Part #5

Settlements of Ozur the White and his freedman Bodvar. Bodvar summoned for sheep-lifting. After his death his house at Willowwood became the source of a fatal feud to rival claimants. Thord slays Rafn from an ambush.

Chapter X. Ozur the White was the name of a man who was the son of Thorleif of Sogn. Ozur committed a manslaughter in holy places in the Uplands when he was tending the bridals of Sigurd Risi; on that account he had to flee away to Iceland, and there he settled first all the land of the Holts between Steer's-river and Hraun's-brook. When he committed the manslaughter he was seventeen years old. He got for wife Hallveig, the daughter of Thorvid; their son was Thorgrim Cheekbeard, the father of Ozur, the father of Thorbjorn, the father of Thorarin, the father of Grim, the son of Tova. Ozur abode in Kamp-holt. A freedman of his was named Bodvar, who abode at Bodvar's-tofts by Vidiskog (Willow-wood), and Ozur gave him a share in the wood, which he reserved for himself in case Bodvar should die leaving no children. Orn of Vælagarth, already mentioned, summoned Bodvar for sheep-lifting, and for that reason Bodvar conveyed to Atli, the son of Hastein, all his belongings, and Atli brought to nought the suit of Orn. Ozur died whilst Thorgrim as yet was young, and then Hrafn, the son of Thorvid, took over the guardianship of Thorgrim's goods. After the death of Bodvar, Hrafn laid claim to Willowwood and forbade it Atli, but Atli deemed he was owner thereof. Atli went with three men to fetch wood (faggots) and there was Leidolf with him; of this Hrafn's shepherd warned him (Hrafn) and he rode after them with seven men. They met in Fight-dale and fought there; two of Hrafn's house-carles fell and he himself was wounded; but of Atli's side there fell one house-carle, while he got wounds unto death and rode home. Onund Bill parted them and bade Atli come into his house. Thord the Deaf, the son of Atli, was then nine winters old; but when he was fifteen winters old, Hrafn rode to meet a ship in Einar's-haven; he had on a blue cloak and rode home by night. Thord lay in ambush for him alone by Howe-ford, a short way from Trodholt, and slew him there with a spear; there is the howe of Hrafn to the east of the path, while to the west of it is the howe of Hastein and the howe of Atli and Olver. These manslaughters were allowed to stand each against the other. From this deed Thord rose in renown; he then married Thorun, the daughter of Asgeir Eastmen's-Terror, who slew a ship's crew in the mouth of Grim's-river, in revenge for a robbery he had to put up with in Norway. At the age of two-and-twenty, Thord bought him a ship in Knor-Sound, being minded to go claim his heritage; at the same time he hid (buried) a great deal of wealth and therefore Thorun would not go away with him, but took over his landed possessions. Thorgils, the son of Thord, was a little over two winters old. The ship of Thord was lost; and a winter thereafter came Thorgrim Errubein, the son of Thormod and Thurid, the daughter of Ketilbjorn to Thorun, to look after things with her. He wedded Thorun, and their son was Hæring.
        Olaf Twinbrow was the name of a man who went from Lofot to Iceland; he took to him all the Skeid between Steer's-river and White-river unto Sand-brook; he was a man of exceeding great strength. Olaf abode at Olaf's-walls and he lies buried in Brow-howe beneath the Vardafell. Olaf had for wife Ashild, and their sons were Helgi the Trusty and Thorir Snowdrift, the father of Thorkel "Gullkar," the father of Orm, the father of Helga, who was the mother of Odd, the son of Hallward. A third son of Olaf was Vadi, the father of Gerd. Thorgrim set his heart on Ashild when Olaf was dead, but Helgi would chide him therefore, and he lay in ambush for Thorgrim at the crossroads below Ashild's-moor; Helgi bade him leave off coming to the house, but Thorgrim answered he was no longer a child in mind, and so they fought and Thorgrim fell there. Ashild asked where Helgi had been, he sang this verse:

                On that spot was I present,
                Where Errubein fell earthward,
                The friend of hosts pushed forward,
                Where bright tongues sang loudly.
                I made a gift to Odin
                Of the stalwart son of Asmod,
                Gaut's (13) feast to Gallows wielder, (14)
                To raven corpse we yielded.

        Ashild said he had cut for himself the undoing of his own head. Helgi went and got for himself a berth in Einar's-haven. Hæring, the son of Thorgrim, was then sixteen winters old, and he rode with two women to Head to see Teit, the son of Gizur. Teit and his rode fifteen in company to forbid Helgi taking passage abroad; they met in Mark-Hraun up away from Mark against Helgi's-hill and Helgi had three men. There Helgi fell, together with one of his fellows, and on Teit's side one man fell; these manslaughters were allowed to stand against each other. A son of Helgi was Sigurd of the Land, and Skefil out of Hawkdale, the father of Helgi Deer, who fought with Sigurd, the son of Ljot Lingback, in the holme of Axe-river at the Althing; on which fight Helgi wrote this:

                My right hand it is bound up,
                The Tyr of wave's bright fire
                Fetched me a wound, I lie not,
                Oh, Bil, o' the lea of serpents.

        Another son of Skefil was Hrafn, the father of Grim, the father of Asgeir, the father of Helgi.

Settlements of Thrand Much-sailing, Olvir Bairncarle. Thorbjorn Laxcarle, Thorbrand, and others who came out late in the Landnamtide.

Chapter XI. Thrand, the Much-Sailing, the son of Bjorn and brother of Eyvind the Eastman, who has been written of before, fought in Hafur's-firth against King Harald, and had to flee the land afterwards; he came to Iceland late in the tide of the landtakes, and he took land between Steer's-river and Lax-river up into Kalf-river and to Land-brook; he abode in Thrand-holt and his daughter was Helga, whom Thormod Shaft had for wife.
        Olver Bairncarle was the name of a highly renowned man in Norway, he was a great Viking; he would not allow children to be tossed on spear points as was then the custom of Vikings; hence he was called Bairncarle. His sons were these: Steinolf, the father of Una, whom Thorbjorn Laxcarle had for wife, and Einar, the father of Ofeig Grettir and of Oleif Broad, the father of Thormod Shaft. A third son of Olvir Bairncarle was Steinmod, the father of Konal, the father of Alfdis of Barra, whom Olaf Feilan wedded. The son of Konal was Steinmod, the father of Haldora, whom Eilif, the son of Ketil One-handed, had for wife. Those kinsmen, Ofeig Grettir and Thormod Shaft, went to Iceland, and were the first winter with Thorbjorn Laxcarle, their kinsman-in-law, but in the spring he gave them the Rape of the men of Gnup. Unto Ofeig he gave the western part, between Thvera or Thwart-river and Calf-river, and abode at Ofeig's-stead by Stein's-holt, but to Thormod he gave the eastern part and he abode at Skapt-holt. The daughters of Thormod were these: Thorvor, the mother of Thorodd the godi, the father of Bjarni the Sage, who was the father of Skeggi, the father of Markus the Speaker-of-law, the father of Valgerd, the mother of Bodvar, the father of priest Thord, the father of Thorleif of the Garths, and of Markus of Melar, and of Bodvar of By. Law Skapti was the father of Thorstein Hollowmouth, the father of Gunnhild, the mother of Jodis, the mother of Viborg, the mother of Magnus, the father of Snorri of Melar. Ofeig fell by the hand of Thorbjorn Earl's-Champion in Grettir's-lane by Heel. The daughter of Ofeig was Aldis, the mother of Wall-Brand.
        Thorbjorn Laxcarle settled the whole of Steer's-river-dale and all of the Rape of the men of Gnup down to Calf-river, and abode the first winter at Midhouse; he had three different winter abodes before ever he came to Hagi, where he abode to his dying day. His sons were these: Ottkel in Steer's-river-dale, and Thorkel Trandil, and Thorgils, the father of Otkatla, the mother of Thorkatla, the mother of Thorvald, the father of Dalla, the mother of Bishop Gizur.
        There was a man of Norwegian kindred called Thorbjorn Earl's-Champion; he left the Orkneys for Iceland and bought land in the Rape of the men of Hrani, from Mar, the son of Naddod, all down below Seals-brook, between it and Lax-river, and abode at Holar. His sons were these: Solmund, the father of Singed-Kari, and Thormod, the father of Finna, whom Thororm in Carlefirth had for wife; their daughter was Alfgerd, the mother of Guest, the father of Valgerd, the mother of Thorleif Beiskald, who was the father of Alfeid, the mother of Thorlak, the father of Priest Ketil, the father of Herdis, the mother of the children of Bishop Paul.
        Brondolf and Mar, the sons of Naddod and Jorun, the daughter of Olvir Bairncarle, came to settle in Iceland at an early time; they took to them the Rape of the men of Hrani as far as the watershed. Brondolf abode at Berghyl, and his sons were these: Thorleif, the father of Brondolf, the father of Thorkel Skotakoll (Shooting-pate), the father of Thorarin, the father of Hall in Hawkdale, and Thorlak, the father of Runolf, the father of Thorlak the Bishop. Mar abode at Mar-stead; his son was Beinir, the father of Kolgrima, the mother of Skeggi, the father of Hjalti.
        Thorbrand, the son of Thorbjorn the Dauntless, and Asbrand, his son, came to Iceland late in the tide of the landtakes, and Ketilbjorn showed them to a landtake above the Mull that juts into the river called Stack-river, and thence to Kaldakvisl, and they abode in Hawkdale. They found these lands too narrow, because of the easternmost Tongue was already taken possession of. So they eked out their landtake and took to them the upper part of the Rape of the men of Hrani by a straight sight line from the Mull to Ingjald's-gnup above Gyldarhagi. The children of Asbrand were Vebrand and Arngerd; Vebrand was the father of Oddlaug, whom Sverting, the son of Runolf, had for wife. Eyfreyd the Old settled the easternmost Tongue between Kaldakvisl and White-river, and abode at Tongue; with him came out Drumbodd, who abode at Drumbodd-stead.

Ketilbjorn from Naumdale in Norway with a ship (the Ellidi) gives that name to the Ellidi's-river. His settlements at Grimness, Laugar-dale, Bishop's-tongue, and Mossfell. Settlement of Asgeir at Lithe, Eilif at Head. Grim, son of Vethorm, settles Bowerfell. Hallkel fights with and slays Grim for his land upon Hallkel's-hillocks.

Chapter XII. There was a man named Ketilbjorn, one of high renown, in Naumdale; he was the son of Ketil, and of Asa, the daughter of Earl Hakon, the son of Grjotgarth; he had for wife Helga, the daughter of Thord Skeggi. Ketilbjorn went to Iceland when already the land was settled wide about along the sea. He steered a ship called Ellidi; he hove in at the mouth of Ellidi's-river down below the Heath, and was the first winter with Thord Skeggi, his father-in-law. In the spring he went up across the Heath in order to look for some choice of land; they made for themselves a lair over night and put up a Skali, where now the spot is called Scale Brink, and when they went thence they came to the river, which they called Axe-river, because they lost their axe; they tarried a while under the Mull of a fell, which they named Trout Mull; for there they left behind the river trout which they had caught in the river. Ketilbjorn took to him the whole of Grimness all up away from Hoskuld's-brook, the whole of Laugar-dale and the whole of Bishop's-tongue up to Stack-river, and abode at Mossfell. Their children were Teit and Thormod, Thorleif, Ketil, Thorkatla, Oddleif, Thorgerd, Thurid; a natural son of Ketilbjorn's was called Skæring.

Notes:
13. Gaut = Odin, his feast = sacrifice made to him in the shape of a slain warrior. [Back]
14. Gallows wielder = Odin. [Back]