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 89: The Ordeal
The day now arrived when Spes was to make oath. She invited all her friends and relations, and appeared in the finest clothes that she possessed, with many a fine lady in her train. It was raining heavily and the roads were flooded; on the way to the church there was a swamp to be passed. When Spes came with her company to the swamp there was a great crowd on the high road, and a multitude of poor people asking for alms, for all who knew her thought it a duty to give her a greeting and wish her well because of the kindnesses which they had often received from her. Amongst these poor people there was a beggar very large of stature and with a long beard. The women halted at the swamp; being people of high rank they did not like to cross the dirty slough. The big beggar, seeing that Spes was better dressed than the other ladies, said to her: "Good lady, have the condescension to allow me to carry you over the swamp. It is the duty of us gaberlunzies to serve you in whatever way we can." "How can you carry me," she said, "when you can scarcely carry yourself?" "Nevertheless, it would be a great condescension. I cannot offer you more than I have, and you will prosper the better in other things for having had no pride with a poor man." "Know then for a surety," she said, "that if you carry me not properly the skin shall be flayed from your back." "Gladly will I venture upon that," he said, and waded out into the stream. She pretended to dislike very much being carried by him; nevertheless, she got upon his back. He staggered along very slowly, using two crutches, and when they reached the middle he was reeling in every direction. She told him to pull himself together. "If you drop me here," she said, "it shall be the worst journey that you ever made." The poor wretch gathered up all his strength and still went on. By dint of a valiant effort he had all but reached the shore when he struck his foot against something and fell forwards, projecting her on to the bank while he himself fell into the mire up to his armpits. There as he lay he put out his hands, not on her clothes, but on her legs. She sprang up cursing and said she always suffered ill from low vagabonds. "It would only be right that you should have a good beating," she said, "were I not ashamed to beat such a miserable creature as you are." He said: "Unequal is the lot of man. I thought to earn some benefit and to receive alms from you, and you only give me abuse and insult without any reward." And he pretended to be very much disgusted. Many felt pity for him, but she said he was a very cunning rascal. When they all began to beg for him she took out her purse, wherein was many a golden penny. She shook out the money, saying: "Take that, fellow! It would not be right that you should go unpaid for all my scoldings. You are now paid for what you have done." He gathered up the money and thanked her for her liberality. Spes then went to the church, which was full of people. Sigurd proceeded with energy and told her to clear herself of the charge which he had brought against her. "I pay no heed to your accusation," she said; "but I want to know what man it was whom you pretend to have seen in the room with me, because there is always some proper man near me; there is nothing to be ashamed of in that. But this I will swear, that to no man have I given money and that by no man has my body been defiled excepting by my husband and by that beggar, who put his muddy hands upon my leg to-day when I was carried over the ditch." Many then were satisfied and declared that her oath was perfectly good and that she was in no way disgraced by a man having touched her unwittingly. She said she had to tell the story just as it happened, and then she swore the oath in the words appointed for her. Many said that she would be observing the saying that: Nothing should be omitted from an oath. But she replied that wise men would hold that there was no cause for suspicion. Then her relations began to talk with her and said that it was a great insult to a woman of high birth that such lies should be told about her and go unpunished, for they said it was an offence punishable with death if a woman were proved to have been unfaithful to her husband. So Spes asked the bishop to divorce her from Sigurd, saying that she would not endure the lies which he had told. Her kinsmen supported her, and with their help her request was granted. Sigurd got little of the property and had to leave the country. So it happened as usual that the weaker had to bow, nor could he accomplish anything although the right was on his side. Spes took all the money and was held in high esteem, but when men came to consider her oath they thought it was not altogether above suspicion, and they concluded that very skilful men had composed the Latin formula for her. They ferreted out that the beggar who carried her was Thorsteinn Dromund. But Sigurd got no redress.
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