Gripla - 20.12.2017, Síða 59

59
óláfsson.58 However, should Þorsteinn have chosen to pursue his interest
in the land further than the scene in Laxdœla saga shows, we might note
that Þorkell Eyjólfsson, when alive, had been an important bridge of good-
will between Þorsteinn and Snorri goði.
Grettis saga: Bridges and bells
Þorsteinn and Snorri are linked throughout Grettis saga. following the law-
suit against Þorgeirr, Þorsteinn’s next role is to offer Grettir shelter during
his outlawry. When Grettir’s pursuers catch up with him, Þorsteinn directs
Grettir to Snorri goði’s farm first. the saga tells us this was partially be-
cause “þá var málfriðr með þeim” [that was when they were on peaceful
terms].59 Grettir’s response to Þorsteinn’s killing (which is not recounted
by the saga) is later overshadowed by Snorri goði’s reaction. In this section
I will probe the details of Þorsteinn’s representation and of Snorri’s re-
sponse to his death. the passage in Eyrbyggja saga naming Þorsteinn as an
enemy of Snorri’s might be considered enough to account for Grettis saga’s
vague allusions to their dispute, but I will argue that the details reveal links
to a wider tradition.
Grettis saga’s opening comment on Þorsteinn and Snorri’s relation-
ship is embedded in the wider context of the characters’ interactions. It
positions Þorsteinn and Snorri within the story and alludes to broader
knowledge of them by mentioning that it was only ‘in that time’ that they
got on well. Snorri initially excuses himself from helping Grettir more
proactively because of his age, but it is ultimately Þorsteinn’s death that
moves Snorri to offer Grettir his legal support. Grettis saga thus inter-
twines the characters of Þorsteinn and Snorri goði in its narrative, making
use of their dispute and of Snorri’s powerful reputation in its pursuit of
Grettir’s own story.
Þorsteinn’s longest appearance in Grettis saga comes shortly after
Grettir’s stay with Vermundr mjóvi and Þorbjǫrg digra (Þorsteinn’s in-
laws). It amounts to a curious description of Þorsteinn’s lands, including
the church he built himself and, more strikingly, a bridge covered in bells
that rang when anyone crossed it.
58 Íslendingabók; Landnámabók, ed. Jakob Benediktsson, Íslenzk fornrit, vol. 1, 2nd ed.
(reykjavík: Hið íslenzka fornritafélag, 1986), 199.
59 Grettis saga, 158.
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF ÞORSTEINN KUGGASON