The Project Gutenberg EBook of Grettir The Strong, by Unknown

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Title: Grettir The Strong
Grettir's Saga

Author: Unknown

Release Date: July 5, 2008 [EBook #347]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GRETTIR THE STRONG ***

Produced by Douglas B. Killings, and David Reid, and John Servilio

THE SAGA OF GRETTIR THE STRONG

GRETTIR'S SAGA

By Unknown Author

Written in Icelandic, sometime in the early 14th Century.

CHAPTER I. THE FAMILY AND EARLY WARS OF ONUND THE SON OF OFEIG

There was a man named Onund, the son of Ofeig Clumsyfoot, who was the
son of Ivar Horsetail. Onund was the brother of Gudbjorg, the mother of
Gudbrand Knob, the father of Asta, the mother of King Olaf the Saint.
His mother came from the Upplands, while his father's relations were
mostly in Rogaland and Hordland. He was a great viking and used to harry
away in the West over the sea. He was accompanied on these expeditions
by one Balki, the son of Blaeing from Sotanes, and by Orm the Wealthy.
Another comrade of theirs was named Hallvard. They had five ships, all
well equipped. They plundered the Hebrides, reaching the Barra Isles,
where there ruled a king named Kjarval, who also had five ships. These
they attacked; there was a fierce battle between them, in which Onund's
men fought with the utmost bravery. After many had fallen on both sides,
the battle ended with the king taking to flight with a single ship; the
rest were captured by Onund's force, along with much booty. They stayed
there for the winter, and spent the succeeding three summers harrying
the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, after which they returned to Norway.

CHAPTER II. THE BATTLE OF HAFRSFJORD

At that time Norway was very disturbed. Harald Shockhead, the son of
Halfdan the Black, till then king of the Upplands, was aiming at the
supreme kingship. He went into the North and fought many battles there,
in which he was always victorious. Then he marched harrying through
the territories to the South, bringing them into subjection wherever he
came. On reaching Hordland he was opposed by a motley multitude led by
Kjotvi the Weal