Njála, 015

Chapter 15

GLUM'S WEDDING

Those brothers gathered together a great company, and they were all picked men. They rode west to the dales and came to Hauskuldstede, and there they found a great gathering to meet them. Hauskuld and Hrut, and their friends, filled one bench, and the bridegroom the other. Hallgerda sat upon the cross bench on the dais, and behaved well. Thiostolf went about with his axe raised in air, and no one seemed to know that he was there, and so the wedding went off well. But when the feast was over, Hallgerda went away south with Glum and his brothers. So when they came south to Varmalek, Thorarin asked Hallgerda if she would undertake the housekeeping. "No, I will not," she said. Hallgerda kept her temper down that winter, and they liked her well enough. But when the spring came, the brothers talked about their property, and Thorarin said, "I will give up to you the house at Varmalek, for that is readiest to your hand, and I will go down south to Laugarness and live there, but Engey we will have both of us in common."

Glum was willing enough to do that. So Thorarin went down to the south of that district, and Glum and his wife stayed behind there, and lived in the house at Varmalek.

Now Hallgerda got a household about her; she was prodigal in giving, and grasping in getting. In the summer she gave birth to a girl. Glum asked her what name it was to have?

"She shall be called after my father's mother, and her name shall be Thorgerda," for she came down from Sigurd Fafnir's-bane on the father's side, according to the family pedigree.

So the maiden was sprinkled with water, and had this name given her, and there she grew up, and got like her mother in looks and feature. Glum and Hallgerda agreed well together, and so it went on for a while. About that time these tidings were heard from the north and Bearfirth, how Swan had rowed out to fish in the spring, and a great storm came down on him from the east, and how he was driven ashore at Fishless, and he and his men were there lost. But the fishermen who were at Kalback thought they saw Swan go into the fell at Kalbackshorn, and that he was greeted well; but some spoke against that story, and said there was nothing in it. But this all knew that he was never seen again either alive or dead. So when Hallgerda heard that, she thought she had a great loss in her mother's brother. Glum begged Thorarin to change lands with him, but he said he would not; "but," said he, "if I outlive you, I mean to have Varmalek to myself." When Glum told this to Hallgerda, she said, "Thorarin has indeed a right to expect this from us."

Kafli 15

Þjóstólfur hafði barið húskarl Höskulds. Rekur hann Þjóstólf í braut. Hann tók hest sinn og vopn og mælti við Höskuld: „Nú mun eg á braut fara og koma aldrei aftur.“

„Allir munu því fagna,“ segir Höskuldur.

Þjóstólfur reið þar er hann kom til Varmalækjar. Hann hafði þar góðar viðtökur af Hallgerði en eigi illar af Glúmi. Hann sagði Hallgerði að faðir hennar hefði hann á braut rekið og bað hana ásjár. Hún svaraði honum því að hún kveðst honum engu mega heita um þarvist hans fyrr en hún fyndi Glúm.

„Fer vel með ykkur?“ segir hann.

„Vel er um ástir okkrar,“ segir hún.

Síðan gekk hún til máls við Glúm og lagði hendur um háls honum og mælti: „Skalt þú veita mér bæn þá er eg mun biðja þig?“

„Veita mun eg þér ef sæmd er í,“ segir hann, „eða hvers vilt þú biðja?“

Hún mælti: „Þjóstólfur er rekinn braut vestan og vildi eg að þú leyfðir honum að vera hér. En eg vil þó eigi þvert taka ef þér er lítið um.“

Glúmur mælti: „Nú er þér fer vel þá skal eg veita þér en seg eg þér ef hann tekur nokkuð illt til að hann skal þegar á braut verða.“

Hún gengur til Þjóstólfs og segir honum.

Hann svaraði: „Nú fer þér enn vel sem von var.“

Síðan var hann þar og sat á sér um hríð en þar kom að hann þótti þar öllu spilla. Hann hlífðist þá við engan mann nema við Hallgerði eina en hún veitti honum aldrei eftirmæli þá er hann átti við aðra. Þórarinn bróðir Glúms taldi á við hann er hann lét hann þar vera og kvað illa gefast mundu og fara enn sem fyrr ef hann væri þar. Glúmur svaraði vel og brá þó á sitt ráð.