Ulf, a rich lendman (rank below jarl) in Sygnafylki, had two sons, Thorolf and Grim. Thorolf grew wealthy in viking and entered the service of King Harald Fairhair after the latter had conquered Sygnafylki. However, Thorolf's enemies slandered him to Harald so that the latter attacked and killed Thorolf and refused to pay wergild. Ulf and Grim fled to Iceland, although Ulf died en route. Grim became a leading man in Iceland where he built a farm called Borg, had two sons, Thorolf and Egil, and two daughters, Saeunn and Thorunn, and welcomed Bjorn from Sogn whom Harald had outlawed. (In Shetland, Bjorn had sheltered in a broch.)
Bjorn had fled from Norway because he had married Thora against the will of her brother and ward, the hersir Thorir Hroaldson. Grim, Thorir's foster brother, reconciled Thorir with Bjorn who returned home with Thora. Their daughter, Aasgerd, remained as a fosterling at Borg whereas Thorolf went to Norway. Bjorn and Thorolf, returning with a good haul from viking in the Baltic, visited Thorir Hroaldson at the same time as Eirik, son of King Harald. On Bjorn's advice, Thorir gained Eirik's friendship by giving him his small brightly painted longship. Harald, unreconciled with Ulf's family, nevertheless tolerated Thorolf for Eirik's sake.
Harald, weakening with age, increasingly delegated rule of the kingdom to Eirik. Thorolf rose high in Eirik's household guard and accompanied him on an expedition to Bjarmaland. This will somehow bear on the main narrative about Gunnhild.
2 comments:
And if you've read the Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson, you know at least in part how it will bear on the narrative about Gunnhild.
Best Regards,
Nicholas D. Rosen
Kaor, Nicholas!
I've read some of the sagas composed in Iceland, such as the Vinland Sagas, and Burnt Njal's Saga, but not Egil Skallagrimsson's Saga. So many books I should read--and it's impossible to read them all!
Sean
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