Open [36.0 MB]

106 THE SCANDINAVIANS, AM>
BOOK ii. who dwelt at Froda. 1
Thorbiorn, with many of his
SHAP^III followers, was slain by Thorar. 5 Thurida then became
the wife of Thorodd, 3 a Yiking merchant, who,
coming from Dublin, 4 had fixed his residence in
5
Iceland ; but unfortunately for the matrimonial
story of Biorn happiness of Thorodd, Biorn Asbrand, " the hero of
Asbrand's exile * . a , , T >
t America, Ureidvikmg, a military Lothario, becoming en-
Gudiief sailing
amoured of Thurida, an intimacy ensued, which
led common fame to assert that he was the father
of her son Kiartan. 7
husband to destroy the lover, 8
After a desperate effort of the
the conduct of his sister, attempted
Snorri, scandalized by
also to assas-
sinate Biorn, but failing in this, made a compact
under which Biorn left Iceland in A.D. 90S, 9 and it
was supposed that overtaken by storms, he had
perished at sea.
Some years after these events Gudlief, a merchant,
Iceland is who traded to Dublin and occasionally resided there,
being on his return from thence to Iceland, was
driven by contrary winds to an unknown land, where
he and his companions going on shore were sur-
rounded by people speaking a language which
Gudlief could not understand, but which he thought
" resembled Irish." While the natives were deli-
berating on the fate of the Icelanders, a number of
horsemen approached with a banner, and headed by
an old man of noble mein, to whom the subject of
i Eyrbyggia Saga, p. 43.
" Breidvikinga Kappi." "Kappi"
s
Ibid., p. 61. a hero. Landmabok., p. 85.
8 Ibid., p. 141.
7 Ibid., pp. 203, 287.
Ibid., p. 141. 'Ibid., pp. 147, 141.
6 Ibid., p. 143. "Muller's Bibliothek., vol. i.
Ibid., ibid., and p. 198, et sequ. p. 193.