Njal's Saga (10 page)

He answered, ‘I'd been thinking rather of giving up these trading voyages.'

‘What do you have in mind?' said Thorarin. ‘Do you want to take a wife?'

‘I'd like to,' he said, ‘if I could make a good arrangement.'

Thorarin then listed the women in Borgarfjord who were unmarried, and asked if he wanted to marry any of these – ‘and I'll ride along with you.'

He answered, ‘I don't want to marry any of these.'

‘Then name the one you want to marry' said Thorarin.

Glum answered, ‘If you want to know, her name is Hallgerd and she's the daughter of Hoskuld out west in Dalir.'

‘Then you're not letting another man's woe be your warning, as the saying goes,' said Thorarin. ‘She had a husband, and she had him killed.'

Glum spoke: ‘Perhaps she won't have such bad luck a second time. I know for certain that she will not have me killed. If you want to do me honour, then ride with me to ask for her hand.'

Thorarin said, ‘There's no stopping this. What is fated will have to be.'

Glum often raised this matter with Thorarin, and for a long time Thorarin avoided it, but finally they gathered men and rode off, twenty in all, westwards to Dalir and they came to Hoskuldsstadir, and Hoskuld welcomed them and they stayed there overnight. Early the next morning Hoskuld sent for Hrut, and he came at once. Hoskuld was outside when he rode up to the house. Hoskuld told Hrut who had come.

‘What do they want?' asked Hrut.

‘They haven't yet talked of any business,' said Hoskuld.

‘But their business must be with you,' said Hrut. ‘They will ask for the hand of your daughter Hallgerd, so how will you answer?'

‘What would seem best to you?' asked Hoskuld.

‘Answer them favourably, but tell them the good and bad sides of the woman,' said Hrut.

While the brothers were talking the guests came outside. Hoskuld and Hrut went towards them, and Hrut greeted Thorarin and his brother warmly. Then they all went off to talk, and Thorarin spoke: ‘I have come here with my brother Glum for the purpose of asking, on his behalf, for the hand of your daughter Hallgerd. You must know that he is a worthy man.'

‘I know that you are both men of great standing, but I must answer by saying that I arranged her first marriage, and it ended in great misfortune for us,' said Hoskuld.

Thorarin answered, ‘We will not let that prevent our making a agreement, for one oath does not invalidate all oaths.
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This marriage may turn out well, though the other ended badly, and in any case Thjostolf had most to do with ruining it.'

Then Hrut spoke: ‘I'll give you some advice, if you are not going
to let what happened before with Hallgerd stand in your way: Thjos-tolf must not move south with her if this marriage takes place, and he must not visit for more than three nights, unless Glum consents, and if he stays longer Glum may slay him as an outlaw. Glum is free to permit a longer stay, but I don't advise it. Also, this must not be done without Hallgerd's knowledge, as it was before. She is to learn all the terms of the agreement now and meet Glum and decide for herself whether or not she wishes to marry him, and then she will not be able to blame others if things do not turn out well. Everything must be free of deceit.'

Thorarin said, ‘Now, as always, it's best that your advice be followed.'

Then Hallgerd was sent for, and she came there with two other women. She was wearing a woven black cloak and beneath it a scarlet tunic, with a silver belt around her waist. Her hair was hanging down on both sides of her breast and she had tucked it under her belt. She sat down between Hrut and her father; she greeted everyone with kind words and spoke well and boldly and asked for the news. Then she said no more.

Glum spoke: ‘My brother Thorarin and I have had some words with your father about an agreement by which I would marry you, provided it is your wish as well as theirs. Now tell us, as a woman with a mind of your own, whether this match is to your liking. If you have no heart for an agreement with us, we will say no more about it.'

Hallgerd spoke: ‘I know that you brothers are men of great standing, and I know that I will now be much better married than before, but I want to know what you have already discussed and how far you have come in deciding things. I like you well enough that I could come to love you, as long as our tempers match.'

Glum told her the terms himself, in full detail, and then asked Hoskuld and Hrut if he had put it correctly. Hoskuld said that he had.

Then Hallgerd spoke: ‘You've treated me so well in this matter, father, and you, Hrut, that I'm willing to agree to your plan and let the marriage terms be as you have determined.'

Then Hrut spoke: ‘I propose that Hoskuld and I name witnesses
and that Hallgerd betroth herself – if this seems correct to the law expert here.'

‘It is correct,' said Thorarin.

Hallgerd's property was then valued, and Glum was to add the same amount. They were to share equally in the property. After this Glum betrothed himself to Hallgerd, and the brothers rode south to their home. Hoskuld was to hold the wedding feast at his place.

Then things were quiet until it was time for men to ride to the feast.

Glum and his brothers gathered a large band of people, and they rode west to Dalir and arrived at Hoskuldsstadir. Many guests had already arrived. Hoskuld and Hrut were seated on one bench, and the bridegroom on another. Hallgerd sat on the cross-bench and made a good impression. Thjostolf walked around with his axe at the ready and behaved loutishly but no one took any notice of him. When the feast was over, Hallgerd went south with the brothers. When they got to Varmalaek, Thorarin asked Hallgerd if she would like to take charge of running the household.

‘No, I don't want that,' she said.

Hallgerd controlled herself very well that winter, and people were not displeased with her.

In the spring the brothers discussed their property, and Thorarin said, ‘I want to turn the farm at Varmalaek over to you, since that is handiest for you, and I will go south to Laugarnes and live there. We'll hold Engey in common.'

Glum was willing to do this. Thorarin moved south, and Glum and Hallgerd remained behind. Hallgerd took on more servants; she was lavish and bountiful. In the summer she gave birth to a girl. Glum asked her what her name should be.

‘She shall be named after my father's mother, Thorgerd, because she was descended on her father's side from Sigurd Fafnisbani.'
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The girl was sprinkled with water
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and given that name. She grew up there at Varmalaek and came to be like her mother in appearance.
Glum and Hallgerd got along well together, and things went this way for a while.

News came from up north in Bjarnarfjord that Svan had rowed out to fish in the spring and a great storm had come on them from the east. It drove them into Veidilausa bay and they were lost there. Fishermen who were at Kaldbak thought they saw Svan enter the mountain Kaldbakshorn and get a warm welcome there. Some denied this and said that there was nothing to it. Everyone was certain, however, that he was never found, alive or dead. When Hallgerd heard of this, she thought the loss of her mother's brother a big event.

Glum asked Thorarin to exchange farms, but he said he didn't want to – ‘but if I outlive you, then I will take over Varmalaek.'

Glum told this to Hallgerd. ‘Thorarin has a right to expect this from us,' she said.

Thjostolf had beaten one of Hoskuld's servants, so Hoskuld sent him away. He took his horse and weapons and said to Hoskuld, ‘Now I will go away and never come back.'

‘Everyone will be pleased at that,' said Hoskuld.

Thjostolf rode until he came to Varmalaek. He received a warm welcome from Hallgerd, and a not unfriendly one from Glum. He told Hallgerd that her father had sent him away, and he asked her to look after him. She replied that she could not promise anything about his staying there until she had seen Glum.

‘Are things going well between you?' asked Thjostolf.

‘Yes, our love goes well,' she said.

Then she went to talk to Glum and put her arms around his neck and said, ‘Will you grant me the favour I am about to ask of you?'

‘I will, as long as it's honourable,' he said. ‘What do you wish to ask?'

She said, ‘Thjostolf has been sent away from Hoskuldsstadir, and I'd like you to let him stay here. But I won't take it badly if you're not keen to do so.'

Glum said, ‘Since you're being so fair about it, I shall grant your
request, but I tell you this – if he starts any trouble he must leave at once.'

She went to Thjostolf and told him. He answered, ‘You have done well, as was to be expected.'

He stayed on there and controlled himself for a time, but soon he was thought to be harmful in every way. He showed no respect for anyone but Hallgerd, and yet she never spoke up for him when he clashed with others. Thorarin scolded his brother Glum for allowing him to stay there and said that something terrible would happen, and that things would go as they had before if Thjostolf remained. Glum answered politely but followed his own counsel.

One autumn they had a bad time bringing in the sheep, and Glum was short many wethers. He spoke to Thjostolf, ‘Go up to the mountain with my servants and see if you can find any of the sheep.'

‘Searching for sheep does not suit me,' said Thjostolf, ‘and besides, the simple fact is that I don't want to follow in the footsteps of your slaves.
¹
You go yourself, and then I'll come along.'

This led to a strong exchange of words.

Hallgerd was seated outside; the weather was fine. Glum went to her and spoke: ‘Thjostolf and I have had a bad clash, and we will not live together much longer.' He told her what had passed between them.

Hallgerd spoke up for Thjostolf, and they had a strong exchange of words. Glum struck her with his hand and said, ‘I'm not quarrelling with you any longer' – and then he went away.

She loved him greatly and was not able to calm herself, and wept loudly. Thjostolf came to her and said, ‘You've been badly treated, but this won't happen again.'

‘You are not to take vengeance for this,' she said, ‘or take any part in our affairs, no matter what happens.'

He went away grinning.

Glum called his men to go out with him, and Thjostolf also got ready and went along. They went up South Reykjadal and then up along Baugagil as far as Thverfell and there they split up; some went to the Skorradal area, and others he sent south to the Sulur hills, and they all found many sheep.

Then it came about that the two of them, Glum and Thjostolf, were alone. They went south from Thverfell and found some nervous sheep and pursued them as far as the mountain, but the sheep got away up the mountain. Each blamed the other for this, and Thjostolf told Glum that he had no strength for anything except bouncing around on Hallgerd's belly.

Glum said, ‘The only bad company comes from home.
¹
Now I have to put up with insults from you, a fettered slave!'

Thjostolf said, ‘You'll soon be saying whether I'm a slave or not, for I'm not about to yield to you.'

Glum was enraged and struck at him with his short sword, but Thjostolf put his axe in the way and the blow hit the axe blade and cut into it two fingers deep. Thjostolf quickly struck a return blow with the axe and hit Glum's shoulder and split the shoulder bone and the collar bone, and the wound bled internally. Glum seized Thjostolf with his other hand with such force that he fell, but Glum was not able to keep his hold because death was upon him. Thjostolf covered his body with stones and took a gold bracelet from him.

He walked back to Varmalaek. Hallgerd was outside and saw that his axe was bloody. He threw the gold bracelet to her.

She spoke: ‘What news do you bring? Why is your axe bloody?'

He answered, ‘I don't know how you'll take this, but I must tell you of the slaying of Glum.'

‘You must have done it,' she said.

‘That's true,' he said.

She laughed and said, ‘You didn't sit this game out'

‘What advice do you have for me now?' he said.

‘Go to my father's brother Hrut,' she said, ‘and let him take care of you.'

‘I don't know whether this is sound advice,' said Thjostolf, ‘but I'll follow it anyway.'

He took his horse and rode away and did not stop until he came to Hrutsstadir that night. He tied up his horse behind the buildings, went around to the door and knocked with a loud blow. Then he went around to the north side. Hrut had been awake; he sprang to his feet and got into a tunic and pulled on his boots and took his sword; he wrapped a cloak around his left hand and arm. People woke up as he was going out.

He went around to the north side of the house and saw a big man and recognized him as Thjostolf. Hrut asked what news he had.

‘I must tell you of the slaying of Glum,' said Thjostolf.

‘Who did it?' said Hrut.

‘I killed him,' said Thjostolf.

‘Why did you ride here?' said Hrut.

‘Hallgerd sent me to you,' said Thjostolf.

‘Then she was not the cause of it,' said Hrut, and drew his sword.

Thjostolf saw this and did not want to be the second to strike, and quickly swung his axe at Hrut. Hrut slipped away from the blow and hit the side of the axe blade so sharply with his left hand that the axe flew out of Thjostolf's hand. With his right hand Hrut hacked Thjostolf 's leg just above the knee and almost cut it through, and he rushed at him and knocked him down. Hrut then struck at Thjostolf 's head and dealt him his death wound.

Hrut's servants came out and saw the signs of the slaughter. Hrut had Thjostolf 's body carried away and covered. Then he went to Hoskuld and told him of the slaying of Glum and then of Thjostolf. Hoskuld thought the death of Glum a loss, but thanked Hrut for slaying Thjostolf.