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 LXX.

of the pleading of the suit.

The next day Asgrim, and Gizur the white, and Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Einar of Thvera, met together. There too was Mord Valgard's son; he had then let the suit fall from his hand, and given it over to the sons of Sigfus.

Then Asgrim spoke.

“Thee first I speak to about this matter, Gizur the white, and thee Hjallti, and thee Einar, that I may tell you how the suit stands. It will be known to all of you that Mord took up the suit, but the truth of the matter is, that Mord was at Hauskuld's slaying, and wounded him with that wound, for giving which no man was named. It seems to me, then, that this suit must come to nought by reason of a lawful flaw.”

“Then we will plead it at once,” says Hjallti.

“It is not good counsel,” said Thorhall Asgrim's son, “that this should not be hidden until the courts are set.”

“How so?” asks Hjallti.

“If,” said Thorhall, “they knew now at once that the suit has been wrongly set on foot, then they may still save the suit by sending a man home from the Thing, and summoning the neighbours from home over again, and calling on them to ride to the Thing, and then the suit will be lawfully set on foot.”

“Thou art a wise man, Thorhall,” say they, “and we will take thy counsel.”

After that each man went to his booth.

The sons of Sigfus gave notice of their suits at the Hill of Laws, and asked in what Quarter Courts they lay, and in what house in the district the defendants dwelt. But on the Friday night the courts were to go out to try suits, and so the Thing was quiet up to that day.

Many sought to bring about an atonement between them, but Flosi was steadfast; but others were still more wordy, and things looked ill.

Now the time comes when the courts were to go out, on the Friday evening. Then the whole body of men at the Thing went to the courts. Flosi stood south at the court of the men of Rangriver, and his band with him. There with him was Hall of the Side, and Runolf of the Dale, Wolf Aurpriest's son, and those other men who had promised Flosi help.

But north of the court of the men of Rangriver stood Argrim Ellidagrim's son, and Gizur the white, Hjallti Skeggi's son, and Einar of Thvera. But Njal's sons were at home at their booth, and Kari and Thorleif crow, and Thorgeir Craggeir, and Thorgrim the big. They sate all with their weapons, and their band looked safe from onslaught.

Njal had already prayed the judges to go into the court, and now the sons of Sigfus plead their suit. They took witness and bade Njal's sons to listen to their oath; after that they took their oath, and then they declared their suit; then they brought forward witness of the notice, then they bade the neighbours on the inquest to take their seats, then they called on Njal's sons to challenge the inquest.

Then up stood Thorhall Asgrim's son, and took witness, and forbade the inquest by a protest to utter their finding; and his ground was, that he who had given notice of the suit was truly under the ban of the law, and was himself an outlaw.

“Of whom speakest thou this?” says Flosi.

“Mord Valgard's son,” said Thorhall, “fared to Hauskuld's slaying with Njal's sons, and wounded him with that wound for which no man was named when witness was taken to the death-wounds; and ye can say nothing against this, and so the suit comes to naught.”