The Sagas of the Icelanders (76 page)

15
Hrafnkel rode home that night to Hrafnkelsstadir, and gave the news. He ate some food, and after that he collected men until he had seventy, and with that force, he rode west across the heath and made a surprise attack. He took Sam in his bed, led him out and gave him two choices.

Hrafnkel said, ‘So this is your present situation, Sam. A short while ago you might have thought it unlikely that I would have your life in my hands. I will be no worse a comrade than you were to me: I will offer you life if you wish, just as you did with me, or you can be killed. The other condition is that I alone will divide and choose things.’

Sam said that he would rather choose to live, but thought that both alternatives were hard.

Hrafnkel said that he could expect that, ‘because we have a debt to pay. I would treat you much better if you deserved it. You will leave Adalbol, and go back down to Leikskalar and live there on your farm. You will take with you those riches that Eyvind brought. You will take no other goods away unless people can confirm that you brought them here with you. I want to take back my godord and my position of authority, my farm and place of abode, and all the other possessions that I owned. I see that there has been quite an increase here recently in terms of wealth. You will not reap the benefit of that because I mean to take it. You will receive no compensation for your brother Eyvind, because you brought a very bold suit for the slaying of that other relation of yours. You have received quite sufficient compensation for your cousin Einar, since you have had both
power and possessions for this time. I don’t regard the killing of Eyvind and that of his men as being worth any more than the injury done to myself and those injuries done to my men. You can stay at Leikskalar as long as your pride does not lead to your downfall. You will remain my underling as long as we are both alive. You can also expect to find yourself lower set than before.’

Then Sam went away, down to Leikskalar with his close relations, and settled back down on his farm there.

16
Hrafnkel then took over the farm at Adalbol with his people. There were both wealth and abundance for the taking. He placed his son Thorir at Hrafnkelsstadir, along with a housekeeper. He now held the godords for all the local districts. His son Asbjorn went west to Adalbol with his father because he was the younger.

Sam stayed at Leikskalar that winter. He was quiet and kept himself to himself. Many people felt that he was far from happy about his lot.

Later that winter, when the days started to grow longer, Sam had a horse shod, and got himself a groom. He took three horses, one of them for clothes, and rode over the bridge. From there, he went across Modrudal heath, and crossed the Jokulsa river up in the mountains, riding on to Myvatn lake, over Fljot heath and through the Ljosavatn pass. He did not stop until he came west to Thorskafjord. He was well received there. Thorkel had just returned from a voyage. He had been abroad for four years.

Sam was there for a week, resting himself. After that he told them about his dealings with Hrafnkel, and asked the brothers for assistance and support as before.

This time Thorgeir spoke more on behalf of the two of them, saying that they had already done a great deal, that he was a long way off and that there was a great distance between them, ‘since you are living in the east of the country, and we in the west. We thought we placed everything pretty firmly in your hands before we left, so that it would be possible for you to keep things as they were. It has followed my intuition that if you granted Hrafnkel his life you would come to regret it most. We urged you to execute Hrafnkel; we thought that most advisable for you, but you wanted to have your own way. The difference in wisdom between the two of you is obvious, since he left you in peace, and did not make a move until he got the chance to kill the person that he thought was wiser than you. We can’t have anything to do with this lucklessness of yours. We don’t have such a great desire to get involved in disputes with Hrafnkel that we feel like risking our honour any more. The main reason, though, is that we think there is too much distance between us for us to visit the East Fjords. But we would like to invite you and your dependants to come and live here under our protection if you think it less galling here than in the vicinity of Hrafnkel.’

Sam said that he did not feel like going to all the work of moving everything from the East Fjords, and thought they could only help him in the way that he had asked. He said he wanted to get ready to go back home and asked them to exchange horses with him. That was done immediately.

The brothers wanted to give Sam fine gifts but he would not accept any of them. He said they were small-minded men. After that, Sam rode home. None of them was totally happy about all this. Sam settled back down on his farm, and lived there into his old age. He never improved his position nor got any redress from Hrafnkel as long as he lived.

Hrafnkel stayed on at his farm and kept his honour for many years. He did not live to be an old man, because he died of an illness. His burial mound is in Hrafnkelsdal just outside Adalbol.

His sons took over his lands and position of authority. They met and divided the property between them, but held the position of authority together. Thorir got Hrafnkelsstadir and set up a farm there, while Asbjorn took over Adalbol and the valuables.

Translated by
TERRY GUNNELL

I
There was a man named Ofeig who lived to the west, in Midfjord, at a farm called Reykir. He was the son of Skidi, and his mother’s name was Gunnlaug; her mother was Jarngerd, daughter of Ofeig Jarngerdarson from Skord in the north. Ofeig was a married man; his wife was named Thorgerd, Vali’s daughter, a woman of good family and very strong character. Ofeig was a very wise man and a shrewd adviser. He was a man of distinction in every respect, but was not well off financially, because he had extensive lands but not much cash. Although it was quite a struggle to supply the needs of his household, he denied no one hospitality. He was a thingman of Styrmir from Asgeirsa, who was considered the most important chieftain there in the west at that time. Ofeig and his wife had a son named Odd, who was a good-looking man and showed ability from an early age, but he got little affection from his father; he was disinclined to work.

A man named Vali grew up in Ofeig’s home, a handsome and popular man. Odd grew up in his father’s house until he was twelve. Ofeig treated Odd coldly most of the time and cared little for him, but the opinion spread that nobody in the district had more ability than Odd.

One day Odd went to talk to his father and asked him to fund him: ‘I want to leave here. It’s this way,’ he said, ‘you give me little status, and I’m of no use to your household.’

Ofeig answered, ‘I’ll give you no less than you have earned, and I’ll do it right away, and then you’ll see what support that gives you.’

Odd said that he would not be able to support himself very far on that, and they broke off the conversation.

The next day Odd helped himself to a fishing line and all the tackle from the wall and twelve ells of homespun cloth, and went away without saying goodbye to anyone. He went north to Vatnsnes and there joined a group of fishermen, borrowing or hiring from them what equipment he most needed,
and because they knew he was from a good family and he himself was well liked, they took the risk of lending to him. So he bought everything on credit, and for the rest of that year he worked with them in the fishery, and it is said that the group Odd was with had the best catches. He stayed there three winters and three summers, and by then he had repaid everyone what he owed and had still built up a good trading capital for himself. He never visited his father and they both behaved as if there were no bond between them, but Odd was popular with his business partners.

At this point he got involved in cargo trips north to Strandir and bought a share in a ferry; he made money at this too. Now he quickly earned so much that he became sole owner of the ferry, and kept up this trade between Midfjord and Strandir for several summers. He was beginning by now to be a rich man. Then he grew tired of this occupation too, bought a share in an ocean-going ship and went abroad, spending some time in trading voyages. In this too he succeeded ably, profiting both in money and in reputation. He kept up this business until he owned the whole knorr and most of the cargo; he went on trading, becoming very prosperous and famous. When he was abroad he often stayed with men of rank and other leading people, and was highly regarded wherever he went. Now he became so wealthy that he owned two knorrs; it is said that no other trader sailing at that time was as rich as Odd. He was also a luckier sailor than others, never making land in Iceland further north than Eyjafjord or west of Hrutafjord.
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2
It is reported that one summer Odd brought his ship into Hrutafjord at Bordeyri, intending to spend the winter in Iceland. Then he was urged by his friends to settle down here and he did as they asked, buying land in Midfjord at a place called Mel. There he started farming on a large scale and living in grand style, and it is said that this enterprise was thought no less impressive than his former voyages, so that now Odd had no equal in the north of the country. He was more generous with his money than most and good at helping out people who needed it in his neighbourhood, but he never gave his own father any assistance.

He laid up his ship in Hrutafjord. It is said that not only was there no one else in Iceland as rich as Odd, but he was as wealthy as the three next richest men put together. He was well off in every respect, in gold and silver, lands and livestock. His kinsman Vali was always with him, whether at home or abroad. Now Odd settled down on his farm with all the prestige described.

There was a man named Glum, who lived at Skridinsenni; that is between Bitra and Kollafjord. He had a wife named Thordis, daughter of Asmund Grey-locks, the father of Grettir Asmundarson. Their son was named Ospak. He was a big, strong man, overbearing and very assertive, who started young in the cargo business between Strandir and the north country, an able man who grew immensely strong. One summer he put into Midfjord to sell his goods. He borrowed a horse one day and rode up to Mel to meet Odd. They exchanged greetings and general news.

Ospak said, ‘It’s like this, Odd: people speak well of your circumstances and praise you highly, and all your employees think themselves well placed. Now I hope that it would turn out like that for me too; I’d like to join your household.’

Odd answered, ‘You don’t have a very good reputation and you’re not well liked; you’re reckoned to be a tricky customer, like the rest of your family.’

Ospak answered, ‘Trust your own experience rather than hearsay, because reputation rarely flatters. I’m not asking you to make a gift of it – I’d like you to house me, but I would feed myself, and then see how you feel about it.’

Odd replied, ‘You and your kinsmen are big men and difficult to cope with if it suits you to turn against anyone, but since you challenge me to take you in, we may as well chance it for one winter.’

Ospak accepted with thanks, moved to Mel that autumn with his belongings and quickly proved loyal to Odd, busying himself about the farm and doing the work of two men. Odd was very pleased with him. That winter passed, and when spring came Odd invited him to be fully part of his household, saying he thought that would be best. Ospak was very willing; he took charge of the farm and it prospered greatly. People were very impressed with how this man was turning out, and he was also personally popular. The farm was flourishing, and Odd seemed to be established more admirably than anyone. People thought only one thing detracted from his complete distinction, that he lacked a godord. At that time it was very common to set up new godords or to purchase them, and Odd now did so. Thingmen quickly flocked to him, all eager to join him, and for a time everything was peaceful.