The Eyrbyggja Saga on Uspak

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 57 - Of Uspak Of Ere In Bitter And Of His Injustice.

• attestation: Uspak dwelt at Ere in Bitter and was the son of Kiallak of Kiallak's-river of Skridinsenni

  "there dwelt a man at Ere in Bitter called Uspak. He was a married man, and had a son called Glum, who was young in those days. Uspak was the son of Kiallak of Kiallak's-river of Skridinsenni."

• attestation: Uspak was the biggest and strongest of men but universally disliked and the most unjust

  "Uspak was the biggest and strongest of men; he was unloved and the most unjust of men"

• attestation: Uspak maintained a band of seven or eight armed men who stole goods and driftage from people in the north

  "had with him seven or eight carles who were much in the way of picking quarrels with men in those northern parts; they had ever a ship off the land, and took from every man his goods and his drifts"

• attestation: Uspak was the dominant figure around Crosswater-dale and Enni

  "Uspak was the foremost man there about Crosswater-dale and Enni."

• attestation: Uspak had a fortified work built at Ere the previous summer, described as an excellent defensive position

  "The summer before had Uspak let build a work at his stead of Ere, a wondrous good fighting-stead, if men were therein for defence."

• attestation: Uspak arrived at the whale cutting with fifteen armed men in his twelve-oared boat and demanded a share

  "they saw a craft come rowing from the other side of the firth from Ere, and knew it for a great twelve-oarer that Uspak owned. Now these landed by the whale and went up there, fifteen men all- armed in company"

• attestation: Uspak declared he was not accustomed to buying whale from the men of Bitter, implying he would take it by force

  ""Thou knowest, Thorir," said Uspak, "that I am not wont to buy whale of you men of Bitter.""

• attestation: Uspak ordered his men to seize the cut whale from the heap while the cutters had only axes as weapons

  "Uspak bid his men go thereto and bear it down to his keel; and those who were at the whale had but few weapons except the axes wherewith they were cutting it up."

• attestation: Uspak struck Thorir on the ear with his axe-hammer, knocking him unconscious

  "Uspak turned to meet him and fetched a blow at him with his axe- hammer, and smote him on the ear so that he fell swooning"

• attestation: Uspak threatened Alf the Little with death if he came any closer, warning that Alf's skull was thin and his axe heavy

  ""Come not nigh, Alf; thin is thy skull and heavy my axe, and far worse than Thorir shalt thou fare, if thou makest one step further forward.""

• attestation: Uspak loaded the stolen whale onto his boat and retreated to Ere before Thorir regained consciousness

  "Uspak and his folk bore the whale down to their keel, and had got it done or ever Thorir woke up."

• attestation: Uspak fortified himself and his men in the work at Ere, refusing to let anyone leave after the whale robbery

  "Uspak let none go from him who had been in this journey; but there they had their abode and got matters ready in the work."

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 58 - Uspak Robs Alf The Little. Thorir Chases Uspak.

• attestation: Uspak and fifteen men raided Alf the Little's home in Thambardale at night, trapping the household in the hall while they plundered

  "Uspak and his men went into Thambardale fifteen in company, and set on the house of Alf the Little, and drove him and all his men into the hall while they robbed there, and bore thence four horseloads of goods."

• attestation: Uspak sent two of his worst-armed men ahead with the stolen horses while thirteen stayed to fight

  "two of us who are the worst armed shall drive the laden horses before us out to Ere, and let those men who are at home come to meet us; but we thirteen will withstand these men even as we may."

• attestation: Uspak deliberately stalled Thorir with polite conversation to give his men time

  "Uspak greeted him, and asked for tidings, and was soft-spoken, that so he might delay Thorir and his folk."

• attestation: Uspak admitted to Thorir that the goods from Thambardale were neither given, paid for, nor sold

  "Says Uspak: "They were neither given, nor paid, nor sold at a price.""

• attestation: Uspak struck Thorir on the back with his axe but Thorir survived because a chain-knife around his neck absorbed the blow

  "Uspak smote Thorir on the back with: his axe, and loud rang the stroke; and Uspak said: "That shall stay thy long journeys, Thorir," says he. "Maybe," says Thorir; "yet methinks a full day's journey may I go for all thee and that stroke of thine." For Thorir had a chain-knife round his neck, as the fashion then was, and had cast it aback behind him, and the blow had come thereon"

• attestation: After his axe shaft was cut in two, Uspak called for his men to flee

  "Then ran up a fellow of Thorir's and smote at Uspak, but he thrust forth his axe, and the blow took the shaft thereof and struck it asunder, and down fell the axe. Then cried out Uspak, and bade his men flee away"

• attestation: Uspak pulled the bill from his own wound and threw it back, killing the man who had struck at him

  "Uspak drew the bill from the wound and cast it back, and it smote the man in the midst who had erst cut at Uspak, and down he fell dead to the earth."

• attestation: Three of Uspak's men and one of Thorir's died in the skirmish, with many wounded on both sides

  "At that meeting fell three of Uspak's men and one of Thorir's, but many were wounded on either side."

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 59 - Uspak And His Men At The Strands. They Give Up Their Work.

• attestation: Uspak fled north to the Strands with fifteen men and five boats before Snorri could enforce the forfeiture

  "when he came there, then was Uspak gone with all his; and they had gone north to the Strands fifteen in company, and had five keels."

• attestation: Uspak's expanded band settled in Wrackfirth and committed widespread robbery and murder, growing to nearly thirty

  "They set them down north in Wrackfirth, and gathered men to them"

• attestation: The siege ended with a sworn agreement: Uspak's band would leave the Strands in exchange for the besiegers withdrawing

  "the evil-doers offered to get them gone from the Strands, and do no more unpeaceful deeds there henceforth, while the others should depart from before the work; and whereas they deemed it nowise an easy play to have to do with them, they took that choice"

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 60 - Uspak Goes Back To Ere In Bitter: He Robs And Slays.

• attestation: Uspak's band left the Strands at the beginning of winter-nights, raided Waterness, and returned to Ere with two fully loaded boats

  "Uspak and his men went from the Strands about the beginning of winter-nights, and had two big boats. They went in past the Strands, and then south across the bay to Waterness. There they went up and robbed, and loaded both the boats up to the gunwale, and then stretched north away over the bay into Bitter"

• attestation: Uspak's wife and son Glum had stayed at Ere through the summer with only two cows

  "There had Uspak's wife and his son Glum abode the summer through, with but two cows."

• attestation: On the night of their return, Uspak's men rowed to the firth bottom, broke into Thorir's farm at Tongue, dragged him from bed, and killed him

  "they rowed both the boats down to the firth-bottom, and went up to the farm at Tongue, and broke into the house there, and took goodman Thorir from his bed, and led him out and slew him."

• attestation: Uspak brought the boats into the fortification at Ere and filled them with water as a defensive measure

  "They brought the boats into the work withal, and filled them both with water, and then closed the work"

• attestation: Uspak and his men spent the entire winter fortified at Ere after their raids

  "So thereafter they sat there the winter long."

Chapter 1 - Herein Is Told How Ketil Flatneb Fares To West-Over-Sea. > Chapter 62 - Snorri And Sturla Win The Work At Ere In Bitter.

• attestation: Uspak offered the same terms he had given the Strand-men: his band would leave if the besiegers withdrew

  ""But we will give you the same choice that we gave to the men of the Strands," said he, "that we will get us gone from the countryside, and ye shall depart from our castle.""

• attestation: The defenders fought primarily with stones while the attackers used arrows and spears they had stockpiled over a long preparation

  "Uspak and his folk had for the most part stones for their defence, and they cast them forth against their foes unsparingly"

• attestation: Three men died on the defenders' side including Uspak and Raven, and the remaining Vikings surrendered

  "Both Uspak and Raven died forthwith, and a third man withal of their company, but many were wounded on either side."