The history of emotions has recently been gaining traction. In Old Norse studies, however, emotions remain a new field of study and are largely relegated to literary research. Emotions are thus described as literary representations of emotions; they are not deemed historical. This thesis works against that prevailing idea, interpreting the depictions of emotions as reflective of the culture that created them. This study also shows how emotions can be starting points in explorations of medieval Icelandic culture. In pursuing this argument, this project explores how love was understood to be expressed between 2-person relationships within the family, showing how love was a motivator, as much as a consequence, of action.
This thesis begins with the Introduction, in which the project’s aims and central questions are stated, before exploring what constitutes a saga, the primary material of this research. In addition, the methodology for pursuing an exploration of familial relationships is created; this is accomplished by surveying different disciplinary approaches to find a model for emotions, before reviewing the literature on Old Norse emotions and kinship. Chapter 1 investigates mother-daughter relationships, observing how these women desired contact with, and protected, one another. The consequences of lower levels of love are also studied. Chapter 2 considers father-son pairings, studying how love, through grief, drove fathers to suicide after their sons’ deaths, followed by how father-son love correlated with reciprocal acts. Chapter 3 covers father-daughter relations in discussing bridal negotiations. After surveying the laws and expectations, the thesis excavates the ideas of love to be found in these negotiations. Chapter 4 explores mother-son pairs, examining how these relationships contained protection and trust as expressions of love. This thesis concludes with what expressions of love are common between these relationships, and how this field of study possesses myriad opportunities for further research.
