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==Chapter 128==
==Chapter 128==


'''OF PORTENTS AT BERGTHORSKNOLL.'''
Now Flosi speaks to his men, "Now we will ride to Bergthorsknoll, and come thither before supper-time."


They do so. There was a dell in the knoll, and they rode thither, and tethered their horses there, and stayed there till the evening was far spent.


Now we must take up the story, and turn to Bergthorsknoll, and say that Grim and Helgi go to Holar. They had children out at foster there, and they told their mother that they should not come home that evening. They were in Holar all the day, and there came some poor women and said they had come from far. Those brothers asked them for tidings, and they said they had no tidings to tell, "But still we might tell you one bit of news."
Then Flosi said, "Now we will go straight up to the house, and keep close, and walk slow, and see what counsel they will take."


They asked what that might be, and bade them not hide it. They said so it should be.
Njal stood out of doors, and his sons, and Kari and all the serving-men, and they stood in array<ref>'''they stood in array''': “Njálsbrenna er mikil og lýsandi sviðsetning, sjónleikur sem allir taka þátt í, karlar og konur, börn og fullorðnir, hetjur og húskarlar, brennumenn og þeir sem inni brenna, alls hátt á annað hundrað manns. Þegar þeir Flosi læðast heim að bænum hundrað í hóp og þétt saman standa heimamenn úti um þrjátíu talsins „og skipuðust fyrir á hlaðinu“, eins og þeir séu að koma sér fyrir á sviði.” [[Helga Kress. Njálsbrenna, karnival í Landeyjum]] (p. 28).</ref> to meet them in the yard, and they were near thirty of them.


"We came down out of Fleetlithe, and we saw all the sons of Sigfus riding fully armed--they made for Threecorner ridge, and were fifteen in company. We saw too Grani Gunnar's son and Gunnar Lambi's son, and they were five in all. They took the same road, and one may say now that the whole country-side is faring and flitting about."
Flosi halted and said, "Now we shall see what counsel they take, for it seems to me, if they stand out of doors to meet us, as though we should never get the mastery over them."


"Then," said Helgi Njal's son, "Flosi must have come from the east, and they must have all gone to meet him, and we two, Grim, should be where Skarphedinn is."
"Then is our journey bad," says Grani Gunnar's son, "if we are not to dare to fall on them."


Grim said so it ought to be, and they fared home.
"Nor shall that be," says Flosi; "for we will fall on them though they stand out of doors; but we shall pay that penalty, that many will not go away to tell which side won the day."


That same evening Bergthora spoke to her household, and said, "Now shall ye choose your meat to-night, so that each may have what he likes best; for this evening is the last that I shall set meat before my household."
Njal said to his men, "See ye now what a great band of men they have."


"That shall not be," they said.
"They have both a great and well-knit band," says Skarphedinn; "but this is why they make a halt now, because they think it will be a hard struggle to master us."


"It will be though," she says, "and I could tell you much more if I would, but this shall be a token, that Grim and Helgi will be home ere men have eaten their full to-night; and if this turns out so, then the rest that I say will happen too."
"That cannot be why they halt," says Njal; "and my will is that our men go indoors, for they had hard work to master Gunnar of Lithend, though he was alone to meet them; but here is a strong house as there was there, and they will be slow to come to close quarters."


After that she set meat on the board, and Njal said "Wondrously now it seems to me. Methinks I see all round the room, and it seems as though the gable wall were thrown down, but the whole board and the meat on it is one gore of blood."
"This is not to be settled in that wise," says Skarphedinn, "for those chiefs fell on Gunnar's house, who were so nobleminded, that they would rather turn back than burn him, house and all; but these will fall on us at once with fire, if they cannot get at us in any other way, for they will leave no stone unturned to get the better of us; and no doubt they think, as is not unlikely, that it will be their deaths if we escape out of their hands. Besides, I am unwilling to let myself be stifled indoors like a fox in his earth."


All thought this strange but Skarphedinn, he bade men not be downcast, nor to utter other unseemly sounds, so that men might make a story out of them.
"Now," said Njal, "as often it happens, my sons, ye set my counsel at naught, and show me no honour, but when ye were younger ye did not so, and then your plans were better furthered."


"For it befits us surely more than other men to bear us well, and it is only what is looked for from us."
"Let us do," said Helgi, "as our father wills; that will be best for us."


Grim and Helgi came home ere the board was cleared, and men were much struck at that. Njal asked why they had returned so quickly but they told what they had heard.
"I am not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, "for now he is 'fey'; but still I may well humour my father in this, by being burnt indoors along with him, for I am not afraid of my death."


Njal bade no man go to sleep, but to be ware of themselves.
Then he said to Kari, "Let us stand by one another well, brother- in-law, so that neither parts from the other."
 
"That I have made up my mind to do," says Kari; "but if it should be otherwise doomed,--well! then it must be as it must be, and I shall not be able to fight against it."
 
"Avenge us, and we will avenge thee," says Skarphedinn, "if we live after thee."
 
Kari said so it should be.
 
Then they all went in, and stood in array at the door.
 
"Now are they all 'fey,'" said Flosi, "since they have gone indoors, and we will go right up to them as quickly as we can, and throng as close as we can before the door, and give heed that none of them, neither Kari nor Njal's sons, get away; for that were our bane."
 
So Flosi and his men came up to the house, and set men to watch round the house, if there were any secret doors in it. But Flosi went up to the front of the house with his men.
 
Then Hroald Auzur's son ran up to where Skarphedinn stood, and thrust at him. Skarphedinn hewed the spearhead off the shaft as he held it, and made another stroke at him, and the axe fell on the top of the shield, and dashed back the whole shield on Hroald's body, but the upper horn of the axe caught him on the brow, and he fell at full length on his back, and was dead at once.
 
"Little chance had that one with thee, Skarphedinn," said Kari, "and thou art our boldest."
 
"I'm not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, and he drew up his lips and smiled.
 
Kari, and Grim, and Helgi, threw out many spears, and wounded many men; but Flosi and his men could do nothing.
 
At last Flosi said, "We have already gotten great manscathe in our men; many are wounded, and he slain whom we would choose last of all. It is now clear that we shall never master them with weapons; many now there be who are not so forward in fight as they boasted, and yet they were those who goaded us on most. I say this most to Grani Gunnar's son, and Gunnar Lambi's son, who were the least willing to spare their foes. But still we shall have to take to some other plan for ourselves, and now there are but two choices left, and neither of them good. One is to turn away, and that is our death; the other, to set fire to the house, and burn them inside it; and that is a deed which we shall have to answer for heavily before God, since we are Christian men ourselves; but still we must take to that counsel."


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 14:39, 8 November 2016


Chapter 128

Now Flosi speaks to his men, "Now we will ride to Bergthorsknoll, and come thither before supper-time."

They do so. There was a dell in the knoll, and they rode thither, and tethered their horses there, and stayed there till the evening was far spent.

Then Flosi said, "Now we will go straight up to the house, and keep close, and walk slow, and see what counsel they will take."

Njal stood out of doors, and his sons, and Kari and all the serving-men, and they stood in array[1] to meet them in the yard, and they were near thirty of them.

Flosi halted and said, "Now we shall see what counsel they take, for it seems to me, if they stand out of doors to meet us, as though we should never get the mastery over them."

"Then is our journey bad," says Grani Gunnar's son, "if we are not to dare to fall on them."

"Nor shall that be," says Flosi; "for we will fall on them though they stand out of doors; but we shall pay that penalty, that many will not go away to tell which side won the day."

Njal said to his men, "See ye now what a great band of men they have."

"They have both a great and well-knit band," says Skarphedinn; "but this is why they make a halt now, because they think it will be a hard struggle to master us."

"That cannot be why they halt," says Njal; "and my will is that our men go indoors, for they had hard work to master Gunnar of Lithend, though he was alone to meet them; but here is a strong house as there was there, and they will be slow to come to close quarters."

"This is not to be settled in that wise," says Skarphedinn, "for those chiefs fell on Gunnar's house, who were so nobleminded, that they would rather turn back than burn him, house and all; but these will fall on us at once with fire, if they cannot get at us in any other way, for they will leave no stone unturned to get the better of us; and no doubt they think, as is not unlikely, that it will be their deaths if we escape out of their hands. Besides, I am unwilling to let myself be stifled indoors like a fox in his earth."

"Now," said Njal, "as often it happens, my sons, ye set my counsel at naught, and show me no honour, but when ye were younger ye did not so, and then your plans were better furthered."

"Let us do," said Helgi, "as our father wills; that will be best for us."

"I am not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, "for now he is 'fey'; but still I may well humour my father in this, by being burnt indoors along with him, for I am not afraid of my death."

Then he said to Kari, "Let us stand by one another well, brother- in-law, so that neither parts from the other."

"That I have made up my mind to do," says Kari; "but if it should be otherwise doomed,--well! then it must be as it must be, and I shall not be able to fight against it."

"Avenge us, and we will avenge thee," says Skarphedinn, "if we live after thee."

Kari said so it should be.

Then they all went in, and stood in array at the door.

"Now are they all 'fey,'" said Flosi, "since they have gone indoors, and we will go right up to them as quickly as we can, and throng as close as we can before the door, and give heed that none of them, neither Kari nor Njal's sons, get away; for that were our bane."

So Flosi and his men came up to the house, and set men to watch round the house, if there were any secret doors in it. But Flosi went up to the front of the house with his men.

Then Hroald Auzur's son ran up to where Skarphedinn stood, and thrust at him. Skarphedinn hewed the spearhead off the shaft as he held it, and made another stroke at him, and the axe fell on the top of the shield, and dashed back the whole shield on Hroald's body, but the upper horn of the axe caught him on the brow, and he fell at full length on his back, and was dead at once.

"Little chance had that one with thee, Skarphedinn," said Kari, "and thou art our boldest."

"I'm not so sure of that," says Skarphedinn, and he drew up his lips and smiled.

Kari, and Grim, and Helgi, threw out many spears, and wounded many men; but Flosi and his men could do nothing.

At last Flosi said, "We have already gotten great manscathe in our men; many are wounded, and he slain whom we would choose last of all. It is now clear that we shall never master them with weapons; many now there be who are not so forward in fight as they boasted, and yet they were those who goaded us on most. I say this most to Grani Gunnar's son, and Gunnar Lambi's son, who were the least willing to spare their foes. But still we shall have to take to some other plan for ourselves, and now there are but two choices left, and neither of them good. One is to turn away, and that is our death; the other, to set fire to the house, and burn them inside it; and that is a deed which we shall have to answer for heavily before God, since we are Christian men ourselves; but still we must take to that counsel."

References

  1. they stood in array: “Njálsbrenna er mikil og lýsandi sviðsetning, sjónleikur sem allir taka þátt í, karlar og konur, börn og fullorðnir, hetjur og húskarlar, brennumenn og þeir sem inni brenna, alls hátt á annað hundrað manns. Þegar þeir Flosi læðast heim að bænum hundrað í hóp og þétt saman standa heimamenn úti um þrjátíu talsins „og skipuðust fyrir á hlaðinu“, eins og þeir séu að koma sér fyrir á sviði.” Helga Kress. Njálsbrenna, karnival í Landeyjum (p. 28).

Kafli 128

Nú talar Flosi við sína menn: „Nú munum vér ríða til Bergþórshvols og koma þar fyrir matmál.“

Þeir gera nú svo. Dalur var í hvolnum og riðu þeir þangað og bundu þar hesta sína og dvöldust þar til þess er mjög leið á kveldið.

Flosi mælti: „Nú skulum vér ganga heim að bænum og ganga þröngt og fara seint og sjá hvað þeir taki til ráðs.“

Njáll stóð úti og synir hans og Kári og allir heimamenn og skipuðust fyrir á hlaðinu[1] og voru þeir nær þrír tigir.

Flosi nam stað og mælti: „Nú skulum vér að hyggja hvað þeir taka ráðs því að mér líst svo ef þeir standa úti fyrir sem vér munum þá aldrei sótta geta.“

„Þá er vor för ill,“ segir Grani Gunnarsson, „ef skulum eigi þora að að sækja.“

„Það skal og eigi vera,“ segir Flosi, „og munum vér að sækja þó að þeir standi úti. En það afhroð munum vér gjalda að margir munu eigi kunna frá að segja hvorir sigrast.“

Njáll mælti til sinna manna: „Hvað sjáið þér til hversu mikið lið þeir hafa?“

„Þeir hafa bæði mikið lið og harðsnúið,“ segir Skarphéðinn, „en því nema þeir þó nú stað að þeir ætla að þeim muni illa sækjast að vinna oss.“

„Það mun ekki vera,“ segir Njáll, „og vil eg að menn gangi inn því að illa sóttist þeim Gunnar að Hlíðarenda og var hann einn fyrir. En hér eru hús rammleg sem þar voru og munu þeir eigi skjótt sækja.“

„Þetta er ekki þann veg að skilja,“ segir Skarphéðinn, „því að Gunnar sóttu heim þeir höfðingjar er svo voru vel að sér að heldur vildu frá hverfa en brenna hann inni. En þessir munu þegar sækja oss með eldi er þeir mega eigi annan veg því að þeir munu allt til vinna að yfir taki við oss. Munu þeir það ætla sem eigi er ólíklegt að það sé þeirra bani ef oss dregur undan. Eg er og þess ófús að láta svæla mig inni sem melrakka í greni.“

Njáll mælti: „Nú mun sem oftar að þér munuð bera mig ráðum, synir mínir, og virða mig engis. En þá er þér voruð yngri gerðuð þér það eigi og fór yðvart ráð þá betur fram.“

Helgi mælti: „Gerum vér sem faðir vor vill. Það mun oss best gegna.“

„Eigi veit eg það víst,“ segir Skarphéðinn, „því að hann er nú feigur. En vel má eg gera það til skaps föður míns að brenna inni með honum því að eg hræðist ekki dauða minn.“

Hann mælti þá við Kára: „Fylgjumst vel, mágur, svo að engi skiljist við annan.“

„Það hefi eg ætlað,“ segir Kári, „en ef annars verður auðið þá mun það verða fram að koma og mun eg ekki mega við því gera.“

„Hefndu vor en vér þín,“ segir Skarphéðinn, „ef vér lifum eftir.“

Kári kvað svo vera skyldu. Gengu þeir þá inn allir og skipuðust í dyrin.

Flosi mælti: „Nú eru þeir feigir er þeir hafa inn gengið og skulum vér heim ganga sem skjótast og skipast sem þykkvast fyrir dyrin og geyma þess að engi komist í braut hvorki Kári né Njálssynir því að það er vor bani.“

Þeir Flosi komu nú heim og skipuðust umhverfis húsin ef nokkurar væru laundyr á. Flosi gekk framan að húsunum og hans menn. Hróaldur Össurarson hljóp þar að sem Skarphéðinn var fyrir og lagði til hans. Skarphéðinn hjó spjótið af skafti fyrir honum og hjó til hans og kom öxin ofan í skjöldinn og bar að Hróaldi þegar allan skjöldinn en hyrnan sú hin fremri tók andlitið og féll hann á bak aftur og þegar dauður.

Kári mælti: „Lítt dró enn undan við þig, Skarphéðinn, og ertu vor fræknastur.“

„Eigi veit eg það víst,“ segir Skarphéðinn og brá við grönum og glotti að.

Kári og Grímur og Helgi lögðu út mörgum spjótum og særðu marga menn en Flosi og hans menn fengu ekki að gert.

Flosi mælti: „Vér höfum fengið mikinn mannskaða á mönnum vorum. Eru margir sárir en sá veginn er vér mundum síst til kjósa. Er nú það séð að vér getum þá eigi með vopnum sótta. Er nú sá margur er eigi gengur jafnskörulega að sem létu. En þó munum vér nú verða að gera annað ráð fyrir oss. Eru nú tveir kostir til og er hvorgi góður. Sá annar að hverfa frá og er það vor bani, hinn annar að bera að eld og brenna þá inni og er það stór ábyrgðarhlutur fyrir guði er vér erum menn kristnir sjálfir. En þó munum vér það bragðs taka.“


Tilvísanir

  1. skipuðust fyrir á hlaðinu: “Njálsbrenna er mikil og lýsandi sviðsetning, sjónleikur sem allir taka þátt í, karlar og konur, börn og fullorðnir, hetjur og húskarlar, brennumenn og þeir sem inni brenna, alls hátt á annað hundrað manns. Þegar þeir Flosi læðast heim að bænum hundrað í hóp og þétt saman standa heimamenn úti um þrjátíu talsins „og skipuðust fyrir á hlaðinu“, eins og þeir séu að koma sér fyrir á sviði.” Helga Kress. Njálsbrenna, karnival í Landeyjum (s. 28).

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