Gripla - 01.01.1993, Page 210

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GRIPLA
in which we are told that in the events to be described ‘mun sýnast
mikil þolinmæði guðs almáttigs, sú er hann hefir hvern dag við oss, ok
sjálfræði þat, er hann gefr hverjum manni, at hverr má geyra þat sem
vill, gott eðr illt.’124 Hrafn, like Aron, was a friend of Bishop Guð-
mundr’s, but his saga makes it clear that his own merits would justify
his salvation. The fate of his soul is established near the beginning of
his saga, when he visits the shrine of St. Egidius. ‘Þá mintist hann þess,
er mælt er af alþýðu, at guð veiti hverjum manni, þeim er kemr til Egi-
dium, eina bæn, þá er maðr vildi helzt biðja, af verðleikum Egidii. Þá
bað Rafn þess guð almáttkan, at af verðleikum Egidii skyldi hvorki
fjárhlutr, né þessa heims virðíng, svo veitafst] honum, at þeir lutir
hnekði fyrir honum fagnaði himinríkis dýrðar. Ok þat hyggjum vær, at
Kristr veitti honum þetta.’125
Hrafns saga is infused with the odor of sanctity. The introductory
genealogical material tells how the power of healing which ran in
Hrafn’s family was acquired as a gift from St. Ólafr, and on his trip
abroad Hrafn visits not the courts of kings, but the shrines of the saints
and Bishop Bjarni of Orkney. The first of his deeds to be reported in
detail is his vow to St. Thomas, which results in a pilgrimage to Can-
terbury, St. Gilles (where he makes the prayer mentioned above),
Compostella, and Rome. In the Holy City he ‘fal líf sitt á hendi guðs
postulum ok öðrum helgum mönnum,’ and ‘varði fé sínu til helgra
dóma, þar sem hann kom.’126 His household at Arnarfjörður was a
model of charity and hospitality; free meals were provided for all
comers, and there was a free ferry service over the fjord. Hrafn’s ser-
vices as a craftsman (smiðr) and a healer were available to all without
charge, and neither meals nor sleep would prevent him from immedi-
ately seeking to ease the pains of those who sought his aid. The author
comments that ‘Fyrir því væntum vær, at Kristr mun kauplaust veitt
hafa Rafni með sér andliga lækníng á dauðdegi hans.’127 This is fol-
lowed by an account of some of his cures, in which the divine origin of
his ability is emphasized in a short excursus which reminds us that ‘all
true healing comes from God.’128
Bp I 639.
Bp I 642 / Hs 4-5.
loc. cit.
Bp I 643-4 / Hs 7.
Bp I 643-5 / Hs 6-8.
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