Njal's Saga (9 page)

‘The risk is all yours,' said Osvif.

They set off on a wooing trip to Hoskuldsstadir and were well received there. They told Hoskuld immediately the purpose of their visit and made the proposal of marriage.

Hoskuld answered, ‘I know your standing, and I won't mislead you. My daughter is hard to get along with, but as for her looks and manners you can see for yourselves.'

Thorvald answered, ‘Set the terms, for I will not let her temperament prevent our making a marriage agreement.'

Then they discussed the agreement – Hoskuld did not consult his daughter, because he had his mind set on marrying her off – and they came to full agreement on the terms. Hoskuld extended his hand, and Thorvald took it and betrothed himself to Hallgerd and rode home with the matter settled.

Hoskuld told Hallgerd about the marriage agreement. She spoke: ‘Now I have experienced what I have long suspected, that you do not love me as much as you have always said, since you didn't think it worth consulting me on this matter. Besides, this marriage is beneath what you promised me.'

It was perfectly plain that she considered herself ill-matched.

Hoskuld spoke: ‘I don't rate your pride high enough to let it stand in the way of my plans, and it's my word that counts when we disagree, not yours.'

‘You kinsmen have plenty of pride,' she said, ‘and it's not surprising if I've inherited some of it' – and she walked away. She went to her foster-father Thjostolf and told him what had been arranged; she was upset.

Thjostolf said, ‘Pick up your spirits. You will be married a second time, and then you will be consulted, for I'll carry out your every wish – unless it touches your father or Hrut.'

They said no more about this.

Hoskuld prepared for the feast and rode around to invite people and came to Hrutsstadir and called Hrut out for a talk. He came out, and they went to where they could talk and Hoskuld told him all about the terms of the marriage and invited him to the feast – ‘and I hope that you don't take it amiss that I didn't send you word when the agreement was being decided.'

‘I prefer having nothing at all to do with this,' said Hrut, ‘because there will be no luck for either partner in this marriage, neither for him nor for her. But I'll come to the feast if you think that will bring honour.'

‘I think it will, for certain,' said Hoskuld, and then rode home.

Osvif and Thorvald also invited guests, and no fewer than a hundred were invited.

There was a man named Svan who lived in Bjarnarfjord on a farm called Svanshol, to the north of Steingrimsfjord. Svan was skilled in magic; he was the brother of Hallgerd's mother, and he was overbearing and vicious to deal with. Hallgerd invited him to her wedding feast and sent Thjostolf to bring him. He went, and there was friendship between them at once.

The guests came to the feast, and Hallgerd sat on the cross-bench, a very cheerful bride. Thjostolf often went over to talk to her, and he
also spoke with Svan now and then, and people wondered at all this talking. The feast went well, and Hoskuld paid over Hallgerd's dowry graciously.

Then he said to Hrut, ‘Shall I also give some presents?'

Hrut answered, ‘You'll have chance enough to throw away your money for Hallgerd's sake, so hold back for now.'

Thorvald rode home from the feast, along with his wife and Thjostolf Thjostolf rode close to Hallgerd's horse and they spoke constantly.

Osvif turned to his son and said, ‘Are you pleased with the match? What was it like talking with her?'

‘Fine,' he said. ‘She shows me nothing but sweetness. You can tell by the way she laughs at everything I say'

‘Her laughter doesn't seem as good to me as it does to you,' said Osvif, ‘and the proof of this will come later.'

They rode on until they reached home. That evening she sat next to her husband and placed Thjostolf at her other side. Thjostolf and Thorvald had little to do with each other and little to say, and it went that way all winter.

Hallgerd was bountiful and high-spirited and demanded to have whatever the neighbours had and squandered everything. When spring came there was a shortage of both flour and dried fish. Hallgerd went to talk to Thorvald and said, ‘You can't afford to sit around -the household is in need of flour and dried fish.'

Thorvald said, ‘I didn't lay in any less than before, and it always used to last well into the summer.'

Hallgerd said, ‘It's none of my business if you and your father starved yourselves to get rich.'

Thorvald got angry and struck her in the face so hard that she bled and then went off and called together his servants and they launched a skiff, and eight of them jumped aboard and rowed out to the Bjarneyjar. There they took on dried fish and flour.

*

To return to Hallgerd: she was sitting outside and was upset. Thjostolf came to her and saw that she was cut on the face and said, ‘Why have you been so badly treated?'

‘My husband Thorvald did this,' she said, ‘and if you cared for me you would not have been so far away.'

‘I knew nothing about this,' he said, ‘but still, I'll avenge it.'

He went down to the shore and launched a six-oared boat and held in his hand a large axe which he owned, with an iron-wrapped handle. He got on board and rowed out to the Bjarneyjar. When he got there everybody had rowed away except Thorvald and his companions. He was loading the skiff, and his men were carrying the provisions to him. Thjostolf came over, jumped up on the skiff and helped him with the loading and spoke:‘You're both a sluggish worker and a clumsy worker.'

Thorvald spoke: ‘Do you think you can do better?'

‘I can do better than you in whatever we try,' said Thjostolf. ‘The wife you have is badly matched, and your dealings with her deserve to be brief.'

Thorvald grabbed a short sword which lay near him and made a lunge at Thjostolf. Thjostolf had already raised his axe shoulder-high and struck a return blow; it hit Thorvald on the arm and broke it, and his sword fell to the ground. Thjostolf then raised his axe a second time and brought it down on Thorvald's head, and he met his death at once.

Thorvald's men were now coming down with their loads. Thjostolf acted quickly: with both hands on his axe he hacked at the side of the skiff and made an opening as wide as the space between three seats, and then he jumped into his boat. The coal-black sea poured into the skiff and it sank with all its cargo. Thorvald's body sank too, and his men could not see how he had been killed, but they knew one thing – that he was dead.

Thjostolf rowed away up the fjord, and they cursed him and wished him ill. He made no answer and rowed until he reached home and beached the boat and went up to the house with his axe on his shoulders; it was quite bloody.

Hallgerd was outside and spoke: ‘Your axe is bloody. What have you done?'

‘I've done something,' he said, ‘which will permit you to marry a second time.'

‘You're telling me,' she said, ‘that Thorvald is dead.'

‘That's right,' he said. ‘Now you must come up with a plan for me.'

‘I will,' she said. ‘I'll send you north to Svanshol on Bjarnarfjord and Svan will welcome you with open arms; he is so daunting that no one will go after you there.'

He saddled his horse and mounted it and rode north to Svanshol on Bjarnarfjord. Svan welcomed him with open arms and asked for news, and Thjostolf told him about the slaying of Thorvald and how it had come about.

Svan said, ‘That's what I call a man, someone who doesn't let little things seem large, and I promise you that if they follow you here they will be greatly humiliated.'

To return to Hallgerd: she asked Ljot the Black, her kinsman,
¹
to saddle their horses for a trip together – ‘for I want to ride home to my father.'

He made ready for their journey. She went to her chests, unlocked them and called together all her household and gave everybody gifts. They were all sorry at her leaving. She rode until she came to Hoskuldsstadir, and her father welcomed her, for he had not heard the news.

Hoskuld said to Hallgerd, ‘Why hasn't Thorvald come with you?'

‘He's dead,' she answered.

Hoskuld said, ‘Thjostolf must have done it.'

She said that he had.

Hoskuld spoke: ‘Whatever Hrut tells me can be trusted – he said that great misfortune would come from this marriage. But there's no use blaming oneself for what has already happened.'

To return to Thorvald's companions: they waited until a boat came out and then announced the slaying of Thorvald and asked for a boat to reach the mainland. They were lent one quickly and rowed to
Reykjanes,
²
found Osvif and told him the news. He said, ‘Evil designs have evil results, and now I see how it has gone. Hallgerd has probably sent Thjostolf to Bjarnarfjord, and she herself has gone home to her father. Let's gather men and follow him north.'

They did this; they went around in search of support and put together a good number of men and rode to Steingrimsfjord and to Ljotardal, and from there to Selardal and on to Bassastadir and from there across the ridge to Bjarnarfjord.

Just then Svan had a yawning attack and declared, ‘Osvif's personal spirits are coming this way'
³

Thjostolf leaped up and took his axe.

Svan said, ‘Come outside with me. This won't take much doing.'

They both went outside. Svan took a goatskin and waved it over his head and spoke:

I.

Let there be fog,

And let there be monsters,

And fantastic sights to all

Who follow you.

To return to Osvif and his men: they rode up to the ridge and a great fog came towards them. Osvif said, ‘This must be Svan's doing – we'll be well off if nothing worse follows.'

Soon there was such a thick blackness in front of their eyes that they could see nothing and fell off their horses and lost them and walked into the bog – some into the woods – so that they came close to harm. They also lost their weapons.

Then Osvif spoke: ‘If I could find my horses and weapons, I would turn back.'

As soon as he had said this, they were able to see a little and found their horses and weapons. Many of the men urged that they give the pursuit another try, and so they did, but the same sights came to them as before. This happened three times.

Then Osvif spoke: ‘Though our trip has brought us no honour, we must turn back. We'll try another plan, and what I have in mind now
is to go to Hoskuld to ask for compensation for my son, for there's hope for honour where honour abounds.'

They rode from there to the valleys of Breidafjord, and there is nothing to tell of until they arrived at Hoskuldsstadir. Hrut had already come there from Hrutsstadir. Osvif called to Hoskuld and Hrut to come out. They both went out and greeted Osvif, and then they went off to talk. Hoskuld asked Osvif where he had come from. He said he had gone in search of Thjostolf, but had not found him.

Hoskuld said he had probably gone north to Svanshol – ‘but it's not for everybody to catch him there.'

‘That's why I've come here, to ask you for compensation for my son,' said Osvif.

Hoskuld answered, ‘I didn't kill your son, and I didn't plan his death, but it's understandable that you should try somewhere.'

Hrut spoke: ‘The nose is near to the eyes,
⁴
brother. We must forestall evil rumours and compensate him for his son and in this way restore your daughter's standing; our only choice is to have this case dropped, for it will be better if it's not much talked about.'

Hoskuld said, ‘Will you arbitrate the case?'

‘I will,' said Hrut, ‘but I will not favour you in the settlement, for if the truth must be told, your daughter caused his death.'

Hoskuld turned blood red and said nothing for a while. Then he stood up and said to Osvif, ‘Take my hand and give your consent to drop the case.'

Osvif stood up and spoke: ‘It's not a fair settlement if your brother arbitrates, and yet you've been so helpful, Hrut, that I am quite willing to entrust the matter to you.'

He shook Hoskuld's hand, and they made an agreement to the effect that Hrut should arbitrate and reach a settlement before Osvif went away.

Hrut made his decision and spoke: ‘For the slaying of Thorvald I award two hundred ounces of silver' – this was considered good compensation – ‘and you are to pay this at once, brother, and do it readily.'

Hoskuld did.

Then Hrut said to Osvif, ‘I want to give you a good cloak which I brought from abroad.'

Osvif thanked him for the gift and was well pleased with the way things had turned out and went home.

Hrut and Hoskuld went to Osvif to divide the property, and they made peace with him and went home with their share. Osvif is now out of the saga.

Hallgerd asked Hoskuld whether Thjostolf could move to Hos-kuldsstadir. He agreed to this, and the slaying of Thorvald was long talked about. Hallgerd's property grew in value and became quite large.

Three brothers are now brought into the saga. One was called Thorarin, the second Ragi, and the third Glum. They were the sons of Oleif Hjalti, and were men of high esteem and well off for property. Thorarin had the nickname Ragi's Brother. He held the office of lawspeaker after Hrafn Haengsson and was a very wise man. He lived at Varmalaek, and he and Glum owned that farm together.
¹

Glum had been making trips abroad for a long time. He was big and strong and handsome. Ragi, their brother, was a great fighting man. These brothers owned Engey and Laugarnes in the south.
²

One day Glum and Thorarin were talking, and Thorarin asked Glum whether he was going abroad, as was his custom.