The Use of Magic in Transformations, Weather and Entrapments by Finnar, Bjarmar and Other Inhabitants of the North in the Fornaldarsögur (ca. 1200-1400)

In many Old Norse texts inhabitants of the far north are portrayed as magic users. This thesis analyzes the use of magic in the fornaldarsögur by Finnar, Bjarmar and other inhabitants of the north in an attempt to discover why they are often portrayed as magic users. This is done by examining three principal uses of magic in the fornaldarsögur: transformations, weather manipulation and the use of enchantments to entrap characters. In order to understand these portrayals not only are the fornaldarsögur themselves analyzed but also other periodic texts and through examining the historical context of interactions between the Norse and those that lived to the north of them the Finnar and Bjarmar. This thesis concludes that Finnar, Bjarmar and other northern inhabitants are not portrayed as magic users due to the actual use of magic but rather as a narrative device of the Icelanders in an attempt to frame their own identity and understanding of the world. Even traditionally Norse forms of magic such as seiðr are attributed to having originated from these inhabitants of the north. The use of magic is almost always portrayed negatively within the fornaldarsögur. When characters use magic they often were considered to have crossed natural boundaries, such as that of gender, that were thought to define and hold together civilized society. In transforming into other creatures characters became more powerful through unnatural actions rather than through their own strength while at the same time further blurring the distinction between man and beast. Weather magic and enchantments were often used to explain misfortune or how characters ended up in faraway places that they had no intention on traveling to. Inhabitants of the north were portrayed as being magic users in the fornaldarsögur because they lived outside of the framework of Norse society that defined civilization and order from the perspective of medieval Icelanders.Siirretty Doriast