Part #3

Bjorn exiled from a burning in, in Sweden. Goes to Ireland in Vestrviking. Eyvind his son settles in Ireland. Helgi the Lean, son of Eyvind, brought up in the Hebrides. His adventures and final settlement in Iceland.

Chapter XII. There was a man of great renown in Gautland (75) named Bjorn, he was the son of Hrolf from Am, he had for wife Hlif, the daughter of Hrolf, the son of Ingjald, the son of Frodi the King; their son was named Eyvind. Bjorn got into strife with Sigfast, a relation of Solver King of the Gauts (Sweden) concerning land, and Bjorn burned him in his house with thirty men. After that Bjorn went to Norway with eleven men, himself the twelfth, and Grim the hersir, the son of Kolbjorn Sneypis (76) snaper or checker, took him in and he was with him for one winter. Then Grim wished to kill Bjorn for his money, so Bjorn went to Ondott Crow, who dwelt in Hvinisfirth in Agdir and he took him in.
        Bjorn was in summer tide on Viking raids in the west vestrviking, (77) and in winter with Ondott, until Hlof, his wife, died in Gautland. Then came Eyvind, his son, from the eastward and took over the warships of his father; then Bjorn took to wife Helga, the sister of Ondott Crow, and their son was Thrand. Eyvinder went then on Viking raids in the west, and had a fleet fitted out for the coasts of Ireland. He married Rafarta, the daughter of Kjarval, (78) the king of the Irish, and settled down there; therefore he was called Eyvind the Eastman. He and Rafarta had a son who was called Helgi, whom they handed over for fostering into the Hebrides, and when they came there two winters afterwards, he was so starved that they did not know him; they brought him away with them and called him Helgi (79) the Lean. He was brought up in Ireland, and when he was grown up he became a man of great honour; then he married Thorun the Horned, the daughter of Ketil Flatnose, and they had many children; their sons were named Hrolf and Ingjald. Helgi the Lean went to Iceland with his wife and children; there was with him also Hamund Hellskinn, his son-in-law, who had for wife Ingun, the daughter of Helgi.
        Helgi was very shifty in his faith; (80) he believed in Christ, but made vows to Thor for sea-faring and hardy deeds. Then when Helgi sighted Iceland, he went to inquire of Thor where he should make land, the answer directed him northward round the land; then Hrolf, his son, asked whether Helgi must hold into Dumbshaf (= the foggy sea) (81) if Thor should direct him thither, because the crew thought that now it was high time to leave the sea, inasmuch as the summer was in a great measure spent. Helgi took land outside Hrisey but inside of Svarfadardale; he was the first winter in Hamundstead. They had a very hard winter.
        In the spring he went up to the top of Sunfell; (82) there he saw how the land looked much blacker up the firth, (83) which they called Island Firth, on account of the islands that lay there outside. After that Helgi bare to his ship all that he had there, while Hamund abode there behind. Helgi landed there at Boars' crag (Galtahamar), where he put ashore two swine, and the boar was named Solvi; they found them three winters afterwards in Solvadale, and then there were seventy swine. Helgi kenn'd, i.e. (surveyed with a view to settling) the whole district that summer, and settled all Island Firth between Sigluness and Rowanness, and made a great fire at every river mouth and thus hallowed to himself the whole district. He abode that winter at Bild's river, and in the spring he moved his household to Christness, and dwelt there during the remainder of his life. In the removing of his household Thorun was delivered of a child in Thorun's-isle in Island Firth river. There she brought forth Thorbjorg Holme-sun. Helgi believed in Christ and therefore gave his name to his dwelling. After that men took to settling in the landtake of Helgi, by his advice.

Settlement of Thorstein Svarfad. Origin of the Saga of the men of Svarfadar-dale. Hamund Hellskinn shares his lands with Orn.

Chapter XIII. There was a man named Thorstein Svarfad, the son of Raud Cradle in Naumudal; he married Hild, the daughter of Thrain, the black giant. Thorstein went to Iceland and settled Svarfad's-dale, by the counsel of Helgi. His children were Karl the Red, who dwelt at Karl's river, and Gudrun, whom Hafthor, the Viking, had for wife; their children were Klaufi and Groa, whom Griss Merryheart had for wife.
        There was a man named Atli Illing, he slew Hafthor, and put Karl in irons; then Klaufi came unawares and slew Atli, and released Karl from out of irons. Klaufi had for wife Yngvild Redcheek, the daughter of Asgeir Redcloak, the sister of Olaf Knuckle-breaker, and of Thorleif; to spite them he ripped open a bag filled with club-moss (84) which they had gathered in his land; then sang Thorleif this verse: ----

                A hairless bag
                Of mine cut Boggvir,
                And Aleif's strap
                And cloak, in likewise.
                So shall Boggvir,
                For bale (85) e'en ready,
                Upon my life,
                Be cut asunder.

Therefrom sprung the Saga of the men of Svarfad's-dale. There was a man named Karl who settled all Strönd (= the Strand) (86) out from Upsar to Migandi.
        Hamund Hellskinn, the son of Hjor the King, shared lands with Orn his kinsman, when he came from the west, him, to wit, who had settled Ornfirth, and he dwelt at Orn's-ness; his daughter was Idunn, whom Asgeir Redcloak had for wife. The son of Orn was Narfi, from whom Narfa-skerries take their name. He had for wife Ulfeid, the daughter of Ingjald from Gnupufell; their sons were Asbrand, the father of Slate-Narfi, and Eyjolf, father of Thorkel in Hagi, and Helgi, the father of Grim in Kalfskinn.
        There was a man named Galmi, who settled Galmastrand, between Thorvald's-dale river and Reistar river; his son was Thorvald, the father of Orm, the father of Bairn-Thorodd, the father of Thorunn, the mother of Dyrfinna, the mother of Thorstein Smith, the son of Skeggi. Hamund gave land to Thorvald between Reistar river and Horg river, but before that he had had his abode in Thorvald's-dale.
        There was a man named Geirleif he settled Horg river-dale up to Mirk (87) river; he was the son of Hrapp and dwelt at Hagi the ancient, (88) his son was Bjorn the rich, from whom the Audbrinkmen are descended.

Settlement of Thord the Tearer and his relations in Horgriverdale. Verses on the conflict between Steinrand and Blacksmith and Geirhild the witch-wife. Settlement of Audolf and Eyvind in Horgrivers-dale.

Chapter XIV. There was a man named Thord the Tearer, he settled Horg (89) river-dale on one side from Mirk river down to Drangi; his son was Ornolf, who had for wife Yngvild, Sister-of-all, their sons were Thord and Thorvard in Kristness, and Steingrim at Kropp. Thord the Tearer gave Skolm, his kinsman, a share in his landtake; his son was Thorolf the Strong, who dwelt at Mirk river. Thorir Gianthunter was the name of a man who was brought up in Ömd in Halogaland, and fell out with Earl Hakon, the son of Grjotgard, and went for that reason to Iceland. He settled all Oxendale, and dwelt at Vatns river; his son was Steinraud (or Redstone) the Strong, who restored many men to whom fairies had done harm. There was a woman named Geirhild, a woman skilled in witchcraft and a doer of evil. Men who had the power of second sight saw how that Steinraud came upon her unawares and she changed herself into the semblance of a neat's skin full of water. Steinraud (90) was a blacksmith and had a large iron goad in his hand, of their meeting this was sung: ---

                He who makes hammers clatter,
                Lets rod, of rods the biggest,
                E'er at his utmost, yell on
                The fluid-bag of Gunnhild.
                High, iron-staff inflicteth
                A pain exceeding heavy
                On the side o' th' hag of Hjalteyr,
                The troll's ribs are all swollen.

The daughter of Steinraud was Thorljot who married Thorvald in Christness.
        There was a man named Audolf, he went from Jadar to Iceland and settled Horg river-dale down from Thvart river to Bægis river and dwelt at the southernmost Bægis river. (91) He had for wife Thorhild, the daughter of Helgi the Lean, their daughter was Yngvild, who was the wedded wife of Thorodd Holm, the father of Arnljot, the father of Halldor, the father of Einar, the father of Jorun, the mother of Hall, the father of Gizur, the father of Thorvald, the father of Earl Gizur. Eystein, the son of Raudulf, the son of Ox-Thorir, settled land down from Bægis river to Kraeklingahlid, and dwelt at Lón, his son was Gunnstein, who had for wife Hlif, the daughter of Hedin from Mjola; their children were Halldora, whom Fighting-Glum had for wife, and Thorgrim and Grim (Grim Shingle-leg). Eyvind Cock was the name of a man of much renown, he came out late in the time of the landtakers, he owned a ship with Thorgrim, the son of Hlif, he was a kinsman of the sons of Ondott, they gave him land and he dwelt at Cockton and was called Town-cock, that place is now called Marbæli, he had for wife Thorny, the daughter of Storolf, the son of Ox-Thorir, his son was Snorri Hlidmannagodi or the godi of the lea-men.

Notes:
75. Gautland = Part of South Sweden. [Back]
76. Snápe in the Cumberland dialect means to check or restrain. [Back]
77. Vestrviking, i.e., harrying in the west of British Islands. [Back]
78. Kjarval was the King of Ossory. [Back]
79. He became one of the most distinguished of the Early Settlers, and the epithet of "The Lean," which he retained to the end of his life, must have constantly reminded him of his semi-starvation in the Hebrides. [Back]
80. Helgi was very shifty in his belief. In Icelandic this is: --- Helgi var blandinn mjök í trú. This mixed state of faith seems to have been common to the early settlers; we are told, however, in the concluding chapter of the Book of the Settlement that even this uncertain state of Christian belief became extinguished in the course of generations, so that the land was entirely Heathen for nearly one hundred years on Icelandic form 120 winters. [Back]
81. Dumbshaf, the misty or foggy sea, is here put for the Polar Sea. [Back]
82. Solarfjall. [Back]
83. i.e. much more free from snow. [Back]
84. In Icelandic, jafnabelg = a bag filled with jafni, which is a herb used by dyers and called botanically lycopodium clavatum, or club-moss. [Back]
85. The Icelandic word here used for misfortune is böl. Dialect "bale," as in bale-fire, also baleful. [Back]
86. The Strand as used here corresponds in meaning and application to the Strands in Netherwasdale, at the foot of Wastwater. [Back]
87. Myrk = dark, Scottish mirk. [Back]
88. Forna old corresponds with fairnis in bible of Ulphilas. [Back]
89. Horga or Horg river doubtless takes its name from a Hörg, which was a heathen place of worship. [Back]
90. This Steinraud or Redstone as applied to a blacksmith, seems to be taken from his trade, the hematite being called red stone from its colour. In Furness the iron miners are called red workers. [Back]
91. Implying that there were two Bægis rivers, one to the south of the other. [Back]