The Sagas of the Icelanders (42 page)

23
To return to Ingimund’s sons, they headed home in the evening and agreed among themselves that Hrolleif was a most despicable man.

Thorstein said, ‘We do not yet know exactly what evil we may have suffered from him, but I have an uneasy feeling about our father’s journey.’

They arrived home and Thorstein went into the fire-hall and, stumbling, stuck out his hand and said, ‘Why is the floor wet, mistress?’

She replied, ‘I think that something may have run from the clothes of Ingimund, my master.’

Thorstein answered, ‘This is as slippery as blood; kindle a light at once,’ and this was done.

Ingimund was sitting in his high seat and was dead. The spear stood there piercing him right through.

Jokul said, ‘It is terrible to know about a noble man like this, that a wretch like Hrolleif should have done him to death; let us be off at once and kill him.’

Thorstein said, ‘You know nothing of our father’s goodness if he has not helped Hrolleif to escape; where is the boy who went with him?’

He was nowhere to be seen.

Thorstein said, ‘I don’t think we can expect Hrolleif to be at home, and we must have a plan in searching for him and not rush in headlong; and we
can take comfort in the huge difference that there is between my father and Hrolleif, and for this my father will be rewarded by him who created the sun and all the world, whoever he is – we can be sure that someone must have been its creator.’

Jokul was so furious that they could hardly control him. At that moment the boy came in and told them of his errand. Jokul said that it had been wrong.

Thorstein said, ‘We must not be angry with him, because he did what our father wanted.’

Ingimund was laid in the small boat from the ship Stigandi and afforded every honour, as was then customary with noble men. This was then reported far and wide, and it seemed – as indeed it was – great and grave news.

Thorstein said to his brothers, ‘I think it would be a good idea for us not to sit in our father’s seat, whether at home or as other men’s guests, while he remains unavenged.’

They kept to this, and were little in evidence at games or other gatherings of men.

But when Eyvind the Proud heard this, he said to his foster-son, ‘Go and tell my friend Gaut what I am going to do; it seems to me that he ought to do the same.’

He then drew a short-sword from under his cloak, and had himself fall on it and so died.

And when Gaut heard of this he said, ‘Life is not worth living for the friends of Ingimund, and I will follow the example of my friend Eyvind,’ and put his sword to his breast and killed himself.

Eyvind’s sons were called Hermund and Hromund the Lame, who will be mentioned later.

24
Let this pass for now; something must be said about Hrolleif. He met his mother and told her the news. She said that no one lived beyond their allotted span, and that Ingimund had enjoyed a long life.

‘My advice is,’ she said, ‘that, first, you must get away from here because blood nights are the most furious. Come and see me here when I judge it most likely that some benefit will arise from my plotting, but I cannot tell which will prevail, Thorstein’s guile and good luck or my scheming.’

Then Hrolleif went north to Skagafjord and came to Saemundarhlid; Saemund was dead by then and Geirmund was in charge of the estate. His brother was named Arnald. Geirmund asked what the news was. Hrolleif said that he had to report the death of Ingimund from Hof.

‘There’s an able man gone; what was the cause of his death?’

Hrolleif said, ‘He was used as a target,’ and then described the whole incident.

Geirmund replied, ‘I can see that you are an utter wretch; be off with you, evil creature, and never come here again.’

Hrolleif said that he would not leave, ‘and I will be killed here, to your great shame; I still remember the fact that my father fell when in the service of your father and Ingimund, and this came about because of you and your men’.

Geirmund said that falling in battle was the lot of brave men, ‘but I will hand you over the moment that the sons of Ingimund arrive’.

Hrolleif said that he had expected as much, or worse. He hid there in a harness shed.

The sons of Ingimund remained at home during the winter; they sat on the lower bench and went to no games nor assembly meetings and were very downcast.

And shortly before the summer, Thorstein summoned his brothers for a discussion and said, ‘I think we are all agreed that it seems high time for us to seek to avenge our father, but this is not very easily done. I think it would be a good idea that whoever has the wit to take on the task should choose as a reward one valuable item from our inheritance.’

They said that this was their wish, ‘and you are the best suited of any of us because of your good sense’.

25
One morning Thorstein was up early and said to his brothers, ‘Let us now make preparations for journeying north into the country, no matter what tasks await us there.’ They were five brothers in all and no one else. Late one evening they came to where Geirmund lived and he welcomed them warmly, and they enjoyed fine hospitality during their night’s stay.

In the morning Thorstein said to his brothers, ‘You will play at a board game today and I will talk with Geirmund.’

They did so.

Thorstein said to Geirmund, ‘We brothers have come here because we are looking for Hrolleif, whom we think is here with you. You are under a big obligation to help us, as it was you and your family who sent our father this wretch from whom so much harm has come, even though this was not your wish. He has no good kinsmen to look to except you.’

Geirmund replied, ‘All this is true and you have searched shrewdly, but Hrolleif is not here now.’

Thorstein said, ‘I believe it more true to say that he is sitting in your shed. Take this hundred of silver, and have him leave, and I will so arrange it that he is not seized while in your safe custody here, so that no blame can be laid at your door; but we will seek him out, even though it is little enough revenge for our father. Tell him that you do not feel safe in protecting him against us, and in bearing the brunt of our hostility, when you would otherwise enjoy our friendship.’

Geirmund answered, ‘Now I will admit that he is here, and everyone may make of this what he wishes; I will do as you suggest and tell him to go away, and you may then look for him, when he is no longer with me.’

‘So be it,’ said Thorstein.

Then Geirmund met with Hrolleif and said, ‘The sons of Ingimund have come here and are looking for you. You may no longer stay here with me, because I will not put myself or my assets at risk on account of you and your evil cause; the brothers are both shrewd and aggressive.’

Hrolleif replied, ‘It was to be expected that you would behave shamefully, and no thanks are due to you for your assistance.’

Geirmund said, ‘Be off with you, at once.’

He met Thorstein later and said, ‘I think it would be best for me if you were to do nothing in haste and remain here today.’

Thorstein said that this should be so.

Then next day they got ready and went west over the mountains; and there had been a thaw and they saw a man’s footsteps in the snow.

Then Thorstein said, ‘Let us now sit down, and I will tell you of my conversation with Geirmund. I was aware that Hrolleif was there.’

Jokul said, ‘You’re a strange man; you were content to sit and do nothing, and your father’s killer was right by you. If I’d known that, things would not have remained altogether quiet.’

Thorstein said that this was not unexpected, ‘but it looked better not to show up Geirmund in this. We will travel in day-long journeys and see if we can make it to the west no later than Hrolleif does, because his footsteps must point towards his home, and Ljot, his mother, will now be sacrificing to celebrate the beginning of summer, as is her custom in accordance with their faith, and there will be no revenge achieved if the sacrifice has already been made.’

Jokul said, ‘Let’s hurry then.’

He led the way for them all.

He then looked back and said, ‘Woe betide those men who are as feeble in size and speed as Thorstein, my brother; vengeance will escape us if we don’t move quickly.’

Thorstein replied, ‘It is not yet clear that my plans and schemes will be worth any less than your witless rushing around.’

Late in the evening they descended to the farm at Hof, and men were sitting at table there.

26
Thorstein met his shepherd outside and said, ‘Go to As and knock on the door and take note of how quickly the door is answered, and recite a verse while you are waiting. Announce it as your errand that you are enquiring about stray sheep, and you will be asked whether we have returned home, and you must say that we have not.’

The shepherd set off and came to As and knocked on the door, and no one answered before he had recited twelve verses. Then a farmhand came out and asked what the news was and whether the brothers had arrived home. He said that they had not, and asked about his sheep. The farmhand said that they had not come there.

The shepherd returned home and told Thorstein how many verses he had recited.

Thorstein said that he had stood outside long enough for a great deal to have gone on inside in the meantime, ‘but did you go in at all?’

He said that he had gone in and looked around.

Thorstein asked, ‘Was there a bright fire in the hearth or not?’

He answered, ‘It looked rather as if it had been kindled just a short time before.’

Thorstein said, ‘Did you see anything strange in the house?’

He said that he had seen a great pile of things and there was red clothing sticking out from underneath.

Thorstein said, ‘It must have been Hrolleif and his sacrificial garments that you saw. We must now go and search there. Let us get ready at once and take on this risk, whatever happens.’

They journeyed and came to As and there was no one outside. They saw firewood piled against the wall on both sides of the gable. They also saw a little hut standing in front of the door, and a gap between it and the door to the main building.

Thorstein said, ‘That must be the place of sacrifice, and Hrolleif is meant
to go there when his mother has completed her rites and all her witchcraft – but I don’t much like it all. Go now and wait round the corner by the house and I will sit up above the door with a stick in my hand; and if Hrolleif comes out, I will then throw the stick towards you, and you must all then run over to me.’

Jokul said, ‘It’s easy to see, brother, that you want to gain honour from this as from everything else, but I won’t have it, and I will sit with the stick.’

Thorstein said, ‘You want your own way, even though things will not go any better, because it seems to me that you are liable to be the cause of some mishap.’

Jokul positioned himself in the pile of firewood, and soon a man came out and looked around by the door, and did not see the men who had come there. Then a second man came out and a third, and this was Hrolleif. Jokul recognized him clearly and gave a violent start, and the log pile collapsed, but he was still able to throw the stick to his brothers, and jumped down and managed to grab Hrolleif so that he could not run away. There was no difference in their strength, and they both rolled down the bank, each lying alternately on top and underneath.

When the brothers approached, Hogni said, ‘What monster is this coming towards us here? I do not know what it is.’

Thorstein replied, ‘This is Ljot the old witch – look how bizarrely she has got herself up.’

She had pulled her clothes up over her head and was walking backwards, with her head thrust between her legs. The look in her eyes was hideous – the way she could dart them like a troll.

Thorstein said to Jokul, ‘Kill Hrolleif now; you have wanted to do this for a long time.’

Jokul said, ‘I’m quite ready for it now.’

He then hacked off his head and told him that he would never haunt them again.

‘Well, well,’ said Ljot, ‘I came very near to being able to avenge my son Hrolleif, and you sons of Ingimund are very lucky men.’

Thorstein replied, ‘What is the clearest sign of that?’

She said that she had intended to change the whole lie of the land there, ‘and all of you would have run wild and been driven crazy with fear out among the wild animals, and that is how things would have turned out if you had not spotted me before I saw you.’

Thorstein said that it was no surprise that their respective luck had
changed. Then Ljot the witch died in her rage and sorcery, and mother and son are now out of the saga.

27
After the killing of Hrolleif and Ljot the brothers returned home, and folk were pleased to see them. Somewhat later, Thorstein said to his brothers, ‘Now I think I am entitled to choose some valuable item from our possessions.’

They agreed that this was the case.

‘Then I choose the homestead at Hof and the land along with its livestock.’

They said that this was hardly just a single item and felt that it looked rather greedy.

Thorstein said that everything ought to go together, land and livestock, ‘and though this seems to you somewhat greedy, it should be borne in mind that, for one thing, our honour will be at its greatest when we are most united, and, secondly, I have the most foresight in this matter. There are plenty of other precious things here, and I happily grant them to you.’

The share-out then took place. Hogni received the ship Stigandi because he was a merchant. Thorir Goat-thigh received the godord, and Jokul was given the sword Aettartangi. He had the sword with him at games meetings and horse-fights, and Thorstein carried it at Autumn meetings and law meetings, because this was the way that Jokul wanted it. Similarly, Thorir said that although the godord was his, he would allow Thorstein to have all the honour from their law cases.

Thorstein said, ‘It is clear to me that you brothers want to find ways of honouring me in everything; and though I have chosen the homestead for myself, I would be happy to grant you some valuables in return. It seems to me a good idea that we should now move our seats to where our father’s high seat was.’

They did so. Thorstein became chieftain of the Vatnsdal people and Vesturhop and over all the areas where his father Ingimund had exercised authority. Thorstein married a woman named Gyda who was the daughter of Solmund, the son of Gudmund. He was the father of Killer-Bard. At that time it was thought that being associated with the Vatnsdal people was a likely source of honour. Jokul lived at Tunga and Smid at Smidsstadir, and Thorir Goat-thigh at Nautabu, which is now called Undunfell.