This week I'm presenting on these two tales. They are both pretty short, so if you haven't read them yet, you should definitely go ahead and do so.
In The Tale of Audun from the West Fjords, the first thing I noticed was the extent of Audun's travels. He goes to Greenland, the frontier of their society, and to Norway and Denmark, and even to Rome, the center of religious authority. I wondered about the significance of paying visits to the kings of Norway and Denmark, since Iceland had no king.
Audun's fortunes change multiple times during his tale. He runs out of money twice, and yet he ultimately returns home a much richer man than he was when he left. King Svein gives him a ship, money, and a ring. Why? More specifically, is there a reason why he receives those particular things?
In the Tale of the Story-wise Icelander, I had similar questions about the logic of the king's actions. Perhaps there are parallels between this one and some of the other tales in which the king keeps someone around for entertainment value, such as Sarcastic Halli. The unnamed youth, however, is concerned about offending the king, so he is probably a far less controversial personality around the court.
Why might the king not like to hear the story of his own travels? I have an idea, but I also want to hear what other people think.
It's not until the end of this tale that we find out about the connection to another of the tales. How does the ending of this tale compare to the ending of the tale of Halldor Snorrasson?
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