The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• Illustrations
• Prefatory Note.
• Sir George Dasent's Preface. ( Abridged .)
• Sir George Dasent's Introduction. ( Abridged .)
• Icelandic Chronology.
• The Story of Burnt Njal.
• Chapter I.: Of Fiddle Mord.
• Chapter II.: Atli Arnvid Son's Slaying.
• Chapter III.: Hrut Sails Out to Iceland.
• Chapter IV.: Unna Separates From Hrut.
• Chapter V.: Mord Claims His Goods From Hrut.
• Chapter VI.: Thorwald Gets Hallgerda to Wife.
• Chapter VII.: Hallgerda's Wedding.
• Chapter VIII.: Thorwald's Slaying.
• Chapter IX.: Glum's Wooing.
• Chapter X.: Glum's Slaying.
• Chapter XI.: Gunnar Comes Into the Story.
• Chapter XII.: Of Njal and His Children.
• Chapter XIII.: Helgi Njal's Son's Wooing.
• Chapter XIV.: Gunnar Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XV.: Gunnar Goes A-sea-roving.
• Chapter XVI.: The Visit to Bergthorsknoll.
• Chapter XVII.: Kol Slew Swart.
• Chapter XVIII.: The Slaying of Kol, Whom Atli Slew.
• Chapter XIX.: The Killing of Atli the Thrall.
• Chapter XX.: The Slaying of Brynjolf the Unruly.
• Chapter XXI.: Sigmund Comes Out to Iceland.
• Chapter XXII.: The Slaying of Thord Freedmanson.
• Chapter XXIII.: Njal and Gunnar Make Peace For the Slaying of Thord.
• Chapter XXIV.: The Slaying of Sigmund and Skiolld.
• Chapter XXV.: How Otkell Rode Over Gunnar.
• Chapter XXVI.: The Fight At Rangriver.
• Chapter XXVII.: Njal's Advice to Gunnar.
• Chapter XXVIII.: Gunnar and Geir the Priest Strive At the Thing.
• Chapter XXIX.: Of Starkad and His Sons.
• Chapter XXX.: How Gunnar's Horse Fought.
• Chapter XXXI.: Of Asgrim and Wolf Uggis' Son.
• Chapter XXXII.: An Attack Against Gunnar Agreed On.
• Chapter XXXIII.: Gunnar's Dream.
• Chapter XXXIV.: The Slaying of Hjort and Fourteen Men.
• Chapter XXXV.: Njal's Counsel to Gunnar.
• Chapter XXXVI.: Of Valgard and Mord.
• Chapter XXXVII.: Of Fines and Atonements.
• Chapter XXXVIII.: Of Thorgeir Starkad's Son.
• Chapter XXXIX.: Of Njal and Those Namesakes.
• Chapter Xl.: Mord's Counsel.
• Chapter Xli.: the Slaying of Thorgeir Otkell's Son.
• Chapter Xlii.: of the Suits For Manslaughter At the Thing.
• Chapter Xliii.: of the Atonement.
• Chapter Xliv.: the Riding to Lithend.
• Chapter Xlv.: Gunnar's Slaying.
• Chapter Xlvi.: Gunnar Sings a Song Dead.
• Chapter Xlvii.: Gunnar of Lithend Avenged.
• Chapter Xlviii.: Hogni Takes an Atonement For Gunnar's Death.
• Chapter Xlix.: Njal's Sons Sail Abroad.
• Chapter L.: of Kari Solmund's Son.
• Chapter Li.: Hrapp's Voyage From Iceland.
• Chapter Lii.: the Quarrel of Njal's Sons With Thrain Sigfus' Son.
• Chapter Liii.: Thrain Sigfus' Son's Slaying.
• The Death of Earl Hacon. ( From the Painting By C. E. Anderson. )
• Chapter Liv.: of the Change of Faith.
• Chapter Lv.: of Thangbrand's Journeys.
• Chapter Lvi.: of Thangbrand and Gudleif.
• Chapter Lvii.: of Gest Oddleif's Son.
• Chapter Lviii.: of Gizur the White and Hjallti.
• Chapter Lvix.: the Wedding of Hauskuld, the Priest of Whiteness.
• Chapter Lx.: the Slaying Op Hauskuld Njal's Son.
• Chapter Lxi.: the Slaying Op Lyting's Brothers.
• Chapter Lxii.: of Amund the Blind.
• Chapter Lxiii.: of the Slander Op Mord Valgard's Son.
• Chapter Lxiv.: of Mord and Njai's Sons.
• Chapter Lxv.: the Slaying of Hauskuld, the Priest of Whiteness.
• Chapter Lxvi.: of Hildigunna and Mord Valgakd's Son.
• Chapter Lxvii.: of Flosi Thord's Son.
• Chapter Lxviii.: of Flosi and Hildigunna.
• Chapter Lxix.: of Flosi and Mord and the Sons of Sigfus.
• Chapter Lxx.: of the Pleading of the Suit.
• Chapter Lxxi.: of the Award of Atonement Between Flosi and Njal.
• Chapter Lxxii.: of the Judges.
• Chapter Lxxiii.: an Attack Planned On Njal and His Sons.
• Chapter Lxxiv.: of Portents.
• Chapter Lxxv.: the Onslaught On Bergthorsknoll.
• Chapter Lxxvi.: Njal's Burning.
• Chapter Lxxvii.: Skarphedinn's Death.
• Chapter Lxxviii.: Njal's and Bergthora's Bones Found.
• Chapter Lxxix.: Flosi's Dream.
• Chapter Lxxx.: of Thorhall and Kari.
• Chapter Lxxxi.: of Flosi and the Burners.
• Chapter Lxxxii.: of Eyjolf Bolverk's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxiii.: of Asgrim, and Gizur, and Kari.
• Blood-badet—blood Revel. ( From the Painting By Lorene Froelioh. )
• Chapter Lxxxiv.: of Asgrim and Gudmund.
• Chapter Lxxxv.: of the Declarations of the Suits.
• Chapter Lxxxvi.: Now Men Go to the Courts.
• Chapter Lxxxvii.: of Eyjolf Bolverk's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxviii.: the Counsel of Thorhall Asgrim's Son.
• Chapter Lxxxix.: Battle At the Althing.
• Chapter XC.: Kari Comes to Bjorn's House In the Mark.
• Chapter XCI.: Of Flosi and the Burners.
• Chapter XCII.: Of Kari and Bjorn.
• Chapter XCIII.: More of Kari and Bjorn.
• Chapter XCIV.: Of Kari and Bjorn and Thorgeir.
• Chapter XCV.: Flosi Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XCVI.: Kari Goes Abroad.
• Chapter XCVII.: Gunnar Lambi's Son's Slaying.
• Chapter XCVIII.: Of Signs and Wonders.
• Chapter XCIX.: Brian's Battle.
• Chapter C.: The Slaying of Kol Thorstein's Son.
• The Funeral of Kol Thorstein's Son. ( From a Painting By Henry Semiradsky. )
• Chapter CI.: Of Flosi and Kari.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

gunnar's dream.

Now we must go back and say that Gunnar rides east over Thurso water, but when he had gone a little way from the river he grew very drowsy, and bade them lie down and rest there.

They did so. He fell fast asleep, and struggled much as he slumbered.

Then Kolskegg said, “Gunnar dreams now.” But Hjort said, “I would like to wake him.”

“That shall not be,” said Kolskegg, “but he shall dream his dream out.”

Gunnar lay a very long while, and threw off his shield from him, and he grew very warm. Kolskegg said. “What hast thou dreamt, kinsman?”

“That have I dreamt,” says Gunnar, “which if I had dreamt it there I would never have ridden with so few men from Tongue.”

“Tell us thy dream,” says Kolskegg.

“I dreamt, methought, that I was riding on by Knafahills, and there I thought I saw many wolves, and they all made at me; but I turned away from them straight towards Rangriver, and then methought they pressed hard on me on all sides, but I kept them at bay, and shot at all those that were foremost, till they came so close to me that I could not use my bow against them. Then I took my sword, and I smote with it with one hand, but thrust at them with my bill with the other. Shield myself then I did not, and methought then I knew not what shielded me. Then I slew many wolves, and thou, too, Kolskegg; but Hjort methought they pulled down, and tore open his breast, and one methought had his heart in his maw; but I grew so wroth that I hewed that wolf asunder just below the brisket, and after that methought the wolves turned and fled. Now my counsel is, brother Hjort, that thou ridest back west to Tongue.”

“I will not do that,” says Hjort, “though I know my death is sure, I will stand by thee still.”

Then they rode and came east by Knafahills, and Kolskegg said—

“Seest thou, kinsman! many spears stand up by the hills, and men with weapons.”

“It does not take me unawares,” says Gunnar, “that my dream comes true.”

“What is best to be done now?” says Kolskegg; “I guess thou wilt not run away from them.”

“They shall not have that to jeer about,” says Gunnar, “but we will ride on down to the ness by Rangriver; there is some vantage ground there.”

Now they rode on to the ness, and made them ready there, and as they rode on past them Kol called out and said—

“Whither art thou running to now, Gunnar?”

But Kolskegg said, “Say the same thing farther on when this day has come to an end.”