Egils saga

minna var. báru þar í grjót. ok brutu þar á raufar

was smaller, carried stones into it, and broke holes in it

. ok søkkðu niðr. Sigldu síðan á haf út,

and sank it. Then they sailed out to sea

þegar byr gaf. Svá er sagt, at þeim mǫnnum vǽri farit

as soon as the wind was fair. It is said that it went thus with those men

, er hamrammir eru, eða þeim, er berserksgangr

who are shape-strong, or with those on whom the berserk fury

var á, at meðan þat var framit, þá váru þeir svá sterkir

came, that while it lasted they were so strong

, at ekki helzk við þeim. en fyrst, er af var gengit,

that nothing could stand against them; but as soon as it had passed off

þá váru þeir ómáttkari en at vanða. Kveld-Ulfr var. ok svá,

they were weaker than usual. Kveldulf was like that too,

at þá er af honum gekk hamremmin, þá kenndi hann

so that when the shape-strength left him he felt

mǿði af sókn þeirri, er hann hafði veitt, ok var hann þá af

weariness from the fight he had fought, and he was then

ǫllu saman ómáttigr, svá at hann lagðisk í rekkju

altogether powerless, so that he lay down in bed.

. En byrr bar þá í haf út. Kveld-Ulfr

But the wind carried them out to sea. Kveldulf

réð fyrir skipi því, er þeir hǫfðu tekit af þeim Hallvarði.

commanded the ship which they had taken from Hallvard and his men.

ok tók þar við. Ok var hann hinn nýzti maðr ok hafði auð

and took over there. He was a most capable man and had a great deal

fjár. Skalla-Grímr. gerði þá bú í Knarrarnesi ok átti þar

of wealth. Skallagrim then set up a farm at Knarrarnes and kept a farm there

bú lengi síðan. Skalla-Grímr. var járnsmiðr mikill ok hafði

for a long time afterwards. Skallagrim was a great ironsmith and did

rauðablástr mikinn á vetrinn. Hann lét gera smiðju

a great deal of bog-iron smelting in the winter. He had a smithy built

með sjónum mjǫk langt út frá Borg, þar sem

by the sea, a long way out from Borg, at the place which

heitir Raufarnes. Þótti honum skógar þar fjarlǽgir.

is called Raufarnes. He thought the woods there were far off.

upp ok keyrði niðr svá hart, at hann lamðisk allr,

up and dashed him down so hard that he was all broken

ok fekk hann þegar bana. Síðan greip hann til Egils.

and died at once. Then he grabbed at Egil.

Þorgerðr brák hét ambátt Skalla-Gríms. Hon hafði fóstrat

Thorgerd Brak was the name of a bondwoman of Skallagrim's. She had fostered

Egil í barnǿsku. Hon var mikil fyrir sér, sterk

Egil in his childhood. She was a formidable woman, strong

sem karlar ok fjǫlkunnig mjǫk. Brák mǽlti: Hamask

as men are, and very skilled in magic. Brak said: "You are raging

þú nú, Skalla-Grímr, at syni þínum. Skalla-Grímr lét þá lausan

now, Skallagrim, against your own son." Skallagrim then let

Egil, en þreif til hennar. Hon brásk við ok rann undan

Egil go and seized at her. She dodged and ran off,

, en Skalla-Grímr eftir. Fóru þau svá í útanvert Digranes.

and Skallagrim after her. So they went to the outer end of Digranes.

Ǫlvi. Þá gekk. Bárðr til dróttningar ok sagði henni, at þar

Olvir. Then Bard went to the queen and told her that there

var maðr sá, er skǫmm fǿrði at þeim. ok aldrigi drakk

was a man there who was putting shame on them, and he never drank

svá, at eigi segði hann sik þyrsta. Dróttning ok Bárðr blǫnduðu

so much that he did not say he was thirsty. The queen and Bard mixed

þá drykkinn ólyfjani ok báru þá inn. Signdi Bárðr

the drink with poison then and carried it in. Bard blessed

fullit, fekk síðan ǫlseljunni. Fǿrði hon Agli.

the cup, then handed it to the ale-woman. She brought it to Egil

ok bað hann drekka. Egill brá þá knífi sínum ok stakk

and bade him drink. Egil then drew his knife and stabbed [it]

í lófa sér. Hann tók við horninu ok reist á rúnar

into his palm. He took the horn and carved runes on it

ok reið á blóðinu. Hann kvað: Ristum rún á horni, rjóðum

and smeared them with the blood. He said: "We carve a rune on the horn, we redden

spjǫll í dreyra, þau vil ek orð til eyrna óðs dýrs

the spell-words in blood; these words I choose for the ears' — of the raging beast —

viðar róta; drekkum veig sem viljum vel glýjaðra

tree-roots; let us drink the liquor, as we will, of the cheerful

þýgja vitum, hvé oss of eiri ǫl, þat er

serving-maids; let us find out how the ale agrees with us that

Bárøðr of signdi. Hornit sprakk í sundr, en

Bard blessed." The horn burst apart, and

drykkrinn fór niðr í halm. Þá tók at líða at Ǫlvi

the drink ran down into the straw. Then Olvir began to grow faint.

á ok mátti eigi fram komask. Kúrir sóttu eftir

on, and could not get forward. The Curonians came after

þeim í kvína, en sumir sóttu útan at. ok lǫgðu

them into the pen, and some attacked from outside and thrust

ok gekk á bergsnǫs nokkura, þá er vissi til lands inn. Þá

and went onto a rocky point that faced in toward the land. Then

tók hann hrosshǫfuð. ok setti upp á stǫngina. Síðan

he took a horse's head and set it up on the pole. Then

veitti hann formála ok mǽlti svá: Hér set ek upp níðstǫng

he spoke a formal declaration and said: "Here I set up a scorn-pole,

. ok sný ek þessu níði á hǫnd Eiríki konungi ok Gunnhildi

and I turn this scorn against King Eirik and Gunnhild

dróttningu. Hann sneri hrosshǫfðinu inn á land. Sný ek

the queen." He turned the horse's head in toward the land. "I turn

þessu níði á landvǽttir þǽr, er land þetta byggja. svá at

this scorn against the land-spirits who dwell in this land, so that

allar fari þǽr villar vega, engi hendi né

they may all go astray, none of them to find or

hitti sitt inni, fyrr en þǽr reka Eirík konung. ok Gunnhildi

reach her home, until they drive King Eirik and Gunnhild

ór landi. Síðan skýtr hann stǫnginni niðr í

out of the land." Then he thrusts the pole down into

bjargrifu ok lét þar standa. Hann sneri ok hǫfðinu

a cleft in the rock and let it stand there. He also turned the head

inn á land, en hann reist rúnar á stǫnginni, ok segja

in toward the land, and he carved runes on the pole, and they

þǽr formála þenna allan. Eftir þat gekk Egill

say all this declaration. After that Egil went

á skip. Tóku þeir til segls ok sigldu á haf út. Tók

aboard ship. They hoisted sail and sailed out to sea. Then

þá byrrinn at vaxa, ok gerði veðr hvasst ok hagstǿtt.

the wind began to rise, and the weather turned strong and favourable.

Aðalsteinn konungr hafði skattgilt undir sik Skotland.

King Athelstan had made Scotland pay tribute to him

eftir fall Óláfs konungs, en þó var þat folk jafnan

after the fall of King Olaf, and yet that people was always

ótrútt honum. Svá er sagt, at Gunnhildr lét seið efla

unfaithful to him. It is said that Gunnhild had seiðr [sorcery] worked

ok lét þat seiða, at Egill Skalla-Gríms son skyldi aldri ró

and had it brought about by the spell that Egil Skallagrimsson should never find rest

bíða á Íslandi, fyrr en hon sǽi hann. En þat sumar, er þeir Hákon

in Iceland until she had seen him. And that summer when Hakon

ok Eiríkr hǫfðu hitzk ok deilt um Noreg, þá var

and Eirik had met and contended over Norway, there was

farbann til allra landa ór Noregi, ok kómu þat sumar

a ban on sailing from Norway to all lands, and that summer there came

ok sveit hans, ok áðr hann afklǽddisk, gekk hann upp í loftit

and his company, and before he undressed he went up into the loft

til Egils ok spurði, hvat þá liði um kvǽðit. Egill segir, at

to Egil and asked how the poem was getting on. Egil says that

ekki var ort. Hefir hér setit svala ein við glugginn ok klakat

nothing had been composed. "A swallow has sat here at the window and twittered

í alla nótt, svá at ek hefi aldrigi beðit

all night long, so that I have never had

ró fyrir. Síðan gekk Arinbjǫrn á brott ok út um dyrr þǽr, er

peace for it." Then Arinbjorn went away and out through the door by which

ganga mátti upp á húsit, ok settisk við glugg þann á loftinu

one could go up onto the roof of the house, and sat down by the window of the loft

, er fuglinn hafði áðr við setit. Hann sá, hvar

where the bird had sat before. He saw how

hamhleypa nokkur fór annan veg af húsinu. Arinbjǫrn

some shape-shifter went off the house the other way. Arinbjorn

sat þar við glugginn alla nóttina til þess er lýsti. En

sat there by the window the whole night until it grew light. And

síðan er Arinbjǫrn hafði þar komit, þá orti Egill alla

after Arinbjorn had come there, Egil composed the whole

sátu ok mǫtuðusk, þá sá Egill, at kona sjúk lá í þverpallinum

were sitting and eating, Egil saw that a sick woman lay on the cross-dais.

. Egill spurði Þorfinnr, hver kona sú vǽri, er þar var

Egil asked Thorfinn who that woman was who was there

svá þungliga haldin. Þorfinnr segir, at hon hét Helga ok var

so gravely afflicted. Thorfinn says that she was called Helga and was

dóttir hans. Hefir hon haft langan vanmátt, ok þat var

his daughter. She has had a long weakness, and it was

krǫm mikil. Fekk hon enga nótt svefn ok var sem hamstoli

a great wasting sickness. She got no sleep any night and was as though out of her wits