Face the Consequences: A Reading of Hrafnkel’s Saga Anonymous College

Legality, although often intertwined with morality, is not to be confused with it. In Hrafnkel’s Saga, Hrafnkel is a chieftain who makes an oath to slay anyone who rides his beloved Freyfaxi. He generously provides Einar with a job, only asking that he not ride Freyfaxi. Einar broke this oral oath and was subsequently killed. Although murder seems extreme as Einar was merely trying to better serve his job, an oath was made and not following through with the consequences would have brought tragedy to all. Although Hrafnkel was unjustly charged for murder in a trial he was physically restrained from attending, it is obvious that Hrafnkel should be vindicated on account of Einar’s oral consent, Hrafnkel’s duties as chieftain, Einar’s conscious abuse of Freyfaxi, and Hrafnkel’s compensation.

Einar’s oral consent to Hrafnkel’s conditions demonstrates his agreement to the consequences of defying the oral contract, clearly indicating Hrafnkel’s innocence. To begin with, Einar was fortunate enough to even find a decent job because at the time “all the best jobs [had] been taken by others (39). With such a magnanimous offer, Hrafnkel only imposed one condition; to never ride his cherished Freyfaxi “however urgent the need may [seem],...