Online Medieval Literature
Online Saga Database
One of the main bones of contention regarding the Sagas is "How true are they?" This is of course difficult to answer, but i would like to take a moment to comment on it.
When I was young Christopher Columbus discovered America and to say otherwise was to flunk history. The stories of Leif the Lucky were given the credence of the Yeti (at the time "Bigfoot" was not around, it was the "Yeti" or "Abominable Snowman" located in Tibet).
However if you read either of the two sagas* regarding the Norse (actually Greenlanders) exploration of Northern America it's almost like a travelogue. We sailed here, we sailed there, we camped here, we camped there, we met these people here and traded, we found this, we found that, we built a settlement here etc.
Since I was in school they have found (among other things) the settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and the wife of Eric the Red, Thjodhild's Church in Greenland, pretty much right where the Sagas say they were. I take the viewpoint of semi-historical fiction. The Sagas are the written recording of oral tales used by the Icelanders for evening entertainment. The Sagas, along with chess, helped while away the hours on notably long nights.
As an odd historical note, it is reasonable to postulate that the North American settlement did not "take hold" because of the lactose intolerance of the indigenous Indians/Eskimos. Which leads me to my first pearl...
In the Sagas it is a given that they (the Norse) have started a small settlement (the one at L'Anse aux Meadows). Many events take place here, including initial contact with the indigenous people whom they called "skraelings" (loosely, wretch). They started to trade after the heads of the settlement established no weapons were to be traded to the locals. These people loved the red cloth (torn into smaller and smaller strips to satisfy the customer base) and gave a boatload of furs to get it.
They also loved milk, and gave more furs for the pleasure of drinking their fill.
They didn't come back for three weeks, and when they did they were in larger numbers and angry. They attacked the Norse and in the ensuing melee the Norse are driven back by sling stones the size of a sheep stomach. Things are looking black when Erik the Red's daughter, Freydis (due to other actions one of my top 5 nasty women in history) is accosted by the attackers while slowly, due to pregnancy, following their retreat....
In front of her lay a dead
man, Thorbrand, Snorri's son, whose head had been
crushed by a flat rock. Beside him lay his sword, and she
picked it up to defend herself. When the savages approached, she pulled out her breasts from under her dress
and slapped them with the naked sword. At this the savages were so appalled that they ran down to their boats
and rowed away."
I'll bet!
This attack soured the settlers on remaining despite the fact that everything they wanted was there, timber, self sown wheat, grapes, fish, land etc. but they went back to a far less hospitable Greenland.
Grettir
The saga of Grettir the Strong is a fun read. Grettir is not only strong but he is able at many other things including the ability to build a boat. Grettir is a bit lazy and, due to an early encounter similar to the Beowulf/Grendel story, is afraid to go out at night (remember that nights are very long in Iceland). Grettir also suffers from a lack of "luck", a concept similar to Asian views of "fate" and spends much of his life as an outlaw.
One time Grettir is called upon to fight a duel with a berserk, who came from the hills and demanded Grettir's host's daughter. A berserk is a fighter who whips himself up into bloodlust by ritual including the biting of the edge of their shield. A king who uses berserks as bodyguards is thought less of, and they are often outlaws feared by the populace.
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| Old Norse Chess Piece (Rook) circa 1150 |
The berserk thought they were trying to get off by talking. He
began to howl and to bite the rim of his shield. He held the shield
up to his mouth and scowled over its upper edge like a madman.
Grettir stepped quickly across the ground, and when he got even
with the berserk's horse he kicked the shield with his foot from
below with such force that it struck his mouth, breaking the upper
jaw, and the lower jaw fell down on to his chest. With the same
movement he seized the viking's helmet with his left hand and
dragged him from his horse, while with his right hand he raised his
axe and cut off the berserk's head. Snaekoll's followers when they
saw what had happened fled, every man of them. Grettir did not care
to pursue them for he saw that there was no heart in them. The
bondi thanked him for what he had done, as did many other men, for
the quickness and boldness of his deed had impressed them much.
Grettir stayed there for Yule and was well taken care of till he
left, when the bondi dismissed him handsomely. Then Grettir went
East to Tunsberg to visit his brother Thorsteinn, who received him
joyfully and asked him about his adventures. Grettir told him how
he had killed the berserk, and composed a verse :
- "The warrior's shield by my foot propelled
- in conflict came with Snaekoll's mouth.
- His nether jaw hung down on his chest,
- wide gaped his mouth from the iron ring."
"You would be very handy at many things," said Thorsteinn, "if
misfortune did not follow you."
"Men will tell of deeds that are done," said Grettir.
Egil
Egil Skallagrimsson of Egil's Saga is in my mind the most enigmatic of the Saga "Heros". He also tangled with a berserk or two. Egil is thrust into much the same position as was Grettir, but instead of just "getting it done", Egil pursues his fight with Ljot the Pale with a bit more fiendish glee:
They now start, and soon come to the island. There was a fair plain
near the sea, which was to be the place of combat. The ground was marked
out by stones lying round in a ring. Soon came thither Ljot and his
party. Then he made him ready for the combat. He had shield and sword.
Ljot was a man of vast size and strong. And as he came forward on the
field to the ground of combat, a fit of Berserk fury seized him; he
began to bellow hideously, and bit his shield. Fridgeir (the originally challenged party, auth.) was not a tall
man; he was slenderly built, comely in face, not strong. He had not been
used to combats. But when Egil saw Ljot, then he sang a stave:
'It fits not young Fridgeir
To fight with this warrior,
Grim gnawer of shield-rim,
By his gods who doth curse.
I better may meet him,
May rescue the maiden;
Full fearsome he stareth,
Yet "fey" are his eyes.'
Ljot saw where Egil stood, and heard his words. He said: 'Come thou
hither, big man, to the holm, and fight with me, if thou hast a wish
that way. That is a far more even match than that I should fight with
Fridgeir, for I shall deem me no whit the greater man though I lay him
low on earth.'
Then sang Egil:
'Ljot asketh but little,
Loth were I to baulk him.
Pale wight, my hand pliant
Shall play on his mail.
Come, busk we for combat;
Nor quarter expect thou:
Strife-stirrer, in Mæri
Stern shield-cutting ours.'
After this Egil made him ready for combat with Ljot. Egil had the
shield that he was wont to have, was girded with the sword which he
called Adder, but in his hand he had Dragvandill. He went in over the
boundary that marked the battle-ground, but Ljot was then not ready.
Egil shook his sword and sang:
'Hew we with hilt-wands flashing,
Hack we shield with falchion,
Test we moony targets,
Tinge red sword in blood.
Ljot from life be sundered,
Low stern play shall lay him,
Quelled the quarrel-seeker:
Come, eagles, to your prey.'
Then Ljot came forward on the field and declared the law of combat,
that he should ever after bear the name of dastard who should draw back
outside the boundary stones that were set up in a ring round the field
of combat. This done, they closed, and Egil dealt a blow at Ljot, which
Ljot parried with his shield, but Egil then dealt blow upon blow so fast
that Ljot got no chance for a blow in return. He drew back to get room
for a stroke, but Egil pressed as quickly after him, dealing blows with
all his vigour. Ljot went out beyond the boundary stones far into the
field. So ended the first bout. Then Ljot begged for a rest. Egil let it
be so. They stopped therefore and rested. And Egil sang:
'Free-handed gold-giver,
Back goeth yon champion,
In craven fear crouches
This wealth-craving wight.
Not strongly fights spearmen
His strokes who delayeth.
Lo beat by a bald-head
This bragging pest flies.'
These were the laws of wager of battle in those times, that when one
man challenged another on any claim, and the challenger gained the
victory, then he should have as prize of victory that which he had
claimed in his challenge. But if he were vanquished, then should he
ransom himself for such price as should be fixed. But if he were slain
on the field, then had he forfeited all his possessions, and he who slew
him in the combat should take his inheritance. This was also law, that
if a foreigner died who had no heir in the land, then that inheritance
fell to the king's treasury.
And now Egil bade Ljot be ready.
'I will,' he said, 'that we now try to the uttermost this combat.'
Ljot sprang swiftly to his feet. Egil bounded at him and dealt at
once a blow at him. He pressed him so close, that he was driven back,
and the shield shifted from before him. Then smote Egil at Ljot, and the
blow came on him above the knee, taking off his leg. Ljot then fell and
soon expired. Then Egil went to where Fridgeir and his party stood. He
was heartily thanked for this work. Then sang Egil:
'Fall'n lies the wolf-feeder,
Foul worker of mischief:
Ljot's leg by skald sever'd
Leaves Fridgeir in peace.
From the free gold-giver
Guerdon none I seek me,
Sport I deem the spear-din,
Sport with such pale foe.'
This is an older translation i think, as it is a bit more.. archaic and tedious than the Penguin Books translation. This is true of many of the online texts that are public domain. Many times the translations are from the mid to late 1800's.
*"Greenlanders Saga", "Erik's Saga"
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