The Sagas of the Icelanders (73 page)

1
It was in the days of King Harald Fair-hair, son of Halfdan the Black, son of Gudrod the Hunting King, son of Halfdan the Mild and Meal-stingy, son of Eystein Fart, son of Olaf Wood-carver, King of the Swedes, that a man named Hallfred brought his ship to Breiddal in Iceland, below the district of Fljotsdal. On the ship were his wife and his son, who was named Hrafnkel. He was then fifteen years of age, promising and able.

Hallfred built a farm. During the winter, a foreign slave-woman named Arnthrud died there, and that is why it has since been called Arnthrudarstadir (Arnthrud’s place). In the spring, Hallfred moved his farm north across the heath, and built a new home at a place called Geitdal (Goat valley).

Then one night he dreamed that a man came to him and said, ‘There you lie, Hallfred, and rather carelessly too. Move your farm away, west across Lagarfljot river. That is where your luck is.’

After that he woke up, and moved his farm across the Ranga river in Tunga, to a place that has since been called Hallfredsstadir (Hallfred’s place) where he lived until his old age. But he left a boar and a he-goat behind him, and on the same day that Hallfred left, a landslide came down on the buildings. The animals were lost, and that is why the place has since been called Geitdal.

2
Hrafnkel made a habit of riding on the moors during the summer. At that time, Jokulsdal had been settled up as far as the bridges over the Jokulsa river. Hrafnkel rode up through the Fljotsdal district, and saw an uninhabited valley that branched off Jokulsdal. To Hrafnkel’s mind, this valley was more habitable than any other valley he had ever seen.

When Hrafnkel got home, he asked his father to divide the property, and said that he wanted to build his own farmstead. His father granted him this. He then built himself a farm in the valley, and called it Adalbol. Hrafnkel
married Oddbjorg Skjoldolfsdottir from Laxardal. They had two sons. The elder was named Thorir, and the younger Asbjorn.

When Hrafnkel had taken the land at Adalbol, he held great sacrifices, and had a great temple built. Hrafnkel loved no other god more than Frey, and he dedicated half of all his best livestock to him. Hrafnkel settled the entire valley and gave people land, but he wanted to be their superior, and took the godord over them. Owing to this, his name was extended, and he was called Frey’s Godi. He was unfair towards other people, but was well accomplished. He forced the people of Jokulsdal to become his thingmen, and was mild and gentle with his own people, but stiff and stubborn with the people of Jokulsdal who never received any justice from him. Hrafnkel was often involved in single combats and never paid anyone reparation. No one received any compensation from him, whatever he did.

Fljotsdal heath is difficult to cross, and very rocky and wet, but father and son often rode over to visit each other because they had a good relationship. Hallfred felt that the route was hard going, and searched for another route for himself above the fells in the Fljotsdal district. There he found a drier, longer route which is called Hallfredargata (Hallfred’s track). This route is only travelled by those who know the Fljotsdal district well.

3
There was a man named Bjarni who lived on the farm at Laugarhus. That is near Hrafnkelsdal. He was married and had two sons with his wife, one named Sam, and the other Eyvind, both good-looking and promising men. Eyvind lived at home with his father, but Sam was married and lived at the northern end of the valley on a farm named Leikskalar, and he owned plenty of livestock. Sam was a very argumentative man, and clever with the law. Eyvind became a merchant. He went abroad to Norway, and was there for the winter. From there he went to other countries, and stopped in Constantinople where he gained great honour from the King of the Greeks. He stayed there for a while.

Hrafnkel had one animal in his possession that he valued more than others. It was a dun stallion with a dark mane and tail and a dark stripe down its back, which he named Freyfaxi. He dedicated half of this horse to his friend, Frey. He had such love for this stallion that he made an oath to bring about the death of any man who rode it without his permission.

4
There was a man named Thorbjorn. He was Bjarni’s brother and lived on a farm called Hol, opposite Adalbol to the east. Thorbjorn had few livestock, but many dependants. His eldest son was named Einar. He was big and well accomplished.

One spring, Thorbjorn told Einar that he should look for service somewhere, ‘because I need no more labour than the rest of this household can provide, and you will have a good chance of getting service because you are well accomplished. This dismissal isn’t brought about by any lack of love, for you are the child that is most dear to me. It is brought about by my own lack of means and poverty. My other children will also become labourers, but you will get a better position than they will.’

Einar answered, ‘You’ve told me about this too late, because now all of the best positions have been taken. I don’t like having to choose from what’s left.’

One day, Einar took his horse and rode over to Adalbol. Hrafnkel was sitting in the main room. He greeted him warmly, and with pleasure. Einar asked for service with Hrafnkel.

He answered, ‘Why are you asking for this so late? I would have taken you on first, but now I have taken on all my servants except for the only job that you wouldn’t want.’

Einar asked what that might be. Hrafnkel said that he had not taken on anybody to herd the sheep, but that he had great need of such a person. Einar stated that he did not care what work he did, whether it was this job or another, but said that he needed provision for a year.

‘I will give you a quick choice,’ said Hrafnkel. ‘You will herd fifty ewes back to the shieling each night, and gather all the wood for the summer. This you will do in return for your keep for a year. But I want to make one thing clear to you, as I have done with all my other herdsmen. Freyfaxi roams near the bottom of the valley with his herd. You are to take care of him during both summer and winter. But I warn you against one thing. I never want you to mount him, whatever need you may be in, because, as I have most seriously sworn, I will bring about the death of any man who rides him. Ten or twelve horses follow him. You are welcome to use any of these that you wish, be it day or night. Now do as I say, because there is an old saying that “he who gives warning is not at fault”. Now you know what I have stated.’

Einar said that he would not be so ill-fated as to have to use the one horse he was forbidden to ride if there were many others available.

5
Einar then went home to fetch his clothes, and moved over to Adalbol. The sheep were then driven up to a shieling near the head of Hrafnkelsdal, a place called Grjotteigssel. Einar did so well during the summer that no sheep were lost before midsummer, but then one night almost thirty ewes were found to be missing. Einar searched all the pastures, but found nothing. They were missing for almost a week.

Early one morning Einar went out, and the mist from the south and the drizzle had cleared. He took a staff in his hand, a bridle and a saddle-cloth. He went over the river Grjotteigsa which flowed in front of the shieling. There, lying on the gravel flats beside the river, were the sheep that had been at home during the evening. He drove them back to the shieling, and went to look for the other sheep that had gone missing earlier. He then saw the horses on the gravel flats, and thought of catching a horse to ride, believing that he would travel faster if he rode rather than walked. When he reached the horses, he chased them. Those which had never used to run away from people now all shied away from him; except for Freyfaxi alone. The stallion stood so still that it was as if he was rooted to the ground.

Einar knew that the morning was getting on, and did not think that Hrafnkel would find out if he rode the stallion. Then he took the stallion, bridled him, placed the saddle-cloth beneath himself on the horse and rode up by Grjotagil, up to the glaciers, and west alongside the glaciers to where the Jokulsa river flows out from beneath them, and then down beside the river to the Reykjasel shieling. He asked all the shepherds at the shielings whether anyone had seen the sheep, but no one had seen a thing. Einar rode Freyfaxi from the last part of the night until early next evening. The stallion carried him fast and far, because he was a good horse.

Einar decided that it was time to head back and herd together the sheep that were at home, even if he did not find the others. He then rode east over the ridges towards Hrafnkelsdal. When he came down to Grjotteig, though, he heard the sound of bleating near the end of the ravine he had ridden past earlier. He turned towards this place, and saw thirty ewes coming towards him, the same sheep that he had been missing for the previous week. He drove the sheep home, released the stallion beside the herd and walked back to the shieling.

The stallion was so soaked in sweat that it was dripping off every hair. He was splattered with mud and terribly exhausted. He rolled over some seven times, and after that gave a great neigh. He then set off down the track at great speed. Einar went after him, hoping to head the stallion off, catch him, and bring him back to the horses, but he was so shy that Einar could not get anywhere near him.

The stallion galloped down the valley, and did not stop until he came to Adalbol. Hrafnkel was eating. When the stallion reached the door, he neighed loudly. Hrafnkel told one of the women who was serving at the table that she should go out, ‘because a horse neighed, and it sounded to me like the neigh of Freyfaxi’.

She went to the door and saw Freyfaxi in a very dirty state. She told Hrafnkel that Freyfaxi was outside the door, looking thoroughly filthy.

‘What should the champion want that he should have come back home?’ said Hrafnkel. ‘This does not mean anything good.’

He then went out and saw Freyfaxi, and said, ‘I don’t like the way you’ve been treated, my foster-son. But you had your wits about you when you told me of this. It will be avenged. Go to your herd.’

Freyfaxi went up the valley to his horses. Hrafnkel went to his bed that evening and slept through the night.

In the morning, he had a horse taken and saddled for him, and rode up to the shieling. He rode wearing black clothes. He had an axe in his hand, but no other weapons. Einar had just finished herding the sheep into the pen. He was lying on the wall of the pen, counting the sheep, and the women were milking. They greeted Hrafnkel. He asked how things had been going for Einar.

Einar answered, ‘Things haven’t been going well for me. Thirty ewes were missing for nearly a week, but they’ve now been found.’

Hrafnkel said that that was of no real importance. ‘Hasn’t anything worse happened? It hasn’t often occurred that sheep have been missing. But did you ride Freyfaxi yesterday?’

Einar said he could not argue with that at all.

Hrafnkel responded, ‘Why did you ride the horse that you were forbidden to ride when there were plenty of others that you had permission to take? I would have forgiven you this one time if I had not sworn such a serious oath, and you have owned up well. But we have the belief that nothing goes well for people when the words of an oath come down on them.’

Then he leapt off his horse and swung his axe at Einar. He met his death immediately. After he had completed that, Hrafnkel rode home to Adalbol and announced the news. He then sent another man out to herd at the shieling. He had Einar taken to a ledge west of the shieling, and raised a cairn beside his shallow grave. This is called Einarsvardi (Einar’s cairn). From the shieling, this site is used to reckon the time of early evening.

6
Over at Hol, Thorbjorn heard about the slaying of his son Einar. He took this news badly. Then he fetched his horse and rode to Adalbol and demanded compensation from Hrafnkel for the killing of his son. Hrafnkel said he had killed more men than just this one.

‘You are not unaware that I never pay anyone reparations. People have to put up with that. All the same, I will admit that I regard this deed as one of the worst acts I have committed. You have been a neighbour of mine for a long time. I have liked you, and the feeling has been mutual. No great matter would have come up between Einar and myself if he had not ridden the horse. But we often have cause to regret having said too much, and we would more rarely have cause for regret if we spoke less rather than more. I will now show you that I regard this deed as worse than any other acts I have committed. I will supply your farm with dairy cows in the summer, and slaughtered meat in the autumn. I will do this for you every season for as long as you wish to live here. I will set up your sons and daughters elsewhere under my guardianship, and strengthen their position so that they come into improved circumstances. And from now on, anything that you know to be in my homestead, and need to have, then you must tell me and you will never want for these things again. You will live on your farm for as long as you wish, and then come here when you grow weary of that. I will then take care of you until your dying day. Let us now settle on this. I expect that most people will remark that this man was truly expensive.’

‘I don’t want that offer,’ said Thorbjorn.

‘What do you want then?’ said Hrafnkel.

‘I want us to choose others to arbitrate a settlement between us.’

Hrafnkel answered, ‘You regard yourself as my equal then, and we will never come to an agreement on that basis.’

Then Thorbjorn rode off, down through Hrafnkelsdal. He came to Laugarhus and met his brother Bjarni. He told him the news and asked him to take a share in seeking redress in this matter.

Bjarni said that he would not be dealing with an equal in the case of Hrafnkel: ‘Even if we had some money to dispose of, we mustn’t get involved in a dispute with Hrafnkel. It’s true that “it’s a wise man who knows himself”. Hrafnkel has complicated many law cases with stronger men than ourselves. I think you’re stupid to have turned down such a good deal. I don’t want any part in this.’

Thorbjorn uttered a number of cutting words to his brother, and said that the greater the stakes were, the less courageous his heart was. He then rode off, and they parted with little warmth.

He did not stop until he came down to Leikskalar, where he knocked at the door. Someone answered it, and Thorbjorn asked Sam to come outside. Sam greeted his uncle warmly, and with pleasure, and invited him to stay. Thorbjorn took that somewhat coolly. Sam sensed Thorbjorn’s unhappiness and asked him for the news, and Thorbjorn told him about the slaying of his son Einar.

Sam responded, ‘It’s no great news that Hrafnkel kills people. He’s pretty handy with a wood-axe.’

Thorbjorn asked whether Sam would offer him some support: ‘This matter is such that, even though I am the closest relative, the blow has landed not so very far away from yourself.’

‘Have you spoken to Hrafnkel about the question of your redress?’ asked Sam.

Thorbjorn told him the truth about how things had gone between him and Hrafnkel.

‘I’m not aware,’ said Sam, ‘that Hrafnkel has ever offered anybody such redress as he has offered you. Now I would like to ride back up to Adalbol with you. We’ll approach Hrafnkel very humbly and see if he is still prepared to keep to the same offer. In one way or another, he will act well.’

‘There are two things: Hrafnkel will now be unwilling, and I myself have no more mind to accept now than I had when I rode away from there.’

‘I believe it will be a heavy matter to get involved in a legal dispute with Hrafnkel.’

Thorbjorn responded, ‘The reason you young people never amount to anything is that you keep making such a huge fuss about everything. I doubt if there is any man who has such worthless relations as I have. I don’t think much of people like you, who make out that they are clever with the law, and eagerly take on small cases, but don’t want to accept a case like this which is so immediate. You will suffer reproach for this, and that is quite fitting since you are the loudest member of our family. Now I can see how this case is likely to go.’

Sam responded, ‘What benefit are you likely to gain if I take on this case, and we both end up getting humiliated?’

Thorbjorn answered, ‘It will still be a great consolation to me if you take on this case. We’ll just have to see what bargain comes out of this,’ he said.

Sam responded, ‘I go into conflict with Hrafnkel unwillingly. I do this mainly for the sake of my relationship with you. But you ought to know that I think I’m helping a fool.’

Then Sam reached out his hand, and took over the case from Thorbjorn.