Egil’s Saga. E. Eddison R.
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men that were given leave to go out.
Sigrid asked if they were there, those sons of Berdla-Kari. They stood forth both, and asked what she would have of them. “Bring me to the King,” said she.
They did so. But when she was come to the King, then asked she, “Shall it aught avail to seek for atonement, Lord, betwixt you and Thorolf?”
The King answereth: “So Thorolf will give himself up into my power to be forgiven, he shall hold by life and limb. But his men must abide punishment for whatso things they shall be found guilty of”.
After that, went Oliver Hnufa to the hall and let call Thorolf to speech with him. He said unto him that choice which the King gave him. Thorolf answereth: “Nought of forced atonement will I take of the King. Bid thou the King to give us way out: then let things shake out as fate hath shapen”.
Oliver gat him to the King and said what Thorolf bade for himself.
The King said, “Bear fire to the hall. I will not fight with them and have hurt of my folk. I wot that Thorolf will do us great man-scathe if we shall go seek him there, where it must be slow work to win in at him, albeit he hath fewer folk than we”.
Therewith was fire borne to the hall, and that took swiftly, for the timber was dry and the woodwork tarred, and it was thatched with birch-bark about the roof. Thorolf bade his men break up the wainscot that was betwixt hall and fore-hall, and that was swiftly gotten done; but when they gat the beam, then took hold on the one beam as many men as might fasten a hold on it, and drave with the other end against the corner so hard that the nave-rings burst off of the outer side and the walls sprang asunder, so as there was a great way out.
There gat Thorolf out the first, and then Thorgils the Yeller, and so each after other. Then it came to battle; and so it was for a while, that the hall guarded the backs of Thorolf and his folk; but when that took to burning, then came the fire against them. There fell then much of their folk.
Then leapt Thorolf forth and hewed on either hand: set on thitherward where the King’s banner was. Then fell Thorgils the Yeller. But when Thorolf came forth so far as the shieldburg,3 he laid his sword through that man that bare the banner. Then spake Thorolf: “Now come I three feet short”. There stood in him then both sword and spear, but the King himself dealt him his bane-wound, and Thorolf fell forward at the feet of the King.
Then called out the King and bade give over slaying of more men; and it was so done. And now the King bade his men go down to the ships. He spake with Oliver and his brother: “Take now Thorolf your kinsman and do him lyke-help, and so with the other men that here be fallen, and give them burial; and let bind the wounds of men, of them that have hope of life. And there shall be no robbing here, sith all this fee is mine”.
Therewith the King gat him down to the ships and the most of his people along with him, but when they were come ashipboard then took men to binding of their wounds. The King walked about the ship and looked to the wounds of men. He saw where a man was a-binding of a wound that was gotten of a glancing blow. The King said that ’twas not Thorolf dealt that wound: “All another way did weapons bite for him. Few, I think, might bind up those wounds that he gave. And great scathe it is, the loss of such men as he”.
Now forthwith at morning of day the King let draw up his sail and sailed south with all speed. But as day drew on, the King and his folk found many rowing-ships in every island-sound; and those folk had been minded to join with Thorolf, for he had had espial holden all southaway in Naumdale and wide about the isles. It had been made known to them that Hallvard and his brother were come from the south with a great force, and meant to set upon Thorolf. Hallvard and his had ever a head-wind, and they had tarried in every haven, until news of them had fared up about the land; and of this had Thorolf’s espiers been made ware, and for this cause had that war-rush come about.
The King sailed before a strong fair wind until he was come to Naumdale: left there his ships behind him, but he fared the overland way to Thrandheim. He took there his ships that he had left behind there, and so held his course with his folk out to Hladir.
These tidings were soon noised abroad, and came to the ears of Hallvard and his where they lay. They turned back then to join the King, and their journey was thought somewhat to be laughed at.
Those brethren, Oliver Hnufa and Eyvind Lambi, tarried awhile at Sandness. They let deal with the slain that there were fallen. They did with Thorolf’s body after the accustomed way, like as it was fit to do with the bodies of men of worship; set up standing stones for him. They let heal the sick men. They set in order the household, too, with Sigrid. There was left all the stock, but the household furniture and table-array and the clothes of men had for the most part been burnt up.
Now when those brethren were ready, they fared from the north and came to find Harald the King, in Thrandheim where he was, and were with him awhile. They were silent and spake little with men. So it was, upon a day, that those brethren went before the King. Then spake Oliver: “This leave will we two brethren ask of you, King, that you give us leave to fare home to our own place, sith here hath such things betided as we have not the heart to drink and sit at board with those men which bore weapon against Thorolf our kinsman”.
The King looked at him and answereth somewhat short: “I shall not give you leave for this. Here shall you bide, with me”.
Those brethren gat them gone and back to their seats.
The next day after, the King sate in his council-hall: let call thither Oliver and his brother. “Now shall ye two know,” saith the King, “touching that errand ye had with me, and prayed to go home. You have been here awhile with me and been well behaved. Ye have done well always. In all things I have been well pleased with you. Now it is my will, Eyvind, that thou fare north to Halogaland. I will give thee Sigrid in Sandness, that woman whom Thorolf had to wife. I will give thee all that fee that Thorolf owned. Thou shalt have therewith my friendship, if thou knowest how to keep it. But Oliver shall follow me. I will not let him go, for the sake of the skill that is his.”
Those brethren thanked the King for that honour that he did them: said they would take that right gladly. Then Eyvind made ready for his journey: gat him a good ship that served his turn. The King gave him his tokens for this business. Well sped Eyvind of his journey, and came up north to Sandness in Alost. Sigrid took well with them. And now Eyvind bare forward the tokens of the King and his errand unto Sigrid, and began his wooing of her: said that this was the King’s word-sending, that Eyvind should gain that suit. But Sigrid saw she had but this only choice, as it was now come about, to let the King rule herein. So went that rede forward, that Eyvind gat Sigrid to wife. He took to him then the household at Sandness and all that fee that Thorolf had had.
Eyvind was a worshipful man. The children of him and Sigrid were Finn Skialg, the father of Eyvind Skaldspiller,4 and Geirlaug that Sighvat the Red had to wife. Finn Skialg had to wife Gunnhild, the daughter of Earl Halfdan: her mother was named Ingibiorg, daughter of King Harald Hairfair.
Eyvind Lambi held himself in friendship with King Harald whiles they both were alive.
CHAPTER XXIII. THE SLAYING OF HILDIRID’S SONS.
THERE was a man named Ketil Haeng, son of Thorkel the Naumdale Earl and of Hrafnhild, daughter of Ketil Haeng of Hrafnista. Haeng was a worshipful man and a man of mark. He had been the greatest friend of Thorolf Kveldulfson and his near kinsman. He was then in that rush to arms when the host-gathering was in Halogaland and men were minded to give aid to Thorolf, as was afore-writ. But when King Harald fared from the north and men were made aware of Thorolf’s taking off, then broke they up their gathering.
Haeng had with him sixty men, and he turned toward Torgar. And there were Hildirid’s sons, and had few in their following. And when Haeng came to the house, he made an onslaught upon them. There fell Hildirid’s sons1 and most of their men that were there, but Haeng and his took all the fee they might lay hand on.
After that, Haeng took two round-ships, the biggest he might find: let bear aboard of them all the fee he owned