There was a man named Gizur the White; he was Teit’s son;
Kettlebjorn the Old’s son, of Mossfell. (1) Bishop Isleif was
Gizur’s son. Gizur the White kept house at Mossfell, and was a
great chief. That man is also named in this story whose name was
Geir the Priest; his mother was Thorkatla, another daughter of
Kettlebjorn the Old of Mossfell. Geir kept house at Lithe. He
and Gizur backed one another in every matter. At that time Mord
Valgard’s son kept house at Hof on the Rangrivervales; he was
crafty and spiteful. Valgard his father was then abroad, but his
mother was dead. He was very envious of Gunnar of Lithend. He
was wealthy, so far as goods went, but had not many friends.
ENDNOTES:
(1) Teit’s mother’s name was Helga. She was a daughter of Thord
Longbeard, who was the son of Hrapp, who was the son of
Bjorn the Roughfooted, who was the son of Grim, the Lord of
Sogn in Norway. Gizur’s mother’s name was Olof. She was a
daughter of Lord Baudvar, Viking-Kari’s son.
47. OF OTKELL IN KIRKBY
There was a man named Otkell; he was the son of Skarf, the son of
Hallkell, who fought with Grim of Grimsness, and felled him on
the holm. (1) This Hallkell and Kettlebjorn the Old were
brothers.
Otkell kept house at Kirkby; his wife’s name was Thorgerda; she
was a daughter of Mar, the son of Runolf, the son of Naddad of
the Faroe Isles. Otkell was wealthy in goods. His son’s name
was Thorgeir; he was young in years, and a bold dashing man.
Skamkell was the name of another man; he kept house at another
farm called Hof (2); he was well off for money, but he was a
spiteful man and a liar; quarrelsome too, and ill to deal with.
He was Otkell’s friend. Hallkell was the name of Otkell’s
brother; he was a tall strong man, and lived there with Otkell;
their brother’s name was Hallbjorn the White; he brought out to
Iceland a thrall, whose name was Malcolm; he was Irish, and had
not many friends.
Hallbjorn went to stay with Otkell, and so did his thrall
Malcolm. The thrall was always saying that he should think
himself happy if Otkell owned him. Otkell was kind to him, and
gave him a knife and belt, and a full suit of clothes, but the
thrall turned his hand to any work that Otkell wished.
Otkell wanted to make a bargain with his brother for the thrall;
he said he would give him the thrall, but said, too, that he was
a worse treasure than he thought. But as soon as Otkell owned
the thrall, then he did less and less work. Otkell often said
outright to Hallbjorn, that he thought the thrall did little
work; and he told Otkell that there was worse in him yet to
come.
At that time came a great scarcity, so that men fell short both
of meat and hay, and that spread over all parts of Iceland.
Gunnar shared his hay and meat with many men; and all got them
