The Hrafnkel's Saga (Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða) on Hrafnkell

The Story of Hrafnkell, Frey's Priest

• attestation: Hrafnkell established the farmstead of Aðalból in a valley he discovered beyond Jökuldalr.

  "in the valley he had found, he made an abode for himself, which he called Aðalból"

• attestation: Hrafnkell married Oddbjörg, daughter of Skjaldúlfr from Laxárdalr, and had two sons with her: Thórir and Ásbjörn.

  "Hrafnkell got him for wife Oddbjörg, daughter of Skjaldúlfr, from Laxárdalr, with whom he begat two sons, the older hight Thórir, the younger Ásbjörn"

• attestation: Hrafnkell built a great temple at Aðalból and worshipped Frey above all other gods, giving the god half of his most prized possessions.

  "Hrafnkell loved no other god before Frey, and to him he made offerings of all the best things he had, going half-shares"

• attribution: Hrafnkell was given the title Freysgoði (Frey's Priest) because of his devotion to Frey and his role as chieftain over the men of Jökuldalr.

  "From this it came to pass that his name was lengthened, and he was called Freysgoði. He was a man of right unruly ways, but a well-mannered man notwithstanding. He asserted the authority of a priest over all the men of Jokuldalr."

• attribution: Hrafnkell never paid weregild for any man he killed, and no one successfully brought him to account for his deeds.

  "He busied himself much with single combats, and for no man did he pay a weregild, and one ever brought him to do boot for whatsoever he might have done."

• attestation: Hrafnkell owned a roan horse called Freymane, which he co-dedicated to the god Frey and vowed to kill anyone who rode it without his permission.

  "This was a horse of a roan colour, which he called "Freymane." He gave unto his friend Frey the half of this horse, and so great a love had he for it, that he made a solemn vow that he would kill any one who should ride the horse without his leave."

• attestation: Hrafnkell hired Einarr to tend fifteen ewes at the mountain dairy and manage Freymane's stud, but explicitly warned him never to ride Freymane.

  "Thy business shall be to watch fifteen ewes at the mountain dairy, and gather and carry home faggots for summer fuel. On these terms thou shalt take service with me for two 'half-years.' But a one thing I must give thee, as all my shepherds, to understand: 'Freymane' goes grazing in the valley with his band of mares; thou shalt take care of him winter and summer; but I warn thee of one thing, namely, that thou never be on his back on any condition whatever, for I am bound by a mighty vow to slay the man that ever should have a ride on him."

• attestation: Hrafnkell offered Einarr twelve mares available for use at any time, explicitly exempting only Freymane from riding.

  "There are twelve mares with him; whichever one of these thou mayest want, night or day, is at your service."

• attribution: Hrafnkell spoke to Freymane expressing sorrow at his state and promised revenge, then sent the horse back to the stud.

  ""I am sorry to see thee in this kind of plight, my pet; however, thou hadst all thy wits about thee in thus coming to let me know what is the matter; due revenge shall be taken for this, and now thou mayest go back to thy company.""

• attestation: Hrafnkell rode to the dairy the morning after discovering Freymane's return, wearing blue raiment and carrying only an axe.

  "In the morning he had a horse brought home to him, and ordered it to be saddled, and rode up to the dairy. He rode in blue raiment: he had an axe in his hand, but no other weapons about him."

• attestation: Hrafnkell acknowledged Einarr had confessed honestly, but killed him anyway to fulfill his vow, citing the binding nature of sworn oaths.

  ""And yet thou hast manfully confessed thy guilt." But by reason of the belief that those who fulfil their vows never come to grief, he leaped off his horse, sprang upon Einarr, and dealt him his death-blow."

• attribution: Hrafnkell refused to pay weregild as his standing policy, acknowledging this killing was among the worse of his deeds, but offered substantial practical compensation instead.

  "Hrafnkell said that he had slain many a man beside this one; "for thou must know that I never pay weregild to any man, and yet people have to rest content with things so done. Yet I allow it, that I think that this my deed is rather of the worse kind among the manslaughters which I have wrought hitherto""

• attestation: Hrafnkell's compensation offer to Thorbjörn included supplying his household with dairy produce and slaughtered meat, and endowing all his children, effectively supporting Thorbjörn for life.

  "I will supply thy house with dairy-produce during the summer, and with slaughtered meat when autumn comes; and in the same way I will do to thee as long as thou art minded to keep a house. Thy sons and daughters we shall fit out at my cost, and so endow them, as to make their conditions desirable."

• attestation: Hrafnkell summoned seventy men from Jökuldalr for the Þing and took an inland route east through Fljótsdalshérað, while Sámr took a northern route via the bridge.

  "from his own jurisdiction he brought together seventy men. With this band he rode eastward over Fljótsdalshérað ... Sámr struck another route out of the valley. He first went north to the bridge and then over the bridge, and thence unto Moðrudalsheiði"

• attribution: Hrafnkell had always won his legal cases at the Þing, and this reputation deterred chieftains from supporting Sámr.

  "most of those who ever had contentions at law with Hrafnkell had fared one way; that in all such cases as had men set up against him, he had worsted them all."

• attestation: Hrafnkell was physically blocked from reaching the court to mount a legal defence due to the large crowd marshalled by the sons of Thjóstar.

  "there being already there such a crowd of people that he could get nowhere near; and so was himself hustled away with great violence, even so that he could not hear the speaking of those who pleaded against him, and therefore was deprived of means to bring forward a lawful defence on his own behalf."

• attestation: Hrafnkell rode directly home to Aðalból from the Þing, deeply aggrieved, having never before experienced such a reversal.

  "Hrafnkell went forthwith to his booth and had his horses brought up and rode away from the "Þing" mightily ill-contented at the end of these affairs, for such he had never before experienced."

• attestation: Many people at the Þing were pleased that Hrafnkell had been brought down, recalling all those he had treated unfairly.

  "Many people thought it well that the case should have come about in this way, and that Hrafnkell should have to come down once in a way, calling now to mind how many people he had dealt with unfairly before."

• attestation: Hrafnkell and his men were hung upside down by ropes threaded through slits in their hough sinews over a storehouse beam.

  "they broke up the storehouse, and took down from pegs some ropes hanging therein; and next they took out their knives, making slits through their hough sinews, drawing therethrough the ropes which then they slung over the aforenamed beam, and there tied them up, eight together."

• attestation: Hrafnkell chose life over death, citing his sons' welfare, and accepted Sámr's self-doom, taking only his spear from his weapons.

  ""belike, I shall fare after the manner of many, 'that life be chosen while choice there is;' which I do, mostly because of my sons" ... Hrafnkell was let loose and he handselled self-doom unto Sámr. ... His spear Hrafnkell retained, but no weapon besides"

• attestation: Hrafnkell moved his household east across Fljótsdalr to the eastern shore of Lagarfljót, purchasing a wooded but poorly improved stead called Lokhylla on credit.

  "Hrafnkell brought his household east over Fljótsdals-herað and right across Fljótsdalr unto the eastern side of Lagarfljót. At the bottom of that water stood a small stead, which was called Lokhylla. This land Hrafnkell bought on credit, for his means went no further than to cover the cost of household implements."

• attribution: People remarked on how quickly Hrafnkell's arrogance had been humbled, recalling the proverb 'Short is the age of over-boldness.'

  "People had much talk about this, how Hrafnkell's masterfulness had suddenly come down to nought; and many a man now recalls the ancient saw: "Short is the age of over-boldness.""

• attestation: Hrafnkell felled the large woodland, built a proper homestead called Hrafnkelsstaðir, and through hard work and thrift rebuilt his fortunes from near poverty.

  "Hrafnkell spared no cost; he felled the wood, which was large, and raised there a lofty abode, which since has been called Hrafnkelsstaðir ... During the first seasons Hrafnkell lived there in battle with hard distress ... But it turned well out for him, so that nearly everything lived in the way of live stock"

• attestation: On learning that his temple had been burned and Freymane killed, Hrafnkell renounced the gods, declaring belief in them vain, and never sacrificed again.

  "Then said Hrafnkell: "I deem it a vain thing to believe in the gods," and he vowed that henceforth he would set his trust in them no more. And to this he kept ever afterwards, and never made a sacrifice again."

• attribution: After his reversal, Hrafnkell rebuilt his power and wealth at Hrafnkelsstaðir and became a much-honoured man in the country-side, milder in temperament than before.

  "Now Hrafnkell sat at Hrafnkelsstaðir, raking money together fast. He became a much honoured man in the country-side, and every one chose to sit and stand as it pleased him."

• attestation: Hrafnkell extended his jurisdiction over the eastern side of Lagarfljót, including Skriðudalr and along the length of Lagarfljót, surpassing his previous territory in extent and population.

  "No one might settle freely in Hrafnkell's country-side without his leave ... Thus he brought under himself all the land on the eastern side of Lagarfljót. This jurisdiction soon became much more thickly peopled than that which he had ruled over before, stretching all the way up Skriðudalr as well as up all along Lagarfljót."

• attestation: Hrafnkell and Sámr met regularly at public gatherings over six years but never spoke of their past conflict.

  "He and Sámr often met at public gatherings, but never a word fell betwixt them as to their former dealings. In this manner six winters passed away."

• attestation: Hrafnkell sent for the sons of Hallsteinn from Viðivellir and the sons of Hrólfr from Hrólfstadir, gathering eighteen men in total before pursuing Eyvindr.

  "Hrafnkell rose and answered her ... "go forthwith, as hard as thou canst run, south to Viðivellir, to the sons of Hallsteinn, Sighvatr, and Snorri, and bid them at once come to me with as many men as they have about them able to bear weapons." Another handmaiden he sent down to Hrólfstadir to fetch the sons of Hrólfr, Thordr, and Halli ... And thus they were at last eighteen together."

• attestation: Hrafnkell attacked Eyvindr without a word; Eyvindr defended himself well but his attendant fled to warn Sámr.

  "Without accosting Eyvindr with a word, he set on them forthwith. Eyvindr defended himself well and manfully; but his attendant, not deeming himself the stoutest of men for fighting, took his horse and rode west over the neck to Aðalból, and told Sámr what was going on."

• attestation: Hrafnkell gathered seventy men, rode west over the heath that night, surprised Sámr at Aðalból, and captured him in his bed.

  "Hrafnkell rode home and told the tidings that had befallen. Having partaken of a repast, he gathers to him men, even to the number of seventy, with which gathering he rides west over the heath, and coming unawares upon Aðalból, he took Sámr in his bed"

• comparison: Hrafnkell offered Sámr the same two choices he had himself been given: death or exile, adding that his conditions would be harsher since Sámr had treated him dishonourably.

  ""Now two conditions I put before thee -- one, to be slain; the other, that I settle and arrange all things between me and thee." Sámr said that he would rather choose to live, though he well knew that that condition would be hard enough."

• attestation: Hrafnkell banished Sámr to Leikskálar with only Eyvindr's goods, reclaimed Aðalból and his priesthood, and paid no weregild for Eyvindr, counting Sámr's six years of rule as payment for Einarr.

  ""Thou shalt be off from Aðalból, and betake thee to Leikskálar ... I shall overtake again my priesthood, and my house, and my property ... for Eyvindr, thy brother, no weregild shall be forthcoming ... thou hast, indeed, had plentiful weregild for Einarr, thy relation, in having enjoyed my rule and my wealth for six years together""

• attestation: Hrafnkell settled his son Thórir at Hrafnkelsstaðir and kept Ásbjörn with him, while personally maintaining the priesthood over all the country-sides.

  "Hrafnkell committed his household of Aðalból to his chosen men and on Thórir, his son, he settled his house at Hrafnkelsstaðir; but he himself had the priesthood over all these country-sides, and his son Ásbjörn, being younger, remained with him."

• attribution: Hrafnkell warned Sámr that things would go worse between them if he ever acted boldly again.

  ""But thou shalt remain my underling while we are both alive. Be thou sure of this, too, that things shall fare the worse with thee, the more ill-dealings we have together.""

• attestation: Hrafnkell died in his bed; he was buried in a mound below Aðalból in Hrafnkelsdalr with his armour, weapons, and good spear.

  "Hrafnkell sat at home and maintained his lordly title, until he died in his bed. His "how" is in Hrafnkelsdalr, down below Aðalból. In his "how" there was laid down great wealth, all his armour, and his good spear."