Автор литература - Njal's Saga

shalt thou go to thy bed, and the men with thee who are to bear

thee company, and thou shalt take witness before thy husband’s

bed, and declare thyself separated from him by such a lawful

separation as may hold good according to the judgment of the

Great Thing, and the laws of the land; and at the man’s door the

main door of the house, thou shalt take the same witness. After

that ride away, and ride over Laxriverdale Heath, and so on over

Holtbeacon Heath; for they will look for thee by way of

Hrutfirth. And so ride on till thou comest to me; then I will

see after the matter. But into his hands thou shalt never come

more.”

Now she rides home from the Thing, and Hrut had come back before

her, and made her hearty welcome. She answered him kindly, and

was blithe and forbearing towards him. So they lived happily

together that halfyear; but when spring came she fell sick, and

kept her bed. Hrut set off west to the Firths, and bade them

tend her well before he went. Now, when the time for the Thing

comes, she busked herself to ride away, and did in every way as

had been laid down for her; and then she rides away to the Thing.

The country folk looked for her, but could not find her. Mord

made his daughter welcome, and asked her if she had followed his

advice; and she says, “I have not broken one tittle of it.”

Then she went to the Hill of Laws, and declared herself separated

from Hrut; and men thought this strange news. Unna went home

with her father, and never went west from that day forward.

8. MORD CLAIMS HIS GOODS FROM HRUT

Hrut came home, and knit his brows when he heard his wife was

gone, but yet kept his feelings well in hand, and stayed at home

all that halfyear, and spoke to no one on the matter. Next

summer he rode to the Thing, with his brother Hauskuld, and they

had a great fellowing. But when he came to the Thing, he asked

whether Fiddle Mord were at the Thing, and they told him he was;

and all thought they would come to words at once about their

matter, but it was not so. At last, one day when the brothers

and others who were at the Thing went to the Hill of Laws, Mord

took witness and declared that he had a money-suit against Hrut

for his daughter’s dower, and reckoned the amount at ninety

hundreds in goods, calling on Hrut at the same time to pay and

hand it over to him, and asking for a fine of three marks. He

laid the suit in the Quarter Court, into which it would come by

law, and gave lawful notice, so that all who stood on the Hill of

Laws might hear.

But when he had thus spoken, Hrut said, “Thou hast undertaken

this suit, which belongs to thy daughter, rather for the greed of

gain and love of strife than in kindliness and manliness. But I

shall have something to say against it; for the goods which

belong to me are not yet in thy bands. Now, what I have to say

is this, and I say it out, so that all who hear me on this hill

may bear witness: I challenge thee to fight on the island; there

on one side shall be laid all thy daughter’s dower, and on the

other I will lay down goods worth as much, and whoever wins the

day shall have both dower and goods; but if thou wilt not fight

with me, then thou shalt give up all claim to these goods.”

Then Mord held his peace, and took counsel with his friends about

going to fight on the island, and Jorund the priest gave him an

answer.

“There is no need for thee to come to ask us for counsel in this

matter, for thou knowest if thou fightest with Hrut thou wilt

lose both life and goods. He has a good cause, and is besides

mighty in himself and one of the boldest of men.”

Then Mord spoke out, that he would not fight with Hrut, and there

arose a great shout and hooting on the hill, and Mord got the

greatest shame by his suit.

After that men ride home from the Thing, and those brothers

Hauskuld and Hrut ride west to Reykriverdale, and turned in as

guests at Lund, where Thiostolf, Bjorn Gullbera’s son, then

dwelt. There had been much rain that day, and men got wet, so

long-fires were made down the length of the hall. Thiostolf, the

master of the house, sat between Hauskuld and Hrut, and two boys,

of whom Thiostolf had the rearing, were playing on the floor, and

a girl was playing with them. They were great chatterboxes, for

they were too young to know better. So one of them said, “Now I

will be Mord, and summon thee to lose thy wife because thou hast

not been a good husband to her.”

Then the other answered, “I will be Hrut, and I call on thee to

give up all claim to thy goods, if thou darest not to fight with

me.”

This they said several times, and all the household burst out

laughing. Then Hauskuld got wroth, and struck the boy who called

himself Mord with a switch, and the blow fell on his face, and

grazed the skin.

“Get out with thee,” said Hauskuld to the boy, “and make no game

of us;” but Hrut said, “Come hitherto me,” and the boy did so.

Then Hrut drew a ring from his finger and gave it to him, and

said, “Go away, and try no man’s temper henceforth.”

Then the boy went away saying, “Thy manliness I will bear in mind

all my life.”

From this matter Hrut got great praise, and after that they went

home; and that was the end of Mord’s and Hrut’s quarrel,

9. THORWALD GETS HALLGERDA TO WIFE

Now, it must be told how Hallgerda, Hauskuld’s daughter, grows

up, and is the fairest of women to look on; she was tall of

stature, too, and therefore she was called “Longcoat.” She was

fair-haired, and had so much of it that she could hide herself in

it; but she was layish and hard-hearted. Her foster-father’s

name was Thiostolf: he was a Southislander (1) by stock: he was a

strong man, well skilled in arms, and had slain many men, and

made no atonement in money for one of them. It was said, too,

that his rearing had not bettered Hallgerda’s temper.

There was a man named Thorwald; he was Oswif’s son, and dwelt out

on Middlefells strand, under the Fell. He was rich and well to

do, and owned the islands called Bearisles, which lie out in

Broadfirth, whence he got meal and stock fish. This Thorwald was

a strong and courteous man, though somewhat hasty in temper.

Now, it fell out one day that Thorwald and his father were

talking together of Thorwald’s marrying, and where he had best

look for a wife, and it soon came out that he thought there

wasn’t a match fit for him far or near.

“Well,” said Oswif, “wilt thou ask for Hallgerda Longcoat,

Hauskuld’s daughter.”

“Yes! I will ask for her,” said Thorwald.

“But that is not a match that will suit either of you,” Oswif

went on to say, “for she has a will of her own, and thou art

stern-tempered and unyielding.”

“For all that I will try my luck there,” said Thorwald, “so it’s

no good trying to hinder me.”

“Ay!” said Oswif, “and the risk is all thine own.”

After that they set off on a wooing journey to Hauskuldstede, and

had a hearty welcome. They were not long in telling Hauskuld

their business, and began to woo; then Hauskuld answered, “As for

you, I know how you both stand in the world, but for my own part

I will use no guile towards you. My daughter has a hard temper,

but as to her looks and breeding you can both see for