Eyrbyggja Saga
Page 6
Chapter 10
Peace Made.
After the Thing the chiefs on
either side sat at home with many men about them, and much ill blood there
was between them. Their friends took this rede, to send word to Thord the
Yeller, who was then the greatest chief in Broadfirth: he was akin to the
Kiallekings, but closely allied to Thorstein; (1)
therefore he seemed to be the likeliest of men to settle peace between them.
But when this message came to Thord, he fared thither with many men, and
strove to make peace. He found that far apart were the minds of them; yet
he brought about truce between them, and a meeting to be summoned. The close
of the matter was that Thord should make it up, on such terms that whereas
the Kiallekings laid down that they would never go their errands to Dirtskerry,
Thorstein claimed that they should not defile the field now more than aforetime.
The Kiallekings claimed that all they who had fallen on Thorstein's part
should be fallen unhallowed, because they had first set on them with the
mind to fight. But the Thorsnessings said that all the Kiallekings had fallen
unhallowed because of their law-breaking at a Holy Thing.
But though the terms laid
down were hard for the award, yet Thord yeasaid the taking it on him rather
than that they should part unappeased. Now Thord thus set forth the beginning
of the award: "Let hap abide as hap befell"; said that for no manslayings
nor hurts which had happed at Thorsness should man-gild be paid. The field
he gave out unhallowed because of the blood shed in wrath that had fallen
thereon, and that land he declared now no holier than another, laying
down that the cause thereof were those who first bestirred them to wounding
others. And that he called the only peace-breaking that had betid, and
said withal that no Thing should be held there thenceforward. But that
they might be well appeased and friends thenceforth, he made this further
award, that Thorgrim Kiallakson should uphold the temple half at his own
costs, and answer for half the temple toll, (2)
and the Thingmen the other half. He should also help Thorstein thenceforth
in all law-cases, and strengthen him in whatso hallowing he might bestow
on the Thing, whereso it should next be set up.
Withal Thord the Yeller
gave to Thorgrim Kiallakson Thorhild his kinswoman, the daughter of Thorkel
Main-acre his neighbour; and thenceforth was he called Thorgrim the Priest.
Then they moved the Thing up the ness, where it now is; and whenas Thord
the Yeller settled the Quarter Things, he caused this to be the Quarter
Thing of the Westfirthers, and men should seek to that Thing from all
over the Westfirths. There is yet to be seen the Doom-ring, where men
were doomed to the sacrifice. In that ring stands the stone of Thor over
which those men were broken who were sacrificed, and the colour of the
blood on that stone is yet to be seen.
And at that Thing was one
of the holiest of steads, but there men were not forbidden to go their
errands.
Chapter 11
Of Thorgrim The Priest,
The Death Of Thorstein Codbiter.
Thorstein Codbiter became a
man of the greatest largesse; he had ever with him sixty freedmen; he was
a great gatherer of household stuff, and was ever going a-fishing.
He first let raise the homestead
at Holyfell, and brought thither his household, and it was the greatest
of temple-steads of those days.
Withal he let make a homestead
on the ness near to where had been the Thing. That homestead he let make
well arrayed, and he gave it afterwards to Thorstein
the Swart, (3) his kinsman, who dwelt there thenceforth,
and was the wisest of men. Thorstein Codbiter had a son who was called
Bork the Thick. But on a summer when Thorstein was five-and-twenty winters
old, Thora bore him a man- child who was called Grim, and sprinkled with
water. That lad Thorstein gave to Thor, and said that he should be a Temple-
Priest, and called him Thorgrim.
That same harvest Thorstein
fared out to Hoskuldsey to fish; but on an evening of harvest a shepherd-man
of Thorstein's fared after his sheep north of Holyfell; there he saw how
the fell was opened on the north side, and in the fell he saw mighty fires,
and heard huge clamour therein, and the clank of drinking-horns; and when
he hearkened if perchance he might hear any words clear of others, he
heard that there was welcomed Thorstein Codbiter and his crew, and he
was bidden to sit in the high-seat over against his father.
That foretoken the shepherd
told in the evening to Thora, Thorstein's wife; she spake little thereon,
and said that might be a foreboding of greater tidings.
The morning after came men
west-away from Hoskuldsey and told these tidings: that Thorstein Codbiter
had been drowned in the fishing; and men thought that great scathe. Thora
went on keeping house there afterwards, and thereto joined himself with
her he who is called Hallward; they had a son together, who was called
Mar.
Chapter 12
Of Arnkel The Priest And
Others.
The sons of Thorstein Codbiter
grew up at home with their mother, and they were the hopefullest of men;
but Thorgrim was the foremost of them in all things, and was a chief as
soon as he had age thereto. Thorgrim wedded west in Dyrafirth, and had to
wife Thordis Sur's daughter, and betook himself west to his brothers- in-law
Gisli and Thorkel.
Now Thorgrim
slew Vestein Vesteinson (4) at the harvest feast
in Hawkdale; but the autumn next after, when Thorgrim was five-and- twenty
years old, even as his father, Gisli his brother-in-law slew him at the
harvest feast at Seastead. Some nights after Thordis his wife brought
forth a son, and the lad was called Thorgrim after his father. A little
thereafter Thordis was wedded to Bork the Thick, Thorgrim's brother, and
betook her to housekeeping with him at Holyfell. Then fared Thorgrim her
son to Swanfirth, and was there at fostering with Thorbrand; he was somewhat
reckless in his youth, and was called Snerrir, but afterwards Snorri.
Thorbrand of Swanfirth had to wife Thurid, daughter of Thorfin Selthorison
from Redmell.
These were their children:
Thorleif Kimbi was the eldest, the second was Snorri, the third Thorod,
the fourth Thorfin, the fifth Thormod; their daughter was called Thorgerd;
all these were foster-brethren of Snorri Thorgrimson.
At that time Arnkel, son
of Thorolf Haltfoot, dwelt at Lairstead by Vadils-head; he was the biggest
and strongest of men, a great lawman and mighty wise, and was a good and
true man, and before all others, even in those parts, in luck of friends
and hardihood; he was withal a Temple-Priest, and had many Thingmen.
Thorgrim Kiallakson dwelt
at Bearhaven as is aforesaid, and he and Thorhild had three sons: Brand
was the eldest; he dwelt at Crossness by Sealriver
head. (5) Another was Arngrim; he was a big man
and a strong, large of nose, big-boned of face, bleak-red of hair, early
bald in front; sallow of hue, his eyes great and fair; he was very masterful,
and exceeding in wrongfulness, and therefore was he called Stir.
Vermund was the name of
the youngest son of Thorgrim Kiallakson; he was a tall man and a slender,
fair to look on; he was called Vermund the Slender. The son of Asgeir
of Ere was called Thorlak; he had to wife Thurid, the daughter of Audum
Stote of Lavafirth. These were their children: Steinthor, Bergthor, Thormod,
Thord Wall-eye, and Helga. Steinthor was the foremost of the children
of Thorlak; he was a big man and a strong, and most skilled in arms of
all men, and he was the best knit of men, and meek of mood in every-day
life. Steinthor is held for the third best man-at-arms of Iceland, along
with these, Helgi, the son of Droplaug, and Vemund Kogr.
Thormod was a wise man and
a peaceful. Thord Wall-eye was a very masterful man. Bergthor was the
youngest, yet had he all the makings of a man in him.
Chapter 13
Of Snorri Thorgrimson.
Snorri Thorgrimson was fourteen
winters old when he fared abroad with his foster-brothers Thorleif Kimbi
and Thorod. Bork the Thick gave him fifty hundreds in silver for his voyage.
They had a good voyage, and came to Norway in harvest, and were the winter
through in Rogaland.
Snorri abode (6)
with Erling Skialgson at Soli, and Erling was good to him because of the
ancient friendship between their former kinsmen, Horda-Karl and Thorolf
Most-beard to wit.
The summer after they fared
out to Iceland and were late-ready. They had a hard outing of it, and
came a little before winter to Hornfirth; but when the Broadfirthers dight
them from shipboard, far asunder showed the array of the twain, Snorri
and Thorleif Kimbi. Thorleif bought the best horse he could get, and had
withal a fair-stained saddle, and glittering and fair-dight sword, and
gold-inlaid spear, and his shield was dark blue and much gilded about;
and all his clothes were well wrought withal. He had spent thereon pretty
much all his faring-money; but Snorri was clad in a black cape, and rode
a black mare, a good one. He had an ancient trough-saddle, and his weapons
were little wrought for show. But the array of Thorod was between the
two.
They rode from the east
over the Side, and then as the road lay, west to Burgfirth, and so west
across the Flats, and guested at Swanfirth. Thereafter Snorri rode to
Holyfell, and was minded to abide there the winter through. Bork, however,
took that matter slowly, and folk had much laughter over his array. Bork
let out so much as that he had done unhappily with the faring-money, since
it was all gone.
But one day in the beginning
of winter, at Holyfell in came twelve men all armed. And there was come
Eyolf the Gray, a kinsman of Bork (7)
and son of Thord the Yeller; he dwelt at Otterdale west in Ernfirth. But
when folk asked for tidings, they said that they had slain Gisli Surson,
and told of the men who were fallen before him or ever he fell. At these
tidings was Bork exceeding glad, and bade Thordis and Snorri welcome Eyolf
at their best, as a man who had thrust off so much shame from the hands
of them and their kin.
Snorri let out little over
those tidings, but Thordis said: "Cheer good enough for Gisli's bane if
grout is given him."
Bork answered: "I meddle
not with meals."
So Bork set Eyolf in the
high-seat, and his fellows out from him, and they cast their weapons on
the floor. Bork sat inside of Eyolf, and then Snorri Thordis bare in dishes
of grout to the board, and had spoons withal; but when she set one before
Eyolf, one of the spoons fell down for her. She stooped after it, and
took Eyolf's sword therewith and drew it swiftly, and thrust it up under
the board, and the thrust smote Eyolf's thigh, but the hilt caught against
the board; yet was the hurt sore. Bork thrust the table away and smote
at Thordis, but Snorri thrust Bork away, so that he fell over, and caught
hold of his mother and set her down beside him, and said that enough were
her heart-burnings though she were left unbeaten.
Then sprang up Eyolf and
his men, and man caught hold of man; but such was the end of these matters
that Bork handselled self-doom to Eyolf, and much fee he awarded himself
for his hurt; and withal he fared away. But thereof waxed much ill-will
betwixt the twain, Bork and Snorri.
ENDNOTES:
(1) "Thord the Yeller... he was akin to the Kiallekings, but closely allied
to Thorstein (Codbiter)." How he was otherwise related to the Kiallekings
than by affinity we do not see. His wife, Alfdis of Barra, was the daughter
of Konal, who was second cousin to Thorgrim the Priest, son of Kiallak the
Old (as we learn from "Landnama" ii, 11, 19, cf "Gretti's Saga", ch.3):
Olvir Bairncarle his sister Ondott
| |
Steinmod Astrid, m. to Kiallak
| | the Old
Konal Thorgrim the Priest
|
Alfdis, m. to Thord the Yeller
But Thord the Yeller was
Thorstein Codbiter's brother-in- law. See the genealogy of the Thorsnessings.
Back
(2) "Thorgrim Kiallakson should uphold the temple half at his own costs,
and answer for half the temple toll, and the Thingmen the other half."
The original reads: "Thorgrimr Kjallaksson skyldi halda upp hofinu at
helmingi ok hafa halfan hoftoll, ok sva thingmenn at helmingi." The passage
is somewhat obscure and the translation scarcely quite to the point, the
words "answer for" being better altered to "have" simply. The temple was,
of course, that Thor's temple of which Thorstein Codbiter was the hereditary
"gothi", priest. But now Thorgrim Kiallakson is evidently made a joint
"gothi" or temple priest of it with Thorstein. This cannot mean anything
but that, in order to appease his rivalry with Thorstein, Thord the Yeller
raised him to the dignity of a chief with half a share in the sacerdotal
duties and privileges at Thorsness. For this purpose he was to "have"
half the temple toll, cf. Chapter XXXVI: "To that temple must all men
pay toll," etc. This only seems to mean, that one half of the temple toll
which formerly had been paid to Thorstein by his Thingmen, should henceforth
be paid to Thorgrim by the men of the gothorth or chiefship, which Thord
the Yeller now created in his favour. Back
(3) "Withal he let make a homestead on the ness near to where had been
the Thing. That homestead... he gave afterwards to Thorstein the Swart."
This house has been, no doubt justly, identified by Vigfusson and Kalund
as that which now stands on the north-eastern side of Thorsness and bears
the name of Thingvales (Thingvellir, Thingwall). -- Kalund, Beskr. i.
441-442, and footnote. It would then seem, that the house reared for Thorstein
the Swart was planted in the neighbourhood of the new Thing. This would
require some alteration in our text to indicate that the site was where
"the Thing had been moved to", because the words cannot refer to the old
Thing-wall, which doubtless must have been on the western side of the
ness, on or near the shore of Temple-creek. The immediate surroundings
of the present house of Thingvellir are still thickly studded with ruins
of old booths from the second Thorsness Thing. -- Kalund, l.c. Back
(4) "Now Thorgrim slew Vestein Vesteinson," etc. Thorgrim
was married to Thordis, the sister of Gisli Surson, who himself was married
to Aud, the sister of Vestein, whose foster-brother, moreover, Gisli was,
and therefore in honour bound to avenge him, no matter at what cost. Back
(5) "Sealriver head" (Brimlar hofthi); ours is, no doubt, not a good rendering
of the Icelandic original. Of course Brimlar can, as far as the form goes,
be a syncopated genitive sing. of "brimla-a" = seals' river, "brimill"
= seal. But apparently there is no river on the spot to warrant the rendering.
It is very likely that Dr. Kalund is right in deriving the name from "brim"
= surf, and "la", a wave, according to which it might be rendered Surfhead.
Back
(6) "Snorri abode with Erling Skialgson," etc. Erling and Snorri were
respectively great-grandsons of Horda-Kari and Thorolf Mostbeard. Back
(7) "There was come Eyolf the Gray, a kinsman of Bork," etc. They were
first cousins:
Olaf Feilan
|
-------------------------------
| |
Thord the Yeller Thora (see genealogy
| | of Thorsnessings)
| ----------------
| | |
Eyolf the Gray. Bork Thorgrim
Eyolf had
avenged on Gisli the slaughter of a man who was his own first cousin,
Bork's brother, and the first husband of Bork's wife, who herself was
Gisli's sister. But Gisli had performed a duty of honour under a holy
vow in slaying the slayer of his foster-brother, while Eyolf had done
what by law it was Bork's duty to do, and wherein Eyolf was not strictly
concerned, as long as the next of kin was living. One can hardly help
interpreting the whole affair in this way, that Thordis, in order to try
to avert revenge from a beloved brother, married the cowardly Bork, on
whom, as first of kin, the high duty of revenge devolved, hoping thus
to effect her purpose the more surely. It was after marrying Thordis that
Bork bought his braver cousin to do the business for him. Back
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