The pioneer homestead
is an important concept in both the Vatnsdaela and the Ponnivala epic
stories. In the first picture we see the original Icelandic
homestead portrayed as a modest but well-built structure. It has a
sod roof and solid wooden planks have been used for the front
entrance. Ingimund stands proudly in front of this structure. He
assumes the stance of an elder imbued with authority and wisdom.
This is the family’s proud mark of their territorial claim and also
their first home. It is like a land claim marking their control of
the local territory and their position at the base of a great lineage
of fine men. We can imagine that Ingimund’s sons and their sons
in turn, will flourish! There is also a second vague figure in the
background. It may be Ingimund’s wife Vigdis, though we cannot be
certain. Ingimund’s early life unfolds in Norway where his father
lived. We are told he was already brave, handsome, and physically
talented. Ingimund was also gentle towards others. Significantly
(thinking of the Ponnivala story) he was adopted by a family friend
Injald early in life. Leaving the safety of that home as a young man
he then has many formative pre-marriage adventures as a Viking
raider. It is only after Ingimund’s marriage that he decides to
leave for Iceland and start a new life there. This picture of him in
front of his homestead depicts Ingimund after he journies to and
settles in that new land.
The
parallel Ponnivala hero Kunnutaiya establishes a similar homestead.
Though not totally foreign, this is a place he only knew as a child
but then returns to after his marriage. Ingimund’s father
Thorstein was born is Norway, a faraway place. Kolatta, Kunnutaiya’s
male parent, was also born in a similarly mysterious location
(Vellivalanadu). It was an area which lay outside of (was foreign
to) Ponnivala itself. Like Ingimund, Kunnutaiya also spends his
early youth with an adopted father. This is so because Kolatta is
not his genetic father. Instead he was a loving guardian who found
Kunnutaiya as a babe, in his own back field. But after some time
Kolatta dies suddenly, along with his wife. Kunnutaiya is left an
orphan at age five. This brave little hero then spends about ten
years fending for himself and being testing by many adventures. Only
after this period of adventures does he marrying and become an adult.
And similarly, Kunnutaiya’s youthful adventures and an orphan try
him and build his character, much as the adventures of a young Viking
raider moulded Ingimund. Like Ingimund too, Kunnutaiya is described
as exceptionally handsome and talented but is also said to be a
gentle and thoughtful young boy. It is after Kunnutaiya’s marriage
that he leaves to start a new life in Ponnivala, rediscovering
Kolatta’s old family lands after days of travel. Now Kunnutaiya
builds his equivalent homestead structure. The little dwelling he
builds is humble but well framed. In both cases the roof on this
symbolic family nest is made of traditional local materials. Of
course, in the hot climate of South India thatch is used rather than
sod. Both homes, furthermore, are built from local wood (probably
driftwood in Ingimund’s case). Kunnutaiya and his wife have one
cow, not very different from how Ingimund might have had to start his
own dairy herd.
It is important to
note the fact that in both epics the family homestead presents a
deliberate contrast with a fine palace dwelling the hero later
builds. As both Ingimund and Kunnutaiya mature and become
established local patriarchs each decides to make a public statement
about his wealth and fame by building a new home. In Kunnutaiya’s
case, he pressured to show off his new wealth by his wife. We don’t
know if Ingimund’s wife Vigdis had the same degree of influence
over him.
In both cases, however, the core father
figure of the story ends up living in a substantial and
well-appointed home that has been built with the help of dependent
(some would say ‘slave’) labor. Both of these “palaces”
incorporate exotic, expensive materials into their design.
Photos of a
modern-day model of Leif Erikson’s Viking-Iceland home are used
here to provide a reasonable idea of what Ingumund’s Vatnsdaela
“palace” may have looked like. These two interior images
illustrate the sense of “luxury” each of the two fine residences
would have conveyed to visitors. In sum, the heroes’ “homestead
stories” are similar. As a concept, furthermore, this “homestead
idea” is highly valued by both traditions. A single, humble,
self-built dwelling is where the heart of the family rests. The
homestead is the symbolic rock, the foundation stone for all that
follows. By implication, this is where the core “regional”
culture resides that both epics attempt to glorify. It is the spot
where the lineage each hero finds initial nurture.
~ Brenda E. F. Beck
~ Brenda E. F. Beck
No comments:
Post a Comment