Landnámabók
Part #3
Eysteinn 'Meinfret' settles the Dales. Thoradd settles Ramsfirth and dwells at Thoroddstead. Fur Bjorn settles Midfirth. Midfirth Skeggi his son and his exploits. Harald Ring settles Waterness. Audun Skokil, grandson of Ragnar Lodbrog, settles at Audunstead. His connexions and their Settlements.
Chapter I. Eysteinn 'Meinfret,' son of Alf from Osta, settled the eastern Ramfirth Strand next to Blki and dwelt there some winters before he married Thorhild, the daughter of Thorstein the Red; then he betook himself from the north to the dales and settled there. Their sons were Alf, in the dales, Thord and Thorolf Fox, and Hrapp.
There was a man named Thorodd, who settled land in Ramsfirth, and dwelt at Thoroddstead. His son was Arnorr 'hynef,' who married Gerd, the daughter of Bodvar from Bodvar's-knolls; their sons were Thorbjorn, whom Grettir slew, and Thorod drápustufr, (1) the father of Valgera, who was the wife of Skeggi Skammhondungr (or shorthanded), the son of Gamli, the son of Thord, the son of Eyjolf, the son of Eyjar, the son of Thorhrolf 'fasthaldi' or fastholder from Snæfell. The son of Skeggi 'Skammhondung' was Gamli, the father of Alfdis, the mother of Odd the Monk.
There was a man of great renown in Norway named Skutadar-Skeggi, his son was Bjorn, who was called Skin or Fur-Bjorn, because he used to go to Holmgard, i.e. Novgorod in Russia; and when he tired of trading journeys he went to Iceland and settled Midfirth and Linakradale (Flaxfielddale), his son was Midfirth-Skeggi; he was a great bravo and a sea-farer; he harried in Easternway, i.e. in the Baltic, and lay in Denmark at Sjoland (Sealand), when he went from the east; there he made a raid on the land and broke into the Howe or Burial Mound of King Hrolf Kraki, and seized there Skofnung, the sword of King Hrolf and the ax of Hjalti, and much treasure besides, but he could not possess himself of Laufi (the sword of Bodvar Biarki.)
Skeggi dwelt at Reykir in Midfirth and married Hallbera, the daughter of Grim; their children were Eid, who married Hafthora, the daughter of Thorberg Kornmull and of Alof 'Ellida-shield,' the sister of Thorgeir 'gollnir'; they had many children. Another son of Skeggi was Koll, the father of Kalldor, the father of Thorkatla and of Thordis, whom Skald-Helga married. The daughters of Skeggi were Hrodny, whom Thord Yeller married, and Thorbjorg, whom Aslejord the wealthy married, the son of Hord; their daughter was Ingibjorg, whom Illugi the Black had to wife; their sons were Gunnlaug Ormstunga or serpent's tongue, Hermund and Ketill. One son of Eid (2) was named Thorhall, the father of Eid, the father of Thorhall, the father of Oddny, the mother of Geirlaug, the mother of Snælaug, the mother of Markus of Melar.
There was a man of high degree called Harald Ring; he came with his ship into Vestrhop or Westhope and abode for the first winter near to the place where he had first landed, and which is now called Ringstead. He settled Vatnsnes (Waterness) all out to Ambattar (Bondmaid's) river to the west and eastward up to Thwart or Cross river and over there thwartwise to Bjargaos or Rocksmouth, and all that side of the rocks, as far as the sea, and he dwelt at Holar. His son was Thorbrand, the father of Asbrand, the father of Solvi the Proud in Aegis sea-side, and Thorgeir, who dwelt at Holar; his daughter was Astrid, whom Armod, the son of Hedin, had for wife; their son was Hedin. Another daughter of Thorgeir was Thorgerd, whom Thorgrim married, the son of Peter from Os. There was a man named Soti who settled Westhope and dwelt under Sotfell.
Hunda-Steinar was the name of an Earl in England. He had for wife Alof, the daughter of Ragnar Lodbrog; their children were these: Bjorn, the father of Audun Skokul and Eric, the father of Sigurd Bjodskalli, and Isgerd, whom Earl Thorir in Vermaland had for wife. Audun 'Skokul' went to Iceland and settled Vididale, and dwelt at Audunstead; with him came out Thorgil gjallandi (yelling), his fellow, the father of Thorarin the 'godi.' Audun 'Skokul' was the father of Thora 'Moshal's' ('Mewsneck') the mother of Ulfhlid, the mother of Asta, the mother of St. Olave the King.
The son of Audun 'Skokul' was Asgeirr at Asgeir's river; he had for wife Jorun, the daughter of Ingimund the Old; their children were Thorvald, the father of Dalla, the mother of Gizur the Bishop, and Audun the father of Asgeir, the father of Audun, the father of Egil who married Ulfeid the daughter of Eyjolf the son of Gudmund, and their son was Eyjolf, who was slain at the Althing and who was the father of Orm the chaplain of Thorlak the Bishop. Another son of Audun 'Skokul' was Eystein, the father of Thorstein, the father of Helgi, the father of Thororm, the father of Odd, the father of Hallbjorn, the father of Sigvat the Priest. The daughter of Asgeir of Asgeir's river was Thorbjorg, bench setter off.
There was a man named Orm who settled Ormsdale and dwelt there; he was the father of Odd, the father of Thorodd, the father of Helgi, the father of Harri, the father of Jora, the mother of Thordis, the mother of Thordis, the mother of Tanni, the father of Skapi.
Ingimund the Old from Norway. Prediction of the witch wife concerning his Talisman. Its singular story. He settles Vatnsdale and resides at Hof.
Chapter II. Ketillraumr was the name of a renowned 'Hersir' in Raumsdale in Norway; he was the son of Orm Skeljamola (Shellmeal), the son of Horsebjorn, the son of Raum, the son of Giant-Bjorn from the north in Norway. Ketill married Mjoll the daughter of An Bend-the-bow; their son was called Thorstein, who slew in the wood leading to the Upplands, at the egging on of his father, Jokul, the son of Ingimund, Earl of Gautland. Jokul gave him his life (3) and afterwards Thorstein married Thordis, Jokul's sister. Their son was Ingimund the Old, he was brought up in Hefni with Thorir, the father of Grim and Hromund. Heid the witchwife predicted to them all that they should settle in that land which was then undiscovered west in the ocean, but Ingimund said he would guard against that, but the witchwife said he might not do so, and said the token (4) thereof was, that even now would his talisman (5) have disappeared out of his pouch, and he would there find it where he should dig for the foundation of his high seat pillars upon that land.
Ingimund was a great Viking and harried always in Viking raids to the west. (6) His partner was named Sæmund, a man from the Hebrides; they came back from their harrying at that time (7) when King Harald Fairhair was fighting for the land and gave battle in Hafursfirth to Thorir Longchin and his allies; Ingimund wished to go and give aid to the King, but Sæmund would not, and there they parted company. After the battle the King gave to Ingimund for wife Vigdis, the daughter of Earl Thorir the Silent. She and Jorund Neck were his bastard children.
Ingimund felt at home nowhere; therefore Harald the King urged him to seek his fortune in Iceland. Ingimund said that that was what he had never set his mind upon, but he sent there two Finns (8) on a wizard's journey in hamforum (9) to Iceland after his talisman, which was the image of Frey (10) and made of silver. The Finns came back and said they had found the whereabouts of the talisman but could not lay hold on it. They however marked out to Ingimund the position of the place in a valley between two hill rises, and told Ingimund all about the trend of the land, and as to how it was shapen, where he was to settle.
After that Ingimund set out upon his voyage to Iceland and with him Jorund Neck his brother-in-law, (11) and Eyvind Sorkvir and Asmund and Hvati his friends, and his thralls Fridmund, Bodvar, Thorir, Refskegg, Ulfkell. They made land in the southern part of Iceland and were all through the winter at Hvanneyri, with Grim the foster brother of Ingimund, but in spring they went north over the heaths. They came to that firth where they found two rams, and that they called Hrutafirth or Ramfirth, thence they went north over the countrysides and gave proper names to places wideabout there; he was for one winter in Vididale in Ingimundsholt; thence they saw mountains snowless towards the south east and went thitherward in the spring. There Ingimund recognised the aspect of the country which the seer had marked out for his abode.
Thordis, his daughter, was born in Thordisholt. Ingimund took to himself all Vatnsdale up from Helgavatn and Urdarvatn and dwelt at Hof, and there found his talisman, where he digged for the foundations of his high seat posts. His sons by Vigdis were Thorstein and Jokul and Thorir Hegoat's-thigh and Hogni. The son of Ingimund by a bondsmaid was Smid, and his daughters by her were Jorun and Thordis.
Ingimund finds three white bears at Hunavatn. Sends them to King Harald in Norway. Finds one hundred swine in Swinedale.
Chapter III. Jorund settled land out from Urdvarvatn to Mogilsbrook and dwelt at Grund (12) under Jorundfell, his son was Marr (13) at Marstead. Hvati settled land out from Mogilsbrook to the Gills river and dwelt at Hvatistead. Asmund settled out from Helgavatn about the countryside of Thingeyrar and dwelt under Gnup. Fridmund settled Forsæludale. Eyvind Sorkvir settled Blandadale, his sons were Hermund and Hromund the Halt. Ingimund found a she bear and two white bear cubs on Hunavatn (when laid with ice), the place was on this account called Hunavatn. (14) After that he went out and gave the bear to King Harald. Before this men had not seen white bears in Norway.
Then King Harald gave to Ingimund a ship loaded with a cargo of timber (15) and he sailed with the ships to the northern portion of the land and was the first of men to double the Skagi, and he sailed up into Hunavatn to the place which is now called Stiganda-hrof by Thingeyrar. After that was Hrafn the Norwegian with Ingimund, he had a good sword which he took with him into a temple, wherefore Ingimund took the sword from him, as it was forbidden to go with weapons into the hallowed edifice. Hallorm and Thororm, brothers, came out and were with Ingimund, and Hallorm married Thordis his daughter and she obtained as a dowry all the estate of Korn's-river; their son was Thorgrim the godi of Korn's-river. Thororm dwelt at Thorormstongue. Ingimund lost ten swine which were found the following harvesttide in Swinedale, (16) where were a hundred swine; the boar was named Beigad, he leaped into Swinewater or Swinepool and swam about until his kloofs came off, and he died from the over exertion at Beigad's-knoll.
Notes:
1. Drápustufr is in Icelandic a rhymer or poetaster. [Back]
2. i.e. Eid Skeggison above. [Back]
3. While bleeding to death from a wound inflicted by Thorstein, he still had the power to kill him, but gave him his life and bade him marry his sister. See Vatnsdæla Saga, Chap. III. [Back]
4. The Icelandic word is 'jartegn' and signifies a token as a ring, knife, sword, belt, or the like --- properly a token which a messenger had to produce in evidence that his message was true. [Back]
5. The Icelandic term for talisman here is 'hlutir,' a little image or images which people used to wear about their persons ---- in the present instance these were the silver images of the god Frey. [Back]
6. The Hebrides and the British Islands generally. [Back]
7. Date 872 A.D. [Back]
8. The art of sorcery or witchcraft was so much practised by the Finns that the names Finn and Sorcerer or Magician became identical. [Back]
9. The Icelandic word here used is "hamfarir" and has a mythical sense --- meaning the faring or travelling in the shape of an animal, fowl, deer, fish, or serpent, with magical speed over land and sea, the wizard's own body in the meantime lying lifeless and motionless. [Back]
10. Frey is the male god --- the brother of Freya ---- they were the children of Niord. [Back]
11. Ingimund was married to his sister, Vigdis, as stated above. [Back]
12. Grund in Icelandic is literally green field from a cognate word. Numerous farms are so called in High Furness, e.g. Sandgrund, Parkgrund, &c. [Back]
13. Marr is a common surname in Lakeland. Compare also Mardale near Hawswater. [Back]
14. Hunavatn is literally 'the water of the young bears' from Hunn a young bear which is, in the Book of the Settlement, used of other place names in Iceland as Hunafloi, Hunavatns Thing, Hunavatns Sysla. See those names on map. [Back]
15. The Icelandic phrase for cargo of timber is viðar-farmi from viðr = wood, and farmr = fare, freight, or cargo. [Back]
16. Compare Swindale, a valley and parish in Westmorland; also Swinside and Swinsty. [Back]
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