GRETTIR'S SAGA
Notes compiled by Nicole J. Wallace Copyrighted 2000
Chapter One
Onund was a notable Viking. He met up with other ships and a battle occurred. King Kjarval fled with a single ship.
Chapter Two
Harald Thick-Hair was fighting his way to the Norwegian throne. It was the greatest fight in Norway. Onund loses his leg in battle and is known as Onund Tree-Foot for the rest of his life.
Chapter Three
Onund sees Geirmund Hell-Skin, the most famous Viking in the west. They discuss what to do about King Harald's power. They then discuss arranging a marriage with Aesa.
Chapter Four
They run into conflict with the Vikings, Vigbjod and Vestmar. Their tactic was to throw stones on the Vikings from the cliffs above.
Chapter Five
Thrand and Onund go to Ireland and visit Eyvind.
Chapter Six
Bjorn dies. Chieftain Grim lays claims to Bjorn's possessions but did not get his claim. Thrand took his possessions and left.
Chapter Seven
Onund hears that Harek confiscated his property. He surprises him and kills him. Grim kills Onutt. Onund goes to avenge it. Onund attacks Earl Audun. They prevail.
Chapter Eight
Onund and Asmund go to sea.
Chapter Nine
Returning to Onund: He goes to Iceland, meets Eirik the Snare and acquires some land.
Chapter Ten
A feud between Ofeig Grettir and Thorbjorn Earl's-Man requires Onund's counsel. He visits Aud the Good Minded who wishes to get a wife for her grandson Olaf. Onund takes on the assignment and they set out.
Chapter Eleven
Thordis m. Onund m. Aesa
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Thorgrim Thorgeir and Ofeig Grettir
Thorgeir and Flosi feud. Thorfinn axes Thorgeir but it only broke his flask.
Chapter Twelve
There is a great famine in Iceland. A whale washes ashore. Thorgrim and his brothers set out but Flosi and his men arrive first. They dispute over the driftage rights. At the AllThing, Thorkel Moon, the law speaker divides the land and the driftage rights.
Chapter Thirteen
Thorgrim and Thorgeir split. Thorgrim becomes a great farmer but his son Asmund doesn't want to work. Asmund marries Rannveig. They have a son Thorstein. Rannveif dies. Asmund then marries Asdis.
Chapter Fourteen
Asmund m. Asdis
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Atli, Grettir and Thordis
Asmund tells Grettir to look after the geese and he broke the geese's wings and killed the goslings. Asmund then assigns Grettir to rub his back. He uses wool combs and hurts Asmund. Asmund then asks Grettir to look after his horse Kengala - a special horse because she can predict the weather. He cuts her hide off her back. Asmund is furious.
Chapter Fifteen
Grettir and Audun play a ball game. Grettir throws the ball at Audun's head. They fight and are separated.
Chapter Sixteen
Grettir rides to the AllThing with Thorkel. Skeggi and Grettir lose their food bags. Skeggi finds one. Grettir kills him for it and then lies saying an ogress killed him. Grettir is sentenced to 3-year outlawry.
Chapter Seventeen
Grettir goes on Haflidi's ship. His mother gives him a sword. Grettir did no work. The crew began to get infuriated with him. Haflidi tries to keep the peace. He finally helps them bail ship.
Chapter Eighteen
Thorfinn saves them. Grettir stays on with him. He becomes a good friend with Audun, a local farmer. Grettir opens the mound of Kari the Old and claims the treasure and weapons after stopping the haunting.
Chapter Nineteen
Earli Eirik outlaws all berserks. Thorin Paunch and Ogmund the Evil wanted revenge on Thorfinn for agreeing with the Earl. When Thorfinn is out, they arrive and Grettir welcomes them. He "befriends" them and then gets them drunk. He locks them in the storehouse and kills them.
Chapter Twenty
Thorfinn thanks Grettir and gives him the sword he wanted. He then leaves.
Chapter Twenty-One
He stays with Thorkel but does not get along with Bjorn. Bjorn taunts him. Grettir kills the savage bear.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Grettir meets up with Bjorn and kills him. Bjorn's brother refuses to accept money compensation.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Bjorn's brother seeks revenge but Grettir kills him and his companions. This infuriates the Earl.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gunnar, Bjorn's other brother seeks revenge but Grettir kills him also. The earl is furious. He is banished from Norway.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Thorgils is killed because he would not let Thorgeir and Thormod have his whale.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Asmund and Thorstein gather support to avenge Thorgil's death.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Thorgeir is sentenced to outlawry for killing Thorgils.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Grettir challenges Audun for the humiliations he caused him at a ball game years beforehand. Bardi breaks up the fight. Grettir offers to accompany Bardi.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
There is a horse fight. Grettir offers to help Atli but loses control and injures the opposing horse and rider.
Chapter Thirty
There is a skirmish between the Kormak men and Grettir.
Chapter Thirty-One
Bardi travels without Grettir. Grettir catches them and challenges them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Thorhall's farm is haunted. He needs a shepherd. Skapti suggests Glaum who is then employed. On Christmas Eve, he doesn't observe the holiday. They find him dead and bloated and blue a few days later. Glaum then starts to haunt the place.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Thorhall employs Thorgaut as shepherd. On Christmas Eve, he fails to return. They find him crushed to death a few days later. Glaum's hauntings increase and Thorhall has to abandon his farm. He returns in the spring. The hauntings continue. His daughter dies of stress.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Jokul tells Grettir about Glaum.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Grettir spends the night with Thorhall and Glaum does not bother them. The second night, Glaum killed Grettir's horse. The third night, Glaum returns to the house. Grettir prevails and Glaum lays a curse on Grettir. Glaum's eyes scare Grettir. Grettir becomes afraid of the dark.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Thorbjorn insults Grettir's courage.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Thorbjorn insults the death of Asmund, Grettir's ill father. Grettir cuts off Thorbjorn's arm and then beheads him.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Grettir gets merchants fire but the house he got it from burns down. He was thrown out of the merchant's company. Grettir goes to seek pardon from the king.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The King offers Grettir an ordeal but a little boy taunts Grettir who then hits him. The ordeal is then cancelled.
Chapter Forty
Grettir saves Einar's daughter from the berserk Snae Knoll.
Chapter Forty-One
Thorstein and Grettir discuss their arm strength.
Chapter Forty-Two
Asmund dies and Atli inherits the farm.
Chapter Forty-Three
Gunnar attacks Atli, who kills many.
Chapter Forty-Four
Thorbjorn holds proceedings against Atli. Compensation is the end result.
Chapter Forty-Five
Thorbjorn kicks Ali out of his service. Ali then seeks shelter at Atli's. Thorbjorn kills Atli for "stealing" his servant.
Chapter Forty-Six
Thorir tries to outlaw Grettir at the AllThing because of the house burning. Skapti the Lawspeaker, postponed outlawry but Thorir made Grettir an outlaw and put a price on his head that was higher than other outlaws.
Chapter Forty-Seven
Grettir learns of his father and his brother's death as well as his outlawry. Grettir steals Svein's horse but Svein catches him. Luckily they become friends. Grettir visits his mother.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Grettir attacks and kills Thorbjorn and his son.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Thorbjorn's kinsmen gather forces against Grettir.
Chapter Fifty
Grettir can stay with Thorgils on the condition that he won't harass Thorgeir and Thormod, his sworn brothers. The brothers get an ox. They attack each other but Thorgils breaks it up.
Chapter Fifty-One
Skapti asks Thorgils how he managed all three outlaws. The case of Thorbjorn is unresolved. Skapti claims there is no cause because Grettir was outlawed before Atli's death. Thorir does not allow Grettir to be acquitted from outlawry and raises the price on Grettir's head instead.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Grettir steals for Thorkel. Grettir hides in the woods. Servants capture Grettir. They wanted to keep him tied up until the next AllThing but none of the local farmers wanted to be responsible for Grettir until then. Thus the servants tried to kill Grettir but Thorbjorn saves him. She then takes him home, much to Vermund, her husband's dismay.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Grettir stays with Thorstein but had to leave because a force was mobilizing against him and he was to lazy to stay on.
Chapter Fifty-Four
Grettir challenges Lopt for his horse and belongings. But loses. Skapti encourages Grettir to stay where he doesn't have to steal.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Grettir settles down in a fishing hut. An outlaw, Grim, goes to stay with Grettir. He is promised his freedom if he kills Grettir. Grettir kills Grim.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Thorir of Gard sends outlaw Thorir Red-Beard to kill Grettir. He stays two years with Grettir. During a storm, he smashes the boat and calls to Grettir to swim out and get the nets. When Grettir tries to get out, he attacks. Grettir swims away and up a river and crawls out to attack Thorir Red-Beard from behind. Grettir kills him.
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Thorir and his men attack Grettir. Hallmund (Lopt?) protects him from behind. He offers his home to Grettir.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
Grettir goes to Bjorn who tells him of a secret hiding hole in the mountains.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Gisli boasts he can kill Grettir. Two farmers attack Grettir and lose 2 wethers. Grettir meets Gisli; kills his two companions and then chased Gisli while Gisli undressed. Finally he was only in his undergarments.
Chapter Sixty
Grettir steals oxen, wethers, and sheep. Farmers attack. Grettir prevails.
Chapter Sixty-One
Bjorn advises Grettir to leave. Grettir sets up a hut elsewhere and lives on fat sheep. Grettir fasts for Lent. Grettir is under the protection of the 1/2 troll/giant Thorir.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Grim took over Grettir's secret hideout. Hallmund steals his dish so he'd leave. Grim kills Hallmund.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Thorir's men are in pursuit of Grettir. Grettir evades him.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Stein and Steinvor's farm was said to be haunted by trolls. Each time someone stayed and didn't go to Christmand mass, he vanished. Grettir conceals himself under the name of Gest amd stays at the house. Grettir helps Steinvor and her daughter to cross the river to Church.
Chapter Sixty-Five
She-troll attacks Grettir. He throws her off into a gorge. The priest wanted proof of the ogress' death.
Chapter Sixty-Six
Grettir swims under the waterfall into a cave where he meets a giant. He kills the giant and saves the men's bones.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
It is suggested to Grettir to go and stay on Drang Isle.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Snorri the Priest throws Thorrodd out until he can kill some outlaw. He goes to kill an outlawed shepherd until the housewife turns him onto Grettir. Thorrodd tries and Grettir lets him go. Snorri the Priest is grateful.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Grettir sees his mother and Illugi - who accompanies him to Drang Isle. They let a vagrant Thorbjorn come along also. His nickname is Glaum. They settle on Drang Isle.
Chapter Seventy
Intro to men who own share in Drang Isle.
Chapter Seventy-One
The farmers go to collect their sheep but Grettir pulls the ladders up.
Chapter Seventy-Two
Grettir goes to an Assembly and tricks the men to give him protection.
Chapter Seventy-Three
Thorbjorn, who acquired most of the island at this point, challenges Grettir.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Glaum starts to get lazy. He let the night fire go out. Grettir must swim ashore to get the fire.
Chapter Seventy-Five
Grettir falls alseep in the hall. The maid laughs at his penis size. Grettir rapes her.
Chapter Seventy-Six
Haering, who can scale cliffs, urges Thorbjorn to let him onto Drang Isle to kill Grettir. He manages to climb up and surprise them but Illugi chases him until Haering jumps off the cliff.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
At the AllThing, it is declared that the outlawry sentence is revoked after twenty years.
Chapter Seventy-Eight
Thorbjorn's foster mother knew sorcery. They row towards Drang Isle. Grettir throws a stone and breaks her hip.
Chapter Seventy-Nine
The sorceress curses a tree trunk and sets it out to sea. Grettir suspects it is evil and does not take it. Glaum takes it home instead. Grettir tries to cut it but it cuts his leg.
Chapter Eighty
Grettir gets gang-green.(is that how you spell it?)
Chapter Eighty-One
The sorceress and Thorbjorn plan an attack on Drang Isle.
Chapter Eighty-Two
Glaum forgets to run the ladder up and Thorbjorn attacks. They stab Grettir in the back and then Illugi watches his back more carefully. They finally kill Grettir.
Chapter Eighty-Three
They show Grettir's head to his mother, Asdis.
Chapter Eighty-Four
At the Assembly, the killers sought the money but were nearly outlawed themselves. All sorcery was outlawed.
Chapter Eighty-Five
Thorstein the Galleon hears of Grettir's death. He follows Ongul to Constantinople.
Chapter Eighty-Six
Thorstein kills Ongul and is put in prison. He meets a prisoner and sings to entertain him.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Spes hears Thorstein's singing and pays for the two prisoners to get out of jail.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Spes' husband suspects Spes is cheating on him but can never find Thorstein or prove it. She goes to the bishop to get a divorce.
Chapter Eighty-Nine
The day she swears her oath, Thorstein, disguised as a beggar, soils her dress. It is the evidence that sets her free.
Chapter Ninety
Thorstein proposes to Spes.
Chapter Ninety-One
Thorstein and Spes go away. They are very old by this time.
Chapter Ninety-Two
They confess their sins and kill themselves together.
Chapter Ninety-three
Sturla the Lawman's opinion of Grettir the Strong.