Page 39

96. OF THE CHANGE OF FAITH

There had been a change of rulers in Norway, Earl Hacon was dead and gone, but in his stead was come Olaf Tryggvi's son. That was the end of Earl Hacon, that Kark the thrall cut his throat at Rimul in Gaulardale.

Along with that was heard that there had been a change of faith in Norway; they had cast off the old faith, but King Olaf had christened the western lands, Shetland, and the Orkneys, and the Faroe Isles.

Then many men spoke so that Njal heard it, that it was a strange and wicked thing to throw off the old faith.

Then Njal spoke and said, "It seems to me as though this new faith must be much better, and he will be happy who follows this rather than the other; and if those men come out hither who preach this faith, then I will back them well."

He went often alone away from other men and muttered to himself.

That same harvest a ship came out into the firths east to Berufirth, at a spot called Gautawick. The captain's name was Thangbrand. He was a son of Willibald, a count of Saxony. Thangbrand was sent out hither by King Olaf Tryggvi's son, to preach the faith. Along with him came that man of Iceland whose name was Gudleif (a). Gudleif was a great man-slayer, and one of the strongest of men, and hardy and forward in everything.

Two brothers dwelt at Beruness; the name of the one was Thorleif, but the other was Kettle. They were sons of Holmstein, the son of Auzur of Broaddale. These brothers held a meeting and forbade men to have any dealings with them. This Hall of the Side heard.

He dwelt at Thvattwater in Alftafirth; he rode to the ship with twenty-nine men, and he fares at once to find Thangbrand, and spoke to him and asked him, "Trade is rather dull, is it not?"

He answered that so it was.

"Now will I say my errand," says Hall; "it is, that I wish to ask you all to my house, and run the risk of my being able to get rid of your wares for you."

Thangbrand thanked him, and fared to Thvattwater that harvest.

It so happened one morning that Thangbrand was out early and made them pitch a tent on land, and sang mass in it, and took much pains with it, for it was a great high day.

Hall spoke to Thangbrand and asked, "In memory of whom keepest thou this day?"

"In memory of Michael the archangel," says Thangbrand.

"What follows that angel?" asks Hall.

"Much good," says Thangbrand. "He will weigh all the good that thou doest, and he is so merciful, that whenever any one pleases him, he makes his good deeds weigh more."

"I would like to have him for my friend," says Hall.

"That thou mayest well have," says Thangbrand, "only give thyself over to him by God's help this very day."

"I only make this condition," says Hall, "that thou givest thy word for him that he will then become my guardian angel."

"That I will promise," says Thangbrand.

Then Hall was baptized, and all his household.

ENDNOTES:

(a) He was the son of Ari, the son of Mar, the son of Atli, the son of Wolf Squinteye, the son of Hogni the White, the son of Otryg, the son of Oblaud, the son of Hjorleif the lover of women, King of Hordaland. Back



97. OF THANGBRAND'S JOURNEYS

The spring after Thangbrand set out to preach Christianity, and Hall went with him. But when they came west across Lonsheath to Staffell, there they found a man dwelling named Thorkell. He spoke most against the faith, and challenged Thangbrand to single combat. Then Thangbrand bore a rood-cross (b) before his shield, and the end of their combat was that Thangbrand won the day and slew Thorkell.

Thence they fared to Hornfirth and turned in as guests at Borgarhaven, west of Heinabergs sand. There Hilldir the Old dwelt (c), and then Hilldir and all his household took upon them the new faith.

Thence they fared to Fellcombe, and went in as guests to Calffell. There dwelt Kol Thorstein's son, Hall's kinsman, and he took upon him the faith and all his house.

Thence they fared to Swinefell, and Flosi only took the sign of the cross, but gave his word to back them at the Thing.

Thence they fared west to Woodcombe, and went in as guests at Kirkby. There dwelt Surt Asbjorn's son, the son of Thorstein, the son of Kettle the Foolish. These had all of them been Christians from father to son.

After that they fared out of Woodcombe on to Headbrink. By that time the story of their journey was spread far and wide. There was a man named Sorcerer-Hedinn who dwelt in Carlinedale. There heathen men made a bargain with him that he should put Thangbrand to death with all his company. He fared upon Arnstacksheath, and there made a great sacrifice when Thangbrand was riding from the east. Then the earth burst asunder under his horse, but he sprang off his horse and saved himself on the brink of the gulf, but the earth swallowed up the horse and all his harness, and they never saw him more.

Then Thangbrand praised God.

ENDNOTES:

(b) Rood-cross, a crucifix. Back
(c) His son was Glum who fared to the burning with Flosi. Back



98. OF THANGBRAND AND GUDLEIF

Gudleif now searches for Sorcerer-Hedinn and finds him on the heath, and chases him down into Carlinedale, and got within spearshot of him, and shoots a spear at him and through him.

Thence they fared to Dyrholms and held a meeting there, and preached the faith there, and there Ingialld, the son of Thorsteinn Highbankawk, became a Christian.

Thence they fared to the Fleetlithe and preached the faith there.

There Weatherlid the Skald, and Ari his son, spoke most against the faith, and for that they slew Weatherlid, and then this song was sung about it --

         "He who proved his blade on bucklers,
          South went through the land to whet
          Brand that oft hath felled his foeman,
          'Gainst the forge which foams with song (1);
          Mighty wielder of war's sickle
          Made his sword's avenging edge
          Hard on hero's helm-prop rattle (2),
          Skull of Weatherlid the Skald."

Thence Thangbrand fared to Bergthorsknoll, and Njal took the faith and all his house, but Mord and Valgard went much against it, and thence they fared out across the rivers; so they went on into Hawkdale and there they baptized Hall (3), and he was then three winters old.

Thence Thangbrand fared to Grimsness, there Thorwald the Scurvy gathered a band against him, and sent word to Wolf Uggi's son that he must fare against Thangbrand and slay him, and made this song on him --

          "To the wolf in Woden's harness,
          Uggi's worthy warlike son,
          I, steel's swinger dearly loving,
          This my dimple bidding send;
          That the wolf of Gods (4) he chaseth --
          Man who snaps at chink of gold --
          Wolf who base our Gods blasphemeth,
          I the other wolf (5) will crush."

Wolf sang another song in return:

          "Swarthy skarf from mouth that skimmeth
          Of the man who speaks in song
          Never will I catch, though surely
          Wealthy warrior it hath sent;
          Tender of the sea-horse snorting,
          E'en though ill deeds are on foot,
          Still to risk mine eyes are open;
          Harmful 'tis to snap at flies (6)."

"And," says he, "I don't mean to be made a catspaw by him, but let him take heed lest his tongue twists a noose for his own neck."

And after that the messenger fared back to Thorwald the Scurvy and told him Wolf's words. Thorwald had many men about him, and gave it out that he would lie in wait for them on Bluewood-heath.

Now those two, Thangbrand and Gudleif, ride out of Hawkdale, and there they came upon a man who rode to meet them. That man asked for Gudleif, and when he found him he said, "Thou shalt gain by being the brother of Thorgil of Reykiahole, for I will let thee know that they have set many ambushes, and this too, that Thorwald the Scurvy is now with his band at Hestbeck on Grimsness."

"We shall not the less for all that ride to meet him," says Gudleif, and then they turned down to Hestbeck. Thorwald was then come across the brook, and Gudleif said to Thangbrand, "Here is now Thorwald; let us rush on him now."

Thangbrand shot a spear through Thorwald, but Gudleif smote him on the shoulder and hewed his arm off, and that was his death.

After that they ride up to the Thing, and it was a near thing that the kinsmen of Thorwald had fallen on Thangbrand, but Njal and the eastfirthers stood by Thangbrand.

Then Hjallti Skeggi's son sang this rhyme at the Hill of Laws:

          "Ever will I Gods blaspheme
          Freyja methinks a dog does seem,
          Freyja a dog? Aye! let them be
          Both dogs together Odin and she (7)."

Hjallti fared abroad that summer and Gizur the White with him, but Thangbrand's ship was wrecked away east at Bulandsness, and the ship's name was Bison.

Thangbrand and his messmate fared right through the west country, and Steinvora, the mother of Ref the Skald, came against him; she preached the heathen faith to Thangbrand and made him a long speech. Thangbrand held his peace while she spoke, but made a long speech after her, and turned all that she had said the wrong way against her.

"Hast thou heard," she said, "how Thor challenged Christ to single combat, and how he did not dare to fight with Thor?"

"I have heard tell," says Thangbrand, "that Thor was naught but dust and ashes, if God had not willed that he should live."

"Knowest thou," she says, "who it was that shattered thy ship?"

"What hast thou to say about that?" he asks.

"That I will tell thee," she says:

          "He that giant's offspring (8) slayeth
          Broke the mew-field's bison stout (9),
          Thus the Gods, bell's warder (10) grieving,
          Crushed the falcon of the strand (11);
          To the courser of the causeway (12)
          Little good was Christ I ween,
          When Thor shattered ships to pieces
          Gylfi's hart (13) no God could help."

And again she sung another song:

          "Thangbrand's vessel from her moorings,
          Sea-king's steed, Thor wrathful tore,
          Shook and shattered all her timbers,
          Hurled her broadside on the beach;
          Ne'er again shall Viking's snow-shoe (14),
          On the briny billows glide,
          For a storm by Thor awakened,
          Dashed the bark to splinters small."

After that Thangbrand and Steinvora parted, and they fared west to Bardastrand.

ENDNOTES:

(1) "Forge which foams with song," the poet's head, in which songs are forged, and gush forth like foaming mead. Back

(2) "Hero's helm-prop," the hero's, man's, head which supports his helm. Back

(3) It is needless to say that this Hall was not Hall of the Side. Back

(4) "Wolf of Gods," the "caput lupinum," the outlaw of heaven, the outcast from Valhalla, Thangbrand. Back

(5) "The other wolf," Gudleif. Back

(6) "Swarthy skarf," the skarf, or "pelecanus carbo", the cormorant. He compares the message of Thorwald to the cormorant skimming over the waves, and says he will never take it. "Snap at flies," a very common Icelandic metaphor from fish rising to a fly. Back

(7) Maurer thinks the allusion is here to some mythological legend on Odin's adventures which has not come down to us. Back

(8) "He that giant's," etc., Thor. Back

(9) "Mew-field's bison," the sea-going ship, which sails over the plain of the sea-mew. Back

(10) "Bell's warder," the Christian priest whose bell-ringing formed part of the rites of the new faith. Back

(11) "Falcon of the strand," ship. Back

(12) "Courser of the causeway," ship. Back

(13) "Gylfi's hart," ship. Back

(14) "Viking's snow-shoe," sea-king's ship. Back