Fear, superstition and bargaining: A curse as a threat in old Norse literature

Abstract

The power of words is a special topic in the Old Norse-Icelandic literature. The extant corpus, including prose and prosimetric sagas as well as poetry, creates an impression of a culture in which language was both respected and feared. Those who knew their way with words could exercise power over both human and supernatural characters of myths, legends and sagas. Among the ways to use words a prominent place is taken up by curses, especially the versified ones. The variety of sources in which the curses are found – ranging from medieval sagas to later folktales – and the diverse social roles of the speakers as well as the addressees of the curses are briefly discussed in the introduction to this paper. However, curses did not always have to be fulfilled in order to be effective. The main question to be addressed in the present paper is, whether the very belief in the power of words – and specifically of the versified curses – could give a clever magician or witch a chance to bend someone to their will with a mere threat of a curse. The rules of an effective curse-threat and the role of various elements – such as supernatural creatures and runic inscriptions – are taken into account in this discussion. The two specific cases explored here are Skírnismál, a poem about gods and other supernatural creatures from the Elder Edda, and Busluboen, a curse extant in Bósa saga ok Herrauðs – a legendary saga about human kings and heroes.