There and Back Again: the significance of far-travel and far-travellers in the Icelandic sagas

The Icelandic sagas describe Icelanders travelling throughout the medieval world. But their stories were also written down during a time of unrest, when Icelandic society was under great pressure from Norwegian political influence. The images of these far-travellers – like the men who went east to serve foreign kings, and the men and women who sailed the dangerous seas to the west, to discover and colonise new lands – can reveal aspects of author intent and values. This thesis explains how stories of far-travellers and journeys provide a literary response by their authors, articulating their sense of an emerging Icelandic identity.