FIEND. HIS GHOST WALKS
There was a man named Thorhall living in Thorhallsstad in Forsaeludal,
up from Vatnsdal. He was the son of Grim, the son of Thorhall, the son
of Fridmund, who was the first settler in Forsaeludal. Thorhall's wife
was named Gudrun; they had a son named Grim and a daughter named Thurid
who were just grown up. Thorhall was fairly wealthy, especially in
live-stock. His property in cattle exceeded that of any other man.
He was not a chief, but an honest bondi nevertheless. He had great
difficulty in getting a shepherd to suit him because the place was
haunted. He consulted many men of experience as to what he should do,
but nobody gave him any advice which was of any use. Thorhall had good
horses, and went every summer to the Thing. On one occasion at the
All-Thing he went to the booth of the Lawman Skapti the son of Thorodd,
who was a man of great knowledge and gave good counsel to those who
consulted him. There was a great difference between Thorodd the father
and Skapti the son in one respect. Thorodd possessed second sight, but
was thought by some not to be straight, whereas Skapti gave to every man
the advice which he thought would avail him, if he followed it exactly,
and so earned the name of Father-betterer.
So Thorhall went to Skapti's booth, where Skapti, knowing that he was a
man of wealth, received him graciously, and asked what the news was.
"I want some good counsel from you," said Thorhall.
"I am little fit to give you counsel," he replied; "but what is it that
you need?"
"It is this: I have great difficulty in keeping my shepherds. Some get
injured and others cannot finish their work. No one will come to me if
he knows what he has to expect."
Skapti answered: "There must be some evil spirit abroad if men are less
willing to tend your flocks than those of other men. Now since you have
come to me for counsel, I will get you a shepherd. His name is Glam, and
he came from Sylgsdale in Sweden last summer. He is a big strong man,
but not to everybody's mind."
Thorhall said that did not matter so long as he looked after the sheep
properly. Skapti said there was not much chance of getting another if
this man with all his strength and boldness should fail. Then Thorhall
departed. This happened towards the end of the Thing.
Two of Thorhall's horses were missing, and he went himself to look for
them, which made people think he was not much of a man. He went up under
Sledaass and south along the hill called Armannsfell. Then he saw a man
coming down from Godaskog bringing some brushwood with a horse. They met
and Thorhall asked him his name. He said it was Glam. He was a big man
with an extraordinary expression of countenance, large grey eyes and
wolfgrey hair. Thorhall was a little startled when he saw him, but soon
found out that this was the man who had been sent to him.
"What work can you do best?" he asked.
Glam said it would suit him very well to mind sheep in the winter.
"Will you mind my sheep?" Thorhall asked. "Skapti has given you over to
me."
"My service will only be of use to you if I am free to do as I please,"
he said. "I am rather crossgrained when I am not well pleased."
"That will not hurt me," said Thorhall. "I shall be glad if you will
come to me."
"I can do so," he said. "Are there any special difficulties?"
"The place seems to be haunted."
"I am not afraid of ghosts. It will be the less dull."
"You will have to risk it," said Thorhall. "It will be best to meet it
with a bold face."
Terms were arranged and Glam was to come in the autumn. Then they
parted. Thorhall found his horses in the very place where he had just
been looking for them. He rode home and thanked Skapti for his service.
The summer passed. Thorhall heard nothing of his shepherd and no one
knew anything about him, but at the appointed time he appeared at
Thorhallsstad. Thorhall treated him kindly, but all the rest of the
household disliked him, especially the mistress. He commenced his work
as shepherd, which gave him little trouble.
He had a loud hoarse voice. The beasts all flocked together whenever he
shouted at them. There was a church in the place, but Glam never went to
it. He abstained from mass, had no religion, and was stubborn and surly.
Every one hated him.
So the time passed till the eve of Yule-tide. Glam rose early and called
for his meal. The mistress said: "It is not proper for Christian men to
eat on this day, because to-morrow is the first day of Yule and it is
our duty to fast to-day."
"You have many superstitions," he said; "but I do not see that much
comes of them. I do not know that men are any better off than when there
was nothing of that kind. The ways of men seemed to me better when they
were called heathen. I want my food and no foolery."
"I am certain," she said, "that it will fare ill with you to-day if you
commit this sin."
Glam told her that she should bring his food, or that it would be the
worse for her. She did not dare to do otherwise than as he bade her.
When he had eaten he went out, his breath smelling abominably. It was
very dark; there was driving snow, the wind was howling and it became
worse as the day advanced. The shepherd's voice was heard in the early
part of the day, but less later on. Blizzards set in and a terrific
storm in the evening. People went to mass and so the time passed. In
the evening Glam did not return. They talked about going out to look
for him, but the storm was so violent and the night so dark that no one
went. The night passed and still he had not returned; they waited till
the time for mass came. When it was full day some of the men set forth
to search. They found the animals scattered everywhere in the snow and
injured by the weather; some had strayed into the mountains. Then they
came upon some well-marked tracks up above in the valley. The stones and
earth were torn up all about as if there had been a violent tussle.
On searching further they came upon Glam lying on the ground a short
distance off. He was dead; his body was as black as Hel and swollen
to the size of an ox. They were overcome with horror and their hearts
shuddered within them. Nevertheless they tried to carry him to the
church, but could not get him any further than the edge of a gully a
short way off. So they left him there and went home to report to the
bondi what had happened. He asked what could have caused Glam's death.
They said they had tracked him to a big place like a hole made by the
bottom of a cask thrown down and dragged along up below the mountains
which were at the top of the valley, and all along the track were great
drops of blood. They concluded that the evil spirit which had been about
before must have killed Glam, but that he had inflicted wounds upon
it which were enough, for that spook was never heard of again. On the
second day of the festival they went out again to bring in Glam's body
to the church. They yoked oxen to him, but directly the downward incline
ceased and they came to level ground, they could not move him; so they
went home again and left him. On the third day they took a priest with
them, but after searching the whole day they failed to find him. The
priest refused to go again, and when he was not with them they found
Glam. So they gave up the attempt to bring him to the church and buried
him where he was under a cairn of stones.
It was not long before men became aware that Glam was not easy in his
grave. Many men suffered severe injuries; some who saw him were struck
senseless and some lost their wits. Soon after the festival was over,
men began to think they saw him about their houses. The panic was great
and many left the neighbourhood. Next he began to ride on the house-tops
by night, and nearly broke them to pieces. Almost night and day he
walked, and people would scarcely venture up the valley, however
pressing their business. The district was in a grievous condition.