“When they had fought a while Thorgils cut off the end of Svart’s shield and his foot; but then it was law that men got the inheritance of the man who fell in a holmganga. Thereupon Thorgils cut off Svart’s head and took all his ships and property” (Flóamanna Saga, c. 16).

One cause of constant duelling was a challenge given on account of women; and some men, especially Berserks, went about from place to place making duelling a profession. It was quite common for a maid who had several suitors to say that she would accept the one who should be victorious in a duel. This often resulted in the death of one or more of the combatants; and it appears that even fathers were sometimes challenged by the suitors.

“One winter there came to Vors (Voss) Thorstein, a kinsman of the brothers Ivar and Hreidar (with whom the Icelander Eyúlf was stopping), who owned a farm in Upplönd. He told his trouble, which was that a Berserk, Asgaut by name, had challenged him to holmganga because he refused to give his sister to him; he asked them to follow him with many men to the holmganga. They did not like to refuse, and went with thirty men to Upplönd and to the place where the meeting was to be. They asked their men if any one wanted to win a wife by holmganga against Asgaut; but, although they thought the woman fair, no one was ready to do this. The brothers asked Eyúlf to hold the shield before Thorstein. Eyúlf said he had done that for no one, not even for himself. ‘I shall not be happy if he is slain on my hands’ (i.e. while I hold the shield before him); ‘there seems to me no fame in this. If the man is killed, shall we then go home, leaving matters thus, or get a second and a third champion? Our disgrace will increase the more, the more men of ours fall; and little honour will there be on our journey if we go back with Thorstein unavenged, if he falls. Rather ask of me to go into holmganga against the Berserk; that is helping one’s friend, but the other I will not assist in.’ They thanked him, but, nevertheless, thought he risked too much. He added: ‘It seems to me as if none of us would go back if he is not avenged, and that it would be worse to fight against the Berserk if your kinsman is first slain.’ Thereupon he advanced, and Ivar offered to hold the shield before him. Eyúlf said: ‘That is a generous offer; but I can best take care of it, and the old saying true is, “One’s own hand is most faithful;”’ then he went to the place of the holmganga. The Berserk said: ‘Will this fool fight against me?’ Eyúlf replied: ‘Is it not that thou art afraid to fight against me? It may be that thou art of such a cowardly disposition as to fear a large man, and braggest before a small one.’ He answered, ‘That is not true; but I will pronounce for the laws of holmganga. Six marks will absolve me from the holm if I get wounded.’ Eyúlf added: ‘I do not think it due to observe the laws towards thee when thou puttest a value on thyself, for in our land (Eyúlf was an Icelander) such a value as thou settest on thyself would be thought a thrall’s value.’ Eyúlf had to strike the first blow, and the sword struck the lower part of the shield and cut off it and the foot of the Berserk. Eyúlf got great fame from this deed, and thereupon went home with the brothers. Much property was offered to him, but he said he had not done this for the sake of property nor for the woman, but rather from friendship towards the brothers” (Vigaglum’s Saga, c. 4).[[571]]

“It happened on Yule-evening that the men were to make vows there over the horn of Bragi. Then the sons of Arngrim made theirs. Hjorvard vowed that he would marry Ingibjörg, the daughter of Yngvi,[[572]] king of the Swedes, at Uppsalir, who was famous through all countries for her beauty and accomplishments, or else he would never marry. That same spring the brothers (Hjorvard and Angantyr) made the journey to Uppsalir, and went before the table of the king; his daughter sat at his side. Hjorvard told the king of his vow and his errand while all listened. Hjorvard asked him to say at once what answer he should receive. The king thought this matter over, knowing how valiant and high-born they were. At that moment Hjalmar Hugumstori (high-minded) stepped forward and said to the king: ‘Recollect, lord, how much I have increased your honour since I came into this land; I have increased your realm so that it is twice as large; have defended it, brought into your possession the most costly things, and also placed my services at your free disposal; now, I beg of you to grant me honour and give me your daughter, on whom my mind has always been bent. I deserve this better than the Berserk, who has only done evil in your realm and those of other kings.’ The king thought it over with double care, and it seemed to him a perplexing matter that these two chiefs should strive so hard for his daughter. He answered that either of them was so great and high-born that he would refuse her to neither; he asked her to choose which of them she liked to marry. She said that if her father wanted her to marry she would marry the man of whom she knew good, and not the one of whom she knew only evil, as she had heard of the sons of Arngrim. When Hjorvard heard her words he challenged Hjalmar to single fight south in Samsey; he said he should be called nithing (coward) by every man if he married the maiden without accepting the challenge. Hjalmar said he was quite ready, and the time of the fight was at once appointed. The sons of Arngrim went home, and told their father the result of their errand, and of the challenge to the fight. Arngrim answered: ‘Never have I been anxious about your journey before now, but nowhere know I of any match for Hjalmar in bravery and daring, or for the champion that follows him (Orvar Odd), who is only second to him in strength and valour.’ They talked no more about it. Bjartmar, a jarl, ruled Aldeigjuburgh, a very powerful and famous warrior; he was a great friend of the sons of Arngrim, and they always had peace-land there. The brothers went to Bjartmar jarl, who at once made a great feast for them; at this Angantyr asked in marriage the jarl’s daughter Svafa, and readily won her. The feast was made a wedding feast, which lasted half a month.

“When the feast was over the sons of Arngrim prepared for their journey to Samsey. The last night before they left, Angantyr had a dream, which he told to the jarl: ‘It seemed to me we brothers were in Samsey, and found many birds there, and killed them all. Then we went to the other side of the island, and two eagles flew against us. I had a hard fight against one of them, and at last we both sat down. The other eagle fought against my brothers, and overcame them all.’ The jarl answered: ‘Such a dream needs no unravelling. The fall of some men is shown to you by this, and I think it concerns you.’ They said they would not fear that. The jarl added: ‘All men go when death calls upon them.’ They spoke no more. When the feast was over the brothers went home, and Svafa remained with the jarl. They made themselves ready for the fight, and their father followed them to their ship, and gave good armour to them all. ‘I think,’ said he, ‘there is need of good weapons now, for you fight against the most valiant champions.’ Then they parted, and he bade them farewell. They sailed to Samsey, and went to Munarvog (a bay).

“When they came upon the island Berserk-fury came over them; they wrestled with the trees as they were wont.

“It is told of Hjalmar that he landed with ships on the other side of Samsey, in the harbour Unavog. He had two ships, and both were called ask; one hundred very valiant men were on each of them. The brothers saw the ships, and knew that Hjalmar and Odd (the far-travelling, called Orvar-Odd) owned them. The sons of Arngrim drew their swords and bit the edges of their shields. They went to the ships, and six of them went on board each ask; so brave were the men on them that everyone took his weapons, and no one fled from his place or spoke a word of fear. The Berserks went along the one side forwards and the other backwards, and slew every man. Then they went ashore howling. Hjorvard said: ‘Our father Arngrim has become a fool from old age, as he told us that Hjalmar and Odd were the bravest champions, and now I saw no man fight better than the others.’ Angantyr said: ‘Let us not complain that we did not find our equals; it may be that Odd and Hjalmar are not yet dead.’ Hjalmar and Odd had walked up on the island to see if the Berserks had come; when they came out of the forest the sons of Arngrim went on land from their ships with bloody weapons and drawn swords; the Berserk-fury was over, and they were less strong after it, as it were after an illness. Odd sang:

“‘Then was (cause of) fear,

Once upon a time,

When they howling