THE SCENE: Arnkel thought his life would become easier after the death of his sadistic father Thorolf. Little did he realize that Thorolf would continue finding ways to make his – and everyone’s – lives difficult from beyond the grave.
THE TEXT: Then there was an incident at Hvamm during the autumn when neither the shepherd nor the livestock came home, and in the morning when a search was made for them, the shepherd was found dead a short distance from Thorolf’s cairn. His body was coal-black all over and every bone was broken. He was buried besides Thorolf. All the livestock which had been in the valleys was either found dead or they had strayed into the mountains, never to be found again. And if any birds landed on Thorolf’s cairn, they fell down dead at once.
Things got to the stage where no one dared to graze their animals up in the valley. People often heard loud noises outside during the night at Hvamm, and they often became aware that there were people outside riding on their roofs. Once winter came Thorolf often appeared on the farm, pursuing the mistress of the house most of all. Many people were harmed by this, but it drove her out of her wits, and she ended up dying because of it. She was carried up into Thorsardal and buried beside Thorolf.
After that everyone fled from the farm. Thorolf now began walking around the valley so widely that he devastated all the farms. It got so bad that his ghost killed some men and some fled. And all those people who died were then seen in Thorolf’s company. People were now complaining a lot about this menace. Arnkel seemed to them to be the one responsible for setting things right. He invited anyone to stay with him who thought they were better off there than anywhere else. Wherever Arnkel was, there was never any trouble from Thorolf and his company. People grew so afraid of Thorolf’s ghost during the winter that no one dared to go about their usual business, even if it was urgent.
– The Saga of the People of Eyri, 13th Century AD
