Автор литература - Njal's Saga

be more willing to make this bargain than with them. They fell

a-talking then about terms, and the end of it was that Asgrim

betrothed his daughter to Helgi, and the bridal day was named.

Gunnar was at that feast, and many other of the bestmen. After

the feast Njal offered to foster in his house Thorhall, Asgrim’s

son, and he was with Njal long after. He loved Njal more than

his own father. Njal taught him law, so that he became the

greatest lawyer in Iceland in those days.

28. HALLVARD COMES OUT TO ICELAND

There came a ship out from Norway, and ran into Arnbael’s Oyce

(1), and the master of the ship was Hallvard the White, a man

from the Bay (2). He went to stay at Lithend, and was with

Gunnar that winter, and was always asking him to fare abroad with

him. Gunnar spoke little about it, but yet said more unlikely

things might happen; and about spring he went over to

Bergthorsknoll to find out from Njal whether he thought it a wise

step in him to go abroad.

“I think it is wise,” says Njal; “they will think thee there an

honourable man, as thou art.”

“Wilt thou perhaps take my goods into thy keeping while I am

away, for I wish my brother Kolskegg to fare with me; but I would

that thou shouldst see after my household along with my mother.”

“I will not throw anything in the way of that,” says Njal; “lean

on me in this thing as much as thou likest.”

“Good go with thee for thy words,” says Gunnar, and he rides

then home.

The Easterling (3) fell again to talk with Gunnar that he should

fare abroad. Gunnar asked if he had ever sailed to other lands?

He said he had sailed to every one of them that lay between

Norway and Russia, and so, too, I have sailed to Biarmaland (4).

“Wilt thou sail with me eastward ho?” says Gunnar.

“That I will of a surety,” says he.

Then Gunnar made up his mind to sail abroad with him. Njal took

all Gunnar’s goods into his keeping.

ENDNOTES:

(1) “Oyce,” a north country word for the mouth of a river, from

the Icelandic.

(2) “The Bay” (comp. ch. ii., and other passages), the name

given to the great bay in the east of Norway, the entrance

of which from the North Sea is the Cattegat, and at the end

of which is the Christiania Firth. The name also applies to

the land round the Bay, which thus formed a district, the

boundary of which, on the one side, was the promontory

called Lindesnaes, or the Naze, and on the other, the

Gota-Elf, the river on which the Swedish town of Gottenburg

stands, and off the mouth of which lies the island of

Hisingen, mentioned shortly after.

(3) Easterling, i.e., the Norseman Hallvard.

(4) Permia, the country one comes to after doubling the North

Cape.

29. GUNNAR GOES ABROAD

So Gunnar fared abroad, and Kolskegg with him. They sailed first

to Tonsberg (1), and were there that winter. There had then been

a shift of rulers in Norway. Harold Grayfell was then dead, and

so was Gunnhillda. Earl Hacon the Bad, Sigurd’s son, Hacon’s

son, Gritgarth’s son, then ruled the realm. The mother of Hacon

was Bergliot, the daughter of Earl Thorir. Her mother was Olof

Harvest-heal. She was Harold Fair-hair’s daughter.

Hallvard asks Gunnar if he would make up his mind to go to Earl

Hacon?

“No; I will not do that,” says Gunnar. “Hast thou ever a longship?”

“I have two,” he says.

“Then I would that we two went on warfare; and let us get men to

go with us.”

“I will do that,” says Hallvard.

After that they went to the Bay, and took with them two ships,

and fitted them out thence. They had good choice of men, for

much praise was said of Gunnar.

“Whither wilt thou first fare?” says Gunnar.

“I wish to go southeast to Hisingen, to see my kinsman Oliver,”

says Hallvard.

“What dost thou want of him?” says Gunnar.

He answered, “He is a fine brave fellow, and he will be sure to

get us some more strength for our voyage.”

“Then let us go thither,” says Gunnar.

So, as soon as they were “boun,” they held on east to Hisingen,

and had there a hearty welcome. Gunnar had only been there a

short time ere Oliver made much of him. Oliver asks about his

voyage, and Hallvard says that Gunnar wishes to go a-warfaring to

gather goods for himself.

“There’s no use thinking of that,” says Oliver, “when ye have no

force.”

“Well” says Hallvard, “then you may add to it.”

“So I do mean to strengthen Gunnar somewhat,” says Oliver; “and

though thou reckonest thyself my kith and kin, I think there is

more good in him.”

“What force, now, wilt thou add to ours?” he asks.

“Two longships, one with twenty, and the other with thirty seats

for rowers.”

“Who shall man them?” asks Hallvard.

“I will man one of them with my own housecarles, and the freemen

around shall man the other. But still I have found out that

strife has come into the river, and I know not whether ye two

will be able to get away; for they are in the river.”

“Who?” says Hallvard.

“Brothers twain,” says Oliver; “one’s name is Vandil, and the

other’s Karli, sons of Sjolf the Old, east away out of Gothland.”

Hallvard told Gunnar that Oliver had added some ships to theirs,

and Gunnar was glad at that. They busked them for their voyage

thence, till they were “allboun.” Then Gunnar and Hallvard went

before Oliver, and thanked him; he bade them fare warily for the

sake of those brothers.

ENDNOTES:

(1) A town at the mouth of the Christiania Firth. It was a

great place for traffic in early times, and was long the

only mart in the southeast of Norway.

30. GUNNAR GOES A-SEA-ROVING

So Gunnar held on out of the river, and he and Kolskegg were both

on board one ship. But Hallvard was on board another. Now, they

see the ships before them, and then Gunnar spoke, and said, “Let

us be ready for anything if they turn towards us! but else let

us have nothing to do with them.”

So they did that, and made all ready on board their ships. The

others parted their ships asunder, and made a fareway between the

ships. Gunnar fared straight on between the ships, but Vandil

caught up a grappling-iron, and cast it between their ships and

Gunnar’s ship, and began at once to drag it towards him.

Oliver had given Gunnar a good sword; Gunnar now drew it, and had

not yet put on his helm. He leapt at once on the forecastle of

Vandil’s ship, and gave one man his deathblow. Karli ran his

ship alongside the other side of Gunnar’s ship, and hurled a

spear athwart the deck, and aimed at him about the waist. Gunnar

sees this, and turned him about so quickly that no eye could

follow him, and caught the spear with his left hand, and hurled

it back at Karli’s ship, and that man got his death who stood

before it. Kolskegg snatched up a grapnel and cast it at Karli’s

ship, and the fluke fell inside the hold, and went out through

one of the planks and in rushed the coal-blue sea, and all the

men sprang on board other ships.

Now Gunnar leapt back to his own ship, and then Hallvard came up,

and now a great battle arose. They saw now that their leader was

unflinching, and every man did as well as he could. Sometimes

Gunnar smote with the sword, and sometimes he hurled the spear,