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

CHAPTER LXIV.

OF VAL­GARD AND MORD.

That same har­vest Val­gard the guile­ful came out to Ice­land, and fared home to Hof. Then Thorgeir went to see Val­gard and Mord, and told them what a strait they were in if Gun­nar were to be al­lowed to make all those men out­laws whom he had slain.

Val­gard said that must be Njal's coun­sel, and yet ev­ery thing had not come out yet which he was like­ly to have taught him.

Then Thorgeir begged those kins­men for help and back­ing, but they held out a long while, and at last asked for and got a large sum of mon­ey.

That, too, was part of their plan, that Mord should ask for Thorkat­la, Gizur the white's daugh­ter, and Thorgeir was to ride at once west across the riv­er with Val­gard and Mord.

So the day af­ter they rode twelve of them to­geth­er and came to Moss­fell. There they were hearti­ly wel­comed, and they put the ques­tion to Gizur about the woo­ing, and the end of it was that the match should be made, and the wed­ding feast was to be in half a month's space at Moss­fell.

They ride home, and af­ter that they ride to the wed­ding, and there was a crowd of guests to meet them, and it went off well. Thorkat­la went home with Mord and took the house­keep­ing in hand but Val­gard went abroad again the next sum­mer.

Now Mord eggs on Thorgeir to set his suit on foot against Gun­nar, and Thorgeir went to find Au­nund; he bids him now to be­gin a suit for manslaugh­ter for his broth­er Egil and his sons; “but I will be­gin one for the manslaugh­ter of my broth­ers, and for the wounds of my­self and my fa­ther”.

He said he was quite ready to do that, and then they set out, and give no­tice of the manslaugh­ter, and sum­mon nine neigh­bours who dwelt near­est to the spot where the deed was done. This be­gin­ning of the suit was heard of at Lithend; and then Gun­nar rides to see Njal, and told him, and asked what he wished them to do next.

“Now,” says Njal, “thou shalt sum­mon those who dwell next to the spot, and thy neigh­bours; and call men to wit­ness be­fore the neigh­bours, and choose out Kol as the slay­er in the manslaugh­ter of Hjort thy broth­er: for that is law­ful and right; then thou shalt give no­tice of the suit for manslaugh­ter at Kol's hand, though he be dead. Then shall thou call men to wit­ness, and sum­mon the neigh­bours to ride to the Al­th­ing to bear wit­ness of the fact, whether they, Kol and his com­pan­ions, were on the spot, and in on­slaught when Hjort was slain. Thou shalt al­so sum­mon Thorgeir for the suit of se­duc­tion, and Au­nund at the suit of Tyrf­ing.”

Gun­nar now did in ev­ery­thing as Njal gave him coun­sel. This men thought a strange be­gin­ning of suits, and now these mat­ters come be­fore the Thing. Gun­nar rides to the Thing, and Njal's sons and the sons of Sig­fus. Gun­nar had sent mes­sen­gers to his cousins and kins­men, that they should ride to the Thing, and come with as many men as they could, and told them that this mat­ter would lead to much strife. So they gath­ered to­geth­er in a great band from the west.

Mord rode to the Thing and Runolf of the Dale, and those un­der the Three­corner, and Au­nund of Witch­wood. But when they come to the Thing, they join them in one com­pa­ny with Gizur the white and Geir the priest.