Laxdæla Saga

Laxdæla Saga

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Title: Laxdæla Saga Translated from the Icelandic
Author: Anonymous
Translator: Muriel A.C. Press
Release Date: February 20, 2006 [EBook #17803]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LAXDÆLA
SAGA ***

Produced by Ted Garvin, Sankar Viswanathan, and Online Distributed
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LAXDÆLA
SAGA

TRANSLATED FROM THE ICELANDIC
by
MURIEL A.C. PRESS

MDCCCXCIX
PUBLISHED BY J.M. DENT AND CO. ALDINE HOUSE LONDON
W.C.

CONTENTS
CHAP.
I. OF KETILL FLATNOSE AND HIS DESCENDANTS, 9TH
CENTURY A.D.
II. KETILL AND HIS SONS PREPARE TO LEAVE NORWAY.
III. KETILL's SONS GO TO ICELAND.
IV. KETILL GOES TO SCOTLAND, A.D. 890.
V. UNN GOES TO ICELAND, A.D. 895.
VI. UNN DIVIDES HER LAND.
VII. OF THE WEDDING OF OLAF "FEILAN," A.D. 920.
VIII. THE BIRTH OF HRUT, AND THORGERD'S SECOND
WIDOWHOOD, A.D. 923.
IX. HOSKULD'S MARRIAGE, A.D. 935.
X. OF VIGA HRAPP.

XI. ABOUT THORD GODDI AND THORBJORN SKRJUP.
XII. HOSKULD BUYS A SLAVE WOMAN.
XIII. HOSKULD RETURNS TO ICELAND, A.D. 948.
XIV. THE MURDER OF HALL, INGJALD'S BROTHER.
XV. THOROLF'S ESCAPE WITH ASGAUT THE THRALL.
XVI. THORD BECOMES OLAF'S FOSTER FATHER, A.D. 950.
XVII. ABOUT VIGA HRAPP'S GHOST, A.D. 950.
XVIII. OF THE DROWNING OF THORSTEIN SWART.
XIX. HRUT COMES TO ICELAND
XX. MELKORKA'S MARRIAGE AND OLAF THE PEACOCK'S
JOURNEY, A.D. 955
XXI. OLAF THE PEACOCK GOES TO IRELAND, A.D. 955
XXII. OLAF THE PEACOCK COMES HOME TO ICELAND, A.D.
957
XXIII. THE MARRIAGE OF OLAF PEACOCK AND THORGERD,
THE DAUGHTER OF EGIL, A.D. 959
XXIV. THE BUILDING OF HERDHOLT, A.D. 960
XXV. ABOUT HOSKULD'S SONS
XXVI. THE DEATH OF HOSKULD, A.D. 985
XXVII. THE FUNERAL FEAST FOR HOSKULD
XXVIII. THE BIRTH OF KJARTAN, OLAF'S SON, A.D. 978

XXIX. OLAF'S SECOND JOURNEY TO NORWAY, A.D. 975
XXX. ABOUT GIERMUND AND THURED, A.D. 978
XXXI. THURED'S SECOND MARRIAGE, A.D. 980
XXXII. OF OSVIF HELGISON
XXXIII. OF GEST ODDLEIFSON AND GUDRUN'S DREAMS
XXXIV. GUDRUN'S FIRST MARRIAGE, A.D. 989
XXXV. GUDRUN'S SECOND MARRIAGE, A.D. 991
XXXVI. ABOUT KOTKELL AND GRIMA
XXXVII. ABOUT HRUT AND ELDGRIM, A.D. 995
XXXVIII. THE DEATH OF STIGANDI. THORLIEK LEAVES
ICELAND
XXXIX. OF KJARTAN'S FRIENDSHIP FOR BOLLI
XL. KJARTAN AND BOLLI VOYAGE TO NORWAY, A.D. 996
XLI. BOLLI RETURNS TO ICELAND, A.D. 999
XLII. BOLLI MAKES LOVE TO GUDRUN, A.D. 1000
XLIII. KJARTAN COMES BACK TO ICELAND, A.D. 1001
XLIV. KJARTAN COMES HOME, A.D. 1001
XLV. KJARTAN MARRIES HREFNA, A.D. 1002
XLVI. FEAST AT HERDHOLT AND THE LOSS OF KJARTAN'S
SWORD, A.D. 1002
XLVII. KJARTAN GOES TO LAUGAR, AND OF THE BARGAIN

FOR TONGUE, A.D. 1003
XLVIII. THE MEN OF LAUGAR AND GUDRUN PLAN AN
AMBUSH FOR KJARTAN, A.D. 1003
XLIX. THE DEATH OF KJARTAN
L. THE END OF HREFNA. THE PEACE SETTLED, A.D. 1003
LI. OSVIF'S SONS ARE BANISHED
LII. THE KILLING OF THORKELL OF GOAT'S PEAK
LIII. THORGERD'S EGGING, A.D. 1007
LIV. HALLDOR PREPARES TO AVENGE KJARTAN
LV. THE DEATH OF BOLLI
LVI. BOLLI BOLLISON IS BORN, A.D. 1008
LVII. ABOUT THORGILS HALLASON, A.D. 1018
LVIII. THORKELL AND GRIM, AND THEIR VOYAGE ABROAD
LIX. GUDRUN DEMANDS REVENGE FOR BOLLI, A.D. 1019
LX. THE EGGING OF GUDRUN
LXI. OF THORSTEIN THE BLACK AND LAMBI
LXII. THORGILS AND HIS FOLLOWERS LEAVE HOME
LXIII. THE DESCRIPTION OF HIS ENEMIES BROUGHT TO
HELGI
LXIV. THE DEATH OF HELGI, A.D. 1019
LXV. OF GUDRUN'S DECEIT

LXVI. OSVIF AND GEST DIE
LXVII. THE DEATH OF THORGILS HALLASON, A.D. 1020
LXVIII. GUDRUN'S MARRIAGE WITH THORKELL EYJOLFSON
LXIX. THE QUARREL ABOUT GUNNAR AT THE FEAST
LXX. THORLEIK GOES TO NORWAY
LXXI. THE PEACE BETWEEN THE SONS OF BOLLI AND THE
SONS OF OLAF, A.D. 1026
LXXII. BOLLI AND THORLEIK GO ABROAD, A.D. 1029
LXXIII. BOLLI'S VOYAGE
LXXIV. THORKELL EYJOLFSON GOES TO NORWAY
LXXV. THORKELL AND THORSTEIN AND HALLDOR
OLAFSON, A.D. 1026
LXXVI. THE DROWNING OF THORKELL, A.D. 1026
LXXVII. THE RETURN OF BOLLI, A.D. 1030
LXXVIII. THE DEATH OF SNORRI, AND THE END, A.D. 1031

THE LAXDALE SAGA
[Illustration: Map of the District of Laxdale Saga]

CHAP. I
Of Ketill Flatnose and his Descendants, 9th Century A.D. [Sidenote:
Ketill's family] Ketill Flatnose was the name of a man. He was the son

of Bjorn the Ungartered. Ketill was a mighty and high-born chieftain
(hersir) in Norway. He abode in Raumsdale, within the folkland of the
Raumsdale people, which lies between Southmere and Northmere.
Ketill Flatnose had for wife Yngvild, daughter of Ketill Wether, who
was a man of exceeding great worth. They had five children; one was
named Bjorn the Eastman,