You need not look far to find scholars effusively praising the sagas and mythological writings of Icelanders. In her book, Eleanor Rosamund Barraclough says, “The sagas are medieval Iceland’s unparalleled storytelling legacy to the world.” In the Guardian, Ben Myers asks, “The Icelandic Sagas: Europe's most important book?” Nancy Marie Brown points out that the sagas are superlative not only for literary and historical merit, but because we have them: “More medieval literature exists in Icelandic than in any other European language except Latin.”
We adulate the sagas. They have inspired luminaries from J.R.R. Tolkein and W.H. Auden to David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman. It may come as a surprise to many just how smutty and wry they can be.
In a memorable episode in Njal's Saga, an Icelandic Chieftain visits Norway. He falls under the spell, so to speak, of the king's mature mother. Gunnhild arranges for Hrut spend nights with her in "the upper chamber.” She shows him patronage. Hrut gains glory in battle, as doughty Icelanders were wont to do in Norway. After a while, he seeks to return home to Iceland, much the richer. Gunnhild does not try to stop him, lavishing gifts, but inquires if he has a sweetheart back home. Hrut says no, but Gunnhild knows. She is a sorceress in truth, and curses him so he will not please his intended wife. Back home, Hrut marries Unn, but their marriage is troubled. Unn eventually confesses to her father: “When he comes to me his penis is so large that he can't have any satisfaction from me, and we've both tried every possible way to enjoy each other, but nothing works.”
The sagas are timeless because of their creative deployments of comedy, sex, rough talk, and of course violence, not in spite of them. These elements continue to entertain, surprise, and delight readers.
Nowhere is such material more concentrated than in the flyting, a compositional unit in literary theory, used in medieval Old Norse and also Old Irish literature. The flyting, also called senna, was a stylized battle of words. In a flyting, combatants exchange boasts, threats, insults, and challenges the way they might exchange blows in a physical battle. The abuse takes on a deviant sexual cast. Not all of it is funny. Misogyny is not uncommon. Homophobia is routinized.
Much of the same can be said of contemporary rap culture for much of its evolution from the late 1970s to today. I have found a striking similarity between Old Norse boasts and insults and the braggadocio and dis, or trash-talk, of contemporary rap. Like the saga writers of old, hip-hop vocalists have ritualized and raised these expressive forms to new heights.
To celebrate saga and rap affinities in off-color glory, I propose a new party game. It’s a group guessing game called “Medieval Iceland or Contemporary Rap?” The rules are simple. Someone stands and recites a line, lines, or line fragment from medieval Icelandic writings or contemporary rap. The text must contain an instance of boasting (braggadocio) or insults (trash-talk). The group’s job is to guess if the text is from contemporary rap or medieval Iceland. Bonus points for whoever can name the rapper/speaker or the song/text.
What, nothing comes to mind?
Well, let me suggest a few examples to get the party started (see references below):
We adulate the sagas. They have inspired luminaries from J.R.R. Tolkein and W.H. Auden to David Mitchell and Neil Gaiman. It may come as a surprise to many just how smutty and wry they can be.
In a memorable episode in Njal's Saga, an Icelandic Chieftain visits Norway. He falls under the spell, so to speak, of the king's mature mother. Gunnhild arranges for Hrut spend nights with her in "the upper chamber.” She shows him patronage. Hrut gains glory in battle, as doughty Icelanders were wont to do in Norway. After a while, he seeks to return home to Iceland, much the richer. Gunnhild does not try to stop him, lavishing gifts, but inquires if he has a sweetheart back home. Hrut says no, but Gunnhild knows. She is a sorceress in truth, and curses him so he will not please his intended wife. Back home, Hrut marries Unn, but their marriage is troubled. Unn eventually confesses to her father: “When he comes to me his penis is so large that he can't have any satisfaction from me, and we've both tried every possible way to enjoy each other, but nothing works.”
The sagas are timeless because of their creative deployments of comedy, sex, rough talk, and of course violence, not in spite of them. These elements continue to entertain, surprise, and delight readers.
Nowhere is such material more concentrated than in the flyting, a compositional unit in literary theory, used in medieval Old Norse and also Old Irish literature. The flyting, also called senna, was a stylized battle of words. In a flyting, combatants exchange boasts, threats, insults, and challenges the way they might exchange blows in a physical battle. The abuse takes on a deviant sexual cast. Not all of it is funny. Misogyny is not uncommon. Homophobia is routinized.
Much of the same can be said of contemporary rap culture for much of its evolution from the late 1970s to today. I have found a striking similarity between Old Norse boasts and insults and the braggadocio and dis, or trash-talk, of contemporary rap. Like the saga writers of old, hip-hop vocalists have ritualized and raised these expressive forms to new heights.
To celebrate saga and rap affinities in off-color glory, I propose a new party game. It’s a group guessing game called “Medieval Iceland or Contemporary Rap?” The rules are simple. Someone stands and recites a line, lines, or line fragment from medieval Icelandic writings or contemporary rap. The text must contain an instance of boasting (braggadocio) or insults (trash-talk). The group’s job is to guess if the text is from contemporary rap or medieval Iceland. Bonus points for whoever can name the rapper/speaker or the song/text.
What, nothing comes to mind?
Well, let me suggest a few examples to get the party started (see references below):
- “I’ve never lifted a weapon without hitting my mark.”
- “If it’s just we two who wrangle with wounding words: I’ll turn out rich in my replies.”
- “I'm the authentic poet to get lyrical / For you to beat me, it's gonna take a miracle.”
- “I sell ice in the winter / I sell fire in hell … / I sell water to a well.”
- “Pass me the scalpel, I'll make an incision, I'll cut out the part of your brain that does the bitchin'.”
- “You have no more brains than an ox or an ass.”
- “Blame God, he blew breath in my lungs / Second to none, wicked, I turn wives to widows”
- “Why so silent, you puffed-up gods: have you nothing to say to me at all?”
- “Pick from your teeth the pieces from the mare’s ass you ate.”
- “You know we show love, motherfuckers, cause Venus sent me… / Pussies calling us assholes for penis envy.”
- “It’s said you played the witch… / beat the drum like a lady-prophet… / that signals to me a cock-craver.”
- “…you are the sweetheart of the troll… / he uses you as a woman every ninth night.”
- “Suck a dick, the day you beat me pigs will fly out my ass… / The best part about me is I am not you.”
- “Shut up … / As for each here inside … / at one time you’ve been their bitch.”
- “A bad bitch … / First things first I'll eat your brains… / And if I'm fake I ain't notice cause my money ain't!”
- “When you awaken, your manhood will be taken.”
- “I never thought that you… would try to get money out of your manhood.”
- “There are many who can’t tell by looking at him whether he’s a man or a woman.”
- “Shut up and sit down… I don’t find it funny, though your servants laugh…, when you sit with your legs tight, rubbing your thighs together.”
- “Even if I stuttered I would still shi shi shit on you.”
- “Hymir’s daughters took you for a toilet / which is why they pissed in your mouth.”
- “You’re dripping with shit, dairy maid.”
- “You straddled your brother… / and then you farted.”
- “Come now, you can’t have been sitting on your ear when you were standing up.”
See the answer key below.
1. Skarphedin to Thorkel, Njal’s Saga, ch. 123
2. Loki to Eldir, Aegir’s servant, Lokasenna
3. Big Daddy Kane “Ain’t No Half-Steppin’”
4. Jay-Z “U Don’t Know”
5. MCA on Beastie Boys’ “'Make Some Noise”
6. Ofeig to Thorgeir Halldouson, Bandamanna Saga Ch. 9
7. Nas, “Hate Me Now”
8. Loki to the Aesir, Lokasenna
9. Skarphedin to Thorkel, Njal’s Saga Ch. 120
10. Typical Cats, “Reinventing the Wheel”
11. Odin to Loki, Lokasenna
12. Skarphedin to Flosi, Njal’s Saga Ch. 123
13. Eminem “Legacy”
14. Loki to Freya, Lokasenna
15. Niki Minaj, “Monster”
16. Big Pun, “The Dream Shatterer”
17. Thrain to the Njalssons, Njal’s Saga Ch. 91
18. Flosi to Skarphedin, referring to Njal, Njal’s Saga ch. 123
19. Egil Skulason to Thorarin, Bandamanna Saga Ch. 10
20. Remy Ma on Terror Squad’s “Terror Era“
21. Loki to Njord, Lokasenna
22. Loki to Beyla, Lokasenna
23. Loki to Freyja, Lokasenna
24. Egil Skulason to Hermund, Bandamanna Saga Ch. 9
1 comment:
Very interesting discussion. I have to admit ignorance in both the old and the new stuff.
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