girnd (desire)

<p dir="ltr">This chapter analyses the use of the noun girnd (desire, yearning, lust) in relation to depictions of desire in saga literature. While modern frameworks usually separate out passions and desires from emotions, pre-modern accounts tend not to treat them as distinct phenomena, with many thinkers treating desire, in the sense of lust or strong passion, as a basic emotion. In the sagas, desire takes many forms, including not only romantic and sexual impulses but also Christian yearning for spiritual salvation. In either case, desire is conceptualised as strongly relational, as something that directs the individual towards other people and objects. The extent to which the term girnd is used varies depending on the desires discussed and their narrative contexts. In narratives about romantic affairs, it occurs rarely despite the subject matter; conversely, it appears prominently in sagas more concerned with the moral and religious aspects of desire. The chapter discusses some of the terms used to refer to desires in Old Norse texts, before analysing girnd in relation to two prominent kinds of strong desire: sexual and romantic desire, also referred to as lust, and religious and devotional desire. In identifying the common narrative patterns associated with each kind of desire, the chapter aims to assess which kinds of desires are more strongly coded as emotional states in saga literature.</p>