"Tell me," said Katla, a handsome and lively widow, to Gunlaugar, an
accomplished and gallant young warrior, "tell me why thou goest so oft
to Mahfahlida? Is it to caress an old woman?"
"Thine own age, Katla," answered the youth inconsiderately, "might
prevent thy making that of Geirrida a subject of reproach."
"I little deemed," replied the offended matron, "that we were on an
equality in that particular--but thou, who supposest that Geirrida is
the sole source of knowledge, mayst find that there are others who equal
her in science."
It happened in the course of the following winter that Gunlaugar, in
company with Oddo, the son of Katla, had renewed one of those visits to
Geirrida with which Katla had upbraided him.
"Thou shalt not depart to-night," said the sage matron; "evil spirits
are abroad, and thy bad destiny predominates."
"We are two in company," answered Gunlaugar, "and have therefore nothing
to fear."
"Oddo," replied Geirrida, "will be of no aid to thee; but go, since
thou wilt go, and pay the penalty of thy own rashness."
In their way they visited the rival matron, and Gunlaugar was invited to
remain in her house that night. This he declined, and, passing forward
alone, was next morning found lying before the gate of his father
Thorbiorn, severely wounded and deprived of his judgment. Various causes
were assigned for this disaster; but Oddo, asserting that they had
parted in anger that evening from Geirrida, insisted that his companion
must have sustained the injury through her sorcery. Geirrida was
accordingly cited to the popular assembly and accused of witchcraft. But
twelve witnesses, or compurgators, having asserted upon their oath the
innocence of the accused party, Geirrida was honourably freed from the
accusation brought against her. Her acquittal did not terminate the
rivalry between the two sorceresses, for, Geirrida belonging to the
family of Kiliakan, and Katla to that of the pontiff Snorro, the
animosity which still subsisted between these septs became awakened by
the quarrel.
It chanced that Thorbiorn, called Digri (or the corpulent), one of the
family of Snorro, had some horses which fed in the mountain pastures,
near to those of Thorarin, called the Black, the son of the enchantress
Geirrida. But when autumn arrived, and the horses were to be withdrawn
from the mountains and housed for the winter, those of Thorbiorn could
nowhere be found, and Oddo, the son of Katla, being sent to consult a
wizard, brought back a dubious answer, which seemed to indicate that
they had been stolen by Thorarin. Thorbiorn, with Oddo and a party of
armed followers, immediately set forth for Mahfahlida, the dwelling of
Geirrida and her son Thorarin. Arrived before the gate, they demanded
permission to search for the horses which were missing. This Thorarin
refused, alleging that neither was the search demanded duly authorised
by law, nor were the proper witnesses cited to be present, nor did
Thorbiorn offer any sufficient pledge of security when claiming the
exercise of so hazardous a privilege. Thorbiorn replied, that as
Thorarin declined to permit a search, he must be held as admitting his
guilt; and constituting for that purpose a temporary court of justice,
by choosing out six judges, he formally accused Thorarin of theft before
the gate of his own house. At this the patience of Geirrida forsook her.
"Well," said she to her son Thorarin, "is it said of thee that thou art
more a woman than a man, or thou wouldst not bear these intolerable
affronts."
Thorarin, fired at the reproach, rushed forth with his servants and
guests; a skirmish soon disturbed the legal process which had been
instituted, and one or two of both parties were wounded and slain before
the wife of Thorarin and the female attendants could separate the fray
by flinging their mantles over the weapons of the combatants.
Thorbiorn and his party retreating, Thorarin proceeded to examine the
field of battle. Alas! among the reliques of the fight was a bloody
hand too slight and fair to belong to any of the combatants. It was that
of his wife Ada, who had met this misfortune in her attempts to separate
the foes. Incensed to the uttermost, Thorarin threw aside his
constitutional moderation, and, mounting on horseback, with his allies
and followers, pursued the hostile party, and overtook them in a
hay-field, where they had halted to repose their horses, and to exult
over the damage they had done to Thorarin. At this moment he assailed
them with such fury that he slew Thorbiorn upon the spot, and killed
several of his attendants, although Oddo, the son of Katla, escaped free
from wounds, having been dressed by his mother in an invulnerable
garment. After this action, more blood being shed than usual in an
Icelandic engagement, Thorarin returned to Mahfahlida, and, being
questioned by his mother concerning the events of the skirmish, he
answered in the improvisatory and enigmatical poetry of his age and
country--
"From me the foul reproach be far,
With which a female waked the war,
From me, who shunned not in the fray
Through foemen fierce to hew my way
(Since meet it is the eagle's brood
On the fresh corpse should find their food);
Then spared I not, in fighting field,
With stalwart hand my sword to wield;
And well may claim at Odin's shrine
The praise that waits this deed of mine."