The Story of Grettir the Strong. Anonymous

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">       997 (?). Grettir born.

       1000. Christianity sanctioned by law.

       1004. Skapti Thorodson made lawman.

       1011. Grettir slays Skeggi; goes abroad, banished for three years.

       1012. Slaying of Thorir Paunch and his fellows in Haramsey.

       Earl Eric goes to Denmark.

       1013. Slaying of Biorn at the Island of Gartar.

       Slaying of Thorgils Makson. Illugi Asmundson

       born. Death of Thorkel Krafla.

       1014. Slaying of Gunnar in Tunsberg. Grettir goes

       back to Iceland; fights with the men of Meal

       on Ramfirth-neck. Heath-slayings. Thorgeir

       Havarson outlawed. Fight with Glam

       the ghost.

       1015. Fight of Nesjar in Norway. Slaying of Thorbiorn

       Tardy. Grettir fares abroad. Burning

       of the sons of Thorir of Garth. Death of

       Asmund the Greyhaired.

       1016. Grettir meets King Olaf; fails to bear iron; goes

       east to Tunsberg to Thorstein Dromund.

       Slaying of Atli of Biarg. Grettir outlawed

       at the Thing for the burning of the sons of

       Thorir; his return to Iceland. Slaying of

       Thorbiorn Oxmain and his son Arnor.

       1017. Grettir at Reek-knolls. Lawsuit for the slaying

       of Thorbiorn Oxmain. Grettir taken by

       the Icefirth churls.

       1018. Grettir at Liarskogar with Thorstein Kuggson;

       his travels to the East to Skapti the lawman

       and Thorhall of Tongue, and thence to the

       Keel-mountain, where he met Hallmund

       (Air) for the first time.

       1019–1021. Grettir on Ernewaterheath.

       1021. Grettir goes to the Marshes.

       1022–1024. Grettir in Fairwoodfell.

       1024. Grettir visits Hallmund again.

       1025. Grettir discovers Thorirs-dale.

       1025–1026. Grettir travels round by the East; haunts

       Madderdale-heath and Reek-heath.

       1026. Thorstein Kuggson slain.

       1027. Grettir at Sand-heaps in Bard-dale.

       1028. Grettir haunts the west by Broadfirth-dales,

       meets Thorod Snorrison.

       1028–1031. Grettir in Drangey.

       1029. Grettir visits Heron-ness-thing.

       1030. Grettir fetches fire from Reeks. Skapti the law

       man dies.

       1031. Death of Snorri Godi and Grettir Asmundson.

       1033. Thorbiorn Angle slain.

      [1]

THE STORY OF GRETTIR THE STRONG.

       Table of Contents

      This First Part tells of the forefathers of Grettir in Norway, and how they fled away before Harald Fairhair, and settled in Iceland; and of their deeds in Iceland before Grettir was born.

CHAP. I.

       Table of Contents

      There was a man named Onund, who was the son of Ufeigh Clubfoot, the son of Ivar the Smiter; Onund was brother of Gudbiorg, the mother of Gudbrand Ball, the father of Asta, the mother of King Olaf the Saint. Onund was an Uplander by the kin of his mother; but the kin of his father dwelt chiefly about Rogaland and Hordaland. He was a great viking, and went harrying west over the Sea.^[4] Balk of Sotanes, the son of Blaeng, was with him herein, and Orm the Wealthy withal, and Hallvard was the name of the third of them. They had five ships, all well manned, and therewith they harried in the South-isles;^[5] and when they came to Barra, they found there a king, called Kiarval, and he, too, had five ships. They gave him battle, and a hard fray there was. The men of Onund were of the eagerest, and on either side many fell;[2] but the end of it was that the king fled with only one ship. So there the men of Onund took both ships and much wealth, and abode there through the winter. For three summers they harried throughout Ireland and Scotland, and thereafter went to Norway.

CHAP. II.

       Table of Contents

      In those days were there great troubles in Norway. Harald the Unshorn,^[6] son of Halfdan the Black, was pushing forth for the kingdom. Before that he was King of the Uplands; then he went north through the land, and had many battles there, and ever won the day. Thereafter he harried south in the land, and wheresoever he came, laid all under him; but when he came to Hordaland, swarms of folk came thronging against him; and their captains were Kiotvi the Wealthy, and Thorir Longchin, and those of South Rogaland, and King Sulki. Geirmund Helskin was then in the west over the Sea; nor was he in that battle, though he had a kingdom in Hordaland.

      Now that autumn Onund and his fellows came from the west over the Sea; and when Thorir Longchin and King Kiotvi heard thereof, they sent men to meet them, and prayed them for help, and promised them honours. Then they entered into fellowship with Thorir and his men; for they were exceeding fain to try their strength, and said that there would they be whereas the fight was hottest.

      Now was the meeting with Harald the King in Rogaland,[3] in that firth which is called Hafrsfirth; and both sides had many men. This was the greatest battle that has ever been fought in Norway, and hereof most Sagas tell; for of those is ever most told, of whom the Sagas are made; and thereto came folk from all the land, and many from other lands and swarms of vikings.

      Now Onund laid his ship alongside one board of the ship of Thorir Longchin, about the midst of the fleet, but King Harald laid his on the other board, because Thorir was the greatest bearserk, and the stoutest of men; so the fight was of the fiercest on either side. Then the king cried on his bearserks for an onslaught, and they were called the Wolf-coats, for on them would no steel bite, and when they set on nought might withstand them. Thorir defended him very stoutly, and fell in all hardihood on board his ship; then was it СКАЧАТЬ