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
Then Njal went away all by himself, and thought over a plan, and
came back and said, "Now have I thought over the matter somewhat,
and it seems to me as though this must be carried through -- if
it be carried through at all -- with hardihood and daring.
Thorgeir has got my kinswoman Thorfinna with child, and I will
hand over to thee the suit for seduction. Another suit of
outlawry against Starkad I hand over also to thee, for having
hewn trees in my wood on the Threecorner ridge. Both these suits
shalt thou take up. Thou shalt fare too, to the spot where ye
fought, and dig up the dead, and name witnesses to the wounds,
and make all the dead outlaws, for that they came against thee
with that mind to give thee and thy brothers wounds or swift
death. But if this be tried at the Thing, and it be brought up
against thee that thou first gave Thorgeir a blow, and so mayst
neither plead thine own cause nor that of others, then I will
answer in that matter, and say that I gave thee back thy rights
at the Thingskala-Thing, so that thou shouldest be able to plead
thine own suit as well as that of others, and then there will be
an answer to that point. Thou shalt also go to see Tyrfing of
Berianess, and he must hand over to thee a suit against Aunund of
Witchwood, who has the blood feud after his brother Egil."
Then first of all Gunnar rode home; but a few nights after Njal's
sons and Gunnar rode thither where the bodies were, and dug them
up that were buried there. Then Gunnar summoned them all as
outlaws for assault and treachery, and rode home after that.
64. OF VALGARD AND MORD
That same harvest Valgard the Guileful came out to Iceland, and
fared home to Hof. Then Thorgeir went to see Valgard and Mord,
and told them what a strait they were in if Gunnar were to be
allowed to make all those men outlaws whom he had slain.
Valgard said that must be Njal's counsel, and yet everything had
not come out yet which he was likely to have taught him.
Then Thorgeir begged those kinsmen for help and backing, but they
held out a long while, and at last asked for, and got a large sum
of money.
That, too, was part of their plan, that Mord should ask for
Thorkatla, Gizur the White's daughter, and Thorgeir was to ride
at once west across the river with Valgard and Mord.
So the day after they rode twelve of them together and came to
Mossfell. There they were heartily welcomed, and they put the
question to Gizur about the wooing, and the end of it was that
the match should be made, and the wedding feast was to be in half
a month's space at Mossfell.
They ride home, and after that they ride to the wedding and there
was a crowd of guests to meet them, and it went off well.
Thorkatla went home with Mord and took the housekeeping in hand,
but Valgard went abroad again the next summer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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