The Sagas of the Icelanders (44 page)

30
Of Thorolf Dark-skin it can be said that to begin with he lived in Forsaeludal and men thought badly of him.

Thorstein from Hof approached him and said that he did not want him to settle there – ‘unless you behave differently from the way you have up to now; if you don’t, we will not put up with it’.

Thorolf said that it was very likely that Thorstein would decide whether or not he lived there, ‘but I myself will decide on the way I live my life’.

He then moved his home and constructed a fortification for himself by Fridmundara river. Thorolf stole men’s livestock and became the worst of thieves. He also had trenches for sacrifices and the belief was that he offered up both men and animals. He was not well off for supporters among honest men, but he had nine in all, every one of them as bad as or worse than he was. When they heard that Thorstein intended to attack them, there were some who had no wish to wait around and fled from the fortification. Men from the region met Thorstein and asked him to put an end to this man who was so disruptive in the neighbourhood that men could neither control nor tolerate him. He said that what they said was true; he then sent for his brothers Jokul and Thorir.

Thorir was prone to berserk fits from time to time; this seemed a great drawback in such a man because it did nothing for his reputation. Jokul said to Thorstein, ‘You do well in not allowing any villains to cause trouble in this valley.’

Then nineteen of them set off together and when they sighted Thorolf’s fortification, Thorstein said, ‘I have no idea how so few of us can attack the fortification because of this river chasm.’

Jokul said, ‘That’s no great problem, and I’ll give advice on how to do it. You, Thorstein, and the men with you must throw spears at Thorolf and his men and taunt them; and I will work my way up along the river with a few men and find out if it is possible to get into the fortification from the rear; they would then have to be on their guard against both of our groups.’

Thorstein said that this was a hazardous undertaking. Jokul then made his way up the river with a handful of men.

Thorolf and his men did not see this; he urged his men to give a good account of themselves, ‘even though the brothers have mighty fetches with them; let us make for our hiding places if we find ourselves hard pressed’.

Jokul crossed the river above the fortification; in his hand he had a great axe which he owned. He then came to the fortification and managed to hook the axe on to it and then hauled himself up by the shaft and in this way entered the fortification. He went quickly in search of Thorolf, but he was nowhere to be seen. Jokul then managed to catch sight of Thorolf as he emerged from his sacrificial trench; he leapt down from the fortification, with Jokul in hot pursuit. Jokul’s men sought out Thorolf’s companions, pursuing them everywhere.

By then Thorolf had reached some marshy ground up along the river, and Jokul followed him. And when Thorolf saw that he could not escape, he sat down in the swamp and wept. This place has since been known as Gratsmyri (Crying mere). Jokul approached him and said that he was a great monster and villain, and yet had no courage. Jokul then dealt him his death blow. Thorstein attacked the fortification, because the criminals had regrouped. Jokul took a run at it and got into the fortification; and when those who were inside saw this, they feared for their lives, and two of them fled from Jokul as far as the end of the headland, and then he slew them both. The third leapt off the cliff. It seemed to people that no exploit had ever seemed braver than Jokul’s on this occasion. The brothers made for home after this; they had done a great service for the region by killing Thorolf Dark-skin.

31
Thorstein from Hof was generous to his neighbours with the goods from his estate. There was free food for everyone and a change of horses and every other kind of help for a journey, and all men from other areas felt duty bound to go first and visit Thorstein and tell him what had been going on in the regions, and anything else that was new. The best of the Hof lands was known as Eyjarengi; Thorstein’s workers had a tent there every summer.

One day they noticed ten men grazing their horses in the meadow, and there was a woman with them; they were all in coloured clothing. One of the men was wearing a cloak and a long gown of fine quality cloth. They watched what this man did. He drew his sword and cut off the bottom of
the cloak which had become dirty during his riding, and he threw the strip of cloth away – it was the width of a hand – and, speaking so that they could hear, said that he had no wish to go around covered in muck. Thorstein’s men had no contact with these people but felt that it was unseemly to graze horses in other men’s meadows. A servant woman picked up the piece of cloth which the man had cut off, and said that this fellow could well be called an outrageous show-off.

In the evening Thorstein asked what the news was, and they said that there was none – apart from one small but strange occurrence. They then reported what they had seen and heard of these people and showed the strip which the man had cut from his gown.

Thorstein said that destroying one’s valuable belongings, even if they were mud-splattered, and then grazing in another man’s meadow were either the actions of some fool or crook, or of a formidable and arrogant man – ‘These men have not visited me, as is the custom with travellers from far away. My guess is that this must have been Berg the Bold who arrived in Iceland this summer, the nephew of Finnbogi the Mighty from Borg in Vididal. He is mighty strong and the most mulish of men.’

As on other occasions when Thorstein hazarded a guess, he was pretty near the mark.

Berg came to Borg and Finnbogi greeted him warmly and asked him what the news was, and he told him what he knew. Finnbogi asked whether he had met Thorstein Ingimundarson. Berg said that he had not, but that Thorstein had ridden past below his hayfield wall. Finnbogi said that it was more usual to go and visit him first and tell him what the news was.

Berg said that he had no wish to demean himself in this way by seeking him out – ‘because my errand had nothing to do with him’.

32
There was a man called Thorgrim who lived at Lesser Borg in Vididal. He was engaged to a woman named Thorbjorg, the daughter of Skidi. Thorgrim invited Finnbogi and Berg to the wedding; they said that they would attend. The wedding feast was to take place over the Winter Nights at Skidi’s farm.

Thorgrim then met the sons of Ingimund and invited them to the wedding – ‘because I feel that it will not be fully honoured unless you are present’.

They promised to make the journey.

The weather was not at all good, and it was tough going crossing the Vatnsdalsa river, and things went pretty badly for the Vididal people.
Finnbogi and Berg left their horses with a farmer who lived by the river. The river channel was open in the middle but great chunks of ice lay along the banks.

Berg said, ‘I will carry people across,’ and so he did, showing great strength in making the crossing.

There was a hard frost and his clothes froze on him. Skidi and the guests who were already there, Thorstein and his brothers, went out to meet the others who were arriving. Then fires were kindled and people’s clothes were thawed out. Thorstein the farmer went around eagerly serving people, helping with their clothes, for he was the most considerate of men.

Finnbogi went inside first and was to sit on the high seat opposite Thorstein; then came Berg, who was clad in a long gown and an outer cloak made of skin. This stood out from him because he was completely frozen, and he took up a lot of space. He made for the fire and wanted to thaw out.

He walked past where Thorstein was and said, ‘Make room for me, fellow.’

He barged past in such a rush that Thorstein lost his balance and almost fell into the fire.

Jokul saw this and was very angry; he had Aettartangi in his hand, sprang up, leapt at Berg, and struck him between the shoulders with the sword-boss so that he fell flat on his face; he said, ‘What are you doing, you scoundrel; is not even our Vatnsdal godi to be spared?’

Berg sprang up and was seething with rage and took up his weapons. Then men came between them, but they were still on the verge of coming to blows because Berg was as unruly as could be. They were, however, kept apart.

Thorstein said, ‘Trouble has now arisen once again because of my brother Jokul’s quick temper; I wish to offer sufficient compensation to satisfy Berg’s honour.’

Berg said that he was not short of money, and would take care of the revenge himself. Jokul said that Berg would always come off worse the more dealings they had with each other. Skidi requested that Finnbogi and his men should leave and have nothing more to do with the people there. Thorstein said that it would not do for the marriage to be disrupted – ‘and so we brothers will ride with our men to Masstadir,’ and this they did.

33
Berg announced the blow from the sword-boss at the Hunavatn Assembly and prepared the lawsuit. Men then came to the assembly and tried to find a settlement.

Berg said that he would not accept money as compensation and would only settle the case if Jokul were to crawl under three arches of raised turf, as was then the custom after serious offences, ‘and by so doing show humility towards me’.

Jokul said that the trolls would take him before he would bow the knee to him in this way.

Thorstein said that the idea was worth considering, however, ‘and I myself will go under the turf arch’.

Berg said that he would then be compensated.

The first arch reached up to the shoulder; the second up to the belt on a pair of breeches and the third up to the mid-thigh. Thorstein went under the first.

Then Berg said, ‘I have now made the top man amongst the Vatnsdal people stoop like a swine.’

Thorstein replied, ‘You had no need to say that, and the first result of those words is that I will not go under any more arches.’

Finnbogi said, ‘That was certainly not the right thing for you to say, and it does little to redress Berg’s humiliation at the hands of Jokul if things stay as they are. Everything else seems of little account to you Vatnsdal people; but I wish to challenge you, Thorstein, to a duel one week from today at the haystack wall which stands on the island below my house at Borg.’

Then Berg said, ‘I wish to say the same thing to you, Jokul – that I challenge you to a duel at the time determined by Finnbogi, and you Hof-dwellers will then be the ones bending low.’

Jokul said, ‘Listen to what this devil of a man says – that you should dare to match yourself against us or challenge me to a duel. I think that it wouldn’t be too much for me even if I were to fight against both you and Finnbogi. And that’s the way it will be; and I want to release my brother Thorstein, because it would be very bad if he were to come to any harm, as would be not unlikely were he and Finnbogi to come to blows, because Finnbogi is the most fearless of men; but neither one of us need be spared. Berg, the dog, bent lower when I hit him, so that he fell down. You must now turn up to the duel if you have a man’s heart rather than a mare’s. And if anyone fails to turn up, then a scorn-pole will be raised against him with this curse – that he will be a coward in the eyes of all men, and will never again share
the fellowship of good folk, and will endure the wrath of the gods, and bear the name of a truce-breaker.’

With this their ways parted and each headed back to his homestead. News of this spread through the region. These duels were to take place at the same time as Thorstein was to hold a feast at Hof, as he did every autumn.

There was a woman named Helga; she came to Iceland with Berg and was his mistress. She was a large and imposing woman, gifted with foresight and prophecy, and wise in witches’ ways.

She said to Berg, ‘Things have turned out unhappily for you and your kinsmen in that you intend to try your luck against the sons of Ingimund. It must not go this way, because Thorstein is a proven man in both intelligence and luck, and it is rightly said of Jokul that no berserk is his equal anywhere in the Northern Quarter, and you are no match for him, powerful figure that you are; and whatever great disgrace you have already suffered at his hands, you will endure twice as much if you have any further dealings with him.’

Berg replied, ‘Jokul has said so much that it has become intolerable for me.’

Helga replied, ‘Even though you are so stupid that you cannot look after yourself, I will bring it about that this duel never takes place.’

‘Why shouldn’t you have the last word?’ said Berg.

Finnbogi knew nothing of these plans.

34
It is said that the very morning on which they were to go to the duel, there was such a thick fall of snow and a frost that not a soul ventured out. Early that same morning there was a knock at the door at Hof. Thorstein went to answer it and greeted his brother Jokul.

He said, ‘Thorstein, are you ready for the duel?’

He replied, ‘Are you set on going, in view of the terrible weather?’

Jokul said, ‘I certainly am.’

Thorstein replied, ‘Come in first, brother, and wait to see if the weather improves.’

Jokul said that he had no wish to go in and have the snow which lay on him melt – ‘and even if you don’t want to, I will go all the same’.

Thorstein said, ‘There will never be such a difference in courage between the two of us, that I stay behind, and you go – wait for me.’

Thorstein went inside and got himself ready and said to his guests that they should wait there and not leave until the weather was a lot better; he
told the mistress of the house and his sons to serve the guests. The brothers set off together.

Then Thorstein said, ‘What is your plan now?’

Jokul replied, ‘I’ve never known it happen before that you would seek advice from me. If the need arises there’s little enough advice on offer. Yet in this affair I’m not totally without ideas. We’ll go to Undunfell, and Thorir our brother will come with us.’

They did so; they set off in that direction and came in the evening to Faxi-Brand’s homestead – he was a friend of Jokul’s. They stayed the night there. Brand had a horse with a coloured mane called Freyfaxi. He was fond of the horse and thought it a good one; it was fearless in fighting and when put to other uses. Many people felt sure that Brand placed special faith in Faxi. The next morning the same storm returned, only even worse. The brothers wanted to get on their way, even though the weather did not relent. Brand had covered a sledge with hides and harnessed Faxi to it and said that between the two of them they would find the way.

Jokul said, ‘Thorstein and Thorir will sit on the sledge while Faxi-Brand and I walk in front.’

They arrived at the haystack wall early that day, and no one else was there.

That same morning Finnbogi said to Berg, ‘Do you think that Jokul will have arrived for the duel?’

He said, ‘I don’t think so, because no one could travel in such weather.’

Finnbogi said, ‘Jokul is not the man I think he is if he has not arrived there; and it would have been better not to have taken things this far with him, and thus not now to suffer a second humiliation on top of the first.’

‘You have realized this too late,’ said Helga, ‘and bad as things are now, they will be worse later.’

‘Do you think that Jokul has come?’ said Berg.

‘I will not think about that,’ she said, ‘but I do believe that, as things will turn out, he is more than a match for the two of you.’

The conversation was at an end, but they did not go outside.

The brothers waited until mid-afternoon, and at that time Jokul and Faxi-Brand went to Finnbogi’s sheep-shed, which was right by the yard, and they took a post and set it on the ground by the wall. There were also horses there, which had gone to shelter during the storm. Jokul carved a man’s head on the end of the post, and wrote in runes the opening words of the curse, spoken of earlier. Jokul then killed a mare, and they cut it open
at the breast, and set it on the pole, and had it face towards Borg. They then set off home and stayed at Faxi-Brand’s overnight. They were in good humour during the evening.

Jokul said, ‘It is now the case, kinsman Thorstein, that you’re much more popular than I am and have more friends, but as things have turned out my friends have helped no less than yours. It seems to me that Faxi-Brand has done us proud.’

‘Brand has fully proved himself,’ said Thorstein.

Brand said, ‘It is good to help a man such as Jokul, because there are few like him.’

Faxi-Brand and Jokul claimed that there had been witches’ weather and blamed it on Helga at Borg. The brothers returned home, and everyone was glad to see them again. News spread throughout the district as to the great humiliation which the men of Borg had once again suffered at the brothers’ hands.