Summary
95 - This chapter introduces Flosi Thordarson, brother of Starkad, who is married to Steinvor, the daughter of Hall of Sida.
96 - This chapter introduces Hall of Sida, whose brother, Thorstein (or 'Broad-belly'), had a son named Kol. This is the same Kol whom Kari killed in Wales.
97 - Njal wants to have his foster-son Hoskuld marry Starkad's daughter, Hildigunn. Hoskuld agrees, saying he is happy to oblige any of Njal's wishes. Hildigunn says she won't marry him unless becomes a godi, or local chieftain. They cannot find a godord for him, though, because nobody is willing to sell theirs. Njal gives lots of conflicting advice for those with lawsuits during this frustrating time. Njal gathers all the chieftains and they establish a Fifth Court for mistrials and appeals since the Quarter Courts are not doing much good lately at settling problems. They will select new godords for this. Hoskuld becomes a godi and is finally able to marry Hildigunn. He takes on the property at Ossabaer.
98 - Lyting, the man who is married to Thrain's sister Steinvor, holds a large feast and invites the Njalssons, Sigfussons, and many others. His brothers are troublemakers. Hoskuld Njalsson is seen riding past in a braggadocios fashion. Lyting offers to hunt him down if that is Hoskuld Thrainsson's wish—but it is not his wish. Gunnar Lambason and Lambi Sigurdarson are not just making conversation, however: they were with Thrain when he was killed and want blood revenge since Hoskuld Njalsson's brother, Skarphedin, was involved in the slaying. After they ambush Hoskuld Njalsson that night, the men neglect to cut off his head, leaving him barely alive in the end. Hoskuld's mother, Hrody, comes to Njal and Bergthora in the middle of the night to seek his help in healing Hoskuld. Njal does not see a possibility for him to live, and is surprised that anybody had. He stays with Hrodny, his ex-wife, that night.
99 - Skarphedin and his brothers decide to ambush Lyting. Skarphedin takes off Hallgrim's leg immediately and Lyting thrusts his spear toward Skarphedin, which is blocked only by Helgi Njalsson's shield. Skarphedin hacks through Hallkel's backbone with his axe. Lyting flees, but not without several wounds delivered by Grim and Helgi. Lyting tells Hoskuld about what happened, and it is clear that Lyting is barely holding on to life. Hoskuld agrees to put forth a settlement in which Lyting gets to keep his farm, but comes to Njal and his son's terms in all else. Njal says that he is interested in a settlement only if Lyting's surviving brothers are outlawed with compensation paid for Hoskuld, his foster-son. Njal recommends for Lyting to move because of forces outside his control, but he does not wish to impose on him in this way, so it is outside the settlement.
100 - Earl Hakon is killed by his slave, Kark, and Olaf Tryggvason takes his place as ruler of Norway. Olaf, a Christian, requires that Norway, the Shetlands, Orkney, and the Faroe Islands also convert to his religion. Njal is one of very few who finds the new faith better than the old faith. It is said that Njal "often went apart and murmured to himself" (173) as well. A man named Thangbrand is sent to Iceland to preach the faith with Gudleif, a great Icelandic warrior. Hall of Sida invites the men to stay with him since there does not seem to be a "market for [their] goods". (173) Thangbrand sings a mass for the angel Michael the next morning. Hall of Sida converts out of interest in this Christian figure, and is baptized.
101 - Hall and Thangbrand become missionaries in the spring, carrying only crucifixes. They convert many of Hall's kinsmen and then move on to Hedin the Sorcerer, who had been paid to kill the missionaries. As Thangbrand is riding to Hofdabrekka, a massive chasm splits the earth under his horse's feet. He jumps off the horse and climbs up the side of the chasm. He gives thanks to God.
102 - Gudleif chases down Hedin the Sorcerer and impales him with his spear. When the missionaries are opposed by Veturlidi the Poet, they decide to kill him. A verse is composed about this. Thorvald the Sickly of Grimsnes orders Ulf Uggason to kill the missionaries as well, but he refuses. The order and refusal are in verse form as well. Nevertheless, ambushes are planned against the missionaries; when they find out about this, they stick to their plan to convert as many people as possible. Thorvald leads the ambush himself and has his arm cut off, leading to his death. When Steinunn, mother of Ref the Poet, meets with Thangbrand, she says that Thor challenged Christ to a fight and he would not partake. Thangbrand responds that "Thor would be mere dust and ashes if God didn't want him to live." (177) Steinunn says that Thangbrand's ship was wrecked last summer because Thor desired it.
103 - Gest Oddleifsson, a wise man with second sight, holds a feast to welcome the missionaries. Over 200 heathens are already present and a berserk named Otrygg is expected to come in a bit. Thangbrand says that they will compete between the faiths by each blessing a fire and seeing which one the berserk is willing to walk through and which one he fears. Upon arrival, Otrygg walks straight through the heathens' fire; when he tries to demolish the Christian fire, his sword sticks in the hall's crossbeam above and Thorvald's crucifix makes him lose his grip on the sword. Thangbrand and his men kill Otrygg. Gest, the host, recommends that Thangbrand bring this faith to the Althing if he truly wants it to take hold in Iceland. Thangbrand thinks that's the hardest place of all to successfully convert, but Gest reminds him that "a tree doesn't fall at the first blow" (179).
104 - Hjalti Skeggjason is outlawed for mocking the old gods while in Norway, a reference to his verse in Chapter 102. King Olaf is told about Thangbrand's near-death experience with the chasm opening up beneath his horse and becomes angry at Icelanders for cursing him. He sentences all Icelanders in Norway to death and only reconsiders this harsh sentence upon Gizur and Hjalti's pledge to spread the faith in Iceland. Hjalti learns that he has been outlawed, so somebody takes his place.
105 - At the Thing, the heathens and Christians declare themselves unbound by the law of the other group. There is such an uproar at Law Rock that "no one could hear anyone else" (181). Thorgeir, a heathen Godi of Ljosavatn, is asked to proclaim the law. He puts a cloak over his head and is silent for an entire day. The next day, he breaks his silence and proclaims Christianity as the foundation of their law. This involves giving up "worship of false idols, the exposure of children, and the eating of horse meat" (181). However, he adds, if these activities are practiced in secret, there will be no punishment. A few years later this secret addendum is given up. Major Christian feasts and holidays are introduced into the yearly calendar as well. The heathens feel betrayed, but the law is law because they had already consented to Thorgeir's decision on the matter.
106 - Amundi the Blind, son of Hoskuld Njalsson, comes to the Thing three years after the Christian proclamation to seek out Lyting. He asks for compensation for the killing of his father, but Lyting says he has already given compensation to the Njalssons. Amundi gains sight just long enough to sink his axe into Lyting's head. Njal says that Amundi's claim is valid. A compensation of half-value is paid to Lyting's kinsmen.
Analysis
The reader might feel like giving up on the names after this section. There are now several different characters with the same names, their individual introductions seem out of order, and each character's importance seems to be diminishing. The assumption is that this extraordinary complexity stems from a desire to remain historically accurate. But as we can plainly determine given new academic findings about the history of the spread of Christianity and law in Iceland, the burden of accuracy does not seem as strong as the reader might assume given the above problems.
The establishment of the Fifth Court is particularly interesting because it shows Njal's influence on Iceland as a whole. His legal advice is so highly revered that when his advice is no longer solving legal dilemmas, nobody blames him. In fact, given Njal's ulterior motivation to establish new godords for his foster-son Hoskuld so that he can marry, we cannot be sure that he the legal advice is not tainted. He may be wittingly giving out bad advice so that he can establish his foster-son's happiness! While Njal has been a moral compass in some ways for the saga, he is also oddly manipulative when it comes to legal proceedings, trusting not his own scruples so much as whether he has been asked to solve a problem or not. The reader can be slightly more forgiving in light of problems like the seeming inability of man to move beyond brutally violent confrontations to solve problems. The law is Njal's method of tempering man, but he does not shirk from using it to his own personal advantage. Perhaps the moral of the saga is that those who are not knowledgable in the law must be wary of the fact that they can be easily duped, or that one has an imperative to gain expertise in the law in order to exert personal influence.
While we've seen a few instances of religious influence already, this section brings it to the forefront for the first time. Chapters 100-106 are essentially an account of the conversion of Iceland taken directly from Ari's Book of the Icelanders and the Kristni Saga. The reader may also see parallels between religion here and in the sixth season of Game of Thrones (no spoilers here!). However, unlike the Bible or other religious texts, Njal's Saga lends credence to pagan magic and its tangible effects. The argument is less evangelical than modern Christian messages that proclaim other religions to be false. Hedin the Sorcerer is capable of drawing up a chasm under Thangbrand and swallowing his horse through his own religious beliefs. The test between the two religions turns out to be relative rather than absolute. In fact, it takes Thangbrand and his men to take down the berserker, even if they have help from a crucifix and fire. When Amundi regains sight long enough to kill Lyting, there is no mention of Christianity either. Ultimately, the relationship between magic and Christianity is not one-to-one in this saga.
