The Story of Grettir the Strong eBook

Allen French
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 319 pages of information about The Story of Grettir the Strong.

The Story of Grettir the Strong eBook

Allen French
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 319 pages of information about The Story of Grettir the Strong.

Thrand bade Onund and Olaf to his house, and so did Thormod Shaft, and they backed Olaf’s wooing, which was settled with ease, because men knew how mighty a woman Aud was.  So the bargain was made, and, so much being done, Onund rode home, and Aud thanked him well for his help to Olaf.  That autumn Olaf Feilan wedded Aldis of Barra; and then died Aud the Deeply-wealthy, as is told in the story of the Laxdale men.

CHAP.  XI.

Onund and Asa had two sons; the elder was called Thorgeir, the younger Ufeigh Grettir; but Asa soon died.  Thereafter Onund got to wife a woman called Thordis, the daughter of Thorgrim, from Gnup in Midfirth, and akin to Midfirth Skeggi.  Of her Onund had a son called Thorgrim; he was early a big man, and a strong, wise, and good withal in matters of husbandry.  Onund dwelt on at Coldback till he was old, then he died in his bed, and is buried in Treefoot’s barrow; he was the briskest and lithest of one-footed men who have ever lived in Iceland.

Now Thorgrim took the lead among the sons of Onund, though others of them were older than he; but when he was twenty-five years old he grew grey-haired, and therefore was he bynamed Greypate; Thordis, his mother, was afterwards wedded north in Willowdale, to Audun Skokul, and their son was Asgeir, of Asgeir’s-River.  Thorgrim Greypate and his brothers had great possessions in common, nor did they divide the goods between them.  Now Eric, who farmed at Arness, as is aforesaid, had to wife Alof, daughter of Ingolf, of Ingolfs-firth; and Flosi was the name of their son, a hopeful man, and of many friends.  In those days three brothers came out hither, Ingolf, Ufeigh, and Eyvind, and settled those three firths that are known by their names, and there dwelt afterwards.  Olaf was the name of Eyvind’s son, he first dwelt at Eyvind’s-firth, and after at Drangar, and was a man to hold his own well.

Now there was no strife betwixt these men while their elders were alive; but when Eric died, it seemed to Flosi, that those of Coldback had no lawful title to the lands which Eric had given to Onund; and from this befell much ill-blood betwixt them; but Thorgrim and his kin still held their lands as before, but they might not risk having sports together.  Now Thorgeir was head-man of the household of those brothers in Reekfirth, and would ever be rowing out a-fishing, because in those days were the firths full of fish; so those in the Creek made up their plot; a man there was, a house-carle of Flosi in Arness, called Thorfin, him Flosi sent for Thorgeir’s head, and he went and hid himself in the boat-stand; that morning, Thorgeir got ready to row out to sea, and two men with him, one called Hamund, the other Brand.  Thorgeir went first, and had on his back a leather bottle and drink therein.  It was very dark, and as he walked down from the boat-stand Thorfin ran at him, and smote him with an axe betwixt the shoulders, and the axe

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The Story of Grettir the Strong from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.