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This test consists of 5 short answer questions and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. To whom was the promise made?

2. Who had been taking care of the girl?

3. Sigurd's death leaves Gudrun feeling smaller than which object?

4. For how many years did the slave girls live underground?

5. How does Gudrun redeem herself?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The stories of the widows at Sigurd's grave show clearly that it was common for people to have a great number of marriages. Having children in each marriage was also common. Discuss the reason for the large number of marriages. How did the marriages typically end? Were the marriages formal or based on an informal commitment? What would be an average number of marriages per person based on the information given?

Essay Topic 2

The tales in the Elder Edda are often repetitive. Some are retold in another point of view while others are almost identical to other poems. Explain the use of the repetition and why it was so common. Why do you think that the names and/or spellings sometimes changed from one account to the next?

Essay Topic 3

As in most literature, love triangles are often the cause of pain and death. The same is true in the Eddas. In some cases, there is no actual infidelity, only the desire to have another's mate for your own. Discuss the moral implications of thought versus deed in regards to infidelity.

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This section contains 259 words (approx. 1 page at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample