“Saga of Gisli, son of Sour” in brief
The main events described in the saga are considered historically reliable, they date back to 962-978; Visy attributed to Gisli, probably composed much later.
Thorbjorn marries the Torah, and they have children: the daughter of Tordis, the eldest son of Torkel and the middle Gisli. Nearby lives a man named Bard, who wants to get the daughter of Torbjorn Tordis, and Gisli resists and pierces his sword. Torquel goes to Skeggy Drachun, the Bard’s family, and incites him to avenge Bard and take Tordis to his wife. Gisli cuts Skeggi’s leg off, and this duel multiplies the glory of Gisli.
Sceggi’s sons drive up to the house of Torbjorn at night and set it on fire. And where Thorbjørn slept, and Thordis and his sons, there were two jugs with sour milk. Here Gisli and those who were with him, grab the goatskins, dunk them in milk and extinguish them with fire. Then they pierce the wall and run to the mountains. Twelve people are burned in the house, and those
Thorbjørn, nicknamed Kislym for having escaped with the help of acidic whey, dies, and then his wife. Above them is poured a mound, and the sons of Sourly build a nice yard in the Hawk Valley and live there together. They give their sister Tordis a marriage for Torgrim, and they settle next door. Gisli also marries Aude, the sister of merchant seaman Vesteyn.
Here the men from Yastrebina Valley go by the Thing and stay there together. And they are wondering whether they will last so long. Then Gisli offers Torgrim, Torkel and Vesteynu a vow of twinning. But Torgrim refuses to give his hand to Vessein, and Gisli refuses to give his hand to Torgrim. And everyone is leaving the tinga.
Torquel does nothing about the household, and Gisli works day and night. Once, Thorkel sits at home and hears his wife Asger and his wife, Gisli Oud, chatting. And it turns out that Asgerd knew with Vesti. At night in the matrimonial bed Asgerd settles the affair with Torquel. Only Gisli,
Torkel proposes to the brother to divide the farm, because he wants to manage together with Torgrim, and Gisli agrees, because he does not suffer from this.
And then Gisli arranges a feast in his room, and Torchrim and Torgrim also have a feast. Torquel and Torgrim invite the sorcerer Thor-makeup, known as Nos, to him, and he makes a spear.
Vestein is visiting Gisli at this time. One night it rains hard and the roof begins to flow. Everyone leaves the room, Vestein asleep, because it does not drip on him. Then someone creeps into the house and with a spear strikes Vesteyn straight into the chest; he falls at the bench dead. Gisli enters, sees what happened, and he takes the spear out of the wound himself. Westeyna is buried as befits, and Gisli pronounces bitter visas.
In autumn, Torgrim arranges a feast and invites many neighbors. Everyone drinks drunk and goes to bed. At night, Gisli takes the spear, which killed Westeyn, goes to Torgrim and kills him. And since all the guests are drunk, no one sees anything, Burke, the brother of Torgrim, takes out a spear. Everyone celebrates Trizn on Torgrim. When the message is brought by Gisli, he says to the visas.
Burke moves to Tordis and takes her as his wife. Tordis unravels the meaning of Visley Gisli and tells her husband that his brother killed him. Torquel warns Gisli about this, but refuses to help him, for his brother-in-law, his companion and friend Torgrim was dear to him.
Burke on the Thing accuses Gisli of killing Torgrim. Gisli sells her land and takes a lot of silver for her. Then he goes to Torquel and asks if he can hide it. Torquel answers as before: he is ready to give him what is required, but will not hide.
Ghisli is outlawed. He pronounces a woeful wyness.
Gisli lives out of the law six winters, hiding in different places. Once, when he hides from his wife Aude, he sees a dream. Two women come to him in a dream, one is good, the other is bad. And then he enters the house where seven lights are burning, and the kind woman says that these lights mean that he has seven years to live. Waking up, Gisli says visy.
Burke hired a man named Aiolb and promised him a great reward if he hunted down and killed Gisli. Learning that Gisli is hiding in the forest, Eyolv goes in search, but does not find it. Upon the return of Eyolva, only mockery awaits.
Gisli goes to Torquel and again asks him for help, Torkel again refuses to hide his brother, only gives him the silver he requested. Gisli goes to Thorgerd. This woman often hides her declared outlaws, and she has a dungeon with two exits. It holds Gisli winter.
In spring, Gisli returns to his beloved wife Aude and tells her the sad visas. In the autumn he comes to Torquel and for the last time asks him to help him. Torquel responds the same as before. Gisli takes his boat from him, and then says that the first of them will be killed by Thorkel. On that they part.
Gisli goes to the island to his cousin Ingyald. Near the island, he turns over the boat, as if he had drowned, and he himself goes to Ingjald and lives with him. Eilow rumors go that Gisli did not drown, but hides on the island. He tells about this Burke, he equips fifteen people, and they sail to the island.
Gisli fools Burke’s people and goes into the rocks. Burke chases after him. Gisli cuts one of his pursuers with a sword, but Burke injures Gisli with a spear in the leg, and he loses his strength. Nearby lives a man named Rav. He and his wife harbor Gisli from their pursuers.
This trip is disgraceful for Burke and strengthens the glory of Gisli. “And the truth is said that a man as skillful as Gisli, and so fearless, was not born yet, but he was not happy.”
Burke goes to the Thing, and Torkel, the son of Sour, too. There are two boys approaching Torkel, and the elder one asks him to show him the sword. After receiving the sword, he cuts off his head to Torquay, and then they escape, and they are not found. People say that they were the sons of Westeyn. The death of Torkel turns into Burke’s shame and disgrace.
Gisli sits in the basement at Oud, and Eiol’s comes to her and promises a mountain of silver for showing her where Gisli is. Aud, with a swing, throws silver directly into Eyolvu’s nose, and the latter leaves with disgrace.
Gisli begin to overcome bad dreams. So, he dreams that he came to him Eyolv with many other people, and the head of Eyolva wolf. And Gisli fights with them all. And Gisli pronounces sad vises, where it is about death.
The last night of summer sets in, and Eyolv comes to the shelter of Gisli, and with him fourteen more people. Together with Oud Gisli climbs on a rock and calls for himself Eyolva, for he has more to Gisli than his people. But Eyolv keeps aloof, Oud’s people beat him with a club, and Gisli hacks with a sword and an ax. Then two of Eilow’s kin rush into the battle, they break Guisley with spears, and the insides fall out. Tying them, Gisli says his last visu, and then he chop off his head to Eyolva’s kin, falls on him lifeless and dies.
Tordis, learning about the death of his brother, tries to kill Eyolva and gets divorced from Burke. Eyolv, displeased, returns home. Aud goes to Denmark, receives baptism there and goes to Rome for pilgrimage.
Gisli was hidden for thirteen years.
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