Worms on a Ship, a close reading of Chaper 13 of Eirik the Red's Saga

Eirik the Red's Saga is the companion to the Saga of the Greenlanders. The two together make up the Vinland Sagas, which detail the Norseman 'discovery' of North America centuries before Christopher Columbus. I, as an undergraduate who is taking this class to kill off a Reading & Composition requirement, am in no position to say what exactly went down, but, like R+L=J in the A Song of Ice and Fire fandom, I find the evidence that Vikings visited North America convincing and exciting. Anyhow, this is my paper. I received a very unexpected piece of praise for this, so I hope I can keep it up through the end of the summer session.

“Eirik the Red’s Saga” follows the Icelandic colonization of Greenland, and subsequent exploration of North America led by Thorfinn Karlsefni and Bjarni Grimolfsson. The harrowing voyages of the Icelanders culminate in Chapter 13, wherein Bjarni’s group finds their ship infested with worms. They agree to divide in half, one portion to return to Greenland, and the other to die at sea. At first glance, the chapter is bizarre and illogical—while its placement could be chronologically appropriate, Chapter 13 directly follows and precedes chapters resolving the plot of Karlsefni and his lineage, disrupting the continuity of the saga. Its content, too, is strange: sagas infrequently dwell on one event for an entire chapter, and in such great detail. This collection of superficial observations marks Chapter 13 as an abnormality. However, closer analysis reveals Chapter 13 to be rich with symbolism and insight into the social dynamics of Bjarni’s ship and, by extension, the entirety of the Norseman explorations to the frontier, affirming the chapter’s significance in the saga.



Superficially, Chapter 13 appears to be yet another bizarre that impedes the progress and threatens the survival of the Greenlanders. Indeed, the worm incident follows the precedent of other strange, horrifying events that the Norsemen encounter in the west; among sightings of one-legged men and natives, the party’s encounter with the beached whale bears the strongest resemblance to the events of Chapter 13. When the Norsemen face starvation one winter, the unpleasant Thorhall prays for Odin’s help. Odin, presumably, sends forth a beached whale, whose meat causes sickness throughout the group, after which “…they cast it off a cliff and threw themselves on God’s mercy…” (“Eirik the Red’s Saga,” Page 668). Like the whale, the shipworms represent a threat to the survival of the Greenlanders, monsters belched forth by a savage and un-Christian ocean. Like the whale, they are manifestations of the fundamental fear of the unknown, and are reminiscent of iconic Biblical beasts: the serpent and the leviathan. This religious lens affects the interpretation of the deaths of Bjarni and the men on the ship: their deaths now mark them as martyrs. Bjarni, who takes initiative in dividing the group fairly, and later gives his spot on the boat to the Icelandic youth who “… [is]…upset about dying,” leads this martyrdom, suggesting an analogy to Jesus Christ (673). The religious theme surrounding this chapter breaks it from the initial, superficial assessment as a mere aberration in the continuity of the saga by imparting onto it heavy symbolism suggesting deeper meaning. Furthermore, this strong bias is consistent with the role of medieval monks transcribing the sagas—with that assumption, the reader can then interpret Chapter 13 to be a sermon, communicating both the dangers of the godless new world, and the piety of sacrifice.

Even so, further analysis is necessary to understand the gravity of the chapter, the scale of the danger and thus the scale of Bjarni’s sacrifice, and its symbolic relevance relative to the rest of the saga. Initially, the chapter reveals little peril in the infestation: aside from the speculation of the survival group, there is little to convince the reader of the certainty of Bjarni and his men’s death. Closer examination reveals indisputably mortal danger: the worms tunnel into the wooden ship, water would fill the tunnels, and the ship would inevitably capsize. “Bjarni Grimolfsson and his group [are] borne into the Greenland Straits and [enter] Madkasjo (Sea of Worms)...”—only after their ship passes these through these waters do they realize their infestation (673). Naming two bodies of water suggests that the party has gone far enough offshore that they cannot make landfall before the worms significantly compromise the ship, thus dispelling any ambiguity about Bjarni’s fate. With this assumption the reader can trust the survivors’ conviction that “…Bjarni died there…along with the others on board his ship…,” and that their decision to split the group, and Bjarni’s to stay, is literally a matter of life and death (673).

If the reader can understand the mortal peril in which Bjarni Grimolfsson and his crew find themselves in, then the ship’s collective movement to solve this problem becomes more momentous. Chapter 13 places emphasizes collectivity where elsewhere the sagas do not: Eirik as head of household make the decision to relocate to Greenland, and across the sagas, the godar and thingmen, men of status, make the laws at the Althing. Chapter 13 challenges this executive power: every decision is made by vote, each man with equal share. They decide by majority to split the group, and draw lots to determine who lives and dies, demonstrating that none is fundamentally more deserving of life than another. That the men decide to vote on their collective survival demonstrates their collective trust. When the dissenting youth says, "‘That's not what you promised me when I left my father's house in Iceland to follow you…’" he indicates that he trusted Bjarni, and trusts him now to acknowledge his request (673). Bjarni indeed switches places, showing that he is willing to sacrifice himself to maintain that trust. This chapter’s exploration of cooperation and trust is one compelling facet of the saga. While Chapter 13 represents one of many hardships the Greenlanders face in the new world, it uniquely examines the complex social and moral implications behind a dire, mortal decision.

In spite of this passage’s emphasis on collectivity, it portrays Bjarni as the epitome of generosity and honor for his men. Such a keen investment in describing and praising Bjarni suggests that the events truly were retold by the survivors on the boat as a testament to his bravery and leadership in adversity. That the incident occupies an entire chapter, and is thick with description and dialogue uncharacteristic of sagas, implies Chapter 13 to be the author’s commemoration Bjarni’s sacrifice, and a remnant of survivors’ guilt from the returning party. Therefore, it is reasonable to conclude that the author adequately communicates the returning party’s wishes to pay respects to and give due credit their lost companions’ sacrifices and express guilt at their own survival. The abnormality of this chapter in narration style and placement is superficial. Close reading reveals Chapter 13 to be rife with deeper meaning, expanding the scope of the saga to include explorations of complex social and moral dilemmas, religious ideology, and trust formed and kept through suffering and adversity.

Works Cited 

“Eirik the Red’s Saga.” The Sagas of Icelanders: a Selection. Pref. Jane Smiley. Trans. Katrina C. Attwood. New York: Viking, Penguin Group, 1997. Print.