Háskóli Íslands
Hugvísindasvið Viking and Medieval Norse Studies
‘To Talk of Many Things’
Whales, Walrus, and Seals in Medieval Icelandic Literature
Ritgerð til MA-prófs í Viking and Medieval Norse Studies
Karin Murray-Bergquist Kt.: 060291-3659
Leiðbeinandi: Dr Emily Lethbridge May 2017 Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 5 Literature Review 9 The Language of Place 14 The Language of Nature 18 Chapter One: Whales 26 a. Claiming ground 26 b. Navigation and communication 32 c. Unsettled places 38 Chapter Two: Walrus 41 a. Traveling tusks 41 b. Double life 44 c. Who is the walrus? 47 Chapter Three: Seals 50 a. At the edge 50 b. Transformation 53 c. Sealing their fate 57 Postscript — Sea Cows 61 Conclusion 63 Appendix A 78