Asmund's Children. Grettir's childhood.

Asmund Longhair now set up a large and sumptuous household in

Bjarg, where he maintained a numerous retinue and became very

popular. His children were as follows: The eldest was Atli, an

able and accomplished man, tactful and easy to deal with; he was

much liked by all. His second son was called Grettir. He was

very hard to manage in his bringing up. He spoke little and was

rough in his manners and quarrelsome, both in words and deeds.

He got little affection from his father Asmund, but his mother

loved him dearly. Grettir was a handsome man in appearance, with

a face rather broad and short, red-haired and somewhat freckled;

not very precocious in his youth. There was a daughter named

Thordis, who afterwards married Glum the son of Ospak, Kjallak's

son from Skridinsenni. Another daughter was named Rannveig; she

married Gamli the son of Thorhall of Vineland, and they dwelt at

Melar in Hrutafjord and had a son named Grim. Glum and Thordis

had a son named Ospak who fell into a dispute with Odd the son of

Ofeig, which is told of in the "Saga of the Banded Men."


Grettir grew up at Bjarg until he was ten years old, when he

began to develop a little. Asmund told him that he must do some

work. Grettir said that would not suit him very well, but asked

what he was to do.


"You must mind the geese," said Asmund.


"That is wretched work, only fit for an idiot," Grettir answered.


"You do that properly," his father said, "and we shall get on

better together."


So Grettir went to mind the geese. There were fifty of them, and

a number of goslings. Before long he began to find them

troublesome, and the goslings would not come on quickly enough.

This put him out, for he could never control his temper. Soon

afterwards some wanderers found the goslings lying outside dead,

and the geese with their wings broken. This was in the autumn.

Asmund was very much annoyed and asked Grettir whether he had

killed the birds. Grettir grinned and answered:


"Always when winter is coming on

I like to wring the goslings' necks.

If among them there are geese

I treat the creatures all alike."


"You shan't twist any more of their necks," said Asmund.


"The friend aye warns his friend of ill," answered Grettir.


"I will give you other work to do."


"He knoweth most who most hath tried. But what am I to do now?"

Grettir asked.


"You shall rub my back when I am sitting by the fire, as I am in

the habit of having it done."


"Warm work for the hands." he answered. "It is only fit for an

idiot."


This for a time was Grettir's occupation. As the autumn advanced

Asmund wanted more warmth, and was constantly telling Grettir to

rub his back hard. It was the custom in those days for people to

have large rooms with long fires in them in their houses, where

men sat by the fire in the evenings on benches, sleeping

afterwards at the side away from the fries. By day the women

carded their wool there.


One evening when Grettir had to scratch Asmund's back his father

said to him: "Now you will have to put aside your laziness, you

good-for-nothing you."


Grettir answered: "`Tis ill to rouse a hasty temper."


"You are fit for nothing at all," said Asmund.


Grettir saw some wood-combs lying on one of the benches; he took

up one of them and drew it along Asmund's back. Asmund sprang up

and was going to thrash him with his stick, but he escaped. His

mother came up and asked what they were fighting about. Grettir

answered in a verse:


"Oh lady, the giver of treasure, I see,

has dire intent to burn my hands.

With nails uncut I was stroking his back.

Clearly I see the bird of wounds."


His mother was much vexed with Grettir for what he had done and

said he would not grow up very prudent. The affair did not

improve the relations between Asmund and his son.


Soon after this Asmund spoke to Grettir and told him to look

after his horses. Grettir said that would be better than

back-fire-warming.


"You are to do what I tell you," said Asmund. "I have a dun mare

with a dark stripe down her back whom I call Keingala. She is

very knowing about the weather and about rain coming. When she

refuses to graze it never fails that a storm will follow. You

are then to keep the horses under shelter in the stables, and

when cold weather sets in keep them to the north of the ridge. I

hope you will perform this duty better than the two which I gave

you before."


Grettir said: "That is cold work, and fit for a man to do; but it

seems to me rash to trust to the mare, when to my knowledge no

one has done so before."


So Grettir took to minding the horses, and went on until Yule-

tide was past, when very cold weather set in, with snow, so that

grazing was difficult. He was very badly provided with clothes

and little hardened to the weather. He began to feel it very

cold, and Keingala always chose the windiest places whatever the

weather was. She never came to the meadow early enough to get

home before nightfall. Grettir then thought he would play a

trick upon Keingala to pay her out for her wanderings. One

morning early he came to the stables, opened the door and found

Keingala standing in front of the manger. She had taken the

whole of the fodder which had been given to all the horses for

herself. Grettir jumped upon her back, with a sharp knife in his

hand which he drew across her shoulder and along her back on both

sides. The horse was fat and fresh; she shied back very

frightened and kicked out till her hoofs rattled against the

walls. Grettir fell off, but picked himself up and tried to

mount her again. There was a sharp struggle, which ended in his

shaving all the skin on her back down to her flank. Then he

drove the horses out to the meadow. Keingala would not take a

bite except off her back, and soon after noon she bolted off to

the stables. Grettir locked the door and went home. Asmund

asked him where the horses were; he said he had looked after them

as usual. Asmund said there must be a storm close at hand if the

horses would not stay out in such weather as there was then.


Grettir said: "Many seem wise who are lacking in wit."


The night passed and there was no storm. Grettir drove out the

horses, but Keingala could not endure the pasture. Asmund

thought it very strange that no change came in the weather. On

the third morning he went himself to the horses and on seeing

Keingala he said: "indeed have the horses fared in this

beautiful weather! Thy back will not deceive me, my Bleikala."


"The likely may happen -- also the unlikely," said Grettir.


Asmund stroked the back of the horse and all her coat came off on

his hand. He could not understand how she had got into that

state and thought Grettir must have done it. Grettir grinned and

said nothing. Asmund went home and became very abusive. He

heard his wife say: "My son's watching of the horses must have

prospered well."


Then he spoke a verse:


"He has cheated me sorely, and Keingala shorn.

'Tis the pride of a woman that urges her tongue.

Artful he holds my commands in derision.

Consider my verses, oh wife of my heart."


"I do not know," she said, "which seems to me the more perverse,

for you to make him work, or for him always to get out of it in

the same way."


"Now there shall be an end to it," said Asmund. "He must have

something worse than merely making good the damage."


"Let neither speak of it to the other," said Grettir, and so it

remained.


Asmund had Keingala killed. Many more childish pranks did

Grettir play which are not told in the saga. He now began to

grow very big, but men did not clearly know what strength he had

because he had never been tried in wrestling. He kept making

verses and ditties which were always a little ironical. He did

not sleep in the common room and was generally very silent.