<i>Of Grettir and Snoekoll</i>.
At yule came Grettir to a bonder who was called Einar, he was a rich
man, and was married and had one daughter of marriageable age, who was
called Gyrid; she was a fair woman, and was deemed a right good match;
Einar bade Grettir abide with him through Yule, and that proffer he
took.
Then was it the wont far and wide in Norway that woodmen and misdoers
would break out of the woods and challenge men for their women, or
they took away men's goods with violence, whereas they had not much
help of men.
Now it so befell here, that one day in Yule there came to Einar the
bonder many ill-doers together, and he was called Snoekoll who was the
head of them, and a great bearserk he was. He challenged goodman Einar
to give up his daughter, or to defend her, if he thought himself man
enough thereto; but the bonder was then past his youth, and was no man
for fighting; he deemed he had a great trouble on his hands, and asked
Grettir, in a whisper, what rede he would give thereto: "Since thou
art called a famous man." Grettir bade him say yea to those things
alone, which he thought of no shame to him.
The bearserk sat on his horse, and had a helm on his head, but the
cheek-pieces were not made fast; he had an iron-rimmed shield before
him, and went on in the most monstrous wise.
Now he said to the bonder, "Make one or other choice speedily, or what
counsel is that big churl giving thee who stands there before thee; is
it not so that he will play with me?"
Grettir said, "We are about equal herein, the bonder and I, for
neither of us is skilled in arms."
Snoekoll said, "Ye will both of you be somewhat afraid to deal with
me, if I grow wroth."
"That is known when it is tried," said Grettir.
Now the bearserk saw that there was some edging out of the matter
going on, and he began to roar aloud, and bit the rim of his shield,
and thrust it up into his mouth, and gaped over the corner of the
shield, and went on very madly. Grettir took a sweep along over the
field, and when he came alongside of the bearserk's horse, sent up
his foot under the tail of the shield so hard, that the shield went up
into the mouth of him, and his throat was riven asunder, and his jaws
fell down on his breast. Then he wrought so that, all in one rush, he
caught hold of the helmet with his left hand, and swept the viking off
his horse; and with the other hand drew the short-sword that he was
girt withal, and drave it at his neck, so that off the head flew. But
when Snoekoll's fellows saw that, they fled, each his own way, and
Grettir had no mind to follow, for he saw there was no heart in them.
The bonder thanked him well for his work and many other men too; and
that deed was deemed to have been wrought both swiftly and hardily.
Grettir was there through Yule, and the farmer saw him off handsomely:
then he went east to Tunsberg, and met his brother Thorstein; he
received Grettir fondly, and asked of his travels and how he won the
bearserk. Then Grettir sang a stave--
"There the shield that men doth save
Mighty spurn with foot I gave.
Snoekoll's throat it smote aright,
The fierce follower of the fight,
And by mighty dint of it
Were the tofts of tooth-hedge split;
The strong spear-walk's iron rim,
Tore adown the jaws of him."
Thorstein said, "Deft wouldst thou be at many things, kinsman, if
mishaps went not therewith."