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Landnámabók


Part #1


Borg the home of Kveldulf's descendants.

Chapter XIX. Skallagrim (44) came to land there at the place now called Knararness in Myrar, afterwards he surveyed the land. There was much moorland and wide woods and it was far there between fell and foreshore. Then they went inwards along the Firth, and they came to a ness where they found swans, (45) and they called the place Swans' Ness. They did not stay in their course until they had found Grim the Halogalander, who told Skalla-grim all about their faring, as also of the words that Kveldulf had left for his son Grim.
        Skallagrim went to see where the chest had come ashore; it seemed to him that a short way from there would be a good spot for a dwelling-stead. Skallagrim remained there during the year in which he arrived from the main, during which time he surveyed all the district, and settled all the land from Seal Tarn and upwards to Borghraun, and southwards to Haven Fells --- a country as broad as it shed widely waters to the sea. He raised his dwelling near the creek where the chest of Kveldulf had come ashore, and called it Borg, and so also he called all that firth Borg Firth. There he settled all the county with his companions, and many men afterwards took land there by his advice. Skallagrim gave land to Grim the Halogalander on the south of the firth, between Andakil's river and Grim's river, he dwelt at Hvanneyri. His son was named Ulf, father of Hrolf, in Geitland.
        There was a man named Thorbjorn the Black, he bought land from Haven-Orm, in from Selaeyri (= Seal Island) and up to Fors (46) river; he dwelt at Skeljabrekka, his son was Thorvard, who married Thorun, the daughter of Thorbjorn from Ornholt, their sons were Thorarin the blind and Thorgil 'Orraskald,' who was with Olaf Kvaran (47) in Dublin. Skorri, the freedman of Ketil Gufu, took Skorradale up above the water, and was slain there.
        Bjorn the gullberi settled Reykjardale the Southernmost, and dwelt at Gulliberasted. (48) His son was Grimkell the Godi in Blaskogar, (49) he married Signy, the daughter of Valbrand, the son of Valthjof, their son was Hord, who was the leader of the Holmesmen. Bjorn the gulliberi married Ljotun, the sister of Kolgrim the old, Svarthofdi at Reydarfell was another of their sons; he married Thurid, the daughter of Tunga-Odd, their daughter was Thordis, whom Gudlaug the Rich married. Thjostolf was the third son of Bjorn, the fourth was Geirmund.
        Thorgeir Meldun (50) accepted from Bjorn all land above Grim's river. He dwelt at Tungufell; he married Geirbjorg, daughter of Balki, from Rams-firth; their son was Veleif the old.
        Fluki the thrall of Ketil Gufu settled Flokidale and was slain there.

Other Settlements round Borgarfirth. Slaughter by Torfi.

Chapter XX. There was a man of high degree named Oleif hilt, he came in his ship to Borgfirth (51) and was for the first winter with Skallagrim; he settled land by the advice of Skallagrim, between Grim's river and Geir's river, and dwelt at 'Varmalæk' (= warm brook). His sons were Ragi in Laugardale, and Thoraninn, the lawspeaker, who married Thordis, the daughter of Oleif-Feilan (52) their daughter was Vigdis, who was married to Stein, the son of Thorfin. The son of Ragi was Gudthorm, father of Gunnvor, the mother of Thorny, the mother of Thorlak, the father of Runolf, the father of Thorlak the Bishop. Ketil slumber and Geir, his son, came to Iceland and were with Skallagrim the first winter. There Geir married Thorum, the daughter of Skallagrim. In the following spring Grim showed them land for settling, and they took land up from Flokadale's river to Reykjadale's river, and all the tongue of land up to Red Goll, and all Flokadale, above the slopes. Ketil dwelt at Thrand-holt, from him Blundsvatn (= Slumber Water) derives its name; there he dwelt afterwards. Geir the rich, his son, dwelt in Geirshlid (53) and had another dwelling at upper Reykir. His sons were Thorgeirr Slumber, and Slumber Ketill, and Svardkel in Eyri; the daughter of Geir was Bergdis, who was the wedded wife of Gnup at Hrisar, (54) the son of Floki. Of that stock was Thorod Hrisablund (= Blund of Hrisar). Onund Breidskegg (= broad beard) was the son of Ulf, the son of Ulf "Fitjumskegga" (= Beard o' Fitjar), the son of Thorir hlammandi-Clash. Onund settled all the tongue of land between Hvit river and Reykjardale's river, and dwelt at Breidabolsted. He married Geirlaug, the daughter of Thormod, on Akraness, the sister of Beri; their son was Tungu-Odd, and their daughter was named Thorodda. She married Torfi, the son of Valbrand, the son of Valthjof, the son of Orlyg, from Esjuberg, and she had from home for a dowry (55) the half of Breidabolsteid with Halsaland. He gave to Signy, his sister, Signysted, and she dwelt there. Torfi slew the men of Kropp, twelve of them together. He also especially promoted the slaughter of the Holmesmen, and he was at Hellisfitar, with Illugi the black, and Sturla the Godi (56) when eighteen cavemen were slain there. They also burned, in his own house, Audun, the son of Smidkel, at Thorvardsted. The son of Torfi was Thorkel, at Skaney.
        Tungu Odd married Jorunn, the daughter of Helgi; their children were these: Thorvald the ringleader in the burning of Blund Ketil, and Thorod, who married Jofrid, the daughter of Gunnar; their daughter was Hungerd, who was married to Sverking, the son of Hafrbjorn. Thurid was a daughter of Tungu-Odd, who was married to Svarthofdi, and Jofrid, whom Thorfinn, the son of Sellhoris, had for wife, and Hallgerd, the wife of Hallbjorn, the son of Odd from Kidjaberg. Kjolvor was the mother's sister of Tungi Odd, who dwelt at Kjolvorsted; she was the mother of Thorleif, (a daughter) who was the mother of Thurid, the mother of Gunnhild, owned of Kali and of Glum, the father of Thorarin, the father of Glum at Vatnlausu = waterless.

Chapter XXI. There was a man named Raud, he settled land up from Raudsgill to the Gills, and dwelt at Raudsgill; his sons were Ulf in Ulfsted, and Aud in Audsted, to the north of the river, whom Hord slew; wherefrom takes its rise the Saga of Hord, the son of Grimkels, and of Geir. There was a man named Grim, he settled land further to the south, up from Gills to Grimsgill, and dwelt at Grimsgill, his sons were Thorgils auga at Augasted, and Hrani at Hranisted, the father of Grim, who was called Stafn Grim; he dwelt at Stafngrimsted, this is now called Sigmundsted; opposite to this, north of the Hvit river, upon the bank of the river is his How, there he was slain.
        Thorkell Kornamuli took the southern ridge up from Kolls læk to Deildgill, and dwelt at As = the ridge. His son was Thorborg Kornamuli, who married Alof Ellidaskjold (57) the daughter of Ofeig and Asgerd, the sister of Thorgeir Gollnis; their children were Eysteinn and Hafthora, who married Eid Skeggison, who afterwards dwelt at As. There died Midfjordskeggi, and his How is there below the garth = enclosure. (58) Another son of Skeggi was Koll, who dwelt at Kollslæk. The sons of Eid were Eystein and Illugi. Ulf was the son of Grim the Halogolander, and of Svanlaug, the daughter of Thormod from Akraness, the sister of Bersi. Ulf settled land between the Hvit river = white river, and the southern glaciers, and dwelt in Geitland. His sons were Hrolf the Rich, the father of Halldora, who was owned of Gizur the White; their daughter was Vilborg, who was wedded to Kjalti, the son of Skeggi. Another son of his was Hroald, the father of Hrolf the younger, who married Thurid the daughter of Valthjof, the son of Orlyg the old; their children were: --- Kjallak at Lund in Sydradale = Southern dale, the father of Koll, the father of Bergthor; another was Solvi in Geitland, the father of Thord in Reykjaholt, the father of Solvi, father of Thord, the father of Magnus, father of Thord, the father of Helga, the mother of Gudney, the mother of the Sturlasons: Sighvat, Thord and Snorri. (59) The son of Sighvat was Sturla, the father of Thurid, who married the knight Rafn, their children were Jon, Korpt, Hallkatla, Valgerd, and Thorgerd. The sons of Hallkatla and Jon Pereson were Sturla and Peter, and Steinum a daughter, who married Gudmund, the son of Thorstein, the son of Skeggi. The third son of Hrolf was Illugi, the Red, who first dwelt at Hraunas, he had then for wife Sigrid, daughter of Thorarin the evil, a sister of Musa-Bolverk; that homestead (i.e. Hraunas) Illugi gave to Bolverk, while he, Illugi, went to keep house at Hofstead in Reykdale, because the Geitlanders had to uphold that Temple in equal halves with Tungu Odd. Afterwards Illugi dwelt at the Inner Holm on Akraness, because he exchanged with Holm-Starri both lands and wives and all chattels. Then Illugi married Jorun, the daughter of Thormod, the son of Thyjostar from Alftness, but Sigrid hanged herself in the Temple, because she would have nought to do with the exchange of husbands. Hrolf, the younger, gave Thorlaug Priestess, his daughter, to Oddi, son of Yr, thereupon Hrolf betook himself west to the Ball river and dwelt there long and was known by the name of Hrolf of the Ball river.

Note on the Godi and the Institution of the Althing A.D. 930.

        The Norse Chiefs who settled in Iceland finding the country uninhabited, solemnly took possession of the land, directing their landtake by the omens of the drifting ashore of the high seat pillars, &c., and then in order to found a community, they built a temple and called themselves by the name of gođi (60) or hof gođi = temple-priest, and thus the temple became the nucleus of a new community, which was called gođorđ. Many independent gođar and gođorđ sprung up throughout all the country, until about the year 930 the Althing was erected where all the petty sovereign chiefs gođar entered into a kind of league, and formed a general government for the whole Island. In A.D. 964 the constitution was settled; the number of gođorđ being fixed at three in each thing (shire), and three things in each of the other three quarters, but four in the north; thus the number of gođar came to be nominally thirty-nine, really thirty-six as the four in the north were reckoned out as three. (61)


Notes:
44. Skallagrim the name by which Grim is afterwards known is really a nickname meaning "Grim the bald headed." [Back]
45. Alft = Swan, so the place is called Alftanes. [Back]
46. Fors = Lakeland Force, as Airey Force, Stock Ghyll Force, &c. [Back]
47. Kvaran = the nickname of this Norse King of Dublin. Derivation of the word probably Gaelic. [Back]
48. Literally the gold bearers' sted. [Back]
49. The black wood. [Back]
50. Meldun is a nickname --- a Gaelic word. [Back]
51. On the Map 'Borgarfjordr.' [Back]
52. Feilan is a Gaelic nickname. [Back]
53. Hlid = a slope or mountain side, found frequently in place names. [Back]
54. Hris is literally the Scrubs or Brushwood. In the dialect of Cumberland and Westmorland the most usual appelation of brushwood was 'Rice.' [Back]
55. The Icelandic phrase here is fylgði henni heiman, meaning literally "there followed her from home." [Back]
56. Godi, see note at end of Part I. [Back]
57. This word has reference to the shield that was placed upon the poop of a ship. [Back]
58. On Haugr or How. [Back]
59. Snorri Sturlason, the Historian, A.D. 1178 to 1241. [Back]
60. Goði plural Goðar. [Back]
61. See division called ping in Map. [Back]



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