Gripla - 01.01.1993, Page 193

SAINTS AND SINNERS
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nús.32 Auðunn Tómasson thirsts before he dies, and is thus comparable
to St. Þorlákr and to Christ himself.33
Outside of Sturlunga, Erlingr skakki drowns Frírekr kæna by tying
an anchor around his neck and throwing him into the sea, as was done
to St. Clement.34 Bjarni Einarsson has pointed out parallels between
the last hours of Þormóðr Kolbrúnarskáld and the biblical account of
the temptation of St. Peter.35 The bright light which prevents a defin-
itive statement concerning the death of Ólafr Tryggvason has un-
doubtedly been borrowed from the story of John the Evangelist, the
faret. oc til iartegna gaf hann Riddara silkikyrtil sinn þeim er hoggva skylldi hann. Ðui
nest lagðe hann sik til iarðar i cross oc rette baðar hendr i fra ser.’
For the sake of completeness, I include the following passage from ‘Hemings þáttr’
(Hauksbók, p. 347): ‘Valþiofr ste af baki ok fyribavð sinvm monmiM at veria sig. hann
geck til einar kirkiv ok var þur drepin ok þar er hann iarðaðr ok hyGÍa menn hann goð-
an mann.’
It is worth comparing these accounts with the following passage in Ordericus Vitalis
(The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, transl. Thomas Forester, Lond-
on, 1856, AMS reprint New York, 1968, vol. II, p. 85): ‘having distributed among the
clergy and poor who happened to be present the robes of honour which his rank of earl
entitled him to wear, he threw himself on the ground and continued some time in prayer
to God, mixed with sobbings and tears. The executioners called . . . to the kneeling earl:
‘Rise, sir . . .’ to which he replied, ‘Wait awhile, for the love of God almighty, at least
while I say the Lord’s prayer on your behalf and my own’ . . . But when he came to the
last petition his tears fell so fast, and his sobbings were so violent, that he was unable to
conclude the prayer. The executioner would wait no longer, but . . . severed the earl’s
head from his body with a single stroke. But the head, after it was severed, uttered . . .
'But deliver us from evil. Amen’.’
I suspect a relationship between a story of jarl Valþjófr and the accounts of Eysteinn's
death, and possibly Magnús saga as well. (cf. note 30 above). The impatience of the per-
son who has ordered a slaying is frequently paralleled in Sturlunga, but the giving away
of clothing is not a common motif. Earl Valþjófr, a victim of the Norman conquest of
England. was buried and venerated at Croyland in Lincoln. From there his story might
easily have reached both Iceland and the Orkneys, conceivably via liturgical books. Bis-
hop Þorlákr Þórhallsson of Skálholt is known to have spent time in Lincoln (in the
1150s), and his nephew, Bishop Páll, may also have done so. Aside from the hagiogra-
phic elements, it is interesting to note this example of a head which speaks after being
cut off. well known from Laxdœla (pp. 198-9) and Njála (p. 461).
32 See previous note.
33 Stu II 191 / K II 270, Bp I 112 / Bs II 224.
34 Hkr III 394.
35 "
Bjarni Einarsson, ‘Frá Þormóði. kappa hins helga Olafs konungs,’ Lingua Islan-
dica: íslenzk tunga 4, Reykjavík, 1963, pp. 112-121.
13 Gripla