arnkel

One of the standard literary devices in the sagas is that a person
wearing a blue cloak is generally bent on killing. It is hardly an
accident that the color of Hallgerd's garb is described when she is
summoned.

Yet on the other hand (and there always seems to be an "other hand" in
this saga), Hallgerd seems to be a model of proper and courteous
behavior at this point. I recently saw a book in which Hallgerd was
described as "easily the nastiest female character in medieval
literature," but I don't agree with that at all. I see her as a
tragic character who falls victim to her own pride. Hallgerd seems to
be reaching out in this scene, trying to deal with the men around her
as equals and showing them that she can be reasonable and even
yielding when she is treated with what she considers to be her due
respect. But fate, after all, has her wearing that blue cloak . . .

~A.