Eyrbyggja Saga
Page 24
Chapter 56
Of Snorri The Priest And
The Blood-Suit After Stir.
Snorri the Priest dwelt at Holyfell
eight winters after Christ's faith was made law in Iceland. The last winter
he dwelt there was the one wherein his father-in-law Stir was slain at Iorvi
in Flisa-wharf. Then Snorri the Priest went south thither after the corpse;
and he went against Stir in the women's bower at Horseholt, whenas he was
sitting upright and was holding the bonder's daughter by the middle.
That spring Snorri changed
lands with Gudrun Osvif's daughter, and brought his household to Tongue
in Saelings-dale; that was two winters after the slaying of Bolli Thorleikson,
Gudrun's husband.
The same spring Snorri went
south to Burgfirth with four hundred men to follow up the suit for the
slaying of Stir. In his company was Vermund the Slender, the brother of
Stir, who dwelt as then at Waterfirth; Steinthor of Ere withal, and Thorod
Thorbrandson of Swanfirth; Thorleik Brandson of Crossness, the brother's
son of Stir, also, and many other men of worth.
The furthest south they
came was to Whitewater at Howeford over against By. There they found before
them, south of the river, Illugi the Black, Kleppiarn the Old, Thorstein
Gislison, Gunnlaug the Wormtongue, Thorstein Thorgilson of Hafsfirthisle,
who had to wife Vigdis, the daughter of Illugi the Black; and many other
men of account were there, with a band of more than five hundred men.
So Snorri the Priest and
his folk might nowise ride south over the river, but set forth the suit
when they had gone the furthest they might without risk, and Snorri summoned
Guest for the slaying of Stir.
But this same suit Thorstein
Gislison brought to nought for Snorri the Priest in the summer at the
Althing.
The same summer Snorri the
Priest rode south to Burgfirth, and took the life of Thorstein Gislison
and Gunnar his son; and still was Steinthor of Ere with him, and Thorod
Thorbrandson, and
Brand
Hoskuldson, (1) and Thorleik Brandson, and they
were fifteen in all.
The next spring they met
at the Thing of Thorsness, Snorri the Priest to wit, and Thorstein of
Hafsfirthisle, the son-in-law of Illugi the Black.
Thorstein was the son of Thorgils, (2) the son
of Thorfinn, the son of Seal-Thorir of Redmel, but his mother was Aud,
the daughter of Alf-a-dales; but Thorstein was the cousin of Thorgils
Arison of Reek-knolls, and Thorgeir Havarson, and Thorgils Hallason, and
Bitter-Oddi, and those Swanfirthers, Thorleif Kimbi and the other sons
of Thorbrand.
Thorstein had at that time
set on foot many cases for the Thorsness Thing. So one day on the Thing-brent,
Snorri the Priest asked if Thorstein had set on foot many suits for the
Thing. Thorstein answered that he had set on foot certain ones.
Then said Snorri: "Now belike
wilt thou that we further thy cases for thee, even as ye Burgrifthers
furthered ours last spring."
Thorstein said: "I nowise
long for this."
But when Snorri had so spoken,
his sons and many other kinsmen of Stir laid heavy words thereto, and
said that it would serve Thorstein right well, if every one of his suits
there should come to an end as it now stood, and said it was right meet
that he himself should now pay for that shame which he and Illugi his
father-in4aw had done to them the past summer.
Thorstein answered few words
thereto, and men went therewith from the Thing-brent. However, Thorstein
and his kin, the men of Redmel, had brought together a great company,
and when men should go to the courts, Thorstein got ready to push forward
all these suits of his which he had set on foot for the courts to adjudge.
But when the kin of Stir and folk allied to him knew that, they armed
themselves, and went betwixt the courts, and the Redmel- folk as they
would go to the courts, and a fight befell betwixt them.
Thorstein of Hafsfirthisle
would pay no heed to aught but making for the place whereas Snorri the
Priest was. Both big and stark was Thorstein, and a deft man-at-arms,
but when he fell fiercely on Snorri, Kiartan of Frodis-water, Snorri's
sister's son, ran before him, and Thorstein and he fought long together,
and their weapon-play was exceeding hard-fought.
But thereafter friends of
both sides came thither, and went between them, and brought about truce.
After the battle spake Snorri
to Kiartan his kinsman, and said: "Well wentest thou forth today, Broadwicking!"
Kiartan answered somewhat
wrathfully: "No need to throw my kin in my teeth," said he. In this fight
fell seven of Thorstein's men, but many were wounded on either side.
These matters were settled
straightly at the Thing, and Snorri the Priest was the more generous in
all peace-makings, because he would not that these matters should come
to the Althing, whereas the slaughter of Thorstein Gislison was yet unatoned
for; and it seemed to him that he would have full enough to answer to
at the Althing, though this were not brought against him. About all these
things, the slaying of Thorstein Gislison, and Gunnar his son, and also
about the battle at the Thorsness Thing, thus sings Thorrood Trefilson
in the Raven-song:
"Again now the
great-heart, The Rhine-fires waster, Slew two men in spear-storm South
over the water. Thereafter lay seven Life-bereft on the Ness Of the bane
of the troll-wives. Thereof are there tokens."
Such settlement of peace was
struck, that Thorstein should freely forward all the cases at the Thorsness
Thing which he had laid thither. But in the summer at the Althing was peace
made for the slaying of Thorstein Gislison and Gunnar his son.
All who had been at the
slaying with Snorri the Priest got them gone abroad out of the land.
That summer Thorstein of
Hafsfirthisle took the Priesthood of the Redmel-folk out of the Thorsness
Thing, because it seemed to him he had waned in might there before the
folk of Snorri. So these kinsmen set up a Thing in Streamfirth, and held
it for long after.
Chapter 57
Of Uspak Of Ere In Bitter,
And Of His Injustice.
Whenas Snorri the Priest had
dwelt a few winters at Saelings- dale-Tongue, there dwelt a man at Ere in
Bitter called Uspak. He was a married man, and had a son called Glum, who
was young in those days. Uspak was the son of Kiallak of Kiallak's-river
of Skridinsenni. Uspak was the biggest and strongest of men; he was unloved
and the most unjust of men, and had with him seven or eight carles who were
much in the way of picking quarrels with men in those northern parts; they
had ever a ship off the land, and took from every man his goods and his
drifts as it seemed them good.
A man
called Alf the Little dwelt at Thambardale (3)
in Bitter. He had wealth enow, and was the greatest of men in his housekeeping;
he was a Thingman of Snorri the Priest, and had the ward of his drifts
round Gudlaugs-head. Alf, too, deemed himself to feel cold from Uspak
and his men, and made plaint thereof to Snorri the Priest whensoever they
met.
Thorir, son of Gullhard,
dwelt at Tongue in Bitter in those days. He was a friend
of Sturla Thiodrekson, (4) who was called Slaying-Sturla,
who dwelt at Stead-knoll in Saurby. Thorir was a rich bonder, and a foremost
man among those of Bitter, and had withal the wardship of Sturla's drifts
there in the north. Full oft was grey silver in the fire betwixt Thorir
and Uspak, and now one now the other came off best.
Uspak was the foremost man
there about Crosswater-dale and Enni.
One winter the hard weather
came on early, and straightway was there earth-ban
(5) about Bitter, whereof men had great loss of
live-stock; but some drave their beasts south over the heath.
The summer before had Uspak
let build a work at his stead of Ere, a wondrous good fighting-stead,
if men were therein for defence.
In the winter at Goi came
on a great snowstorm and held on for a week; a great northern gale it
was. But when the storm abated, men saw that the ice from the main was
come thither all over the outer firth, but no ice was as then come into
Bitter, so men went to scan their foreshores.
Now it is to be told, that
out betwixt Stika and Gudlaugs-head was a great whale driven ashore; in
that whale Snorri the Priest and Sturla Thiodrekson had the greatest share;
but Alf the Little and more bonders yet had certain shares in it also.
So men from all Bitter go thither and cut up the whale under the ordering
of Thorir and Alf.
But as men were at the cutting
they saw a craft come rowing from the other side of the firth from Ere,
and knew it for a great twelve-oarer that Uspak owned.
Now these landed by the
whale and went up there, fifteen men all- armed in company; and when Uspak
came aland he went to the whale and asked who had the rule thereover.
Thorir said that he was over the share that Sturla had, but Alf over his
share and that of Snorri the Priest; and that of the other bonders each
saw to his own share. Uspak asked what they would hand over to him of
the whale. Thorir answers: "Nought will I give thee of the portion that
I deal with; but I wot not but that the bonders will sell thee of that
which they own. What wilt thou pay therefor?"
"Thou knowest, Thorir,"
said Uspak, "that I am not wont to buy whale of you men of Bitter."
"Well," said Thorir, "I
am minded to think that thou gettest none without price."
Now such of the whale as
was cut lay in a heap, and was not yet apportioned out; so Uspak bid his
men go thereto and bear it down to his keel; and those who were at the
whale had but few weapons except the axes wherewith they were cutting
it up. But when Thorir saw that Uspak and his folk went at the whale,
he called out to the men not to let themselves be robbed. Then they ran
to the other side of the heap, and those about the uncut whale ran therefrom,
and Thorir was the swiftest of them.
Uspak turned to meet him
and fetched a blow at him with his axe- hammer, and smote him on the ear
so that he fell swooning; but those who were nighest caught hold of him
and dragged him to them, and stood over him while he lay in the swoon,
but then was the whale not guarded.
Then came up Alf the Little
and bade them not take the whale. Uspak answered: "Come not nigh, Alf;
thin is thy skull and heavy my axe, and far worse than Thorir shalt thou
fare, if thou makest one step further forward."
This wholesome counsel thus
taught him Alf followed. Uspak and his folk bore the whale down to their
keel, and had got it done or ever Thorir woke up. But when he knew what
had betid, he blamed his men that they had done slothfully in standing
by him while some were robbed and some beaten; and therewith he sprang
up. But Uspak had by then got his keel afloat, and they thrust off from
the land. Then they rowed west over the firth to Ere, and Uspak let none
go from him who had been in this journey; but there they had their abode
and got matters ready in the work.
Thorir and his folk shared
the whale, and let the loss of that which was taken fall equally on all,
even according to the share which each man owned in the whale, and thereafter
all went home.
And now full great enmity
there was betwixt Thorir and Uspak, but whereas Uspak had a many men,
the booty was soon on the wane.
ENDNOTES:
(1) "Brand", read Bard. Back
(2) "Thorstein was the cousin of", & etc. See Genealogies.
Back
(3) Thambardale. We have left the Icelandic form of the first part of this
compound uninterfered with, chiefly on the ground of euphony, partly also
because of the awkward sense of Thomb. See Dict. Thambar = Thamb-ar = of
the river of Thomb. Probably the name was given to the river in consequence
of it having caused some accident to a cow or a mare (less likely, a ewe),
which bore the name of "Thomb". Back
(4) For Sturla Thiodrekson's family connections, see Preface to the "Story
of Howard the Halt". Back
(5) "Earth-ban", jarth-bonn, a common term to this day, indicating that
all pasture is intercepted by the thickness of the snow on the ground: Back
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