The Flatey Enigma (26 page)

T
he
Flatey Book
was returned to Iceland on April 21, 1971, and is now exhibited in the Culture House in Reykjavik. Many sources were tapped in the making of this story. The text of the
Flatey Book
was, of course, the most precious mine, but countless other books were also delved into. I would like to thank these authors for the loan of their work.

My grandfather, Viktor Guðnason, was the manager of the post and telephone exchange in Flatey, as well as the church organist. My grandmother, Jónína Ólafsdóttir, was a goodwife in Sólbakki in Flatey and baked cakes that acquired great fame. I got to spend several summers with them, the last of which was in 1964. In the summer of 1960, I was a five-year-old boy staying with them in Flatey, so this period is firmly embedded in my mind. Among other things, I have a vivid memory of the moment when my grandfather showed me the Munksgaard edition of the
Flatey Book
in the library. The Munksgaard edition can now be viewed there under a glass case, as it is described in this book.

The poet Adalsteinn Ásberg Sigurdsson wrote the poem that appears in this book. He is bound by destiny to write poems in every book I write.

Thóra Steffensen, a coroner at National Hospital of Iceland, was very kind to assist me in the technical detail of the postmortems, and I thank her for all her help.

I also thank my wife, Vala, and daughters, Emilía Björt and Margrét Arna, for their patience and forbearance.

T
here are several references to the Jomsvikings saga in this book. The Jomsvikings were a group of semilegendary Viking mercenaries in the tenth century, who were dedicated to the worship of such deities as Odin and Thor. They would reputedly fight for any lord who was willing to pay their substantial fees, and their stronghold was in Jómsborg on the southern shores of the Baltic Sea. Their exploits are recounted in manuscripts from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and for the interest and entertainment of my readers, I’ve included a brief extract from the
Flatey Book
below, which describes how the Jomsvikings behaved after they were defeated by Earl Hákon in battle.

Jomsvikings Are Tied Up

Earl Hákon saw men on the skerry and ordered his warriors to row out to capture them all and bring them to him so that he could see to their execution. The earl’s men boarded the ship and rowed to the skerry. The men that they found there were so badly wounded and cold that they put up very little resistance and were easily seized by the earl’s men, who took them to the mainland. In total sixty men had been captured. Vagn and his companions were escorted on land, and their hands were mercilessly tied behind their backs to one rope. The earl and his men were about to eat and planned on executing Vagn and his men later in the day. Before they went to eat, though, the ships of the Jomsvikings were towed to land, and Hákon and his men divided up the loot and weapons. They felt they had won a great victory. They had captured some of the Jomsvikings, chased others away, but killed most of them, and they now boasted about these achievements and spoils. When they were full after their meal, they stepped out of their tents and walked over to the captives. Thorkell intended to execute them all, but they wanted to converse with the Jomsvikings first to see if they really were as tough as people said. He now freed a few men from the rope. As the men who were about to be beheaded were untied, the slaves were ordered to hold on to them and twists wands in their hair. The first three men, who were heavily wounded, were brought forth, and Thorkell Leira walked up to them and promptly chopped their heads off. Then Thorkell asked his men whether they had observed any change in his complexion as he performed this deed. “Because people say that a man’s color changes when he swiftly kills three men in a row,” he said. But Earl Hákon answered: “We did not see you change color, but a great change seems to have come over you.”

A fourth man was then released and, before striking him, Thorkell asked: “How content are you to die?”

“I am very content to die,” the man answered. “I shall suffer the same fate as my father.” Then Thorkell cut off his head and thus ended his life. The fifth man was then brought forward, and Thorkell asked him how he felt about dying. He answered: “I would be violating the Jomsviking code if I were to be afraid of my own death, since it is fate that none of us can escape.” Thorkell cut off his head.

Earl Hákon and Thorkell intended to pose the same question to each of the captives before executing them, to see whether these men really were as brave as they were reputed to be. Apart from anything else, they thought it would be fun to hear what they had to say. Then a sixth man was led forward and a stick was twisted in his hair to prepare him for his decapitation. When this was done, Thorkell asked him how content he was to die.

“I’m content to die with a good reputation,” the man answered, “but you, Thorkell, will have to live with shame and deceit.” Thorkell had heard more than enough and chopped the man’s head off. Then a seventh man was led to be slain and Thorkell asked him how content he was to die.

“I’m very content to die,” he said, “but I would be grateful if you could deal me a single swift blow and place a dagger in my hand. We Jomsvikings have often discussed whether a man retains consciousness after he has been decapitated, if it’s done swiftly enough. Let’s agree on the following signals: I’ll hold the dagger up if I’m still conscious; otherwise it will just drop.” Thorkell struck him and his head flew off, but the dagger dropped from his hand, as was to be expected.

Another man was untied from the rope, and Thorkell asked: “Tell me the truth, comrade, how content are you to die?”

He answered: “I am quite content to die, as are all our comrades. But I won’t allow myself to be slaughtered like a lamb: I would rather face the blow. Strike straight at my face and watch carefully to see if I flinch, for we Jomsvikings have often spoken about this.” Thorkell did as he wished. He was allowed to face the blow, and Thorkell approached him head on and hacked into his face. It is said that the man did not flinch until death overtook his eyes and began to shut them, as if often the case when a man dies. Following this a tenth man was led forward and Thorkell put the same question to him.

“I am very content,” the man answered, “but will you first allow me to pull down my breeches so that I can relieve myself?”

“I shall grant you this wish,” said Thorkell, “although I can’t see what difference it will make to you.”

The man, who was a handsome muscular figure, did as he wished. Then, holding his member, he started to speak without pulling up his breeches: “It is true,” he said, “that things often turn out differently to the way you expected, because I had intended to introduce this member of mine to Thóra Skagadóttir, the earl’s wife, and wanted her to nurture it in her bed.” He then vigorously shook his member and pulled up his breeches. The earl then said: “Strike him down at once; this man has made it perfectly clear that he has been harboring wicked thoughts for a long time.” Thorkell then chopped the man’s head off, thus ending his life.

Sveinn Búason’s Life Is Spared

Then the next man was untied and led forward. He was a young man with long hair that was as golden as silk and stretched down to his shoulders. Once more Thorkell asked how content he was to die, and he answered: “I’ve already lived the best part of my life and I’ve no interest in outliving those who have just fallen, but I don’t want to be led to my death by slaves. I would rather be led by a warrior who is of no less account than you are, and it shouldn’t be difficult to find someone. And what is more, I am so particular about my hair that I want this man to hold it away from my head and pull it sharply, so that it won’t be stained in blood when you chop off my head as swiftly as possible.” And it is said that a hirdman stepped forward to the earl and offered to hold him, but felt no need to twist a wand in his hair, since there was so much of it. Instead the hirdman grabbed the hair and twisted it around his hands. Thorkell prepared to slam down his sword, to grant the man his wish of being struck hard and swiftly, but at the very last moment, the young man pulled his head back and Thorkell’s sword fell on both of the arms of the hirdman, who was holding the hair, and cut them off at the elbow. The young man then leaped up and said, “Whose hands are in my hair?” and then shook his head slightly.

Then the earl said: “A terrible mischief has been committed; take this man and kill him and all those who are left without delay. These men are just too difficult for us to handle, and their reputation and valor has not been exaggerated.”

But, according to the Jomsvikings saga, after some discussion, the lives of Sveinn and his remaining companions were spared.

Viktor Arnar Ingolfsson was born in Akureyri in the north of Iceland on April 12, 1955. He finished his B.Sc. degree in civil engineering from the Icelandic College of Engineering and Technology (ICET) in 1983. He has taken courses in script writing run by the Icelandic Film Producers and at the Institute for Continuing Education at the University of Iceland. In 1990 and again in 1995, Ingolfsson attended classes in public relations at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Ingolfsson started working for the Icelandic Road Administration during his summer vacations from school in 1969, and he has worked there full time since 1983. Since 1985, he has supervised the institution’s publications and contributed in public relations.

Ingolfsson has published six mysteries, the fifth of them
Afturelding
in 2005, which was the basis for the Icelandic TV series
Hunting Men
, which premiered in 2008. His short stories have appeared in magazines and collections. His third novel,
Engin Spor (House of Evidence)
, was nominated for the Glass Key prize, an award given by Skandinaviska Kriminalselskapet (Crime Writers of Scandinavia), in 2001; and
Flateyjargáta (The Flatey Enigma)
was nominated for the same prize in 2004.

Photograph
©
Brooks Walker

As a translator and writer in his own right, Brian FitzGibbon has a particular passion for the translation of fiction. He has translated a vast array of film scripts, treatments, stage plays, and novels, working exclusively into English from Italian, French, and Icelandic. His translation of the Icelandic cult novel
101 Reykjavik
by Hallgrimur Helgason, published by Faber & Faber in the UK and Scribner in the U.S. in 2002, was hailed by the
Guardian
as “dazzling” and the
New York Times
as “lucid.” He is also the translator of the acclaimed
The Green House
by Audur Ava Olafsdottir, which was published by AmazonCrossing earlier this year.