Lögberg-Heimskringla - 24.04.1981, Page 5

WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 24. APRÍL 1981-5
A Royal Burial in Iceland
In his Heimskringla, Snorri
Sturluson wrote a famous short
story about the way in which St.
Oláf King of Norway (1014-1030)
disposed of one of his adversaries
Hrærek who had been King of
Heidmörk (district in Norway). In
this undertaking St. Oláf was
assisted by a very smart man from
Iceland, Thórarinn Nefjólfsson. In
his story Snorri shows that to obtain
Thórarin's support King Oláf had to
try his best to match the Icelander’s
ingenuity.
The story is taken from Lee
M. Hollander's English transla-
tion of Heimskringla. The
Hollander translation from 1964 is
still available from the American
Scandinavian Foundation, 127 East
73rd St., New York, N.Y. 10021,
U.S.A.
Many of our readers have made
inquiries about a complete English
translation of Heimskringla. In
response to these, we take the liber-
ty of reproducing the following
story. We believe it clearly reflects
the quality of the work in question.
Thórarin Loses His
Wager with the King
There was a certain man called
Thórarin Nefjólfsson. He was an
Icelander whose kin lived in the
northern quarter of the land. He
was not of high birth, but he had a
keen mind and was ready of speech.
He was not afraid to speak frankly
to men of princely birth. He had
been on long journeys as a merchant
and had been abroad for a long time.
Thórarin was exceedingly ugly, and
particularly his limbs. He had big
and misshapen hands, but his feet
were uglier even by far. At the time
when the occurrences told above
took place, Thórarin happened to be
in Túnsberg. King Oláf knew him
and had spoken to him. He was get-
ting the merchantmen he owned
ready for sailing to Iceland in the
summer. King Oláf had invited
Thórarin to stay with him for a few
days and used to converse with him.
Thórarin slept in the king's lodg-
ings.
One morning early the king
awoke while other men were still
asleep in the lodgings. The sun had
just risen, and the room was in
broad daylight. The king observed
that Thórarin had stuck one of his
feet outside of the bed clothes. He
looked at the. foot for a while. Just
then the other men in the lodging
awoke.
The king said to Thórarin, "I have
been awake for a while, and I have
seen a sight which seems to me
worth seeing, and that is, a man's
foot so ugly that I don't think there
is an uglier one here in this town."
And he called on othersTo look at it
and see whether they thought so
too. And all who looked at it agreed
that this was the case.
Thórarin understood what it was
they talked about and said, "There
are few things so unusual that their
likes cannot be found, and that is
most likely to be true here too.”
The king said, "I rather warrant
you that there isn't an equally ugly
foot to be found, and I would even
be willing to bet on that.”
Then Thórarin said, "I am ready
to wager with you that I can find a
foot here in town which is even
uglier."
The king said, "Then iet the one
of us who is right ask a favor from
the other."
"So let it be," replied Thórarin.
He stuck out his other foot from
under the bed clothes, and that one
was in no wise prettier than the
other. It lacked the big toe. Then
Thórarin said, "Look here, sire, at
my other foot. That is so much
uglier for lacking a toe. I have
won.”
The king replied, "The first foot is
the uglier because there are five
hideous toes on it, whilst this one
has only four. So it is I who has the
right to ask a favor of you.”
Thórarin said, "Precious are the
king's words. What would you have
me do?"
He answered, "That you take
Hrærek to Greenland and deliver
him to Leif Eiríksson,”
Thórarin answered, "I have never
been to Greenland.”
The king said, "For a sailor such
as you — now is the time for you to
sail there if you have never been
there before."
Thórarin was slow at first to
answer about this business, but
when the king rather insisted,
Thórarin did not decline altogether
and spoke as follows: "I shall let
you, sire, hear the wish I had meant
to ask you if I had won the wager. It
is that you grant me to be one of
your retinue. And if you grant me
that, then I would be bound to be
ready to execute what you demand
of me." The king granted him his
wish, and so Thórarin became a
member of his retinue.
Thereupon Thórarin got his ship
ready, and when about to sail, he
was given King Hrærek in his keep-
ing. At parting from King Oláf,
Thórarin said, "Now supposing,
sire, that, as is not unlikely and
often does happen, we do not
manage to make Greenland but are
driven to Iceland or other lands —
how shall I dispose of this king in a
manner not to displease you?”
The king replied, "If you come to
Iceland, you are to put him in the
hands of Guthmund Eyólfsson or of
Skapti, the lawspeaker, or else some
other chieftain who wishes to have
my friendship and my tokens,
(assuring him of that). But if you
come to other lands nearer to us,
then make sure that Hrærek never
gets to Norway alive; but do that on-
ly if there is no other possibiiity."
When Thórarin was ready and
there was a favorable breeze, he
sailed outside all the skerries and
islands, and rounding Cape Lithan-
disness made for the open sea. He
did not soon have a favorable breeze
but took good care not to approach
the land (in Norway). He sailed
south of Iceland, close enough to
have indications of it, and then west
around it into the Greenland Sea.
Then he had fierce storms and
heavy seas, but as the summer wore
on he made Iceland about the
Breithafjord. Thorgils Arason was
the first of the chieftains to meet
them. Thórarin told him about the
message and the tokens of friend-
ship from King Oláf which were to
be his if he was willing to accom-
modate King Hrærek. Thorgils took
this in good part and invited King
Hrærek to stay with him; and he
stayed with Thorgils Arason during
the winter. However, he did not like
it there and asked that Thorgils take
him to Guthmund, saying he
thought he had heard that at Guth-
mund's there was the most sump-
tuous living in Iceland and that he
(really) was sent to him. Thorgils did
as he asked and got men to take him
to Guthmund at Mothruvellir.
Guthmund received him favorably
because of the message of the king,
and he stayed with Guthmund
another winter (1019). Then he did
not like it there any longer.
Thereupon, Guthmund got him
lodging at a small farm which is call-
ed Kálfskinn, and there. were few
people on that farm. There, Hrærek
passed a third winter (1020) and
said that of all places he had been to,
since losing his kingdom, he liked
that one best because he was most
honored there by all. The summer
after (1021), Hrærek contracted a
sickness which brought about his
death. We are told that he is the on-
ly king who is buried in Iceland.
Thórarin Nefjólfsson thereafter for a
long time engaged in voyages, but
once in a while stayed with King
Oláf.
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