Part #2

Settlements of Onund Treefoot, Bjorn, Steingrim, Koll, Thorbjorn 'Bitra,' Balki, and Arndis.

Chapter XXXII. Onund Treefoot, the son of Ofeig Clubfoot, the son of Ivar 'Beytil,' fought against King Harald in Hafursfirth and there lost his leg; thereupon he went to Iceland and took land from Cliffs unto 'Ofæra': Coldback's-wick, Kolbein's-wick, Byrgir's-wick to wit and abode at Coldback to old age; he was the brother of Gudbjorg, the mother of Gudbrand 'Kula,' the father of Asta, who was the mother of King Olaf (the Holy). Onund had four sons, one called Grettir, another Thorgeir Bottleback, the third Asgeir Madpate, the father of Kalf and Hrefna whom Kjartan had for wife and of Thurid whom Thorkel Ketch had for wife and whom Steinthor, son of Olaf, took to wife afterwards; the fourth son of Onund was Thorgrim Hoaryhead, the father of Grettir the strong.
        Bjorn was the name of a man who settled Bjornfirth and had for wife a woman called Ljufa, their son was Svan who abode at Svan's-knoll.
        Steingrim took to him the whole of Steingrim's-firth and abode at Troll-Tongue; his son was Thorir, the father of Haldor, the father of Thorvald 'Orgodi,' the father of 'Bitru'-Oddi, the father of Steindor, the father of Odd, the father of 'Ha'-Snorri, the father of Odd the monk and Thorolf and Thorarin Ruffian.
        Koll was named a man who settled Kollfirth and 'Skridnisenni' and dwelt 'under Fell' all his life.
        Thorbjorn 'Bitra' was the name of a man, a Viking and a scoundrel; he went to Iceland with his kinsfolk, and settled the firth now is called Bitra and abode there. Some time afterwards Gudlaug, the brother of Gils 'Skeid'-neb wrecked his ship against that headland which now is called Gudlaug's-Head. Gudlaug got aland with his wife and daughter but the rest of the crew perished; then there came upon them Thorbjorn 'Bitra' and murdered man and wife, but took the maiden and brought her up. But when Gils 'Skeid'-neb was aware of this he set out and avenged his brother, slaying Thorbjorn 'Bitra' and sundry men besides. From Gudlaug Gudlaug's-wick takes its name.
        There was a man named Balki, who was the son of Blæing, the son of Soti of Sotisness; he fought against King Harald in Hafursfirth whence he went to Iceland and took to himself the whole of Ram-firth, he abode at both homesteads called Balkistead, but last he dwelt at By (79) and died there. His son was Bersi the Godless, who at first abode at Bersistead in Ramfirth; but later he settled Langwaterdale and had another household there, this happening before he took for wife Thordis the daughter of Thorhadd from Hitriverdale and with her, for dowry, Holmesland. Their son was Arngeir the father of Bjorn the Champion of the Hitdalemen. A daughter of Balki was Geirbjorg, the mother of Veleif the Old.
        Arndis the Wealthy, the daughter of Steinolf the Low took as time wore on land in Ramfirth out away from Board-'Eyrr' and dwelt at By; her son was Thord who formerly had dwelt at Mull (80) in Saurby.

Hromund the Halt and his sons Thorbjorn, Thorleif, and Hestein settle at Fairbrink. They summon Helgi and his clan of Viking Eastmen for horse stealing. Hromund and his sons are made wardens of the district. A poem relating the terrible and fatal conflict between Hromund and the Eastern Vikings, their final discomfiture and flight, names of chief settlers in Westfirth. Census.

Chapter XXXIII. Throst and Grenjud, the sons of Hermund the Stooping, took up land in Ramfirth up from Board-'Eyrr' and abode at 'Melar.' From Grenjad was sprung Horse-Gellir the Priest, but Orm was come down from Throst. A son of Throst, too, was Thorkel of 'Kerseyrr,' the father of Gudrun, whom Thorbjorn 'Thyna,' the son of Hromund the Halt, had for wife; they (Hromund and Thorbjorn) dwelt at Fairbrink. Thorleif Hromund's fosterson was the son of Thorbjorn Thyna and Gudrun. Yet another son of Hromund was called Hastein. They (Hromund and his sons) had all things in common. A son of Thorkel the son of Throst was Thorir and he abode at 'Melar'; a daughter of his was named Helga. About this time there came out to Board-'Eyrr' 'Sleitu'-Helgi and with him Jorund his brother. They were Vikings; with them there were twelve free men besides servants; they all betook themselves to 'Melar.' Then Helgi got for wife Helga the daughter of Thorir. Hromund and his sons lost some stud-horses and held Helgi guilty of the deed and Midfirth-Skeggi summoned Helgi and his for horse-stealing to the Althing, but Hromund and his sons were set to keep order in the countryside and they had a trusty fort at Brink (Fairbrink). The Eastmen arrayed their ship for sea. One morning a raven perched on the luffer (81) at Brink and croaked loudly, then Hromund sang:

                'Tis early morn, yet outside (82)
                I hear the black-skinned swan of
                The wound-thorn's sweat (83) a-croaking:
                The stout bird scents his quarry;
                So cried the hawk of battle (84)
                Of yore, whenas the cuckoos
                Of Gaut's ado (85) gave warning
                Of coming doom of warriors.

Then Thorbjorn sang:
        
                The mew of corpse-heaps' billow (86)
                Clacks, hail-sprent, (87) as he comes to
                The corpse-sea: (88) Now all eager
                His morning prey be craveth;
                So crowed the gawk of carrion (89)
                Out from the tree of ages
                Of yore, whenas the wound-hawks (90)
                For warriors 'oath' –mead (91) lusted.

        At this nick of time the Eastmen entered the fort, because the men at work there had not closed it. The brothers (Halstein and Thorbjorn 'Thyna' went out (to fight them), but the women said that Hromund was too old and Thorleif too young to go out (to fight), he was then but fifteen winters old. Then Hromund sang:

                Stem of the flat-grounds circles! (92)
                My death was not predestined
                For either this or that day, (93)
                So I shall face Ilms uproar; (94)
                I care not if the paint-wand
                Of Hedin's weeds (95) shall play on
                The red shields: at the outset
                My days' span was determined.

        Six of the Eastmen fell in the fort, but the remaining six bolted off. When Thorbjorn was about shutting up the fort, he was shot through with a bill; but he took the bill out of the wound and drove it in between the shoulders of Jörund so that it went out into the chest; but Helgi slung him on his back and so ran off. Hromund lay fallen and Thorleif grievously wounded. Hastein followed up the pursuit of them until Helgi dropped Jörund dead, whereat he returned. The women asked for tidings, and Hastein sang:

                Six wound-rod-sweeping Njordungs, (96)
                Asleep with none to mourn them,
                Have found their death by weapons
                Outside here on the flagstones;
                Methinks of these lawbreakers
                One half behind lie fallen,
                But edge-cut wounds full smarting
                To the run-aways I meeted.

        The women asked how many they were (Hallstein and his); Hastein sang:

                We, kinsmen, stood but four there        
                Before their purposed onslaught,
                With no more men I carried
                To the fight the strap-path's-fire. (97)
                While from the steed of Gylvi (98)
                Twelve frisky stems of Gunn-Thing, (99)
                Who would hie to our meeting,
                Came our cold glaves to redden. (100)

        The women asked how many were fallen of the Vikings; Hastein sang:

                Here seven of gods a-seeking
                For Svolnir's wall (101) have dipped down
                To earth their nose; (102) o'er warriors
                Streamed warm blood, dew of corpses.
                Not more fir-stems of meetings
                Of Fjolnir (103) will take outward
                O'er Ekkils paths (104) the steed of
                Jalk's mere, (105) than took it hither.

                Here may be seen the signs of
                The deal-tongue's (106) precious day's-work:
                What deed by four boast-burdocks
                Of sword-din (107) now's effected.
                But, swinger of Gunn's roof's firebrand, (108)
                Methinks to those peace-breakers
                We gave a peace but scanty ---
                The raven tore feed from corpses.

                Unto these men of ravage
                We got their fight-shirts reddened.
                My sword is keen. We were all
                Right hard at work while fighting.
                Men valiant kept the hanging
                Hild's boarding's fire-tongues (109) ready
                Beneath their shields. The falcons
                Of corpses (110) lost their hunger.

                At a loud roar we started
                A fierce burst of stone-throwing;
                Gray clothes of Thund, (111) midst singing
                Of swords, were rent asunder:
                Or e'er the stems of weapons (112)
                Gave way, their respite seeking,
                When still more found their death-day ----
                Shields with fight-squall were smitten.

                Hark, how the wound-swan (113) yelleth
                O'er corpses, where lie fallen
                The stems of vict'ry's altars; (114)
                Wound-mew (115) drink blood-tide's billow.
                Its swill then gat the eagle
                When guilt-rich 'Sleitu'-Helgi
                Had his red coif: (116) the talons
                Of the ern (117) are clogged with carrion.

                Up from the steed, most goodly,
                Of oars (118) the elm-Thing's urgers (119)
                Came, wearing polished helmets,
                To have a meeting with us.
                But off they went, a-wearing
                Red hair, (120) these earth-chain's oxen (121)
                Commanders, god-forsaken,
                Unto their boat --- what sword-stems! (122)

        Helgi and his companions put off to sea the same day and were all lost on Helgi-skerry of 'Skridins-enni.' Thorleif was healed of his wound, and abode at (Fair)Brink; but Hastein went abroad and fell aboard the Long-Worm (123) (Olaf Tryggvison's ship, in the battle of Svold.)
        Now are written down most of the land-takes in the Westfirthers' Quarter, according as men of lore have told of them. And now it must have been heard, that many great men have taken up their abode in that Quarter and that from them many noble families have sprung, even as we have now heard. (124)
        These are the noblest 'land-take-men' (landnámsmenn) in the Westfirthers' Quarter: Hrosskel, Skallagrim, 'Sel'-Thorir, Bjorn the Easterner, Thorolf Mostbeard, Aud the Deep-minded, Geirmund Hellskin, Ulf the Squinter, Thord Vikingson, though in some families male lines maintain themselves longer (than in those of this Quarter.) When the good men of Iceland were counted, there were nine hundred (= 9 by 120 = 1080) good men in this Quarter.

Note to Chapter XXXIII.

        The following is the first stanza in the original Icelandic of the remarkable poem that occurs here:

                út heyri ek svan sveita
                sara þorns er mornar,
                brað vekr broginmóða,
                bláfjallaðan gjalla;
                svâ gól fyrr, þa er feigir
                fólknárúngar váru
                gunnar haukr, er gáukar
                Gauts bragdá spá sagdu.

        It will be seen that this, probably the earliest specimen of Norse poetry committed to writing, runs in stanzas of eight verses each, that the lines are alliterative, that is, two words commence with the same letter in one line and one word with that letter in the next line ---- e.g. 1st line, svan sveita; 2nd line, sara &c. The various epithets applied in those verses to the raven shows how highly figurative the poetry is, and the mythology of the old Norse gods, which characterizes it throughout, proves it to belong to the old heathen age.

Notes:
79. By is Bæ in the Icelandic and derived from the verb bua = to dwell, so it means dwelling. "By" is identical with by that occurs as termination of the names of many villages in the North of England. The Cumberland Poet, Anderson, says: ---- "There's Harraby an Tarraby, And Wigganby beside, There's Oughterby and Soughterby, And 'bys' beath far an weyde." [Back]
80. Icelandic Múli, meaning properly a muzzle, snout, whence the mouth of beasts --- then as here a jutting crag, between two dales, fiords or the like; in Scotland, Mull; in the Shetlands, Mule; Fjalls-múli in Landnama = a mountain peak, as Digri-muli, Seljalands-muli, as also in numberless place-names, as Múli, Múla-fjall, Múla-eyjar, Mula-sveit. See map. So also the Mull of Cantire, Mull of Galloway, Mullhead in the Orkneys, and the Island of Mull, names first given by the Norsemen, whence Mylskr = a man of Mull. [Back]
81. The Icelandic word which has been rendered 'luffer' is ljori = an opening in the roof of ancient halls for the smoke to escape by, and also for admitting light, as the walls of such dwellings had no windows. The men who kept watch used to sit at the ljori or luffer. [Back]
82. The original Icelandic of this verse is given in a note at the end of the chapter. [Back]
83. Wound-thorn = sword, the sweat of it = blood, the black-skinned swan thereof = black bird of prey = raven. [Back]
84. Hawk of battle = raven. [Back]
85. Gaut = Odin, his 'ado' = battle, the battle cuckoo = raven. [Back]
86. Corpse-heaps' billow = blood, the mew of that billow or sea = carrion bird, raven. [Back]
87. With the hoar-frost of the night still on his fell. [Back]
88. As, by instinct, he feels that bloodshed is at hand. [Back]
89. Gawk of carrion = raven. [Back]
90. Wound-hawks = ravens. [Back]
91. = blood; perhaps so-called because of the ancient custom of blending blood and tasting it, when solemn engagements were undertaken. [Back]
92. = shields brimmed round with iron. Apostrophe to someone present. [Back]
93. i.e. "Fate has no 'either' 'or' in its determination of the day of death: if I am not destined by it to die today, I shall not die today." [Back]
94. Ilm (Ilmr) a goddess of Asgarth, must here stand for a Valkyrja, her uproar = battle. [Back]
95. Hedin, a war lord, Snor. Edda I, 432, his weeds = coat of mail, the paintwand thereof = the wand that paints it = stains it red with blood, a sword. [Back]
96. Niordungs, Niord's kin, gods; wound-rod = sword; wound-rod-sweeping Niordungs = warriors. [Back]
97. Strap = sword-strap going over the shoulder; its path is the coat of mail over which it goes; the fire of the coat of mail = sword: I went weaponed into the fight with only four companions. [Back]
98. Gylvi, a sea-king, his steed = ship. [Back]
99. Gunn (Gunnr) a Valkyrja, her Thing = meeting, assembly = battle; the stems of battle = warriors. [Back]
100. Observe the double meaning in 'to redden cold glaves.' [Back]
101. Svolnir = Odin; his wall = shield; gods a-seeking for it = warriors. [Back]
102. Have bitten the dust. [Back]
103. Fjolnir = Odin; his meetings = battles, the fir-stem of battles = warriors, men. [Back]
104. Ekkill, a sea king; his paths = ocean. [Back]
105. Jalk, a name of Odin, must here stand for that of a sea-king; the sea-king's mere = ocean; his stead thereof = ship; here the ship in which the Vikings came to Iceland.---- NOTE: 'Not more' = fewer; the Viking's number having gone down from 12 to 5. [Back]
106. Deal = deal-wood = bow; the tongue of it = the tongue that holds it, the hand; 'the day's work of our hand is preceious.' [Back]
107. Burdock ('börr') of sword-din = warrior; a 'boast-burdock' thereof = the warrior, who may boast of victory by means of it. [Back]
108. Gunn, a Valkyrja, her roof = a shield, the fire-brand of the shield = the gleaming, flashing sword. This line is an apostrophe to someone present. [Back]
109. Hild (Hildr) a Valkyrja; her hanging board or boarding = a shield; the fire-tongue thereof = a sword. [Back]
110. = ravens. [Back]
111. Thund (Þundr) one of Odin's names; his gray clothes = byrny, or coat of mail. [Back]
112. = warriors. [Back]
113. = raven. [Back]
114. Victory's altars = shields; the stems = up-bearers thereof, warriors, men. [Back]
115. = raven. [Back]
116. = had his head covered with blood. [Back]
117. = eagle. [Back]
118. Steed of oars = ship. [Back]
119. Elm = bow (the elm-wood being used for that weapon of attack); the bow's Thing or assembly = battle, the urgers thereof = warriors. men. [Back]
120. Note the contrast between polished helms on arrival and red, i.e., blood covered hair on departing. [Back]
121. Earth-chain = the earth surrounding ocean, sea; its ox = the ship, ploughing it. [Back]
122. Said in scorn = what pitiable wielders of a sword. [Back]
123. The story of the battle of Svold, A.D. 1000, in which 'The Long Serpent' engaged, and the clearing of the ship and mysterious disappearance of Olaf Tryggvison is told in the "Heimskringla," or Story of the Kings of Norway. See Translation by Morris and Magnusson, Chapter cxiv to the end. [Back]
124. These words seem unmistakably to point back to the first secession of 'Landnama,' as being due to oral tradition for this Quarter. [Back]