Laxdæla saga

urðu óðir við þetta. ok kváðu menn ekki hafa

were furious at this, and said that people had not

fyrr gengit í berhǫgg við þau um svá mikinn

before come to open blows with them in such great

fjándskap. Síðan lét Kotkell gera seiðhjall

enmity. Then Kotkel had a seiðr [sorcery] platform built,

mikinn. Þau fǿrðusk þar á upp ǫll.

a big one. They all climbed up onto it.

Þau kváðu þar frǿði sín, en þat váru galdrar.

There they chanted their lore, and it was spells.

Því nǽst laust á hríð mikilli. Þat fann Þórðr. Ingunnar son.

Next a great storm blew up. Thord Ingunnarson felt it,

ok hans fǫrunautar. ok til hans var gǫrt veðrit. Keyrir

and his companions, and the storm was raised against him. It drives

skipit vestr fyrir Skalmarnes. Þórðr. sýndi

the ship west off Skalmarnes. Thord showed

mikinn hraustleik í sjóliði. Þat sá þeir menn, er

great hardihood in handling the ship. The men saw it who

Af Kotkeli ok Grímu

Of Kotkel and Grima

Þessi tíðendi spyrjask

This news travels

víða ok mǽlask illa fyrir. Þóttu þat ólífismenn

widely and is ill spoken of. Those were thought men not fit to live

, er slíka fjǫlkynngi frǫmðu

who practised such sorcery

, sem þau Kotkell hǫfðu þá lýst. Mikit

as Kotkel and his family had then shown. Heavily

þótti Guðrúnu. at um líflát Þórðar, ok var hon þá eigi

did Gudrun take Thord's death, and she was not then

Þorleikr. heim. En litlu síðar gera þau heimanferð

Thorleik home. And a little later they set out from home,

sína, Kotkell. ok Gríma. ok synir. þeirra. Þat var um nótt. Þau

Kotkel and Grima and their sons. It was at night. They

fóru á bǿ Hrúts. ok gerðu þar seið mikinn. En er

went to Hrut's farm and worked a great seiðr [sorcery] there. And when

seiðlǽtin kómu upp, þá þóttusk þeir eigi skilja,

the sounds of the seiðr rose up, they did not feel they understood,

er inni váru, hverju gegna mundi. En fǫgr

those who were inside, what it could mean. But lovely

var sú kveðandi at heyra. Hrútr. einn kenndi þessi

was that chanting to hear. Hrut alone knew these

lǽti. ok bað engi mann út sjá á þeirri nótt

sounds, and told no one to look out that night,

, ok haldi hverr vǫku sinni, er má ok mun

and let each keep awake who can, and

oss þá ekki til saka, ef svá er með farit. En

then nothing will harm us, if it is handled so. But

þó sofnuðu allir menn. Hrútr. vakti lengst

everyone fell asleep all the same. Hrut stayed awake longest

ok sofnaði þó. Kári hét sonr. Hrúts, er þá var 12.

and yet fell asleep. Kari was the name of a son of Hrut, who was then twelve

vetra gamall, ok var hann efniligastr sona

years old, and he was the most promising of the sons

Hrúts. Hann unni honum mikit. Kári sofnaði nǽr

of Hrut. He loved him greatly. Kari hardly slept

ekki, því at til hans var leikr gǫrr. Honum gerðisk ekki

at all, because the game was aimed at him. He did not feel

mjǫk vǽrt. Kári spratt upp ok sá út. Hann gekk

very easy. Kari sprang up and looked out. He walked

á seiðinn ok fell þegar dauðr niðr. Hrútr. vaknaði

into the seiðr and at once fell down dead. Hrut woke

um morgininn ok hans heimamenn ok

in the morning, and his household, and

saknaði sonar síns. Fannsk hann ørendr skammt

missed his son. He was found dead a short way

með 15. menn. En er þau Kotkell sjá mannareið

with fifteen men. And when Kotkel and his family see a party of men riding

at bǿ sínum, þá taka þau undan í fjall

to their farm, they make off into the mountain,

upp. Þar varð Hallbjǫrn slíkisteinsauga

upwards. There Hallbjorn Whetstone-eye was

tekinn ok dreginn belgr á hǫfuð honum, Þegar

caught, and a bag was pulled over his head. At once

váru þá fengnir menn til gǽzlu við hann, en sumir

men were assigned to guard him, and some

sóttu eftir þeim Kotkeli. ok Grímu. ok upp á fjallit

went after Kotkel and Grima, up onto the mountain.

. Þau Kotkell. ok Gríma urðu áhend á halsinum

Kotkel and Grima were caught on the ridge

milli Haukadals. ok Laxárdals. Váru

between Haukadal and Laxardal. They were

þau þar barin grjóti í hel, ok var þar gǫr at þeim

stoned to death there, and over them was made

dys ór grjóti, ok sér þess merki, ok heitir þat Skrattavarði

a cairn of stones; its traces can be seen, and it is called Skrattavardi.

. Stígandi tók undan suðr af halsinum

Stigandi got away south off the ridge

til Haukadals, ok þar hvarf hann þeim. Hrútr. ok

to Haukadal, and there he vanished from them. Hrut and

synir. hans fóru til sjóvar með Hallbjǫrn. Þeir settu fram

his sons went down to the sea with Hallbjorn. They launched

skip ok reru frá landi með hann. Síðan tóku þeir

a boat and rowed out from land with him. Then they took

belg af hǫfði honum, en bundu stein við halsinn

the bag off his head, and tied a stone to his neck.

. Hallbjǫrn rak þá skyggnur á landit, ok var augnalag

Hallbjorn then turned his gaze on the land, and the look in his eyes

hans ekki gott. Þá mǽlti Hallbjǫrn: Ekki var

was not good. Then Hallbjorn said: It was no

ok þat tímadagr, er vér frǽndr kómum á Kambsnes

lucky day either when we kinsmen came to Kambsnes

þetta til móts við Þorleik. Þat mǽli ek um,

here to meet Thorleik. This I declare,

segir. hann, at Þorleikr eigi þar fá skemmtanardaga heðan í frá

he says, that Thorleik shall have few days of pleasure there from now on,

, ok ǫllum verði þungbýlt, þeim sem í hans rúm setjask.

and that all who settle in his place shall find it hard to live there.

Mjǫk þykkir þetta atkvǽði á hafa hrinit.

This curse is thought to have come true to a great degree.

Síðan drekktu þeir honum ok reru til lands. Litlu síðar

Then they drowned him and rowed to land. A little later

ferr Hrútr á fund Óláfs, frǽnda síns, ok segir

Hrut goes to see Olaf his kinsman, and tells

þetta gera fyrir mínar sakir, þá skal þér eigi þessa varna,

do this for my sake, then this shall not be refused you

er þú beiðir, því at ek ǽtla Skǫfnung

which you ask, for I think Skofnung

vel niðr kominn, þó at þú berir hann. En sú er náttúra

well placed, even if you carry it. But this is the nature

sverðsins, at eigi skal sól skína á hjǫltin,

of the sword: the sun must not shine on the hilt,

ok honum skal eigi bregða, svá at konur sé hjá. Ef

and it must not be drawn where women are present. If

maðr fǽr sár sár af sverðinu, þá má þat sár eigi

a man gets a wound from the sword, that wound cannot

grǿða, nema lyfsteinn sá sé riðinn við, er þar

heal unless the healing stone is rubbed on it that

fylgir. Þorkell. kvazk þessa ǽtla vandliga at gǽta

goes with it. Thorkel said he meant to keep this carefully in mind

ok tekr við sverðinu. Eiðr kvazk þat helzt ǽtla,

and takes the sword. Eid said he thought it most likely

at Grímr ǽtti bǿli norðr á Tvídǿgru við

that Grim had his lair north on Tvidægra by

síðan vaknaði Herdís. ok sagði Guðrúnu. drauminn.

Then Herdis woke and told Gudrun the dream.

Guðrúnu. þótti góðr fyrirburðrinn. Um morgininn eftir

Gudrun thought the vision a good sign. The next morning

lét Guðrún. taka upp fjalar ór kirkjugolfinu, þar sem

Gudrun had the boards taken up from the church floor where

hon var vǫn at falla á knébeð. Hon lét grafa þar

she used to kneel in prayer. She had [men] dig there

niðr í jǫrð. Þar fundusk undir bein. Þau váru

down into the earth. Bones were found underneath. They were

blá ok illilig. Þar fannsk ok kinga. ok seiðstaðr

dark and evil-looking. A brooch was also found there, and a seiðr [sorcery] staff,

mikill. Þóttusk menn þá vita, at þar mundi

a large one. People then thought they knew that there must

verit hafa. vǫluleiði nokkut. Váru þau bein

have been some seeress's grave. Those bones were

fǿrð langt í brott, þar sem sízt var manna vegr.

carried far away, to where people least often passed.

Útkváma Bolla Bolla sonar

Bolli Bollason Comes Out [to Iceland]

Þá er 4. vetr váru liðnir frá drukknun

When four years had passed since the drowning