The Sagas of the Icelanders (109 page)

5
One day somewhat later, the king took a dish containing a roasted piglet from his table and ordered the dwarf Tuta to take it to Halli – ‘and tell him that if he wants to preserve his life he must compose a verse and deliver it before you reach him, but do not tell him this until you get to the middle of the room’.

‘I’m not keen on doing this,’ said Tuta, ‘because I like Halli.’

‘I see,’ the king said, ‘that you think the verse he composed about you was good and you certainly know how to listen carefully. Now go at once and do as I command.’

Tuta took the dish and walked to the middle of the floor, and said, ‘Halli, compose a verse at the king’s command, and have it finished before I reach you if you want to preserve your life.’

Halli stood up and reached his hand out for the dish and recited a verse:

Then the king said, ‘Now I will give up my anger, Halli, because the verse is as well performed as it was quickly undertaken.’

6
It is said that one day Halli went before the king when he was cheerful and happy. Thjodolf and many other people were there. Halli said that he had composed a drapa about the king and asked for a hearing. The king asked if Halli had ever composed such a poem before. Halli said that he had not.

‘Some people would say,’ said the king, ‘that you’re taking on quite a job considering the calibre of poets who have previously composed poems about me for various reasons. But what seems advisable to you, Thjodolf?’

‘My lord, I cannot give you advice,’ said Thjodolf, ‘but on the other hand I might be able to give Halli some sound advice.’

‘What is that?’ asked the king.

‘First of all, my lord, that he should not deceive you.’

‘What deception did he practise just now?’ asked the king.

‘He was being deceptive when he said that he had not composed a long poem before,’ said Thjodolf, ‘but I say that he has.’

‘What long poem is that,’ asked the king, ‘and what is it about?’

Thjodolf answered, ‘We call it Polled-Cow Verses, which he composed about cows he tended out in Iceland.’

‘Is that true, Halli?’ asked the king.

‘That’s right,’ said Halli.

‘Why did you say that you had not composed a long poem?’ asked the king.

‘Because,’ said Halli, ‘it would not seem to be much of a poem if it were to be heard, and would hardly be praised.’

‘We want to hear that first,’ said the king.

‘Then there will have to be more than one amusement,’ said Halli.

‘What’s the second?’ asked the king.

‘Thjodolf must perform Food Trough Verses which he composed out in Iceland,’ said Halli, ‘and it’s all right that Thjodolf should attack me or denigrate me because my eye-teeth and molars have come in so that I am quite able to answer him word for word.’

The king grinned at that and thought it was fun to set them against each other.

‘What is that long poem like and what is it about?’ asked the king.

Halli answered, ‘It’s about his carrying out ashes with his siblings, and he was thought to be capable of nothing more because of his lack of intelligence, and moreover it was necessary to make sure there were no live coals in the ashes because he had no more brains than he needed at that time.’

The king asked if that was true.

‘It’s true, my lord,’ said Thjodolf.

‘Why did you have such contemptible work?’ asked the king.

‘Because, my lord,’ said Thjodolf, ‘I wanted to get all of us out to play quickly, and no other work was assigned to me.’

‘The cause of that,’ said Halli, ‘was that it was believed that you didn’t: have the brains to be a workman.’

‘You two mustn’t quarrel,’ said the king, ‘but we wish to hear both these poems.’ And so it had to be and each of them performed his poem.

And when the poems were finished, the king said, ‘Both poems are minor and moreover the subjects are trivial, but yours, Thjodolf, was the slighter.’

‘That’s so,’ said Thjodolf, ‘and, my lord, Halli is very sarcastic. But it seems to me he’s more obligated to avenge his father than engage in verbal duels with me here in Norway.’

‘Is that true, Halli?’ asked the king.

‘It’s true,’ said Halli.

‘Why did you leave Iceland to meet with chieftains given that you had not avenged your father?’ asked the king.

‘Because, my lord,’ said Halli, ‘I was a child when my father was killed, and my relatives took over the case and settled it on my behalf. And in our country it’s thought bad to be called a truce-breaker.’

The king answered, ‘It’s a duty not to violate truces or settlements. You’ve answered this very well.’

‘So I thought, my lord,’ said Halli, ‘but Thjodolf may very well speak arrogantly in such matters since I know no one who has avenged his father as grimly as he.’

‘Certainly Thjodolf is likely to have done that boldly,’ said the king, ‘but what is the proof that he did more in this than other men?’

‘Most of all, my lord,’ said Halli, ‘that he ate his father’s killer.’

At this people set up an uproar, and it seemed to them they had never heard of such a monstrosity. The king grinned at this and ordered silence.

‘Show that what you’ve said is true, Halli,’ said the king.

Halli said, ‘I think that Thorljot was Thjodolf’s father. He lived in Svarfadardal in Iceland, and he was very poor and had many children. It’s the custom in Iceland that in the autumn the farmers assemble to discuss the poor people, and at that time no one was named sooner than Thorljot, Thjodolf’s father. One farmer was so generous that he gave him a calf which was one summer old. Then Thorljot fetched the calf and had a lead on it with a noose in the end of the lead. When he got to his hayfield wall, he lifted the calf up on to the wall and it was extremely high and even higher on the inner side because the turves for the wall had been dug there. Then he went over the wall and the calf rolled off the wall on the outside. The noose at the end of the lead tightened around Thorljot’s neck, and he couldn’t reach the ground with his feet. So each was hanging on his own side of the wall, and both were dead when people came up. The children dragged the calf home and prepared it for food, and I think that Thjodolf ate his full share of it.’

‘That would be very close to reasonable,’ said the king.

Thjodolf drew his sword and wanted to strike Halli. Men ran between them.

The king said that neither should dare do the other harm – ‘Thjodolf, you went for Halli first.’

Then it was as the king would have it. Halli performed his drapa and it was highly regarded. The king rewarded him with a generous sum in cash.

Then the winter wore on and all was quiet.

7
There was a man named Einar who was nicknamed Fly. He was the son of Harek from Thjotta. He was a landholder and the king’s envoy to Halogaland; he had the sole right to collect the king’s tribute from the Lapps. At this time he was on very good terms with the king, though their relationship had its ups and downs – Einar was not completely reliable. He killed men if they did not do everything he wanted, and paid compensation for no man. Einar was expected by the king to attend Yule.

Halli and his bench-companion Sigurd fell into talk about Einar. Sigurd informed Halli that no one dared to oppose Einar or behave other than he wished and that he paid no compensation for his killings or robberies.

‘Men like that would be called bad chieftains in my country,’ said Halli.

‘Do speak carefully, companion,’ said Sigurd, ‘because he is quick to take offence at what is said if it displeases him.’

‘Even though all of you are so afraid of him that you don’t dare to say a word against him,’ said Halli, ‘I tell you that I would surely accuse him if he did me wrong and I believe he would compensate me.’

‘Why you more than others?’ asked Sigurd.

‘That will be clear to him,’ said Halli

They argued about the matter until Halli offered to make a bet with Sigurd on it. Sigurd put up a gold arm ring which weighed half a mark, and Halli put up his head.

Einar came that Yule. He sat next to the king and his men sat closer to the door. He was given all the service which the king had himself.

And one day, when all had eaten, the king spoke: ‘Now we want to have more amusement than just drinking. Einar, tell us what news you have from your travels.’

Einar answered, ‘I can’t make up any sagas about it, my lord, even though we treated some Lapp farmers or fishermen roughly.’

The king answered, ‘Tell the whole story because we are easily satisfied, and it all seems entertaining to us even though it seems trivial to you who are constantly engaged in battles.’

‘At any rate, the main thing to report, my lord,’ said Einar, ‘is that last summer when we went north to Finnmark we encountered a ship and crew from Iceland which had been driven off course and had lain up there for the winter. I charged them with having traded with the Lapps without your permission or mine. They denied it and would not admit it, but we thought they were not being truthful and asked them to allow a search, but they flatly refused. I told them then that they would have what was worse for them but appropriate, and ordered my men to arm and attack them. I had five longships and we attacked them from both sides and didn’t leave off until we had cleared the ship. One Icelander whom they called Einar defended himself so well that I have never encountered his equal. Surely that man was a loss and we would never have overcome that ship if everyone on board had been like him.’

‘You did badly,’ said the king, ‘when you killed men who were innocent even though they didn’t do everything as you wished.’

‘I won’t run that risk,’ said Einar. ‘And, my lord, some people say you don’t always act righteously. But they turned out to be guilty because we found many Lapp goods in the ship.’

Halli heard what they were saying and threw his knife down on the table and stopped eating. Sigurd asked if he were ill.

He said not but this was worse than sickness – ‘Einar Fly announced the death of Einar, my brother, whom he said he killed on the trading vessel last summer, and now it is appropriate to seek compensation from this Einar.’

‘Don’t say anything about it, companion,’ said Sigurd, ‘that’s the most promising course.’

‘No,’ said Halli, ‘my brother would not act like that in my case if he had to bring a suit following my killing.’

Then he jumped over his table and went up before the high seat and spoke: ‘You announced news which concerns me greatly, Einar, in the matter of the killing of Einar my brother whom you said you struck down on the trading vessel last summer. Now I want to know whether you will pay me some compensation for my brother.’

‘Haven’t you heard that I don’t pay compensation for anyone?’ asked Einar.

‘I was not obliged to believe,’ said Halli, ‘that you were utterly wicked even though I have heard that said.’

‘Take a walk,’ said Einar ‘or be the worse for it.’

Halli went to sit down. Sigurd asked him how it had gone. Halli replied that he had got a threat instead of monetary compensation. Sigurd told him not to raise the matter again and the bet would be off.

Halli said that Sigurd was behaving well, ‘but I will raise the matter again’.

And the next day, Halli went before Einar and said, ‘I want to bring up the matter, Einar, and see if you are willing to compensate me in some way for my brother.’

Einar answered, ‘You’re persistent about this and if you don’t get out of here you’ll fare as your brother did, or worse.’

The king told him not to answer like that: ‘It’s extremely painful for the kinsmen, and one can’t know what is in other people’s minds. But, Halli, don’t raise this matter again because bigger men than you have had to endure such harm from him.’

Halli said, ‘So it will probably have to be.’

Then he went to his place. Sigurd welcomed him warmly and asked how it had gone. Halli said that he had got a threat from Einar instead of compensation.

‘So I thought it would be,’ said Sigurd. ‘The bet is off.’

‘You are behaving well,’ said Halli, ‘but I will raise the matter a third time.’

‘I’ll give you the ring now,’ said Sigurd, ‘on condition that you let this lie quietly, because I am partly responsible for this in the first place.’

‘You make clear what kind of man you are,’ said Halli, ‘and you are not to blame no matter how this turns out. But I will try one more time.’

And early the next day when the king and Einar Fly were washing their hands, Halli came up and greeted the king. The king asked what he wanted.

‘My lord,’ Halli answered, ‘I want to tell you my dream. It seemed to me that I was quite another man than I am.’

‘What man did you think yourself to be?’ said the king.

‘I thought myself to be the poet Thorleif, and Einar Fly seemed to me to be Earl Hakon Sigurdarson. I thought I had composed a slanderous poem about him, and I remembered some of the slander when I awakened.’

Then Halli went down the hall towards the door and mumbled something but people were not able to catch any of the words.

The king said, ‘This was not a dream, rather he compared these two cases. And it will go with the two of you as it did with Hakon the Earl of Lade and the poet Thorleif. Halli is doing the same thing. He shrinks from nothing. We can both see how a slanderous poem has damaged more powerful men than you, Einar. Earl Hakon was one, and that will be remembered as long as the northern countries are inhabited. One short verse composed about a highly esteemed man, if it is remembered afterwards, is worse than paying a small bribe. Do please satisfy him in some way.’

‘You will decide, my lord,’ said Einar, ‘and tell him he may take from my treasurer the three marks of silver in the purse I just gave him.’

This was reported to Halli. He went to meet the treasurer and told him. He said that there were four marks of silver in the purse. Halli said that he was to have three. Then Halli went to Einar and told him.

‘You will have taken what was in the purse,’ said Einar.

‘No,’ said Halli, ‘you’ll have to take my life in some other way than by my turning thief for your money. I saw that was what you had intended for me.’

And so it was. Einar had thought that Halli would take what was in the purse and that seemed to Einar an offence quite worthy of death.

Then Halli went to his seat and showed the money to Sigurd. Sigurd took the ring and told Halli that he had won it fairly.

Halli said, ‘We are not equally good men then – keep and enjoy the ring, best of men. And to tell you the truth, I was not related to this man whom Einar killed, but I wanted to see if I could get money out of him.’

‘You have no equal in trickery,’ said Sigurd.

After Yule, Einar went off north to Halogaland.