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Page 3
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*
The Saga of Grettir the Strong
<Grettir's Saga>
Originally written in Icelandic, sometime in the early 14th
Century. Author unknown.
This electronic edition was produced, edited, and prepared by
Douglas B. Killings (DeTroyes@AOL.COM), June 1995. Document
scanning provided by David Reid and John Servilio.
CHAPTER I
THE FAMILY AND EARLY WARS OF ONUND THE SON OF OFEIG
There was a man named Onund, the son of Ofeig Clumsyfoot, who was
the son of Ivar Horsetail. Onund was the brother of Gudbjorg,
the mother of Gudbrand Knob, the father of Asta, the mother of
King Olaf the Saint. His mother came from the Upplands, while
his father's relations were mostly in Rogaland and Hordland. He
was a great viking and used to harry away in the West over the
sea. He was accompanied on these expeditions by one Balki, the
son of Blaeing from Sotanes, and by Orm the Wealthy. Another
comrade of theirs was named Hallvard. They had five ships, all
well equipped. They plundered the Hebrides, reaching the Barra
Isles, where there ruled a king named Kjarval, who also had five
ships. These they attacked; there was a fierce battle between
them, in which Onund's men fought with the utmost bravery. After
many had fallen on both sides, the battle ended with the king
taking to flight with a single ship; the rest were captured by
Onund's force, along with much booty. They stayed there for the
winter, and spent the succeeding three summers harrying the
coasts of Ireland and Scotland, after which they returned to
Norway.
CHAPTER II
THE BATTLE OF HAFRSFJORD
At that time Norway was very disturbed. Harald Shockhead, the
son of Halfdan the Black, till then king of the Upplands, was
aiming at the supreme kingship. He went into the North and
fought many battles there, in which he was always victorious.
Then he marched harrying through the territories to the South,
bringing them into subjection wherever he came. On reaching
Hordland he was opposed by a motley multitude led by Kjotvi the
Wealthy, Thorir Long-chin, and Soti and King Sulki from South
Rogaland. Geirmund Swarthyskin was then away in the West, beyond
the sea, so he was not present at the battle, although Hordland
belonged to his dominion.
Onund and his party had arrived that autumn from the western
seas, and when Thorir and Kjotvi heard of their landing they sent
envoys to ask for their aid, promising to treat them with honour.
They were very anxious for an opportunity of distinguishing
themselves, so they joined Thorir's forces, and declared that
they would be in the thickest part of the battle. They met King
Harald in a fjord in Rogaland called Hafrsfjord. The forces on
each side were very large, and the battle was one of the greatest
ever fought in Norway. There are many accounts of it, for one
always hears much about those people of whom the saga is told.
Troops had come in from all the country around and from other
countries as well, besides a multitude of vikings. Onund brought
his ship alongside of that of Thorir Long-chin in the very middle
of the battle. King Harald made for Thorir's ship, knowing him
to be a terrible berserk, and very brave. The fighting was
desperate on either side. Then the king ordered his berserks,
the men called Wolfskins, forward. No iron could hurt them, and
when they charged nothing could withstand them. Thorir defended
himself bravely and fell on his ship fighting valiantly. The
whole ship from stem to stern was cleared and her fastenings were
cut, so that she fell out of the line of battle. Then they
attacked Onund's ship, in the forepart of which he was standing
and fighting manfully. The king's men said: "He bears himself
well in the forecastle. Let us give him something to remind him
of having been in the battle." Onund was stepping out with one
foot on to the bulwark, and as he was striking they made a thrust
at him with a spear; in parrying it he bent backwards, and at
that moment a man on the forecastle of the king's ship struck him
and took off his leg below the knee, disabling him at a blow.
With him fell the greater number of his men. They carried him to
a ship belonging to a man named Thrand, a son of Bjorn and
brother of Eyvind the Easterner. He was fighting against King
Harald, and his ship was lying on the other side of Onund's.
Then there was a general flight. Thrand and the rest of the
vikings escaped any way they could, and sailed away westwards.
They took with them Onund and Balki and Hallvard Sugandi. Onund
recovered and went about for the rest of his life with a wooden
leg, wherefore he was called Onund Treefoot as long as he lived.
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