Authors: E. R. Eddison
Steinar put into Thrand’s hands a great axe, near an ell across the mouth, and it was edged like a hair. “So it looketh to me of thee, Thrand,” saith Steinar,” as if ’twill not be clear how much thou valuest Thorstein’s priesthood, if you two look one another in the eye.”
Thrand answereth: “I am nought beholden methinks to Thorstein, but it seems to me I understand what kind of work thou hast laid down for me. Thou wilt think thou hast little at stake where I am;
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and methinks ’tis a good choice for me, come up what may, if we two, I and Thorstein, must try it out betwixt us”.
And now took Thrand to minding of the beasts. He had understood, albeit he had not been there long, what way Steinar had let hold his beasts to pasture, and Thrand sat over the beasts on Stacksmire. And when Thorstein was ware of this, then sent he a housecarle of his to find out Thrand and bade tell him of
the landmarks betwixt his land and Steinar’s. And when the housecarle met Thrand, then said he to him his errand and bade him hold the beasts another way: said that that was the land of Thorstein Egilson, that the beasts were then come into.
Thrand saith: “That reck I not a jot, which of them owneth the land. I will have the beasts there where it seemeth to me is the pasture best”.
So now part they. Fared the housecarle home, and saith to Thorstein the answer of the thrall. Thorstein let that rest. But Thrand took to sitting over the beasts night and day.
CHAPTER LXXXI. OF THE SLAYING OF THRAND, AND OF THE SUIT AT LAW BETWIXT STEINAR AND THORSTEIN.
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HORSTEIN stood up one morning with the sun, and walked up to the Burg. He saw where Steinar’s beasts were. And now walked Thorstein out upon the marshes until he came to the beasts. There standeth a wooded rock beside Hafslech, and up on the rock slept Thrand, and had loosed and done off his shoes. Thorstein walked up to the rock, and had an axe in his hand, not big, and no weapons more. Thorstein prodded Thrand with the axe-shaft, and bade him wake. He sprang up swift and hard and grabbed his axe with two hands and swung it up. He asked what Thorstein would.
He saith, “I will say to thee that I own this land, but you own the grazing-pastures of the outer side of the brook. That is not to be wondered at though thou know not the landmarks here”.
Thrand saith: “Nought seemeth it to me to matter, who owneth the land. I will let the beasts be there where it seemeth to them best”.
“That is likelier”, saith Thorstein, “that I will now have a mind to rule mine own land, rather than shall Steinar’s thralls.”
Thrand saith: “Much art thou, Thorstein, an unwiser man than I deemed, if thou wilt have night-quarters under my axe
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and make hazard against this of thy nobility. ’Tis clear, as I
reckon, that I will have strength belike for two of thee; and I lack not heart. I am, besides, weaponed better than thou”.
Thorstein spake: “On that hazard will I lie, if thou do nought about the grazing. I have hope there may be great unlikeness in good luck
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betwixt us two, even as the matter of our causes is unequal
Thrand saith: “Now shalt thou see, Thorstein, whether I am any whit afraid of thy threats”.
And now Thrand sitteth him down and tied his shoe; but Thorstein swung up the axe hard and hewed at the neck of Thrand, so that his head fell on his chest. Therewithal bare Thorstein stones to him and covered his corpse: walked thereafter home to Burg.
But that day came late home Steinar’s beasts; and when all hope was given up of their coming, then took Steinar his horse and laid saddle on it. He had all his weapons. He rode south to Burg, and when he came there he met men to speak to. He asked where Thorstein was: it was said to him that he sat within-door. Then bade Steinar that Thorstein should come out: said he had an errand with him. And when Thorstein heard that, he took his weapons and went out into the doorway. And now asked he of Steinar what errand his might be.
“Hast thou slain Thrand, my thrall?” saith Steinar.
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“So it is truly,” saith Thorstein. “Thou’st no need to turn thy thoughts towards other men for that.”
“Then see I, that thou wilt seem to thyself a hard-handed warder of thy land, sith thou’st slain two thralls of mine: but to me that seemeth nought so mighty a piece of work. Now will I give thee a much better choice in this, if thou wilt with valiancy ward thy land, and there shall be no more relying on other men to drive the beasts; but this shalt thou know, that the beasts shall both day and night be upon thy land.”
“So it is”, saith Thorstein, “that I slew last summer a thrall of thine, him which thou didst set to graze the beasts on my land, and thereafter I let you have grazing as you would, all through till winter. Now have I slain another of thy thralls for thee: laid I on this one the same guilt as on the first. Now shalt thou have grazing from henceforth this summer, as thou wilt;
but next summer if thou graze my land and set men to drive hither thy cattle, then will I yet slay for thee one man or another, him that followeth the cattle, yea, though thou thyself shouldst follow them. I will so do every summer, so long as thou holdest to this habit thou’st taken to in the grazing.”
Therewith rode Steinar away and home to Brent; and a little later rode Steinar up into Staffholt: there dwelt then Einar,
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he was a priesthood’s-man. Steinar asked his aid and bade him fee therefor. Einar saith: “It will little avail thee of my help, unless more men of worth back this suit”.
After that rode Steinar up into Reekdale
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to find out Odd-a-Tongue, and asked his aid and bade him fee therefor. Odd took the fee and promised his help, that he should strengthen Steinar to bring the law into force against Thorstein. Steinar therewithal rode home.
But in the spring fared they, Odd and Einar, with Steinar a-summoning, and had great throng of men. Steinar summoned Thorstein for the thrall-slayings, and let the penalty be the lesser outlawry for either slaying; because that was the law where a man’s thralls were slain for him if so be that the thrall-gild for them was not brought before the third sun.
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And it should be rated equal, two lesser outlawries and one full outlawry.
Thorstein summoned him for no guilts in return; and a little later sent Thorstein men south to the Nesses.
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Came they to Mossfell, to Grim’s, and said there these tidings. Egil made as if he took small account of it, and yet quietly asked carefully about their dealings, Thorstein’s and Steinar’s, and so too about those men that had strengthened Steinar in this suit. And now fared the messengers home, and Thorstein deemed well of their journey.
Thorstein Egilson made great throng of men for the Spring-Thing, and came there a night before other men, and tilted their booths and his thingmen did the like, that there had booths. And when they had made things ready, then Thorstein let the company of his thingmen go to it and they made there great booth-walls; and now let he tilt a booth much greater than the other booths that were there. In that booth were no men.
Steinar rode to the Thing, and made great throng of men. There had Odd-a-Tongue rule over the company, and was all thronged about with men. Einar of Staffholt was likewise thronged about with men. They tilted their booths. The Thing was thronged with men. Men brought forward their suits. Thorstein bade no atonements for his behalf, but answered thus to those men who sought to bring about an atonement, that he was minded to let it abide judgement: said that it seemed to him the suits were little worth, those that Steinar fared withal touching the slaying of his thralls, but accounted Steinar’s thralls to have wrought guilts enough for their slaying. Steinar bare himself big over his suits. It seemed to him his causes were lawful, and the strength to aid him enough to bring the law into force. Therefore was he eager in his suits.
That day went men to the thing-brent, and men spake forth their suits; but at evening should the courts fare out for the pleadings. Thorstein was there with his band. He had most rule there over the ordering of the Thing, because so had it been while Egil bare the priesthood and the oversight of men. They had of either party all their weapons. Men saw from the Thing that a band of men rode from beneath along Gorgewater, and there blinked there shields withal. And when they rode to the Thing, then rode there a man before them in a blue cape: had a helm on his head red with gold, and a shield at his side gold-bedight; in his hand a barbed spear: there was gold inlaid on the socket: he was girt with a sword. There was come Egil Skalla-grimson with eighty men, all well weaponed, as if ready for battle. That host was well picked. Egil had had with him the best bonders’ sons from the Nesses southaway, them that he thought most like fighters. Egil rode with his band to that booth which Thorstein had let tilt and before was empty. Lighted they off their horses. And when Thorstein knew the faring of his father, then went he to meet him with all his band, and welcomed him kindly. Egil and his folk let bear in their faring-gear into the booth, and drive the horses to pasture. And when that business was done, went Egil and Thorstein with all the band up to the thing-brent, and sate them there where they were wont to sit.
And now stood Egil up and spake
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on high: “Whether is Onund Sjoni here on the thing-brent?”
Onund said there he was: “I am right joyful, Egil, that thou art come. That will turn all to the better that which here standeth betwixt the suits of men”.
“Whether is that by thy redes that Steinar thy son bringeth charges against Thorstein my son, and hath drawn together throng of men for this sake, to make Thorstein an outlawed man?”
“The cause is nowise in me”, saith Onund, “that they be at ill accord. I have laid many words thereto and bade Steinar be set at one with Thorstein; because it hath been my wish at every turn to spare thy son Thorstein from dishonour, and the cause thereof is that old dear loving friendship that hath been betwixt us two, Egil, since we were bred up in the same garth.”
“Shortly will that”, saith Egil, “be made plain whether thou speakest this in sadness
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or in vain falsehood, though that is the last thing I am minded to think. I mind me of those days when to either of us two it would have seemed unlikely, that we two should bring charges one against other, or not make our sons be quiet that they fare not with such foolery as I hear is here like to come about. That rede showeth good to me, whiles we two be alive and stood so near by to their strife, that we two take these suits under us and set them in order, and not suffer Odd-a-Tongue and Einar to set our sons a-biting each at other like fighting-horses:
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let them have somewhat else from henceforth to make money by rather than take to such-like things.”
Then stood Onund up and spake: “Right sayest thou, Egil, and that is ill-befallen unto us two, to be at that Thing where our sons strive together. And never shall that shame take hold upon us two, to be so empty of lordliness as that we set them not at one. Now will I, Steinar, that thou hand over unto me these suits and let me fare with them even as it likes me”.
“I know not that,” saith Steinar, “whether I will so cast down my suits, seeing that I have already sought me help from great men. I will now that my suits have such ending only as it shall like well Odd and Einar.”
And now talked they, Odd and Steinar, between themselves;
said Odd as thus: “I will perform, Steinar, my bringing of help unto thee, even that which I promised, to get thee the law, or that ending of thy suits which thou wilt be willing to take upon thine hands. Thou wilt have most to answer for it, what is to become of thy suits, if Egil shall judge thereon”.
Then spake Onund: “Nought need I to have these things from under the tongue-roots of Odd.
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I have had from him neither good nor ill, but Egil hath done me many great good turns. Trust I in him much better than in others, yea and I shall rule in this: that will best behove thee, not to have all of us in thy teeth.
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I have ere now had the ruling here for us two, and even so shall it be”.
“Headstrong art thou in this matter, father; and oft, I am minded, shall we two repent us of this.”
Therewith Steinar handed over to Onund the suit, and he should then pursue or settle it, so as the laws allowed. And straightway when Onund had the ruling in these suits, then went he to find out that father and son, Thorstein and Egil.
Then spake Onund: “Now will I, Egil, that thou alone shape and shear in these suits, even as thou wilt, seeing that I trust in thee best to set in order these suits of mine and all others”.
And now took they hands together, Onund and Thorstein, and named them witnesses and that with the witness-naming, that Egil Skallagrimson should alone deal with these suits even as he will, and all unchallenged there at the Thing; and so these suits ended. Went men so home to their booths. Thorstein let lead to Egil’s booth three oxen, and let hew them for his thing-victualling.
And when Odd-a-Tongue and Steinar came home to their booth, then spake Odd: “Now hast thou, Steinar, thou and thy father, had your way as to how your suits should end. Now count I myself loosed from my bond with thee, Steinar, touching that bringing of help which I promised thee; because so was it spoken betwixt us, that I should avail thee so far as that thou shouldst win thy suits, or bring them to that ending which pleased thee, howsoever shall seem to thee the award of Egil”.
Steinar saith that Odd hath done well to him and manly, and their friendship shall now be much better than before: “I will
call it that thou art loosed from thy bond with me touching that wherein thou wast bound”.
About evening fared the courts out,
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and it is not said that aught befell there to tell of.
CHAPTER LXXXII. OF EGIL’S AWARD IN THE SUITS BETWEEN STEINAR AND THORSTEIN.
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GIL SKALLAGRIMSON walked upon the thing-brent the day after, and with him Thorstein and all their band. There came then also Onund and Steinar: Odd-a-Tongue was also come there, and Einar and their folk. And when men had there spoken their law-business, then stood up Egli and spake as thus: “Whether are those father and son here, Onund and Steinar, so that they may understand my speech?” Onund saith that they were there.