The Sagas of the Icelanders (63 page)

47
After Christmas that winter Kjartan collected a group of sixty men, without saying anything to his father of his plans. Olaf, for his part, showed little curiosity. Taking tents and provisions with him, Kjartan and his men set out for Laugar, where he told his men to dismount. He ordered some of them to watch the horses and others to set up the tents.

At this time it was fashionable to have outdoor privies some distance from the farmhouse, and such was the case at Laugar. Kjartan stationed men at each of the doors and prevented everyone from going outside so that they had to relieve themselves indoors for three whole days. Afterwards Kjartan rode home to Hjardarholt and all of his followers returned to their homes. Olaf expressed his displeasure at the journey, but Thorgerd said there was no need for any reproach, and the people of Laugar deserved the dishonour they had received, if not worse.

Hrefna then asked, ‘Did you speak to any of the people at Laugar, Kjartan?’

He answered, ‘Not really,’ but added that he had exchanged a few words with Bolli.

Hrefna said, with a smile, ‘I was told for a fact that you and Gudrun had a talk, and I also learned how she was dressed, that she had put on the head-dress and that it became her extremely well.’

At this Kjartan’s colour rose, as Hrefna’s bantering tone had obviously angered him.

‘I was not aware of what you refer to, Hrefna,’ Kjartan said, ‘but Gudrun would not need the head-dress to look more becoming than any other woman.’

Hrefna said no more on the subject.

The men of Laugar were very upset and felt that Kjartan had done them a greater offence by these actions than if he had killed one or two of their men. Osvif’s sons were the most infuriated, while Bolli tried to make little of it. Gudrun said little, but the few words she did let fall showed that it was not necessarily of less concern to her than to others. After this there was open enmity between the people of Laugar and those of Hjardarholt. Late in the winter Hrefna gave birth to a son who was named Asgeir.

Thorarin, the farmer at Tunga, declared that he wanted to sell his farm. He was in need of money, but he was also concerned at the growing hostilities in the district and was fond of both families. Bolli felt he needed a farm of his own, as the men of Laugar owned a great deal of livestock but little land. Acting on Osvif’s advice, Bolli and Gudrun rode over to Tunga. They thought it highly fortunate to get this piece of land close by, and Osvif had told them not to let a small difference in price cause them to miss the opportunity.

They discussed the purchase with Thorarin and reached an agreement on the price and how payment was to be made, and the bargain with Gudrun and Bolli was concluded. There were no witnesses, however, because there were not enough people present to make it legal. Afterwards Gudrun and Bolli rode home.

When Kjartan Olafsson learned of this he rode off immediately with a party of eleven others and reached Tunga early in the morning. Thorarin welcomed him warmly and invited him to stay, and Kjartan replied that he would stop awhile but would return home that evening.

Thorarin asked what his business was and Kjartan answered, ‘I came here
to discuss with you the agreement you made with Bolli, because I’m opposed to your selling your land to Gudrun and Bolli.’

Thorarin said he could hardly do otherwise – ‘the price Bolli offered me for the land was high and is to be paid in a short time’.

Kjartan said, ‘You won’t suffer financially by not selling the land to Bolli, for I’ll buy it for the same price. Nor will it do you much good to refuse to do as I wish, for people will soon realize that I intend to determine the course of events in this district, and show more respect for the views of other people than those of the men of Laugar.’

Thorarin answered, ‘The master’s word is law in that case, but if I had my way the agreement I made with Bolli would stand unchanged.’

Kjartan replied, ‘I wouldn’t call it an agreement if it wasn’t witnessed. Now either you agree to hand this land over to me on the same terms that you’ve already agreed to for the others, or keep the land for yourself.’

Thorarin chose to sell him the property, and the agreement was witnessed at once. After purchasing the land, Kjartan rode home.

The news was not long in spreading through all the valleys surrounding Breidafjord.

At Laugar they learned of it the same evening, and Gudrun said to Bolli, ‘It looks to me, Bolli, as if Kjartan has given you a choice even less attractive than the one he gave Thorarin: either to turn over the district to him and gain little respect from it, or to show yourself less spineless when your paths cross in the future than you have up to now.’

Bolli made no answer, but walked away at once. Things remained quiet for the remainder of Lent.

On the third day of Easter Kjartan left Hjardarholt accompanied by An the Black. They arrived at Tunga the same day, where Kjartan wanted to have Thorarin make the journey to Saurbaer with him to agree to the debts he was to take over [as payment for his land], for Kjartan had considerable sums owed to him there. As Thorarin had gone to a nearby farm, Kjartan remained at Tunga awhile and waited for him to return. That day Thorhalla Chatterbox was at Tunga and asked Kjartan where he was headed.

He told her he was on the way to Saurbaer and she asked, ‘What route will you follow?’

‘Through Saelingsdal on the way there, but coming back I’ll go through Svinadal,’ Kjartan replied.

She asked how long he would stay, and Kjartan answered, ‘I expect to return on Thursday.’

‘Could you do me a service on the way?’ Thorhalla then asked. ‘A kinsman of mine, who lives to the west of Hvitadal in the Saurbaer district, has promised me half a mark of homespun cloth. Could I ask you to fetch it for me and bring it back with you?’

Kjartan promised he would do so.

Thorarin returned home then and joined them for the journey. They rode west over the Saelingsdal heath and reached the Hol farm in the evening. Kjartan was given a hearty welcome by the brothers and sister there, who were good friends of his. Thorhalla Chatterbox returned to Laugar that evening, and Osvif’s sons asked for news of those she had met that day. She said she had met Kjartan Olafsson and they asked where he was going.

She told them what she knew, adding, ‘and I’ve never seen him look so dashing. It’s no wonder men like that feel themselves a cut above.’ Thorhalla continued, saying, ‘It was also clear that there were few things Kjartan would rather talk about than his purchase of Thorarin’s farm.’

Gudrun answered, ‘Kjartan can well afford to act as boldly as he likes, as experience has shown that no matter what offence he chooses to commit, no one dares to take him to task for it.’

Both Bolli and the Osvifssons heard their words. Ospak and his brothers gave little answer apart from a few scornful words about Kjartan as usual, but Bolli acted as if he had not heard, as was his custom. As a rule, if anyone criticized Kjartan, he kept silent or argued in his defence.

48
Kjartan spent the Wednesday following Easter at Hol, where there was plenty of entertainment and feasting. The following night An tossed and turned in his sleep, until others woke him.

They asked what he had been dreaming, and he replied, ‘A horrible-looking woman approached me and tugged me sharply out of bed. She had a cleaver in one hand and a wooden meat tray in the other. Placing the cleaver on my chest, she slit me open right down the front, took out all my entrails and put in twigs instead. Then she went off.’

Kjartan and the others laughed at his story and said they would call him An Twig-belly from then on. They even grabbed him and said, teasingly, they wanted to see if they could feel the twigs in his stomach.

Aud said, however, that it was nothing to joke about, and suggested ‘that Kjartan should either stay here a bit longer or, if he’s determined to ride off straight away, take a few more men with him than he came with’.

Kjartan replied, ‘You may value the words of An Twig-belly highly, since he sits here all day entertaining you with his stories, and think that his every dream is prophetic. But I intend to continue on my way as planned, dream or not.’

Kjartan got ready to leave early Thursday, along with Aud’s brothers Thorkel Pup and Knut, at her insistence. Kjartan and his followers made a party of twelve altogether. As he had promised, he stopped in Hvitadal to pick up the homespun cloth for Thorhalla Chatterbox before heading southwards through Svinadal.

Meanwhile, at Laugar, Gudrun had risen early before the sun had come up and went to where her brothers slept. She roused Ospak, who was quick to awake, and then her other brothers. When Ospak recognized his sister he asked why she was up and about so early.

Gudrun said she wanted to know what their plans for the day were, and Ospak said he intended to remain at home, ‘as there’s not much farm work at the moment’.

Gudrun replied, ‘With your temperament, you’d have made some farmer a good group of daughters, fit to do no one any good or any harm. After all the abuse and shame Kjartan has heaped upon you, you don’t let it disturb your sleep while he goes riding by under your very noses, with only one other man to accompany him. Such men have no better memory than a pig. There’s not much chance you’ll ever dare to make a move against Kjartan at home if you won’t even stand up to him now, when he only has one or two others to back him up. The lot of you just sit here at home, making much of yourselves, and one could only wish there were fewer of you.’

Ospak said she was anything but spare of words, but it was hard to protest against the truth of what she said. He sprang to his feet at once and got dressed and the other brothers followed him. They made preparations to ambush Kjartan. Gudrun asked Bolli to go with them, but he replied that it was not right for him to attack his kinsman and reminded her of how lovingly Olaf had raised him.

Gudrun replied, ‘What you say is true enough, but you’re not fortunate enough to be in a position where you can please everyone, and if you refuse to go along it will be the end of our life together.’

At Gudrun’s urging Bolli’s resentment of Kjartan and his offences grew, and he quickly gathered up his weapons. They were nine in number: Osvif’s five sons, Ospak, Helgi, Vandrad, Torrad and Thorolf, Bolli was the sixth, the seventh was Gudlaug, Osvif’s nephew and a promising young man. Odd
and Stein, the sons of Thorhalla Chatterbox, completed the party. They rode to Svinadal and stopped by the ravine called Hafragil, where they tethered their horses and sat down to wait. Bolli was silent all day and lay up near the top of the ravine.

When Kjartan and his party had passed Mjosund and entered the part of the valley where it widens out, he told Thorkel and his men they should turn back. Thorkel said he would follow them all the way to the mouth of the valley. When they had passed the shielings called Nordursel, Kjartan told the brothers they should not ride any further: ‘I won’t have that thief, Thorolf, laughing at me for not daring to go my way with only a few men.’

Thorkel replied, ‘We’ll do as you tell us and go no further, but we’ll regret it if we aren’t there to help you today if you need it.’

Kjartan then said, ‘I’m sure my kinsman Bolli won’t be out to kill me, and if the Osvifssons are planning on ambushing me the outcome is anything but a foregone conclusion, even if I’m a bit outnumbered.’

The brothers then headed back.

49
Kjartan continued south through the valley along with An the Black and Thorarin. At that time a man called Thorkel lived on the Hafratindar farm in Svinadal which is now deserted. He had gone to see to his horses that day, taking his shepherd along with him. They could see both the men of Laugar lying in wait and Kjartan as he rode down the valley with his two companions. The boy suggested they change their course and ride towards Kjartan, saying it would be very fortunate if they could prevent such a disaster as was now looming on the horizon.

Thorkel said to him, ‘Do shut up! Do you think, you fool, that you could save the life of one doomed to die? To tell you the truth, I won’t be sorry to see them do whatever damage they please to one another. We’re better off finding a spot where we’re in no danger ourselves, but have the best view of their meeting so we can enjoy the sport. Everyone says that Kjartan is the best fighter there is; well, I expect he’ll need all the fighting prowess he can muster, as we can see they are considerably outnumbered.’

They did as Thorkel wished.

Kjartan and his party were now approaching the ravine Hafragil. By this time the Osvifssons had begun to suspect that Bolli had taken up a position where anyone approaching from the north could see him. They conferred together and felt that Bolli might be going to betray them, so they went up
to him on the slope and, pretending it was all in jest, began to wrestle with him, took hold of his feet and drew him further down the slope.

Kjartan and his followers, however, were riding at a good speed and approached quickly. They caught sight of the ambushers when they reached the ravine and recognized them. Kjartan jumped down from his horse immediately and turned towards the Osvifssons. There was a very large rock where Kjartan said they should stand to meet the attack. Before they met, Kjartan threw his spear and struck Thorolf’s shield above the handle, forcing it back against him. The point of the spear went through the shield and into Thorolf’s arm above the elbow where it severed the large muscle. Thorolf dropped his shield and his arm was of no use to him that day.

Next Kjartan drew his sword – but he was not bearing the one called King’s Gift. The two sons of Thorhalla Chatterbox grappled with Thorarin, as this was the role which had been assigned to them. Their struggle was a hard one, for Thorarin was very strong, but the brothers were sturdy men as well. It was difficult to say who would come out on top.

The Osvifssons and Gudlaug attacked Kjartan. There were six of them against Kjartan and An. An defended himself valiantly and tried his best to protect Kjartan. Bolli stood back and watched, holding his sword Leg-biter. Kjartan struck powerful blows, which proved to be more than his sword could bear, and more often than once he had to straighten it by standing on it. The Osvifssons and An had all been wounded, but Kjartan was still untouched. Kjartan fought so fiercely that the Osvifssons had to fall back under the force of his onslaught and instead turned on An. After having fought for some time with his entrails exposed, An finally fell.

At the same moment Kjartan severed Gudlaug’s leg above the knee, a wound which proved fatal. Four of the Osvifssons then charged at Kjartan, but he defended himself so valiantly that he did not give way under their attack at all.

Then Kjartan called out, ‘Why did you leave home, kinsman Bolli, if you intended only to stand and watch? You’re going to have to decide whose side you’re on and then see what Leg-biter can do.’

Bolli acted as if he had not heard.

When Ospak saw that they would not be able to overcome Kjartan, he began to urge Bolli in every way he knew to join in, saying that Bolli could not wish it to be said of him afterwards that he had promised to help them in the attack and then failed to do so. ‘Kjartan has proved hard enough to handle, even when we’d done much less than this to offend him, and if he
should manage to escape now, a harsh punishment will await you, Bolli, no less than us.’

At this Bolli drew the sword Leg-biter and turned towards Kjartan.

Kjartan then said to him, ‘An evil deed this is, that you’re about to do, kinsman, so much is certain. But I’d rather receive my death at your hands than cause yours.’

With that Kjartan threw down his weapons and refused to defend himself further. He was only very slightly injured, although exhausted from fighting. Bolli made no response to Kjartan’s words, but dealt him a death blow, then took up his body and held him in his arms when he died. Bolli regretted the deed immediately and declared himself the slayer.

Bolli told the Osvifssons to return home but himself remained there with Thorarin by the bodies. When they arrived at Laugar they told the news to Gudrun, who was very pleased. Thorolf’s wounded arm was bandaged but took a long time healing and was always a handicap to him.

After Kjartan’s body was taken to the farm at Tunga, Bolli rode back to Laugar. Gudrun went out to meet him, and asked how late in the day it was.

Bolli replied that it was almost mid-afternoon, and Gudrun said, ‘A poor match they make, our morning’s work – I have spun twelve ells of yarn while you have slain Kjartan.’

Bolli replied, ‘I’ll not soon forget this misfortune, even without you to remind me of it.’

Gudrun then said, ‘I wouldn’t consider it misfortune. I think you were held in much greater esteem the winter Kjartan was still in Norway than now, after he returned to Iceland and has walked all over you. And last but most important, to my mind, is the thought that Hrefna won’t go to bed with a smile on her face this evening.’

At this Bolli was furious and replied, ‘I wonder whether she’ll pale at the news any more than you, and I suspect that you would be much less upset if it were me lying there slain and Kjartan who lived to tell the tale.’

Gudrun then realized how angry Bolli was and said, ‘Don’t say things like that. I’m very grateful for what you have done. Now I know that you won’t go against my will.’

The Osvifssons then went into hiding in an underground shelter which had been secretly prepared for them, and Thorhalla Chatterbox’s sons were sent to Helgafell to tell the news to Snorri the Godi. They were also to ask him to send them assistance quickly for support against Olaf and others seeking recourse for Kjartan’s slaying.

A surprising event occurred at Saelingsdalstunga the night after the battle. An, whom everyone had thought to be dead, suddenly sat upright.

The people keeping watch over the bodies were very frightened and thought this a wondrous event, but An spoke to them, saying, ‘Fear not, I tell you, in God’s name. I was alive and in my right mind up until the moment when I lost consciousness. Then I dreamed this same woman came to me as before, and now she removed the twigs from my stomach and replaced my entrails, after which I became whole again.’

The wounds he had received were then bandaged and healed well, but he was ever afterwards known as An Twig-belly.

For Olaf Hoskuldsson the news of Kjartan’s killing was a heavy blow, although he took it with dignity.

His sons wanted to attack and kill Bolli immediately, but Olaf replied, ‘That’s the last thing I want. It’s no compensation for my son though Bolli be slain, and though I loved Kjartan more dearly than any other person, I can’t agree to Bolli being harmed. I can give you something worthwhile to do; you should go after those two sons of Thorhalla’s who were sent to Helgafell to gather forces against us. Anything you do to punish them will please me.’

The Olafssons lost no time in setting out. First, taking a ferry that belonged to Olaf, they rowed towards the mouth of Hvammsfjord. They were a party of seven, and made speedy progress. The light wind that blew was in their favour and they used their oars as well as the sail until they came to Skorey Island. They stopped there for a while to ask about the movements of people of the district. A short time later they saw a boat being rowed down from the north of the fjord and recognized the men aboard as Thorhalla’s sons. Halldor and his men set out to attack them at once and met with little resistance. After boarding the ship, the Olafssons seized Stein and his brother, killed them and threw their bodies overboard. They then returned home and their journey was thought to have been very effectively carried out.