The Story of Rolf and the Viking's Bow

e drew near to his father, and said to him: "Explain to me, father, the things of

d Kol laid the curse of misfortune on us. Slayings arose by means of that sword; there came the outlawing of Gisli, the grandson of the first Gisli, and death fell in most branches of the house. Fourteen years Gisli was outlaw, even as has been, to this year, Grettir the

d the servants to fill it. There are places for seven fires down the middle of the hall, yet we use but one.

to him. Yet this house is the finest in all these parts. I was at the building of it in my youth, and" (here he made sure that the thrall was not listening) "I mysel

o enemies, fathe

s, I am sure, since only Frodi the Smith, my mother's co

norri the Prie

h him and called him coward. For Snorri would n

n and law, and to be priest was to be chieftain. But usage and the new religion changed that by degrees; so that to be priest now meant to be a giver of the law, with a seat at the Quarter Courts and at the Althing, the g

aid the lad, "to have

the law. Lawsuits and quarrels are bad thing

d, "By law we hav

hat trouble should come. And as he thought upon the words she and his father had spoken, he thought that they had spoken with k

owest thou who the man is

answered

d: "Who th

he ship, as it lay below us,

ey both, "for it w

"one who stood by the mast, a

mast, and I thought he should be the captain; but he gave no co

"the captain was he, and he was

then?" ask

ce with him. For he sent him to bad companions rather than weaned him from them, and at last he drove him from the house altogether. Then Kiartan took to the sea-he was not bad, remember, but weak perhaps and foolish-took to the sea, and we saw him not for years. Once only he came back, out at elbow, and a

the woman mea

" returned

sked the boy, "bri

arandi, "how he should b

in a manner he had. Asdis motioned Rolf to be