Chapter 30 - Of the coming out of Yngvar, and of Skallagrim's iron-forging.

King Harold Fair-hair took for his own all those lands that Kveldulf and Skallagrim had left behind in Norway, and all their other property that he could lay hands on. He also sought diligently after those men who had been in the counsels or confidence or in any way helpers of Skallagrim and his folk in the deeds which they wrought before Skallagrim went abroad out of the land. And so far stretched the enmity of the king against father and son, that he bore hatred against their kith and kin, or any whom he knew to have been their dear friends. Some suffered punishment from him, many fled away and sought refuge, some within the land, some out of the land altogether. Yngvar Skallagrim's wife's father was one of these men aforesaid. This rede did he take, that he turned all his wealth that he could into movables, then gat him a sea-going ship and a crew thereto, and made ready to go to Iceland, for he had heard that Skallagrim had taken up his abode there, and there would be no lack of choice land there with Skallagrim. So when they were ready and a fair wind blew, he sailed out to sea, and his voyage sped well. He came to Iceland on the south coast, and held on westwards past Reykja-ness, and sailed into Borgar-firth, and entering Long-river went up it even to the Falls. There they put out they ship's lading.

But when Skallagrim heard of Yngvar's coming, he at once went to meet him and bade him to his house with as many men as he would. Yngvar accepted this offer. The ship was drawn up, and Yngvar went to Borg with many men, and stayed that winter with Skallagrim. In the spring Skallagrim offered him choice land. He gave Yngvar the farm which he had on Swan-ness, and land inwards to Mud-brook and outwards to Strome-firth. Thereupon Yngvar went out to this farm and took possession, and he was a most able man and a wealthy. Skallagrim then built a house on Ship-ness, and this he kept for a long time thereafter.

Skallagrim was a good iron-smith, and in winter wrought much in red iron ore. He had a smithy set up some way out from Borg, close by the sea, at a place now called Raufar-ness. The woods he thought were not too far from thence. But since he could find no stone there so hard or smooth as he thought good for hammering iron on (for there are no beach pebbles, the seashore being all fine sand), one evening, when other were gone to sleep, Skallagrim went to the sea, and pushed out an eight-oared boat he had, and rowed out to the Midfirth islands. There he dropped an anchor from the bows of the boat, then stepped overboard, and dived down to the bottom, and brought up a large stone, and lifted it into the boat. Then he himself climbed into the boat and rowed to land, and carried the stone to the smithy and laid it down before the smithy door, and thenceforth he hammered iron on it. That stone lies there yet, and much slag beside it; and the marks of the hammering may be seen on its upper face, and it is a surf-worn boulder, unlike the other stones that are there. Four men nowadays could not lift a larger mass. Skallagrim worked hard at smithying, but his house-carles grumbled thereat, and thought it over early rising. Then Skallagrim composed this stave:

      'Who wins wealth by iron
      Right early must rise:
      Of the sea's breezy brother
      Wind-holders need blast.
      On furnace-gold glowing
      My stout hammer rings,
      While heat-feeding bellows
      A whistling storm stir.'

 



30. kafli - Útkváma Yngvars.

Haraldr konungr inn hárfagri lagði eigu sína á jarðir þær allar, er þeir Kveld-Úlfr ok Skalla-Grímr höfðu eftir átt í Nóregi, ok allt þat fé annat, er hann náði. Hann leitaði ok mjök eftir mönnum þeim, er verit höfðu í ráðum ok vitorðum eða nökkurum tilbeina með þeim Skalla-Grími um verk þau, er þeir unnu, áðr Skalla-Grímr fór ór landi á brott, ok svá kom sá fjandskapr, er konungi var á þeim feðgum, at hann hataðist við frændr þeira eða aðra nauðleytamenn eða þá menn, er hann vissi, at þeim höfðu allkærir verit í vináttu. Sættu sumir af honum refsingum, ok margir flýðu undan ok leituðu sér hælis, sumir innan lands, en sumir flýðu með öllu af landi á brott.

Yngvarr, mágr Skalla-Gríms, var einn af þessum mönnum, er nú var frá sagt. Tók hann þat ráð, at hann varði fé sínu, svá sem hann mátti, í lausaeyri ok fekk sér hafskip, réð þar menn til ok bjó ferð sína til Íslands, því at hann hafði þá spurt, at Skalla-Grímr hafði tekit þar staðfestu ok eigi myndi þar skorta landakosti með Skalla-Grími. En er þeir váru búnir ok byr gaf, þá sigldi hann í haf, ok greiddist ferð hans vel. Kom hann til Íslands fyrir sunnan landit ok helt vestr fyrir Reykjanes ok sigldi inn á Borgarfjörð ok helt inn í Langá ok upp allt til fors, báru þar farm af skipinu.

En er Skalla-Grímr spurði atkvámu Yngvars, þá fór hann þegar á fund hans ok bauð honum til sín með svá mörgum mönnum sem hann vildi. Yngvarr þekkðist þat. Var skipit upp sett, en Yngvarr fór til Borgar með marga menn ok var þar þann vetr með SkallaGrími. En at vári bauð Skalla-Grímr honum landakosti. Hann gaf Yngvari bú þat, er hann átti á Álftanesi, ok land inn til Leirulækjar ok út til Straumfjarðar. Síðan fór hann til útbús þess ok tók þar við, ok var hann inn nýzti maðr ok hafði auð fjár. Skalla-Grímr gerði þá bú í Knarrarnesi ok átti þar bú lengi síðan.

Skalla-Grímr var járnsmiðr mikill ok hafði rauðablástr mikinn á vetrinn. Hann lét gera smiðju með sjónum mjök langt út frá Borg, þar sem heitir Raufarnes. Þótti honum skógar þar fjarlægir. En er hann fekk þar engan stein, þann er svá væri harðr eða sléttr, at honum þætti gott at lýja járn við, - því at þar er ekki malargrjót, eru þar smáir sandar allt með sæ, - var þat eitt kveld, þá er aðrir menn fóru at sofa, at Skalla-Grímr gekk til sjóvar ok hratt fram skipi áttæru, er hann átti, ok reri út til Miðfjarðareyja, lét þá hlaupa niðr stjóra fyrir stafn á skipinu. Síðan steig hann fyrir borð ok kafaði ok hafði upp með sér stein ok færði upp í skipit. Síðan fór hann sjálfr upp í skipit ok reri til lands ok bar steininn til smiðju sinnar ok lagði niðr fyrir smiðjudurum ok lúði þar síðan járn við. Liggr sá steinn þar enn ok mikit sindr hjá, ok sér þat á steininum, at hann er barðr ofan ok þat er brimsorfit grjót ok ekki því grjóti glíkt öðru, er þar er, ok munu nú ekki meira hefja fjórir menn.

Skalla-Grímr sótti fast smiðjuverkit, en húskarlar hans vönduðu um ok þótti snemma risit. Þá orti hann vísu þessa:

      Mjök verðr ár, sás aura,
      ísarns meiðr at rísa,
      váðir vidda bróður
      veðrseygjar skal kveðja.
      Gjalla lætk á golli
      geisla njóts, meðan þjóta,
      heitu, hrærikytjur
      hreggs vindfrekar, sleggjur.



© 2008 Völuspá.org | © 2008 Articles, Analysis and Artwork to their respective creators
Eddas, Sagas and Folklore Public Domain