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
But when the spring came, Kari asked Njal's sons to go on warfare
with him, but Grim said they would only do so if he would fare
with them afterwards out to Iceland. Kari gave his word to do
that, and then they fared with him a-searoving. They harried
south about Anglesea and all the Southern isles. Thence they
held on to Cantyre, and landed there, and fought with the
landsmen, and got thence much goods, and so fared to their ships.
Thence they fared south to Wales, and harried there. Then
they held on for Alan, and there they met Godred, and fought with
him, and got the victory, and slew Dungal the king's son. There
they took great spoil. Thence they held on north to Coll, and
found Earl Gilli there, and he greeted them well and there they
stayed with him a while. The earl fared with them to the Orkneys
to meet Earl Sigurd, but next spring Earl Sigurd gave away his
sister Nereida to Earl Gilli, and then he fared back to the
Southern isles.
89. NJAL'S SONS AND KARI COME OUT TO ICELAND
That summer Kari and Njal's sons busked them for Iceland, and
when they were "all-boun" they went to see the earl. The earl
gave them good gifts, and they parted with great friendship.
Now they put to sea and have a short passage, and they got a fine
fair breeze, and made the land at Eyrar. Then they got them
horses and ride from the ship to Bergthorsknoll, but when they
came home all men were glad to see them. They flitted home their
goods and laid up the ship, and Kari was there that winter with
Njal.
But the spring after, Kari asked for Njal's daughter, Helga, to
wife, and Helgi and Grim backed his suit; and so the end of it
was that she was betrothed to Kari and the day for the wedding-
feast was fixed, and the feast was held half a month before
mid-summer, and they were that winter with Njal.
Then Kari bought him land at Dyrholms, east away by Mydale, and
set up a farm there; they put in there a grieve and housekeeper
to see after the farm, but they themselves were ever with Njal.
90. THE QUARREL OF NJAL'S SONS WITH THRAIN SIGFUS' SON
Hrapp owned a farm at Hrappstede, but for all that he was always
at Gritwater, and he was thought to spoil everything there.
Thrain was good to him.
Once on a time it happened that Kettle of the Mark was at
Bergthorsknoll; then Njal's sons told him of their wrongs and
hardships, and said they had much to lay at Thrain Sigfus son's
door, whenever they chose to speak about it.
Njal said it would be best that Kettle should talk with his
brother Thrain about it, and he gave his word to do so.
So they gave Kettle breathing-time to talk to Thrain.
A little after they spoke of the matter again to Kettle, but he
said that he would repeat few of the words that had passed
between them, "For it was pretty plain that Thrain thought I set
too great store on being your brother-in-law."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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