Mirator

Disability in the Medieval Nordic World: Foreword

Christopher Crocker — 2021-03-12

A foreword to the thematic issue "Disability in the Medieval World".

Hann var blindr

Sharon Choe — 2021-03-12

This article addresses the varying representations of the blind god Hǫðr in the Poetic Edda, Snorri’s Edda, and Saxo’s Gesta Danorum. By revisiting the importance of Hǫðr and his blindness in the death of Baldr myth, scholarship can further elucidate the shift between traditional secular power and developing ecclesiastical presence in thirteenth-century Iceland. As a minor god in the Nordic pantheon, Hǫðr has been largely left on the peripheries of Norse scholarship. This article suggests that he is in fact one of the most important actors in the downfall of the Æsir, and that his simultaneous marginalisation and participation in Baldr's death deserves more critical attention.

Disabled Masculinity

Meg Morrow — 2021-03-12

This article focuses on the implications of ‘disabled masculinity’ within the broader religious context of medieval Iceland as it is portrayed in Brennu-Njáls saga. Njáll Þorgeirsson, the titular character of the saga, is first introduced as being unable to grow a beard; this inability to engage in this traditional performance of masculinity marks him as a disabled man within medieval Icelandic society. The article not only explores how his disabled appearance interacts with gender-based insults and ridicule from his peers, but also considers his evolving depiction alongside the changing religious landscape of saga age Iceland. The intersectional approach between gender and disability studies employed here allows for a better understanding of the function of religious and legal knowledge within medieval Iceland’s patriarchal society.

The Value of a Thumb

Christine Ekholst — 2021-03-12

This article analyses provisions dealing with bodily injuries in Swedish medieval law. It argues that the lawmakers defined impairment as a permanent injury, something that could only be assessed after a year had passed. The article further argues that the legislators conceptualized disability as the permanent consequences of an injury that would affect a person’s life. It suggests that the legislators considered that an impairment had become a disability when the person could no longer feed themselves, walk, attend church or go to the market. Finally, while an impairment was paid for with a specific ‘impairment fine’, and thus must have been perceived as something negative that needed compensation, there is nothing in the law texts that indicates that a person with a disability was viewed in negative light in general.

Victims of Maiming in Sturlunga saga

Sean Lawing — 2021-03-12

This article considers the status of physically disabled people in medieval Nordic society by examining in detail the lives of two intentionally disfigured individuals, Skæringr Hróaldsson and Sturla Bárðarson, as recounted in the 13th century Icelandic saga compilation known as Sturlunga saga. Intentional maiming, foot- and hand-hewing, figures prominently in the text especially as a form of political reprisal during the turmoil of the so-called ‘Age of the Sturlungs’ (1220–64). The analysis shows that although a range of motives and anxieties regarding maiming are depicted in this and other collateral sources, the two case studies developed here suggest that intentional disfigurements were not per se viewed as disabilities in medieval Icelandic society since neither the status nor social mobility of either individual appears affected as a direct result of their injuries.

Nobody’s fífl

Judith Higman — 2021-03-12

This article explores conceptions of people with intellectual impairments in medieval Iceland. Focusing initially on the etymology and connotations of the Old Norse words used to describe intellectual impairments and people with intellectual impairments, the article moves on to examine depictions of intellectually impaired people in the Íslendingasögur. The article cross-references examples of characters considered by others to be intellectually impaired in Hreiðars þáttr, Gísla saga Súrssonar and Finnboga saga ramma, and impersonations of characters considered to be intellectually impaired within Gísla saga Súrssonar and Flóamanna saga, with the legal clauses in Grágás which relate to the existence and extent of intellectual impairments. The article concludes with an analysis of the evidence presented, which highlights some promising areas for future research.

The Lion, the Dream, and the Poet

Christopher Crocker — 2021-03-12

This article investigates the representation of mental illnesses in the context of Norway’s medieval royal court using the kings’ saga Morkinskinna. The text naturally applies its own contemporaneous terminology that demands close scrutiny, but greater focus is placed upon the responses mental illnesses elicit in this context, which include curiosity, incomprehension, fear, hopelessness, sorrow, sensitivity, attentiveness, compassion, and successful or unsuccessful attempts at treatment. Overall, the narrative invokes mental illnesses to advance certain of its broader interests concerning the roles, duties, and the relationship between medieval Norwegian kings and their subjects.