LAXDAELA SAGA
***A SUMMARY***
Notes compiled by Nicole J. Wallace Copyrighted 2000
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Ketil decides to move to avoid submitting to King Harald Fine-Hair. He said to Scotland but his sons went to Iceland (Bjorn and Helgi). Ketil's grandson Thorstein went to war and became King over Scotland until the Scots killed him.
Unn the Deep-Minded decides to leave after her son Thorstein's death. She leaves with a great amount of wealth. She goes to visit her brother Helgi but leaves since his welcome was not to her liking. She then stays with Bjorn. She then sets sail to claim land and finally build her farm.
Olaf - the youngest of Thorstein the Red - was to inherit everything after Unn. Olaf marries Alfdis. Unn dies after the wedding feast. Thorstein's daughter (Thorgerd) marries Herjolf who then dies. Thorgerd goes to see Hoskuld - the son of her first marriage- in Iceland.
Hoskuld m. Jorunn
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Thorleik, Bard, Hallgerd and Thurid
Killer Hrapp threatens neighbors. Hoskuld goes to seek riches (building timber) and wanted to attend the royal assembly. He meets Gisli the Russian and buys a slave-girl/concubine who is deaf and mute. She bore him a son whom he named Olaf. One day he catches her speaking. Her name is Melkorka and she is a princess in Ireland. Jorunn and Melkorka have a skirmish and she is finally sent away.
Thorolf and Hall fight over fish [pg. 70] Thorolf kills Hall and flees to Thord Godi's because his wife Vigdis was a distant relative and had more power than her husband. Thorolf stays the winter despite Thord's objections. Ingjald, Hall's brother, bribes Thord to get Thorolf. Vigdis arranges to save Thorolf via her slave Asgaut. She sends him to Thorolf Red Nose. Ingjlad complains so Vigdis offers him his money but hits him in the nose intstead.
Vigdis divorces Thord (GO WOMAN POWER!) Men of Hvamm declare to claim ½ the estate. Thord goes to Hoskuld who makes a deal the foster their 7-yr. old son Olaf.
Killer Hrapp dies and insists on being buried upright to watch over his estate.
Thorstein the Black dies. The sole survivor manipulates the story so Thorkel inherits the property.
Hoskuld had all of his mother's estate. His ½ brother Hrut was a threat to it. Hrut was the "Queen's Pet" in King Harald's court. He sails to Iceland to claim his inheritance. He takes it to court when he is refused but Hoskuld argues that his mother Thorgerd married Herjolf without his consent. Hrut steals 20 cattle while Hoskuld is at a feast. Hoskuld's slaves pursue him and they fight until the slaves surrender. Hoskuld wants to seek revenge but Jorunn talks him out of it. Hrut and Hoskuld finally come to an agreement.
Hrut marries a woman named Unn who leaves him causing tension between the Lazriverdalers and the Fljotshilders. Hrut has three marriages, 16 sons, and ten daughters.
Thorleik takes over Hoskuld's farm. Bard stays with his father.
Melkorka felt Hoskuld was disgracing her and attempts to annoy him. Thorbjron the Feeble asks for her hand in marriage. She accepts in order to send Olaf abroad. Olaf embarks for Ireland. (stopping in Norway first) They run into some trouble with the Irish monks.
Melkorka's nurse was so thrilled with the news that Melkorka was still alive.
Olaf is offered his grandfather's kingdom after the king dies. Olaf sets sail again. He joins King Harald's court. King Harald gives him a set of scarlet clothes for Christmas. Olaf then returns to Iceland.
Melkorka had a new son, Lambi.
Hoskuld convinces Olaf to marry and suggest Egil's daughter Thorgerd. Egil leaves it to Thorgerd who leaves it up to Egil but she is reluctant to marry a concubine's son. Olag takes it into his own hands and succeeds. They marry and create their own farm from Thord Godi and Killer Hrapp's land.
A farm hand asks to change jobs. When Olaf refuses, he threatens to leave. Olaf goes to see why and the zombie of Killer Hrapp was in the way. Olaf digs up Hrapp's grave and burns it sending it out to sea.
Thorleik and Bard were prosperous sea-going merchants. Hrut frees a slave who settles on Hoskuld's land. Thorleik kills him and winds the lawsuit.
On Hoskuld's deathbed, he asks his sons if they'd split the property also with Olaf. Bard readily agrees but Thorleik refuses. Hoskuld compromises by giving Olaf 12 oz. of gold - the king's gold bracelet and sword. Thorleik did not like this. Hoskuld dies.
Hoskuld's memorial feast was the second largest feast in Iceland.
To rekindle the kinship, Olaf offers to foster Thorleik's son Balli. Olaf has a son named Kjartan.
Dueller-Bersi offers to foster Olaf's son Halldor but he gets bedriiden. The child falls from the cradle and they both lie there helpless until help arrives.
Kjartan was the BEST and the MOST handsome.
Olaf goes in search of timber and gets it from Earl Hakon. Gerimund sneaks onto Olaf's ship to go to Iceland. He asks for Thurid's hand in marriage but Olaf refuses. Gerimund bribes Thorgerd with money. She then talks to Olaf and convinces him to agree. They marry.
Gerimund then leaves Thurid and her child but she sneaks onto his ship, steals his sword and leaves her child. She gives the sword to Bolli. Gudmund Solmundsson then marries Thurid.
Olaf had a peculiar ox with a special horn arrangement. When the special horn fell off, he slaughtered the ox but then had a dream about a woman saying that he had killed her son so his son must also be bathed in blood.
Intro to Gudrun pg. 118
Gudrun had four dreams about losing/throwing things into the water. They are interpreted by Gest to signify her four husbands. Gest sees Olaf and prophesizes about his sons.
GUDRUN'S 1ST MARRIAGE: THORVALD
-married on sexual motivation
Gudrun is in charge of all the money and ½ the estate with a pick of jewels. There is little love in the marriage. He suspects her affair with Thord Ingunnarson. She declares divorce.
GUDRUN'S 2nd MARRIAGE: THORD
Thord declares divorce from Aud, his wife because she wears pants like men. Thord then marries Gudrun. They are happy and they have lots of love for each other. When Gudrun was at the AllThing, Aud goes to Thord's house and severely wounds him in his bed. Thord's mother Ingunn comes to stay with them and asks justice from Kotel. He declares a lawsuit on them. They conjure up a storm and Thord and all his men drown.
Gudrun was with child, a son that she called Thord. Snorri the Priest fostered him.
Kotel and his family had to leave the district. He attempts to settle under Thorleik Hoskuldsson by selling their horses.
Eldgrim tries to buy horses from Thorleik and it causes a dispute. He goes to steal the horses but Hrut catches him and kills him. Thorleik is not appreciative and he and Hrut part on unfriendly terms.
Thorleik asks Kotel to put a spell on Hrut and his family. They do and it kills Kari, Hrut's son.
Olaf and Hrut go to kill Kotel and his family. Kotel's son Hallbjorn puts a spell on Thorleik before he is drowned. Stigandi- Kotel's last living son - is outlawed and meets with a bondwoman. She tricks him into Olaf's hands. They stone him to death.
Olaf requests that Thorleik leaves the country. Kjartan and Gudrun become good friends but Olaf feels uneasy about it.
Kjartan and Bolli go abroad and visit Thorstein Egilsson. He asks to buy a ½ share in Kalf's ship. Gudrun is upset about this venture.
Earl Hakon died and King Olag Tryggvason takes over Norway. Kjartan runs into him at a swimming hole. The king gives Kjartan his cloak.
The king attempts to convert the country to Christianity. Spies overhear Kjartan threatening to burn the king in his house. The king summons all Icelanders and spares them. The Icelanders attend a Church ceremony. Kjartan decides to get baptized.
Bolli returns to Iceland and tells Gudrun of Kjartan's interest in Ingibjorg - the king's sister. Bolli asks for Gudrun's hand in marriage but she refuses but does offer to have it agreeed upon by her family.
GUDRUN'S 3RD MARRIAGE: BOLLI
Kjartan returns and resents Bolli's marriage. He then marries Kalf's sister Hrefna.
Thorolf steals Kjartan's sword at the feast. Hrefna's headress is stolen at a feast also. Tension between the two households heightens.
Gudrun plans an ambush on Kjartan and threatens to leave Bolli is he does not participate. Bolli ends up killing Kjartan. Hrefna dies of a broken heart. The other involved in the killing were exiled.
Halldor kills Thorkel.
Thorgerd's sons plot to kill Bolli. They kill him and Gudrun doesn't seem to care. She exchanges houses with Snorri the Priest.
Thorkel goes to kill Grim but ends up befriending him instead. He goes to Snorri who suggests he marry Gudrun. Thorkel goes to Norway.
Thorgils will avenge Bolli's death for Gudrun's hand. Snorri makes it a trick so she can still marry Thorkel. Thorgils falls for it.
They gather men for the attack. Killer Hrapp joins in. They surround Helgi who spears Hrapp through the ceiling. [ok so how many ways can killer Hrapp die? Discrepancy with Egil's saga] There were five people inside. Helgi, his 12-yr. old son Hardbein, the shepard, and two outlaws, Thorgil and Eyjolf. They try to take down the roof but Hardbein and Helgi fight at the door. Bolli kills Helgi with 'Leg-Biter'. Osvif and Gest die and are buried in the same grave.
Thorgrim and his son Audgisl plot to kill Thorgils for stealing their chieftaincy. Audgisl behads him as he was counting out compensation for Helgi's murder.
Thorkel returns. The marriage is arranged to Gudrun.
GUDRUN'S 4TH MARRIAGE: THORKEL
Her son Thorleik goes abroad to Norway. Bolli requests to marry Thordis, daughter of Snorri the Priest. She accepts and they marry.
Thorleik and Bolli plot to attack the Olafssons. Snorri disagrees with them and warns to Olafssons.
Halldor will pay settlement for Bolli's death but refuses to be outlawed or lose his chieftaincy or his farm. The feud ends and they come to a peaceful agreement.
Bolli wants to go abroad. Snorri tries to discourage him. Bolli was ambitious and wanted to out do everyone else. They visit the king. Bolli gives a ship to Thorleik, who then returns to Iceland. Bolli leaves King Olaf's court to travel to Constantinople.
Gudrun's new husband has a dream about his beard and Gudrun feels it signifies his death. Thorkel goes abroad to get timber for the Church. When he returns, he asks Halldor Olafsson for his land but Halldor was prepared (servant with an ax hidden behind them) if Thorkel attempted to get it by force.
Thorstein foresees Thorkel's death. Thorkel and his men die in a squall. Ghosts appear to Gudrun. She ignores them only to discover Thorkel had drowned.
Gudrun and Herdis, Bolli's daughter, would go to Church and pray often. Herdis dreams that a woman appeared to her and claimed Gudrun's tears were burning her. They dug up the area and found a sorceress' bones and moved them.
Bolli returns. Snorri the Priest does and Bolli inherits all the chieftaincy. Bolli asks Gudrun whom did she love the most. She replies that the one she loved the most she treated the worst. [Kjartan]