Summary
107 - Valgard the Grey comes back from abroad, upset about the establishment of the new court. He tells his son Mord, whose thingmen have left to attend Hoskuld in the Fifth Court instead, that he must take revenge. They agree to spread rumurs about the Njalssons so that they will be killed in revenge down the line. Valgard tells Mord that he must renounce the faith, but Mord refuses. When Valgard breaks all of Mord's holy objects, he falls sicks and dies.
108 - Mord follows through with Valgard's plan to become great friends with the Njalssons before spreading the rumors. Njal does not trust Mord, and makes his displeasure known. Mord gives the Njalssons wonderful gifts at a feast and Njal warns them that they will be paying "the full price for them" (184).
109 - The Njalssons increase their alliance with Hoskuld and the Sigfussons with many gifts including their best horses. Mord comes to Ossabaer as well, and takes Hoskuld aside to tell him that the Njalssons are taking advantage of him by trying to take his godord and mocking him with the gift of an untested colt—this is to say that they think Hoskuld is also untested. Hoskuld says that he will never believe Mord's lies and, furthermore, that he values the Njalssons' lives more than his own. Mord then tries to get the Njalssons to believe that Hoskuld has been plotting to kill them, which they reluctantly come to believe. When others begin to recognize the coldness that the Njalssons are showing toward Hoskuld, Flosi tells Hoskuld to trade farms with him, but he refuses, saying that it would cause harm to others. Flosi gives Hoskuld a scarlet cloak. Njal fosters two more sons, one of whom—Thorhall—becomes one of the greatest lawyers in Iceland.
110 - Mord convinces the Njalssons to kill Hoskuld. They agree on the condition that he comes with them. Njal and Bergthora see this discussion taking place and have a feeling that since an agreement is being made without Njal, it is likely a bad one. The Njalssons ride off with Mord that night and wait at Ossabaer.
111 - Hoskuld wakes up and puts on the scarlet cloak. When he gets to the field to start sowing, he is confronted by Skarphedin, Mord, and the rest of the Njalssons, each of whom inflicts a blow. Before he is killed, Hoskuld asks God to help him, and also to forgive the Njalssons. Mord comes up with a complex plan for disseminating the information about this slaying, and runs off. Njal finds out from his sons and Kari and says he wishes that two of his own sons had died and that Hoskuld were still living. Skarphedin thinks Njal is just getting senile, but Njal rebukes him, saying that this will result in his death as well as his wife and sons' deaths. Kari, on the other hand, will have good fortune.
112 - Hildigunn awakes from a bad dream, and her servants tell her of the slaying after discovering it for themselves. A shepherd had witnessed Skarphedin admitting guilt in the slaying as he rode away that morning. Hildigunn collects the cloak and wipes up all the blood with it. Ketil, Hoskuld's other foster-father, finds out and is put in a precarious position because he is married to Njal's daughter. He distrusts Mord, but comes to trust him as other men have. Mord announces the slaying and summons at the Althing, pretending that he was not a participant in the slaying. Asgrim Ellida-Grimsson says that he does not want to help the Njalssons in this case because it is being "spoken badly of all over the land" (190).
113 - This chapter introduces Gudmund the Powerful, a great and wealthy chieftain who oppressed many other chieftains in the north and had in his family the best descendants known to Iceland. Asgrim plans on asking for his support.
114 - Snorri, the "wisest man in Iceland who could not foretell the future" (192), is also a person whom Asgrim will ask for support.
115 - Flosi finds out about the slaying of Hoskuld, and manages to keep his composure despite his grief. Hall of Sida's son, Ljot, is thought the most promising chieftain-to-be in the east, and it is foretold that if he comes to the Althing three times in a row and arrives home safely, he will be the greatest and oldest chieftain in his family. Flosi arranges for a large troop of men to ride with Ljot on his second trip. He talks to various men about the slaying of Hoskuld while recruiting; when he speaks to Runolf, son of Ulf Aur-Godi, he knows he can trust his word about what truly happened. Runolf says that Njal mourns Hoskuld's death more than anybody. Runolf admits that although Mord Valgardsson is his kinsman, "more evil than good comes from him" (193). Flosi implores Runolf to come to the Thing and bring his wise words.
116 - Flosi rides to Hildigunn, who has prepared for his arrival with a feast. Flosi is not sure whether to be insulted or flattered. Hildigunn makes it clear that she wants blood-vengeance rather than compensation: she shows this by putting the bloody scarlet cloak over Flosi's shoulders and speaking her desire. Flosi flings off the cloak and calls her a monster for this. Flosi sends for Ingjald, brother of Hrodny, the mother of Hoskuld Njalsson. He arrives, but admits that he is in a difficult position because of his relationship to the Njalssons, even as he is married to Flosi's brother's daughter. He says he will ride home to think before going to the Thing.
117 - Flosi meets with the Sigfussons and they each have different opinions about what they want from the court. Flosi asks Mord to have his daughter marry Flosi's nephew, Starkad, and Mord agrees happily. They ride to the Thing together.
118 - Njal says that he will ride to the Thing as a point of honor, despite the hopelessness of his situation. Thorhall, his foster-son, says that he will continue wearing the cloak that the Njalssons mock him for wearing until he has taken blood vengeance for the future killing of Njal. On the way to the Thing, Njal meets with Hjalti, whom he has consulted regarding Flosi's movements. Asgrim hosts their troop the next night and asks Njal what he thinks will happen. Njal says his men are not blessed with good fortune. Asgrim says that he will not give up his cause until he is out of men.
119 - At the Thing, Hall of Sida tells Flosi that his arrangement with Mord is a good one, but he will regret having dealings with Mord before the Thing ends. Asgrim and the Njalssons go around the Thing looking for extra support. They find it in Gizur the White, but do not find it in Snorri, Haf, or Skafti, a man who does not recognize Skarphedin and is shamed by Skarphedin's extensive knowledge of Skafti's shameful background. Haf also does not recognize Skarphedin and insults his appearance and demeanor just as Skafti did. Gudmund also mentions that Skarphedin, whom he does not recognize, looks powerful but luckless. Next, they go to Thorkel Bully's booth. He is a man who has killed flying dragons and half-man, half-beast creatures. He is known for having said that there is no one in Iceland he would refuse to fight in single combat.
120 - Asgrim asks Skarphedin to stay back as they go into Thorkel Bully's booth. Thorkel says that without Gudmund's support, their claim was likely a bad one. He manages to see Skarphedin anyway and points him out. Skarphedin is insulted by his comments and turns the insults back on Thorkel, questioning his honor. He says that Thorkel was seen eating a horse's buttocks and even his own servants found this disgusting. They both draw their weapons and describe the last time that they used them, but Skarphedin's story about killing Thrain Sigfusson makes Thorkel sheathe his sword. They tell Njal about their new and lost support, to which he responds, "Things draw on as destiny wills" (205). Gudmund is glad that Skarphedin had successfully threatened Thorkel.
121 - Mord gives up the prosecution, handing it over to the Sigfussons. Asgrim knows that Mord inflicted the unclaimed wound on Hoskuld, but Thorhall tells him to keep that information to himself until the proceeding so that the case will be invalidated. At last, the two parties meet at Law Rock and witnesses are presented on the side of the Sigfussons. Thorhall then announces the invalidity of their claim.
122 - Njal takes the stage with permission from the Sigfussons, Flosi, and Hall of Sida. He announces that Hoskuld's death was more traumatic for him than would be the death of all his biological sons. He asks to make a settlement on behalf of his sons; Flosi does not immediately agree to this, but Hall ultimately convinces him. Njal and Flosi each choose a group of men to arbitrate the case, and everyone else leaves.
123 - The twelve arbitrators begin their duty. Snorri the Godi, representing Njal, sets the ground rules that each party should be well reconciled and should prefer fines over exile. When they cannot agree on the amount, they cast lots and the duty falls to Snorri, who sets the amount at triple usual compensation: six hundred ounces of silver. The fine would be paid at the Thing and each man would donate as much as he felt he could. Hall names witnesses to the settlement, and the crowds respond favorably to their decision, donating what they can. The Njalssons give 100 ounces, and Njal gives all his remaining money, along with a silk robe and a pair of boots. Flosi asks who put in the robe; when nobody responds, he says that it must have been 'Old Beardless', a jab at Njal. Skarphedin defends Njal's manliness and throws a pair of trousers at Flosi, saying that he is the "sweetheart of the troll at Svinafell," and that the troll uses him "as a woman every ninth night" (210). Flosi pushes the money away and rejects the settlement. Njal fears that his vision of death for him and his family is coming true. Nobody wants to take back their money, so Gizur the White and Hjalti Skeggjason hold on to the money until the next Althing.
Analysis
The trouble of these chapters began with the establishment of the Fifth Court, yet another mitigating factor on man's natural brutality. While the establishment of this court got Hoskuld a godord and therefore Hildigunn as a wife, it also stole the loyalty of many men from Mord, setting off a chain-reaction. Nevertheless, the loss of loyalty was well-deserved because Mord has been called an evil man again and again. Valgard's destruction of all of Mord's Christian objects can be seen as a metaphor for the breaking of faith. Valgard's punishment is death, but Mord's has yet to be seen. It is strange to think that Mord had ever been a converted man, once we see how incredibly malicious he becomes throughout the next few chapters.
Hoskuld, a true follower of the new faith, also demonstrates some of the old values as well. Instead of 'tattling' on Mord for trying to manipulate him with lies, he turns the other cheek. In fact, this is the first instance of a free man addressing a lie as a lie and condemning the liar. In all other cases, the lie is eventually believed. This is what happens when the Njalssons are addressed by Mord in the same way. This problem points to one of the central issues in the saga: it seems that the troublemakers are able to make trouble because of a naive trust in the worthiness of man's word. Nobody ever suspects that someone is lying unless they have a conflicting firsthand account of their own.
Hoskuld is unwilling to spread negativity even if it would save his own life. He foreshadows his own death by saying that he would "rather suffer death from [the Njalssons] than do them any harm" (185-6). Hoskuld's dying wish for God to forgive the Njalssons is possibly the most honorable thing to wish upon death, and making his death even harder to bear. If there is a Jesus figure in the saga, he is it.
Hoskuld's death is extraordinarily complicated because he has done no wrong aside from not protecting the Njalssons from Mord's savage lies, and it is his two foster-fathers who have the right to claim compensation for him, yet one is paying and the other is receiving. It is odd that the man who mourns Hoskuld's death the most is the one who is paying every last ounce of silver for his death. In fact there are many men who find themselves in this precarious position where "the nose is near to the eyes" (189), meaning that they are involved in two close relationships that have come into conflict and therefore must be careful in picking sides.
The most memorable moment of this section is when Hildigunn places Hoskuld's bloody cloak on Flosi's shoulders and insinuates that she will not be satisfied unless there is more blood shed. This cloak, as well as the one sported by Thorhall in response to Njal's foretelling of his own death, is a symbol of vengeance and killing. It seems that even though a cloak is a sign of modernity, art, luxury, and even the manipulation of nature to man's desire, it is closely linked with the barbaric past that man cannot seem to shed. In Chapter 120, the narration veers into a long detailed description of Skarphedin's outfit after he has been pointed out by so many potential supporters as looking 'luckless'. It is as if these warriors cannot hide their true selves with clothing; if anything, what one wears seems to manifest inner truths. Something as immaterial as lucklessness is also contingent on the belief that luck is a possession. The overriding belief that all the characters seem to possess is that fortune and luck are part of fate and that one is charged with the responsibility to alter fate, though this is ultimately a fruitless endeavor.
