Færeyinga Saga
Part 5
[22] Now of the men of the Færeys it must be told that Ossur Hafgrimson grew up with Thrond of Gate till he was now a fullgrown man; he was a frank-looking man and a manly. Thrond gat him a match in the island, the daughter of one of the best franklins; moreover he told him that they should share the power and rule of the island into two halves, and that he should have the half his father had had, and Thrond the half which the brothers Breste and Beine had had.
Thrond also told Ossur that he thought it most meet that he should take all the fee, both lands and chattels, which those brothers had owned, and hold it as weregeld for his father. And all was done as Thrond had counselled. Ossur now had two or rather three homesteads, one at the Temple on his father's heritage in Southrey, another in Scufey, the third at Dimun on the heritage of Sigmund and Thore. The Færey folk had heard tell of Sigmund that he has become a famous man, and made great readiness against him. Ossur had an earthwork cast up round the homestead in Scufey, and was there the most of his time. Scufey is shapen so from its height that there is the best vantage ground there. There is but one path up it, and men say that the island cannot be got at though there came twenty men against it, yea, thirty even, for that same there never so many they could not win it if they had not that path free. Ossur went about his homestead with twenty men, but there were over thirty men, counting workmen, up at the houses. No man in the Færeys was as mighty as he was save Thrond. The great silver that Thrond gat at Haleyre never came to an end, and he was the wealthiest man in the islands, and he ruled all things in the Færeys at this time, although he and Ossur were not at all alike.
Of Earl Hacon and Sigmund
[23] Of Sigmund it must now be told that he fell to talk with Earl Hacon, and told him that he was minded to leave warring and hie out to the Færeys; for he said he would not hear it said any longer that he had not avenged his father and be upbraided therefor. And he begged the Earl to help him to this end and give him his counsel how he might bring it about. Hacon answered and said that the deep was hard to fare over to the islands, and that the surf ran high, "and no long-ship can hold thither, but I will let make two round-ships for thee and give thee men to go with thee, so that ye may be well found to both our minds." Sigmund thanked him for his good deed, and through the winter they got ready for the cruise, and in the spring the ships were finished and the men found. Harold came to meet him in the spring and settled to fare with him.
And when he was fully bound, Earl Hacon said to him, "One should speed him well one would fain welcome back." And he went out of doors with Sigmund. Then spake Hacon, "What sayest thou to this? In what dost thou put thy trust?" "I put my trust in my own might and main," said Sigmund. "That must not be," the Earl answered, "but thou shalt put thy trust where I have put all my trust, namely, in Thorgerd Shinebride," said he. "And we will go and see her now and seek luck for thee at her hands." Sigmund bade him settle this matter as he would. They set forth along a certain path to the wood, and thence by a little bypath into the wood, till they came where a ride lay before them, and a house standing in it with a stake fence round it. Right fair was that house, and gold and silver was run into the carvings thereof. They went into the house, Hacon and Sigmund together, and a few men with them. Therein were a great many gods. There were many glass roof-lights in the house, so that there was no shadow anywhere. There was a woman in the house over against the door, right fairly decked she was. The Earl cast him down at her feet, and there he lay long, and when he rose up he told Sigmund that they should bring her some offering and lay the silver thereof on the stool before her. "And we shall have it as a mark of what she tinks of this, if she will do as I wish and let the ring loose which she holds in her hand. For thou, Sigmund, shalt get luck by that ring." Then the Earl took hold of the ring, and it seemed to Sigmund that she clasped her hand on it, and the Earl got not the ring. The Earl cast him down a second time before her, and Sigmund saw that the Earl was weeping. Then he stood up again and caught hold of the ring, and now, behold, it was loose; and he took it and gave it to Sigmund gave him his word on it. With that they parted.
And Sigmund went to his ships; and it is said that there were fifty men on board each of them. Then they put to sea and gat a fair wind till they saw the fowl off the islands, and the ships kept together. Harold Ironpate was on board Sigmund's ship, and Thore steered the other ship. But now a storm drove against them and swept the two ships apart, and they drifted a great way, so that many days passed.
Sigmund meets Thrond.
[24] Of Sigmund and they with him it must now be told that at last they gat a fair wind, and made sail for the islands; but they found that they had made the east of the islands, for there were men on board with Sigmund that knew the lay of the land, and were almost got to Eastrey. Sigmund said that he would of all things choose to get Thrond into his hands. But as they bore up for the island, both wind and storm got up against them, so that it was not at all likely that they could make the island; nevertheless, they brought up at Swiney, for the men were keen and handy. They got there as the night was dying, and forty men went straightway up to the homestead, and ten took care of the ship. They went to the homestead and broke in, and took franklin Bearne in his bed and led him out. Bearne asked who were the leaders of this raid. Sigmund said he was. "Then thou shalt needs be grim with them who showed thee nought but ill at the fight when thy father was slain. And I will not deny that I was there. But dost thou remember at all what side I took in thy case when it was counselled that thou shouldst be slain, and thy kinsman, Thore, with thee, and I spoke and said they should slay me first?" "Surely, I mind me of that," said Sigmund. "When shall I be repaid?" said Bearne. "Now," said Sigmund, "thou shalt have peace, but I will give one thing more." "Yea, surely," said Bearne. "Thou must go with us to Eastrey, then," Sigmund said. "Thou shalt as easily win into heaven as thither," says Bearne, "while the weather is in this quarter." "Then thou shalt fare to Scufey, if Ossur is at home." "Thou shalt have thy will here," says Bearne, "and I guess Ossur will be there."
The next night they went to Scufey, and made the island as the night was dying, as before. It happened in such timely wise for Sigmund, that there was no man on the watch at the One-Man's-Path on Scufey. So up they went straightway, and fifty men with them which Bearne gave them. They got to the earthwork, and by this Ossur and his men were at work, and Ossur asked what manner of men they were that they come thither. Sigmund told them his name. "Thou mayst well be deemed to have business with us," said Ossur, "and now I will offer thee this settlement, that the best man in the Fareys give doom on our case." "There shall no settlement be between us two," said Sigmund, "save I alone make it." "I will not have things settled that way," says Ossur, "by giving thee self-doom. I do not see that there is so little likeness between us two men or our cases that I should brook that." Sigmund answered and said to his men, "Do you make for this banterer in the work; but I will seek a plan to follow." Harold Ironhead was sturdy in counsel; he would have no settlement. (1)
And now Sigmund's men made an onslaught on the work, and the others held it. But Sigmund went up to the work and looked well at it. He was armed in this wise that day: he had a helm on his head, and he was girt with a sword; he had an axe in his hand, silver-mounted and snag-horned, with the haft covered; the best of weapons it was. He was clad in a red kirtle, and a light mail-jack over it; and it was the talk of both friends and foes that there had never yet come into the Færeys such a man as he was.
Now Sigmund spied a place where the wall of the work had tumbled down a little, and it was somewhat easier to win in there than in another place. With that he stepped back from the work and then took a run at it, and got so far up that he stuck the crook of the axe on to the wall of the work, and then let himself up quickly by the axe-shaft, and in this way got inside the work. A man ran upon him quickly, and hewed at him with his sword. Sigmund warded the blow off him with the axe, and then drove at him with the axe-horn, so that the axe stood deep in his breast, and he fell dead with the blow. Ossur saw it and ran quickly upon Sigmund, and hewed at him, but Sigmund put the blow aside again, and hewed at Ossur with his axe, and struck off his right hand, and his sword fell down with it. Then he struck him again in the breast, so that the axe went right into him, and then Ossur fell.
And now men rushed at Sigmund, but he sprang out backwards off the wall of the work, and came down on his feet. They made much ado over Ossur's body till he was dead. Then Sigmund told the men that were still inside the work that they had two choices in their hands, namely, that he should cut them off from food in the work or burn them therein, or else they should come to a settlement, and let him have the awarding of it. So they let him take self-doom and gave themselves up.
Of Thore it must be told that he bore up for Southrey, and met Sigmund after these things had happened.
And now messages passed between Sigmund and Thrond about a settlement, and peace was made for the time, and a meeting set between them in Streamsey at Thorshaven, for there is the Færeyfolks' moot-stead. Thither came Sigmund, Thrond, and a great gathering. Thrond was very cheerful, and a settlement was talked of. Thrond said, "It cannot be gainsaid that I was at the fight when thy father, kinsman Sigmund, was slain. I will give thee now," said he, "such a settlement as shall be of the greatest honour to thee, and thou thyself shalt be best pleased with, namely, I will that thou fix the whole settlement between us as thou wilt." "I will not have that," said Sigmund, "but I will have Earl Hacon make the award between us, or else we will not be set at one at all, and this I think best of all; but if we are to be set at one, we will both go and seek Earl Hacon." "I had far rather, kinsman," said Thrond, "that thou should make the award; but I must lay down one thing, namely, that I keep my holding here and my headship as I have them now." "There shall be no settlement," said Sigmund, "save the one that I have given thee." And when Thrond saw that the other was the stronger, then they settled it between them in that way, and they were both to go to Norway in the summer.
The second ship fared out to Norway at harvest-tide, and aboard her many of the men that had followed Sigmund out. Sigmund was out in Scufey all through the winter, and Thore his kinsman with him, and Harold Ironhead also, and many men with them. Sigmund kept great state and store at his homestead. The winter passed, and Sigmund got his ship ready. Thrond got ready a merchantman that he had. And each knew what the other was doing. Sigmund sailed as soon as he was bound. There were with him on this cruise Thore and Harold Ironhead, and nigh twenty men aboard. They made land at Norway off South Mære, and asked after Earl Hacon, and he was not far off, and they went to him at once. Earl Hacon welcomed Sigmund and his fellows, and Sigmund told him about the settlement between Thrond and himself. The Earl said, "Thou and Thrond are not a match in cunning, and I fear that he is not likely to come and see me very soon."
The summer went by, and Thrond never came. A ship came out from the Færeys and brought news that Thrond had been driven back, and his ship so broken that it was not seaworthy.
Notes:
1. Ossur had thirty men inside the work, and the work itself was hard to get into. Ossur had a son whose name was Laf, who was a young boy at that time. [Back]
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