The Sagas of the Icelanders (66 page)

60
Several nights after returning home, Gudrun asked her sons to come and speak to her in her leek garden. When they arrived they saw spread out garments of linen, a shirt and breeches much stained with blood.

Gudrun then spoke: ‘These very clothes which you see here reproach you for not avenging your father. I have few words to add, for it is hardly likely that you would let the urging of words direct you if unmoved by such displays and reminders.’

Both brothers were greatly shaken by Gudrun’s words, but answered that they had been too young to seek revenge and had lacked someone to lead them. They had neither been able to plan their own actions nor those of others, ‘though we well remember what we have lost’.

Gudrun said she suspected that they gave more thought to horse-fights or games. After this the brothers left, but they could not sleep that night. Thorgils noticed this and asked what was troubling them. They told him everything of the conversation with their mother, adding that they could no longer bear their grief and her reproaches.

‘We wish to seek revenge,’ said Bolli. ‘We brothers are mature enough now that people will begin to count it against us if we fail to take action.’

The following day Gudrun and Thorgils were talking privately together.

Gudrun began by saying, ‘It looks to me, Thorgils, as if my sons have had their fill of inaction, and will be looking to avenge their father. Things have had to wait until now mostly because I felt Thorleik and Bolli were too young to go about slaying men. There was certainly more than enough cause to have retaliated earlier.’

Thorgils answered, ‘You have no reason to discuss this matter with me, since you have absolutely refused to marry me; I’m still of the same mind, however, as before when we discussed this. I don’t think it too tall an order to knock off one or both of the men who played a major part in Bolli’s killing if I can get you to marry me.’

Gudrun spoke: ‘It seems that Thorleik feels no one is better suited as the leader for any difficult undertaking. But I will not conceal from you that the lads intend to attack the berserk Helgi Hardbeinsson, who lives on his farm up in Skorradal, and is completely off his guard.’

Thorgils spoke: ‘It makes no difference to me whether his name is Helgi or anything else. I don’t feel it beyond me to take on Helgi or any other man. I’ve said my last word on it; you promise before witnesses to marry me if I manage to help your sons get their revenge.’

Gudrun replied that she would keep any promise she gave, though it were made before but a few witnesses, and said they should agree on this bargain. She asked that Thorgils’s foster-brother Halldor be summoned and then her sons.

Thorgils asked that Ornolf be present as well, but Gudrun said there was no need for that – ‘I am more suspicious of Ornolf’s loyalty towards you than I expect you are.’

Thorgils said she should have her way.

The brothers then approached Gudrun and Thorgils, who were talking to Halldor as they came.

Gudrun explained the situation to them, that ‘Thorgils has promised to offer his leadership on a journey to attack Helgi Hardbeinsson, along with my sons, to avenge Bolli. Thorgils made it a condition for the journey that I agree to marry him. Now I declare in your presence as witnesses, that I promise Thorgils to marry no other man in this country than him; nor do I intend to marry abroad.’

Thorgils was satisfied that the promise was binding enough and saw nothing questionable about it. They then brought the conversation to an end. It was now settled that Thorgils would lead the attack. He made
preparations to set out from Helgafell, accompanied by Gudrun’s sons. They rode eastward to the Dalir district, stopping first at Thorgils’s Tunga farm.

61
The next Lord’s Day the local Autumn Meeting was held, which Thorgils attended with his party. Snorri the Godi did not attend the assembly, but a large crowd was there.

During the day Thorgils managed to speak to Thorstein the Black, saying, ‘Since, as you know, you went along with the Olafssons when Bolli was slain, you owe his sons some unpaid compensation. And although it’s a long time since the events took place, I don’t imagine they have forgotten those men who took part. In the opinion of the two brothers, it would hardly be to their honour to seek revenge on the Olafssons, for the sake of kinship. So they now intend to attack Helgi Hardbeinsson, as it was he who dealt Bolli his death blow. We want to ask you, Thorstein, to accompany them on their journey, and in so doing buy your own settlement.’

Thorstein answered, ‘It does me little honour to plot an attack on my brother-in-law Helgi; I would much rather give money to buy peace, and I’ll make it enough to serve as an honourable settlement.’

Thorgils answered, ‘I scarcely expect the brothers are doing this for the sake of money. Make no mistake, Thorstein, you have two choices before you: either you make the journey or face harsh punishment when it’s dealt out. I also want you to accept this offer, despite your obligations to Helgi. Each man must look out for himself in a tight situation.’

Thorstein said, ‘Will you be making such an offer to others, with whom Bolli’s sons have a score to settle?’

Thorgils answered: ‘It’s the same choice Lambi will have to make.’

Thorstein said he thought it better if he were not the only one involved.

After that Thorgils sent word to Lambi to meet with him, and invited Thorstein to be present at their conversation.

He said, ‘I intend to speak to you, Lambi, about the same matter which I have already raised with Thorstein. What honour are you ready to do Bolli’s sons for the grievance they have against you? I have been told truthfully enough that you wounded Bolli, and, in addition, you share a major portion of the guilt for having strongly urged that he be killed. You were admittedly among those with the most cause for offence, next to the Olafssons.’

Lambi asked what would be demanded of him. Thorgils answered that
he would be offered the same choice as Thorstein, to accompany the brothers on an attack or face punishment.

Lambi replied, ‘This is a poor and ignoble way of buying one’s peace. I’m not willing to make this journey.’

Thorstein then said, ‘It’s not so simple a question, Lambi, that you should refuse so quickly. Important and powerful men are involved, who feel they have received less than their due for a long time. I am told that Bolli’s sons are promising young men, bursting with pride and eagerness, and with cause enough to seek revenge. We can only expect to have to make them some redress after such a deed. People will place most of the censure on me, in any case, because of my connections to Helgi. And like most others I am ready to do most anything to save my own skin. Each pressing problem that arises demands its own solution.’

Lambi spoke: ‘It’s clear which way you’re leaning, Thorstein. I suppose it’s just as well to let you decide, if you’re so determined about it; we’re old partners in troublemaking. But I want to make it a condition, if I agree to this, that my kinsmen, the Olafssons, will be left alone and in peace, if revenge against Helgi is successful.’

Thorgils agreed to this on behalf of the brothers.

Thus it was decided that Thorstein and Lambi would accompany Thorgils in the attack. They agreed to meet early in the day at Tunga in Hordadal three days later. After this they parted and Thorgils returned to his farm at Tunga that evening. The appointed time for the men intending to make the journey to meet with Thorgils came. Before sunrise on the third morning Thorstein and Lambi arrived at Tunga. Thorgils gave them a warm welcome.

62
Thorgils now made ready to set out and the party of ten rode off up Hordadal, with Thorgils Holluson leading the group. Others making the journey included Bolli’s sons, Thorleik and Bolli. The fourth man was their half-brother Thord the Cat, Thorstein the Black was the fifth, Lambi the sixth, Halldor and Ornolf the seventh and eighth, Svein and Hunbogi, both sons of Alf from Dalir, were the ninth and tenth. All of them looked like fighters to be reckoned with. They set out on their way, up the Sopandaskard pass and over Langavatnsdal, then cut straight across the Borgarfjord district. They crossed the river Nordura at Eyjarvad ford, and the Hvita river at the Bakkavad ford, just above Baer. They rode through Reykjadal and over the ridge to Skorradal where they followed the woods
to the vicinity of the farm at Vatnshorn. There they dismounted; it was late in the evening.

The farmhouse at Vatnshorn stands a short distance from the water’s edge on the south side of the river.

Thorgils told his companions they would spend the night there. ‘I intend to go up to the farm and look around, and try to learn whether Helgi is at home. I am told that he usually keeps few servants, but is always very much on his guard and sleeps in a sturdily built bed closet.’

His companions said Thorgils should decide their course.

Thorgils then had a change of clothes, removing his black cloak and pulling on a hooded cowl of grey homespun. He went up to the farm and when he had almost reached the hayfield wall he saw a man approaching.

When they met, Thorgils asked, ‘You may think my question an ignorant one, comrade, but what district is this I’m in, and what is the name of that farm or the farmer who lives there?’

The man replied, ‘You must be very foolish and ignorant indeed, if you haven’t heard of Helgi Hardbeinsson, such a great warrior and important man as he is.’

Thorgils then asked what sort of welcome Helgi gave strangers who knocked at his door, especially those in much need of assistance.

The man replied, ‘I can in truth give you a good answer there, as Helgi is the most generous of men, both in taking men in as in other dealings.’

‘Would he be at home now?’ asked Thorgils. ‘I was hoping to ask him to take me in.’

The other man asked what his problem was and Thorgils replied, ‘I was made an outlaw this summer at the Althing. I wanted to seek the protection of someone who had enough power to offer it. In return I can offer him my service and support. Now, take me to the farm to meet Helgi.’

‘I can easily enough,’ he said, ‘take you home, and you’ll be allowed to stay the night. But you won’t meet Helgi, because he’s not at home.’

Thorgils then asked where he was.

The man answered, ‘Helgi is at his shieling, in the place called Sarp.’

Thorgils asked where that was, and who were there with him. He replied that Helgi’s son, Hardbein, was there and two other men Helgi had taken in who were also outlaws.

Thorgils asked him to show him the straightest route to the shieling, ‘as I want to meet with Helgi right away, wherever he can be found, and put my request to him’.

The servant then showed him the way and they parted after that.

Thorgils returned to the wood to his companions and told them what he had learned of Helgi’s circumstances. ‘We’ll stay here overnight and wait until morning to make our way to the shieling.’

They did as he proposed. In the morning Thorgils and his men rode on up through the wood until they were only a short way from the shieling. Thorgils then told them to dismount and eat their breakfast, which they did, stopping there awhile.

63
Now to news of the shieling, where Helgi and those men previously mentioned were staying. In the morning Helgi spoke to his shepherd, telling him to look around in the woods near the shieling and see if there were any men about or anything else worthy of reporting. ‘My dreams last night were troubled.’

The boy did as Helgi said. He disappeared awhile and when he returned Helgi asked him what he had seen.

He answered: ‘I have seen something which I think is newsworthy enough.’

Helgi asked what this was. He said he had seen no small number of men, ‘and they look like men from another district to me’.

Helgi said, ‘Where were they when you saw them, and what were they doing? Did you notice their appearance, or how they were dressed?’

He answered, ‘I was not so stricken with fear that I didn’t observe things like that, because I knew you would ask about them.’

He added that they were only a short distance away from the shieling and were eating breakfast. Helgi asked whether they sat in a circle or in a row. The boy replied that they sat in a circle on their saddles.

Helgi said, ‘Tell me what they looked like. I want to see if I can guess from their descriptions, what men these are.’

The boy said, ‘One of the men sat on a saddle of coloured leather and wore a black cloak. He was a large man of manly build, balding at the temples and with very prominent teeth.’

Helgi said, ‘I recognize that man clearly from your words; you have seen Thorgils Holluson from Hordadal. What can that fighter want with us?’

The boy spoke: ‘Next to him sat a man in a gilded saddle; he was wearing a tunic of red scarlet and a gold ring on his hand. About his head was fastened a band of gold-embroidered cloth. This man had fair hair, falling in waves down to his shoulders. He was also fair-complexioned, with a bent nose, somewhat turned up at the end, handsome eyes, blue and piercing
and restless, a wide forehead and full cheeks. His hair hung down in the front and was clipped at the eyebrows, and he was well built at the shoulders and broad across the chest. His hands were well formed, his arms strong, and his entire bearing refined. I must say in conclusion that no other man have I seen so valiant-looking in all respects. He was also a youthful man, with hardly a hair on his face yet. He seemed to me as if he were burdened with sorrow.’

Helgi then answered, ‘You’ve observed this man carefully and he appears to be a man of great worth. I doubt that I have ever seen him, but I imagine it: will be Bolli Bollason, because I am told he is a very promising young man.’

The boy then said, ‘Another man sat on an enamelled saddle, wearing a yellow-green tunic and a large ring on his hand. He was a most handsome youngster, with brown hair which suited him well and everything about him was very refined.’

Helgi answered, ‘I think I know who this man you have described is. This will be Thorleik Bollason. You’re a clever lad, with a keen eye.’

The boy said, ‘Next to him sat a young man in a black tunic and black breeches girded at the waist. He had a straight face and pleasing features, with light hair, slender and refined.’

Helgi answered, ‘I recognize this man and have likely seen him before; he will have been fairly young in age. This is Thord Thordarson, Snorri the Godi’s foster-son. A well-mannered group they have here, these men of the West. Any more?’

The boy then said, ‘Next was a man in a Scottish saddle, with a greying beard and bushy brows. His hair was black and curly, and he was not very good-looking, although he had the look of a fighter all right. Over his shoulders he wore a grey gathered cape.’

Helgi said, ‘I can see clearly who this man is. This is Lambi Thorbjarnarson from Laxardal. I don’t know what he is doing accompanying the two brothers.’

The boy said, ‘Next was a man sitting on a stand-up saddle with a black outer garment and a silver ring on his hand. A farmer by the look of him, he was no longer young, with dark brown and very curly hair and a scar on his face.’

‘Your tale is taking a turn for the worse,’ said Helgi. ‘This man you have seen must be my brother-in-law Thorstein the Black, and I find it very surprising that he should have come along on such a journey. I wouldn’t pay him a visit like this. But were there any more of them?’

The boy answered, ‘Next there were two men of similar appearance and about middle age. They were both of them powerful men, with red hair and freckled faces, but handsome all the same.’

Helgi said, ‘I know well who these men are. These are the Armodssons, Halldor and Ornolf, Thorgils’s foster-brothers. You have given a thorough report – are these all of the men you saw?’

The boy answered, ‘There’s little more left to tell. The next man looked away from the group. He wore a plated coat of mail and a steel helmet with a brim as wide as the width of your hand. He held a gleaming axe over his shoulder, the blade of which was an ell in length. This man was dark, with black eyes and the appearance of a Viking.’

Helgi answered: ‘This man I recognize clearly from your report. It was Hunbogi the Strong you saw, the son of Alf from Dalir. I can’t quite see their intentions but they have certainly a choice selection of men for their journey.’

The boy spoke: ‘Yet another man sat next to this strong-looking one; he had dark brown hair, a round and ruddy face and heavy brows, just over medium height.’

Helgi spoke: ‘You need not say more; it will have been Svein, the son of Alf from Dalir and brother of Hunbogi. We had better be prepared for these men, as it’s my guess that they will intend to pay me a visit before they leave the district; some of them making the journey would have thought it more fitting had our paths crossed earlier. Those women who are here in the shieling will throw on some men’s clothes, take the horses close to the shieling and ride as fast as they can to the main house. Those men awaiting nearby may not be able to tell whether it is men or women who go riding off. We need only gain a little time to seek more help, and then we’ll see whose position is the better.’

All four women rode off together.

Thorgils suspected that their presence may have been reported and told his men to mount their horses and ride up to the shieling at once, which they did. But before they could mount a man rode up to them in plain view. He was short in stature and brisk in his movements. His eyes darted about in a strange manner, and his horse was a strong one. This man greeted Thorgils like an old acquaintance. Thorgils asked him his name and who his kinsmen were, and where he had come from.

The man said his name was Hrapp and his mother’s family hailed from Breidafjord, ‘where I have been raised. I am named for Killer-Hrapp, and
the name fits, for I am no man of peace, although I am small in size. My father’s people are from the south of Iceland, and I have spent the last few winters there. It’s a lucky chance I happened upon you here, Thorgils, as I was going to seek you out, even if I’d had to go to more trouble to do so. I’m in some difficulty; I’ve quarrelled with my master, as his treatment of me left much to be desired. As my name indicates, I’m not one to put up with such insults, so I tried to kill him, although with little or no success, I think. I didn’t wait to find out, as I felt I was better off astride this horse I took from the farmer.’ Hrapp spoke at length, but asked few questions. He soon became aware of their intention to attack Helgi, however, which he supported eagerly, saying no one should look for him in the back ranks of the attackers.