Maximillian Jesiolowski has successfully completed his Master thesis on “Emotional States and Identity in Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar: Conveying Identity through Natural Landscape”. A summary of the thesis can be found below:
This thesis investigates the portrayal of the natural landscape and its unique relationship to emotions and ideas of identity and the self in Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar. The saga has been studied from a wide range of perspectives, with scholars focussing on societal and political roles, the nature of Viking Age outlaws, and the supernatural. Many works have also examined the saga’s characters, with the figure of Grettir Ásmundarson being of particular interest to scholars in the mid and late 20th century. Recently, the modern prominence of environmentalism awareness has resulted in several recent works investigating the portrayal and use of landscape in Grettis saga. However, there has not as yet been an extensive study of the link between the identity and emotional state of the main character and the portrayal of the natural environment in the saga. Icelandic sagas are often characterised by the lack of emotional displays by their characters, and Grettis saga is no exception. By examining the natural environment in Grettis saga, this thesis show sthat the emotions and identity of the main character are significantly influenced by it and that the portrayal of landscape is an important medium through which Grettir’s interiority is conveyed. As an outlaw saga, Grettis saga features more natural landscapes than many other sagas and therefore utilises these landscapes in more prominent thematic roles. This thesis highlights these roles, showing how the author’s portrayal of natural landscape contributes to the complex emotional journey of Grettir Ásmundarson and his ongoing struggle to find his place within human society.