Double Marriage In The Volsung's The Saga Of The Nihild

In the Saga of the Volsungs the Sigurd and Brynhild couple presents a particular interest not only because it plays the central role in the narration and causes unexpected plot twists but also because their love line is not of a conventional nature. Both of them make double marriage vows: one to each other and another to their official spouses. Since this is not a normal practise in the society, this causes trouble for both of them and results in their inability to live with each other and ultimately leads to their death. The vows Sigurd and Brynhild exchange have more meaning for them than the ones they give to Gudrun and Gunnar because for both of them personal feelings overpower the social responsibility. Nevertheless, the nature of these feelings is different; as for Gudrun it is a sense of duty to herself, whereas Sigurd acts out of love. As a result both characters prioritize the oaths they give to each other and turn out to be ready to break their marital vows in favor of feelings. This essay will

Although Sigurd's character proves to be honest and attentive to obligations, love for him finally overwhelmes the call of duty. At the same time, Brynhild is solely driven by egoistic motives and her actions base on a promise given to herself. Such a contrasty depiction of attitudes towards marital vows shown by a male and a female characters suggests a transgression of traditional gender roles in the narrative. Cold mindededness, ambitiousness and disregard to any type of human bonds are attributed to the female character, whereas strong sense of affection, emotionality and unwillingness to break the bonds to the male. Thus, the transgenderness of the characters depicts a Nordic society, as the one where there is no a clear division between male and female roles and patterns of