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Lithend

Gunnar's estate in Iceland, site of the slayings of Sigmund and Skiolld.

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Lithend is a farmstead in Iceland attested in Njal's Saga as the estate of Gunnar. The saga places the slaying of Sigmund and Skiolld near Lithend, establishing the location as a site of violence closely associated with Gunnar's household (Njal's Saga, 45. The Slaying Of Sigmund And Skiolld).

Njal's Saga provides the sole attestation for Lithend, identifying it as Gunnar's own estate and the setting for the killings of Sigmund and Skiolld. The narrative locates the violence "near" Lithend rather than at the farmstead itself, placing the bloodshed at the threshold of Gunnar's domain (Njal's Saga, 45. The Slaying Of Sigmund And Skiolld). The brevity of the reference — the saga simply notes that "they came near to Lithend" — suggests the place was well known to the saga audience and needed no further description.

Appears in: Places, Entities in Njál's Saga, Norse Tradition