One of the best accounts of the honor and praise given to those who fought fairly is given in the saga of Thorstein Staff-struck, which I will quote here in its intirety.

“Thorstein went outside and walked with Bjarni up the hillock. They started fighting with determination and destroyed each other's shield. When they had been fighting for a long time, Bjarni said to Thorstein, 'I'm getting very thirsty now, I'm not so used to hard work as you are.'
'Go down to the stream then and drink,' said Thorstein.
Bjarni did so, and laid the sword down beside him. Thorstein picked it up, examined it and said, 'You can't have been using this sword at Bodvarsdale.'
Bjarni said nothing, and they went back to the hillock. After they'd been fighting for a time, it became obvious to Bjarni that Thorstein was a highly skilled fighter, and the outcome seemed less certain than he'd expected.
'Everything seems to go wrong for me today,' he said. 'Now my shoe-thong's loose.'
'Tie it up then,' said Thorstein.
When Bjarni bent down to tie it, Thorstein went into the house and brought back two shields and a sword. He joined Bjarni on the hillock and said, 'Here's a sword and shield my father sends you. The sword shouldn't get so easily blunted as the one you've been using. And I don't want to stand here any longer with no shield to protect me against your blows. I'd very much like us to stop this game now, for I'm afraid your good luck will prove stronger than my bad luck. Every man wants to save his life, and I would too, if I could.'
'There's no point in your trying to talk yourself out of this,' said Bjarni. 'The fight must go on.'
'I wouldn't like to be the first to strike,' said Thorstein.
Then Bjarni struck at Thorstein, destroying his shield, and Thorstein hacked down Bjarni's shield in return.
'That was a blow,' said Bjarni.
Thorstein replied, 'Yours wasn't any lighter.'
Bjarni said, 'Your sword seems to be biting much better now than it was earlier.'
'I want to save myself from the foulest of luck if I possibly can,' said Thorstein. 'It scares me to have to fight you, so I want you yourself to settle the matter between us.'
It was Bjarni's turn to strike. Both men had lost their shields. Bjarni said, 'It would be a great mistake in one stroke both to throw away good fortune and do wrong. In my opinion I'd be fully paid for my three servants if you took their place and served me faithfully.'
Thorstein said, 'I've had plenty of opportunity today to take advantage of you, if my bad luck had been stronger than your good luck. I'll never deceive you.'
'Now I can see what a remarkable man you must be,' said Bjarni. 'You'll allow me to go inside to see your father and tell him about this in my own words?'” (TS)

When two honorable opponents met on the field of battle, so much was the honor of one or the other that if the sides were unevenly matched in numbers, part of the forces would be held back so that the fight would be fair and not be decided simply by numbers, but by the bravery, skill, patronage and hamingja of those involved.

“Said Bele: busk yourself then; but we will make the attack. Then both of them busked themselves for the battle and took their weapons. Said Thorstein to Bele: There is very little of noble courage in attacking them with fifteen ships, as they have but twelve. Said Bele Why shall we not lay three of our ships aside? And so they did.” (TVS, c.21)

“This seems to me hard terms, and I choose rather to defend my fee, and, if need be, fall with bravery, than to flee feeless and dishonored, although you have a larger army and ships of greater size and number than mine. Said Viking: We shall not be so mean as to attack you with more ships than you have; five of our ships shall therefore lie idle during the battle. Answered Njorfe: This is bravely spoken. And so they got ready for the battle, which then began.” (TVS, c.7)

“One summer he went roving about the British Isles and there he fell in with a man named Asmund Ashenside, who also was a great champion and had worsted many vikings and men of war. These two heard tell of one another and challenges passed between them. They came together and fought. Asmund had the greater following, but he withheld some of his men from the battle: and so for the length of four days they fought, until many of Asmund's people were fallen, and at last he himself fled. Ogmund won the victory and came home again with wealth and worship.” (KS, c.1)

 With battle comes death and a quality thought praiseworthy by our ancestors was to deal respectfully with the dead. A persons body was to be washed and dressed and their hair combed and fingernails clipped. It was considered bad to leave a body out for the animals to devour and many times this extended even to one's enemies. Examples exist of a person asking his enemy to grant him land so that he could bury his dead. The respect for the dead was shown in that the enemy did not refuse the request.

 

“Egil said to them: 'Watch you here by Onund your master and his friends, that no beast or bird tear their bodies.'” (Egils Saga, c.60)

“Then Gizur spoke and said, "We have now laid low to earth a mighty chief, and hard work has it been, and the fame of this defence of his shall last as long as men live in this land."
After that he went to see Rannveig and said, "Wilt thou grant us earth here for two of our men who are dead, that they may lie in a cairn here?"
"All the more willingly for two," she says, "because I wish with all my heart I had to grant it to all of you." (Njal's Saga, c.76)

“Thorarin got home with his people; Glum also returned with his men, and had the dead carried into an outbuilding, where the utmost honour was done to the body of Thorvald, for garments were placed under it, and it was sewn up in a skin.” (VGS, c.23)

“King Atli answered, "Naught true are thy words, nor will this our speech better the lot of either of us, for all is fallen now to naught; but now do to me in seemly wise, and array my dead corpse in noble fashion."
"Yea, that will I," she says, "and let make for thee a goodly grave, and build for thee a worthy abiding place of stone, and wrap thee in fair linen, and care for all that needful is."
So therewithal he died, and she did according to her word: and then they cast fire into the hall.” (VS, c.39)

“Then King Harald had the greatest attention paid to the dead of his men, and had the wounds of the living bound up. The dead bodies of Svein's men were brought to the land, and he sent a message to the peasants to come and bury them.” (SHH, c.67)

“Even when the combat is no more than doubtful, they bear away the bodies of their slain.” (G, c.6)

'"I want him to tell me where he has hidden Atli's body; I have heard say that he has buried it badly."' (Njal's Saga, c.39)

“Give kind heed to the dead, sick-dead, Sea-dead, or word-dead; treat their bodies with respect and see that they are laid to rest with respect.” (Sögumál 77)


Here ends the Trúlög.


Abbreviations:

AH – The Story of Ale-Hood
AS – Audun's Story
DS – Droplaugarson's Saga
EA – Egil's and Asmund's Saga
ES – Eybyggja Saga
FB – The Flatey Book
FS – Fljotsdale Saga
G – Germania
GA – Gautrek's Saga
GR - Saga of King Harald Grafeld and of Earl Hakon Son of Sigurd
GRE – Greenland's Saga
GS – Grettir's Saga
HAK – The Saga of Hakon Herdebreid
HAL – The Story of Hallador Snorrason
HB – The Saga of Halfdan the Black
HE – The Story of Herraud and Bosa
HF – The Story of Hreidar the Fool
HG - The Saga of Hromund Gripsson
HH – Harald Harfager's Saga
HR – Hrafnkel's Saga
HS – Heitharvega Saga
HT – The Story of Helgi Thorisson
JS – The Saga of the Jomsvikings
KS – Kormak's Saga
KT – The Saga of Ketil Trout
KU – Of the Kings of the Uplands
MB – The Saga of Magnus Barefoot
ME – The Saga of Magnus Erlingsson
MG – The Saga of Magnus the Good
OH – The Saga of Olaf Haraldsson (St. Olaf)
OK – The Saga of Olaf Kyrre
OT – King Olaf Trygvisson's Saga
SC – The Saga of Sigurd the Crusader and His Brothers Eystein and Olaf
SFB – The Saga oif Fridthjof the Bold
SHG – The Saga of Hakon the Good
SHH – The Saga of Harald Hardrade
SI – The Saga of Illugi
SIE – The Saga of Sigurd, Inge, and Eystein, the Sons of Harald
SMB – The Saga of Magnus the Blind and of Harald Gille
TMM – The Story of Thorstein Mansion-Might
TS – The Saga of Thorstein Staff-struck
TVS – The Saga of Thorstein Viking's Son
VA – Vatnsdæla Saga
VGS – Viga Glum's Saga
VS – Volsunga Saga
YS – Ynglinga Saga