Hrafnkel, Freyr’s Priest

Before you read

East Iceland, in the 10th century

Hrafnkels saga is one of the shortest and most admired of the Sagas of Icelanders, written down in the 13th century about events in the 10th. Its hero, Hrafnkel, is a goði, a chieftain and priest, who builds a temple to the god Freyr and dedicates to him half of his best horse, Freyfaxi. He swears that he will kill anyone who rides the horse without his permission.

His new shepherd, Einar, loses some sheep and, in desperation, rides Freyfaxi to look for them. Hrafnkel keeps his oath and kills him, though he offers Einar’s father, Thorbjörn, generous compensation. Thorbjörn, a poor man, refuses and takes the case to the Althing, with the help of his nephew Sám and two powerful brothers from the West. To everyone’s surprise, they win: Hrafnkel is declared an outlaw, loses his farm, and is humiliated. His enemies push the sacred horse over a cliff and burn his temple.

Hrafnkel decides that the gods are useless, gives up sacrifice, and starts again on a poor farm. He works hard, becomes kinder, and, years later, more powerful than ever; when he finally takes revenge, Sám finds that nobody will help him. The saga never tells us what to think. Was Hrafnkel’s fall justice? Is his return a lesson about pride, or about power? Readers still argue.

Pride can make us keep the wrong promises.

The story

Retold for this lesson from Hrafnkels saga Freysgoða (13th century).

In the east of Iceland, in a valley called Hrafnkelsdal, lived a chieftain named Hrafnkel. He was clever, hard-working and generous to his friends, but he was also proud, and he would never pay compensation to anyone he had harmed. He loved the god Freyr above all others, and built him a temple. And he loved his horse, a beautiful dun stallion called Freyfaxi, so much that he gave half of it to Freyr. “Let no man ride this horse without my permission,” he said, “or I will kill him.”

One summer Hrafnkel hired a young shepherd called Einar and warned him: “You may ride any horse you like, except Freyfaxi.” But one night thirty sheep went missing, and Einar searched for them for days. He needed a horse, and every horse ran away from him except one: Freyfaxi, who stood quietly and let him climb on. Einar rode him all day across the hills, found the sheep, and brought the horse back, wet with sweat. Freyfaxi galloped straight home to the farm and neighed at Hrafnkel’s door.

Hrafnkel rode out to the shepherds’ hut. “Did you ride my horse?” he asked. Einar did not lie. “I don’t like to kill men,” said Hrafnkel, “but I have sworn an oath.” And he struck him down. Afterwards he went to Einar’s father, Thorbjörn, a poor farmer, and offered him more than any chieftain had ever offered: a farm, cattle, and his friendship for life. But Thorbjörn did not want money. He wanted justice. So, with the help of his nephew Sám and two powerful brothers, he took the case to the Althing. Everyone laughed at them. And they won.

Hrafnkel was declared an outlaw. His enemies came to his farm, took his land, and humiliated him. They led Freyfaxi to the top of a cliff and pushed him over, and they burned Freyr’s temple. “I think it is foolish to believe in gods,” said Hrafnkel, and he never sacrificed again. He moved to a poor farm across the river and began again with nothing. He worked hard, he was kinder to his neighbours, and in a few years he was richer and more respected than before. When at last he took his revenge on Sám, nobody in the valley would help Sám against him. Hrafnkel lived the rest of his life in peace.

Talk and write

Discussion and writing

The trial. In groups, hold Hrafnkel’s trial at the Althing. One side argues he kept a sacred oath; the other that he killed an innocent boy. Use cause and result.

Discuss. 1. Should Hrafnkel have broken his oath? 2. Was Thorbjörn right to refuse the money? 3. Did Hrafnkel really change, or did he just become more careful?

Write (120–150 words). Retell the saga in your own words, using narrative tenses and at least four linkers of cause and result.