Osvif was the name of a man. He was the son of Helgi,
who was the son of Ottar, the son of Bjorn the Eastman, who was the
son of Ketill Flatnose, the son of Bjorn Buna. The mother of Osvif
was named Nidbiorg. Her mother was Kadlin, the daughter of
Ganging-Hrolf, the son of Ox-Thorir, who was a most renowned
"Hersir" (warlord) east in Wick. Why he was so called, was that he
owned three islands with eighty oxen on each. He gave one island
and its oxen to Hakon the King, and his gift was much talked about.
Osvif was a great sage. He lived at Laugar in Salingsdale. The
homestead of Laugar stands on the northern side of
Salingsdale-river, over against Tongue. The name of his wife was
Thordis, daughter of Thjodolf the Low. Ospak was the name of one of
their sons. Another was named Helgi, and a third Vandrad, and a
fourth Torrad, and a fifth Thorolf. They were all doughty men for
fighting. Gudrun was the name of their daughter. She was the
goodliest of women who grew up in Iceland, both as to looks and
wits. Gudrun was such a woman of state that at that time whatever
other women wore in the way of finery of dress was looked upon as
children's gewgaws beside hers. She was the most cunning and the
fairest spoken of all women, and an open-handed woman withal. There
was a woman living with Osvif who was named Thorhalla, and was
called the Chatterer. She was some sort of relation to Osvif. She
had two sons, one named Odd and the other Stein. They were muscular
men, and in a great measure the hardest toilers for Osvif's
household. They were talkative like their mother, but ill liked by
people; yet were upheld greatly by the sons of Osvif. At Tongue
there lived a man named Thorarin, son of Thorir Saeling (the
Voluptuous). He was a well-off yeoman, a big man and strong. He had
very good land, but less of live stock. Osvif wished to buy some of
his land from him, for he had lack of land but a multitude of live
stock. So this then came about that Osvif bought of the land of
Thorarin all the tract from Gnupaskard along both sides of the
valley to Stackgill, and very good and fattening land it was. He
had on it an out-dairy. Osvif had at all times a great many
servants, and his way of living was most noble. West in saurby is a
place called Hol, there lived three kinsmen-in-law -- Thorkell the
Whelp and Knut, who were brothers, they were very well-born men,
and their brother-in-law, who shared their household with them, who
was named Thord. He was, after his mother, called Ingun's- son. The
father of Thord was Glum Geirison. Thord was a handsome and valiant
man, well knit, and a great man of lawsuits. Thord had for wife the
sister of Thorkell and Knut, who was called Aud, neither a goodly
nor a bucksome woman. Thord loved her little, as he had chiefly
married her for her money, for there a great wealth was stored
together, and the household flourished from the time that Thord
came to have hand in it with them.
