Part #5

Flosi goes from Norway to Iceland on account of manslaughter of King Harald's bailiffs. His settlements by the Rang-river. Ketil the One-handed, Ketil Char, Orm the Wealthy, and other settlers by the Rang-river.

Chapter VII. There was a man called Flosi, a son of Thorbjorn from Gaular, who slew three bailiffs of King Harald Fairhair, and then went to Iceland. He took to himself land east of Rang-river, the whole of the eastern Rang-river plains. His daughter was Asny, the mother of Thurid, whom Brand o' the Fields had for wife. A son of Brand o' the Fields was Flosi, the father of Kolbein, the father of Gudrun, whom Sæmund Deep-in-Lore had for wife. Flosi was wedded to Gudrun, the daughter of Thorir, the son of Skeggbroddi, and their sons were these: Kolbein, who has been named afore, and Bjarni, the father of Bjarni, the father of Flosi, the father of Valgerd, the mother of Lord Erlend, the father of Hauk. For this reason Loft the Old went to do blood-offering at Gaular, that Flosi was an outlaw in Norway. Flosi the Norwegian had for wife Thordis the Mickle, the daughter of Thorun the Wealthy, the daughter of Ketil the One-handed, and their daughter was Asny, whom Thorgeir had for wife.
        Ketil the One-handed was the name of a man who was the son of Audun Thunnkar; he took to him the whole of the western Rang-river plains above Brook-bottoms, and on the eastern side of Steer's-river, and abode at A (A = river); he had for wife Aleif, the daughter of Thorgils. Their son was Audun, the father of Brynjolf, the father of Bergthor, the father of Thorlak, the father of Thorhall, the father of Bishop Thorlak the Holy.
        Ketil Char, the son of a brother of Ketil the One-handed, took land on the western side of Steer's-river and abode at Vellir the westernmost; his son was Helgi Roe, who had for wife Helga, the daughter of Rolf Redbeard, and their son was Odd the Slender, the father of Asborg, whom Thorstein godi had for wife, and of Oddny, whom Eilif the Young wedded.
        Orm the Wealthy, the son of Ulf the Keen, took land along Rang-river, by the counsel of Ketil the One-handed, and abode at Housegarth, where also dwelt after him his son Askel; but his son was the first to rear an abode at Vellir and from him are come down the family of Vellir.
        Thorstein Lunan was the name of a man of Norway who was a great sea-farer; about him it had been prophesied that he would die in a country which, at that time, was not yet peopled. Thorstein went in his old age to Iceland, together with his son Thorgils; they settled the upper parts of Steer's-river-holts, and abode at Lunan's-holt, and there Thorstein was buried in a howe. A daughter of Thorgils was Asleif, whom Ketil the One-handed had for wife, and their sons were these: Audun, aforenamed, and Eilif, the father of Thorgeir, the father of Skeggi, the father of Hjalti in Steer's-river-dale; he was the father of Jorun, the mother of Gudrun, the mother of Einar, the father of Bishop Magnus.
        Gunnstein Bearserk's-Bane, the son of Bolverk Blinding-snout, slew two Bearserks, one of whom had slain Earl Grjotgard at Solvi on the inner side of Agdaness. Afterwards Gunstein was shot by a Finnish arrow on board his ship, north in Hefnir. A son of Gunnstein was Thorgeir, who had for wife Thorun the Wealthy, the daughter of Ketil One-handed, and their daughter was Thordis the Mickle.

Settlements of Rathorm and Jolgeir from the west, and Askel Hnokan, Thorkel Furcoat, Lopt the son of Orm, Thorvid the son of Ulfar, and Thorarin, son of Thorkel.

Chapter VIII. Rathorm and Jolgeir, two brothers, came from west away over sea to Iceland, and took land between Steer's-river and Rang-river; Rathorm became owner of land to the east of Redbrook, and abode in Vætleifsholt; his daughter was Arnbjorg, whom Sverting, the son of Hrolleif, wedded, and their children were Grim the Speaker-at-Law and Jorun. Afterwards Arnbjorg was the wife of Gnup, the son of Molda Gnup, and their children were Hallstein of Hialli (Hill) and Rannveig, the mother of Skapti the Speaker-at-Law, and Geirny, the mother of Scald-Raven. Jolgeir became owner of land to the west of Redbrook unto Stonebrook, and abode at Jolgeir's-stead.
        Askel Hnokan, the son of Dufthak, the son of Dufnial, who was the son of Kjarval, King of the Irish, took up land between Stonebrook and Steer's-river, and abode in Askel's-head; his son was Asmund, the father of Asgaut, the father of Skeggi, the father of Thorvald, the father of Thorlaug, the mother of Thorgerd, the mother of Bishop Jon the Holy.
        Thorkel Furcoat, the foster-brother of Rathorm, got ownership of all lands between Rang-river and Steer's-river, and abode at Haf; he had for wife Thorunn from Orkney, and their daughter was Thordis, the mother of Skeggi, the father of Thorvald of As; from thence Hjalti, his brother-in-law, got riding horses to the Althing for himself and eleven followers when he came out with Christianity; but no one else dared avail Hjalti in those manner on account of the overbearing ways of Runolf, the son of Ulf, who had made Hjalti guilty of blasphemy.
        Now are set down in writing the men who have taken up lands within the landtake of Ketil Salmon.
        Lopt, the son of Orm, the son of Frodi, came from Gaular to Iceland while still in his youth, and took land west of Steer's-river, between it and Rothay (Rauða) and up as far as Skuf's-brook, also Broadmere the easternmost up as far as Sulaholt, and he abode in Gaulverjaby together with his mother Oddny, who was the daughter of Thorbjorn of Gaular.
        Lopt went abroad every third summer on behalf of himself and his mother's brother, Flosi, in order to do sacrifice at the temple, of which Thorbjorn, his mother's father, had been the guardian. From Lopt many great folk are descended, such as Thorlak the Holy, Paul, and Brand.
        Thorvid, son of Ulfar, and brother of Hild, went away from Vors to Iceland, but Lopt, his kinsman, gave him land on Broadmere, and he abode at Vorsby. His children Hrafn and Hallveig, whom Ozur the White had for wife, and their son was Thorgrim Cheekbeard.
        There was a man named Thorarin, son of Thorkel from Alvidra, who was the son of Hallbjorn, the Hordlander's Champion; he brought his ship into Steer's-river-mouth and had a Steer's head at the stem thereof, and from that the river got its name. Thorarin took land above Skufs-brook unto Rothay, along Steer's-river; his daughter was Heimlaug, whom Loft took it into his head to wed when sixty years of age.

Ancestry of Harald Fairhair. Hastein driven by him from Sogn betakes himself to Iceland; throws his Seat Stocks overboard for an omen; they come ashore at Stockseyri; settles between Rothay (Red-river) and Olvis-river up to Full-brook. Settlements of Hallstein, Thorir, son of hersir Asi, Hrodgeir the Sage, and Onund Bil.

Chapter IX. Harald Goldbeard was the name of a King in Sogn; (11) he was married to Solvor, the daughter of Earl Hundolf, and sister to Earl Atli the Slender; their daughters were these: Thora, the wife of Halfdan the Black, King of the Uplanders, and Thurid, the wife of Ketil Slate-river. Harald the Young was the son of Half-dan and Thora; to him Harald Goldbeard gave his name and his realm. King Harald died the first of them, and next to him Thora, but Harald the Young last; and then the realm came to King Halfdan, and to the rule thereof he appointed Earl Atli the Slender.
        Later King Halfdan (12) wedded Ragnhild, the daughter of Sigurd Hart, and their son was Harald Fairhair. When King Harald stepped into the reign in Norway and allied himself with Earl Hakon, the son of Grjotgarth, he handed over to Hakon, his father-in-law, the folk of Sogn, while he himself (Harald) went east into the Wick. But Earl Atli would not give up the rule till he should have seen King Harald on the matter. Over this the Earls strove with great mettle, and each drew an armed host together, and they met at Stafnessvag in Fjalir and fought. There Earl Hakon fell, and Atli was wounded and was carried to Atli's-isle where he died of his wounds. After this Hastein kept to himself the rule of Sogn, until King Harald and Earl Sigurd drew together an army against him, whereupon Hastein fled away and betook himself to journeying to Iceland. He had for wife Thora, the daughter of Olvir, and their sons were Olvir and Atli. According to ancient fashion, Hastein shot overboard his seat-stocks out at sea and they drifted aland on Stalf-jara facing Stockseyri (Stocks Island), but Hastein came into Hastein-sound east of Stockseyri, and was wrecked there.
        Hastein took to himself land between Rothay and Olvis-river up to Full-brook, and the whole of Broadmere up to the Holts, and abode at Starstones, as did likewise his son Olver after him; that place is now called Olver's-stead. Olver had all the land-take to the west of Grim's-river, Stockseyri to wit, and Asgaut's-stead, but Atli owned all between Grim's-river and Rothay, and abode in Trod-holt. Olver died leaving no children. Atli took after him lands and loose chattels; a freedman of his was Bratt, in Brattholt, and another Leidolf of Leidolfstead. Atli was the father of Thord the Deaf, the father of Thorgils, the step-son of Errubein, the father of Grim Babbler, the father of Ingjald, the father of Grim, the father of Bork and of Einar, the father of Hallkatla, whom Rafn, the son of Sveinbjorn, had for wife; their daughter was Steinun, the mother of Lord Rafn, and Herdis, the mother of Atli, the father of Steinun, whom Hauk, the son of Erlend, had for wife. Bork, the son of Grim, was the father of Ragnhild, whom Flosi, son of Bjarni, had for wife; their children were Einar and Bjarni and Valgerd, the mother of Lord Erlend, the father of Hauk. Another daughter of Flosi was Thordis, the mother of lady Ingigerd, the mother of lady Gudrun and Hallbera the Abbess. Another daughter of Flosi was Halla, the mother of Lord Christophorus.
        There was a man called Hallstein, who went from Sogn to Iceland, he was a brother-in-law of Hastein, who gave to Hallstein the western part of Eyrarbank; he abode at Framness; his son was Thorstein, the father of Arngrim, who was slain as he was busy digging for withered wood-stumps; his son was Thorbjorn, who abode at Framness.
        Thorir, son of hersir Asi, the son of Ingjald, the son of Hrvald, went to Iceland and settled the Rape of Kaldnessings all up from Full-brook and abode at Sealforce; his son was Tyrfing, the father of Thurid, the mother of Tyrfing, the father of Thorbjorn the Priest and the Priest Hamund of Goddales.
        Hrodgeir the Sage, and his brother Oddgeir, whom Finn the Wealthy and Haven Orm bought out of his landtake, took to themselves the Rape of the Hraungerdings, and Oddgeir abode at Oddgeir's-holar; his son was Thorstein Ox-goader, the father of Hrodgeir, the father of Ogur in Kambakista, but the daughter of Hrodgeir the Sage was Gunnvor, whom Kolgrim the Old wedded, thence are sprung the Kvistlings.
        Onund Bill, who was mentioned before, took land to the south of Hroar's-brook and abode at Onund's-holt; from him are sprung many men of greatness as is writ before.

Notes:
11. Sogn = district represented by Sogne fiord and its coasts in modern map of Norway. [Back]
12. The reign of Halfdan the Black marks a most important epoch in the Heimskringla or History of the Kings of Norway. Previous to his reign all the history recorded therein is mythical, consisting chiefly of the history of the Ynglings, a race of legendary sovereigns which include the Deities Odin, Niord, Frey, and Freya. After Halfdan's reign, in the succession of his son Harald Fairhair (about 860) the Heimskringla becomes historical, and Harald's reign is most closely connected throughout with the "Book of the Settlement." [Back]