The Njáls Saga Tapestry 
Another stop on its journey 

Author: Dianne O’Konski, Lakeville, MN

In the town of Hvolsvöllur, South Iceland, a community of just under 1,000 people live in this area that is connected to the country’s most famous saga. Surrounded by outstanding landscapes, they wake up each day to amazing views and to a history never forgotten by them. Or for that matter, by any Icelander. But the project to hand-embroider a 90-metre-long tapestry depicting Iceland’s most famous saga – the Saga of the Burning of Njál – was conceived in this small village.
Of the 42 major sagas, Icelanders consider Njál’s Saga the “mightiest” of all. Why? Well, the characters are dramatic, no arguing that; the “tit for tat” blood feuds are vindictive, dramatic, even cruel, taking the lives of many innocent slaves, which disrupts everyone living on the two most important farms in this saga. These farms exist today. Plus, the events span over a 60-year period, crossing many countries. Even the motto for the Icelandic police force is taken from this saga: “Með lögum skal land byggja” (With laws shall the land be built). With all this combined, it is difficult to argue their claim. Then to top it off, almost everyone, including schools and libraries, participates in reciting this saga, word for word, every November on the 16th day of the month. It is that important. 
The Njál’s Saga Tapestry is sewn using the Bayeaux stitch. A 1,000-year-old tapestry which depicts the events of 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, the Bayeaux Tapestry is often called the “mother of all comic strips because of its narrative style, … it’s a common description used by historians and art critics when discussing the tapestry’s significance as an early form of visual storytelling.”
The Njál’s Saga Tapestry was to be a modern form of visual storytelling and was estimated to take ten-years. They started in February 2013 but completed it by September 2020. Tourists stopped by and sewed, some people coming for a few days just to sew. Because of all this interest it was done three years early, despite COVID. A crowd-sewn tapestry was the result, with a literary classic brought to life as a visual story.
Now what do they do with it? Put it in a museum! Obviously, this is the only way to display a 90-metre tapestry. Unfortunately for this community, government support was not forthcoming. Claudia, an American, a foreigner married to an Icelander, made the astonishing suggestion to build their own museum. This was shocking to Icelanders: their government, not individuals, normally back the arts and the literary fields. But the small community of Hvolsvöllur had accomplished too much to give up. Instead, they embraced her suggestion. To travel and show a 90-metre tapestry is just not possible. So, once again, they gathered to sew. This time it was for a 5-metre long travelling tapestry with the key characters showcasing the actions and events from chapters 31 to 45. Claudia and Ingvar Pétursson took on the challenge to travel throughout North America with this 5-metre tapestry, a key excerpt of an action-packed story. Their goal? To raise the money required to build a museum, a permanent home for the 90-metre-long tapestry!
The Leif Eiriksson Icelandic Club (LEIC) was excited to play a small role in the tapestry’s journey and invited Claudia and Ingvar to bring it to Calgary on July 12th and 13th, the last weekend of the Calgary Stampede, a busy time for the city. We are grateful that people found the time to support this exhibition. This 5-metre-long tapestry may tell just a small part of the Njál’s Saga narrative, but the impact of viewing it and hearing its part of the story was an incredible experience. Claudia’s interpretation of each image was mesmerizing. A natural storyteller, her sense of humour and Ingvar’s deep voice reading the text in Old Norse captivated everyone. She brought the story to life and left us hanging on for more. 
A few people I spoke to after had read the saga; others, after hearing the story, were looking for ways to read it. Well, there is a website where you can read it for free: www.sagadb.org. (Just click on the British flag for English.) You can follow their journey on the project’s Facebook page, Njálurefill (@Njalurefill).
All in all, it was a fun-filled weekend. I cannot recommend the tapestry strongly enough to everyone. If this travelling tapestry comes to your area, do not miss the exhibition!