Saga network
Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar
The Saga of Grettir the Strong, trans. not stated in the eBook; text corresponds to G. A. Hight's 1914 Everyman translation (attribution UNVERIFIED in-file) (1914). 93 chapters, 230 characters resolved, 213 distinct social edges (269 typed edge records across seven relation types — see Methods for why those two counts differ).
Network
Drag nodes, scroll to zoom, click a character for its profile, click an edge to read the sentences that support it.
119 characters · 213 edges (269 typed edge records)
Network summary
0.030Density
0.154Avg. clustering
3.172Avg. path length
6Diameter
14Communities (Louvain)modularity 0.466
-0.165Degree assortativity
75.0%Structural balance9/12 triangles balanced
18Articulation pointsbridge characters
Metrics are computed on the semantic layer only (kinship, marriage, friendship, conversation, conflict, killing, support) — the much denser sentence co-occurrence layer (227 nodes, 1236 edges) is a baseline, not a claim about social structure. See Methods for what each number does and does not mean.
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Chapter 61: Grettir Winters Under The Geitland Glacier
The next time that Bjorn met Grettir he told him that this was a very serious affair, and that he would not be able to stay there in peace much longer. "You have killed kinsmen and friends of mine, but I will not depart from my promise to you so long as you are here." Grettir said he was sorry to have given him offence, but that he had to defend his hands and his life. Bjorn said it would have to remain so. Soon there came to him some of the men who had lost their kinsmen through Grettir and petitioned him not to allow such a ruffian as he was to stay there any longer and molest them. Bjorn said he would do as they desired directly the winter was over. Thrand the son of Thorarin of Akrar had now recovered from his wound. He was a man of much worth, and had married Steinunn the daughter of Hrut of Kambsnes. Steinolf's father Thorleif of Hraundal was a great man; from him are sprung the Hraundal men. No more meetings are told of between Grettir and the Myramen while he was in the mountains. Bjorn continued in friendship with him, but some of Bjorn's other friends fell away from him because of his allowing Grettir to remain there, for they were annoyed at getting no compensation for the slaying of their kinsmen. When the Thing assembled Grettir left the Myrar district and went to Borgarfjord, where he visited Grim the son of Thorhall and sought counsel of him where he should move to next. Grim said he was not powerful enough to keep him there, so Grettir went off to his friend Hallmund and stayed there till the end of the summer. In the autumn Grettir went to Geitland, where he stayed till bright weather set in. Then he ascended the Geitlandsjokull and turned his steps South-east along the glacier, taking with him a kettle and fuel. It is supposed that he went there by the counsel of Hallmund, who knew the country far and wide. He went on till he came to a long and rather narrow valley in the glacier, shut in on every side by the ice which overhung the valley. He went about everywhere, and found fair grass-grown banks and brushwood. There were hot springs, and it seemed as if volcanic fires had kept the ice from closing in above the valley. A little stream flowed down the dale with smooth banks on either side. Little did the light of the sun enter there, and the number of sheep in the valley seemed to him countless. They were much better and fatter than any which he had ever seen. Grettir stayed there and built himself a hut out of logs which he found about. He caught a sheep to eat, and it was better for slaughter than two in other places. There was a ewe there with her lamb; she had a brown head and excelled all the others in size. He was anxious to have the lamb, so he caught it and slaughtered it and got half a measure of suet out of it, and it was better in every way. When Brownhead missed her lamb she came up every night to Grettir's hut and bleated so that he never could get any sleep. He regretted much having killed the lamb on account of the disturbance which she caused him. Every evening when the twilight set in he heard a voice calling in the valley, and then the sheep used to run together into a place of shelter. Grettir has told us that a blending ruled over the valley, a giant named Thorir, under whose protection he remained. Grettir called the valley after him Thorisdal. He said that Thorir had daughters with whom he had some play, and that they were very pleased, because not many people came there. And when the days of fasting came Grettir remembered to tell them that fat and liver should be eaten in Lent. Nothing particular occurred that winter, and Grettir found it so dull that he could not stay there any longer. He left the valley and went to the South through the glacier, reaching the middle of Skjaldbreid from the North. There he took up a stone, cut a hole in it and said that if a man put his eye to the hole he could see into the gully which flows out of Thorisdal. Then he went across the country South and reached the eastern fjords. He spent the summer and the winter on this journey and visited all the great men, but found them all against him so that nowhere could he get lodging or shelter. So he returned to the North and stayed in various places.
Table of contents
1. The Family And Early Wars Of Onund The Son Of Ofeig2. The Battle Of Hafrsfjord3. Meeting Of Defeated Chiefs In The West And Marriage Of4. Fight With Vikings Vigbjod And Vestmar5. Visit Of Onund And Thrand To Eyvind In Ireland6. Death Of Bjorn; Disputes Over His Property In Norway7. Murder Of Ondott Crow, And The Vengeance Therefor8. Onund And Asmund Sail To Iceland9. Onund Settles In Kaldbak10. Ofeig Grettir Is Killed. Visit Of Onund To Aud The11. Death Of Onund. Disputes Between The Sons Of Onund And Of12. Battle At Rifsker13. Thorgrim Settles At Bjarg And Marries. His Son Asmund14. Asmund'S Children. Grettir'S Childhood15. Games At Midfjordvatn16. Grettir Kills Skeggi And Is Outlawed For Three Years17. Grettir Sails For Norway And Is Wrecked On Haramarsey18. Adventure In The Howe Of Kar The Old19. Berserks At Haramarsey20. Thorfinn'S Return. Grettir Visits The North21. Adventure With A Bear22. Grettir Kills Bjorn And Is Summoned Before Jarl Sveinn23. Grettir Kills Hjarrandi24. Grettir Kills Gunnar. His Friends Rally Round Him And Save25. Events In Iceland. Thorgils Maksson Attacked By The26. The Feud With The Foster-Brothers Is Taken Up By Asmund27. Sentences On The Foster-Brothers28. Grettir'S Visit To Audun In Vididal; Offers His Services29. Horse-Fight At Langafit30. Thorbjorn Oxmain And The Fray At Hrutafjardarhals31. Grettir'S Vain Endeavour To Provoke Bardi32. The Spook At Thorhallsstad. Glam The Shepherd Killed By A33. Doings Of Glam'S Ghost. Awful Condition Of Vatnsdal34. Grettir Visits His Uncle Jokull35. The Fight With Glam'S Ghost36. Thorbjorn Slowcoach At Home37. Grettir Sails For Norway And Kills Thorbjorn Slowcoach38. Grettir Fetches Fire--The Sons Of Thorir Are Burnt39. Grettir Appears Before The King And Fails To Undergo The40. Adventure With The Berserk Snaekoll41. Thorsteinn Dromund'S Arms42. Death Of Asmund Longhair43. The Sons Of Thorir Of Skard Are Slain By Atli And Grim44. Settlement Of The Feud At The Hunavatn Thing45. Atli Murdered By Thorbjorn Oxmain46. Sentence Of Outlawry Passed Upon Grettir At The All-Thing47. Grettir Returns To Bjarg--Sveinn And His Horse48. Death Of Thorbjorn Oxmain49. Grettir Visits Thorsteinn Kuggason And Snorri Godi50. Grettir Winters With Thorgils At Reykjaholar In Company With51. Grettir'S Case Overborne At The All-Thing52. Grettir Is Captured By Farmers And Released By Thorbjorg53. Grettir Winters In Ljarskogar With Thorsteinn Kuggason54. Adventure With Lopt55. Grettir In The Arnarvatn Heath. Death Of Grim The Forest-Man56. Treachery And Death Of Thorir Redbeard57. Attack On Grettir By Thorir Of Gard With Eighty Men58. Grettir Visits Bjorn The Hitdale Warrior And Takes Refuge59. The Chastisement Of Gisli60. The Battle With The Myramen61. Grettir Winters Under The Geitland Glacier62. Hallmund Is Killed By A Forest-Man Named Grim63. Grettir'S Meeting With Thorir On The Reykja Heath64. Ghosts In Bardardal65. Adventure With A Troll-Woman66. Grettir Slays A Giant67. Visit To Gudmund The Mighty68. Fight With Thorodd The Son Of Snorri69. Grettir'S Last Visit To Bjarg And Journey With Illugi To70. The People Of Skagafjord71. The Bondis Claim Their Property In Drangey72. Grettir Visits The Thing At Hegranes73. Visit Of Thorbjorn Angle To Drangey74. The Fire Goes Out In Drangey75. Grettir Swims To The Mainland For Fire76. Adventure Of Haering In Drangey77. Grettir'S Case Before The All-Thing78. Thorbjorn'S Foster-Mother79. The Spell Takes Effect80. The Spell Continues To Work81. Thorbjorn Again Visits Drangey82. The Last Battle--Death Of Grettir And Illugi83. Thorbjorn Visits Grettir'S Mother At Bjarg84. Thorbjorn Is Exiled At The Thing85. Thorbjorn Goes To Norway And Constantinople86. Grettir'S Death Avenged By His Brother Thorsteinn87. The Lady Spes88. Adventures Of Thorsteinn And Spes89. The Ordeal90. Thorsteinn And Spes Return To Norway91. Absolution In Rome92. The End Of Thorsteinn And Spes93. The Testimony Of Sturla The Lawman