The Story of Grettir the Strong by Eiríkr Magnússon and William Morris (bookstand for reading txt) 📕

in love with him; and the two meet often in spite of the watchful jealousy of the lady's husband, who is at last so completely conquered by a plot of hers (the sagaman here has taken an incident with little or no change from the Romance of Tristram and Iseult), that he is obliged to submit to a divorce and the loss of his wife's dower, and thereafter the lovers go away together to Norway, and live there happily till old age reminds them of their misdeeds, and they then set off together for Rome and pass the rest of their lives in penitence and apart from one another. And so the story ends, summing up the worth of Grettir the Strong by reminding people of his huge strength, his long endurance in outlawry, his gift for dealing with ghosts and evil spirits, the famous vengeance taken for him in Micklegarth; and, lastly, the fortunate life and good end of Thorstein Dromund, his brother and avenger.

Such is the outline of this tale of a man far above his fellows in all matters valued among his times and people, but also far above them all in ill-luck, for that is the conception that the story-teller has formed of the great outlaw. To us moderns the real interest in these records of a past state of life lies principally in seeing events true in the main treated vividly and dramatically by people who completely understood the manners, life, and, above all, the turn of mind of the actors in them. Amidst many drawbacks, perhaps, to the modern reader, this interest is seldom or ever wanting in the historical sagas, and least of all in our present story; the sagaman never relaxes his grasp of Grettir's character, and he is the same man from beginning to end; thrust this way and that by circumstances, but little altered by them; unlucky in all things, yet made strong to bear all ill-luck; scornful of the world, yet capable of enjoyment, and determined to make the most of it; not deceived by men's specious ways, but disdaining to cry out because he must needs bear with them; scorning men, yet helping them when called on, and desirous of fame: prudent in theory, and wise in foreseeing the inevitable sequence of events, but reckless beyond the recklessness even of that time and people, and finally capable of inspiring in others strong affection and devotion to him in spite of his rugged self-sufficing temper—all these traits which we find in our sagaman's Grettir seem always the most suited to the story of the deeds that surround him, and to our mind most skilfully and dramatically are they suggested to the reader.

As is fitting, the other characters are very much subordinate to the principal figure, but in their way they are no less life-like; the braggart—that inevitable foil to the hero in a saga—was never better represented than in the Gisli of our tale; the thrall Noise, with his carelessness, and thriftless, untrustworthy mirth, is the very pattern of a slave; Snorri the Godi, little though there is of him, fully sustains the prudent and crafty character which follows him in all the Sagas; Thorbiorn Oxmain is a good specimen of the overbearing and sour chief, as is Atli, on the other hand, of the kindly and high-minded, if prudent, rich man; and no one, in short, plays his part like a puppet, but acts as one expects him to act, always allowing the peculiar atmosphere of these tales; and to crown all, as the story comes to its end, the high-souled and poetically conceived Illugi throws a tenderness on the dreadful story of the end of the hero, contrasted as it is with that of the gloomy, superstitious Angle.

Something of a blot, from some points of view, the story of Spes and Thorstein Dromund (of which more anon) must be considered; yet whoever added it to the tale did so with some skill considering its incongruous and superfluous nature, for he takes care that Grettir shall not be forgotten amidst all the plots and success of the lovers; and, whether it be accidental or not, there is to our minds something touching in the contrast between the rude life and tragic end of the hero, and the long, drawn out, worldly good hap and quiet hopes for another life which fall to the lot of his happier brother.

As to the authorship of our story, it has no doubt gone through the stages which mark the growth of the Sagas in general, that is, it was for long handed about from mouth to mouth until it took a definite shape in men's minds; and after it had held that position for a certain time, and had received all the necessary polish for an enjoyable saga, was committed to writing as it flowed ready made from the tongue of the people. Its style, in common with that of all the sagas, shows evidences enough of this: for the rest, the only name connected with it is that of Sturla Thordson the Lawman, a man of good position and family, and a prolific author, who was born in 1214 and died 1284; there is, however, no proof that he wrote the present work, though we think the passages in it that mention his name show clearly enough that he had something to do with the story of Grettir: on the whole, we are inclined to think that a story of Grettir was either written by him or under his auspices, but that the present tale is the work of a later hand, nor do we think so complete a saga-teller, as his other undoubted works show him to have been, would ever have finished his story with the epilogue of Spes and Thorstein Dromund, steeped as that latter part is with the spirit of the mediaeval romances, even to the distinct appropriation of a marked and well-known episode of the Tristram; though it must be admitted that he had probably plenty of opportunity for being versed in that romance, as Tristram was first translated into the tongue of Norway in the year 1226, by Brother Robert, at the instance of King Hakon Hakonson, whose great favourite Sturla Thordson was, and whose history was written by him.

For our translation of this work we have no more to say than to apologise for its shortcomings, and to hope, that in spite of them, it will give some portion of the pleasure to our readers which we felt in accomplishing it ourselves.

EIRÍKR MAGNÚSSON, WILLIAM MORRIS.

LONDON, April 1869.

CONTENTS. PREFACE.
CHRONOLOGY OF THE STORY.
CONTENTS.
THE STORY OF GRETTIR THE STRONG.

THE FOREFATHERS OF GRETTER

CHAP. I.
CHAP. II.
CHAP. III.
CHAP. IV.
CHAP. V.
CHAP. VI.
CHAP. VII.
CHAP. VIII.
CHAP. IX.
CHAP. X.
CHAP. XI.
CHAP. XII.
CHAP. XIII.

HERE BEGINS THE STORY OF THE LIFE OF GRETTIR THE STRONG

CHAP. XIV.
Of Grettir as a Child, and his froward ways
with his father
CHAP. XV.
Of the Ball-play on Midfirth Water
CHAP. XVI.
XVI. Of the Slaying of Skeggi
CHAP. XVII.
Of Grettir's Voyage out
CHAP. XVIII.
Of Grettir at Haramsey and his dealings with
Karr the Old
CHAP. XIX.
Of Yule at Haramsey, and how Grettir dealt
with the Bearserks
CHAP. XX.
How Thorfinn met Grettir at Haramsey again
CHAP. XXI.
Of Grettir and Biorn and the Bear
CHAP. XXII.
Of the Slaying of Biorn
CHAP. XXIII.
The Slaying of Hiarandi
CHAP. XXIV.
Of the Slaying of Gunnar, and Grettir's strife
with Earl Svein
CHAP. XXV.
The Slaying of Thorgils Makson
CHAP. XXVI.
Of Thorstein Kuggson, and the gathering for
the Bloodsuit for the Slaying of Thorgils
Makson
CHAP. XXVII.
The Suit for the Slaying of Thorgils Makson
CHAP. XXVIII.
Grettir comes out to Iceland again
CHAP. XXIX.
Of the Horse-fight at Longfit
CHAP. XXX.
Of Thorbiorn Oxmain and Thorbiorn Tardy,
and of Grettir's meeting with Kormak on
Ramfirth-neck
CHAP. XXXI.
How Grettir met Bardi, the Son of Gudmund,
as he came back from the Heath-slayings
CHAP. XXXII.
Of the Haunting at Thorhall-stead; and how
Thorhall took a Shepherd by the rede of
Skapti the Lawman, and what befell thereafter
CHAP. XXXIII.
Of the doings of Glam at Thorhall-stead
CHAP. XXXIV.
Grettir hears of the Hauntings
CHAP. XXXV.
Grettir goes to Thorhall-stead, and has to do
with Glam
CHAP. XXXVI.
Of Thorbiorn Oxmain's Autumn-feast, and the
mocks of Thorbiorn Tardy
CHAP. XXXVII.
XXXVII. Olaf the Saint, King in Norway; the slaying
of Thorbiorn Tardy; Grettir goes to
Norway
CHAP. XXXVIII.
Of Thorir of Garth and his sons; and how
Grettir fetched fire for his shipmates
CHAP. XXXIX.
How Grettir would fain bear Iron before the
King
CHAP. XL.
Of Grettir and Snoekoll
CHAP. XLI.
Of Thorstein Dromund's Arms, and what he
deemed they might do
CHAP. XLII.
Of the Death of Asmund the Greyhaired
CHAP. XLIII.
The Onset on Atli at the Pass and the Slaying
of Gunnar and Thorgeir
CHAP. XLIV.
The Suit for the Slaying of the Sons of Thorir
of the Pass
CHAP. XLV.
Of the Slaying of Atli Asmundson
CHAP. XLVI.
Grettir outlawed at the Thing at the Suit of
Thorir of Garth
CHAP. XLVII.
Grettir comes out to Iceland again
CHAP. XLVIII.
The Slaying of Thorbiorn Oxmain
CHAP. XLIX.
The Gathering to avenge Thorbiorn Oxmain
CHAP. L.
Grettir and the Foster-brothers at Reek-knolls
CHAP. LI.
Of the Suit for the Slaying of Thorbiorn
Oxmain, and how Thorir of Garth would
not that Grettir should be made sackless
CHAP. LII.
How Grettir was taken by the Icefirth Carles
CHAP. LIII.
Grettir with Thorstein Kuggson
CHAP. LIV.
Grettir meets Hallmund on the Keel
CHAP. LV.
Of Grettir on Ernewaterheath, and his dealings
with Grim there
CHAP. LVI.
Of Grettir and Thorir Redbeard
CHAP. LVII.
How Thorir of Garth set on Grettir on Ernewaterheath
CHAP. LVIII.
Grettir in Fairwoodfell
CHAP. LIX.
Gisli's meeting with Grettir
CHAP. LX.
Of the Fight at Hitriver
CHAP. LXI.
How Grettir left Fairwoodfell, and of his abiding
in Thorir's-dale
CHAP. LXII.
Of the Death of Hallmund, Grettir's Friend
CHAP. LXIII.
How Grettir beguiled Thorir of Garth when he
was nigh taking him
CHAP. LXIV.
Of the ill haps at Sand-heaps, and how Guest
came to the Goodwife there