Njal's Saga (17 page)

‘You bowed to me just now,' said Skarphedin, ‘and you'll be on your back
²
before we're through.'

‘That's bad,' said Sigmund.

Skarphedin struck him on the helmet and then dealt the death blow.

Grim swung at Skjold's leg and took it off at the ankle, and Helgi pierced him with his sword, and then he met his death.

Skarphedin saw one of Hallgerd's shepherds. He had by this time cut off Sigmund's head; he placed it in the man's hands and told him to take it to Hallgerd and said that she would know whether this head had uttered slander about them. The shepherd threw the head down as soon as they left. He did not dare to do so while they were still there.

The brothers went on until they met some men at the Markarfljot and told them what had happened. Skarphedin announced that he had slain Sigmund, and Grim and Helgi that they had slain Skjold. Then they went home and told Njal what had happened.

He said, ‘Bless your hands! This time there will be no self-judgement – not for the time being.'

To return to the shepherd: he came back to Hlidarendi and told Hallgerd the news.

‘Skarphedin handed me Sigmund's head and told me to bring it to you, but I didn't dare,' he said, ‘because I didn't know how you would take it.'

‘It's too bad you didn't bring it,' she said. ‘I would have brought it to Gunnar, and then he would have had to avenge his kinsman, or else be blamed by all men.'

After that she went to Gunnar and said, ‘I must tell you of the slaying of your kinsman Sigmund. Skarphedin killed him and wanted his head brought to me.'

‘Sigmund should have expected this,' said Gunnar, ‘for evil designs have evil results, and you and Skarphedin have often behaved spitefully to each other.'

Gunnar then went away. He did not have any action brought for the slaying and in fact did nothing at all about it. Hallgerd often
reminded him that no compensation had been paid for Sigmund, but Gunnar paid no attention to her prodding.

Three Things passed, at each of which people expected that he would prosecute the case. Then a problem arose which Gunnar did not know how to handle, and he rode over to see Njal. Njal received him warmly.

Gunnar said to him, ‘I have come to seek your advice about a problem.'

‘You deserve it,' said Njal and gave him advice on what to do. Gunnar then stood up and thanked him.

Njal took him by the arm and said to him, ‘Your kinsman Sigmund has been without compensation for quite a long time.'

‘He was compensated for long ago,'
³
said Gunnar, ‘but I would not reject an honourable offer.'

Gunnar had never spoken ill of Njal's sons. Njal wanted nothing else but that Gunnar should set the amount. Gunnar set it at two hundred ounces of silver, and he allowed no compensation for Skjold. They paid the entire amount at once. Gunnar announced the settlement at the Thingskalar Assembly, at a time when it was most crowded, and he talked about how well Njal and his sons had acted, and about the malicious words which led Sigmund to his death. No one was ever to bring up these words again, and if anyone did he would be without right to compensation.
⁴

The two of them, Gunnar and Njal, said that no matter would ever arise that they would not settle by themselves. They stood by this and always remained friends.

There was a man named Gizur; he was the son of Teit, the son of Ketilbjorn the Old from Mosfell. Gizur's mother was Olof, the daughter of the her sir Bodvar, the son of Viking-Kari. Gizur's son was Isleif the bishop. Teit's mother was Helga, the daughter of Thord Beard, the son of Hrapp, the son of Bjorn Buna. Gizur the White lived at Mosfell and was a great chieftain.
¹

A man named Geir is now brought into the saga. He was called Geir the Godi. His mother was Thorkatla, the daughter of Ketilbjorn
the Old from Mosfell.
²
Geir lived at Hlid. He and Gizur supported each other in all matters.

In those days Mord Valgardsson lived at Hof in the Rangarvellir. He was cunning and malicious. His father Valgard was abroad at the time, and his mother had died. He was very envious of Gunnar of Hlidarendi. He was well off for property but was not well liked.

There was a man named Otkel, the son of Skarf, the son of Hallkel who fought with Grim of Grimsnes and killed him in a duel. Hallkel and Ketilbjorn the Old were brothers.
¹
Otkel lived at Kirkjubaer. His wife was Thorgerd, the daughter of Mar, the son of Brondolf, the son of Naddod the Faroese.

Otkel was well off for property. He had a son named Thorgeir; he was still young but quite promising.

There was a man named Skammkel. He lived at the other farm called Hof and had a lot of property. He was malicious and untruthful, overbearing and vicious to deal with. He was a friend of Otkel's.

Hallkel was the name of Otkel's brother. He was big and strong and lived at Kirkjubaer with Otkel. They had another brother named Hallbjorn the White. He brought a slave named Melkolf out to Iceland; Melkolf was Irish and quite unlikeable. Hallbjorn went to stay with Otkel. Melkolf came along with him and often said that he would be happy if Otkel were his master. Otkel was kind to him and gave him a knife and a belt and a full set of clothes, and the slave did whatever he wanted him to. Otkel asked his brother to sell him the slave. Hallbjorn said he would give him to him, but also said that Melkolf was less of a prize than Otkel thought. Once Otkel owned the slave his work got worse and worse. Otkel often talked with Hallbjorn the White about how little work the slave seemed to be doing. Hallbjorn said that he had even worse qualities.

In those days there was a great famine, so that people lacked both hay and food, and this spread over all parts of Iceland. Gunnar shared hay and food with many people, and everybody who turned to him got supplies, as long as there were any.

At last Gunnar ran short of hay and food. He asked Kolskegg to go with him on a journey, along with Thrain Sigfusson and Lambi Sigurdarson.
²
They went to Kirkjubaer and called Otkel out. He greeted them. Gunnar responded politely.

‘Things are such', said Gunnar, ‘that I have come to buy hay and food from you, if there is any'

‘I have both,' said Otkel, ‘but I'll sell you neither one.'

‘Are you willing to give it to me then,' said Gunnar, ‘and take your chances on my repaying you?'

‘I won't do that either,' said Otkel.

Skammkel was advising him to act meanly.

Thrain Sigfusson said, ‘It would be fitting if we just took it and left behind what it was worth.'

‘The men of Mosfell
³
would all have to be dead,' said Skammkel, ‘before you sons of Sigfus could rob them.'

‘I will not do any robbing,' said Gunnar.

‘Would you like to buy a slave from me?' said Otkel.

‘I won't refuse that,' said Gunnar. He then bought Melkolf and went off, leaving things that way.

Njal found out about this and said, ‘This was badly done, refusing to sell to Gunnar. There is no hope for others if men like him cannot get supplies.'

‘Why do you need to say much about it?' said Bergthora. ‘It would be much more noble to share our food and hay with him, since you're not short of either.'

Njal said, ‘That's as true as day – I'll give him some supplies.'

He went up to the farm at Thorolfsfell with his sons and they loaded fifteen horses with hay, and another five with food. Njal came to Hlidarendi and called Gunnar out. Gunnar greeted them warmly.

Njal said, ‘Here is hay and food which I want to give you. I don't want you ever to turn to anyone but me when you're in need.'

‘Your gifts are good,' said Gunnar, ‘but of greater worth to me is the friendship with you and your sons.'

Njal then went back home. The spring wore on.

Gunnar rode to the Thing that summer. A great number of men from Sida in the east had been staying at his farm, and he invited them to stay again when they rode home from the Thing. They said they would, and they rode off to the Thing. Njal was there too, with his sons. The Thing was a quiet one.

Now to tell of Hallgerd, back at Hlidarendi: she spoke to the slave Melkolf and said, ‘I've thought of a task for you. You're to go to Kirkjubaer.'

‘What should I do there?' he said.

‘You're to steal food from them, enough butter and cheese for two horses to carry. Then set fire to the storage shed, and they'll all think it was carelessness, and no one will suspect that anything was stolen.'

The slave said, ‘I've been bad, but I've never been a thief.'

‘Listen to you!' she said. ‘You make yourself out to be so good, when you've been not only a thief but a murderer. Don't you dare refuse this errand, or I'll have you killed.'

He was quite sure that she would do this if he did not go. That night he took two horses and put pack-saddle pads on them and went to Kirkjubaer. The dog knew him and did not bark, but instead ran up to him and fawned on him. He went to the storage shed and opened it and loaded the two horses with food, and then set fire to the shed and killed the dog.

He returned along the Ranga river. There his shoe-string broke and he took his knife and repaired it, but left his knife and belt lying there. He went all the way to Hlidarendi and then noticed that the knife was missing, but did not dare go back. He turned the food over to Hallgerd. She was pleased.

Next morning, when the people at Kirkjubaer came outdoors, they saw the great damage. A man was sent to the Thing to tell Otkel, for that was where he was. He took it quite calmly and said that the cause was that the storage shed was attached to the kitchen, and then everybody thought that this was what happened.

*

People rode home from the Thing, and many rode to Hlidarendi. Hallgerd brought food to the table, including cheese and butter. Gunnar knew that such food was not to be had and asked Hallgerd where it came from.

‘From such a place that you can well enjoy eating it,' she said. ‘And besides, it's not for men to busy themselves with preparing food!'

Gunnar got angry and said, ‘It's a bad thing if I'm partner to a thief ' – and he slapped her on the face.

Hallgerd said she would remember this slap and pay it back if she could. She went out and he went with her, and everything was taken off the table and meat brought in instead, and they all guessed that this was because the meat had come in an honest way.

Then the travellers from the Thing went on their way.

To turn now to Skammkel: he was riding along the Ranga river looking for sheep and saw something shiny on the path and got off his horse and picked it up. It was a knife and belt, and he thought he knew both of them and took them to Kirkjubaer. Otkel was outside and greeted him warmly.

Skammkel said, ‘Do you perhaps recognize these things?'

‘I certainly do,' said Otkel.

‘Whose are they?' said Skammkel.

‘The slave Melkolf's,' said Otkel.

‘More than the two of us must see them,' said Skammkel – ‘I'll give you trustworthy counsel'

They showed them to many people, and everyone recognized them.

Then Skammkel said, ‘What do you intend to do now?'

Otkel answered, ‘We must go to Mord Valgardsson and bring it up with him.'

They went to Hof and showed Mord the things and asked if he recognized them. Mord said that he did – ‘but what about it? Do you think anything of yours is to be found at Hlidarendi?'

‘It's hard for us to deal with this,' said Skammkel, ‘when such mighty men are involved.'

‘That's true,' said Mord, ‘but I know some things about Gunnar's household that neither of you knows.'
¹

‘We'll give you money,' they said, ‘if you'll take over this matter.'

Mord said, ‘That money will be hard-earned, but it may be that I'll look into this.'

They gave him three marks of silver so that he would give them his help. He made this plan: that women should go travelling around with little items to give to housewives, and see what they were given in return – ‘because people tend to get rid of stolen property first, if they have any, and that will be the case here if this was somebody's doing. The women must then show me what they were given at each place. And I'll have nothing more to do with the matter once the truth is known.'

They agreed on this, and Skammkel and Otkel went home.

Mord sent women around the district, and they were gone for half a month. Then they came back, with much to carry. Mord asked where they had been given the most. They said they had been given the most at Hlidarendi and that Hallgerd had been very generous with them. He asked what they had been given; they said they had been given cheese. He asked to see it. They showed it to him, and there were many slices; he took them and kept them.

Soon after this he went to see Otkel. He asked him to bring out Thorgerd's cheese mould, and he did so. Mord placed the slices into it and they matched the mould in every detail. They saw, too, that the women had been given a whole cheese.

Mord said, ‘Now you see that Hallgerd must have stolen the cheese.'

They brought together all the evidence. Mord declared that he would have nothing more to do with the matter, and with that they parted.

Kolskegg had a talk with Gunnar and said,‘I have bad news: everybody is saying that Hallgerd stole the cheese and caused the great damage at Kirkjubaer.'

Gunnar said that this was probably true – ‘but what shall we do about it?'

Kolskegg said, ‘You're the one who has to make amends for your wife, and it seems best to me that you go to Otkel and make him a good offer.'

‘That's well said,' said Gunnar. ‘I'll do that.'