REDEFINING LIMINALITY IN THE READING OF ICELANDIC SAGAS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2026.3.09Keywords:
liminality, threshold, Otherworld, saga literature, fornaldarsǫgur, Íslendingasǫgur, þættir, supernatural, liminal geography, the other, liminal mindscapesAbstract
Redefining Liminality in the Reading of Icelandic Sagas. This article introduces a revised and expanded definition of the concept of liminality, with the purpose of utilising it as a methodological tool in the study of the corpus of medieval Icelandic sagas. The paper proposes an alternative interpretation of liminality, distinct from that established in foundational works such as those of Arnold van Gennep and Victor Turner. It argues that liminality does not merely constitute an intermediate phase within a ritual system, but may also represent a state of continuous reconfiguration and metamorphosis, thus, a condition of ambiguity, fluidity, and uncertainty, which can be attributed to physical or mental spaces, individuals, or objects. The article further suggests, in essence, that liminality may manifest both intentionally and unintentionally. Therefore, a key term of this study is the “threshold”, understood as the core of ambiguity and transformation. The paper also analyses representations of the Otherworld within the context of Norse literary tradition, as well as the modalities through which it may be accessed, based on examples from a selection of fornaldarsǫgur, Íslendingasǫgur and þættir.
Article history: Received 01 May 2026; Revised 22 July 2026; Accepted 20 August 2026; Available online 30 September 2026; Available print 30 September 2026.
References
Arrow-Odd: A Medieval Novel. 1970. Translated with an introduction by Paul Edwards and Hermann Pálsson. New York: New York University Press.
Clunies Ross, Margaret. 2010. The Cambridge Introduction to The Old Norse-Icelandic Saga. Cambridge University Press.
Guðmundsdóttir, Aðalheiður. 2015. “The Narrative Role of Magic in the Fornaldarsögur.” In ARV. Nordic Yearbook of Folklore. Special issue: Magic and Texts. Vol. 70, edited by Ane Ohrvik and Aðalheiður Guðmundsdóttir, 39-57. Uppsala: Swedish Science Press.
Heide, Eldar. 2011. “Holy Islands and the Otherworld: Places Beyond Water.” In Isolated Islands in Medieval Nature, Culture and Mind, CEU medievalia 14, The Muhu Proceedings 2, edited by Gerhard Jaritz and Torstein Jørgensen, 57-80. Budapest / Bergen: Central European University / Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Bergen.
Leslie-Jacobsen, Helen. 2009. “Border Crossings. Landscape and the Other World in the Fornaldarsögur.” In Scripta Islandica, årsbok 60/2009, edited by Daniel Sävborg, 119-137. Uppsala: self-published.
Ní Bhrolchaín, Muireann. 2009. An Introduction to Early Irish Literature. Four Courts Press.
O'Donoghue, Heather. 2004. Old Norse-Icelandic Literature. A Short Introduction. Blackwell Publishing.
Saga Heiðreks Konungs ins Vitra. The Saga of King Heidrek the Wise. 1960. Translated from the Icelandic with Introduction, Notes and Appendices by Christopher Tolkien. Thomas Nelson and Sons Ltd.
Schjødt, Jens Peter. 2007. “Contemporary Research into Old Norse Mythology.” In Reflections on Old Norse Myths, edited by Pernille Hermann, Jens Peter Schjødt, and Rasmus Tranum Kristensen, 1-17. Turnhout, Belgium: Brepols Publishers.
Schjødt, Jens Peter. 2012. “Wilderness, Liminality, and the Other in Old Norse Myth and Cosmology.” In Wilderness in Mythology and Religion. Approaching Religious Spatialities, Cosmologies, and Ideas of Wild Nature, vol. 55, edited by Gustavo Benavides, Kocku von Stuckrad and Winnifred Fallers Sullivan, 183-205. Boston/Berlin: de Gruyter.
Star-Oddi’s Dream. 1997. Translated by Marvin Taylor in The Complete Sagas of Icelanders II, edited by Viðar Hreinsson et al. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing Ltd.
The Laxdale Saga. 1964. Translated by Muriel Press. Edited with an introduction and index by Peter Foote. London: Everyman’s Library.
The Saga of Grettir the Strong. 1998. Translated by Bernard Scudder. Reykjavík: Leifur Eiríksson Publishing Ltd.
Turner, Victor. 1969. The Ritual Process. Structure and Anti-Structure. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
Van Gennep, Arnold. 1960. The Rites of Passage. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Philologia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
