The story of Burnt Njal From the Icelandic of the Njals Saga

CHAPTER XL.

GUN­NAR AND NJAL MAKE PEACE ABOUT BRYN­JOLF'S SLAY­ING.

Now these tid­ings come to the Thing, and Njal made them tell him the tale thrice, and then he said--

“More men now be­come man-​slay­ers than I weened.”

Skarphedinn spoke--“That man, though, must have been twice fey,” he says, “who lost his life by our fos­ter-​fa­ther's hand, who has nev­er seen man's blood. And many would think that we broth­ers would soon­er have done this deed with the turn of tem­per that we have.”

“Scant apace wilt thou have,” says Njal, “ere the like be­falls thee; but need will drive thee to it.”

Then they went to meet Gun­nar, and told him of the slay­ing. Gun­nar spoke and said that was lit­tle man­scathe, “but yet he was a free man”.

Njal of­fered to make peace at once, and Gun­nar said yes, and he was to set­tle the terms him­self. He made his award there and then, and laid it at one hun­dred in sil­ver. Njal paid down the mon­ey on the spot, and they were at peace af­ter that.