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From Viking Chiefdoms to Medieval State in Iceland

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From Viking Chiefdoms to Medieval State in Iceland UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles From Viking Chiefdoms to Medieval State in Iceland: The Evolution of Social Power Structures in the Mosfell Valley A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Archaeology by Davide Marco Zori 2010 © Copyright by Davide Marco Zori 2010 The dissertation of Davide Marco Zori is approved. University of Califomia, Los Angeles 2010 ll TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... ix LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................... xiii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. xiv VITA ................................................................................................................................. xx ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ....................................................................... xxii Chapter 1 Introduction..................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Aims of this Dissertation .......................................................................................... 1 1.2 Historical Framework: Iceland from Colonization to the Loss of Independence ..... 5 1.3 Theoretical Framework: Approaches to Social Sources of Power and Applications to Medieval Iceland ....................................................................................................... 10 1.3.1 Kinship-based Power ....................................................................................... 13 1.3.2 Economic Power .............................................................................................. 15 1.3.3 Political Power ................................................................................................. 20 1.3.4 Military Power ................................................................................................. 24 1.3.5 Ideological Power ............................................................................................ 32 1.4 Methodological Framework: Archaeology and Texts for the Study of Medieval Iceland ........................................................................................................................... 46 1.4.1 The Dangers of Textual Analogy: Avoiding Tyranny and Tautology ............. 48 1.4.2 The Strength of Interdependency for Historical Archaeology ......................... 52 1.4.3 Employing the Icelandic Sagas for Interdisciplinary Research ....................... 53 1.5 The Structure of the Dissertation ............................................................................ 64 SECTION I: PLACE NAMES Chapter 2 Place Names: Oral and Written Memory in the Mosfell Valley Landscape ........................................................................................................................................... 67 2.1 Place Names and the Study of Medieval Norse Toponymy ................................... 67 2.2 Icelandic Places Names ........................................................................................... 71 2.2.1 Stability and Potential of the Icelandic Place Names ...................................... 71 2.2.2 Place Name Research in Iceland ...................................................................... 74 iii 2.2.3 Social Ranking as Revealed in Icelandic Place names .................................... 77 2.2.4 -Staðir Names and Icelandic Settlement Hierarchies ....................................... 78 2.3 Place Names in the Mosfell Valley ......................................................................... 81 2.3.1 Mosfell: The Primary Farm in the Valley ........................................................ 86 2.3.2 Helgadalur and Leirvogstunga (Tunga): Two Topographical Farm Names of Probable Early Origin ............................................................................................... 92 2.3.3 The Secondary Farms: Farms Containing the –Staðir Suffix .......................... 98 2.3.4 Tertiary Farms: Hrísbrú, Minna-Mosfell, Norður Reykir, Laxnes, Hlaðgerðarkot ......................................................................................................... 104 2.3.5 Micro-Topographic Names in the Mosfell Valley as Records of Traditional Economic Uses of the Landscape ........................................................................... 111 2.3.6 Names of Travel, Trade, and Transport in the Mosfell Valley ...................... 115 2.4 Conclusion: A Place Name Model for Settlement Hierarchy ............................... 118 SECTION II: TEXTUAL SOURCES Chapter 3 Landnám in the Mosfell Valley Region: Textual Evidence of the First Settlers and the Formation of a Regional Kin-group Alliance Network ................. 120 3.1 Introduction: The Colonization of the Mosfell Region and the Role of Kinship in Nascent Icelandic Social Structure ............................................................................. 120 3.2 The Settlement, Resource Use, and Structure of the Extensive Settlement Farms122 3.3 The Earliest Inhabitants of the Mosfell Region .................................................... 126 3.3.1 Þórðr Skeggi Hrappsson: Landnámsmaðr of the Mosfell Region ................. 128 3.3.2 Þórðr Skeggi’s Three Daughters and Their Marriage Alliances .................... 136 3.3.3 Helgi Bjóla ..................................................................................................... 140 3.3.4 Örlygr Gamli (the Old) Hrappsson ................................................................ 144 3.3.5 Ásbjörn Össurarson ........................................................................................ 146 3.3.6 Hallr Goðlauss (the Godless) ......................................................................... 146 3.3.7 Þorbjörn Hraðason and Þórvör Þorbjarnardóttir: Early Inhabitants of the Mosfell Farm ........................................................................................................... 147 3.4 Conclusion: The Wider Mosfell Region in the Settlement Period ....................... 150 Chapter 4 The Mosfell Chieftains and their Sources of Power in the Saga Age ..... 153 4.1 The Saga Age Literature and Sources of Social Power ........................................ 153 iv 4.2 Kinship and Social Relationships as Sources of Power for the Mosfellingar ....... 155 4.2.1 Grímr Svertingsson of Mosfell, His Kin, and His Alliances ......................... 156 4.2.2 Önundr Eilífsson of Mosfell, His Kin, and His Alliances ............................. 164 4.2.3 Concluding Remarks on the Kinship-Based Social Power of the Mosfellingar ................................................................................................................................. 173 4.3 The Economic Power of the Mosfellingar: the Organization of Production and the Control of Exchange ................................................................................................... 174 4.3.1 Household Organization and Production ....................................................... 175 4.3.2 Exchange and Economic Control of the Leirvogur Port ................................ 180 4.4 The Political Power of the Mosfellingar ............................................................... 191 4.4.1 Grímr Svertingsson and the Lawspeaker Position ......................................... 191 4.4.2 The Mosfell Goðorð and the Nesses .............................................................. 195 4.4.3 Concluding Remarks Concerning the Political Power of the Mosfellingar ... 210 4.5 The Ideological Power of Mosfellingar ................................................................ 211 4.5.1 The Mosfellingar and the Materialization of Pagan Ideology ....................... 212 4.5.2 Conversion of the Mosfellingar to Christianity ............................................. 214 4.6 Conflicts and the Military Power of the Mosfellingar .......................................... 219 4.6.1 Conflict 1: Egill, Þorsteinn, and Grímr vs. Steinarr and Borgarfjörður Chiefs ................................................................................................................................. 220 4.6.2 Conflict 2: Önundr and the Grímsnes Mosfellingar vs. Gunnar of Hliðarendi ................................................................................................................................. 226 4.6.3 Conflict 3: Hrafn and Önundr of Mosfell vs. Gunnlaugr and Illugi of Gilsbakki ................................................................................................................................. 231 4.7 Conclusion: The Power of the Mosfell Chieftains in the Saga Age ..................... 239 Chapter 5 Social Power in the Mosfell Region in 12th and 13th Centuries ............... 243 5.1 The Textual Sources for the Later Free-State Period ............................................ 243 5.2 Skapti Þórarinsson and Mosfell in the 12th Century ............................................. 246 5.2.1 Skapti the Chieftain-Priest and the New Sources of Power under Institutionalized Christianity ................................................................................... 248 5.2.2 Skapti’s Involvement in the Feud
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