Reading from the sagas volume I: Hrafnkels saga chapter 5

Þorgeirr valði lið sitt ok lét sér fylgja fjóra tigu manna. Sámr hafði ok fjóra tigu manna. Var þat lið vel búit at vápnum ok hestum.
   Eftir þat ríða þeir alla ina sömu leið, þar til er þeir koma í nætrelding í Jökulsdal, fara yfir brú á ánni, ok var þetta þann morgin, er féránsdóm átti at heyja. Þá spyrr Þorgeirr, hversu mætti helzt á óvart koma. Sámr kvaðst mundu kunna ráð til þess. Hann snýr þegar af leiðinni ok upp á múlann ok svá eftir hálsinum milli Hrafnkelsdals ok Jökulsdals, þar til er þeir koma útan undir fjallit, er bærinn stendr undir niðri á Aðalbóli. Þar gengu grasgeilar í heiðina upp, en þar var brekka brött ofan í dalinn, ok stóð þar bærinn undir niðri.
   Þar stígr Sámr af baki ok mælti: "Látum lausa hesta vára, ok geymi tuttugu menn, en vér sex tigir saman hlaupum at bænum, ok get ek, at fátt muni manna á fótum."
   Þeir gerðu nú svá, ok heita þar síðan Hrossageilar. Þá bar skjótt at bænum. Váru þá liðin rismál. Eigi var fólk upp staðit. Þeir skutu stokki á hurð ok hlupu inn. Hrafnkell hvíldi í rekkju sinni. Taka þeir hann þaðan ok alla hans heimamenn, þá er vápnfærir váru. Konur ok börn var rekit í eitt hús. Í túninu stóð útibúr. Af því ok heim á skálavegginn var skotit váðási einum. Þeir leiða Hrafnkel þar til ok hans menn.
   Hann bauð mörg boð fyrir sik ok sína menn. En er þat tjáði eigi, þá bað hann mönnum sínum lífs, -- "því at þeir hafa ekki til sakar gert við yðr, en þat er mér engi ósæmð, þótt þér drepið mik. Mun ek ekki undan því mælast. Undan hrakningum mælumst ek. Er yðr engi sæmð í því."
   Þorkell mælti: "Þat höfum vér heyrt, at þú hafir lítt verit leiðitamr þínum óvinum, ok er vel nú, at þú kennir þess í dag á þér."
   Þá taka þeir Hrafnkel ok hans menn ok bundu hendr þeira á bak aftr. Eftir þat brutu þeir upp útibúrit ok tóku reip ofan ór krókum, taka síðan knífa sína ok stinga raufar á hásinum þeira ok draga þar í reipin ok kasta þeim svá upp yfir ásinn ok binda þá svá átta saman.
   Þá mælti Þorgeirr: "Svá er komit nú kosti yðrum, Hrafnkell, sem makligt er, ok myndi þér þykkja þetta ólíkligt, at þú mundir slíka skömm fá af nökkurum manni, sem nú er orðit. Eða hvárt viltu, Þorkell, nú gera, at sitja hér hjá Hrafnkeli ok gæta þeira, eða viltu fara með Sámi ór garði á brott í örskotshelgi við bæinn ok heyja féránsdóm á grjóthól nökkurum, þar sem hvárki er akr né eng?"
   Þetta skyldi í þann tíma gera, er sól væri í fullu suðri.
   Þorkell sagði: "Ek vil hér sitja hjá Hrafnkeli. Sýnist mér þetta starfaminna."
   Þeir Þorgeirr ok Sámr fóru þá ok háðu féránsdóm, ganga heim eftir þat ok tóku Hrafnkel ofan ok hans menn ok settu þá niðr í túninu, ok var sigit blóð fyrir augu þeim.
   Þá mælti Þorgeirr til Sáms, at hann skyldi gera við Hrafnkel slíkt, sem hann vildi, -- "því at mér sýnist nú óvandleikit við hann."
   Sámr svarar: "Tvá kosti geri ek þér, Hrafnkell, sá annarr, at þik skal leiða ór garði brott ok þá menn, sem mér líkar, ok vera drepinn. En með því at þú átt ómegð mikla fyrir at sjá, þá vil ek þess unna þér, at þú sjáir þar fyrir. Ok ef þú villt líf þiggja, þá far þú af Aðalbóli með allt lið þitt ok haf þá eina fémuni, er ek skep þér, ok mun þat harðla lítit, en ek skal taka staðfestu þína ok mannaforráð allt. Skaltu aldri tilkall veita né þínir erfingjar. Hvergi skaltu nær vera en fyrir austan Fljótsdalsherað, ok máttu nú eiga handsöl við mik, ef þú villt þenna upp taka."
   Hrafnkell mælti: "Mörgum myndi betr þykkja skjótr dauði en slíkar hrakningar, en mér mun fara sem mörgum öðrum, at lífit mun ek kjósa, ef kostr er. Geri ek þat mest sökum sona minna, því at lítil mun vera uppreist þeira, ef ek dey frá."
   Þá er Hrafnkell leystr, ok seldi hann Sámi sjálfdæmi. Sámr skipti Hrafnkeli af fé slíkt, er hann vildi, ok var þat raunar lítit. Spjót sitt hafði Hrafnkell með sér, en ekki fleira vápna. Þenna dag færði Hrafnkell sik burt af Aðalbóli ok allt sitt fólk.
   Þorkell mælti þá við Sám: "Eigi veit ek, hví þú gerir þetta. Muntu þessa mest iðrast sjálfr, er þú gefr honum líf."
   Sámr kvað þá svá vera verða.

14. Frá athöfnum Hrafnkels.
Hrafnkell færði nú bú sitt austr yfir Fljótsdalsherað ok um þveran Fljótsdal fyrir austan Lagarfljót. Við vatnsbotninn stóð einn lítill bær, sem hét at Lokhillu. Þetta land keypti Hrafnkell í skuld, því at eigi var kostrinn meiri en þurfti til búshluta at hafa.
   Á þetta lögðu menn mikla umræðu, hversu hans ofsi hafði niðr fallit, ok minnist nú margr á fornan orðskvið, at skömm er óhófs ævi.
   Þetta var skógland mikit ok mikit merkjum, vánt at húsum, ok fyrir þat efni keypti hann landit litlu verði. En Hrafnkell sá ekki mjök í kostnað ok felldi mörkina, því at hon var stór, ok reisti þar reisiligan bæ, þann er síðan hét á Hrafnkelsstöðum. Hefir þat síðan verit kallaðr jafnan góðr bær. Bjó Hrafnkell þar við mikil óhægindi in fyrstu misseri. Hann hafði mikinn atdrátt af fiskinum. Hrafnkell gekk mjök at verkum, meðan bær var í smíði. Hrafnkell dró á vetr kálf ok kið in fyrstu misseri, ok hann helt vel, svá at nær lifði hvatvetna þat, er til ábyrgðar var. Mátti svá at kveða, at náliga væri tvau höfuð á hverju kvikindi.
   Á því sama sumri lagðist veiðr mikil í Lagarfljót. Af slíku gerðist mönnum búshægindi í heraðinu, ok þat helst vel hvert sumar.

 Thorgeir gathered his host and ordered forty men to follow him. That host was well provided with weapons and horses.

After that they ride all the same road, until they come at the first light of dawn to Jokulsdal, fare over the bridge on the river, and this was that morning, on which the court of confiscation was to be held. Then asks Thorgeir, how they might best come on undetected. Sam said that he would give counsel regarding this. He turns immediately from the road and up onto a ridge and so along the crest of the hill between Hrafnkelsdal and Jokulsdal, until they come out under the fell, where the manor stands underneath on Adhalbol. There run grassy lanes up into the heath, and there was a broad slope extending from above into the dale, and the manor stood there beneath.

There steps Sam from the back of the horse and said: “Let us release our horses, and let twenty men stand guard, and we sixty together rush the manor, and I suppose that few men will be afoot.”

They did so now, and that place was later called Hrossageilar. From there was but little way to the manor. The time to rise had passed. The folk of the house were not about. They rammed a log against the door and broke in. Hrafnkel lay in his bed. They take him from their and all his men of the household, those who were able to bear weapons. The women and children were driven into a separate room. Within the fenced enclosure stood an outbuilding. From this and from the home on a wall of the hall was run a wooden pole. They lead Hrafnkel there and his men.

He offered many things in exchange for himself and his men. And when that availed not, he asked for the life of his men;-- “For they have done nothing against you, and that is to me no disgrace, though you kill me. I will not plead against this. Only against humiliation do I speak. There is for you no honor in this.”

Thorkell: “that have we heard, that you have been little gentle with your enemies, and it is now well, that you know the same on this day for yourself.”

Then they take Hrafnkel and his men and bound their hands to their backs. After this they broke up the outbuilding and took rope out of the hooks, take afterwards their knives and cut holes in their tendons and cast them so up over the pole and bind them so eight together.

Then said Thorgeir: “so is come your choice, Hrafnkel, as is fitting, and it may seem to you unlikely, that you will have borne such shame from such a man, as now has occurred. What wish you, Thorkell, now to do, to sit here with Hrafnkel and guard them, or will you fare with Sam out of the enclosure onto the road within arrow shot of the manor and hold the court of confiscation on that rocky mound, where there is neither field nor meadow?”

This should be done in that time, when the sun is fully in the south.

Thorkell said: “I will remain here with Hrafnkel. That seems to me less work.”

Thorgeir and Sam went and held the court of confiscation, come back afterward and took Hrafnkel down and his men and set them down in the enclosure, and then was the blood sunken from their eyes.

Then said Thorgeir to Sam, that he should do with Hrafnkel such as he would-- “because it seems to me now less than difficult to deal with him.”

Sam answers: “Two choices I give to you, Hrafnkel, the one, that I shall lead you from this place quickly and those men, as pleases me, and you will be slain. And because you have many dependents for whom to care, this will I then grant you, that you might continue to oversee them. And if you will receive life, then when you fare from Adhalbol with all of your retinue and have those valuables alone, which I will divide with you, and that will be painfully little, and I shall take up your homestead and your chiefdom. You shall never make claim over it, nor your heirs. Never shall you be near her than Fljotsdalsheradh, and you may now shake hands with me, if you will take up this offer.”

Hrafnkel said: “To many would better seem a swift death than such humiliation, and yet for me it will fare as with many others, that I would choose life, if such a choice there is. I do this most for the sake of my sons, because poor would be their upbringing, if I were to die.”

Then is Hrafnkel unbound, and he gives up to Sam his freedom. Sam divided with Hrafnkel those valuables, which he would, and those were pitiful remnants. His spear Hrafnkel had with him, and no weapons more. That day made Hrafnkel his way from Adhalbol and all his people.

Thorkell said then with Sam: “I know not, why you do this. You will most strongly come to regret this, that you have given him life.”

Sam said that what would be would be.

Hrafnkel moved his home east over Fljotsdalsheradh and over against Fljotsdal east of Lagarfljot. Against the head of the lake stood a little farmstead, called Lokhill. That land Hrafnkel bought through debt, because the cost was no more than was necessary to maintain farming.

Regarding this man made much discussion, how his pride had fallen low, and many a man remembered the old saying, that shame is ever the result of pride.

That was a great forest land and much covered with forests, devoid of houses, and for that reason he bought the house at little cost. And Hrafnkel so not much in its cost and felled the forest, because he was strong, and raised a magnificent home, that which is called Hrafnkelsstadhir. It has ever since been called a fine home. Hrafnkel dwelt there with great discomfort in the first season. He had much provision of fish. Hrafnkel went often to work, while the home was in development. Hrafnkel maintained through the winter calf and kid in the first season, and he held well, so that nearly all lived, for which he was responsible. It might thus be said that it was as if two heads were on each creature.

In this same summer great hunting and fishing was to be had in Lagarfljot. For this reason men were hired on to help run the household throughout the district, and that held well through each summer.