Gripla - 01.01.1975, Page 123

ANTIPAGAN SENTIMENT IN THE SAGAS 119
two sons. In Njáls saga (ch. 6) Queen Gunnhildr puts a spell on
Hrútr so that he cannot enjoy the love of his bride Unnr. This sorcery
sets in motion a chain of events that leads inevitably to the death of
Njáll and his sons. After divorcing Hrútr, Unnr marries Valgarðr grái,
the most heathen of all the heathens in Njála, and it is he who de-
vises the schemes, carried out by his son Mörðr, that bring about the
slaying of Höskuldr and eventually the burning of Bergþórshváll. In
Eyrbyggja (ch. 20) the witch Katla works a spell on her executioner
Amkell goði ‘that worse ill may befall you from your father than has
come to Oddr from me’. Arnkel’s father is Þórólfr bægifótr, a tho-
roughly evil and truculent superannuated Viking whose crimes and
aggressions involve his son in a series of confrontations with Snorri
goði that finally bring about his death. But the evil that emanates
from Þórólfr, a paragon of pagan tmculence and viciousness, con-
tinues long after the death of father and son.
The situation in Gísla saga cannot be discussed in detail here, for
the configurations of opposing forces, good and bad, Christian and
pagan, are exceedingly complex. Among the powers of pagan dark-
ness, however, the author gives prominence to the black magic of a
warlock named Þorgrímr nef. This evil creature is introduced into the
story (ch. 11) just after the author has informed us that Gísli, unlike
most of his countrymen, has abandoned the practice of blood sacri-
fice. Þorgrímr is described as ‘full of sorcery and witchcraft, and he
was as much a wizard (seiðskratti) as could be’. For his friends Þor-
grímr and Þorkell (Gísli’s adversary and brother, respectively), Þor-
grímr nef forges the spear Grásíða, with which Gísli’s friend Vésteinn
and his enemy Þorgrímr are slain. Later on in the story (ch. 18)
Þorgrím’s brother Börkr pays Þorgrímr nef to put an evil spell on his
brother’s killer so that he will not be able to find asylum anywhere
in Iceland. Still later in the story the author confirms the fact that it
was this black magic that prevented Gísli from finding shelter and
support: ‘But because of the witchcraft that Þorgrímr nef had put into
his sorcery and cursing, it was not destined for him to be granted the
help of chieftains.’ (En sakar þess trollskapar, er Þorgrímr nef hafði
haft í seiðinum ok atkvæða, þá verðr þess eigi auðit, at höfðingjar
tæki við honum.) Even if we disregard all the other sinister forces
that bedeviled and tormented Gísli, we cannot avoid the conclusion—