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 LVII.

of gest oddleif's son.

Gest Oddleif's son dwelt at Hagi on Bardastrand. He was one of the wisest of men, so that he foresaw the fates and fortunes of men. He made a feast for Thangbrand and his men. They fared to Hagi with sixty men. Then it was said that there were two hundred heathen men to meet them, and that a Baresark was looked for to come thither, whose name was Otrygg, and all were afraid of him. Of him such great things as these were said, that he feared neither fire nor sword, and the heathen men were sore afraid at his coming. Then Thangbrand asked if men were willing to take the faith, but all the heathen men spoke against it.

“Well,” says Thangbrand, “I will give you the means whereby ye shall prove whether my faith is better. We will hallow two fires. The heathen men shall hallow one and I the other, but a third shall be unhallowed; and if the Baresark is afraid of the one that I hallow, but treads both the others, then ye shall take the faith.”

“That is well-spoken,” says Gest, “and I will agree to this for myself and my household.”

And when Gest had so spoken, many more agreed to it.

Then it was said that the Baresark was coming up to the homestead, and then the fires were made and burned strong. Then men took their arms and sprang up on the benches, and so waited.

The Baresark rushed in with his weapons. He comes into the room, and treads at once the fire which the heathen men had hallowed, and so comes to the fire that Thangbrand had hallowed, and dares not to tread it, but said that he was on fire all over. He hews with his sword at the bench, but strikes a crossbeam as he brandished the weapon aloft. Thangbrand smote the arm of the Baresark with his crucifix, and so mighty a token followed that the sword fell from the Baresark's hand.

Then Thangbrand thrusts a sword into his breast, and Gudleif smote him on the arm and hewed it off. Then many went up and slew the Baresark.

After that Thangbrand asked if they would take the faith now?

Gest said he had only spoken what he meant to keep to.

Then Thangbrand baptised Gest and all his house and many others. Then Thangbrand took counsel with Gest whether he should go any further west among the firths, but Gest set his face against that, and said they were a hard race of men there, and ill to deal with, “but if it be foredoomed that this faith shall make its way, then it will be taken as law at the Althing, and then all the chiefs out of the districts will be there.”

“I did all that I could at the Thing,” says Thangbrand, “and it was very uphill work.”

“Still thou hast done most of the work,” says Gest, “though it may be fated that others shall make Christianity law; but it is here as the saying runs, “No tree falls at the first stroke.”

After that Gest gave Thangbrand good gifts, and he fared back south. Thangbrand fared to the Southlander's Quarter, and so to the Eastfirths. He turned in as a guest at Bergthorsknoll, and Njal gave him good gifts. Thence he rode east to Alftafirth to meet Hall of the Side. He caused his ship to be mended, and heathen men called it “Iron-basket.” On board that ship Thrang-brand fared abroad, and Gudleif with him.