Creative writing: Nordic historical fiction

Saxo Grammaticus, the thirteenth century Danish chronicler, when writing his prologue to the Gesta Danorum (History of Denmark) took the time to specifically cite Icelandic narrators as reliable sources for his great work. He expounded the opinion that Icelanders, while materially poor, were intellectually gifted and had a peculiar penchant for the collection and dissemination of history:

They regard it as a real pleasure to discover and commemorate the achievements of every nation; in their judgement it is as elevating to discourse on the on the prowess of others as to display their own. Thus I have scrutinised their store of historical treasures and composed a considerable part of this present work by copying their narratives, not scorning, where I recognised such skill in ancient lore, to take these men as witnesses.

Perhaps Saxo is referring to the oral practitioners of skaldic verse, or skalds, who by this point had ingratiated themselves in courts across Scandinavia as chroniclers and authorities on history. That a distinguished and learned Latin scholar did not see it beneath himself to utilise these pre-literate sources indicates the respect he held for the medieval Icelander’s authenticity and dedication to craft.

My debut novel, Faith of their Fathers, has followed in the tradition of Saxo, utilising the medieval Old Norse-Icelandic texts, collectively known as the sagas, in the composition of a new work.

Unlike his historiographies however, my novel is demonstrably fiction. It is not a historical treatise and nor is it meant to be so. It is, however, designed to capture the tone, mood, and plausibility of its sources. It is set at the dawn of the 11th Century in a small Icelandic settlement, where a killer has begun a spate of murders. This threatens the fragile peace between the pagan settlers and a growing Christian minority. We follow Arinbjorn, a young pagan farmer who resolves to track down the killer before the community is permanently torn apart.

So, how does one do this? How does one take these historical sources and create a fictional account set within that period?

First, it may be useful to define exactly what a saga is before examining their influences upon the novel. The term 'saga' is an Icelandic noun derived from segja, 'to tell' or 'to speak'. 'Saga' could therefore be interpreted as 'something said' or, more narrowly, a story or narrative.

When we use the term, we are usually referring to the medieval texts compiled in the latter half of the medieval period in Iceland. While all sagas concern themselves with historical events, the extent to which they can be relied upon as historiographical treatises is up for debate.

There are many different types of saga that are typically classified according to their subject matter, but the ones that most heavily influenced my novel are the konungasögur (kings’ sagas), which are typically associated with the history of the kings of Norway and the Íslendinga sögur (Sagas of Icelanders or Family Sagas) which concern themselves with events in Iceland from the beginning of the Norse settlement in the 870s until around 1030.

Íslendingabók provided the bulk of information on the Kristnitaka, or Christianisation, of Iceland. Composed by Ari Þorgilsson, 'the learned', Íslendingabók is the oldest extant historiographical account of the conversion. Ari was highly respected as a chronicler, both by his contemporaries and indeed by later scholars. Snorri Sturluson, writing in his prologue to Heimskringla, dated to c.1230, praises Ari for being the first person to record fræði (knowledge) in the Norse tongue and claims Ari was 'very wise.'

It is this respect for Ari that made his work an essential source for Faith of their Fathers. Íslendingabók provided details that were inserted into my novel and about which the narrative turns: the date of the conversion c.999/1000, the missionary priest Thangbrander’s conversion efforts, and the Althing (assembly) in which the Law Speaker Thorgeir made his case for peace between the rival faiths. By utilising Íslendingabók as material for the narrative, certain events and characters are predicated upon their appearance in the source.

When constructing Faith of their Fathers, careful attention was paid to the creation of characters, both fictive and historical. It is the modern reader’s ability to engage with, and believe in, a character that propels them through any given narrative. No matter how alien or fantastical the environment, if the thoughts, fears and hopes of the characters are believable then the fantastical world itself becomes accessible.

We do not know what the medieval Icelanders thought or felt, but we do have accounts of what they did. From this, we can try and infer how someone felt during that moment. For example, how would we feel, even now, if our children took up a different faith to our own? How would we react to the loss of a loved one? How do our anxieties around conforming to societal expectations and pressures make us act? The setting may change, but the feelings do not.

One of my favourite Old Norse poems is called Hávamál. It is an advice poem, and it is so wonderful to me because many of its stanzas are dedicated to giving very human advice: 'never seduce another man’s wife' or it is 'an unwise man [who] lies awake all night, brooding on everything'.  Even now, separated by hundreds of years and vastly different cultures, we know what it means to lay awake worrying about things we cannot control or the trouble that comes from loving someone we should not. That is what I sought to capture in my novel. These are universal sentiments that I could tap into when imagining how these historical people felt when facing such grand societal changes.

It is my hope that by utilising into these shared experiences of love and loss, the world of Faith of their Fathers becomes both plausible and accessible to a modern audience. If nothing else, it might encourage those who found its subject matter interesting to go off and read the sagas themselves. And, if I am really lucky, they may just enjoy my stories too.

Faith of their Fathers by Samuel M. Sargeant is published by Neem Tree Press (£9.99)

Read author Thilde Kld Holdt's top tips for researching Norse history and mythology here

Want more writing advice? Don't miss the chance to sign up for regular prompts, inspiration, practical guides and writing opportunities, emailed directly to your inbox!