Njála, 132

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Chapter 132

NJAL'S AND BERGTHORA'S BONES FOUND.


Kari bade Hjallti to go and search for Njal's bones, "For all will believe in what thou sayest and thinkest about them."

Hjallti said he would be most willing to bear Njal's bones to church; so they rode thence fifteen men. They rode east over Thurso-water, and called on men there to come with them till they had one hundred men, reckoning Njal's neighbours.

They came to Bergthorsknoll at mid-day.

Hjallti asked Kari under what part of the house Njal might be lying, but Kari showed them to the spot, and there was a great heap of ashes to dig away. There they found the hide underneath, and it was as though it were shrivelled with the fire. They raised up the hide, and lo! they were unburnt under it. All praised God for that, and thought it was a great token.

Then the boy was taken up who had lain between them, and of him a finger was burnt off which he had stretched out from under the hide.

Njal was home out, and so was Bergthora, and then all men went to see their bodies.

Then Hjallti said, "What like look to you these bodies?"

They answered, "We will wait for thy utterance."

Then Hjallti said, "I shall speak what I say with all freedom of speech. The body of Bergthora looks as it was likely she would look, and still fair; but Njal's body and visage seem to me so bright that I have never seen any dead man's body so bright as this."[1]

They all said they thought so too.

Then they sought for Skarphedinn, and the men of the household showed them to the spot where Flosi and his men heard the song sung, and there the roof had fallen down by the gable, and there Hjallti said that they should look. Then they did so, and found Skarphedinn's body there, and he had stood up hard by the gable- wall, and his legs were burnt off him right up to the knees, but all the rest of him was unburnt. He had bitten through his under lip, his eyes were wide open and not swollen nor starting out of his head; he had driven his axe into the gable-wall so hard that it had gone in up to the middle of the blade, and that was why it was not softened.

After that the axe was broken out of the wall, and Hjallti took up the axe, and said, "This is a rare weapon, and few would be able to wield it."

"I see a man," said Kari, "who shall bear the axe."

"Who is that?" says Hjallti.

"Thorgeir Craggeir," says Kari, "he whom I now think to be the greatest man in all their family."

Then Skarphedinn was stripped of his clothes, for they were unburnt, he had laid his hands in a cross, and the right hand uppermost. They found marks on him; one between his shoulders and the other on his chest, and both were branded in the shape of a cross, and men thought that he must have burnt them in himself.

All men said that they thought that it was better to be near Skarphedinn dead than they weened, for no man was afraid of him.

They sought for the bones of Grim, and found them in the midst of the hall. They found, too, there, right over against him under the side wall, Thord Freedmanson; but in the weaving-room they found Saevuna the carline, and three men more. In all they found there the bones of nine souls. Now they carried the bodies to the church, and then Hjallti rode home and Kari with him. A swelling came on Ingialld's leg, and then he fared to Hjallti, and was healed there, but still he limped ever afterwards. [2]

Kari rode to Tongue to Asgrim Ellidagrim's son. By that time Thorhalla was come home, and she had already told the tidings. Asgrim took Kari by both hands, and bade him be there all that year. Kari said so it should be.

Asgrim asked besides all the folk who had been in the house at Bergthorsknoll to stay with him. Kari said that was well offered, and said he would take it on their behalf.

Then all the folk were flitted thither.

Thorhall Asgrim's son was so startled when he was told that his foster-father Njal was dead, and that he had been burnt in his house, that he swelled all over, and a stream of blood burst out of both his ears, and could not be staunched, and he fell into a swoon, and then it was staunched.

After that he stood up, and said he had behaved like a coward, "But I would that I might be able to avenge this which has befallen me on some of those who burnt him."

But when others said that no one would think this a shame to him, he said he could not stop the mouths of the people from talking about it.

Asgrim asked Kari what trust and help he thought he might look for from those east of the rivers. Kari said that Mord Valgard's son, and Hjallti Skeggi's son, would yield him all the help they could, and so, too, would Thorgeir Craggeir and all those brothers.

Asgrim said that was great strength.

"What strength shall we have from thee?" says Kari.

"All that I can give," says Asgrim, "and I will lay down my life on it."

"So do," says Kari.

"I have also," says Asgrim, "brought Gizur the White into the suit,[3] and have asked his advice how we shall set about it."

"What advice did he give?" asks Kari.

"He counselled," answers Asgrim, "'that we should hold us quite still till spring, but then ride east and set the suit on foot against Flosi for the manslaughter of Helgi, and summon the neighbours from their homes, and give due notice at the Thing of the suits for the burning, and summon the same neighbours there too on the inquest before the court. I asked Gizur who should plead the suit for manslaughter, but he said that Mord should plead it whether he liked it or not, and now,' he went on, 'it shall fall most heavily on him that up to this time all the suits he has undertaken have had the worst ending. Kari shall also be wroth whenever he meets Mord, and so, if he be made to fear on one side, and has to look to me on the other, then he will undertake the duty.'"

Then Kari said, "We will follow thy counsel as long as we can, and thou shalt lead us."

It is to be told of Kari that he could not sleep of nights. Asgrim woke up one night and heard that Kari was awake, and Asgrim said, "Is it that thou canst not sleep at night?"

Then Kari sang this song:

"Bender of the bow of battle, Sleep will not my eyelids seal, Still my murdered messmates' bidding Haunts my mind the livelong night; Since the men their brands abusing Burned last autumn guileless Njal, Burned him house and home together, Mindful am I [4] of my hurt."[5]

Kari spoke of no men so often as of Njal and Skarphedinn, and Bergthora and Helgi. He never abused his foes, and never threatened them.

References

  1. I have never seen any dead man's body so bright as this: "The narrative is ordered and well balanced despite the horror of the killing. The narrator only describes those characters that are of relevance to the saga … . The author of the saga stands at a distance from which he can judge the action. The bodies of Njáll and Bergþóra are found the following day … . With this episode in mind, we shall look at the story of the year 1253 (Chs. 172-74) … when the remains of the bodies of his wife Gróa and their son Ísleifr are carried out of the burning farm, Gizurr is clearly shaken … . The horror of the episode is thus enhanced by minute details; yet at the same time the abundance of information about the people involved and their deaths makes the burning appear to the reader as a confused and chaotic scene. We remain outsiders as the tragedy unfolds in front of us." Guðrún Nordal. Sturlunga saga and the context of saga-writing (p. 8-9)
  2. he limped ever afterwards: "Here the style is that of the traditional Icelandic saga: perfectly dry, empirical and ‘objective.’ The narrator shows us a scene but does not comment on it. Yet the scene has no precedent in the native tradition, and its psychology is ‘clerical’ rather than typical of sagas…" Lönnroth, Lars. Njáls saga: A critical introduction (p. 112).
  3. brought Gizur the White into the suit: "Gizur's trajectory is one of several that reveal the permeability and fluidity of faction in the Icelandic blood-feud. He was Gunnar's executioner and now succeeds to the leadership of the pro-Njal faction, Gunnar's avengers." Miller, William Ian. Preparation for the Next Althing: Chapters 132–7 (p. 248).
  4. Mindful am I: "Kári’s actions are driven by his memory, by remembering the past. To the very end of the saga, the tragedy of Bergþórshváll is evoked in his stanzas; his poetic utterances keep alive the memory of the dead, while actual deeds fulfil his obligation of vengeance." Guðrún Nordal. Attraction of opposites: skaldic verse in Njáls saga (p. 231).
  5. Bender of the bow of battle: "Skáldið sem orti vísuna í orðastað Kára mun hafa þekkt ljóðlínur annars manns, sem varð að þola enn þyngri harma. Eftir Flugumýrarbrennu (22.október 1253), kveðjur einn Gizur Þorvaldsson vísu, þar sem hann tímir harmsakir sínar." Hermann Pálsson. Eftir Njálsbrennu (p. 48).

Kafli 132

Kári bað Hjalta að fara að leita beina Njáls „því að því munu allir trúa er þú segir frá og þér sýnist.“

Hjalti kvaðst það gjarna gera vilja að flytja bein Njáls til kirkju.

Þaðan riðu fimmtán menn. Þeir riðu austur yfir Þjórsá og kvöddu þar menn með sér til þess er þeir höfðu hundrað manna með nábúum Njáls. Þeir komu til Bergþórshvols að hádegi dags.

Hjalti spurði Kára hvar Njáll mundi undir liggja en Kári vísaði þeim til og var þar mikilli ösku af að moka. Þar fundu þeir undir húðina og var sem hún væri skorpnuð við eld. Þeir tóku upp húðina og voru þau óbrunnin undir. Allir lofuðu guð fyrir það og þótti stór jartegn í vera. Síðan var tekinn sveinninn er legið hafði í millum þeirra og var af honum brunninn fingurinn er hann hafði rétt út undan húðinni. Njáll var út borinn og svo Bergþóra. Síðan gengu til allir menn að sjá líkami þeirra.

Hjalti mælti: „Hversu lítast yður líkamir þessir?“

Þeir svöruðu: „Þinna atkvæða viljum vér bíða.“

Hjalti mælti: „Ekki mun mér um þetta einarðarfátt verða. Líkami Bergþóru þykir mér að líkindum og þó vel. En líkami Njáls og ásjóna sýnist mér svo bjartur að eg hefi engis dauðs manns líkama séð jafnbjartan.“[1]

Allir sögðu að sýndist. Þá leituðu þeir Skarphéðins. Þar vísuðu þeir heimamenn til sem þeir Flosi heyrðu að vísan var kveðin og var þar þekjan fallin að gaflinum og þar mælti Hjalti að til skyldi leita. Síðan gera þeir svo og fundu líkama Skarphéðins þar og hafði hann staðið upp við gaflhlaðið og voru brunnir fætur af honum mjög svo neðan til knjá en allt annað óbrunnið á honum. Hann hafði bitið á kampinum. Augu hans voru opin og óþrútin. Hann hafði rekið öxina í gaflhlaðið svo fast að gengið hafði upp á miðjan fetann og var hún ekki af því dignuð. Síðan var út borin öxin.

Hjalti tók upp öxina og mælti: „Þetta er fágætt vopn og munu fáir bera mega.“

Kári mælti: „Sé eg mann til hver bera skal öxina.“

„Hver er sá?“ segir Hjalti.

„Þorgeir skorargeir,“ segir Kári, „sá er eg ætla nú mestan muni í þeirri ætt vera.“

Þá var Skarphéðinn flettur af klæðunum því að þau voru ekki brunnin. Hann hafði lagið hendur sínar í kross og á ofan hina hægri. Díla fundu þeir á honum í millum herðanna en annan á bringunni og var hvortveggi brenndur í kross og ætluðu menn að hann mundi sig sjálfur brennt hafa. Allir menn mæltu það að betra þætti hjá Skarphéðni dauðum en þeir ætluðu því að engi maður hræddist hann.

Þeir leituðu beina Gríms og fundu bein hans í miðjum skálanum. Þeir fundu þar gegnt honum undir hliðvegginum Þórð leysingja en í vefjarstofunni fundu þeir Sæunni kerlingu og þrjá menn aðra. Alls fundu þeir þar bein af níu mönnum. Fluttu þeir nú líkin til kirkju.

Þá reið Hjalti heim og Kári með honum.

Blástur kom í fótinn Ingjaldi. Fór hann þá til Hjalta og græddi hann Ingjald og var hann þó jafnan haltur síðan. [2]

Kári reið í Tungu til Ásgríms Elliða-Grímssonar. Þá var Þórhalla heim komin og hafði hún þá sagt áður tíðindin. Ásgrímur tók við Kára báðum höndum að hann skyldi vera þar öll þau misseri. Kári kvað svo vera skyldu. Ásgrímur bauð því öllu liði til sín er að Bergþórshvoli hafði verið.

Kári kvað það vel boðið og lést það þiggja mundu fyrir þeirra hönd.

Var þá flutt þangað allt liðið.

Þórhalli Ásgrímssyni brá svo við er honum var sagt að Njáll fóstri hans var dauður og hann hafði inni brunnið að hann þrútnaði allur og blóðbogi stóð úr hvorutveggja eyranu og varð eigi stöðvað og féll hann í óvit og þá stöðvaðist.

Eftir stóð hann upp og kvað sér lítilmannlega verða „en það mundi eg vilja að eg hefndi þessa á þeim nokkurum er hann brenndu inni er nú hefir mig hent.“

En aðrir sögðu að engi mundi honum þetta virða til skammar en hann kvaðst ekki taka mega af því hvað mælt væri.

Ásgrímur spurði hvers trausts Kári mundi von eiga af þeim fyrir austan árnar. Kári segir að Mörður Valgarðsson og Hjalti Skeggjason mundu veita honum slíkan styrk sem þeir mættu og Þorgeir skorargeir og þeir allir bræður. Ásgrímur sagði það mikinn afla.

„Hvern styrk skulum vér af þér hafa?“ segir Kári.

„Allan þann sem eg má veita,“ segir Ásgrímur, „og skal eg líf á leggja.“

„Gerðu svo,“ segir Kári.

„Eg hefi og komið Gissuri í málið[3] og spurði eg hann ráðs hversu með skyldi fara,“ sagði Ásgrímur.

„Hvað lagði hann til?“ segir Kári.

Ásgrímur svarar: „Það lagði hann til að vér skyldum öllu kyrru fyrir halda til vors en ríða þá austur og búa mál til á hendur Flosa um víg Helga og kveðja búa heiman og lýsa á þingi brennumálunum og kveðja þar hina sömu búa í dóm. Eg spurði og Gissur hver sækja skyldi vígsmálið en hann sagði að Mörður skyldi sækja hvort sem honum þætti gott eða illt, „skal hann því þungast af hafa að honum hafa öll málin verst farið hér til. Kári skal og síreiður jafnan er hann finnur Mörð og mun hann slíkt til draga og forsjá mín í annan stað,“ sagði Gissur.“

Kári mælti þá: „Þínum ráðum munum vér fram fara meðan þeirra er kostur og þú vilt fyrir vera.“

Svo er að segja frá Kára að hann mátti ekki sofa um nætur. Ásgrímur vaknaði eina nótt og heyrði að Kári vakti.

Ásgrímur mælti: „Hvort verður ekki svefnsamt á næturnar?“

Kári kvað þá vísu:


40. Kemrat, Ullur, um allar,

álmsíma, mér grímur,

beðhlíðar man eg bænir

bauga, svefn á auga,

síð brandviðir brenndu

böðvar nausts á hausti,

eg er að mínu meini

minnigur,[4] Níal inni.[5]


Engra manna gat Kári jafnoft sem Njáls og Skarphéðins. Aldrei ámælti hann óvinum sínum og aldrei heitaðist hann við þá.

Tilvísanir

  1. eg hefi engis dauðs manns líkama séð jafnbjartan: "The narrative is ordered and well balanced despite the horror of the killing. The narrator only describes those characters that are of relevance to the saga … . The author of the saga stands at a distance from which he can judge the action. The bodies of Njáll and Bergþóra are found the following day … . With this episode in mind, we shall look at the story of the year 1253 (Chs. 172-74) … when the remains of the bodies of his wife Gróa and their son Ísleifr are carried out of the burning farm, Gizurr is clearly shaken … . The horror of the episode is thus enhanced by minute details; yet at the same time the abundance of information about the people involved and their deaths makes the burning appear to the reader as a confused and chaotic scene. We remain outsiders as the tragedy unfolds in front of us." Guðrún Nordal. Sturlunga saga and the context of saga-writing (s. 8-9)
  2. var hann þó jafnan haltur síðan: "Here the style is that of the traditional Icelandic saga: perfectly dry, empirical and ‘objective.’ The narrator shows us a scene but does not comment on it. Yet the scene has no precedent in the native tradition, and its psychology is ‘clerical’ rather than typical of sagas…" Lönnroth, Lars. Njáls saga: A critical introduction (p. 112).
  3. komið Gissuri í málið: "Gizur's trajectory is one of several that reveal the permeability and fluidity of faction in the Icelandic blood-feud. He was Gunnar's executioner and now succeeds to the leadership of the pro-Njal faction, Gunnar's avengers." Miller, William Ian. Preparation for the Next Althing: Chapters 132–7 (s. 248).
  4. minnigur: "Kári’s actions are driven by his memory, by remembering the past. To the very end of the saga, the tragedy of Bergþórshváll is evoked in his stanzas; his poetic utterances keep alive the memory of the dead, while actual deeds fulfil his obligation of vengeance." Guðrún Nordal. Attraction of opposites: skaldic verse in Njáls saga (s. 231).
  5. Kemrat, Ullur, um allar: "Skáldið sem orti vísuna í orðastað Kára mun hafa þekkt ljóðlínur annars manns, sem varð að þola enn þyngri harma. Eftir Flugumýrarbrennu (22.október 1253), kveðjur einn Gizur Þorvaldsson vísu, þar sem hann tímir harmsakir sínar." Hermann Pálsson. Eftir Njálsbrennu (s. 48).

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