SAGA-BOOK - Viking Society Web Publications

On Arons saga Hjiirleifssonar lSI
contained in lslendinga saga but not in Arons saga will
provide further evidence for speculation about their
relationship. It has been claimed that, if the biographer
had known some of the things recorded in the history, then
he would have used them himself. 46
lslendinga saga states that Bishop Gurimundr left the
mainland for Malmey at jolafosi« and names Ketill
Ingjaldsson among his followers, while Arons saga does
not specify the time and misses Ketill's name.s? Sturla
says that before the fight on Grimsey some men went to
confession with the bishop. 48 He also records that Aron
left Tumi's helmet and mail coat at Svinafell but took the
sax, and that Ormr gave him some other weapons. 49 In
both accounts he has a mail coat in Geirpjofsfjoror, but in
1slendinga saga his weapon is an axe rather than the sax
of the biography, which also equips him with a helmet
and shield without claiming directly that these are Tumi's
arms."?
Arons saga does not mention that Ingimundr Jonsson
was sent to Amarfjoror to look for Aron, nor does it know
that Egill's nickname is digri. 51 The incident of Aron
taking a boat from Variill, rowing across Brei6afjor6r and
then pushing the boat out to sea again 5 2 is unknown to the
author of the biography, and this is another instance in
which we must be inclined to trust Sturla for accuracy,
since the boat is said to have drifted up at Eyrr, his
father's home, and may well be a personal memory, since
the historian was ten years old at the time. Sturla also
tells that his cousin, Sturla Sighvatsson, rode out on
Snrefellsnes to Helgafell one day in the autumn of 1224,
with two other men, and passed by the woods at
Valshamarr, where Aron, Hafporr and another man were
.. Biskupa Siigu« (r858-78), Ilxvii.
47 Sturl, I 287; II 239-40 .
.. Sturl. I 290.
.. Siurl, I 293.
6. Sturl. I 305; II 26r.
"Sturl. I 305.
.. Sturt. I 306.