Gripla - 01.01.1990, Síða 319

OLD NORSE RELIGION IN THE SAGAS OF ICELANDERS 315
blóta Frey ok býör þangat Berki bróðr sínum ok Eyjólfi Þórðar-
syni ok mgrgu gðru stórmenni.36
Þorgrím planned to hold an autumn feast at the onset of winter,
to welcome-in winter and make sacrifice to Frey; he invited his
brother Börk and Eyjólf Þórðarson, and many other leading
men.
The night after the feast, Gísli Súrsson got secretly into the sleeping-
hall of the farm at Sæból, as in this description:
Nú gengr hann innar eptir húsinu ok at lokhvílunni, þar er þau
Þorgrímr hvfldu ok systir hans, ok var hnigin hurð á gátt, ok eru
þau bæði í rekkju. Gengr hann þangat ok þreifask fyrir ok tekr á
brjósti henni, ok hvfldi hon nær stokki. Síðan mælti hon Þórdís:
‘Hví er svá kpld hQnd þín, Þorgrímr?’ ok vekr hann. Þorgrímr
mælti: ‘Viltu at ek snúumk at þér?’ Hon hugði, at hann legði
hpndina yfir hana. Gísli bíðr þá enn um stund ok vermir hpndina
í serk sér, en þau sofna bæði. Nú tekr hann á Þorgrími kyrrt, svá
at hann vaknaði. Hann hugði, at hon Þórdís vekði hann, ok
snerisk þá at henni. Gísli tekr þá klæðin af þeim annarri hendi,
en með annarri leggr hann í gegnum Þorgrím með Grásíðu, svá
at í beðinum nam stað.37
He moved to the inside of the building and to the closet-bed
where his sister and Þorgrím were sleeping; the door was closed,
and both were in bed. He went up, feeling his way, and touched
the woman’s breast, for she was lying next the bed-board. Then
said Þórdís, ‘Why is your hand so cold, Þorgrím?’ and woke him.
Þorgrím said, ‘Do you want me to turn towards you?’ She had
supposed that it was Þorgrím putting his arm across her. Gísli
waited for some time, and warmed his hand in his bosom, and
they both fell asleep. Now he touched Þorgrím lightly, enough
to wake him. Þorgrím supposed that Þórdís had woken him, and
turned towards her. Gísli then stripped the bedclothes from
them with one hand, and with the other he stabbed Þorgrím with
the spear Grásíða, so that it stuck in the slats under the bedding.
36 Gísla saga Súrssonar, ed. Bjöm K. Þórólfsson (ÍF VI, 1943), p. 50.
37 ÍF VI, pp. 53-4.