The Sagas of the Icelanders (48 page)

45
The Vatnsdal people did everything possible to honour Thorkel Scratcher. They found him a wife; and assigned the godord to him, because Surt and Hogni the sons of Ingolf were then eleven and fifteen years old and could not receive their confirmation as chieftains from Thorkel; and Hofsland was bought for him; and so Thorkel became leader of the Vatnsdal people.

Ottar’s men were dispersed in the north of the region but no attention was paid to this. Hallfred and Galti, the sons of Ottar, went north and so did some of his other children. Hallfred often visited Beard-Avaldi’s homestead and talked with his daughter who was named Kolfinna. Gris Saemingsson married this woman but there were rumours about her and Hallfred, as is told in his saga. Once, when he came to Iceland – he was then a seaman – and Gris was at the assembly, Hallfred made his way to where Kolfinna was in a shieling, and slept with her there. And when Gris found out about this, he was extremely angry, and at once Hallfred went abroad that same summer.

At an Autumn Meeting in Vatnsdal there were many men present, and men put tented roofs on their booths because they would be there for two nights. Thorkel had the largest and most crowded booth. Beard-Avaldi and his son Hermund shared a booth. And while Galti Ottarsson was seeing to his affairs, he met Hermund who recalled the offences which Hallfred had committed against him and his men, and rushed at Galti and killed him and then returned to his father in the booth. And when Thorkel heard of the killing, he sprang to his feet along with his followers and wanted to avenge it.

Hild, the mother of Hermund, stood in the doorway and said, ‘It would be a better idea, Thorkel, not to be in such a hurry; and it cannot have been in your mind, when we met previously, that you would kill my son in my presence.’

Thorkel replied, ‘More things have now come to pass than we then expected; leave the booth now, because if you do so you will then not see your son killed before your eyes.’

She now understood, in fact, that what he said was meant to help Hermund and this ruse seemed to her both quick-witted and brave. She then took off
her head-dress and decked out Hermund in it, and took his place on the bench so that no more women than were expected to went outside.

Thorkel told the women to make haste and hustled them on, saying, ‘Don’t stand about in this way, because the woman’s ordeal is bad enough even if she doesn’t see or hear the man killed.’

They wanted to rush in and kill Hermund straight away.

Thorkel then went to the doorway of the booth and said, ‘See how it befits us not to kill men of our own region and thingmen; let us be reconciled instead.’

Terms were sought between them and they worked towards a settlement with which both sides were well satisfied, and the amounts of compensation paid were so large that those accepting them were properly honoured. Thorkel resolved this case in an honourable way, and all were very pleased. All disputes in the region were referred to him because, apart from Thorstein Ingimundarson, he seemed to be the most gifted of the Vatnsdal people.

46
Around this time Bishop Frederick, and Thorvald Kodransson, called the Far-traveller, came out to Iceland. Right after this another skip arrived, and on board were two berserks, both of them named Hauk. They were unpopular with men because they ordered them to give up their women or their wealth, or else challenged them to a duel. They howled like dogs and gnawed the ends of their shields and walked barefoot on burning coals. The bishop and Thorvald went around preaching the new religion, offering people a faith different from the one previously followed here. They stayed the first winter at Gilja. The Icelanders shunned this new-fangled faith which the bishop and his followers promoted. Kodran and his wife accepted the faith and were baptized at the outset. Olaf at Haukagil was so old that he lay in bed and drank from a horn.

During autumn, at the time of the Winter Nights, Olaf invited his friends to join him, especially Thorkel his kinsman. The bishop and Thorvald were present. Thorkel was the only one to give them a decent welcome, and let them be alone together in the house because they were of the other faith. On the first evening of the feast the approaching berserks were observed and people were very apprehensive about them. Thorkel asked the bishop if he could suggest any way in which the berserks might meet their death.

The bishop urged them to accept the faith and allow themselves to be baptized, and said that he would deal with these wicked ruffians ‘with your help’.

Thorkel said, ‘Everything would be better if you were to show the people a sign.’

‘Have three fires kindled on the floor in the hall’; this was done.

Then the bishop blessed the fires.

He said, ‘Now the benches must be packed with the most courageous men carrying great cudgels because steel will not cut them, and thus will the berserks be beaten to death.’

When the two Hauks arrived, they went inside, and walked through the first fire and then the second and they were severely burned and became very frightened of the fiery heat and wanted at once to make for the benches. They were then beaten to death and carried up along the ravine which has since been called Haukagil.

The bishop now felt that he had fulfilled his bargain with Thorkel, so that he would accept the new faith and allow himself to be baptized.

Thorkel said that he had no wish to accept any religion other than the one which ‘Thorstein Ingimundarson and Thorir my foster-father held to; they believed in the one who made the sun and ruled all things.’

The bishop answered, ‘I offer to you the same faith, but with the difference that you will believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and have yourself baptized in water in his name.’

It seemed to Thorkel very peculiar to have to bathe himself in water, and he said that he did not want to undergo this conversion just yet, but said that he thought it would be a good thing, ‘and this change of faith will go from strength to strength here in this land. My kinsman Olaf the farmer is an old man; he will accept the new faith, and all the others who wish to, but I will still bide my time.’

Then Olaf was baptized and died in his white baptismal vestments, and more men were baptized at that same feast. Thorkel was baptized, as were all the Vatnsdal people, when Christianity was officially adopted in Iceland. Thorkel was a great chieftain; he had a church built on his farm and kept his faith well.

47
Two brothers, Fostolf and Throttolf, settled at Engihlid in Langadal; they were formidable figures. They took in a man to protect him and wanted to hide him at Kjol, a short distance from Reykjavellir, while they went to the assembly, where they would deal with his case. Two other brothers settled at Moberg in Langadal and they were named Hunrod and
Ulfhedin, the sons of Vefrod Aevarsson the Old. Ulfhedin was the more popular of the two.

There was a man named Thorolf, called Play-godi, who was with the brothers. Ulfhedin was a great friend of Dueller-Starri, and men say that, when Thorarin the Evil challenged Starri to a duel, Ulfhedin accompanied him to the duelling place; and on that journey the weather turned foul, and they believed it was a witch’s storm.

There was a man named Bard who was called the Peevish; he also went with them. They asked him to call off the bad weather, because he had the wisdom of a magician. He asked them to join hands and make a circle; he then went round backwards three times, spoke in Irish and bade them all say ‘yes’ out loud – and this they did. He then waved a kerchief at the mountain and the weather relented.

Throttolf and Fostolf went to the assembly, as was said earlier, and their charge was meanwhile back in Thjofadal; he reckoned that less money would need to be paid out if he himself was not present. Hunrod and Thorolf Play-godi also rode to the assembly. A short way from Reykjavellir some horses bolted, and they searched far and wide and did not find them. They saw a man a short distance away from them, and believed that he was up to no good and that he must have taken their horses. They did not stop to ask but rushed at him and killed him. They then rode to the assembly and reported this to the brothers Throttolf and Fostolf. They were extremely displeased and demanded compensation, and said that they had made a settlement with the kinsmen on the man’s behalf – they had made peace, and then paid over money for him. Hunrod said that he thought other payments were more pressing, and with that they rode from the assembly.

Throttolf and Fostolf purchased land at Kolkumyrar at a place called Holt. There was a man named Thorfinn, a kinsman of theirs, who lived at Breidabolstad in Vatnsdal. He had a journey to make to Skagastrond, and it so happened that Ulfhedin was heading in that direction, and with him was Thorolf Play-godi. When they arrived at the Breidavad at the Blanda river, Thorfinn and the brothers Fostolf and Throttolf were riding some little way behind.

Fostolf and his brother said that they were pleased to meet up with Ulfhedin – ‘because those brothers killed our man this summer and we will ride after Ulfhedin’.
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Thorfinn said, ‘I will not ride after him,’ and he did not.

Fostolf and Throttolf then rode off in hot pursuit.

Thorolf Play-godi noticed this, and said, ‘Let us ride on fast; the brothers are on our trail.’

‘No,’ said Ulfhedin, ‘I won’t do that because they would then accuse me of running away.’

Thorolf headed out into the river, but the brothers attacked Ulfhedin and he was left lying there afterwards. Then the brothers rode back and told Thorfinn what had happened. He said that they had dealt shamefully with a good man, and he returned home to Vatnsdal. Ulfhedin was fatally wounded.

Hunrod went to collect his brother, and carried him home, and Ulfhedin asked his brother to settle this affair after his death – he said that no revenge would be granted him, ‘because I now recall the earlier journey,
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and I know that none of those on that journey have died of sickness’.

Ulfhedin then died, but Hunrod did not behave as if he wanted a settlement and prepared the case for the Althing. Thorfinn offered a settlement and compensation, but Hunrod said that he would accept nothing except the outlawry of Fostolf and Throttolf; and this came to pass, and then he rode from the assembly. The brothers made a great fortification at Holt in Kolkumyrar and it was very difficult for Hunrod to attack them.

There was a freed slave named Skum who had accumulated money and grown wealthy. Hunrod spent it for him, and Skum went abroad, came to Norway and then travelled north to Trondheim. He acquired great wealth and stayed there; he became a rich man for the second time. Hunrod spent all his own money as well as Skum’s, so that he ended up virtually penniless. He went to meet Thorkel the Vatnsdal godi and told him of his problem.

Thorkel said, ‘It was bad advice to follow, not to accept compensation for your brother, when he told you earlier that you would gain nothing else; and now you have neither money nor revenge. However, because you have come to my home to ask for advice, then I will go with you and seek a settlement.’

Thorkel then met the brothers and asked whether they would settle with Hunrod if the chance arose; they reacted coolly to this and said that it was
no better to make a settlement with him now than when one was offered to him earlier.

Thorkel said, ‘You must now do one of two things – go abroad, as stipulated earlier, or I will not advise you further.’

They said that his advice was well worth paying heed to, ‘for the last thing that we want is to have you against us’.

They then went abroad and arrived in Trondheim.

Then Throttolf said, ‘It is not as it should be that Hunrod, a good man, should have become penniless, mostly on our account, while his slave Skum grows as rich as Njord.’

Then they went and killed him, and seized all his money and sent it to Hunrod. A little later Throttolf travelled to Iceland and went to meet with Thorkel Scratcher and told him to seek a settlement between them and Hunrod. Thorkel said that he would. He then went to meet Hunrod, and through his wisdom and goodwill he brought about a full settlement, so that both sides were happy with what he had decreed.

Thorkel grew old and when he lay in his final illness, he summoned his friends, kinsmen and thingmen.

Thorkel then said, ‘I wish to make it known to you that I have contracted a sickness, and it seems to me likely that it will result in the parting of our ways. You have had faith in my foresight and shown me respect and obedience; accept my thanks for this.’

With that he died and this was a great sorrow to his thingmen, and all men of the region, because he seemed – as was indeed the case – a great district leader, and a man blessed with great luck, and the man most like the old Vatnsdal men such as Thorstein and Ingimund. However, Thorkel surpassed them in that he was a man of the true faith, and loved God, and prepared himself for his death in a Christian way. And with that we make an end of the saga of the people of Vatnsdal.

Translated by
ANDREW WAWN