Gripla - 01.01.1993, Síða 212

212
GRIPLA
Þorvaldr’s third attack is made in Lent.133 The evening before it
takes place, Hrafn is unable to sleep, and orders the recitation of the
‘Andreas drápa,’ explaining each verse himself (the impact is such that
Tómas Þórarinsson dreams about the martyrdom of St. Andrew all
night).134 In spite of Hrafn’s better judgement, no guard has been set,
and Þorvaldr takes Hrafn’s men by surprise and sets the farm alight.
When initial parleys are unsuccesssful, Hrafn (who was a deacon) sings
matins with the clergy while the laymen do their best to extinguish the
flames. Neither procedure has much effect, however. Hrafn then offers
to leave the country and go on a pilgrimage for his soul and those of
his enemies. When this is refused, he attempts to barter his own life
for those of the others on the farm; in the words of the poet Guð-
mundr:
hann bauð sveit fyrir sinni
snjallri einn at falla.135
Þorvaldr, however, will accept nothing short of unconditional surren-
der, and in the end the defenders choose this over death by fire.
Hrafn’s life is declared forfeit, but he is allowed to see a priest; he re-
ceives communion and prays, shedding tears of repentance - a unique
occurrance in the samtíðarsögur - before being slain in the pious posi-
tion described above (p. 191 and note 23). If the echo of Thomas saga
is intentional, this passage provides a fitting conclusion to a career
which began with a pilgrimage to Canterbury.
Hrafn’s death is followed by two miraculous events. The first re-
flects the sanctity of Guðmundr Arason and sinfulness of Þorvaldr’s
attack: when Þorvaldr and his men plunder the farm, they are unable
to recognize the value of two treasures given Hrafn by the bishop, and
throw them away. The second, however, pertains to Hrafn alone. The
summer after his death, a green field has replaced clay on the spot
where he was slain.136 There can be little doubt that this field has the
133 Bp I 671 / Hs 51.
134 The priest, Tómas Þórarinsson, was a close kinsman of Hrafn’s, and may well
have been a source-man for the saga (see Bp I 562 / Hs 28).
135 Bp I 673 / Hs 55.
136 Bp I 674 / Hs 56.