GUNNAR'S SLAYING.
Gunnar woke up in his hall and said--
"Thou hast been sorely treated, Sam, my fosterling, and this warning is
so meant that our two deaths will not be far apart."
Gunnar's hall was made all of wood, and roofed with beams above, and
there were window-slits under the beams that carried the roof, and they
were fitted with shutters.
Gunnar slept in a loft above the hall, and so did Hallgerda and his
mother.
Now when they were come near to the house they knew not whether Gunnar
were at home, and bade that some one would go straight up to the house
and see if he could find out. But the rest sat them down on the ground.
Thorgrim the Easterling went and began to climb up on the hall; Gunnar
sees that a red kirtle passed before the windowslit, and thrusts out the
bill, and smote him on the middle. Thorgrim's feet slipped from under
him, and he dropped his shield, and down he toppled from the roof.
Then he goes to Gizur and his band as they sat on the ground.
Gizur looked at him and said--
"Well, is Gunnar at home?"
"Find that out for yourselves," said Thorgrim; "but this I am sure of,
that his bill is at home," and with that he fell down dead.
Then they made for the buildings. Gunnar shot out arrows at them, and
made a stout defence, and they could get nothing done. Then some of them
got into the out-houses and tried to attack him thence, but Gunnar found
them out with his arrows there also, and still they could get nothing
done.
So it went on for while, then they took a rest, and made a second
onslaught. Gunnar still shot out at them, and they could do nothing, and
fell off the second time. Then Gizur the white said-
"Let us press on harder; nothing comes of our onslaught."
Then they made a third bout of it, and were long at it, and then they
fell off again.
Gunnar said, "There lies on arrow outside on the wall, and it is one of
their shafts; I will shoot at them with it, and it will be a shame to
them if they get a hurt from their own weapons".
His mother said, "Do not so, my son; nor rouse them again when they have
already fallen off from the attack".
But Gunnar caught up the arrow and shot it after them, and struck Eylif
Aunund's son, and he got a great wound; he was standing all by himself,
and they knew not that he was wounded.
"Out came an arm yonder," says Gizur, "and there was a gold ring on it,
and took an arrow from the roof and they would not look outside for
shafts if there were enough in doors; and now ye shall make a fresh
onslaught."
"Let us burn him house and all," said Mord.
"That shall never be," says Gizur, "though I knew that my life lay on
it; but it is easy for thee to find out some plan, such a cunning man as
thou art said to be."
Some ropes lay there on the ground, and they were often used to
strengthen the roof. Then Mord said--"Let us take the ropes and throw
one end over the end of the carrying beams, but let us fasten the other
end to these rocks and twist them tight with levers, and so pull the
roof off the hall."
So they took the ropes and all lent a hand to carry this out, and before
Gunnar was aware of it, they had pulled the whole roof off the hall.
Then Gunnar still shoots with his bow so that they could never come nigh
him. Then Mord said again that they must burn the house over Gunnar's
head. But Gizur said--
"I know not why thou wilt speak of that which no one else wishes, and
that shall never be."
Just then Thorbrand Thorleik's son sprang up on the roof, and cuts
asunder Gunnar's bowstring. Gunnar clutches the bill with both hands,
and turns on him quickly and drives it through him, and hurls him down
on the ground.
Then up sprung Asbrand his brother. Gunnar thrusts at him with the bill,
and he threw his shield before the blow, but the bill passed clean
through the shield and broke both his arms, and down he fell from the
wall.
Gunnar had already wounded eight men and slain those twain.[28] By that
time Gunnar had got two wounds, and all men said that he never once
winced either at wounds or death.
Then Gunnar said to Hallgerda, "Give me two locks of thy hair, and ye
two, my mother and thou, twist them together into a bowstring for me."
"Does aught lie on it?" she says.
"My life lies on it," he said; "for they will never come to close
quarters with me if I can keep them off with my bow."
"Well!" she says, "now I will call to thy mind that slap on the face
which thou gavest me; and I care never a whit whether thou holdest out a
long while or a short."
Then Gunnar sang a song--
Each who hurls the gory javelin
Hath some honour of his own,
Now my helpmeet wimple-hooded
Hurries all my fame to earth.
No one owner of a war-ship
Often asks for little things,
Woman, fond of Frodi's flour,[29]
Wends her hand as she is wont.
"Every one has something to boast of," says Gunnar, "and I will ask thee
no more for this."
"Thou behavest ill," said Rannveig, "and this shame shall long be had in
mind."
Gunnar made a stout and bold defence, and now wounds other eight men
with such sore wounds that many lay at death's door. Gunnar keeps them
all off until he fell worn out with toil. Then they wounded him with
many and great wounds, but still he got away out of their hands, and
held his own against them a while longer, but at last it came about that
they slew him.
Of this defence of his, Thorkell the Skald of Göta-Elf sang in the
verses which follow--
We have heard how south in Iceland
Gunnar guarded well himself,
Boldly battle's thunder wielding,
Fiercest Iceman on the wave;
Hero of the golden collar,
Sixteen with the sword he wounded;
In the shock that Odin loveth,
Two before him lasted death.
But this is what Thormod Olaf's son sang--
None that scattered sea's bright sunbeams,[30]
Won more glorious fame than Gunnar,
So runs fame of old in Iceland,
Fitting fame of heathen men;
Lord of fight when helms were crashing,
Lives of foeman twain he took,
Wielding bitter steel he sorely
Wounded twelve, and four besides.
Then Gizur spoke and said: "We have now laid low to earth a mighty
chief, and hard work has it been, and the fame of this defence of his
shall last as long as men live in this land".
After that he went to see Rannveig and said, "Wilt thou grant us earth
here for two of our men who are dead, that they may lie in a cairn
here?"
"All the more willingly for two," she says, "because I wish with all my
heart I had to grant it to all of you."
"It must be forgiven thee," he says, "to speak thus, for thou hast had a
great loss."
Then he gave orders that no man should spoil or rob anything there.
After that they went away.
Then Thorgeir Starkad's son said, "We may not be in our house at home
for the sons of Sigfus, unless thou Gizur or thou Geir be here south
some little while".
"This shall be so," says Gizur, and they cast lots, and the lot fell on
Geir to stay behind.
After that he came to the Point, and set up his house there; he had a
son whose name was Hroald; he was base born, and his mother's name was
Biartey; he boasted that he had given Gunnar his death-blow. Hroald was
at the Point with his father.
Thorgeir Starkad's son boasted of another wound which he had given to
Gunnar.
Gizur sat at home at Mossfell. Gunnar's slaying was heard of, and ill
spoken of throughout the whole country, and his death was a great grief
to many a man.