<i>Of Grettir at Haramsey and his dealings with Karr the Old</i>.
Now the lord who dwelt in the island was called Thorfinn; he was the
son of Karr the Old, who had dwelt there long; and Thorfinn was a
great chief.
But when day was fully come men saw from the island that the chapmen
were brought to great straits. This was made known to Thorfinn, and he
quickly bestirred himself, and had a large bark of his launched, rowed
by sixteen men, on this bark were nigh thirty men in all; they came up
speedily and saved the chapmen's wares; but the ship settled down,
and much goods were lost there. Thorfinn brought all men from the ship
home to himself, and they abode there a week and dried their wares.
Then the chapmen went south into the land, and are now out of the
tale.
Grettir was left behind with Thorfinn, and little he stirred, and was
at most times mighty short of speech. Thorfinn bade give him meals,
but otherwise paid small heed to him; Grettir was loth to follow him,
and would not go out with him in the day; this Thorfinn took ill, but
had not the heart to have food withheld from him.
Now Thorfinn was fond of stately house-keeping, and was a man of great
joyance, and would fain have other men merry too: but Grettir would
walk about from house to house, and often went into other farms about
the island.
There was a man called Audun who dwelt at Windham; thither Grettir
went every day, and he made friends with Audun, and there he was wont
to sit till far on in the day. Now one night very late, as Grettir
made ready to go home, he saw a great fire burst out on a ness to the
north of Audun's farm. Grettir asked what new thing this might be.
Audun said that he need be in no haste to know that.
"It would be said," quoth Grettir, "if that were seen in our land,
that the flame burned above hid treasure."
The farmer said, "That fire I deem to be ruled over by one into whose
matters it avails little to pry."
"Yet fain would I know thereof," said Grettir.
"On that ness," said Audun, "stands a barrow, great and strong,
wherein was laid Karr the Old, Thorfinn's father; at first father
and son had but one farm in the island; but since Karr died he has so
haunted this place that he has swept away all farmers who owned lands
here, so that now Thorfinn holds the whole island; but whatsoever man
Thorfinn holds his hand over, gets no scathe."
Grettir said that he had told his tale well: "And," says he, "I shall
come here to-morrow, and then thou shalt have digging-tools ready."
"Now, I pray thee," says Audun, "to do nought herein, for I know that
Thorfinn will cast his hatred on thee therefor."
Grettir said he would risk that.
So the night went by, and Grettir came early on the morrow and the
digging-tools were ready; the farmer goes with him to the barrow, and
Grettir brake it open, and was rough-handed enough thereat, and did
not leave off till he came to the rafters, and by then the day was
spent; then he tore away the rafters, and now Audun prayed him hard
not to go into the barrow; Grettir bade him guard the rope, "but I
shall espy what dwells within here."
Then Grettir entered into the barrow, and right dark it was, and a
smell there was therein none of the sweetest. Now he groped about to
see how things were below; first he found horse-bones, and then he
stumbled against the arm of a high-chair, and in that chair found a
man sitting; great treasures of gold and silver were heaped together
there, and a small chest was set under the feet of him full of silver;
all these riches Grettir carried together to the rope; but as he went
out through the barrow he was griped at right strongly; thereon he let
go the treasure and rushed against the barrow-dweller, and now they
set on one another unsparingly enough.
Everything in their way was kicked out of place, the barrow-wight
setting on with hideous eagerness; Grettir gave back before him for a
long time, till at last it came to this, that he saw it would not do
to hoard his strength any more; now neither spared the other, and
they were brought to where the horse-bones were, and thereabout they
wrestled long. And now one, now the other, fell on his knee; but the
end of the strife was, that the barrow-dweller fell over on his back
with huge din. Then ran Audun from the holding of the rope, and deemed
Grettir dead. But Grettir drew the sword, 'Jokul's gift,' and drave
it at the neck of the barrow-bider so that it took off his head, and
Grettir laid it at the thigh of him.[9] Then he went to the rope with
the treasure, and lo, Audun was clean gone, so he had to get up the
rope by his hands; he had tied a line to the treasure, and therewith
he now haled it up.
[Footnote 9: The old belief was that by this means only could a ghost
be laid.]
Grettir had got very stiff with his dealings with Karr, and now he
went back to Thorfinn's house with the treasures, whenas all folk had
set them down to table. Thorfinn gave Grettir a sharp look when he
came into the drinking-hall, and asked him what work he had on hand
so needful to do that he might not keep times of meals with other
men. Grettir answers, "Many little matters will hap on late eves," and
therewith he cast down on the table all the treasure he had taken in
the barrow; but one matter there was thereof, on which he must needs
keep his eyes; this was a short-sword, so good a weapon, that a
better, he said, he had never seen; and this he gave up the last of
all. Thorfinn was blithe to see that sword, for it was an heirloom of
his house, and had never yet gone out of his kin.
"Whence came these treasures to thine hand?" said Thorfinn.