The Sagas of the Icelanders (91 page)

4
In those days, Illugi the Black, the son of Hallkel Hrosskelsson, lived at Gilsbakki in Hvitarsida. Illugi’s mother was Thurid Dylla, the daughter of Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue. Illugi was the second greatest chieftain in Borgarfjord, after Thorstein Egilsson. He was a great landowner, very strong-willed, and he stood by his friends. He was married to Ingibjorg, the daughter of Asbjorn Hardarson from Ornolfsdal. Ingibjorg’s mother was Thorgerd, the daughter of Skeggi from Midfjord. Ingibjorg and Illugi had many children, but only a few of them appear in this saga. One of their sons was named Hermund and another Gunnlaug. They were both promising fellows, and were then in their prime.

It is said that Gunnlaug was somewhat precocious, big and strong, with light chestnut hair, which suited him, dark eyes and a rather ugly nose. He had a pleasant face, a slender waist and broad shoulders. He was very manly, an impetuous fellow by nature, ambitious even in his youth, stubborn in all situations and ruthless. He was a gifted poet, albeit a somewhat abusive one, and was also called Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue. Hermund was the more popular of the two brothers and had the stamp of a chieftain about him.

When Gunnlaug was twelve years old, he asked his father for some wares to cover his travelling expenses, saying that he wanted to go abroad and see how other people lived. Illugi was reluctant to agree to this. He said that people in other countries would not think highly of Gunnlaug when he himself found that he could scarcely manage him as he would wish to at home.

Soon after this, Illugi went out early one morning and saw that his outhouse was open and that half a dozen sacks of wares had been laid out in the yard, with some saddle-pads. He was very surprised at this. Then someone came along leading four horses; it was his son Gunnlaug.

‘I put the sacks there,’ he said. Illugi asked why he had done so. He said they would do to help cover his travelling expenses.

‘You will not undermine my authority,’ said Illugi, ‘nor are you going anywhere until I see fit.’ And he dragged the sacks back inside.

Then Gunnlaug rode off and arrived down at Borg that evening. Farmer Thorstein invited him to stay and he accepted. Gunnlaug told Thorstein what had happened between him and his father. Thorstein said he could stay as long as he liked, and he was there for a year. He studied law with Thorstein and everyone there thought well of him.

Gunnlaug and Helga often amused themselves by playing board games with each other. They quickly took a liking to each other, as events later bore out. They were pretty much the same age. Helga was so beautiful that learned men say that she was the most beautiful woman there has ever been in Iceland. She had such long hair that it could cover her completely, and it was radiant as beaten gold. It was thought that there was no equal to Helga the Fair throughout Borgarfjord or in places further afield.

Now one day, when people were sitting around in the main room at Borg, Gunnlaug said to Thorstein, ‘There is still one point of law that you haven’t taught me – how to betroth myself to a woman.’

‘That’s a small matter,’ Thorstein replied, and he taught Gunnlaug the procedure.

Then Gunnlaug said, ‘Now you should check whether I’ve understood properly. I’ll take you by the hand and act as though I’m betrothing myself to your daughter Helga.’

‘I don’t see any need for that,’ Thorstein said.

Then Gunnlaug grabbed his hand. ‘Do this for me,’ he said.

‘Do what you like,’ Thorstein said, ‘but let those present here know that it will be as if this had not been said, and there must be no hidden meaning to it.’

Then Gunnlaug named his witnesses and betrothed himself to Helga. Afterwards, he asked whether that would do. Thorstein said that it would, and everyone there thought it was great fun.

5
There was a man named Onund who lived to the south at Mosfell. He was a very wealthy man, and held the godord for the headlands to the south. He was married, and his wife was named Geirny. She was the daughter of Gnup, the son of Molda-Gnup who settled at Grindavik in the south. Their sons were Hrafn, Thorarin and Eindridi. They were all promising men, but Hrafn was the most accomplished of them in everything. He was a big, strong man, well worth looking at, and a good poet. When he
was more or less grown up, he travelled about from country to country and was well respected wherever he went.

Thorodd Eyvindarson the Wise and his son Skafti lived at Hjalli in Olfus in those days. Skafti was Lawspeaker in Iceland at that time. His mother was Rannveig, the daughter of Gnup Molda-Gnupsson, and so Skafti and the sons of Onund were cousins. There was great friendship between them, as well as this blood tie.

Thorfinn Seal-Thorisson was then living out at Raudamel. He had seven sons, and they were all promising men. Their names were Thorgils, Eyjolf and Thorir, and they were the leading men in that district.
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All the men who have been mentioned were living at the same time, and it was about this time that the best thing ever to have happened in Iceland occurred: the whole country became Christian and the entire population abandoned the old faith.

For six years now, Gunnlaug Serpent-tongue, who was mentioned earlier, had been living partly at Borg with Thorstein and partly at Gilsbakki with his father Illugi. By now, he was eighteen years old, and he and his father were getting on much better.

There was a man named Thorkel the Black. He was a member of Illugi’s household and a close relative of his, and had grown up at Gilsbakki. He came into an inheritance at As in Vatnsdal up in the north, and asked Gunnlaug to go with him to collect it, which he did. They rode north to As together and, thanks to Gunnlaug’s assistance, the men who had Thorkel’s money handed it over to them.

On their way home from the north, they stayed overnight at Grimstungur with a wealthy farmer who was living there. In the morning, a shepherd took Gunnlaug’s horse, which was covered in sweat when they got it back. Gunnlaug knocked the shepherd senseless. The farmer would not leave it at that, and demanded compensation for the blow. Gunnlaug offered to pay him a mark, but the farmer thought that was too little.
^†
Then Gunnlaug spoke a verse:

They arranged that Gunnlaug’s offer should be accepted, and when the matter was settled Gunnlaug and Thorkel rode home.

A little while later, Gunnlaug asked his father a second time for wares, so that he could travel abroad.

‘Now you may have your own way,’ Illugi replied, ‘since you are better behaved than you used to be.’

Illugi rode off at once and bought Gunnlaug a half-share in a ship from Audun Halter-dog. The ship was beached in the Gufua estuary. This was the same Audun who, according to
The Saga of the People of Laxardal,
would not take the sons of Osvif the Wise abroad after the killing of Kjartan Olafsson, though that happened later than this.

When Illugi came home, Gunnlaug thanked him profusely. Thorkel the Black went along with Gunnlaug, and their wares were loaded on to the ship. While the others were getting ready, Gunnlaug was at Borg, and he thought it was nicer to talk to Helga than to work with the traders.

One day, Thorstein asked Gunnlaug if he would like to ride up to his horses in Langavatnsdal with him. Gunnlaug said that he would, and they rode together until they arrived at Thorstein’s shielings, which were at a place called Thorgilsstadir. Thorstein had a stud of four chestnut horses there. The stallion was a splendid creature, but was not an experienced fighter. Thorstein offered to give the horses to Gunnlaug, but he said that he did not need them, since he intended to go abroad. Then they rode over to another stud of horses. There was a grey stallion there with four mares; he was the best horse in Borgarfjord. Thorstein offered to give him to Gunnlaug.

‘I don’t want this horse any more than I wanted the others,’ Gunnlaug answered. ‘But why don’t you offer me something I will accept?’

‘What’s that?’ Thorstein asked.

‘Your daughter, Helga the Fair,’ Gunnlaug replied.

‘That will not be arranged so swiftly,’ he said, and changed the subject.

They rode home, down along the Langa river.

Then Gunnlaug spoke: ‘I want to know how you will respond to my proposal.’

‘I’m not taking any notice of your nonsense,’ Thorstein replied.

‘This is quite serious, and not nonsense,’ Gunnlaug said.

‘You should have worked out what you wanted in the first place,’ Thorstein countered. ‘Haven’t you decided to go abroad? And yet you’re carrying on as if you want to get married. It wouldn’t be suitable for you and Helga to marry while you are so undecided. I’m not prepared to consider it.’

‘Where do you expect to find a match for your daughter if you won’t marry her to Illugi the Black’s son?’ Gunnlaug asked. ‘Where in Borgarfjord are there more important people than my father?’

‘I don’t go in for drawing comparisons between men,’ Thorstein parried, ‘but if you were such a man as he is you wouldn’t be turned away.’

‘To whom would you rather marry your daughter than me?’ Gunnlaug asked.

‘There’s a lot of good men around here to choose from,’ Thorstein replied. ‘Thorfinn at Raudamel has seven sons, all of them very manly.’

‘Neither Onund nor Thorfinn can compare with my father,’ Gunnlaug answered, ‘considering that even you clearly fall short of his mark. What have you done to compare with the time when he took on Thorgrim Kjallaksson the Godi and his sons at the Thorsnes Assembly by himself and came away with everything there was to be had?’
^*

‘I drove away Steinar, the son of Ogmund Sjoni
^f
– and that was considered quite an achievement,’ Thorstein replied.

‘You had your father, Egil, to help you then,’ Gunnlaug retorted. ‘Even so, there aren’t many farmers who would be safe if they turned down a marriage bond with me.’

‘You save your bullying for the people up in the hills,’ Thorstein replied. ‘It won’t count for much down here in the marshes.’

They arrived home later that evening, and the following morning Gunnlaug rode up to Gilsbakki and asked his father to ride back to Borg with him to make a marriage proposal.

‘You are an unsettled fellow,’ Illugi replied. ‘You’ve already planned to
go abroad, yet now you claim that you have to occupy yourself chasing after women. I know that Thorstein doesn’t approve of such behaviour.’

‘Nevertheless,’ Gunnlaug replied, ‘while I still intend to go abroad, nothing will please me unless you support me in this.’

Then Illugi rode down from Gilsbakki to Borg, taking eleven men with him. Thorstein gave them a warm welcome.

Early the next morning, Illugi said to Thorstein: ‘I want to talk to you.’

‘Let’s go up on to the Borg
^*
and talk there,’ Thorstein suggested.

They did so, and Gunnlaug went along too.

Illugi spoke first: ‘My kinsman Gunnlaug says that he has already spoken of this matter on his own behalf; he wants to ask for the hand of your daughter Helga. Now I want to know what is going to come of this. You know all about his breeding and our family’s wealth. For our part, we will not neglect to provide either a farm or a godord, if that will help bring it about.’

‘The only problem I have with Gunnlaug is that he seems so unsettled,’ Thorstein replied. ‘But if he were more like you, I shouldn’t put it off.’

‘If you deny that this would be an equal match for both our families, it will bring an end to our friendship,’ Illugi warned.

‘For our friendship’s sake and because of what you’ve been saying, Helga will be promised to Gunnlaug, but not formally betrothed to him, and she will wait three years for him. And Gunnlaug must go abroad and follow the example of good men, and I will be free of any obligation if he doesn’t come back as required, or if I don’t like the way he turns out.’

With that, they parted. Illugi rode home and Gunnlaug rode off to his ship, and the merchants put to sea as soon as they got a fair wind. They sailed to the north of Norway, and then sailed in past Trondheim to Nidaros, where they berthed the ship and unloaded.

6
Earl Eirik Hakonarson and his brother Svein were ruling Norway in those days. Earl Eirik was staying on his family’s estate at Lade, and was a powerful chieftain. Skuli Thorsteinsson was there with him: he was one of the earl’s followers and was well thought of.

It is said that Gunnlaug and Audun Halter-dog went to Lade with ten other men. Gunnlaug was dressed in a grey tunic and white breeches. He had a boil on his foot, right on the instep, and blood and pus oozed out of
it when he walked. In this state, he went before the earl with Audun and the others and greeted him politely. The earl recognized Audun, and asked him for news from Iceland, and Audun told him all there was. Then the earl asked Gunnlaug who he was, and Gunnlaug told him his name and what family he came from.

‘Skuli Thorsteinsson,’ the earl asked, ‘what family does this fellow come from in Iceland?’

‘My lord,’ he replied, ‘give him a good welcome. He is the son of the best man in Iceland, Illugi the Black from Gilsbakki, and, what’s more, he’s my foster-brother.’

‘What’s the matter with your foot, Icelander?’ the earl asked.

‘I’ve got a boil on it, my lord,’ he replied.

‘But you weren’t limping?’

‘One mustn’t limp while both legs are the same length,’ Gunnlaug replied.

Then a man named Thorir, who was one of the earl’s followers, spoke:

‘The Icelander is rather cocky. We should test him a bit.’ Gunnlaug looked at him, and spoke:

Then Thorir made as if to grab his axe.

‘Leave it be,’ said the earl. ‘Real men don’t pay any attention to things like that. How old are you, Icelander?’

‘Just turned eighteen,’ Gunnlaug replied.

‘I swear that you’ll not survive another eighteen,’ the earl declared.

‘Don’t you call curses down on me,’ Gunnlaug muttered quite softly, ‘but rather pray for yourself.’

‘What did you just say, Icelander?’ the earl asked.

‘I said what I thought fit,’ Gunnlaug replied, ‘that you should not call curses down on me, but should pray more effective prayers for yourself.’

‘What should I pray for then?’ asked the earl.

‘That you don’t meet your death in the same way as your father Earl Hakon did.’
^*

The earl turned as red as blood, and ordered that the fool be arrested at once

Then Skuli went to the earl and said, ‘My lord, do as I ask: pardon the man and let him get out of here as quickly as he can.’

‘Let him clear off as fast as he can if he wants quarter,’ the earl commanded, ‘and never set foot in my kingdom again.’

Then Skuli took Gunnlaug outside and down to the quay, where there was a ship all ready for its voyage to England. Skuli procured a passage in it for Gunnlaug and his kinsman Thorkel, and Gunnlaug entrusted his ship and the other belongings he did not need to keep with him to Audun for safe-keeping. Gunnlaug and Thorkel sailed off into the North Sea, and arrived in the autumn at the port of London, where they drew the ship up on to its rollers.