OF THORGEIR OF LIGHTWATER.
There was a man named Thorgeir who dwelt at Lightwater; he was the son
of Tjorfi, the son of Thorkel the long, the son of Kettle Longneck. His
mother's name was Thoruna, and she was the daughter of Thorstein, the
son of Sigmund, the son of Bard of the Nip. Gudrida was the name of his
wife; she was a daughter of Thorkel the black of Hleidrargarth. His
brother was Worm wallet-back, the father of Hlenni the old of Saurby.
The Christian men set up their booths, and Gizur the white and Hjallti
were in the booths of the men from Mossfell. The day after both sides
went to the Hill of Laws, and each, the Christian men as well as the
heathen, took witness, and declared themselves out of the other's laws,
and then there was such an uproar on the Hill of Laws that no man could
hear the other's voice.
After that men went away, and all thought things looked like the
greatest entanglement. The Christian men chose as their Speaker Hall of
the Side, but Hall went to Thorgeir, the priest of Lightwater, who was
the old Speaker of the law, and gave him three marks of silver to utter
what the law should be, but still that was most hazardous counsel, since
he was an heathen.
Thorgeir lay all that day on the ground, and spread a cloak over his
head, so that no man spoke with him; but the day after men went to the
Hill of Laws, and then Thorgeir bade them be silent and listen, and
spoke thus--
"It seems to me as though our matters were come to a dead lock, if we
are not all to have one and the same law; for if there be a sundering of
the laws, then there will be a sundering of the peace, and we shall
never be able to live in the land. Now, I will ask both Christian men
and heathen whether they will hold to those laws which I utter".
They all say they would.
He said he wished to take an oath of them, and pledges that they would
hold to them, and they all said "yea" to that, and so he took pledges
from them.
"This is the beginning of our laws," he said, "that all men shall be
Christian here in the land, and believe in one God, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost, but leave off all idol-worship, not expose children
to perish, and not eat horseflesh. It shall be outlawry if such things
are proved openly against any man; but if these things are done by
stealth, then it shall be blameless."
But all this heathendom was all done away with within a few years'
space, so that those things were not allowed to be done either by
stealth or openly.
Thorgeir then uttered the law as to keeping the Lord's day and fast
days, Yuletide and Easter, and all the greatest highdays and holidays.
The heathen men thought they had been greatly cheated; but still the
true faith was brought into the law, and so all men became Christian
here in the land.
After that men fare home from the Thing.