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Viga-Glum's Saga

CHAPTER XXII

HELGA, Glum’s sister, who had been married to Steingrim of Sigluvik, had at that time come to Laugaland; she was the mother of Thorvald Tafalld, who was then eighteen years of age. There was a man named Thorvard, the son of Ornolf and of Yngvillda, who went by the name of “Everybody’s sister.” He lived at Krisnes, and had a son named Gudbrand, who was then twelve years old. Thorvard was a prudent man, and tolerably well inclined to help any one, but he was then old. That morning he was early a-foot, and told his man to get his horses. Then they rode to Thverà, and when they got there Márr had just started. Glum welcomed Thorvard well, and the latter inquired if any attempt had been made to procure a settlement between the parties. Glum told him “None.” Thorvard asked, “Is the suit set on foot?” Glum said it was not. Then said the other, “A day like this would be a good one for this business: there is much mist, and no one would know what was going on, if one went quietly about it.” Glum went on to say how matters stood, and how six men only remained at home. Thorvard answered, “You have rather a small number with you, but the steps you have taken will no doubt be sufficient.” Then Thorvard rode to Espihole, and when he came thither the men were not up; but he found Thorarin, and inquired, “What do you intend to do? Do you intend to offer Glum any composition for the death?” Thorarin answered, “We do not think it an easy matter to offer to compound with Glum.” “Is the suit set on foot?” asked Thorvard. “I have not heard,” said Thorarin; “but what do you know about the matter?” “Oh,” replied he, “Márr rode off this morning with seventeen others to proceed with the suit, and Glum remained at home with five men; no doubt it would now be a famous chance for setting matters straight, but you fellows here never get the best of it, because you are not so sharp in your movements as Glum is.” “Well,” said Thorarin, “the fact is I do not like to set up mere gossip and nonsense on our side to meet this charge.” Thorvard answered, “Whether there was any sufficient cause or not is a point which ought to have been considered before Steinolf was killed. Did he not try to seduce Arngrim’s wife? Of a surety I think such a matter as that is not to be reckoned as nothing.” Thorarin persisted, “I do not like having to do with such a business.” “What do you mean,” said Thorvard, “by talking thus? Glum got something by that outlawry of your relative, Sigmund, and your clear course is not to let yourself be thus insulted by him.” “I am not sure,” said Thorarin, “whether that is or is not a wise course.”
        After this conversation the people of the house got up, and Thorvald the crooked pressed that they should ride to Upsal and give notice of outlawry as against Steinolf for his conduct to Arngrim’s wife, so that he might be taken to have been rightly killed. Thorarin said, “That does not seem very advisable, but we will do it.” There were fifteen of them in all, of whom seven are named, that is to say, Thorarin, Thorvald the crooked, his son Ketill, Arngrim, Eystein the Berserker, Thord the son of Rafn, who lived as Stockahlad, and had married Vigdis, the daughter of Thorir and widow of Sigmund, and Eyvind, the Norwegian who was staying with Thord. They went to Upsal, but Thorvard rode to Öngulstad (where there lived a good yeoman, Halli the fat), and sent his son to Thverà, desiring him to tell Glum the purpose of the men of Espihole, “and afterwards,” he added, “you will ride back quickly to meet me.”
        When Thorvard came to Öngulstad, Halli asked what news he had to tell. “Nothing as yet,” he replied; but then he told him what was the position of things, and Halli thought he saw pretty clearly that Thorvard had brought all this trouble on, and he told him that such men as he were born for mischief, inasmuch as he desired that every man should be at variance with his neighbour; and he added, “It would serve you right if you were killed.” Then Halli went in a great hurry with all the people, men and women, whom he had got, with the intention of interfering between the two parties, if it were necessary. Gudbrand, Thorvard’s son, got to Thverà, and said that his father had sent him thither; he told Glum what had occurred, and how “my father thought himself bound to tell you this which concerns you nearly, that the men of Espihole intend to give notice of outlawry as attaching to Steinolf.” Glum’s answer was, “Why did not your father come himself?” The lad said, “I consider it all the same which of us two came.” Glum replied, “Your father has done well in sending you hither, if we are in want of men:” so he made him dismount, and fastened up his horse. Gudbrand exclaimed, “My father told me I must get back quickly.” “Oh,” rejoined Glum, “it cannot be so; he was desirous, no doubt, that you should show your manhood to-day.”
        In the meantime Thorvard began to say, “My son Gudbrand is late.” Halli inquired whither he had sent him. “I sent him to Thverà,” answered Thorvard. “It is well,” said Halli, “that you should meet with some cunning people, and it serves you right.”
        The men of Espihole rode across the river with the intention of passing at the “Ship-ford.” Glum saw them riding, and remarked that Márr was somewhat too late. Then he ran out of the homestead with six men, of whom Gudbrand was one, and followed the other party. He had his shield and a halberd, with his sword by his side, and hastened on the road, with his men after him, to come up with them. When Thorarin saw them coming he had his people ride their own way, no faster and no slower on that account, “and no one can blame us for that.” Thord, the son of Rafn, asked Thorarin whether they with twenty men were to let themselves be chased by Glum with his six? Thorarin’s answer was, “Let us ride on, for Glum’s object is to delay us and to wait for his own people.” Thord said, “It is no wonder that when he stands on equal vantage-ground with us we often get the worst of it with Glum; seeing that now, when he has only a few men with him, you do not dare to wait for him; but he shall not make me run,” and so he dismounted. Eystein the Berserker said too that he would not ride away from Glum, “so that they should profess to have driven us off.” Thorarin observed that this course seemed to him inexpedient; but when Glum saw that they did not go on, he slackened his pace, and addressed Thorarin, asking what their errand was at Upsal. Thorarin replied that they had determined to proclaim Steinolf as liable to outlawry. Then Glum said, “Is not this rather too strong a measure? Should not some offer of satisfaction be tried first, and we might possibly hit upon some method for bringing this suit to a close.” Thorarin said that he wanted to delay them and had them ride on, and so they did. Glum asked them, “Will you stay a little bit longer?” but they rode away from him, and as they rode slower, so Glum slackened his pace and waited for his men, and said, “Your cause will not find much favour, if you rake up a parcel of lies, and it will end only in disgrace.” “We shall not look to that now,” replied Thorarin; “it is a hard matter to come to terms with you.” Whilst they rode on, Glum kept going forward alongside of them, talking with them, and thus delayed them. But when he saw he could not keep them back any longer, and felt sure of his own men coming up, then he threw his spear at Arngrim so that it went through the man’s thigh and the saddle-bow also, and Arngrim was disabled for the day. Eystein was the first who then rushed at Glum, but Thorvald Tafalld stood out to meet him, and they two fought with each other. Every other man thought he was well off in proportion as he kept away from them; for they were both full of courage and strength, and each of them dealt the other many and sore strokes. Thorvald the crooked attacked Glum sharply and many more with him, but Glum and his men got out of their way and protected themselves as well as they could. Thorarin did not get off his horse, for he thought that they were quite enough to set on one man.”

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