The Eyrbyggja Saga on Steinthor

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 12 - Of Arnkel The Priest And Others.

• attestation: Steinthor son of Thorlak was held to be the third best fighter in all Iceland

  "Steinthor is held for the third best man-at-arms of Iceland, along with these, Helgi, the son of Droplaug, and Vemund Kogr."

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 27 - Arnkel Takes Up The Blood-Feud For Vigfus.

• attestation: Steinthor declined to lead the suit, citing his youth and inexperience, though he promised not to abandon his kinsmen

  "I am but a young man, and have had nought to do with the cases of men. But there are kinsmen of Vigfus nearer to him than I am"

• attestation: Steinthor was identified as a kinsman of Vigfus dwelling in the Ere district

  "Steinthor, Vigfus's kinsman"

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 44 - The Battle In Swanfirth.

• attestation: Steinthor arrived in a red kirtle with skirts tucked through his belt, carrying a fair shield, helm, and a silver-hilted sword with gilded strings

  "he was in a red kirtle, and had pulled up the front skirts through his belt. A fair shield he had, and a helm, and was girt with a sword that was cunningly wrought; the hilts were white with silver, and the grip wrapped round with the same, but the strings thereof were gilded"

• attestation: Steinthor brought a purse of twelve ounces of silver as thrall's-gild and legally named witnesses at the doorpost

  "he made fast to the doorpost a purse wherein were twelve ounces of silver. Then he named witnesses to the thrall's-gild being brought home according to law"

• attestation: A handmaid praised Steinthor's manliness and eloquence in delivering the thrall's-gild

  ""Yea, both things are true, that Steinthor of Ere is a manly man, and moreover that he spoke well when he brought the thrall's- gild.""

• attestation: A melee erupted in the home-field with Steinthor fighting aggressively on both sides

  "men ran out and there was battle in the home-mead, and Steinthor was of the eagerest, and smote on either hand of him"

• attestation: Steinthor's force retreated across the river to the scree Geirvor, a strong defensive position due to its stones

  "they crossed the river and turned up on to the scree Geirvor, and made them ready for a stand; for a good fighting-stead was that because of the stones"

• attestation: Steinthor cast a spear over Snorri's force for luck according to ancient custom, but it struck Mar, Snorri's kinsman

  "Steinthor cast a spear over Snorri's folk for his good luck, according to ancient custom; but the spear sought a mark for itself, and in its way was Mar, the kinsman of Snorri, who was straightway put out of the fight"

• attestation: Steinthor's ornate sword failed to cut through armor in the battle

  "the fair- wrought sword bit not whenas it smote armour, and oft he must straighten it under his foot"

• attestation: Steinthor struck Snorri's stall-ring with his sword during the supposed truce, nearly cutting it in two but failing to wound Snorri

  "Steinthor raised his sword aloft and cut at Snorri's arm, and great was the clatter of the stroke, for it smote the stall-ring, and well-nigh struck it asunder, but Snorri was nowise wounded"

• attestation: Five men of Steinthor's company fell in Swanfirth, and two of Snorri's

  "In the fight at Swanfirth five men had fallen of Steinthor's company, and two of Snorri the Priest"

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 45 - The Battle In Swordfirth.

• attestation: Steinthor had purchased a ten-oar boat at the Daymeal-ness ship that summer but could not retrieve it due to a western gale

  "Steinthor of Ere had bought a ten-oarer at the ship; but when he was to bring it home there fell on him a great gale from the west"

• attestation: The gale drove them east past Thors-ness; they landed at Thinghall-ness and stored the boat at Gruflunaust

  "they drave east past Thors-ness, and landed at Thinghall-ness, and laid the keel up in Gruflunaust"

• attestation: Shortly before Yule, Steinthor set out to retrieve the boat with his brothers Bergthor and Thord Walleye, whose wound had healed

  "Steinthor rose early, and said that he would go fetch his craft that lay east at Thinghall- ness; and there betook them to faring with him his brothers Bergthor and Thord Wall-eye, whose wound was by now pretty much healed"

• attestation: Two Eastmen joined the party, and Thormod joined at Bank, bringing the total to nine

  "Withal in Steinthor's company were two Eastmen, and they were eight in all"

• attestation: Steinthor's party dragged the boat across the ice and over a low neck to Templesteadwick

  "they dragged the craft in along the firth, and then west over the low neck to Templesteadwick, and right out to the edge of the ice"

• attestation: Steinthor challenged Thorleif to test the sword's edge before they parted

  ""Ah! I will that thou prove ere we part whether I bear a soft brand or not.""

• attestation: Steinthor performed three simultaneous feats: shielding fallen Thord, severing Thorleif's leg below the knee, and dodging Freystein's spear-thrust by leaping into the air

  "Steinthor ran thereto, and cast his shield over Thord even as Thorleif fetched a blow at him, and with the other hand he smote at Thorleif Kimbi, and smote the leg from him below the knee; and while that was a-doing Freystein Rascal thrust at Steinthor, aiming at his middle; and when Steinthor saw that, he leapt up aloft, and the thrust went between his legs, and these three things, whereof we have told even now, he did in one and the same nick of time"

• attestation: Steinthor struck Freystein Rascal on the neck with his sword, but the blow was stopped by horn sewn into Freystein's felt hood

  "he smote him on the neck with his sword, and loud was the clatter of that stroke. So he cried withal: "Art smitten, Rascal?" "Smitten forsooth," said Freystein, "but yet no more than thou didst deem, for no wound have I therefrom." For in a hooded hat of felt was Freystein, with horn sewn into the neck thereof"

• attestation: Two Eastmen with bows shot at the men on the skerry from the ice, wounding several

  "the Eastmen went out on to the ice within bowshot, for they had bows, and there with they shot against those on the skerry, and gave many a wound"

• attestation: Steinthor cut Freystein Rascal in two at the waist with his sword

  "Steinthor brought his sword down on Freystein above his hips, and smote the man asunder in the midst"

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 46 - The Peace-Making After These Battles.

• attestation: The peace held for the remainder of both Steinthor's and Snorri's lifetimes

  "that peace was well holden while Steinthor and Snorri were both alive"