Автор литература - Njal's Saga

with them the bravest man, Wolf the Unwashed, our overseer of

guests; but still go and see the king before thou settest off.”

Hrut did so; and when he came before the king, then he told the

king of Soti’s doings, and how he had a mind to hold on after

him.

The king said, “What strength has my mother handed over to thee?”

“Two longships and Wolf the Unwashed to lead the men,” says

Hrut.

“Well given,” says the king. ” Now I will give thee other two

ships, and even then thou’lt need all the strength thou’st got.”

After that he went down with Hrut to the ship, and said, “fare

thee well.” Then Hrut sailed away south with his crews.

5. ATLI ARNVID SON’S SLAYING

There was a man named Atli, son of Arnvid, Earl of East Gothland.

He had kept back the taxes from Hacon Athelstane’s foster child,

and both father and son had fled away from Jemtland to Gothland.

After that, Atli held on with his followers out of the Maelar by

Stock Sound, and so on towards Denmark, and now he lies out in

Oresound.(1) He is an outlaw both of the Dane-King and of the

Swede-King. Hrut held on south to the Sound, and when he came

into it he saw a many ships in the Sound. Then Wolf said,

“What’s best to be done now, Icelander?”

“Hold on our course,” said Hrut, “for `nothing venture, nothing

have.’ My ship and Auzur’s shall go first, but thou shalt lay

thy ship where thou likest.”

“Seldom have I had others as a shield before me,” says Wolf, and

lays his galley side by side with Hrut’s ship; and so they hold

on through the Sound. Now those who are in the Sound see that

ships are coming up to them, and they tell Atli.

He answered, “Then may be there’ll be gain to be got.”

After that men took their stand on board each ship; “but my

ship,” says Atli, “shall be in the midst of the fleet.”

Meantime Hrut’s ships ran on, and as soon as either side could

hear the other’s hail, Atli stood up and said, “Ye fare unwarily.

Saw ye not that warships were in the Sound. But what’s the name

of your chief?”

Hrut tells his name.

“Whose man art thou,” says Atli.

“One of king Harold Grayfell’s bodyguard.”

Atli said. “‘Tis long since any love was lost between us, father

and son, and your Norway kings.”

“Worse luck for thee,” says Hrut.

“Well,” says Atli, “the upshot of our meeting will be, that thou

shalt not be left alive to tell the tale;” and with that he

caught up a spear and hurled it at Hrut’s ship, and the man who

stood before it got his death. After that the battle began, and

they were slow in boarding Hrut’s ship. Wolf, he went well

forward, and with him it was now cut, now thrust. Atli’s

bowman’s name was Asolf; he sprung up on Hrut’s ship, and was

four men’s death before Hrut was aware of him; then he turned

against him, and when they met, Asolf thrust at and through

Hrut’s shield, but Hrut cut once at Asolf, and that was his

deathblow. Wolf the Unwashed saw that stroke, and called out,

“Truth to say, Hrut, thou dealest big blows, but thou’st much to

thank Gunnhillda for.”

“Something tells me,” says Hrut, “that thou speakest with a `fey’

mouth.”

Now Atli sees a bare place for a weapon on Wolf, and shot a spear

through him and now the battle grows hot: Atli leaps up on Hrut’s

ship, and clears it fast round about, and now Auzur turns to meet

him, and thrust at him, but fell down full length on his back,

for another man thrust at him. Now Hrut turns to meet Atli: he

cut at once at Hrut’s shield, and clove it all in two, from top

to point; just then Atli got a blow on his hand from a stone, and

down fell his sword. Hrut caught up the sword, and cut his foot

from under him. After that he dealt him his deathblow. There

they took much goods, and brought away with them two ships which

were best, and stayed there only a little while. But meantime

Soti and his crew had sailed past them, and he held on his course

back to Norway, and made the land at Limgard’s side. There Soti

went on shore, and there he met Augmund, Gunnhillda’s page; he

knew him at once, and asks, “How long meanest thou to be here?”

“Three nights,” says Soti.

“Whither away, then?” says Augmund.

“West, to England,” says Soti, “and never to come back again to

Norway while Gunnhillda’s rule is in Norway.”

Augmund went away, and goes and finds Gunnhillda, for she was a

little way off, at a feast, and Gudred, her son, with her.

Augmund told Gunnhillda what Soti meant to do, and she begged

Gudred to take his life. So Gudred set off at once, and came

unawares on Soti, and made them lead him up the country, and hang

him there. But the goods he took, and brought them to his

mother, and she got men to carry them all down to the King’s

Crag, and after that she went thither herself.

Hrut came back towards autumn, and had gotten great store of

goods. He went at once to the king, and had a hearty welcome.

He begged them to take whatever they pleased of his goods, and

the king took a third. Gunnhillda told Hrut how she had got hold

of the inheritance, and had Soti slain. He thanked her, and gave

her half of all he had.

ENDNOTES:

(1) Oresound, the gut between Denmark and Sweden, at the

entrance of the Baltic, commonly called in English, the

Sound.

6. HRUT SAILS OUT TO ICELAND

Hrut stayed with the king that winter in good cheer, but when

spring came he grew very silent. Gunnhillda finds that out, and

said to him when they two were alone together, “Art thou sick at

heart?”

“So it is,” said Hrut, “as the saying runs — `Ill goes it with

those who are born on a barren land.’”

“Wilt thou to Iceland?” she asks.

“Yes,” he answered.

“Hast thou a wife out there?” she asked; and he answers, “No.”

“But I am sure that is true,” she says; and so they ceased

talking about the matter.

Shortly after Hrut went before the king and bade him Good-day;

and the king said, “What dost thou want now, Hrut?”

“I am come to ask, lord, that you give me leave to go to

Iceland.”

“Will thine honour be greater there than here?” asks the king.

“No, it will not,” said Hrut; “but every one must win the work

that is set before him.”

“It is pulling a rope against a strong man,” said Gunnhillda, “so

give him leave to go as best suits him.”

There was a bad harvest that year in the land, yet Gunnhillda

gave Hrut as much meal as he chose to have; and now he busks him

to sail out to Iceland, and Auzur with him; and when they were

“allboun,” Hrut went to find the king and Gunnhillda. She led

him aside to talk alone, and said to him, “Here is a gold ring

which I will give thee;” and with that she clasped it round his

wrist.

“Many good gifts have I had from thee,” said Hrut.

Then she put her hands round his neck and kissed him, and said,

“If I have as much power over thee as I think, I lay this spell

on thee that thou mayst never have any pleasure in living with

that woman on whom thy heart is set in Iceland, but with other

women thou mayst get on well enough, and now it is like to go

well with neither of us; but thou hast not believed what I have

been saying.”