Автор литература - Njal's Saga

he set much store on his going.

But Ospak said he would not fight against so good a king.

Then they were both wroth, and sundered their band at once.

Ospak had ten ships and Brodir twenty.

Ospak was a heathen, and the wisest of all men. He laid his

ships inside in a sound, but Brodir lay outside him.

Brodir had been a Christian man and a mass-deacon by

consecration, but he had thrown off his faith and become God’s

dastard, and now worshipped heathen fiends, and he was of all men

most skilled in sorcery. He had that coat of mail on which no

steel would bite. He was both tall and strong, and had such long

locks that he tucked them under his belt. His hair was black.

155. OF SIGNS AND WONDERS

It so happened one night that a great din passed over Brodir and

his men, so that they all woke, and sprang up and put on their

clothes.

Along with that came a shower of boiling blood.

Then they covered themselves with their shields, but for all that

many were scalded.

This wonder lasted all till day, and a man had died on board

every ship.

Then they slept during the day, but the second night there was

again a din, and again they all sprang up. Then swords leapt out

of their sheaths, and axes and spears flew about in the air and

fought.

The weapons pressed them so hard that they had to shield

themselves, but still many were wounded, and again a man died out

of every ship.

This wonder lasted all till day.

Then they slept again the day after.

But the third night there was a din of the same kind, and then

ravens flew at them, and it seemed to them as though their beaks

and claws were of iron.

The ravens pressed them so hard that they had to keep them off

with their swords, and covered themselves with their shields, and

so this went on again till day, and then another man had died in

every ship.

Then they went to sleep first of all, but when Brodir woke up, he

drew his breath painfully, and bade them put off the boat.

“For,” he said, “I will go to see Ospak.”

Then he got into the boat and some men with him, but when he

found Ospak he told him of the wonders which had befallen them,

and bade him say what he thought they bodcd.

Ospak would not tell him before he pledged him peace, and Brodir

promised him peace, but Ospak still shrank from telling him till

night fell.

Then Ospak spoke and said, “When blood rained on you, therefore

shall ye shed many men’s blood, both of your own and others. But

when ye heard a great din, then ye must have been shown the crack

of doom, and ye shall all die speedily. But when weapons fought

against you, that must forebode a battle; but when ravens pressed

you, that marks the devils which ye put faith in, and who will

drag you all down to the pains of hell.”

Then Brodir was so wroth that he could answer never a word, but

he went at once to his men, and made them lay his ships in a line

across the sound, and moor them by bearing their cables on shore

at either end of the line, and meant to slay them all next

morning.

Ospak saw all their plan, and then he vowed to take the true

faith, and to go to King Brian, and follow him till his deathday.

Then he took that counsel to lay his ships in a line, and punt

them along the shore with poles, and cut the cables of Brodir’s

ships. Then the ships of Brodir’s men began to fall aboard of

one another when they were all fast asleep; and so Ospak and his

men got out of the firth, and so west to Ireland, and came to

Connaught.

Then Ospak told King Brian all that he had learnt, and took

baptism, and gave himself over into the king’s hand.

After that King Brian made them gather force over all his realm,

and the whole host was to come to Dublin in the week before Palm

Sunday.

156. BRIAN’S BATTLE

Earl Sigurd Hlodver’s son busked him from the Orkneys, and Flosi

offered to go with him.

The earl would not have that, since he had his pilgrimage to

fulfil.

Flosi offered fifteen men of his band to go on the voyage, and

the earl accepted them, but Flosi fared with Earl Gilli to the

Southern isles.

Thorstein, the son of Hall of the Side, went along with Earl

Sigurd, and Hrafn the Red, and Erling of Straumey.

He would not that Hareck should go, but said he would be sure to

be the first to tell him the tidings of his voyage.

The earl came with all his host on Palm Sunday to Dublin, and

there too was come Brodir with all his host.

Brodir tried by sorcery how the fight would go, but the answer

ran thus, that if the fight were on Good-Friday King Brian would

fall but win the day; but if they fought before, they would all

fall who were against him.

Then Brodir said that they must not fight before the Friday.

On the fifth day of the week a man rode up to Kormlada and her

company on an apple-grey horse, and in his hand he held a

halberd; he talked long with them.

King Brian came with all his host to the Burg, and on the Friday

the host fared out of the Burg, and both armies were drawn up in

array.

Brodir was on one wing of the battle, but King Sigtrygg on the

other.

Earl Sigurd was in the mid battle.

Now it must be told of King Brian that he would not fight on the

fast-day, and so a shieldburg (1) was thrown round him, and his

host was drawn up in array in front of it.

Wolf the Quarrelsome was on that wing of the battle against which

Brodir stood; but on the other wing, where Sigtrygg stood against

them, were Ospak and his sons.

But in mid battle was Kerthialfad, and before him the banners

were home.

Now the wings fall on one another, and there was a very hard

fight. Brodir went through the host of the foe, and felled all

the foremost that stood there, but no steel would bite on his

mail.

Wolf the Quarrelsome turned then to meet him, and thrust at him

thrice so hard that Brodir fell before him at each thrust, and

was well-nigh not getting on his feet again; but as soon as ever

he found his feet, he fled away into the wood at once.

Earl Sigurd had a hard battle against Kerthialfad, and

Kerthialfad came on so fast that he laid low all who were in the

front rank, and he broke the array of Earl Sigurd right up to his

banner, and slew the banner-bearer.

Then he got another man to bear the banner, and there was again a

hard fight.

Kerthialfad smote this man too his death blow at once, and so on

one after the other all who stood near him.

Then Earl Sigurd called on Thorstein the son of Hall of the Side,

to bear the banner, and Thorstein was just about to lift the

banner, but then Asmund the White said, “Don’t bear the banner!

For all they who bear it get their death.”

“Hrafn the Red!” called out Earl Sigurd, “bear thou the banner.”

“Bear thine own devil thyself,” answered Hrafn.

Then the earl said, “`Tis fittest that the beggar should bear the

bag;’” and with that he took the banner from the staff and put it

under his cloak.

A little after Asmund the White was slain, and then the earl was

pierced through with a spear.

Ospak had gone through all the battle on his wing, he had been

sore wounded, and lost both his sons ere King Sigtrygg fled

before him.

Then flight broke out throughout all the host.

Thorstein Hall of the Side’s son stood still while all the others