The Saga Library, Volume 1

“Liot the Sage dwelt at Ingialdsand; he was the son of Thorgrim the son of Hardref, but his mother was Rannveig, daughter of Earl Griotgarth (Stonewall). Thorgrim Gagar (Dog) was the son of Liot. Halldis, the sister of Liot, was married to Thorbiorn Thiodrekson, but Ospak Osvifson seized (took away from home) another sister of Liot, called Asdis, for which case Liot had the law of Ospak, and got him fined. The son of Ospak and Asdis was called Wolf, whom Liot brought up. Grim Kogr (Bantling) dwelt at Brent; his sons were Sigurd and Thorkel, little men and small. Thorarin was the name of a foster-son of Llot. Liot bought slaughtered meatfrom Grim fortwenty hundreds (of ells), and paid him with the use of a brook that flowed between their lands, which was called Mischief. Grim turned it into his meadow and dug {at the same time) the land of Liot, for which he held Grim guilty of trespass, and so they had but few dealings together. Liot took in a Norwegian who had come out to Vadil, and he fell in love with Asdis. GuestOddleifsson came to Liot, bidden to an autumn feast. Then there came Egil the son of Valastein, and prayed Guest for a good counsel that his father might be relieved from the agony of death which he bore for his son Ogmund, Guest then composed the beginning of Ogmund’s drapa. Liot asked Guest what sort of a man Thorgrim Gagar would turn out. Guest said his foster-son Thorarin would be the more renowned of the two, but bade Thorarin take heed lest the hair that lay on his tongue should twine around his head. Herein Liot deemed himself slighted, and asked the next morning what lay in store for Thorgrim. Guest said that Wolf, his sister’s son, would be the more famed of the two. Then was Liot wroth, yet rode with Guest to see him off, and asked; ‘What will be the cause of my death? ‘Guest said he might not see his fate, but bade him see that he stood well with his neighbours. Asked Liot: ‘What? will the earth-lice, the sons of Grim Kogr (Bantling), be my bane then? ‘ ‘Hard bites a hungry louse,* quoth Guest. ‘Where will that be? ‘ quoth Liot. ‘Hard by,’ said Guest. The Norwegian rode with Guest up on to the heath, and steadied Guest in his saddle when his horse stumbled under him. Then said Guest: ‘Good-hap sought thee now, soon another will; take heed lest it be an unhap to thee.’ The Norwegian found a buried treasure as he fared back home, and took to himself twenty pennies thereof, hoping that he might find the rest later, but when he sought therefor he found it not; but Liot caught him while he was a-digging for it, and fined him in three hundreds for every penny. That autumn was slain Thorbiorn Thiodrekson. In the spring Liot sat watching his slaves from a certain hill-rise; he had on him a cloak the hood of which was laced round his neck, and on which there was only one sleeve. The sons of Bantling rushed upon the hill and hewed at him both at once, whereupon Thorkel bundled the hood over his head. Liot bade them behaveinaneighbourly manner, and they trundled off the hill unto the road which Guest had ridden. There was the death of Liot. The sons of Grim went to Howard the Halt. Eyolf the Gray and Steingrim his son gave them all quarters.”