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The Grettir's Saga on Thorbjorn Angle

The Saga Of Grettir The Strong > Chapter Lxx. The People Of Skagafjord

attestation: Hjalti's brother Thorbjorn Angle was a big, strong, quarrelsome man who blinded his stepmother with a game piece and caused her death

"His brother was named Thorbjorn Angle, a big man, strong and hardy and rather quarrelsome."
attestation: Thorbjorn Angle's stepmother struck him with a game piece that damaged his eye; he retaliated so severely she died, reportedly while pregnant

"She took up the piece and struck him on the cheek bone with the peg, and it glanced into his eye which hung down on his cheek. He started up and handled her mercilessly so that she was confined to her bed and soon afterwards died; they say that she was pregnant at the time."
attestation: Thorbjorn Angle took over his property and went to live in Vidvik after becoming a ruffian

"After that he became a regular ruffian. He took over his property and went first to live in Vidvik."

attestation: The less wealthy bondis began selling their shares of Drangey, and Thorbjorn Angle agreed to lead the effort to remove Grettir

"The bondis stipulated that any one who wanted to buy a share should either kill Grettir or get him away. Thorbjorn Angle said that he was ready to take the lead"

attestation: Thorbjorn Angle sailed to Drangey at summer's end and begged Grettir to leave the island

"At the end of the summer Thorbjorn Angle went with a boat fully manned to Drangey. Grettir and his party came forward on the cliff and they talked together."

attestation: The men of Skagafjord blamed Thorbjorn Angle for failing to remove Grettir from Drangey and demanded their shares back

"The men of Skagafjord blamed Thorbjorn Angle much for not having ridded Drangey of Grettir, and all wanted their shares back again."

attestation: Thorbjorn Angle's foster-mother Thurid was very old and had been skilled in witchcraft during heathen times

"Thorbjorn Angle had a foster-mother named Thurid. She was very old and of little use to mankind, but she had been very skilled in witchcraft and magic when she was young and the people were heathen."
attribution: Thorbjorn told Grettir he knew he was dealing with men of Hel, and sailed away again

""I knew very well with what men of Hel I had to do.""

attestation: None of the bondis who had sold their shares would help Thorbjorn; he gathered twelve men from Tungu-Steinn, Hjalti, Eirik, and his own household

"Tungu-Steinn gave him two men, Hjalti his brother three, Eirik in Guddal sent him one. Of his own he had six."
attestation: Eighteen men sailed for Drangey; the weather calmed supernaturally once they were at sea and they reached the island at dusk

"These eighteen men then went to Fljot, reached Haganes, and gave Halldor's message to Bjorn."

attestation: Thorbjorn Angle found the ladder still in place when he reached Drangey and recognized the situation had changed

"They saw then that the ladder was not drawn up. Thorbjorn said: "The situation has changed from what it used to be""
attestation: Thorbjorn struck Glaum's ear with his sword hilt to wake him and the terrified thrall betrayed his masters' condition

"Thorbjorn recognised Glaum, went up to the rascal and told him to wake up, striking his ear with the hilt of his sword"
attribution: Thorbjorn quoted the proverb 'Old friends are the last to break away' and reproached Glaum for betraying his lord

""True is the ancient saying that Old friends are the last to break away, and also this, that It is ill to have a thrall for your friend""
attestation: Thorbjorn Angle cut off Grettir's head and declared him the bravest man who ever lived in Iceland

"Thorbjorn cut off Grettir's head"
attribution: Thorbjorn Angle told Illugi it was a pity such a valiant man had followed Grettir's evil ways to die unatoned

""It is a great pity that a man so valiant as you should have committed such a folly as to cast in your lot with this outlaw and follow his evil ways, at last to die unatoned.""
attestation: Thorbjorn Angle took Grettir's head as a trophy and sailed back to the mainland

"Thorbjorn took Grettir's head with him"

attestation: People began speaking ill of Thorbjorn's deed, saying sorcery had been used against a dying man

"Angle's case was ill-spoken of"

attestation: At the All-Thing, Thorbjorn Angle's support was smaller than expected because his actions were badly spoken of

"Men now rode to the Thing. Angle's party was smaller than he had expected, because the matter had come to be badly spoken of."

attestation: Thorbjorn Angle embarked at Gasar with his property, leaving his lands including Drangey to his brother Hjalti

"Thorbjorn Angle embarked at Gasar with as much of his own property as he was able to get. His lands went to his brother Hjalti, including Drangey, which Angle gave him."
attestation: Thorbjorn Angle went to Norway and continued to Constantinople (Miklagard)

"Angle went to Norway and still made himself very im"

attestation: At the weapon review, Thorbjorn showed the sword Grettisnaut with a notch in the edge, boasting of having slain Grettir

"Thorbjorn was the first to show his weapons and he presented the sword Grettisnaut. As he showed it all marvelled and declared that it was indeed a noble weapon, but said it was a bad fault that a piece was out of the middle of the edge"