The Sagas of the Icelanders

by Smilely, Jane

  She had pulled her clothes up over her head and was walking backwards, with her head thrust between her legs. The look in her eyes was hideous – the way she could dart them like a troll.

  Thorstein said to Jokul, ‘Kill Hrolleif now; you have wanted to do this for a long time.’

  Jokul said, ‘I’m quite ready for it now.’

  He then hacked off his head and told him that he would never haunt them again.

  ‘Well, well,’ said Ljot, ‘I came very near to being able to avenge my son Hrolleif, and you sons of Ingimund are very lucky men.’

  Thorstein replied, ‘What is the clearest sign of that?’

  She said that she had intended to change the whole lie of the land there, ‘and all of you would have run wild and been driven crazy with fear out among the wild animals, and that is how things would have turned out if you had not spotted me before I saw you.’

  Thorstein said that it was no surprise that their respective luck had changed. Then Ljot the witch died in her rage and sorcery, and mother and son are now out of the saga.

  27 After the killing of Hrolleif and Ljot the brothers returned home, and folk were pleased to see them. Somewhat later, Thorstein said to his brothers, ‘Now I think I am entitled to choose some valuable item from our possessions.’

  They agreed that this was the case.

  ‘Then I choose the homestead at Hof and the land along with its livestock.’

  They said that this was hardly just a single item and felt that it looked rather greedy.

  Thorstein said that everything ought to go together, land and livestock, ‘and though this seems to you somewhat greedy, it should be borne in mind that, for one thing, our honour will be at its greatest when we are most united, and, secondly, I have the most foresight in this matter. There are plenty of other precious things here, and I happily grant them to you.’

  The share-out then took place. Hogni received the ship Stigandi because he was a merchant. Thorir Goat-thigh received the godord, and Jokul was given the sword Aettartangi. He had the sword with him at games meetings and horse-fights, and Thorstein carried it at Autumn meetings and law meetings, because this was the way that Jokul wanted it. Similarly, Thorir said that although the godord was his, he would allow Thorstein to have all the honour from their law cases.

  Thorstein said, ‘It is clear to me that you brothers want to find ways of honouring me in everything; and though I have chosen the homestead for myself, I would be happy to grant you some valuables in return. It seems to me a good idea that we should now move our seats to where our father’s high seat was.’

  They did so. Thorstein became chieftain of the Vatnsdal people and Vesturhop and over all the areas where his father Ingimund had exercised authority. Thorstein married a woman named Gyda who was the daughter of Solmund, the son of Gudmund. He was the father of Killer-Bard. At that time it was thought that being associated with the Vatnsdal people was a likely source of honour. Jokul lived at Tunga and Smid at Smidsstadir, and Thorir Goat-thigh at Nautabu, which is now called Undunfell.

  28 It is now time to tell of the man who was mentioned earlier, and was called Thorolf Sledgehammer. He developed into an extremely unruly individual. He was a thief and also much inclined towards other troublemaking. It seemed to folk that his settling in the area was a very bad thing and that no sort of evil from him would come as any surprise. Though he was without followers, he was the owner of creatures on whom he relied for protection – these were twenty cats; they were absolutely huge, all of them black and much under the influence of witchcraft.

  At this time men went to Thorstein and told him of their difficulties – they said that all governance in the region was in his hands, and that Thorolf had stolen from lots of people and done many other wicked deeds.

  Thorstein said that what they said was true, ‘but it is not easy to deal with this man of Hel and his cats, and I’ll spare all my men that’.

  They said that he could hardly retain his honour if nothing were done. After that Thorstein assembled some men and wanted the backing which came with their numbers. With him were all his brothers and his Norwegian follower. They went to Sleggjustadir. Thorolf would have no dealings with them; he could never abide the company of good men.

  He went inside when he saw the troop of men arriving on horseback and said, ‘Now there are guests to receive, and I intend to have my cats take care of this, and I will put them all outside in the doorway, and the men will be slow to gain entry with them defending the entrance.’

  He then fortified them greatly by magic spells and after this they were simply ferocious in their caterwauling and glaring.

  Jokul said to Thorstein, ‘Now you must come up with a good plan; you did right in not allowing that monster to remain in peace any longer.’

  There were eighteen men in the party.

  Thorolf said, ‘I will now make a fire, and I do not mind if it smokes, because the coming of the Vatnsdal men will not be peaceful.’

  He put a kettle over the fire and placed wool and all sorts of rubbish underneath it, and the house filled with smoke.

  Thorstein went to the door and said, ‘We ask you to come out, Thorolf.’

  He said that he knew their visit meant only one thing, and that was not at all friendly. Then at once the cats began to howl and behave monstrously.

  Thorstein said, ‘They are a gruesome lot.’

  Jokul replied, ‘Let’s get in there, and not worry about these cats.’

  Thorstein said that they should not, ‘because it is more likely that we would be unable to keep our troop safely together, what with the cats and Thorolf’s weapons and everything else, because he is a formidable warrior; I think it would be better for him to give himself up and come out, because he has more fuel for his fire than he may find comfortable while he remains inside’.

  Thorolf moved the kettle from the fire and pressed the wool down on the fire, and choking smoke billowed out so that Thorstein and his men could not get near the door.

  Then Thorstein said, ‘Watch out that the cats don’t get hold of you, and let us throw fire against the house.’

  Jokul seized a great burning brand and threw it against the door, and the cats fled, and with that the door slammed shut. The wind blew against the house, and the fire began to grow bigger.

  Thorstein said, ‘Let us stand by the hayfield wall, where the smoke is thickest, and see what he does, because he has more fuel for a fire than may be helpful to him in the long run.’

  In this Thorstein was pretty close to the mark.

  At that moment Thorolf leapt out with two chests full of silver and went through the smoke, and when he reappeared, the Norwegian stood facing him and said, ‘Here comes the monster now – what a mean-looking creature he is.’

  The Norwegian ran after him down to the Vatnsdalsa river. Thorolf came to a place where there was a deep hole or mire.

  Thorolf then turned towards the Norwegian and grabbed at him and dragged him under his arm and said, ‘So you want to have a race against me; but now we can both go together,’ and he leapt into the mire and they sank so that neither reappeared.

  Thorstein said, ‘This has turned out very badly, now that my Norwegian companion has perished, but it will be some redress that Thorolf’s wealth will end up as compensation for him’; and so it did.

  The place where Thorolf lived has been called Sleggjustadir ever since, and cats have always been sighted there, and the place has often seemed ill-fated since then. This farm is down the valley from Helgavatn.

  29 Mar Jorundarson moved his homestead from Grund to Masstadir. Relations between him and the sons of Ingimund were good. One autumn there was news that Mar had lost some sheep; they were searched for far and wide and not found. There was a man named Thorgrim, known as Skin-hood. He lived in Hjallaland. He was very skilled in magic but mean in other ways.

  There was a good deal of talk about the disappearance of sheep, for the valley seemed mostly settled by honest folk. On
e evening, when the shepherd came home, Mar asked him if there was any news.

  He said that his sheep had been found, and no harm had befallen them, ‘but there is something more to add. I have found a plot of land in the woods, and the soil is very good, and it is there that the sheep have been and they are now very fat.’

  Mar asked, ‘Is this on my land or someone else’s?’

  The shepherd said that he thought it would prove to be his – ‘but it lies next to land belonging to the sons of Ingimund; it can only be approached from your own property’.

  Mar had a look at this choice piece of land, and thought well of it and took it as his own. Thorgrim said that he thought they could keep the land from the sons of Ingimund.

  Thorstein heard about this and said, ‘It seems to me that our kinsman Mar judges this in his own way and scarcely grants us our legal due.’

  A little later Jokul met his brother Thorstein and they discussed many matters.

  Jokul said that it would be a disgrace if men were to rob them right there in the valley, ‘and that wretch Thorgrim Skin-hood quite unjustifiably takes it upon himself to irritate us, and it would be right and proper for him to be repaid for this’.

  Thorstein said that he was no one worth sparing, ‘but I do not know whether he is yet at our mercy.’

  Thorstein suggested that they should go to meet with Thorgrim; Jokul said that he was ready. When Thorgrim became aware of this, he went to meet with Mar; they greeted each other warmly.

  Thorgrim said that he had come running from an attack, ‘and the sons of Ingimund will be heading this way’.

  Mar asked what he knew about all this.

  Thorgrim replied, ‘They are now making their way to my farm and want to kill me, but it will always appear that I know more than other men.’

  When they came to the farm, Thorstein said, ‘We are here dealing with a tricky customer in Thorgrim, because he will not be home.’

  Jokul said, ‘Let’s do some damage here, nevertheless.’

  Thorstein said that he did not want to – ‘I do not want it said that we seized his goods, but couldn’t seize the man himself,’ and with that they went home.

  On another occasion Thorstein said again to his brothers, ‘I am curious to see whether we can find Thorgrim.’

  ‘I’m ready to go this minute,’ said Jokul.

  Again Thorgrim went to meet Mar and said, ‘The sons of Ingimund have not yet forgotten me; I want you now to come back with me, and they will see for themselves that I am not afraid to wait for them at home.’

  Mar went back home with him.

  Then the sons of Ingimund approached the farm and met up with Mar in the hayfield.

  Thorstein said, ‘Mar, our kinship is not working out as it should do; I would like each of us to have respect for the other and not to support those troublemakers who want to quarrel with us.’

  Mar said that theirs was obviously a hostile visit; he declared that he would not give up his share on their account. Jokul said that it was evident that Mar and his men wanted to test their strength against them.

  Thorstein said that he was reluctant to quarrel with his kinsfolk, ‘but it is not unlikely that it may come to that if we do not get our rights’.

  They departed, because they could not get at Thorgrim because of his sorcery and the presence of Mar; and for some time after this the situation was that either Thorgrim had disappeared from his home, or Mar was present there with plenty of men.

  At that time Hogni Ingimundarson came out to Iceland in his ship Stigandi and stayed with Thorstein over the winter and told remarkable tales of his travels while he had been away; he also said that he had never known as fine a ship as Stigandi.

  There was much talk around the region of the goings-on between the kinsmen. Jokul often met his brother Thorstein and claimed that he still wanted to give in to Mar.

  Thorstein said, ‘That’s the way it has been up to this point, but now we will waylay Thorgrim, even though something tells me that this is not a specially good idea.’

  One day the brothers prepared to leave home; there were twenty-five of them in all, including the five brothers.

  Then Thorgrim said, ‘There is now trouble afoot; the sons of Ingimund will be here at any moment.’

  He gathered up his clothes and rushed out.

  He met Mar and told him that the sons of Ingimund were on their way, ‘and they intend grim-heartedly to seize us, and we had better be ready to make them regret their attack’.

  Mar assembled some men. Hromund, son of Eyvind the Proud, a mighty warrior who married Mar’s daughter, was with them at the farmstead. He said that it was clear that the Hof men would try their luck against them. There were forty of them in all, not counting Mar’s two nephews, who were promising young men.

  Thorgrim said, ‘The best plan is to go out and confront Ingimund’s sons,’ and they did so.

  Thorstein saw this and said, ‘Now we have the chance to prove ourselves, and I think it best for everyone to give it everything they have.’

  Jokul then drew Aettartangi and said that he liked the idea of testing it on the necks of Mar’s followers. The two sides met at Karnsnes.

  Thorgrim told Mar that he would hide himself – ‘and it may be that I will be no less useful than if I were standing right by you, but I don’t trust myself in a fight’.

  Mar did not reply.

  The battle then began, and when it had been under way for some time, Jokul said, ‘I can’t say much for the biting power of Aettartangi.’

  Thorstein replied, ‘It is the same with us, and yet our men are being wounded.’

  Jokul was right in the thick of things and hacked away with both hands. He was formidably strong and quite without fear. He struck blows which bruised but did not cut.

  ‘Has your good luck changed, Aettartangi, or what?’

  Thorstein replied, ‘It appears to me that men whom I have struck down stand up again; can you see anything of Thorgrim?’

  They said that he was nowhere to be seen.

  Thorstein told Jokul to leave the battle and find out whether he could catch sight of him, ‘and you, kinsman Hogni, carry on with the fight in the meantime’.

  Hogni said that he would.

  They then went off in search of Thorgrim.

  Jokul said, ‘I see where the monster shows his face above ground.’

  Thorstein said, ‘There lies the fox in his lair,’ and Thorgrim eyed them from where he lay – this was near the river.

  Jokul and both brothers rushed towards him; Thorgrim raced towards the river. Jokul got near enough for his sword to catch him, and it cut off whatever it made contact with, that is both his buttocks right to the backbone. The place where he ran into the water has since been known as Hufuhyl ([Skin-]hood’s pool).

  Jokul said, ‘Now Aettartangi has bitten.’

  Thorstein said, ‘I fancy that it will do so from now on.’

  The events of the battle must now be related. Hromund went hard at Hogni and there was a ferocious exchange of blows; it ended up with Hogni falling at Hromund’s feet. At that moment Jokul arrived; he was again seized with his great fury and attacked Hromund savagely. His sword did not fail to bite, and neither did the weapons of others in the fight. Jokul struck at Hromund’s foot and gave him such a wound that he was maimed for the rest of his life and became known as Hromund the Lame. The cousins of Mar fell in the fight. Eventually men from nearby farms noticed the battle raging there and went to separate those involved. Thorgrim of Karnsa was first on the scene, along with other farmers; he was a kinsman of the sons of Ingimund. The two sides were separated; many were injured and all were exhausted.

  Thorgrim said, ‘You, Mar, have shown great stubbornness in going against the brothers, but they are more than a match for you. My advice is that you surrender to them and offer Thorstein self-judgement.’

  He said that this was good advice, and they were reconciled in this way. Thorstein said that he would not deli
ver his judgement before the next assembly. Men then made their way home from the battle.

  When the assembly took place at which Thorstein wished to announce the terms of settlement, the Hof people had many supporters there.

  Thorstein then said, ‘It is well known to people in this region how the conflict between me and my kinsman Mar turned out; and also that the case is now for me to arbitrate. My judgement is that the killing of Hogni, my brother, be taken as equivalent to those wounds, great and small, suffered by Mar’s followers. For the killing of Hogni, Hromund is to be outlawed between Hrutafjord river and Jokulsa river in Skagafjord, and is to receive no compensation for his permanent injury. Mar will be the owner of Hjallaland, because it can only be approached from his land, but he will pay us brothers the sum of one hundred of silver. Thorgrim Skin-hood will receive no compensation for his injury, and he deserves something worse.’

  Men then went home and were reconciled in this affair. Thorgrim Skin-hood left the region and settled in the north at Melrakkasletta, and remained there until he died.

  Thorstein had two sons; one was named Ingolf, a very handsome man, and the other was Gudbrand, also a good-looking fellow. Ingimund’s daughter Jorunn married Asgeir Scatter-brain, the father of Kalf, and of the same Hrefna who married Kjartan Olafsson, and also of Thorbjorg, who was called Pride of the Farm.

  30 Of Thorolf Dark-skin it can be said that to begin with he lived in Forsaeludal and men thought badly of him.

  Thorstein from Hof approached him and said that he did not want him to settle there – ‘unless you behave differently from the way you have up to now; if you don’t, we will not put up with it’.

  Thorolf said that it was very likely that Thorstein would decide whether or not he lived there, ‘but I myself will decide on the way I live my life’.

  He then moved his home and constructed a fortification for himself by Fridmundara river. Thorolf stole men’s livestock and became the worst of thieves. He also had trenches for sacrifices and the belief was that he offered up both men and animals. He was not well off for supporters among honest men, but he had nine in all, every one of them as bad as or worse than he was. When they heard that Thorstein intended to attack them, there were some who had no wish to wait around and fled from the fortification. Men from the region met Thorstein and asked him to put an end to this man who was so disruptive in the neighbourhood that men could neither control nor tolerate him. He said that what they said was true; he then sent for his brothers Jokul and Thorir.