Laxdæla Saga eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 270 pages of information about Laxdæla Saga.

Laxdæla Saga eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 270 pages of information about Laxdæla Saga.
Kjallak the Old.  Their sons were Ottar and Kjallak, whose son was Thorgrim, the father of Fight-Styr and Vemund, but the daughter of Kjallak was named Helga, who was the wife of Vestar of Eyr, son of Thorolf “Bladder-skull,” who settled Eyr.  Their son was Thorlak, father of Steinthor of Eyr.  Helgi Bjolan brought his ship to the south of the land, and took all Keelness, between Kollafirth and Whalefirth, and lived at Esjuberg to old age.  Helgi the Lean brought his ship to the north of the land, and took Islefirth, all along between Mastness and Rowanness, and lived at Kristness.  From Helgi and Thornunn all the Islefirthers are sprung.

CHAP.  IV

Ketill goes to Scotland, A.D. 890

Ketill Flatnose brought his ship to Scotland, and was well received by the great men there; for he was a renowned man, and of high birth.  They offered him there such station as he would like to take, and Ketill and his company of kinsfolk settled down there—­all except Thorstein, his daughter’s son, who forthwith betook himself to warring, and harried Scotland far and wide, and was always victorious.  Later on he made peace with the Scotch, and got for his own one-half of Scotland.  He had for wife Thurid, daughter of Eyvind, and sister of Helgi the Lean.  The Scotch did not keep the peace long, but treacherously murdered him. [Sidenote:  Of Unn the Deep-minded] Ari, Thorgil’s son, the Wise, writing of his death, says that he fell in Caithness.  Unn the Deep-minded was in Caithness when her son Thorstein fell.  When she heard that Thorstein was dead, and her father had breathed his last, she deemed she would have no prospering in store there.  So she had a ship built secretly in a wood, and when it was ready built she arrayed it, and had great wealth withal; and she took with her all her kinsfolk who were left alive; and men deem that scarce may an example be found that any one, a woman only, has ever got out of such a state of war with so much wealth and so great a following.  From this it may be seen how peerless among women she was.  Unn had with her many men of great worth and high birth.  A man named Koll was one of the worthiest amongst her followers, chiefly owing to his descent, he being by title a “Hersir.”  There was also in the journey with Unn a man named Hord, and he too was also a man of high birth and of great worth.  When she was ready, Unn took her ship to the Orkneys; there she stayed a little while, and there she married off Gro, the daughter of Thorstein the Red.  She was the mother of Greilad, who married Earl Thorfinn, the son of Earl Turf-Einar, son of Rognvald Mere-Earl.  Their son was Hlodvir, the father of Earl Sigurd, the father of Earl Thorfinn, and from them come all the kin of the Orkney Earls.  After that Unn steered her ship to the Faroe Isles, and stayed there for some time. [Sidenote:  Unn leaves the Faroe Isles] There she married off another daughter of Thorstein, named Olof, and from her sprung the noblest race of that land, who are called the Gate-Beards.

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Laxdæla Saga from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.