Thorod Snorrason had remained in Norway, according to King Olaf's
commands, when Geller Thorkelson got leave to go to Iceland, as before
related. He remained there (A.D. 1027) with King Olaf, but was ill
pleased that he was not free to travel where he pleased. Early in
winter, King Olaf, when he was in Nidaros, made it known that he would
send people to Jamtaland to collect the scat; but nobody had any great
desire to go on this business, after the fate of those whom King Olaf
had sent before, namely, Thrand White and others, twelve in number, who
lost their lives, as before related; and the Jamtalanders had ever
since been subject to the Swedish king. Thorod Snorrason now offered
to undertake this journey, for he cared little what became of him if he
could but become his own master again. The king consented, and Thorod
set out with eleven men in company. They came east to Jamtaland, and
went to a man called Thorar, who was lagman, and a person in high
estimation. They met with a hospitable reception; and when they had been
there a while, they explained their business to Thorar. He replied, that
other men and chiefs of the country had in all respects as much power
and right to give an answer as he had, and for that purpose he would
call together a Thing. It was so done; the message-token was sent
out, and a numerous Thing assembled. Thorar went to the Thing, but the
messengers in the meantime remained at home. At the Thing, Thorar laid
the business before the people, but all were unanimous that no scat
should be paid to the king of Norway; and some were for hanging the
messengers, others for sacrificing them to the gods. At last it was
resolved to hold them fast until the king of Sweden's sheriffs arrived,
and they could treat them as they pleased with consent of the people;
and that, in the meantime, this decision should be concealed, and the
messengers treated well, and detained under pretext that they must wait
until the scat is collected; and that they should be separated, and
placed two and two, as if for the convenience of boarding them. Thorod
and another remained in Thorar's house. There was a great Yule feast and
ale-drinking, to which each brought his own liquor; for there were many
peasants in the village, who all drank in company together at Yule.
There was another village not far distant, where Thorar's brother-in-law
dwelt, who was a rich and powerful man, and had a grown-up son. The
brothers-in-law intended to pass the Yule in drinking feasts, half of it
at the house of the one and half with the other; and the feast began at
Thorar's house. The brothers-in-law drank together, and Thorod and the
sons of the peasants by themselves; and it was a drinking match. In the
evening words arose, and comparisons between the men of Sweden and of
Norway, and then between their kings both of former times and at the
present, and of the manslaughters and robberies that had taken place
between the countries. Then said the peasants sons, "If our king has
lost most people, his sheriffs will make it even with the lives of
twelve men when they come from the south after Yule; and ye little
know, ye silly fools, why ye are kept here." Thorod took notice of these
words, and many made jest about it, and scoffed at them and their king.
When the ale began to talk out of the hearts of the Jamtalanders, what
Thorod had before long suspected became evident. The day after Thorod
and his comrade took all their clothes and weapons, and laid them ready;
and at night, when the people were all asleep, they fled to the forest.
The next morning, when the Jamtalanders were aware of their flight, men
set out after them with dogs to trace them, and found them in a wood in
which they had concealed themselves. They brought them home to a room in
which there was a deep cellar, into which they were thrown, and the door
locked upon them. They had little meat, and only the clothes they had on
them. In the middle of Yule, Thorar, with all his freeborn men, went to
his brother's-in-law, where he was to be a guest until the last of
Yule. Thorar's slaves were to keep guard upon the cellar, and they were
provided with plenty of liquor; but as they observed no moderation in
drinking, they became towards evening confused in the head with the ale.
As they were quite drunk, those who had to bring meat to the prisoners
in the cellar said among themselves that they should want for nothing.
Thorod amused the slaves by singing to them. They said he was a clever
man, and gave him a large candle that was lighted; and the slaves
who were in went to call the others to come in; but they were all so
confused with the ale, that in going out they neither locked the cellar
nor the room after them. Now Thorod and his comrades tore up their skin
clothes in strips, knotted them together, made a noose at one end, and
threw up the rope on the floor of the room. It fastened itself around a
chest, by which they tried to haul themselves up. Thorod lifted up his
comrade until he stood on his shoulders, and from thence scrambled up
through the hatchhole. There was no want of ropes in the chamber, and he
threw a rope down to Thorod; but when he tried to draw him up, he could
not move him from the spot. Then Thorod told him to cast the rope over
a cross-beam that was in the house, make a loop in it, and place as much
wood and stones in the loop as would outweigh him; and the heavy weight
went down into the cellar, and Thorod was drawn up by it. Now they took
as much clothes as they required in the room; and among other things
they took some reindeer hides, out of which they cut sandals, and bound
them under their feet, with the hoofs of the reindeer feet trailing
behind. But before they set off they set fire to a large corn barn
which was close by, and then ran out into the pitch-dark night. The barn
blazed, and set fire to many other houses in the village. Thorod and
his comrade travelled the whole night until they came to a lonely wood,
where they concealed themselves when it was daylight. In the morning
they were missed. There was chase made with dogs to trace the footsteps
all round the house; but the hounds always came back to the house, for
they had the smell of the reindeer hoofs, and followed the scent back on
the road that the hoofs had left, and therefore could not find the right
direction. Thorod and his comrade wandered long about in the desert
forest, and came one evening to a small house, and went in. A man and a
woman were sitting by the fire. The man called himself Thorer, and said
it was his wife who was sitting there, and the hut belonged to them. The
peasant asked them to stop there, at which they were well pleased. He
told them that he had come to this place, because he had fled from the
inhabited district on account of a murder. Thorod and his comrade were
well received, and they all got their supper at the fireside; and then
the benches were cleared for them, and they lay down to sleep, but the
fire was still burning with a clear light. Thorod saw a man come in from
another house, and never had he seen so stout a man. He was dressed in
a scarlet cloak beset with gold clasps, and was of very handsome
appearance. Thorod heard him scold them for taking guests, when they
had scarcely food for themselves. The housewife said, "Be not angry,
brother; seldom such a thing happens; and rather do them some good too,
for thou hast better opportunity to do so than we." Thorod heard also
the stout man named by the name of Arnliot Gelline, and observed that
the woman of the house was his sister. Thorod had heard speak of Arnliot
as the greatest-of robbers and malefactors. Thorod and his companion
slept the first part of the night, for they were wearied with walking;
but when a third of the night was still to come, Arnliot awoke them,
told them to get up, and make ready to depart. They arose immediately,
put on their clothes, and some breakfast was given them; and Arnliot
gave each of them also a pair of skees. Arnliot made himself ready to
accompany them, and got upon his skees, which were both broad and long;
but scarcely had he swung his skee-staff before he was a long way past
them. He waited for them, and said they would make no progress in this
way, and told them to stand upon the edge of his skees beside him. They
did so. Thorod stood nearest to him, and held by Arnliot's belt, and his
comrade held by him. Arnliot strode on as quickly with them both, as
if he was alone and without any weight. The following day they came,
towards night, to a lodge for travellers, struck fire, and prepared some
food; but Arnliot told them to throw away nothing of their food, neither
bones nor crumbs. Arnliot took a silver plate out of the pocket of his
cloak, and ate from it. When they were done eating, Arnliot gathered
up the remains of their meal, and they prepared to go to sleep. In the
other end of the house there was a loft upon cross-beams, and Arnliot
and the others went up, and laid themselves down to sleep. Arnliot had
a large halberd, of which the upper part was mounted with gold, and
the shaft was so long that with his arm stretched out he could scarcely
touch the top of it; and he was girt with a sword. They had both their
weapons and their clothes up in the loft beside them. Arnliot, who
lay outermost in the loft, told them to be perfectly quiet. Soon after
twelve men came to the house, who were merchants going with their
wares to Jamtaland; and when they came into the house they made a great
disturbance, were merry, and made a great fire before them; and when
they took their supper they cast away all the bones around them. They
then prepared to go to sleep, and laid themselves down upon the benches
around the fire. When they, had been asleep a short time, a huge witch
came into the house; and when she came in, she carefully swept together
all the bones and whatever was of food kind into a heap, and threw it
into her mouth. Then she gripped the man who was nearest to her, riving
and tearing him asunder, and threw him upon the fire. The others awoke
in dreadful fright, and sprang up, but she took them, and put them one
by one to death, so that only one remained in life. He ran under the
loft calling for help, and if there was any one on the loft to help him.
Arnliot reached down his hand, seized him by the shoulder, and drew him
up into the loft. The witch-wife had turned towards the fire, and
began to eat the men who were roasting. Now Arnliot stood up, took his
halberd, and struck her between the shoulders, so that the point came
out at her breast. She writhed with it, gave a dreadful shriek, and
sprang up. The halberd slipped from Arnliot's hands, and she ran out
with it. Arnliot then went in; cleared away the dead corpses out of the
house; set the door and the door-posts up, for she had torn them down in
going out; and they slept the rest of the night. When the day broke they
got up; and first they took their breakfast. When they had got food,
Arnliot said, "Now we must part here. Ye can proceed upon the new-traced
path the merchants have made in coming here yesterday. In the meantime
I will seek after my halberd, and in reward for my labour I will take so
much of the goods these men had with them as I find useful to me. Thou,
Thorod, must take my salutation to King Olaf; and say to him that he is
the man I am most desirous to see, although my salutation may appear to
him of little worth." Then he took his silver plate, wiped it dry with
a cloth, and said, "Give King Olaf this plate; salute him, and say it is
from me." Then they made themselves ready for their journey, and parted.
Thorod went on with his comrade and the man of the merchants company
who had escaped. He proceeded until he came to King Olaf in the town
(Nidaros); told the king all that had happened, and presented to him the
silver plate. The king said it was wrong that Arnliot himself had not
come to him; "for it is a pity so brave a hero, and so distinguished a
man, should have given himself up to misdeeds."
Thorod remained the rest of the winter with the king, and in summer
got leave to return to Iceland; and he and King Olaf parted the best of
friends.