The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and CounsellorDasent, George Webbe, Sir
General
The Story of Burnt Njal: The Great Icelandic Tribune, Jurist, and Counsellor
Dasent, George Webbe, Sir
Njáll Þorgursson, approximately 930-1011
One night he dreamt that a man came to him; he was bright and
glistening, and he thought he woke him up. He spoke, and said to
him, "Stand up and come with me."
"What wilt thou with me?" he asks.
"I will get thee a bride, and thou shalt be my knight."
He thought he said yea to that, and after that he woke up.
Then he went to a wizard and told him the dream, but he read it
so that he should fare to southern lands and become God's knight.
Kolskegg was baptized in Denmark, but still he could not rest
there, but fared east to Russia, and was there one winter. Then
he fared thence out to Micklegarth (1), and there took service
with the Emperor. The last that was heard of him was, that he
wedded a wife there, and was captain over the Varangians, and
stayed there till his deathday; and he, too, is out of this
story.
ENDNOTES:
(1) Constantinople.
81. OF THRAIN: HOW HE SLEW KOL
Now we must take up the story, and say how Thrain Sigfus' son
came to Norway. They made the land north in Helgeland, and held
on south to Drontheim, and so to Hlada (1). But as soon as Earl
Hacon heard of that, he sent men to them, and would know what men
were in the ship. They came back and told him who the men were.
Then the earl sent for Thrain Sigfus' son, and he went to see
him. The earl asked of what stock he might be. He said that he
was Gunnar of Lithend's near kinsman. The earl said, "That shall
stand thee in good stead; for I have seen many men from Iceland,
but none his match."
"Lord," said Thrain, "is it your will that I should be with you
this winter?"
The earl took to him, and Thrain was there that winter, and was
thought much of.
There was a man named Kol, he was a great sea-rover. He was the
son of Asmund Ashside, east out of Smoland. He lay east in the
Gota-Elf, and had five ships, and much force.
Thence Kol steered his course out of the river to Norway and
landed at Fold (2), in the bight of the "Bay," and came on
Hallvard Soti unawares, and found him in a loft. He kept them
off bravely till they set fire to the house, then he gave himself
up; but they slew him, and took there much goods, and sailed
thence to Lodese (3).
Earl Hacon heard these tidings, and made them make Kol an outlaw
over all his realm, and set a price upon his head.
Once on a time it so happened that the earl began to speak thus,
"Too far off from us now is Gunnar of Lithend. He would slay my
outlaw if he were here; but now the Icelanders will slay him, and
it is ill that he hath not fared to us."
Then Thrain Sigfus' son answered, "I am not Gunnar, but still I
am near akin to him, and I will undertake this voyage."
The earl said, "I should be glad of that, and thou shalt be very
well fitted out for the journey."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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