The Sagas of the Icelanders (96 page)

4
Ref set out and did not stop until he reached Hagi where he got a hearty welcome. When the two kinsmen began talking, Gest asked if he had any news to report. Ref said he had not.

‘But do you know any?’ Gest asked.

Ref said it was not unlikely that he did and told what he was involved in. Gest said that he would certainly shelter him and asked if he were a master in some skill. Ref said that was not the case at all.

Gest said, ‘I can see that you are potentially a master of something and I’ll soon see what it is.’

Ref stayed there for some time.

In due course, Gest came to Ref and said, ‘Now I know what your gift is. You will be a master craftsman if you wish. I’ve noticed when you started cutting a bobbin for yarn that it was always cut true, neither twisted nor rough. And of the things you’ve put your hand to, that carving was the most adroitly done.’

‘That could be,’ said Ref, ‘but I’ve never built anything.’

Gest said, ‘I’d like to put this to the test. I want you to make me a boat: for sealing.’

Ref said, ‘Get enough and more of tools and material because lots of people, when a project doesn’t turn out well, blame the outcome on inadequate supplies. Moreover, I don’t want anyone to know about this project because if it turns out well people will probably say that somebody came and taught me how to do it.’

Then Gest had a big boat-shed built and a great deal of timber brought up. A knorr had wrecked on Gest’s beach and he had bought all the ship’s timbers. Gest had all this timber brought to Ref’s shed along with the ship nails. Gest also had a supply of unwrought iron, and Ref said he wanted that brought and said he would forge ship nails for himself. Gest had all kinds of tools brought there as well as a forge and charcoal.

Then Gest said, ‘Now I have had everything brought to your shed so that nothing more would be needed, even if you built a cargo vessel capable of sailing to other lands.’

Ref said that Gest could do no more however the project turned out.

Then Ref started work. He rose early and came home late and this went on for three months.

One morning, Gest sent his most trusted man to the shed telling him to find out how the sealing-boat was going – he said that it was probably ready though he knew little about it. The man who was sent got there without Ref’s noticing and looked the work over thoroughly. Then he went home and told Gest that a sealing-boat like that would seldom be seen – ‘because a bigger ship than that has never come here to Iceland’.

Gest told him to say nothing about it. Two more months passed.

5
One morning when Gest had got up, he saw that Ref was lying in bed.

Gest reached out and nudged him, and said, ‘You’re sleeping late, nephew. Is the sealing-boat ready?’

‘You could say,’ said Ref, ‘that she’ll float and I won’t do any more until you’ve seen her.’

‘We’ll go there today,’ said Gest, ‘and look at this job.’

Gest went to the shed with only a few people because he did not want it generally known if the project was bungled. When he arrived, there stood a thoroughly seaworthy cargo vessel. Gest inspected the ship very carefully, and Ref’s skill seemed all the more remarkable to him since he had never built a ship before.

Gest thanked Ref for the ship-building then and said, ‘Now I want to pay you for the ship by giving it to you.’

Ref said that he would gladly accept it.

Word that Ref Steinsson had built an ocean-going cargo vessel went round. This seemed extraordinary news since Ref was generally regarded as a simpleton. It had happened that a Norwegian and his son had once lodged with Ref’s father. Ref and the visitor’s son were of the same age. The boy had, as a plaything, a Norwegian toy ship made exactly like an ocean-going vessel. When the Norwegian’s son went away, he gave Ref this ship which he had for amusement in the fire-room and as a model for his ship-building.

Then the winter passed and the games began.

There was a man named Gellir. He was very much a traveller and spent alternate years in Norway and in Iceland. He was very boisterous and much given to good times. His mother lived nearby at a farm named HIid. Her name was Sigrid and she was very rich. Her husband was dead, hence Gellir was named Sigridarson. Gellir was very active in sports and was the most competitive of those involved. One day, Gellir went to play with some men at Hagi. Gellir asked if Ref would like to go with him. Ref said he was not suited for sports and would not go. Gellir asked if Ref wanted to excuse himself from going by wrestling with him. Ref said that he would not do that.

Gellir leapt from the saddle and attacked Ref saying, ‘For shame! You say you won’t wrestle when I want to. Now you’ll have to wrestle even though you don’t want to.’

He tried every way to throw Ref and could not get him down. Ref fended him off while Gellir pressed his attack with all his strength. But when Gellir went at him less strongly, Ref grasped Gellir with one hand on his belt and the other between his shoulder-blades and threw him on to the frozen ground a short distance away. Gellir came down on his elbows and skinned them both; his face went livid. He sprang up at once, jumped into the saddle, grasped his spear, raised the shaft and struck at Ref. The blow landed on his shoulders and bounced off and hit him on the head. He was not injured Gellir and his companions galloped off and bragged a lot about it. Gellir claimed that he had struck Ref two great blows and went around with the story saying that Ref would not avenge it. Ref acted as if he did not know. Gest was not home when this happened.

6
After the Yule celebrations, Ref tarred his ship and readied it. Gest brought him all the rigging. It is said that Gellir was on the way from home and his road lay next to the shed and he looked at the ship. One man was travelling with him. Ref heard that Gellir had come by and ran out from under the ship with his adze and went for Gellir.

Ref said, ‘Now I’ll repay you for two blows with one.’

The blow caught him in the side and went into the body cavity. Gellir fell dead to the ground and his companion rode away.

Ref went home and met Gest who said, ‘You look like fortune’s favourite, nephew, what’s the news?’

Ref spoke in verse:

‘Very well done,’ said Gest. ‘When I heard it widely reported that Gellir had struck you two blows, I would have preferred that you respond like this. And what are your plans now?’

Ref said, ‘I intend to steer my ship to Greenland.’

Gest said, ‘You’ve chosen to do as I would wish because there would be no peace for you in Norway when this killing becomes known. Now I’ll supply you with a crew for your ship and give you the goods you’ll need to have. And later your mother and I will divide things up as seems good to us.’

Then Ref got his ship ready and manly farmers’ sons came forward to follow him. Gest sent him on his way with generous gifts at their parting.

When they parted, Gest said, ‘If it turns out you are not destined to come back to Iceland, I wish that you would have a story written about your journey, because it will seem noteworthy to some people since I think you are the second wise man to appear in our family. And surely you are destined for great achievements. And I call on the One Who Made the Sun to strengthen you for good ends now and in the future.’

Ref thanked Gest for his words.

Then they parted and Ref put out to sea. The voyage went well until they caught sight of Greenland, but then they were tossed about and driven north along the coast. In time they came to a fjord in the uninhabited north. On both sides of the fjord, glaciers reached south and out into the sea. Because they had been tossed about at sea, they were keen for land. They cast anchor. Ref rowed ashore and went up the highest mountain to look around. He saw that the fjord reached far into the land and two headlands ran into the fjord from the opposite shores. He went back to his ship. In the morning, he commanded the crew to take the ship in as far as the fjord reached. They did so and when they reached the headlands they saw a big, long fjord started there. When they reached the end of it, there was a good harbour. The hillsides were covered with forests and the shores were green. Glaciers girded it on both sides. There was plenty of game, driftwood on every shore and good fishing. At that time, they could not continue to the settlement. They built a large hall and settled comfortably into it. Ref built a large ferry and got it ready for the voyage to the settlement in the spring, and then they housed the trading vessel.

Afterwards they sailed to the settlement and came into a little bay. Not far from there was a farm. A man named Bjorn lived there. He was married and had one daughter who was named Helga. She was attractive and
intelligent and was accounted the most desirable match in that settlement. Ref did not sell his goods but took up building. Bjorn met Ref and asked if he would contract to put up buildings on Bjorn’s farm. Ref agreed to that and they fixed the terms. Then Ref set to work and built a splendid farmhouse. That farm is named Hlid.

On the other side of the headland stood the farm named Vik. A man named Thorgils lived there. He was nicknamed Vikarskalli (Baldy from Vik). He was malicious, slanderous and cunning. He was a very difficult person, and people thought it was bad to have dealings with him. He was in his old age and married. His oldest son was named Thengil, the second Orm, the third Thorstein, the fourth Geir. His daughter was named Olof. She was married to a man named Gunnar. Thengil had asked for the hand of Helga, but she did not want to marry him.

At this time, Ref was with Bjorn constructing buildings for his farm, and he asked for the hand of Helga. Bjorn was agreeable. Thormod was one of Bjorn’s workers and Helga’s foster-father. He was eager to see the match made, and so it came about that the woman was engaged to Ref and the date for the wedding feast was set. The match was made with the condition that Ref and Helga would take over the farm and Bjorn would live with them but without control of the property.

The next spring, Ref took over the farm and acquired many possessions very quickly. He made a great deal of money by building. Helga was a woman with a mind of her own. When Ref and Helga had been together a short time, Bjorn died. Soon afterwards Ref and Helga were granted children. They had a son named Stein. Two years later they had a second named Bjorn. The brothers were very promising.

Ref lived in Greenland for eight years at the same homestead. During those years, he had a ship, a large ferry, under construction: the boat-shed was out on the headland separating Vik and Hlid. He went out to the boat early and came home late. Each night he locked up his adze in the boat-shed and went home unarmed.

7
One evening he went home like that as usual. Ref was able to see a polar bear was up ahead on the headland. The bear quickened his pace when he saw a single man. Then it seemed to Ref that he had acted imprudently. There was new-fallen snow on the ground and it was easy to follow tracks wherever they led. Ref did not see that he had the means to take the bear on unarmed. He turned back to the boat-shed and took his adze, locked the boat-shed up and then went to the place where the bear had been and it was dead. The brothers, Thorgils’s sons, had defeated the bear when they came in from fishing. Ref went on home then.

At this point in the story, the Thorgilssons came home. Their father asked them how the fishing had gone. They said they had got no fish – ‘but we got a polar bear’.

Thorgils said, ‘You made a wonderful contribution to the support of our household – few would have made a catch like that.’

Thengil said, ‘We probably wouldn’t have got anything at all if Ref the Timorous hadn’t revealed his manliness. I don’t think that a fainter heart has come to Greenland than the one in his breast, because a man’s tracks run from the boat-shed to the headland and then turn back, and there was piss splattered in the footprints.’

Thengil then said many slanderous things about Ref. Thorgils, his father, was silent.

Thengil then asked why he did not reply: ‘Father, don’t you know who Ref the Effeminate is?’

Thorgils said, ‘It’s bad even to speak of such things, and Greenland will always have to blush when it hears Ref named; when he first came here, I saw that Greenland had already been affected by a great scandal. I’ve had little to do with him because when I was in Iceland he was not like other men in his nature. On the contrary, he was a woman every ninth day and needed a man, and for that reason he was called Ref the Gay and stories of his unspeakable perversions went around constantly. Now I’d like for you to have nothing to do with him.’

And then they left off this talk and went to butcher the bear. But Thorgils’s sons repeated this slander everywhere they went and also invented a story that Ref had been sent away from Iceland because of his homosexuality and had been paid a sum of money to go away. They talked this slander so much that it became a commonplace and Ref heard of it. He acted as if he did not know, but he got the ship that he had under construction ready and in the best order possible. He had much of his livestock slaughtered and sold some for Greenland wares. He held a great autumn feast and invited his friends and quietly sold his land for cash. He agreed that he would vacate the land within six months and would give the buyers notice. He had many strong followers, twelve at least. Ref had become very rich. All this happened at hay-time.

8
One day Thormod came to talk with Ref and said, ‘Nearly everyone credits a vicious story about you, and Thorgils and his sons started it. And when I urged that the match between you and Helga be made it seemed to us that we were marrying her to a capable man, and so I think you are. But it seems to me that you almost confirm the story spread by bad men when you leave them in peace. And now I ask that you make them blame themselves for their slander.’

Ref answered, ‘A man should have his plans worked out before he enters into great undertakings or incites others to them.’

Then they broke off this talk, and Ref set to work and forged himself a huge spear. One could cut or thrust with it. He fitted it with a short shaft which he covered with iron. Then he sharpened it to an edge that would cut whiskers.

When much of the day had passed, Ref left home alone. He had no weapon other than the spear. He went to Vik and arrived there late in the day. Thorgils was in the kitchen cooking. Ref went there and Thorgils asked who it was. Ref announced himself.

Thorgils said, ‘There’s a lot of smoke in my eyes so I don’t recognize you, but you are welcome.’

Ref said, ‘Thanks for that.’

Thorgils said, ‘What’s your business here?’

Ref said, ‘I’ve come to ask compensation for the slanders you’ve uttered about me.’

Thorgils said, ‘When have we spoken ill of you and what is the slander you blame on us?’

Ref repeated the words.

Then Thorgils said, ‘I won’t deny that we say many things as jokes, but in any case this isn’t lying because I believe that every word of this is true.’

Then Ref struck at him with the spear and split him open down to the shoulders. Then he yanked the spear out and walked down to the shore and sat in the boat-house belonging to the brothers, Thorgils’s sons. It had got quite dark. Then he heard the sound of oars. When the brothers reached the shore, Thengil leapt from the boat, walked ashore and was about to look for rollers in the boat-house. But when he got there, Ref struck off his head. Thorstein leapt from the boat knowing nothing of this because it was to dark that he could not see to the boat-house. Thorstein took the oars and carried them ashore. When he got to the boat-house, Ref thrust the spear through him.

At that moment Thorstein called out: ‘Save yourselves, boys! Our brother Thengil has been killed and I’m run through.’

Orm grasped the oars from the other boat and pushed their ship out. They rowed off and around the headland to Ref’s boat-shed, went ashore and thought that Ref would not look for them there. But when they had dragged the ship ashore, Ref came and killed them both.

After that, Ref went home and ordered his men to carry goods and provisions to his ship. Then he had his ferry loaded. It was broad daylight by the time all the goods Ref wanted to take with him were loaded into the ship. Then he chose gifts for the young men who had been with him and asked them to be ready to accompany him when he called on them, whenever that should be. They agreed wholeheartedly to that. Ref then sent word to those who had bought his land that they should take possession of it.

Then Ref, his wife and his sons went aboard the ferry. Stein was nine at the time and Bjorn was seven. The third was named Thormod, and he was three then. Helga’s foster-father Thormod was to go also. When the wind stood from the land, Ref ran up the sail, so they put out to sea that day.

For a time, they are out of the story.