Summary
46 - Gizur the White, a great chieftan, and Geir the Godi support each other in all matters. Mord Valgardsson's father is abroad and his mother, Unn, has passed away. As was foreshadowed, Mord will take action against Gunnar.
47 - A man named Otkel is well-off for property and has a son named Thorgeir who is young but shows promise. His friend, Skammkel, is malicious and untruthful. Otkel's brother Hallkel brings an Irish slave, Melkolf, to their property, but he turns out to be a bad worker. They are experiencing a famine as of late and Gunnar has been very kind in giving resources to those who are suffering. Gunnar's supplies run low because of his kindness and when he approaches Otkel to purchase more hay, he is met with full rejection. Skammkel has advised Otkel to do this because of their dislike of the Sigfussons. Instead, Gunnar pays for the slave, Melkolf. When Gunnar comes back, Njal has already heard the news and proactively brought him extra hay and food.
48 - Hallgerd tells the new slave to steal food from Otkel and set fire to his storage shed. Otkel and all the other free men of Iceland are at the Althing and the animals all knew Melkolf, so the plan goes off without any alarm. As he runs back along the Ranga River, he has to fix his broken shoelace and forgets his knife and belt there. He is too nervous to go back and grab it. At the Althing, Otkel says the fire was caused by the kitchen being too close to the storage shed. Gunnar slaps Hallgerd when she tries to serve him cheese and butter after the Althing, knowing that these are stolen goods.
49 - Skammkel finds the knife and confirms with Otkel that it is Melkolf's. They go to Mord Valgardsson, who says he has secrets about Gunnar's household for a price. For three ounces of silver, he says he will send women to the house with gifts for the housewives and that, in return, the women will be gifted the thing that Hallgerd most wants to get rid of: the stolen goods. Indeed, the women come back with the cheese that Hallgerd had tried to serve Gunnar. Gunnar goes to Otkel and admits that he knows the source of this crime. He offers for their neighbors to make the judgment, but Otkel refuses on the grounds that they are Gunnar's friends. Gunnar offers to pay double the value, but Skammkel does not want Otkel to allow self-judgment. Instead, they seek the judgment of Gizur the White and Geir the Godi. Skammkel offers to see them in his stead, and Otkel accepts. Hallbjorn, Otkel's wise brother, finds this decision rash because Skammkel is one of worst liars in the country and he will not relay Gizur and Geir's advice objectively. They speculate as to Gunnar's willingness to draw blood over the matter.
50 - Skammkel tells Gizur and Geir that he and Otkel want them to have the honor of deciding their course, but they see that Skammkel is a wicked man. Indeed, he follows through on his wickedness by telling Otkel that Gizur and Geir advised him not to make a settlement at all—to instead bring the suit to the Althing. Hallbjorn knows this is a lie. Otkel and Skammkel come to Gunnar's home and summon him to court. As usual, Gunnar obliges, but he remarks that it will "not bring them any honour." (87)
51 - At the Althing, Njal tells Gunnar to consult Hrut about how to proceed. Hrut recommends challenging Gizur to a duel, should he reject an offer of self-judgment. Gunnar's brother Kolskegg can duel Geir as well. Finally, Gizur is told of Skamkell's lie, and goes to offer Gunnar self-judgment immediately. Meanwhile, Skammkel lies sick in his tent and the whole lot gossips about him. When Gizur and Gunnar meet, Gunnar very nearly turns down self-judgment out of pride, but Njal convinces him to accept it. Gunnar's settlement will give Melkolf back (since he was not told of his wickedness) and, in the place of losing this slave, he will give himself the value of the food and shed. Thus, nothing is paid in the settlement, yet it is a settlement all the same. Gizur tries to get Gunnar to be friends with Otkel, but he says this will never happen.
52 - Runolf, a friend of Otkel's, wants Otkel to visit so he can thank him for the gift of an ox some time ago. Otkel says he will come. A man named Audolf is currently living with Otkel.
53 - Otkel rides to Runolf's at last, bringing two horses that are said to be the best in Iceland. They are very excited and race each other. Otkel is going faster than he intended, and with his spurs out, he accidentally runs into Gunnar on the trail and rips a large gash in his ear. Gunnar warns Otkel that next time he sees him, his halberd will be with him. Skammkel taunts him and they ride off. Kolskegg finds out about this incident much later and says Gunnar must report it for fear of the witnesses dying out over time. Runolf thinks he ought to ride home with them for fear of their crossing paths with Gunnar a second time, but Otkel refuses. Runolf says that this will thus be the last time they see each other.
54 - A shepherd rides quickly over to Gunnar to tell him of Skammkel's further gossip: that Gunnar cried when Otkel cut him. He says he has seen the men crossing down farther by the river and they could catch them, but Gunnar warns, "Let's not be overcome by their words" (91). Gunnar takes out the halberd that night and it rings loudly. He sticks it in the ground and vaults himself onto his horse. Nobody has ever before seen Gunnar as angry as he is now. Hallbjorn, the wise brother, is the first to attack Gunnar even though he laments taking responsibility for Otkel. Reluctantly, Gunnar cuts off Hallbjorn's arm at the wrist. At this moment Skammkel speeds toward him with his great axe. Gunnar calmly swats the axe out of his hand and thrusts the halberd through Skammkel, picking up his whole body on its shaft. He sends Skammkel onto his head. Audolf throws a spear at Gunnar, but Gunnar catches it midair and throws it back straight through Audolf and his shield. Gunnar jumps over Otkel's strike and spears him through the gut. Kolskegg comes last to help Gunnar. They kill eight men in total. A female witness runs to tell Mord and he says he could not care less even though the victims are his kinsmen.
55 - Njal gives Gunnar advice about how to move forward in his career of killings: "Never kill more than once within the same bloodline, and never break any settlement which good men make between you and others" (94). Gunnar is curious if the prescient Njal, who seems to be able to tell the future, knows his own death. He does, and describes it as "something people will least expect" (94). Gizur and Geir draw lots to see which of them has to bring about the suit, because neither of them wants to do so. Geir draws the short straw and they both proceed to dig up the bodies, name witnesses, and make a summons.
56 - Skafti and his father Thorodd are great experts in the law and followers of Gizur. They stand as lawyers with Geir at Law Rock to announce the suits against Gunnar and Kolskegg. Gunnar responds to the testimony with his own, which invalidates the whole proceeding. He claimed Otkel as an outlaw the moment he sliced his head with his spur, so no compensation can be had for his death. Furthermore, Gunnar announces that Geir himself should be made a lesser outlaw, forcing him to live in exile for three years, because he brought up the case of a man who was killed without proper claims to the case. Njal explains to Gunnar that Geir's argument is strong and he should not oppose with such fortitude, because he is guilty of murdering these men. Njal also threatens Geir with full outlawry and bids them both to settle these cases. Gizur thinks that Gunnar has too many allies and it would be unwise to shirk a settlement if possible. Otkel is not compensated because of the spur wound he delivered; Skammkel is not compensated; and the other men are given reasonable compensations based on their individual worths. Gunnar leaves more honorable, having secured Geir and Gizur's pledges of peace.
57 - This chapter introduces Starkad and Hallbera, whose sons, Thorgeir, Bork, and Thorkel, are violent and mean-spirited. Their sister is Hildigunn the Healer.
58 - This chapter introduces Egil, whose sons, Kol, Ottar, and Hauk, are also trouble-makers. Their sister Gudrun Night-sun is very well-mannered, however. The men leave Norway to Iceland for the first time and look around for somebody's horse to fight their own, believing that they have the strongest horse in the realm. Hildigunn says that Gunnar's horse is better. The men respond boastfully, although their father reminds them that Gunnar's good luck is unflappable. Gunnar agrees to the fight on the condition that he never be shamed by these men and that the fight should be for the entertainment of others. Njal says that many men will die as a result of this fight and that this will only provide further hostility within the Norwegian men's family down the line.
59 - Hoskuld Dala-Koll dies. Thorgerd and Thrain have a child whom they name Hoskuld, based on Hallgerd's recommendation. At the horse fight, Skarphedin wants to prod Gunnar's horse so they will have control of its emotion, but Gunnar doesn't want this. As is custom, Gunnar stands on the sideline with a stick to provoke the horses if need be, but it is not needed. When the Norwegian men push their horse, Gunnar pushes back. His horse runs down the other one on top of the men, and they spring up to attack Gunnar. He tosses Kol Egilsson aside, knocking him unconscious. Thorgeir beats Gunnar's horse's eye out before Gunnar can knock him unconscious as well. Gunnar orders Kolskegg to kill his own eyeless horse. Thorgeir tries to rush at Gunnar with his weapon, but a large crowd holds him back. Njal tries to give an offering of peace, but Thorgeir rejects it. Gunnar stands up calmly and the crowd is overcome with peace.
60 - Asgrim, a great lawyer, brings a case forward at the Althing only to discover that he has not brought enough witnesses to press an inheritance lawsuit. Gunnar stands up for Asgrim, offering to duel the defendant, Ulf Uggason. Ulf pays the fine instead. Asgrim says he will always be on Gunnar's side of the law. When Gunnar is invited to both Asgrim's and Olaf's homes in the next season, Njal warns him to always travel in large numbers and to be heavily armed. Gunnar doesn't follow this advice.
61 - Gunnar, Kolskegg, and Jort ride fully armored to Asgrim's with their best weapons. Sigurd Swine-head, a neighbor, spies on Gunnar during his time at Asgrim's and he tells Starkad when he is getting ready to leave. These men are planning an ambush of thirty men against the three of them. Thorgeir promises to bring back evidence of Gunnar's death. Hildigunn the Healer does not think they will succeed. Through taunts, the men gain a few Norwegian followers including Thorir, but they are all aware that is will be their death.
62 - Gunnar becomes very sleepy near the Thjorsa river and has a dream. Kolskegg makes sure that he isn't woken. Gunnar dreams that many wolves ambushed him twice in a row, forcing him to kill almost every one of them, but he could not help his third brother Hjort from being ripped open, his heart in the mouth of a wolf. Gunnar slices that wolf in two but it does not save Hjort's life. He recommends that Hjort go back to Asgrim's home, but he refuses, knowing full well that he will die as a result of this decision to stay by Gunnar's side. They continue on to the spot on the river where his dream had taken place.
63 - Swine-head is the first to be killed: Gunnar shoots an arrow through his shield, into his eye, and out the back of his neck. Kolskegg throws a heavy stone and it breaks another man's skull. Starkad wisely assesses that Gunnar and his team are too skilled with long-distance weapons, and they must charge if they want to stand a chance. Thorgeir says he vowed to bring Hildigunn Gunnar's head, but Gunnar says he must get closer to do so. Gunnar fends the men off even as they charge, flinging their weapons out of their hands with each blow. Thorkel's head goes flying with another strike. Kol wants to fight Kolskegg very badly. He thrusts his spear through Kolskegg's thigh, but Kolskegg quickly takes off Kol's leg with his short sword, which kills him. Gunnar conducts another signature stab and toss with his halberd, this time on Egil. Starkad eggs Thorir on, who was reluctant to come in the first place, knowing that it would be his death. He attacks Hjort in the chest and kills him at once. As predicted, Gunnar slices Thorir in two at the waist directly thereafter. Gunnar and Kolskegg continue to dominate the battle, separating heads and limbs from bodies one after the other. As Starkad flees, Gunnar chases them down to give them wounds. He says that it will be difficult for them to tell good stories about the battle without some blood to show. Gunnar buries Hjort at his home and many people mourn this loss. Hildigunn reprimands Starkad for not following her original advice to stay on good terms with Gunnar.
64 - Gunnar asks Njal what to do regarding all these killings. Njal thinks for a while and comes up with a plan: he has two cases to prosecute (Thorgeir impregnating his kinswoman and the Starkadarssons cutting wood on the edge of his property), but he will give the cases to Gunnar, which will put him in a better position to claim the dead men as outlaws at the time of their killing. This should diminish their compensations to zero in a settlement. He goes into further detail about what to do in the case of objections.
65 -Thorgeir comes to Valgard the Grey and Mord to ask for their help, thinking it ridiculous for Gunnar to have claimed all those men outlaws. Valgard is reluctant to help because he knows that this was not the end of Njal's advice to Gunnar and that it may get nastier. Nevertheless, they help Valgard for a high sum. Mord is to marry Thorkatla, daughter of Gizur the White, and they all ride off to make this happen. When Gunnar finds out, he consults with Njal once more. Njal says that Gunnar must bring about a suit against the late Kol for killing Hjort; then he should summon Thorgeir on a charge of seduction as well.
66 - Gunnar and Njal arrive at the Thing with a massive group and join up with Geir and Gizur. Mord questions Gunnar's ability to pursue any cases at Law Rock because of his outrageous murders, thinking him better suited to being an outlaw. Njal says that he has all the legal rights of any other man, citing his gift of full compensation to his plaintiffs last autumn. Njal states furthermore that because Gunnar's enemies had intent to kill him, there is no legal redress for his self-defense: those attackers were outlaws. A man named Hjalti comes forward and offers that Gunnar let the good men present come to a settlement on these issues. Gunnar agrees under the condition that Hjalti himself will never be against Gunnar going forth. Many compensations are cancelled out, but the remaining ones are weighted at half-compensation (100 ounces of silver). Njal helps Gunnar pay with money he had on loan to Starkad. Gunnar comes away as the most honorable man in the South Quarter.
67 - Thorgeir Otkelsson grows up to be an honest and worthy man, despite his father's ills. But Thorgeir Starkadarson meanwhile is displeased with the result of the lawsuits. He consults Mord, who suggests a number of ways in which Gunnar can be seen to have broken settlements. One settlement involves Thorgier Otkelsson and a plot of land. Mord knows that Njal has predicted Gunnar's downfall if he slays two members of the same bloodline, so if Mord can get Gunnar to slay Thorgeir Otkelsson, it should also lead to Gunnar's death.
68 - Thorgeir Starkadarson meets with Thorgeir Otkelsson to flatter him and give him gifts. He gives him a spear inlaid with gold and rides home. A suit about land ownership involving Gunnar is settled at the Thing. Much time passes therafter. The Thorgeirs grow even closer. Gunnar knows of their malevolence for him, and when he sends off all his workers to make hay at Eyjar, Thorgeir Starkadarson finally convinces Thorgeir Otkelsson to attack Gunnar with him. Otkelsson is wise enough to be reluctant, but not wise enough to say no.
69 - When the Thorgeirs come to Gunnar's house, they hide out in the woods before "heaviness came over them and they could do nothing but sleep" (115). Off at Eyjar, some sheep get away and Skarphedin and Thorhild Njalsson go out to find them. They come back without the sheep but with news of the twenty-four men sleeping in the woods by Gunnar's house. Njal says he just had a dream about these men's spirit animals, but that they were frenzied and had no plan. Njal tells Skarphedin and Thorhild to let Gunnar know of the circumstances and to send for more men; meanwhile, Njal will scare the men away. He does so by confronting them and exaggerating the forces that Gunnar has waiting for them.
70 - Njal is asked to arbitrate a settlement about this encounter. Mord rebukes the Thorgeirs for asking for Njal's help. Njal makes a famous statement at Law Rock during the proceeding: "with law our land shall rise, but it will perish with lawlessness" (117). The case is settled with all of the conspiring men paying 100 ounces of silver and the Thorgeirs paying 200 each. Olaf Peacock hosts Gunnar at his home after the Althing and gives him three gifts: a gold ring, a cloak which the king of Iceland once owned, and an Irish dog as a companion. Olaf says the dog will bark at all enemies, but never at a friend.
71 - The Thorgeirs go back to Mord to come up with another plan to get at Gunnar. He says that Otkelsson should seduce another of Gunnar's kinswomen and they will plan an attack on Gunnar after rumors are spread about Gunnar's malevolence toward them for this seduction. They must attack Gunnar away from his home now, because his dog is wary of intruders. Finally, the moment arises and they bring thirteen men down to the Ranga river to ambush Gunnar once again.
72 - "[A] great deal of blood appeared on the halberd" (119) at the beginning of Chapter 72, and Kolskegg is perplexed by it. Gunnar says it foreshadows a great battle. They come across the men and quickly take out their bows, killing a few right away. But more men follow them, and a great battle begins. Gunnar breaks through a man's shield, piercing him with his halberd, while another man has his legs cut off by Kolskegg just before he can attack Gunnar from behind. This man falls into the river and drowns. Thorgeir Starkadarson taunts Thorgeir Otkelsson, saying that it almost seems like he has no father to avenge. Otkelsson rushes Gunnar and manages to pierce his arm, but Gunnar quickly breaks his spear in two. He kills another man and sees Otkelsson coming at him again with a sword. Gunnar uses his signature move on him: he thrusts the halberd through him, picks him up with it, and tosses his body far into the river. The body floats down to a rock downriver and is henceforth called Thorgeir's Ford after Thorgeir Otkelsson. The ambushers retreat. Kolskegg wants to follow them, but Gunnar says it will certainly break the bank to have to pay for so many dead men, not to mention the ones they've already killed today. Rannveig, Gunnar's mother, says that bad will come of these killings, even though Hallgerd is very pleased with them.
73 - Njal tells Gunnar that he has now broken one of the guiding principles for a long life: he has killed two men in the same bloodline. Njal will represent his cause at the Thing. At Law Rock Gizur proposes giving Gunnar full outlawry as punishment for his crime in killing Thorgeir Otkelsson. His property should be split up among the men and he should not be fed on his way out of the country.
74 - Njal responds to this proposition by asking all the witnesses whether the Thorgeirs had planned the ambush with the intention of killing Gunnar. Naturally, they all declare that this was true. The case is settled monetarily, but part of the settlement also requires Gunnar to leave under lesser outlawry for three years. If he is caught still in the country, he may be killed with impunity by relatives of the slain. Gunnar gives no indication that he finds this settlement unfair, and he pays the dues. Njal says that this trip abroad will bring him even more honor than the last one and he will live to become an old man, but if he should break the settlement, he will be killed. Rannveig is relieved that Gunnar's enemies will have to pick on somebody else for a while when he is gone.
75 - Thrain Sigfusson and the Njalssons have separate plans to go abroad at the same time as Gunnar. Gunnar and Kolskegg get Gunnar ready to go, but when his horse slips and he is ejected from the saddle, he has a lapse in judgment. He looks back at Hlidarendi, his farm, and thinks it has never been lovelier. He decides to stay against Kolskegg and Njal's wishes. Kolskegg pleads with him to go, but Gunnar is settled in his decision. Kolskegg says he will never return to Iceland because he will be sure to hear the report of Gunnar's death if he does. Gizur and Geir declare Gunnar a full outlaw, meaning that anybody can kill him without redress. Njal knows that after Gunnar's death, the antagonism will be directed at his sons; he advises Gunnar of this so that he might take them on right away. Gunnar declines. He asks that Njal look after his son Hogni and pay no attention to his other son, Grani, who acts like his mother. Gunnar is safe for the time being.
76 - Mord conspires to take Gunnar by surprise with another ambush by kidnapping the neighbor farmer, Thorkel, as well as the dog, Sam. They make Thorkel get the dog, so as to draw less suspicion. This does not work because the dog senses suspicion and bites Thorkel in the groin. Onund kills the dog with an axe to the head, but it lets out a loud howl "that was like none they had heard before" before dying (126).
77 - Gunnar wakes in the house and says that his death will be like the death of his dog, whom he calls his foster-child. He sleeps in a loft above the hall together with Hallgerd and his mother. Thorgrim is sent to the hall to see if Gunnar is at home. Gunnar sees his red cloak and stabs at it with the halberd from the darkness. Thorgrim reports that he is not sure if Gunnar is home, but his halberd is. Then he falls down dead. Gunnar shoots arrows at the ambushers, exhausting them into taking a rest. This happens three times, but they just cannot compete with his wall of arrows. Gunnar even takes one of the enemies' arrows to use against them in a taunt. Gizur takes the taunt as a call to charge. Mord wants to burn down the hall, but Gizur says that that would be far too dishonorable. Instead, they cut at the ropes that hold the house up. In this way, they manage to take the whole roof off the hall. Thorbrand Thorleiksson rushes at Gunnar and is able to cut the string on his bow before getting impaled by the halberd. Once more, Mord suggests burning the hall. Gizur rejects this vehemently once again. Gunnar kills Thorbrand's brother by throwing him from the roof scaffolding with the halberd.
In the seminal climactic moment, Gunnar asks Hallgerd for a lock of her hair so that he may restring his bow. He knows he can hold them off so long as he keeps them at a distance. She asks how important this is, and he says his life depends on it. She responds with the harrowing: "Then I'll recall... the slap you gave me, and I don't care whether you hold out for a long or a short time" (128). Gunnar defends himself well and goes on fighting for a long time until he collapses from weariness. At last, Gunnar is killed. Thorkel Elfaraskald writes a poem about Gunnar's brave defense.
Gizur asks Rannveig for land to bury the dead men in. She says that she would have liked to give them more land in the case that they all died. Gizur says she has many reasons to say this, and she is thankful for the land.
78 - Njal is distressed over the death of his friend, as are the Sigfussons. No legal redress is possible because Gunnar was an outlaw at the time of his death. Gunnar is buried sitting up. Rannveig says the halberd will go to whoever can avenge his death, but nobody takes it. She is so angry with Hallgerd that she almost kills her. Hallgerd flees with her son Grani. Hogni takes over Hlidarendi, the estate that drove Gunnar home when he should have left. One day a shepherd and servant hear Gunnar reciting verses in the mound in a joyful mood. They tell Rannveig about this, and she says to tell Njal. They repeat the verse three times to him. Njal sends Skarphedin to stay at Hlidarendi to make sure this is true. Skarphedin becomes good friends with Hogni; one night when they are out by Gunnar's mound, it seems that Gunnar has turned around to look at the moon, and four lights start to burn in the mound without shadows. The apparition of Gunnar looks happy as it recites a poem. Skarphedin says that he has been waiting for Hogni to witness this because otherwise, he would never believe it. Hogni says that he would have believed Njal, because it is said he never lies. Skarphedin promises to help Hogni in any endeavor thereafter.
79 - Hogni and Skarphedin sneak out at night with the halberd, but it makes its ringing sound. Rannveig recognizes the sound and tells Hogni that he cannot bring the halberd to Gunnar until he avenges him with it, citing the sound that announces death. Two ravens follow the men their whole way to meet Oddi and his sons, all of whom they kill very quickly. Since Oddi had been herding sheep, they do well by imitating sheep as they continue on. They encounter Starkad and Thorgeir, both of whom try to run away; however, they cannot get away quick enough and are quickly killed. When they see Hof in a field, he offers peace and full reconciliation. Hogni had not intended to give self-judgment, but he is convinced otherwise: Hof lives.
80 - Njal presses the case of the slaying of Starkad and Thorgeir, but Mord owes many people money and ends up paying the compensation and reconciling. Geir the Godi and Hogni also complete a settlement whereby they make peace and Geir stays at Hlidarendi for the rest of his life. He is now out of the saga. Njal arranges a marriage between Hogni and the daughter of Veturlidi the Poet. It is said that Hogni keeps up his friendship with Njal; Hogni is now out of the saga.
81 - Kolskegg, who left before Gunnar's death, travels to Norway and then Denmark, where he enters the service of King Svein Fork-beard and receives great honor. Kolskegg has a dream one night that a man made of gleaming light offers to find him a wife and make him a knight. A wise man tells him that he is to become "God's knight" in the southern lands (133). Kolskegg is baptized and heads to Constantinople where he spends the rest of his days in the Varangian guard. He is now out of the saga.
Analysis
There is a recurring line in this section that one might not expect: "He stayed at home for a while, and all was quiet" (118). While this section is densely packed with taunts, plots, and brutal killings, it takes place over a long period of time, which can be difficult to remember or even fathom. It seems that the base unit of time in the saga is not a day or even a week, but rather a whole season. This framing helps to explain why in some cases prominent characters can be 'out of the saga' long before dying; or, in other cases, they are out of the saga because they die from old age. Unn is not even named when it is said she dies in this section, and Hoskuld, an extremely important character earlier in the saga, is given only two sentences upon his death: one that states he is dead, and another that states this was a sad event.
Names also gain a new dimension in this section because of the character Skammkel, which is an Icelandic homonym for 'shame'. This makes sense considering the rumor he started about Gunnar weeping when Otkel accidentally put a gash in his ear. His name is shame and he not only shames others, but also commits shameful acts like lying to Gizur and Geir and then immediately lying about what they said to Otkel and Njal. The moral involved with this naming is that friendship is only as good as its ability to improve one's character. Many of the shameful characters throughout the saga are said to be a bad influence on good characters. In the case of Gunnar and Njal, their friendship is only as good as Gunnar's ability to adhere to his friend's advice, knowing that he will never bear a grudge against him or suggest anything that is not in his best interest. Gunnar believes this and yet still disobeys, which is an astounding moment for the reader.
Why would Gunnar, who knows that Njal bears 'second sight' (the ability to foresee the future), disobey something so basic as serving his settlement? This seems to invoke the famous bible verse: "Pride goeth before destruction, and a high mind before the fall" (Proverbs 16.18). At its core, Njal's Saga seeks to demonstrate a multitude of moral lapses and achievements. Having the gift of foresight is important in the saga insofar as the fore-tellings also uncover moral quandaries and the solution to those quandaries. Oftentimes they are unsatisfactory. When so many dishonorable characters can get so much out of the protagonists, it makes the reader question how beneficial the solutions are that are being offered. Again, this moral answer is quite aligned with a biblical verse: "But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also" (Matthew 5.39). Later on, this connection to Christianity will become clearer, but for now, it is an intriguing aspect of what purports to be essentially a history of Iceland.
Along with names, language itself gains a proper place in the saga through repetition. A single sentence, "Brave riding, brother" (93), gains two meanings when used as first as a compliment and then secondly as a sarcastic taunt. Another repetition that cannot be missed is the detailed court proceedings. One could easily become a competent Icelandic lawyer by studying Njal's Saga. The typical pop-culture viking is hardly imagined as a lawyer, and yet he is not a good viking if he is not a good lawyer, as far as this saga is concerned. The terminology 'viking' is also somewhat problematic, because while Gunnar and many of the other protagonists raid and collect booty, they never call themselves 'vikings'—only 'enemy raiders'. Possibly the hardest linguistic repetition in this section, however, is the incessant back-and-forth retaliations between the wives of Gunnar and Njal. Their friendship is tested so much that the reader can hardly take it, let alone the characters.
This section also excels in wit and aphorism. As the taunts grow stronger, so does the cleverness of the taunters. In Chapter 61, Hildigunn aphoristically suggests that her brother "will be carrying both head and hand low when you come from this encounter [with Gunnar]" (103), and in Chapter 62, during that encounter, Kol says, "Are you going to run away, Gunnar?" and is answered with "Ask that when this day is done" (105). Finally, after Gunnar chops off Kol's leg, he asks, "Did that hit you or not?" (106). Kolskegg follows up with, "You don't need to look: it's just as you think, the leg is gone" (107). These gibes could have come straight out of a modern blockbuster, and yet here they are 10 centuries earlier in Njal's Saga.
