Ebook: The Ethics of Brotherhood in Gisli Sursson's Saga

October 24, 2006, 6 pages. Source: https://conventioneers.files.wordpress.com/The saga of Gisli Sursson is the story of a man who is forced by events beyond his will to scoff the law of his people and uphold the honor of his word. Beneath this tale of vengeance and outlawry, the saga writer conveys the moral growth of the title character as he learns, over the course of a life violently shortened, what it means to be a brother and a kinsman. The reader must attempt to deconstruct the complex morality that guides Gisli's decisions if he or she is to understand the hero's sometimes baffling choices. This paper will progress through Gilsi's life and examine the evolution of his conscience to show that by the end of his life, he has not ultimately forsaken his oaths of brotherhood, but changed the meaning of brother.