OF THRAIN SIGFUS' SON.
There was a man named Thrain, he was the son of Sigfus, the son of
Sighvat the Red. He kept house at Gritwater on Fleetlithe. He was
Gunnar's kinsman, and a man of great mark. He had to wife Thorhilda
Skaldwife; she had a sharp tongue of her own, and was giving to jeering.
Thrain loved her little. He and his wife were bidden to the wedding, and
she and Bergthora, Skarphedinn's daughter, Njal's wife, waited on the
guests with meat and drink.
Kettle was the name of the second son of Sigfus; he kept house in the
Mark, east of Markfleet. He had to wife Thorgerda, Njal's daughter.
Thorkell was the name of the third son of Sigfus; the fourth's name was
Mord; the fifth's Lambi; the sixth's Sigmund; the seventh's Sigurd.
These were all Gunnar's kinsmen, and great champions. Gunnar bade them
all to the wedding.
Gunnar had also bidden Valgard the guileful, and Wolf Aurpriest, and
their sons Runolf and Mord.
Hauskuld and Hrut came to the wedding with a very great company, and the
sons of Hauskuld, Torleik, and Olof, were there; the bride, too, came
along with them, and her daughter Thorgerda came also, and she was one
of the fairest of women; she was then fourteen winters old. Many other
women were with her, and besides there were Thorkatla Asgrim
Ellidagrim's son's daughter, and Njal's two daughters, Thorgerda and
Helga.
Gunnar had already many guests to meet them, and he thus arranged his
men. He sat on the middle of the bench, and on the inside, away from
him, Thrain Sigfus' son, then Wolf Aurpriest, then Valgard the guileful,
then Mord and Runolf, then the other sons of Sigfus, Lambi sat outermost
of them.
Next to Gunnar on the outside, away from him, sat Njal, then
Skarphedinn, then Helgi, then Grim, then Hauskuld Njal's son, then Hafr
the Wise, then Ingialld from the Springs, then the sons of Thorir from
Holt away east. Thorir would sit outermost of the men of mark, for every
one was pleased with the seat he got.
Hauskuld, the bride's father, sat on the middle of the bench over
against Gunnar, but his sons sat on the inside away from him; Hrut sat
on the outside away from Hauskuld, but it is not said how the others
were placed. The bride sat in the middle of the cross-bench on the dais;
but on one hand of her sat her daughter Thorgerda, and on the other
Thorkatla Asgrim Ellidagrim's son's daughter.
Thorhillda went about waiting on the guests, and Bergthora bore the meat
on the board.
Now Thrain Sigfus' son kept staring at Thorgerda Glum's daughter; his
wife Thorhillda saw this, and she got wroth, and made a couplet upon
him.
"Thrain," she says,
"Gaping mouths are no wise good,
Goggle eyne are in thy head,"
He rose at once up from the board, and said he would put Thorhillda
away, "I will not bear her jibes and jeers any longer;" and he was so
quarrelsome about this, that he would not be at the feast unless she
were driven away. And so it was, that she went away; and now each man
sat in his place, and they drank and were glad.
Then Thrain began to speak--"I will not whisper about that which is in
my mind. This I will ask thee, Hauskuld Dalakoll's son, wilt thou give
me to wife Thorgerda, thy kinswoman?"
"I do not know that," says Hauskuld; "methinks thou art ill parted from
the one thou hadst before. But what kind of man is he, Gunnar?"
Gunnar answers--"I will not say aught about the man, because he is near
of kin; but say thou about him, Njal," says Gunnar, "for all men will
believe it".
Njal spoke, and said--"That is to be said of this man, that the man is
well to do for wealth, and a proper man in all things. A man, too, of
the greatest mark; so that ye may well make this match with him."
Then Hauskuld spoke--"What thinkest thou we ought to do, kinsman Hrut?"
"Thou mayst make the match, because it is an even one for her," says
Hrut.
Then they talk about the terms of the bargain, and are soon of one mind
on all points.
Then Gunnar stands up, and Thrain too, and they go to the cross-bench.
Gunnar asked that mother and daughter whether they would say yes to this
bargain. They said they would find no fault with it, and Hallgerda
betrothed her daughter. Then the places of the women were shifted again,
and now Thorhalla sate between the brides. And now the feast sped on
well, and when it was over, Hauskuld and his company ride west, but the
men of Rangriver rode to their own abode. Gunnar gave many men gifts,
and that made him much liked.
Hallgerda took the housekeeping under her, and stood up for her rights
in word and deed. Thorgerda took to housekeeping at Gritwater, and was a
good housewife.