Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1994, Qupperneq 140

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Marianne Kalinke
The most significant instance of Hólmkells working behind the scenes on
behalf of his daughter and Víglundur occurs after Víglundur and Trausti have left
the country. Once more Ketilríður has a suitor, this time a man named Þorleifur
Steinólfsson from Hraunsdal. Ketilríður objects, but the suitor boasts that he
would yet get her, whether she wanted him or not. Not unexpectedly we are
informed that “mjög var Þorbjörg honum samþykk” (p. 1975). At this point —
while Víglundur is abroad and Ketilríður is pressured by this new suitor — a
strange incident occurs: Hólmkell rides over to Ingjaldshvol and he and Þor-
grímur speak together for a long time, “og vissi engi maður tal þeirra” (p. 1979).
Thereupon, when “Þorleifur Steinólfsson hélt enn á bónorðinu við Ketilríði,”
Hólmkell sends three men on a secret mission; they are gone for three weeks, “og
vissu öngvir menn hvað þeir höfðu erindað” (p. 1979).
One of the striking aspects of Víglundar saga is the friendship between
Þorgrímur and Hólmkell, the fathers of the lovers. The first mention occurs at
the very beginning of “Víglundar saga og Ketilrfðar” (p. 1963). Subsequently, the
acts of aggression toward Þorgrímur’s family on the part of Hólmkell’s wife and
sons are punctuated by the reaffirmation of the friendship of the two men. When
Hólmkell arrives to ask Ólöf to bring up his daughter, the narrator notes that
“vinátta mikil var með þeim” (p. 1963). After the attempted rape of Ólöf, her
husband remarks that they should ignore the incident, “sakir Hólmkels vinar
míns” and because the rape was foiled (p. 1965). The two fathers intervene in the
armed clash following a horse fight, in which three men are slain, but once again
we learn: “Enn helst vinátta með þeim Þorgrími og Hólmkeli sem áður” (p. 1965),
and on this occasion Hólmkell learns of the love between Ketilríður and Víglund-
ur, but “meinaði hann það ekki en Þorbjörgu og sonum hennar þótti það mjög
illa vera” (p. 1965). As the violence escalates, the two men manage to maintain
their friendship. When Hólmkell learns that his wife has had Þorgrímur’s oxen
slaughtered, he pays compensation, “og skildu þeir Hólmkell og Þorgrímur með
mikilli vináttu” (p. 1967).30
The only break in the longstanding friendship occurs when Hólmkell learns
that Víglundur and Trausti have killed three of his men. This time the two men
do not meet, and Hólmkell takes out his anger (“Hólmkell varð þá reiðr mjög
við sögu þessa” [p. 1972]) on both Víglundur and his daughter by marrying her
to Hákon. Yet, when he learns about the true state of affairs, that is, that his sons
had provoked the altercation, he regrets having gone too far: “þá þóttist hann hafa
ofgert” (p. 1972). Subsequently, when the aggression reaches its climax and results
to keep the daughter for himself. In Víglundarsaga, the comment serves to protect the daughter
from Hákon, whom she does not wish to marry, and to preserve her for Víglundur, whom she
loves. Cf. Kalinke, Bridal-Quest Romance, pp. 41—44.
3° The repeated efforts by Þorgrímur and Hólmkell to maintain peace between the two families
is reminiscent of Gunnarr and Njáll’s behavior in Njáls saga in response to the machinations of
their wives.