Egil’s Saga (15 page)

Thorolf fared on his journey as soon as he was ready, and it sped him well and he came with his ship into Burgfirth and fared straightway quickly home to his father: that was a great joyful meeting when they met. And now fared Skallagrim to the ship for Thorolf’s belongings: let lay up the ship: but Thorolf fared home to Burg with eleven men. But when he was come home, bare he unto Skallagrim the greetings of King Eric, and brought him that axe that the King had sent him. Skallagrim took the axe, held it up and looked at it awhile, and spake nought about it: fastened it up near his bed.

That was in the autumn, on a day at Burg, that Skallagrim let drive home a great many oxen that he was minded to hew. He let lead two oxen together under the house-wall, and lead them with their heads each across other. He took a great slab of stone and shot it down under their necks. And now went he to it with the axe, King’s-loom, and hewed the oxen both at a stroke, so that it took the heads off both of them: but the axe crashed down on the stone, so that the mouth burst all out and ripped up through the tempered steel. Skallagrim looked at the edge, and
spake nought about it: therewith went in into the firehall, and climbed then up on to the wainscot-post and shot the axe up above the door-beam. There it lay through the winter.

But in the-spring, Thorolf gave out that he meant to fare abroad that summer. Skallagrim letted him from this: said that “‘Good it is to drive home with sound waggon.’ Thou hast”, said he, “fared an honourable journey and a great one, but that is a saying, ‘many wendings, divers endings’. Take thou now here such share of fee as thou thinkest shall be enough to make thee a man of substance”.

Thorolf said that he will yet fare one more journey, “And I have a needful errand
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for my faring. But when I come back the second time, I will here take up my set abode. But Asgerd thy fosterdaughter shall fare abroad with me to see her father: that was his bidding to me when I fared from the east”.

Skallagrim said he might have his way, “But so sayeth my mind hereof: if we two part now, we shall not meet together afterwards”.
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And now fared Thorolf to his ship and made ready that. But when he was all ready, they brought the ship out to Digraness, and lay there for the breeze. Fared then Asgerd to the ship with him; but before Thorolf fared from Burg, then went Skallagrim and took the axe down from the door-beam, the King’s gift, and went out with it. By then was the shaft black with smoke, and the axe gone to rust. Skallagrim looked at the edge of the axe; then he gave the axe to Thorolf. Skallagrim quoth a stave:
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Many a flaw there lieth
(I’ve a soft switch’s care-bed:
An ill cheat’s in the axe-blade,)
I’ the edge of the raging wound-wolf.
With’s smoke-grim’d shaft let muck-horn
Hie back to him that gave it.
No need t’ have sent it hither:
That was a prince’s giving.

CHAPTER XXXIX. THORUNN SKALLAGRIM’S DAUGHTER GIVEN IN MARRIAGE.

T
HAT befell to tell of, while Thorolf had been in the outlands and Skallagrim dwelt at Burg, that upon a summer came a cheaping-ship from Norway into Burgfirth. There was then, far and wide, berths for cheaping-ships in the river or in the mouths of brooks or in sykes. There was a man named Ketil, and was called Ketil Blund, who owned that ship: he was a Norseman, of great kin and wealthy. Geir was his son named, who then was of full age and was ashipboard with him. Ketil was minded to find himself a dwelling-place in Iceland. He came late in the summer.

Skallagrim knew every deal about him. Skallagrim bade him to lodge with him with all his ship’s company. Ketil took that gladly, and he was through the winter with Skallagrim.

That winter Geir, the son of Ketil, bade to wife Thorunn, daughter of Skallagrim, and that was agreed upon. Geir gat Thorunn to wife, and afterward in the spring Skallagrim showed Ketil land up from the land of Oleif beside Whitewater from Flokadalewater’s-oyce, and as far as Reekdalewater’s-oyce, and all that tongue that was there in the midst, up to Raudsgill, and all Flokadale up from the brents.

Ketil dwelt at Thrandsholt, and Geir at Geirslithe: he had another dwelling in Reekdale,
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at Upper Reeks: he was called Geir the Wealthy. His sons were Blund-Ketil
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and Thorgeir Blund; the third was Thorodd Hrisa-Blund who was first to dwell at the Bushes.

CHAPTER XL. OF EGIL’S CHILDHOOD AND UPBRINGING.

S
KALLAGRIM took great game in tests of strength and plays. Of that he thought it good to talk. Ball-plays
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were then the fashion. There was there in the countryside good choice of strong men in that time, and yet was there none to match with Skallagrim. He was come then somewhat into the decline of years.

Thord was the name of Grants son at Granistead, and he was the hopefullest of men and was in his youthful age. He was very fond of Egil Skallagrimson.

Egil was much a-wrastling. He was very masterful and angry tempered, and all had learnt that, to learn their sons to give way before Egil.

The ball-play was set in Whitewater-meads with great throng of men in the early winter. Men sought thither to it from far and wide about the neighbourhood: many of Skallagrim’s homemen fared thither to the play: Thord Granison was mainly at the head of them. Egil bade Thord let him fare with him to the play: he was then in his seventh winter. Thord humoured him in this, and let him ride on his horse’s back behind him. But when they came to the play-meeting, then were men ordered there for the play. There was come too a mort of small boys, and they made themselves another play. For that too, was order taken. Egil was allotted to play with that boy who was named Grim, the son of Hegg of Heggstead. Grim was eleven winters old, or ten, and strong for his years.

But when they fell to playing together, then was Egil overmatched for strength. Grim used his vantage all he might: then Egil became wroth, and heaved up the bat and smote Grim; but Grim laid hands on him and drave him down, a great fall, and played somewhat ill with him, and said he would lame him if he would not behave himself. But when Egil was gotten on his feet again, then went he out of the play, but the boys whooped at him.

Egil went to find Thord Granison, and said to him what had been done. Thord spake: “I shall fare with thee, and we two shall have revenge on him”.

He put into his hands a beard-axe that Thord had had in his hand: those weapons were then the fashion. Go they thither where the boys’ play was. Grim had then caught the ball and ran away with it, but the other boys rushed after him. Then leapt Egil at Grim and drove the axe into the head of him, so that straightway it stood in his brain. Therewith Egil and Thord went away and to their own men.

Leapt the Myresmen then to their weapons, and so on either
side. Oleif Hialti ran to those men of Burg with those men that followed him: they were then much the stronger in numbers, and they parted with things in such a case. From this arose that strife betwixt Oleif and Hegg: they fought at Laxfit by Grims-water: there fell seven men, and Hegg was wounded to loss of life, and Kvig fell, a brother of his.

Now when Egil came home, Skallagrim made as if he found little to be pleased with in this. But Bera said that Egil was of viking stuff, and said that that would be his lot, as soon as he had age thereto, that they should find him warships. Egil quoth a Stave:
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My mother told me
For me they should buy
Fleet keel and fair oars
To fare abroad with vikings:
To stand up in the stem there,
Steer the good ship,
Hold her so to harbour,
Hew a man or twain.

When Egil was twelve winters old, he was so great of growth that few were the men so big, and so ready of strength, as that Egil might not get the better then of most men in the plays. That winter (that was for him his twelfth), he was much in the plays. Thord Granison was then upon twenty year old: he was strong of sinew.

That was oft-times, as winter wore, that these two, Egil and Thord, were chosen to play against Skallagrim. That was on a time that winter, as it wore by, that the ball-play was at Burg, south in Sandwick: then were Thord and he against Skallagrim in the play, and he waxed weary before them and their work was lighter. But about evening, after sunset,
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then began it to go worse with Egil and his fellow: Grim became then so strong that he grabbed Thord up and drave him down so hard that he was all to-broken, and straightway gat his bane.

Thereupon he grabbed at Egil. Thorgerd Brak was named a bondmaid of Skallagrim’s. She had fostered Egil in his childhood. She was a big woman, strong as a carle and much skilled in wizardry. Brak spake: “Run’st thou now berserk, Skallagrim, at thine own son?”

Then Skallagrim let loose Egil, but caught at her. She doubled and ran off, but Skallagrim after her. Fared they so along the outward shore of Digraness. Then leapt she out from the cliff into the sound. Skallagrim cast after her with a great stone, and set it betwixt her shoulders, and neither it nor she came up again. There it is now called Brak’s Sound.

But afterwards in the evening, when they came home to Burg, was Egil all wroth. And when Skallagrim was set down to table, and all the men of his house, then was Egil not come in to his seat. Then went he into the firehall and up to that man that there had then the overseeing of the work and the management of his fee with Skallagrim, and was most dear to him. Egil hewed him his bane-wound, and thereafter went to his own seat.

But Skallagrim spake then nought of this, and that matter lay quiet thenceforth, and that father and son spake then nought together of it, whether good or ill. And so went that winter.

Now the next summer after, came Thorolf out as was aforesaid. But when he had been one winter in Iceland, then made he ready his ship the spring after in Brak’s Sound. But when he was all ready, then was that upon a day, that Egil went to find his father and bade him fetch him means to faring abroad: “I will”, said he, “fare abroad with Thorolf”.

Grim asked if he had spoken aught about that matter with Thorolf. Egil saith that that was not so. Grim bade him do that first. But when Egil waked that matter with Thorolf, then quoth he that this was not to be thought of, “That I should flit thee abroad with me. If thy father thinketh there is no managing thee here in his own house, then bear I no trust in this, to have thee in the outlands with me; for that will not do for thee, to show thy temper there, like as thou dost here”.

“May be”, said Egil, “that then neither of us will go.”

The night after, was a raging gale, a southwester. And in the night, when it was mirk darkness and the tide at the flood, then came Egil there and went out aboard the ship, outside the tilt: hewed he in sunder those ropes that were on the outer side: went he straight at his swiftest up on to the gangway, and hewed those ropes that went up aland. Then the ship drove out into the firth.
But when Thorolf and his were ware that the ship was adrift, leapt they into the boat: but the weather was much too wild for them to get aught done. The ship drove over to Andakil, and there up on to the eres: but Egil fared home to Burg.

But when men were ware of this trick that Egil had done, then most of them cursed it. He said that he would but for a short while let be ere he should do Thorolf more hurt and mischief, if he would not flit him abroad with him. But then took men a hand in it betwixt them, and so it came about in the end that Thorolf took to Egil, and he went abroad with him in the summer.

So soon as Thorolf was come to his ship, when he had taken that axe that Skallagrim had put in his hands he cast the axe overboard into the deep, so that it came not up again.

Thorolf fared on his journey that summer, and it sped him well on the main sea, and they came in by Hordaland. Stood Thorolf straightway north to Sogn; and there had this befallen to tell of in the winter, that Bryniolf had died of a sickness, but his sons had divided his inheritance. Thord had Aurland, that farmstead that their father had dwelt at: he had gotten himself under the hand of the King and been made a landed man. Thord’s daughter was named Rannveig, the mother of Thord and of Helgi: Thord was the father of Rannveig, the mother of Ingirid, that King Olaf
⁴
had to wife. Helgi was the father of Bryniolf, the father of Serk of Sogn, and of Svein.

CHAPTER XLI. OF BIORN AND THOROLF AND KING ERIC; AND OF EGIL AND ARINBIORN.

T
O Biorn was allotted another homestead good and honourable. He gat himself not under the hand of the King, wherefore was he called Biorn the Franklin.
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He was a man wealthy in gold and a man of great largesse. Thorolf fared early to see Biorn, so soon as he came from sea, and brought home Asgerd his daughter: that was a joyful meeting. Asgerd was the comeliest of women and the most skilled, a wise woman and very well learned.

Thorolf fared to see King Eric, and when they met, Thorolf bare unto King Eric Skallagrim’s greeting and said that he had taken in thankful wise
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the King’s sending: bare forward then a good long-ship’s sail, that he said that Skallagrim had sent to the King: King Eric took it well of that gift, and bade Thorolf be with him for the winter. Thorolf thanked the King for his bidding: “I must now first fare to Thorir’s: I have with him an errand of moment”.

And now fared Thorolf to Thorir’s, as he had said, and found there all good welcome. Thorir bade him be with him. Thorolf said he would take that gladly: “There is too that man with me that must have lodging there where I am: he is my brother, and he hath never before gone from home, and need he hath that I should look after him”.

Thorir said it was but meet and right, though Thorolf should have yet more men with him thither: “It seemeth to us”, saith he, “that that shall be bettering of our company, to have thy brother, if he is at all like thee”.

Therewith fared Thorolf to his ship and let lay her up and make all snug; but he fared, and Egil, to Thorir the Hersir.

Thorir had a son that was named Arinbiorn.
³
He was somewhat older than Egil. Arinbiorn was even thus early a noble-looking man and the greatest man at feats of skill. Egil made great friends with Arinbiorn, and was ever in company with him, but there was somewhat of coldness betwixt those two brethren.