The Sagas of the Icelanders

by Smilely, Jane

  Thorkel bore himself aloof and did not work on the farm. Gisli, on the contrary, worked day and night.

  One day when the weather was fine, Gisli sent all his men out haymaking – except Thorkel. He was the only man left at the farmhouse, and he laid himself out in the fire-room after having finished his breakfast. The fire-room was a hundred feet long and sixty feet wide, and on its south side was the women’s area, where Aud and Asgerd sat sewing. When Thorkel woke up he went over to the women’s area because he heard voices coming from it, and he lay down close by.

  Asgerd was speaking: ‘Aud, could you please cut out a shirt for my husband, Thorkel?’

  ‘I’m no better than you at such things,’ said Aud, ‘and, besides, you would not have asked for my help if you had been cutting out a shirt for my brother, Vestein.’

  ‘That’s a separate issue,’ said Asgerd, ‘and, to my mind, will remain so for some time.’

  ‘I’ve known what was going on for quite a while,’ said Aud, ‘and we will not say any more about it.’

  ‘I cannot see anything wrong with my liking Vestein,’ said Asgerd. ‘What’s more, I’ve heard tell that you and Thorgrim saw a lot of each other before you married Gisli.’

  ‘There was no shame in that,’ said Aud. ‘I was never unfaithful to Gisli and have therefore brought no disgrace upon him. We will stop talking about this now.’

  But Thorkel heard every word they spoke, and when they stopped, he said:

  3. Hear a great wonder,

  hear of peace broken,

  hear of a great matter,

  hear of a death

  – one man’s or more.

  And after this he went inside.

  Then Aud spoke: ‘Women’s gossip often leads to trouble, and here it may turn out to be the worst kind of trouble. We must seek counsel.’

  ‘I’ve thought of a plan,’ said Asgerd, ‘that I think will work for me. But I do not see what you can do.’

  ‘What is it?’ asked Aud.

  ‘I’ll put my arms around Thorkel’s neck when we are in bed and say it’s a lie. Then he’ll forgive me.’

  ‘That will not be enough to prevent harm coming from this,’ said Aud.

  ‘What will you do?’ asked Asgerd.

  ‘Tell my husband, Gisli, everything I have left unsaid as well as all that to which I cannot find a solution.’

  That evening Gisli came home from the haymaking. Usually, Thorkel would have thanked his brother for doing this work, but now he was silent and did not utter a word. Gisli asked him if he was feeling unwell.

  ‘I am not sick,’ said Thorkel, ‘but this is worse than sickness.’

  ‘Have I done anything to upset you?’ said Gisli.

  ‘No, not a thing,’ said Thorkel, ‘but you will find out eventually what this is about.’

  And then each of them went about his business, and there was no more talk of the matter at that time.

  Thorkel ate very little that evening and was the first to retire to bed.

  Once he was there, Asgerd came to him, lifted the blanket and was about to lie down when Thorkel said, ‘I will not have you lying here tonight, nor for a very long time to come.’

  Asgerd replied, ‘Why this sudden change? What is the reason for this?’

  ‘We both know what’s behind this,’ said Thorkel, ‘though I have been kept in the dark about it for a long time. It will not help your reputation if I speak more plainly.’

  ‘You think what you will,’ answered Asgerd, ‘but I am not going to argue with you about whether I may sleep in this bed or not. You have a choice – either you take me in and act as if nothing has happened or I will call witnesses this minute, divorce you and have my father reclaim my bride-price and my dowry. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about my taking up room in your bed ever again.’

  Thorkel was quiet for a while, then he said, ‘I advise you to do as you wish. I will not stop you from sleeping here all night.’

  She soon made clear what she wanted to do, and they had not been lying together for too long before they made up as if nothing had happened.

  Aud got into bed with Gisli and told him what she and Asgerd had been talking about. She asked him not to be angry with her, but to see if he could think of a reasonable plan.

  ‘I see no plan that will work,’ he said, ‘but I will not be angry with you for this. Fate must find someone to speak through. Whatever is meant to happen will happen.’

  10 The year wore on and the Moving Days came round again. Thorkel asked his brother Gisli to have a talk.

  ‘It’s like this, brother,’ he said. ‘I have a few changes in mind that I’m disposed to carry out, and they are along these lines – I want to divide up our wealth and start farming with Thorgrim, my brother-in-law.’

  Gisli answered him, ‘What brothers own jointly is best seen together. I would appreciate having things remain as they are and that we make no division.’

  ‘We cannot go on like this any longer,’ said Thorkel, ‘jointly owning the farm. It will lead to great loss. You have always dealt with the work and the responsibility of the farm alone, and nothing comes of anything I take a hand in.’

  ‘Don’t concern yourself with this,’ said Gisli, ‘while I make no complaint. We have been on both good and bad terms with each other.’

  ‘That’s not what’s behind it,’ said Thorkel. ‘The wealth must be divided, and since I demand this division, you may have the farm and the land and I will take the movable goods.’

  ‘If there is no other way than to separate, then do whatever you wish. I do not mind whether I do the dividing or the choosing.’

  So it ended with Gisli dealing with the division. Thorkel chose the goods while Gisli had the land. They also divided the dependants – two children, a boy named Geirmund and a girl named Gudrid. The girl went with Gisli and the boy with Thorkel.

  Thorkel went to his brother-in-law and lived with him, while Gisli was left with the farm which he felt was none the worse for the loss.

  Summer drew to a close and the Winter Nights began. In those days it was the custom to celebrate the coming of winter by holding feasts and a Winter Nights’ sacrifice. Gisli no longer sacrificed after he left Viborg, but he still held feasts and showed the same magnanimity as before. Then, as the aforementioned time approached, he made everything ready for a magnificent feast and invited both Thorkels – that is, Thorkel Eiriksson and Thorkel the Wealthy – as well as the sons of Bjartmar, who were Aud’s uncles, and many other friends and acquaintances.

  On the day the guests arrived, Aud said, ‘If the truth be told, there is one person missing who I wish was here.’

  ‘Who is that?’ asked Gisli.

  ‘Vestein, my brother. I wish he were here to enjoy this feast with us.’

  ‘That’s not how I feel,’ said Gisli. ‘I would gladly pay a great deal for him not to come here now.’

  And that ended their conversation.

  11 There was a man named Thorgrim, who was known as Thorgrim Nef (Nose). He lived at Nefsstadir on the east side of the Haukadalsa river and was versed in all manner of spells and magic – the worst kind of sorcerer imaginable. Thorgrim and Thorkel invited him home because they were also holding a feast. Thorgrim Nef was a very skilled blacksmith, and it is told that both Thorgrim and Thorkel went to the smithy and locked themselves in. Then they took the fragments of Grasida,* of which Thorkel had taken possession when he split up with his brother Gisli, and Thorgrim Nef made a spearhead out of them. By evening the spearhead was completely finished. The blade was damascened, and the shaft measured about a hand in length.

  This matter must rest here for a while.

  The story goes on to say that Onund from Medaldal came to Gisli’s feast and took him aside to tell him that Vestein had returned to Iceland and ‘is to be expected here’.

  Gisli reacted quickly and summoned two of his farmhands, Hallvard and Havard, whom he told to go north to Onundarfjord to meet Vestein.

  ‘
Give him my greetings,’ said Gisli, ‘and tell him to stay where he is and wait until I come to visit him. He must not come to the feast at Haukadal.’

  He then handed them a small kerchief which contained the half-coin token, in case Vestein did not believe their story.

  They left and took the boat from Haukadal. Then they rowed to Laekjaros and went ashore to see Bersi, a farmer who lived at Bersastadir. They informed him that Gisli had requested that he lend them two of his horses, which were known as Bandvettir (Tied-together) – the fastest horses in the fjords. He lent them the horses and they rode until they reached Mosvellir, and from there towards Hest.

  Now Vestein rode out from home, and it turned out that as he rode below the sandbank at Mosvellir, the two brothers, Hallvard and Havard, rode above it. Thus he and they missed each other in passing.

  12 There was a man named Thorvard who lived at Holt. His farmhands had been arguing about some task and had struck each other with scythes, so that both were wounded. Vestein came by and had them settle their differences so that they were both satisfied. Then he rode on to Dyrafjord with his two Norwegian companions.

  Hallvard and Havard reached Hest and learned where Vestein was actually heading. They rode after him as fast as they could and when they reached Mosvellir, they could see men riding down in the valley but there was a hill between them. They rode into Bjarnadal and when they reached Arnkelsbrekka both their horses gave out. They took to their feet and began to shout. Vestein and his companions had reached the Gemlufall heath before they heard the men shouting, but they waited there for Hallvard and Havard who conveyed Gisli’s message and presented him with the coin which Gisli had sent him.

  Vestein took a coin from the purse which hung from his belt and turned very red in the face.

  ‘What you say is true,’ he said. ‘I would have turned back if you had met me sooner, but now all waters flow towards Dyrafjord and that is where I will ride. Indeed, I am eager to do so. The Norwegians will turn back, but you two will go by boat,’ said Vestein, ‘and tell Gisli and my sister that I am on my way to them.’

  They went home and told Gisli what had happened, and he answered: ‘Then this is the way it has to be.’

  Vestein went to see his kinswoman, Luta, at Gemlufall and she had him ferried across the fjord.

  ‘Vestein,’ she said to him, ‘be on your guard. You will have need to be.’

  He was ferried across to Thingeyri. A man called Thorvald Gneisti (Spark) lived there. Vestein went to his house and Thorvald lent him his horse. Then he rode out with his own saddle gear and had bells on his bridle. Thorvald accompanied him as far as Sandar estuary and offered to go with him all the way to Gisli’s. Vestein told him that was not necessary.

  ‘Much has changed in Haukadal,’ said Thorvald. ‘Be on your guard.’

  Then they parted.

  Vestein rode onward until he reached Haukadal. There was not a cloud in the sky and the moon shone. At Thorgrim and Thorkel’s farm, Geirmund and a woman named Rannveig were bringing in the cattle. Rannveig put them in stalls after Geirmund drove them inside to her. At that moment, Vestein rode by and met Geirmund.

  Geirmund spoke, ‘Don’t stop here at Saebol. Go on to Gisli’s. And be on your guard.’

  Rannveig came out of the byre, looked at the man closely and thought she recognized him. And when all the cattle were inside, she and Geirmund began to argue about who the man was as they made their way to the farmhouse. Thorgrim was sitting by the fire with the others, and he asked what they were quarrelling about and whether they had seen or met anyone.

  ‘I thought I saw Vestein stop by,’ said Rannveig. ‘He was wearing a black cloak, held a spear in his hand and had bells on his bridle.’

  ‘And what do you say, Geirmund?’ asked Thorgrim.

  ‘I couldn’t see very well, but I think he was one of Onund’s farmhands from Medaldal, wearing Gisli’s cloak. He had Onund’s saddle gear and carried a fishing spear with something dangling from it.’

  ‘Now one of you is lying,’ said Thorgrim. ‘Rannveig, you go over to Hol and find out what’s going on.’

  Rannveig went there, and arrived at the door just as the men had started drinking. Gisli was standing in the doorway. He greeted her and invited her inside. She told him that she had to get back home, but ‘I would like to meet the young girl, Gudrid.’

  Gisli called to the girl, but there was no response.

  ‘Where is your wife, Aud?’ asked Rannveig.

  ‘She is here,’ said Gisli.

  Aud came out and asked what Rannveig wanted. Rannveig said that it was only a trivial matter, but got no further. Gisli told her either to come inside or go home. She left and looked even more foolish than before – if that were possible – and she had no news to tell.

  The following morning Vestein had the two bags of goods brought to him which the brothers, Hallvard and Havard, had brought back with them. He took out a tapestry sixty ells long and a head-dress made from a piece of cloth some twenty ells long with three gold strands woven along its length, and three finger bowls worked with gold. He brought these out as gifts for his sister, for Gisli and for his sworn brother, Thorkel – should he want to accept them. Gisli went with Thorkel the Wealthy and Thorkel Eiriksson to Saebol to tell his brother that Vestein had come and that he had brought gifts for both of them. Gisli showed him the gifts and asked his brother to choose what he wanted.

  Thorkel answered, ‘It would be better if you took them all. I don’t want to accept these gifts – I cannot see how they will be repaid.’

  And he was determined not to accept them. Gisli went home and felt that everything was pointing in one direction.

  13 Then something unusual happened at Hol. Gisli slept unsoundly for two successive nights and people asked him what he had dreamed. He did not want to tell them. On the third night, after everyone was fast asleep in bed, such a heavy gust of wind hit the house that it took off all the roofing on one side. At the same time, the heavens opened and rain fell like never before. Naturally, it poured into the house where the roof had split.

  Gisli sprang to his feet and rallied his men to cover the hay. There was a slave at Gisli’s house named Thord, known as the Coward. He stayed home while Gisli and almost all his men went out to attend to the haystacks. Vestein offered to go with them but Gisli did not want him to. And then, when the house began to leak badly, Vestein and Aud moved their beds lengthways down the room. Everyone else except these two had deserted the house.

  Just before daybreak, someone entered the house without a sound and walked over to where Vestein was lying. He was already awake but before he knew what was happening, a spear was thrust at him and went right through his breast.

  As Vestein took the blow, he spoke: ‘Struck there,’ he said.

  Then the man left. Vestein tried to stand up, but as he did so he fell down beside the bedpost, dead. Aud awoke and called out to Thord the Coward and asked him to remove the weapon from the wound. At that time, whoever drew a weapon from a death wound was obliged to take revenge, and when a weapon was thus left in the fatal wound it was called secret manslaughter rather than murder. Thord was so frightened of corpses that he dared not come near the body.

  Then Gisli came in, saw what was happening and told Thord to calm down. He took the spear from the wound himself and threw it, still covered in blood, into a trunk so that no one might see it, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Then he had Vestein’s body made ready for burial according to the custom in those days. Vestein’s death was a great sorrow both to Gisli and the others.

  Then Gisli said to his foster-daughter, Gudrid, ‘Go to Saebol and find out what they are up to there. I’m sending you because I trust you best in this as in other matters. Make sure you tell me what they are doing.’

  Gudrid left and arrived at Saebol. Both the Thorgrims and Thorkel had arisen and sat fully armed. When she came in no one hurried to greet her. Indeed, most of them said nothing at all. Thorgrim, though, asked h
er what news she brought and she told them of Vestein’s death, or murder.

  Thorkel answered, ‘There was a time when we would have regarded that as news indeed.’

  ‘A man has died,’ said Thorgrim, ‘to whom we must all pay our respects by honouring his funeral and by making a burial mound for him. There’s no denying that this is a great loss. Tell Gisli we will come there today.’

  She went home and told Gisli that Thorgrim sat fully armed with helmet: and sword, that Thorgrim Nef had a wood-axe in his hand and that Thorkel had a sword which was drawn a hand’s breadth – ‘all the men there were risen from their beds, some of them were armed’.

  ‘That was to be expected,’ said Gisli.

  14 Gisli and all his men prepared to build a mound for Vestein in the sandbank that stood on the far side of Seftjorn pond below Saebol.

  And while Gisli was on his way there, Thorgrim set out for the burial place with a large group of men.

  When they had decked out Vestein’s body according to the ways of the time, Thorgrim went to Gisli and said, ‘It is a custom to tie Hel-shoes* to the men that they may wear them on their journey to Valhalla, and I will do that for Vestein.’

  And when he had done this, he said, ‘If these come loose then I don’t know how to bind Hel-shoes.’

  After this they sat down beside the mound and talked together. They thought it highly unlikely that anyone would know who committed the crime.

  Thorkel asked Gisli, ‘How is Aud taking her brother’s death? Does she weep much?’

  ‘It seems you know quite well,’ said Gisli. ‘She shows little and suffers greatly.’ Then he said, ‘I dreamed a dream the night before last and last night too, and though my dreams indicate who did the slaying, I will not say. I dreamed the first night that a viper wriggled out from a certain farm and stung Vestein to death, and, on the second night, I dreamed that a wolf ran out from the same farm and bit Vestein to death. I have not told either dream until now because I did not want them to come true.’