mother’s name was Biartey (4); he boasted that he had given
Gunnar his death blow. Hroald was at the Point with his father.
Thorgeir Starkad’s son boasted of another wound which he had
given to Gunnar.
Gizur sat at home at Mossfell. Gunnar’s slaying was heard of,
and ill spoken of throughout the whole country, and his death was
a great grief to many a man.
ENDNOTES:
(1) Thorgrim Easterling and Thorbrand.
(2) “Frodi’s flour,” a periphrasis for “gold.”
(3) “Sea’s bright sunbeams,” a periphrasis for “gold.”
(4) She was a sister of Thorwald the Scurvy, who was slain at
Horsebeck in Grimsness.
77. GUNNAR SINGS A SONG DEAD
Njal could ill brook Gunnar’s death, nor could the sons of Sigfus
brook it either.
They asked whether Njal thought they had any right to give notice
of a suit of manslaughter for Gunnar, or to set the suit on foot.
He said that could not be done, as the man had been outlawed; but
said it would be better worth trying to do something to wound
their glory, by slaying some men in vengeance after him.
They cast a cairn over Gunnar, and made him sit upright in the
cairn. Rannveig would not hear of his bill being buried in the
cairn, but said he alone should have it as his own, who was ready
to avenge Gunnar. So no one took the bill.
She was so hard on Hallgerda, that she was on the point of
killing her; and she said that she had been the cause of her
son’s slaying.
Then Hallgerda fled away to Gritwater, and her son Grani with
her, and they shared the goods between them; Hogni was to have
the land at Lithend and the homestead on it, but Grani was to
have the land let out on lease.
Now this token happened at Lithend, that the neat-herd and the
serving-maid were driving cattle by Gunnar’s cairn. They thought
that he was merry, and that he was singing inside the cairn.
They went home and told Rannveig, Gunnar’s mother, of this token,
but she bade them go and tell Njal.
Then they went over to Bergthorsknoll and told Njal, but he made
them tell it three times over.
After that, he had a long talk all alone with Skarphedinn; and
Skarphedinn took his weapons and goes with them to Lithend.
Rannveig and Hogni gave him a hearty welcome, and were very glad
to see him. Rannveig asked him to stay there some time, and he
said he would.
He and Hogni were always together, at home and abroad. Hogni was
a brisk, brave man, well-bred and well-trained in mind and body,
but distrustful and slow to believe what he was told, and that
was why they dared not tell him of the token.
Now those two, Skarphedinn and Hogni, were out of doors one
evening by Gunnar’s cairn on the south side. The moon and stars
