The Egil's Saga on Skallagrim

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 24 - Kveldulf's grief.

• attribution: Skallagrim urged his father to act rather than grieve, saying anything was more fitting than becoming bedridden

  "Skallagrim came often to him, and talked with him; he bade him cheer up. 'Anything,' (he said) ' was more fitting than to become a bedridden dotard'"

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 25 - Skallagrim's journey to the king.

• attestation: Skallagrim assembled his strongest and most doughty men from his household and neighbors for a vengeance expedition

  "Skallagrim made him ready for this journey, choosing out of his household and neighbours the strongest and doughtiest that were to be found."

• attestation: Named members of Skallagrim's band included Ani, Grani, Grimolf, his brother Grim, and others

  "One was Ani, a wealthy landowner, another Grani, a third Grimolf and his brother Grim, house-carles these of Skallagrim"

• attestation: Skallagrim went to see the king to demand compensation for Thorolf's death

  "Skallagrim went to the king, and asked compensation for Thorolf."

• attribution: Skallagrim told Harold that Thorolf got no luck serving the king, and refused service himself

  "It is well known how far superior to me was Thorolf in every point, and he got no luck by serving thee, O king. Now will I not take that counsel; serve thee I will not"

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 27 - Slaying of Hallvard and Sigtrygg.

• attestation: Skallagrim was very sharp-sighted and spotted Hallvard's company sailing by, recognizing their ship

  "Skallagrim was very sharp-sighted. He saw Hallvard's company sailing by, and he knew the ship, for he had seen it before when Thorgils went with it."

• attestation: Skallagrim killed Sigtrygg Swiftfarer in the same attack

  "Skallagrim slew Sigtrygg."

• attestation: After the battle, Skallagrim and his men captured Hallvard's ship and its cargo

  "After this Skallagrim and his men took out to their ships and captured ship and her cargo."

• attestation: They exchanged ships, loading the captured ship and sinking their smaller vessel with stones

  "they made an exchange, loading the ship they had taken, but emptying one of their own which was smaller; and in this they put stones, and bored holes and sank it."

• attestation: Skallagrim took land-claim on the surrounding area between the mountains and the sea

  "Skallagrim then took land between fell and shore."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 28 - Of Skallagrim's land-taking.

• attestation: Skallagrim arrived at a large headland (ness) where his father's coffin had washed ashore

  "Skallagrim came to land where a large ness ran out into the sea, and above the ness was a narrow isthmus; and there they put out their lading. That ness they called Ship-ness."

• attestation: Skallagrim's land-taking was enormous, covering the territory between mountains and sea

  "the whole country-side south from the river was his."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 29 - Of Skallagrim's industry.

• attestation: Skallagrim kept many men and set them to gather provisions including hunting, fishing, and seal-catching

  "Skallagrim was most industrious. He had about him always many men, whom he set to seek diligently all such provisions as could be got there for man's sustenance"

• attestation: Skallagrim had little livestock at first compared to the needs of his numerous household

  "at first they had but little live-stock compared with the needs of their numerous household."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 30 - Of the coming out of Yngvar, and of Skallagrim's iron-forging.

• attestation: Skallagrim had a smithy set up at a place called Raufarness where bog-iron was found

  "He had a smithy set up at Raufarness."

• attestation: Skallagrim sought bog-iron ore in a place that later became known as Reykardale

  "Skallagrim sought for the bog-iron ore."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 31 - Of Skallagrim's children.

• attestation: Skallagrim and Bera had many children but initially they all died

  "Skallagrim and Bera had a great many children, but at first they all died."

• relationship: Their first surviving son was named Thorolf, who grew tall and fair like his uncle

  "Then they had a son, who was sprinkled with water and named Thorolf. As a child he soon grew to be tall and was fair of countenance."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 33 - Bjorn goes to Iceland.

• attestation: Skallagrim offered hospitality to Bjorn and Thora, recognizing Thora as the sister of his foster-brother Thorir

  "it was his bounden duty to give to the sister of Thorir his own foster-brother such help as she needed"

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 34 - Of Skallagrim and Bjorn.

• attestation: Skallagrim learned from Norway that Bjorn had carried off Thora without her kin's consent, making him an outlaw

  "this report came over, how Bjorn had run away with Thora without the consent of her kin, and for that the king had made him an outlaw from Norway."

• attribution: Skallagrim was angered that Bjorn had concealed the truth about his unauthorized marriage

  "I never looked for this,' said he, 'in a son of Brynjolf, that I should not know the truth from him.'"

• attribution: Skallagrim was appeased and entrusted Bjorn to Thorolf's care

  "Take you Bjorn,' said he, 'and deal with him as may best prove your manhood.'"

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 38 - Thorolf comes out to Iceland.

• attestation: Skallagrim received the axe silently, examined it, and fixed it by his seat without comment

  "Skallagrim took the axe and held it up, looked at it awhile, but said nothing. He fixed it up by his seat."

• attestation: Skallagrim tested the king's gift axe on two oxen, breaking it against a stone, revealing its poor quality

  "he hewed at the oxen both at once, so that he took off the heads of the two. But the axe smote down on the stone, so that the mouth broke, and was rent through all the tempered steel."

• attestation: Skallagrim thrust the broken axe into the rafters where it lay in smoke all winter, expressing contempt for Eric's gift

  "went into the fire-hall, and, mounting to the wall-beam, thrust the axe up among the rafters above the door. There it lay in the smoke all the winter."

• attribution: Skallagrim tried to convince Thorolf to stay in Iceland, warning about the dangers of too many journeys

  "'Tis good to drive home with your wain whole. You have,' said he, 'gotten great honour by travel; but there is the old saw, "Many farings, many fortunes."'"

• attestation: Skallagrim returned the broken axe to Thorolf with a contemptuous verse about the worthless gift from the prince

  "Begone! worthless weapon, With shaft smoke-begrimed: A prince ill-beseemed it Such present to send."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 39 - Kettle Blund comes out to Iceland.

• attestation: Skallagrim granted Kettle land by White-river, and Kettle settled at Thrandarholt

  "Kettle dwelt at Thrandarholt"

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 40 - Of Egil's and Skallagrim's games.

• attestation: Skallagrim took much pleasure in trials of strength and ball-play was a common game

  "Skallagrim took much pleasure in trials of strength and games; he liked to talk about such. Ball-play was then a common game."

• attestation: During a ball game at Sandvik, Skallagrim entered a shape-strong fury and killed Thord Granisson

  "Skallagrim then became so strong and he caught up Thord and dashed him down so violently that he was all bruised and at once got his bane."

• attestation: Skallagrim pursued Brak to Digra-ness where she leapt into the water; he hurled a stone killing her

  "she leapt out from the rock into the water. Skallagrim hurled after her a great stone, which struck her between the shoulders, and neither ever came up again."

Chapter 1 - Of Kveldulf and his sons. > Chapter 61 - Death of Skallagrim.

• attribution: Skallagrim embraced Egil at departure and demanded the money king Athelstan had sent him

  "Skallagrim went out with him, and embracing him before he mounted said: 'You are late, methinks, Egil, in paying to me that money which king Athelstan sent me.'"

• attestation: Skallagrim rode out at night carrying a large chest and a brazen kettle, believed to have hidden them in Krum's bog-hole under a stone slab

  "he bore before him on his knees a very large chest; but under his arm he carried a brazen kettle. It has been since held for certain that he let down one or both into Krum's bog-hole"

• attestation: Skallagrim was found dead the next morning, sitting forward on his seat's edge, so stiff he could not be moved

  "in the morning, when it was light and people were dressed, there sat Skallagrim forward on the seat's edge, already dead, and so stiff that they could not straighten him nor move him"

• attestation: Skallagrim was buried in a mound at Digra-ness with his horse, weapons, and smithy tools

  "Egil had a mound raised on the point of the ness. Therein was laid Skallagrim, with his horse, his weapons, and his smithy tools."

• attestation: No valuables were laid in the mound beside Skallagrim

  "It is not told that any valuables were laid in the mound beside him."