Men rode home from the Thing, and all the feuds which had arisen on Grettir’s account were now at an end.  Skeggi the son of Gamli, son-in-law of Thorodd Drapustuf and sister’s son of Grettir, went North to Skagafjord with the assistance of Thorvald Asgeirsson and of his son-in-law Isleif, who afterwards became bishop of Skalaholt.  After obtaining the consent of the whole community he took ship and went to Drangey, where he found the bodies of Grettir and Illugi and brought them to Reykir in Reykjastrand and buried them in the church.  Testimony of Grettir lying there is in the fact that in the days of the Sturlungs, when the church at Reykir was moved to another place, Grettir’s bones were dug up, and were found to be enormously big and strong.  Illugi was buried later on the north side of the church, and Grettir’s head was buried in the church at his home in Bjarg.

Asdis remained in Bjarg and was so beloved that no one molested her any more than they did while Grettir was an outlaw.  The property at Bjarg passed after her death to Skeggi Short-hand, who became a great man.  His son was Gamli, the father of Skeggi of Skarfsstad and of Alfdis the mother of Odd the Monk, from whom many are descended.

CHAPTER LXXXV

THORBJORN GOES TO NORWAY AND CONSTANTINOPLE

Thorbjorn Angle embarked at Gasar with as much of his own property as he was able to get.  His lands went to his brother Hjalti, including Drangey, which Angle gave him.  Hjalti became a great chief later on, but is not mentioned again in our story.

Angle went to Norway and still made himself very important.  He was supposed to have done a great deed of valour in slaying Grettir, and many who did not know how it really happened honoured him accordingly; but there were some to whom Grettir’s fame was known.  He only told so much of the story as tended to his own glory, but whatever was less creditable to him he omitted.  In the autumn his account reached Tunsberg and came to the ears of Thorsteinn Dromund, who kept very quiet, for he had been told that Angle was a very doughty man and valiant.  He remembered the talk which he had had with Grettir in days long past about his arms, and obtained news of Angle’s movements.  They were both in Norway that winter, but Thorbjorn was in the North and Thorsteinn in Tunsberg, so that they did not see each other.  Angle knew, however, that Grettir had a brother in Norway, and did not feel very secure in a strange country; so he asked advice as to what he had better do.  In those days many of the Norsemen used to go to Mikligard (1) to take service.  Thorbjorn thought it would suit him very well to go there and earn wealth and glory instead of staying in the northern parts where there were relations of Grettir.  So he made ready to leave Norway, embarked, and did not stop until he reached Constantinople, and obtained service there.