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Imagine hearing from a few people that you have "theif's eyes".
Could it be a self-fulfilling prophesy? Or is that imposing too Much modern psychology Said the curious Llama Nom
It does tend to test from what fiber you are made, I dare not repeat before this august company half of the things I have been called - but twas water off a Ducks back - kvak kvak - Old Norse duck
I tend to read people as they read books it is fun. But do not sit on the bus and chuckle - people look .!!
Since it is a story and especially a Saga there has to be magical "thingies" in it I would accept that it will turn out to be true but Hrut the Mighty could just as likely meet a sticky end at the hands of the little lady for his remark - and as for reading people - ek em Seið-kona, broðir minn - watch if someone corrects my spelling - I am getting to have a wonderful time with this
Patricia
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<originalpatricia@...> wrote: > I am amazed at the lack of tact shown by Hrut - it has been saidthat a thief is born with very bright and "narrowing" eyes - no doubt they believed in that in those times, unless of course her eyes held a bold direct stare - and were not downcast and "maidenly" but what a stupid thing to say. To touch the child under her chin may have just been to get a look at her eyes which in itself seems a suspicious thing to want to do This has been a good thing to start, I found myself reading through and just checking in the Dictionary, this is enough anyway to gain confidence in this - I may do better in the future Ah, so that's what thief's eyes are. I always wondered. A favourite trick of saga writers is prefiguring things. On one level, Hrútr is making a doom-laden prophecy for our benefit. But what you said has set me thinking maybe this little scene also prefigures other moments of supreme tactlessness in the saga. Have you read Manuel Aguirre's article "Narrative Composition in the Saga of the Volsungs" in Saga-Book Vol. XXVI, 2002? He talks about the way sagas often do that folktale thing of repeating an event and showing both possible outcomes. For example, if someone dives into the sea to search for a ring twice and fails, you know that the third time the hero will succeed. Or if there are two brothers and one is rubbish and cowardly, you know the other will thrive. A lot of sagas, including this one, have a pattern of minor quarrels which are soon apparently resolved, contrasted with more serious feuding later on. Of all the things that are said and done in this saga that have terrible repercussions, maybe this first chapter is the opposite of that: a small falling out between brothers, that lasts just a little while and doesn't result in violence or legal wranglings. Then again, maybe it does have hidden repercussions. Imagine the effect on a youngster of being told that she has "thief's eyes". How many people heard this? Of course it's probably made up, but if we pretend it isn't for a moment, since the incident appears in a saga it must have been common knowledge. Imagine hearing from a few people that you have "theif's eyes". Could it be a self-fulfilling prophesy? Or is that imposing too much modern psychology. | |||
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