“Big enough,” he said. “Do you suppose there is any strength in it?” asked Ofeig. “I certainly do,” said Gudmund. “Do you think it would deliver much of a blow?” asked Ofeig. “Quite a blow,” Gudmund replied. “Do you think it might do any damage?” continued Ofeig. “Broken bones or a deathblow,” Gudmund answered. “How would such an end appeal to you?” asked Ofeig. “Not much at all, and I wouldn’t choose it,” said Gudmund. Ofeig said, “Then don’t sit in my place.” IN THIS STORY FROM the Icelandic Ljósvetninga Saga, power is concentrated in a big fist in a way that recalls Hobbes’s characterization of primitive man, whose life is “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” There is constant competition and the physically strongest is likely to win, as in the competition for leadership among animals. With increasing institutionalization, physical power is replaced by legitimate birth, specific qualifications, or formal election, and the fist by symbols of authority.
