Gripla - 20.12.2017, Page 53

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Snorri goði bjó í Tungu tuttugu vetr, ok hafði hann fyrst heldr
ǫfundsamt setr, meðan þeir lifðu stórbokkarnir, Þorsteinn Kuggason
ok Þorgils Hǫlluson ok enn fleiri inir stœrri menn, þeir er óvinir
hans váru.40
[Snorri goði lived at tunga for twenty years, and at first he had to
contend with hostility, whilst the ‘big bucks’ Þorsteinn Kuggason
and Þorgils Hǫlluson lived, and still more great men, those who
were his enemies.]
the rivalry between Snorri and Þorgils is explicit in Laxdœla saga, and
was no doubt dealt with by the now lost narrative described by Eyrbyggja
saga as “saga Þorgils Hǫllusonar”.41 the nature of Þorsteinn’s dispute with
Snorri is not made clear in Laxdœla saga, however, where Þorsteinn’s only
meaningful interactions are with Þorkell Eyjólfsson (an ally of Snorri’s)
and Halldórr óláfsson.
Laxdœla saga introduces Þorsteinn’s brief scenes by describing the
closeness between him and his cousin Þorkell – “ástúðigt var með frænd-
um” [the kinsmen were on close terms]42 – a portrayal that matches
Bjarnar saga’s depiction of the men. Þorsteinn then confides in Þorkell,
telling him of his plans for the land at Hjarðarholt. He complains that
the good land is going to waste because Halldórr does not have enough
livestock after paying compensation for the killing of Bolli Þorleiksson.
Þorsteinn and his cousin Þorkell set out to discuss this with Halldórr, ac-
companied by over twenty men.
this show of force makes their intentions clear, and Halldórr sends
for men from the next farm but agrees to talk with just the two cousins
present – and the loyal servant Beinir sterki. Halldórr tells Beinir that if
either man attacks then Halldórr will handle Þorkell and Beinir should
take Þorsteinn. Þorsteinn and Þorkell lead Halldórr some distance from
the homestead and sit menacingly on the edges of his cloak whilst they
talk; Beinir stands behind them with a large axe in his hand. Þorsteinn
makes his offer (a sœmileg [appropriate] one) and gets a good response
saga,” Narration and Hero: Recounting the Deeds of Heroes in Literature and Art of the Early
Medieval Period, eds. Victor Millet and Heike Sahm (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2014), 199.
40 Eyrbyggja saga, 180.
41 Ibid., 199; Jesch, “Lost Literature,” 261–62.
42 Laxdœla saga, 218.
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ÞORSTEINN KUGGASON