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“Oh Lord, My God, Forgive Me”

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“Oh Lord, My God, Forgive Me” Háskóli Íslands Hugvísindasvið Íslensk miðaldafræði “Oh Lord, My God, Forgive Me”: Comparing the Psychological Effects of Religious Shame in Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) and Parcevals Saga Ritgerð til MA-prófs í Íslenskum miðaldafræðum Bethany Rogers Kt.: 260682-3429 Leiðbeinandi: Sif Ríkharðsdóttir September 2015 ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to examine the relationship between religion and shame as portrayed by characterizations of Perceval in the original French text of Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) by Chrétien de Troyes and in the Norwegian translation Parcevals saga (author unknown). This will provide an examination of how shame is represented, what its portrayal means for the narrative itself and why it may be represented this way due to religious and cultural influences in Norse and French society. The main focus will be on the association of shame and sin and how the relationship between the two is viewed in both cultures as depicted in the two narratives. The portrayal of emotions other than love in the romances has not often been examined by scholars, particularly in a psychological context. Leah Tether´s Master´s thesis, ―Beyond the Grail: The Roles of Objects as Psychological Markers in Chrétien de Troyes´ Conte du Graal,‖ examines Perceval´s perception of objects in the story and their gradual acquisition of deeper, symbolic interpretation as he matures. Sylvester George Tan similarly explores the idea of unconscious sin and asks whether or not Perceval is unfairly castigated for his actions within the narrative in his article, ―Perceval‘s Unknown Sin: Narrative Theology in Chrétien‘s Story of the Grail.‖ However, these works do not consider theology and its psychological influences on an individual and, by extension, his culture as represented in literature. I will examine Perceval´s psychological state as it relates to his shame in two versions of the narrative in order to argue that the Norse-Icelandic audience placed much less importance on religion in general and on shame at committing a sin specifically. In conclusion, this project will examine the emotional and mental trials of Perceval in the French and Norse-Icelandic versions of the story after committing a great sin in order to shed new light on this element of Parcevals saga and the Scandinavian culture it represents. 2 ÚTDRÁTTUR Markmið þessarar ritgerðar er að skoða tengsl milli trúarbragða og skammar eins og hún er sett fram í persónu Parsifals í upprunalegum frönskum texta Chrétien de Troyes, Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) og þýðingu hans, Parcevals sögu. Með þessu má rannsaka birtingarmyndir skammar og hver merking hennar er í frásögninni sjálfri og hvers vegna slík framsetning gæti verið vegna trúar- og félagslegra áhrifa í norskum og frönskum samfélögum. Áhersla verður lögð á tengsl skammar og syndar, og hvernig litið er á samþættingu þessara þátta félagslega samkvæmt þessum tveimur textum. Framsetning annara tilfinninga en ástar í ástarsögum hefur ekki verið mikið skoðuð af fræðimönnum, sérstaklega í sálfræðilegu samhengi. Meistararitgerð Leah Tether, ―Beyond the Grail: The Roles of Objects as Psychological Markers in Chrétien de Troyes´ Conte du Graal,‖ skoðar skynjun Parsifals á hlutum innan sögunar og þróun þeirra yfir í djúpstæð, merkingarþrungin tákn samhliða vaxandi þroska riddarans. Sylvester George Tan skoðar á sama máta hugmyndina um ómeðvitaða synd og spyr hvort að Parsifal hafi hlotið óverðskuldaðar skammir fyrir gjörðir sínar í frásögnum í grein sinni ―Perceval‘s Unknown Sin: Narrative Theology in Chrétien‘s Story of the Grail.‖ Engu að síður taka þessi verk ekki tillit til guð- og sálfræðilegra áhrifa sem Parsifal verður fyrir, og þar með framsetningu menningar hans sem skynjaðrar innan þessara rita. Ég mun skoða sálfræðilegt ástand Parsfals og tengingu þess við skömm hans í þessum tveimur ritum og setja fram þá keningu að norrænir áheyrendur hafi lagt minni áherslu á trúarbrögð yfirhöfuð og sérstaklega skömm tengda syndinni. Skoðaðar verða sagnfræðilegar ástæður fyrir þessu. Meðal annars áhrif kirkjunnar og samfélagslegar venjur eða hefðir sem enn voru ríkjandi í Norræna-Íslandi eftir kristnitöku sem voru ekki til staðar í Frakklandi á tímum Chrétien de Troyes og skrifa hans. Með þessu verður leitast við að varpa ljósi á þjáningar Parceval sem eru afleiðing af syndum hans innan sögunnar, bæði í frönsku og norsk-íslensku formi sögunnar, í þeim tilgangi að útskýra þennan hluta Parcevals sögu og þá norrænu menningu sem hún stendur fyrir. 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor, Sif Rikharðsdóttir, for her unwavering kindness and support as I undertook not only to write a thesis, but did so ahead of schedule. She has set a shining example of passionate scholarship that has inspired me to seek a Ph.D. in the future. Thanks also must go to Haraldur Bernharðsson, Torfi Tulinius, Viðar Pálsson and Terry Gunnell, whose classes inspired curiosity, wonder, and the desperate need to get it right, because the work we do is so important. I must also thank my husband, Fróði Snorrason, who continues to help me with Icelandic translation in times of panic, and his parents, Lilja Karlsdóttir and Snorri Snorrason, whose knowledge of Icelandic culture, history, geology, archaeology and life in general has improved every piece of work I have created for this program. Many warm hugs to Birita í Dali, whose constant encouragement ensured that this thesis was completed on time, yet who also reminded me to take care of myself, eat good food, get some sleep, and enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend whenever I can. Thanks also go to Michael MacPherson and Katie Thorn, who proofread this thesis for the price of a smile. I would also like to thank the friends and colleagues I have made in the MIS/VMN program at the University of Iceland; together, they made life in Reykjavik so enjoyable while opening my eyes to all the possibilities of life, fun and academia, motivating me to go further than I ever planned with my education in order to continue collaborating with such wonderful people. 4 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 6 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................... 8 1. AUTHORSHIP AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF WRITING ................................ 14 1.1 The Matter of France ...................................................................................................... 14 1.2 The Matter of Norse-Iceland .......................................................................................... 22 2. ANALYSIS OF LE CONTE DU GRAAL (PERCEVAL) ................................................. 35 2.1 The Psychology of Perceval in Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) ...................................... 35 2.2 Portrayal of Other Important Figures in Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) ........................ 50 2.3 Portrayal of Religion in Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) ................................................. 54 3. ANALYSIS OF PARCEVALS SAGA ................................................................................ 59 3.1 The Psychology of Parceval in Parcevals saga .............................................................. 60 3.2 Portrayal of Other Important Figures in Parcevals saga ............................................... 68 3.3 Portrayal of Religion in Parcevals saga ........................................................................ 73 4. PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGION AND ITS APPLICATIONS ..................................... 75 4.1 Guilt vs. Shame ............................................................................................................... 76 4.2 The Relationship between Shame and Religion ............................................................. 78 4.3 Cross-Cultural Psychology: Religion and Emotion in French and Norse Culture ......... 81 4.4 Durkheim and Role of Religion and Shame in Shaping Society .................................... 87 5. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................... 92 5 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this work is to examine the relationship between religion and shame as depicted by characterizations of Perceval in the original French text of Le Conte du Graal (Perceval) by Chrétien de Troyes and in the Norse translation Parcevals saga (author unknown). This character study will allow an examination of how shame is represented, what its portrayal means within the context of the romance and why the relationship between shame and religion may be represented this way due to social and cultural influences in Norse and French society. This research will allow us to consider the riddarasögur, and particularly Parcevals saga, in a new way. For a long time, riddarasögur were largely ignored by scholars of Norse literature, who preferred to focus on indigenous works rather than imported materials; most overviews of Norse-Icelandic literature include only small sections on the translated riddarasögur and somewhat more extensive discussion of the indigenous versions.1 However, that is not to say that no one has taken an interest in the riddarasögur as a genre. A History of Arthurian Scholarship by Norris J. Lacy contains an extensive commentary on scholarly work in the Arthurian genre, including chapters on Scandinavian and French Arthurian Literature, designed to survey ―the work of those who
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