Gripla - 20.12.2017, Side 46

GRIPLA46
a decade or so later, Þorsteinn was asked by his cousin Ásmundr hæru-
langr to assist in the prosecution of Þorgeirr Hávarsson for the murder
of their kinsman, Þorgils Másson. Þorsteinn pursued the case vigorously,
and knowing his zeal, Þorgeirr’s allies helped him out of the country
whilst Þorsteinn was away at the assembly. over the next ten years or so,
Þorsteinn offered shelter when it was needed to Ásmundr’s son, Grettir.
Bjarnar saga chs. 27–32, 34; Grettis saga ch. 57.
During this time, Þorsteinn forged an alliance with the poet Þórðr
Kolbeinsson and was invited to a winter feast at Þórðr’s farm. as he
travelled south with his wife and householders, Þorsteinn was caught in
bad weather and forced to accept the hospitality of Þórðr’s enemy, Bjǫrn.
Because of his wife’s family connection to Bjǫrn, Þorsteinn and Bjǫrn
eventually agreed to an alliance of their own. Þorsteinn promised that
he would try to broker a peaceful settlement between Bjǫrn and Þórðr.
this settlement failed, however, and when Þorsteinn’s alliance with Þórðr
foundered too, he and Bjǫrn agreed that they would each get vengeance for
the other, if he died a violent death. as Christian men, they pledged that
this vengeance should be based on the payment of fines and on legal pros-
ecution rather than on the principles of blood feud. During this period,
Þorsteinn sent his second cousin Grettir down to Mýrar when search-
parties looked for the outlaw in the area of Þorsteinn’s farm.19 Bjǫrn was
ultimately killed by Þórðr, and Þorsteinn took over the case from Bjǫrn’s
family. He achieved an unprecedented monetary settlement from Þórðr.
the settlement was achieved with the help of Þorsteinn’s cousin, Þorkell
Eyjólfsson.
Laxdœla saga ch. 75.
Þorkell Eyjólfsson returned from a trip to norway in about 1025, and
stayed the winter with Þorsteinn. During his stay, Þorsteinn confided in
Þorkell that he hoped to gain the land at Hjarðarholt in Dalir. this farm,
owned by Halldórr Óláfsson, was struggling, with not enough livestock
for the land. Þorsteinn thought that he could make a reasonable offer to
Halldórr, but that if the offer was not accepted then with Þorkell’s help he
19 Bjarnar saga suggests that Grettir’s connection with Bjǫrn was formed independently
of Þorsteinn: Bjarnar saga Hítdœlakappa, in Borgfirðingasögur, eds. Sigurður Nordal and
Guðni Jónsson, Íslenzk fornrit, vol. 3, 2nd ed. (reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 1956),
162–63; Jesch, “Lost Literature,” 267–68.