Jón Bjarnason Academy - 01.05.1936, Blaðsíða 18

in the world of spirit, as a consequence of the violation of the
moral law, brought about the inevitable retribution, involving
alike the innocent and the guilty. Whatsoever a man sows
that he also reaps, not only in his own person, but also in
the lives of many who are bound to him by various ties. It is
because the Njal Saga emphasizes this tremendous and solemn
fact that it is regarded as a sacred book by the Icelandic race.
And so, to pick up the story’s thread, it came about that Flosi,
the father-in-law of the murdered Hauskuld, with a large body
of men who gathered at his call, approached the homestead
of Njal with the intention of reeking the blood-revenge upon
his sons. They found Njal and his sons, and all the serving
men to the number of about thirty, drawn up in array to meet
them. Flosi’s band halted in hesitation in presence of this
ordered battle line, for few warriors in Iceland, if any, were
braver or more expert in arms than the sons of Njal. At this
moment, however, Njal for the first time in his life gave a
piece of thoroughly bad advice. He informed his sons that
it was his will that they should await the attack within the
house rather than outside. Skarphethinn, Njal’s eldest son,
saw the unwisdom of his father’s counsel. He pointed out that
in the open they would probably be more than a match for
their foes, but that, once shut up within the house, their battle
skill would be unavailing. The enemy would assuredly fire
the farmstead and the family would be stifled indoors like
foxes in the earth. Let the Sagaman continue the tale. “Njal
said, ‘Now, as often, my sons, do ye oppose my counsel and
show me no honour, but when ye were younger ye did not so,
and then it went better with you.’ Helgi said, ‘Let us do as
our father wills; that will be the best for us.’ ‘I am not sure
of that,’ said Skarphethinn, ‘for now he is fey. But well may
I do this to please my father’s mood and be burnt indoors
with him, for I fear not my death’.” Thus these warriors,
rather than oppose the misguided whim of an aged father
whom they loved went without protest to what they knew
would be a death by burning.
Their judgment was proved to have been sound. In a
moment the company of the foemen had surrounded and fired
the house. Flosi, how'ever, the leader of the Burners, had
himself a great respect and affection for the magnificent head
of the family, Njal. He had come to fulfill, as we have seen,
the sacred duty of blood-revenge upon Njal’s sons, but he was
anxious to give the old man himself and his wife an oppor-
tunity of escape. He w7ent to the door and calling out to Njal
said that he wished to speak to him and to Bergthora, his
wife. Again the Sagaman shall continue: “Njal did so.
Flosi said, ‘I wdll offer thee a chance to go out for thou dost
not deserve to burn indoors.’ Njal said, ‘I will not go out, for
I am an old man and am little able to avenge my sons, but I
will not live in shame.’ Flosi said to Bergthora: ‘Go thou out,
housewdfe, for I wdll for no sake burn thee indoors.’ Bergthora
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