed upon verbally. When Einar rode Freyfaxi, he broke his contract with Hrafnkel and thus deserved to face the consequences he inflicted upon himself. Therefore, Hrafnkel’s ruthless retaliation did not break any of the laws, as he was merely committing to the contract Einar agreed upon: “But I must warn you against one thing: I want you never to ride this horse, however urgent the need may seem to you, for I’ve sworn an oath to kill anyone who rides him”.

Einar, who evidently agreed with this contract said, “he would never be so wicked as to ride the one horse which was forbidden to him”. Since written contracts did not exist in the 10th century, people who kept their words were regarded highly and Hrafnkel killing Einar testified this Icelandic culture to its fullest form. Even after being warned by Hrafnkel, Einar still decided to ride Freyfaxi to look for the lost sheep “thinking that Hrafnkel would never find out”. Einar’s naivety led him to his own tragic demise for he had other horses at his disposal but was too ignorant to put in any effort into stopping them when “all the mares bolted away from him”. Einar’s death may seem to be in vain to some, but the reason behind Hrafnkel’s killing action is actually not. From the beginning of the saga, one can already tell the amount of love Hrafnkel has for the god, Frey. “He loved Frey above all the other gods and gave him a half-share in all his best treasure”. It may even be argued that his love for Frey is a true and bold reflection of what Hrafnkel strives to be since Frey is associated with sacral kingship and prosperity; qualities which Hrafnkel aimed to always possess.

Examination through this lens meant that only Hrafnkel and Frey were allowed to ride Freyfaxi, and hence Hrafnkel perceived Einar riding it as almost blasphemous. This point is further amplified when Hrafnkel saw Freyfaxi “looking very dirty” outside his door and said, “It grieves me to see how you have been treated, my fosterling. You had your wits about when you came to me, and this shall be avenged”. The fact that Hrafnkel treated Freyfaxi as his ‘fosterling’ signifies the paternal relationship that they had to the fullest. It comes with no surprise that Hrafnkel acted the way he did when he discovered “Freyfaxi standing outside in a filthy state”, wanting to ‘avenge’ him; nothing is stronger than a parent’s love to his child.