Misconceptions are always a problem in stories, or sagas in this case, which have been portrayed in a Hollywood setting. It's very common that Vikings are perceived as ruthless, savage, murderous barbarians. They were merciless and spared no one. Barbarians who went on their ships to attack innocent villages, rape and plunder. They were super-human parasites searching for people to conquer at any cost. In Hollywood, they wore pointed helmets on their head and traveled the sea like pirates looking for land to invade. When they found land, they stole what they could and burned down the rest. Njal's Saga has changed my views of Vikings from my previous conception influenced by history and Hollywood. Vikings have demonstrated human-like qualities in Njal's Saga. Public misconceptions include the location of Vikings, attitudes of killing, jobs that they did, qualities which they portrayed, causes of death, and having a lawlessness lifestyle. These misconceptions are readily disproved in Njal's Saga.
There is a misconception of where the Vikings originated. Most people think that Vikings populated the land of Iceland. That is not entirely true. Vikings were first seen in Russia, the British Isles, France, and even North Africa before they even touched Iceland. Iceland was colonized by a combination of settlers from Scandinavia and the Norse colonies in Ireland and the Hebrides. It was discovered and settled by Norsemen, the Vikings, in the late ninth century.
Vikings were misconceived as being blood-thirsty savages killing and raping for the adrenaline and mere sport of it. Contrary to popular belief, the Vikings fought for more profound reasons. Often honor and greed were involved in the instigation of battles. A man's pride and honor were more dearly prized possessions than wealth or even life itself. Good men and worthy men tried hard to settle disputes peacefully to find solutions that satisfy the honor of all concerned. Except, too often their efforts are frustrated by someone's pride. Gunnar is an excellent example of a Viking that possesses an admiration for life. "Gunnar Hamandarson was a tall, powerful man, outstandingly skillful with arms. He could strike or throw with either hand, and his sword-strokes were fast. He was excellent at archery and his arrows never missed their mark. He could jump more than his own height in full armor" (pg.73). It has been said that there has never been his equal. Gunnar was famous because of how many he killed, but he was very reluctant to kill. He would rather compensate with money. Gunnar was a great fighter but his concern at taking life is what makes him special. "He is not, as one might think, a hero who happens to be a farmer, he is a farmer who happens to be a hero" (pg.30). It's constantly mentioned that Gunnar is not accustomed to assaulting people. For example, Gunnar saw warships and he told his crew to get ready in case they come at them, but leave them alone otherwise. It has never been Gunnar's nature to show off. The ultimate show of his reluctance to kill is shown in the conflict between Njal's sons and Gunnar's kinsman. Even when Njal's son killed Gunnar's kinsman, Sigmund, he took no steps to prepare an action for manslaughter and he refused to do anything about it at all. This was not cowardliness but strength that would not be associated with the Hollywood-type Vikings.
Friendship, an unexpected humane quality, was demonstrated in Njal's Saga. There was camaraderie between Gunnar and Njal. They had a friendship that could never have been broken. Njal's sons killed one of Gunnar's kinsman. They were always helping each other out in time of difficulties. Gunnar and Njal pledged each other always to settle by themselves any matters which might crop up between them. They never broke this pledge, and always remained firm friends. This proved that Vikings were contained this quality that contradicts Hollywood's outlook.
Death was common to the Vikings. One would expect death to be caused by battles alone. Even though battles did cause many deaths, it wasn't the only cause. Men died doing their jobs like making charcoal, trading, carting dried fish, or herding livestock, to name a few. Vikings were preoccupied with common jobs. They didn't spend all their time conquering. In fact, a lot of them were farmers.
It's important for people to know that Vikings weren't loose and lawless. Vikings had to follow laws. For instance, in Njal's Saga the men went to Althing (General Assembly) to discuss matters. There were chieftains which interpreted the laws. Njal was an expert in law always helping Gunnar with it. Njal said, "With laws shall our land be built up but with lawlessness laid waste" (pg.10). If there were no laws, everyone world die. Someone will kill for restitution and then that someone will get killed by another to avenge that death. These laws help stop the blood shed of countless lives by stopping the chain reaction before it starts.
The Vikings weren't as savage as Hollywood would like us to think. They showed civil manners that are more believable. They had honor and pride. Those qualities were admirable. Hollywood wanted to depict the Vikings as being monstrous and having super-human strength. They made up this illusion to make the Vikings more appealing because they have become a part of the entertainment business. Njal's Saga disproved many common misconceptions of Vikings.