The Saga of Grettir the Strong: Grettir's Saga
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.
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.
Unknown
THE SAGA OF GRETTIR THE STRONG
GRETTIR'S SAGA
Written in Icelandic, sometime in the early 14th Century.
CHAPTER I. THE FAMILY AND EARLY WARS OF ONUND THE SON OF OFEIG
CHAPTER II. THE BATTLE OF HAFRSFJORD
CHAPTER III. MEETING OF DEFEATED CHIEFS IN THE WEST AND MARRIAGE OF ONUND
CHAPTER IV. FIGHT WITH VIKINGS VIGBJOD AND VESTMAR
CHAPTER V. VISIT OF ONUND AND THRAND TO EYVIND IN IRELAND
CHAPTER VI. DEATH OF BJORN; DISPUTES OVER HIS PROPERTY IN NORWAY
CHAPTER VII. MURDER OF ONDOTT CROW, AND THE VENGEANCE THEREFOR
CHAPTER VIII. ONUND AND ASMUND SAIL TO ICELAND
CHAPTER IX. ONUND SETTLES IN KALDBAK
CHAPTER X. OFEIG GRETTIR IS KILLED. VISIT OF ONUND TO AUD THE DEEP-MINDED
CHAPTER XII. BATTLE AT RIFSKER
CHAPTER XIV. ASMUND'S CHILDREN. GRETTIR'S CHILDHOOD
CHAPTER XV. GAMES AT MIDFJORDVATN
CHAPTER XVI. GRETTIR KILLS SKEGGI AND IS OUTLAWED FOR THREE YEARS
CHAPTER XVII. GRETTIR SAILS FOR NORWAY AND IS WRECKED ON HARAMARSEY
CHAPTER XVIII. ADVENTURE IN THE HOWE OF KAR THE OLD
CHAPTER XIX. BERSERKS AT HARAMARSEY
CHAPTER XX. THORFINN'S RETURN. GRETTIR VISITS THE NORTH
CHAPTER XXI. ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR
CHAPTER XXII. GRETTIR KILLS BJORN AND IS SUMMONED BEFORE JARL SVEINN
CHAPTER XXIII. GRETTIR KILLS HJARRANDI
CHAPTER XXVII. SENTENCES ON THE FOSTER-BROTHERS
CHAPTER XXIX. HORSE-FIGHT AT LANGAFIT
CHAPTER XXX. THORBJORN OXMAIN AND THE FRAY AT HRUTAFJARDARHALS
CHAPTER XXXI. GRETTIR'S VAIN ENDEAVOUR TO PROVOKE BARDI
CHAPTER XXXIII. DOINGS OF GLAM'S GHOST. AWFUL CONDITION OF VATNSDAL
CHAPTER XXXIV. GRETTIR VISITS HIS UNCLE JOKULL
CHAPTER XXXV. THE FIGHT WITH GLAM'S GHOST
CHAPTER XXXVI. THORBJORN SLOWCOACH AT HOME
CHAPTER XXXVII. GRETTIR SAILS FOR NORWAY AND KILLS THORBJORN SLOWCOACH
CHAPTER XXXVIII. GRETTIR FETCHES FIRE—THE SONS OF THORIR ARE BURNT
CHAPTER XL. ADVENTURE WITH THE BERSERK SNAEKOLL
CHAPTER XLI. THORSTEINN DROMUND'S ARMS
CHAPTER XLII. DEATH OF ASMUND LONGHAIR
CHAPTER XLIII. THE SONS OF THORIR OF SKARD ARE SLAIN BY ATLI AND GRIM
CHAPTER XLIV. SETTLEMENT OF THE FEUD AT THE HUNAVATN THING
CHAPTER XLV. ATLI MURDERED BY THORBJORN OXMAIN
CHAPTER XLVI. SENTENCE OF OUTLAWRY PASSED UPON GRETTIR AT THE ALL-THING
CHAPTER XLVIII. DEATH OF THORBJORN OXMAIN
CHAPTER XLIX. GRETTIR VISITS THORSTEINN KUGGASON AND SNORRI GODI
CHAPTER LI. GRETTIR'S CASE OVERBORNE AT THE ALL-THING
CHAPTER LII. GRETTIR IS CAPTURED BY FARMERS AND RELEASED BY THORBJORG
CHAPTER LIII. GRETTIR WINTERS IN LJARSKOGAR WITH THORSTEINN KUGGASON
CHAPTER LIV. ADVENTURE WITH LOPT
CHAPTER LV. GRETTIR IN THE ARNARVATN HEATH. DEATH OF GRIM THE FOREST-MAN
CHAPTER LVI. TREACHERY AND DEATH OF THORIR REDBEARD
CHAPTER LIX. THE CHASTISEMENT OF GISLI
CHAPTER LX. THE BATTLE WITH THE MYRAMEN
CHAPTER LXI. GRETTIR WINTERS UNDER THE GEITLAND GLACIER
CHAPTER LXII. HALLMUND IS KILLED BY A FOREST-MAN NAMED GRIM
CHAPTER LXIII. GRETTIR'S MEETING WITH THORIR ON THE REYKJA HEATH
CHAPTER LXIV. GHOSTS IN BARDARDAL
CHAPTER LXV. ADVENTURE WITH A TROLL-WOMAN
CHAPTER LXVI. GRETTIR SLAYS A GIANT
CHAPTER LXVII. VISIT TO GUDMUND THE MIGHTY
CHAPTER LXVIII. FIGHT WITH THORODD THE SON OF SNORRI
CHAPTER LXX. THE PEOPLE OF SKAGAFJORD
CHAPTER LXXI. THE BONDIS CLAIM THEIR PROPERTY IN DRANGEY
CHAPTER LXXII. GRETTIR VISITS THE THING AT HEGRANES
CHAPTER LXXIII. VISIT OF THORBJORN ANGLE TO DRANGEY
CHAPTER LXXIV. THE FIRE GOES OUT IN DRANGEY
CHAPTER LXXV. GRETTIR SWIMS TO THE MAINLAND FOR FIRE
CHAPTER LXXVI. ADVENTURE OF HAERING IN DRANGEY
CHAPTER LXXVII. GRETTIR'S CASE BEFORE THE ALL-THING
CHAPTER LXXVIII. THORBJORN'S FOSTER-MOTHER
CHAPTER LXXIX. THE SPELL TAKES EFFECT
CHAPTER LXXX. THE SPELL CONTINUES TO WORK
CHAPTER LXXXI. THORBJORN AGAIN VISITS DRANGEY
CHAPTER LXXXII. THE LAST BATTLE—DEATH OF GRETTIR AND ILLUGI
CHAPTER LXXXIII. THORBJORN VISITS GRETTIR'S MOTHER AT BJARG
CHAPTER LXXXIV. THORBJORN IS EXILED AT THE THING
CHAPTER LXXXV. THORBJORN GOES TO NORWAY AND CONSTANTINOPLE
CHAPTER LXXXVI. GRETTIR'S DEATH AVENGED BY HIS BROTHER THORSTEINN DROMUND
CHAPTER LXXXVII. THE LADY SPES
CHAPTER LXXXVIII. ADVENTURES OF THORSTEINN AND SPES
CHAPTER LXXXIX. THE ORDEAL
CHAPTER XC. THORSTEINN AND SPES RETURN TO NORWAY
CHAPTER XCI. ABSOLUTION IN ROME
CHAPTER XCII. THE END OF THORSTEINN AND SPES
CHAPTER XCIII. THE TESTIMONY OF STURLA THE LAWMAN