Gisli Sursson's Saga and The Saga of the People of Eyri

by Martin Regal

  Then Gisli spoke these verses:

  12.

  The trial at Thorsnes

  would not thus

  have gone against me

  if Vestein’s heart

  had beat

  in the breasts

  of the sons

  of Bjartmar.

  13.

  My wife’s uncles

  were downcast

  when they ought

  to have been glad.

  Those spenders of gold spenders of gold: men

  behaved as if

  they had been

  pelted with rotten eggs.

  14.

  News comes from the north:

  the assembly is over,

  harsh sentence passed

  on me – no honour there.

  Giver of pure gold, giver of pure gold: generous man

  this blue-armoured warrior

  shall cruelly repay

  both Bork and Stein.

  Then Gisli asked the two Thorkels what he might expect of them, and they both replied that they would give him shelter provided it meant no material loss on their parts. Then Thorkel the Wealthy rode home. It is said that Gisli spent three winters at Geirthjofsfjord, staying some of the time with Thorkel Eiriksson. Then he spent another three winters journeying around Iceland, meeting with various chieftains and trying to elicit their support. As a result of Thorgrim Nef’s evil arts, and the magic rite and spells he had performed, Gisli had no success in persuading these chieftains to ally themselves with him; although their support sometimes seemed almost forthcoming, something always obstructed its course. Nevertheless, he spent lengthy periods with Thorkel Eiriksson. By this time he had been outlawed for six years.

  At the end of this period, he dwelt partly in Geirthjofsfjord, at Aud’s farm, and partly in a hut that he had built north of the river. He had another hideout by a ridge just south of the farm – and he also stayed there from time to time.

  22 Now when Bork heard of this, he left home and went to meet Eyjolf the Grey, who at that time was living at Otra dal in Arnarfjord. Bork asked him to go and search for the outlaw Gisli and kill him, offering him three hundred pieces of silver27 to do all in his power to find the man. Eyjolf took the money and promised to take care of the matter.

  There was a man with Eyjolf named Helgi, who was known as Helgi the Spy. He was sharp-sighted, a fast runner, and he knew all the fjords. He was sent to Geirthjofsfjord to find out whether Gisli was there and discovered that there was indeed a man there, but he did not know whether it was Gisli or someone else. He went back and told Eyjolf the situation. Eyjolf said he was sure it was Gisli, and he reacted quickly by going to Geirthjofsfjord with six men. But he did not find Gisli, so he returned home.

  Gisli was a wise man who dreamed a great deal and whose dreams were prophetic. All knowledgeable men agree that Gisli survived as an outlaw longer than any other man, except Grettir Asmundarson.28

  It is said that one night, when Gisli was staying at Aud’s farm, he slept badly and when he awoke she asked him what he had dreamed.

  He answered her, ‘There are two women I dream of. One is good to me. The other always tells me something that makes matters worse than ever, and she only prophesies ill for me. Just now I dreamed that I appeared to be walking towards a certain house or hall, and it seemed that I walked into the house and recognized there many of my kinsmen and friends. They sat by fires and drank. And there were seven fires, some of them almost burned out and some burning very bright. Then my good dream-woman came in and said that this signified how many years I had left to live, and she advised me to stop following the old faith for the rest of my life, and to refrain from studying any charms or ancient lore. And she told me to be kind to the deaf and the lame and the poor and the helpless, and that is where my dream ended.’

  Then Gisli spoke some verses:

  15.

  Bright land of wave’s flame, wave’s flame: gold; its land: woman

  goddess of gold, I came goddess of gold: woman

  to a hall where seven fires,

  to my anguish, were burning.

  On both sides, men on benches

  greeted me kindly, while I,

  wringer of verses, wished each

  and every man there good health.

  16.

  ‘Consider, tree of the sword,’ tree of the sword: warrior

  said the Eir of ribbons, Eir of ribbons: woman

  ‘how many fires burn

  brightly here in the hall –

  thus many winters are left

  unlived for him who bears

  the shield in battle’s storm.

  Better things soon await you.’

  17.

  ‘Bringer of death in battle,

  from words spoken by poets,

  take and learn only what is good,’

  said Nauma of gold to me. Nauma of gold: woman

  ‘Almost nothing is worse,

  for the flame of shield, flame of shield: warrior

  the spender of sea-fire, sea-fire: gold; its spender: generous man

  than to be versed in evil.’

  18.

  ‘Do not be the first to kill,

  nor provoke into fight

  the gods who delight in battle. gods (Njord) who delight in battle:

  Give me your word on this. warriors

  Help the blind and handless,

  ring-giver, Balder of shield. Balder of shield: warrior

  Beware, evil resides in scorn

  shown to the lame and needy.’

  23 To return to Bork, he began to put considerable pressure on Eyjolf. He felt that Eyjolf had not done what was expected of him and that he had got less than he expected for his money. Bork said he knew for certain that Gisli was in Geirthjofsfjord, and he told Eyjolf’s men, who were acting as messengers between them, that either Eyjolf must go and search for Gisli or he would go and do it himself. Eyjolf responded quickly and sent Helgi the Spy back to Geirthjofsfjord. This time he had enough food with him and was away for a week, waiting for Gisli to appear. One day, he saw a man emerge from a hiding place and recognized him as Gisli. Helgi made off without delay and told Eyjolf what he had discovered.

  Eyjolf got ready to leave with eight men, and went off to Aud’s farm in Geirthjofsfjord. They did not find Gisli there, so they went and searched the woods, but they could not find him there either. They returned to the farm and Eyjolf offered Aud a large sum of money to disclose Gisli’s whereabouts. But that was the last thing she wanted to do. Then they threatened to hurt her, but that produced no result, and they were forced to return home. The whole expedition was considered humiliating, and Eyjolf stayed at home that autumn.

  Although he had eluded them this time, Gisli knew they would catch him eventually because the distance between them was so short.29 So he left home and rode out to meet his brother, Thorkel, at Hvamm on Bardastrond. He knocked on the door of the chamber where his brother lay and Thorkel came out to greet him.

  ‘I need to know,’ said Gisli, ‘whether you will help me. I expect it of you. I’m in a tight spot and I have long refrained from asking your assistance.’

  Thorkel answered as before, and said that he would offer him no help that might lead to a case being brought against him. He was willing, however, to give him silver and some horses if Gisli needed them, or anything else he had mentioned earlier.

  ‘I can see now,’ said Gisli, ‘that you don’t want to give me any real help. Then let me have three hundreds of homespun cloth, and be comforted with the thought that from this time on I will ask very little of you.’

  Thorkel did as he was asked. He gave Gisli the cloth and, in addition, some silver. Gisli said he would accept these but that he would not have acted so ignobly if he had been in his brother’s position. Gisli was much affected when they parted. He headed out for Vadil, to Gest Oddleifsson’s mother, Thorgerd. He arrived there before dawn and knocked on the door. Thorgerd came to answer. She often
used to take in outlaws, and had an underground passage. One end of this passage was by the river, and the other led into the fire room of her farmhouse. Traces of this can still be seen.

  Thorgerd welcomed Gisli warmly: ‘I suggest you stay here for a while,’ she said, ‘but I don’t know that I can give you much more than a woman’s help.’

  Gisli accepted her offer, and added that, considering the kind of help he had had from men, he did not expect to be done any worse by women. He stayed there for the winter and was nowhere treated as well during his days as an outlaw.

  24 When spring came round again, Gisli went to Geirthjofsfjord because he could no longer be away from his wife, Aud – for they loved each other greatly. He stayed there in hiding until autumn and, as the nights lengthened, he dreamed the same dreams over and over again. The bad dream-woman appeared to him and his dreams grew ever more troubled. One time, when Aud asked him what he had dreamed, he told her. Then he spoke a verse:

  19.

  If old age awaits this spear-breaker spear-breaker: warrior

  then my dreams lead me astray.

  Sjofn of sewing, mead-goddess, Sjofn (goddess) of sewing: woman;

  comes to me in my sleep, mead-goddess: woman

  and gives this maker of verses

  no cause to believe otherwise.

  Wearer of brooches, wearer of brooches: lady

  this keeps me not from sleep.

  Then Gisli told her that the evil dream-woman also came to him often, and always wanted to smear him with gore, bathe him in sacrificial blood and act in a foul manner.

  20.

  Not all my dreams bode well,

  yet each of them must I tell.

  That woman in my dreams

  takes all my joy, it seems.

  As I fall asleep, she appears,

  and comes to me besmeared

  hideously in human blood,

  and washes me in gory flood.

  And again he spoke:

  21.

  Once more have I told my dream

  to the trees of arrow-torrents. trees of arrow-torrents: warriors

  And words did not fail me.

  Eir of gold, battle-thirsty men Eir (goddess) of gold: woman

  had me made an outlaw.

  They will surely

  regret what they have done

  if rage comes upon me now.

  Things were quiet for a while. Gisli went back to Thorgerd and stayed with her for another winter, returning to Geirthjofsfjord the following summer where he stayed until autumn. Then he went once again to his brother, Thorkel, and knocked on his door. Thorkel did not want to come out, so Gisli took a piece of wood, scored runes on it and threw it into the house. Thorkel saw the piece of wood, picked it up, looked at it and then stood up and went outside. He greeted Gisli and asked him what news he brought.

  Gisli said he had none to tell: ‘I’ve come to meet you, brother, for the last time. Assist me worthily now and I will repay you by never asking anything of you again.’

  Thorkel gave him the same answer as before. He offered Gisli horses or a boat, but refused any further help. Gisli accepted the offer of a boat and asked Thorkel to help him get it afloat – which he did. Then he gave Gisli six weights of food and one hundred of homespun cloth. After Gisli had gone aboard, Thorkel stood there on the shore.

  Then Gisli said, ‘You think you’re safe and sound and living in plenty, a friend of many chieftains, who has no need to be on his guard – and I am an outlaw and have many enemies. But I can tell you this, that even so you will be killed before me. We take our leave of each other now on worse terms than we ought and will never see each other again. But know this. I would never have treated you as you have treated me.’

  ‘Your prophecies don’t frighten me,’ said Thorkel, and after that they parted.

  Gisli went out to the island of Hergilsey in Breidafjord. There he removed from his boat the decking, thwarts, oars and all else that was not fastened down, turned the boat over and let it drift ashore in Nesjar. When people saw the boat, wrecked and washed ashore, they assumed that Gisli had taken it from his brother Thorkel, then capsized and drowned.

  Gisli walked to the farmhouse on the island of Hergilsey, where a man named Ingjald30 lived with his wife, Thorgerd. Ingjald was Gisli’s cousin, the son of his mother’s sister, and had come to Iceland with Gisli. When they met, he put himself at Gisli’s complete disposal, offering to do for him whatever was in his power. Gisli accepted his offer and stayed there for a while.

  25 There were both a male slave and a female slave at Ingjald’s house. The man was named Svart and the woman Bothild. Ingjald had a son named Helgi, as great and simple-minded an oaf as ever there was. He was tethered by the neck to a heavy stone with a hole in it and left outside to graze like an animal. He was known as Ingjald’s Fool and was a very large man, almost a troll.

  Gisli stayed there for that winter and built a boat and many other things for Ingjald, and everything he made was easily recognizable because he was a superior craftsman. People showed surprise at the number of well-crafted items that Ingjald owned since it was known that he was no carpenter.

  Gisli always spent the summers in Geirthjofsfjord, and by now three years had passed since he had his dreams. Ingjald had proven himself a faithful friend, but suspicions arose and people began to believe that Gisli was alive and living with Ingjald, and that he had not drowned as they had once thought. People started to remark on the fact that Ingjald had three boats and all were skilfully crafted. This gossip reached Eyjolf the Grey, and he sent Helgi out again, this time to the island of Hergilsey. Gisli always stayed in an underground passage when people came to the island. Ingjald was a good host and he invited Helgi to rest there, so he remained for the night.

  Ingjald was a hard-working man and rowed out to fish whenever the weather permitted. The following morning, when he was ready to go to sea, he asked Helgi whether he was not eager to be on his way and why he was still in bed. Helgi said that he was not feeling very well, let out a long sigh and rubbed his head. Ingjald told him to lie still, and then went off to sea. Helgi began to groan heavily.

  It is said that Thorgerd then went to the underground hiding place, intending to give Gisli some breakfast. There was a partition between the pantry and where Helgi lay in bed. Thorgerd left the pantry and Helgi climbed up the partition and saw that someone’s food had been served up. At that very moment, Thorgerd returned and Helgi turned round quickly and fell off the partition. Thorgerd asked him what he was doing climbing up the rafters instead of lying still. He said he was so racked with pains in his joints that he could not lie still.

  ‘Could you help me back to bed?’ he said.

  She did as he asked and went out with the food. Then Helgi got up and followed her and saw what was going on. After that he went back to bed, lay down and stayed there for the rest of the day.

  Ingjald returned that evening, went to Helgi’s bed and asked him if he felt any better. Helgi said he was improving and asked if he might be ferried from the island the following morning. He was rowed out to the island of Flatey, and from there he went south to Thorsnes, reporting that he had news that Gisli was staying at Ingjald’s house. Bork set out with a party of fourteen men, boarded a ship and sailed south across Breidafjord. That day, Ingjald went fishing and took Gisli with him. The male and female slaves, Svart and Bothild, were in a separate boat, close to the islands known as Skutileyjar.

  26 Ingjald saw a ship sailing from the south, and said, ‘There’s a ship out there and I think it’s Bork the Stout.’

  ‘What do you suggest we do now?’ asked Gisli. ‘Let’s see whether your wits match your integrity.’

  ‘I’m not a clever man,’ said Ingjald, ‘but we have to decide something quickly. Let’s row as fast as we can to Hergilsey, get up on top of Vadsteinaberg and fight them off as long as we can keep standing.’

  ‘Just as I anticipated,’ said Gisli. ‘You hit on the very plan that best sh
ows your integrity. But I would be paying you poorly indeed for all the help you have given me if you lose your life for my sake – and that will never happen. We’ll use a different plan. You and your slave, Svart, row out to the island and make ready to defend yourselves there. They will think that it is I who am with you when they sail up past the ness. I’ll exchange clothes with the slave, as I did once before, then I’ll get into the boat with Bothild.’

  Ingjald did as he was advised, but he was clearly very angry.

  When they parted company, Bothild said, ‘What can be done now?’

  Gisli spoke a verse:

  22.

  The shield-holder seeks shield-holder: warrior

  a plan to part with Ingjald.

  Let us pour Sudri’s mead, Sudri’s (dwarf’s) mead: poetry

  slave-woman, though I

  accept my fate, whatever it be.

  Noble woman of low means,

  carrier of wave-fire: carrier of wave-fire (gold): woman

  I fear nothing for myself.

  Then they rowed south towards Bork and his men, and behaved as if nothing were amiss.

  Gisli told them how they should act. ‘You will say,’ he told her, ‘that this is the fool on board, and I’ll sit in the prow and mimic him. I’ll wrap myself up in the tackle and hang overboard a few times and act as stupidly as I can. If they go past us a little, I’ll scull as hard as I can and try to put some more distance between us.’

  Bothild rowed towards them, but not close, and pretended to be moving from one fishing ground to another. Bork called out to her and asked her if Gisli was on the island.

  ‘I don’t know,’ she answered. ‘But I do know there’s a man out there who surpasses all others in size and skill.’