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CDe Book
or tiK
Settlement of icelana.
TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL ICELANDIC OF
ARI THE LEARNED,
REV. T. ELLW^OOD, M.A.
RECTOR OF TORVER,
Author of " Lakeland and Iceland."
KENDAL:
T. Wilson, Printer and Publisher, 28, Highgate.
1898.
{All rights reserved,)
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.Aid
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To EIRIKR MAGNUSSON, Esq., M.A.
To you, to whom I owe much of what I know in Icelandic,
with its exhaustless stores of literature and legend, I respect-
fully inscribe this translation as a slight acknowledgment of
the kindness with which you have aided me by your sugges-
tions and counsel in the study and annotation of the work.
T. Ellwood.
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Vuvv
3 -'^-^7
PREFACE.
TT is about eleven years since I first began the translation
-*' of the Book of the Settlement of Iceland. The remark-
able resemblance of its Place-Names and language generally
to the Place Names and Dialect of my native county,
Cumberland, as also of Westmorland and North Lancashire,
having been that which set me going, and which through so
many years has kept me to the work.
I did it first of all in single isolated chapters, singling put
the chapters from any portion of the original work as they
might seem to have an especial bearing on the local Place
Names or dialect with which I was engaged.
I then wrote these out again as a whole. This translation
of it as a whole was first completed in the spring of 1895.
The work of writing it out occupied me almost incessantly
during the winter and spring of that year.
Since then the translation has been copied and corrected,
most of it twice over. The original Icelandic copy first used
was one from the edition of Copenhagen, 1843. For a con-
siderable portion of the work I used an edition taken from
the Mela B6k and bearing that date of 1770 or thereabouts.*
The Table of Contents, the Notes in a great measure, and
the list of Place Names with references, are my own work.
This I say not as claiming credit, but as acknowledging
responsibility.
E. Magntjsson, Esq., M.A., a distinguished Icelander,
whose works in his own department of literature are too well
and widely known to need comment from me, has throughout
assisted me with his kind counsel and advice ; to him, there-
fore, I have inscribed the translation. The character of this
♦The great discrepancy in places between the two editions used will account
for some differences between those in the Register at the end and the names,
&c., in the body of the work.
immortal
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PREFACE.
immortal Work of Ari may be well summed up in the words
of this gentleman when he says : — ** It is a classic of all
classics in the mediaeval literature of the whole Germanic
world," and the present is an attempt to render, however
imperfectly, that work from Icelandic, a language spoken by
only about 60,000 or 70,000 people, all told, into English,
spoken as it is by a kindred people, a race numbering over
one hundred millions, whose maritime enterprize ''' followed
by settlement and colonization derived apparently from the
Norsemen, have given them the dominion of a great part of
the earth.
The Settlement of Iceland is contemporary, and in a great
measure identical with that national migration which resulted
in the Norse Settlement of the north-western portion of Great
Britain. The gHmpses of Early British Church History f
that run through the following pages, show that Iceland
derived its first knowledge of Christianity from British
settlers, that when the Norsemen first left Norway they were
heathen, but tha.t their sojourn in the Hebrides or the north-
west of our island, generally had the effect of converting
them to the Christian faith.
This work in the original is unique as a record, for no
other country in the world has such an account of its Earliest
History, and no other country m the world affords such an
unimpeachable testimony to the truth of its Earliest History
by having preserved its original language, place names, men's
names, and traditions, essentially unaltered and unimpaired.
T.E.
* The author of the Book of the Settlement contrasts early Norse discovery
with more recent discovery, when he says of Floki using the ravens to guide
him : " Floki had consecrated the ravens to this service in Norway that they
might lead him in his discoveries, as navigators in the north had not, at that
time, any knowledge of the compass (leiiSarstein) to guide them. See note in
the original Icelandic edition, Copenhagen, 1843, I, 2, page 30.
t For notices of Early Church History see Prologue and I, 9, 12, 15; II, 15,
16, 17, 18, 19 and Notes; III, 12; V, 15.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PROLOGUE.
Pag-es.
Iceland before the Settlement, Testimony of Bede. An-
chorites from Britain, - • . -1-2
FIRST PART.
Chapter I. — Settlement, Contemporary Sovereigns.
Position of Iceland^ and discovery by Naddod and
Gardar ------ 2-4
Chapter II. — Discovery of Iceland by Floki. Name of
^* Iceland '* first given - - - - 4-5
Chapter III. — Discovery of Iceland by Bjornolf - 5-6
Chapter IV-. — Ingolf and Leif gather a band and set out'
from Norway f OP Iceland - - - - 6-7
Chapter V. — Leifs expedition to Ireland - - 7
Chapter VI. — Ingolf sets out to settle in Iceland^ A,D,
874 - - - - - - 8-9
Chapter VII. — Ingolf takes vengeance on the murderers
of Leif - - - - - - 9-10
Chapter VIII. — Settlement at Reykjavik - - 10
Chapter IX. — Thing first set up, Thorkell Moon,
speaker -at -law, Christianity introduced A ,D , 1000 lo-ii
Chapter X. — Tale of BJorn Buna - - - 1 1 - 1 2
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11. CONTENitS.
Pages.
Chapter XL — Harald Fairhair subdues the Hebrides - 12-13
Chapter XII. — Orlyg from the Hebrides lands at Pat-
rick's-Jirtk, and after settles near Kjalarness - - 13-14
Chapter XIII. — Svartkel, a settler from Caithness in
Scotland - - - - - - 14-15
Chapter XIV. — Settlement at Hvamm - - 15-16
Chapter XV. — Early Christian Settlers - - 16-17
Chapter XVI. — Asolfs miraculous power of drawing
fish. His final settlement at Holm - - 17
Chapter XVII. — Bekan and other early Settlers - 18-19
Chapter XVIII. — Kveldulf's last voyage. His last
words and death. The chest containing his dead body
cast overboard. His companions find it cast ashore - 19-21
Chapter XIX. — Borg the home of Kveldulfs descendants 21-22
Chapter XX. — Other Settlements round Borgarfitth,
Slaughter of Torfi - - - - 23-24
Chapter XXI. — Raud settles Rodgill, Grim settles
Grimsgill, Koll settles Koirs-stream (Iwk), Ulf
settles between White-river and South glacier - 24-26
Note on the Godi and the institution of the Althing, A,D,
930 ..-.-. 26-27
SECOND PART.
The Settlement in the Quarter of the Western Firths.
Chapter- I. — Kalman from the Hebrides and his Settle-
ments - - - - - - 27-29
Chapter II. — Settlements by the Kjarr -river and Hvit
(White) river. The ancestors of those who fought in
the Battle upon the Heath, Snorri of Melar - 29-31
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C0>iTEi4T^. ill.
Pages.
Chapter III. — Settlements of Arnborg, Thorhjorn^ Geir-
mundy Orn, Rauda Bjorn, Karly and the freedmen of
Skallagrim - - - - - 31-32
Chapter IV. — Settlement of Bersi godless and the freed-
men of Grim - - - - - 32-35
Chapter V. — Grim, draws up a mereman (marmennil)
while fishing, which he compels to foretell place of
settlement. First appearance of Volcano Eldborg
to Thorir, his son, in old age - - ' 35'37
Note on Eldborg and Raudamel - - - - 37-38
Chapter VI. — Settlements by Straum fjord-river. The
Holmgang, Ancestors of the Sturlungs of Hvamm,
Hospitality of Thora, Story of the interment of
Asmund - - - - - - 38-40
Chapter VII. — Deadly conflict between the party of
Laugarbrekka-Einar and the party of Lon-Einar
about alleged witchcraft, Einar's grave mound - 40-42
Chapter VIII. — Settlements of the descendants of Grim-
hell, Thorarin Korniy the hamramr mjok, i,e., the
great wizard who could change his shape - - 42-43
Chapter IX. — Gerveld accused of witchcraft. Her trial
by Duraddm is broken up by a free fight. Settlement
of Herjolf, Slays a wood-bear - • - 43-46
Chapter ^,— Settlements upon the lava plains. Appear-
ances of a mysterious horse - - - - 46-47
Chapter XI. — Descendants of Ketil Flatnose, Dispute
with Harald Fair hair, Hrolf the Ganger - - 47-48
Chapter XII. — Settlement of Thorolf Mostbeard, A,D,
884. His high seat posts come to land in Broadfirth,
He finds them at Temple-stead on Holy -fell. Temple
set up there and District Assembly, Fight and con-
sequent feud between the men of Thorsncss and the
followers of Kiallak the Old, A,D, 932 to 934 - 48-51
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IV. CONTENTS.
Pages.
NoU upon the High Seat Pillar, ondvegis sula • -51-52
The Holy Hill or Helga Fell on Snoefellness ; the earthly
Paradise of Thorolf and his descendants who settled
around Broadfirth (Brei^fjorS,) -
Note on Thorolf s Temple at Temple-stead
Note on the Stone of Thor, Blot-steinn or Stone of Sacri
fice - - - - -
Chapter XIII. — Settlement of Geirrod and Ulfar,
Hospitality of Geirrid his sister. Duel at the Holm
gang between Thorolf and Ulfar, Death of Ulfar
Settlements ift the Eyri, Origin of the community
whose history is related in the Eyrbyggja Saga
52-54
54-55
55-56
56-58
Chapter XIV. — Discovery (A,D, gS2j and Settlement
(A,D, gS6J of Greenland by Eirek the Red - 58-62
Chapter XV. — Olave tJie White, King of Dublin,
marries Aud, daughter of Ketil Flatnose, Thorsiein
their son and Sigurd conquer more than half of Scot-
land, Thor stein falls in battle - - - 62-63
Chapter XVI. — Queen Aud settles all the Dale-lands,
^.D. 892 - - - . - - 63-65
Chapter XVII. — Queen Aud gives lands for settlement
to her shipmates and freedmen - - - 65-67
Chapter XVIII. — Other settlements made by Queen
Aud' s followers - - - - - 67-69
Chapter XIX. — Death of Queen Aud. Her Arval Feast
and Burial within the Sea Shore - - - 69-70
Note on the Arval Feast of Queen Aud - - - 70-71
Note on the voyages and settlements of Queen Aud - 71-73
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CONTENTS.
Pages.
Settlement of Kjallak, His blood -feud. Births of Hamund
and Geirmund, sons of King Hjor, Bfagi's prophecy
concerning them. Battle in Hafursfirth, A,D. 885.
Settlement of Geirmund in Broadfirth - - 73-77
Chapter XX. — Settlements, wealth, and retainers of
Geirmund " Hellskin " - - - - 77-78
Chapter XXI. — Settlements of Steinolf Slettu-Bjorn,
Olaf Belg, and Gisl Skeid-neb - - - 79-80
Chapter XXII. — Settlements of Thorarin Crook, Ketil
Broad-sole, and Ulf the Squinter, Ari is drifted
over the ocean to Whitemen's land or Ireland the
Great, conjectured to he South America - - 8082
Chapter XXIII. — Hallstein settles Codfirth ; makes
High-seat posts from drift-wood. Thorbjorn ^^ Loki''
settles Deepfirth to Steamfirth. Ketil " Gufa " comes
from Viking raids in Ireland and settles Gtifuscales
and Gufuness. Flight and feuds of his thralls,
" Burning in " by thralls at Lambistead, The
" burning in " is avenged - - - - 82-85
Chapter XXV. — Koll, Knjuk, Geirstein, Geirleif, and
sundry other settlers . . . . 85-87
Chapter XXVI. — Settlements of Armod, Thorolf
sparrow, Ketil Broadsole, and Orn, An Redfell
harries Ireland in a Viking-raid to the west, after-
wards settles in Iceland with his relations - - 87-89
Chapter XXVII. — Eirek settles Ditch Dale, Vestein
and Dyra settle Dyrafirth, Thord, son of Harald
Fairhair and his connections - - - 89-91
Chapter XXVIII. — Settlements of Ingiald and Ljot the
Sage, Gest foretells the deaeh of Ljot, The sons of
Grim ^^ Kogr'' fulfil the prophecy - - - 91-93
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VI. CONTENTS.
Pages.
Chapter XXIX. — Settlements of Onund, Hallward
Soughing, Thutid Soundfiller, Helgi son of Hrolf,
Eyvind Knee, Vebjorn, Gunnstein, and Haldor - 94-96
Chapter XXX. — Settlements of Snahjorn, brother of
Helgi the Lean, Terrible blood feud between Snabjorn
and Hallbjorn, on account of the murder of Hallgerd,
Hallbjorn's wife ----- 96-99
Chapter XXXI.— Settlements of Olaf '' JafnakolW;
Orlyg, son of Bodvar, and Eireh Snare, The land-
takes of Geirmund in their order - - - 1 00-101
Chapter XXXII. — Settlements of Onund Treefoot, Bjorn
Steingrim, Koll, Thorbjorn ** Bitra,'' Balki, and
Aindis ------ 101-103
Chapter XXXIII. — Hromund the Halt and his sons
Thorbjorn, Thorleif, and Hestein settle at Fairbrink.
They summon Helgi and his clan of Viking Eastmen
for horse stealing, Hromund and his sons are made
wardens of the district, A poem relating the terrible
and fatal conflict between Hromund and the Eastern
Vikings ; their final discomfiture and flight ; names
of chief settlers in Westfirth, Census - -103-109
Note to Chapter XXXni, - - - - 113
THIRD PART.
The Settlement in the Northern Quarter.
Chapter I. — Eysteinn ^^Meinfref' settles the Dales,
Thorodd settles Ramsfirth and dwells at Thoroddstead,
Fur Bjorn seitles Mid firth, Midfirth Skeggi, his
son, and his exploits, Harald Ring settles Waterness,
Audun Skokil, grandson of Ragnar Lodbrog, settles
(^t Auduustead. His connexions and their Settlements, i lo-i 13
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CONTENTS. Vll.
Pages.
Chapter II. — Ingimund the Old from Norway. Pre-
diction of the witch wife concerning his Talisman.
Its singular story. He settles Vatnsdale and
resides at H of - - - - - 113-116
Chapter III. — Ingimund finds three white hears at
Hunavatn. Sends them to King Hrrald in Norway.
Finds one hundred swine in Swinedale - - 116-117
Chapter IV. — Hrolleif the Great and Ljot his mother
settle in Hrolleifsdale. Settlement results in a series
of deadly family feuds - * - - - 117- 123
Chapter V. — Eyvindr settles Sviniale. ^varr comes
to Blanda -river -mouth. Settles Langdale all across
the Hause and shares his lands with his ship's crew.
Vefreyd settles Moberg. Gaut settles Gaufs-dale aud
Hauk settles near Hank's pits. Holti at Holtisland.
Fostolf and Thorstolf settle Engihlid in Langdale.
Fatal feud between them and Ulfhedin - - 123-126
Chapter VI. — Eilif Eagle settles land from Manis-
Hummock to Gunnguskeid-river and Lax-river-dale.
Samund from the Hebrides brings his ship to the
mouth of Gaunga-skards-river. Settles land from
Scemunds-slope to Vatn-skard. Skefil contemporary
with Samund settles land beyond the Sand-river.
Settlements of his descendants. Ulfljot settles Lang-
holt. Alfgeir settles Algeirs fields up to Machf ells-
river. Settlement by Hrosskel in Svart-river-dale - 126-129
Chapter VII. — Eirek^ a Norwegian, settles Goddale
down to North-river. Contends with Vekell the
Shapechanger - - - - - 129- 131
Chapter VIII. — Eirek and Onund the Wise contend for
land east of Mark Gill. Taking possession of the
land by the fire arrow. Thorbrand's hospitality.
Horse racing and fighting - - • - 1 3 1 - 1 3 3
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Vlll. CONTENTS.
Pages.
Chapter IX. — The Royal connexions of Gorm in Sweden
and Russia. His settlements in Iceland, Ondott's
settlements - - - - ■ ^34
Chapter X. — Remarkable Arvais. A Drapa. Verses
on the appearance of the sons of Hjalti at Thorskafjard
Thing, The discovery of Vinland the Goody i.e,
America, Thord and his nineteen children - - 1 35-137
Chapter XI. — Fridleif the Swede, Flokiy and other
settlers. Bard from' the Hebrides, and Bruni the
White settle Narrowdales, Rotation in the owner-
ship of land - ' - - - -137-143
Chapter XII. — Bjorn exiled from a burning in, in
Sweden, Goes to Ireland in Vestrviking, Eyvind
his son settles in Ireland, Helgi the Lean, son of
Eyvindy brought up in the Hebrides, His adventures
and final settlement in Iceland - - -140-143
Chapter XIII. — Settlement of Thorsiein Svarfad,
Origin of the Saga of the men of Svarfaus-dale,
Hamund Hell shin shares his lands with Orn - 143-144
Chapter XIV. — Settlement of Thord the Tearer and his
relations in Horg-river-dale, Verses on the conflict
between Steinraud and Blacksmith and Geirhild the
witch -wife. Settlement of Audolf and Eyvind m
Horg-riverS'dale ----- 144-146
Chapter XV. — Quick voyage of Thrand Much-sailing
from the Orkneys, Grim slays Ondott, Grim burned
in his house by the sons of Ondott, Terrible conflict
resulting therefrom, - - - - 146-148
Chapter XVI,— Settlement of Hamund ** hellskin,''
Audun, Thorgcir, sons-in-law, and Ingiald, son of
Helgi the Lean ----- 149. 131
Chapter XVII. — Gaut clears his forecastle of Vikings
by a blow of his tiller, hence called " Tiller -Gaut,''
Verses on his settlement. Thorir worships 'the grove.
Verses in ivelcome of Hallstein - - ' '^5^'^5'i
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Contents. ix.
Pages.
Chapter XVlll.— Settlements of Bard of the Peak.
Settlements of K amp -Grim from the Orkneys and his
descendants. Settlements of Heidan and Hoskuld^
sons of tlie Giant - - - - -154-156
Chapter XIX. — Settlements of Vestman, Ulf^ Eyvind,
Grenjad, Shipwreck and settlement of Bodolf
Foretelling the weather by means of ship's beaks.
Grettis verses concerning Thorir - - - 156-158
Chapter XX. — Mani from Halogaland settles between
Fljots and Raudaskridu (Red Screes). Einar, Vest-
man, and Vemund from the Orkneys consecrate to
themselves by place-names, Axfirth, Eagle's hummock,
and Cross-ridge. Ketil Thistle settles Thistle-firth • 159-162
FOURTH PART.
The Settlement in the Quarter of the Eastern Firths.
Chapter I. — Gunnolfsvik and Gunnolfsfell settled by
Gunnolf Kroppa and others. Eyvind the Weaponed
gives the name to Weaponfirth^^Vapnafjord - - 162-165
Chapter II. — Weaponfirth settled by Thorstein Turf,
Lyting, and Thorfid. Hakon settles Jokulsdale west
of jfokuVs-river. Tongue lands between Lagarfljots
and JokuVs-river settled by Thord and his descendants.
Arneid finds buried treasure - - -165-167
Chapter III. — Porridge- A tli settles eastern shore of
Lagarfijot to Gils-river (Gilsd). Thorgeir and others
settle there. HrafnkeVs dream. Settles Hrafnkelsdal i6y-i6g
Chapter IV. — Uni (son of Gardar first discoverer) and
his companions slain by Leidolf in a deadly feud.
Drawing and carving by Tjotvi. His satirical verses
result in the death of Hroar and his sisters sons,
VertrHdi settles Borg firth (Borgarfjord) - -169-171
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X. CONTENTS.
Pasrei.
Chapter V. — Lodmuvd the Old and Bjolf ccnte from
Norway to Iceland, Lodmund guided by hts High
Seat Pillars settles between Hegoat-river and yohuVs'
fiver on Solheima-sand ; names his dwelling Solheim
zzzSunholme, Lomund and Thrasi agree that JokuVs-
river shall divide the East and South Quarters - 171 -I73
Chapter VI. — Bjolf settles Seydi^fjord. Egil the Red
settles Northfirth (Nordfjord). Freystein the Fair
settles Sandvik and Cavefirth (Hellisfjord), Thorir
the High settles Krossavik [Cro^swick), Reydarfjord
(Troutfirth), Vemiind settles Faskrudsfjord, Thor-
hadd the Old settles Sloduar fjord - r -173-174
Chapter VII. — Hjalti settles Broaddale, Herjolf settles
Hvalmss Screes, Thjodrek settles Berufjord and
Bulandnfss, The ring in each Chief Temple. Form
of the oath upon the ring - - - - 174-177
Chapter VIII. — Thorstein Leg goes from the Hebrides
to Iceland ; settles all lands from north of the Horn
to jfokuV s -river ; returns to the Hebrides, Rognvald
Earl of Mari and his three sons^ of whom Hrollaug
is sent to Iceland and Einar volunteers for the
Orkneys - - - - - * 177*179
Chapter IX. — Voyage and settlement of Hrollaug;
keeps up allegiance with Harald Fairhair ; accepts
from him sword, alehorn, and gold ring. Settlement
of Hrollaug' s sons - - - - - 179-180
Chapter X. — Ketily Audun the Red, and Thorstein the
Squinter buy land of Hrollaug. Vors-Ulf settles
Papyli and Breidabolstead, Thord^ Evilmind wrecks
his ship upon Broadriversand , Settles between JokuVs-
river and Folds-river, Sons of Asbjorn settle round
Ingolfs-stead, Peak-bird settles Fljotsherfi and the
' Peah^ . T T « r T i§o-j82
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CONTENTS. XI.
Pagres.
Chapter. XI. — Eyvind Car^ settles near AHmens' -Fleet.
Ketil the Foolish from the Hebrides settles between
Geirland'S' fiver and Firth-river; lives at Kirhbyy
former abode of the Papar, Vilbald from Ireland
comes ashore at Kudafljofs-mouth and dwell at
Bttland ------ 182-184
Chapter XII. — Hrafn Haven-key foretells a volcanic
eruption. Death song of Vermund the Blacksmith.
Mould-Gnup the Blacksmith ^ his brother, settles
Kudafleet and Swans-haunts. Bjorn, his son, dreams
of the rock-dweller ; his great prosperity resulting
therefrom - • - - - - 185-187
Chapter XIII. — Ey stein wrecks his vessel and settles
Fair dale, Olver, son of Ey stein, settles land east of
Grim's-river. Sigmund Kleykir settles land from
Grim's-ri'ver to Carlines-river^ Names of most dis-
tinguished settlers in East firth's Quarter - - 187-189
FIFTH PART.
The Settlement in the Southern Firths,
Chapter I. — Thrasi settles between Kadaklof -river and
jfokuVs-river. Hrafn the Foolish settles between Kal-
daklof -river and Lambf ell -river - - ^189-190
Chapter II. — Asgeir ^'Kneif settles land between Lamb-
fell -river and Self aland -river. Thorgeir settles land
between Lambf ell-river and Ira -river. Asgerd upon
the murder of Ofeig, her husband, by Harald Fair-
hair, sets out for Iceland with her children ; settles
between Self aland -mull and Markfleet. Ancestors of
Burnt Nial • • • • •190-192
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xii. coi4tents.
Passes.
Chapter III. — Ketil Salmon avenges the murder ofTho-
rolf by burning in their house Harek and Hrarek, two
of Thorolf's deadliest enemies ; afterwards goes to Ice-
land and settles land between Rang -river and Hroars-
brook. His son, Sighvat the Red, settles above the
Dealing or * dividing ' river. Three cornered plot of
land hallowed by fire and set apart for a Temple - 192-194
Chapter IW—Baug settles Fleet-Lithe.* Fatal fight at
S and holar- ferry between the followers of Sigmund and
followers of Stein the SnelL Sons of Stein outlawed
from Lithe. Many and fatal blood suits result there-
from between Stein, Onund, and their families - 195-197
«
Chapter V. — Remarkable combat of Dufthak and Storolf
m Oldugrof, Orm the Enthralled first to settle West-
man-isles. Eilif from Sogn settles land up to Trout-
water and Viking -brook. Bjorn from Sogn lives at
Svinhagi and settles land along Rang- river, Kol, son
of Ottar Ball, settles land east of Trout water and
» Stot-brook with Troll-wood, Fatal fight of Egil, his
son, with Gunnar ; other fatal fights with Gunnar,
Hrolf Redbeard settles land of Holm between Fish-
river and Rang-river ; resides at Force (tlie Falls) ;
he worships the Force ; his remarkable power of dis-
tinguishing his sheep ; foretells his own death and
destruction of his flocks - - - - 198-200
Chapter VI. — Harald Fairhair causes Asgrim to be
killed by Thororm, Thor stein Asgrim' s son burns
Thororm in, and then with Thorgeir, his brother, sails
for Iceland, By advice of Flosi he settles the Rang-
river plains above Viking-brook, Buried treasure at
Tent-stead- - - . . . 201-202
Chapter VII. — Flosi goes from Norway to Iceland on
account of manslaughter of King Harald's bailiffs.
His settlements by the Rang-river, Ketil the One-
handed, Ketil Char, Orm the Wealthy, and other
settlers by the Rang-river - - . - 202-204
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COKTEMTS. Xm.
Padres.
Chapter VIII. — Settlements of Rathorm and Jolgeir
from the west, and Askel Knokan, Thorkel Fur coat,
Lopt the son of Orm, Thorvid the son of Ulfar, and
Thorarin, son of Thorkel - - - - 204-205
Chapter IX. — Ancestry of Harald Fairhair, Hastein
driven by him from Sogn, betakes himself to Iceland ;
throws his Seat Stocks overboard for an omen ; they
come ashore at Stockkseyri; settles between Rothay
(Red-river) and Olvis -river up to Full-brook, Settle-
ments of Hallstein, Thorir, son of her sir A si, Hrod-
geir the Sage, and Onund Bil - - - 206-208
Chapter X. — Settlements of Ozur the White and his
freedman Bodvar, Bodvar summoned for sheep-
lifting. After his death his house at Willowwood
becomes the source of a fatal feud to rival claimants,
Thord slays Rafn from an ambush - - - 208-211
Chapter XI. — Settlements of Thrand Much-sailing,
Olvir Bairncarle, Thorbjorn Laxcar^Z, Thorbrand,
and others who came out late in the Landnamtide - 212-214
Chapter XII. — Ketilbjorn from Naumdale in Norway
with a ship (the Ellidi) gives that name to the
E nidi's -river. His settlements at Grimness, Laugar-
dale. Bishop's- tongue, and Mossfell, Settlement of
Asgeir at Lithe, Eilif at Head, Grim, son of
Vethorm, settles Bowerfell, Hallkel fights with and
slays Grim for his land upon Hallkel s -hillocks - 215-217
Chapter XIII. — Thorgrim Bill settles Bills-fell, and
Steinraud, his freedman, gets the Water lands. Hrol-
leif settles lands on the western side of the Axe-river,
which flows across the Thingwall, Orm settles land
east of the Warm-river (Hita), A If of Agdir, from
Norway, brings his ship into Alfs-os Inlet, Settles
lands to west of Warm-river ; resides at Gnupar - 217-218
Note to Chapter XIII, The Plain of Thing Vellir, The
Axe-river (Oxara) and the Althing • •218-220
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XIV. CONTENTS.
Pages.
Chapter XIV. — Thorir Harvestmirk settles Sealcreek
(Selvag) and Creasywick. Steinun the Old buys
from Ingolft her kinsman^ Walrusness for a spotted
cloak ; gives land to her kinsman Eyvind, Herjolf,
mentioned before, gets land from Ingolf between Reek-
ness and Veg. Herjolf his grandson^ fares to Green-
land and is drawn into the ocean- whirl. In his ship
a man from the Hebrides writes the Poem of " The
Ocean Whirl ------ 220-222
Chapter XV. — Names of the noblest landtakemen. The
land completely settled in sixty years. Names of the
greatest Chieftains in the four Quarters at the end of
120 years. Most settlers from the west {British
Islands) were baptised Christians, Relapse of their
descendants into heathenism for about 120 years - 222-223
Place NameSj being the Register of all the Place Names,
Farm Names, and Tribe Names contained in the Book
of the Settlement ----- 224-243
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INTRODUCTION.
Iceland. Its Physical Features.
Iceland is an island in the north Atlantic Ocean, the
northernmost point of it just touches the Polar circle. It
lies between 63° 23' and 66° 22' north latitude and between
1 30 22' and 24° 15' west longitude.
The distance from Iceland to Greenland * is about 250
miles, to Norway 600 miles, to the Faroe Islands 250 miles,
and to Scotland 500 miles. Its superficial area is 40,300
square miles, more than one-third larger than Scotland,
length from east to west 300 miles, breadth from north to
south 200 miles. As will be seen upon the map, the north,
west, and east coasts are very much indented by bays and
firths, which are wanting on the south coast. Its circum-
ference from point to point would be about 900 miles, but
following in the indentations of the coast line, it is about
2,000 miles.
One of the most striking views to voyagers approaching
Iceland from the west is the wide and magnificent coast line
presented by Faxe Fiord or Faxis Inlet, which takes its
name, as we are told by Ari, from Faxi, an early discoverer,
who exclaimed when he first scanned it t ** This must be a
great land which we have discovered, for here are mighty
rivers." Within this firth now stands Reykjavik J with its
4000 inhabitants, and upon another branch of the same bay
is Borg, § the settlement and^ome of that renowned family
of Kveldulf, whose story is so pathetically related in the
Egil's Saga. One of the latest writers upon Iceland, lyord
♦For old Norse computation of those distances to Greenland, Norway and
Ireland as estimated in days' sailing see pages 2 and 3.
t Page 4.
t Reykjavik, i, 8, page 10.
§ Borg, see i, 19; also Borg and Borgfjordr on Map.
Dufferin
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jcvi. tkTRobucTiot^.
Dufferin, approaching it from the western coast, thus des-
cribes that fiord to which Faxi had given the name over a
thousand years before — ** The panorama of the bay of Faxi
Fiord is magnificent, with a breadth of 50 miles from Horn
to Horn, the one running down into a rocky ridge, the other
towering to a height of 5000 feet in a pyramid of eternal
snow, while round the intervening semi-circle crowd the
peaks of a hundred noble mountains. As you approach the
shore you are very much reminded of the west coast of Scot-
land, except that everything is more intense, the atmosphere
clearer, the light more vivid, the air more bracing, the hills
steeper, loftier, and more tormented, as the French say, and
more gaunt, while between their base and the sea stretches a
greenish slope patched with houses, which themselves, both
roof and walls, are of a mouldy green as if they had been
fished out of the bottom of the sea.**
The promontory of Snaefellness is the Horn which Lord
Dufferin here describes as crowned with mountains towering
to a height of 5000 feet in a pyramid of eternal snow. This
mountain Snaefell (Snowfell), mentioned at I, i, page 2,
gives its name to the promontory Snaefellness. Physically
or historically this is the most remarkable promontory in
the whole island. Near its extremity is Arnar Stapi (now
Stappen) or the Steeple Rock of the Eagles. Here too is
Helga Fell," in heathen days the most sacred spot in Iceland,
while north of this promontory is Breidfjord, or Broadfirth,
whose discovery by Thorolf is described at Part H, 12, page
48. Broadfirth abounds in islands. Round the head of one
of its bays. Queen Aud from the British Islands, settled the
dale lands and took up her permanent abode at Hvamm.
This was about the year 892.
Iceland generally consists of a table-land about 2000 feet
in height. It slopes in some instances evenly down to the
coast, especially on the south coast between Eyjafajallokul
and Reykjanes. The lowland here is about 1400 square
miles*
• For Arnar Stapi and Helg-a Fell see map.
Borgarfirth
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iNTRobticfiot^. XVll.
Borgarfirth is the next largest lowland comprising about
400 square miles. '^'
As indicated by the numerous Place Names compounded
with Hraun, the island is throughout volcanic. The whole
of the interior is occupied by barren sands, lava tracts, and
icefields. The largest of these tracts is Odathahraun, about
1200 square miles. The largest icefield t is that of Vatna-
jokull, about 3000 square miles, all the icefields together
cover 5360 square miles. The Ornaefa JokuU is the highest
mountain in Iceland having a height of 6426 feet above the
level of the sea. The snow line is between 3000 feet and
4000 feet above the sea level. There are twenty volcanoes
in Iceland which have been in eruption at one time or other
since the island was inhabited. The eruptions of Hecla have
been most frequent. In 1783 Skapta threw out a lava stream
45 miles long and about 15 miles broad. As a result of such
volcanic agency about 2400 miles of Iceland was covered with
lava. The Book of the Settlement indicates the commence-
ment of some of the outbreaks, more particularly that of
Kaudamel.
The Place Names are amongst the best records of the
physical formation of Iceland, and a glance at the map upon
its south-western extremity gives evidence that the volcanic
agency has not been confined to the island itself. Three names
of islands occurring together are Reyknes, Elde}^ and Eldey-
jardrangr — these are literally Reckness or promontory, Fire
Island and Fire Island Rocks and indicate what their geologi-
cal formation also abundantly proves, that those islands have
risen from the sea by volcanic eruption. The word Reykr
or Reykjar which occurs so often upon the map of Iceland
has a striking significance. It is the English word Reek or
smoke, and occurs in Reykja-a, Reykja-dalr, Reykja-holt,
Reykja-vellir, Reykja-fjordr (twice in western Iceland) Reykjr-
strand, and Reykja-vik, and indicates the numerous hot
springs scattered all over the island connected with these
* See Borgjarfjordar on Map and in Place Names.
t The various icefields will be found on map under Icelandic equivalent
"jcikull."
volcanic
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Xvin. iNtRODUCTION.
volcanic fires. The singular Reykjar being used when there
is only one spring, and the plural Reykja when there are
more than one. The most famous of them are the Geysirs ;
they differ much in temperature, some being just warm
enough for bathing, others convert their water into steam at
a degree far above boiling point. A recent traveller thus
vividly describes the largest : " The subterranean thunders
commenced — a violent agitation disturbed the centre of the
pool — suddenly a dome of water lifted itself up to the height
of 8 or lo feet, then burst and fell, immediately afterwards a
shining liquid column, or rather a sheaf of columns, wreathed
in robes of vapour, sprung into the air, and in a succession of
jerking leaps, each higher than the last, flung their silver
crests against the sky. The spectacle was certainly magnifi-
cent, but no description can give any idea of its more striking
features. The enormous wealth of water — its vitality — its
hidden power — the illimitable breadth of sunlit vapour, rolling
out in exhaustless profusion, all combined to make one feel
the stupendous energy of nature's slightest movements. The
first burst upward till the time when the last jet retreated
into the pipe occupied the space of seven or eight minutes.
At no time did the crown of the column reach higher than
60 or 70 feet. Early travellers talk of 300 feet, more trust-
worthy persons have stated the eruption at 200 feet, while
well authenticated accounts^ when the elevation of the jet has
been actually measured, makes it to have attained a height
of upwards of 100 feet."
In the Book of the Settlement, rivers form perhaps the
most important natural features, as affording inlets to the
early settlers on the otherwise harbourless coasts, and as
giving a line of demarcation to the landtakes, which, as will
be seen, are almost invariably referred to the rivers or to the
water shed of the country — Steer's river (Thjorsa) in the
south and Glacier-river (Jokulsd) and Trembling-water
(Skjaifandafljot) in the north are the largest rivers, each
being over 100 miles long. Hot-river (Hvita) and Cold-
river (Kalda) which bound opposite quarters of the same
landtake as place-names need no comment. White-river
(Hvita) implies the colouration of the water by a glacial
moraine
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INTRODUCTION. XIX.
moraine while Gorge-river (Glufrd) is a sufficient evidence to
the character of the bed within which it flows.
The most considerable lakes are Thingvalla Lake, of which
a description is given in Part v, 13, and Midgewater or
Myvatn in the north. This is often referred to in the Book
of the Settlement.
The following sketch of Iceland has been written expressly
for this work by Dr. Jon Stefansson,* PhD. of the University
of Copenhagen, a native Icelander, who spent a great portion
of the summer of last year (1897) in re-visiting and exploring
the island.
The western part of Iceland is the classic saga ground
which specially centres round Broadfirth. With its innumer-
able islands and the wicks and voes, bays and fjords which
cut into its coasts, it bears more similarity to Greece than
any other part of Iceland. It varies much. Snaefell's-ness,
with its mountain range that ends in the imposing dome of
the glacier, at the extreme end of the peninsula, the dales, so
like the glens in the Scottish and English borderland, the
deep and narrow north-west fjords, Patrick's fjord with its
steep and precipitous sides, where the rock ledges rise one
above the other in parallel streaks. They throw the firth
into shadow but give shelter from the winds. Bluff headlands
rising behind each other on the horizon.
A great many of the islands in Broadfirth are inhabited,
the best known of these is Flatey, on which one of the earliest
monasteries in Iceland was built. Between some of the
islands are rapid currents or swirls, which are dangerous to
fishermen. Some of the islands are covered with luxuriant
grass in summer, others are well-known as breeding places
for seals or eiderducks.
Besides these islands, the Westman Islands south of Ice-
land, Grimsey north of it, and a few islands in the eastern
and north-western fjords are inhabited. Grimsey is cut in
two by the Polar Circle. It forms one parish and the church
lies just in the line of the Arctic Circle. The Islanders
seldom come the long way to the mainland.
* Dr. Stefansson also kindly looked over and corrected for this work proofs of
a portion of Part III, and Parts IV and V,
The
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XX. INTRODUCTION,
The capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, numbers 4000 inhabi-
tants, and is the seat of all the highest officials in the island.
Parliament is held there every other year, and it has a lively
trade with the British Isles, Norway and Denmark. One of
the islands (Videy) that form the harbour is inhabited and
boasted of a famous cloister in the Middle Ages.
The next town in size in Iceland is Akureyri, on the
Eyjafjord, with about 1000 inhabitants. It is pleasantly
situated on the hillside overlooking the fjord and the scenery
of Viga Glum's Saga.
The third town in Iceland in size is Isafjord, in the north-
west, with about 600 inhabitants. The harbour is shut in
completely and land-locked.
The fourth town is Seydisfjord on the east coast, a little
smaller than Isafjord, but being the nearest to Europe, it has
more communication with it all the year round than any
other port.
There are two made roads in Iceland, the one from Reyk-
javik to Thingvellir, 35 miles ; the other from Reykjavik to
Thjorsa or Steer's-river. This last road runs partly through
the district devastated by the earthquakes in 1896 ; such
earthquakes had not occurred in Iceland for a century, or
since the great eruption of 1783- 1784. New geysers opened
and long cracks were to be seen in the ground. Several
hundred farmhouses tumbled down but the loss of life was
small.
The whole of Iceland is believed to have risen out of the
sea by gradual volcanic eruptions. The basaltic formation
of the east and the north-west seems, however, to date from
an earlier geological period. Dr. Thorvaldar Throddsen has
been engaged during the last sixteen years in exploring the
country, and the new geological map of it which he is about
to issue, will supersede Bjorn Gunnlaugsson's excellent map
which is now half a century old.
Travelling in Iceland, away from the trading towns, is still
very primitive. On pony back you scamper over the tracks
made by horses hoofs, and put up at one of the farmhouses
on your way, where the warmth of the welcome and the
hospitality makes up for the scantness of the fare. The
Celtic
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INTRODUCTION. XXI.
Celtic Strain imparted to the settlers in Iceland by inter-
marriage with Celts in Scotland, Ireland, and the Hebrides,
is still noticeable in Iceland. They also brought a great
number of Celtic slaves* with them to Iceland, and the result
is seen in the number of dark-haired people in the island.
The names of men and places have varied little from the time
of Settlement until now. Iceland in this respect as in others
is one of the most conservative countries in the world.
It has been noticed that Iceland is heart shaped, the point
turning south, and so is its largest glacier, the Vatnajokull.
Ari the Learned, Author of the Book of the Settlement.
Forefathers of Ari the Learned as given in the Book of
the Settlement.
Olaf the white, marries Aud.
Thorstein the Red.
Olaf Feilan.
Thord Yellir marries Alfdis of Bara
Eyolf the Gray.
Thorkel.
Gellir.
I
Thorgils.
Ari the Learned.
Ari the Learned was born in 1067, of a noble family sprung
from Queen Aud and King Olaf the White, from whom he
was eighth in descent. Of his lineal ancestors five were born
in Iceland, two in the heathen days, three in the christian
times, but only one died a heathen. His sixth lineal ancestor,
the settler Olaf Feilan, was born in the western islands, pro-
bably in Dublin, but died in Iceland. On his father's side
» $ee Part I, 5, 6.
Ari
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JOcii. INTRODUCTION.
Ari was the great-grandson of Gudrun the heroine of the
Laxdala Saga, on the mother's side he was sprung from
Hall-o-side, up to whom it is remarkable that the three
great Icelandic historians trace their descent on the mother's
side, Thorey, Saemund's mother being Hall's granddaughter,
and Joreid, Aris' mother, his great granddaughter, Gudrig,
Snorri*s mother standing to him both in the sixth or seventh
degrees of descent. It was from the Reyknessings that the
historian got his name of An=the eagle. His father Thorgils
was drowned in his infancy, hence he was brought up at
Helgafell (Holy fell) the house of his grandfather. He was
a godi and is once, in 1118, recorded among the chiefs of
Iceland who were in Holy Orders. He was married and had
a son and a daughter. He died in 1148, on Nov. 9th, aged 81.
** Ari the Learned," says Snorri in his preface to the
Heimskringla, ** was the first man of this land who wrote
down lore both old and new m the speech of the north. He
came when seven winters old to Hawkdale,* to Hall the son
of Thorarin and abode there fourteen winters. Hall was an
exceeding wise man of keen memory. Teit the son of Bishop
Isleif also taught Ari much. He was fostered at Hall's in
Hawkdale, and taugTit Ari the priest manifold lore, which
Ari wrote down afterwards. Ari got manifold knowledge
from Thurid daughter of Snorri the priest, a woman wise of
wit. She remembered Snorri her father who was near
thirty-five when Christ's faith came to Iceland, therefore
nothing wonderful it is that Ari knew many ancient tales
both of our lands and the outlands, inasmuch as he had
learned them from old men and wise, and was himself a man
of eager wit and fruitful memory."
Ari was the true father of Icelandic letters, as well as the
first prose writer and first historian in the Icelandic language.
It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that whatever we
know for certain of the life, religion, and constitution of the
old days of th^ Scandinavian States is in one way or other
due to Ari. And it is well for us that he lived when he did,
• See Haukadale on the map, remarkable as being but half-a-mile from the
famous Geysirs,
like
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iMTkoDtJctioJi. xxiii.
like Herodotus, just in time to gather up and garner for us
traditions that were dying out or been driven out of men*s
minds by new interests and new ideas, and not in vain does
Snorri perhaps half regretfully, notice his age and the oppor-
tunities it gave him, advantages which he himself was denied.
Ari's works : Three works of his are distinctly mentioned.
1. The Konung-Bok, or Book of Kings (Heimskringla).
2. The Landnama, or Book of the Settlement.
3. The Islendinga-Bok, or Book of the Icelanders.
The very use of the. work ** bok " is distinctive of Ari, for
when he wrote, all preceeding histories were Sagas in the
true sense of the word, that is, they were vivd voce traditions
which had never been written down, and it would seem he
thus distinguishes his own written work, to distinguish it from
what is recited orally, the Saga or what is recited or said.
The later Editors of the Book of the Settlement.
The story of the discovery of Iceland and the Settlements
of the west, north, and south quarters. Parts II, III, and V,
were written by Ari.
Kolskegg Asbiornson, his contemporary, described the East
Quarter as is said. Part IV, 4 : ** Now has Kolskegg dictated
the story henceforth as to the Settlements." This takes in
the remaining portion of Book IV.
(a) The joint work of these two was again edited by Styrmir
the Learned, son of Kari, who died (1245).
{h) This edition was again gone over and revised by the
distinguished historian, Sturla Thordson* (1214-1284). The
recensions {a and h) of Styrmir and Thordson were re-edited
by Hauk Erlendson, his edition the ** Hauks-bok,** forming
• Thordson was cousin of Snorri Sturlason and the author of the largest and
most important of all the Sagas, *'The Sturlunga Saga," describing the terrible
struggle which terminated in the fall and extinction of the Icelandic republic in
1 26 1. He himself was nearly related to the leaders, and took a most important
share in the struggle.
one
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XXlV. . iN^RObtJClIOJ^.
one of the principal texts of the Landnama Bok. There is a
special recension based on {a and b) the so-called Mela-bok,
frequently referred to in the following translation. The
author of this edition is not known. Brand Haldorson- is
mentioned as the author of the genealogies of the men of
Broadfirth.
What these later editors did was to add to the Book of the
Settlement its geneaological lore and bring down the lines to
their more immediate predecessors.
Harald Fairhair.
The sixty years that mark the period of the Settlement of
Iceland are in a great measure contemporaneous with the
reign of Harald Fairhair. That reign which marks in its
record the commencement of authentic history in Norway,
seems throughout to have been employed to crush and sub-
due the Norwegian chieftains, over whom Harald held the
nominal rule, and it w^as because they would not be crushed
and because they would not be subdued that so many of
them, as related in the following pages, set out with their
families and all their belongings for Iceland, to seek that
position of self rule and freedom which was so sternly denied
them at home.
Carlyle in his early Kings of Norway, gives a forcible
sketch of this state of things. " Till about the year of grace
860," he says, ** there were no kings in Norway, nothing but
numerous jarls, essentially kinglets, each presiding over a
kind of republic or parliamentary little territory, fylke things
or folk things, little parish parliaments reproduced by them
in the quarter things, founded by those chieftains when they
migrated to Iceland and forming when united, that assembly,
which as a whole, makes up the Althing or representative
and legislative assembly of the whole land."
Harald Fairhair was the first to put an end to this state of
things, by reducing it under one head and making a king-
dom of it, which it has continued to be ever since. His
father,
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iWfRObtJCTlO^. XXV.
father, Halfdan the Black, had already commenced this
process, hard fighting followed by wise guidance of the con-
quered, but it was Harald Fairhair, his son, who carried
it out and completed it. Harald's birth year, death year,
and chronology in general are known only by inference,, but
by the latest reckoning his birth is put down at 850, he
began, under tutelage doubtless, his reign in 860, and died
about the year 933 of our era, a man of 83.
The business of conquest lasted Harald about 12 years
in which he subdued also the Vikings of the out-islands,
Orkneys, Shetlands, Hebrides, and Man. His reign is
counted altogether to have been over 70 years. These were
the times of Norse colonisation, proud Norsemen flying into
other lands, to freer scenes, to Iceland, more especially to the
Faroe Islands, to the Orkney and the Shetland Islands, the
Hebrides, and other countries where Norse squatters and
Norse settlers already were.
Settlement of Iceland, settlement of the Faroe Islands, and
settlement of Normandy by Rolf the Ganger,* according to
the Saxon Chronicle 876. Anent this season of subduing and
driving out the recalcitrant Norwegian jarls to Iceland and
elsewhere by Harald, the following relation is made in the
Heimskringla or History of the Kings of Norway, concerning
his ten or twelve years of conquest and the epithet by which
he was afterwards known. King Harald sent his messengers
to a certain maiden called Gyda, the daughter of King Eric
of Hordaland, to ask her in marriage. She replied to his
messengers as follows : ** Give this my word to King Harald,
that only so will I engage to being his sole and lawful wife
if he will first do so much for my sake, as to lay under him
all Norway, and rule that realm as freely as King Eric rules
the Swede realm, or KingGorm, Denmark, for only such an one
may be called aright a King of the People." Harald replied
as follows : " This oath I make, first and swear before the
God who made me and rules over all things, that never more
will I cut my hair or comb it, till I have gotten to me all
• See page 178 for Rolf the Ganger.
Norway
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kxvi. iMtRODuctloM.
Norway and the tithe thereof, and dues, and will rule there-
over or else I will die rather." Then follows the fierce
fighting, crushing, and expatriation of the Norwegian chief-
tains for lo or 12 years, at the end of which time we are told
King Harald had got to him all the land. So King Harald
had his hair combed and Earl Rognvald sheared it — for
hitherto it had been uncombed and unshorn for ten winters.
Aforetime he had been called Shockhead, but now Earl
Rognvald gave him a by-name, and called him Harald Fair-
hair, a name which he has ever since received.
Things, the Quarter Things, and the Althing.
In Icelandic the term Thing has a twofold meaning.
1st. An assembly or meeting; a general term for any public
meeting, especially for the purpose of legislation, also the
place where such assembly was held.
2nd. A district; county; shire; a thing community; a political
division of a county.
A careful comparison of the notices upon the subject in the
Book of the Settlement will give the best idea of what is
meant by the Icelandic Thing, Part II, 12, page 48, will show
how Thorolf, a distinguished chieftain from Norway, formed
the first Icelandic Quarter or District Thing.
It was the legislative district assembly ; the doom or law
court and the temple parish ; the godi or chieftain himself
being the priest. An account of the godi will be found
I, 20, page 26. It was formed apparently upon the methods
of the Folk Things or parish Parliaments they had had in
Norway. A reference to the map will show that they were
thirteen such Quarter Things or spring Thing in the whole
island, each having three godi or temple priests. The other
twelve Quarter Things or spring Things were formed doubt-
less by the chieftains as they landed and by omen, fire or
battle, took possession of their respective districts, and
they were doubtless upon very much the same lines as
Thorolf
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INTRODUCTION. XXVll.
Thorolf is recprded to have formed Thorsness Thing. An
account of the division of the land into quarters and also
the form of oath taken at the Thing will be found at IV, 7,
page 177. In the year 930 Ulfljot united all those district
Things and formed of them the Althing bringing a code of
laws for their government from Norway. The Althing seems
to have held the same relationship to the whole island that
the districts Things had to their respective quarters, and it
was the Parliament or general assembly of the Icelandic
Commonwealth, invested with supreme legislative and judicial
power. The President is called logma'Sr or logsogu-ma'Sr, law
Speaker, or Speaker-at-Law, and his office was to preside at
the assembly, and as in heathen times the law was not written
he had to say from memory on the Logberg, or law hill,
before the assembled people what was the law of the land.
The Logretta or law-righter was the legislative body of
the Althing, and on the Logretta depended the duty of
making laws for the whole land, framing new laws, and
deciding what should be the law when a point was doubtful
though not connected with any actual suit.
Before 930, the general assembly met at Kjalarness, see I, 9,
page 10, whence it was removed, in 930, under the name of
Althing, to Oxara or the Axe river, see Al]?ing and )?ingvollr
upon the map. For a description of the place see Part V,
13, note. The Parliament at first met on the Thursday
commencing which fell between the nth and 17th of June,
but by a law of the year 999 its opening was deferred until
the next following Thursday between i8th and 24th of June,
old style. It continued for two weeks.
The Quarter Things with the Quarters in which they are included.
The Quarter of the Western Firths, part II.
Thverar-thing
Thorsness-thing
Thorskafjardar-thing
The Northern Quarter, Part III.
Hunavatns-thing
Hegraness-thing
Va*81a-thing
Thingeyjar-thing The
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XXVUl. INTRODUCTION.
The Quarter of the Eastern Firths, Part IV.
Sunnudal-thing
Kidjafells-things
Skaptafells-thing
The Quarter of the Southern Firths, Part V.
Rangar-thing
Arness-thing
Kjalarness-thing
Chronology of the Book of the Settlemnet and of the
Speakers-at-Law to the fall of the Icelandic
Republic.-^'
A.D.
852 — The Norse Sea King, Olave the White, landed at
Dublin and founded a Norse Principality.
860 — Harald Fairhair becomes King of Norway.
871 — Accession of Alfred the Great.
875 — Ingolf first settled Iceland.
878 — Alfred's Treaty with the Danes.
884 — Thorolf Mostbeard took land at Thorsness.
886 — Biorn the Eastman, and Hallstein, son of Thorolf,
settle Broadfirth.
892 (about) Queen Aud came to Iceland and settled all the
Dale lands.
901 — Death of Alfred the Great.
901 — Accession of Edward, son of Alfred.
913 — Thorstein Codbiter born.
918— Death of Thorolf Mostbeard.
927 — Ulfljotr brought a system of law from Norway to Ice-
land. He first promulged a system of law in Iceland
and by his advice the Althing was established.
930 — The Althing is inaugurated ; Rafn, son of Ketil the
Salmon, first had the office of Speaker-at-Law and
said law for 20 years.
• For the History of the fall of the Icelandic Republic, see Islendinga Saga
(A.D. 1 196-1262) by Sturla Thordarson,
950-
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IMTRODUCtlOK. XXIX.
950 — Thorarin Ragabrodir, son of Olaf, was Speaker-at-
Law for 20 years.
970 — Thorkel Mani, son of Thorstein, was Speaker-at-Law
for about 15 years.
985 — Thorgeir, son of Thorkel, was Speaker-at-Law for 17
years.
1000 — Christianity introduced into Iceland. Discovery of
Vineland or America by the Norsemen, described in
Saga of Eirek the Red.
1002 — Grim, son of Sversting from Mossfell, was Speaker-
at-Law lor about 2 years.
1004 — Skapti, son of Thorodd the Priest, was Speaker-at-
Law for about 26 years.
1031 — Stein, son of Thorgest, was Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1034 — Thorkel was Speaker-at-Law (the second time) for 19
years.
1054 — Gellir, son of Bolverk, was Speaker-at-Law for 9 years.
1056 — Isleif was consecrated first Bishop of Iceland at Skal-
holt.
1063 — Gunnar, son of Thorgrim the Seer, was Speaker-at-*
Law for 3 years.
1066 — Kolbein, son of Flosi, was Speaker-al-Law for 6 years.
That summer King Harald, son of Sigurd, fell in
England.
1071 — Gellir was Speaker-at-Law the second time for 3 years.
1075 — Gunnar Speaker at-Law the second time for i year.
1076 — Sighvat Speaker-at-Law for 8 years.
1080 — Gellir Speaker-at-Law the third time.
1084 — Markus, son of Skegg, Speaker-at-Law that summer
and died 1093.
1093 — Bergthor, son of Hrafn, Speaker-at-Law.
1097 — Tuindargjald took law to Iceland.
1 106 — Bergthor Speaker-at-Law the second time. About this
time the Christian Scriptures were brought to Iceland.
1 1 07 — Ulfedin took law to Iceland.
1 1 22 — Gudmund, son of Thorgeir, was Speaker-at-Law for
17 years.
1 139 — Hrafn Ulfhedin's son Speaker-at-Law for 4 years.
1 143 — Finn, son of Hall, Speaker^at-Law for 6 years.
1 149
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XXX. INTRODUCTION.
1 149 — Hrafn Ulfliedin's son Speaker-at-Law for 10 years.
1159 — Snorri Speaker-at-Law for 15 years.
1174 — Styrkar, son of Odd, Speaker-at-Law for 10 years.
1184 — Gizur, son of Hall, Speaker-at-Law for 22 years.
1206 — Hall, son of Gizur, Speaker-at-Law for 8 years.
1 2 14 — Styrmir, son of Kara, Speaker-at-Law for 5 years.
Styrmir was one of the later editors of Book of Settle-
ment.
1 2 19 — Snorri Sturluson, the Historian, Speaker-at-Law for
4 years.
1223 — Teitr, son of Thorvald, Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1226 — Snorri Sturluson second time Speaker-at-Law for 10
years.
1236 — Styrmir second time Speaker-at-Law for 4 years.
1240— Teitar, son of Thorvald, second time Speaker-at-Law
for 12 years.
1252 — Olafr, son of Thord, Speaker-at-Law for 3 years.
1256 — Olafr, son of Thord, second time Speaker-at-Law for
I year.
1257 — Teitr, son of Einar, Speaker-at-Law for 6 years.
1262 — Final submission of Iceland to Norway.
Sagas.
As most of the Icelandic Sagas* had their first origin in the
historical events related by Ari in the Book of the Settlement
or from persons mentioned there, some of the chief of those
Sagas with their district and probable period are noted on
next page.
•For an excellent translation of the chief and most interesting^ of the Sag^as,
including the Heimskringla or History of the Early Kings of Norway, the reader
is referred to the series contained in the Saga Library, commencing its issue in
1 89 1, the volumes of which are still coming out at intervals. For a Picture Book
to illustrate the Sagas of Iceland and to supply the background of scenery which
the ancient dramatic style of the Sagas takes for granted, the Translator of the
Book of the Settlement would refer to "A Pilgrimage to the Sagasteads of Ice-
land," by W. G. Collingwood, M.A., and Dr. J6n $tefansson, which is expected
to appear about Christmas in the present year, and which will contain 13 coloured
plates and 138 engravings from water colour drawings by W. G. Collingwood.
The places are such as have all been named and particularized in this Book of
Settlement. The illustrations were completed by Mr. Collingwood on the spot in
a pilgrimage which took him and Dr. Stefansson, his companion, in the summer
of 1897, ^^^^ * rough and roi^dl?$s country in a journey of over a thousand miles.
Nials
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INTRODUCTION. XXXI.
Nials Saga — The Saga of Law — Terminates with the Battle
of Clontarf 1014 — South, V, 2.
Erbyggja Saga — Treats chiefly on Politics — Commences with
settlement of Thorolf Mostbeard, 884 — extends over a
period of 140 years — West, II, 12. The Saga of the
Battle upon the Heath, 1021, referred to at II, 2, page
29, is contained in this Saga.
Laxdala Saga — The most romantic of the Sagas — West. Of
uncertain date — chief character and leading events
sketched at II, 17.
Egil's Saga — A family feud between Kveldulf and Harald
Fairhair carried on for three generations — Ninth and
tenth centuries — Norway, England, and Iceland, I,
18 and 19.
Grettis Saga — Seems formed from hints found in Book of
Settlement, loio to 1013. North of Iceland and Nor-
way, III, 19, and note.
The Saga of Howard the Halt is founded upon the tragic
event related at II, 18, page 92.
Other Sagas are noted under the chapters with which they
they are connected.
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THE BOOK
OF THE SETTLEMENT OF ICELAND.
Prologue.
Iceland be/ore the Settlement — Testimony of Bede — A nchorites
from Britain,
rilHIS is the Prologue to this Book. In that Book*
*- on the reckoning of time, which the Venerable Bede t
drew up, there is mention made of the Island called Tili,
which in books is said to be six days' sailing north from
Britain. There he said day came not in winter, nor
night in summer, when day is at its longest. By wise
men the reason why Iceland is called Tili is held to be
this, that, wide about the land the sun shines all night
when the day is at its longest, and that wide about it the
sun is not seen in the day time when night is at its
longest.
But Bede, the Priest, died 735 years after the
Incarnation of our Lord, according to what is written,
and more than one hundred years before Iceland
was peopled by the Northmen. But before Iceland was
peopled from Norway there were in it the men whom the
Northmen call Papar ; they were Christian men, and it is
held that they must have come over sea from the west,
for there were found left by them Irish books, X bells, and
• Aldarfarsb6k=De Ratione Temporum, a work by Bede.
t Venerable Bede, born about 673 A.D., died 26th May, 735 A.D. " He was,"
says Green, *• first amon^ English scholars, first among English theologians,
first among English histonans, it is in the Monk of Jarrow that English litera-
ture strikes its roots."
t Baekr irskar bjoUur ok baglar.
croziers,
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2 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER I.]
croziers, and more things besides, from which it could be^
understood that they were Westmen * (Irishmen) ; these
things were found east in Pap-islet and Papyle, and it is
stated in English books that in those times voyages were
made between these countries.
Part First.
Chapter I. Here beginneth the " Landnamabok " (or
Book of Settlement), and in the first chapter is stated
whither is the shortest way from Iceland. When Iceland
was discovered and peopled from Norway, Adrian was
Pope of Rome, and after him John, he who was eighth of
that name in the Apostolic seat, Louis, son of Louis, was
Kaisar north of the Alps, and Leo and his son Alexander
over Constantinople. Then was Harold Fairhair King
over Norway and Eric the son of Eymund in Sweden,
and his son Biorn ; and Gorm the Ancient in Denmark,
and Alfred the Great in England, and afterwards Edward
his son, and Kiarval in Dublin, and Earl Sigurd the
Mighty in Orkney.
So wise men say, that from Norway, out of Stad, there are
seven half-days' sailing to Horn, in eastern Iceland, and
from Snowfells Ness, where the cut is shortest, there is four
days* main west to Greenland. But it is said, that if one
sail from Bergen straight west to Warf, in Greenland,
then one must keep about 12 miles (sea miles) south of Ice-
land, but from Reekness, in southern Iceland, there is five
days' main to Jolduhlaup, in Ireland, going south ; but
from Longness, in northern Iceland, there is four days'
* Westmen were those who came from the British Islands as distinguished
from austmenn (eastmen) those who came from Norway and the Scandinavian
continent,
t The Norse Name for these Anchorite Fathers is Papar. Three islets amon^
the Hebrides, two in the Orkneys, two in the Shetlands, and others amooij the
Faroes, bear the names of Pabba or Papa= Father's Isle. In the mainland of
Orkney, and again in South Ronaldshay, we find places called Paplay=The
HermiVs abode, and at Enhallow and at one of the rapas in the Orkneys the
ancient Cell still remains.
main
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OF ICELAND. 3
[part I, CHAPTER I.]
main north to Svalbard, in Hafsbotn, but one day's sail
there is to the Wastes of Greenland from Kolbein's
Isle in the north.
Discovery of Iceland by Naddod the Viking.
So it has been said that once men set out from Norway
bound for the Faroe Islands; and some say that it was
Naddod the Viking ; but they drifted west into the main
and found there a great land. They went up aland, in the
East Firths, to the top of a high mountain, and looked
round about, far and wide, to see if they could observe
smokes, or any inkling of the land being settled, but they
could not oberve anything of the kind. They went after-
wards, about autumn, to the Faroe Islands, and as they
sailed from the land, much snow fell upon the mountains,
and therefore they called the land Snaeland=Snowland.
They praised the land much. The place where they
arrived at is now called Reydar Fell, in the East Firths.
So said Saemund,* deep in lore, the Priest.
Discovery of Iceland by Gardar.
There was a man named Gardarr, the son of Svavar, a
Swede by kin, he went to seek Iceland under the direction
of his mother, who was a seer. He came to land east
of the Eastern Horn ; there was a haven then. Gardar
sailed round the land and so came to know that it was
an island.
He was through the winter in the north in Husavik t in
♦Saemund Sigfusson of Oddi (b. 1056 d. 1 133) an elder contemporary of Ari.
In the Sauas he appears as the greatest churchman of his day, as an historia
and as the founder ot a great fam.Iy, the Oddverjar.
t Husavik lies at the termination of an inlet on the east side of Skialfandafiord.
Consists of several houses, and several cottages. Lies at the hei^^ht of more than
100 feet above the level of the sea on the brow of perpendicular precipices.
The harbour is reckoned one of the most dangerous in Iceland, on account of rocks
at the entrance and exposure to north and north-west winds, by which enormous
masses of Greenland Ice are driven into it, — Henderson's Iceland.
bondswoma^n,
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4 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER II.]
Skjalfand and there he built a house. In the spring, wl^en
he was ready for sailing, a man named Nattfari was drifted
from him in a boat, in which also was a thrall and a
bondswoman. He settled in the place which has since
been called Nattfara-vik. Gardar went from thence to
Norway, and he praised the land much. He was the
father of Uni, the father of Hroar, the godi of Tunga.
After that the land was called Gardar's Holme, and was
covered with wood between fell and foreshore.
Discovery of Iceland by Floki. Name of*^ Iceland ^^ first given.
Chapter II. Flokr, the son of Vilgerd, was the name
of a man, a great viking. He went to search for Gardar's
Holme, and put to sea where it is now called * Fldka-VariSi,'
=Flokis beacon. There Hordaland and Rogaland meet.
He went first to the to the Shetlands and lay there in
Flokis Bight ; there Geirhild, his daughter, perished in
Geirhild's Water- With Floki were in the ship a good-
man named Thoralf, and another called Herjolf. There
was also a man named Faxi, from Sodor,* who was in the
ship.
Floki took three ravens f with him to sea. When he
set free the first, it flew aft over the stem ; the second flew
up into the air and back to the ship again ; but the third
flew forth straightway over the stem, in the direction in
which they found the land. They hove in from the east
at the Horn, and then they coasted the land by the south.
But as they sailed west round Reykjanes, and the firth
opened out to them, so that they saw Snaefellness, Faxi
observed " This must be a great land which we have dis-
* The word in the Icelandic is *Su'Sreyskr'=a man from SuiSr-eyjar or the
Southern Islands=Sodor, i.e the Hebrides.
f In another cop^ of the Landnama it is stated that Floki had consecrated these
r;iY<^ns to this service before he set out from Norway.
covered
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QF ICELAND. 5
[part I, CHAPTER III.]
covered, and here are mighty rivers." Thence they called
that river's mouth * Faxa6ss '=Faxemouth. Floki and
his men sailed west over Broadfirth, and there he made
land where now is the bay ^called *Vatns Q6r8r*= Water
Firth, against Barda-Strand. The bay so abounded in fish,
that by reason of the catch thereof they gave no heed
to the gathering in of hay, so that all the live-stock
perished in the winter. The following spring was rather
cold ; then Floki went up to the top of a high mountain
and discovered north, beyond the mountain, a firth full of
drift ice ; therefore they called the land ' Iceland,' and
so it has been called since then. Floki and his men were
minded to go away in summer, but they were ready only a
short time before the beginning of winter. The remains of
their scale-toft are yet to be seen east of Branslaek, and the
shed that covered their ship, and the firestead. They could
not beat round Reykjanes, and the boat broke away from
them with Herjolf upon it. He came in at the place
which is now called Herjolf s Haven. Floki was, during
the winter, in Borg-Firth, and they found Herjolf again.
They sailed to Norway the summer after, and when men
enquired of them about the land, Floki spoke ill of it, but
Herjolf told both the good and the bad of the land, and
Thorolf said that butter dropped from every blade of grass
in the land which they had discovered, therefore he was
called Thorolf ' Smjor ' * =Thorolf butter.
Discovery of Iceland by Bjornolf.
Chapter HI. There was a man named Bjornolf, and
another named Hroald, they were the sons of Hromund,
the son of Grip. They went from Thelmark on account
•Smjor or butter is elsewhere in Landnama applied as place names as Smjor-
h61ar in the west of Iceland, meaning- * Butter-hillocks.' Compare Lake and
Butterhilket. Smj6r-h61ar so called is the place where the lady Olof stored her
butter. Also in Landnama are Smjor Sand and Smjor vatn.
of
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6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER IV.]
of manslaughters, and they took up their abode at Dale's
Firth, in Fjalir. The son of Bjornolf was Orn, the father
of Ingolf and Helga, and the son of Hroald was Hrodmar,
the father of Leif. The foster-brothers, Ingolf and Leif,
went a-warring with the sons of Earl AtH the slim, of
Gaular, these to wit, Hastein, Herstein, and Holmstein.
Between them all dealings went well, and when they came
home they bespoke an expedition in common the next
summer, and in the winter the foster-brothers made an
entertainment for the sons of the EarJ, at which feast
Holmstein vowed a vow that he would marry Helga, the
daughter of Orn, or no other. To this vow little heed
was given, but Leif reddened up at it, and little enough
Leif and Holmstein would have to do with one another
as they parted there at the feast.
Chapter IV. In the spring the foster-brothers
prepared to go out warring, and went to meet the sons of
Earl Atli, whom they met at Hisargafl, when Holm-
stein and his brothers immediately attacked Leif and
Ingolf in battle. When they had fought for a while
there came upon them Olmod the Old, son of Horda-
Kari, a kinsman of Leif, and brought aid to Ingolf and
Leif. In that battle Holmstein fell, but Herstein fled.
Thereupon Leif and Ingolf set out on warfare. In
the winter following, Herstein went against Leif and
Ingolf, and was minded to slay them, but, being
warned of his proposed attack upon them, they met
him in battle, and there befell a great fight in which
Herstein was slain. After that there drifted to the
foster-brothers a great number of their friends and ac-
quaintances from the Firth-folk ; then men were sent to
Earl Atli and Hastein, that they might make a reconcilia-
tion between them, which was settled on those conditions,
that the foster-brothers should hand over to them all their
estates. After that the foster-brothers fitted out a great
vessel which they possessed, that they might go and seek
that
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OF ICELAND. y
[part I, CHAPTER V.]
that land which * Hrafnafloki'=(Floki of the ravens) had
discovered, which was then called Iceland. They found
the land, and made a stay in the east country in the
southernmost Alptafirth (or Swans' Firth the southern-
most). The land seemed to them to be better southward
than northward. They spent one winter in the land and
then they returned to Norway.
Leifs Expedition to Ireland.
Chapter V. After that Ingolf spent their money on
an expedition to Iceland, but Leif set out upon a viking
expedition to the west (Vestrviking). He harried Ireland
and found there a large underground house or cavern, he
went into it and within it was very dark until he advanced
till where he saw a light gleaming from a sword which a
man held in his hand. Leif slew the man and took the
sword and much treasure from him, and thereafter he was
called Hjorleif=Leif of the sword. Hjorleif harried
Ireland wide about, and took from thence much treasure ;
he also took ten thralls who are thus named : Dufthak
and Geirrod, Skjaldbjorn, Halldor, and Drafdrit, more
are not named.
After that Hjorleif went to Norway and found there
Ingolf his foster-brother. He had before this married
Helga, the daughter af Orn, Ingolf s sister. That winter
Ingolf made a great sacrifice and consulted the oracles
concerning his destiny =(forlog or what is "laid" up)
but Hjorleif always contemned sacrifices. The oracle *
marked an abode for Ingolf in Iceland. After that each
of those kinsmen-in-law prepared his ship for the Icelandic
expedition, Hjorleif taking on board his ship his war-
booty; but Ingolf, on his, the wealth they owned in
fellowship; and when all their equipments were ready,
they set out to sea.
• Fr^tt=an inquiry of the g^ods or men about the future.
Ingolf
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8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER VI.]
Ingolf sets out to settle in Iceland, A.D. 874.
Chapter. VI. That summer when Ingolf set out with
his companions to settle Iceland, Harald Fairhair had
had been for twelve years King over Norway. There
had elapsed from the creation of tl^e world six thousand
and seventy three winters, and from the Incarnation of
our Lord eight hundred and seventy four years. They
held together until they sighted Iceland, then they sepera-
ted. When Ingolf sighted Iceland he cast overboard his
high seat pillars for an omen, and he made the vow that he
would settle there wherever his high seat pillar came
ashore.
Ingolf landed at the place which is now called Ingolf s
Head, and Hjorleif was driven to the west, along the land,
when a great want of water overtook him. Then the
Irish slaves formed the plan of mixing meal and butter
together, and they called that unthirsty fare (uj^orsldtt
=not thirst awaking) ; they named it alsominnthak'^ but
when this had been fully prepared there came a great rain
and they collected the rain-water in their awnings, and
when the ninnthak began to mould, they threw it over-
board, and it came to land in the place which is now
called Minnthakseyr.t
Hjorleif let make there two Scales J and the one toft §
was 18 fathoms long, and the other 19 fathoms. Hjorleif
resided there during the winter; and in the following
spring he determined to make a seed time or sowing.
He had one ox, but he made his slaves draw the plough.
When Hjorleif was employed about the Scale, Dufthak
gave this advice to the others, that they should kill the ox,
and say a wood-bear had slain it, and that, when Hjorleif
•From a Gaelic word iiiin= flour,
t Minnthak's Beach.
t Icelandic '* SUk\i "^Cumberland Scale, as Peat Scale. Also in Place Names
as Scales; Seascale; Scale Hill; Sand Scale; Nether Scales.
§ Toft=Cumberland Toft. ^nd
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OF ICELAND. ^
[part I, CHAPTER VI.l
and his companions should seek for the bear, they should
set upon them. Afterwards they told this story to Hjorieif,
and then they went to seek the bear, and when they were
dispersed in the woods, the slaves set upon them separately
and murdered them all, as many as they were themselves.
Then they ran away with their women, and the chattels,
and the boat. The slaves went to those islands which
they saw out at sea, towards the south-west, and took
up their abode there for awhile. Vifill and Karli were the
names of two slaves of Ingolf whom he sent westward
along the sea coast, to try and find his High Seat posts, and
when they came to Hjorieif shof, they found Hjorieif
dead and went back and told Ingolf the tidings ; he took
the fate of Hjorieif much to heart.
Chapter VII. After that Ingolf went west to Hjorieif-
shof, and, when he saw Hjorieif dead, he exclaimed " little
indeed went here to the undoing of a brave man and true,
that slaves should have put him to death, and thus I see
it goes with every one who will do no sacrifice." Ingolf
let array the burial of Hjorieif and his companions, and
took charge of their ship and chattels. He then ascended
the headland and observed some islands which lay out at
sea, towards the south-west, and the thought came into
his mind that they might have escaped thither, inasmuch
as the boat had vanished. So they went to seek for the
slaves, whom they found in the Islands, at a place which
is now called Eid.'^' They were at meat when Ingolf
came upon them. They fled, terror struck, each his
own way* Ingolf slew them all. The place where
Dufthak was killed is now called Dufthak's-scor or scar.
The greater part of them threw themselves from the rocks
which have taken their names from them. And these
islands t where the slaves were slain have since been called
* Eid means Isthmus.
t See Westmannaeyjar in the Map.
islands
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ltd THE S£TTL6MENT
[part I, CHAPTER VII.]
the Westmens* Islands,* because those who were slain
there were Westmen. Ingolf and his men took with them
the widows of the men who had been murdered, and
returned to Hjorleifshof. Ingolf was there another
winter, and in the following summer he went west, along
the sea coast. He passed the third winter under Ingolf s
fell, to thfe west of Olfu's river (and some say that he was
interred there.)t In those seasons VifiU and Karli found
his High Seat Pillars in Orn's-KnoU, beneath the Heath.
Settlement at Reykjavik.
Chapter VIII. Ingolf went, in the following spring,
down over the Heath. He took up his abode where the
High Seat Pillar had come to land. He dwelt at Reyk-
javik. There are now his High Seat Pillars there in the
Eldh<:)use=Fire House. Then Ingolf took for himself
land between Olfu's J river and HvalQardar, or Whale
Firth, west of Brinjadal's river, and all between that and
the Axe-river and all the nesses to the south^ward. Then
said Karli, ** To an evil end did we pass through goodly
country-sides that we should take up abode on this outlying
ness." He ran away and a bondswoman with him. Ingolf
gave to Vifil his freedom, and he settled at Vifil's Tofts ;
and from him is named the mountain called * VifiPs Fell.'
There he abode for a long time and was an upright man.
Ingolf let rear a Scale upon Scale-Fell — thence he saw
Reek=smoke or vapour, against Glfus water, and found
Karli there.
Thing first set up. Thorhell Moon Lawspeaker.
ChristiarAty introduced A.D. looo.
Chapter IX. Ingolf was the most renowned of all
* Westmenn or those who came from the Western, or British Islands, as dis-
tinsrtrished from the Eastmenn, or Norwegfiairs.
t This passage not found in some early copies of Landnama.
X See Olvus vatn on the Map.
the
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C QF ICELAND.. : ai
[part I, CHAPTER IX.] . ,
the settlers of Iceland ; for he came here to an un-
inhabited land, and was the first to set up an abode upon it,
and the others who settled there afterwards did so induced
by his example. Ingolf married Hallveig, the daughter
of Frodi, the sister of Lopt the aged. Their son was
Thorstein, who set up the Thing at Kjalarness, before the
Althing was established.
The son of Thorstein was Thorkell Moon, the Law-
speaker, who, according to the general opinion of the
men of that time, was the best amongst heathen men.
In his last illness he caused himself to be borne out to
where the rays of the sun would fall upon him, and com-
mitted himself into the hands of that God who had shaped
the sun. His Hfe was so pure that it was comparable
with the lives of the best of the Christians.
His son was Thormod, who held the supreme priest-
hood when Christianity was was first brought to the Island.
His son was Hamal, the father of Mar and Thormod
and Torfi. Sigurd was the son of Mar, the father of
Hamal, the father of Gudmund, the father of Thormod,
the godi of Skeid.
Chapter X. Here the tale is of Bjorn Buna. There
was a man, Bjorn Buna, a renowned * hersir,' in Norway,
the son of Verdrar-Grim, a ' hersir ' of Sogni. The mother
of Grim was Hervor, the daughter of Thorgerd, the daugh-
ter of Eylaug, a 'hersir'* from Sogn. From Bjorn are
descended almost all the renowned men in Iceland. He
was married to Velaug, the sister of Vermund the old ;
they had three sons, one was Ketil flatnose ; another was
Hrapp; the third Helgi. They were famous men^ and
of their decendants many things are told in this book.
Of Thord Skeggi, the son of Hrapp. There was a man
* Hersir, a chief or lord, was the name of the Norse chiefs of the earliest age ;
especially before th6 time of Harald Fairhatr and the settlement.
U%med
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12 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER X.]
named Thord Skeggi ; he was the son of Hrapp, the son
of Bjorn Cuna. Thord married Vilborg, the daughter of
Osvald, Their daughter was named Helga, whom Ketil-
bjorn the Old, married. Thord went to Iceland, and with
the advice of Ingolf, took land in his landtake between
.Ulfar's river and Leiruvag. He dwelt at Skeggistead.
From Thord are descended many distinguished men in
Iceland.
Chapter XI. There was a man named Hall the god-
less. He was the son of Helgi the godless, neither father
nor son would sacrifice but they trusted in their own might.
Hall went to Iceland and took land with the advice of In-
golf from Leiruvag to Mogil's river. The son of Hall was
Helgi, who married Thurid, the daughter of Ketilbjorn.
Their son was Thord, in Alfsnes, who married Gudny,
the daughter of Hrafnkel. Hall resided in Muli.
Harald the Fairhaired harried west over sea as is related
in his Saga. He subdued to his power all Sodor,*=The
Hebrides, so far west that no king of Norway has
conquered further since his time. But when he returned
from the west, Vikings threw themselves into those
Islands as well as Scotchmen and Irishmen, and harried
and plundered wide about. When Harald heard this,
he sent to the west Ketil Flatnose, son of Bjorn Cuna,
to recover those Islands. Ketil married Yngvild, daugh-
ter of Ketil Wether, a lord from Hringariki. Their sons
were these: Bjorn the Easterner and Helgi Bjola; Aud
the deep-minded, and Thorun the horned were their
daughters. Ketil went west, and left behind Bjorn, his
son. He subdued the whole of Sodor=The Hebrides,
and made himself lord thereover, but paid no tribute for
them as had been agreed upon, to Harald the King ; then
the King confiscated his possessions, which were in Nor-
way, and expelled Bjorn his son.
• • Sf^ note Chapter U, Of
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OF ICELAND. 13
[part I, CHAPTER XI.]
Of Helgi Bjola. Helgi Bjola, the son of Ketil Flatnose,
went to Iceland from Sodor=The Hebrides. He was
with Ingolf the first winter, and settled under his advice
the whole of Kjalarness, between MogiPs river and
Mydal's river. He dwelt at Hof. His sons were Slaugh-
ter Hrapp, and KoUsvein, father of Thorgerd, the mother
of Thord, the mother of Ogmund, the father of Bishop
John, the Holy.
Chapter XII. Orlyg was the name of a man who
was the son of Hrapp, the son of Bjorn Cuna ; he was
brought up by the Holy Patrick, Bishop of Sodor. He
conceived the^desire to go to Iceland, and asked the Bishop
St. Patrick who had brought him up that he would make
provision for his setting out. The Bishop provided him
with wood, suitable for building a church and a plenarium
and an iron bell, a golden penny and consecrated earth, to
be put under the corner pillars. Afterwards the Bishop
told him that he should take land where he should see two
mountains rising out of the sea, and rear his dweUing
under the southernmost mountain ; in either mountain
there should be a valley, and there he should take up his
abode, and let build there a church and should consecrate
it to the Saint Columba.* With Orlyg there was in the ship
a man named Koll, his foster-brother, and another named
Thorbjorn sparrow ; a third named Thorbjorn talkni, and
his brother Thorbjorn Skuma, they were the sons of
Bodvar bladder pate.
These went to sea along with Orlyg, and they had a
hard and difficult voyage and knew not whither they were
going. Then Orlyg besought St. Patrick that he might
have a landing, and vowed that he would assign his name
as the place name to whatever land he might take. They
were thenceforth but a little while upon the ocean until
• St. Columba, Apostle to the Hebrides and West of Scotland, born 521 A.D.,
died at lona, 597, A.D.
. ;. they
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ri4 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XII.]
. they sighted land, and discovered that they had come west
around the country. They brought their ship to port at
Orlygshaven, and the bay which stretches inward from
thence they called Patricksfirth. They were there for
one winter, and in spring Orlyg fitted up his ship, and,
taking all his possessions with him, sailed round Bard by
the west, but when he had passed Faxemoth to the south,
he saw there two mountains and a dale in each, and he
recognised the mountains which had been before desig-
nated to him. He held there towards the southern
mountain, which was Kjalarness, which Helgi his cousin
had settled already.
Orlyg was with Helgi the first winter, and in spring
he settled land by the advice of Helgi, between Mogil's
river and Osvif s Brook, and dwelt at Esjuborg. He built
a church there as he had vowed. Orlyg had many
children* His son was Valthjof, father of Valbrand, the
father of Torfi ; another was Geirmund, the father of
Halldora, the mother of Thorleif, from whom and his
kinsmen the Esjubergings are descended. Orlyg and his
kinsman believed in Columba. The daughter of Orlyg
the Old was Velaug, whom Gunnlaug Ormstunga the son
of Hromund in Thverarhlid* had for his wife. Their
daughter was Thurid dylla, mother of lUug the black, at
Gilsbank.
Svartkel, a settler from Caithness in Scotland.
Chapter XHI. There was a man named Svartkel,
from Caithness : he settled land inward from MydaPs
river, between that and Elifsdale-river, and dwelt first at
Kidfell and afterwards at Eyri. His son was Thorkell,
father of Glum, who thus prayed before the cross : " Ever
good to old men ; ever good to young men ! " He was
• Thverarhlid is literally " cross river " ; thver bein^ applied to a tributary or
cross river, as distinguished from the main river into which it flows ^ a-n
effluent.
the
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[part I, CHAPTER XIII.]
the father of Thorarin, the father of Glum at ' Vatn-
lausa '=waterless. The sister of Svartkel was named
Arnleif, the wedded wife of Thorolf viHgisl, the father of
Kleppjarn the Old from Flokadale, their daughter was
named Hallgerd, who was the wife of Bergthorr, the son
of KoU.
Valthjof, son of Orlyg the Old from Esjauberg, settled
all Kjos and dwelt at Medalfell ; from him are the Valth-
joflihgs descended. His daughter was Signy, the mother
of Gnup, the father of Birning, the father of Gnup, the
father of Eirik, the Bishop of the Greenlanders.
Settlement at Hvamm.
Chapter XIV. Hvamm Thorir settled land between
Lax river and Foss river, and dwelt in Hvamm.
He.had a contention with Ref the Old concerning a
cow which was called Brynja, and from her the Dale has
its name, as she grazed out with 40 cattle (nauta= Scottish
nwote) which were all bred from her. Ref and Thorir
fought in Thorisholar, there Thorir fell and eight of his
men.
Thorstein, the son of Solmund, the son of Thorolf butter,
settled land between Botn's river and Foss river, the whole
of Brynjudale. He married Thorbjorg Katla, the daughter
of Helgi Skarf, the son of Geirleif, who settled Barda-
strand. Their son was Ref the Old^ from whom the
Bryndalers are descended. Now have been told those
men who settled the landtake of I ngolf westward from him.
There was a man named Avang, an Irishman by race, he
first settled in * Botn '= Bottom. The wood was at that
time so abundant there that he built from it a seagoing
ship, and put in her cargo at the place which is now
called Hladhamar.* His son was Thorleif, the father of
* Cargo Crag.
Thurid
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i6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XIV.]
Thurid, the wedded wife of Thormod, who was the son of
Thjoster at Alftanes, and of his wife Idunn, the daughter
of Molda-Gnup.
The son of Thormod was Bork, the father of Thord,
the father of Audun, in Brautarholt. Kolgrim the old,
son of Hrolf hersir * settled land out from Botn's river to
Kalman's river, and dwelt at Ferstikla. He married
Gunnvor, the daughter of Hrodgeir, the Sage.
Their children were Thorhalli, the father of Kolgrim,
the father of Stein, the father of Kvist, from whom the
Kvistlings are descended. The daughter of Kolgrim the
Old was Bergthora, whom Ref in.Brynjudale married.
Early Christian Settlers,
Chapter XV. Two brothers settled the whole of
Akranes between Kalman's river and Char river; the
one was named Thormod, he had the land to the south of
Reymir, and dwelt at Holm ; he was the father of Bersi
and Geirlaug, the mother of Tung-Odd. Ketil had Ak-
ranes to the west and to the north of Akrafell to the Char
river. His son was Jorund t;^he Christian, who dwelt in
Gardar or the Garths,t which place was then named
Jorundholt. Jorund was the father of Kepp, the father
of Eimar, the father of Narfi and Harvar, the father of
Thorgeir. There was a man named Asolf, he was the
kinsman of Jorund, in Gardar or the Garths. He came
out into Osar, in the east country J ; he was a good
christian, and refused to have any intercourse with
* Hersir is a chief or lord, the political name of the Norse chiefs of the earliest
age, especially before the time of Harald Fairhair and the settlement of
Iceland.
t Literally the ** enclosures " or intakes. The word * Garth * as place name is
in this acceptation often found in Lakeland. Gard, the original Icelandic word
here used, is often found in north English place names, and field names as
Gards, etc.
t Osar is literally " the river's mouth " as taking in all the land that bounded
the estuary.
heathen
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OF ICELAND. 17
[part I, CHAPTER XV.]
heathen men, and would not accept meat from them.
He made for himself a scale * under Eyjafell, which is
now called Asolf 's Scale, the easternmost.
Asolf did not hold converse with any other men, but
when people pryed in to see what provisions he had, they
saw in his scale a great store of fishes.
Chapter XVI. And when men went to that brook t
which flowed near to his dwelling, they discovered it to
be full of fish, so that men thought that no such marvel
had ever been seen before ; but when the men of the
neighbourhood got aware of this, they drove him away,
and would not allow him to enjoy this blessing. Asolf
moved his dwelling to Midscale X and abode there ; then
the fish vanished from the brook (at the eastern scale)
when the people wanted to catch them, but when they
came to Asolf then was the stream which flowed past his
house full of fish. Then he was driven forth firom thence
and went to the scale which was farthest to the west, and
all things again happened in the same manner. § And
when he set out from thence to find out his kinsman
Jorund, Jorund bade Asolf to abide with him, and Asolf
said he had no mind to dwell with anyone else. Then
Jorund caused a house to be made for him at Holm the
innermost, and had his means of sustenance carried
thither to him, and he continued there as long as he
lived, and there he was buried. A church now stands
where his tomb was, and he is deemed a most holy man.
* Skali» the Icelandic word, is^ a hut or shed put up for temporary use. This h
the earliest Norse sense and it is still so used in Norway.
t The Icelandic word is Laekr«a brook or rivulet, and is in the Landnama
very frequently compounded to form place names.
t Compare Cumberland Place Names— Scales, Sea Scale^ Scale Hill, Nether
Scales.
§ That is the fish were found in the same miraculous abundance in the stream
that flowed past his scale or dwelling.
Bekan
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i8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XVII.]
Bekan and other early Settlers.
Chapter XVII. There was a man called Bekan, who
settled in the landtake of Ketil, from Berrydale's river to
Char river, and dwelt at Bekan Stead. Finn the rich, the
son of Haldor, the son of Hogni, went from Stafanger to
Iceland, he married Thorvor, the daughter of Thorbjarn
from Mossfell, the son of Hradi, he settled to the south of
Salmon river all unto Kalman river, and dwelt at Midfell.
His son was Thorgeir, father of Jostein, the father of
Thorun, the mother of Gudrun, the mother of Saemund,
the father of Brand the Bishop.
Skeggi in Skogar was the son of Thorun, and he was
the father of Spyrmir and BoUi in Skogar. Hallkel, who
settled Hvilarsida (=side of the white river), dwelt first at
Akraness at Hallkellsted, before the sons of Bersi drove
them forth from thence. But when he went back for his
cattle which had been going abroad there grazing unshep-
herded, he was slain, and was there howed=buried.
Haven-Ormr settled land about Melahverfi out to Char
river and Salmon river, and inward to Andakil's river, and
dwelt at Hofn. His son was Thorgeir Cutcheek, father
of Thorun, the mother of Thorun, the mother of Jostein,
the father of Sigurd, the father of Bjornhedin. Thorgeir
Cutcheek was of the body guard of King Hakon, the foster-
son of Adalstein ; he brought from Fitjar a wound in his
cheek and great renown.
. Two brothers settled in the landtake of Finn and Orm.
Hrodgeir the Sage in Saurby, and Oddgeir at Leira.*
Finn and Orm bought them out as they thought the
land there was too narrow for them. Thereupon Hrod-
geir and his brother took land in Floi, t the Rape % of the
* Leira=Clarty Beck.
tFIoi=a mossy moor or expanse of mossy waste — occurs with the same
meanings as Flowe in Cumberland, e.g., Wedholme Flowe^ Bowness Flowe,
Solway Flowe. Compare Kelpies Flowe in Scott's ** Bride of Lammermoor.*'
X Hreppr or Rape. After the introduction of Christianity to Iceland it was all
divided mto Hreppr or Poor Law districts, mostly, though not always coinciding
with the Sokn or parish.
Hraungernings
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OF ICELAND. 19
[part I, CHAPTER XVII.]
Hraungerdings, and Hrodgeir dwelt at Hraungerdi,* and
Oddgeir in Oddgeirsholar ; he married the daughter of
Ketil giofu.
Kveldulfs last voyage. His last words and death. The chest
containing his dead body cast overboard. His companions
find it cast ashore.
Chapter XVIII. There was a man named Ulf, the
son of Brund-Bjalfi and Hallbera, the daughter of Ulf the
Dauntless, from Hrafnista. Ulf was married to Salbjorg,
the daughter of Berdlu-Kari ; he was called Kveldulft
(=a wolf of the evening). Thorolf and Skallagrim were
their sons. King Harald the Fairhaired caused Thorolf
to be killed north in Alost at Sandness, through the
slander of the son of Hildirid. King Harald would make
no atonement for the murder. X Then Kveldulf and Grim
arrayed a merchant ship and were minded to go to
Iceland, because they had got news that Ingolf their
friend was there. While they were lying sea-bound in
Solund-isles they seized there the round^ ship which King
*Gerdi as here used is a "place girded round," "a fenced field," "an
enclosure." Hraun in volcanic Iceland means a lava field when cold. Hence in
this meaning it is often applied to Icelandic place names, and in this Book of the
Settlement the reader will find the following, place names: Hraun, Hraundale,
Hraun Firth, Hraun Holt or Wood, Hraun Haven.
t Kveldulf. This name of Kveldulf betokens that he was a berserk, other-
wise bearsark or bearcoat, i.e., a wild warrior or champion of the heathen age.
In battle the berserkers were subject to fits of frenzy csuled berserkgangr, when
they howled like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth, and gnawed the iron rim of
their shields. During those fits they were, according to popular belief, proof
against steel and fire, and made great havoc in the ranks of the enemy. When
the fever left them they were weak and tame. In the Icelandic poem, Hornklofi,
there is a passage which speaks of the berserker as howling and bellowing and
gnawing the iron of his shield.
X For a full account of this murder or massacre see E|irs Saga. It was really
what is termed a " burning in " one of the most deadly and fatal recorded in
Norse annals. It commenced a deadly feud which lasted for three generations
between the families. The Egil's Saga is entirely occupied with the details of
that feud.
§ The word translated round ship in the Icelandic is Kndrr»a merchant ship,
as distinguished from the langskip^the large ancient ship of war,
Harald
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20 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XVIII.]
Harald had taken from Thorolf, when his men had just
come back from England, and they slew there Hallvard
the Hardy-farer and Sigtrygg the Swift-farer, who had
brought that deed about {i.e. the seizure of Thorolfs
ship). They also slew the sons of Guttorm,* son of Sigurd
Hart, the first cousins of the King, and all their ship's
crew, except two men whom they left to take the tidings
to the King. Then they fitted up both the ships for
a voyage to Iceland. They manned each vessel with
thirty men, and Kveldulf steered the newly captured ship.
Grim the Halogalander, t the son of Thorir, the son of
Gunnlaug, the son of Hrolf, the son of Ketil Keelfarer
was the second in command to Kvedulf in the ship which
he steered. The two vessels kept each other in sight
while at sea, but when they were far on the ocean
Kveldulf fell ill, and commanded that if he should die
they should make a chest (kist) for his body and bid
them say to Grim his son that he should take up a
dwelling in Iceland, the shortest way from the spot where
his chest should come a-land, if such should be fated
to it. After that Kveldulf died, and his chest was shot
overboard. Then Grim % held to the south, round the
land, they having learned that Ingolf abode south in
the country. They sailed to the west by Reykjanes
and steered their course into the Firth, and then the
ships separated so that neither knew aught of the
other. Grim the Halogalander and his company sailed
up through the whole Firth until they had passed all
the rocks, and there they cast anchor. When the
flood tide set in, they hove up into the mouth of the
* Guttorm was brother to Ragnhild, father of Harald Fairhair, consequently
his sons were first cousins to the King-.
t In Icelandic Haleski, i.e. from the land of the northern lights.
X When Kveldulf died then Grim the Halosralander took command and steered
the ship. This Grim must be carefully distinguished from Grim otherwise
Skallagrim the son of Kveldulf, who commanded and steered the other ship.
river
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OF ICELAND. ^i
[part I, CHAPTER XVIII.]
river and brought up their ship as far as it would
float ; that river is now called Gufa * ; there they landed
their belongings. Exploring the country, they had gone
but a very short distance before they' discovered the
chest of Kveldulf cast ashore in a certain creek. They
bore it to a ness which was there, and raised over
it a heap of stones.
Borg the home of Kveldulf s descendants.
Chapter XIX. Skallagrim t came to land there at the
place now called Knararness in Myrar, afterwards he
surveyed the land. There was much moorland and wide
woods and it was far there between fell and foreshore.
Then they went inwards along the Firth, and they came
to a ness where they found swans, t and they called the
place Swans' Ness. They did not stay in their course
until they had found Grim the Halogalander, who told
Skalla-grim all about their faring, as also of the words
that Kveldulf had left for his son Grim.
Skallagrim went to see where the chest had come
ashore ; it seemed to him that a short way from there
would be a good spot for a dwelling-stead. Skallagrim
remained there during the year in which he arrived from
the main, during which time he surveyed all the district,
and settled all the land from Seal Tarn and upwards to
Borghraun, and southwards to Haven Fells — a country as
broad as it shed widely waters to the sea. He raised his
dwelling near the creek where the chest of Kveldulf had
come ashore, and called it Borg, and so also he called all
that firth Borg Firth. There he settled all the county
*Gu£Ei«Me steam or vapour river, so called from the vapour of the water
from hot springs.
t Skallagriin the Dame by which Grim is afterwards known is really a nickname
meaning " Grim the bald headed."
X Alft»Swan, so the place is called Alftanes.
with
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^i THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XIX.]
with his companions, and many men afterwards took land
there by his advice. Skallagrim gave land to Grim the
Halogalander on the south of the firth, between Andakil's
river and Grim's river, he dwelt at Hvanneyri. His son
was named Ulf, father of Hrolf, in Geitland.
There was a man named Thorbjorn the Black, he
bought land from Haven-Orm, in from Selaeyri (=Seal
Island) and up to Fors * river ; he dwelt at Skeljabrekka,
his son was Thorvard, who married Thorun, the daughter
of Thorbjorn from Ornholt, their sons were Thorarin
the blind and Thorgil * Orraskald,* who was with Olaf
Kvarant in Dublin. Skorri, the freedman of Ketil Gufu,
took Skorradale up above the water, and was slain there.
Bjorn the gullberi settled Reykjardale the Southern-
most, and dwelt at GuUiberasted. X His son was
Grimkell the Godi in Blaskogar,^ he married Signy, the
daughter of Valbrand, the son of Valthjof, their son was
Hord, who was the leader of the Holmesmen. Bjorn the
gulliberi married Ljotun, the sister of Kolgrim the old,
Svarthofdi at Reydarfell was another of their sons ; he
married Thurid, the daughter of Tunga-Odd, their
daughter was Thordis, whom Gudlaug the Rich married.
Thjostolf was the third son of Bjorn, the fourth was
Geirmund.
Thorgeir Meldun || accepted from Bjorn all land above
Grim's river. He dwelt at Tungufell ; he married
.Geirbjorg, daughter of Balki, from Rams-firth ; their son
was Veleif the old.
Fluki the thrall of Ketil Gufu settled Flokidale and was
slain there.
• Fors= Lakeland Force, as Airey Force, Stock Ghyll Force, &c.
t K varan— the nickname of this Norse King of Dublin. Derivation of the
the word probably Gaelic.
X Literally the gold bearers* sted.
§ The black wood.
II Meldun is a nickname— a Gaelic word.
other
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OF ICELAND. as
[part I, CHAPTER XX.]
Other Settlements round Borgarfirth. Slaughter by Torfi.
Chapter XX. There was a man of high degree
named Oleif hilt, he came in his ship to Borgfirth* and
was for the first winter with Skallagrim ; he settled land
by the advice of Skallagrim, between Grim 's river and
Geir's river, and dwelt at * Varmalaek (=:warm brook).
His sons were Ragi in Laugardale, and Thoraninn, the
lawspeaker, who married Thordis, the daughter of Oleif-
Feilant their daughter was Vigdis, who was married to
Stein, the son of Thorfin. The son of Ragi was Gud-
thorm, father of Gunnvor, the mother of Thorny, the
mother of Thorlak, the father of Runolf, the father of
Thorlak the Bishop. Ketil slumber and Geir, his son,
came to Iceland and were with Skallagrim the first winter.
There Geir married Thorum, the daughter of Skallagrim.
In the following spring Grim showed them land for
settling, and they took land up from Flokadale's river to
Reykjadale's river, and all the tongue of land up to Red
Goll, and all Flokadale, above the slopes. Ketil dwelt at
Thrand-holt, from him Blundsvatn (= Slumber water)
derives its name; there he dwelt afterwards. Geir the
rich, his son, dwelt in Geirshlid I and had another
dwelling at upper Reykir. His sons were Thorgeirr
Slumber, and Slumber Ketill, and Svardkel in Eyri ; the
daughter of Geir was Bergdis, who was the wedded wife
of Gnup at Hrisar,§ the son of Floki. Of that stock was
Thorod Hrisablund (=Blund of Hrisar). Onund Breid-
skegg (=broad beard) was the son of Ulf, the son of
Ulf ** Fitjumskegga (=Beard o' Fitjar), the son of Thorir
hlammandi-Clash. Onund settled all the tongue of land
* On the Map * Borg-arfjordr. *
t Feilan is a Gaelic nickname.
:j;Hlid=asIope or mountain side, found frequently in place names.
§ Hris is literally the Scrubs or Brushwood. In the dialect of Cumberland and
Westmorland the most usual appelation of brushwood was ' Rice.'
between
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24 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XX.]
between Hvit river and Reykjardale's river, and dwelt at
Breidabolsted. He married Geirlaug, the daughter of
Thormod, on Akraness, the sister of Beri ; their son
was Tungu-Odd, and their daughter was named Thorodda.
She married Torfi, the son of Valbrand, the son of Valth-
jof, the son of Orlyg, from Esjuberg, and she had from
home for a dowry * the half of Breidabolsteid with Halsa-
land. He gave to Signy, his sister, Signysted, and she
dwelt there. Torfi slew the men of Kropp, twelve of
them together. He also especially promoted the slaughter
of the Holmesmen, and he was at Hellisfitar, with Illugi
the black, and Sturla the Godi t when eighteen cavemen
were slain there. They also burned, in his own house,
Audun, the son of Smidkel, at Thorvardsted. The son
of Torfi was Thorkel, at Skaney.
Tungu Odd married Jorunn, the daughter of Helgi ;
their children were these : Thorvald the ringleader in the
burning of Blund Ketil, and Thorod, who married Jofrid,
the daughter of Gunnar; their daughter was Hungerd,
who was married to Sverking, the son of Hafrbjorn.
Thurid was a daughter of Tungu-Odd, who was married
to Svarthofdi, and Jofrid, whom Thorfinn, the son of
Sellhoris, had for wife, and Hallgerd, the wife of Hallb-
jorn, the son of Odd from Kidjaberg. Kjolvor was the
mother's sister of Tungi Odd, who dwelt at Kjolvorsted ;
she was the mother of Thorleif, (a daughter) who was the
mother of Thurid, the mother of Gunnhild, owned of
Kali and of Glum, the father of Thorarin, the father of
Glum at Vatnlausu= waterless.
Chapter XXI. There was a man named Raud, he
settled land up from Raudsgill to the Gills, and dwelt
at Raudsgill ; his sons were Ulf in Ulfsted, and Aud in
* The Icelandic phrase here is fylgrgi henni heiman, meaning literally ** there
followed her from home."
t Godi, see note at end of Part I.
Audsted,
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OF ICELAND. 25
[part I, CHAPTER XXI.]
Audsted, to the north of the river, whom Hord slew;
wherefrom takes its rise the Saga of Hord, the son of
Grimkels, and of Geir. There was a man named Grim,
he settled land further to the south, up from Gills to
Grimsgill, and dwelt at Grimsgill, his sons were Thorgils
auga at Augasted, and Hrani at Hranisted, the father of
Grim, who was called Stafn Grim ; he dwelt at Stafn-
grimsted, this is now called Sigmundsted; opposite to
this, north of the Hvit river, upon the bank of the river
is his How, there he was slain.
Thorkell Kornamuli took the southern ridge up from
KoUs laek to Deildgill, and dwelt at As=the ridge. His
son was Thorborg Kornamuli, who married Alof EUidask-
jold * the daughter of Ofeig and Asgerd, the sister of
Thorgeir GoUnis ; their children were Eysteinn and
Hafthora, who married Eid Skeggison, who afterwards
dwelt at As. There died Midfjordskeggi, and his How
is there below the garth=enclosure. Another son of
Skeggi was KoU, who dwelt at Kollslaek. The sons
of Eid were Eystein and lUugi. Ulf was the son of Grim
the Halogolander, and of Svanlaug, the daughter of
Thormod from Akraness, the sister of Bersi. Ulf settled
land between the Hvit river=white river, and the
southern glaciers, and dwelt in Geitland. His sons were
Hrolf the Rich, the father of Halldora, who was owned
of Gizur the White ; their daughter was Vilborg, who
was wedded to Kjalti, the son of Skeggi. Another son of
his was Hroald, the father of Hrolf the younger, who
married Thurid the daughter of Valthjof, the son of
Orlyg the old ; their children were : — Kjallak at Lund in
Sydradale= Southern dale, the father of KoU, the father
of Bergthor ; another was Solvi in Geitland, the father of
**Thts word has reference to the shield that was placed upon the poop of a ship,
t On Haugr or How.
Thord
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26 THE SETTLEMENT
[part I, CHAPTER XXI.]
Thord in Reykjaholt, the father of Solvi, father of Thord,
the father of Magnus, father of Thord, the father of
Helga, the mother of Gudney, the mother of the Stur-
lasons : Sighvat, Thord and Snorri.* The son of Sighvat
was Sturla, the father of Thurid, who married the knight
Rafn, their children were Jon, Korpt, Hallkatla, Valgerd,
and Thorgerd. The sons of Hallkatla and Jon Pereson
were Sturla and Peter, and Steinum a daughter, who
married Gudmund, the son of Thorstein, the son of
Skeggi. The third son of Hrolf was Illugi, the Red, who
first dwelt at Hraunas, he had then for wife Sigrid,
daughter of Thorarin the evil, a sister of Musa-Bolverk ;
that homestead (i.e. Hraunas) Illugi gave to Bolverk,
while he, Illugi, went to keep house at Hofstead in Reyk-
dale, because the Geitlanders had to uphold that Temple
in equal halves with Tungu Odd. Afterwards Illugi
dwelt at the Inner Holm on Akraness, because he ex-
changed with Holm-Starri both lands and wives and all
chattels. Then Illugi married Jorun, the daughter of
Thormod, the son of Thyjostar from Alftness, but Sigrid
hanged herself in the Temple, because she would have
nought to do with the exchange of husbands. Hrolf, the
younger, gave Thorlaug Priestess, his daughter, to Oddi,
son of Yr, thereupon Hrolf betook himself west to the
Ball river and dwelt there long and was known by the
name of Hrolf of the Ball river.
Hole on the Godi and the Institution of the Althing A. D. 930.
The Norse chiefs who settled in Iceland finding the
country uninhabited, solemnly took possession of the
land, directing their landtake by the omens of the
^drifting ashore of the high seat pillars, &c., and then in
•Snorri Sturlason, the Historian, A.D. 1 178 to 1241.
order
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OF ICELAND. 27
[part I, CHAPTER XXI.]
order to found a community, they built a temple and
called themselves by the name of go^i * or hof go^Si
=temple-priest, and thus the temple became the nucleus
of a new community, which was calied go^or-S. Many
independent go-Sar and go^orS sprung np throughout all
the country, until about the year 930 the Althing was
erected where all the petty sovereign chiefs goiSar entered
into a kind of league, and formed a general government
for the whole Island. In A.D. 964 the constitution was
settled ; the number oF'goiSor'S being fixed at ITfree in
each thing (shire), and three things in each of the other
three quarters, but four in the north ; thus the number of
go^ar came to be nominally thirty-nine, really thirty-six
as the four in the north were reckoned out as three. t
Second Part.
Here begins the Landtake in the Quarter of the Western
Firths, where many men of great degree have settled.
Chapter I. There was a man named Kalman, from
Sodor=the Hebrides, by origin, he went to Iceland and
came into Hvalfjord, and remained for the winter by
Kalman's river. His two sons were drowned there in
HvalQord. Afterwards he settled land all to the west of
Hvit(=the white) river, between Fljot and Kalman*s
tongue, and so all to the east, up to the glaciers, as far
as the grass grew, and dwelt at Kalman's tongue. He
was drowned in the Hvit river when he had gone south
to Hraun, to visit his sweetheart, and his How is at
Hvitarbakka,t (=white river's bank), the southernmost.
His son was Sturla the godi, who dwelt at Sturlastead,
* Gogi plural Gogar.
fSee division called ping in Map.
{ Bakki. Bakka is a bank of a river, water, or chasm.
up
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28 TH^ SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER I.]
up under Tungafell, up from Skaldskelmis dale, and after-
wards he abode in Kalman's tongue. His son was Bjarni,
who had a feud with Hrolf the younger and his sons
about the little Tongue. Then Bjarni made a vow to
embrace the Christian religion. After that the Hvit river
opened for itself the channel, in which it now flows, and
then Bjarni got for his own the little Tongue, and the
land out about Grindr and Solmundshofdi. The brother
of Kalman was named Kylan ; he dwelt down below
KoUshamar. His son was Kari, who had a strife with
Karli, the son of Konal, at Karlistead, the freedman of
Hrolf, from Geitland, about an ox which the event
showed to belong to Karli. Afterwards Kari incited his
thrall to slay Karli. The thrall * behaved as if he was
mad, and rushed to the south over the lava plain. Karli
was sitting upon his threshold, the thrall gave him his
death-wound. Kari afterwards slew the thrall. Thjodolf,
the son of Karli, slew Kylan, the son of Kari, at Kylan's-
holar; afterwards Thjodolf burned Kari in, in his house, in
the place that is now called Brenna=the burning. Bjarni
Sturlason received baptism and dwelt at Bjarnistead, in
the little Tongue, and there caused a church to be built.
There was a man of great worth named Thrand Nefja,
the father of Thorstein, who married Lopthaena, the
daughter of Arnbjorn hersir, from the Fjords (=The
Firths in Norway). The sister of Lopthaena was Arn-
thrud, who was the wife of Thorir the hersir, the son of
Hroald, and their son was Arinbjorn the hersir. The
mother of the two, Lopthaena and Arnthrud, was Astrid
Slaekidreingr (=the sleek damsel ?), the daughter of Bragi
the Skald, and Lopthaena, the daughter of Erp lutandi
(=the louting). The son of Thorstein and Lopthaena
was Hrosskel, who married Joreid, the daughter of Olvir,
•3ee not^ Part I, i8, on "B^rserkr."
the
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OF ICBIAND. 29
[part II, CHAPTER I.l
the son of Finn, the son of Mottul the King. Their son
was named Hallkel.
Hrosskel fared to Iceland and entered the coast at
GrunnQord. He abode first at Akraness, there Ketil and
his brother Thormod * dealt unneighbourly with him ;
afterwards he settled the white river side, between
Kjarriver and Fljot, he dwelt at Hallkelstead, and Hall-
kell his son after him, who had for wife Thurid dylla, the
the daughter of Gunnlaug, from Thverarhlid (=cross
river slope), and of Velaug, the daughter of Orlyg, from
Esjaberg. Hrosskel gave land to Thorvard, the father of
Smidkel, the father of Thorarin and Audun, who were
the leaders of the Hellismen ; t he dwelt at Thorvardstead,
his two sons were both named GisH. The children of
Hallkel and Thurid were Thorarin and Finnvard, Tind,
and lUugi the black, and Grima, whom Thorgil, the son
of Ari, had for wife while he abode at Hraunsas. Musa
Bolver slew Thorarin. Then he let rear there a fort,
and he made a bed for Hvit-river through fellridge, while
formerly it fell down through Metrakka-dale. lUugi and
Tind set upon Bolverk in the fort.
Settlements by the Kjarr river and Hvit (white) river. The
ancestors of those who fought in the Battle upon the Heath,
Snorri of Melar.
Chapter H. Asbjorn the Rich, who was the son of
Hord, bought land to the South of Kjarr I River, up from
Skeggjalaek to Hvitbjorg (=The white precipices or
rocks) ; he dwelt at Asbjornstead, he married Thorbjorg,
the daughter of Midfirth Skeggi ; their daughter was
* See Pt. I, ch. xv, beg.
t Cavemen.
t Kjarr-p-Kj6rr. Dan Kjaer — Copsewood or Brushwood. It is found very
commonly with this meanings in Lakeland, as field names, e.g. Ellercar, Dillicars,
Carr Cottage and Carr Lane.
Ingibjorg
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30 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER II.]
Ingibjorg, whom Illugi the Black married. There was
a man named Ornolf who settled Ornolf s dale and
Kjarrdale, northward up to Hvitbjorg. Ketil blund (=
slumber) bought land of Ornolf, all to the North of Clifif
(Klif), and dwelt at Ornolfsdale ; then Ornolf made his
dwelling up in Kjarrdale, that which is now called
Ornolfstead. Above the cliif the dale is named Kjarrdale,*
because there there was brushwood and copsewood.
Between Kjarr River and Cross River a dwelling might
not be set up there. Blund- Ketil was a man of mighty
wealth ; he let woods be cleared wide about and abodes
he reared there. The brother of Grim haleyski (=from
Halogoland in Norway) was named Hromund, the son
Thorir, the son of Gumlaug, the son of Hrolf, the son of
Ketil Kjolfari (=Keel farer i.e. the navigator). Hromond
brought his ship into the Hvit (white) river. He settled
Crossriverdale and Crossriverslope,t out to Hallmuli, and
forward to Cross River ; he dwelt at Hromundstead, the
place which is now called Karlsbrekka. His son was
Gunnlaug Ormstunga i.e. serpent's tongue, who dwelt at
G\ir\r\\dMgstead to the south of the Cross River. He
married Velaugu, as was before written, the daughter of
Orlyg, from Esjuberg, their daughter was Thurid, the
mother of Illugi the black, the father of Hermund, the
father of Hrein, the father of Styrmer, the father of
Hrein, the father of Valdis, the mother of Snorri, of
Melar,t the father of Hallera, whom Markus, the son of
Thord, had for wife. A shipmate of Hromund was
named Hogni, he dwelt at Hognistead ; his son was
* Kjarr=Copsewood or Brushwood.
t Icelandic bver^rdal ok bver^rhli'S.
\ Melr, pi. Melar, means, first, bent grass, second, a sandhill grown with
such grass, and third, a sandbanky whether overgrown or bare. Many Cumber-
fend place names seem to come from it, e.ff. Millom, Eskmeals, Mealsgate,
Mealo; see also discovery and description of Kaudanie/ in Book H, Chapter V,
of this work, - -
Helgi
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OF ICELAND. 31
[part II, CHAPTER II.]
Helgi, at Helgi'S water, the father of Arngrim the godi,
who was at the burning of Blundketil ; Hogni was the
brother of Finn the Rich. Isleif and Israud, two brothers,
settled land a down from Skeggjalaek, between Ornolfdale's
River, and the white river, and by the North down to
Raudlaek, by the South down to Hordholar. Isleif dwelt
in Isleifstead, and Israud in Israudstead ; he owned land
towards the South, along the white river, he was the
father of Thorbjorn, the father of Liot, at Veggir, who
fell in the Battle upon the Heath.
One of the ship's crew of Hromond was named Asgeirr,
who dwelt at Hamar up from Helgiwater ; he married
Hild Stjarna=the Star, the daughter of Thorvald, the
son of Thorgrim-braekir, their sons were Steinbjorn, the
strong and hard hitter, and Thorvard the father of Maefa,
whom Krifla married, and the third was Thorstein, the
fourth Helgi, the father of Thord, the father of Skaldhelgi.
Settlements of A rnbjorg, Thorbjorn, Geirmund, Orn, Rauda
Bjorn, Karl, and the freedmen of Skallagrim.
Chapter III. There was a woman named Arnbjorg,
she dwelt at Arnbjorg's-laek ; her sons were these :
Eldgrim who dwelt on the Hals* or Neck up from
Arnbjorg's-laek at Elgrimstead, and Thorgest who received
his death wound when he fought against Hrani at the
place which is now called Kranifall. Thorun was the
name of a woman who abode at Thorunholt, she owned
land down to Vidilaek, and up to where it joined the land
of Thurid the sooth-sayer, her sister, who dwelt at Grof.
From her the deep Thorun's-hylt in Thvera derives its
* Used of the narrow mountain pass or neck connecting two valleys and cor-
responding- with the word Hause as used in Lakeland, e.g.. Tarn Hause, Esk
Hause, S^toUer Hause.
t Hyl is a hole or deep place in a river.
name
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31 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER III.]
name, and from her the dwellers of the Hamar are des-
cended. Thornbjorn the son of Arnbjorn, the son of
Oleif lang neck was the brother of Lyling in Vapnfirth.
Thornbjorn settled Stafaholtstongue between the north
river and cross river,* he dwelt in Arnholt, his son was
Teit in Stafaholt, the father of Einar. Thorlborn Blesi
settled land in Northriverdale to the south of the river
(north river), up from Krok and all Hellirdale and dwelt
at Besistead, his son was Gisli of Melar in Hellisdale,
from him the Gisliswaters take their name, another son
of Blesi was Thorfin of Thorfinstead, the father of Thor-
gerd, the mother of Helgi at Lund — Geirmund the son of
Gunnbjorn goblin settled the tongue between the North
river and Sand river and dwelt at Tongue, his son was
Bruni, the father of Thorbjorm at Steinar, who fell at
the Battle upon the Heath. Orn the Old settled Sanddale
and Mjovidale, and likewise Northriverdale, down from
Krok unto Arnarbaeli and dwelt at Harekstead.
Raudi-Bjorn settled Bjornsdale and all the dales which
open out therefrom and had another dwelling down from
MaeHfellsgill, and another lower down in the countryside
as is written. Karl settled Karlsdale up from Hreda-
water, and dwelt under Karsfell, he possessed land out to
Jafnaskard until it marched with that of Grim. Gris and
Grim were called two freedmen of Skallagrim, to them
he gave land up against the mountain — to Gris — Gris-
tongue, and to Grim — Grimsdale.
Settlement of Bersi godless and the freedmen of Grim.
Chapter IV. There was a man named Bersi godless,
the son of Balki, the son of Blaeing from Ramfirth, he
* This river name which occurs in the Book of Settlement very frequently, is
literally thwart river, i.e., side or tributary river, that is a tributary stream
flowing into another or main stream, and the land included between those rivers
as they bifurcate is termed a tongue or tungu. This river name is given in the
original Icelandic at Page 30, Note 2.
took
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OF ICELAND. 35
[part II, CHAPTER IV.]
took all Lang Valzdale "^ and dwelt there. His sister was;
Geirbjorg, who was married to Thorgeir in Tungufell,
their son was Veleif the old — Bersi the godless got for
wife Thordis the daughter of Thorhadd from Hitardale,
and received with her Holmsland, their son was Arngeir,
father of Bjorn, champion of the men of Hitdale. One
of the freedmen of Skallagrim was named Sigmund, he
gave him land between the Glufr river and the North
river, he dwelt at Hangar before he took himself to
Munadar-ness and from him Sigmundness takes its name.
Raudi-Bjorn bought land from Skallagrim between
Glufr-rivert and Gufa-river, he dwelt at Raudabjornstead,
up from Eskiholt, his son was Thorkell TrefiU in Skard
and Helgi in Hvamm % and Gunnvald the father of
Thorkel, who married Helga, the daughter of Thorgeir of
Vidimyri.
Thorbjorn Krum and Thord Beigaldi were the names
of two brothers ; Skallagrim gave them land beyond the
Gufu river, and Thorbjorn dwelt at Holar, and Thord at-
Beigalda. Skallagrim gave land to Thorir Thuss and
Thorgeir Jardlang and Thorbjorg Staung, their sister, up
along Langriver, on the south of it. Thorir dwelt at
Thuss Stead, Thorgeir at Jardlangstead, and Thorbjorg
in Stangholt. There was a man named Ani to whom
Grim gave land between Lang river and Hafslaek ; he:
dwelt at Annabrekka, his son was Onund Sjani the father
of Steinar, and Dalla, the mother of Kormak.
Thorfin the Strong was the name of the standard-
bearer of Thorolf, the son of Skallagrim. To him
* Valzdale =WaterdaIe ; compare Wasdale and Wasdale Head.
f Literally between the ravine river and the vapour river — Gl}ufr being a steep
chasm or descent within which the river flowed, and Guf being the vapour or
smoke ascending from a hot river.
X Hvamm — this as common Icelandic noun is the name of any grassy slope by
the side of a river. Hummer as found in Lakeland corresponds exactly with
inform and meaning.
Skallagrim
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34 THE SETTLEMENt
[part II, CHAPTER IV.]
Skallagrim gave Saeunn his daughter and land beyond
Lang river,* out to Leiralaek (=miry water), and upward
to the mountain. He dwelt at Foss ; their daughter was
Thordis, mother of Bjorn, the champion of the men of
Hitdale. There was a man named Ingvarr, father of
Bera, whom Skallagrim had for wife. Grim gave him
land between Leiralaek and Straum firth, he dwelt at
Alptaness. Another daughter of his was Thordis, who
was the wife of Thorger Lambi, at Lambistead, who was
the father of Thord, whom the thralls of Ketill Gufa
burnt in his house. The son of Thord was Lambi the
strong. There was a man named Steinof who took to
himself on both sides Hraundale (=Lava valley), all to
Grjota (=gritty river), by the leave of Skallagrim ; he
was the father of Thorleif, from whom the Hraundalers
are come. The daughter of Steinolf was named Thorun,
who was the wife of Thorbjorn, the son of Vifil, the
father of Thorgerd, the mother of Asmund, father of
Sveinbjorn, the father of Odd, the father of Gro, the
nuther of Odd, of Alptaness.
Thorhadd was a son of Stein muchsailing, the son of
Vigbjod, the son of Bodmod, from Bulkarum ; he settled
Hitdale, southward to Grjota river, and westward to Kalda
(=the cold stream), and between Hita and Kalda (=the
hot stream and the cold stream), down to the sea. His
son was Thorgeirr, the father of Hafthor, the father of
Gudny, the mother of Thorlak the Rich, the father of
Thorleif beiskaldi, the father of Thorleik, the father of
Ketil, the father of Valgerd, the mother of the Narvisons,
Thorlak and Thord, to wit. The sons of Thorgeir were
Grim in Skard, and Thorurin, Finnbogi, Eystein, Gest
and Torfi. Thorgils knappi, the freedman of Kolli, the
son of Hroald, settled Knappidale ; his sons were Ingjald
^ ^n|^a may be translated " Longf Stream."
and
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OP tCElAMD. «
[part II, CHAPTER IV.]
and Thorarin, and Thorir, who dwelt at Akrar, and got
for his own land between Hita and Alpta (=the hot river
and the swan river), and up until it joined the landtake of
Steinolf,. The son of Thorarin was Thrand, who married
Steinun, the daughter of HrUt, at Kambness. Their sons
were Thorir and Skum, the father of Torfi, the father of
Janni. His son was Hrut, who married Kolfinn, the
daughter of Illugi the Black. Now have those men been
recounted who settled in the landtake of Skallagrim.
Grim draws up a mereman (marmennil) while fishing which
he compels to foretell place for settlement. First appearance
of Volcano Eld-borg to Thorir his son in old age.
Chapter V. There was a man nomed Grim, the son
of Ingjald, the son of Hroald, from Haddingdale ; he was
the brother of Asi, a hersir. He went to Iceland to seek
for settlement, and sailed by the north of the land ; he
was for one winter in Grimsey, in Steingrimsfirth ; his
wife was named Bergdis, and their son Thorir. Grim
went out to fish in the Autumn with his housecarles and
the lad. Thorir lay in the prow and was in a seal-bag
which was drawn together at the neck. Grim drew up
a mereman and when he came up asked him " What do
you foretell shall be our fortune, or where shall we settle
in Iceland ? The mereman answered, " No need to tell
the fortune of you and your men, but rather of the lad
that lays in the seal bag, he shall there settle and take
land where Skalm your mare lays down under her load,"
and no more words got they from him. Later in the
winter Grim and his men rowed out, but the lad was
upon land ; then the whole crew was lost. Then Bergdis
and Thorir went about spring-time from Grimsey, and
westward over the Heath to BreidaQord (=Broa(ifirth) ;
there Skalm went before them and never laid down.
Another
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36 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER V.]
Another winter they were at Skalmness, in BreidaQord,
and in the summer after they turned south, then Skalm
went before them until they came off the Heaths to
Borgfjord, unto a spot where two red sandhills * stood
before them. There Skalm laid down under the western-
most sand hill, under her load. There Thorir took land
from the south of Gnupa to Kalda (or Coldstream), down
below Knappadale, between fell and foreshore ; he dwelt
at Raudamelt the westernmost. He was a great Chieftain.
Then was Thorir old and blind, when onc^ he went out
late one evening and saw how a man rowed up from the
offing into the mouth of Kalda (cold stream), in an iron
tub, great and evil looking, and walked aland there up to
the homestead called Hrip, and set to digging there in
the gate of the milking-stead, and in that night there
came earth-fire (volcanic eruption), and then the Borg
lava was created by fire, and there stood the dwelling
where now is the volcanic hill Eld-borg.J
The son of Selthoris was Thorfin, who married Jofrid,
the daughter of Tunga Odd, their sons were Thorkel and
Thorgils, Stein and Galti, Orm and Thororm and Thorir.
Steinn Thorfinson was the father of Arnoru, the mother
of Hallbjorg, the mother of Oddnyj, the mother of Geir-
laug, the mother of Snaelang, the mother of Markus of
Melar. The daughter of Thorfin was Thorbjorg, who
married Thorbrand from Alptafirth. S?lthorir and his
heathen kindred died ^ into Thorisbjorg=Thorir's rocks.
Thorkell and Thorgils, the sons of Thorfinn both married
Um, the daughter of Alf of the Dales. Skalm, the mare
* Sand Melir tveir raudir.
t Or ** The Red Sandhills " compare Cartmel Eskmeals, &c.
:{: Eld-borgf. In the original Icelandic of the Landnama the name of this
mountain is Borgarhraun or " The Fortress of Lava."
§ " Die into, into the rocks called by the name of Thoris," so as to dwell in
them after death. See Part II, Chapter 12, for a like belief about Helgafell by
the heathen descendants of Thorolf . A full explanation is given in the note u^on
that chapter.
of
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OF ICELAND. 37
[part ii, chapter v.l
of Thorir, died in Skalmkelda (Skalm's Ditch). Kolbein
Klakkhofdi, the son of Atli of Atley from Fjaler, went to
Iceland and bought all the land between Kalda and Hita,
or the cold river and the hot river, down below Sand-
brekka, and dwelt at Kolbeinstead ; his sons were
Finnbogi in Fagriskogr and Thord the Scald.
Note on Eldborg and RaudameL
At the distance of two miles rose the grand circular
crater of Eld-borg, which is not only remarkable on
account of its singular configuration, but also because it
stands quite insulated in the middle of an extensive plain,
which it has almost entirely deluged with lava.
On our arrival at the base of the volcano, we could not
sufficiently admire the regularity with which it rose by a
gradual acclivity till within about eighty feet of the
summit, when the heath and every vestige of vegetation
ceased, and a wall of dark vitrified lava rose at once in
nearly a perpendicular direction, and terminated in a
rough and irregular top. From the perfect resemblance
of this wall to an immense artificial fortification, it has
obtained the name of Eld-borg, or "The Fortress of Fire."
When we reached the summit we were not a little alarmed
that we were only separated from a tremendous abyss by
a dome of lava, in many places not six inches thickness,
extremely loose in contexture and mouldering with age
into the crater, which opened like an immense basin
directly before us. It is not an entire circle, but some-
what oval ; its longitude stretching, east-south-east to
west-north-west. The crater measures 1800 feet in cir-
cumference, and consists of rugged cliffs amongst which
a number of ravens annually build their nests.
From the summit we had an extensive view of the
plain which the lava has inundated, and higher up the
opposite valley several red cones presented themselves,
which
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3^ THE SETTLEME14T
[part II, CHAPTER V.]
which have also poured forth streams of melted sub-
stances, the largest of which are those situated in the
vicinity of Raudamel. — Henderson's Travels.
Settlements by Straumfjord river. The Holmgang. Ancestors
of the Sturlungs ofHvamm. Hospitality of Thora. Story
of the interment of Asmund,
Chapter VI. Thormod and Thord gnupa were the
sons of Odd the Rank, the son of Thorvid, the son of
the son Freyvid, the son of Alf from Vors ; these brothers
went to Iceland and settled land from Gnupa to Straum-
fjord river. Thord had Gnupadale and dwelt there, his
son was' Skapti, the father of Hjorleif the godi, and of
Tinna, who was married to Ref the Great, the father of
Steinunn, the mother of Hofgurd Rey. Thormod dwelt
at RaudkoUstead ; he was called Thormod the godi ; he
married Gerd, the daughter of Kjallak the Old. Their
son was Gudlaug the Rich; he married Thordis, the
daughter of Svathofdi, the son of Bjorn GuUber (gold-
bearer), and of Thurid, the daughter of Tungu Odd, who,
at that time, dwelt in Horgsholt. Gudlaug the wealty
observed that the lands of Raudamel were better than
other lands south in that countryside. Then he challenged
Thorfinn for his land, and called him out to the Holm-
gang.* They both fell on the Holm, but Thurid, the
daughter of Tungu Odd, healed them both of their
wounds and reconciled them. Gudlaug afterwards settled
land from Straunifjord river to Furu, between fell and
foreshore, and dwelt at Borgholt ; from him are the
Straumfirthings come. His son was Gudleif, who had a
ship of his own, while another of his own had Thorolf,
* Holmgfanp^. This was the Norse wager of battle and was so called from the
fact that the intending combatants in the duel went alone to an Island (Holm)>
and there foueht to the death. The survivor usually retained the name Holm-
gang as a nickname.
the
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OF ICELAND. 39
[part II, CHAPTER VI.]
the son of Lopt the Old, when they fought with Earl
Gyrd, the son of Sigvaldi. Another son of Gudlaug was
Thorfin, the father of Gudlaug, the father of Thordis, the
mother of Thord, the father of Sturla, in Hvamm. A
daughter of Gudlaug the Rich was named Valgerd. One
of the body guard of Harald the Fairhaired was named
Vali the Strong ; he wrought a manslaughter in a hallowed
place and was outlawed. He went to the Hebrides or
Sodor, and took up his abode there, but his three sons
went to Iceland. Hlif hestageldir was their mother.
One was named Atli, another Alfarin, and the third
Audun Stoli, They all went to Iceland. Atli, the son of
Vali, and Asmund, his son, settled land from Fura to
Lysa. Asmund dwelt in Langholt, at Thoratofts, he had
for wife Thora, of Langholt. Then Asmund as he grew
old dwelt at Oxi, but Thora dwelt there after (at Lang-
holt), and had her Scale built right across the highway,
and there she sat upon a stool, and invited as guests
there whoever would eat meat. Asmund was howed
(interred) in Asmund's how, and laid in his ship, and his
thrall or slave was laid beside him.* A man heard the
following ditty sung within his howe (gravemound) as he
passed by it :
In stony stead,* on Atal's Raven,^
I have the prow-room to myself,
Nor is the deck with thanes * overcrowded,
The timbers' steed * is my abode.
But better to one skilled in battle,
In empty space than evil suite,*
Yet longer* people may remember
Tm master here of my own ship.
♦In another copy of the Landnama (the Melabok) it is said that the thrall
committed suicide through grief at his master's death,
(i) The stone-walled tomb.
(2) Atall, a sea king- of fame, his raven— ship.
(3) =smen, warriors.
(4) =» vessel.
(5^ i.e. the fellowship of the thrall b6ried with him.
(6) i.e. longer than the fact that a thrall was left to disgrace and annoy him in
death. After
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40 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER VI.]
After that they made for the How, and the thrall was
taken out from the ship. Hrolf the Stout, son of Eyvind
Oak Crook, brother of Illugi, Fells-godi east from Sida,
settled land from Lysa to Hraum haven; his son was
Helgi, in Hofgarth, father of Finnbogi and Bjorn, and
Hrolf Bjorn was the father of Gest, the father of Skald
Reef.
Deadly conflict between the party of Laugarbrekka-Einar and
the party of Lon-Einar about alleged witchcraft, Einar's
grave mound.
Chapter VII, There was a man named Solvi who
settled land between Hellir and Hraun Haven (Lava
Haven), He dwelt at Brenning and afterwards at Solva-
hamar, because he thought that there it would be more,
gainsome * to him to be.
Sigmund, the son of Ketil Thistle, who had settled
Thistilfjord in the north, had for wife Hildigun ; he settled
land between Hellishraum (cavern-lava) and Beruvikr-
hraun (Berewick lava) ; he dwelt at Laugarbrekka, and
there he is howed.t He had three sons, one was Einar,
who afterwards dwelt at Laugarbrekka. Father and son
sold Lonland to Einar, who afterwards dwelt there ; he
was called Lon-Einar. After Sigmund died Einar went
to Laugarbrekka with seven men, and summoned Hildi-
gun for witchcraft, when Einar her son was not at home.
He returned home just after Lon-Einar was gone forth.x
Hilidigun told him these tidings and brought him a kirtle
new-made. Einar took his shield and sword and work-
horse, and rode after them. He rode his horse to death
in Thufubjorg, but got up with them at Mannafallsbrekka
* The Icelandic word is * gagnsamari ' meaning * to be of benefit.*
tHeyg«r.
J Nyfarinn a braut. ' i ;
Mannfall
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OF ICELAND^ * 4a
[part II, CHAPTER VII.] . . . ,
(Manhfall-brink) ; there they fought and there fell four :
men of the party of Lon-Einar, but two thralls of his ran
away from him. The two namesakes fought long until
the breeks' girdle * of Lon-Einar tore asunder, and as Einar
laid hold of it, his namesake gave him his death blow.t
A thrall of Laugarbrekka-Einar was named Hreidar, — he
rushed after them, saw from Thufubjorg where the thrallsv
of Lon-Eimar ran away, and he ran after them and slew
them both in Thrallwick. In return for that Einar gave
him his freedom and land as much as he was able to
encircle in three days — that is called Heidarsgarth J where
he dwelt afterwards. Einar at Laugarbrekka married
Unni the daughter of Thorir, the brother of Aslak in
Langdale. Their daughter was Hallveig whom ThorbjoJ^n
the son of Vifil had for wife. Another son of Sigmurid
was named Breid, he was brother to Einar; he had foe;
wife Gunnhild the daughter of Aslak from Langdale.
Their son was Thormod who had for wife Helga the
daughter of Onund, and sister of Skald Hrafn ; their,
daughter was Herthrud whom Simon had for wife ; theif
daughter was Gunnhild whom Thorgils had for wife ;
their daughter was Valgerd the mother of Finnbogi the
Strong, the son of Geir. The third son of Sigmund
was named Thorkell, he was married to Joreid the
daughter of Tind the son of Hallkel. Laugarbrekka-Einar
was howed § (interred) a short way from the How of
*The Icelandic word for ^rdle here is br6klindi, and signifies that which keeps
up the br6k, plural braBkr=breeches. This word br6k is of Celtic origin and is
identical with the Gaelic braecan=« tartan. It means in its^r*^ sense tartan or
party coloured cloth ; secondly breeches or breeks. The famous mythical
Danish King Ragnar Loabrok, had his name hence— lod-brok=hairy breeches.
An Icelandic proverb runs thus : barnid vex, en broken ekkis^Me bairn waxes
but the breeches not, meaning, give your children plenty of room in their first
breeches.
f Icelandic banahogg.
i Garth is enclosure. Many parallels occur in North English Place Names
and Field Names, e.g. Loppergarth, Hall Garth, Garth Nook, Applegarth,
Garth House, The Garths.
IHeyg-Sr, Sigmund
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42 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER VII.]
Sigmund (his father). His grave* is evergreen, winter
and summer. The son of Lon Einar was named Thorkel ;
he married Grimu, the daughter of Hallkel, before she
was wedded by Thorgils, the son of Ari ; their son was
Finnvard. Another daughter of Laugarbrekka- Einar
was Arnora, who was the wife of Thorgeir, the son of
Vifil. Their daughter was Ingveld, whom Thorstein, the
son of Snorri the godi, had for wife. Their daughter was
Ingud, who was married to Asbjorn, the son of Arnor.
Settlements of the descendents of Grimkell. Thorarin Komi
the hamramr ntjok^ i,e., the great wizard who could
change his shape.
Chapter VIII. There was a man called Grimkel,
the son of Ulf Crow, the son of Heidar, the brother of
Gunnbjorn, after whom the Gunnbjornskeries are named ;
he settled land from Beruvikhraun + to Neshraun t and
out onward over the ness, and dwelt at Saxihvoli. He
drove out thence Saxi, the sou of Alfarin, the son of Vali,
and he dwelt afterwards in Hraun,t at Saxihvoli. Grim-
kel married Thorgerd, daughter of Valthjof the Old;
their son was Thorarin Korni, he was of exeeding great
strength, and lies in Kornis How. Thorsteinn Korni
married Jorunn, the daughter of Einar, in Stafaholt ;
their daughter was Jarngerd, who was married to Ulf, the
son of Uggi. There was another son of Grimkel named
Klaeng, he married Oddfrid, the daughter of Helgi, from
Hvanneyri, their son was Kolli, who married Thurid, the
daughter of Asband, from Kamb. Their son was Skeggi,
the father of Thorkatla, who was the wife of Illugi, the
son of Thorvald, the son of Find ; Illugi was the father
of Gils, who slew Gjafvald. Another son of Kolli was
* How or HaugT.
•|*Both thes^ names from HrauQ—Lava,
named
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OF ICELAND. 43
[part II, CHAPTER VIII.]
named Bord ; he married Valgerd, the daughter of Vidar;
their daughter was Vigdis, who was married to Thorbjorn
the Stout ; their daughter was Thordis, who was the wife
of Thorbrand at Olvus-water. Thorir was their son and
Bjarni in Breidabolstead, and Torfi, but their daughter
was Valgerd, who married Runolf, the son of the Bishop,
i.e. Bishop Ketil. Another daughter of Bard was named
Asdis; she was first married to Thorbjorn, the son of
Thorvald, the brother of Mana Ljot, of the same mother ;
their daughter was Thurid, who was married to Thorgrim,
the son of Odd ; their children were Geirmund in Mafahlid
and fourteen others. Asdis was married a second time to
Skuli, the son of Jorund. Valgerd, from Mossfell, was
their daughter. Alfarinn, the son of Vali, had first settled
the ness between Bervikhraun and Enni ; his sons were
Hoskuld, who dwelt at Hoskuld's river, and Ingjald, who
dwelt in Ingjaldshvol, and Got at Gotilaek, and Holm Kell
at Fors,* by Holmkel's river. There was a man named
Olaf the Bellows who settled land inward from Enni to
Prodis river, and abode in Olaf s Vik.
Geirvid accused of witchcraft. Her trial by Dur adorn is
broken up by a free fight. Settlement of Herjolf. Slays
a wood-bear.
Chapter IX. There was a man named Orm the
Slender Who brought his ship to the mouth of Prodis
river, and dwelt at Brimilsvellir for a while. He drove
away Olaf Bellows and settled the whole Vik or Bay
between Enni and Hofdi, and dwelt then at Prodis water.
His son was Thorbjorn the Stout ; he married first
Thurid, daughter of Asbrand from Kamb, and their
children were Ketil Kappi, Hallstein and Gunnlaug, and
Thorgerd, who was the wife of Onund Sjoni. Thorbjorn
•Force or Waterfall.
afterwards
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44 T^ilE^ SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER IX.]
: afterwards married Thurid, the daughter of Bork the
Stout, and Thordis, the daughter of Sur. Thorbjorn the
Stout summoned Geirvid, the daughter of Baegifot, for
Iwitchcraft after that Gunnlaug his son died of that ill-
ness which he had caught when he went to learn the art
of magic from Geirvid. She was the mother of Thorarin
in Mafahlid. In this action Arnkell the godi was
challenged for a verdict of twelve neighbours, and he
declared Geirvid not guilty because Thorarin took the
.oath upon the altar ring, and so caused the action to
collapse. After that some studhorses of Thorbjorn were
lost upon the fell; he charged Thorarin with that and
went to Mafahlid and set up a door-doom (ok setti dura-
d6m).* They were twelve together, but Thorarin and his
were seven in the house before them, to wit, Alfgeir from
the Hebrides, and Nagli and Bjorn the Eastman, and three
house-karles ; they broke up the court and fought in the
inclosure (tun), near the house. Aud the wife of Thorarin
called upon the women to separate them ; one man fell
of the party of Thorarin, and two of the party of Thorb-
jorn. Thorbjorn then went away and bound up their
wounds by the stackgarth on the Vogar. The hand of
Aud was found in the enclosure. Therefore went
Thorarin after them and found then by the stackgarth.
Nagi ran weeping (greeting) past them, and so rushed
forth upon the fell. There Thorarin slew Thorbjorn and
wounded Hallsteinn to death. Five men fell there of the
party pf Thorbjorn. Arnkell and Vermund gave aid to
Thorarin, and sat together at Arnkel's house. Snorri the
godi took up the blood-suite after Thorbjorn and at the
Thorsness Thing made them all guilty who had taken
part in the fight. Afterwards he burnt the ship of Algeir
and his companions at the mouth of the salt eyr t river.
* Dyrad6mr«a court at the door of the defendant.
t Eyrr or Eyri is the name of the gravelly bank of a river or of the small
tongue of land that adjoins the river's mouth.
Arnkel
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dF Iceland. 45
[part II, CHATTER IX.]
Arnkel purchased a ship for them in Dogurdarness, and
saw them off until they had cleared all islands ; hence
hostilities broke out between Arnkel and Snorri the godi.
Ketil Kappi was at that time abroad ; he was the father
of Hrodny, the wife of Thorstein, the son of Vig-Styr.
Sigurd Svinhofdi was a great warrior, he dwelt at Kvern-
vogastrand. Herjolf, his son, was there eight winters,
when he slew a wood-bear for tearing to pieces a goat of
his. Respecting this fact there were these verses :
Bruin bottom-sing6d
Bit a goat for Herjolf,
But Herjolf hulky-bottomed
Avenged his goat on Bruin.
Herjolf was twelve winters old when he avenged the
death of Ms father. He was a man most mighty of his
hands. Herjolf went to Iceland in his old age and
settled the land between Bulandshofdi and Kirkfirth, or
KirkjuQordr. His son was Thorstein Kolskegg, the father
of Thorolf, the father of Thorarin the Black, the Mafh-
liding (or of Mafahlid), and Gudny, whom Vermund the
Slender married; their son was Brand the Bounteous, and
their daughter was Thoriinna, whom Thorstein Kaggason
had for wife. Vestar, the son of Thorolf Blodruskalli, or
Bladderpate, married Svand, the daughter of Herrod ;
their son was Asgeir, Vestar went to Iceland with his
father in his extreme old age, and settled Eyrland * and
•Kirkfirth ; he dwelt at Ondurd-Eyr. Vestar and Thorolf
were howed both of them at Skallaness. Asgeir, the son
of Vestar, married Helga, the daughter of Kjarlak ; their
son was Thorlak, and the sons of him and Thurid, the
daughter of Audun Stoffi, were Stein thorr and Thord
Blig, who married Ottkatla, the daughter of Thorvald, the
* See meaning of Eyrr above.
son
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46 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER IX.]
son of Thormod the godi ; a third son was Thormod,
who married Thorgerd, the daughter of Thorbrand, from
Alpta fiord (Swan firth) ; a fourth son was Bergthor, who
fell at Vigrfirth ; their sister was Helga, whom Asmund,
the son of Thorgest, had to wife. Steinthor had to wife
Thurid, the daughter of Thorgils, the son of Ari ;
Gunlaug was their son, who had to wife Thurid the Sage,
the daughter of Snorri the godi.
Settlements upon the lava plains. Appearances of a mysterious
horse.
Chapter X. There was a man named Kol who settled
land from the west from Firthhorn, east to Trollhals
(Troll's Neck or Hause), and out about Berserk's eyr to
Hraunfjord (Lava Firth), his sons were Thorarin and
Thorgrim from whom the Kolsons' Fell received its name.
Father and son dwelt at Kolgrafir (Kolsgraves), from them
the Kolgreflings are descended. Audun Stoti, son of
Vali the strong, settled all the land of Lava Firth up
above the lava, between Swine water or Svinavatn and
Trolls' Hause; he dwelt in Lava Firth and was a mighty
man of his hands ; from him are the Lava firthers descen-
ded. Audun married Myruna, the daughter of Maddad,
King of the Irish. Audun saw about Autumn how a dapple
grey horse ran down from Herdwater to his stud, and
knocked under the stallion. Then Audun caught the
dappled grey horse, and yoked it to a two-ox sledge, and
carted in with it all the hay of his field. Until mid-day the
horse was workable, but as the day wore, it sunk with its
hoofs into the ground up to the fetlock, and after sunset it
broke all the harness to pieces, and went to the lake, and
was seen n.ever afterwards. The son of Audun was Stein,
the father of Helga, who married An of Hraun (the
Lava) ; their son was Mar, the father of Gudrid^ the
mother
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OF ICELAND. 47
[part II, CHAPTER X.]
mother of Kjartan and An of Kirkfell. Another son of
Atidun was named Asbjorn, the third Svarthofdi, and a
daughter he had, Thurid, who married Thorlak, the son
of Asgeir of Eyr.
Descendants ofKetil Flatnose. Dispute with Harald Fatrhair.
Hrolf the Ganger.
Chapter XI. There was a man named Bjorn, the son
of Ketil Flatnose, and Yngvild, the daughter of Ketil
Wether, a hersir of Hringriki. Bjorn remained at home
in the possessions of his father, when Ketil went to the
Hebrides or Sodor. But when Ketil withheld the tribute
due to King Harald Fairhair, then the King drove Bjorn
from his father's estates, and took them under himself.
Then Bjorn went west over the sea, but would not settle
there ; thence he was called Bjorn the Easterner ; he
married Gjaflaug, the daughter of Kjallak, the sister of
Bjorn the Strong. Bjorn the Easterner went to Iceland
and settled land between Lava Firth and Staff river, and
dwelt in Bjorn Haven, at Borgholt, and he had a pasture
dairy (Sel) up at Sel, and kept a lordly house. He died
at Bjorn Haven and was howed at Borglaek, because he
was the only unbaptised son of Ketil Flatnose.
The son of Bjorn and Gjaflaug was called Kjallak the
Old ; he dwelt at Bjorn Haven after his father, together
with Ottar, the father of Bjorn, the father of Vigfus, in
Drapahlid, whom Snorri the godi caused to be slain.
Another son of Ottar was Helgi ; he harried Scotland, and
took thence captives, Midbjorg, the daughter of Bjolan the
King, and Kadlin, the daughter of Gaungu Hrolf or
Rolf the Ganger; he married her, and their son was
Osvif the Sage, and Einar Skalaglam who was drowned
in Einar's Skerry, in Selasund (Sealsound), and his shield
came ashore in Skjaldey or Shield Island, and his cloak
•at
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48 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XI.]
at Feldar Holm or Cloak Holm. Einar was the father
of Thorgerd, the mother of Herdis, the mother of Stein
the Skald. Osvif married Thordis, daughter of Thjodolf,
from Haven ; their children were Ospak, father of Ulf the
Marshal, the father of Ion at Rowan-wall (Reyrvoll),
father of Erlend Himaldi, the father of Eystein the
the Archbishop, and Thorolf, Torrad, Einar, Thorbjorn
and.Thorkel; they were outlawed on account of the
slaughter of Kjartan, the son of Olaf. A daughter of
Osvif was Gudrun, the mother of Gellir and Bolli and
Florleik and Thord Cat. The son of Bjorn the Easterner
was named Vilgeirr. Kjallak the Old married Astrid the
daughter of Hrolf, a hersir, and of Ondott, the sister of
Olvir Bairnkarl ; their son was Thorgriq^ the godi, he
married Thorhlid, the daughter of Thord the Yeller ; their
sons were Viga Styrr and Vermand the Slender, and
Brand, the father of Thorleik. The daughters of Kjallak
the Old were : Gerd, whom Thormod the godiliad to wife,
and Helga, the wedded wife of Asgeirr at Eyri.
Settlement of Thorolf Mostbeard, A .D. 884. His high seat posts
come to land in Broadfirth, He finds them at Temple Stead
on Holy FelL Temple set up there and District Assembly^
Fight and consequent feud between the men of Thorsness
and the followers of Kiallak the Old, A.D. 932 to 934.
Chapter XH. Thorolf,* son of Ornolf=fishdriver,
dwelt in Most Isle. He was called Mostbeard ; he was
• Respecting* Thorolfs early history, I have translated and condensed the
following from the Eyrbyegja Saga — Thorolf (originally Rolf) lived in Most, an
island of Hordarland, in Norway. He changed his name from Rolf to Thorolf
oil account of his devotion to Tnor. He was a mijjhty chieftain of great strength
and stature. His flowing beard and the place of his abode obtained for him the
nickname of Mostbeard. For affording shelter to Biorn Ketilson, son of Ketil
Flatnose, named in chapter XI, made an outlaw by King Harald, Thorolf was
himself made an outlaw, and followed th^ fortunes of his friend Ingolf, the first
settler in Iceland. Before setting out, Thorolf pulled down the temple of Thor,
and took with him most of the timbers that were therein, and the mould from
under the seat where Thor sat.
much
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OF ICELAND. 4^
[part II, chapter XII.1
much devoted to offering up sacrifices and believed in
Thor. He emigrated to Iceland on account of the
tyranny of Harald' Fairhair, and sailed by the southern
part of the land ; but when he came west, off Broadfirth,
he threw overboard the high seat posts, whereon Thor
was carved. And he prayed, thus over them that Thor
as he called the posts or pillars might there come to land
where the God wished him to settle, and he promised
that he would dedicate^ all the land of his settlement
(landnsLm sitt) to Thor, and name it after him. Thorolf
then sailed into the Firth, and gave a name to the Firth,
and called it Broadfirth (Brei^aQord). He settled land
on the south side, near the middle of the Firth. There
he found Thor cast aland, upon a point of land which is
now called Thorsness (Thorsnes), on that account. They
landed further up the ness in the Bay, which is now
called Temple Bay (Hofsvig). There he reared his home
and there he built a large temple, and consecrated it to
Thor,* and now the place is called Temple Stead
(Hofstadir). Before his time the Firth had been very
sparsely settled, or probably had not been settled at all.
Thorolf settled land {nam land) from Staff river (Stafa),
inwards to Thors river (Thorsar), and called all that part
Thorsness (Thorsnes). He had so great a reverence for
that fell which stands on the ness, and which he called
Helgafellt (=Holy Fell), that he enjoined that thither
* fhe site of the Temple is still shown close to the hamlet Hof stead, on the
west side of the Peninsula. For description of ThorolPs Temple see note at the
end of this chaptsr.
t Hel^afell. About noon I arrived at the western base of Helgafell, a low
mountain, consisting^ of trapp, or an irregular kind of basalt, perpendicular on
the north and east sides, but accessible from the west and south sides where it is for
the most part covered with grass. Helgafell was the abode of Snorri Godi, priest
of Thor, and one of the most powerful chiefs in the west of Iceland. The
. Eyrbyggja Saga is almost wholjv taken up with a detail of his intrigues, his
prosecutions and his cruelties.^ C5ne of the nrst churches was built here on the
public adoption of the Christian religion, and in A.D. 1183 the monastery of
F latey was transferred to this place. It became one of the richest in Iceland,
and at the time of the reformation possessed ninety-six farms, when it was
secularized and its lands were added to the Danish Crown. — HendersofCs Travels,
should
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50 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
should no man unwashen look, and there was so great
place hallowedness (sanctuary) that nothing should be
destroyed on the mountain, neither cattle nor people,
unless they should go away on their own accord.
That was the belief of them (Thorolf and his kinsmen),
that they should die into the mountain. There on the ness
where Thorr (=Thor's Pillar or High Seat Post, carved
with Thor's image), came ashore, Thorolf had all the
Dooms (=law courts), and there was set up the District
Assembly (legislative) by the advice of all the men of the
countryside, i.e. the dependants of Thorolf, who formed
his Temple Parish, as it were, he being their Temple
Priest. But while men were at the Thing, easements
should surely not be made on land {i.e. it was strictly
forbidden for men to go on nature's errands on the land),
and for that purpose was set apart that skerry (seacliff)
which is called Dirt Skerry (Dritsker), for they should
not defile such a Holy place as this was. But when
Thorolf was dead and Thorstein his son still young, then
they (to wit, Thorgrim, son of Kallak the Old, and Asgeir,
his son-in-law and their party), would not go into
the skerry upon their errands (easements). This the
Thoressings would not allow, that they should defile so
Holy a spot, therefore they fought (to wit, Thorstein
Codbiter and Thorgeir Staple), against those (to wit,
against Thorgrim and Asgeir), there at the Thing about
the Skerry, and certain men fell there and many more
were wounded before they could be parted. Thord the
Yeller (Thord Geller). appeased them, and whereas
neither side would yield, and the Holy Place had been
defiled by the blood of the deadly feud (heipt= implacable
or mortal hostility), this counsel was taken to remove the
Thing away therefrom, and take it up into the ness, where
it now is. There was there then a place of great hallowed-
ness
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OF ICELAND. 51
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
ness (sanctity), and there still stands the stone of Thor,*
over which they broke those men whom they sacrificed,
and close to this was that Doom Ring (d6mhringr),
wh^re people were doomed or condemned to sacrifice.
There also Thord the Yeller t placed the quarter Parlia-
ment, by the counsel of all the men in the quarter.
The son of Thorolf Mostbeard was Hallstein, Priest of
the men of Codfirth (Thorskafjardargodi), father of Thor-
stein the Black, a Seer. Osk was the mother of Thorstein
the Black, and daughter of Thorstein the Red.
Another son of Thorolf was Thorstein Codbiter. He
had to wife Thora, the daughter of Olaf Feilan, sister of
Thord the Yeller. Their son was Thorgrim, father of
Snorri the Priest, and Bork the Big, father of Sam,
whom Asgir slew.
Note upon The High Seat Pillar, ondvegis sula.
The derivation of this word is from sula=a post or
pillar, and from ond-vegi, which is the common form. The
derivation of the word is not quite settled yet. But the
most probable derivation is from '6nd=porch, doorway,
and vegr way. Ond-vegis saeti is probably the original
expression : the seat that faced the way along which
arrivals to the hall made their progress up to the chiefs
presence. It is a noteworthy fact, that no pillars or high
seat posts are mentioned dedicated to any other god but
Thor. In the main, the pillars were emblems of tribal
chieftainship, in its two principal aspects : martial leader-
ship and priestly authority.
•For "The Stone of Thor'* and " Doom Ring," see note at the end of this
chapter.
t Thord Yeller instituted courts called Quarter Courts in A.D. 964. The land
was political^ divided into Quarters called the East, West, North, and South
£uarters. Each Quarter had a Court called the Quarter Court. At a later
Lte a fifth High court, called Fimtar-domr— Fifth Court, was erected about
A.D. 1004.
I-iterally
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52 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
Literally an opposite seat, or high seat ; so called because
two seats were placed opposite to one another. In
ancient timbered halls the benches were placed long ways,
running along the walls of the halls, with the two seats of
honour in the middle, facing one another ; the nothern
bench facing the sun, was called ondvegi it cerdra : the
higher or first high seat; the opposite or southern bench
being it ucedra the lower or second high seat. The two high
seats were the most honoured places in the Hall, and a
chief guest used to be placed in the southern high seat. In
England the master and mistress sitting opposite to each
other at each end of the table may be a remnant of this
old Scandinavian custom. The sides of •the high seats
were ornamented with uprights (ondvegis sula), carved
with figures, almost invariably a head of Thor. These
posts were regarded with religious reverence ; many of
the settlers of Iceland took those high seats with them,
as in the case of Ingolf, before mentioned, and Thorolf,
as mentioned in the preceeding chapter. When near
Iceland they threw them overboard to drift ashore, and
where they found them there they took up their abode.
When a man of rank died, the son, after all rights
performed, solemnly seated himself in his father's seat, as
a token of succession, and there is a case in which the
sons sat not in the father's seat till they had avenged his
death. In the Heimskingla it is said that in Norway, in
Sweden, and in Denmark that the King's High Seat was
in the middle of the long bench at feasts, with the Queen
on the left hand and that this was called the King's High
Seat (Konungs ondvegi).
The Holy Hill or Helga Fell on Sncefellness. The earthly
Paradise of Thorolf and his descendants who settled
around Broadfirth (Brei^afjorS,
The sacred character of the mountain where Thorolf
first
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OF ICELAND. 53
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
first landed, and its connection with the religious belief
of the Norseman is well marked by a passage in this
chapter. " Thorolf settled land from Staffriver inward to
Thorsriver, and called all that part Thorsness. He had
so great reverence for that fell which stands upon the
ness and which is called Helga Fell=The Holy Fell, that
he ordained that thither should no man unwashen look,
and there was so great a place hallo wedness= sanctuary
that nothing should be destroyed upon the mountain,
either of cattle or people, unless it should go away of its
own accord.'* The Holy Fell therefore, where Thor's
Pillar or High Seat came ashore, was consecrated as a
place of sanctuary or refuge. Moreover it was the
entrance to Valhalla or the Northern Hades. ** It was
the belief of Thorolf and his descendants that they should die
into the mountain^'' i.e., that they should dwell within the
mountain after their death.
It is an advantage to rightly understanding this passage
that the Eyrbyggja Saga in its first twelve chapters deals
almost exclusively with Thorolf, his landing, his form of
religious worship and his descendants. It seems to be a
perfectly independent testimony to the history of Thorolf
and his Settlement. The Landnama's account certainly
has not been derived from it, neither has it, so far as I am
able to judge, been taken from the Landnama. Chapter
XI of the Erybyggja Saga, when describing the death of
Thorstein, the son of Thorolf Mostbeard, the original
settler, gives a graphic account of what is meant by die
into the mountain, which is as follows: "That same
harvest Thorstein went out to Hoskuld's Island to lay in
stores of fish, and it chanced that one evening in that
harvest that a shepherd of Thorstein went to look after
his flock to the north of the Holy Fell He observed that
the fell opened out towards the north end, and within the
fell (Helgafell) he saw mighty fires and could hear a great
noise
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54 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
noise there, and the clanging of drinking horns. And he
listened to hear if he could catch any distinct words, and
he heard that they were greeting Thorstein and his
seafaring companions, and bidding him sit in the high
seat over against his father (Thorolf Mostbeard). This
forewarning the shepherd told to Thora, the wife of
Thorstein, in the evening. She spake little about it, but
said that it might be the foreboding " of heavier tidings.
The morning after men came out from Hoskuld's Island
and told these tidings that Thorstein Codbiter had been
drowned while fishing, and men regarded this as a great
disaster."
Note on Thorolf s Temple at Templestead.
" There he built a Temple and a mighty house it was.
Within the door of the Temple stood the pillars of the
High Seat (High Seat Posts), and nails were therein ;
they were called the Gods nails. But off the innermost
house there was another house, of that position whereof
now is the choir of the Church, and there stood a stall in
the midst of the floor of the fashion of an altar, whereon
lay a ring without a join which weighed twenty ounces,
and on this men were bound to sware all oaths taken at
the court ; and that ring must the Chief have on his arm
at all man-motes. Upon this stall stood the blood-bowl,
and therein was the blood-rod like unto a sprinkler by
which was sprinkled from the bowl that blood which was
called " Hlaut " which was the blood which flowed from
those beasts which had been offered in sacrifice to the
gods, and around the stall were the gods arranged in the
Holy Place.
All men in the district were bound to pay toll to that
temple, and were bound to follow as liegemen the Temple
* What was known as a Jorebodin^ or forewarning of death is well known
amongst the old local superstitions of Cumberland.
Priest
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OF ICELAND. 55
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
Priest in all his goings. And the Chief, i.e.. Temple
Priest, was bound to uphold the Temple and keep it in
repair, and also to provide therein the sacrificial festivals.
— Eyrbyggja Saga, Chapter IV.
Note on the Stone of Thor, Blot-steinn or Stone of Sacrifice.
From Henderson's Travels in Iceland.
" It was some time before we could find the place. A
little to the south of the cottage we fell in with an
immense number of small square heights, which are
evidently the ruins of the booths used by this people at
the Public Assembly. We here instituted a strict search
after the Blot-stein or Stone of Sacrifice, otherwise called
the Stone of Thor, on which human victims were immo-
lated to Thor ; but sought it in vain in the immediate
vicinity of the Booths, none of the stones in that quarter
answering to the description which had been given of it.
At last we discovered a large stone in the middle of a
morass at some distance, which, though rough and un-
shapen, was determined to be the identical " Stone of Fear "
**by the horrid circle of Brumo** in the centre of which
it is situate. The stones which form the circular ring
appear also to be of a considerable size ; but as thay are
now almost entirely covered by the morass, it is impossible
to ascertain their depth, except by digging. The circle
itself is about 12 yards in diameter, and the stones are
situated at short distances from each other. The blot-
steinn is of an oblong shape, with a sharp summit, on
which the backs of the victims were broken that were
offered as expiating sacrifices in order to appease the
wrath of the offended Deity, and purge the community
from the obnoxiousness of guilt. Within the circle called
in Iceland domhringr, sat the judges before whom the
accused, with their advocates and witnesses were convened,
while
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56 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XII.]
while the spectators crowded around the outside of the
range in order to hear the trial. The remains of these
forensic and sacrificial circles are still found in great abun-
dance throughout Scandinavia, and it is more than probable
that many of the circles of stones discovered in different
parts of Great Britain, especially Scotland, were used for
similar purposes, and owe their existence to the Picts, or
the intercourse which, in ancient times, was maintained
between the northern nations and the coasts of our
Islands."
Settlement of Geirrod and Ulfar, Hospitality of Geirrid his
sister. Duel at the Holmgang between Thorolf and
Ulfar. Death of Ulfar. Settlements in the Eyri.
Origin of the community whose history is related in the
Eyrbyggja Saga.
Chapter XIII. There was a man named Geirrod
who went to Iceland, and with him went Finngeirr, son of
Thorstein Snow Shoes (ondurs), and Ulfar Kappi (or the
champion) ; they went from Halogaland to Iceland.
Geirrod settled land in from the Thor's river to Langdale
river. He dwelt at Eyri. Geirrod gave to his shipmate
Ulfar land upon each side of Ulfar's mountain, until this
side of the mountain. Geirrod gave Finngeirr land up to
about Alptafjord (Swan's Firth) : he dwelt in the place
which is now called Karstead. Finngeirr was the father
of Thorfinn, father of Thorbrand, in Alptafirth, who
married Thorbjorgu, the daughter of Thorfinn, the son
of Selthor. The sister of Geirrod was named Geirrid,
who had been married to Bjorn, the son of Bolverk,
blindingatronju=blinding snout). Their son was named
Thorolf. They (to wit, Geirrid and Thorolf) went to
Iceland after the death of Bjorn, and they were for the
first winter at Eyri.
In
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01^ ICELAND. 57
[part II, CHAPTER XIII.l
In the spring Geirrod gave his sister a homestead at
Borgdale, when Thorolf went abroad upon a plundering
expedition. Geirrid spared not meat to men. She caused
them to make her scale right across the hihgway, and
she sat upon a stool and invited in guests, and within a
table stood already ready and meat upon it.
Thorolf came to Iceland after the death of Geirrid.
He challenged Ulfar for his land and proposed the
contest of the Holmgang. Ulfar was then old and
childless ; he fell in the Holm and Thorolf was wounded
in the leg, and walked lame ever after ; hence he was nick-
named maimed-foot.
After Ulfar, Thorolf took some of his land, and some of
it took Thorfinn in Swanfirth ; Thorfinn established on
his share of the land his freed-men Ulvar and Orlyg.
Geirrod in Eyri was the father of Thorgeir Kenty
(= Staple) who moved the homestead from the Eyri * up
to the fell ; he was the father of Thord, the father of
Atli.
Thorolf Maimed-foot was the father of Arnkel the godi,
and of Geirrid, who had for wife Thorolf in Mafvahlid.
The sons of Thorbrand in Swanfirth were Thorolf Kimbi
and Thorod, Snorri, Thorfinn, lUugi, Thormod; they
quarrelled with Arnkel about the inheritance of their
freedmen, and were abroad with Snorri the Godi at the
slaying of him at Orlygstead. After that Thorleif Kimbi
went ; then Arnbjorn, son of Asbrand, from Broadwick,
struck him with a porridge ladle or porridge stick
(=thivel). Kimbi took it in jest. Thord Blig reproached
him with this at the Thorsness thing, when he sued for
* Eyrr or Eyri was a gravelly bank as either of the banks of a river or also
used of small tongues of land running into the sea. The Eyrr-byggjar were the
buildings upon the Eyrrar gravelly beach, and the Eyrbyggjia Saga, literally the
Saga of the Eyrri builders, was the history of those men who had builded or
settled there.
the
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58 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIII.]
the hand of Helga, his sister; then Kimbi caused Blig
to be smitten with a sand sod. From this arose the
quarrel between the Eyrbyggjar and the sons of Thor-
brand and Snorri the godi. They fought in Swanfirth,
and upon Vigrafirth.
There was a man named Thorberg ; he went from
Stelifirth, in Norway, to Iceland, and settled both * the
Langdales, and dwelt in the outer ; his son was Aslakr,
who had for wife Arnleif, daughter of Thord the Yeller ;
their children were these : lUugi the Mighty, and Gunn-
hild, whom Breid married first, and afterwards Halldor,
of Holmlatr. lUugi the Mighty married Gudleif, daughter
of Ketil Smithy Log= anvil stock ; their sons were
Eyjolf and Endridi, KoU and Gellir; their daughters
were : Herthrud, whom Thorgrim, the son of Vermund,
had for wife, and Fridgerd, whom Odd, the son of Drafla,
had for wife; and Gudrid, whom Bergthor, the son of
Thormod, the son of Thorlak, married first, and after-
wards Jorund, in Skorradale, further, Jodis, who married
Mar, the son of lUugi, the son of Ari, and Arnleif, who
married KoU, the son of Thord Blig. From lUugi are
the Langdalers come. Stein the Much-Sailing, the son
of Vigbjod, the brother of Thorir Harvest-Mirk, settled
Shawstrand, till it marched or met with the settle-
ment of Thorberg, and up to the Salmon river ; he
dwelt at Breidabolstead. His son was Thorhadd, in
Hitriverdale, and Thorgest, who married Arnora, the
daughter of Thord the Yeller ; their sons were : Stein the
Lawspeaker and Asmund, and Haflidi and Thorhadd.
Discovery, A.D. 982, and settlement, A.D. 986, of Greenland
by Eirek the Red.
Chapter XIV. Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son
•Hvarntveeg-ja Lansrdale^^both the Langdales, i.e., the outer and the inner.
Compare the langdales in Westmorland, implying two dales : Little Langdale
and Great Langdale.
of
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OF ICELAND. 59
[part II, CHAPTER XIV.]
of Ulf, the son of Ox-Thorir, and Eirek the Red, his
son, went from Jadar* for the sake of manslaughters,
and settled land on the Hornstrands, and built at
Drangar, where Thorvald died. Eirek married, when
there, Thjodhild, the daughter of Jorund, the son of Atli,
and of Thorbjorg knarrarbringu=the ship's breast,
whom at this time Thorbjorn of Hauksdale had for wife ;
Eirek then went from the north and cleared landt in
Hawkdale, he dwelt at Eirekstead, near Vatnshorn.
There the thralls of Eirek let fall a rock-slip upon the
dwelling of Valthjof, at Valthjofstead, but Eyjolf Saur,
his kinsman, slew the thralls at Skeidsbrekka, up from
Vatnshorn. For that sake Eirek slew Eyjolf Saur; he
also slew Holmgang-Hrafn at Leik-Scales. Geirstein
and Odd, at Jorvi, the kinsmen of Eyjolf, took up the
blood-suit after him ; then was Eirek exiled from Hawk-
dale; he then settled Brokey and Oxey, and dwelt at
Tradir, in the Southey, the first winter. Then he left
seat-beams of his house with Thorgest ; afterwards Eirek
went to Oxey, and dwelt at Eirekstead ; then he claimed
his seat -beams, and could not obtain them ; Eirek took
the seat-beams from Breidabolstead, and Thorgest went
after him; they fought a short distance from the fence
at Drangar, there fell two sons of Thorgest, and some
other men besides ; thereupon both sides sat at home,
amidst an armed company. Styrr sided with Eirek, and
Eyjolf from Sviney, and the sons of Thorbrand from
Swanfirth, and Thorbjorn, the son of Vifil; and with
Thorgest sided the sons of Thord the Yeller, and Thorgeir
from Hitriverdale, Aslak from Langdale, and IHugi, his
son. Eirek and his party were outlawed at the Thorsness
Thing. Then he fitted out a ship in Eireksvag, but
* Jardarr, the local name of a district in Norway, literally **The Borderland."
tThe Norse word is ruddi=to clear, and this word is still used with the same
meaning of clearing a wood in Lakeland.
Eyjolf
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6o THE SETTLEMENT
LpART II, CHAPTER XIV.]
Eyjolf hid him in Dimunvag, while Thorgest and his
party were seeking him about the islands. Thorbjorn
and Eyjolf and Styr followed Eirek out beyond the
islands; he told them that he purposed to seek that
land which Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf Crow, saw when
being driven west, beyond Iceland (by a storm), he
found there Gunnbjorn's skerries. Eirek said that if he
discovered land he would afterwards re-visit his friends.
Eirek sailed from off Snaefellness, and he came out at
Midjokul, at the place which is now called Blueserk;
he went thence to the south, along the land, to see if that
it could be settled. He was the first winter in Eirek's
Island, nigh to the middle of the western settlement,
and the next spring he went to Eireks-firth, and took
there for himself a dwelling. He went that summer into
the western wastes, and wide about there he assigned
names to places. He was the next winter at Eireksholmes,
near to Hvarfsgnipa. But the third summer he went
north as far as Snaefell, and came to Hrafnsfirth. Then
he felt sure he had got round the extremity of Eireksfirth ;
he sailed from thence back, and was the third winter in
Eirek's Island, at the opening of Eireksfirth. Later in
the summer, he went to Iceland, and came to Broadfirth ;
he was for that winter at Holmlatr with Ingolf. In
spring Thorgest and Eirek engaged in battle, and Eirek
had the worst of it ; after that they were reconciled.
That summer Eirek went to settle that land which he had
found, and which he called Greenland,* for he said that
* Greenland, an extensive region stretching", so far as we know, from 59 450 to
83!° north lat., and from 17° to 730 west long".; its north-western extremity,
however, being not yet accurately deBned. It is an island of almost continental
size, surrounded by smaller islands. Its area may be estimated at 512,000 or at
320,000 square miles, according as it takes in or leaves out islands and fjords
running inland which average 60 miles in length. It was first discovered, as
noted above, by Eirek the Red, one of the earliest settlers ot Iceland, after having
been before sighted by Gunnbjorn. After having explored it, Eirek founded
there in the year 986 two colonies— Osterbygd and VVesterbygd= Eastern and
Western Settlenients. The colonies afterwards came under the dominion of
many
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OF ICELAND. 6i
[part II, CHAPTER XIV.]
many men would desire to visit it if he gave the land a
good name.
So men of lore say that that summer twenty-five
ships went to Greenland from Broadfirth and Borgfirth,
and that fourteen got through to the west, that certain of
them were driven back, and some were lost. This took
place fifteen years before Christian faith was made law in
Iceland.
There was a man named Herjolf, the son of Bard,
the son of Herjolf, the friend of Ingolf the Settler. In-
golf gave land to Herjolf and his between Vag and
Reykjanes. Herjolf the younger went to Greenland,
when Eirek the Red settled the land. With him in the
ship was a man from the Hebrides, a Christian. He
composed the poem called ' Hafgerdingadrapa ' in which
the following verse occurs:
This the harm-free^ monks* controller^
Pray I, that he speed my journey ;
Let the Lord of earth's high hall-roof,^
Hold o*er me the stall of falcon !^
Herjolf settled Herjolfsfirth and dwelt at Herjolfness.
He was a most noble man.
Norway, but were neglected and suffered from disaster and privation. Finally
the Westerbygd was attacked and destroyed by the Eskimo intruders from the
north, some years after 1340. Subsequently the connection with Europe gradually
grew less and less, until, according to obscure accounts, it wholly ceased after
1448, and Greenland almost passed into oblivion. vVhen discovered in 1585 the
Eskimo were its only inhabitants. Corroborating, however, the above passage
in the Landnama, remarkable ruins of undoubted Scandinavian origin were early
discovered on two points of the west coast, one in the present district of Juliane-
haub, between 60 and 61° north lat., and the other in Godthaab, between 64 and
65°. In each case the ruins lay scattered over an area of some hundred square
miles, occupying small, flat and fertile spots round the heads of the fjords. The
southern group contains about 100 such spots, each with ruins of from two or
three up to thirty houses ; the northern group is much poorer. For latest in-
formation see Nansen's account of his expedition across Greenland in 1888.
(i) Good, full of mercy.
\2) Christ, as head of his Church.
(3) Lord of heaven, God.
(4) The falcon's stall, or the pcirch whereon it sits.
Eirek
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62 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIV.]
Eirek afterwards settled Eireksfirth and dwelt in Brat-
tahlid, and Leif, his son after him. These men took land
in Greenland who had gone out then with Eirek, namely,
Herjolf, Herjolfsfirth : he dwelt at Herjolfsness ; Ketil,
Ketilsfirth : Hrafn, Hrafnfirth : Solvi, Solvisdale : Snorri,
the son of Thorbrand, Swanfirth, Thorbjorn Glora,
Siglufirth : Einar, Einarfirth : Hafgrim, Hafgrimsfirth
and Vatnahverfi : Arnlaug, Arhlaugsfirth : but certain went
to the western settlement.
There was a man named Thorkell Farserk, ths sister son
of Eirek the Red ; he went to Greenland with Eirek, he
settled Hvalseyfirth, and most places between Eireksfirth
and Einarsfirth, and dwelt at Hvalseyfirth ; from him the
Hvalseyfirthers are descended. He was of exceeding
strength. He swam out to Hvalsey=Whale Island, after
an old ox, and brought it from the island on his back,
when he wanted to give good cheer to his kinsman, Eirek,
and there was not a seaworthy vessel at hand ; that was
a distance of half a sea knot or mile=vika.'^' Thorkell was
interred in the (tun) enclosure at Hvalseyfirth, and his
ghost has ever since haunted the place.
Olave the White King of Dublin marries Aud, daughter of
Ketil Flatnose, Thorstein their son and Sigurd conquer
more than half of Scotland. Thorstein falls in battle.
Chapter XV. Ingolf the strong settled land in from
the Salmon river to Skraumuhlaups river, and dwelt
at Holmlatr. His brother was Thorvald, the father of
Thorleif, who dwelt there afterwards.
Oleif the White was the name of a war-lord, he was the
• Vika. This word meant a sea knot or mile, or what would now be called a
geographical mile, and corresponded to a rost on land. The term seems to have
been derived from vik, a small bay, denoting the distance from ness to ness, and
referring to a time when ships coasted along the sea shore. The word is still
in almost exclusive use in Iceland.
son
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OP tCELAtJD. 63
[part II, CHAPTER XV.]
son of King Ingald, the son of Helgi, the son of Olaf,
the son of Gudraud, the son of Halfdan Whiteleg, the
King of the Uplanders. Olave the White harried in
the West-viking,* and conquered Dublin in Ireland, and
DubUnshire, and was made King over it. He married
Aud the Deep-minded, the daughter of Ketil Flatnose.
Thorstein the Red was their son. Oleif fell in battle
in Ireland, and Aud and Thorstein went thence to Sodor, or
the Hebrides; there Thorstein married Thurid, the daughter
of Eyvind the Easterner, and sister of Helgi the Lean ; they
had many children. Their son was named Olaf Feilan,
and their daughters, Groa and Alof, Osk, and Thorhild,
Thorgerd and Vigdis. Thorstein became a war-lord; he
entered partnership with Sigurd the Mighty, the son of
Eystein Glumra ; they conquered Caithness, Sutherland,
Ross and Murray, and more than half Scotland j and
Thorstein became King thereover, until the Scots be-
trayed him, and he .fell there in battle. Aud was then
in Caithness, when she heard of the fall of Thorstein ; she
caused a merchant ship to be made in a wood, in secret,
and when it was ready she held out to the Orkneys ;
there she gave in marriage Gro, the daughter of Thorstein
the Red. She was the mother of Grelad, whom Thorfinn
SkuUcleaver had in marriage. After that Aud went to
seek Iceland ; she had with her in the ships twenty free
men.
Queen Aud settles all the Dale-lands, A.D. 892.
Chapter XVI. There was a man named KoU, the son
of Vedrar (Wether) Grim, the son of Asi a hersir ; he had
the management of the affairs of Aud, and was most
honoured by her. KoU married Thorgerd, daughter of
Thorstein the Red. A freedman of Aud's was named
Erp ; he was the son of Melldun, an Earl in Scotland,
even he who /ell before Earl Sigurd the Mighty. The
* Viking raids on Western or British Islands.
mother
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64 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XVI.]
mother of Erp was Myrgjol, the daughter of Gljomal,
King of the Irish. Earl Sigurd took them (Erp and
Myrgjol), captives in war, and enslaved them. Myrgjol
was the handmaid of the wife of the Earl, and served
her faithfully ; she was skilled in many arts ; she took
charge of a charmed child of the Earl's lady, whilst she
was at the bath. After that Aud bought her for a great
price, and promised her freedom if she would sers'^e
Thurid, the wife of Thorstein the Red, as she had served
the Earl's lady. Myrgjol and Erp her son went to
Iceland with Aud. Aud held first to the Faroe Islands *
and there gave in marriage Alof, the daughter of Thorstein
the Red ; thence are the Gotuskeggjar=the Gatebeards
descended. Afterwards she went to seek Iceland. She
came to Veikarskeid, and there was shipwrecked. She
went thence to Keelness to Helga Bjola, her brother, who
offered her a lodging there with half of her companions,
which she thinking a mean offer, said that he would
always be a manikin. She then went west to Broadfirth,
to her brother Bjorn, who, knowing the liberal and
generous character of his sister, went to meet her,
accompanied by all his domestics, and asked her to stay
with him, and also offered to provide for all her retinue.
She accepted his offer. Afterwards in spring Aud went to
seek a settlement (landaleit) up the Broadfirth, accom-
panied by her liegemen. They ate their D6gur'St=
* Faroe Islands, literally Sheep Islands. A Danish group of Islands, twenty-
two in number, of which 17 are uninhabited, lying between the Shetlands and
Iceland, 200 miles north-west of the Shetlands, from 61 25° to 62 250 north-east,
and 6 19° to 7 40° west long. Area 513 sq^uare miles. Population in 1880 was
1 1,220. They are volcanic, rocky mountains attaining the maximum height of
2,502 feet and 2,895 f'set.
Currents amongst the islands, strong and stormy, and whirlwinds frequent.
The largest islands are Stromo, 28 miles long by 8 broad. Ostero, Sando, and
Sudero. Capital, Thorshaven, in Stromo, with 984 inhabitants. The inhabi-
tants are of Norse descent, and speak an old Norse dialect.
t The Dogurd or Daymeal was the chief meal of the old Scandinavians, and
was taken in the forenoon, corresponding with breakfast, and was so distinguished
from the night meal or other principal meal of which they partook.
day
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OP tCPLAMD. 65
[part II, CHAPTER XVI.]
day meal in the south of Broadfirth, at the place which
is now called Dogurdarness=Daymeal ness ; afterwards
they passed through Eyjasund= Island sound. They
came ashore at that ness where Aud lost hei comb, which
they called from that circumstance Kambness=Combe
Ness.*
Queen Aud settled all the territory of the Dale lands
to the inner firth from Daymeal-river to Skraumhlaups
river. She dwelt at Hvamm, at the mouth of the Char
river, there the place is called Aud's tofts. She had her
prayer station at Cross-Knolls; there she caused them
to raise crosses because she was baptized and was a
true believer. Her kinsfolk had great faith in those
Knolls. There they made a templet and there they
sacrificed, and it was the firm belief of them that they
should die into that mound, and Thord the Yeller was led
thither before he took over his lordship of a Godi, as is
related in his saga.
Queen Aud gives lands for settlement to her shipmates and
freedmen.
Chapter XVII. Aud gave lands to her shipmates
and freed-men. Ketil was the name of the man to whom
she gave land from Skraumuhlaups-river to Hord-dale
river; he lived at Ketil-stead; he was the father of
Vestlidi and Einar, the father of Kleppjarn and Thorbjorn,
whom Styr slew, and of Thordis, the mother of Thorgest.
Hord was the name of a shipmate of Aud's, to whom
she gave Hord-dale ; his son was Asbjorn, who had for
* Compare Black Combe in the south-west of Cumberland.
fThe word for temple here is H6rg=»a heathen temple, as distinguished from
Hof, the Christian temple. The use of Horg in this passage is very significant
as showing that the descendants of Aud were relapsing again into heathen
worship. There is a very marked difference between the two. Hof was a house
of timber, while Horg was an altar of stone erected on high places, or a sacri-
ficial cairn. It is retained in Icelandic Place Names in Landnama and elsewhere
as Hdrg-4 and Hogar-dalr; in the north, Horga-eyrr; in the west, Horg^hylr.
wife
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66 THE 3EtTLEMEMT
LpART II, CHAPTER XVII.]
wife Thorbjorg, the daughter of Midfirth-Skeggi ; their
children were : Hnaki, who had for wife Thorgerd, the
daughter of Thorgeir Cutcheek, and Ingibjorg, whom
lUugi the Black had for wife.
Vivil was the name of a freed-man of Aud ; he asked
her why it was that she gave him no place of abidance,
as she did to other men ; she said it mattered not, he
would be accounted a noble man wheresoever he came ;
but she gave to him Vivils-dale, and there he took up his
abode, and had quarrels with Hord. The son of Vivil
was Thorbjorn, the father of Gudrid, whom Thorstein,
the son of Eirek the Red, had for wife, but later she was
the wife of Thorfinn Karlsefni. From her and Thorfinn
are come these bishops : Bjorn, Thorlak, Brand ; another
son of Vivil was Thorgeir, who had for wife Arnora, the
daughter of Bath-brink-Einar (Laugar-brekku-Einarr),
and their daughter was Yngvild, whom Thorstein, the son
of Snorri the godi, had for wife.
Hundi was the name of a freed-man of Aud's, Scotch
by kin, to whom she gave Hundi-dale, where he abode for
a long time.
Sokkolf was yet a freed-man of Aud's ; she gave to him
Sokkolfs-dale, and he lived at Breidabol-stead, and from
him many folk have sprung.'
To Erp, the son of Earl Melldun, who has been
mentioned before, Aud gave freedom and therewith the
the land of Sheepfell ; from him are sprung the Erplings.
One son of Erp was called Orm ; another, Gunnbjorn, the
father of Arnora, whom Kolbein, the son of Thord, had
for wife ; a third son of his was Asgeir, father to
Thorarna, whom Sumarlid, the son of Hrapp, had for
wife ; a daughter of Erp was Halldis, whom Alf o' Dales
had for wife ; one more son of Erp's was Dufnall, the
father of Thorkel, the father of Hjalti, the father of
Beinir ; and still a son of Erp was Skati, the father of
Thord, the father of Gisli, the father of Thorgerd.
There
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OF ICELAND. 67
[part II, CHAPTER XVII.]
There was a man named Thorbjorn, who Hved at Vatn
(water) in Hawkdale ; he had for wife , and their
daughter was Hallfrid, whom Hoskuld, in Salmonriver-
dale, had for wife ; they had many children ; Bard was a
son of theirs, and .Thorleik, the father of Bolli, who had
for wife Gudrun, the daughter of Osvif ; their sons were :
Thorleik and Hoskuld, Surt and Bolli ; their daughters :
Herdis and Thorgerd. Before being the wife of Bolli,
Gudrun had bean the wife of Thord, the son of Ingun,
and their children were Thord Cat and Arnkatla. The
last, who had Gudrun for wife, was Thorkel, the son of
Eyolf, and their children were : Gellir and Rjupa. Bard,
the son of Hoskuld, was father of Hallbjorg, whom Hall,
the son of Fight-Styr, had for wife; the daughters of
Hoskuld were : Hallgerd Turn-breeks, Thorgerd and
Thurid.
Other settlements made by Queen A ud's followers.
Chapter XVHI. KoU took to himself the whole of
Salmonriver-dale, all unto Hawkdale-river ; he was called
KoU o' Dales ; he had for wife Thorgerd, the daughter of
Thorstein the Red; their children were Hoskuld and
Groa, whom Veleif the Old had for wife ; also Thorkatla,
whom Thorgeir the godi had for wife. Hoskuld had for
wife Hallfrid, the daughter of Thorbjorn, from Vatn;
, their son was Thorleik, who had for wife Thurid, the
daughter of Arnbjorn, the son of ' Sl6ttu*-Bjorn; their
son was Bolli.
Hoskuld bought Melkorka, the daughter of Myrkjartan,
a king of the Irish ; their sons were Olaf Peacock and
Helgi ; but the daughters of Hoskuld were Thurid and
Thorgerd, and Halgerd Turn-breeks. Olaf had for wife
Thorgerd, the daughter of Egil Skallagrim's son ; their
sons were: Kjartan and Halldor, Steinthor and Thor-
berg :
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68 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XVIII.]
berg; the daughters of Olaf : Thurid, Thorbjorg the Big
and Bergthora. Kjartan had for wife Hrefna, the
daughter of Asgeir Madpate ; their sons : Asgeir and
Skum.
Herjolf, the son of Eyvind ' Eld/ was the second
husband of Thorgerd, the daughter of Thorstein the Red ;
their son was Hrut, to whom Hoskuld paid into his
mother's inheritance the land of Combeness between
Hawkdale-river and that ridge which there runs down
from the mountains into the sea. Hrut abode at Hrut-
stead ; he had for wife Hallveig, who was the daughter of
Thorgrim of Thickshaw, and a sister of Armod the Old.
They had many children. Their son was Thorhall, the
father of Haldora, who was the mother of Gudlaug, the
father of Thordis, who was the mother of Thord, the
father of Sturla, of Hvamm. Grim, also, was a son of
Hrut, as well as these : Mar, Endridi and Stein, Thorljot
and Jorund, Thorkel, Steingrim, Thorberg, Atli, Arnor,
Ivar, Kar, Kugaldi ; and these were his daughters : Berg-
thora, Steinun, Rjupa, Finna, Astrid.
Aud gave Thorhild, the daughter of Thorstein the Red,
in marriage to Eystein ' Meinfret,' the son of Alf, in Osta ;
their son was Thord, the father of Kolbein, the father of
Thord the Skald; also Alfo' Dales, who had for wife
Halldis, the daughter of Erp, whose son was Snorri, the
father of Thorgils, the son of Halla. The daughters of
Alf o' Dales were these : Thorgerd, whom Ari, the son of
Mar, had for wife, and Thorelf, whom Havar, the son of
Einar, the son of Klepp, had for wife; their son was
Thorgeir. Thorolf Fox was also a son of Eystein's ; he
fell at Thingness-Thing, out of the band of Thord the
Yeller, when he and Tongue-Odd fought. Hrapp was the
name of a fourth son of Eystein's.
Aud gave Osk, the daughter of Thorstein (the Red), in
marriage to Hallstein the godi ; their son was Thorstein
the
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OF ICELAND. 69
[part II, CHAPTER XVIII.]
the Swart. Vigdis, the daughter of Thorstein (the Red)
Aud gave away to Kamp-Grim ; their daughter was
Arnbjorg, whom Asolf ' Flosi/ of Head (-land), had for
wife ; their children were Odd and Vigdis, whom *Thor-
geir, son of Kadal, had for wife.
Death of Queen And. Her Arval Feast and Burial within
the Sea Shore.
Chapter XIX. Aud brought up Olaf Feilan, the son
of Thorstein the Red ; he got for wife Alfais, of Barra, the
daughter of Konal, the son of Steinmod, the son of Olvir
Bairn-carle. The son of Konal was Steinmod, the father
of Halldora, whom Eilif, the son of Ketil the Onehanded*,
had for wife. The children of Olaf Feilan and Alfdis
were Thord the Yeller and Thora, the rpother of Thor-
grim, the father of Snorri godi. Thora was also mother
of Bork the Stout, and of Mar, the son of Hallward.
Ingjald and Grani were sons of Olaf Feilan, and Vigdis
was the name of a daughter of Olaf Feilan A third
daughter of Olaf Feilan was called Helga, whom Gunnar,
the son of Hlifar, had for wife ; their daughter was Jofrid,
whom Thorodd, the son of Tongue Odd, had for wife first,
and who afterwards was the wife of Thorstein, the son of
Egil. Another daughter of Gunnar was Thorun, whom
Herstein, the son of Blund-Ketil, had for wife ; Raud and
Hoggvandil were the sons of Gunnar. A fourth daughter
of Olaf Feilan was called Thordis, whom Thorarin
* Ragis-brother* had for wife ; their daftghter was Vigdis,
whom Stein, pf Redmell, the son of Thorfinn, had for
wife.
* Aud was a great lady of state ; when she was weary
with old age, she asked to her her kinsmen and affinity,
and arrayed a most stately feast ; and whenas the feast
had stood on for three nights, she bestowed gifts upon
* Thb passat^e is giwen in origiaal on next page.
her
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70 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
her friends, and gave them wholesome counsels, saying,
even then, that the feast should stand on for still another
three nights, and giving to understand that this would be
her arv'al-feast (funeral feast). The next night she died,
and was buried on the shore, between high and low water
mark, even as she herself had ordered, for this reason,
that she would not lie in unhallowed earth, being baptized.
After that the belief of her kindred grew corrupt. *
Note on the A rval Feast of Queen A ud.
In the original Icelandic of the above passage there are
so many words bearing such a strong affinity to our
Cumberland and Westmorland dialect, that I have
thought it well to subjoin it in full :
Au^r var vegskona mikil ; \& er hiim var ellimod, bau^
htin til sim frdndum sinum ok m^gun ok bjo dyalega
veizlu ; en er )?rjar NcBtr hafdi veizlan sta^it, \k valdi hiin
gjafir vinum sinum ok re^ J^eim heilradi ; sagdi hun at J?^
skyldi standi veizlan enn iij Ncetr ; hun kvad J^at vera
skyldu erfi sitt ;»]74 nott eptir an^a^ist htin, ok var grafin
i flce^dLxm&Wy sem htin haf^i fyrir sagt, )?viat htin vildi eigi
liggja i ovig^ri moldu, er htin var skir8.
I may here add the following note on Arvals and Arval
in their Cumberland acceptation (Ice erfi). It is given
also in my volume on " Lakeland and Iceland," published
by the English Dialect Society. " Arvals is used of meat
and drink supplied at funerals. Arval is anything con-
nected with heirship or inheritance ; used chiefly in
reference to funerals. The friends and neighbours of the
family of deceased were invited to dinner on the day of
the interment, and this was called the Arval dinner, a
solemn festival to exculpate the heir and those entitled
to the possessions of deceased from the mulets or fines to
the lord of the manor, and from all accusation of having
. • See Part V., 15.
used
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Ot^ iCELAhtD. 71
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
used violence. In later times the word acquired a wider
application, and was used to designate the meals provided
at funerals generally."
Note on the voyages and settlements of Queen And.
The history of Queen Aud and her settlements end
with the passage given above. It may be well, therefore,
to note in this immediate connexion how close seems to
have been her relationship to the early Norse settlers of
Iceland on the one hand, and to the Norsemen who
settled the British Islands on the other. Descended
from one of the most distinguished families in Norway,
she was the widow of Oleif, the White King of Dublin,
the founder of a dynasty which long ruled there.*
4 After the death of her husband, Oleif (see Book of
Settlement, II, 15), slain possibly in a rising of the Irish
against their conquerers, she left Ireland, taking with her
one grandson and six granddaughters. She was followed
by a large company of her kinsfolk and dependents, Irish
and Norse. They took with them their families, their
cattle, and such means of cultivation as at that time they
possessed. It may be noted here that Christianity was
the form of religion she had adopted when she left the
British Islands. Whether she was a baptized Christian
when she left Ireland, or whether in Scotland she em-
braced the faith first preached there by St. Columba, the
monk of lona, does not appear. She held this belief,
however, firmly to the last, and it is worthy of note, as
appears from the Landnama, that Ingolf, Kveldulf and
* As we approach Dublin the numerous Norse names alongf the coast — Lam-
bay Island, Ireland's eye (Norse ey or eyja= Island), the Skerries, the Hill of
Howth, Leixlip=Salmon Leap on the Liffy —prepare us to learn that the Scan-
dinavians in Dublin were governed by their own laws till the thirteenth century,
and that in Oxmanton(=Eastmanstown) they had their own separate quarter of
the city, guarded by walls and gates.
other
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72 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
Other settlers who came directly from Norway, were all
devotecL worshippers of Thor, while those who came from
the British Islands were mostly profSssers of the Christian
faith. She went first to the Hebrides, called also Sodor,
which is the Latin translation of Sudreyjar,* =the
Southern Islands of the Landnama.
Thence she went to Scotland, where her son Thorstein,
in partnership with Sigurd the Mighty, subdued Caith-
ness, Sutherland,t Ross and Murray, and in all, more than
half of that kingdom, of which he was made King. The
Scots, however, betrayed him, and he fell in battle.
Again, then, Aud set forth on her voyage of settlement,
and stayed and left some of her descendants in the Ork-
neys and some also in the Faroe Islands. Afterwards
she went to seek Iceland and (A.D. 892) she settled the
Dale lands, being the dales that shed their waters into,
the innermost part of Hvamm firth (on the map Hvamms-
fj6rdr), all round the head of the Bay, and out to Day-
meal water running from the North into the bay a few
miles of west Hvamm or Hvammr.
This Bay, it will be seen, opens inland from the South-
ern portion of Broadfirth (Breidifjordr). The islands
which almost block up the entrance will sufficiently
account for the name, Eyjasund or Island Sound. Her
brother-in-law, Helgi the Lean, went to the North of
Iceland and occupied large claims in Eyjafirth, while
Ketil Fiflski, her sister's son, settled in the East, her
brother Helgi Biolan in the South ; Biorn, another
brother, in the West. From this powerful kindred of
* These islands include, under the name Hebrides, all the islands, about five
hundred in number, on the West coast of Scotland, including* Bute and Arran,
and to the same s^ronp were anciently assigned the peninsula of Cantyre, the
Island of Rathlin, and the Isle of Man.
t Sutherland is Norse, meaning land to the south of the Orkney earldom.
Here as well as in Caithness we find numerous Norwegian names, such as
Brora, Thurso, Wick, Skeroar, Loch Skerrow, and Sandwick Bay, Loch Laxford.
Queen
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OF ICELAND. 73
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
Queen Aud sprung the most distinguished Icelandic
families. All that is great and noble in its early history
seems closely connected with her by marriage or by birth.
Settlement of Kjallak. His blood-feud. Births of Hamund
and Geirmund, sons of King Hjor. BragVs prophecy
concerning them. Battle in Hafursfirth, A.D. 885.
Settlement of Geirmund in Broadfirth.
Kjallak was the name of a man, the son of Bjorn the
Strong, who was the brother of Gjaflang, that Bjorn the
Easterner had for wife. Kjallak went to Iceland and
settled land from Day meal river to * Klofningar,' and
abode at Kjallakstead ; his sons were : Helgi Roe and
Thorgrim Tanglestalk ' under Fell * (=of Fell), Eilif the
Proud, Asbjorn Muscle of Orristead, Bjorn Whalemaw
at Towngarth, Thorstein Thinning, Gizur the Glad, of
Score-wick, Thorbjorn Scurvy at Ketilstead. A daughter
of Kjallak was iEsa, in Swiney, who was the mother of
Tinforni. There ^yas a man, Ljotolf by name, to whom
Kjallak alloted an abode at Ljotolf-stead, up from * Kalda-
kinn ' (Coldcheek) ; his sons were Thorstein and Bjorn
and Hrafsi. Ljotolf was of giant blood by his mother's
kindred ; he was a smith in iron ; he and his sons betook
themselves to Ljotolfstead, out in Fell- woods. Thorun,
of Thorun's Tofts, was mother of Oddmar, and foster-
mother of Kjallak, the son of Bjorn Whalemaw. Alof,
the daughter of Thorgrim ' under Fell,' was seized with
frenzy, and folk would have it that Hrafsi was the cause
thereof; he laid hands on Oddmar beside her bed and
said that he himself was indeed the cause of the disorder;
then Thorgrim gave to him Deild-isle. Hrafsi vowed he
would cut down Oddmar in the very face of Bjorn unless
he atoned for him. Kjallak was not willing to let go the
island. Hrafsi took some live-stock of theirs out of a
boat-shed built of turf, and the son3 of Kjallak gave chase,
l)ut
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74 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
but failed to catch him. After this Eilif and Hrafsi made
a rush off for the island ; an arrow struck the intestine of
Eilif Grisly, and he became a shape-changer*; Bjorn
Whalemaw took the life of Bjorn, the son of Ljotolf at
sports, and Ljotolf and his made a bargain with Oddmar
that he should bring Bjorn where they might have a
chance of him ; Kjallak the Young ran after him, but
before they could overcome him they (Bjorn and his) took
the lad and slaughtered him at Kjallaks-knoll, he being
then seven winters old. After this the sons of Kjallak
set upon Ljotolf and Thorstein in a certain under-ground
chamber at Fellwoods, and Eilif found the other outlet
of it and got in at the back of them and slew them both.
Hrafsi walked into the house of Orristead, when there
was an entertainment forward, and was dressed in
woman's clothes ; Kjallak sat on the dais with a shield ;
Hrafsi dealt a deathwound at Asbjorn and walked out
through the wall ; Thord ViviPs son told Hrafsi that his
oxen were lying in a ditch ; he bore his shield ; he,
Hrafsi, hurled it over a cliff, when he saw the sons of
Kjallak, and they could not overcome him until they
felled timbers about him. Eilif sat by while they made
the onset on him.
Hjorleif, king of the Hordlanders, had for wife Asa
the Light ; their son was Otrygg, the father of Oblaud,
the father of Hogni the White, the father of Ulf the
Squinter. Another son of Hjorleif was Half, who was
the captain of * Halfsrekkar'; his mother was Hild the
Slender, the daughter of Hogni, of Niord-isle. King
Half was father of King Hjor, him who avenged his
father in company with Solvi, the son of Hogni. Hjor
made a harrying raid on Bjarmland,t and took captive
* Hamadist=to change the shape, and so to become subject to fits of fury.
See note on Berserks, page 19.
t Bjarm is the " beaming or radiance of light.'' Bjarm was the name of a
people or tribe of the Russiam Empire, the Perms of the present day.
there
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OF ICELAND. 75
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
there in war Ljufvina, the daughter of the King of the
Bjarms ; she was left behind in Rogaland when King
Hjor went out to the wars, and then she gave birth to
two sons, one was named Geirmund, the other Hamund,
and very swarthy of hue they were ; at that time her bond-
maid also gave birth to a son, and he was called Leif,
being the son of Lodhott, a thrall. Leif was light of hue,
and therefore the queen exchanged her boys with the
bondmaid, and took Leif to her as her own son. But
when the King came home, he took a dislike to Leif,
saying that he looked like to be a manikin. Next
time when the King went out on viking raids, the Queen
asked to her house Bragi the Bard, and bade him look
heedfuUy at the boys, being then three winters old ;
she shut the lads up with Bragi in one chamber and
bid herself under the dais. Bragi then sang this :
Two are inside here, But Leif the third,
I trust well both, The son of Lodhott,
Hamund and Geirmund, Rear him not Queen,
Hjor's own offspring. Few will prove worse I
And he smote his staff on the dais wherein the Queen
hid. So when the king came home, the queen told him
of this, and showed him the lads, and he vowed he had
never seen such * hell-skins,' and therefore were both
brothers so named ever afterwards. Geirmund Hellskin
was a king of war-hosts, and harried in the viking-raids
of the west, but had the dominion he ruled over in
Rogaland. But when he came back, after having been
away for a long time. King Harald had fought in Hafurs-
firth* with Eirek, King of the Hordlanders, and with
* Battle of Hafursfirth, A.D. 885. This great sea figrht affected the Settlement
of Iceland more perhaps than any other event. It was the great crisis of the
resistance of the Jarls or Kinglets of Norway to their conquest by Harald Fair-
hair. The song- of Hornklofi says ** The hijEfh born Kine loujjfht with Kjotvi the
wealthy ; ships came from the west with gaping dragon's neads and curved beaks.
Sulki,
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76 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
Sulki, King of Rogaland, and with Kjotvi the Wealthy,
and gained the day. By then he had laid under his sway
the whole of Rogaland, and bereft many men there of
their freehold lands, so Geirmund saw no other choice
at hand for him but to betake himself away, for there he
could get no beseeming redress. So he made up his
mind to seek for Iceland. To this journey there betook
themselves with him these : Ulf the Squinter, his kins-
man, and Steinolf the Low, who was the son of * hersir '
Hrolf of Adgir, and of Ondott, the sister of Olvir Bairn-
carle. Geirmund and his fellow-farers sailed, having
inkling of each other (all the way), each steering his own
ship until they made Broadfirth, and came to anchor by
EUidis-isle. Then they learnt that the bay was settled
on the southern side, but on the western, slightly so, or
not at all. So Geirmund made for Middlefell-strand, and
took to himself land from Fabeins-river to Clove-stones ;
he laid his ship into Geirmunds-creek, but spent the first
winter in Booth-dale. Steinolf took land east, away from
Clove-stones, but Ulf took land on the western side of the
firth, as soon will be told. Geirmund found his land-take
too narrow, in that he kept a house of state and a house-
hold so large that he had eighty freed-men ; he dwelt at
Geirmund-stead 'under Skard.'
There was a man called Thrand Spindle-shanks, who
went to Iceland with Geirmund Hellskin ; he had his
kindred about Agdir (in Norway) ; he took to himself the
They were laden with warriors and white shields, JVestern spears and Welsh
swords. The Bearserks yelled with war in their hearts. They joined battle with
valiant kin^ of the Eastmen who put them to Aiffht.'* At last the Vikingrs turned
their warships and fled across the North Sea. The king Harald, hot content with
this crushing- blow, followed it up relentlessly, and made a great expedition to the
Orkneys, then the focus of the Viking movement, to strike at the root of the
influence which he dreaded. There was now no further choice; the Norsemen
in the western (British) Islands were forced to bow to the King, or to fly to lands
beyond his sway. These lands were generally in Iceland, and in the Landnama
many a man is recorded as having fought at Hafursfirth and having fled hence to
Iceland. — Preface to Sturlunga Sa^a. References to Hafursfirth in Book of
' Settlement at I, 6; II, 19. 29, 32 twice ; III, 2; V, 11, 13.
islands
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OP tCELAHD. ii
[part II, CHAPTER XIX.]
islands west of ' Bjarneyjafloi ' (=the Bjorn-isles-Broads)
and abode in Flatey; he had for wife the daughter
of Gils * Skeid ' neb (Skei^=fast sailing man of war) ;
their son was Hergils * Hnapprar/ who dwelt in Hergils-
isle ; the daughter of Hergils was Thorkatta, whom Mar
of Reek-knolls had *for wife, but Hergils had for wife
Thorarna, the daughter of Ketil Broad-sole. Their son
was Ingjald, who dwelt in Hergilsisle, and was a backer-
up of Gisli Surson, wherefore Bork the Stout had him
bereft of the ownership of the islands ; and then he
bought Hlid (Slope), in Codfirth ; his son was Thorarin,
who had for wife Thorgerd, the daughter of Glum,
the son of Geiri ; their son was ' Helgu'-Steinar ;
Thorarin was in the company of Kjarton, in Swine-dale,
when he fell. Thrand Spindle-shanks abode in Flatey at
the time when Odd the Gaudy and his son, Thorir, came
out to Iceland ; they took up land in Codfirth, Odd
abiding at * Skogar * (The Woods), while Thorir went
abroad and took to warring ; he came by a great store
of gold in Finmark; in fellowship with him were the sons
of Hall of Hof-(=Temple-) stead, and when they came to
Iceland, Hall laid claim to the gold, which led to great
quarrels, out of which sprang the Saga of the Codfirthers.
Gold-Thorir dwelt at Thorirs-stead and had for wife
Ingibjorg, the daughter of Gils ' Skeid '-neb, and a son of
theirs was Gudmund. Thorir was a man most exceeding-
ly mighty of his hands.
Settlements wealth and retainers, of Geirmund " Hellskin.'^
Chapter XX. Geirmund went west to the Strands
and took there land from ' Ryt ' or Peak, west of Horn, and
thence away east to Stream-ness (Straum-ness) ; there he
set up four manors : one in ' Adal *-wick, under the care
of his steward; another in * Kjarans '-wick, looked after
by
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78 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XX.]
by his thrall, Kjaran ; a third on West-Common, under
the care of Bjorn, his thrall, who, after Geirmund's
days, became guilty of sheep-lifting ; * by the money
he paid as fine the commons were secured. A fourth
manor of Geirmunds was in Bard-wick, and was taken
care of by his thrall Atli, who had fourteen thralls
serving under him. When Geirmund went from one to
the other of his manors he would have a following
of eighty men. He was amazingly wealthy of chattels,
and had exceeding plenty of live-stock ; the tale goes
that his swine pastured on Swine-ness, and his sheep on
Herdness, while he kept up a pasture-dairy in * Bitra.'
Some say that he also had a manor at Geirmundstead, in
* Sel '-river-dale, off Steingrimsfirth So wise men say
that he was the noblest of all * land-take-men ' (land-
nams-menn=original settlers) in Iceland. In quarrels
with men here he had but little share, and he came out a
man on in years withal. He and Kjallak strove about
the piece of land which lay between * Klofningar ' and
* Fabeins '-river, and fought on the fields west of * Klof-
ningar, where both wanted to sow the land ; in that strife
Geirmund got the better of it. Bjorn the Easterner and
Vestar of Eyri brought about peace between them ; on
going to this peace-meeting Vestar landed at Vestars-
ness. Geirmund hid a great treasure of his own in Duck-
Ditch (Andar kelda), beneath Skard ; he had for wife
Herrid, the daughter of Gaut, son of Gautrek; their
daughter was Ufri ; later he had for wife Thorkatla, the
daughter of Ofeig, the son of Thorolf, and their children
were Geirrid and . Geirmund died at Geirmund-
stead, and he is laid in a ship there in the wood away from
the fence-wall.
* The question of sheep-marking" and their ownership generally is dealt with
under Part V., 5.
Settlements
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OF ICELAND. 79
[part II, CHAPTER XXI.]
Settlements of Steinolf, Slettu-Bjorn, Olaf Belg, and Gisl
Skeid-neb,
Chapter XXI. Steinolf the Low, the son of * hersir '
Hrolf from Adgir, took land up from Clove-Stones to
Grit-mead- Mull (Grj6tvallar-miili), and abode at Steinolfs-
Hill, in Fairdale ; he walked inland up to the top of the
mountain, and saw to the landward a broad dale all over-
grown with .wood ; a glen he found in the dale, and there
he let rear a homestead, which he called Saurby
(Sowerby), by reason of the much bogland that was there ;
the same name he gave to all the dale ; now the spot is
named Turfness, where the home-stead was planted.
Steinolf had for wife Erny, the daughter of Thidrandi ;
their son was Thorstein the Bonder, but their daughter
Arndis the Wealthy, the mother of Thord, the father of
Thorgerd, whom Odd had for wife ; the son of these was
Hrafn the Limerick-trader, who had for wife Vigdis, the
daughter of Thorarin * Fylsenni.' Their son was Smart,
the father of Jodis, whom Eyolf, the son of Hallbjorn,
had for wife ; their daughter was Halla, whom Atli, the
son of Tami, had for wife, and the daughter of these was
Yngvild, whom Snorri, the son of Hunbogi, had for wife.
Steinolf missed three swine, which two winters afterwards
were found in Swinedale, there being then thirty swine.
Steinolf also took to himself Steinolfs-dale in Crook-firth.
* Sl6ttu '-Bjorn was the name of a man who had for
wife .Thurid, the daughter of Steinolf the Low ; by the
counsel of Steinolf he settled the western side of the
valley of Saurby ; he abode at * Slettu '-Bjorns-stead, up
from Thwartfell ; his own son was Thjodrek, who had
for wife Arngerd, the daughter of Thorbjorn, the son of
Shield-Bjorn ; their sons were Fight-Sturla, who built
the homestead of Stead-Knoll, and Knott, the father of
Asgeir, and of Thorbjorn and of Thjodrek, by whom the
' burgh '
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8o THM SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXI.]
* burgh ' (volcanic peak) on Kollfirth-heath is named.
Thjodrek, son of * Sl6ttu '-Bjorn, found the lands of
Saurby too narrow, and therefore he betook himself
to; Icefirth. There is laid the Saga of Thorbjorn and
Howard the Halt.
Olaf * Belg,* whom Orm the Slender drove away out
of Olafs-wick, took for himself Belg-dale, and abode
at Belg-stead, until Thjodrek, he and- his, drove him
away; then he settled land in from Gritmead-mull,
and abode in Olafsdale; his son was Thorvald, who
handselled to Ogmund, the son of * Volu '-Stein, a law-
suit against Thorarin the Yelling for sheep-lifting ; for
that cause Thorarin slew Ogmund at the Codfirth-Thing.
Gisl * Skeid '-neb settled Gilsfirth, between Olafsdale
and Crookfirth-mull, and lived at the Cliffs ; his son was
Hedin, the father of Haldor the godi, of Garps-dale, who
was the father of Thorvald, of Garpsdale, who had
Gudrnu, the daughter of Osvif, for wife.
Settlements of Thorarin Crook, Ketil Broad-sole and Ulf the
Squinter. Art is drifted over the ocean to Whitemen's
land or Ireland the Great, conjectured to be South
America.
Chapter XXH. Thorarin Crook settled Crooksfirth
from Crookfirth-ness to Goatfell ; he strove with Steinolf
the Low about Steinolfs-dale, and rowed with nine men
after him, when he went home from an outlying pasture-
dairy with six men ; they fought on the shingle shore by
Fairdaleriver-mouth, and from a neighbouring house there
came men to the help of Steinolf ; there Thorarin Crook
fell together with four others, and on Steinolf s side there
fell seven ; their barrows are on the spot.
Ketil Broad-sole settled Bearfirth ; he was the son of
Thorbjorn * Talkni *; his daughter was Thorarna, whom
Hergils ' Hnappraz,' the son of Thrand Spindle-shanks,
had
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OF ICELAND. 8i
[part II, CHAPTER XXII.]
had for wife ; their son was named Ingjald, who was the
father of Thorarin, who had for wife Thorgerd, the
daughter of Glum, the son of Geiri ; their son was
* Helgu '-Steinar. Thrand Spindle-shanks had for wife
the daughter of Gils * Skeid '-neb, and their daughter
was Thorarna, whom Hrolf, the son of Helgi the Lean,
had for wife. Thorbjorg * Knarrarbingu ' was another
daughter of Gils * Skeid '-neb ; a son of his was Herfid,
who dwelt at Crooksfirth.
Ulf the Squinter, son of Hogni the White, took the
whole of Reekness between Codfirth and Goatfell ; he
had for wife Bjorg, the daughter of Eyvind Eastman,
and sister to Helgi the Lean ; their son was Atli the Red,
who had for wife Thorbjorg, the sister of Steinolf the
Low; their son was Mar of (Reek-) Knolls, who had for
wife Thorkatla, the daughter of Hergils * Hnappraz ' ;
their son was Ari, who was drifted over the ocean to
Whitemens'-land, which some call Ireland the Great,*
and lies west away in the ocean anigh to Vineland the
Good ; thither men hold that there is six days' sailing
from Ireland due west. Ari could not get back from
this country and there he was christened. This tale
was first told by Hrafn the Limerick trader who had
spent a long time in Limerick in Ireland. Thorkel, the
son of Gellir said that Icelanders, who had heard Earl
Thorfin of Orkney tell the tale, avowed that Ari had been
recognised in Whitemens'-land, and that he had not been
able to get away from there, and was held there in much
honour. Ari had for wife Thorgerd, the daughter of Alf
o' Dales, and their sons were Thorgils and Gudleif and
Illugi ; this is the race of the Reeknessings. Jorund was''
the name of a son of Ulf the Squinter, he had for wife
* Whiteman's land or Ireland the Great — to which Ari was drifted over the
ocean^ is supposed to have been South America as being nigh to Vineland the
Good, or North America.
Thorbjorg
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A2 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXII.]
Thorbjorg * Knarrarbringa,* and their daughter was
Thjodhild, whom Eirek the Red had for wife, and their
son was Leif the Lucky of Greenland. A son of Atli the
Red was named Jorund, he had for wife Thordis the
daughter of Thorgeir * Su'Sa ' (Seething ? or Humming ?)
and their daughter was Otkatla, whom Thorgils, the son
of Koll, had for wife. Jorund was also father to Snorri.
Hallstein settles Codfirth ; makes High-seat posts from drift-
wood, Thorbjorn ** Loki*' settles Deepfirth to Sieamfirth.
Ketil ** Gufa " comes from Viking raids in Ireland and
settles Guftiscales and Gufuness. Flight and feuds of his
thralls. " Burning in,'* by thralls at Lambistead. The
burning in is avenged.
Chapter XXIII. Hallstein, the son of Thorolf Most-
beard settled Codfirth, and abode at Hallstein's-ness ; he
made* a blood-offering to the end, that Thor would send
him high-seat posts; after that a tree drifted aland sixty-
three ells long, with a span of two fathoms in thickness.
This was used for high-seat posts, and out of it are made
high-seat posts well-nigh at every homestead throughout
the cross-firths (the smaller firths that cut into the land
off the main bay) ; the ness where the tree came ashore is
now called Spruceness (Grenitr^s-nes). Hallstein had
harried Scotland and taken there the thralls which he
brought out with him ; these he sent for salt-making out
into ' Svefn '-isles ... * Hallstein had for wife Osk,
the daughter of Thorstein the Red ; their son was
Thorstein Swart who found out the * summer-eke.' t
* A sentence of seven words here, incomprehensible.
t Sumar auki^the summer-eke ~ the interculary week, an Icelandic calendar
term ; the ancient heathen year consisted of 364 days, or 1 2 months of 30 days
each, plus 4 days which were the auka naetr, or eke nights — the remaining day
and a traction was inserted every sixth or seventh year at the end ot summer,
which in such years was 191 days long; the summer-eke was introduced by
Thorstein the Wise, in the middle of the tenth century, and is still observed in
Iceland.
Thorstein
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OF ICELAND. 83
[part II, CHAPTER XXIII.]
Thorstein Swart had for wife . . . . , their son was
Thorarin and their daughters were Thordis, whom
Thorkel ' Trefill ' had for wife, and Osk, whom Stein
MuchsaiUng had in wedlock, their son was named Thor-
stein the White ; a bastard son of Thorstein the Red was
called Sam, he who quarrelled with * Trefill * about the
inheritance after Thorstein, which he (Sam) wanted to
secure for the children of Thorarin (the son of Thorstein).
Thorbjorn * Loki ' was the name of a man who was the
son of Bodmod from Skut. He went to Iceland, and
settled Deepfirth and Groness on to Steamfirth ; his son
was Thorgils of Thorgilsstead in Deepfirth, the father of
KoU, who had for wife Thurid, the daughter of Thorir,
the son of Earl Hallad, the son of Rognvald, the Earl of
Mseri (in Norway). The son of Koll and Thurid was
Thorgils, who had for wife Ottkatla, the daughter of
Jorund, the son of Atli the Red ; their son was Jorund,
who had for wife Hallveig, the daughter of Oddi, who
was the son of Yr and Ketil * Gufa.* A son of Jorund
was Snorri, who had for wife Asny, the daughter of
Fight-Sturla ; their son was Gils, who had for wife
Thordis, the daughter of Gudlaug and of Thorkatta, the
daughter of Haldor, the son of Snorri godi ; but the son
of Gils was Thord who had for wife Vigdis, the daughter
of Sverting, and their son was Sturla of Hvamm.
There was a man called Ketil * Gufa,* a son of Orlyg,
the son of Bodvar, the son of Vigsterk ; Orlyg had for
wife Signy, the daughter of Obland, and sister of Hogni
the White. Ketil, their son, came out to Iceland late in
the * land-take-tide ' ; he had been on Viking raids in the
west, and brought with him out of the west-roving some
Irish thralls ; one called Thormod, another Floki, a third
Kori, fourth Swart, and two by the name of Skorri.
Ketil took to himself Whalerus-ness and sat out the first
winter at ' Gufu '-Scales, but in the spring he flitted
further
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84 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXIII.]
further east up the Nesses, and sat the next winter at
* Gufu '-ness. Then Skorri the older and Floki ran away
from him with two women and a deal of goods. They
kept in hiding in Skorris-holt within Skorris-dale, but
they were slain in Flokisdale and Skorris-dale. Ketil
had got no settled abiding place about the Nesses, so he
went up into Burgfirth and sat a third winter at * Gufu '-
Scales by Steamriver ; but early next spring he went west
to Broadfirth to look out lands for himself; there he
stayed at Geirmundsstead and wooed Yr the daughter of
Geirmund and got her for wife. Geirmund pointed out
lands to Ketil on the west side of the firth. But while
Ketil was in the west, his thralls ran away and came by
night down upon Lambistead where, at that time, there
dwelt Thord, the son of Thorgeir Lumbi and of Thordis,
the daughter of Yngrar ; and Thordis was the sister of
the mother of Egil Skallagrimsson. The thralls bore fire
against the house and burnt in his home Thord and all
his household ; they broke there open a store-house and
took away many goods and chattels, whereupon they
drove home horses and loaded them and set off on their
way to Swanness. That morning Lambi the Strong, the
son of Thord, came home from the Thing, when they
were off and on their way already ; he set off after them,
and men flocked to him from the homesteads in the
neighbourhood, and when the thralls saw this, they all
bolted each his own way. They laid hands on Kori
in Korisness, but some of the thralls plunged out
a-swimming; Swart they caught in Swartskerry ; and
Skorri in Skorrisey off the Moors, and Thormod out in
Thormodskerry being a sea mile out away from the
land. But when Ketil *Gufa ' came back (from the west)
to fetch his belongings, he set off westward again passing
the Moors, and spent the fourth winter at ' Gufu '-Scales
on Snowfellness, After this he settled ' Gufu '-firth and
Scaleness
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OF ICELAND. 85
[part II, CHAPTER XXIII.l
Scarleness even unto Kollfirith. Ketil and Yr had two
sons, one being Thorhall, the father of Hallvor, whom for
wife had Bork,. the son of Thormod, the son of Thjost ;
the other was Oddi, who had for wife Thorlang, the
daughter of Hrolf of * Ballara' and of Thorid, the daughter
of Valthjof, the son of Orlyg from Esjaberg.
Kolly Knjuk, Geirstein, Geirleif and sundry other settlers.
Chapter XXV. Koll, the son of Hrvald, settled
Kollfirth and Kvigand-ness and Kvigand-firth and sold to
sundry people from his landtake.
Knjuk was the name of a son of Thorolf Sparrow, he
came out to Iceland with Orlyg, and was called Ness-
Knjuk, he took for himself all the nesses from Kvigand-
firth to Bardistrand. Another son of Knjuk was Einar,
the father of Steinolf, the father of Salgerd, the mother
of Bard the Swart. A daughter of Knjuk's was called
Thora, whom for wife had Thorvald, the son of Thord,
the son of Viking, and their son was Moor-Knjuk, the
father of SteinolfJ the father of Halla, the mother of
Steinun, the mother of Hrafn of Eyri and of Herdis,
whom the Speaker-at-law, Gizur, the son of Hall, had for
wife. The daughter of Rafn was Steinun, the mother of
Rafn, a knight, and of Halla and Herdis, whom Svarthofti,
the son of Dugfus, had for wife, their son being Oli, who
had for wife Salgerd, the daughter of Jon ; their daughter
was Steinun, whom Hawk the son of Erlend had for wife.
Knjuk had in marriage Ey, the daughter of Ingjald, the
son of Helgi the Lean ; their son was Eyolf, the father
of Thorgrim (called) Katla's son. Glum had Katla to
wife before (Thorgram had her) and their daughter was
Thorbjorg Coalbrow, about whom Thormod sang his
songs. A son of Thorgrim's was named Steingrim, who
was
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86 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXV.]
was the father of Yngvild, whom Ulfhestin of Willow-
moor had for wife.
Geirstein * Kjalki ' settled ' Kjalka '-firth and Herdness,
by the counsel of Knjuk. He was the son of Thorgils,
who had for wife Thora, the daughter of Vestar of Eyri ;
their son was Stein the Danish, who had for wife Hall-
gerd, the daughter of Ornolf, the son of Armod the Red.
Ornolf had for wife Vigdis, the daughter of Thorgils.
The name of a daughter of Stein the Danish and Hallgerd
was Vigdis, whom Illugi Steinbjornson had for wife ;
their daughter was Thorun, the mother of Thorgeir
Longhead.
Geirleif, the son of Eirek, the son of Hogni the White,
settled Bardistand, between Waterfirth and ' Berghli^Sar,'
he was the father of Oddlief and Helgi Skarf. Oddleif
was the father of Gest the Sage as well as of Thorstein
and of iEsa whom Thorgils, the son of Grim from Grims-
ness had for wife ; their sons were Jorund of Miding
(Midmead) and Thorarin of Bowerfell. Gest had for
wife ; their children were Thord and Halla,
whom Snorri, the son of Alf o' Dales, had for wife ; their
son was Thorgils. Another daughter of Gests was
Thorey, whom Thorgils had for wife; their son was
Thorarin the father of Jodis, the mother of Illugi, the
father of Birna, the mother of Illugi and Arnor, and
Eyvind the father of Steingrim, the father of Helga, the
mother Jorun, the mother of Hawk, son of Erlend. Helgi
Skarf was father to Thorbjorg * Katla * whom Thorstein
the son of Salmund, had for wife ; their sons were Ref
in * Brynja'-dale and Thord, the father of Illugi, the father
of Hrodny, whom Thorgrim *Svi^5i ' (singer) had for wife.
Thordis was the name of another daughter of Helgi Skarf,
she was the wife of Thorstein, the son of Asbjorn, from
Kirkby in the East ; their son was Surth, the father of
Sighvat, the Speaker-at-law. Geirleif had for wife Jora,
the
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OF ICELAND. 87
[part II, CHAPTER XXV.]
the daughter of Helgi. Thorfin was the name of a third
son of Geirleif ; he had for wife Gudrun, the daughter of
Asolf ; their son was named Asmund and he had for wife
Hallkatla, the daughter of Bjorn, the son of Mar, the son
of Asmund. The son of Asmund dnd Hallkatla was
called Hlenni, he had for wife iEgileif, the daughter of
Thorstein, the son of Krafla ; their son was called Thorfid,
who was the father of Thorgeir Longhead ; Thorstein the
son of Oddlief was the father of Isgerd, whom Bolverk,
Ihe son of Eyolf the Grey, had for wife; their son was
Gellir the Speaker-at-law ; still another daughter of Thor-
stein was Vdny, the mother of Thord Crowneb, from
whom the Crowneblings are sprung.
Settlements of A rinod, Thorolf Sparrow, Ketil Broadsole, and
Orn, An Redfell harries Ireland in a Viking-raid to
the west, afterwards settles in Iceland with his relations.
Chapter XXVI. Armod the Red, son of Thorbjorn
and foster-brother of Geirleif, took for himself Redsand ;
his sons were Ornolf and Thorbjorn, the father of Hrolf
the Redsander.
Thorolf Sparrow came out with Orlyg, and took to
himself the western side of Patreksfirth and the Wicks
west of Bard, except Kollswick; there KoU the foster-
brother of Orlyg abode. Thorolf also took to him
Logwick (Keflavik) to the south of Bard, and dwelt at
Whale-' Idtr.' These were'the sons of Thorolf Sparrow :
Ness-Knjuk, and Ingolf the Stark, and Geirthjof. A
daughter of Ingolf s was Thorarna, whom Thorstein, son
of Oddleif, had for wife.
Thorbjorn * Talkni ' and Thorbjorn * Skuma,' the sons
of Bodvar Bladderpate, came out with Orlyg, they settled
one half of Patreksfirth and the whole of Talkni's-firth
unto ' Kopa '-ness.
Ketil
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88 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXVI.]
Ketil Broadsole, son of Thorbjorn *Talkni/ took to
him all the dales from * Kopa *-ness unto Dufans-dale ;
he gave Thorarna, his daughter, in marriage to Hergils
* Hnappraz ' ; whereupon he betook himself south to
Broadfirth, and settled Bearfirth by Reekness.
Orn was the name of a man most worthy, a kinsman of
Geirmund Hellskin, who had to leave Rogaland before
the tyranny of King Harald Fairhair ; he took for himself
land in Ornfirth as wide as it liked him, and sat the
winter out in Tentness, because the sun did not vanish
there through the shortest days.
An Redfell, the son of Grim Shaggy-cheek from
Hrafnista and of Helga, the daughter of An Bow-swayer,
fell into disfavour with King Harald Fairhair and for that
reason left the land for Viking-raiding in the west; he
harried in Ireland and got for wife there Grelad the
daughter of Earl Bjartmar; they went to Iceland and
came into Ornfirth a winter later than Orn. An spent
the first winter in Dunfansdale, where Grelad deemed the
earth smelt of ill fragrance. Orn heard of his kinsman,
Hamund Hellskin, that he was north in Eyja-firth, and
he was taken by a longing to go thither. Therefore he sold
to An Redfell all the land between Langness and * Stapi.'
An set up a manor at *Eyri' and there Grelad deemed
the herbage gave out a honeyed fragrance. A freedman
of An was Dufan ; he abode behind in Dufans-dale. A
son of An was Bjartmar who was the father of two sons
of the name of Vegest and also of Helgi, the father of
Thurid * Arnkatla ' whom Hergils had for wife ; their
daughter was Thurid ' Arnkatla ' whom Helgi, the son of
Eythjof, had for wife. A daughter of Bjartmar was
Thorhild whom Vestein, the son of Vigeir had for wife ;
their children were Vestein and Aud. A freed-man of An
was Hjallkar ; his son was Bjorn, who was a thrall of
Bjartmar; he gave freedom to Bjorn, who thereupon
gathered
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OF ICELAND. 89
[part II, CHAPTER XXVI.]
gathered wealth together; but Vegest made a-do thereover
and thrust Bjorn through with a spear while (at the same
time) Bjorn smote him unto death with a hoe.
Geirthjof the son of Vathhjof took land in Ormfirth :
Forcefirth, to wit and Reekfirth, Trostansfirth and
Geirthjofsfirth, and* dwelt at Geirthjofsfirth ; he had for
wife Valgerd the daughter of Ulf the Squinter ; their son
was Hogni, who had for wife Aud, the daughter of Olaf
' JafnakoUr ' and of Thora, the daughter of Gunstein.
Their son was Atli, who had for wife Thurid the daughter
of Thorleif, the son of Eyvind Knee and of Thorun
Bedsow. Thorleif had for wife Gro, the daughter of
Thorolf 'Braekir.' A son of Atli was named Hoskuld,
the father of AtU, the father of Bard the Swart, the father
of Sveinbjorn, the father of Rafn, the father of Steinun,
the mother of Rafn the Knight.
Eirek settles Ditch Dale, Vestein and Dyra settle Dyrafith.
Thord son of Harald Fairhair and his connections,
CitAPTER XXVII. There was a man named Eirek,
who settled Ditch-dale south of Dyrafirth as well as
* Sl6tta '-ness all unto * Stapi ' and to the outer Neck in
Dyrafirth ; he was the father of Thorkel, the father of
Thord, the father of Thorkel, the father of Steinolf, the
father of Thord, the father of Thorleif, the mother of
Thorgerd, the mother of Thora, the mother of Gudmund
Pig, who got for wife Solveig, the daughter of Jon Lopt-
son and by whom he had these children ; Magnus the
godi, and Thorlak, the father of Bishop Arni, and Thora,
the mother of Earl Gizur. — Thorleif was the mother of
Lina, the mother of Cecilia, the mother of Bard and of
Thorgerd, whom Bjorn the English had for wife ; their
children were Amis the abbot, and Thora whom Amundi,
the son of Thorberg had for wife.
Vestein,
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90 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXVII.]
Vestein, the son of Ve^eir, and brother to Vebjorn,
the champion of Sogn-folk took to him land between the
Necks in Dyrafirth and abode at Hawkdale ; he had for
wife Thorild, the daughter of Bjartmar, and their children
were Vestein and Aud. Thorbjorn Sour came out when
the land was all settled, and to him Vestein gave one-half
of Hawkdale ; the sons of Thorbjorn were Gisli, Thorkel
and Ari ; his daughter was Thordis whom Thorgrim had
for wife and their son was Snorri godi. Later on Bork
the Stout had Thordis for wife, and their daughter was
Thurid who in her first wedlock was the wife of Thorb-
jorn the Stout, in her second of Thorod * Skattkaupandi,'
9.nd their son was Kjartan of Frodis-river.
There was a man of great worth, named Dyri who,
by the counsel of Earl Rognvald, and yet in truth
by reason of the tyranny of Harald Fairhair, went away
from south-* Maeri ' to Iceland. Dyri settled Dyrafirth
and abode at Necks ; his son was Hrafn of ' Ketilseyri,'
the father of Thurid, whom Vestein the son of Vestein
had for for wife ; their sons were Berg and Helgi.
, Thord was the name of a man, the son of Viking, r)r of
king Harald Fairhair ; he fared to Iceland and took to
him land between ' Thufa ' (Hummock) on Hillness and
Landslip-gill; he had house in *Alvidra' (All weather-spot).
Thord had for wife Thiodhild, the daughter of Eyvind
Eastman and sister to Helgi the Lean. Their son was
Thorkel the V^ealthy, the champion of * Alvidra.' He had
fqr wife .... and one of their sons was named Thord,
another Eyolf, the father of Gisli who had for wife Hall-
gerd the daughter of Vermund the Slender, and their son
was Brand, the father of Gudmund priest of Herdholt,
but their daughter was Thora, whom Brand, the son of
Thorhad, had for wife ; their daughter was Steinvor, the
mother of Ranveig, the mother of Ssehild whom Gizur
had for wife. Another 3011 of Eyolf was named Helgi^
and
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OP ICELAND. 91
[part II, CHAPTER XXVII.]
and his children were Olaf and Gudleif, whom * Fjarska'-
Finn had for wife. Another son of Thord Vikingson was
named Thorvald the White ; he had for wife Thora, the
daughter of Ness-Knjuk, their son was ' Myra '-Knjuk^
the father of Thorgant, the father of Steinolf who had for
wife Herdis the daughter of Tind; their children were
these : Thorkell of * Myrar ' and Halla whom Thord, the
son of Oddleif, had for wife. Another son of Thorvald
the White was Thord the Lefthanded, who had for wife
Asdis, the daughter of Thorgrim, the son of Hard-Ref.
The mother of Asdis was Ranveig, the daughter of
Grjosgard, Earl of Ladir. Asdis was the mother of Ulf
the Marshal but she was sister to Ljot the Sage and to
Halldis, whom Thorbjorn, the son of Thjodrek, had for
wife. A daughter of Thord Lefthanded and Asdis was
Ottkatla whom Hurla Thjodrekson had for wife ; their
son was Thord, who had for wife Hallbera a daughter of
Snorri the Godi ; their daughter was Thurid, whom
Haflidi, the son of Mar had for wife. A son of Thord,
the son of Sturla, was Snorri, who had for wife Oddbjorg,
the daughter of Grim, the son of Lodmund ; and their
children were ' Flugu '-Grim and Hallbera, whom * Mag '-
Snorri had for wife. The daughters of Sturla were six
together : one was Asny, whom Snorri, son of Jorund,
had for wife ; their daughter was Thordis, the mother of
Hoskuld the leech, who was the father of Margret the
mother of Thorfinn the Abbot. A son of Snorri and
Asny was Gils, the father of Thord, the father of Sturla
of Hvamm.
Settlements of Ingjald and Ljot the Sage. Gest foretells the
death of Ljot. The sons of Grim '* Kogr " fulfil the
prophecy. *
* The tragic event narrated herein forms the historic basis for the Saga of
Howard the Halt.
Chapter
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g2 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXVIII.]
Chapter XXVIII. Ingjald, the son of Bruni, took to
himself Ingjaldsand between Hillness and * Ofaera ' ; he
was the father of Hard-Ref, the father of Thorgrim, the
father of Ljot the Sage and his sisters as is written
afore.
Ljot the Sage, the son of Thorgrim the son of Hard-
Ref, his mother being Ranveig the daughter of Earl
Grjotgard, dwelt at Ingjaldsand. Thorgrim Cur (Dog)
was a son of Ljots. A sister of Ljots, Halldis, Thorbjorn,
son of Thjodrek, had for wife, while Ospak, the son of
Osvif, carried off Asdis, another sister of Ljot's. For
that misdeed Ljot brought a lawsuit unto outlawry
against Ospak. Ulf was named the son of Ospak and
Asdis, and he was brought up at Ljot's. Grim * Kogar '
dwelt at Brink, and his sons were Sigurd and Thorkel,
little men and small. A foster-son of Ljot's was named
Thorarin. Ljot bought meat of Grim to the worth of
twenty hundreds, and paid for it a brook that ran between
their lands and was called *Os6mi' (Mischief). Grim
turned the brook on his meadows (for irrigation) and
dug the land belonging to Ljot, and he held Grim
guilty of a breach of a breach of the law therein, and
therefore they had but little to do with one another.
Ljot met a Norwegian in * Vadill ' and took him in, and
he fell in love with Asdis. Gest the son of Oddleif, being
bidden, came to an autumn feast at Ljot's ; at that time
there came thither Egill, the son of * Volu '-Stein, and
prayed Gest to give some counsel to the end that his
father might get some ease from the grief unto death
that he strove with for the loss of his son Ogmund.
Gest then composed the beginning of Ogmund's-'drapa.'
Ljot asked Gest, what kind of a man Thorgrim Cur
would turn out. Gest said that Thorarin, his foster-son,
would be the more renowned of the two, and bade Thorarin
look to it, lest that hair which lay on his tongue should
twist
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OF ICELAND. 93
[part II, CHAPTER XXVIII.l
twist around his head. This Ljot took as a slight, and
asked, the next morning, what might be in store for
Thorgrim. Gest said, his sister's son, Ulf, would be the
more renowned of the two. Then Ljot grew wroth;
still he rode out a-way with Gest to see him off, and
asked : " What will it be that brings about my death ? "
Gest said, he could not see his fate, but bade him stand
well with his neighbours. Ljot asked : ** Will the earth-
lice, the sons of Grim ' Kogr,' bring about my death ? "
" Sore stings a starving louse," quoth Gest. ** Where
will it happen then ? " quoth Ljot. ** Near here," quoth
Gest. The Norwegian road with Gest up unto the heath,
and steadied him on horse-back when his nag stumbled
under him. Then spake Gest : " Good hap sought thee
now, and soon another will ; look thou to it, that it may .
not be a mishap to thee ! " The Norwegian found buried
silver, when he returned home, and took for himself
twenty pennies thereof, being minded that he would find
his way to it later on ; but when he made the search he
found it not ; but Ljot got him caught, when he was
digging (for the treasure) and made him pay three
hundred for every penny (of the twenty he had first
taken). That autumn was slain Thorbjorn the son of
Thjodrek. In the spring Ljot sat on a certain hillrise
looking after his thralls; he had over him a cape the
hood of which was tied round the nedc, and a one-sleeved
cape it was. The sons of ' Kogr ' rushed upon the hill
and hewed at him both at once and therewith Thorkel
swiftly turned the hood over his head.* Ljot bade them
behave in a kind neighbourly manner but they all tumbled
down from the hill unto the road where Gest had ridden,
there Ljot came by his death. The sons of Grim went
to Howard the Halt. Eyolf the Grey and Steingrim his
son gave them all his aid.
Settlements
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$4 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXV.]
Settlements ofOnund, Hallmard Soughing, Thurid Soundfiller,
Helgi son of Hrolf, Eyvind Knee, Vebjorn, Gunnstein
and Haldor.
Chapter XXIX. Onund Vikingson, the brother of
Thord in * Alvidra ' took Onund-firth and abode at
' Eyri.'
Hallward Soughing fought in the battle of Hafursfirth
against King Harald; on account of that war he went
to Iceland and took to him Soughings-firth and Scale-
wick unto Stile (Stigi) and abode there.
Thurid Sound-filler and * Volu '-Stein, her son, fared
from Halogaland to Iceland and took for themselves
Bolung-wick and kept house at Waterness. For this
was she called Sound-filler, that in a hard year in Haloga-
land she brought it about by wizardry that every sound
was filled with fish ; she also settled where should be the
fishing point of 'KviarmiiS' on Icefirth-Deep, and bespoke
for herself in return a polled ewe from every good-man
throughout Icefirth. The sons of * Volu '-Stein were
Ogmund and Egil.
Helgi was the name of a son of Hrolf from Gnup-fell ;
he was begotten in the east (Norway) and was an
Uplander by his mother's kindred. Helgi went to Ice-
land to look up his kinsmen and came into Ey-firth
where by that time, all land was settled ; after that he
betook himself abroad, and was driven back by stress of
into Soughing's-firth, and was through the winter with
Hallward ; but in the spring he went to look out for a
place of abidance and he came upon a certain firth where,
pn the foreshore he found a * skutill' (harpoon) and called
the firth * Skutils '-firth (Harpoon-firth), and there he
abode afterwards. His son was Thorstein Evil-luck,
who went abroad and slew one of the body-guard of Earl
Hakon, the son of Grjotguard, but Eyvind, the counsellor
of
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OF ICELAND. 95
[part II, CHAPTER XXIX.]
of the Earl, sent Thorstein unto Vebjorn, Sognfolk-trusty
(=Champion of Sogn-folk above, and below), and he
took Thorstein in, notwithstanding that Vedis, his sister
warned him against it. For this reason Vebjorn sold
his lands and went to Iceland when he mistrusted him-
self of the power of keeping the man safe.
Thorolf ' Braekir ' took some part of * Skutils '-firth and
Scale-wick, and abode there.
E3^ind Knee went out from Agdir to Iceland together
with Thurid Bedsow, his wife. They took for themselves
Swanfirth and * Seydis '-firth, and abode there. Their
son was Thorleif, who was mentioned before, and another,
Valbrand, the father of Hallgrim and Gunnar and Bjargey
whom Howard the Halt had for wife and whose son was
Olaf.
Geir was the name of a man of exceeding worth in
Sogn, he was called Vegeir, in that he was a great man
of blood-offerings ; he had many children : Vebjorn the
Champion of Sogn-folk was the oldest of his sons, these,
to wit: Vestein, Vethorm, Vemund, Vegest, and Vethorn ;
Vedis being a daughter. After the death of Vegeir,
Vebjorn fell into unfriendly ways with Earl Hakon, as
was said before, and therefore brother and sister (Veb-
jorn and Vedis) went to Iceland. They had a sea-faring
hard and long and made Barn-wick (HliSu-vik) west of
Horn-head in the autumn. Then Vebjorn arranged a
great blood-offering ; and that day, he said. Earl Hakon
was making a sacrifice for the undoing of them. Now,
whenas he was in the midst of the ceremony, his brothers
egged him to put off (speedily), so he heeded not the
offering, and they put out to sea; that day, in foul
weather, they wrecked their ship beneath huge crags,
and there they got up with much trouble, Vebjorn
leading; that is now called Sogn-man's cliff. But
through the winter they were all taken in by Atli of
Fleet,
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96 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXIX.]
Fleet, the thrall of Geirmund Hellskin. And when
Geirmund knew this ready deed of Atli's, he gave him
freedom, and therewithal the manor which he had to
look after ; later on Atli became a great man. In the
following spring Vebjorn took to himself land between
Scate-firth and Horsefirth, as wide as he might walk
round in a day, with so much more to boot as he called
* Foal-foot.' Vebjorn was a great man of fights, and
there goes a great Saga of him. He gave Vedis in
wedlock to Grimolf in Delight-dale (UnaiSsdalr) ; they
(afterwards) fell foul of each other, and Vebjorn slew
Grimolf at Grimolf s-waters and for this Vebjorn was
slain at a Quarter-court Thing on Thorness and three
men beside.
Gunnstein and Haldor were the names of the sons of
Gunnbjorn, the son of Ulf Crow, from whom the Gunn-
bjornskerris take their name; they settled Scate-firth and
* Laugar '-dale and ' Ogr '-wick unto Narrowfirth. The
son of Haldor was Bersi, the father of Thormod Coal-
brow-skald. There, in * Laugar '-dale abode afterwards
Thorbjorn Thjodrekson, who slew Olaf, the son of
Howard the Halt and of Bjargey, the daughter of Val-
brand. Therefrom sprung the Saga of the Icefirthers
and the slaughter of Thorbjorn.
Settlements of Sncebjorn brother of Helgi the Lean. Terrible
blood feud between Sncebjorn and Hallbjorn on account
of the murder of Hallgerd, Hallbjorn' s wife.
Chapter XXX. Snaebjorn, the son of Eyvind East-
man, and brother to Helgi the Lean, took up land
between Narrowfirth and Langdale-river, and abode in
Waterfirth ; his son was Holmstein, the father of Snae-
bjorn Hog; but the mother of Snaebjorn was Kjalvor,
and he and Tongue-Odd were sisters'-sous. Snaebjorn
was
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OF ICELAND. 97
[part II, CHAPTER XXX.l
was fostered at Thingness in Thorodd*s house, but at times
he would be staying with Tongue-Odd or with his mother.
Hallbjorn, the son of Odd of Kidberg who was the son
of Hallkel, the brother of Ketilbjorn the Old, got for wife
Hallgerd, the daughter of Tongue-Odd ; they stayed the
first winter (of their married life) with Odd, where Snaebjorn
the Hog was also staying. Between the newly married
couple there was but little love lost. At the flitting days in
spring Hallbjorn got ready to leave the house, and while
he was arranging matters for his departure, Odd left the
house and went to the hot spring at Reikholt, where his
sheep-pens stood. He did not want to be near when
Hallbjorn left, for it misdoubted him whether Hallgerd
would be willing to leave with him. Odd had always
sought to mend matters between them. Now when
Hallbjorn had saddled their horses, he went to the bowei:
where Hallgerd was seated on the dais combing her hair,
the hair covered her all down to the floor and of all
women in Iceland she and Hallgerd Turn-breeches have
been the most fair haired. Hallbjorn called upon her to
stand up and come away, but she sat and said nought ;
then he caught hold of her, yet no more did she rise
therefore; and so it went three times. So Hallbjorn
stood before her and sang :
The Lofn of brimmed ale-beakers ^
Bedraped in linen, lets me
Hand playing at her head-stern : ^
Thus the arms'-oak^ repells me.
That grief will ne'er be bettered
Which for that bride I harbour ;
Sore sorrow smites my heart's-root ;
I'm wan with baleful trouble.
, ( I ) Lofn, one of the Asg^arth goddesses, a goddess ; a goddess of ale-beakers=
a cup-bearer made in the ima^e of a goddess =» woman.
(2) Head-stern = the back of the head : she turns her back upon me begging
and praying her to come.
(3) Arms' oak, a kenning, circumlocution for woman.
After
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98 THE SETTLEMENT ^
LpART II, CHAPTER XXX.]
After this he twisted her hair round his hand and
wanted to pull her down from the dais, but she sat and
budged nowhither. Thereupon he drew his sword and
cut off her head, walked out and rode away, they being
three together with two pack-horses. There were but
few people at home and forthwith a man was sent to
Odd to tell him the news. Snaebjorn happened to be at
Kjalvorstead, and Odd sent a man to him begging him
to see to the pursuit ; but he said the himself should stir
nowhere. Snaebjorn rode after them with eleven men,
and when Hallbjorn and his saw the pursuit his com-
panions begged him to ride off, but he would not.
Snaebjorn and his men came up with them at the hills
which now are called Hallbjorn's-Beacons. Hallbjorn
and his went to the top of one of the hills and defended
themselves there ; there three of Snaebjorn's men fell and
both Hallbjorn's companions ; next Snaebjorn cut off the
foot of Hallbjorn at the anckle joint, whereupon he
limped to the southermost hill and slew there yet two
men of Snaebjorn's and there Hallbjorn fell withal;
therefore there are three beacons on that hill but five on
the other. After this Snaebjorn returned. Snaebjorn
owned a ship which was lying in Grim's-river-mouth, one
half of which Hrolf the Redsander bought ; and Snaebjorn
and Hrolf manned it each with twelve shipmates. In
Snaebjorn's company were Thorkel and Sumarlid, sons
of Thorstein the Red, the son of Einar the Staffholting.
Snaebjorn also took on board Thorodd from Thingness,
his foster-father, together with his wife, but Hrolf took
on board Styrbjorn who after a dream he had had, sang
this:
The bane I see Frost and cold,
Of both of us, Fearful wonders,
Noisome all things Such things tell of
North-east at sea, Snaebjorn slaughtered.
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OF ICELAND. 99
[part II, CHAPTER XXX.]
They went in search of Gunnbjorn-skerries and they
found a land, where Snaebjorn would not they should go
ashore by night. Styrbjorn left the ship, and found
treasure in a barrow and kept it hidden. Snaebjorn
smote him with an axe and the treasure tumbled down.
They made a scale for themselves which soon was snowed
up. Thorkel the son of Red found that there was water
on a forked pole which stood out in the scale window ;
and this was in the month of * goi ' ; then they dug
themselves out. Snaebjorn was busy mending the ship ;
but Thorodd and his wife were on his behalf home at the
scale, while on behalf of Hrolf there wjere at the scale
Styrbjorn and Hrolf himself; the others were out hunting.
Styrbjorn slew Thorodd, but both of them together, Hrolf
and Styrbjorn slew Snaebjorn. The sons of Red and all
the rest of them swore oaths (to Hrolf) for the saving of
their lives. They made at last Halogaland and fared
thence to Iceland and hove in at 'Vadill.' Thorstein
* TrefiU ' guessed rightly what had happened to the sons
of Red. Hrolf made for himself a fort upon Strandheath
and * TrefiU ' sent Sveinung to take his life. He first
went to Hermund of * Myrr,' then to Olaf of * Drangar,'
then to Gest at Hawe (Hagi*), and Gest sent him to
Hrolf, his friend. Sveinhng slew both, Hrolf and Styr-
bjorn and then went back to Hawe. Gest exchanged
with him a sword and an axe for two grays with black
manes, and sent a man on horseback round *Vadil,* all
the way to KoUfirth, bidding Thorbjorn the strong to
claim the horses ; and he slew Sveinung at * Sveinung-
seyrr,' because the sword (of Sveinung) broke right under
the hilt. From this * TrefiU ' boasted to Gest, when
their wits were compared together, that he had so out-
witted Gest as to make him send himself a man to take
the life of his own friend.
* Hagi is a pasture, thus in Cumberland we have fields called " The Haggs/'
Settlements
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loo THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXXI.]
Setttements of Olaf * Jafnahollr,' Orlyg son of Bodvar and
Eirek Snare, The Landtakes of Geirmund in their
order.
Chapter XXXI. Olaf 'Jafnakollr' took land from
Langdale-river to 'Sandeyrar '-river and dwelt in Delight-
dale ; he had for wife Thora, the daughter of Gunnstein,
and their son Grimolf had for wife Vedis the sister of
Vebjorn.
Thorolf Fastholder was the name of a man of high
worth in Sogn ; he fell into unfriendly dealings with
Earl Hakon the son of Grjotgard and went to Iceland
by the counsel of King Harald. He took land from
' Sandeyrar '-river to TroUspoor-river in ' Raven *-firth
and dwelt at Snowfells. His son was Ofeig, who had for
wife Ottkatla.
Orlyg the son of Bodvar, the son of Vigsterk, went to
Iceland driven by the tyranny of King Harald Fairhair, and
was the first winter with Geirmund Hellskin, but the next
spring Geirmund gave him his manor in * Adal '-wick and
the land thereto belonging, Orlyg had for wife Signy,
the daughter of Oblaud, Signy being the sister of Hogni
the White ; their son was Ketil ' Gufa,' who had for wife
Yri, the daughter of Geirmund. *
Here follow in order the landtakes of Geirmund, which
are already written down above, all the way to Streamness
east of Horn.
Orlyg got for his own ' Sl6tta ' and Glacier-firths.
' Hella '-Bjorn, the son of Herfin and Halla, was a
great Viking; he was ever a foe to King Harald; he went
to Iceland and came in a ship all beset with shields into
Bjornfirth,* whence he was called Shield-Bjorn ever after;
he took land from Streamness unto * Drangar ' and abode
in Shieldbjorn's-wick, but had another home at Bjorn's-
ness where the tofts of his great scale are still seen. His
son
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OF ICELAND. lot
[part II, CHAPTER XXXI.]
son was Thorbjorn,the father of Arngerd, whom Thjodrek
the son of * Slettu '-Bjorn had for wife, their sons were
Thorbjorn and Sturla and Thjodrek.
There was a man named Geirolf, who wrecked his ship
against Geirolf s-Peak ; afterwards, by the counsel of
Bjorn, he abode there beneath the peak.
Thorvald, the son of Asvald, the son of Ulf, the son of
Ox-Thorir took * Drangaland ' and ' Drangavik ' unto
' Eingines ' and abode at * Drangar ' all his life. His
son was Eirek the Red, who settled Greenland, as was
said before.
Herradd Whitesky was a man of high worth ; he was
slain at the bidding of King Harald, but his three sons
went to Iceland and took up lands on the Strands;
Eyvind taking Eyvind-firth, Ofeig Ofeig's-firth, Ingolf
Ingolf.s-firth, and there they all abode afterwards.
Eirek Snare was the name of a man who took land from
Ingolf s-firth unto* VeiiSilausa,' and abode in 'Trekyllis'-
wick ; he had for wife Alof, the daughter of Ingolf of
Ingolf s-firth, their son was Flosi who abode at Wick,
when some Eastmen (Norwegians) broke there their ship
and made of the wreck that ship, which they called
*Trekyllir'; in that ship Flose started on a foreign
voyage but was driven back into Axefirth. Therefrom
sprang the Saga of Bodmod ' Gerpir ' and Grimolf.
Settlements of Onund Treefoot, Bjorn, Steingrim, Koll,
Thorbjorn ' Bitra,' Balki, and Arndis.
Chapter XXXII. Onund Treefoot, the son of Ofeig
Clubfoot, the son of Ivar ' Beytil,' fought against King
Harald in Hafursfirth and there lost his leg ; thereupon
he went to Iceland and took land from Cliffs unto
'Ofaera': Coldback*s-wick, Kolbein*s-wick, Byrgir's-wick
to wit and abode at Coldback to old age ; he was the
brother
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102 THE SETTLEMENT
[part 11, CHAPTER XXXII.]
brother of Gudbjorg, the mother of Gudbrand * Kula,*
the father of Asta, who was the mother of King Olaf (the
Holy). Onund had four sons, one called Grettir, another
Thorgeir Bottleback, the third Asgeir Madpate, the father
of Kalf and Hrefna whom Kjartan had for wife and of
Thurid whom Thorkel Ketch had for wife and whom
Steinthor, son of Olaf, took to wife afterwards ; the
fourth son of Onund was Thorgrim Hoaryhead, the father
of Grettir the strong.
Bjorn was the name of a man who settled Bjornfirth
and had for wife a woman called Ljufa, their son was
Svan who abode at Svan's-knoU.
Steingrim took to him the whole of Steingrims-firth
and abode at Troll-Tongue ; his son was Thorir, the
father of Haldor, the father of Thorvald * Orgodi,' the
father of * Bitru '-Oddi, the father of Steindor, the father
of Odd, the father of * Ha '-Snorri, the father of Odd the
monk and Thorolf and Thorarin Ruffian.
KoU was named a man who settled KoUfirth and
* Skridnisenni ' and dwelt ' under Fell ' all his Hfe.
Thorbjorn * Bitra ' was the name of a man, a Viking and
a scoundrel ; he went to Iceland with his kinsfolk, and
settled the firth now is called Bitra and abode there.
Some time afterwards Gudlaug, the brother of Gils
* Skeid *-neb wrecked his ship against that headland
which now is called Gudlaug's-Head. Gudlaug got aland
with his wife and daughter but the rest of the crew
perished ; then there came upon them Thorbjorn 'Bitra'
and murdered man and wife, but took the maiden and
brought her up. But when Gils * Skeid '-neb was aware
of this he set out and avenged his brother, slaying
Thorbjorn * Bitra' and sundry men besides. From
Gudlaug Gudlaug's-wick takes its name.
There was a man named Balki, who was the son of
Blseing, the son of Soti of Sotisness ; he fought against
King
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OF ICELAND. 103
[part II, CHAPTER XXXII.]
King Harald in Hafursfirth whence he went* to Ice-
land and took to himself the whole of Ram-firth, he
abode at both homesteads called Balkistead, but last he
dwelt at By* and died there. His son was Bersi the
Godless, who at first abode at Bersistead in Ramfirth ;
but latei; he settled Langwaterdale and had another
household there, this happening before he took for wife
Thordis the daughter of Thorhadd from Hitriverdale and
with her, for dowry, Holmesland. Their son was Arn-
geir the father of Bjorn the Champion of the Hitdalemen.
A daughter of Balki was Geirbjorg, the mother of Veleif
the Old.
Arndis the Wealthy, the daughter of Steinolf the Low
took as time wore on land in Ramfirth out away from
Board-* Eyrr * and dwelt at By ; her son was Thord who
formerly had dwelt at Mull t in Saurby.
Hromund the Halt and hh sons Thorbjorn^ Thorleif, and
Hestein settle at Fairbrink, They summon Helgi and
his clan of Viking Eastmen for horse stealing. Hromund
and his sons are made wardens of the district. A poem
relating the terrible and fatal conflict between Hromund
and the Eastern Vikings^ their final discomfiture and
flighty names of chief settlers in Westfirth. Census.
Chapter XXXIIL Throst and Grenjud, the sons of
* By is Bae in the Icelandic and derived from the verb bua= to dwell, so it
means dwelling. " By " is identical with by that occurs as termination of the
names of many villages in the North of England. The Cumberland Poet,
Anderson, says : —
•* There's Harraby an Tarraby,
And Wigjjanby beside,
There's Oughterby and Soughterby,
And * bys ' beath far an weyde."
t Icelandic MiSli, meaning properly a muzzU, snout, whence the mouth of
beasts — then as here a jutting crag, between two dales, fi6rds or the like ; in
Scotland, Mull ; in the Shetlands, Mule; Fjalls-muli in Landnama=a mountain
Seak, as Digri-muli, Seljalands-muli, as also in numberless place-names, as
lull, Milla-fjall, Mula-eyjar, Mula-sveit. See map. So also the Mull of Can-
tire, Mull of Galloway, Mullhead in the Orkneys, and the Island of Mull, names
first given by the Norsemen, whence Mylskr^a man of Mull.
Hermund
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104 T^HE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
Hermund the Stooping, took up land in Ramfirth up from
Board-* Eyrr ' and abode at * Melar.' From Grenjad
was sprung Horse-Gellir the Priest, but Orm was come
down from Throst. A son of Throst, too, was Thorkel
of * Kerseyrr,* the father of Gudrun, whom Thorbjorn
* Thyna,' the son of Hromund the Halt, had for wife ;
they (Hromund and Thorbjorn dwelt at Fairbrink.
Thorleif Hromund's fosterson was the son of Thorbjorn
Thyna and Gudrun. Yet another son of Hromund was
called Hastein. They (Hromund and his sons) had all
things in common. A son of Thorkel the son of Throst
was Thorir and he abode at * Melar ' ; a daughter of his
was named Helga. About this time there came out to
Board-* Eyrr ' * Sleitu '-Helgi and with him Jorund his
brother. They were Vikings ; with them there were
twelve free men besides servants ; they all betook them-
selves to * Melar.' Then Helgi got for wife Helga the
daughter of Thorir. Hromund and his sons lost some
stud-horses and held Helgi guilty of the deed and Mid-
firth-Skeggi summoned Helgi and his for horse-stealing
to the Althing, but Hromund and his sons were set to
keep order in the countryside and they had a trusty fort
at Brink (Fairbrink). The Eastman arrayed their ship
for sea. One morning a raven perched on the luffer* at
Brink and croaked loudly, then Hromund sang :
'Tis early morn, yet outsidef
I hear the black-skinned swan of
The wound-thorn's sweat ^ a-croaking :
The stout bird scents his quarry;
*The Icelandic word which has been rendered * luffer* is ljori=a?i opening in
the roof of ancient halls for the smoke to escape by, and also for admitting^ liffht,
as the walls of such dwelling's had no windows. The men who kept watch
used to sit at the Ijori or luffer.
tThe original Icelandic of this verse is given in a note at the end of the
chapter.
(i) Wound-thorn ssword, the sweat of it^blood, the black-skinned swan
thereof = black bird of prey = raven.
So
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OF ICELAND. 165
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
So cried the hawk of battle ^
Of yore, whenas the cuckoos
Of Gaut*s ado* gave warning
Of coming doom of warriors.
Then Thorbjorn sang :
The mew of corpse-heaps* billow •
Clacks, hail-sprent,* as he comes to
The corpse-sea:* Now all eager
His morning prey he craveth ;
So crowed the gawk of carrion *
Out from the tree of ages
Of yore, whenas the wound-hawks ^
For warriors * oath *-mead^ lusted.
At this nick of time the Eastmen entered the fort,
because the men at work there had not closed it. The
brothers (Halstein and Thorbjorn * Thyna * went out (to
fight them), but the women said that Hromund was too
old and Thorleif too young to go out (to fight), he was
then but fifteen winters old. Then Hromund sang :
Stem of the flat-grounds circles 1 •
My death was not predestined
For either this or that day, ^°
So I shall face Ilms uproar ; "
(i) Hawk of battle= raven.
(2) Gaut=Odin, his * ado '=battle, the battle cuckoo -» raven.
(3) Corpse-heaps' billow— blood, the mew of that billow or sea=carrion bird,
raven.
(4) With the hoar-frost of the nij^ht still on his fell.
(5) As, by instinct, he feels that bloodshed is at hand.
(6) Gawk of carrion = raven.
(7) Wound-hawks= ravens.
(8) =bIood; perhaps so-called because of the ancient custom of blending
blood and tasting it, when solemn engagements were undertaken.
(9) = shields brimmed round with iron. Apostrophe to someone present.
(10) i.e. " Fate has no 'either' 'or* in its determination of the day of death :
if I am not destined by it to die to-day, I shall not die to-day."
(11) Ilm (Ilmr) a goddess of Asgarth, must here stand for a Valkyija, her
uproar -^battle.
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ip6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
I care not if the paint-wand
Of Hedin*8 weeds ^ shall play on
The red shields : at the outset
My days' span was determined.
Six of the Eastmen fell in the fort, but the remaining
six bolted off. When Thorbjorn was about shutting up
the fort, he was shot through with a bill ; but he took
the bill out of the wound and drove it in between the
shoulders of Jorund so that it went out into the chest ;
but Helgi slung him on his back and so ran off. Hro-
mund lay fallen and Thorleif grievously wounded.
Hastein followed up the pursuit of them until Helgi
dropped Jorund dead, whereat he returned. The women
asked for tidings, and Hastein sang :
Six wound-rod-sweeping Njordungs,'
Asleep with none to mourn them,
Have found their death by weapons
Outside here on the flagstones ;
Methinks of these lawbreakers
One half behind lie fallen,
But edge-cut wounds full smarting
To the run-aways I meeted.
The women asked how many they were (Hallstein and
his) ; Hastein sang :
We, kinsmen, stood but four there
Before their purposed onslaught,
With no more men I carried
To the fight the strap-path's-fire.»
(i) Hedin, a war lord, Snor. Edda I, 432, his weedsBCoat of mail, the paiot-
wand tbereof^sthe wand that paints it^stains it red with blood, a sword.
(2) Niordungs, Niord*s kin, gods; wound-rod «sword; wound-rod-sweeping
Nibrdungs*^ warriors.
(3) StrapvrcAa/iCtiv, sword-strap going over the shoulder; its path is the
coat of mail over which it goes; the fire of the coat of mail* sword: I went
weapoaed into the fight with only four companions.
While
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OF ICELAND. 107
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
While from the steed of Gylvi ^
Twelve frisky stems of Gunn-Thing, *
Who would hie to our meeting,
Came our cold glaves to redden.'
The women asked how many were fallen of the Vikings ;
Hastein sang :
Here seven of gods a-seeking
For Svolnir's wall* have dipped down
To earth their nose ;* o'er warriors
Streamed warm blood, dew of corpses.
Not more fir-stems of meetings
Of Fjolnir* will take outward
O'er Ekkils paths ' the steed of
Jalk's mere,^ than took it hither.
Here may be seen the signs of
The deal-tongue's • precious day's-work :
What deed by four boast-burdocks
Of sword-din ^° now's effected.
But, swinger of Gunn's roofs firebrand,"
Methinks to those peace-breakers
We gave a peace but scanty —
The raven tore feed from corpses.
(i) Gylvi, a sea-king, his steed=ship.
(2) Gunn (Gunnr) a Valkyrja, her Thing=smeeting, assembly =s battle; the
steins of battle » warriors.
(3) Observe the double meaninc" in * to redden cold glaves.'
(4) SvolnirsOdin ; his wall— shield; gods a-seeking for its warriors.
(5) Have bitten the dust.
(6) Fiolnir=Odin; his meetings^ battles, the fir-stem of battles^ warriors^ men.
(7) Ekkill, a sea king ; his paths^^ocean.
(8) Jalk, a name of Odin, must here stand for that of a sea-king ; the sea-kingf*^
mere=:ocean; his steed thereof s^ship ; here the shi^ in which the Vikings came
to Iceland. — Note: * Not more* =fewer; the Viking's number having gone
down from 12 to 5.
(9) Deal = deal-wood s=bow; the tongue of it— the tongue that holds it, the
hand ; ' the day's work of our hand is preceious.'
(10; Burdock ('borr') of sword-din = warrior; a 'boast-burdock* thereof^the
warrior, who mav boast of victory by means of it.
(11) Gunn, a Valkyrja, her roof^a shield, the fire-brand of the shield— the
gleaming, flashing sword. This line is an apostrophe to someone present.
Upon
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io8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
Unto these men of ravage
We got their fight-shirts reddened.
My sword is keen. We were all
Right hard at work while fighting.
Men valiant kept the hanging
Hild*s boarding's fire-tongues ^ ready .
Beneath their shields. The falcons
Of corpses * lost their hunger.
At a loud roar we started
A fierce burst of stone-throwing ;
Gray clothes of Thund,' midst singing
Of swords, were rent asunder :
Or e'er the stems of weapons *
Gave way, their respite seeking.
When still more found their death-day—
Shields with fight-squall were smitten.
Hark, how the wound-swan * yellelh
0*er corpses, where lie fallen
The stems of victory's altars ; «
Wound-mew ' drink blood-tide's billow.
Its swill then gat the eagle
When guilt-rich * Sleitu '-Helgi
Had his red coif: ^ the talons
Of the em ® are clogged with carrion.
Up from the steed, most goodly,
Of oars ^ the elm-Thing's urgers ^^
Came, wearing polished helmets.
To have a meeting with us.
(i) Hild (Hildr) a Valkyrja; her hanging board or boarding»a shield; the
fire-tongue thereof =a sword.
(2) = ravens.
(3) Thund (bundr) one of Odin*s names ; his gray clothes =byrny, or coat of mail.
(4) = warriors.
(5) craven
(6) Victory's altars=» shields; the stems=up-beearers thereof, warriors, men.
(7) =raven.
(8) s=had his head covered with blood.
(9) =eagle.
(10) Steed of oars=ship.
(11) Elm-»bow (the elm-wood being used for that weapon of attack); the bow's
Thin^ or asembly= battle, the urgers thereof== warriors, men.
But
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OF ICELAND. 109
[part II, CHAPTER XXXIII.]
But off they went, a-wearing
Red hair, ^ these earth-chain*s oxen ^
Commanders, god -forsaken.
Unto their boat — what sword-stems !®
Helgi and his companions put off to sea the same day
and were all lost on Helgi-skerry of * Skridins-enni.'
Thorleif was healed of his wound, and abode at (Fair)
Brink ; but Hastein went abroad and fell aboard the
Long- Worm* (Olaf Tryggvison's ship, in the battle of
Svold.)
Now are written down most of the land-takes in the
Westfirthers' Quarter, according as men of lore have told
of them. And now it must have been heard, that many
great men have taken up their abode in that Quarter and
that from them many noble families have sprung, even
as we have now heard.!
These are the noblest * land-take-men ' (landn^msmenn)
in the Westfirthers' Quarter: Hrosskel, Skallagrim, * Sel'-
Thorir, Bjorn the Easterner, Thorolf Mostbeard, Aud the
Deep-minded, Geirmund Hellskin, Ulf the Squinter,
Thord Vikingson, though in some families male lines
maintain themselves longer (than in those of this Quarter.)
When the good men of Iceland were counted, there were
nine hundred (=9 by 120=1080) good men in this
Quarter.
(i) Note the contrast between polished helms on arrival and red, i.e., blood
covered hair on departing.
(2) Earth-chain = the earth surrounding ocean, sea; its ox=the ship, plough-
ing it-
(3) Said in scorn— what pitiable wielders of a sword.
* The story of the battle of Svold, A.D. looo, in which 'The Long Serpent*
engagjed, and the clearing of the ship and mysterious disappearance of^Olaf
Tryggvison is told in the " Heimsi<ringla," or Story of the Kings of Norway.
See Translation by Morris and Magnusson, Chapter cxiv to the end.
t These words seem unmistakably to point back to the ^r5< secession of * Land-
nama,' as being due to oral tradition for this Quarter.
Note
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no THE SETTLEMENT
[part II, chapter XXXIII.]
Note to Chapter XXXIII.
The following is the first stanza in the original Ice-
landic of the remarkable poem that occurs here :
tit heyri ek svan sveita
sara J?orns er mornar,
bra*8 vekr broginm6'8a,
bldQalla*8an gjalla ;
svi gol fyrr, J?a er feigir
f61knartingar vdru
gunnar haukr, er gdukar
Gauts bragdd sp4 sagdu.
It will be seen that this, probably the earliest specimen
of Norse poetry committed to writing, runs in stanzas of
eight verses each, that the lines are alliterative, that is,
two words commence with the same letter in one line and
one word with that letter in the next line — e.g. ist line,
svan sveita ; 2nd line, sara &c. The various epithets
applied in those verses to the raven shows* how highly
figurative the poetry is, and the mythology of the old
Norse gods, which characterizes it throughout, proves it
to belong to the old heathen age.
' Third Part.
Now begins the Landnam in the Northern Quarter^ which has
been the most thickly settled of all Iceland and wherein
the greatest events have happened both in old times and
new, as further on will be set forth and as experience
bears witness to.
Eysteinn * Meinfret * settles the Dales. Thoradd settles Rams-
firth and dwells at Thoroddstead. Fur Bjorn settles
Midfirth. Midfirth Skeggi his son and his exploits.
Harald Ring settles Waterness, A udun Skokil, grand-
son of Ragnar Lodbrog, settles at Audunstead. His
connexions and their Settlements.
Chapter
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01^ ICELAND. HI
[part III, CHAPTER I.]
Chapter I. Eysteinn * Meinfret/ son of Alf from
Osta, settled the eastern Ramfirth Strand next to Balki
and dwelt there some winters before he married Thorhild,
the daughter of Thorstein the Red ; then he betook him-
self from the north to the dales and settled there. Their
sons were Alf, in the dales, Thord and Thorolf Fox, and
Hrapp.
There was a man named Thorodd, who settled land in
Ramsfirth, and dwelt at Thoroddstead. His son was
Arnorr * hynef,' who married Gerd, the daughter of Bod-
var from Bodvar's-knoUs ; their sons were Thorbjorn,
whom Grettir slew, and Thorod drdpustufr, * the father
of Valgera, who was the wife of Skeggi Skammhondungr
(or shorthanded), the son of Gamli, the son of Thord, the
son of Eyjolf, the son of Eyjar, the son of Thorhrolf
* fasthaldi ' or fastholder from Snaefell. The son of Skeggi
* Skammhondung ' was Gamli, the father of Alfdis, the
mother of Odd the Monk.
There was a man of great renown in Norway named
Skutadar-Skeggi, his son was Bjorn, who was called
Skin or Fur-Bjorn, because he used to go to Holmgard,
i.e. Novgorod in Russia ; and when he tired of trading
journeys he went to Iceland and settled Midfirth and
Linakradale (Flaxfielddale), his son was Midfirth-Skeggi ;
he was a great bravo and a sea-farer; he harried in
Easternway, i.e. in the Baltic, and lay in Denmark at
Sjoland (Sealand), when he went from the east ; there
he made a raid on the land and broke into the Howe or
Burial Mound of King Hrolf Kraki, and seized there
Skofnung, the sword of King Hrolf and the ax of Hjalti,
and much treasure besides, but he could not possess him-
self of Laufi (the sword of Bodvar Biarki.)
Skeggi dwelt at Reykir in Midfirth and married Hall-
* Drdpustufr is in Icelandic a rhymer or poetaster.
bera
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ii^i THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER I.]
bera, the daughter of Grim ; their children were Eid, who
married Hafthora, the daughter of Thorberg KornmuU
and of Alof * Ellida-shield,' the sister of Thorgeir 'gollnir' ;
they had many children. Another son of Skeggi was
Koll, the father of Kalldor, the father of Thorkatla and
of Thordis, whom Skhald-Helga married. The daughters
of Skeggi were Hrodny, whom Thord Yeller married, and
Thorbjorg, whom Aslejord the wealthy married, the son
of Hord ; their daughter was Ingibjorg, whom Illugi the
Black had to wife ; their sons were Gunnlaug Ormstunga
or serpent's tongue, Hermund and Ketill. One son of
Eid * was named Thorhall, the father of Eid, the father
of Thorhall, the father of Oddny, the mother of Geir-
laug, the mother of Snaelaug, the mother of Markus of
Melar.
There was a man of high degree called Harald Ring ;
he came with his ship into Vestrhop or Westhope and
abode for the first winter near to the place where he had
first landed, and which is now called Ringstead. He
settled Vatnsnes (Waterness) all out to Ambattar (Bond-
maid's) river to the west and eastward up to Thwart or
Cross river and over there thwartwise to Bjargaos or
Rocksmouth, and and all that side of the rocks, as far
as the sea, and he dwelt at Holar. His son was Thor-
brand, the father of Asbrand, the father of Solvi the
Proud in Aegis sea-side, and Thorgeir, who dwelt at
Holar ; his daughter was Astrid, whom Armod, the son
of Hedin, had for wife ; their son was Hedin. Another
daughter of Thorgeir was Thorgerd, whom Thorgrim
married, the son of Peter from Os. There was a man
named Soti who settled Westhope and dwelt under Sotfell.
Hunda-Steinar was the name of an Earl in England.
He had for wife Alof, the daughter of Ragnar Lodbrog ;
• i.e. Eid Skegg^ison above.
their
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OF tCElAltD. tt3
[part III, CHAPTER I.]
their children were these : Bjorn, the father of Audun
Skokul and Eric, the father of Sigurd Bjodskalli, and
Isgerd, whom Earl Thorir in Vermaland had for wife.
Audun * Skokul ' went to Iceland and settled Vididale,
and dwelt at Audunstead; with him came out Thorgil
gjallandi (yelling), his fellow, the father of Thorarin the
' godi.' Audun * Skokul ' was the father of Thora * Mo-
shal's ' C Mewsneck ' ) the mother of Ulf hlid, the mother
of Asta, the mother of St. Olave the King.
The son of Audun ' Skokul ' was Asgeirr at Asgeir's
river ; he had for wife Jorun, the daughter of Ingimund
the Old ; their children were Thorvald, the father of
Dalla, the mother of Gizur the Bishop, and Audun the
father of Asgeir, the father of Audun, the father of Egil
who married Ulfeid the daughter of Eyjolf the son of
Gudmund, and their son was Eyjolf, who was slain at
the Althing and who was the father of Orm the chaplain
of Thorlak the Bishop. Another son of Audun ' Skokul *
was Eystein, the father of Thorstein, the father of Helgi,
the father of Thororm, the father of Odd, the father of
Hallbjorn, the father of Sigvat the Priest. The daughter
of Asgeir of Asgeir's river was Thorbjorg, bench setter off.
There was a man named Orm who settled Ormsdale
and dwelt there ; he was the father of Odd, the father of
Thorodd, the father of Helgi, the father of Harri, the
father of Jora, the mother of Thordis, the mother of
Thordis, the mother of Tanni, the father of Skapi.
Ingimund the Old from Norway. Prediction of the witch
wife concerning his Talisman. Its singular story. He
settles Vatnsdale and resides at Hof.
Chapter II. Ketillraumr was the name of a renowned
* Hersir ' in Raumsdale in Norway ; he was the son of
Orm Skeljamola (Shellmeal), the son of Horsebjorn, the
son
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tt4 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER II.]
son of Raum, the son of Giant-Bjorn from the north in
Norway. Ketill married Mjoll the daughter of An Bend-
the-bow ; their son was called Thorstein, who slew in
the wood leading to the Upplands, at the egging on of
his father, Jokul, the son of Ingimund, Earl of Gautland.
Jokul gave him his life* and afterwards Thorstein married
Thordis Jokul*s sister. Their son was Ingimund the
Old, he was brought up in Hefni with Thorir, the father
of Grim and Hromund. Heid the witchwife predicted to
them all that they should settle in that land which was
then undiscovered west in the ocean, but Ingimund said
he would guard against that, but the witchwife said he
might not do so, and said the token t thereof was, that
even now would his talisman t have disappeared out of his
pouch, and he would there find it where he should dig
for the foundations of his high seat pillars upon that land.
Ingimund was a great Viking and harried always in
Viking raids to the west.§ His partner was named Saem-
und, a man from the Hebrides ; they came back from
their harrying at that time || when King Harald Fairhair
was fighting for the land and gave battle in Hafursfirth
to Thorir Longchin and his allies ; Ingimund wished
to go and give aid to the King, but Saemund would not,
and there they parted company. After the battle the
King gave to Ingimund for wife Vigdis, the daughter of
Earl Thorir the Silent. She and Jorund Neck were his
bastard children.
* While bleeding to death from a wound inflicted by Thorstein, he still had
the power to kill him, but gave him his life and bade him marry his sister. See
Vatnsdaela Saga, Chap. 111.
t The Icelandic word is * jartegn * and signifies a token as a ring, knife,
sword, belt, or the like — properly a token which a messenger had to produce in
evidence that his message was true.
J The Icelandic term for talisman here is *hlutir,* a little image or images
which people used to wear about their persons — in the present instance these
were the silver images of the god Frey.
§ The Hebrides and the British Islands generally.
II Date 872 A. D.
ingimund
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OF ICELAND. 115
[part III, CHAPTER II.]
Ingimund felt at home nowhere ; therefore Harald the
King urged him to seek his fortune in Iceland. Ingimund
said that that was what he had never set his mind upon,
but he sent there two Finns * on a wizard's journey in
hamforum t to Iceland after his talisman, which was the
image of Frey J and made of silver. The Finns came back
and said they had found the whereabouts of the talisman
but could not lay hold on it. They however marked out
to Ingimund the position of the place in a valley between
two hill rises, and told Ingimund all about the trend of
the land, and as to how it was shapen, where he was to
settle.
After that Ingimund set out upon his voyage to Ice-
land and with him Jorund Neck his brother-in-law,§ and
Eyvind Sorkvir and Asmund and Hvati his friends, and
his thralls Fridmund, Bodvar, Thorir, Refskegg, Ulfkell.
They made land in the southern part of Iceland and were
all through the winter at Hvanneyri, with .Grim the
foster brother of Ingimund, but in spring they went north
over the heaths. They came to that firth where they
found two rams, and that they called Hrutafirth or Ram-
firth, thence they went north over the countrysides and
gave proper names to places wideabout there ; he was for
one winter in Vididale in Ingimundsholt ; thence they
saw mountains snowless towards the south east and went
thitherward in the spring. There Ingimund recognised
the aspect of the country which the seer had marked out
for his abode.
Thordis, his daughter, was born in Thordisholt. Ingi-
*The art of sorcery or witchcraft was so much practised by the Finns that the
names Finn and Sorcerer or Magrician became identical.
t The Icelandic word here used is " hamfarir " and has a mythical sense— mean-
ing the Jaring or travelling: in the shape of an animal, fowl, deer, fish, or serpent,
with magical speed over land and sea, the wizard's own body in the meantime
lyingr lifeless and motionless.
X Frey is the male god— the brother of Freya— they were the children of Niord.
f Ingimund was married to his sister, Vigdis, as stated above,
mund
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ii6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER II.]
mund took to himself all Vatnsdale up from Helgavatn
and Urdarvatn and dwelt at Hof, and there found his
talisman, where he digged for the foundations of his high
seat posts. His sons by Vigdis were Thorstein and
Jokul and Thorir Hegoat's-thigh and Hogni. The son
of Ingimund by abondsmaid was Smid, and his daughters
by her were Jorun and Thordis.
Ingimund finds three white bears at Hunavatn. Sends them
to King Harald in Norway. Finds one hundred swine
in Swinedale.
Chapter III. Jorund settled land out from Urdvar-
vatn to Mogilsbrook and dwelt at Grund * under Jorund-
fell, his son was Marr t at Marstead. Hvati settled land
out from Mogilsbrook to the Gills river and dwelt at
Hvatistead. Asmund settled out from Helgavatn about
the countryside of Thingeyrar and dwelt under Gnup.
Fridmund settled Forsaeludale. Eyvind Sorkvir settled
Blandadale, his sons were Hermund and Hromund the
Halt. Ingimund found a she bear and two white bear
cubs on Hunavatn (when laid with ice), the place was on
this account called Hunavatn. X After that he went out
and gave the bear to King Harald. Before this men had
not seen white bears in Norway.
Then King Harald gave to Ingimund a ship loaded
with a cargo of timber § and he sailed with the ships to
the northern portion of the land and was the first of men
•Grund in Icelandic is VxtersWy green field from a cognate word. Numerous
farms are so called in Hig-h Furness, e.g. Sanderrund, Parkgrund, &c.
fMarr is a common surname in Lakeland. Compare also Mardale near
Hawswater.
X Hunavatn is literally 'the water of the young bears* from Hunn a young*
bear which is, in the Book of the Settlement, used of other place names in Ice-
land as Hunafloi, Hunavatns Thing, Hunavatns Sysla. See those names on map.
§ The Icelandic phrase for cargo of timber is vi'Sar-farmi from vi'8r=wood,
fmd farmr=fare^ freight, or carg^o.
to
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OF ICELAND. 117
[part III, CHAPTER III.]
to double the Skagi, and he sailed up into Hunavatn to
the place which is now called Stiganda-hrof by Thing-
eyraf. After that was Hrafn the Norwegian with Ingi-
mund, he had a good sword which he took with him into a
temple, wherefore Ingimund took the sword from him, as
it was forbidden to go with weapons into the hallowed
edifice. Hallorm and Thororm, brothers, came out and
were with Ingimund, and Hallorm married Thordis his
daughter and she obtained as a dowry all the estate of
Korn's-river ; their son was Thorgrim the godi of Korn's-
river. Thororm dwelt at Thorormstongue. Ingimund
lost ten swine which were found the following harvesttide
in Swinedale,''' where were a hundred swine; the boar
was named Beigad, he leaped into Swinewater or Swine-
pool and swam about until his kloofs came off, and he
died from the over exertion at Beigad's-knoll.
Hrolleif the Great and Ljot his mother settle in Hrolleifsdale.
Settlement results in a series of deadly family feuds.
Chapter IV. Hrolleif the Mickle or Great, and Ljot
his mother, come out to Iceland and landed in Burgfirth,
they wandered north over the country sides but they
found nowhere a chance of settled abode until they came
to Skagafirth to Saemund. Hrolleif was the son of Arn-
hall, the brother of Saemund, wherefore he sent them
north to Headstrand to Thord, who assigned him land
in Hrolleifsdale, and he dwelt there. Hrolleif defiled
Hrodny, the daughter of Uni from Unisdale ; Odd, the
son of Uni, lay in wait for him and slew Ljot his cousin,
and wounded him in the foot but his sword would not
pierce his kirtle. Hrolleif slew Odd and two men beside.
* Compare Swindale, a valley and parish in Westmorland ; also Swinside and
Swinsty.
and
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ii8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER IV.]
and two men escaped. On account of that Thord * o'
Head made him an outlaw from the countryside (hera'Ss-
sekan) t as wide as water-shed sent running strean>s to
sea in Skagafirth.t
Then Saemund sent HroUeif to Ingimund the Old ;
Ingimund placed him down in Odds-ridge opposite Hof.
He had the fishing in Vatnsdale river with Ingimund,
on such terms that he was to quit the river when the
men of Hof came to fish in it, but he would not quit it
for the sons of Ingimund, so they fought about the river ;
this was told to Ingimund ; he was then bhnd and he
caused a boy to lead the horse whereon he rode into the
river between them. HroUeif shot his spear- through
him, and therewith he and the boy went home. Ingi-
mund sent the lad to tell the news to HroUeif, but he,
Ingimund, was dead in his High Seat when his sons came
home. HroUeif told these things to his mother. She
said that they would come to find out which would avail
most, the fortune of the sons of Ingimund or her own
skill in magic ; then she bade him betake himself away
to begin with.
It was allotted toThorstein to follow up HroUeif in blood-
feud, and for that he was to have what heirloom he should
choose for himself. The sons of Ingimund did not sit
down in the High Seat of their father § ; they went north
to Geirmund, and Thorstein gave him sixty hundreds in
silver that he might get HroUeif out of the way. They
tracked his spoor from the north across the Necks to
• He was called Hofda Thord because he dwelt at Hof8i=Head or Headland.
f Hera'Sssekan. The legal term used here means exiled Jrom a district or
jurisdiction as opposed to beings exiled from the country generally. The mean-
ing of the word hera'S or district varies, but as in the present instance, it is for
the most part merely geographical, i.e., a district, valley, fjord, or country, as
being bordered by the same mountains or within the same river basin.
% For Skagafirth see Skagafjordr in Map.
§ They could not do that until lawful revenge was taken for the slaying of him.
Vatnsdale
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OF ICELAND. 119
[part III, CHAPTER IV.l
Vatnsdale. Thorstein sent his house-carle to the Ridge*
to spy ; he repeated twelve verses (of incantations) before
anyone came to the door. He saw heaps of clothes on the
brands,t beneath which red clothes appeared. Thorstein
said that Hrolleif was there and that Ljot had sacrificed
in order that she might obtain long life for him. They
then went to Ridge and Thorstein would sit above the
door, but could not have his way on account of Jokul,
because he also wished to be there.
A man came out and looked round ; then another led
forth Hrolleif after him ; then Jokul burst forth from his
hiding place amongst the fuel logs and tumbled the pile
of firewood down, but cast a stick from it to his brothers.
After that he rushed upon Hrolleif and they both rolled
over the brink, but Jokul was the uppermost in the end ;
then came up Thorstein and they took to their weapons.
Then Ljot came out walking back foremost and she had
her head between her legs and her clothes slung over her
back.
Jokul hewed off the head from Hrolleif and threw it in
the face of Ljot. Then she said that she had been too
late, " for otherwise would the earth have turned inside
out before my very sight but you would all have become
crazed." After that Thorstein chose Hofsland and
Jokul kept the sword and dwelt in Tongue. Thorir had
the priesthood and dwelt at Underfell % and had fits of
frenzy (bersarksgang). ^ Hogni got the ship Stigand, he
was a seafarer; Smid abode at Smidstead. Thorstein
•i.e. Odds-ridge, see before.
t The Icelandic word used for describing this is ** brandar " and refers to the
"ski'Sahla'Si" which is mentioned afterwards, so that "brandar" here seems
to be synonymous with fuel logs.
X The genuine old name of this place is now proved to have been Undornfell.
§ Bersarksgang was the name of fits of frenzy to which the ber-serkr were
subject, during which they how-led like wild beasts, foamed at the mouth and
gnawed the iron rim of their shields. During these fits, they were according to
the popular belief, proof against steel and fire, and made great havoc in the
ranks of the enemy, but when the fever abated they were weak and tame.
married
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I20 THE SETTLEMEtiT
[part III, CHAPTER IV.]
married Thurid Gydja or Temple Priestess, the daughter
of Solmund in Asbjorn'sness, their son was Ingolf the fair
and Gudbrand. The son of Bard, the son of Jokul, was
Jokul, whom King Olave the Saint caused to be killed.
Jokul the Highwayman foretold that for a long time
there should be manslaughter by mishaps in that family.
Thorgrim dwelt at Hjallaland (Hill-land.) The sons of
Ingimund and the sons of Jorund fought about the owner-
ship of Deildarhjalli, and Hogni fell there and a freeman
of Thorstein, and out of the band of Mar there fell a
daughter's son of Jorund and five men beside. Jokul
hewed at the thigh of Thorgrim and then they fled forth.
Mar paid eighty hundreds in silver and retained Hjalla-
land. Thorstein and Jokul slew Thorolf Hellskin and
two men beside. Thorolf Sledge dwelt at Sledgestead,
up from Helgavatn, he gave chase to Hallvard, the Nor-
wegian of Thorstein, till he plunged into the deep in a
fen, to spite those brethren, and he killed Hallvard and
another man. Berg the Rank, sister's son of Finnbogi
the Strong of Borg came out (to Iceland from Norway.)
Thorgrim married the daughter of Skidi from Skidi-
stead in Vatnsdale. There Jokul struck Berg with the
hilt of his sword at a wedding feast,* for this Thorstein
was required to go under three turfs t or sods at Huna-
vatns Thing and he would not. Then Finnbog challenged
Thorstein to the Holmgang J and Berg challenged Jokul.
*The Icelandic word is Brudlaup, that is the wedding journey or wedding
procession.
t Three turfs or sods— in Icelandic Ganga undir jardarmen or to ** gang or
creep under a sod,'* partially detached from the earth and to let the blood mix
with the mould as an ordeal.
X Holmganga— The Holmgang or Holmgoin^ was the duel or wager of battle
fought on an Islet or Holm, which with the anaents was a kind of last appeal or
ordeal, and wherever a ]7ing or Parliament was held, a place was appointed for
the wager or battle, as the Holm on the Aze river in the Albing, The Holmgang
differed from the duel in being accompanied by rites and governed by rules,
while the latter was not. Some champions named in the Landnama or Book of
Settlement were nicknamed from this as Holmgongu-Starri, Holmgongu-Krafn,
Holmgongu-Mani. About A.D. 1006, the Holmgang was abolished by law in
the Parliament on account of the unhappy feud between Gunnlaug Snaketongue
and Skald Hrafa. Faxe-Brand
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OF ICELAND. 121
[part III, CHAPTER IV.]
Faxa-Brand dwelt above the Knolls, he accompanied
Thorstein to the place of single combat in Vididales
Island. There Jokul raised the pole of shame* to Finn-
bogi.
Groa and Thorey came out to Iceland from Norway.
Groa dwelt at Grostead near to Hof. Thorey dwelt at
Vesthope at Thorey's Gnup. There Groa made a Har-
vest Feast to Thorstein and the brothers. Thorstein
dreamed three times that he ought not to go. Then
Groa let loose; by means of witchcraft, a landslip falling
down upon all the men who were present there. Thor-
stein vowed an offering to him who had created the sun,
to the end that bearsark's fury might leave Thorir, that
he might bring up Thorkel Krafla, Thorgrim's son from
Korn river ; by that means Thorgrim obtained the go'SorS
(Priesthood.t) Ingolf composed a love song on Valgerd,
the daughter of Ottar. Then Ottar set afoot a lawsuit
against Ingolf but that suit came to naught.
Then Thorir died but Ottar migrated thence. Gud-
brand dwelt at Gudbrand's Stead. Thorir was outlawed
on account of a woman. He went as a hired assassin J
to Ingolf, being enticed thereto by Ottar. He made a
rush at Gudbrand, but Gudbrand slew him. Then they
wanted to set on Ottar, but could not catch him. Ottar
paid a penalty of five hundred of silver. Then Swart came
* This NiiS-stong- or pole of shame is described below in a note at III, 5. The
custom has been kept up in Iceland to modern times. Upon the mountain roads
and passes are stone pyramids on which passing travellers inscribe poetical
ditties of a scurrilous nature, inscribing them to the person who may next pass.
A horse head is placed there as in old times. In Lakeland such verses used to
be placed on a heap of stones in the Pass of Nan Beild, and there was, I believe,
something of a similiar character upon a stone near the Raise on the road
between Grasmere and Thirlmere.
fThe story is told in Vatnsdaela Saga how Thorir promised his godord to
Thorstein, if by his vow to him who created the sun he snould be healed of the
fits of bearserk'3 fury that troubled him. He was healed of his distemper but
lost his godord.
t The word is ^'Flugumadr," that is, fly man, a man who swallows the offered
reward for his crime, as a fish does a fly-bait.
out
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m THR SETTLEMENT
[part Ilf, CHAPTER IV.]
out to Mindakseyri from the Hebrides in a disabled ship;
he was sent as a hired assassin against Ingolf and Gud-
brand. Ingolf warded off the danger, but Swart slew
Gudbrand. between the summer dairy and the winter
folds* but there lay Swart also behind (fallen) on Swart's
moor. Then Ottar paid in redemption three hundred in
silver. Then Ingolf married Hild, the daughter of Olaf
from Haukagil (Hawkgill.) Ingolf slew of the cavemen
two men with one blow, in the summer shed in Micklagil
(Micklegill) and three men beside. There his comrade
fell and he was himself so sorely wounded that he died a
short time afterwards.
Thorgil Yeller dwelt at Svinavatn (swinewater) and
had come out with Audun Skokul ; his sons were Digr-
Orm and Thorkel, who slew Skarphedin Vefred's son at
Vatnskard. Glaedir was Thorgil Yeller's brother's son
and sister's son of Gudmund the Mighty. Thorkell
Krafla slew Thorkel from Helgavatn at a public meeting
at Korn river, being ii years old. Afterwards Thorkel
Krafla went abroad and was with Sigurd, the son of
Hlodver.t Thorkel, the son of Thorgils, married Hild,
the daughter of Thororm from Thorormstongue, and at
the bridewain Thorkell slew Glaedir. Hildr, the daughter
of Hermund, the son of Eyvind, kept company with him ;
he hid himself in Krafla-cave, under a waterfall in Vatns-
dale-river.
Thordis the Seer gave this counsel, that Thorkel should
throw the metal-bossed end of her belt, which was called
Hegnu'SrI (the avenger) at the head of Gudmund the
Mighty, when at the Doom of Judgment Seat, and he,
Gudmund, would then forget what he should say ; but
** Sel,* a dairy away from the house in outlying pastures, used in summer;
* vetrhiis/ winter houses, folds or pens for grown sheep in winter.
t Earl of Orkney.
X HegnuiSr, the chastiser was the official name of the staff so used and this
wa5 2^ formal j^ct,
they,
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OP" ICELAND. 123
[part III, CHAPTER IV.]
they, Gudmund and his, received two hundreds in silver.
Then took Thorkel the lands of Hof=The TemjJe ; and
the Priesthood, and had it whilst he lived ; he married
Vigdis, the daughter of Olaf from Hauka^il. In that
time came out Fridrek the Bishop, with Thorvald, the
son of Kodran, and abode at Gillriver with Orm Kod-
ranson and his sons. The Bishop was at an autumn
feast at Olaf s, and there the Bishop consecrated the
fire * ; there also were two Bearserks and they were
both named Hauk ; they walked through the fire and
were both burned, and the place was afterwards named
Haukagil ; there was Thorkel baptised and all the Vatns-
dalers. He caused a church to be reared at .Hof t and
there were all the men of his district interred.
Eyvindr settles Svindale, Mvarr comes to Blanda river
mouth. Settles Langdale all across the Hause and shares
his lands with his ship^s crew. Vefreyd settles Moherg,
Gaut settles Gatits-dale and Hauk settles near Hauk^s
pits. Holti at Holtisland. Fostolf and Thorstolf settle
Engihlid in Langdale. Fatal feud between them and
Ulfhedin.
Chapter V. There was a man named Eyvindr Aud-
kula ; he settled all Svindale (Swinedale) and dwelt at
Audkulastead. There was a man named Thorbjorn
Kolka ; he settled Kolka-moors and abode there while he
lived. Eyvinder Sorkvir settled Blandadale, as has been
written before; his son was Hromund the Halt, who
slew Hogni, the son of Ingimund, then when Mar and
Ingimund fought about Deildarhjalli, for this he was
• Ok vigiSi biskup ]7ar elda. The Bishop consecrated the fire so that the
Berserks could not walk through it unharmed, which was the ordinary method
by which they displayed their power of witchcraft.
t This is an example of the place where was an heathen temple becoming the
site of a Christian place of worship.
exiled
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i24 THk SEtfLEME^T
[part III, CHAPTER V.]
exiled from the Northern Quarter. His sons were Has-
tein and Thorbjorn, who fought with Steilu-Helgi in
Hruta-firth. Another son of Eyvind was Hermund, the
father of Hild, whom Avaldi the son of Ingald had for
wife ; their children were Kolfinna, whom Gris the son of
Seming had to wife, and Brand who slew Galti the son
of Ottar at the Hunavatn's Thing on account of a
libellous * rhyme by Hallfled.
There was a man named iEvarr, the son of Ketil Hellu-
flagi= (slate river or slate splitter) and Thurid the
daughter of King Harald Goldbeard from Sogn. iEvarr
had with his wife a son named Vefreyd. The sons of
-^varr bastard-born were these : Karli and Thorbjorn
Strug and Thord the Mickle. iEvarr went to Iceland,
leaving off Viking raids, together with his sons, all but
Vefreyd. With him went out to Iceland Gunnsteinn his
kinsman, and Audolf and Gautr; Vefreyd remained
behind sea-roving.
-^varr brought his ship to Blanda mouth ; by that time
all the lands to the west of Blanda were occupied. iEvarr
went up along Blanda to seek for himself a landtake, and
when he came to that place which is called Moberg's-
brinks, he stuck up there a long pole and said that there
he took a dwelling site for his son Vefreyd. After that he
settled all Langdale up from thence and likewise north
across the Hause t ; thare he shared lands with his ship's
crew.
Mysltt abode in Mwdifs Skard. Vefreyd came out
afterwards to the mouth of the Gaunga Skard's-river and
•The term for libel or contumely as here used is " Nid," as a law term this
kind of libel made a man subject to outlawry. Another, and graver kind of
libel, was the carving of a person's likeness (tre-nid) in an obscene position upon
an upright post or pole (nidstong). When the post was put up a horse's head
was also put up and a man's head was carved upon the end of the pole with
dire runes and imprecations.
t Icelandic " Hals/' a mountain neck or pass, and is equivalent to Hause
found with the same meaning in Lakeland.
walked
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OF lCELANi>. 125
[part hi, chapter v.]
walked from the north to his father, and his father knew
him not ; they wrestled so fiercely that all the benches in
the house were forced out of their places before Vefreyd
told who he was. He set up house at Moberg as it had
been planned, and Thorbjorn Strug at Strugstead, and
Gunstein at Gunsteinstead, and Karli at Karlistead, and
Thord at Micklestead, Audolf at Audolfstead. Gaut
settled Gautsdale, "^ he was one-handed (einhender).
Eyvind Sorkvir and his friends put an end to themselves
for they were unwilling to live after Ingimund the Old.
Hauk t dwelt at the place which now is called Hauks-
grafir=Hauksgraves (meaning Hauks pits). Vefreyd
married Gunnhild, the daughter of Eirek from Goddales,
the sister of Holmgang-Starri. Their sons were Ulf-
hedinn, whom Thjostolf slew at Grindalaek (Grind-brook)
and Skarphedinn, whom Digr-Ormr slew in Vatnskard,
and Hunraud the father of Mar, the father of Haflidi.
The daughter of Hunraudar was named Halldora, the
mother of Vigdis, the mother of Ulfhedinn, the father of
Rafn, the father of Hallbera, the mother of Valdis, the
mother of Snorri, the father of Hallbera, whom Markus
of Melar the son of Thord had for wife. There was
a man named Holti, who settled Langdale out from
Moberg, and dwelt at Holti'sstead, he was the father of
Israud, the father of Isleif, the father of Thorvald, the
father of Thorarin the sage. The daughter of Thorvald
was Thordis, whom Halldor, the son of Snorri the godi
took to wife. Their daughter was Thorkatla whom
Gudlaug Thorfinnson in StraumfjordJ had for wife,
thence are the Sturlungs § descended and the men of Oddi.
* Compare Goats or Gaitswater in High Furness, also Gaitscale and Gaits
Hause near to it.
t Compare Hawkshead^ Hawkesdale.
X Streamfirth.
§ The Sturlungs were the most noted fiamily in Iceland.
Another
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126 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER V.]
Another daughter was Gudrun who was the wife of
Kjartan the son of Asgeir from Vatnsfirth, their children
were Thorvald and Ingirid, whom Gudlaug the priest
married; Foslolf and Thjoslolf settled in Eingihlid in
Langdale. They took in a certain outlaw, named Thor-
grim, the same whom Hunraud and Thoralf Leikgodi
slew on the Keel-mountain.
After that Fostolf and Thjostolf slew Ulfhedin, the
brother of Hunraud, at Grindbrook, they abode then at
Holt; but Finn of Breida-bolstead in Vestrhope, the
kinsman of Fotslof, and son of Jorund gave them quarter
and Thorkell got them a berth far abroad. Ulfhedinn
concealed his wounds arid begged that no revenge should
be sought, saying he was minded to think that it was
fated to no one to wreak it. Afterwards Fostolf and
Thjostolf slew east in Norway, Skum the freedman of
Hunraud — very rich* in possessions ahd sent all his
wealth out to Hunraud and then they were wholly at
peace again. There was a man named Holmgang-Mani,
who settled Skagastrond to the west of the Fosst river,
and to the east to Mani's-Hummock and dwelt in Mani's-
wick, his daughter was the wife of Thorbrand in Dales,
the father of Mani, the father of Kalf the Scald.
Eilif Eagle settles land from Manis-Hummock to Gunnguskeld
river and Lax-river-dale. Scsmund from the Hebrides
brings his ship to the mouth of Gaunga-skards river.
Settles land from Samunds slope to Vatn's-Skard. Skefil
contemporary with Samund stttles land beyond the Sand
river. Settlements of his descendants. Ulfljot settles
Langholt. A Ifgeir settles A Igeirs fields up to Machfells
river. Settlement by Hrosskell in Svart-river-dale.
♦ The Icelandic word is **fe" meaning* moveable possessions. In Scotland
it is used in this sense : — " My riches are my penny fe." — Burns,
t Foss is the Icelandic equivalent of Lakeland Force, a waterfall.
Chapter
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OF ICELAND. 127
[part III, CHAPTER VI.]
Chapter VI. There was a man named Eilif Orn*=
eagle, the son of Atli, the son of Skidi the Old, the son of
Bard in Al. The son of Eilif the eagle was Kodran at
Gill river and Thjodolf the godi at Hof= Temple on
Skagastrand, and Eystein, the father of Thorvald Tinrod
and Thorstein * heidrnenning ' and Orn in Fljot. Eilif
settled land up from Mani's-Hummock to Gaungaskard-
river and Lax-river-dale and abode there. Eilif had for
wife Thorlaug the daughter of Saemund from Hlid ; their
sons were Solmund the father of Gudmund the father of
Slaughter- Bardi and his brothers. Another was Atli the
Strong, who had for wife Herdis the daughter of Thord
from Hofdi ; their children were Thorlaug whom Gud-
mund the mighty had for wife, and Thorarinn, who had
for wife Halla, the daughter of Jonund Neck, their son
was Styrbjorn, who had for wife Yngvild the daughter
of Steinraud, the son of Hedin of Hedinshofdi, their
daughter was Arndis whom Hamall the son of Thormod
the son of Thorkel Moon, had for wife. Saemund from
the Hebrides was the companion of Ingimund the Old and
as has been written he brought his ship to the mouth of
the Gaungu Skardt river. Saemund settled all Saemund's
slope to Vatns Skard, + above Saemund's brook, and dwelt
at Saemunds-stead ; his son . was Geirmund who abode
there afterwards. The daughter of Saemund was Regin-
* Orn and Ari, both meantne eag^le, are often found as men's names, and
compounded as place names. Ari, the compiler of the Book of the Settlement,
is the most eminent example of its use as a man's name.
I This word Skard occurs often in the Book of the Settlement and is worthy of
special note as entering^ into the origin of many place names. Skard, as a com-
mon noun, means (i) a notch or chink in the edge of a thing, (2) a mountain
pass, as in the phrase *vestr yfir skordin*=west over the mountain passes;
with this meaning it is used of the place names in the text, and also as the origin
of many names in Iceland, e.^., Skard, Skord, Skardverjar=the men from
Skard, Skardaleid=the way through Skard or the mountain pass (compare
Scarf Gap, a pass in Cumberland). Skardsheidr, Skardsstrond, VatnsdaPs
Skard, Ljosavatns Skard, Kerlingar Skard, Haukadale Skard, Geita Skard.
leif
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128 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER VI.]
leif whom Thorodd hjalmr* had for wife; their daughter
was Hallbera, the mother of Gudmund the mighty,
the father of Eyjolf, the father of Thoreyj, the mother
of Saemund the learned. Another son of Saemund was
named Arnhalld, the father of Rjupa, whom Thorgeir,
the son of Thord from Hofdi had for wife, their son was
Halldor from Hof.
There was a man named Skefill who came to the
mouth of Gaungaskard river in the same week as
Saemund, and whilst Saemund marked out for himself his
landtake by fire, Skefill occupied all the land beyond the
Sandt river, which he took from Saemund's landtake
without his leave (61ofi J) and Saemund allowed it to be so
settled. There was a man named Ulfljot, he settled all
Longholt below Saemund's brook. Thorkell Vingnir was
the son of Skidi the old, he settled all the land about
Vatn's Skard, and Swart river dale, his son was Arnmod
the squinter, the father of Galti, the father of Thorgeir,
the father of Styrmir, the father of Hall, the father of
Kolfinna.
There was a man named Alfgeir who settled land about
Alfgeir's fields and up to Maelifells river and abode in
Alfgeirs fields. There was a man named Thorvid, who
settled the land from Maelifells river to Gill's river.
Hrosskell was the name of a man who settled the
whole of Swart-river-dale and all the lands of Yrarfell by
* Hjalmr= the Helm or Helmet from the sense of covering-; it is also applied
to the clouds which were called hulid's hjalmr =a hiding helm or cap of darkness.
The Helm is the cloud that descends upon Cross fell, when the Helm winds
prevail. The Helm winds take their name from this Helm or cloud covering.
t Sand has the same meaning as common noun, and in place names in Ice-
landic and in English.
X Olofi is from 6 or u=no^ and lofa (i) To praise^ (2) To permit, and hence
means as in this passage without permission. The process is something like
what is called squatting in the American Settlements. There are place names
in Cumberland and also in Yorkshire which seem to indicate that the original
settler has taken land without leave as Unthank.
the
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OF ICELAND. 1^9
[part III, CHAPTER VI.]
the advice of Eirek, he took land as far down as Gilhagi
and abode at Irafell ; he had a thrall who ;Aras named
Rodrek whom he sent up along Maelifell's-dale to seek
for settlements southwards about the mountain tracts.
He came to the gill which lays to the south of Maelifell,
and which now is called Rodrek's Gill, then he set down
his new barked staff which they called Land* Konnud=
land-scanner and thence withall he returned home.
Eirek, a Norwegian, settles Goddale down to North River.
Contends with Vekell the Shapechanger.
Chapter VII. There was a man of renown named
Eirek ; he went from Norway to Iceland, he was the son
of Hroald the son of Geirmund the son pf Eirek Ordig-
skeggja or Shockbeard. Eirek settled land from GilPs
river round all Goddale and adown to Northriver, he
dwelt at Hof in Goddales. Eirek had for wife Thurid
the daughter of Thord Skeggi, the sister of Helga whom
Ketilbjorn the Old at Mossfell had to wife. The children
of Eirek and his wife were Thorkell and Hroald, Thorgeir
and Holmgang-Starri, and Gunnhild. Thorgeir the son
of Eirek had for wife Yngveld the daughter of Thorgeir ;
their daughter was Rannveig, whom Bjarni the son of
Broddhelgi had for wife. Gunnhild the daughter of Eirek
was the wife of Vefreyd, the son of iEvar.
There was a man named Vekell, the Shapechanger,t
who settled land down from Gill's river to Maelifell's
river, and dwelt at Maelifell, he heard about the journey
of Rodrek, and a short time afterwards he went south
* Land Kenning'sto survey land with a view to taking possession of it. By
setting down his staff Rodrek formally took possession of the land. See a
a remarkable parallel in Joshua XVI 1 1, 8-9.
t The word here used for Shapechanger is ham-ramr which means a man who
is able to change his shape, especially by being subject to fits that impart to him
supernatural strength.
into
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l30 ftiE SEtTlEkEkf
[part III, CHAPTER VII.]
into the mountain tracts in search of settlements and
came to Jhose howes which now are called Vekell's
Howes ; he shot forth an arrow between the Howes and
then turned back again. But when Eirek in Goddales
learned this he sent his thrall who was. named Raungud
south into the mountain ranges, and he went still in
search of lands that might be settled ; he came south to
the head waters of the river Blanda and thence he went
up along the river which flows to the west of Vinverja-
dale, and made his way westward till he came upon the
lava between Reykjavellir and the Keel (mountain), and
there he came upon the track of a man which he judged
lay from the south; there he raised that beacon which
is now called Raungud's Beacon * ; then he went back,
and Eirek gave him his freedom in return for his journey,
and from that time began journeys across the mountains
that divide the Southlanders' quarter from the North-
landers'.
There was a man named Kraku (or Crow) Hreidar and
Ofeig Danglebeard his father son of Ox-Thorir; father
and son arrayed their ship for Iceland ; but when they
came within sight of land then Hereidar went up to the
.mast and said that he would not cast overboard the High
Seat Pillars, and said he thought it was an idle thing to
frame one's counsel on such a custom ; but that he would
rather make a vow to Thor to the end that he would
guide him to the land settlements he sought, and that
there he would fight for lands if already taken. So he
came into Skagafirth and sailed his ship up on to Burg-
* Varda from Varda, to warn, is applied to a pile of stones or wood used to
warn wayfarers; in Iceland Varda is the popular name of the Stone Cairns
erected on mountains and high places to warn the wayfarer of the course of the
way, or defining, in the present instance, the meetinjj of landtakes, shires and
quarters. Notices of stones thus used as land divisions are often found in the
earlier historical Books of the Old Testament ; that one is most remarkable for
its resemblance to the present passage which occurs in Genes'*^ XXXI, 45 and
following verses.
sand
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0)^ ICELAND. f3X
[part III, CHAPTER VII.l
sand for a wreck. Havard hegri (or heron) came to him
and bade him come and be with him, and there he was
at Hegraness through the winter. In spring Havard
asked him what he had made up his mind to do, and he
said that he was minded to fight with Saemund for land ; but
Havard hindered his doing this, saying that that had never
come to a good end^ and bade him go rather to meet
Eirek in Goddale and take advice from him : **for that he
is the wisest man in this country-side.'* This Hreidar
did. But when he met Eirek he bade him give up the
thought of such unpeace, saying how unbecoming it was
that men should be at odds while yet there were so few folk
in the land. He said that he would rather give him all
that tongue of land down from Scale-moor, for thither,
he said, that Thor had guided him, and thitherward had
the prow (of his ship) looked, when he ran upon Burg-
sand ; that landtake, he said, was plenteous for himself
and his sons. With this choice Hreidar fell in and
dwelt at Stonestead ; he chose to die into * Maelifell. His
son was Ofeig Thinbeard the father of Bjorn, the father
Tongue-stein.
Eirek and Onund the wise contend for land east of Mark
Gill, Taking possession of the land by the fire arrow,
Thorbrand's hospitality. Horse racing and fighting.
Chapter VHI. There was a man named Onund the
Wise who settled land up from Mark-Gill, the eastern
valley-side, all to the east thereof {i.e. of Mark-gill) ; but
when Eirek was minded to bestir himself to take posses-
sion of the whole valley, all along the western side of the
gill, then Onund cast hallowed lotst to the end that he
* Die into, for explanation see note on Holy Hill, page 52 and 53.
t * B16tspdnn * (probably the same as * hlautvi'Sr,* in * Voluspd,* and * hlutr *
in many instances) a chip which accompanied by some religious rite, was dropped
(* fella') from some height to the floor, to show which of two alternatives the
* face ' declared. In its religious aspect the custom still lives in Iceland in
choosing names for new-born infants, when the chip is let drop down from the
main beam of the chancel of the church.
might
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X3a THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER VIII.]
might know at what time Eirek would go and take
possession of the dale, and Onund was the quicker and
shot across the river with a tinder or fire-arrow and
hallowed for himself the land on the western side of the
river and built his house between the rivers.^
There was a man named Kari who settled land between
the North-river and Mark-Gill and dwelt at Flattongue. t
He was called Tongue- Kari ; from him are the Silver-
steadings descended. There was a man named Thor-
brand Orrek who settled land up from Bolstead % river
all Silversteadslope and all North-river-dale on the
northern side, and dwelt at Thorbrandstead, and let
there be made so great a fire hall eldhus§(=hall or
reception room), that all men who passed on that side of
the river, might take through it their horses with their
loads and there should meat be welcome to all men.
Orreksheath up from Hakastead took its name from him,
he was the most noble of men and of a most high
degree.
There was a man named Hjalmolf who settled land about
(Blonduhlid) Blandaslope, || his son was Thorgrim Kuggi,
the father of Odd in Axlarhaga, the father of Sela-Kalf,
from thence are sprung the Axlhegings. Thorir Doveneb
was a freedman of Ox-Thorir; he brought his ship to
the mouth of the Gongu-Skard-river, then was all the
countryside settled towards the west, so he went north-
wards over the Jokul river at Landbrot and settled land
between Glodafeykis-river and Deep river (Djupar) and
* Milli d=s** between or among the rivers." The Latin phrase for this is ** in
interamnio," and the Greek equivalent is found in the Scripture name Mesopo-
tamia which is the name of the territory between the Tigris and the Euphrates.
t Upon an estate which I know well, in Cumberland, two level fields situated
together are called Tongue Flat.
X Bol means a dwelling and finds an equivalent, I think, in such names as
Bolton, Bootle, Boot, Bothel.
§ Called eldhus or fire house because the fire was kept up there.
II Blonduhlid— Me slope upjrom the river Blanda.
dwelt
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OF ICELAND. 133
[part III, CHAPTER VIII.]
dwelt at Flymoor (Flugumyri). At that time a ship
came to the mouth of Kolbein's River freighted with live
stock but they lost a certain young mare in Brimness
woods; but Thorir Doveneb bought the reversion and
found her afterwards ; she was the fleetest of all horses
and was called Fly.
There was a man named Orn, he wandered from corner
to corner through the land, and was a wizard ; he waylaid
Thorir in Vinverja-dale, as he was making his journey
south over the Keel, and laid a wager with Thorir as to
which of their horses might be the fleetest, for he had
a right good horse himself. Each of them staked a
hundred in silver. Afterwards they rode south across
the Keel, until they came to that racing course* which
was afterwards called Doveneb's Course. So great was
the difference in the speed of horses that Thorir having
completed his course returned back again and met Orn
half-way on the course. Orn took the loss of his wager
so ill that he would not live, and he went off up under
that mountain which is now called Arnarfell, and there he
made an end of himself, and Fluga (Fly) stood left there,
for she was very weary. But when Thorir was returning
from the Thing he found there by Fly, a stallion ; grey
with a black manef; from him she had conceived, and
from her and the stallion was sprung Eidfaxi, which was
taken abroad, and gave death to seven men on the shore
of the lake of Mjors in one day, and itself came to an
end here. Fly was lost in a bog at Flymoor.
KoUsvein the Strong was the name of a man who
settled land between ThveraJ (= Thwart river) and
Gorge-river and dwelt at KoUveinstead over against
Thwart river, he kept up sacrifices at Hofstead.
* Skeid= ist a race, 2nd a race course.
t The Icelandic word is ** foxottan."
t Thver is used of a stream which is tributary or affluent to another stream.
The
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154 THE SETTLEI^ENT
[part III, CHAPTER IX.]
The Royal connexions in Sweden and Russia of Gorm, His
settlements in Iceland. OndotVs settlements.
Chapter IX. There was a man named Gunnolf who
settled land between the Thwart river (Thvera) and
Glodafeyki's river, and dwelt at Hvamm.
There was a renowned lord in Sweden called Gorm,
he had for wife Thora, the daughter of King Eirek at
Upsala ; their son was named Thorgils, he had to wife
Elin, the daughter of King Burislaf of Novgorod in the
east {i.e. from Russia), and of Ingigerd the sister of
Dagstygg the King of the giants. Their sons were
Hergrim and Herfinn, who had to wife Halla, the
daughter of Hedin, and of Arndis, the daughter of Hedin.
The daughter of Herfinn and Halla was named Groa,
she was the wife of Hroar, and their son was Slettu-
Bjorn, who settled land first between the Grjot river and
the Deild-river, before Hjalti and Kolbein came out ; he
dwelt at Slettubjornstead. His children were Ornolf,
who had for wife Thorljot, the daughter of Hjalti, the
son of Skalp, and Arnbjorn, who had for wife Thorlaug
the daughter of Thord of Hofdi, and Arnodd, who had
to wife Thorny, the daughter of Sigmund, the son of
Thorkel, whom Glum slew. A daughter of Slettu-Bjorn
was named Arnfrid, whom Spak-Bodvar, the son of
Ondott had to wife. Ondott came out to the mouth of
Kolbein's river and bought from Slettu-Bjorn land down
from Halsgrof on the eastern side and out to the mouth
of Kolbein 's river, and on the west side down from that
brook which is met with out away from Nautabui (=cattle
booths), and up unto Gorge-river and he abode at Vidvik.
Sigmund of Vestfold had to wife Ingibjorg the daughter
of Raudsruggu=the rocking cradle, in Naumadale, the
sister of Thorstein Svarfad ; their son was Kolbein who
went to Iceland and settled land between Grjot river and
Deildriver, Kolbeinsdale and Hjaltdale.
Remarkable
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OP tCPLAl^D. 135
[part III, CHAPTER X.]
Remarkable Arvals, A Drapa. Verses on the appearance
of the sons of Hjalti at Thorskafjard Thing. The dis-
covery of Vinland the Good, i.e. America. Thord and
his nineteen children.
Chapter X. Hjalti the son of Thord Skalp came to
Iceland and settled Hjaltdale by the advice of Kolbein,
and dwelt at Hof. His sons were Thorvald and Thord,
both men of great renown. The Arvals* of their father
were the most notable held in Iceland ; there were there
twelve hundred invited guests, t and all the men of high
degree were seen off with gifts. At those Arvals Odd the
Broadfirther brought forth that drapa (laudatory ode)
which he had composed concerning Hjalti. Before this
Glum the son of Geiri had summoned Odd to the Cod-
firth Thing ; then the sons of Hjalti went from the north
by ship to Steingrimsfirth, and went from the north over
the Heath by that way which is now called Hjalt-dalers*
hollow ; when they came to the Thing they were so
excellently apparrelled that men thought that the Aesir
or Gods were come. To this effect the following stanzas
were recited : —
Hark ye, men deft of slaughter !
No stem o' the steel ^ misdoubted
That e'en the gods were going
There were the sons of Hjalti,
The hardy-hearted, strode forth
Into the Thing assembled
In Codfirth, all bedecked with
The holt-fish 2 gleaming spangles.
• The word in the Icelandic is ' erfi * or Arvals, and in name and in other
surrounding^s these Icelandic Arvals seem to furnish a remarable parallel to the
Arval feasts that prevailed in early times in Cumberland, Westmorland, and
North Lancashire.
+ The Icelandic word is bo'Ss menn or " bidden men '* from bjo'Sa to invite.
The north English dialect word for inviting to a funeral is *'bid," and the district
to be invited often conterminous with a Parish or Township is called "a bidding."
The word is found in Old English and the invitatory Prayer in the Liturgy is
called " the bidding prayer."
(i) Stem o' the steel = warrior, man.
(2) Holt-fish —serpent, whose lair is gold. From
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136 THE SETTLEMENT
[part hi, chapter x.]
From the sons of Hjalti is descended a great and noble
family. There was a famous man named Thord, he was
the son of Bjorn byr5usmjor=i^^^-6«//^r the son of
Hroald Rig, the son of Bjorn Ironside, the son of
Ragnar lodbrok =h3,iry breeches. Thord went to Ice-
land, and settled Hofdistrand in Skagasfirth between
Unadales river and Hrolleifdales river and dwelt at
Hofdi. Thord married Thorgerd the daughter of Thorir
hima and Fridgerd, the daughter of Kjarval a King of Ire-
land. They had nineteen children. Bjorn was a son of
theirs, he married Thurid the daughter of Ref from Bard
and their children were Arnorr Kerlingarnef=oW woman* s
nose, and Thordis the mother of Orm, the father of Thordis,
the mother of Botolf, the father of Thordis, the mother
of Helga, the mother of Gudny, the mother of the
Sturlusons.
Thorgeir was the name of another son of Thord he
married Rjupa, the daughter of Arnhald, the son of
Saemund ; their son was Halldor at Hof.. Snorri was a
third son, he married Thorhild rjupa,* the daughter of
Thord the Yeller. Their son was Thord horsehead, the
father of Karlsefni who discovered Vinlandt the good,
the father of Snorri the father of Steinun, the mother of
Thorstein Wrongdoer, the father of Gudrun the mother
of Halla, the mother of Flosi, the father of Valgerd, the
* Rjupa = ptarmigan.
t Vinland or Wineland is the name given to the chief settlement of the early
Norsemen in North America, represented by part of iMassachusetts and Rhode
Island. The first Norseman who saw it was Bjarne Herjuifson, who was driven
there by a storm in 986, when he was voyaging from Iceland to Greenland. He
did not land however. Leif, son of Eric the Red, visited the land about the
year 1000, and a German in his company having found grapes growing wild as
m his native land, called the land Vinland or Wineland. The most famous,
however, of the Norse explorers, was Karlsefni, as mentioned above. In 1007
he sailed from Greenland to Vinland with a crew of 160 men. He remained
there for three years and then returned. After this no further attempts were
made by them at colonisation. Rafn {Antiquitates Americana) and Finn Mag-
nusen snow that Columbus got his first hints of a new world from these early
Icelandic expeditions. Finn Magnusen establishes the fact that Columbus did
visit Iceland in 1477, fifteen years before he undertook his expedition across the
Atlantic.
mother
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OF ICELAND. 137
[part hi, chapter X.]
mother of Knight Erlend the Strong. Thorvald Holbarki
(= without a roof to his mouth) was the fourth son, he
came one autumn to Thorvard stead to Smidkel and
tarried there awhile ; thence he went up to the cave of
Surt and recited there a drapa which he had made
on the giant in the cave. Afterwards he married the
daughter of Smidkel, and their daughter was Jorun the
mother of Thorbrand in Skarfness. Bard was the fifth
son of Thord, he married Thorarna, the daughter of
Thorodd the Helmef, their son was Dadi the Skald.
Soxolf was the sixth son of Thord, the seventh Thorgrim,
the eighth Hroar, the ninth Knorr, the tenth Thormod
Skull, the eleventh Stein. The daughter of Thord was
Thorlaug, who married Arnbjorn, the son of Slettu-bjorn,
their daughter was Gudlaug, whom Thorleik the son of
Hoskuld had to wife, their son was BoUi. Herdis was
another daughter of Thord, and her Atli the Strong had
for wife; Thorgrima Skeidarkinn was the third, the
fourth Arnbjorg, the fifth Arnleif, the sixth Asgerd, the
seventh Thurid, the eighth Fridgerd, in Hvamm.
The son of Arnor, the son of Bjorn, the son of Thord,
was Eldjarn, the father of Hall, the father of Ragnhild,
the mother of Rafn, the father of Hallbera, the mother of
Valdis, the mother of Snorri, the father of Hallbera,
whom Markus the son of Thord at Melar had for wife.
HroUeif the Mickle settled HroUeifsdale, as has been
written before ; Thord drove him from the north as an
outlaw, on account of the slaughter of Odd, the son of
Uni, thence he went into Vatnsdale.
Fridleif the Swede, Floki, and other settlers. Bard from the
Hebrides, and Brum the White settle Narrowdales.
Rotation iu the ownership of land.
Chapter XL Fridleif was the name of a man, a
Gautlander
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i38 TtiE ^ETftEMEt^T
[part III, CHAPTER XI.]
Gautlander * by his father's side, his mother was named
Bryngerd and was a Fleming by nation. Fridleif settled
all Slettahlid and Fridleifsdale between Fridleifsdale's
river and Staff river, and dwelt at Holt, his son was
Thjodar, the father of Ari and Bryngerd, the mother of
Tungu Stein. Floki, the son of Vilgerd, the daughter of
Horda-Kari, went to Iceland and settled Flokadale, be-
tween the Flokadal's river and Reek- Knoll ; he dwelt at
Mor. Floki had for wife Gro, the sister of Thord from
Hofdi, their son was Oddleif Staff, who dwelt at Staff-
Knoll and had a quarrel with the sons of Hjalti ; the
daughter of Floki was Thjodgerd, the mother of Kodran,
the father of Thjodgerd, the mother of Kodran, the father
of Kar in Vatnsdale. There was a man, a Swede by
kindred, named Thord Knapp (=Knob) the son of Bjorn
at Haugt ; there was another man named Auger- Helgi ;
they went in the same ship to Iceland and came to
Haganess.
Thord settled land up from Stifla to the Tongue river
and dwelt at Knappstead ; . he married Msa. the daughter
of Ljotolf godi ; their son was Hafr, who had for wife
Thurid, the daughter of Thorkel from Goddale ; their son
was Thorarin, the father of Ofeig. Auger-Helgi settled
land to the east up from Haganess to Flokadale's river
below Bard, and up to Tongue river and dwelt at
Grindill; he had to wifo^ Gro the Keen-eyed; their
children were Thorhrolf and Arnor, who fought with
Fridleif at Staffs Knoll, and Thorgerd, whom Geirmund
the son of Saemund had for wife, and Ulfhlid, whom
Arnor the son of Skefil in Gaunguskard had in marriage;
their son Thorgeir Swaggerer, who slew Sacrifice Mar at
Moberg. Thorunn Blue-cheek was yet another daughter
of Auger-Helgi.
• From Gautland in South Sweden.
t Haug is ** the How," so commonly found in northern place names.
Bard
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OF ICELAND. 139
[part III, CHAPTER XI.]
Bard, from the Hebrides, settled land up from Stifla to
Narrowdale river ; his son was Hall the Narrowdaler, the
father of Thurid, whpm Arnorr Carline-neb had for wife.
Bruni the White was the name of a renowed man, the
son of Harek, an Earl of the Upplandings (in Norway) ;
he went to Iceland at his own desire and settled land
between Narrowdale river and Ulfsdales ; he dwelt at
Brunastead ; he married Arnora the daughter of Thor-
geirr Madcap, the son of Ljotolf the godi ; their sons
were Ketill, and Ulfhedin, and Thord, whence are the
Bardmen descended.
Ulf the Viking, and Olaf Beck * or Stream went in the
same ship to Iceland. Ulf settled Ulfsdales and abode
there. Olaf Beck was the son of Karl from Birchisle in
Halogaland, he slew Thorri the Black, and was outlawed
on account of that. Olaf settled all the dales to the
west and a part of Olaf 's Firth to the meeting (till motsf)
with the lands of Thormod, and dwelt at Kviabekk,
Foldbeck ; his sons were Steinod, the father of Bjorn,
and Grimolf, and Arnodd, the father of Vilborg, the
mother of Karl the Red.
There was a man named Thormod the Strong, he slew
Gyrd, the grandfather by the mother's side of Skjalg in
Jadar, and was for that exiled and went to Iceland ; he
brought his ship to Siglufirth and sailed up to Thormod-
seyri, whence he named the bay Siglu (=mast)-firth ; he
settled all Siglufirth between Ulfsdales and Hvanndales,
and dwelt at Sigluness; he quarrelled with Olaf Beck
about the Hvanndales and killed sixteen men before they
* Bekkr stream is in place-names found frequently in the North of England.
The dialect term for a small stream is almost invariably " beck," hence we have
it applied as place-name to Caldbeck, Troutbeck, Kirkcambeck, also Becker-
met = the meeting of the becks.
f Til mots=to the meeting. This mot, a meeting, is noteworthy, for we have
it in such names as Moot Hall=meeting hall. Beckermet as above, and the
mountain Muta near Bassenthwaite.
came
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140 THE SETTLEMENT
[part hi, chapter XI.]
came to the agreement that they should have it on alter-
nate * summers or summer about.
Thormod was the son of Harald the Viking, and he
had for wife Arngerd, the sister of Skidi from Skididale ;
their sons were Arngeirr the Keen, and Narfi the father
of Thrand, the father of Copse-isle t Narfii and Alrek,
who fought at Slettuhlid with Knor, the son of Thord.
Gunolf the Old, the son of Thorbjorn Thjoti=the rusher,
from Sogn ; he slew Vegeir, the father of Vebjorn, the
Sygna-kappa t=the Sogna champion, and went after-
words to Iceland; he settled OlafsQord on the eastern
side up to Reek river, and out to Vomula, and dwelt at
Gunnolfs river; he had for wife Gro, the daughter of
Thorvard from Urdir, their sons were Steinolf, Thorir,
and Thorgrim.
Bjorn exiled from a burning in, in Sweden. Goes to Ire-
land in Vestrviking. Eyvind his son settles in Ireland.
Helgi the Lean, son of Eyvind, brought up in the Heb-
rides. His adventures and final settlement in Iceland.
Chapter XII. There was a man of great renown in
Gautland § named Bjorn, he was the son of Hrolf from
Am, he had for wife Hlif, the daughter of Hrolf, the son
of Ingjald, the son of Frodi the King; their son was
named Eyvind. Bjorn got into strife with Sigfast, a
• The Icelandic phrase is ** skyldi sitt sumar hvarr hafa "=each should have it
for his own summer. In some parts of Lakeland the system of such alternate
ownership was practised until very lately.
t Hriseyjar-Narfi=Narfa of the Copsewood Island.
X Sygna-kappr or Sogni-kappr appears to mean that in the Province of Sogni
he was a sort of A.I. or ** Cock of the walk." To kap in the Icelandic means to
beat or conquer. To cap, also, in the Cumberland dialect means to beat in
athletic or other contests. Anderson says of Kit Kraffit : —
" He wan sebben belts afoor he was twenty.
An in Scaleby needa teuk off the fit-bo ;
Vet he kent o the Beyble, Algebera, Josephus,
And capt the skeulmaister, exciseman an'o."
§ Gautland = Part of South Sweden.
relation
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OF ICELAND. 141
[part III, CHAPTER XII.]
relation of Solver King of the Gauts (Sweden) concerning
land, and Bjorn burned him in his house with thirty men.
After that Bjorn went to Norway with eleven men, him-
self the twelfth, and Grim the hersir, the son of Kolbjorn
Sneypis*=snaper or checker, took him in and he was
with him for one winter. Then Grim wished to kill
Bjorn for his money, so Bjorn went to Ondott Grow,
who dwelt in Hvinisfirth in Agdir and he took him in.
Bjorn was in summer tide on Viking raids in the west
vestrviking,t and in winter with Ondott, until Hlof, his
wife, died in Gautland. Then came Eyvind, his son,
from the eastward and took over the warships of his
father ; then Bjorn took to wife Helga, the sister of
Ondott Crow, and their son was Thrand. Eyvinder
went then on Viking raids in the west, and had a
fleet fitted out for the coasts of Ireland. He married
Rafarta, the daughter of Kjarval,t the king of the Irish,
and settled down there ; therefore he was called Eyvind
the Eastman. He and Rafarta had a son who was
called Helgi, whom they handed over for fostering into
the Hebrides, and when they came there two winters after-
wards, he was so starved that they did not know him ;
they brought him away with them and called him Helgi §
the Lean. He was brought up in Ireland, and when he
was grown up he became a man of great honour ; then
he married Thorun the Horned, the daughter of Ketil
Flatnose, and they had many children ; their sons were
named Hrolf and Ingjald. Helgi the Lean went to Ice-
land with his wife and children ; there was with him also
Hamund Hellskinn, his son-in-law, who had for wife
Ingun, the daughter of Helgi. '
• Snipe in the Cumberland dialect means to check or restrain,
t Vestrviking, i.e., harrying in the west of British Islands.
X Kjarval was the King of Ossory.
§He became one of the mo^t distinguished of the Early Settlers, and the
epithet of ** The Lea»," which he retained to the end of his life, must have con-
stantly reminded him of his semi-starvation in the Hebrides.
Helgi
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142 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XII.]
Helgi was very shifty in his faith * ; he believed in
Christ, but made vows to Thor for sea-faring and hardy
deeds. Then when Helgi sighted Iceland, he went to
inquire of Thor where he should make land, the answer
directed him northward round the land ; then Hrolf, his
son, asked whether Helgi must hold into Dumbshaf
(=the foggy seat) if Thor should direct him thither,
because the crew thought that now it was high time to
leave the sea, inasmuch as the summer was in a great
measure spent. Helgi took land outside Hrisey but in-
side of Svarfadardale ; he was the first winter in
Hamundstead. They had a very hard winter.
In the spring he went up to the top of Sunfell J ; there
he saw how the land looked much blacker up the firth, ^
which they called Island Firth, on account of the islands
that lay there outside. After that Helgi bare to his ship
all that he had there, while Hamund abode there behind.
Helgi landed there at Boars' crag (Galtahamar), where
he put ashore two swine, and the boar was named Solvi ;
they found them three winters afterwards in Solvadale,
and then there were seventy swine. Helgi kenn'd, i.e.
(surveyed with a view to settling) the whole district that
summer, and settled all Island Firth between Sigluness
and Rowanness, and made a great fire at every river
mouth and thus hallowed to himself the whole district.
He abode that winter at Bild's river, and in the spring
he moved his household to Christness, and dwelt there
during the remainder of his life. In the removing of his
* Helg^i was very shifty in his belief. In Icelandic this is : — Helgi var bland-
inn mjok f trii. This mixed state of faith seems to have been common to the
early settlers; we are told, however, in the concluding^ chapter of the Book of
the Settlement that even this uncertain state of Chrisrian belief became ex-
tinguished in the course of generations, so that the land was entirely Heathen
for nearly one hundred years on Icelandic form 120 winters.
t Dumbshaf, the misty or foggy sea, is here put for the Polar Sea.
t Soiarfjali.
§ i.e. much more free from snow.
household
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OP ICELAND. 143
[part III, CHAPTER XII.]
household Thorun was delivered of a child in Thorun's-
isle in Island Firth river. There she brought forth
Thorbjorg Holme-sun. Helgi believed in Christ and
therefore gave his name to his dwelling. After that men
took to settling in the landtake of Helgi, by his advice.
Settlement of Thorstein Svarfad. Origin of the Saga of the
men of Svarfadar-dale. Hamund Hellskinn shares his
lands with Orn,
Chapter XHI. There was a man named Thorstein
Svarfad, the son of Raud Cradle in Naumudal; he
married Hild, the daughter of Thrain, the black giant.
Thorstein went to Iceland and settled Svarfad's-dale, by
the counsel of Helgi. His children were Karl the Red,
who dwelt at Karl's river, and Gudrun, whom Hafthor,
the Viking, had for wife ; their children were Klaufi and
Groa, whom Griss Merryheart had for wife.
There was a man named Atli Illing, he slew Hafthor,
and pjit Karl in irons ; then Klaufi came unawares and
slew Atli, and released Karl from out of irons. Klaufi
had for wife Yngvild Redcheek, the daughter of Asgeir
Redcloak, the sister of Olaf Knuckle-breaker, and of
Thorleif ; to spite them he ripped open a bag filled with
club-moss * which they had gathered in his land ; then
sang Thorleif this verse : —
A hairless bag
Of mine cut Boggvir,
And Aleifs strap
And cloak, in likewise.
So shall Boggvir,
For bale f e'en ready,
Upon my life,
Be cut asunder.
* In Icelandic, jafnabelg=a bag filled with jafni, which is a herb used by
dyers and called botanicalTy lycopodium clavatum, or club-moss.
t The Icelandic word here used for misfortunes is bol. Dialect " bale," as in
bale-fire, also baleful.
Therefrom
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144 T^HE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XIII.]
Therefrom sprung the Saga of the men of Svarfad's-dale.
There was a man named Karl who settled all Strond
(=:the Strand*) out from Upsar to Migandi.
Hamund Hellskinn, the son of Hjor the King, shared
lands with Orn his kinsman, when he came from the west,
him, to wit, who had settled Ornfirth, and he dwelt at
Orn's-ness ; his daughter was Idunn, whom Asgeir Red-
cloak had for wife. The son of Orn was Narfi, from
whom Narfa-skerries take their name. He had for wife
Ulfeid, the daughter of Ingjald from Gnupufell ; their
sons were Asbrand, the father of Slate-Narfi, and Eyjolf,
father of Thorkel in Hagi, and Helgi, the father of Grim
in Kalfskinn.
There was a man named Galmi, who settled Galma-
strand, between Thorvald's-dale river and Reistar river ;
his son was Thorvald, the father of Orm, the father of
Bairn-Thorodd, the father of Thorunn, the mother of
Dyrfinna, the mother of Thorstein Smith, the son of
Skeggi. Hamund gave land to Thorvald between Reistar
river and Horg river, but before that he had had his
abode in Thorvald's-dale.
There was a man named Geirleif, he settled Horg
river-dale up to Mirk t river ; he was the son of Hrapp
and dwelt at Hagi the ancient, I his son was Bjorn the
rich, from whom the Audbrink-men are descended.
Settlement of Thord the Tearer and his relations in Horg-
river-dale. Verses on the conflict between Steinrand and
Blacksmith and Geirhild the witch-wife. Settlement of
A udolf and Byvind in Horgrivers-dale.
Chapter XIV. There was a man named Thord the
*The Strand as used here corre«!ponds in meaning and application to the
Strands in Netherwasdale, at the foot of Wastwater.
t Myrk=dark, Scottish mirk.
t Forna old corresponds with fairnis in bible of Ulphilas.
Tearer
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OP tCELAffD. 145
[part III, CHAPTER XIV.]
Tearer, he settled Horg* river-dale on one side from
Mirk river down to Drangi ; his son was Ornolf, who
had for wife Yngvild, Sister-of-all, their sons were Thord
and Thorvard in Kristness, and Steingrim at Kropp.
Thord the Tearer gave Skolm, his kinsman, a share in
his landtake; his son was Thorolf the Strong, who
dwelt at Mirk river. Thorir Gianthunter was the name
of a man who was brought up in Omd in Halogaland,
and fell out with Earl Hakon, the son of Grjotgard, and
went for that reason to Iceland. He settled all Oxen-
dale, and dwelt at Vatns river ; his son was Steinraud (or
Redstone) the Strong, who restored many men to whom
fairies had done harm. There was a woman named
Geirhild, a woman skilled in witchcraft and a doer of
evil. Men who had the power of second sight saw how
that Steinraud came upon her unawares and she changed
herself into the semblance of a neat's skin full of water.
Steinraud t was a blacksmith and had a large iron goad
in his hand, of their meeting this was sung : —
He who makes hammers clatter,
Lets rod, of rods the biggest,
E'er at his utmost, yell on
The fluid-bag of Gunnhild.
High, iron-staff inflicteth
A pain exceeding heavy
On the side o' th* hag of Hjalteyr,
The troirs ribs are all swollen.
The daughter of Steinraud was Thorljot who married
Thorvard in Christness.
There was a man named Audolf, he went from Jadar
* Horga or Horg river doubtless takes its name from a Horg, which was a
heathen place of worship.
t This Steinraud or Redstone as applied to a blacksmith, seems to be taken
from his trade, the hematite being called red stone from its colour. In Furness
the iron miners are called red workers.
to
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146 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XIV.]
to Iceland and settled Horg river-dale down from Thvart
river to Baegis river and dwelt at the southernmost Baegis
river.'''' He had for wife Thorhild, the daughter of Helgi
the Lean, their daughter was Yngvild, who was the
wedded wife of Thorodd Holm, the father of Arnljot, the
father of Halldor, the father of Einar, the father of Jorun,
the mother of Hall, the father of Gizur, the father of
Thorvald, the father of Earl Gizur. Eystein, the son of
Raudulf, the son of Ox-Thorir, settled land down from
Baegis river to Kraeklingahlid, and dwelt at Lon, his son
was Gunnstein, who had for wife Hlif, the daughter of
Hedin from Mjola ; \\\e\v children were Halldora, whom
Fighting-Glum had for wife, and Thorgrim and Grim
(Grim Shingle-leg.) Eyvind Cock was the name of a man
of much renown, he came out late in the time of the land-
takes, he owned a ship with Thorgrim, the son of HHf,
he was a kinsman of the sons of Ondott, they gave him
land and he dwelt at Cockton and was called Town-cock,
that place is now called Marbaeli, he had for wife Thorny,
the daughter of Storolf, the son of Ox-Thorir, his son
was Snorri Hlidmannagodi or the godi of the lea-men.
Quick voyage of Thrand much sailing from the Orkneys.
Grim slays Ondott. Grim burned in his home by the
sons of Ondott. Terrible conflict resulting therefrom.
Chapter XV. Ondott Crow, who was mentioned
before, became a mighty man when Bjorn his brother-in-
law died. Grim the Hersir claimed for the King all his
inheritance, inasmuch as he was a foreigner and his sons
were west beyond sea. Ondott held to the wealth on
behalf of Thrand his sister's son, and when Thrand heard
of the death of his father, he sailed from the Hebrides by
* Implying that there were two Bxgis rivers, one to the south of the other.
such
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OF ICELAND. 147
[part III, CHAPTER XV.]
such a swift sailing that he was on that account named
Thrand much-sailiug. When he had taken possession of
his inheritance he went to Iceland and took a settle-
ment on the South land as will be related later on, and
because he did not receive the inheritance on behalf of
the King therefore Grim slew Ondott, and then in the
same night Signy, the wife of Ondott, carried on board
their ship all their chattels and went with their sons
Asgrim and Asmund, to Sighvat, her father, and then
sent her sons to Hedin, her foster father, in Sokndale ;
not feeling at home there, however, they wanted to go
back to their mother ; they came at Yule-tide to Ingjald
the Trusty in Hvin, and he took them in at the entreaty
of Gyda his wife.
In the summer after, Grim the Chieftain prepared an
entertainment for Audun, the Earl of King Harald, and
in the night when the ale was being brewed at the house
of Grim, the sons of Ondott burned him in his home and
took then a boat "•'' belonging to Ingjald their foster
father and rowed away. Audun came to the entertain-
ment as had been bespoken, and missed there a friend
instead ; and early in the morning came the sons of
Ondott there to the sleeping-bower, i.e., bedroom where
Audun lay, and hurled a beam at the door. Asmund
kept watch over the two house carles of the Earl and
Asgrim placed his spear point before the breast of the
Earl and bade him deliver up the weregild for his father ;
he then handed over to him three gold rings and a kirtle
of costly stuff, from thence Asgrim gave to the Earl a
nickname and called him Audun Goat {i.e. coward.)
Afterwards they went to Sorreldale (Surnadalr) to the
house of Eirek Ale-fain, who took them in ; then dwelt
* Icelandic Batr, a boat of two or four oars.
there
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148 THE SETTLEMENT
fPART III, CHAPTER XV.]
there Hallstein Horse, another landed man,* and they held
their Yule-drink together. Eirek first entertained Hall-
stein well and faithfully, then Hallstein afterwards enter-
tained Eirek, but in an unfriendly manner and struck
him with a deer's horn t ; from thence Eirek went home
but Hallstein sat behind with his house carles; then
Asgrim went in and ddalt to Hallstein a great wound, but
the house carles gave out they had killed Asgrim, but he
got out into the wood and a woman took him into a
house underground and healed him so that he was quite
whole of his hurt. J
That summer Asmund went to Iceland and found that
Asgrim his brother was dead. Helgi the Lean gave to
Asmund, Kraekling-slope, and he dwelt at Gler river, the
southernmost, and when Asgrim was whole of his wounds
Eirek gave him a long ship and he harried to the west by
sea, but Hallstein died of his wounds. When Asgrim
returned from the wars Eirek gave him Geirhild, his
daughter, in marriage, and Asgrim went to Iceland. He
dwelt at Gler river the northermost. Harald the King
sent Thorgeir from Hvin to slay Asgrim ; he was for one
winter on the Keel in Hvinmen's-dale and brought nought
about concerning the blood revenge. The son of Asgrim
was Ellidagrim, the father of Asgrim, the father of Sigfus,
the father of Thorgerd, the mother of Grim, the father of
Sverting, the father of Vigdis, the mother of Sturla of
Hvamm.
* Lendr madr " is a chieftain who holds lands from the King.
+ The deer's horn was generally used, as on the present occasion, for a
drinking cup.
X In an old Landnama Text (that of the Mela bok) which differs in some places
much from the Copenhagen edition (1843) there is a curious addition to this
story. It is there said that when Asgrim was in the wood overcome by the cold
that the servants of Hallstein overtook him and wounded him fearfully with
their spears. He afterwards came to an old woman (Kerling) who having killed
a calf, which she had, placed the entrails upon him in such a way that when the
servants of Hallstein came there after, they thought that these were his own
entrails and that he was wounded to death. When they returned home how-
ever, the old wQman t^nd^d and cured hini in a cave.
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OF ICELAND. 249
[PART III, CHAPTER XVI.]
Settlement of Hamund ^^ hellskin" Audun, Thorgetr, sons-in-
law, and Ingjald, son of Helgi the Lean,
Chapter XVI. — Helgi the Lean gave Hamund his
son-in-law, land between Merkgill and Skjalgdale's river,
and he dwelt at Asp-knoll the southernmost, his son was
Thorir, who abode there afterwards ; he had for wife
Thordis, the daughter of Kadal, their sons were Thor-
arin, who dwelt at Asp-knoll the northermost, and
Thorvald Crook at Grund, but Thorgrim of Madder-fell
was not her son, Vigdis was their daughter.
Helgi gave Thora his daughter, together with land up
from Skjalgdales river to Neck or Haws, to Gunnar, the
son of Ulfljot, who brought out laws to Iceland. He
dwelt at Deepdale, their children were Thorstein, Ketill,
and Steinmod, and their daughter Yngvild and Thorlaug.
Helgi gave Helga, his daughter, to Audun Rotten, the
son of Thorolf Butter, the son of Thorstein Scurf, the
son of Grim Kamban, together with land up from Neck
or Haws to Villingdale; he dwelt in Saurby. Their
children were Einar, the father of Eyjolf, the son of
Valgerd, and Vigdis, the mother of Halli the White, the
father of Orm, the father of Gellir, the father of Orm, the
father of Halli, the father of Thorgeir, the father of
Thorvard and Asi, the father of Gudmund the Bishop.
Einar, the son of Audun, had for wife Valgerd, the
daughter of Runolf, their son was Eyjolf, who had for
wife Hallbera, the daughter of Thorolf Helm, and they
resided at Jorunstead for a long time, and afterwards at
Madder-meads. Hallfrid was the daughter of Einar, the
son of Eyjolf; she was the mother of Halldor, the father
of Snorri, the father of Gudrun, the mother of Hrein the
Abbot, the father of Valdis, the mother of Snorri, the
father of Hallbera, whom Markus the son of Thord had
for wife,
Vigfus
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ISO THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XVI.]
Vigfus, the son of Fighting-Glum, slew Bard, the son
of Halli the White, and on him was written the Poem
of Bard wherein this is the refrain : —
Bard cuts with the " skid " ^ of harbours,
The land of billows pathway.^
But Brtisi the brother of Bard and Orm composed
these verses when Glum ran away from the Thing : —
Oh, Gondul of the border ! «
We have an even share in
The honours of this fighting
With steering trunks o' the stem-stud : ^
Yet Hlokk* that years for splendour,
Methinks the trunks o' the fire
O' the ship's garth ^ hied yet faster,
Down brink than I e'er recked of.
Hamund '* hellskin " married Helga, the daughter of
Helgi, after Ingun her sister died, and their daughter was
Yngvild, who was called Sister-of-all, whom Ornolf had
for wife. Helgi gave to Hrolf, his son, all the lands to
the east of Island-firth river, from Orn's-knoll upward,
and he dwelt at Gnupufell, and raised there a great
temple ; he married Thorarna, the daughter of Thrand
Spindleshanks, their children were Haflidi the bountiful,
and Valthjof, Vidar, Grani, and Bodvar, Ingjald, and
(i) " Skid." A well-known word as used by coach drivers for an iron slip for
wheels to rest in on going down hill; is the same word as Icelandic SKI'S,
Norwegian "Ski,'* the ancient name beings ondurr, in English commonly
rendered snow shoe—*' Skid of harbours- ship.
{2) The land of billows pathway=the tract over which the wave finds its way
=surface of the sea, hence, sea, ocean.
(3) Gondul, a Valkyrja; G. of theborder=woman.
(4) Stem-stud = ships; steering trunks =commanders : the whole kenning=
sea rovers, warriors, men.
(5) Hlokk, a valkyg'a ; H. that yearns for splendour = woman fond of orna-
ments, or of white shining flaxen garments.
(6) 3hip's garlh=shield; the fire thereof = flashing sword, the trunk thereof =?
warrior, man.
Eyvind
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OF ICELAND. 151
[part III, CHAPTER XVI.]
Eyvind, and a daughter Gudlaug, whom Thorkell the
Black had for wife. Valthjof was the father of Helgi,
the father of Thorir, the father of Arnor, the father of
Thurid, the mother of Thordis, the mother of Vigdis, the
mother of Sturla in Hvamm.
Helgi the Lean gave to Ingjald, his son, land out from
Orn's-knoU to Thwart river the outer, he dwelt at Thwart
river the inner and raised there a great temple ; he had
for wife Salgerd, the daughter of Steinolf, their son was
Eyjolf, the father of Fighting-Glum, and Steinolf, the
father of Thorarin the Evil, and of Arnor the Good of
Red River (Rau-Saeingr.) Fighting-Glum was the father
of Mar, the father of Thorkatla, the mother of Thord,
the father of Sturla.
Helgi gave Hlif, his daughter, to Thorgeir, the son of
Thord the Beam, together with land out from Thwart
river to Ward«-gorge (VarS-gjd), they resided at Fish-
brook, their children were Thord and Helga.
There was a man of much renown in Maeri (in Norway)
named Skagi, th^ son of Skopti, he had a dispute with
Eystein Glumra (=the clatterer) and went out thence to
Iceland. He settled by the advice of Helgi, Islandfirth-
strand, the easternmost out from Ward-gorge to Hnjoska-
dale's river and dwelt at Sigluvik, his son was Thorbjorn,
the father of Hedin the bounteous, who caused Svalbard
to be built sixteen years before the Christian religion was
introduced into Iceland ; he had for wife Ragneid, the
daughter of Eyjolf, the son of Valgerd.
Gaut clears his forecastle of Vikings by a blow of his tiller,
hence called Tiller-Gaut. Verses on his settlement.
Thorir worships the grove. Verses in welcome of Hall-
stein.
Chapter XVII. There was a man named Thorir
Snip
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152 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XVII-l
Snip, son of Ketill Seal (brimil) * ; he arrayed himself for
a journey to Iceland : a shipmate of his was named Gaut,
but while they lay ready for sea some Vikings came upon
them and were minded to plunder them, but Gaut struck
the man upon the forecastle with the tiller of his helm
(hjdlmunvolr) and thereat the Vikings made off. After
that he was called Hjalmun-Gautr, ix, Tiller-Gaut.
Thorir and his companions came to Iceland and
brought their ship in at the mouth of the Skjalfandafljot.t
Thorir settled Cold-chine between Shadow-rocks and
Lightwater-pass ; he did not remain there but migrated
thence ; then he sang this : —
Driver of keels ! here lieth
Cold-chine throughout all time ;
But hence, O Tiller-Gaut, we
All put off, well beholden.
Thorir afterwards settled all Hnjoskadale to Odeila,
and dwelt at Lund t=the Grove. He worshipped the
grove. § His son was Orm Wallet-back, the father of
Hlenni the Old, and Thorkell the Black in Hleidrargard,
he had for wife Gudlaug, the daughter of Hrolf, their sons
were AunguU the Black, and Hrafn, the father of Thord
at Stock-lade (Stokkahladir) and Gudrid, whom Thorgeir,
the godi at Lightwater, had for wife.
* Brimill=phoca fetida masc ; a large kind of seal.
t The Icelandic word " fljot '* which enters into the composition of this place-
name and also into many other place-names in the Book of the Settlement,
means ** river " in its more modern application, and we seem to have it in a like
usage in English river names, as the Fleet river in London— hence Fleet Street ;
North Fleet and South Fleet in Kent. Fljot is the name of a County in the
North of Iceland. . ^ . t
% Lund was applied as the name of a sacred grove, is u sea m place-names, and
also surnames in the I>Iorth of England.
§ Hann blotaiSi lundinn=he worshipped the grove. See Exodus xxxiv, 13,—
** But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cast down their
groves." Judges, vi, 25,—" Throw down the altar ot Baal that thy father hath
and cut down the grove that is by it.
Thengili
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[part hi, chapter XVII.]
Thengil much'Sailing went from Halogaland to Ice-
land, he settled land with the advice of Helgi out from
Hnjosk river to Furwick ; he dwelt at Head ; his sons
were Vemund, the father of Asolf of Head, and Hallstein,
who sang this verse * when he returned home from sea
and heard of the death of his father : —
Now droops the Head
For Thengill dead-
Fell slopes laugh greeting
At Hallstein's meeting.
There was a man named Thormod, who settled
Firwick and Whale-litter, and all the Strands out to
Thorgeirsfirth, his son was Snart, from whom the Snart-
lings are descended. There was a man named Thorgeir,
who settled Thorgeirsfirth and Whalewaterfirth.
There was a man named Lodin Angle, he was brought
up in Angle-isle in Halogaland, he set out f(5r Iceland on
account of the tyranny of Earl Hakon, son of Grjotgard,
and died at sea, and E5rvind, his son, settled Flateydale
up to Gunn-stones, which he worshipped. There lies
Odeila between his land and the landtake of Thorir Snip.
Asbjorn Dettias (FaUing Beam) was the son of Eyvind,
the father of Finnbogi the Strong, the father of Narfi,
the father of Yngvild, the mother of Jodis, the mother
of Halla, the mother of Thorgils, the father of Geirny,
the mother of Valgerd, the mother of Helga, whom
Snorri, the son of Markus of Melar had for wife.
•This verse is used metaphorically of the country, of which the hills are said
to laugh in welcoming a guest amone them and to droop at his departure from
them. •* Why hop ye so ye high hills" is a phrase used in the Psalms.
Settlements
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1^4 ^^^ SETfLkkEHf
[part III, CHAPTER XVIII.]
Settlements of Bard of the Peak, Settlements of Kamp-Grim
from the Orkneys and his descendants. Settlements of
Heidan and Hoskuld, sons of the Giant,
Chapter XVIII. Bard, the son of Heyjang-Bjorn,
brought his ship to the mouth of Skjalfandafljot and
settled all Bard-dale up from Calf Burgh river and Isle-
dale river, and dwelt at Lund-brink "^^ for a time ; then he
observed from the winds that the land breezes were more
genial than the sea breezes, and therefore he concluded
that there must be better lands to the south of the heath.
He sent his sons south about the middle of the month
Goi,t there he found goibeytla, i.e. equisetum vernum
hyemele i.e. horsetail, and other vegetation, and in the
next spring after, Bard made a sledge for every creature
that could walk, and let each drag its own fodder and
some chattels ; he went by Hope-pass (Vonarskard) which
afterwards was called Bardargata X i-^- the road of Bard ; he
afterwards settled Fljotshverfi and dwelt at Peaks (Gnu-
par) and was thence called Peaks-Bard ^ (Gnupa-Bar'Sr).
He had many children ; his son was Sigmund, the father of
Thorstein, who married ^Esa, the daughter of Hrolf Red-
beard, their daughter was Thorun, whom Thorkel Loaf
(Leifr) had for wife, and their son was Thorgeir, the
godi of Lightwater. Another son of Bard was Thorstein,
the father of Thorir, who was at Fitjar with Hakon the
King, and cut a rift in the hide of an ox and used it for a
shield, therefore he was nicknamed Leather Neck,(| he
* Lundarbrekka, " the slope of the wood.'*
t The month Goi had thirty days, from the middle of February to the middle
of March.
J Gate for way is often found in Cumberland, Westmorland, and the Lake
District, e.g". Rickergate, Caldewgate, Botchergate, in Carlisle; Highgate,
Stricklandgate, in Kendal ; Outgate, Clappersgate, Soutergate, &c.
§ Compare " Peveril of the Peak " in Scott.
II I have heard a man nicknamed Ledder Neck in Cumberland.
married
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OF ICELAND. 155
[part III, CHAPTER XVIII.]
married Fjorleif, the daughter of Eyvind, their sons were
Havard in Fell Mull, Herjolf at Midgewater, Ketill at
Housewick, Vemund Kogr, who had for wife Halldora, the
daughter of Thorkel the Black, and Askel and Hals, he
dwelt at Helgistead.
Kampr-Grimr went from the Hebrides to Iceland, he
was tossed about upon the sea for the whole summer and
wrecked his ship at the mouth of the Skjalfanda-fleet ; he
settled Cold-chine a second time and afterwards sold to
sundry people portions thereof; his daughter was Arn-
bjorg, whom Asolf of Hofdi had in marriage.
There was a man named Thorfin Moon, the son of
Askel Turfy, he settled land below the Isle-dale river to
the Londsmot and some also about Lightwater Pass, and
dwelt at Ox-river. Thorir, the son of Grim Grayfell-
muzzle (grafeldarmuli) from Rogaland, settled about
Lightwater Pass, his son was Thorkell Loaf the High
(leifr enn hafi) the father of Thorgeir godi. Thorgeir
first had to wife Gudrid, the daughter of Thorkell the
Swart, their sons were Thorkell Flake and Hoskuld,
Tjorfi, Kolgrim, Thorstein, and Thorvard, and a daughter,
Sigrid. After that he married Alfgerd, the daughter of
Arngeir the Eastman or Norwegian; Thorgeir also had
for wife Thorkatla, the daughter of Dales-Koll ; his sons
with these wives were the following : Thorgrim, Thorgils,
Ottar, these were bastard born : Thorgrim and Finn
the Dreamwise, his mother was named Lecny, of foreign
kindred.
Hedin and Hoskuld, sons of Thorstein the Giant, went
to Iceland and settled above Tongue-heath (Tunguheidi).
Hedin dwelt at Hedin's Hofdi and married Gudrun ;
their daughter was Arnrid, whom Ketill, the son of
Fjorleif, had to wife ; their daughter was Gudrun, whom
Hrolf had for wife. Hoskuld settled all the land to the
south of the Lax river and dwelt in Skard-wick ; from
him
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XS6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XVIII.]
him Hoskuld's water takes its name, because he was
drowned there. In their landtake is Housewick where
Gardar had his abode for one winter'* The son of Hos-
kuld was Hroald, who had for wife ^Egileif, the daughter
of Hrolf, the son of Helgi.
Settlements of Vestman, Ulf, Eyvind, Grenjad. Shipwreck
and settlement of Bodolf. Foretelling the weather by
means of ship's beaks. Grettis verses concerning Thorir.
Chapter XIX. Vestman and Ulf being foster-
. brothers, went in one ship to Iceland, they settled all
Reek-dale to the west of Lax river up to Vest man's
water. Vestman had for wife Gudlaug. Ulf abode
under Scratch-fell t ; his son was Geirolf, who had for
wife Vigdis, the daughter of Konal, the widow of Thor-
grim ; their son was Hall. There was a man named
Thorstein Head, he was a Hersir from Hordaland, his
sons were Eyvind and Ketil the Hordlander ; Ey vind took
the fancy to go to Iceland after the death of his father,
and Ketil asked him to take land for them both in case
he should make up his mind to go afterwards. Eyvind
brought his ship into Housewick and settled Reek-dale
up from Vestman's water, he dwelt at Helgastead and
there was laid in howe. Nattfari, who had gone out with
Gardar, had before this possessed himself of Reek-dale,
and had put his marks upon the trees, but Eyvind drove
him off and only allowed him Nattfari's-wick.
Ketil went out at the word sending of Eyvind ; he
dwelt at Einarstead ; his sons were Konal and Thor-
stein, the father of Einar, who resided there afterwards.
• Cf. Pt. I, ch. I.
fSkratti is in Iceland the name of a monster or hobgoblin, and Skratta-
sk6r is in Iceland the name of a rock where wizards were appointed to die.
Skratta is the name of a demon or hobgoblin in the North of England.
The
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OF ICELAND. 157
[part III, CHAPTER XIX.]
The son of Eyvind was Askel, the godi, who had for
wife the daughter of Grenjad ; their sons were Thor-
stein and Fight-Skuta ; the daughter of Eyvind was
Fjorleif. Konal had for wife Oddny, the daughter of
Einar, and sister of Eyjolf, the son of Valgerd ; their
children were Einar, who had six sons, and a daughter
Thorey, who was the wife of Steinolf the son of Mar,
and another daughter they had named Eydis, who was
the wife of Thorstein, the godi from Asbjorn's-wick.
Thord, the son of Konal, was the father of Sokki at
Broadmire, who was the father of Konal. A daughter of
Konal was Vigdis, who was the wife of Thorgrim, the son
of Thorbjorn Skagi, and their son was Thorleif, the step-
son of Geirolf.
There was a man named Grenjad, the son of Hrapp,
the brother of Geirleif; he. settled Hushed-dale (Theig-
jandadale) and Lavaheath (Hraunaheidi) or Thorgerd's
fell and Laxriver-dale the lower ; he dwelt at Grejad's-
stead ; he married Thorgerd, the daughter of Helgi
Horse; their son was Thorgil's Vormuli, the father of
Onund, the father of Hallbera, the mother of Haldora,
the mother of Thorgerd, the of Hall, the Abbot,
and of Hallbera whom Hrein, the son of Styrmir, had for
wife.
There was a man named Bodolf, the son of Grim, the
son of Grimolf from Agdir ; Bodolf was the brother of
Bodmod ; he had for wife Thorun, the daughter of
Thorolf Deep-in-love ; their son was Skeggi. They all
went to Iceland and wrecked their ship at Fjornes, and
were at Audolfstead the first winter ; he settled all Fjornes
between the Tongue-river and Os. Botolf had for wife
afterwards Thorbjorg Holme-sun, the daughter of Helgi
the Lean ; their daughter was Thorgerd, who Asmund,
the son of Ondott had for wife ; their son was Thorleif,
the father of Thurid, whom Valla-Ljot had for wife.
Skeggi
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158 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XIX.]
Skeggi, the son of Bodolf, settled Kelduhverfi up to
Kelduness, and dwelt at Micklegarth ; he had for wife
Helga, the daughter of Thorgeir of Fishbrook ; their son
was Thorir the Seafarer ; he caused a ship to be built in
Sogn ; Bishop Sigurd consecrated it ; from this ship were
the ships' beaks * used for weather spaeing (or weather
foretelling) before the door at Micklegarth.
Grettir has composed concerning Thoris the following :
In no wise shall I ride out
Against those stems ^ shield-heeding !
Alone shall I depart hence,
This thane 2 is in for trouble.
I will not have a meeting
With Vidrir's tempest-makers^;
I shall abide my chances,
Though brave ye may not deem me.
I keep away where Thorir's,
Great crowds are coming onwards ;
To me *tis nowise handy
To join in with their thronging.
I shun the famed men's meeting,
I take me to the woodland,
And save my life ; I needs must
Heed well the sword * of Heimdal.
The son of Thoris was named An, the father of Orn,
the father of Ingibjorg, the mother of Skum, the father
of Thorkel the Abbot.
•The Icelandic word is "brandar," used always in plural of ships' beaks or
figureheads used as ornaments over the chief door of dwellings. They are
mentioned also in Grettis Saga (ii6) where it can be seen that the " brandar **
were two one on each side of the door.
(i) Shield-heeding stems— warriors or men.
(2) This man, i.e. " I," Grettir himself.
(3) Makers of Vidrir's tempest. Vidrir=Odin, his tempest =a battle, makers
thereof = warriors or men.
(4) Sword of Heimdal=the head, i.e. the speaker's own head. The head is
called the sword of Heimdal because it is said that he was smitten through with
the head of a man. See Snorris Edda.
Mani
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[part III, CHAPTER XX.]
Mani from Halogaland settles between Fljots and Raudaskridu
(Red Screes). Einar, Vestman, and Vemund from the
Orkneys consecrate to themselves by place-names, A xfrith,
Eagle's hummock and Cross ridge. Ketill Thistle settles
Thistle Firth.
Chapter XX. There was a man named Mani, he was
brought up at Omd in Halogaland, he went to Iceland
and wrecked his ship upon Tjorsness and dwelt at Mani's
river for several winters. Afterwards Bodolf drove him
from thence, and then he settled down below Kalfburg
river between Fljot and Red Screes (Raudaskrida) and
dwelt at Mani's-fell ; his son was Ketill, who had for wife
Valdis, the daughter of Thorbrand, who bought Red
Screes lands from Mani; his daughter was Dalla, the
sister of Thorgeir, the son of Galti, her Thorvald, the
son of Hjalti, had for wife.
There was a man named Ljot the Unwashed, who
settled Helduhverfi up away from Keldunes, his son was
Oris, the father of Galti in As, he was a wise man and
much given to manslaughters. Onund settled Kelduhverfi
from Kelduness and d^;^elt in As, he was the son of
Blseing, the son of Soti ; Onund was the brother of Balki
in Ramfirth. The daughter of Oiiund was Thorbjorg,
whom Hallgils, the son of Thorbrand from Red Screes
had for wife.
Thorstein, the son of Sigmund, the son Gnup Peaks'-
Bard, dwelt first at (Myvatn) Midgewater, his son was
Thorgrim, the father of Arnor in Reykjahlid, who married
Thorkatla, the daughter of Bodvar, the son of Hrolf from
Peakfell ; a son of theirs was called Bodvar. Thorkell the
High came when young to Iceland, and dwelt first at
Greenwater, which branches out from Midgewater. His
son was named Sigmund, and had for wife Vigdis, the
daughter of Thorir from Aspknott ; him Glum slew in
the
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i6o fkk SEfTLEMEHf
[part III, CHAPTER XX.]
the field. The daughter of Thorkel was Arndis, whom
Vigfus the brother of Fight-Glum had for wife. Thorkel
had a son in his old age, who was called Day, he was the
father of Thorarin, who had for wife Yngvild, the
daughter of Hall o' Side, then a widow after Eyjolf the
Halt. There was a Norwegian named Geiri, who first
of men dwelt at the south of Midgewater in Geirstead, his
sons were Glum and Thorkel. Father and sons fought
with Thorberg Cutcheek, and slew Thorstein his son, and
for those manslaughters they were outlawed from the
countrysides in the north. Geiri remained for one winter
at Geristead upon Hunawater, and afterwards they went
to Breidaford and dwelt at Geridale in Kroksfirth. Glum
married Ingun, the daughter of Thorolf, the son of Veleif,
their children were Thord, who married Gudrun, the
daughter of Osvif, and Thorgerd, whom Thorarin, the
son of Ingjald had to wife, their son was Helga-Steinar.
Earl Turf-Einar (of Orkney) had a daughter in his
youth, she was called Thordis. Earl Rognvald brought
her up and gave her in marriage to Thorgeir Klaufi, their
son was Einar, he went to Orkney to see his kinsmen ;
they would not own him for a kinsman ; then Einar
bought a ship in partnership with two brothers, Vestman
and Vemund, and they went to Iceland and sailed round
the land by the north and west abour Stetta into the
firth ; they set an Ax in Reistargnup, and called it
(Oxarfjord) Axfirth ; they placed up an Eagle on the west
of it and called the place (Arnarthufu) Eagle's-hummock,
and in the third place they set up a Cross and they named
the spot Crossridge ; thus they hallowed to themselves all
Axfirth.*
•Svahelgu'JSu |?eir s6r allan Oxarfjord^so they hallowed to themselves all
Axfirth. This is an evidence that the Norsemen regarded giving place-names
to their settlements as a solemn religious ceremony, by which they consecrated
or hallowed the land to their own use. See Oxarfjord on Map.
The
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OF ICELAND. i6i
[part III, CHAPTER XX.]
The children of Einar were these : Eyjolf, whom Galti
the son of Grisar slew, and Ljot, the mother of Hroi the
Sharp, who avenged Eyjolf and slew Galti. The sons
of Gliru-Halli, Brand and Berg, were the sons of a
daughter of Ljot, they fell in Bodvarsdale. Reist, the
son of Bearisle-Ketil and of Hild, the sister of Ketil
Thistle, was father of Arnstein the godi. Reist settled
land between Reistgnup and Redgnup, and dwelt at
Miryhaven.
There was a man named Arngeir, who settled all Sletta
between Havor's-lagoon and Sveinung-wick ; his children
were Thorgils and Odd and Thurid, whom Steinolf in
Steer's river-dale had for wife. Arngeir and Thorgils
went from home in a snowstorm to search for sheep,
and came not home again. Odd went to seek them
and found them both dead ; a white bear had killed
them and lay sucking the blood from one of the corpses
when Odd came upon him. Odd slew the bear and
conveyed him home, and men said that he ate the
whole of it and maintained he had wrought blood revenge
for his father when he killed the bear, and for his brother
when he ate it.
Odd was afterwards evil and troublesome to deal with,
and was seized with such a fit of frenzy that he went
from home, from Lavahaven, one evening and came in
the morning after to Steer's river-dale, to the aid of his
sister, whom the men of Steer's river-dale were on the
point of stoning to death for sorcery and witchcraft.
Sveinung settled Sveinung's-wick, and KoUi settled
KoUi's-wick, and each abode afterwards at the place
named after him. Ketil Thistle settled Thistle-firth
between Hound's-ness and Sheepness, his son was Sig-
mund, the father of Einar of Bath-brink (Laugarbrekka.)
Now have been written down the landtakes in the
Northlanders' Quarter; and these are there the most
renowned
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i62 THE SETTLEMENT
[part III, CHAPTER XX.]
renowned settlers : Audun Skokul, Ingimund, ^var,
Ssemund, Eirek in Goddales, Hofda (o'Head) Thord,
Helgi the Lean, Eyvind the son of Thorstein Hofdi
(Head), and there were 1440 husbandmen (bondi) in that
quarter when their census wa§ taken.* Bow^/= Husband-
men who owned the land which they tilled.
Fourth Part.
These men have taken land in the Quarter of the Eastern
Firths, which must now be reckoned up — taking the
direction from the North to the boundaries of the Quarter
from Longness to Sunhome-sand, and men have said
that this Quarter was the first to be fully settled.
Gunnolfsvik and Gunnolfsfell settled by Gunnolf Kroppa and
others. Eyvind the Weaponed gives the name to Weapon-
firth=. Vapnafjord.
Chapter I. There was a man named Gunnolf Kroppa,
son of the hersirt Thorir Hawkneb. He settled Gunnolfs-
wick and Gunnolfsfell, and Longness all outside Helkund-
heath, and dwelt at Fairwick ; his son was Skuli the Hardy
(herkja), the father of Geirlaug. There was a man named
Finni, who settled Finnafirth and Woodfirth ; his son
•This refers to the census taken by the second Bishop of Skalholt, Gizur
(loSo— iii^) about 1097, of all householders whose duty it was to pay the so-
called ** l^^ng" fararkaup " or tax for paying those who met yearly at the Althing
their travelling expenses ; when it was found that in the Eastfirthers' Quarter
there were 700=840, in the Southlanders' Quarter 1000=1200, in the West-
firthers* Quarter 900=1080, and in the Northlanders' Quarter 1200=1440, in the
land altogether therefore 4560 such householders. Hungrvaka ch. vi, Bisku-
pasogur I, 69.
t Hersir=a chief or lord, the political name of the Norse chief of the earliest
age before the time of Harold Fairhair and the settlement of Iceland ; respecting
the office and the authority of the old hersar, the records are scanty, as they
chiefly belonged to pre-historical times. They were probably not liegemen but
resembled the godar (see godi) of the old Icelandic Commonwealth, being a
kind of patriarchal and hereditary chiefs; in this matter this Book of Settle-
ment is our chief source of information. See Part I, Chap. X of this work.
was
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OF ICELAND. 163
[part IV, CHAPTER I.]
was Thorarin, the father of Sigurd, the father of Gliru-
Halli. Hrodgeir the White, son of Hrapp, settled Sand-
wick to the north of Digranes, all to Woodfirth, and
dwelt at Skeggi-stead ; his daughter was Ingibjorg, whom
Thorstein the White had for wife ; she was the mother
of Thorgils, the father of Helgi, the father of Bjarni, the
father of Yngvild, the mother of Amundi, the father of
Gudrun, the mother of Thordis, the mother of Helga, the
mother* of Thord the Priest, the father of Markus of
Melar. A brother of Hrodgeir was Alrek, who came out
with him ; he was the father of Ljotolf the godi in
Svarfad's-dale.
Eyvind the Weaponed, and Ref the Red, sons of
Thorstein Thickleg, arrayed themselves for Iceland from
Strind in Thrandheim, because they were at variance
with King Harald, and each had his own ship. Ref was
driven back by stress of weather, and the King put him
to death, but Eyvind came to Weaponfirth and settled
the whole dale from Westdale's river, and dwelt at
Crosswick the innermost ; his son was Thorbjorn.
The son of Ref the Red was named Steinbjorn Court
(Kort) ; he betook himself to Iceland and came to
Weaponfirth. Eyvind, his foster brother, gave him all
the land between Weaponfirth river and the Westdale
river ; he lived at Hof. His sons were these : Thormod
Stikublig, who resided at Sundale ; another was Ref at
Ref s-stead ; a third was Egil at Egilstead — the father of
Thorarin and Thrast and Hallbjorn and Hallfrid, whom
Thorkell Geitisson had for wife. Hroald Bjola was foster
brother of Eyvind the Weaponed. He took land to the
west of Westdale river, half the dale, and all Sel river-dale
out to Digranes. He resided at Torfi's-stead ; his son was
Israud, father of Gunnhild, whom Oddi, the son of Asolf
in Hofdi, had for wife. Gunnhild was the mother of
Grim, the father of Halldora, the mother of Markus, the
' father
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i64 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER I.]
father of Valgerd, the mother of Bodvar, the father of
Thord the Priest, the father of Markus of Melar.
There was a man named Olver the White, son of
Osvald, son of Oxen-Thorir ; he was a landed man and
resided at Almdales ; he fell into strife with Earl Hakon,
son of Grjotgard, and he went to Yrjar and died there ;
but Thorstein the White, his son, went to Iceland and
his ship came to Weaponfirth after the time of the land
settlement was gone by; he bought land from Eyvind
Weaponed and dwelt for some winters at ToptavoU or
Toft field outside Sirek's-stad, before he possessed himself
of Hofsland in this manner, that he claimed the payment
of his loan from Steinbjorn Kort, who had nothing
wherewith to pay except the land. Thorstein lived there
seventy winters after, and was a wise and good man.
He had for wife Ingibjorg, the daughter of Hrodgeir the
White ; their children were these : Thorgils and Thord,
Onund, Thorbjorg, and Thora. Thorgils had for wife
Asvor, daughter of Thorir, the son of Porridge- Atli.
Their son was Brodd-Helgi ; he married first Halla, the
daughter of Lyting, the son of Arnbjorn ; their son was
Fighting- Bjarni. He had for wife Rannveig, the daughter
of Eirek from Goddales ; their son was Skeggbroddi, and
their daughter Yngvild, whom Thorstein, son of Hall,
had for wife. Skeggbroddi married Gudrun, the daughter
of Thorarin Saeling, with his wife Halldora the daughter
of Einar ; their children were Thorir and Bjarni House-
long. Thorir took to wife Steinun, the daughter of
Thorgrim the Tall. Their daughter was Gudrun, whom
Flosi, son of Kolbein, had for wife. Their son was
Bjarni, the father of Bjarni, who had for wife Halla, the
daughter of Jorund ; their children were these : Flosi the
Priest and Torfi the Priest, Einar Bride, and Gudrun,
whom Thord Sturluson had for wife, and further Godrun,
whom Einar Bergthorson bad for wife, and Helga, the
mother
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OF ICELAND. 165
[part IV, CHAPTER I.]
mother of Sigrid, the daughter of Sigvat. Flosi the
Priest had for wife Ragnhild, the daughter of Bork at
Baugstead ; their children were Bjarni and Einar, Halla,
the mother of Knight Kristoforus, and Thordis, mother
of Lady Ingigerd, the mother of Lady Gudrun and of
Hallbera. Valgerd was the name of a daughter of Flosi,
she was the mother of Knight Erlend the Strong, the
father of Hauk * and Valgerd.
Weaponfirth settled by Thorstein Turf, Lyting and Thorfid.
Hakon settles Jokuhdale west of JokuVs river. Tongue
lands between Lagarfljots and Jokuls river settled by
Thord and his descendants. Arneid finds buried treasure.
Chapter IL Two brothers, Thorstein Turf and
Lyting, went to Iceland. Lyting settled all the eastern
shore of Weaponfirth, Bodvarsdale, and Fairdale, and
lived in Crosswick; from him the Weaponfirthers are
descended. His son was Geitar, the father of Thorkel,
the father of Ragneid, the mother of Halla, the mother
of Botolf, the father of Thordis, the mother of Helga, the
mother of Thord the Priest, the father of Markus of
Melar.
There was a man named Thorfid, who first resided at
Skeggistead, by the counsel of Thord Haulm ; his son
was Thorstein the Fair, who slew Einar, the son of
Thorir, the son of Porridge- Atli ; Thorfid's sons and
Einar's two brothers were also Thorkel and Hedin, who
slew Thorgils, the father of Brodd-Helgi. Thorstein
Turf took all the Hlid east away from Osfells west to
Hvann river and dwelt at Forcefield ; his son was Thor-
vald, the father of Thorgeir, the father of Hallgeir, the
father of Hrapp at Forcefield.
• Last Editor of the Book of Settlement.
There
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i66 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER II.]
There was a man named Hakon, who settled all Jokul's-
dale to the west of Jokurs-river and above Teig-river, and
dwelt at Hakonstead ; his daughter was Thorbjorg, whom
the sons of Brynjolf the Old, Gunnbjorn and Hallgrim
had for wife. Teig lay unclaimed between Thorstein
Turf and Hakon. That plot they dedicated to a Temple
and it is now called Temple-Teig. Skjoldolf, the son of
Vemund and brother of Berdla-Kari, settled Jokulsdale to
the east of Jokul's-river up from Knefilsdale river and
dwelt at Skjoldolfstead ; his children were these : Thor-
stein, who married Fastny, the daughter of Brynjolf, and
Sigrid, the mother of Bersi, the son of Ozur.
There was a man named Thord, the son of Thorolf
Haulm and brother of Helgi Brownhead ; he settled all
Tongue lands between Lagarfljot and Jokul's-river, be-
yond Rang river ; his son was Thorolf Haulm, who had
for wife Gudrid, the daughter of Brynjolf; their son was
Thord Thvari,* the father of Thorodd, the father of
Brand, the father of Steinun, the mother of Rannveig,
the mother of Ssehild, whom Gizur had for wife. Ozur
StagakoU settled between Orm's river and Rang river ;
he had for wife Gudny, the daughter of Brynjolf; their
son was Asmund, the father of Mord.
Ketil and Porridge- Atli, sons of Thorir Thidrandi,
went from Yeradal to Iceland and settled in Fljotsdale
before Brynjolf came out, both Lagarfljot's-strands. Ketil
settled on the west of the Fljot between Hang-force river
and Orms river. Ketil went abroad and abode with
Vethorm, the son of Vemund the Old, there he bought
from Vethorm Arneid, the daughter of Earl Asbjorn
Skerryblaze, whom Holmfast, the son of Vethorm had
taken captive, when he and Grim, the sister son of
*Thvari corresponds with the old Cumberland word "Thyvel," used for
stirring porridge. , .
Vethorm
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OF ICELAND. 167
[part IV, CHAPTER II.]
Vethorm, slew Earl Asbjorn. Ketil bought Arneid, the
daughter of Asbjorn, for twice the price at which Vethorm
estimated her at first, and when the bargain was made,
then Ketil married Arneid lawfully. After that she found
much buried treasure (grafsilfr) under the root of a tree
and Ketil offered her to flit her to her kinsfolk, but . she
preferred then to be with him. They went out to Iceland
and abode at Arneidstead ; their son was Thidrandi, the
father of Ketil in Njardvik. Joreid, the daughter of
Thidrandi, was mother of Thorstein, the father of Gudrid,
the mother of Rannveig, the mother of Salgerd, the
mother of Gudrun, the mother af Abbot Hrein, the father
of Valdis, the mother of Snorri, the father of Hallbera,
who was the wife of Markus Thordson at Melar.
Porridge- A tli settles eastern shore of Lagarfljot to Gils river
(Gilsd). Thorgeir and others settle there. HrafnkeVs
dream. Settles Hrafnkelsdal.
Chapter III. Porridge- Atli settled the eastern shore
of Lagarfljot, all between Gils river and. Vallaness, to the
west of Ox;brook ; his sons were Thorbjorn and Thorir,
who married Asvor, the daughter of Brynjolf. There
was a noble man named Thorgeir Vestarsson, he had
three sons, one was Brynjolf the Old, another iEvar the
Old, the third Herjolf. They all went to Iceland, each
in his own ship. Brynjolf brought his ship to Eskifirth
and settled land on the upland side of the mountains, all
Fljotsdale up dale from Hengiforce river to the west of the
Fljot, and up dale from Gils river on the east side of the
valley, all Screesdale, and also on the Fields out to Eyvind
river, and he took a large portion from the landtake of
Uni Gardar's son and settled on that land his kinsmen and
r^lations-in-law ; he had already then ten children, but
later on he married Helga, the widow of Herjolf his
brother
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i68 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER III.]
brother, and they had three children ; their son was Ozur,
the father of Bersi, the father of Hohnstein, the father of
Oraekja, the father of Holmstein, the father of Helga, the
mother of Holmstein, the father of Hallgerd, the mother
of Thorbjorg, whom Lopt, son of the Bishop,* had for
wife.
iEvar the Old, the brother of Brynjolf, came out to
Reydarfirth and up across the mountain ; Brynjolf gave
him all Skreesdale beyond Gils river ; he dwelt at Arnald-
stead ; he had two sons and three daughters. There was
a man named Asraud, who married Asvor, the daughter
of Herjolf, brother's daughter and step daughter of
Brynjolf; there went with her from home, i.e. there was
to her for a dowry all the lands between Gils river and
Eyvind's river ; they dwelt at Ketilstead. Their son was
Thorvald Hollowmouth, the father of Thorberg, the
father of Hafljot, the father of Thorhadd Scale. Thorun
was the daughter of Hollowmouth, and her Thorbjorn,
son of Porridge- Atli, had for wife. Another daughter of
Hollowmouth was Astrid, the mother of Asbjorn Shaggy-
head, the father of Thorarin in Seydfirth, who was the
father of Asbjorn, the father of Kolskegg the Wise and of
Ingileif, mother of Hall, the father of Finn the Speaker-
at-law.
There was a man named Hrafnkel, the son of Hrafn ;
he came late in the time of the Settlement; he was
the first winter in Broaddale, and in the spring he went
up across the mountain, and baited in Screesdale and
slept, and then he dreamed that a man came to him and
bade him stand up and go forth as swiftly as possible,
and when he awoke he went forth, then the whole moun-
tain rushed down and there were buried under it a hog
and a bull that he had with him. Afterwards Hrafnkel
* Son of Pdll J6nsson, Bishop of Skalholt.
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OF ICELAND. 169
[part IV, CHAPTER III.l
settled Hrafnkelsdale and dwelt at Steinraud's-stead ; his
sons were Asbjorn, the father of Helgi, and Thorir, the
father of Hrafnkel the godi, the father of Sveinbjorn, the
father of Thorstein, the father of Botolf, the father of
Thordis, the mother of Helga, the mother of Thord the
Priest, the father of Markus of Melar.
Uni (son of Gardar first discoverer) and his companions slain
by Leidolf in a deadly fetid. Drawing and carving by
Tjorvi. His satirical verses result in the death of Hroar
and his sister's sons. Vetrlidi settles Borg firth (Borgar-
fjord.)
Chapter IV. Uni, the son of Gardar, who first dis-
covered Iceland, went to Iceland by the advice of King
Harald Fairhair, for the purpose of conquering the land ;
and when that should be accomplished,- the King had
promised him to make him his Earl.* Uni settled near
the place which is now called Uni's Inlet and set up
house there ; he took land to himself to the south of
Lagarfljot, all the country-side to Uni's-brook. But
when the people of the land got aware of his design they
began to show ill-feeling towards him, and would not sell
him cattle or provisions, so that he might not hold out
there. Uni went to Swanfirth the southernmost, but was
not able to effect a settlement there ; then he went from
the east with twelve men, and came in winter to Leidolf
Champion in Skogahverfi, who took them in.
Uni made love to Thorun, daughter of Leidolf, and she
was with child in the spring ; then Uni tried to run off
with his men, but Leidolf rode after him and overtook
him at Flangastead, and there they fought, because Uni
would not go back with Leidolf ; there fell some men on
* Herein we have in evidence, as elsewhere also in the Landnama, that Harald
after having by his unbearable tyranny driven the Norse chieftains to seek homes
elsewhere, yet follows them up and endeavours to enslave them in the land of
their refuge. ^jjj.g
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170 THE SETTLEMENT
LpART IV, CHAPTER IV.]
Uni's side, and he went back unwilling, because Leidolf
wished him to take his daughter to wife and to settle
down and take inheritance after him. Some time after
Uni ran away when Leidolf was not at home. He traced
him and found him at Calfpits (Kalfagrafir) and was so
angry that he slew Uni and all his companions. The son
of Uni and Thorun was Hroar Tongue-godi ; he took all
the inheritance of Leidolf; he was a man of the highest
mettle ; he had for wife a daughter of Hamund, who was
sister of Gunnar from Lithend ; their son was Hamund
the Halt, who was a most warlike man. Tjorvi the
Mocker, and Gunnar, were the sister sons of Hroar.
Tjorvi asked for the hand of Astrid Manwit-breaker,
daughter of Modolf, but her brothers, Ketil and Hrolf,
refused her to him, and gave her in marriage to Thorir,
the son of Ketil. Then Tjorvi drew their likeness upon
the wall of the chamber and every evening when he and
Hroar went to the chamber he would spit upon the like-
ness of Thorir and kiss the likeness of Astrid, until Hroar
scraped them off the wall. After that he carved them
upon his knife handle and composed this verse : —
The young wealth-Thrud * and Thorir
I painted erst together
There on the wall — the deed was
A set off 'gainst an insult '
Now the sea-acorn's-Hlin ' I
Have carved on my haft of alder ;
Right many a talk I've had with
The bright Syn of the hawk-stall.*
(i) Wealth-Thrud : Thrud, the daughter of Thor, a goddess; the g^oddess of
wealth, a woman whose personal ornaments are of precious metal.
(2) The insult (*gletta*) was that Astrid was refused him in marriage. The
prep. * vi'8 '—against, justifies the translation.
(3) Sea-acorn or acorn of the sea^^a stone, boulder, or pebble, thence precious
stone, jewel, the Hlin or goddess— Hlin was one of the goddesses of Asgarth —
of iewels=woman.
(4) Hawk-stall, the stall whereon the hunting falcon perches, hand, the Syn^
goddess of the hand, that is, the fine or delicate or jewel-bedecked hand»
woman. Syn is counted in Snorri's Edda among the female deities of A^arth ;
sbe was the doorkeeper in ValhalU
Hereof
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•
OF ICELAND. t^
[part IV, CHAPTER IV.]
Hereof arose the slaughter of Hroar * and his sister's
sons.
There was a man named Thorkel the Full-Sage, who
settled all Njardwick and dwelt there ; his daughter was
Thjodhild, whom iEvar the Old had for wife, and their
daughter was Yngvild, mother of Ketil in Njardwick, the
son of Thidrandi. There was a man named Vetrlidi, a
son of Arnbjorn, the son of Olaf Longneck ; Vetrlidi was
the brother of Lyting and Thorstein Turf, and Thorbjorn
in Eagle-holt. Olaf Longneck was the son of Bjorn Trout-
side. Vetrlidi settled Borgfirth and dwelt there. There
was a man named Thorir Line who settled Broadwick
and dwelt there ; his sons were Sveinung and Gunnstein.
Now has Kolskegg t dictated the story henceforth of the
Settlements.
Lodnmnd the Old and Bjolf come from Norway to Iceland.
Lodmund guided by his High Seat Pillars settles between
Hegoat-river and JokuVs-river on Solheima-sand — names
his dwelling Solheim=Sunhome. Lomund and Thrasi
agree that JokuVs-river shall divide the East and South
Quarters.
Chapter V. Thorstein Gadfly (Kleggi J) first settled
Housewick and dwelt there ; his son was An, from whom
the Housewickings are descended. There was a man
named Lodmund the Old, and another named Bjolf, his
foster brother ; they went to Iceland from Vors out of
Thulaness. Lodmund was exceedingly strong and a
great wizard ; he cast his High Seat Pillars overboard
while out at sea and vowed that he would settle there
* Hroar married the sister of Gunnar of Lithend — the hero of the Njala.
fThis refers to Kolskegg Asbiornson the Learned, who according to this
passage, described or dictated the story of the Eastfirths Settlement.
X Nickname, meaning horsefly or gadfly. Compare Cumberland " cleg."
where
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«
17^ THk SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER V.]
where they came to Tand. These foster brothers made
the Eastfirths and Lodmund settled Lodmundsfirth, and
dwelt there that winter ; then he heard of his High Seat
Posts in the Southern land. After that he bore on board
ship all his goods ; and when the sail was hoisted he lay
down and bade no man be so daring as to name him, but
when he had lain a short while, there befell a mighty din
and men saw how a great landslip fell upon the home-
stead at which Lodmund had lived. After that he sat up
and uttered these words : " It is my spell that the ship
sailing out from here shall never come whole from the sea."
He then held south round the Horn and west along the
land and beyond Hjorleifshofdi and landed a little further
to the west. He settled there where his High Seat
Pillars had come ashore and that was between Hegoat's
river and Foulbrook, that is now named Jokul's river on
Solheima-sand ; he dwelt at Lodmundhvamm and called
his home there Sunhome (Solheimar).
Then when Lodmund was old, Thrasi dwelt at Skogar ;
he was skilled in the art of magic ; it happened once upon
a time that Thrasi saw one morning a great rushing forth
of waters and with his magic power he turned the waters
to the east of Solheimar. Then a thrall of Lodmund's
saw this and said that the sea was rushing upon them from
the north of the land. Lodmund was then blind ; he bade
the servant bring him in a bilge water tub what he called
the sea, and when he brought it Lodmund said, " that
does not seem to me to be sea water " ; then he bade the
thrall guide him to the water, '' and stick thou my staffs-
pike," he said, "into the water": and Lodmund held the
staff clasped with his two hands, biting the ring in it at the
same time ; then the waters began to flow to the west-
ward beyond Skogar again ; and in this manner each
would lead the waters away from himself, until they met
at certain gorges, where they made peace on the terms
that
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OP tCklANt). 173
[part IV, CHAPTER V.]
that the river should run there where the way was
shortest to the sea ; it is now called JokuPs river and
parts the Quarters of the land.*
Bjolf settles Seydisfjord. Egil the Red settles Northfirth
(Nordfjord). Frey stein the Fair settles Sandvik and
Cavefirth (Hellisfjord). Thorir the High settles Kross-
avik (Crosswick) Reydarfjord (Troutfirth). Vemund
settles Faskrtuisfjord. Thorhadd the Old settles Stod-
varfjord.
Chapter VI. Bjolf, a foster brother of Lodmund,
settled all Seydisfjord, and dwelt there all his life. He
gave Helga, his daughter, to An the Strong, and she
received as a dowry all the western strand of SeydisQord
to Westdale river. The son of Bjolf was named Isolf ;
he dwelt there afterwards, and the Seydfirthers have their
origin from him.
There was a man named Eyvind who came out with
Brynjolf, and afterwards moved his household to Narrow-
firth and dwelt there; his son was Hrafn, who sold
Narrowfirthland to Thorkel Klaka, who dwelt there
afterwards ; from him are descended the family of Klaka.
There was a man named Egil the Red, who settled
North firth and dwelt there out at Ness ; his son was
Olaf, from whom the family called Nessmen are descended.
There was a man named Freystein the Fair ; he settled
Sandwick dwelling at Bardsness and made his own also
Woodfirth and Cavefirth ; from him are the Sandwick
men and the Woodfirthers and the Cavefirthers descended.
Thorir the High and Krum, both went from Vors to Ice-
land, and there they settled ; Thorir settled Crosswick
• That is the Eastfirths Quarter and the Southlanders Quarter. According: to
the explanation here given, the division is made at the watershed or waterparting.
Se« Map.
between
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174 ^^£ SETTLEUmT
[part IV, CHAPTER VI.]
. between Gerpir and Troutfirth, thence are the Crosswick
men descended. Krum settled Hafraness to Thernaness,
and all the outlying parts, both Skruday and the other
outer islands off the shore and three landtakes on the
other side opposite to Thernaness, thence are the Krym-
lings descended. iEvar was first in Troutfirth,. before he
went up across the mountain, but Brynjolf was left in
Eskifirth, before he went up to settle Fljotsdale, as was
written before.
There was a man named Vemund, who settled all
Faskrudsfirth, and dwelt there all his life; his son was
Olmod, from whom the Olmodlings are descended.
Thorhadd the Old was Temple Priest at Thrandheim in
Maeri.* He desired to go to Iceland, and before going he
took down the Tempk and brought with him the Temple
Mould and the High Seat Pillars, and when he came to
Stodvarfjord he hallowed the whole firth after the fashion
that obtained at Maeri, t and would not let them destroy
any cattle there except such as were for domestic use.
He dwelt there all his life and from him the Stodfirthers
are descended.
Hjalti settles Broaddale; Herjolf settles Hvalness Screes;
Thjodrek settles Berufjord and Bulandness. The ring in
each chief Temple. Form of the oath upon the ring.
Chapter VII. There was a man named Hjalti, who
settled Kleifland and all Broaddale upward ; his son was
Kolgrim, and many men are descended from him. There
was a man named Herjolf, who settled land all out to
Hvalsness Screes ; his son was Vapni, from whom the
* A county in Norway ; it also gives its name to Man, a famed Temple in
Drontheim.
f Literally " he made a holy Maeri of the whole firth."
Vapnlings
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QF ICELAND. 175
[part IV, CHAPTER VII.]
Vapnlings are descended. Herjolf, brother of Brynjolf,
settled Heydaleland down below Finnadale's river and
out to Orm's river ; his son was Ozur, from whom the
Broaddalers are descended. There was a man named
Skjoldolf, who settled Street all out from Gnup, and inward
on the opposite side to Os * and Skjoldolfness by Fagra-
dale river in Broaddale ; hft son was Haleyg, who dwelt
there afterwards, and from him the family of Haleygar
are descended.
There was a man named Thjodrek, he first settled all
Broaddale, but he had to bolt from thence before Brynjolf
south into Berufjord, and settled all Ihe northern strand
of Berufirth and to the.south out round Bulandness and
up the other side unto Red Screes, and dwelt three
winters in that place which is now called Scale; then
Bjorn the High bought lands from him, and from him are
the Berufirthers descended.
There was a man named Bjorn " Singed-horn," who
settled the northernmost Swanfirth in from Red Screes
and Svidinhornadal or Singedhornsdale. Thorstein
Trumpet-bone was the name of a kinsman of Bodvar the
White and he went with him to Iceland and .settled land
out from Miry-Creek to Whaleness Screes ; his son was
KoU the Gray, the father of Thorstein, the father of
Thorgrim in Burghaven, the father of Steinun, whom
Gizur the Bishop married. Bodvar the White was son
of Thorleif Middling, a son of Bodvar Snowthunder, the
son of Thorleif Whaleskuft, the son of An, the son of
King Orn the Horny, the son of Thorir the King, the son
of Swine-Bodvar, the son of Kaun the King, the son of
King Solgi, the son of Hrolf from Berg ; he (Bodvar the
White) and Brandonund his kinsman, went from Vors to
Iceland and came to Swanfirth the southernmost. Bod-
• That is, " the river's mouth."
var
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176 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER VII.]
var settled the land in from Miry-Creek and all the dales
that lie there and out on the opposite side to Muli and
dwelt at Hof ; he built there a large Temple.
The son of Bodvar was Thorstein, who had for wife
Thordis, the daughter of Ozur Keiliselg, the son of
Hrollaug ; their son was Side Hall ; he married Joreid,
the daughter of Thidrandi, and from thence are descended
a great kindred. Thorstein was a son of theirs, he was
the father of Amundi, the father of Gudrun, the mother
of Thordis, the mother of Helga, the mother of Gudny,
the mother of the sons of Sturla. Brandonund settled to
the north of Mula-Kambsdale and Melrakkanes, and up
to Hamar's river, and many men are descended from him.
Thord Skeggi, son of Hrapp, son of Bjorn buna,
married Vilborg, daughter of Osvald, and of Ulfrun, the
daughter of Eadmund. Thord went to Iceland and
settled in Lon, to the north of Jokul's river, between it
and Lon's Heath, and dwelt at Baer or By for ten winters
longer. There he heard news of his High Seat Pillars
being found* in Leiruvag or Miry-Creek, south of the
Heath, t so he betook himself westward thither and
abode at Skeggistead as was written before. He then
sold his lands in the Lon to Ulfljot, J who brought laws
out hither from Norway to Iceland. The daughter of
Thord was Helga, whom Ketilbjorn at Mosfell had for wife.
[It was the beginning of the preamble of the heathen laws that
men should not take ships to sea with carved figure heads upon their
stems, but if they did, they should take them off before they came in
sight of land and not sail to land with gaping heads or yawning
snouts lest the guardian feys of the land should be scared thereat.
♦A.D.027.
fThat IS south of the Heath of Mossfell, Miry Creek being in the neighbour-
hood of Reykjavik.
X For institution of Althing, see page j6. In another MS. of the Landnama
it is stated that Ulfljot brought out law from Norway to Iceland in 927, when he
was 60 years old ; and that three years after this he instituted the Altning.
A ring
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Oi^ ICELAND. 177
[PART IV, CHAPTER VII.]
A ring weighing two ounces or more should lie on the stall in
every chief Temple^ and this ring should every c¥ef or godi have
upon his arm at all public law-motes (logthing) at which he should
*be at the head of a fairs, having first reddened it in the blood of a
neat which he himself had sacrificed there. Every man who was
there to transact any business, as by law provided by the Court,
shoidd first take an oath upon that ring and name for the purpose two
or more witnesses and repeat the following words : — " / call to
witness in evidence, he was to say, that I take oath upon the ring,
a lawful one (logeidj so help me Frey and Niord and the Almighty
God, to this end that I shall in this case prosecute or defend or bear
witness or give award or pronounce doom according to what I know
to be most right and most true and most lawful, and that I will deal
lawfully with all such matters in law as I have to deal with while I
am at this Thing" Then tvas the land divided into Quarters, and
it was decided that there should be three Things in each Quarter and
three Temples in each Thing Commune * i,e. Thing District or
Community, and that men should be selected according to wisdom and
righteousness to have ward of the Temple, and they were to nominate
Courts of Judges at the Things and to regulate the proceedings of
lawsuits, and therefore were they called godar or Priests ; and every
man should pay toll to the Temple as now they pay tithes to the Church,]
Thorstein Leg goes from the Hebrides to Iceland — settles all
lands from north of the Horn to JokuVs-river — returns to
the Hebrides. Rognvald Earl of Mceri and his three
sons, of whom Hrollaug is sent to Iceland and Einar
volunteers for the Orkneys.
Chapter VIII. Thorstein Leg,+ son of Bjorn Blue-
tooth, went from the Hebrides to Iceland, and settled all
* Originally a shire having a meeting or Parliament of its own.
t Throughout the Book of the Settlement is found evidence, as in this instance,
of the settlement of the Norsemen in the Hebrides, and of their passing* to and
from Iceland. The Place Names of the Hebrides bear abundant testimony to
this. There we find that almost every local name is Norse. The names of
the farms end as in Norway in seter and ster, and the hills are called how, hog,
and holl. The names of the smaller burghs have the Norwegian suffix voe as
WestvoB, Aithsvoe, Laxvoe, and Hamms^vo?. We find also Burrafiord, Saxa-
fprd^ Lerwick, and Sandwi^kt
lands
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178 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER VIII-l
lands from the north of the Horn to Jokurs-river in Lon,
and dwelt at Bodvarsholt three winters, and then sold
his lands again and went back to the Hebrides.
Rognvald, Earl of Maeri, son of Eystein Glumra, the'
son of Ivar, an Earl of the Upplendings, the son of
Halfdan the Old, had for wife Ragnhild, the daughter of
Hrolf the Beaked ; their son was Ivar, who fell in the
Hebrides, fighting with King Harald Fairhair. Another
son was Gaungu-Hrolf* who conquered Normandy; from
him are descended the Earls of Rouen and the Kings of
England ; the third was Earl Thorir the Silent, who had
for wife Alof Year-betterment, the daughter of King
Harald Fairhair, and their daughter was Bergljot, the
mother of Earl Hakon the Mighty.
Earl Rognvald had three base-born sons : one called
Hrollaug, another Einar, a third Hallad, who tumbled
from his station of Earl in the Orkneys, and when Earl
Rognvald heard thereof, he called together his sons and
asked who of them was then minded to go to the islands,
and Thorir bade the Earl do as he pleased concerning his
journey ; the Earl said he had spoken well, but said he
should abide there (at Maeri) and have that dominion
there after his day. Then Hrolf stepped forward and
volunteered to go (to Orkney) ; Rognvald said it suited
him well, inasmuch as he was both strong and valiant,
but he was minded to think that his temper was too wild
for him to settle down now already in the rule of lands.
Then Hrollaug stepped forward and asked if it was his
will that he should go ; but Rognvald said he would not be
likely to become an Earl ; thy ways lead out to Iceland ;
in that land thou wilt be deemed a noble man and become
prosperous in thy kindred, but here destiny hath nought
*Gaun|^u-Hrolf=Rolf the Gang-er, see chapter on Harald Fairhair in the
Introduction to this volume.
in
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OF ICELAND. 179
[part IV, CHAPTER VIII.]
in store for thee. Then Einar stepped forward and said :
let me go to Orkney, and I will promise thee what thou
wilt deem the best, that thereafter I shall never come
within the sight of thine eyes. The Earl answers : I am
well content that thou go away, however scanty hope I
have about thee, for all thy mother's kin is thrall-born.
Thereupon Einar fared west and subdued to him the
islands as is told in his saga. But HroUaug betook him-
self to King Harald and stayed with him for a while, be-
cause, after this, father and son could not agree together.
Voyage and Settlement of HroUaug — keeps up allegiance with
Harald Fairhair — accepts from him sword, alehorn, and
gold ring. Settlement of HroUaug' s sons.
Chapter IX. HroUaug went to Iceland by the advice
of King Harald, and had with him his wife and sons.
He came up in the east at Horn and there cast overboard
his High Seat Pillars, which were borne to land in Horn-
firth, but he himself was driven away beyond the land to
the westward and fell in with a rough tossing about with
scarcity of water. They landed in Miry-Creek in the
Nesses ; there he was the first winter. Then he had
news of his High Seat Pillars, and from thence he went
to the east ; he was for another winter under Ingolf s-fell.
Thence he went eastward to Hornfirth and took land
eastward of Horn in westward to Folds'-river, and
resided first under Skard-brink in Hornfirth, but after-
wards he abode at Breidabols-stead in Fellshverfi. By
then he had parted with those lands which were north
from Borgarhofn, but he retained until the day of his
death the lands which were south from Hreggsgerdismuli.
HroUaug was a great lord and kept up friendship with
King Harald, but never went abroad. King Harald sent
to HroUaug a sword, an alehorn and a gold ring which
weighed five ounces. Afterwards
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i8o THE SEtTL^MENt
[part IV, CHAPTER IX.]
Afterwards Kol, son of Side Hall, owned that sword,
and Kolskegg Deep-in-lore had seen the horn. HroUaug
was father of Ozur Keilis-elk, who married Gro, the
daughter of Thord Evilmind ; their daughter was Thordis,
the mother of Hall o' Side. Another son of HroUaug was
Hroald, father of Ottar Hvalro, the father of Gudlaug,
the mother of Thorgerd, the mother of Jarngerd, the
mother of Valgerd, the mother of Bodvar, the father of
Gudny, the mother of the Sturlungs. Onund was the
third son of HroUaug. Hall o' Side had for wife Joreid,
the daughter of Thidrandi ; their son was Thorstein, the
father of Magnus, the father of Einar, the father of
Magnus the Bishop. Another son of Hall was Egil,
father of Thorgerd, the mother of Bishop John the Holy.
Thorvard, the son of Hall, was the father of Thordis, the
mother of Jorun, the mother of Hall the Priest, the father
of Gizur, the father of Bishop Magnus, and of Thorvald,
the father of Earl Gizur. Yngvild, the daughter of Hall,
was mother of Thorey, the mother of Saemund the Priest
Deep-in-lore. Thorstein, the son of Hall, was father of
Gudrid, the mother of Joreid, the mother of Ari the
Priest Deep-in-lore. Thorgerd, the daughter of Hall,
was the mother of Yngvild, the mother of Ljot, the
father of Jarngerd, the mother of Valgerd, the mother of
Bodvar, the father of Gudny, the mother of the sons of
Sturla.
Ketil, A udun the Red and Thorstein the Squinter buy land of
HroUaug. Vors- Ulf settles Papyli and Breidabolstead.
Thord Evilmind wrecks his ship upon Broadriversand,
Settles between JokuVs-river and Folds-river. Sons of
Asbjorn settle round Ingolfs-stead. Peak-bird settles
Fljetshverfi and the Peaks.
Chapter X. There was a man named Ketil, to
whom HroUaug sold Hornfirthstrand, east of Horn,
west
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01^ ICElA^b. ^ i^i
[part IV, CHAPTER X.]
west to Hamrar ; he dwelt at Middlefell ; from him are
the Hornfirthers descended. Audun the Red bought
land of Hrollaug^ westward from Hamrar and out on the
other side to Vidbord; he dwelt at Hofsfell or Templefell,
and raised there a great Temple ; from him are the Hofs-
fellings descended. Thorstein the Squinter bought land
of Hrollaug, all from Vidbord south over the Meres and
to Heinaberg-river ; his son was Vestmar, from whom
the Meremen are descended. Ulf from Vors bought land
of Hrollaug south from Honeberg-river to Hreggsgerdis-
muli, and dwelt at Scalefell first of all men ; from him
are the Vorsmen descended. Afterwards Ulf moved his
abode to Papyli 4nd dwelt at Breidabolstead and there
is his burial mound and also the burial mound of Thor-
geir. Thorgeir wks the son of Vors-Ulf and dwelt at Hof
in Papyli.
Thord Evilmind, son of Eyvind Oak-crook, wrecked
his ship at Broadriversand. Hrollaug gave him land
between JokuPs-river and Folds-river and he dwelt under
the fell at Broad-river ; his sons were Orn the Strong,
who quarrelled with Thordis, the EarPs daughter, the
sister of Hrollaug, and Eyvind the Smith ; his daughters
were Groa, whom Ozur had for wife, and Thordis, the
mother of Thorbj org, the mother of Thordis, the mother
of Thord Evilmind, who slew Fighting-Skuli.
There was a man named Asbjorn, son of Heyjang-
Bjorn, a hersir from Sogn, he was the son of Helgi, the
son of Helgi, the son of Bjorn Buna. Asbjorn went to
Iceland and died at sea, but Thorgerd his wife, and their
sons came out and settled all the countryside of Ingolf s-
head between Folds-river and Jokul's-river, and she dwelt
at Sandfell ; and Gudlaug, the son of her and Asbjorn,
after her ; from him the Sandfellings are descended.
Another of their sons was Thorgils, from whom the
Hnappfellings are descended; the third was Ozur, the
father
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i82 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER X.]
father of Thord Freys-godi, from whom many men are
descended.
Helgi was another son of Heyjang-Bjorn, he went to
Iceland and dwelt at Redbrook ; his son was Hildir, from
whom the Redbrookmen are descended. Bard, who has
been mentioned before, was a third son of Heyjang-
Bjorn, he first settled Barddale in the north, and then he
went south over Hope Pass by the Bardgate (Bardargata)
and settled all Fljotshverfi, and dwelt at Peaks ; then he
was called Peak's-Bard. His sons were Thorstein and
Sigmund, third Egil, fourth Gisli, fifth Nefstein, sixth
Thorbjorn Krum, seventh Hjor, eighth Thorgrim, ninth
Bjorn, the father of Geiri at Lundar, the father of
Thorkel the Leech, the father of Geiri, the father of
Thprkel the Canon regular, a friend of Bishop Thorlak
the Saint, who founded the monastery at Thickby.
Eyvind Carp settles near A llmens* -Fleet. Ketil the Foolish
from the Hebrides settles between Geirland's-river and
Firth-river — lives at Kirkby, former abode of the Papar.
Vilbald from Ireland comes ashore at KudafljoVs-mouth
and dwells at Buland.
Chapter XI. Eyvind Carp settled land between
Allmens'-Fleet and Geirland*s-river, and dwelt at Fors to
the west of Modolfsgnup ; his sons were these : Modolf,
the father of Hrolf and Ketil and Astrid Manwit-breaker,
another was Onund, father of Thraslaug, the mother of
Tyrfing and of Halldor, the father of Tyrfing, the father
of Teit. Before Allmens'-Fleet burst out (of the glacier)
the stream there was called Rafter's-brook.
There was a man named Ketil the Foolish, son of
Jorun Manwit-breaker, the daughter of Ketil Flatnose;
he went from Sodor to Iceland. He was a Christian
and settled land between Geirland's-river and Firth-river,
above
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OF ICELAND. 183
[part IV, CHAPTER XI.]
above Newcome. Ketil dwelt at Kirkby (Kirkjubse)—
there the Papar had formerly had their abode, and no
heathen men might settle there. Ketil was father of
Asbjorn, the father of Thorstein, the father of Surt, the
father of Sigvat the Speaker-at-law, the father of Kolbein.
The daughter of Asbjorn was named Hild, the mother of
Thorir, the father of Hild, whom Skarphedin had for
wife. Thorbjorg was the name of the daughter of Ketil
the FooHsh ; her Vali, the son of Lodmund the Old, had
for wife.
There was a man named Bodmod, who settled between
Driving and Firth-river and up to Bodmod's-horn ; he
dwelt at Bodmod's-Tongue. His son was Oleif, from
whom Oleif s-Burg received its name : he Hved at Holt.
His son was Vestar, the father of Helgi, the father of
Gro, whom Glasdir had for wife. Eystein the Big went
from Sunnmaeri to Iceland; he settled to the east of
Geirland*s-river, over against the claim of Ketil the
FooHsh, and dwelt in Geirland ; his son was Thorstein
of Ditch-Peak. Eystein, son of Hrani, the son of Hildir
Parak, went from Norway to Iceland : he bought lands
of Eystein the Big, which he had settled there and which
he said were called Middle-lands; he dwelt at Skard;
his children were Hildir and Thorljot, whom Thorstein
at Ditch Peak had for wife. Hildir wished to flit his
dweUing to Kirkby after Ketil, thinking that a heathen
might dwell there, but when he came near the fence of
the homefield, he died very suddenly and he lies there in
Hildir's-Howe.
There was a man named Vilbald, brother of Askel
Knokkan ; he went from Ireland" to Iceland and he had
that ship which he called ' Kudi,' and he came to Kuda-
fljots-mouth ; he settled Tongueland between Shaft-river
and Holm's-river, and dwelt at Buland; his children were
Bjolan, father of Thorstein and Olver Mouth and BjoUok,
whom Aslak ' orgodi ' had for wife. There
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i84 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER XI.]
There was a man named Leidolf Champion ; he
settled land to the east of Shaft-river unto Driving and
dwelt at River to the east of Shaft-river out from Skal,
and he had another homestead at Leidolf-stead under
Leidolf s-fell, and there were at that time many dwellings.
Leidolf was father of Thorun, the mother of Hroar
Tongue-godi. Hroar married Arngunn, the daughter of
Hamund, a sister of Gunnar from Hlidarendi ; their
children were Hamund the Halt, and Ormhild. The son
of Hroar and a bondwoman was named Vebrand ; Hroar
seized Thorun Brow, the daughter of Thorgils from
Hvamm in Midgedale; their son was named Thorfinn.
Hroar dwelt first at Ridges, afterwards he took Loon-
Peak's-land (Lomagnupsland) from Eystein, son of
Thorstein Titling and of Aud, the daughter of Eyvind, a
sister of Modolf and Brandi.
Thraslaug was the daughter of Thorstein Titling, and
her Thord Freysgodi had for wife. Onund Walletback,
a kinsman of the children of Thorstein, challenged Hroar
to the Holmgang at Skaplafell Thing and fell at the feet
of Hroar. Thorstein Upplending took Thorun Brow
and had her with him abroad. Hroar also went abroad
and in that journey he slew Thrast the Bearserk at the
Holmgang, because he wished to marry Sigrid, his wife,
against her will, but Thorstein and Hroar made peace
between them."^ The sons of Modolf were at the slaughter
of Hroar, also Thorir their brother-in-law, Brandi from
Peaks, and Steinolf his neighbour. Hamund took venge-
ance for the slaughter of Hroar and his company.
* That is in respect of Thorsteln's robbery of Thorun Brow, the concubine of
Hroar.
Hrafn
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OF ICELAND. 185
[part IV, CHAPTER XII.]
Hrafn Haven-Key foretells a volcanic eruption. Death song
of Vermund the Blacksmith, Mould-Gnup the Black-
smith, his brother, settles Kudafleet and Swc^n^s-haunts.
Bjorn, his son, dreams of the rock-dweller ; his great
prosperity resulting therefrom.
Chapter XII. There was a man named Isolf. He
came out late in the Landnamtide and challenged Vilbald
to the Holmgang for his lands. Vilbald would not fight
but went away from Buland. He then became possessed
of land between Kudafljot and Shaft-river. His son was
Hrani of Hranastead, and his daughter was Bjorg, whom
Onund, the son of Eyvind the Carp, had for wife.
Thraslaug was their daughter, whom Thorarin, son of
Olvir at Head, had for wife.
Hrafn Haven-Key was a great Viking, he came to Ice-
land and settled land between Holm's-river and Isle's-
river and dwelt at Din-Shaws (Dynskogar). He foretold
a volcanic eruption, and moved his dwelling to Low-isle
(Ldgey) : his son was Aslak * orgodi ' and from him the
Lowislanders are descended. There was a man named
Hrolf the Hewing, he dwelt at Nordmaeri, at a place named
Mould-Town (Molda-tiin) ; his sons were Vermund and
Mould-Gnup ; they were men great at manslaughters and
smiths in iron. Vemund sang the following, once when
he was in his smithy : —
Alone I bore
From those eleven ^
The weird of bane • :
Blow thou faster.
Gnup went to Iceland on account of his own and his
brother's manslaughters and settled land between Kuda-
(i) "I bore it from the eleven *'=it rests on me, it is the burden of fate I
carry away from the encounter, I slew them all.
(2) Letale Jalum,
fleet
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i86 THE SETTLEMENT
[part IV, CHAPTER XII.]
fleet and Isles-river, and all Swans Haunts (Alftaver) ;
there was a great standing-water then and swan catches
thereon. Molda Gnup sold from his landtake to many
men, and it became thickly peopled, until the earth-fire
i.e. lava flowed adown there ; when they fled westward to
Head-Brink (Hofda-brekka), and made there tent-dwellings
in the place which now is called Tent-field (TjaldavoUr).
But Vermund, the son of Sigmund Kleykir, would not
allow them abidance there, so they went to Horse-garth
(Hrossgard) and made a house there and sat there over
the winter and quarrels and manslaughters befell there
among them. But in the following spring Molda-Gnup
and his companions went west to Grind-wick and took
up their abode there. They had a scanty store of live-
stock. By then the sons of Mould (Molda) Gnup, Bjorn
and Gnup, Thorstein Hrungnir and Thord Leg-wielder,
were of ripe age.
Bjorn dreamed one night that a rock-dweller came to
him and made him an offer of partnership and he thought
he accepted it ; whereupon a he-goat (hafr) came to his
goats, and his flocks then bred so quickly that he was
speedily rolling in riches ; thence he was called Hegoat-
(Hafr) Bjorn (or Bjorn of the he-goat). Men who had
the power of second sight saw that all the guardian spirits
of the land followed Hegoat-Bjorn to the Thing, and
that they accompanied Thorstein and Thord in hunting
and fishing.
Hegoat-Bjorn had*for wife Jorun, the step-daughter of
Gnup his brother ; their son was Sverting, who had for
wife Hungerd, the daughter of Thorodd, the son of
Tungu-Odd and of Jofrid the daughter of Gunnar. Their
daughter was Thorbjorg, the mother of Sveinbjorn, the
father of Botolf, the father of Thordis, the mother of
Helga, the mother of Gudny, the mother of the sons of
Sturla. Gnup, son of Molda-Gnup, had for wife Arnbjorg,
the
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OF ICELAND. 187
[part IV, CHAPTER XII.]
the daughter of Rathorm ; a daughter of Molda-Gnup
was called Idun, whom Tjorvar of Swans-ness had for
wife ; a son of theirs was Thormod, as has been written
before.
Eystein wrecks his vessel and settles Fairdale. Olver, son of
Eystein, settles land east of Grim's-river. Sigmund
Kleykir settles land from Grim's-river to Carlines-river.
Names of most distinguished settlers in Eastfirth's Quarter.
Chapter XIII. There was a man named Eystein,
son of Thorstein-Drangakarl (that is fond of climbing
sea-rocks, * drangar ') ; he went to Iceland from Haloga-
land * and wrecked his ship and was hurt himself among
the spars. He settled Fairdale, but a Carline (q|[d woman)
was washed ashore from his ship into Carlinest Firth
(Kerlingarfjord) where now there is Headriver-sand (Hof-
darsandr). Olver, son of Eystein, settled land to the
east of Grim's-river ; no man had dared to settle there on
account of the guardian spirits of the land since Hjorleif
was slain. X Olver dwelt at Head ; his son was Thoi;arin
at Head, a brother by one and the same mother of
Halldor, the son of Ornolf, whom Mord Oraekja slew
under Hamrar and brother by one and the same mother
of Arnor, whom Flosi and Kolbein, the sons of Thord
Freysgodi, slew at Skaptafells Thing.
Sigmund Kleykir was the son of Onund Bill, he took
land between Grim's-river and Carlines-river, which fell
there to the west of Head ; from Sigmund are three
Bishops descended, Thorlak, and Pal, and Brand.
*" Halogaland " means literally " the land of the northern lights," and is the
country in Norway which begins to the north of Naumdale.
t Carline, Icelandic Kerling, still means old woman or witch in the west of
Scotland.
X For an account of the murder of Hjorleif, see Book of Settlement, Part I,
Chapter 6.
There
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i88 THE SETTLEMENT
fPART IV, CHAPTER XIII.]
There was a man named Bjorn, rich and a great dandy,
he went to Iceland from Valdres and settled land between
Carlines-river and Hegoat-river, and dwelt at Reynir
(i.e. the Rowan Trees). He had ill dealings with Lodmund
the Old. From Reyni-Bjorn the Holy Bishop Thorlak
is descended. Lodmund the Old settled land between
Hegoat's-river and Foul-brook, as was writ afore ; what
was then named Foul-brook is now called Jokul's-river
on Sunhome-sand, which divides the land quarters.
Lodmund the Old, at Solheim, had six sons or more ; one
of his sons was named Vali, the father of Sigmund, who
married Oddlaug, the daughter of Eyvind from Orkney.
Another son of Lodmund was named Sumarlidi, the father
of Thorstein Hollowmouth in Mark, the father of Thora,
the mother of Stein, the father of Thora, the mother of
Surt the White, the step-son of Skapti, he was the son of
Sumarlid. Skapti the Lawspeaker married Thora later
than Sumarlidi, as is told in the landtake of the race of the
Olfusings. The third son of Lodmund was named Ver-
mund, the father of Thorkatla, whom Thorstein Vifil had
for wife; their daughter was Arnkatla, the mother of
Hroi and Thordis, whom Stein Brandsson had for wife ;
their daughter was Thora. The fourth was named Ari,
the fifth was named Hroald, the sixth son of Lodmund
was named Oleif, a bastard, he had to wifeThraslaug,
the daughter of Eyvind from Orkney ; she was sister to
Oddlaug ; from all these many men are descended.
Now has been written of the landtakes of the Eastfirth
Quarter, according to what able and learned men have
said ; in that quarter there have been many men of great-
ness and many matters for great sagas have befallen
there. These have been the greatest settlers, namely:
Thorstein the White, Brynjolf the Old, Porridge-Atli,
and Ketil, the sons of Thidrandi-Hrafnkel the godi,
Bodvar the White, Hrollaug, son of Earl Rognvald,
Ozur
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OF ICELAND. 189
[part IV, CHAPTER XIII.l
Ozur, son of Asbjorn, son of Asbjorn, the son of Heyjang-
Bjorn, from whom the Freysgydlings are descended; Ketil
the Foolish and Leidolf Champion.
Fifth Part.
Here begins the Landnam in the Southern Firths^ which had the
highest reputation of all Iceland, both on account of the richness
of the land and on account of those Chieftains who settled there,
both learned and unlearned.
The East Firths were settled first in Iceland ; between Hornfjardar
and Reyhjanes they were latest in being fully settled, as there
the storm and the surf impeded men's progress in settlement, on
account of the harhourless and storm-swept coast.
Some that came out first settled close to the mountain and marked out
for themselves the best land, as their cattle selected the pasturage
between the coast and the mauntain. Those who came out later
on, deemed that the former settlers had appropriated too extensive
lands to themselves ; but King Harald made titem agree to this,
that no man should appropriate more land to himself than he and
his ship's crew could carry fire across in one day.
They should make fires when the sun was rising in the east (and
also smokes should be raised to give them an idea of each others
bearings) but the fires that they made in the east were to burn
until nightfall, meantime they should walk (carrying fire)
until the sun reached the west, and there they were to make other
fires (which with the fires they had made in the morning were
to form the bounds of the landtake),*
Thrasi settles between Kaldaklof-river and JokuVs-river,
Hrafn the Foolish settles between Kaldaklof-river and
Lambf ell-river.
Chapter I. There was a man named Thrasi, the son
of Thorolf Hornbreaker, he went from Hordaland to Ice-
* This portion has been put in Italics as it appears in Italics in the original
Icelandic. — Translator.
land
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iQo THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER I.]
land and took land between Kaldaklof-river and Jokul's-
river ; he abode at Skogar the easternmost ; he was a
man of exceeding great strength, and had quarrels with
Lodmund the Old as is written before. The son of
Thrasi was Geirmund, the father of Thorbjorn, the father
of Brand of Skogar.
Hrafn the Foolish was the name of a man, the son of
Valgard, the son of Vermund Wordplane, the son of
Thorolf * Vaganef,' the son of Hraerek Ringslinger, the
son of Harald Hildtooth — the King of the Danes. He
went out of Thrandheim to Iceland and took land between
Kaldaklof-river and Lambfell-river ; he abode at Raudfell
the easternmost and was the noblest of Lords. His
children were these ; Jorund the godi, and Helgi Bluelog
and Freygerd.
Asgeir ^^ Kneif settles land between Lambfell-river and
Selj aland -river. Thorgeir settles land between Lambfell-
river and Ira-river. . Asgerd upon the murder of Ofeig,
her husband, by Harald Fairhair, sets out for Iceland
with her children; settles between Selj aland -mull and
Mark-fleet, Ancestors of Burnt Nial.
Chapter II. There was a man named Asgeir " Kneif,"
the son of Olaf the White, the son of Skaering, the son of
Thorolf, his mother was Thorhild, the daughter of Thor-
stein Howebreaker ; Asgeir went to Iceland and took
land between Lambfell-river and Seljaland-river, and
dwelt at the place now called Audnar (Wastes) ; his sons
were Jorund and Thorkel, the father of Ogmund, the
father of Bishop Jon the Holy. The daughter of Asgeir
was Helga, the mother of Thorun, the mother of Thorlak
the father of Thorhall, the father of Bishop Thorlak the
Holy.
Thorgeir of Hordaland, the son of Bard Wheghorn, set
out
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OF ICELAND. 191
[part V, CHAPTER II.]
out from Viggjar in Thrandheim for Iceland, he bought
land from Asgeir Kneif between Lambfell-river and Ira-
river and abode at Holt. A few winters later he wedded
Asgerd, the daughter of Ask the Speechless, and their
sons were Thorgrim the Mickle, and Holt-Thorir, father
of Thorleif Crow and Skor-Geir.
Ofeig was the name of a renowned man in Raumsdale-
folk. He had for wife Asgerd, the daughter of Ask the
Speechless. Ofeig came to be at enmity with King
Harald Fairhair, and on that account arranged himself
for a journey to Iceland, and when he was all ready King
Harald sent men upon him who took his life, but Asgerd
set off with their children./ She took up land between
Seljaland-muU and Mark-fleet and the whole of Longness
all up to Jalda-stone, and abode in the northern skirt of
Kataness. The children of Ofeig and Asgerd were these :
Thorgeir " gollner " and Thorstein Bottlebeard, Thorb-
jorn the Quiet and Alof Ellidi-shield, whom Thorberg
CornmuU had for wife ; their children were Eystein and
Hafthora, whom Eid, the son of Skeggi, had for wife.
Another daughter of Ofeig was Thorgerd, whom Finn,
the son of Otkel, had for wife.
Thorolf, the brother of Asgerd, took land by her
counsel to the west of the Fleet, between two rivers both
called DeaUng-river, and he abode at Thorolf s-fell ; there
he brought up Thorgeir " gollner,'* who afterwards abode
there ; his son was Nial, who was burnt in his house.
Asbjorn, the son of Reyrketil, and Steinfinn took land
above Cross-river to the east of the Fleet. Steinfinn
abode at Steinfinn's-stead, and from him no offspring is
come. Asbjorn hallowed his land unto Thor and called
it Thorsmark ; his son was Ketil the Wealthy, who had
for wife Thurid, the daughter of GoUnir ; their children
were called Helgi and Asgerd.
: Ketil
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192 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER III.]
Keiil Salmon avenges the murder of Thorolf by burning in
their house Harek and Hrarek, two of Thorolf 's deadliest
enemies ; afterwards goes to Iceland and settles land
between Rang-river and Hroars-brook. His son, Sig-
hvat the Red, settles above the Dealing or 'dividing' river.
Three cornered plot of land hallowed by fire and set apart
for a Temple.
Chapter III. Ketil Salmon was the name of a much
renowned man in Naumdale-folk, a son of Thorkel the
Earl of Naumdale, and Hrafnhild the daughter of Ketil
Salmon out of Hrafnista. Ketil was then abiding in
Naumdale, when King Harald Fairhair sent Hallward
Hardfare and Sigtrygg Swiftfarer to Thorolf, the son of
Kveldulf, who was a kinsman of Ketil. Then Ketil drew
together a band and was minded to give aid to Thorolf;
but King Harald went by inland ways over Eldueid and
got ships in Naumdale-folk and thus went north to Sand-
ness in Alost and took the life of Thorolf Kveldulf s son,
and then went from the north by an outer course and
came upon many men who were minded to go and aid
Thorolf and his people. At the same time the King dis-
persed them. But a short time afterwards Ketil Salmon
went north unto Torgar and burnt within their house
Harek and Hraerek, sons of Hildirid, who had slandered
Thorolf with a slander unto death, but after this Ketil
betook himself to a journey to Iceland, together with
Ingun his wife, and their sons.
He brought his ship unto Rang-river mouth and was
the first winter at Hrafn-tofts. Ketil took unto him all
the lands between Thiors-river (Steers-nwer) and Mark-
fleet, and within there by the counsel of Ketil, many noble
men afterwards took lands. Ketil made especially his
own the land between Rang-river and Hroars-brook, all
down below Frontwater and abode at Hof. So when
Ketil
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OF ICELAND. 193
[part V, CHAPTER III.]
Ketil had brought most of his goods to Hof, his wife gave
birth to Hrafn, who was the first Speaker-at-Law in
Iceland, hence the place is called Hrafn-tofts. Salmon
kept to hiriiself all lands east of Rang-river the eastern-
most, together with Vatnsfell all uato the brook that
flows east of Broad-lair-stead, as well as the lands above
Cross or ThwarUnwer (Thvera) all but Dafthak's-holt and
the moor which he gave to a man called Dafthak ;
Salmon was a man of exceeding great strength. Another
son of Salmon was called Helgi, he had for wife Valdis
Jolgeir's daughter, and their daughter was Helga, whom
Oddbjorn Ash-smith had for wife ; after him Addbjorn's
tomb bears its name. The children of Oddbjorn and
Helga,were these : Hroald, Kolbein, Holfinna, and Asvor.
A third son of Salmon was Horolf, whose children were
these: Orm the Strong, Otkel, and Hrafnhild, whom
Gunnar, the son of Baug, had for wife; their son was
Hamund, the father of Gunnar of Lithe-end. A fourth
son of Salmon was called Vestar, who had for wife her
who was called Moeid ; their daughter was Asmy, who
was the wife of Ofeig Snake ; their children were these :
Asmund Beardless, Asbjorn, Aldis, the mother of Brand
of Vellir, and Asvor, .the mother of Helgi the Swart;
another daughter was called Asa. A fifth son of Salmon
was called Herjolf, who was the father of Sumarlidi, the
father of Vetrlidi the Scald, both of whom lived at
Sumarlidis-by, a place that now is called Under-Brinks
(Undir-Brekkum). Thangbrand the Priest and Gudleif
Arason of Reek-Holar slew Vetrlidi for lampooning them.
Saebjorn the godi was a son of Hrafn, the son of Hoeng
(Salmon), he had for wife Unn, the daughter of Sigmund ;
a son of theirs was called Arngeir.
Sighvat the Red was the name of a noble man in
Halogaland, who had for wife Rannveig, the daughter of
Eyvind Lambi and of Sigrid, whom Thorolf, the son of
Kveldulf
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194 T^HE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER III.]
Kveldulf, had had for wife before. Rannveig was the
sister of Finn the Squinter. Sighvat went to Iceland by
his own desire, and took land by the counsel of Salmon
in his landtake, to the west, of Markfleet, the Mark of
Einhyrning, to wit above Deahng-river, and he abode at
Lairstead (Bolstad) ; his son was Sigmund, the father of
Mord Gig,'^ and of Sigfus in Hlid, and of Lambi at
Lambi's-stead, and of Rannveig, whom Hamund Gunnar's
son had for wife, and of Thorgerd, whom Onund Bill in
Floi had for wife. Another son of Sighvat was Barek,
the father of Thord, the father of Stein. Jorund the
godi, the son of Raven the Foolish, settled to the west of
the Fleet at a place now called Sverting's-stead, where he
reared a great temple. A three-cornered plot of land lay
unappropriated to the east of the Fleet, between Cross-
river and Jalda-stone. This plot of land Jorund went
round by fire and set it aside for the temple. Jorund had
for wife Thurid, the daughter of Thorbjorn from Gaular ;
their son was Valgard the godi, the father of Mofd, and
Ulf the "orgodi," from whom are descended the men of
Oddi and the Sturlungs, and from Jorund are come many
great men in Iceland.
Thorkel Bandaged-leg took land by the counsel of
Salmon, round about Three Corner (Thrihyrning) and
abode beneath that mountain, he was a man of exceeding
great strength. The children of Thorkel were these :
Bork the Bluetooth-beard, the father of Starkad beneath
Three Corner, and Thorny, whom Orm the Strong had
for wife, and Dagrun the mother of Bersi.
*Gi^= Fiddle: and in the Sa^a of Burnt Nial, of which he is one of the
most distinguished characters, he is called Fiddle Mord. See Dasent's " Burnt
Niall."
Bang
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OP" ICELAND. tgS
[part V, CHAPTER IVj
Bang settles Fleet-Lithe. Fatal fight at Sandholar-ferry
between the followers of Sigmund and followers of Stein
the Snell. Sons of Stein outlawed from Lithe. Many
and fatal blood suits result therefrom between Stein,
Onund, and their families.
Chapter IV. There was a man named Baug, who
was the foster-brother of Salmon, he went to Iceland and
was the first winter at Baug-stead, and the next with
Salmon ; he settled the whole of Fleet-Lithe (Fljotshlid)
by the counsel of Salmon, down from Broad-lairstead to
the boundary of Salmon and abode at Lith-end. His
sons were Gunnar at Gunnarsholt and Eyvind at Eyvind
Mull, a third son was Eyvind the Snell, and a daughter
he had called Hild, whom Orn in Vaela-garth had for
wife. Stein the Snell and Sigmund the son of Sighvat
the Red, were journeying together from the west from
Eyrar * and came to Sandholar-ferry all at one and the
same time, that is to say, Sigmund and the travelling
company of Stein, and each party wished to cross the
river first ; Sigmund and his party butted off the house-
carles of Stein, and drove them away from the ferry-boat,
and therewith Stein came up and dealt Sigmund forth-
with a death blow. For this manslaughter all the sons
of Baug were made outlaws from the Lithe,t and Gunnar
went away to Gunnar's-holt, and Eyvind went east to
the fells. Isle Fells (EyjafjoU) to Eyvind*s-holar, but
Snell-Stein to Snell-Stein*s-head. The daughter of Sig-
mund was grieved that her father's murderer should go
out thither, and she egged on Onund, her husband, to
avenge Sigmund. So Onund went with thirty men unto
Snell's-head and set fire to the abode there, and Snell-
* Now Eyrar-bakkt.
f Lithe --HM^The Slope,
Stein
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1^6 Tti^ 3^TTLEM£Nf
[part V, CHAPTER IV.]
Stein went out and gave himself up, and they took him
to the Head and slaughtered him there, and the blood
suit for that slaughter was taken up by Gunnar, who at
that time had for wife Hrafnhild, the daughter of Storolf,
and sister to Orm the Strong. Their son was Hamund,
and they were both men of exceeding great mettle as to
strength and prowess.
Onund was found guilty of the murder of Snell-Stein,
and abode at home with a large company of men for two
winters. Orn of Vaela-garth kept spies upon Onund.
The third winter, past yule-tide, Gunnar went with thirty
men upon Onund at the suggestion of Orn ; Onund
happened to be going from some sports with his horses
accompanied by eleven men, and both parties met in
Battledale (Orrostudal) where Onund and three men fell,
while there fell one of Gunnar's band. Gunnar had on a
blue cape and rode up along the Holts unto Steer's-river,
and a short way from the river he fell off his horse dead
from his wounds. \Yhen the sons of Onund, Sigmund
Kleykir, and Eilif the Wealthy grew up they besought
their kinsman, Mord the Gig, to take up the blood suit ;
but Mord said it was no easy matter seeing that the man
was a guilty outlaw ; but they answered that of Orn, who
was their nearest neighbour they had the greatest dishke,
so Mord advised that they should set afoot against Orn a
suit whereby to saddle him with the guilt of outlawry,
and get him driven out of the countryside. So the sons
of Onund undertook a suit against Orn for unlawful
grazing and the verdict of guilt against him came to this
that he should fall, unatoned, at the hands of the sons of
Onund, anywhere but within Vaelagarth and within an
arrowshot's range outside his own land. The sons of
Onund were continually laying ambush for him, but he
took good heed to himself. But in this manner they got
an opportunity of Orn, that he was driving cattle out of
his
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OP tCBLAMD. t97
[part V, CHAPTER IV.]
his land and thus they slew him, and those concerned
were disposed to think that he had fallen an unhallowed
man.'^^
Thorleif Spark, the brother of Orn, made a bargain
with Thormod, the son of Thiostar, that he should hallow
Orn ; Thormod had then just come out to Eyrar from
abroad and he shot an arrow from a hand bow so far
that the fall of Orn was within such bounds as the range
of his bowshot hallowed. Then Hamund Gunnar's son
and Thorleif took up the blood suit after Orn but Mord
backed up the brothers, the sons of Onund ; they had no
fine to pay but had to quit the countryside of Floi. Then
Mord wooed, on behalf of Eilif, Thorkatla, the daughter
of Ketilbjorn, and as dowry from home there went
with her the lands of Head, and there Eilif took up his
abode ; but on behalf of Sigmund, Mord wooed Arngunn,
the daughter of Thorstein Drang-carle, and he betook
himself east into those countrysides ; then also Mord
wedded Rannveig, his sister, to Hamund, the son of
Gunnar, who thereon betook himself back to the Lithe
(Fleet-lithe, Fljots-hlid) and their son was Gunnar of
Lithe-end.
Hildir and Hallgeir and their sister Ljot were all
descended from a stock in the Western Islands,! they
came to Iceland and took up land between the Fleet and
the Rang-river, the whole of the countryside of Eyjar up
to Thvera. Hildir abode at Hildisey ; he was the father
of Moeid ; Hallgeir dwelt in Hallgeirsey, and his daughter
was Mabil, whom Helgi, the son of Salmon, had for wife,
but Ljot had her dwelHng at Ljotstead.
* Oheilagr.
t That is from Scotland or Ireland.
Remarkable
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igS THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER V.l
Remarkable combat of Dufthak and Storolf in Oldugrof.
Orm the Enthralled first to settle Westman-Isles. Eilif
from Sogn settles land up to Troutwater and Viking-
brook. Bjorn from Sogn lives at Svinhagi and settles
land along Rang-river. Kol, son of Ottar Ball, settles
land east of Troutwater and Stot-brook with Troll-wood,
Fatal fight of Egily his son, with Gunnar ; other fatal
fights with Gunnar, Hrolf Redbeard settles land of
Holm between Fish-river and Rang-river ; resides at
Force (the Falls) ; he worships the Force ; his remark-
able power of distinguishing his sheep; fortells his own
death and destruction of his flocks.
Chapter V. Dufthak of Dufthaksholt was a freedman
of those brothers, he was a man of exceeding great
strength, as was also Storolf the son of Salmon, who
then abode at Hvol. Between them there befell a dispute
about grazing rights. A second-sighted man saw one
evening nigh to nightfall, that a great bear went out from
Hvol and a bull likewise out from Dufthaksholt, and they
met on Storolf s-wold and set in anger on each other, and
the bear got the best of it. In the morning it was seen
that a dell was left where they had encountered each
other, and the soil looked as if it had been turned inside
out and there the place is now called Alda-grove ; both
of them were hurt."
Orm the Enthralled, the son of Bard, the son of Barek,
the brother of Hallgrim Singed-balk, was the first to
people the Westman-Isles, where heretofore there had
only been a fishing station, and which few or none had
made a winter abode of. The daughter of Orm was
Haldora, whom Eilif, the son of Wall-Brand, had for wife.
Two brothers, Eilif and Bjorn, went away from Sogn
• Dufthak and Storolf were hurt — who by their magical power of shape-
changing had contended in the assumed forms of a bull and a bear.
to
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OF ICELAND. 199
[PART V, CHAPTER V.]
to Iceland. Eilif settled Oddi-the-Iittle up to Trout-
water and Viking-brook; he had for wife Helga, the
daughter of Onund Bill ; their son was Eilif the Young,
who had for wife Oddny, the daughter of Odd the
Slender ; their daughter was Thurid, whom Thorgeir of
Oddi had for wife ; their daughter again was Helga.
Bjorn abode at Svinehagi, and took land up along
Rang-river ; his children were these : Thorstein, the
father of Grim Holt-scull and Hallveig, the mother of
Thorun, who was the mother of Gudrun, the mother of
Saemund, the father of Bishop Brand.
There was a man named Kol, the son of Ottar Ball,
who took up land to the east of Troutwater and Stot-
brook west of Rang-river, together with Troll-wood, and
abode at Sandgill ; his son was Egil, who lay in ambush
for Gunnar, the son of Hamund, at Knave-hills, and fell
there himself, together with two Norwegians who were
with him, and his house-carle Ari, while of Gunnar's
company there fell Hjort, his brother. The sons of
Gunnar were Hrani and Hamund. Gunnar had also a
fight with Otkel from Kirkby near the home-field enclo-
sure at Hof, where fell both Otkel and Skamkel. Geir
the godi and Gizur the White, Asgrim the son of Ellida-
grim and Starkad from Three-corner, who was the son of
Bork Bluetooth-beard, the son of Thorkel Bandaged-leg,
who had for wife Thurid, the daughter of Egil of Sandgill.
All these went by the road called Leet-race and came by
night with thirty men to Lithe-end, where Gunnar had to
face them with only one man of ripe age ; two men fell
out of the company of Geir ; but sixteen were wounded
ere ever Gunnar was laid low.
There was a man called Hrolf Redbeard, he took, all
the land of Holm, between Fish-river and Rang-river,
and abode at Force ; his children were these : Thorstein
Redneb, who abode there afterwards, and Thora, the
mother
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200 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER V.]
mother of Thorkel Moon, and iEsa, the mother of Thorun,
the mother of Thorgeir of Lightwater, and Helga, the
mother of Odd from Mjosyndi. The daughter of Odd
was Asborg, who was the wife of Thorstein godi, the
father of Bjarni the Sage, the father of Skeggi, the father
of Markus Speaker-at-Law. Thorstein Redneb was a
great man at blood-offerings, he worshipped the force,
and all leavings of blood-offerings he commanded to be
thrown into the force ; he was also a man of keen sight
into things to come. Thorstein caused to be counted out
of a fold two thousand and four hundred sheep of his,
whereupon all the remainder in the fold rushed out
(uncounted) ; although his sheep were so many yet in
autumn he could tell which of them looked likely to
die (in the winter) and them he slaughtered. But the
last autumn he lived, he spoke at the sheepfold : " Cut
ye now down whichever sheep ye like, for now, either I
am a death-doomed man or else all my sheep are doomed,
or all of us together." But that winter on the same night
that he died all his sheep were driven into the force (by
tempest).*
* The power of knowing- and disting-uishing- sheep is very extraordinary amongrst
mountain shepherds at present, and the Translator knows a case in his own dis-
trict in which a farmer passing a field more than twenty miles from his home,
recofifnised and picked out from the sheep amongst which they were feeding, a
number of sheep that had been stolen from him. He identified them in a Court
of Justice, and they were eventually satisfactorily proved to have belonged to his
farm, though since he had lost them they had been sheared and every mark had
been removed that seemed likely to lead to their identity. The face of the sheep
is that to which the shepherd chiefly looks for recognition, and to the practised
shepherd the face of a sheep seems to be as easily distinguishable from that of
others as that of one man from another. Of course the shepherds of Iceland
had at a very early period to adopt some more definite means of the recognition
of their sheep than by the face and general appearance as implied here in the
case of Thorstein, and it appears from the Grdgds or collection of the Laws of
the Icelandic Commonwealth, that a general system of ear-marking (log-mark)
was adopted from very early times on Icelandic farms and that each farm had an
hereditary mark of its own. 'Ihese marks were called hamar (hammer) and
were often cut on the top of the sheep*s ears and belonged originally to the
heathen age denoting the Holy Mark of the Hammer of Thor. The marking
known in lakeland as key-bittmg seems most closely allied to it in form. Close
cropping or cutting off the whole of the sheep's ears was forbidden under penalty
of tne lesser outlawry, unless the matter had first been proclaimed at the Logretta
or Public Court of Law.
Harald
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OP ICELAND. 201
[part V, CHAPTER VI.]
Harald Fairhair causes Asgrim to be killed by Thororm.
Thorsfein Asgrim's son burns Thorqnn in, and then with
Thorgeir, his brother, sails for Iceland, By advice of
Flosi he settles the Rang-river plains above Viking-brook.
Buried treasure at Tent-stead,
Chapter VI. Ulf the Gilder was the name of a
mighty hersir in Thelamark and he lived at Fiflavellir
(Dandelion-field) ; his son was Asgrim, who there abode
afterwards. King Harald Fairhair sent Thororm of
Thruma, his kinsman, to claim taxes from Asgrim, but
he yielded none ; so the King sent Thororm a second time
for his head, and then he slew Asgrim. At that time
Thorstein, the son of Asgrim, was out on Viking journeys
and Thorgeir, another son of his, was but ten winters old.
Some time afterwards Thorstein came back from the
wars and laid his ship against Thruma, and burnt '•' Thor-
orm in his house, together with all his household ; the
stock he cut down and stole all the chattels ; whereupon
he went to Iceland, together with Thorgeir his brother
and a mother-sister of theirs called Thorun, who settled
all the Thorun Haws (necks).
Thorgeir bought the land of Oddi, from Hrafn, the son
of Salmon, both the strands and Warmdale, and all the
kind between Rang-riverf and Hroar's-brook ; he abode
first at Oddi, and then wedded Thordis, the daughter of
Eilif.
By the advice of Flosi, who had already made all
Rang-river plains his own, Thorstein took up land above
♦These "burning's in" thougfh recognised in blood feuds, were the most
barbarous cruelties practised by the northmen. The doors and windows of the
house were fastened from the outside, hay was placed against the house round
about, and set on fire, and the inmates when trying to escape were butchered or
driven back into the flames. The earliest mention of a ** burning in *' is in
Heimskringia at Upsula ; see Chapter 40 ; see also Egil's Saga 22 for "burning
in " of Thorolf by Harald Fairhair.
t Rang-ring, literally the wrong or " crooked " water probably takes its
name from the angle or bend near Oddi.
Viking-brook
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io2 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER VI.]
Viking-brook unto the boundary of Bjorn of Svinhagi,
and he abode in Skard the easternmost ; in his day there
came a ship into Rang-river-mouth, on board which
there was much sickness, and men would lend them no
help. So Thorstein went to them and brought them to
the place which is now called Tent-stead, and put up a
tent over them and tended them himself while they were
still alive, but they all died at last ; but the longest lived
of them buried a great treasure which has never been yet
found. From these things Thorstein was called Tent-
steading ; his sons were called Gunnar and Skeggi,
Flosi goes from Norway to Iceland on account of manslaughter
of King Harald*s bailiffs. His settlements by the Rang-
river, Ketil the One-handed, Ketil Char, Orm the
Wealthy, and ether settlers by the Rang-river,
Chapter VII. There was a man called Flosi, a son
of Thorbjorn from Gaular, who slew three bailiffs of
King Harald Fairhair, and then went to Iceland. He
took to himself land east of Rang-river, the whole of the
eastern Rang-river plains. His daughter was Asny, the
mother of Thurid, whom Brand o' the Fields had for wife.
A son of Brand o' the Fields was Flosi, the father of Kol-
bein, the father of Gudrun, whom Saemund Deep-in-Lore
had for wife. Flosi was wedded to Gudrun, the daughter
of Thorir, the son of Skeggbroddi, and their sons were
these : Kolbein, who has been named afore, and Bjarni,
the father of Bjarni, the father of Flosi, the father of
Valgerd, the mother of Lord Erlend, the father of Hauk.
For this reason Loft the Old went to do blood-offering
at Gaular, that Flosi was an outlaw in Norway. Flosi
the Norwegian had for wife Thordis the Mickle, the
daughter of Thorun the Wealthy, the daughter of Ketil
the One-handed, and their daughter was Asny, whom
Thorgeir had for wife. Ketil
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OF ICELAND. 203
[part V, CHAPTER VII.l
Ketil the One-handed was the name of a man who was
the son of Audun Thunnkar ; he took to him the whole
of the western Rang-river plains above Brook-bottoms,
and on the eastern side of Steer's-river, and abode at A
(A=river) ; he had for wife Aleif, the daughter of
Thorgils. Their son was Audun, the father of Brynjolf,
the father of Bergthor, the father of Thorlak, the father
of Thorhall, the father of Bishop Thorlak the Holy.
Ketil Char, the son of a brother of Ketil the One-
handed, took land on the western side of Steer's-river and
abode at Vellir the westernmost ; his son was Helgi Roe,
who had for wife Helga, the daughter of Rolf Redbeard,
and their son was Odd the Slender, the father of Asborg,
whom Thorstein godi had for wife, and of Oddny, whom
Eilif the Young wedded.
Orm the Wealthy, the son of Ulf the Keen, took land
along Rang-river, by the counsel of Ketil the One-handed,
and abode at Housegarth, where also dwelt after him his
son Askel ; but his son was the first to rear an abode at
Vellir and from him are come down the family of Vellir.
Thorstein Lunan was the name of a man of Norway
who was a great sea-farer ; about him it had been
prophesied that he would die in a country which, at that
time, was not yet peopled. Thorstein went in his old
age to Iceland, together with his son Thorgils ; they
settled the upper parts of Steer's-river-holts, and abode at
Lunan's-holt, and there Thorstein was buried in a howe.
A daughter of Thorgils was Asleif, whom Ketil the One-
handed had for wife, and their sons were these: Audun,
aforenamed, and Eilif, the father of Thorgeir, the father
of Skeggi, the father of Hjalti in Steer's-river-dale ; he
was the father of Jorun, the mother of Gudrun, the
mother of Einar, the father of Bishop Magnus.
Gunnstein Bearserks'-Bane, the son of Bolverk Blind-
ing-snout, slew two Bearserks, one of whom had slain
Earl
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204 l^tJ^ SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER VII.]
Earl Grjotgard at Solvi on the inner side of Agdaness.
Afterwards Gunstein was shot by a Finnish arrow on
board his ship, north in Hefnir. A son of Gunnstein was
Thorgeir, who had for wife Thorun the Wealthy, the
daughter of Ketil One-handed, and their daughter was
Thordis the Mickle.
Settlements of Raihorm and J olgeir from the west, and Askd
Hnokan, Thorkel Furcoat, Lopt the son of Orm, Thorvid
the son of Ulfar, and Thorarin, son of Thorkel.
Chapter VIII. Rathorm and Jolgeir, two brothers,
came from west away over sea to Iceland, and took land
between Steer's-river and Rang-river ; Rathorm became
owner of land to the east of Redbrook, and abode in
Vaetleifsholt ; his daughter was Arnbjorg, whom Sverting,
the son of Hrolleif, wedded, and their children were
Grim the Speaker-at-law and Jorun. Afterwards Arn-
bjorg was the wife of Gnup, the son of Molda Gnup, and
their children were Hallstein of Hialli (Hill) and Rann-
veig, the mother of Skapti the Speaker-at-law, and Geirny,
the mother of Scald-Raven. Jolgeir became owner of
land to the west of Redbrook unto Stonebrook, and
abode at Jolgeir's-stead.
Askel Hnokan, the son of Dufthak, the son of Dufnial,
who was the son of Kjarval, King of the Irish, took up
land between Stonebrook and Steer's-river, and abode in
AskePs-head ; his son was Asmund, the father of Asgaut,
the father 6f Skeggi, the father of Thorvald, the father of
Thorlaug, the mother of Thorgerd, the mother of Bishop
Jon the Holy.
Thorkel Furcoat, the foster-brother of Rathorm, got
ownership of all lands between Rang-river and Steer's-
river, and abode at Haf ; he had for wife Thorunn from
Orkney, and their daughter was Thordis, the mother of
Skeggi
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OF ICELAND. 205
[part V, CHAPTER VIII.]
Skeggi, the father of Thorvald of As ; from thence Hjalti,
his brother-in-law, got riding horses to the Althing for
himself and eleven followers when he came out with
Christianity ; but no one else dared avail Hjalti in this
manner on account of the overbearing ways of Runolf,
the son of Ulf, who had made Hjalti guilty of blasphemy.
Now are set down in writing the men who have taken
up lands within the landtake of Ketil Salmon.
Lopt, the son of Orm, the son of Frodi, came from
Gaular to Iceland while still in his youth, and took land
west of Steer's-river, between it and Rothay (Rau^a) and
up as far as Skufs-brook, also Broadmere the eastern-
most up as far as Sulaholt, and he abode in Gaulverjaby
together with his mother Oddny, who was the daughter
of Thorbjorn of Gaular.
Lopt went abroad every third summer on behalf of
himself and his mother's brother, Flosi, in order to do
sacrifice at the temple, of which Thorbjorn, his mother's
father, had been the guardian. From Lopt many great
folk are descended, such as Thorlak the Holy, Paul, and
Brand.
Thorvid, son of Ulfar, and brother of Hild, went away
from Vors to Iceland, but Lopt, his kinsman, gave him
land on Broadmere, and he abode at Vorsby. His
children Hrafn and Hallveig, whom Ozur the White had
for wife, and their son was Thorgrim Cheekbeard.
There was a man named Thorarin, son of Thorkel from
Alvidra, who was the son of Hallbjorn, the Hordlander's
Champion ; he brought his ship into Steer's-river-mouth
and had a Steer's head at the stem thereof, and from that
the river got its name. Thorarin took land above Skufs-
brook unto Rothay, along Steer's-river ; his daughter was
Heimlaug, whom Loft took it into his head to wed when
sixty years of age.
A ncestry
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2o6 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER IX.]
Ancestry of Harald Fairhair. Hastein driven by him from
Sogn betakes himself to Iceland; throws his Seat Stocks
overboard for an omen ; they come ashore at Stockseyri ;
settles between Rothay {Red-river) and Olvis-river up to
Full-brook. Settlements of Hallstein, Thorir, son of
hersir A si, Hrodgeir the Sage, and Onund Bil.
Chapter IX. Harald Goldbeard was the name of a
King in Sogn * ; he was married to Solvor, the daughter of
Earl Hundolf, and sister to Earl Atli the Slender ; their
daughters were these: Thora, the wife of Halfdan the
Black, King of the Uplanders, and Thurid, the wife of
Ketil Slate-river. Harald the Young was the son of Half-
dan and Thora ; to him Harald Goldbeard gave his name
and his realm. King Harald died the first of them, and
next to him Thora, but Harald the Young last ; and
then the realm came to King Halfdan, and to the rule
thereof he appointed Earl Atli the Slender.
Later King Halfdan t wedded Ragnhild, the daughter
of Sigurd Hart, and their son was Harald Fairhair.
When King Harald stepped into the reign in Norway and
allied himself with Earl Hakon, the son of Grjotgarth, he
handed over to Hakon, his father-in-law, the folk of Sogn,
while he himself (Harald) went east into the Wick. But
Earl Atli would not give up the rule till he should have
seen King Harald on the matter. Over this the Earls
strove with great mettle, and each drew an armed host
together, and they met at Stafnessvag in Fjalir and
fought. There Earl Hakon fell, and Atli was wounded
* Sogn -district represented by Sogne fiord and its coasts in modern map of
Norway.
t The reign of Halfdan the Black marks a most important epoch in the
Heimskringla or History of the Kings of Norway. Previous to his reign all the
history recorded therein is mythical, consisting chiefly of the history of the
Ynglings, a race of legendary sovereigns which include the Deities Odin, Niord,
Frey, and Freya. After Halfdan's reign, in the succession uf his son Harald
Fairhair (about 860) the Heimskringla becomes historical, and Harald's reign
is most closely connected throughout with the ** Book of the Settlement."
and
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OP ICELAND. . i6f
[part V, CHAPTER IX.]
and was carried to Atli's-isle where he died of his wounds.
After this Hastein kept to himself the rule of Sogn, until
King Harald and Earl Sigurd drew together an army
against him, whereupon Hastein fled away and betook
himself to journeying to Iceland. He had for wife Thora,
the daughter of Olvir, and their sons were Olvir and Atli.
According to ancient fashion, Hastein shot overboard his
seat-stocks out at sea and they drifted aland on Stalf-
jara facing Stockseyri (Stocks Island), but Hastein came
into Hastein-sound east of Stockseyri, and was wrecked
there.
Hastein took to himself land between Rothay^ and
Olvis-river up to Full-brook, and the whole of Broadmere
up to the Holts, and abode at Starstones, as did likewise
his son Olver after him ; that place is now called Olver's-
stead. Olver had all the land-take to the west of Grim*s-
river, Stockseyri to wit, and Asgaut's-stead, but Atli
owned all between Grim's-river and Rothay, and abode in
Trod-holt. Olver died leaving no children. Atli took
after him lands and loose chattels ; a freedman of his was
Bratt, in Brattholt, and another Leidolf of Leidolfstead.
AtH was the father of Thord the Deaf, the father of
Thorgils, the step-son of Errubein, the father of Grim
Babbler, the father of Ingjald, the father of Grim, the
father of Bork and of Einar, the father of Hallkatla,
whom Rafn, the son of Sveinbjorn, had for wife ; their
daughter was Steinun, the mother of Lord Rafn, and
Herdis, the mother of Atli, the father of Steinun, whom
Hauk, the son of Erlend, had for wife. Bork, the son of
Grim, was the father of Ragnhild, whom Flosi, son of
Bjarni, had for wife ; their children were Einar and
Bjarni and Valgerd, the mother of Lord Erlend, the
father of Hauk. Another daughter of Flosi was Thordis,
the mother of lady Ingigerd, the mother of lady Gudrun
and Hallbera the Abbess. Another daughter of Flosi
was Halla, the mother of Lord Christophorus.
There
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2o8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER IX.]
There was a man called Hallstein, who went from
Sogn to Iceland, he was a brother-in-Law of Hastein,
who gave to Hallstein the western part of Eyrarbank ; he
abode at Framness ; his son was Thorstein, the father of
Arngrim, who was slain as he was busy digging for
withered wood-stumps ; his son was Thorbjorn, who
abode at Framness.
Thorir, son of hersir Asi, the son of Ingjald, the son of
Hrvald, went to Iceland and settled the Rape of Kald-
nessings all up from Full-brook and abode at Sealforce ;
his son was Tyrfing, the father of Thurid, the mother of
Tyrfing, the father of Thorbjorn the Priest and the Priest
Hamund of Goddales.
Hrodgeir the Sage, and his brother Oddgeir, whom
Finn the Wealthy and Haven Orm bought out of his
landtake, took to themselves the Rape of the Hraun-
gerdings, and Oddgeir abode at Oddgeir's-holar ; his son
was Thorstein Ox-goader, the father of Hrodgeir, the
father of Ogur in Kambakista, but the daughter of Hrod-
geir the Sage was Gunnvor, whom Kolgrim the Old
wedded, thence are sprung the Kvistlings.
Onund Bill, who was mentioned before, took land to
the south of Hroar's-brook and abode at Onund's-holt ;
from him are sprung many men of greatness as is writ
before.
Settlements of Ozur the White and his freedman Bodvar,
Bodvar summoned for sheep-lifting. After his death his
house at Willowwood became the source of a fatal feud to
rival claimants, Thord slays Rafn from an ambush.
Chapter X. Ozur the White was the name of a man
who was the son of Thorleif of Sogn. Ozur committed a
manslaughter in holy places in the Uplands when he was
tending the bridals of Sigurd Risi ; on that account he
had
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OP iCELAtit). ^6g
[part V, CHAPTER X.]
had to flee away to Iceland, and there he settled first
all the land of the Holts between Steer's-river and
Hraun's-brook. When he committed the manslaughter
he was seventeen years old. He got for wife Hallveig,
the daughter of Thorvid ; their son was Thorgrim Cheek-
beard, the father of Ozur, the father of Thorbjorn, the
father of Thorarin, the father of Grim, the son of Tova.
Ozur abode in Kamp-holt. A freedman of his was named
Bodvar, who abode at Bodvar's-tofts by Vidiskog (Willow-
wood), and Ozur gave him a share in the wood, which he
reserved for himself in case Bodvar should die leaving no
children. Orn of Vaelagarth, already mentioned, sum-
moned Bodvar for sheep-lifting, and for that reason,
Bodvar conveyed to Atli, the son of Hastein, all his
belongings, and Atli brought to nought the suit of Orn.
Ozur died whilst Thorgrim as yet was young, and then
Hrafn, the son of Thorvid, took over the guardianship of
Thorgrim's goods. After the death of Bodvar, Hrafn
laid claim to Willowwood and forbade it Atli, but Atli
deemed he was owner thereof. Atli went with three men
to fetch wood (faggots) and there was Leidolf with him ;
of this Hrafn*s shepherd warned him (Hrafn) and he rode
after them with seven men. They met in Fight-dale and
fought there ; two of Hrafn's house-carles fell and he
himself was wounded ; but of Atli's side there fell one
house-carle, while he got wounds unto death and rode
home. Onund Bill parted them and bade Atli come into
his house. Thord the Deaf, the son of Atli, was then
nine winters old ; but when he was fifteen winters old,
Hrafn rode to meet a ship in Einar*s-haven ; he had on a
blue cloak and rode home by night. Thord lay in
ambush for him alone by Howe-ford, a short way from
Trodholt, and slew him there with a spear ; there is the
howe of Hrafn to the east of the path, while to the west
of it is the howe of Hastein and the howe of Atli and
Olver
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^10 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER X.]
Olver. These manslaughters were allowed to stand each
against the other. From this deed Thord rose in renown ;
he then married Thorun, the daughter of Asgeir East-
men's-Terror, who slew a ship's crew in the mouth of
Grim's-river, in revenge for a robbery he had to put up
with in Norway. At the age of two-and-twenty, Thord
bought him a ship in Knor-Sound, being minded to go
claim his heritage ; at the same time he hid (buried) a
great deal of wealth and therefore Thorun would not go
away with him, but took over his landed possessions.
Thorgils, the son of Thord, was a little over two winters
old. The ship of Thord was lost ; and a winter thereafter
came Thorgrim Errubein, the son of Thormod and
Thurid, the daughter of Ketilbjorn to Thorun, to look
after things with her. He wedded Thorun, and their son
was Haering.
Olaf Twinbrow was the name of a man who went from
Lofot to Iceland ; he took to him all the Skeid between
Steer's-river and White-river unto Sand-brook ; he was a
man of exceeding great strength. Olaf abode at Olaf s-
walls and he lies buried in Brow-howe beneath the Varda-
fell. Olaf had for wife Ashild, and their sons were Helgi
the Trusty and Thorir Snowdrift, the father of Thorkel
** GuUkar," the father of Orm, the father of Helga, who
was the mother of Odd, the son of Hallward. A third
son of Olaf was Vadi, the father of Gerd. Thorgrim set
his heart on Ashild when Olaf was dead, but Helgi would
chide him therefore, and he lay in ambush for Thorgrim
at the cross-roads below Ashild's-moor ; Helgi bade him
leave off coming to the house, but Thorgrim answered he
was no longer a child in mind, and so they fought and
Thorgrim fell there. Ashild asked where Helgi had
been, he sang this verse :
On
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OF ICELAND. 211
[part V, CHAPTER X.]
On that spot was I present,
Where Errubein fell earthward,
The friend of hosts pushed forward,
Where bright tongues sang loudly.
I made a gift to Odin
Of the stalwart son of Asmod,
Gaut's ^ feast to Gallows wielder,*
To raven corpse we yielded.
Ashild said he had cut for himself the undoing of his
own head. Helgi went and got for himself a berth in
Einar's-haven. Haering, the son of Thorgrim, was then
sixteen winters old, and he rode with two women to
Head to see Teit, the son of Gizur. Teit and his rode
fifteen in company to forbid Helgi taking passage abroad ;
they met in Mark-Hraun up away from Mark against'
Helgi's-hill and Helgi had three men. There Helgi fell,
together with one of his fellows, and on Teit*s side one
man fell ; these manslaughters were allowed to stand
against each other. A son of Helgi was Sigurd of the
Land, and Skefil out of Hawkdale, the father of Helgi
Deer, who fought with Sigurd, the son of Ljot Lingback,
in the holme of Axe-river at the Althing ; on which fight
Helgi wrote this :
My right hand it is bound up,
The Tyr of wave's bright fire
Fetched me a wound, I lie not,
Oh, Bil, o' the lea of serpents.
Another son of Skefil was Hrafn, the father of Grim,
the father of Asgeir, the father of Helgi.
(1) Gaut=Odin, his feast = sacrifice made to him in the shape of a slain
warrior.
(2) Gallows wielder^Odin.
Settlements
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ii2 THE SETTLE]\f£NT
fpART V, CHAPTER XI,]
Settlements of Thrand Much-sailings Olvir Bairncarle,
Thorbjorn Laxcarle, Thorbrand, and others who came
out late in the Landnamtide,
Chapter XI. Thrand, the Much-Sailing, the son of
Bjorn and brother to Eyvind the Eastman, who has been
written of before, fought in Hafur's-firth against King
Harald, and had to flee the land afterwards ; he came to
Iceland late in the tide of the landtakes, and he took land
between Steer's-river and Lax-river up into Kalf-riyer and
to Land-brook ; he abode in Thrand-holt and his daughter
was Helga, whom Thormod Shaft had for wife.
Olver Bairncarle was the name of a highly renowned
man in Norway, he was a great Viking ; he would not
allow children to be tossed on spear points as was then
the custom of Vikings ; hence he was called Bairncarle.
His sons were these : Steinolf, the father of Una, whom
Thorbjorn Laxcarle had for wife, and Einar, the father of
Ofeig Grettir and of Oleif Broad, the father of Thormod
Shaft. A third son of Olvir Bairncarle was Steinmod,
the father of Konal, the father of Alfdis of Barra, whom
Olaf Feilan wedded. The son of Konal was Steinmod,
the father of Haldora, whom Eilif, the son of Ketil One-
handed, had for wife. Those kinsmen, Ofeig Grettir and
Thormod Shaft, went to Iceland, and were the first
winter with Thorbjorn Laxcarle, their kinsman-in-law,
but in the spring he gave them the Rape of the men of
Gnup. Unto Ofeig he gave the western part, between
Thvera or Thwart-river and Calf-river, and abode at
Ofeig's-stead by Stein's-holt, but to Thormod he gave
the eastern part and he abode at Skapt-holt. The
daughters of Thormod were these : Thorvor, the mother
of Thorodd the godi, the father of Bjarni the Sage, who
was the father of Skeggi, the father of Markus the
Speaker-at-law, the father of Valgerd, the mother of
Bodvar
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OF ICELAND. 213
[part V, CHAPTER XI,]
Bodvar, the father of priest Thord, the father of Thorleif
of the Garths, and of Markus of Melar, and of Bodvar of
By. Law Skapti was the father of Thorstein Hollow-
mouth, the father of Gunnhild, the mother of Jodis, the
mother of Viborg, the mother of Magnus, the father of
Snorri of Melar. Ofeig fell by the hand of Thorbjorn
Earl's-Champion in Grettir's-lane by Heel. The daughter
of Ofeig was Aldis, the mother of Wall-Brand.
Thorbjorn Laxcarle settled the whole of Steer's-river-
dale and all of the Rape of the men of Gnup down to
Calf-river, and abode the first winter at Midhouse ; he
had three different winter abodes before ever he came to
Hagi, where he abode to his dying day. His sons were
these : Ottkel in Steer's-river-dale, and Thorkel Trandil,
and Thorgils, the father of Otkatla, the mother of Thor-
katla, the mother of Thorvald, the father of Dalla, the
mother of Bishop Gizur.
There was a man of Norwegian kindred called Thor-
bjorn EarPs-Champion ; he left the Orkneys for Iceland
and bought land in the Rape of the men of Hrani, from
Mar, the son of Naddod, all down below Seals-brook,
between it and Lax-river, and abode at Holar. His sons
were these : Solmund, the father of Singed-Kari, and
Thormod, the father of Finna, whom Thororm in Carle-
firth had for wife; their daughter was Alfgerd, the
mother of Guest, the father of Valgerd, the mother of
Thorleif Beiskald, who was the father of Alfeid, the
mother of Thorlak, the father of Priest Ketil, the father
of Herdis, the mother of the children of Bishop Paul.
Brondolf and Mar, the sons of Naddod and Jorun, the
daughter of Olvir Bairncarle, came to settle in Iceland at
an early time ; they took to them the Rape of the men of
Hrani as far as the watershed. Brondolf abode at Ber-
ghyl, and his sons were these : Thorleif, the father of
Brondolf, the father pf Thorkel Skotakoll (Shooting-pate),
the
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214 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER XI.]
the father of Thorarin, the father of Hall in Hawkdale,
and Thorlak, the father of Runolf, the father of Thorlak
the Bishop. Mar abode at Mar-stead; his son was
Beinir, the father of Kolgrima, the mother of Skeggi, the
father of Hjalti.
Thorbrand, the son of Thorbjorn the Dauntless, and
Asbrand, his son, came to Iceland late in the tide of the
landtakes, and Ketilbjorn showed them to a landtake
above the Mull that juts into the river called Stack-river,
and thence to Kaldakvisl, and they abode in Hawkdale.
. They found these lands too narrow, because the eastern-
most Tongue was already taken possession of. So they
eked out their landtake and took to them the upper part
of the Rape of the men of Hrani by a straight sight line
from the Mull to Ingjald's-gnup above Gyldarhagi. The
children of Asbrand were Vebrand and Arngerd ; Vebrand
was the father of Oddlaug, whom Sverting, the son of
Runolf, had for wife. Eyfreyd the Old settled the
easternmost Tongue between Kaldakvisl and White-river,'
and abode at Tongue ; with him came out Drumbodd,
who abode at Drumbodd-stead.
Ketilbjorn from Naumdale in Norway with a ship (tne Ellidi)
gives that name to the Ellidi'' s-river. His settlements at
Grimness, Langar-dale, Bishop's -tongue, and Mossfell.
Settlement of Asgeir at Lithe, Eilif at Head. Grim,
son of Vethorm, settles BowerfelL Hallkel fights with
and slays Grim for his land upon HallkeVs-hillocks,
Chapter XH. There was a man named Ketilbjorn,
one of high renown, in Naumdale; he was the son of
Ketil, and of Asa, the daughter of Earl Hakon, the son of
Grjotgarth ; he had for wife Helga, the daughter of
Thord Skeggi. Ketilbjorn went to Iceland when already
the land was settled wide about along the sea. He
steered
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OP ICELAND. ^li
[part V, CHAPTER XII.]
steered a ship called EUidi ; he hove in at the mouth of
ElHdi's-river down below the Heath, and was the first
winter with Thord Skeggi, his father-in-law. In the
the spring he went up across the Heath in order to look
for some choice of land ; they made for themselves a lair
over night and put up a Skali, where now the spot is
called Scale Brink, and when they went thence they came
to the river, which they called Axe-river, because they
lost their axe ; they tarried a while under the Mull of a
fell, which they named Trout Mull ; for there they left
behind the river trout which they had caught in the
river. Ketilbjorn took to him the whole of Grimness all
up away from Hoskuld's-brook, the whole of Laugar-dale
and the whole of Bishop's-tongue up to Stack-river, and
abode at Mossfell. Their children were Teit and Thor-
mod, Thorleif, Ketil, Thorkatla, Oddleif, Thorgerd,
Thurid ; a natural son of Ketilbjorn's was called Skaering.
Ketilbjorn was so wealth}^ in loose goods that he bade
his sons forge a cross beam of silver for the temple they
were building, and when they would not do that, he took
the silver by a yoke of oxen up to the top of the mountain,
he and his thrall Haki and his bondwoman Bot, and
there they hid the treasure so that it cannot be found.
Thereupon he killed Haki in Hakiskard and Bot in
Botskard. Teit had for wife Alof, the daughter of Bod-
var of Vors, who was the son of Viking- Kari ; their son
was Gizur the White, the father of Bishop Isleif, the
father of Bishop Gizur. Another son of Teit was Ketil-
bjorn, the father of Kol, the father of Thorkel, the father
of Kol, the Bishop of the men in Wick (Norway.) From
Ketilbjorn and his wife many distinguished men have
sprung.
There was a man named Asgeir, the son of Ulf, to
whom Ketil gave his daughter Thorgerd, and bestowed
upon her as a dowry from home all the Lithe-lands above
Hagagarth ;
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^d TtiE SkffLEME^t
[part V, CHAPTER XII.]
Hagagarth ; he dwelt at Lithe the westernmost ; their
son was Geir the godi, and Thorgeir, the father of Bard
of Mossfell. Eilif the Wealthy, the son of Onund Bill,
got for wife Thorkatla, the daughter of Ketilbjorn, and as
a dowry from home the lands of the Head were bestowed
upon her ; they abode at Head ; their son was Thorir,
the father of Thorarin " Saeling " (the Luxurious).
Vethorm, the son of Vemund the Old, was a mighty
hersir ; he fled away from King Harald east into Jamta
land and there cleared the woods for an abode. His son
was called Holmfast, but Grim was the name of a sister's
son of his ; they were out in the western Viking raid and
in the Hebrides they slew Earl Asbjorn Skerryblaze,
and took there for war booty Alof, his wife, and Arneid,
his daughter, who fell to Holmfast's lot, and by him was
handed over to his father to be a bondmaiden of his.
Grim got for wife Alof, the daughter of Thord the Wagging
whom the Earl had had for wife before. Grim went to
Iceland and took to him all Grimness up to Swine-water
and abode at Onwardness (Ondurtunes) for four winters,
and afterwards at Bowerfell ; his son was Thorgils, who
married ^Esa, the sister of Gest, and their sons were
Thorarin of Bowerfell and Jorund of Middlemead.
Hallkel, the brother of Ketilbjorn by the same mother,
came to Iceland and stayed with Ketilbjorn through the
first winter ; Ketilbjorn offered to give him land, but
Hallkel deemed it the way of a mannikin to take gift land,
so he challenged Grhn either to give up his lands or to
accept a Holmgang-fight. Grim fought on the Holm
with Hallkel beneath Hallkeirs-hillocks and fell there,
and there Hallkel abode ever after. His sons were these :
Otkel, whom Gunnar, the son of Hamundi slew, and
Odd of Kidberg, the father of Hallbjorn, who was slain at
at Hallbjorn's-beacons, and also Hallkel, the father of
Hallvard, the father of Thorstein, whom Einar the Shet-
lander
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OF ICELAND. 217
[part V, CHAPTER XII.]
lander slew. A son of Hallkel Oddson was Bjarni, the
father of Hall, .the father of Orm, the father of Bard, the
father of Valgerd, the mother of Haldora, whom Bishop
Magnus, the son of Gizur, had for wife. Now we come
to the landtake of Ingolf, and the men who hereafter are
told have taken up lands within his landtake.
Thorgrim Bill settles Bills-fell, cind Steinraud, his freedman,
gets the Waterlands, Hrolleif settles lands on the western
side of the Axe-river, which flows across the Thingwall,
Orm settles land east of the Warm-river (Hita). A If of
Agdir,from Norway, brings his ship into Alf's-os Inlet,
Settles lands to west of Warm-river ; resides at Gnupar.
Chapter XIII. Thorgrim Bill, the brother of Onund
Bill, settled all lands above Thvera and abode at Bills-fell.
A freedman of his was was Steinraud, the son of Mel-
patrick in Ireland ; he got for his own all the Waterlands
and abode at Steinraud's-stead. Steinraud was the
goodliest of men ; his son was Thormod, the father of
Kar, the father of Thormod, the father of Brand, the
father of Thorir, who had for wife Helga, the daughter
of Jon.
Hrolleif, the son of Einar, the son of Olvir Bairncarle,
came into Miry Creek at a time when all was settled along
the sea. He took all lands up towards those of Steinmod
on the western side of the Axe-river which flows across
the Thingwall (Thing Vellir) and abode at Heathby for
sundry winters. Then he challenged Eyvind in Kvigu-
vagar (Heifer-creek) to choose between Holmgang or
exchange of land with him, and Eyvind chose rather that
they should exchange the lands. For some winters after-
wards Eyvind abode at Heathly and went afterwards out
to Walrusness to By-Skerries, but Hrolleif abode after-
wards at Kvigu-vagar and there he is laid in how. His
son
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2i8 THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER XIII.]
son was Sverting, the fether of Grim, the Speaker-at-law
at Moss^felL*
Orm the Old was the son of Earl Eyvmd, the son of
Earl Armod, the son of Earl Nereid the Old. Orm
took land to the east of Warm -river unto Thvera and
round about all Ingolf*s-fell, and abode at Hvamm; his
son was Darri, the father of Orn. Earl Eyvind was with
Kjotvi the Wealthy against King Harald in Hafur's-firth.
Alf of Agdir ran away before King Harald out of Agdir
in Norway, and went to Iceland, and brought his ship
into an inlet which is named after him, being called Alfs-
os. He took to himself all lands to the wast of Warm-
river, and abode at Gnupar. Thorgrim, the son of
Grimolf, was a brother's son of Alf, and went west to
Iceland with him and took heritage after him, Alf having
no children. A son of Thorgrim was Eyvind, the father
of Thorodd the godi, and of Ozur, who had to wife Bera,
the daughter of Egil Skallagrimsson. The mother of
Thorgrim was Kormlod, the daughter of Kearbhal, the
King of the Irish. The daughter of Thorodd the godi was
Helga, the mother of Grim the Babbler, the father of
Ingjald, the father of Grim, the father of Bork, the father
of Ragnhild, the father of Valgerd, the mother of Lord
Erlend, the father of Hauk.
Note to Chapter XIII. The Plain of Thing Vellir. The
Axe-river (Oxard) and the Althing.
In connection with the Plain of Thing Vellir and the
Axe-river, the following extract will be of interest : —
" Independently of its natural curiosities, Thing Vellir
was most interesting on account of the historical associa-
tions connected with it. Here long ago, at a time
when feudal despotism was the only government known
throughout Europe, free Parliaments used to sit in peace
and
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OP tC£LAMD. 2i<)
[part V, CHAPTER XIII.]
and regulate the affairs of the young Icelandic Republic ;
and to this hour the precincts of its Commons House of
Parliament are as distinct and unchanged as on the day
when the high hearted fathers of the Settlement first
consecratep them to the service of a free nation. By a
freak of nature, as the subsiding plain of lava (with a
centre area of 50 square miles) cracked and shivered into
twenty thousand fissures, an irregular oval mass of about
two hundred feet by fifty was left almost entirely sur-
rounded by a crevice so deep and broad as to be utterly
impassable ; at one extremity alone a scanty causeway
connected it with the adjoining level and allowed of
access to its interior. It is true just at one point the
encircling chasm grow so narrow as to be within the
possibility of a jump; and an ancient worthy named
Flosi, pursued by his enemies, did actually take it at a
fly, but as leaping an inch short would have entailed
certain drowning in the bright green waters that sleep
forty feet below, you can conceive there never was much
danger of this entrance becoming a thoroughfare. This
spot then, erected by nature almost into a fortress, the
founders of the Icelandic Constitution chose for the
meetings of their Althing or Parliament, armed guards
defended tho entrance, while the grown bonders (bondi)
deliberated in security within, to this day at the upper
end of the place of meeting, may be seen three hummocks,
where sat in state the Chiefs and Judges of the land.
From the Althing we strolled over to the Almanna Gja
(chasm) visiting the Pool of Execution on our way. The
river from the plateau leaps over the precipice into the
bottom of the Gja, and flows for a certain distance
between its walls. At the foot of the fall the waters
linger for a moment in dark, deep, brimming pool,
hemmed in by a circle of ruined rocks, and to this pool
in ancient days all women convicted of capital crimes
were
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iLio THE SETTLEMENT
[part V, CHAPTER XIII.]
were immediately taken and drowned. Witchcraft -^' seems
to have been the principal weakness of ladies in those
days throughout the Scandinavian countries.
A walk of about twenty minutes brought us to the
borders of the lake — a glorious expanse of water fifteen
miles long by eight miles broad, occupying a basin formed
by the same hills, which must have arrested the further
progress of the lava torrent. A lovelier scene I have
seldom witnessed. In the foreground lay huge masses of
rock and lava, tossed about hke the ruins of a world, and
washed by waters as bright and green as polished malu-
chite. Beyond a bevy of distant mountains, robed by
transparent atmosphere in tints unknown to Europe,
peeped over each other's shoulders into the silver mirror
at their feet, while here and there fr'om among their
purple ridges, columns of white vapour rose like altar
smoke toward the tranquil heaven." — Lord Dvfferin's
Letters from High Latitudes,
Thorir Harvestmirk settles Sealcreek (Selvag) and Creasy-
wick. Steinun the Old buys from higolf, her kinsman ^
Walriisnes for a spotted cloak ; gives land to her kinsman
Eyvind, Herjolf,f mentioned before, gets land from
Ingclf between Reekness and Veg. Heijolf, his grand-
son, fares to Greenland and is drawn into the ocean-whirl.
In his ship a man from the Hebrides writes the Poem of
'' The Ocean Whirls
Chapter XIV. Thorir Harvestmirk took to him Seal-
creek (Selvag) and Krysuvik (Creasywick) but his son
Hegg abode at Vag. Another son of his, Bodmod, was
father of Thorarin, the father of Sugandi, the father of
* It would Feem from II, 9, pajre 44, that witches were at times tried by
duradom or Court held at the door of the defendant, a sort of Court of the
*' first instance."
fThe adventures and Settlement of Ingolf and his companions are related in
Part I, Chapter V, page 7.
Thorvard
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OP' tCELA^ib. 22i
[part V, CHAPTER XIV.]
Thorvard, the father of Thorhild, the mother of Sigurd,
the son of Thorgrim. The sons of Moldagnup settled
Grindavik (Porpoise Bay) as is written before.
Steinun the Old, a kinswoman of Ingolf, went out to
Iceland, and was with Ingolf the first Vinter; he offered
to give her the whole of Walrusnes west of Sharp-lava
(Hvassahraun), but she gave for it a spotted cloak* and
desired that that should pass for a bargain, as thus she
would be more secure against disputes as to her title to
the land. Herlaug, the brother of Skallagrim, had had
Steinun for wife formerly, and their sons were Nial and
Arnor.
There was a man named Eyvind, a kinsman and
foster son of Steinun, to him she gave land between
Heifsr-creek-fell and Sharp-lava ; his son was Egil, the
the father of Thorarin, the father of Sigmund, the father
of Thorarna, the mother of Thorbjorn in Krysuvik, and
of Alof, the mother of Finn the Speaker-at-Law, and of
Freygerd, the mother of Lopt, the father of Gudlaug the
smith. Herjolf, he of whom the story is before recorded,
was a kinsman and a foster brother of Ingolf, hence
Ingolf gave him land between Reekness (Reykjanes) and
Vag ; his son was Bard, the father of that Herjolf who
went to Iceland and got into the ocean-whirl ; on his
ship was a man hailing from the Hebrides, who wrote the
Ocean-whirl-drapa, a poem, whereof this is the beginning :
Let all listen to our skaldship
(The drink of the dwarfs hall).
Asbjorn, the son of Ozur, a brother's son of Ingolf,
took land between Lavaholt-brook (Hraunsholts-laekr)
and Sharplava, the whole of Swansness, and abode at
• Hecla=cloak or hood, hence Mount Hecla=*the cloaked or hooded mountain ;
its hood is mist or vapour.
Skuli's-stead ;
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^2i ttlE settl^memt
fPART V, CHAPTER XIV.]
Skuli's-stead : his son was Egil, the father of Ozur, the
father of Thorarin, the father of Olaf, the father of Svein-
bjorn, the father of Styrkar, the father of Goatbjorn, the
father of Thorstein and Gizur of Sealtarnness (Seltjar-
narness).
Names of the noblest landtakemcn. The land completely
settled in sixty years. Names of the greatest Chieftains
in the four Quarters at the end of 120 years. Most
settlers from the west (BritisJi Islands) were baptised
Christians. Relapse of their descendants into heathenism
for about 120 years.
Chapter XV. Now have been gone over the land-
takes which we have heard of as having taken place in
Iceland.
Of landtake men these have been the noblest in the
Quarter of the Southlanders : Hrafn the Foolish, Ketil
Salmon, Sighvat the Red, Hastein Atli's son, Ketilbjorn
the Old, Ingolf, Orlyg the Old, Helgi Bjola, Kolgrim the
Old, Bjorn Goldbearer, Onund Broadbeard.
So many men of lore aver, that the whole land was
settled in the course of sixty winters, so that since it has
not been further peopled.''' Then there were still alive
many of the landtake men and their wives. But when
the land had been peopled for sixty years (more) these
were the greatest Chiefs of the land : —
In the Southlanders Quarter : Mord Gig, Jorund the
godi, Geir the godi, Thorstein IngolPs son, Tongue-Odd.
* For census estimating bond! or landowners see III, 20; Page 162 note.
Population in Iceland in A.D. i8o[ was 46,240.
„ „ „ I SSo was 72,442.^
„ „ ,, 1888 was 69,224.
Since 1870 there has been very ^reat emigration to America, especially to the
far noith-west of Canada where an Icelandic community is formed and a news-
paper issued in Icelandic.
In
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OF ICELAND. 223
[part V, CHAPTER XV.]
In the Westfirthers Quarter: Egil Skallagrimsson,
Thorgrim Kjallak's son, Thord the Yeller.
In the North: Midfirth-Skefgi, Thorstein In^imund's
son, the Goddale men, the sons of Hjalti, Eyjolf, the son
of Val^erd, Askel the godi.
In the Eastfirthers Quarter : Thorstein the White,
Hrafnkel the godi, Thorstein, the father of Hall-o'-Side,
Thord Freysgodi ; Hrafn, the son of Salmon, had at that
time the Chief Speakership-at-law.* *
Wise men say that sundry of the landtake men who
took up their abode in Iceland were baptised, most
indeed, of those who came from west beyond the sea ;
among these are mentioned Helgi the Lean, Orlyg the
Old, Helgi Bjola, Jorund the Christian, Aud the Deep-
minded, Ketil the Foolish, and yet some more of those
who came from west beyond the sea. Some of these
held faithfully to their belief unto the day of their death,
but in few cases did this pass on from parents to progeny,
for the sons of some of these men reared Temples and
did sacrifices, and wholly heathen the land remained for
well-nigh a hundred winters.!
• Some of the names given in this hst mark the time of the Sajras in whose
events they took a very prominent part, e.g. Mord Gig in ** Burnt Nial," and
Egil the hero of the bigil Saga.
t The Icelandic has a duodecimal system of notation, so one hundred as here
mentioned is equivalent to one hundred and twenty. — Translator.
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(224)
PLACE NAMES,
Being the Register of all the Place Names, Farm Names, and
Tribe Names contained in the Booh of the Settlement.
It was as a means of comparing the Icelandic Language
and Place Names with the Place Names and Dialect of
Cumberland, Westmorland, and Furness, that originally
about eleven years ago I commenced this work. I in-
tended when I started to translate a chapter, or perhaps
two chapters, of the Book of the Icelandic Settlement
for the purpose of such comment and comparison.
In the years that have elapsed since, the work has
widened out to its present proportions ; it is still, how-
ever, as a record of Icelandic Place Names in comparison
with North English Place Names upon which it grounds
its chief claim to. consideration. Hence the following
Index and Reference of Place Names has occupied weeks
and months of careful thought and work, and has been
most carefully gone over and revised again and again by
me, and I have given a reference to Part and Chapter
where each Place Name is found, so that the student
interested in tracing out and foUowing'the connexion and
history of such Place Names may at once turn to where-
ever it occurs in the body of the work. This has been a
work irpplying much comparison and research. I have
also from my own examination, or from the best authority
available, given in italics the meaning of each Place
Name, as such meaning is often of important service in
following out the connexion of the history, and will be
available also for use in comparing those Icelandic Place
Names with our own Place Names in the north.
The
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The Norsemen, as will be seen from the note at page
1 60, considered the giving of Place Names as a solemn
ceremony in the act of Settlement, by which they dedi-
cated the land to the God, and thereafter held it from
him for their own use. Hence all Place Names were
very carefully and very methodically given, and each
marks some characteristic description, some distinguished
chieftain, or some notable event in the early History of
the Settlement.
The following Register " should be carefully compared
with the names upon the map, commencing with the
settlement of Kalman in ]7verar J^ing in the Quarter of the
Western Firths, Part II, page 27. Some slight difierences
exist between the names in the index and those on the
map — fjord or fjardar on the map is generally ^r/A in the
index ; and ]? and 'S on the map are represented by Th
and d in the index ; map hei'8i=register heath, and a or
ar in map is often river, as also is fljot, vatn, laekr, and
straum.
Rivers, as will be seen, form an essential factor in the
great work of the division of landtakes. The Place
Names of Norway to be found in the Book of the Settle-
ment, have been so annotated, either in the body of this
work or in the following register, that their modern locality
will be easily found upon a good modern map of Norway.
The meaning of each Place Name is put in Italics
immediately after the Place Name.
• Ferguson in his Northmen in Cumberland and Westmorland, expresses some
doubt about how and when Norwegian Place Names as distinguished from
Danish Place Names found their way to the north-west of our island. Anyone
carefully reading the story of the Settlement and comparing the words in the
following Register with North English Place Names, will find such doubt cleared
up.
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(226)
LIST OF PLACE NAMES.
A, River, W, ii ; v, 7.
Adalvik, Main fVick, ii, 20-31.
Asvaldsnes, AsvaltTs-ness, ii, 31.
Agdancs, v, 7.
Agdir, ii, 19 bis, 21, 26; iii, 19.
Akrafell, Cornfield mountain, i, 15.
Akranes, Corn/ield-ness, i, 15 I'is, 17, 20,
21 bis; ii, i.
Akrar, Cornfie.ldSy ii, 4.
Alfgeirsvellir, Alfgeir^s-lield, iii, 6.
Alfsnes, Alf's-ness, i, 11.
Alfsos, Al/'S'inlet, v, 13.
All, iii, 6.
Almannafljot, i4// mew's rirer, iv, 11.
Almannagja, AU 7nen*s gorge or rift
Almdalir in Norway, Elm-dale, iv, i.
Almenningar, All men's land, commons,
ii, 20.
Alptafjordr, The Lower, Swan-Jirth, iv, 7.
„ The Southern, i. 4 ; iv, 4-7.
„ Off BroadBrth, ii, 59, 13 bis,
14.
„ In Greenland, ii, 14.
,, Off Icefirth, ii, 29.
Alptanes, Sivaji^S'?iess, i, 14, 19,* 24; ii, 4
bis, 24; iv, 12.
Alptaver, Swan^s-haunts, iv, 12.
Alvidra in Dyrafirth, All weather, iij 27, 29.
Alvidra in Norway, v. 8.
Althing^, iii, i ; 5, 10. For Althing, see
note under iv, 7.
Alost in Sandnes, i, iS ; v, 3.
Ambattara, Bondmaid' s-river, iii, i,
Anabrekka, Ani^s-brink, ii, 4.
Anavik in Greenland, AnVs-wick.
Andakilsa, Duck'-p'tol-river, i, 17, 19.
Andarkelda, Duck Bog.
Armenia, Armenia.
Arnallstadir, Arnall{ldy s-stead, iv, 3.
Arnarbaeli, Eagles* s-seat, ii, 3.
Arpafell, ArnVs mountain^ iii, 8,
Arnarfjordr, Eagle-Jirth, ii, 26 bis. 27 ;
i". 13.
Arnarholt, Orn*S'WOod, i, 19 j ii, 3, 13.
Arnarhvall, Om^s-knolly i, 7.
Arnarhvoll, Eaglets-hill, iii, 16.
Arnarnes, Eagle* s-ness, iii, 13.
Arnarthufa, Eaglets-hummock, iii, 20.
Arnbjargarlaekr, Arnborg*s-brook, ii, 3.
Arneidarstadir, Arneid* s-stead, iv, 2.
Arnlaugsfjordr in Greenland, Arnlaug^s-
firth, ii, 14.
As, T/ie Ridge, i, 21 ; v, 8 j iii, 20.
Asar, The Ridges, iv, 11.
Asbjarnarnes, Osbern s-ness, iii, 4.
Asbjarnarstadir, Osbern* s-stead, ii, 2.
Asbjarnavick, Osbern* s-wick, iii, 19.
Asgautsstadir, Osgaut* s-stead, v, 9.
Asgeirsa, Osgar*s-river, iii, i.
Ashildarmyri, Ashild'S'moor,v, 10.
Asia, i4.f{a.
Askelshofdi, Oskettle*s-head, v, 8.
Asmundarleidi, Osmund*s grave, ii, 6.
Asolfskali, Oswulf*s house, i, 15, 16.
Atlahaugr, i4//f5 Aoi/^, v, 10.
Atley, Atli*s Isle, ii, 55 v, 9.
Audarstein, Name of stone marking Queen
Aud*s grave, see ii, 19,
Audartoptir, Aud's-tojls, ii, 16.
Audbrekka, Aud*s-brink.
Audbrekku-menn, Aud*s-brink-men, iii,
13.
Audkulustadir, A ud-k noil-stead, iii, 5.
Audnar, The ffastes, v, 2.
Audolfsstadir, Eaduulf s-stead, iii, 5, 19.
Audsatadir, Aud* s-stead, i, 21.
Audunarstadir, Eadwin* s-stead, iii, i.
Aug^astadir, Eye-stead, i, 21.
Aungley, Angle {hook) island, iii, 17.
Austfirdingafjordungr or Eastfirth Settle-
ments, iv, I, 13 ; V, I, 15.
AustHrdingar. see above.
Aystfirdir, East-Jirths, i, i, 4; v, i.
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PLACE NAMES,
227
Austgordr, East^firth.
Austmadr, Eastman^ Norwegian, ii, 28.
Austmenn, plural Eastmen, ii, 31, 33 ^i*>
V, 5> 10-
Austrbygd in Greenland, East Settlement,
Austrvegr, Eastern Baltic, iii, i.
Axlarhagi, Axle {shoulder) Haws, iii, 8.
Axlhcging^r, Axi'hegings, iii, 8.
B.
Bakkaholt, Bank wood,
Balkastadir Bulk {balk)'Stead, ii, 32.
Ballard, Ball-river, i, 21 ; ii, 24.
Bard, Hill-edge, i, 12; ii, 26; iii, 10, 11.
Bdrdardalr, Bard's-dale, iii, 18 ; iv, 10.
Bardagata, Battle toe, iii, 18 j iv, 10.
Bardastrond, Fish {or Shield) Strand, i, 2,
14; ii, 25.
Bardsnes, Edge-ness, iv, 6 bis.
Bardsvik, Edge-wick, ii, 20.
Bardverjar, Men of Bard, iii, 11.
Bareyskr, From Barra Island, Hebrides.
Baugsstadir, Ring-stead, iv, i ; v, 4.
Beigadarhvoll, Beiga'Vs-knoll, iii, 3.
Beigaldi, ii, ^.
Bekanstadir, Bekan^s-stead, i, 17.
Belgsdalr, Bag-dale, ii, 21.
Belgsstadir, Bag-stead, ii, 21.
Berg, Mountain, iv, 7.
Berghylr, Mountain Pool, v, 11.
Bergthorshvall, Bergthor\s-hill.
Berjadalsa, Berriekle-river, i, 17.
Bersastadir, Bersifs-stead, ii, 32.
Berserkseyri, Bearsark^s-isle, ii, 10.
Berufell, see Burfell.
Berufirdingar, iWe« 0/ Berujirth, iv, 7.
Berufjordr, ii, 22 bis, 26; iv, 7.
Beruvik, Beards {female bear's) wick.
Beruvikrhraun, Beruvik-lava, ii, 7, 8.
Bjargaos, Roeksmouth, iii, i.
Bjarkey, 5irrA Island, iii, 11.
Bjarmaland, Perm in Russia, ii, 19.
Bjarmar, Perm, ii, 19.
Bjarnardalr, Bear-dale, ii, 3.
Bjarnarfjordf, /^irM, ii, 31, 32.
Bjarnarhofn, Bjorn^i-huven, 11, 11 his.
Bjarnastadir, BjarnVs-stead, ii, 1.
Bjarneyjafloi, Bear-isle Bay, ii, 19.
Bildsa, Axe-river, or from bild, a sheep
with spotted chseks, iii, 12.
Bildsfell, V, 13.
Bishupstunga, Bishop* s Tongue, v, 12.
Bitra, Bitterness, ii, 20, 32.
Bjorjjin, Bergen or the Precipices, i, i bis,
Blanda, Whey-river, iii, 5,
Blasekr in Greenland, Blue Shirt, ii, 14.
Blaskogar, Blue fVoois, i, 19.
Blaskogsa, Blue Hoods-river,
Blesastadir, Horse-stead,* ii, 3.
Elundsvaitn, Blund {slumber) Water, i, 20.
Blondudalr, Whey-dale, iii, 3, 5.
Blonduhlid, The slope up from the river
Blanda, iii, 8.
Blondukvislir, Branches 0/ Blanda, iii, 7.
Blonduos, Mouth oj Blanda, iii, 5.
Bolstadard, Lairstead-river, iii, 8.
Bolstad, Lairslead, v, 3.
Bolungarvik, Wood-pile-wick, ii, 29.
Bordeyri, Boardors, ii, 33 dw.
Borg or Burg, AJortress, i, 19; iii, 4.
Borgardalr, Borgdale. ii, 13.
Borgarfjardarfloi, /«/^^ 0/ Burgfirth, i,
12, in note.
Borgarfjordr, ditto, i, 2, 19, 20; ii, 5, 14,
24 ; iii, 4 in Eastfirth j iv, 4.
Borgarholt, Burgh-wood, ii, 6, 11.
Borgarhraun, Burgh-lava, i, 19 j ii, 5.
Borgarhofn, Burgh-water, iv, 7, 9.
Borgarlaekr, Burgh-brook, ii, 11.
Borgarsandr, Burgh-sand, iii, 7.
Botarskard, Pfl55 of B6t, v, 12.
Botn, Bottom, i, 14.
Botnsa, Bottom' s-river, i, 14.
Brjanslaekr, Brien's-brook, i, 2.
Brattahlid in Greenland, 5/^^^ 5/o^^, ii,
14.
Brattsholt, Copsewood of Bratt,
Brautarholt, Road wood, i, 14,
BravoUr, Brow field.
Breida, Broad-river, iv, 10.
• Blesi, a horse with a white star on his forehead.
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22^
PLACE NAMES.
Breidabolstadr in Fellhversi, Broad-lai'r'
stead, iv, 9.
in Fljotshlid, v, 3, 4.
in Pappyli, iv, 10.
in Reykjardal, i, 20 bis.
in Sidu.
in Skogfarstrond.
in Sokkolfsdal, ii, 17.
in Vestrhop, iii, 5.
Breidamyri, Broad-moor, v, 8 bis, 9.
Breidasandr, Broad-sand, iv, 10.
Breidavad, Broad-ford.
Breidavik, Broad-wick, ii, 13; iv, 4.
Breiddale, Broad-dale, iv, 3, 7 bis.
Breiddaelr, Men of Broad-dale, iv, 7.
Breidfirdingr, Men of Broad-firth, iii, 10.
Breidifjdrdr, Broad-firth, i, 2; ii, 5, 12
bis, 14 bis, 16, 19, 24, 26 ; iii, 20.
Breidvikingar, Men of Broad-wick.
Brekka, Brinks or Fairbrink, ii, 28, 33 bis.
Brekkur, Brink, v, 3.
Brenna, The burning ; marks a burning"
in, ii, 2.
Brenningr, The burning, ii, 7.
Bretland, Britain, Prologue.
Brimar, Bremen.
Brimilsvellir, Seal Field, ii, 9.
Brimnesskogar, Surfness Shaws, iii, 8.
Brokcy, 5/ar^ ^ros^ Island, ii, 14.
Brunahaugr, -^(wo of Brunt, v, 10.
Brunastadir, Brun-stead.
Bryndxiir, Men of Brynjadal^ \, 14.
Brynjudalr, Bryndale, i, 14 61s.
Brynjudalsd, Bryndale-river, ii, 25.
Budardal, Boothdale, ii, 19.
Buland, Home-land, iv, 11, 12.
Bulandshofdi, Home-head, W, 9.
Bulandsnes, Home-ness, iv, 7.
Burfell, Bower-fell, ii, 25.
Byrgisvik, ii, 32.
Baegisa, Bcegis-river, iii, 14.
Baijarsker, Farm Skerry, v, 13.
Baer, Dwelling, ii, 32; iv, 7; v, 11.
Bodmodshorn, Bodmod's'horn, iv, ii.
Bodmodstunga, Bodmod's-tongue, iv, ii.
Bodmod, Battle Mood.
Bodvarsdalr, Bodvar's-dales, iii, 20; iv, 2.
Bodvarsholar, Bodvar*s-knolls, iii, t.
Bddvasholt, Bodvar's-wood, iv, 8.
Bodvarstopter, Bodvar's-tofts, v, 10.
Dala lond, ii, 16.
Dalir, Dales, ii, 5, 17, 18, 22; ii, 26;
iii, I.
Dal^ordr, Dale^s-firth, i, 3.
Danir, Danes, v, i.
Danmork, Denmark, i, i ; iii, i ; v, i.
Deildara, Dealing or Divide-river, two
streams so called, v, 2, 3.
Deildarey, Divide-river Island, ii, 19.
Deildargil, Divide-river Gill, i, 21.
Deildarhjalli, from deild=dale or divi-
sion of land ; and hjalli^hill;
iii, 4, 5-
Digranes, Digra-ness, iv, i.
Dimunarvigr, ii, 14.
Djupa, Deep-river, iii, 8.
Pjupidalir, Deep-dale, iii, 16.
Djupifjordr, Deep-firth, ii, 23.
Drangaland, Rock-land, ii, 3 1 .
Drangar, used of lonely upstanding rocks,
and in popular lore believed to be
giants turned into stone, i, 11, 14;
ii, 31; iii, 14.
Drangarik, ii, 31.
Drapuhlid, ii, 11.
Drifandi, iv, 11.
Dritsker, Dirt-skerry, ii, 12.
Drumboddstadir, v, 1 1 .
Dufansdalir, ii, 26.
Dufunefsskeid, Doveneb^s-course, iii, 8.
Dufthaksholt, Dufthak's-wood, v, 3, 5.
I^ufthaksskor, Dufthak^s-scar, i, 7.
Dumbshaf, Foggy Sea, i.e. the Polar Sea,
iii, 12.
Dyflinn in Ireland, Dublin, i, i, 19 ; ii, 15.
Dyflinarskiri, Dublin's shire or district,
", 15.
Dynskogar, Din Shaws, iv, 12.
Dyrafjordr, Dyra-firth, ii, 27.
Dogurdara, Day-meal-river, ii, 16, 19.
Dogurdarness, Day-meal'ness, ii, 9; ii, 16.
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PLACE NAMES.
229
E.
Egdskr, V, 13.
Egilsstadir, Eg'U-steai, Iv, i.
Eid, Isthmus, i, 7.
EilifsJalsa, Elif s-dale'river , i, 13.
Einarsfjordr in Greenland, ii, 14.
Rinarshofn, Einar^s-haven, v, 10.
Einarssker, Einar's-scar, ii, 1 1 .
Einarstadir, Einar' S'stead , iii, 19.
Eingihlid, Eingis lithe, iii, 5.
Eingines, ii, 31.
Einhyrningsmork, v, 3.
Eireksey, Eirek's-isle, ii, 14.
Fireksfjordr, Eirek^s- firth, ii, 14.
Eireksholmar in Greenland, Eirek^s-holm,
ii, 14.
Eireksstadir, Eirek^s-stead, ii, 14.
Eireksvagr, Eirek's-bight, ii, 14.
Eidgrimstadir, E! grim-stead, ii, 3.
Eldueid, Eldu's-isthmus, v, 3.
Ellidaaros, Ellid is-river-mouth , v, 12.
Ellida;y, Ellid is-isle, \\, 19.
England, ii, 18; iii, i.
Enni, Steep crag or precipice^ a mountain
bluff near Frodis-toater, ii, 8.
Enskr, English, Prologue.
Esjuberg, i, 12, 13, 20; ii, 2.
Esjubergingar, From Esjuberg, i, 12.
Eskifjordr, iv, 6.
Eskiholt, ii, 4.
Espiholl, Aspknott, iii, 16, 20.
Exara, v, 13.
Ey or Eyja, an island.
Eyjorfjardar^, I stand- firth-river, iii, 12,
16.
Eyjafjoll, Isle-fells, \, 15.
Eyjafjordr, Island-firth, ii, 25, 29; iii, 12.
Eyjarii, Island-river, iv, 12.
EyjardalsiC, Island-dale-river, iii, 18.
Eyjasandr, Sand-island.
Eyjasunda Breidafirdi, Island-sound, ii,
16.
Eyjasveit,- Island' s-ditch, v, 4.
Eyrar, Islands, v, 4.
Eyrarbakki, Island-bank, v, 9.
Eyrarfell, Island-fell, ii, 13.
Eyrbyggjar, ii, 13. For explanation, see
Note, page 57.
Eyri, i, 13. 20 ; ii, 13, 20, 25, 26, 29.
Eystri bygd a Greelandi, ii, 14.
Eyvindara, Eyvind's-river, iv, 3.
Eyvindardalr, Eyvind's-dale.
Eyvindarfjordr, Eyvind's- firth, ii, 31.
Eyvindarholar, Eyvind^s-hollow, v, 4.
Eyvindarmuli, Eyvind's-mull or crag,
V, 4.
Fabeinsa, Fabein^s-river, ii, 19, 20.
Fagrabrekka, Fair-brink, ii, 33.
Fagradalsa, Fairdale-river, iv, 7.
Fagradalsaros, Fairdale-river'' s-mouth,
ii, 22.
Fagravik, Fairwick, iv, i.
Fagrdaelar, Fairdale, ii, 21.
Fagridalr in Broadfirth, ii, 21.
by Hofdarsand, iv, 13.
In Weaponfirth, iv, 2.
Fagriakogr, Fair-wood, ii, 5.
Faskrudsfjordr, iv, 6.
Faxaos, Faxis Inlet, i, 2.
Feldarholmr, Cloak-holm, W, 11.
Fell, ii, 19, 32.
Fellshverfi, The Fell district, iv, 9.
Fellsmuli, Fell-mull or point, iii, 18.
Fellskogar, Fell-woods, ii, 19.
Ferstikla, i, 14.
F'alir, Planks, i, 3 ; ii, 5 ; v, 8, 9.
Fjardard, iv, 11.
Fjardarhorn, ii, 10.
FiflavelHr, Dandelion-fields, v, 6.
Finnafjordr, Finn' s- firth, iv, 1 .
Finnar, Finn, iii, 2.
Finnmork, Finm,ark, ii, 19.
Finnskor, Finn^s scar, v, 7.
Firdafylki, i, 4.
Firdir in Norwa}', ii, i.
Fiskd, Fish-river, v, 5.
Fiskilaekr, Fish-brook, iii, 16, 19.
Fitjar in Norway, i, 17.
Fjoll, V, 4.
Flangastadir, iv, 4.
Flatatunga, Flat-tongue, iii, 8.
Flatey in Broadfirth, Flat-island, ii, 19.
Flateyjardalr, iii, 17.
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230
PLACE HAmeS.
Fljot, The Fleet or river-mouth ^W, i, 29;
iii, 4; iv, 2; V, 2, 3, 4.
Fljotsdalr, Fleet-dale, ii, i ; iv, 2, 3.
Fljotshlid, Fleet-lithe, v, 3.
Fljotshverfii, Fljots-hamlet, iii, 18; iv, 10.
Floi, The floTve, i, 17, v, 3, 4.
Flokadalr, FlokVs-dale, i, 13, 18, 20; ii,
24; iii, II.
Flokadalsa, Floki-dales-river, \, 19, 20.
Flokavagr, FlokVs-bight, in the Shet-
lands, i, 2.
Flokavardi, FlokV s-beacon, \, 2.
Flugumyri, Flymoor, iii, 8.
Folaforlr, ii, 29.
Forsvollr, Force-field, iv, 2.
Forsaeludalr, iii, 3.
Foss, Force, ii, 4, 8; iv, 11.
Foss^, Force-river, i, 14, 19 ; iii, 5.
Fossjordr, Force-firth, ii, 26.
Framnes, Fore-ness, v, 9.
Fridleifsdalr, Fridleijsdale, iii, 11.
Fridleifsdalsa, F ridleif^ s-dales-river, iii,
II.
Froda, ii, 8.
Frodaros, Froda^s-mouth, ii, 9.
Fulljekr, Foul-brook, iv, 5, 13.
Fura, ii, 6.
Fyllarlaekr, v, 9.
Faereyjar, Sheep Islands, i, i, 2; ii, 6, 7,
16.
Galmstrond, Galm-strands, iii, 13.
Galtarhamar, Boar's-crag, iii, 12
Gardar, The Intakes, i, 15; iii, 9; v, 11.
Gardarsholmr, /s/^ of Gardar, i, i, 2.
Garpsdalr, ii, 21.
Gata in the Faroe Islands, i, 2.
Caular in Norway, i, 3; v, 7, 8.
Gauherjabaer, v, 8.
Gaunjjuskard, The Search Pass, iii, 6;
in searching for sheep in autumn.
Gaunpfuskardsa, Gaunga Skard^s-river,
iii, 6.
Gaunguskardsaros, Gaunga Skard^s-
river-mouth, iii, 5, 6, ti.
Gautar, Swedes, iii, 12.
Gautsdalr, Gaut^s-dale, iii, 5.
Gautland, Sweden, iii, 2, 12.
Geiradalr, iii, 20.
Geirastadir, Geir-stead, iii, 20.
Geirhildarvatn, GeirhiWs-water, i, 2.
Geirland, iv, 11.
GeirlandsfC, Geirland^ s-river in the Shet-
lands, iv, ii.
Geirmundarstadir, Geirmund-stcad, ii,
19, 24; iii, 6.
Geirmundarvagr, Geirmund^s creek or
bay, ii, 19.
Geirolfsgnupri Geirolf^s-peak, ii, 31.
Geirsa, Geir^s-river^ i, 20.
Geirshlid, Geir^s-slope^ i, 20.
Geirthjofsfjordr, ii, 26.
Geitland, i, 19, 21.
Geitlendingar, i, 19.
Gerpi, iv, 6.
Gil, Gills, i, 21.
Gilhagi, Gil-how, iii. 6.
Gilja, GilCs-river, iii, 3, 4, 6.
Gilsd, GiVs-river, iv, 3.
Gilsbakki, Gil-bank, i, 12.
Gilsfjordr, Gil-firth, ii, 21.
Gislavotn, Gii^s-water^ \\, 3.
Glera, iii, 15, 16.
Gljufr^, Gorge-river, ii, 4; iii, 8, 9.
Glodafeykisii, iii, 8, 9.
Gnupa, The Peak, frequent as farm name,
ii, 5, 6.
Gnupar, The Peaks, iii, 18; iv, 10, 11.
Gnupudalr, Peak-dale, ii, 5.
Gnupufell, Peak-fell, ii, 29; iii, 13, 16, 20.
Gnupverjahreppr, v, 11.
Goddalir, Goddales, ii, 5, 7, 11, 20 j iv, i ;
V, 9, »5-
Gotalaekr, ii, 8.
Grelpar in Greenland, i, i.
Grenitresnes, Spruceness, ii, 23.
Grettisgeii, v, 11.
Grimolfsvotn, Grimolfs-water, ii, 29.
Grimsd, Grim's-river, i, 19, 20; iv, 13;
v, 9.
Grimsaros, Grim*s-river-moiUh, ii, 30;
v, ID.
Grimsdalr, Grimes-dale, ii, 3, 5,
Grimsey, Grim's'isle, ii, 5.
Grimsgil, Grim'S'gill, i, 21.
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PLACE NAMES.
231
Grlmsnes, Grim-ness, ii, 25; iv, 12.
Grindalxkr, Grind-l-roofc, iii, 5.
Grindavik, Porpoise Bay^ v, 14.
Grindill, iii, 11.
Grindr, ii, i.
Grjotd, Grit-river, ii, 4 ; iii. y.
Grjotvallarmuli, Grit-mead mull or point,
ii, 21.
Grisartunga, Pig Tuiigue, ii, 3.
Grones, Groa^s-tiess, ii, 23.
Groustadir, Groans-stead, iii, 4.
Grund, 77rf? Grounds, iii, 3, 16.
Grunnifjordr, Shallow- firth, ii, i.
Grzenavatn, Green-water, iii, 20.
Graenland or Greenland, i, 1 ; ii, 14, 22,
31; V, 14.
Grof, The Grove, ii, 3.
Gudbrandsstadir, Gudbrand^s-stead, iii, 4.
Guddzelir, Gnddale men, v, 15.
Gudlaugshofdi, Gudlaug^s-hof, ii, 32.
Gudlaugsvik, Gudlati^'s-wick, ii, 32.
Gufua (Gufa) Vapour-river, \, 18; ii, 4,
24.
Gufudalr, Vapour- dale, \, 18 j ii, 24.
Gufutjordr, Vapjur-firth, i, 18; ii, 20.
Gufunes, Fapour-ness, ii, 24.
Gufuskalar, Vapour-scales, ii, 24.
Gullberustadir, Goldbearer\s-stead, i, 19.
Gunnarsholt, Gunnar\^-ivood, v, 4.
Gunnbjarnarsker, G unnbjorn-skerries, ii,
8, 14, 29, 30.
Gunnlaugsstadir, Gunnlaug^s-stead, ii, 2.
Gunnolfsft, ^a^^/^-w(7//'5-r».'er, iii, 11.
Gunnolfsfell, Battle-wolf \s'fell, v, i.
Gunnolfsvik, Battle-wolf \s-wick, v, i.
Gunnsteinar, Battle-stones, iii, 17.
Gunnsteinstadir, Gnnnstein-stead, iii, 5.
Gyjarsporsd, Trollspoor, ii, 31.
Gyldarhagi, Gyldar's-pasture, v, 11.
Gotuskeggjar in the Faroe Islands, ii, 16.
H.
Haddingadair, li, 5.
Hafgiimsf[ordr in Greenland, ii, 14.
Hafnarfjoili i, 19.
Hafr in Holtum, v, 8.
Hafrafell off Gilsfjord, Goat-fell, ii, 22.
Hafranes, Goat-nesSf iv, 6.
Hafrsa, Goat-river, iv, 5, 13.
Hafrasfjordr, Goat-firlh, ii, 19, 29, 32;
iii, 2; V, II, 13.
Hafsbotn, i, i.
Hafslaekr, Hof's-river, ii, 4.
Hagagardr, Pasture-garth, v, 12.
Haganes, Pasture-ness, iii, 11.
Hajji, The Pasture, ii, 30; iii, 13 ; v, 11.
Hakskard, Skard=^ Mountain Pass, v, 12.
Hakonar^tadir, Hacon^s-stead, iv, 2.
Hallarmuli, Hall's-crag, ii, 2.
Hallbjarnarvordur, Hallbjorn's-L'cacons,
ii, 30; V, 12.
Hallgeirsey, Hallgeir\^-isle, v, 4.
Hallkelsholar, Hallkel's-hollow, v, 12.
Hallkelsstadir, HallkeVs-stead, i, 17; ii, i.
Hallsteinsnes, Hallstein^s-ness, i, 23.
Halogaland, ii, 13, 29, 30; iii, 11, 14, 17,
20; iv, 13.
Hals, literally neck, used of a Mountain
Pass, iii, 16.
Halsar, Hnl's-rivir, iii, 4.
Halsgrof, Hal's-grove or pit, iii, 9.
Hamarbyggjar, ii, 3.
Hamarr, Cargo, ii, 2.
Hamarsa, Cargo-river, iv, 7.
Hamrar, iv, 10, 13.
Hamundarstadir, Hamund-stead, iii, 12.
Hanatun, Cockton or Cocktown, iii, 14.
Hareksstadir, Harek^s-stead, ii, 3.
Hasteinshaugr, Hastein's-how, v, 10.
Hasteinssund, Hastein's-sound, v, 9.
Haugar, TAe f/rm-*, ii, 4.
Haugavad, Hows ford, v, 10.
Haugr, The How, iii, 11.
Haukadalr, Hawk-dale, ii, 14, 17, 27;
V, II.
Haukadalsd, Hawkdale-river, ii, 18.
Haukagil, Ilauk-gill, iii, 4.
Hauksgrafir, Hauk's-pits, iii, 5.
Havararlon, Havor^s-lagoon, iii, 20.
Hedinshofdi, iii, 6, 18.
Hefni in Norway, v, 7.
Hegranes, iii, 7.
Hegrastadir, iii, 7.
Heidabaer, v, 13.
Heidi, Moss-fell, heath, i, i.
Heinabergsd, iv, 10.
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232
PLACE NAMES.
Helgrafell, IJoly-fell, ii, 12.
Helg-ahvoll, Hnly-knolt, v, 10.
Helgasker, Helgi'skerry, ii, 33.
Helgastadir, Hclfio's-stea^, Hi, 18, 19.
Helgavatn, Helgu's-water, iii, 2, 3, 4.
Helkunduheida, iv, i.
Hella, iii, 13.
Hellir, Cavea, ii, 7.
Hellisdair, Cavern-dale, ii, 3*
Hellisfirdingar, Cave-firthers, iv, 6.
Hellisfitjar, Cave-foott i, 20
Hellisfjordar, Cave-firth, iv, 6.
Hellishraun, Lava-cavCt ii, 7.
Hellismenn, Cave-men, i, 20; ii, i.
Hengifossd, Hengi-Joss-river, iv, 7, 3.
Hergilsey, HergiV s-isle^ ii, 19.
Herjolfsfjordr, Herjolfs^/irlh, ii, 14.
Hcrjolfshofn, HerjolfS'havev.y i, 2.
Herjolfsnes, HerJolJ*s-ness, ii, 14.
Hestfjordr, Horse-firthy ii, 29.
Hjallaland, Hill-land, iii, 4.
Hjallanes, Ilill-neis, ii, 27.
Hjalli, Wi//; V, S.
Hjaltadalr, HjaWs-dale, iii, 10, 20.
Hjaltaeyri, Hjall's-island, iii, 14.
Hjaltdatlalaut, iii, 10.
Hjaltdselaer, iii, 10.
Hjaltland, Shetland, i, i, 2.
Hjardarholt, Herd-holt or Herd-copse,
ii, 27.
Hjardarnes, Herd-ness, ii, 20, 25.
Hjardarvatn, Herd-water, ii, 10.
Hildisey, HddVs-isle, v, 4.
Hildishaujrr, HU'li's-hov, iv, 11.
Hisgargafl, Hisgar's-galle, i, 4.
Hitd, J farm-river, ii, 4, 5.
Hitadair, JVarm-riv?r-dale, ii, 4, 13, 14.
Hjorleifshofdi, Hjorleif's-kcad, i, 6, 7;
iv, 5.
Hiadhamarr, Ledge-crag, i, 14.
Hieidrargardr, Hleidar's-garth, iii, 17.
Hlid, r/je S/ojOf, ii, 19: iii, 6; iv, 2; v,
3,4-
Hlidar in Norway, Slope, see Lidar.
Hlidarendi, iv, 4. " ; v, 3, 4, 5.
Hlidmenn, Men from the fell, iii, 14.
Hlymrek, Limerick, ii, 22.
Hlddvik, ii, 29.
HnappfelUngar, From Huappfell, iv, 10.
Hnjoska, Hnjosk-river, iii, 17.
Hnjoskadalr, Hnjosk-dale, iii, 16.
Hnjoskadalsa, Hnjosk-dales-river, iii, 16.
Hof, Temple, i, 11 ; iii, 2, 4, 6, 10; iv, i,
10; V, 3, 15, 17.
Hofgardar, Temple-garth, ii, 6.
Hofsfell, Temple-fell, iv, 10.
Hof.fellingar, From Tern pie- fell, iv, 10.
Hofsmenn, Temple-men, iii* 4.
Hofstadir, Temple-stead, i, 21 ; ii, 12, 19 ;
iii, 8.
Hofsteigr, Temple-feig, iv,-2 ;
Hofsvojrr, Temp'e-creek, ii, 12;
Hular, The Knolls, ii, 22; iii, i, 4; v, 10,
II, 12.
Holmgardr, Ncvof^orod in Russia, iii, i.
Holmkelsd, Holmkel -river, ii, 8.
Holmr, Holm or Isle, i, 15, 21; ii, 32;
V, 5.
Holmsa, Holm-river, iv, 11, 12.
Holmslatr, latr, place where animals as
seals, whales, lay their young, ii, 13,
14.
Hulmsinenn, Holms-men, \, 19, 20.
Holt, J food or copse, in common Icelandic ♦
usage, any rough stony hill or ridge,
iii, 5, 1 1 ; iv, 1 1 ; v, 4, 9.
Holtastadir, Holt-stead, iii, 5.
Horn, Cape or headland, i, i, 2; ii, 20,
29. 3»; »v, 5, 8, 9, 10.
Hornafjardarstrond, iv, 9.
Hornafjordr, Horn- firth, iv, o; v, i.
Hornfirdingar, From Horn-firth, v, 9.
Hornstrandir, Horn-strand, ii, 14.
Hrafnista, found in Hauksbook in con-
nexion with Arnahvol, i, 7.
Hrafnkelsdalr, HrafnkeVs-dale, iv, 3.
Hrafnsfjordar in Greenland, ii, 14.
Hrafnshaugr, Ravens-how, v, 10.
Ilrafntoptir, Raven-toft ^ v, 3.
Hranafall, Raven-fall, ii, 3.
Hranastadir, Raven-stead, i, 21; iv, 12.
Hraun, Lava, ii, i, 8, 10.
Hraunaheida, Lava-heath, iii, i, 9.
Hraundalr, Lava-dale, ii, 4.
Hraundajlar, Lava-dales, ii, 4.
Hraunfirdingar, Lava-firth^ ii, 10.
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PLACE NAMES.
233
Hraungferdi, Lava-garth^ \, 17.
Hraungerdinsfa hrcppr. The Rape of the
men of Lava-garth, i, 17; v, 9.
HrtLunhsiinari^ Lava-havens-river, ii, 6.
Hraunhofn, Lava-haven, ii, 6; iii, 20.
Hraunas, Lava-ridge, i, 21; ii, i.
Hraunsfjordr, Lava-Jirth, \\, 10.
Hraunsholtslxkr, Lava-woods-brook, v, 14.
Hreduvatn, Bugbear-water, ii, 3.
Hregg^5?gerdismuli, Tempest-garth-mull,
iv, 9.
Mreidarsgerdi, Garth of Hreidar, ii, 7.
Hringariki, Ring-realm, \, 11 ; ii, 11.
Hringsstadir, Ring-stead, iii, 1.
Hrip, Wooden basket of laths, ii, 5.
Hris, TA^ copse-^ood. \, 20.
Hristeigr, Copse-land, iii, 17.
Hrisey, Copse-isle, iii, 12.
Hroarslaekr, Hroar's-brook, v, 3, 6, 7, 9.
Hrolleifsdair, Urolleif^s-dale, iii, 4, 10.
Hrolleifsdaisi, Hrolleif-dales-river,iu, 10.
Hromundarstadir, Hromund -stead, ii, 2.
Hrossagardr, Horse-garth, iv, 12.
Hrunamannahreppr, The Rape of the men
oj Hrani, v, 1 1 .
Hrutafjardarstrond, Ramfirth-strand,
iii, I.
Hrutafjordr, Ram-firth, i, 19; ii, 4, 32;
iii, I, 2, 4, 5, 20.
Hrutsstadir, Ram-stead, ii, 18.
Hunavatn, The water of the young bears,
for full explanation see iii, 3, 20.
Hunavalnsthing*, iii, 4, 5.
Hundadalr, Hounds-dale, ii, 17.
Hundsnes, Hounds-ness, iii, 20.
Husagardr, House-garth, v, 7.
Husavik, House or wick, i, i ; iii, 18; iv, 5.
Husvikingar, Uouse-creeker, iv, 5.
Hvaleyri, Whale-island ; in Hawksbook
this is name of island in BorgarBrth
where Heyjolf found a whale.
Hvalfjordr, JVhale-firth, i, 8; ii, i.
Hvallatr, JVhale-litler, ii, 26; iii, 17.
Hvalsey, Whale-island, ii, 14.
Hvalseyiarfirdingar, Whale-island-firther,
or Hvalsey frithers, ii, 14.
Hvalseyjarfjordr, Whale-island-firth, ii, 14.
Hvalsnesskridur^ Whaleness'Screes, iv, 7,
HvalvatnsQordr. H^Afl/e-irfl/cr-ArM, iii, 17.
Hvammr in Hvammsveit, ii, 6, 16, 18, 23,
27; iii, 10, 15, 16.
Hvammr in Kjos, i, 14.
in Mydal, iv, 11.
in Nordrardal. ii, 4.
in SkagaBrdi, iii, 9.
in Olfusi, V, 13.
Hvannd, Angelica-river, iv, 2.
Hvanndalir, Angf.lica-dale, iii, 11.
Hvzinneyn, Angelica-island, \, 19; ii, 8;
iii, 2.
Hvarf in Greenland, Cape Past, \, i ; ii, 14.
Hvarsgnypa in Greenland, ii, 14.
Hvassahraun, Sharplava, v, 14.
Hvatistadir, iii, 3.
Hvini, ffindy, ill, 12, 15.
Hvinistjordr, Windy-Jirth, iii, 15.
Hvinneijadalr, iii, 15.
Hvinverskr, iii, 15.
Hvitar White river at Hinessthing, v, 10,
II.
Hvitar in Borgarfirth, i, 20, 21 ; ii, i, 2.
Hvitarbakki, White-rivers-hank, ii, i.
Hvitarsida, While-river-side, i, 17; ii, i.
Hvitbjorg, The white precipices or rocks,
ii, 2.
Hvitramannaland,W^/n'/cmc«'5-/a7/(/, ii, 22.
Hvoll, The hill, V, 5.
Haell, The heel, v, 11.
Hofdabrekka, Head-brink, iv, 12.
Hofdarsandr, Head-river-sand, iv, 13.
Hofdastrond, Head-strand, iii, 4, 10.
Wbi^x-head, ii, 19, 18; iii, 6, 9, 9, 11, 17,
20; iv, II, 13 ; V, 4, 10.
Hofn, Haven, i, 17; ii, 11.
Hognastadir, Hogni— Tom-cat, ii, 2.
Hokustadir, Chin-stead, iii, 8.
Hordadalr, Hord*s-dale, ii, 17.
Hordadalsd, Hord's-dale-river, ii, 17.
Hordaland in Norway, i, 2; iii, 19; v, i.
Hordd, Hordes-river, ii, 19.
Hordholar, Hordes-hills, ii, 2.
Horgd, Temple-river, iii, 13.
Horgardalr, Horg-rtver-dale, iii, 13, 14;
see Note, iii, i^.
HorgardalsfC, Horg-dates-river, iii, 13.
Hoskuldsarorm, Hoskiild^s-river, ii, 8,
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^34
PLACfe NAM^S.
Hoskuldslaekr, Hosk aid* s-b rook, v, 12.
Hoskuldsvatn, Hoskuld's-water, iii, iS.
I.
Ingjaldsnupr, Iiigeld's-peak, v, 11.
Ingjaldshvall, IngeUVs-hill, ii, 8.
Ingjaldssandr, ii, 28.
Ingimundarholt, Ingimund's-wood, iii, 2.
Ingolfsfell, i, 7; iv, 9.
Ingolfsjordr, ii, 31.
IngolfshofJahverfi, iv, 10.
Ingolfihofdi, 1 11 golf's- heady i, 6.
Irar, i, 11.
Irafell, iii, 6.
Irland, i, i, 5» 6; ii, 15, 22; iii, 12 j iv,
11; V, 13.
Ireland the Great, America , ii, 22.
Irskr, Irish, Prologue, i, 6, 14, 15; ii, 24.
Isafjardardjup, ii, 29.
Isafjordr, Ice-firth, ii, 29.
Isfirdingar, From Ice-firth, ii, 29.
Islandsbygd, Iceland-settlement, v, n.
Islandsfor, Expedition to Iceland, ii'i, 17;
V, 2, 3, 9-
Islandshof, Jcelandic-sea, iv, 10.
Isleifsstadir, ii, 2.
Israudarstadir, ii, 2.
J.
Jadar in Norway, The Borderland, iii, 11.
jafnaskard. The Even Pass, ii, 3.
Jamtaland, v, 12.
Jardfallsgil, Landslip-gill, ii, 27.
Jardlangsstadir, Earth-long-stead, ii, 4.
Jolduhlaup in Ireland, Mare's-leap, i, i.
Joldusteinn, Mare's-stone, v, 2, 3.
Jolgeirsstadir, Jolgeir^s-stead, v, 8.
Jorunnarstadir, yornnns-stcad, iii, 16.
Jokuls^, Glacifr-river, iii, 8; iv, 2, 5, 10,
13.
Jokulsdalr, Glacier-dale, iv, 2.
Jokulafirdir, Glacier-firth, ii, 31.
J6rundarfell, Jorund's-fell, iii, 3.
Jorundarholt, Jorund's-wood, i, 15.
Jorvi, Gravel-land, ii, 11.
Kalda, Cold-river, ii, 4, 5»
Kaldakinu, Cold-cheek, ii, 19.
KaldaklofsK, Cold-fording-river, v, i.
Kaldakvisl, Cold-river, v, 1 1 .
Kaldaros, Cold-river' s-mouth, ii, 5.
Kaldbakr, Coldback, ii, 32.
Kaldbaksvik, Coldback's-wick, ii, 32.
Kaldnesincrahreppr, 7%^ ^a^c 0/ M^
Kaldnessings, v, 9.
Kalfa, Calf-river^ v, 11.
Kalfagrafir, Calf-pits, iv, 4.
Kalflx)rgara, Calf burg-river, iii, 18, 20.
Kalfskinn, Calf-skin^ iii, 13.
Kalmansa, Kalman's-river, i, 14, 15, 17 ;
ii, 1.
Kalmanstunga, Kalman's-tongue, ii, 1.
Kambakista, Combs'-kist, v, 9.
Kambr, Comb, ii, 8, 9.
Kambsdalr, Comb-dale, iv, 7.
Kambsnes, Comb or Combness, ii, 4, 16, 18.
Kampaholt, v, 10.
Karlafjordr, Carle (men's) fjord, v, 11.
Karlastadir, Karlis-stead, ii, i ; iii, 5.
Karlsa, KarTs-river, iii, 13.
Karlsbrekka, KarVs-brink, v, 2.
Karlsdalr, KarTs-dah, ii, 3.
Karlsfell, KarVs-fell, ii, 3.
Karstadir, KarVs-stead, ii, 13.
Katanes, Caithness in Scotland, ii, 15 ;
V, 2.
Katneskr, From Caithness, \, 13.
Keflavik, Cliff vik, or creek, ii, 26.
Keldudalr, Bog-dale, ii, 27.
Keldugnupr, Bog-peak, iv, 11.
ivelduhverfi, 77?^ -So:^'^, iii, 19, 20.
Keldunes, Bogness, iii, 19, 20.
Kerlingara, Old woman's -river, iv, 13.
Kerlingarfjordr, Old woman' s-firth, iv, 13.
Kersey ri, i, 33.
Ketilseyri, Ketil's-isle, ii, 27.
Ketilsfjordr in Greenland, ii, 14.
Ketilsstadir, Kettle-stead, ii, 17; iv, 3.
Kjalarnes, i, 9, 11, 12; ii, 16.
Kjalkafjordr, Sledge- fjords ii, 25.
Kjallaksholl, Kjallak's-hill, ii, 19.
Kjallaksstadir, Kjallak's-stead, ii, 19.
Kjaransvik, ii, 20.
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PLAdE tlAMES.
235
Kjarr^, Copse-river ^ ii, i.
Kjarradair, Copse-wood-dale, ii, 2.
Kidjaberg^, Kid-mountain, i, 20; ii, 30;
V, 12.
Kidjafell, Kid-felU i, 13.
Kjos, TA^ Hollow i i, 13.
Kirkjubaer, K rkby^ ii, 9.
Kirkjufell, Kirk-felU ii» 10.
Kirkjufjordr, Kirk-firth, ii, 9.
Kjoir, 77r^ AV^/ Mountain^ iii, 5, 8, 15.
Kjdivararstadir, Keelvar^s-stead, i, 20.
Kleifar, TA^ Cliff-pass, ii, 21, 32.
Kieifarlond, Cliff-lands, iv, 7.
Klif, same as Kleifar, ii, 2.
Klofa^teinar, C7<w^«-5/o«<?5, ii, 19, 21.
Klofnigar, The Clefts, ii, 19, 20.
Knafaholar, Neif-hills, v, 5.
Knappadalr, Button-dale, ii, 4, 5.
Knappsstadir, Button-stead, iii, 11.
Knararnes, Skipness, i, 19.
Knararsund, Ship-sound, v, 10.
Knefilsdalsd, KnefiV s-dale-river, iv, 2.
Kolbeinsaros, Kolbein^s-inlet, iii, 8, 9.
Kulbeinsdalr, Kolbein^s-dale, iii, 9.
Kolbeinsey, Kolbein's-island, i, 1.
Kulbeinstadir, Kolbein*s-stead, ii, 5.
Kolbeinsvik, Kolbein'^s-creek, \, 32.
Kolgrafir, Coal-pits, ii, 10.
Kolgreflingar, A/^« of Kolgrafir, ii, 10.
Kolknmyrar, Kolka-ntoors, iii, 5.
Kollafjardarheidi, Kollis-firth-heath, ii, 2 1 .
Kollafjordr, Kollis-firth, ii, 24, 30.
Kollavik, Kollis-wick, iii, 20.
KoUhamarr, Kolt*s hammer (rock) ii, i.
KoUslaekr, KotCs-water, i, 24.
Kollsveinsstadir, Collswain* s-stead, iii, 8.
KoUsvik, KoU's-wick, i, 12.
Kolsonafell, KoUson^ s-fell , ii, 10.
Kopanes, Sealcubness, ii, 25.
Koranes in Myra, ii, 24.
Kornhaugr, Corn-haw, ii, 8.
Kornsa, Corn-river iii, 3, 4.
Kristnes, Christness, iii, 11, 14.
Krokr in Nordradal, Crook, ii, 3.
Kroksfjardanes, ii, 22.
Kroksfjordr, Crook-fjord, ii, 21, 22; iii, 20.
Kroppr Bunch in Egjafirth, iii, 14, 19.
Kroppsmen, i, 20.
Krossa Cross-river in Markfleet« v, 2, 3,
Krossa in Axfirth, iii, 20.
Krossavik Cross-wick in RagdarBrth, iv, 6.
the inner in Vopnafirth, iv, i.
Krossavik the outer in Vopnfirth, iv, 2.
Knissholar, Cross-hills, ii, 16.
Krossvikingar, Cross-wick-men, iv, 6.
Krysuvik, Greasy-wick, v, 14.
Kraeklingahlid, Shell-slope, iii, 14, 15.
Krofluhellir, Krafla-cave, iii, 4.
Kudafljo^, Trout-fry-fleet, iv, 12.
Kudafljotsos, Trout-fry -mouth, iv, 11.
Kernvogastrond, ii, 9.
Kvia ia Hornafirth, Sheep fold-river^ iv,
9, 10.
Kviabekkr in Olafsfiith, Sheepfold-brook,
iii, II.
Kviamid in Isafjardarfirth, ii, 29.
Kvigan^afirth, ii, 25.
Kvigandanes, ii, 25.
Kviguvogabjorg, Heifer-creek- mountain,
V, 14.
Kvigubogar, Heifer-bends, v, 13.
Kylansholar, Kytans-hoUow, ii, u
L.
Lagarfljot, Mere- fleet, iv, 2, 4.
Lagarfljotsstrandir, Mere-fleet Strands,
iv, 2.
Lagey, Low-isle, iv, 12.
Lageyingar, Low islander, iv, 12.
Lambafellsa, Lambf ell-river, v, i.
Lambastadir, Lambistead, ii, 4, 24; v, 3.
Landamot or Londsmot, Land-meet
(boundary) iii, 18.
Landbrot, Land-broken, iii, 8.
Landverskr, From Landeyjar, v, 10.
Langa, Long-river, ii, 4.
Langadalsd, Longdale-river, ii, 13, 30, 31.
Langaholt, Long-wood, ii, 6; iii, 6.
Langanes, Long-ness, \, 1 ; ii, 26; iv, i.
Langavatnsdalr, Langwater-dale, ii, 4;
iii, 3, 2.
Langdselir, Langdale, ii, 13.
Langidalr, Langdale, iii, 5.
I^ugarbrekka, Bath-brink, ii, 7, 17.
Laugardalr, Bathdale, \, 20.
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236
PLACE NAMES,
Laxtf, Salmon'ther, i, 14, 17} ii, 5» i3»
15; lii, iS; V, II.
L&xArdalr, Salmon-river-dale, ii, 17; iii,
6, 19.
Leidarslceid, Leet'tace, v, 5.
Leidolfsfell, Thingwolf's-fell, iv, 11.
Leidolfsstadir, Thingwolfs-stead, iv, 1 1 j
V, 9.
Leikskalar, Game-scales, ii, 14.
Leird, Miry-river^ i, 1 7.
Leirhofn, Miry-haven^ iii, 20.
Leirulxkr, Miry-brookt ii, 4.
Leiruvagr, Miry-creek, i, lo* 11 j iv, 7.
Leiruvag^sa, Miry-river, i, 10.
Linakradalr, Flaxfield-dale, iii, i.
Ljosavatn, Lightwater, iii, 17, 18; v, 5.
Ljosavatnsskard, Light icateJ -pass, iii, 17,
18.
LjotSirstadir, L;o(*5 5^eflr«/, v, 4.
Ljotolfsstadir, Ugly tvnlf's-stead, ii, 19.
Lodmundarfjordr, Shaggyhair-hands-
fjord, iv, 5.
Lofot in Norway, v, 10.
Lomagnupstrond, iv, 11.
Lon, Inld, sea-luch, or lagoon, ii, 7 j iii,
14; iv, 7,8.
Lonsheida, Lagoon-heath, iv, 7.
Lunansholt, Lunan's-wood, v, 7.
Lundar, TA^ Groves, iv, 10.
Lundarbrekka, Grove-brink, iii, 18.
Lundr, The grove, i, 21 ; ii, 3 ; iii, 17, 19.
Lysa, Bright-river, ii, 6.
I^aekjarbotinar, Brook-bottoms, v, 7.
Logberg, Law-hill, uhere the Laws were
annually rehearsed; not found in
Book of Settlement but occurs fre-
quently in Islandinga Bok and
Appendix to Book of Settlement.
M.
Mafahlid, Sea-gull {mew's) slope, ii, 9, 13.
Mafhlidingr, man oj sea-gull {mews's)
slope, ii, 9.
M^na, Mani's-river, iii, 20.
Manafell, ManVsfell, iii, 20.
Manavik, ManVs-wick, iii, 5.
Manathufa, Mani's-hummock, iii, 5.
Mannafallsbrekka, Manf alls-brink, ii, 7.
Marbxli, Sea-lair, iii, 14.
Markarfljot, Mark-fleet, v, 2. 3.
Marsstadir, Mew's-stead, iii, 3; v, 11.
Medalfarssund, Middle-Ja ring-sound, ii,
19.
Medalfell, Middle-fell, i, 13; iv, 10.
Medalfellstrond, Midd lef ell-strands, ii, 19.
Medallond, Mid-lands, iv, 11.
Melahverfi, * i, 17.
Melar in Borgarfirth, Passim.
in Hellisdale, ii, 3.
in Krulufirth, ii, 32, 33»
Melrakkadalr, Foxdale, ii, 1.
Melrakkanes, Foxness, iv, 7.
Merkigil, Landmark-gill, iii, 13, 16.
Merkrhraun, H^ood-lava, v, 10.
Merrhaefi (Murray) in Scotland, ii, 15.
Mideingi, Middle-meadow, ii, 25; v, 12.
Midfell, Mid-1 ell, i, 17.
Midfjordr, Mid-firth, iii, i.
Midhus, Middle-house, v, 11.
Midjokull in Gteenland, ii, 14.
Midskali, Mid-scale, i, 16.
Migandi, The dripping, iii, 13.
Mikilsstadir, Mickle's-stead, iii, 5.
Miklagil, Mickle-gill, iii, 4.
Mikligardr, Mickle-garth (Constantinople)
i, 1 ; iii, 19.
Minnhakseyri, Minnthak*s-leach, i, 6;
iii, 4.
Mjodaelingr, Narroir-dale-man, iii, 11.
Mjofadalsa, A^arroM'-(/a/<?-r/i"er, iii, 11.
MjoBdaIr, Narrow-dale, ii, 3.
Mjofifjordr, Narrow-Jjord, iv, 6,
Mjola, iii, i 4.
Mjosyndi, Narrow-sound {Pass), v, 5.
Mjors in Norway, iii, 8.
Moberg, Peat-ruck, iii, 5, 11.
Mobergsbrekkur, Peat-brink, iii, 5.
Modolfsgnupr, Moodwol/'s-peak, iv, 11.
Mogilsa, Peutgill-river, i, 11, 12.
Mogilslsekr, Peat gill -brook, iii, 3,
Moldatum, Mouldy-field, iv, 12.
Mor, Peat, iii, 11.
Mosfell et efru in Grimsness, iii, 7; iv, 7;
V, 12.
» Melr is bent grass, arundo arenaria,
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PLACE NAMES.
237
Mosfell et nt-dra in Mo^fellssveit, ii,8; v,
12; V, 13.
Mosfellingar, v, 12.
Mo->tr, an island off South Hordaland, in
Norway, with a great temple of
Thor in it, ii, 12.
Muli, A jutting crag \ for explanation see
i^ 32> paje 103 ; vid Alptafjor 1
Sydra in Austfjordum, iv, 7.
Muli in Bryjudal, i, 14. in Hauk.
in Mosfell>veit, i, 11.
in Saurbae, ii, 32.
hja Stakksa, v, 1 1 .
Munadarnes, JoynesSy ii, 4.
Mydalr, Midge-dale^ iv, 11.
Mydalsa, Midge'dale-rivert i, 1 1 . .
Myramenn or Meremen, Fen-men, iv, 10.
Myrar, The Fens ^ vid Borgarfjord, i, 19;
ii, 24.
in Dyrafjord, li, 27.
in Hornafjord, iv, 10.
Myri, The Fensy ii, 20
Myrin, v, 3.
Myrka, Mirk or Dark-river y iii, 13.
My\atn, Midgewatery iii, 18, 20.
• Maelifeil, Measure- felly iii, 7.
Maelifell-a, iii, 7.
Maelifellsdalr, iii, 7.
Maelifellsgill, ii, 3.
Maeri, iv, 6, 8.
Modrufell, Madder^felly iii, 16.
Modruveilir, Madder meads, iii, 16.
Mork, iv, 13; v, 10.
N.
Narfasker, Narfi's-skerry, iii, 13.
Nattfaravik, Nightjarer's-wick, \, i ; iii,
19.
Naumdaelafylki, Narrowda/e-district, v, 3.
Naumdaelar, Narrowdale-men, v, 3.
Naumudalr, NarrowdaUy iii, 9, 13 ; v, 3,
12.
Nautabu, Cattle-booths, iii, 9.
Nes, Ness, \, S; ii, 24; iv, 6, 9.
Neshraun, Ness-lava, \\, 8.
Nesmenn, Nesmen., iv, 6.
Njardey, Niord^s-isle, ii, 19.
Njardvik, Niord's-wick, iv, 2, 4.
Nordlending-afjordungr, Northlanders*
Quarter, iii, 1,5, 7, 20.
Nordmanndi, Normandy, iv, 8.
Nordmenn, Northmen, Prologue.
Nordmaeri, North Mart, iv, 12.
Nordrd, North-river, u, 3 ; iii, 7, 8.
Nordrardair, North-river-dale, ii, 3.
Nordfjordr, North-Jirthy iv, 6.
Norraenn, Norse, v, 7, 11.
Norvegskopungr, fCing of Norway, i, 1 1.
Nykomi, Newcome, iv, 11.
O.
Oddaverjar, Family of Oddi, \\\, 5 ; v, 3.
See note at page 3.
Oddbjarnarleidi, Oddbjorn' s-hows, v, 3.
Oddgeirsholar, Oddgeir's-hollows, i, 17;
V, 9.
Oddi, The Point, v, 5, 6, 7.
Oddsas, Odd*s-ridgp, called also " T/fc
Ridge," iii, 4.
Odeila, Undivided, iii, 17.
Ufeigsfjordr, Fir/A o/* UJsig, i.e. un-death
fated, ii, 31 ; compare Scottish *'fey "
Ofeigsstadir, v, 11.
Ofrustadir, Stead of Of r a, iii, i.
Ofaera, Impassable, ii, 32.
Olafsdalr, Olafs-dule, ii, 21.
Olafsjordr, O'afs-firth, iii, 11.
Olafsvellir, Olafs-feld, v, 10.
Olafsvik, Olaf*s-wicky ii, 8, 21.
Oleifsburg, iv, 11.
Orkneyjar, Orkney Islands, i, 1 ; ii, 22 ;
iv, 8.
Ormsd, Orm^s or serpent' s-river, iv, 2, 7.
Ormsdalr, Ormh-dale, iii, i.
Orrastadir, Battle-stead, ii, 19.
Os, Riveras-mouth or Inlet.
vid Bruddal, iv, 7.
in Hunavatn's thing, iii, i.
vid Tjornes, iii, 19.
Osar, The Riveras-mouth, i, 15.
Ostjoll, iv, 2.
Osomi, Mischief, ii, 28.
Osta, ii, 18; iii, i.
Osvifslaekr, Osvif's-brook, i, 12.
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238
PLACE NAMES.
P.
Papey, Father* s-isle^ abode of Anchorite
fathers from Great Britain and
Ireland, Prologue.
Papyli, Seat of a Papa cr Anchorite, Pro-
logue iv, lo.
PatreksfjorJr, Patrick* s-Jirth, i, 12.
R.
Rangd, ffrong (awry) river, iv, 2 ; v, 3 ;
V, 5-
Rangadarvarda, RaungatVs-i'eacon, iii, 7;
see note there.
Rangaros, Rang-river-niouth, v, 3, 6.
RangarvelHr, IVrong-river-plaiiif v, 6, 7.
Raptalaekr, Rafter* s-broo/c, iv, 11.
Rauda, Red-river, compare Rothay, v, 8, 9.
Raudabjarnarstadir, Red beards-stead, ii, 4.
Kaudafell, Red-Jell, v, 1 .
Rau(lai,^nupr, Redgnuf, Red-feak, iii, 20.
Rauilalaekr, Red-brook, ii, 2j iv, 10; v, 8.
Raudamelr, The Red Sandhill, ii, 5, 19.
Raudamels lond, ii, 6.
Raudaskrida, Red Screes, iii, 20.
R« udaskridu lond. Red Screes lands, iii, 20.
Raudaskridur, i?erf Screes, iv, ^.
Raudisandr, ii, 26.
Raudkollsstadir, Red-pate-stead, ii, 6.
Raudlaekingar, Red-brook-men, iv, 10.
Raudsgil, Red-gill, i, 20, 21.
Raufarfell, Rift-Jell, see Raudafell.
Raumsdalr, Raum's (gianlj dale, iii, 2.
Raumsdaelafylki, District of Raumsdale,
V, 2.
Refrstadir, Fox-dale, iv, i.
ReistariC, Twisted-river, iii, 13.
Reistargnupr, Twisted-peak, iii, 20.
Reydarfell Whale-fell, i, 19.
Reydarfjall, do. i, 1.
Reydarfjordr, Trout-firth, i, i ,• iv, 3, 6.
Reydarmuli, Trow^ tmw// or head or point,
for derivation of name see this pass-
age, V, 12.
Reydarvatn, Trout-wnt'^r, v, 3, 5.
Reykjad, Reek-river, iii, 11.
Reykjadalr, iii, 19.
Reykjadalsii, i, 20.
Reykjahlid, iii, 20.
Reykjaholar, Reek hills, ii, 19; v, 3.
Reykjaholt or Reekhoit, Smoke or vapour-
wood, i, 21 ; ii, 30.
ReykjanesofF Broadfirth (Reek-ness) ii, 26.
In the South, ii, 14; v, i, 14.
Reykjardalr, Reek-dale^ i, 20, 21.
Reykjarfjordr, Reek-Jirth, ii, 26.
Reykjarholl, iii, 11. *
Reykjarvik, i, S.
Reykjaveilir, iii, 7.
Reykir, Reekie, i, 20.
Reyknesinirar, The men of Reekness, ii, 22.
Reynir, The Rowan trees, i, 15.
Reynisnes, Rowan-nesSy iii, 12.
Reyrvollr in Norway, Reed-field, ii, 11.
Rodreksgii, Roderek*s-gill, iii, 6.
Rogaland, ^ district of Norway, corres-
ponding to the present governorship
of Stavangev, i, 2; ii, 19, 26; iii, 18.
Rom, Rome, i, i.
Ros, Ross in Scotland, ii, 15.
Rosmhvalnes, Walrus-ness, ii, 2, 4 ; v,
13. J4-
Rudajarls, Descendants of Rolf the Gan-
ger, Earls of Rouen, iv, 8.
Ryta-gnupr, Squealing-peak, ii, 20.
S.
Salteyraros, Salt-reef -mouth, ii, 9.
Sandd, Sand-river, ii, 3, 6.
Sandbrekka, Sand-brink, ii, 5.
Sanddalr, Sand-dale, ii, 3.
Sandeyrara, Sand-eyrr-river, ii, 31.
Sandfell, Sand-fell, iv, 10.
Sandfellingar, Dweller on Sand-felU iv,
10.
Sandgil, Sand-gil, v, 5.
Sandlaekr, Sandy-stream,, v, 10, 11.
Sandnes, Sand-ness, \, 18 j v, 3.
Sandvik, Sand-creek, iv, i.
Sandvikingar, iv, 6.
Sauda, Sheep-river, iii, 6.
Saudafell, Sheep-fell, ii, 17.
Saudanes, Sheep-ness, iii, 20.
Saubaer in Eyjafjord, iii, 16.
in Gilsfjord, ii, 21, 32.
Saxahvoll, ii, 8.
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PLACE NAMES.
239
Sel, Shieling, ii, 1 1 .
Selaeyri, Seal-ise, \, 19.
Selalon, Seal-lagoon, i, 19.
Selasund, Seal-sound, ii, 11.
Selardair, Seal-rtver-dale, ii, 20; iv, 1.
Selfors, Seal-force, v, 9.
Seljalands^, Seljaland-river, v, 2.
Seljalandsmuli, Seljaland^s-head, v, 2.
Selslaekur, SeaVs-ri'ver, v, 11.
Seltjarr.arnes, Seal-tarn-ness, v, 14.
Selvagr, Seal-creek, v, 14.
Seydarfjordr, Seydis=a. fire pit or fire, iv,
3; see i, 2, where firestead=Seydis.
Seydfirdingar, Seydis-firther, iv, 6.
^ida, The Side, SlopCy ii, i ; iii, 20 ; iv, 9.
Siglufjordr in Greenland, Sail-firth, ii, 14;
iii, II.
Siglunes, Sail-ness, iii, 11, 12.
Sigluvik, Mast-wick, iii, 16.
Sigmundarhaugr, Sigmund^ s-how, ii, 7.
Sigmundarnes, Sigmund^s-ness, ii, 4.
Sigmundarstadir, Sigmund's-stead,i, 21.
Signyjarstadir, Signey-stead, i, 20.
Silfrastadahlid, Silver-stead-slope, iii, 8.
Silfrastaedingar, Silver-steadings, iii, 8.
Sjoland, Sealand, iii, i.
bireksstadir, Sirek-stead, iv, 1.
Skagafjordr, Scaw (ness) firth, iii, 4, 7.
Skagastrond, Scam-strand, iii, 6.
Skagi, iii, 3.
Skal, iv, II.
Skalabrekka, Scale-brink, v, 12.
Skalafell, Scale-fell, i, 8; iv, lo.
Skalmyri, Scale-moor, iii, 7.
Skalanes, Scale-ness^ ii, 24.
Skdlavik, Scale-wick, ii, 29.
Skaldskelmisdalr, ii, i .
Skali, Scales, iv, 7.
Skallanes, Baldpate-ness, ii, 9.
Skalmarkelda, Skalm's-bog, ii, 5.
Skalmarnes, Skalm's-ness, ii, 5.
Skaney, Scania, \, 20.
Skapta, Shaft-river, iv, 11, 12.
Skaptafells l hing, compare Shap Fell, iv,
11; iv, 13.
Skard, Mountain-pass, see note iii, 6; ii,
4, 19, 20; iv, II; v, 6.
Skardsbrekka, Mountain-pass-brink, iv, 9
Skeggjastadir, Skeggi's {Bearded) steady
i, 10; iv, I, 2, 7.
Skeid, JAe rwn, the race, \, g; v, 10.
Skeidsbrekka, Shell-brinks, ii, 14.
Skjaldabjarnarvik, Shield-bear-wick, ii,
31.
Skjaldey, Shield-island, ii, 11.
Skjalfandafljotsos, Mouth of the shiver-
ing-river, iii, 17, 18.
Skjalfandi, That which shivers, i, i.
Skjalgdalsd, Skjaldalea-river, i|i, 16.
Skidadalr, Skid (snow-shoe) dale, iii, 4.
Skjdastadir, Skid-stead, iii, 4.
Skj61dt)ifsnes, Shie/d-nessy iv, 7.
Skjoldolfsstadir, Shield-stead, iv, 2.
Skugahverfi, Hverfi- hamlet, iv, 4.
SkOjjar, The Shaws, i, 17; ii, 19; iv, 5;
V, I.
Skogarstrond, Shaws-strand, li, 13.
Skorradair, i, 19.
Skorraholt, ii, 24.
Skorrey, Scaur-isle, ii, 24.
Skotar, Scots, i, 1 1 ; ii, 15.
Skotland or Scotland, ii, 11, 16, 23.
SkrattafcU, Scratch-fell, iii, 19; see note
at page 156.
Skrauinuhlaupsi, Hlaup=fiood of river,
now Skrauma, ii, 15, 17.
Skridnisenni, ii, 32, 33.
Skridudalr, Screes-dale, iv, 3.
Skrudey, iv, 6.
Skufslaekr, Skaf^s-brook, v, 8.
Skuggabjorg, Shadow rocks, iii, 17.
Skutastadir, Skuta-stead, v, 14.
Skutilsfjordr, Harpoon- firth y ii, 29.
Skutr, Harpoon, ii, 23.
Skotufjordr, Scate-firth, ii, 29.
Sleg^julaikr, Sledge brooky ii, 2.
Sleggustadir, Sledge-stead, iii, 4.
Sletta, The Flat, ii, 31 ; iii, 20.
Slettahlid, Smooth-slope, iii, 11.
Slettubjarnarstadir, Smooth-bear^ s-stead,
ii, 21; iii, 9.
Smidsstadir, Smith^s-stead, iii, 4.
Snjallsteinshofdi, Snellstein* s-head, v, 4.
Snaefell in Greenland, Snow-fell, ii, 14.
Snaefellsjokull, Sncef ell-glacier, i, 12; ii,
14.
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240
PLACE NAMES.
Snaefellness, SnowJell-nesSf i, i, 2; ii, 24.
Snaefjoll, Snow-felly ii, 31 ; iii, i.
Snaeland, Snow-land, name given to Ice-
land by Naddod the Vikinjj, i, 1 .
Sogn, A bay and the surrounding^ coun-
try in Norway, now Sognefjordy i,
10; ii. 29, 31 ; iii, 5, 11, 19; iv, 10;
v> 5» 9-
Soknadair, Sokn-dale^ iii, 15.
Solarfjall in Eyjafirth, Sun-fell, iii, 12.
Solheimar, Sunkofne^ iv, 5, 13.
Soiheimsandr, Sunhome's'Sands, i, 5, 13.
Solundir, iv, i, 5, 13.
Sotafell, Sooty-fell, i, 18.
Sot^nes, Sooty-ness, ii, 32.
Stad in Norway, Stead, i, i.
Stardarholl, Stead-hill, ii, 21.
Staf^, Staff-river, ii, 11, 12.
Stafaholt, Staff-wood, ii, 3.
Stafaholtstunga, Staff-wood' s-tongue, ii, 3
Stafanesvogr, Staff -ness-creek, v, 9.
Stafangr, Staff -ness, i, 17.
Stafhyltingr, A Staf-holt man, ii, 30.
Stafngrimsstadir, i, 24.
StafshoU, iii, 11.
Stakksa, Hack-river, v, 11, 12.
Stalfjara, Steel foreshore, v, 9.
Stangarholt, Stang-wood^ ii, 4.
Stapi, Steeple-rock, in Arnarfirdi=£a;f/^-
/?rM, ii, 26, 27.
Steinar, Stones, ii, 3.
Steinfinnsstadir, Steinfinn-stead, v, 2.
Steingrimsfjordr, Steingrim's-firth, ii, 5,
20, 32; iii, 10.
Steinolfsdalr, Stonewolf^s-dale, ii, 21,22.
Steinolfshjalli, Stonewolf^ s-slope, ii, 21.
Steinraudarstadir, Steinred-stead, iv, 3;
V, 13-
Steinsholt, Stone-wood, v, 11.
Steinslaekr, Stoney-brook, v, 8.
Steinsstadir, Stone-stead, iii, 7.
Stifla, TA^ rfflw (<?/a river), m, 11.
Stigandahrof, 5^^arf of Stigandi, iii, o.
Stigi, TA^ Steep, i, 29.
Stjornusteinar, Star-stones, v, 9.
Stokkahladir, Stocks-lathe, iii, 17.
Stokkseyri, Stock^s-isle, v, 9.
Storolfshvoll, Gr^a/ Wolf's-hill, see h vol! .
Storolfsvollr, Great Wolf -field, v, 5.
St)taiaekr, Stutterer' s-brook, v, 5.
Strandarheidi, Strand-heath, ii, 30.
Strandir, Strands, ii, 20, 31 ; v, 6.
Straumfirdingar, Men from Straum-Jirth,
ii, 6.
Straumfjordr, Stream-firth, ii, 4.
Straumnes, Stream-ness, ii, 20, 31.
Straum>fjardara, Streamfirth-river, ii, 6.
Strind, iv, i.
Strugsstadir, Stew-stead, ii-, 5.
Strond, Strand, iii, 13.
Sturlustadir, Sturls-stead, ii, i.
Stodfirdingar, iv, 6.
Stodvajfjordr, iv, 6.
Stodverjar, iv,6.
Sudrey in Faroe Islands, ii, 14.
Sudreyjar,* The Hebrides, i, 11, 12; ii, 6,
II, 15; iii, 4, 12, 15, 18; iv, 8, 11 ;
v, 12.
Sudreyskr, From, the Hebrides, ii, i, 14 ;
iii, 2.
Sudrjoklar, i, 21.
Sudrland, Sutherland in Scotland, ii. 15.
Sugandafjordr, Soughing' s-firth, ii, 29..
Suluholt, Solan goose wood, v, 8.
SumsiTV\6ahser==Samarlidis-bi/ or Sailors-
home, v, 3,
Sunnlendinga-fjordungr, iii, 11 ; v, i, 15.
Sunnmaeri. ii, 27; iv, 11.
Sunnudalr, Sundale, iv, i.
Surnadalr, Sorreldale, iii, 15.
Surtr, The cave of Surt=the dark cave,
iii, 10.
Svalbard, i, i.
Svarfadardalr, Desolation-dale, iii, 12;
iv, I.
Svartardalr, Dark-dale, iii, 6.
Svartfellsmyrar, Da rk-J ell-moors, iii, 4.
Svartsmyri, Swart's-moor, iii, 4.
Svartssker, Dark-scar, ii, 24.
Svefneyjar, Slumber-isle, ii, 23.
Sveinungseyri, Sveiuung^s-island, ii, 30.
Sveinungsvik, Sveinung's-wick, iii, 20.
* Called also Sudor, which is Latin translation of Sudreyjar. For full explanation
see ii, 19, page 72.
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PLAC£ NAMES.
241
Svertinsgstadir, Sverting^s-steadj v, 3.
Svidinhornadalr, iv, 7.
Svinadalr, Su'i}iedale, ii, 19, 21; iii, 3, 5.
Svlnanes, Swi?ieness, ii, 20.
Svinavatn, Swine-water, vid Grimness, v^
12.
vid Hrunsfjord, ii, 10.
vid Svinadal, iii, 3, 4, 5,
Swiney, Swine-island, ii, 18, 19.
Svinhagi, Swine-Pasture, v, 5, 6.
Svithjod, The people or land of the Swedes,
h I ; iii, 9-
Sydridair, Southern-dale, i, 21.
Sognafylki, People of Sogn, v, 9.
Sygnakleif, Sj/gn-clijf, ii, 29.
Saemundarhlid, Scemund's-slope, iii, 6.
Saemundarlsekr, Soinnind's-riuer, iii, G.
Sokkolfsdair, SokkolJ\s-dale, ii, 17.
Solinundarhofdi, Solmund^s-head, ii, i.
Solvadalr^ Solvisdale. in Greenland, ii, 14.
in Eyjafjord, iii, 12.
Solvafjordr, Soluis-firth, ii, 14.
T.
Talknafjordr, ii, 26.
Teigara, Teig-river, iv, 2.
Thordiiholt, Thordis-wood, iii, 2.
Tjaldanes, Tentness, in Arnarfjord, ii, 26.
in Breidafjord, ii, 21.
Tjaldastadir, Tent-stead, v, 6.
TjaldavoUr, Tent -field, iv, 12.
'lilior Thule, Prologue. Strabo speaks of
a voyage made by a citizen of Mar-
seilles, time of Alexander the Great,
up the English Channel, and so up
the North Sea past an laland he
calls "Thule."
Tinnudalsa, Flint-dale-river, iv, 7,
Tjornes, Tar-ness, iii, 19, 20.
Toptavollr, Tojt- field, iv, i.
Torfastadir, Torji's-stead, iv, i.
Torfnes, TurJ-ness, ii, 21.
Torgar, v, 3.
Traiarholt, Trod-holt, v, 9, 10,
Tradir, Trodden-lane, ii, 1 1.
Trekyllisvik, Wood bag-wick, ii, 31.
Trostansfjordr, ii, 26.
Trollahals, TroWs-neck or Hause^ ii, 10.
Trollatunga, Tfoll-tongue, ii, 32.
Tunga, Point of land between two rivers.
In Arness Thing, v, 11.
In Nordrardal, ii, 3.
In Vatnsdal, iii, 4.
Tunga, ii, i.
Tungardr, Ilome-f eld-garth, ii, 19.
Tungua, Tongue- river', Tung"u=a tongue
of land formed by the meeting of two
rivers, iii, 11, 19.
Tungufell, Tongue-fell, i, 20; ii, 4.
Tunguheida, Tongue-heath, iii, iS.
Tungu-land, iv, 11.
Tungu-lond, iv, 2.
U.
Ulfarsfell, Ulfs-fell, ii, 13.
Uifsdalir, Ulfs-dale, iii, 11.
Ulfsatadir, UlJ's-stead, i, 21.
Unadalr, iii, 4.
Unadalsa, iii, 10.
Unadsdalr, Delight-dale, ii, 29, 31.
Unalaekr, UtiVs-brook, iv, 4.
Unaos, UnVs-inlet, iv, 4.
Undirfell, Underjell, iii, 4.
Undir-Brekkum, Under-brinks, v, 3.
Upplendingar, ii, 15; iii, 11; iv, 8 ; v, 9.
Upplendingr, iv, 11.
Upplenzkr, ii, 29.
Upplond, iii, 2; v, 10.
Uppsalir, Upper-halls, \\\, 9.
Upsar, Fish-place, iii, 13.
Urdavatn, Stony-water^ iii, 2, 3.
Urdir, Stone-heaps, iii, 11.
V.
Vadill, Shallow-water, ii, 28, 30.
Vag, Creek, v, 14.
Vallanes, Field-ness, iv, 3.
Valldres in Norway, iv, 13.
Vallverjar, Men of Vellir, v, 7.
Vakhjofsstadir, Valthjof stead, ii, 14.
Vardgja, Ward-gorge, iii, 16.
Varma, ffarm-river, v, 13.
Varmadalr, Warm-dale, v, 6.
Varmalaikr, Warm-brook, i, 20.
Vatn, ffater, ii, 17, 18.
Vatnahverfii, 7%^ IVaters, \n Greenland,
ii, 14.
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242
PLACE NAMES.
Vatnlausa, Waterless, i, 13, 20.
Vatns^, iii, 14.
VatnsdaU in Hunavatnsthing, iii, 2, 4, 1 1 .
Vatnsdalsd, iii, 4.
Vatnsdxlar, Water-dale'tnerii iii, 4.
Vatnsfell, Water-felly v, 3.
Vatnsfjordr, vid Bardarstrond, i, 2; ii, 25.
Isafirdi, iii, 5.
Vatnshorn, ii, 14.
Vatnsnes, Water-nesst ii, 29 ; iii, i .
Vatnsskard, Water-pass, iii, 4, 5, 6.
Veggir, The Walls^ ii, 2,
Veidilausa, Fish-less, ii, 31.
Vekelshaugar, VekeWs-howes, iii, 7.
Vellir, V, 7.
Veradalr, iv, 2.
Vermaland, ^ county in Sweden^ iii, i.
Vestarsness, Vestar^s-ness, ii, 20.
Vestdaisi, fVest-dale-river, iv, 6.
Vestfirdinga-fjordungr, ii, 33.
Vestfirdir, Western-firths, ii, i.
Vestfold in Norway, iii, 9.
Vestmannaeyjar, Westmen' S'islandsy i,
7> V, 5.
Vestmannsvatn, Westmen* s-waterimy 19.
Vestmenn, Prologue; i, 7.
Vestradalsd, H'est-dale-river, iv, i.
Vestrhop, Westhope, iii, i, 4, 6.
Vestri-bygd in Greenland, ii, 14.
Vestri-obygd in Greenland, ii, 14.
Vestrlond, v, 4.
Vidbord, iv, 10.
Vidfirdingar, J4 ood-firthers, iv, 6.
Vidtjordr, Wood-firth, iv, i, 6.
Vididalr, fVide-dale, iii, i, 2.
Vididalsey, U^ide-dale-island, iii, 4.
Vidilaekr, IVillow-brook, ii, 3.
Vidimyri, ffiUow-mire, ii, 4, 25.
Vidiskogr, fVillow-wood, v, 10.
Vidvik, ffood-wick, iii, 9.
Vifilsdalr, FifiCs-dale, ii, 17.
Vifilsfell, i, 8.
Vifilstoptir, FifiVs-toft, i, 8.
Viggjar in Norway, 7%^ Steeds, v, 2.
Vigrafjordr, Figra-firth, ii, 9, 13.
Vik, -<4 small bay, creek, or inlet, ii, 31 ;
also Vikr, found in Husa vik, Reyk-
ja-vik.
Vikarsskeid, ii, 16.
Vikingslaekr, Viking-brook, v, 5, 6.
Vikr, The Jficks, ii, 26.
Vikverjar, Men of Fikin, v, 12.
Villingadalr, iii, 16.
Vinland the good, IVineland, ii, 22 ; ii-,
10.
Vinverjadair, iii, 18.
Vogar, The Foss, ii, 9.
Vogr, Fos or creek, v, 14.
Vonarskard, Hope-pass, iii, 18 ; iv, 10.
Vopnafjardari, PFeaponfirth^s-river, iv, i.
Vopnafjardarstrond, JVeaponfirth ^s-river-
strand, iv, 2.
Vopnafjordr, PFeaponfirth, ii, 3; iv, 1.
Vopnaferdingar, JVeaponJirther, iv, 2.
Vors in Norway, iv, s* ^t 7 > v, 8, 12.
Vorsbaer, v, 8.
Vorskr, iv, 10.
Vaelagerdi, Fcela-garth, v, 4, 10.
Vaetleifsholt, v, 8.
Vardafell, Pf'ard-fell, v, 10.
Yrarfell, Het-fell, iii, 6.
Yrjar, Wetting, iv, i.
Ytrafjall, formerly called Skrattafell, iii,
19. Ytrafjall is "outer" fell—
Skratti the name of a demon sup-
posed to haunt this mountain ; com-
pare Crossfell in Cumberland, for-
merly Fiends Fell.
Th.
Theigjandadalr, Hushed-dale, iii, 19.
1 helamork m Norway, v, 6,
Thernanes, Bondmaid^ s-ness, iv, 6.
Thingeyrar, Thing-island, iii, 3.
Thin gey ra, iii, 3.
Thingnes, Thing-ness, ii, 18 ; ii, 30.
Thingvollr, Thing-field, see note, v, 13.
Thjorsa, Steer* s-river, iii, 20; v, 7, 11.
Thjorsardalr, Steer^ s-river-dale, iii, 20;
V, 7, II.
Thjorsarholt, Steer* s-river-wood, v, 7.
Thjorsaros, Steer* s-river-mouth, v, 8.
For origin of name Steer* s-river, see v, 8,
where Thorarin brings his ship with
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PLACE NAMES.
243
a Steer*s-head carved upon its stem
into the river's mouth, which thence
takes its name.
Thjorsdaelir, Steer^s-dalc, iii, 20.
Thistilsfjordr, Thistle-firth^ ii, 7 ; iii, 20.
TY\oxhvdLnAssi2idi\TyThorbrand^s-steadf iii, 8
Thordisarholt, Thordis^river-wood, iii, 2.
Thoreyjargnupr, Thorey^S"peak, iii, 4.
Thorfinnsstadir, ThorfinrCs-stead^ ii, 3.
Thorgautsstadir, Thorgaufs-stead^ ii, i.
Thorgeirsfjordr, Thorgeirs-firth, iii, 17.
Thorgerdarfell, Thorgerd^s-fell, iii, 19.
Thorgilsstadir, ThorgiVs'Steadj ii, 23.
Thorisbjorg, ii, 5.
Thorisholar, Thoris-holes, i, 14.
Thorisstadir, Thoris-stead^ ii, 19.
Thormodseyri, Thormod's-island^ iii, u.
Thormodssker, Thormod'' s-skerry ^ ii, 24.
Thorodsstadir, Thorodd's-stead, iii, i.
Thorolfsfell, Thorolfs-felly v, 2.
Thorormstunga,7%or<7rwV^ow^«^, iii, 3, 4
Thorsd, Thors-river, ii, 12, 13*
Thorskafjordr, Cod-firth, ii, 19, 22.
Thorskfirdingar saga, ii, 19.
Thorsmork, Thor's-mark, v, 2.
Thorsnes, Thor^s-ness, ii, 12.
Thorsnesingar, /rom Thor^ s-ness, ii, 12,, 29.
Thorsness-lond, ii, 9, 13, 14.
Thorunnarey, Thorunn's islet, iii, 12.
Thorunnarhalsar, Tliorunii's-hause-river,
V, 6.
Thorunnarholt,7'/»or//««'5-/jo// or zavW ii, 3
Thorunnarhylr,T/jorMn7i'5-/jo/e or pool, ii, 3
Thorunnartoptir, Thorunn's'toftSj ii, 19.
Thorvaldsdalr, Thorvatd's-dale, iii, 13.
Thorvaldsdals^, Thorvald^s-dale-river, iii,
13.
Thorvardsstadir, Thorvard's'Stead, i, 20;
ii, I.
Thrandarholt, Thrand's'wood, v, li.
Thrandheimr, Thraiid* s-home, iv, i, 6;
V, I, 2.
Thrihyrning, Three corner, v, 3, 5.
Thruma in Norway, v, 6.
Thraelavik, Thrallwick, ii, 7.
Thufa, Hummoek, ii, 27.
Thufubjdrg, ii, 7.
I'hulunes, iv, 5.
Thursstaiir, Giant-stead, ii, 4.
Thvera, Cross or Thwart-river, from flow-
ing athwart or across into the main
river.
In Arness Thing, v, 11, 13.
In Borgarfirth, ii, 2, 3.
In Eyjafirth, iii, 14, 16.
In Hangar Thing, v, 3, 4.
In Skagafirth, iii, 8.
From Vatnsness, iii, i.
Thverardalr, ii, 2.
Thverarhlid, Cross-river-stope, i, 12 ; ii,
I, 2.
Thverfell, Crossfrli, ii, 21.
Thykkvibaer, Thick-by, iv, 10.
Thykkviskogr, Thick-wood, ii, 18.
^gissida, Migir's side, iii, i.
i^varsskard, Mvar^s-pass, iii, 5.
6.
Ogrvik, ii, 29.
Oldugrof, Alda^S'grove «r pit, v, 5.
Olfusd, Olfu^s-river, i, 7, 8.
Olfusvatn, Olfus-water, i, 8.
Olvisstadir, Olver^s-stead, v, 9.
Omd, in Halogaland, iii, 14.
Ondurtnes, Onward-ness, v, 12.
Ondverd-eyri, Onverd's-eyr or beach, ii, 9.
Onundarfjordr, Onund's- firth, ii, 29.
Onundarholt, Onund's-wood, v, 9.
Orlygshofn, Orlyg^s-haven, i, 12.
Orlygsstadir. Ortyg's-stead, ii, 13.
Ornolfsdalr, Ornolf^s-dale, ii, 2.
Ornolfsdalsd, Ornolfs-dale-river, ii, 2.
Ornolfsstadir, Ornolf's-stead, ii, 2.
Orridaros, Char-river in Hvammsfirth, ii,
16.
in Leirarsveit, i, 15, 17.
Oxar^, Axe-river in Bardardal, iii, 18.
in Thingvoll, i, 8 j v, 12.
Oxararholmi, Axe-river-island, v, 10.
Oxarfjordar, Axfirth, ii, 31 ; iii, 20.
Oxl in Snaefellsness, ii, 6.
Oxney or Oxey, Ox-island, ii, 11.
Oxnadalr, Oxen-dale^ iii, 14.
Oxnalaekr, Ox-brook, iv, 3.
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In drawing up and interpreting the foregoing Register of
Place Names, two objects have throughout been especially
kept in view ; fivsty to make the meaning of the Place Name
as clear as possible, more especiall}^ as illustrating the con-
ditions under which it was first given, and secondly^ in order
to make a reference to the map easy and obvious, it was
necessary, as near as possible, to give the exact form of the
word in the original Norse. To secure this, the list given in
the Landnama (original Icelandic volume) Copenhagen 1843,
has been adhered to. In the renderings and elsewhere,
possibly in some instances, fjordr for firth or vict versa, or
shaw, holt, or wood, or other partly synonymous words are
made interchangeable, or the concluding letters r or ar may
be found in some forms and left out in others.
I would, however, remind critics about spelling, that the
variations introduced into Norse words by the old forms of
declension, often unsettles in the original the spelling of the
same word. Moreover in the Book of the Settlement, the
Norse language is used in prose composition for the first time
and almost before it can be said to have acquired the con-
sistency of a language at all. The two original Icelandic
copies that I have used to supplement each other are often
themselves at variance about the spelling of the same word
or Place Name, and I can point out instances in which the
same Place Name is differently spelled in different passages
of the same copy. Moreover the most eminent Icelandic
philologists differ about the exact rendering of the spelling of
the same term in Place Names, nor would it be difficult to
show, if required, that in the spelling of Place Names from
Ari himself downwards, the same writer is not at all times
consistent with himself.
In order to be quite sure about the originals of the work,
I have kept almost all the MSS. of the translations, almost
every scrap of the copying, alterations, and Place-Names,
together with the corrections of proofs and correspondence
about them, and a voluminous mass they are.
T. Ellwood.
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SOME ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS.
The Map represents Iceland from the beginning of the
Settlement A.D. 874 to the close of the loth century, and
during the opening years of the nth century.
In Table of Contents, page v, and also at page 75 — for
" A.D. 885 " read " A.D. 872," as date of Battle of Hafursfirth.
Also Table of Contents, page v — for " South America "
read " Southern America," generally understood to refer to a
more southern portion of the North American continent than
that originally discovered by the Norsemen.
Page X — for ** Sunholme " read ** Sunhome."
Page xvii — for " Ornaefa ** read " Oraefa."
Page xxi — for ** Alfdis of Barna " read " Alfdis of Barra."
At page 4, Chapter II, line 12 — for " Aft over the stem "
read " Aft over the stern."
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LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS.
Adams, J. R., Esq., 66, Cannon Street, London.
Adair, Joseph, fisq., Egremont.
Alcock-Beck, Major, Esthwaite Lodge, Hawkshead.
AiNswoRTH, LiEUT.-CoLONEL, Broughton Hall, Grange-over-
Sands, Cartmel.
Atkinson, James, Esq., King Street, Ulverston (2 copies).
Ayre, Rev. Canon, Holy Trinity Vicarage, Ulverston.
Balfour, R., Esq., Bridge House, Torver.
Barnes, H., Esq., M.D., LL.D., 6, Portland Square, Carlisle.
Barratt, W. I., Esq., Broom Hill, Broughton-in-Fumess.
Barratt, J. W. H., Esq., Holy Wath, Coniston, R.S.O.
Baron, Miss, Bank House, Bury-St.-Edmunds.
Barrow-in-Furness, the Lord Bishop of, How Foot,
Grasmere, R.S.O.
Barrow-in-Furness Free Public Library (per Ernest
Beck, Esq., Librarian.)
Bell, John, Esq., Haws Bank, Coniston.
Benson, T., Esq., Stable Harvey, Torver.
Blanc, Hippolyte J., Esq., F.S. A., Scot., 73, George Street,
Edinburgh.
Browne, Miss, the Square, Broughton-in-Furness.
Brown, S. D., Esq., Souterstead, Torver.
Brockbank, Mrs., The Croft, Kirksanton.
Butler, Thomas, Esq., Solicitor, Brolightoii-in-Furness.
<^AVENDiSH, Victor, Esq., M.P., Holker Hall, Cartmel.
Carlisle, the Lord Bishop of, Rose Castle, Carlisle.
Carlisle Public Library, Tullie House, Carlisle.
CoLLiNGwboD, W. G., Esq., M.A., Coniston.
Coward, John, Esq., Fountain Street,. Ulverston.
CowPER, H. S., Esq., F.S.A., Outgate, Ambleside.
Clouston, Tl. G., Esq., M.D., Morningside Place, Edinburgh.
Clark, John, Esq., Solicitor, Broughton-in-Furness,
Cranke, M. L, Esq., Midtown, Urswick, Ulverston.
Crowder, W. J. R., jun., Esq., 3, Marine Terrace, Silloth.
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Dickson, A. B., Esq., Abbots Reading, Haverthwaite^
Ulverston.
Douglas & Foulis, Messrs., 9, Castle Street, Edinburgh,
Dunn, J. M., Esq., 61, Harcourt Terrace, South Kensington^
London, S.W.
Dunn, Miss, 61, Harcourt Terrace, South Kensington,.
London, S.W.
Easthope, James, Esq., Barrow-in-Furness (2 copies).
Ellwood, G. B., Esq., York Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock^
Manchester. (2 copies)
Ellwood, Rev. T. E., Hawes Vicarage, Yorkshire.
Ellwood, Rev. R. D., St. George's, Barrow-in-Furness.
Ellwood, J. F. A., Esq. Arrow Field, Coniston.
Fawcett, Dr., Broughton House, Broughton-in-Furness,
Fell, John, Esq., Flan How, Ulverston.
Ferguson, The Worshipful Chancellor, F.S.A., Carlisle.
Fiske, Willard, Esq., c/o E. G. Allen, 28, Henrietta Street^
Covent Garden, London.
Fothergill, John, Esq., Brownber, Newbiggin, R.S.O.
Ford, John R., Esq., Quarry Dene, Weetwood, Leeds.
Garner, John, Esq., The Garner, Broughton-in-Furness.
Gaythorpe, Harper, Esq., 12, Harrison Street, Barrow-in-
Furness.
Glaister, T., Esq., Saltcoats, Abbey Town, Carlisle.
Grant, Mrs., Kenilworth, Camberlay, Surrey.
Grainger, F., Esq., Southerfield, Abbey Town, Carlisle.
Greenwood, R. H., Esq., Bank House, Kendal.
Hargreaves, J. E., Esq., Beezon Lodge, Kendal.
Harrison, James, Esq., Sand Area House, Kendal.
Harrison, James, Esq., Newby Bridge, Ulverston.
Harrison, G., Esq., Beck Stones, Torver, Coniston, R.S.O»
Haslam, Rev. J., Thwaites, Millom.
HousMAN, R. F. Esq., Liverpool.
HiBBERT, Percy, Esq., Plumtree Hall, Milnthorpe.
Hills, H. W., Esq., Storrs, Windermere.
HoARE, Rev. J. N., St. John's Parsonage, Keswick.
Hodgson, James, Esq., Britain Place, Ulverston.
Holt, Miss Emma G., Sudley, Mossley Hill, Liverpool.
Holmes, W., Esq., Lightburn Road, Ulverston.
HuDLESTON, F., Esq., 57, Inverness Terrace, Hyde Park^
London.
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Iddon, Thomas, Esq., Market Street, Ulverston.
Irving, Rev. John, Holy Trinity Vicarage, Millom.
Jackson, Thos., Esq., M.D., Hazel Bank, Yanwith, Penrith,
1ACKS0N, S. Hart, Esq., 49, Market Street, Ulverston.
owETT-BuRTON, Rev. J., Stanton-by-Dale, Nottingham.
Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., Charing Cross
Road, London (2 copies).
Kewley, Rev. W., Natland Vicarage, Kendal.
Key, Thomas, Esq., High Wray, Ambleside.
KiTCHiN, Rev. G. W., D.D., Dean of Durham, The Deanery,
Durham.
Lamonby, W. p., Ballaarat, Kitto Road, New Cross,
London, S.E.
Lehmaun u Stage, Herr, Buchhandlung, Copenhagen.
Lewis, Rev. L. Owen, Lindal-in-Furness, Ulverston.
Little, William, Esq., Chapel Ridding, Windermere.
LoNGTON, E. J., Esq., M.D., Brown How, Torver.
LuMB, James, Esq., Homewood, Whitehaven.
Madden, The Venerable Archdeacon, Archdeacon of War-
rington, St. Luke's, Liverpool.
Mackereth, H. W., Esq. Market Place, Ulverston.
Machell, Lieut.-Col., Whitehaven.
Magnusson, E., Esq., University Library, Cambridge (3
copies).
Mandall, T., Esq., Coniston (2 copies).
Marshall, Stephen A., Esq., Skelwith Fold, Ambleside.
Marshall, Mrs., Patterdale Hall, Penrith.
Metcalfe, Rev. C. F., Claremont, Ambleside.
MiDGELEY, J., Esq., Grange-over-Sands.
Millard, Rev. F. L. N., Aspatria Vicarage, Carlisle.
Millom Public Library, per W. T. Lawrence, Esq.
Moore, Rev. C. A., All Saints Parsonage, Gustav Adolphe
Strasse, 6, Dresden Shehlen, Saxony, Germany.
Morris, John, Esq. (for Coniston Institute), School House,
Coniston.
Nash, J. R., Esq., The Mount, Cark-in-Cartmel.
Norris, F. T., Esq., 31, Adolphus Road, South Hornsey.
Peache, The Rev. Alfred, Wimbledon, London.
Phillipson, J., Esq., Emlin Hall, Torver.
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Phillips, The Venerable ArchdeacoH, St George's Vicarage,
Barrow.
PoRTEOus, Messrs. R. J. & Co., Grainger Street West,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.
Prevost, E. W., Esq., PhD., Newnham, Gloucester.
RaWnsley, Rev. Canon, Crosthwaite Vicarage, Keswick.
Remington, Rev. T. M., Aynsome, Cartmel.
Ronton, W*, Esq., Wray, Ambleside.
Ree, J. Rogers, Esq., Winterbourne, Penarth.
Rhodes, Mr. Joseph, 54, Drewery Terrace, Keighley.
Ridley, Rev. G., Crosby Garrat Rectory, Westmorland.
Robinson, John, Esq., M.Inst. C.E., Dock Works, Middles-
brough.
Robinson, J., Esq., Westwood Hall, Leek, Staffordshire
(4 copies),
RusKiN, Professor, Brantwood, Coniston.
Severn, Arthur, Esq., Brantwood, Coniston.
Sewell, Col. Frederick R., Brandling Ghyll, Cockermoutb.
Smallpiece, Rev. J., Meppershall Rectory, Shefford.
Smith, J. J., Esq., Abbey Town, Carlisle.
Spedding, M., Esq., Coniston, Lancashire.
Stead, Miss A., 3, Belgrave Place, Southport.
Stefansson, Dr. Jon, National Liberal Club, Westminster.
Stock, Elliot, Esq., 62, Paternoster Row, London (2 copies).
Stuart, Rev. J. C, Liverpool.
Stuart, Wilson, Esq., M.A., Liverpool.
SuART, W., Esq., St. John's College, Cambridge.
Sykes, Rev. W. Slater, Millom, Cumberland.
Taylor, Rev. Richard, Bromfield Vicarage, Wigton.
Threlfall, W., Esq., Blawith, Ulverston.
Thomas, K. G., Esq., High Wray, Ambleside.
Thornlby, Rev. Canon, The Vicarage, Kirkoswald, R.S.O.
The Church Agency, 6, Southampton Street, Strand,
London.
Th6 Clergy Library for the Archdeaconry of Furness.
Walker, Miss A., Oak Lea, Whitehaven.
Wilson, Miss, Abbey Town, Carlisle.
Wilson, Mrs., Aynam Lodge, Kendal.
Woodhousb, Rev. Canon, Canon of Manchester Cathedral,
65, Ardwick Green, Manchester.
Workington Free Library.
Wright, Mrs. Dr. Hodgson, Park Lane, Halifax.
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