Færeyinga Saga
Part 2
[4] Hafgrim was the name of a man that dwelt in Southrey in the Færeys; he was a mighty man and hard to deal with, and wealthy in goods. Guðrið was his wife's name; she was Snæulf's daughter. Hafgrim was chief over half the islands, and held his half on loan from King Harold Grayfell, who in those days ruled over Norway. Hafgrim was a very nimble-witted man, but was not counted a man of wisdom. Einar was the name of his head houseman; he was nicknamed the Southrey-man. There was another man, called Eldearn Combhood, who also lived with Hafgrim. He was a man of many words, and evil of speech withal, dull and ill-willed, lazy and quarrelsome, and a liar and backbiter to boot. Two brothers are named in the story also, and they dwelt in Scufey, the one was named Breste and the other Beine; they were the sons of Sigmund. Now Sigmund, their father, and Thorbeorn Gatebeard, Thrond's father, were brothers. Breste and Beine were famous men; they were chiefs over half the islands, and held that in loan of Earl Hacon Sigurd's son, who in those days held, as it were, a kingdom in Throndham. Now these two men, Breste and his brother, were henchmen of Earl Hacon, and very dear friends of his. (1) There was a coldness between them and Thrond, although their kinship was near. (2) The two brothers had another homestead in Dimun, but it was a smaller place. (3) Snæulf, Hafgrim's father-in-law, dwelt in Sandey; he was a Southrey man by blood; he had fled out of the Southreys for manslaughter and masterful deeds that he had done there, into the Færeys. He had been a sea-rover the greater part of his life, and he was even now a masterful man, and hard to stand against.
Bad Work in the Færeys.
[5] Bearne was the name of a man that dwelt in Swiney; he was called Swiney-Bearne. He was a great franklin, and had a great estate; a very guileful man he was. He was Thrond of Gate's mother's brother. The Færey people's mootstead was in Streamsey, at a haven there called Thorshaven. Hafgrim dwelt in Southrey at a homestead that is called Temple; he was a great sacrificer, for in those days all the Færey people were heathens.
One day at harvest-tide, it happened at Hafgrim's homestead in Southrey, that Einar the Southrey-man and Eldearn Combhood were sitting together over a singeing fire, and they fell to matching men against the other. Einar took his two kinsmen Breste and Beine, and Eldearn took Hafgrim, and said that he was the better man. And at last it went so between them that Eldearn sprang up and struck at Einar with the stick he had in his hand, and it fell on Einar's shoulder and hurt him. And Einar caught up an axe and swung it onto Combhood's head, so that he fell down senseless, and spake never word more. And when Hafgrim came to know this, he drove Einar away, and bade him fare "to his kinsmen the men of Scufey, since he had thought most of them." "And we must needs," says Hafgrim, "sooner or later come to grips with the men of Scufey." So Einar went away, and came to the two brothers, and told them why he was come. They received him well, and he was with them through the winter, and well cared for. Then Einar begged Breste, his kinsman, to take up his case, and he did so. Now Breste was a wise man and well skilled in the law. That same winter Hafgrim fared in a ship to Scufey, and then he sought the two brethren, and asked them how they would answer for the harm that Einar had done to Eldearn Combhood. Breste answered that they would lay the suit to the best man's umpirage, so that it might be fairly settled. Hafgrim answered, "There shall be no settlement between us, unless I am left to fix the award myself." But Breste answered him, "That is no fair settlement, and thou shalt not have it so." Then Hafgrim summoned Einar to the Streameymoot; and so they parted withal. But Breste had made Combhood's assault on Einar known soon after it had happened. Now both parties came to the moot, and many with them. But when Hafgrim came into court on the one side, and laid the charge against Einar as the wrongdoer, the two brethren, Breste and Beine, came in on the other side with a great following; and Breste quashed the charge Hafgrim had made and unhallowed Combhood, by the old law of the land, for smiting a sackless man; and the judgment was given against Hafgrim, and they condemned Eldearn to outlawry and the full fine. Hafgrim said that he would have vengeance for this. Breste said that he would hold himself ready, and that he cared nothing for his threats; and with that they parted.
Thrond's Counsel against Breste and Beine.
[6] A little while after this Hafgrim left home, and there went with him six men and Guðrið his wife. They took a boat and fared to Sandey, where his kinsmen Snæulf dwelt, the father of Guðrið his wife. When they reached the island, they could see no one out of doors on the farm, nor any one out on the island. Then they went up to the homestead and into the house, and there they found no one. Then they went into the hearth-room, and there was the board set out, and meat and drink on it, but there was no one to be found, and they wondered at that. They stayed there that night, but next morning they made them ready to leave, and rowed away along the island. Then from the other side of the island there rowed out to meet them a boat full of people, and they saw that it was yeoman Snæulf and all his household. So Hafgrim rowed towards them, and greeted Snæulf, his father-in-law, but he answered him not a word. Then Hafgrim asked him what counsel he would give him on his suit with Breste and his brother, so that he might win honour by it. Snæulf answered him: "It is ill-done of thee," says he, "to have meddled without a cause with better men than thyself; but ever the lowest lot fell to thee." "Methinks I should get something better than blame from thee," says Hafgrim, "and I will not listen to thee." Then Snæulf snatched up a spear and cast it at Hafgrim, but Hafgrim covered himself with his shield, and the spear stood fast in it, and he was not wounded. So they parted, and Hafgrim fared home to Southrey, and was ill-pleased with his luck.
Hafgrim and Guðrið his wife had a son whose name was Ossur. He was nine winters old, and a most promising lad when these things happened.
Now after some time had passed. Hafgrim fared from home to Eastrey to Thrond, and Thrond welcomed him kindly; and then Hafgrim sought counsel of Thrond as to what he would have him do in the matter of the suit with Breste and Beine, the men of Scufey. He said, moreover, that Thrond was the wisest man in the islands, and that he would gladly give him some fee for his counsel. Thrond said that he was seeking a strange boon of him in asking him to put himself at odds with his own kinsman. "And thou surely canst not be in earnest; yet I guess that it is so with thee, that thou wouldst fain have other men in the matter with thee, but art grudging to do what is in thy power to get thy business forwarded." "It is not so," quoth Hafgrim, "and I will make thee a great offer now, if thou wilt be in counsel with me in this case, so that I may take those brethren's lives." Thrond answered him: "I will be with thee in thy doings against these brethren, but thou shalt promise to give me two cows' worth every spring, and two hundreds worth in meat every fall, and this payment shall go on all thy life's day, and it shall not cease at thy death. Moreover, I am not willing to stand with thee in this case without more men are bound up in it. And I will have thee seek to Bearne my mother's brother in Swiney, and get him to be with thee in the case." Hafgrim agreed to the bargain, and fared out thence to Swiney, and found Bearne, and besought him for his help in the matter, as Thrond had counselled him. Bearne answered him to the intent that he was not willing to go into the matter without he got some gain at his hands. Then Hafgrim bade him tell him his mind; and Bearne said, "Thou shalt give me three cows' worth every spring, and every fall three hundreds' worth in meat," Hafgrim took this offer, and the matter being settled so, went home again.
Notes:
1. Breste was of all men the biggest and strongest, and of better skill in arms than any other man in the islands in his day; he was a goodly man to look on, and quick at all sports. Beine was in many ways like his brother, but he was not his brother's match. [Back]
2. Neither of the brothers was married, but they each had a leman. Breste's leman was named Cecilia, and she that lived with Beine was named Thora. Breste had a son whose name was Sigmund; he was early of promise. Beine had a son whose name was Thore, and he was two winters older than Sigmund. [Back]
3. The sons of the two brothers were still very young at this time. [Back]
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