The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi

The Saga of Hrafnkel Frey's Godi was very unique. Some things that I noticed right away were the complete lack of poetry, and the non-existence of a female voice, and the emphasis on law. This greatly contrasts the other sagas we have read where poetry is ever present, and there is often a female voice. In other sagas, a consideration of how women are portrayed is always necessary, but in this saga, there is nothing to consider, no women. This saga also offers a lot of insight into the Icelandic judicial system. In other sagas, law was always an afterthought, and often times, one had to basically guess at how a situation was "legally' handled. In this saga we see many systems, traditions, and methods of courtly practices. Regarding the legal system, I found whole system very odd. In this saga, after Sam takes over the case, Thorbjorn is almost completely out of the picture. Sam runs the trial, and carries out the punishment of Hrafnkel. When Hrafnkel leaves Adalbol, Sam takes his farm. When Hrafnkel retaliates, he does so against Sam's brother. Thorbjorn, does almost nothing but tag along, when he is the one seeking recompense.