Aren´t they all lying sagas? Unreliable narrators in the Íslendinga sögur

Abstract

Abstract: The traditional view of the saga narrator is someone who is unbiased and detached, as such the audience might assume them to be reliable. This article highlights a series of instances in which the narrator can be shown to be unreliable, either deliberately or accidently. The narrator’s words at any one point may not be revealing the whole picture to the audience, as key facts may be withheld, either to be revealed later or requiring the reader to read between the lines to understand the story-truth. Furthermore, saga-style, with its lack or narrative flourish and tendency to understatement, can be used to mislead the audience. Although some of the most audacious examples of unreliable narrators are found in later sagas, unreliable narrators can be found in classical and celebrated sagas, and as such modern scholars must be circumspect about any and every claim that saga narrators make.