The Monsters of Grettir the Strong

This piece uses quotes from the Gutenberg version of Grettir the Strong. Available here.

Grettir the Strong is a 13^th Century heroic saga of the life of Grettir Asmundarson, an outlaw. The story is older than the 13^th Century but it was one of the old stories taken to Iceland by its Norse settlers. Only when literacy came in the 13^th Century was it written down. The story is part of a shared literature that includes the English Beowulf. Now it is possible to read the saga as that of a real man (raised to a hero’s pitch) but it is the monsters of the saga that primarily interest me. These creatures form part of the Northern bestiary of monsters that include everything from tomtes and trolls to werewolves.

The Barrow Wight

Grettir descends into the howe of Kar the Old to take his treasure. Grettir knows there is treasure because a faery fire burns over the mound. Kar the Old is a skeletal mummy who rests in the howe. He does nothing until Grettir tries to take his sword, then he animates and fights with the hero. Grettir proves stronger. He draws the sword and cuts off Kar’s head, placing it at his thigh. This custom lays ghosts and liches. Grettir does the surrounding community a favor, for Kar’s lich had haunted the area, making it uninhabitable.

“Then he descended into the howe. It was very dark and the odour was not pleasant. He began to explore how it was arranged, and found the bones of a horse. Then he knocked against a sort of throne in which he was aware of a man seated. There was much treasure of gold and silver collected together, and a casket under his feet, full of silver. Grettir took all the treasure and went back towards the rope, but on his way he felt himself seized by a strong hand. He left the treasure to close with his aggressor and the two engaged in a merciless struggle. Everything about them was smashed. The howedweller made a ferocious onslaught. Grettir for some time gave way, but found that no holding back was possible. They did not spare each other. Soon they came to the place where the horse’s bones were lying, and here they struggled for long, each in turn being brought to his knees. At last it ended in the howedweller falling backwards with a horrible crash, whereupon Audun above bolted from the rope, thinking that Grettir was killed. Grettir then drew his sword Jokulsnaut, cut off the head of the howedweller and laid it between his thighs. “(Grettir the Strong by Unknown)

An important tale to Fantasy fiction. Lin Carter reports this tale was part of J. R. R. Tolkien’s inspiration for the barrow wights in The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) but it also reminds me of Carter’s own Conan tale “The Thing in the Crypt” (1967) (which was used partly in the opening scene of Conan the Barbarian (1982) which in turn may have had something to do with Garner F. Fox’s “Sword of the Sorcerer” (1970). That tale inspired the Lich in Gary Gygax’s Dungeons & Dragons. Fantasy fiction and gaming is filled with Lich-Kings and such through Tolkien and AD&D. It all starts here.

The Ghost of Glam

Glam is a shepherd who is hired for his great strength. He does not follow the Christian customs and ends up being killed by evil spirits. Once dead, he swells up to a huge size and the local priest can not suffer to be near him. Glam is buried where he is found and a rock cairn is placed over him. Later, his ghost is known to kill people and animals in the area as well as destroy roofs and buildings. He enjoys running over the roofs and being noisy. Grettir comes to the stead and and Glam does not appear the first night. The second night Glam kills Grettir’s horse. The third night the two battle and Grettir proves the stronger. Glam curses Grettir before the hero cuts off his head and places it at his thigh. Glam is not an ethereal ghost but more like a lich with solid form and terrible strength.

“The moon was shining very brightly outside, with light clouds passing over it and hiding it now and again. At the moment when Glam fell the moon shone forth, and Glam turned his eyes up towards it. Grettir himself has related that that sight was the only one which ever made him tremble. What with fatigue and all else that he had endured, when he saw the horrible rolling of Glam’s eyes his heart sank so utterly that he had not strength to draw his sword, but lay there well-nigh betwixt life and death. Glam possessed more malignant power than most fiends, for he now spoke in this wise: ‘You have expended much energy, Grettir, in your search for me. Nor is that to be wondered at, if you should have little joy thereof. And now I tell you that you shall possess only half the strength and firmness of heart that were decreed to you if you had not striven with me. The might which was yours till now I am not able to take away, but it is in my power to ordain that never shall you grow stronger than you are now. Nevertheless your might is sufficient, as many shall find to their cost. Hitherto you have earned fame through your deeds, but henceforward there shall fall upon you exile and battle; your deeds shall turn to evil and your guardian-spirit shall forsake you. You will be outlawed and your lot shall be to dwell ever alone. And this I lay upon you, that these eyes of mine shall be ever before your vision. You will find it hard to live alone, and at last it shall drag you to death.'”(Grettir the Strong by Unknown)

Very similar tale to Grettir’s previous battle with Kar the Old, the Barrow-wight. The story also seems similar to Beowulf’s fight with Grendel. Unlike both of those stories, Grettir comes away cursed and not happy. The tales of Grettir was part of the inspiration of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings and possibly Howard’s Torkerton Ghost if Howard had read S. Baring-Gould’s Grettir the Outlaw (1860). It certainly was part of Poul Anderson’s inspiration for “The Tale of Hauk” (Swords Against Darkness 1, 1977).

The Troll Woman

Grettir goes looking for the monster that has killed two men and discovers a female troll. He battles with her but can not over-power her. In the end he cuts off her arm with his short sword and she flees. She is not seen again, so she may have fled or died. Trolls can regrow body parts so she may have survived. What Grettir does find is a cave behind a waterfall where a giant lives. It may be that the troll-woman was throwing her victims into the cave.

“Towards midnight he heard a loud noise outside, and very soon there walked a huge troll-wife into the room. She carried a trough in one hand and a rather large cutlass in the other. She looked round the room as she entered, and on seeing Gest lying there she rushed at him; he started up and attacked her furiously. They fought long together; she was the stronger but he evaded her skilfully. Everything near them and the panelling of the back wall were broken to pieces. She dragged him through the hall door out to the porch, where he resisted vigorously. She wanted to drag him out of the house, but before that was done they had broken up all the fittings of the outer door and borne them away on their shoulders. Then she strove to get to the river and among the rocks. Gest was terribly fatigued, but there was no choice but either to brace himself or be dragged down to the rocks. All night long they struggled together, and he thought he had never met with such a monster for strength. She gripped him so tightly to herself that he could do nothing with either hand but cling to her waist. When at last they reached a rock by the river he swung the monster round and got his right hand loose. Then he quickly seized the short sword which he was wearing, drew it and struck at the troll.'”(Grettir the Strong by Unknown)

Trolls were not always cute with neon green hair. In the sagas they were vicious and dangerous creatures. By the time of John Bauer, the trolls had become somewhat humorous. The battle with a female and male antagonist is a reverse of the Beowulf story with Grendel and his mother.

The Waterfall Giant

The giant dwells in a cave under a waterfall. His cave is filled with bones of dead victims as well as treasure. This giant uses a gigantic heptisax spear. Grettir manages to cut the spear in half with his short sword.

“There was a rock where he came up, and a great cave under the fall in front of which the water poured. He went into the cave, where there was a large fire burning and a horrible great giant most fearful to behold sitting before it. On Grettir entering the giant sprang up, seized a pike and struck at him, for he could both strike and thrust with it. It had a wooden shaft and was of the kind called “heptisax.” Grettir struck back with his sword and cut through the shaft. Then the giant tried to reach up backwards to a sword which was hanging in the cave, and at that moment Grettir struck at him and cut open his lower breast and stomach so that all his entrails fell out into the river and floated down the stream…”(Grettir the Strong by Unknown)

All of Grettir’s monsters have become part of heroic fantasy literature, from Tolkien to George R. R. Martin’s Game of Thrones. Books, comics, video games, role-playing games, they are everywhere.