The Sagas of the Icelanders (69 page)

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Following their reconciliation with the Olafssons, and after a year had passed since Thorleik returned from abroad, Bolli declared that he intended to sail abroad.

Snorri tried to discourage him, saying, ‘It seems to me you are risking a lot on the outcome. If you feel you want more responsibility than you now have, then I will provide you with a farm of your own and obtain a godord for you, and help you rise in importance in every way. I expect it will be easy enough, as most people are well inclined towards you.’

Bolli answered, ‘For a long time now I have wanted to make a journey south; a man is considered ignorant if he has explored no more than the shores of Iceland.’

When Snorri saw that Bolli had his mind so set on this that there was no point trying to dissuade him, he offered Bolli as much wealth as he wished for the journey.

Bolli agreed to take a great deal of wealth, ‘as I want charity from no man, either here or abroad’.

Bolli then rode south to Borgarfjord to the Hvita river, where he purchased a half-share in Thorleik’s ship from the men who owned it. The two brothers then owned the ship together. Bolli then rode home again.

Bolli and Thordis had a daughter named Herdis, whom Gudrun offered to foster. She was one year old when she went to Helgafell. Thordis also stayed there much of the time and Gudrun treated her very well.

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The two brothers then proceeded to their ship. Bolli took a great deal of wealth abroad with him. They made the ship ready and after everything was prepared they set sail out to sea. It was some time before they got favourable winds, and their passage was a lengthy one. They made land in Norway in the autumn and made land in the north at Nidaros. King Olaf was in the east of the country, in Vik, with his followers, where he had collected provisions for the winter. When the brothers learned that the king would not be coming north to Nidaros that autumn, Thorleik said he wanted to head to the east of the country to seek out the king.

Bolli answered, ‘I’m not excited at the prospect of tramping around from one town to another in the autumn; it seems like nothing but bondage and servitude. I want to spend the winter here in town. I’m told the king will be coming north in the spring, and if he doesn’t I won’t deter you from taking us to meet him then.’

They did as Bolli wished, unloading their ship and settling down in the town for the winter. It was soon apparent that Bolli was a man of ambition, who intended to be a leader among men. This he managed to do, not the least through his generosity. He was soon held in high esteem in Norway. That winter in Nidaros Bolli kept a company of men, and was recognized at once whenever he went drinking, as his men were better armed and dressed than other townspeople. He alone paid for the drinks of all his company when they went drinking. This was typical of his generosity and grand style. The brothers spent the winter in the town.

King Olaf spent that winter in Sarpsborg in the east of his kingdom, and according to news of him, the king was not expected to head northwards. Early in the spring the brothers made ready their ship and sailed eastward following the coast. Their journey went well and when they arrived in Sarpsborg they proceeded directly to meet King Olaf. He gave his follower Thorleik and his companions a good welcome, and then asked him who this impressive-looking man was who accompanied him.

Thorleik replied, ‘This is my brother, who is named Bolli.’

‘He certainly looks to be a most outstanding man,’ said the king.

The king then offered to have both of the brothers to stay with him, and they accepted gratefully, remaining with him that spring. The king treated Thorleik as well as before, but held Bolli in much higher regard, as the king felt him to be among the most exceptional of men.

As the spring advanced the brothers discussed their travelling plans, and Thorleik asked Bolli whether he wished to sail for Iceland that summer, ‘or do you wish to remain in Norway longer?’

Bolli answered: ‘I intend to do neither, and to tell you the truth when I left Iceland I had intended that people would not hear of me settling down next door. I want you, brother, to take over our ship.’

Thorleik was saddened at the prospect of their parting, ‘but you will have your way in this as everything else, Bolli’.

When they told these same plans to the king, he answered, ‘Do you not wish to dwell here with us any longer, Bolli? I would prefer you to stay here with me for a while, and I will offer you the same title that I have conferred upon your brother Thorleik.’

To this Bolli answered: ‘More than willing enough am I, my lord, to enter your service, but I intend first to travel to the destination which I originally set out for and where I have long wished to go. Should I manage to return I will gladly accept this offer of yours.’

‘You will decide your course yourself, Bolli, as you Icelanders usually intend to have your own way in most things. But I have to say that I regard you, Bolli, as the most remarkable man to have come from Iceland during my day.’

Once Bolli had received the king’s leave, he made ready for his journey and boarded a cog heading south to Denmark. He took a great deal of wealth with him and was accompanied by several of his companions. He and King Olaf parted the best of friends, and the king gave Bolli worthy farewell gifts. Thorleik remained behind with King Olaf, while Bolli proceeded south to Denmark. He spent the winter there and was shown great honour by powerful men. He conducted himself there in a style no less luxurious than he had in Norway. After a year in Denmark, Bolli began his journey through foreign countries, not stopping until he reached Constantinople. After a short time there he entered the company of the Varangian guard, and we know no reports of northerners having entered the service of the Byzantine emperor before Bolli Bollason. He spent many years in Constantinople, where he was regarded as the most valiant of fighters in any perilous situation, where he was among the foremost of them. The Varangians thought highly of Bolli during his stay in Constantinople.

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The story now returns to Thorkel Eyjolfsson, who had become a leader of prominence in Iceland. Gellir, son of Thorkel and Gudrun, grew up at home and was from an early age a very manly and well-liked lad.

It is said that Thorkel once told Gudrun of a dream he had: ‘I dreamt,’ he said, ‘that I had such a long beard that it spread over all of Breidafjord.’

Thorkel asked her to interpret the dream.

Gudrun asked, ‘What do you think the dream means?’

‘It seems to me obvious that it means my domain will extend over the whole of Breidafjord.’

‘That may well be the case,’ said Gudrun, ‘but I am inclined to expect that it means that you will be dipping your beard into Breidafjord.’

That same summer Thorkel had his ship launched and made preparations to sail to Norway. His son Gellir was twelve years old at the time and sailed abroad with his father. Thorkel declared that he intended to obtain timber for his church and put out to sea as soon as everything was ready. He had light winds and the passage was anything but brief. They made land in the north of Norway. King Olaf was in Nidaros at the time, and Thorkel made his way directly to the king, taking his son Gellir along with him. They were well received and Thorkel was held in such high regard by the king during the winter that it was widely said that the gifts the king gave him were worth no less than five score marks of refined silver. At Christmas the king gave Gellir a wonderfully crafted cloak that was truly a treasure. That same winter King Olaf had a church built of wood in the town. It was large and very impressive, and care taken with its every aspect. The following spring the timber which the king had given Thorkel was loaded aboard ship. The timber was both of fine quality and in great quantity, for Thorkel spared no pains with its selection.

One morning when the king had risen early and was accompanied by only a few men, he saw a man up on the church which was then under construction. He was very surprised at this, for the morning had not yet advanced to the time when his carpenters were accustomed to rise. The king recognized the man: it was Thorkel Eyjolfsson, who was measuring all the largest beams, the cross-ties, joists and supports.

The king went over to him immediately and said, ‘What are you up to, Thorkel? Do you plan to cut timber for your church in Iceland on this model?’

Thorkel answered, ‘Right you are, my lord.’

Then King Olaf spoke: ‘Chop two ells off the length of each beam and your church will still be the greatest in Iceland.’

Thorkel answered, ‘Keep your timber then, if you fear you have given of it too generously, or regret making the offer, but I’ll not chop so much as an ell’s length off it. I lack neither the energy nor the means to obtain my timber elsewhere.’

The king then said, in a pacifying tone, ‘You are a man of great worth, and of no small ambition. Of course it’s absurd for a farmer’s son to compete with us. But it is not true that I begrudge you the timber. If you should manage to build a church with it, it will never be so large as to contain your own conceit. But unless I am mistaken, people will have little use of this timber, and even less so will you be able to build any structure with it.’

With that their conversation came to an end. The king walked away and it was clear that he disliked Thorkel’s disregard for his advice. The king let the matter drop, however, and he and Thorkel parted as the best of friends. Thorkel boarded his ship and sailed out to sea. They had favourable winds and a brief passage.

Thorkel’s ship made land in Hrutafjord, and he rode promptly to Helgafell. Everyone was very glad to see him and he gained a great deal of honour from his journey. He had his ship beached and secured for the winter and the timber set in secure storage, as he would be too busy that autumn to have it transported westward. Thorkel spent that winter at home on his farm. He held a Christmas feast at Helgafell attended by a great number of people. Everything he did that winter was done extravagantly, with no opposition from Gudrun, who said that wealth was well spent if people gained esteem as the result, and anything Gudrun needed in order to have things in grand style was made available. That winter Thorkel gave as gifts to his friends many valuable objects he had brought with him from abroad.

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After Christmas Thorkel prepared to set out for the journey north to Hrutafjord to transport his timber home. He rode first up into the Dalir district, then to his kinsman Thorstein at Ljarskogar to borrow both men and horses. He then went north to Hrutafjord where he stayed a while and planned his journey. He collected horses from the farms along the fjord, as he hoped to make only a single trip if this were possible. This was not accomplished quickly, and Thorkel was kept busy past the beginning of Lent before he could set out. He had the wood drawn southward by more than twenty horses to Ljaeyri, where he intended to load it aboard a ship
for the rest of the journey to Helgafell. Thorstein owned a large ferry which Thorkel intended to use for his homeward journey.

Thorkel stayed at Ljarskogar during Lent, as he and his kinsman Thorstein were close friends.

Thorstein suggested to Thorkel that he make a journey with him to Hjardarholt – ‘I want to ask Halldor to sell me land, as he has little livestock left after paying the Bollasons compensation for their father, and it’s his land that I want to obtain the most.’

Thorkel said he would oblige him, and they set out with a party that numbered over twenty men.

When they arrived at Hjardarholt, Halldor received them well and kept up a lively conversation. Only a few members of the household were at home, as Halldor had sent many of them north to Steingrimsfjord, where a whale had stranded, and he was entitled to a share. Beinir the Strong was at home, the only one still alive of those who had served Olaf, Halldor’s father.

When he saw Thorstein and his men approaching, Halldor said to Beinir, ‘I know well enough what brings those kinsmen here. They are going to ask me to sell them my land, and if they do so they will ask to speak to me privately. I expect they will sit down, one of them on each side of me, and if they show me any hostility, you will attack Thorstein the moment I turn on Thorkel. You have shown my family many years of loyalty. I have also sent men to seek help from neighbouring farms. I hope they will arrive at much the same moment as we make an end of the conversation.’

Later that day Thorstein suggested to Halldor that they speak privately, ‘as we have something to discuss with you, Halldor’.

Halldor said that was fine with him and Thorstein told his companions that they need not follow them. Beinir went along with them, nevertheless, as he thought things were turning out much as Halldor had predicted. They walked a long way out into the hayfield. Halldor wore a cloak fastened with a long clasp, as was common at that time. He sat down in the field, with a kinsman on either side of him, sitting practically on his cloak. Beinir stood behind them with a large axe in his hand.

Thorstein then said, ‘My purpose in coming here was to purchase your land from you. I bring this up now while my kinsman Thorkel is here. I thought it should suit both of us, because I’m told you have insufficient livestock and good land is going to waste. I offer you in return a suitable farm, as well as whatever sum we both agree upon to make up the difference.’

Halldor did not reject the idea, and they began discussing possible details of the bargain. Once Halldor had shown some interest, Thorkel became very involved in the discussion and wanted to get them to agree on a bargain. Halldor then began to retreat, at which they pressed their suit more forcefully, and eventually the more they pressed the more he withdrew.

Thorkel then said, ‘Don’t you realize where this is heading, Thorstein? He’s just been leading us on all day. We’ve been sitting here letting him mock and delude us. If you intend to have anything come of this attempt at purchasing land, we’re going to have to spare no pains.’

Thorstein said that he wanted to know clearly how things stood, and told Halldor to make it clear whether or not he was willing to sell him the land.

Halldor answered, ‘I think I can state plainly the fact that you will be returning home empty-handed this evening.’

Thorstein then said, ‘And I think I need not wait to tell you what I have planned, and that is to offer you two possibilities to choose from, as I think we’ll have our way by force of numbers. The first choice is to agree to this purchase of your own accord, and enjoy our friendship in return; the second and clearly poorer choice is to be forced to shake my hand and thus agree to the sale of the Hjardarholt land.’

No sooner had Thorstein spoken this than Halldor sprang to his feet, so abruptly that the clasp was torn from his cloak, and said, ‘Something else will happen before I utter words that I have no wish to speak.’

‘And what might that be?’ Thorstein asked.

‘A wood-axe, wielded by the worst of men, will be wedged in your skull, and put an end to your high-handedness and bullying.’

Thorkel answered, ‘This is an evil prophecy, and we hardly expect it to be fulfilled. I’d say that you’ve done enough now, Halldor, to deserve to hand over your land without any payment for it.’

To this Halldor replied, ‘And you’ll have the bladderwrack of Breidafjord in your arms before I’ll be forced to sell my land.’

After that Halldor returned home to the farm, just as the men for whom he had sent came rushing up.

Thorstein was enraged and wanted to attack Halldor at once, but Thorkel asked him not to, saying, ‘It would be a serious offence at this time, but when Lent is over I won’t try to prevent any settling of differences.’

Halldor replied that he would be ready for them anytime.

After this they rode off and talked a great deal about the events of their
journey. Thorstein said it was true enough that this excursion had turned out very badly, ‘and why did you, Thorkel, hesitate to attack Halldor and do him some damage?’

Thorkel answered, ‘Did you not see Beinir standing over you with his axe aloft? It would have been a fatal move; he would have brought his axe down on your head the moment I appeared likely to make a move.’

They then rode home to Ljarskogar. Lent passed and Easter week approached.