Humans, Trolls and Hel (I)
The inner nature of Búi Andríðsson in the Kjalnesinga saga and otherworldly interactions in Jǫkuls þáttr Búasonar.
Note: This article is part of a two-part series.
The Kjalnesinga saga is a significant tale in the corpus of medieval Icelandic literature preserved in a parchment manuscript AM 471 4to. The saga follows the life of Búi Andríðsson, his wife Fríðr and his son Jǫkull Búason. Búi was the son of Andríð, an Irish Christian Icelandic settler who built a town called Brautarholt with a large estate. Andríð married a Norse woman, Úríður, and together they had Búi.
Búi’s description is that hann var meiri ok sterkari en aðrrir men ok fríðari at sjá (‘he was greater and stronger than other men, and fair to see’). However, there was another side to Búi which set him apart from his contemporaries — a side that would eventually result in his outlawry at the age of twelve, followed by a quest which would see him brush shoulders with legendary warriors and famous kings like Harald Fairhair.
Búi’s upbringing:
Búi was fostered by a troll-woman called Esja, who also lived in a cave in a mountain by the same name. This will be of particular note throughout this examination of the saga in relation to the nature of trolls in mythic and saga material. Búi grew up with Esja in her cave and was described as einrænn (‘unsociable’). He refused to sacrifice to the Gods, deeming it ‘unmanly’ to prostrate himself before Them. He also refused to carry the socially-acceptable weapon of choice around his belt, that being a sword, and instead opted to carry a slingshot tied around his waist.
Búi’s convictions about religious convention resulted in him being accused of rangan átrúnað (‘wrong religion’) by Þorsteinn, the son of the temple priest called Þorgrímr. The temple of Þorgrímr is described in chapter 2 of the saga:
‘Þorgrímr built a farm in the spring at Hof. It was soon great as there were many pillars, friends and relatives. He became provincial. He had command of men all the way to Nýjahraun and is called the Brundæl legend. He was called Þorgrímr the priest. He was a great swearer. He had a large temple built in his field. It was a hundred feet long and sixty feet wide. All men had to pay a temple toll there. Þórr was most honoured there. The inside was made round like a hat. It was all tented and windowed. There stood Þórr in the middle and other gods on two sides. In front of it stood a platform of great beauty and covered with iron. There should be a fire that should never go out. They called it consecrated fire. On that pedestal should lie a large ring of silver. He should have a temple idol on hand for all gatherings, since all men had to swear an oath on teaching matters. On that pedestal should also stand a large copper cup. There should be blood, all of it, because money would be given to Þórr or men. They called this hlaut or hlautbolla…’
The saga continues in chapter 3 detailing Búi’s refusal to swear at the temple as well as becoming an illegal forester at the age of twelve. Þorsteinn, who was eighteen years old, sued Búi for deforestation and irreligiousness, and he was found guilty on all charges.
Búi fights Þorsteinn:
After being outlawed, Búi, instead of going into hiding, continues to openly show himself in public and explore various provinces in Iceland. One spring, Búi travels to Brautarholt alone with nothing but his slingshot tied around his waist. Þorsteinn spots Búi out in the field and says to his father, Þorgrímr:
‘How long will it take, father, to see a dog that I brought to the forest this summer, walks around the fields so freely that he does not have to answer us? I can see if such a thing is tolerated by your neighbours that others will not think much of breaking your command or obeying what we say.’
Following this, Búi remains in Brautarholt for a few nights and his biological mother, Úríður, comes to visit him to warn him that Þorsteinn has gathered a roving band of twelve men to hunt him down and kill him. Búi then heads east to a hill and watches Þorsteinn approach with the men. Búi gathered rocks and slung them towards Þorsteinn’s men and killed one. Þorsteinn then said:
‘Now he uses a rope to be pulled at the frame, we are both dealing with a dog and a troll, but again we will retreat first…’
This quote from Þorsteinn describing Búi as a troll is interesting for, as we will explore throughout this article, Búi’s actions and unconventional social attitudes colour the saga, alluding to his inner nature as a ‘troll’. The implications behind the actions of various characters in the Norse sagas and their relationship to otherworldly beings is a theme that has significant theological implications for modern Germanic Pagans and serves as an insight into the pre-Christian mindscape of the Norse world.
Búi kills Þorsteinn:
Chapter 4 begins in winter. Búi spends some time with his foster-mother in her cave at Esja and then returns to Brautarholt alone. He then journeys east to the town of Hof, the residence of Þorgrímr the priest and his son Þorsteinn, and the site of their temple. The weather is described as fair and bright as Búi approaches the temple and notices the garden gate is unlocked. The saga continues:
‘Búi then entered the temple. He saw that Þorsteinn was lying face down in a pit before Þórr. Búi then went quietly until he came up to Þorsteinn. He then reached out to Þorsteinn in such a way that he put one hand under his knees and the other under his shoulders. In this way, he threw Þorsteinn into the air and drove his head against a stone so hard that his brains were thrown on the floor. He then carried the stone out of the temple and threw it under the garden. Then he returned to the temple. He took the consecrated fire and kindled it. Then he carried the torch around the temple and struck the curtains. Now the temple burned inside. Búi then turned out and locked both the temple and the garden and threw the keys into the flame. After that, Búi went his way.’
Chapter 4 concludes with both Búi and Esja moving location to another cave called Laugargnípa which is described as being spacious with an underground pool and abundant food and supplies. Esja becomes aware that Þorgrímr would now be hunting Búi with his kinsmen for the murder of Þorsteinn and destruction of the temple, so she returns to her previous mountainous cave in anticipation while Búi remains at Laugargnípa.
Upon Þorgrímr’s arrival at Mount Esja, Esja the troll-woman uses magic and smokes up her house so that the men in search of Búi cannot breathe. Þorgrímr said:
‘We want you (Esja) to reveal your foster-dog Búi and for us to give him a military death that is decent.’
Esja asks Þorgrímr what crimes Búi has committed and Þorgrímr explains that he has killed his son Þorsteinn and burned down the temple. The language used by Þorgrímr is particularly interesting because he says that Búi had ‘burned up our temple and our god.’ This suggests that an idol dedicated to a god was viewed as being an aspect of the god itself, which is a theme that we will return to later. To continue, Þorgrímr fails to find Búi at Mount Esja and becomes enraged, resulting in him ordering his men, Helgi and Vakur, to follow him to Brautarholt to murder Búi’s elderly father, Andríð. The saga describes the events:
Þorgrímr then said to his men: ‘All of this is very difficult for me, but no one will be able to bring down my anger. I will go to Brautarholt to kill Andríð.’
Helgi and Vakur said it is an evil deed to kill the old man. Þorgrímr says it must be done now.
They then ride in to Brautarholt. There was no defence for Andríð being caught in his tracks and led out. Úríður's mistress offered money for her farmer Andríð… Þorgrímr got someone to kill him and he met his death boyishly. After that they hit the road.
Úríðr his wife had Andríð's body placed in a mound on an island that lies off the coast and was buried there, and that island has since been called Andríðsey.
Búi meets Harald Fairhair:
By chapter 12, King Harald Fairhair has now been informed of Búi’s actions by Helgi and Vakur who had taken a ship to Norway. King Harald’s response is that the burning of the temple was an act of desolation. Conveniently, Búi finishes spending the last days of winter in the court of earl Einarr Rögnvaldsson on the Orkneys around this time and takes a ship to Norway to meet King Harald.
Upon Búi’s arrival at King Harald’s court, the king asks Helgi and Vakur if they know the man, and so too does Búi explain the whole truth. In response, King Harald said:
‘I do not despise anyone who comes under my power. I see that I do not profit even if you fight with your equals. But because you did the deed of humiliation that you burned our god, who is worthy of all men to be exalted, I should have had you killed if you had not been in our power. But now you shall save your head with one mission. You shall fetch a game board from my foster-father and bring it to me.’
The verbiage used by King Harald mirrors that of Þorgrímr previously, in that Harald says Búi ‘burned our god…’. This is an interesting implication which suggests that the pre-Christian Norse viewed an idol as being the deity itself or an aspect of a deity that resides within the idol. Moreover, the foster-father of King Harald — King Dofri — was known to be a jǫtunn (giant, anti-god) who fosters princes, teaches them martial and mystical arts, and is closely associated with essential components of kingship: land, the powers of nature, autochthony, magic and learning. It is reported numerously in the saga that King Harald has sent many men on this perilous journey to King Dofri but none have returned.
Búi arrives at Dofrafjall:
Later on in the Kjalnesinga saga, Búi arrives at the estate of King Dofri, the foster-father of Harald Fairhair and a cave-dwelling jǫtunn. Interestingly, this part of the saga features an event in Búi’s life that would come back for him over a decade later.
After knocking on the Dofri’s cave door three times, it breaks, and a young woman stands in front of Búi. The saga explains:
‘…and then a woman entered the door. She was tall for all her growth. She was beautiful in appearance and well-dressed in a red tunic and a silver belt around her. She had cut her hair as is the custom of a virgin. She was big and beautiful. She had a beautiful hand and many gold pieces of jewellery on it and a strong arm, and all of her was artistic to see. She greeted the arrival. He took it well. She asked him his name.’
Búi said to her: ‘What is your name or kin?’
She said: ‘My name is Friðr, daughter of King Dofri, why are you here?’
Búi explains his reasoning and is welcomed warmly. Friðr does not take Búi to King Dofri right away, but spends the night eating at a well-prepared table with silverware. There, Búi talks with Friðr about his quest until the two retire for the night and Friðr informs her father that a ‘little bearded baby’ had arrived to see him.
Búi spends Yule with King Dofri:
The following day, Búi and Friðr enter King Dofri’s hall and the two were greeted warmly with merriment and good hospitality, as the saga details:
‘…then they came to a large room. It was all covered and had straw on the floor. A man was sitting on the upper bench, tall and handsome. He had a long, white beard. This man was well-equipped and everything seemed to Búi that the man was elderly. Each side of the hall was made up of people, and many of them were rather large. Women sat across the room and the best-traveling one sat in the middle. Tables stood all over the room and everything was laid out. Young men also walked around the hall and danced. Fríðr walked before the throne and greeted her father. This bearded man responded well to his daughter.’
The saga continues:
Búi now seemed to know that it would be Dofri. He then walked in front of him and said: ‘Sit healthy King Dofri with a happy court.’
Dofri took his words well and said to his daughter: ‘Is this the bearded child you told me about yesterday?’
‘So it is father.’, said Friðr.
Dofri said: ‘Few people like this come from Mannheimr (‘Man home’) except King Harald my foster-son. He is too far for everyone. What is your mission here?’
Búi said: ‘I have come here to ask you for a Yule stay. I'm a foreigner but I've heard a lot about your fame. Now I thought it was unintelligent not to see such a handsome ruler.’
Dofri says: ‘It suits you well. I want you to join us. You should drink with us for a few days. If we want to talk to you then you should order the inferior things. But in the evenings, you should have fun talking and playing in the living room with my daughter Fríðr, because then you will think my house men are rather playful and welcoming.’
Búi thanked Dofri with beautiful words for the princely invitation and the beautiful decree. He then walked across the floor and Fríðr with him. She asked them to stand up where they were sitting before. And so it was. Then she had beautiful armchairs put under them and they sat down there all day. Dofri asked Búi many things, and he solved them all well. But when evening came, they walked in front of Dofri and greeted him. He wished them well. They then went to Fríðr’s room and stayed there that night. That's how Yule ended.
Following this, only a few days remain before summer. Before leaving, Búi plans to ask King Dofri for the game board asked of him by King Harald. However, Fríðr approaches Búi and says that he has spent so much time here during winter that it would be hard for him to return to Mannheimr, for she is now pregnant with their child.
Búi then spends more time with both King Dofri and Fríðr until summer comes. Before Búi leaves, King Dofri asks his daughter what gifts Búi should take with him as a keepsake and sign that he was given good hospitality. Fríðr sat down on her father’s lap and gently wrapped her arms around his neck and asked that Búi be given the game board that King Harald had asked for, in addition to a gold ring. Dofri says ‘You advise me well, daughter, for I cannot refuse you.’, and so Búi is given the gifts.
Now the time had come for Búi to depart, but before doing so, Fríðr said:
‘Now it has come, Búi, that I told you that I am with our child. I shall now tell you what the order of it shall be: If it is a virgin child, then she shall be here with me, but if it's a boy, I'll send him to you when he is twelve years old. Take him well, but if you don't, you'll be the one to blame…’
Búi fights a troll:
Upon his return to Norway, Búi gives King Harald Fairhair the game board as requested and the king is thoroughly impressed:
‘You are a great man before us, Búi. You have a true secret that you have found Dofri. He never wanted to leave this game board to me. But as valuable as you are, we must see something of your force and deal with our blue man.’
Curiously, Búi was now tasked with dealing with a blámaðr (‘blue man’) which King Harald and his army had taken captive in a field. The term blámenn (‘blue men’) was used by the Norse to describe black (African) men on account of their dark complexion. The colour blue to the Norse was strongly associated with death and the underworld.
Búi had asked: ‘Where is that man, sir, that you intend to take me to?’, to which Harald responded: ‘See where they lead him to the field?’. Búi replied: ‘I don’t think that is a man, I think it’s more like a troll.’ Despite Búi’s reluctance to fight the blámaðr, he is sent out into the field:
‘After that, Búi walked forward to the field, and when the people saw him, many said that it was bad that a troll should eat a man as young as a boy. They then released the blue man. He then ran howling to Búi. And when they met, they grappled very tightly and wrestled. Búi quickly understood that he was very addicted to this kykvendi (‘beast’, ‘living creature’). He then avoided falling, but still stood firm and escaped in many parts of the field. Búi understood that he thought that his bones would break if his clothes did not protect him. Búi understood that the blue man wanted to take him to the cave. But when they had been walking for a while, the blue man got very sick and started to let out in him a shriek as boars do when they walk by, and in that way he fell into a foam. And when Búi found it, he retreated to the cave. The blue man then tightened his grip again and his panic was terrible to hear because he was almost bursting with attack. But when Búi came to the cave so that he hit it with his heels, the blue man insisted that this was what he could do. Búi was startled at the last moment and he ran backwards over a slab, but the blue man's hands became free and he scurried off the prison block. Búi then grabbed the blue man as much as he could. He then hurried to the slab so that his rib cage caught where it was sharpest. Then Búi ran at him with all his might. Then the chest of the blue man fell apart and the next thing he was dead. Many spoke of this as a great feat of endurance. Búi then passed to King Harald.’
This part of the saga concludes with Búi being called a ‘great man’ by King Harald and being given permission to freely leave Norway and return to Iceland. What is interesting here is that Búi referred to the blue man he killed as a ‘troll’. This, along with Búi’s realisation that the man was addicted to his kykvendi (‘beast’, ‘living creature’), is a valuable takeaway regarding the nature of trolls as beings and the mechanism by which they manifest. In this case, the blue man immediately attacked Búi while howling then lets out a scream akin to boars, followed by foaming at the mouth as he dragged Búi towards nearby cave they fell towards, and was almost ‘bursting with attack’. This points towards the theological implication that trolls as beings are generally associated with erratic, dangerous behaviour and are also frequently associated with caves as we see with not just the blue man, but also Búi himself, who was fostered by the troll-woman Esja in a cave.
Búi then returns to Iceland after three years where he suddenly abandons his former betrothal Ólafa the good-natured — the daughter of Kolli who had since given birth to Búi’s daughter in that time — because she was unwillingly kidnapped and raped by a man called Kolfiðr and, in Búi’s words to Kolli: ‘Ólafa shall stay with you now until she finds a new guardianship because I don’t want to love her anymore, since she has been spoiled by Kolfinn.’
Búi meets Jǫkull:
Twelve years after after Búi had returned to Iceland, he is now twenty-four and has a couple of children, a wife, Helga, daughter of his previous enemy Þorgrímr, and a large estate. His quarrel with Þorgrímr the priest was resolved peacefully in the end and Búi received a lot of money from his new wife’s family. One day, a ship arrives in Eyjafjörður with men from Thraën:
‘On that ship was a man named Jǫkull, young and very neat. When Jǫkull came ashore, he bought horses and an entourage. He then rode south across the country and no sooner is his journey told than he arrived at Esjaberg at the end of the day. They stayed there that night because there was food ready for all the people.’
The saga continues:
In the morning, Jǫkull went to talk to Búi and said: ‘So it is with interest that I have a business with you Búi’.
Búi asked who it was.
Jǫkull said: ‘I am told that you are my father, and Friðr is my mother, the daughter of King Dofri.’
Búi says: ‘It is unlikely that you are my son because I hoped that he would be a valid man, but it seems to me that you are unimpressive and weak.’
Jǫkull said: ‘I still don't have many winters behind me. But my mother asked me to tell you that she said she told you that you would be in trouble if you did not accept my kinship well.’
Búi says: ‘I don't care about your stories. They seem insignificant to me. I want to take you prisoner now because you are not our son if there is no power in you.’
Jǫkull said: ‘It is unheard of that I, twelve years old, have to take a fight with you since you killed King Harald's blue man in your capture tactics, so nevertheless you will prevail.’
Then Búi and his son Jǫkull walked east under the mountain to a pool. There were beautiful fields. Then they grappled each other tightly and walked for a long time so that neither fell.
The fight between Búi and his son carries on for some time until Jǫkull manages to pull Búi’s legs from under him, causing him to fall forward and break his skull on a rock. Búi then said to Jǫkull, ‘Your mission here has not turned out well, for you are a mannsefni (‘promising young man’), but now I will be a shameful story.’
Following this, Jǫkull carried Búi home on a red shield where he lived for three nights then died. Jǫkull was sad about his deed and thought it a wrongdoing, so he went south and spent the summer in Eyrarbakki. Helga Þorgrímsdóttir lived with Búi’s other children at Esjaberg near a church that was described as ‘still standing’. Helga had Búi buried with his weapons by the south side of the church wall. The saga concludes:
‘A great family has descended from Búi Andríðsson.’
The troll inside Búi:
Note: The following section will be explored through the lens of a practicing Pagan with the assumption that the reader is also a Pagan or interested in the study of pre-Christian European spirituality.
Búi is referred to as a troll in the saga and his behaviour is called tröllsliga (‘trollish’). This is a significant detail because it gives us a new conception of what a troll is. While trolls are indeed real otherworldly beings and the Kjalnesinga saga doesn’t detract from this fact, the interpretation I share in the following passage is that Búi was a troll due to his upbringing, actions and inner nature, despite outwardly being a human and from the realm of men.
There are reappearing motifs in the outlaw sagas; Gísli saga Súrssonar, Grettis saga Ásmundarsonar and Fóstrbrœða saga for example. The Kjalnesinga saga can be classified as outlaw-adjacent and included in this list of outlaw saga tradition for its motif of the ‘troublemaking outlaw’ archetype that is embodied by Búi Andríðsson.
In Grettis saga, Grettir is described as anti-social and hard to deal with. He becomes infamous for injuring his father, destroying his property and composing shameful poetry about everyone. Similarly, the foster-brothers Þorgeirr and Þormóðr in Fóstrbrœða saga are described as troublemakers in their youth. This mirrors similar behavioural patters seen with Búi in the Kjalnesinga saga.
I.
The first indication that Búi had a trollish nature to him is that of his upbringing. Búi grew up with Esja, his troll foster-mother in cave beneath a mountain and was described as einrænn (‘unsociable’). From the beginning, we see that Búi’s home being that of a cave in addition to his foster-mother being a troll points towards his inner tröllsliga nature. As Rebecca Merkelbach points out: during his youth, Búi mostly relies on Esja for advice and help; his parents hardly play any role at all. When his father is killed, Búi is not much concerned and says that ‘an old tree is expected to fall.’ Moreover, he never makes any attempts at taking vengeance for his father. It was expected in Norse society at this time that a man would avenge his family’s killer. Búi also seems to mostly neglect his mother; for instance, when he returns from Norway, he first goes to see Esja, then her.
II.
The second indication of Búi being a troll comes from his fight with Þorsteinn, where Þorsteinn says that he and his men are ‘dealing with a dog and a troll.’ Búi uses rocks to fend of his attackers which he uses with his slingshot. Here we see a connection between rocks and trolls and their relationship to characters like Búi. Typically, the standard, conventional and socially-acceptable weapons to wield during this time were swords, spears and axes. Búi does not wield any of these as his primary weapon in this scene.
III.
The third indication of Búi’s trollish nature is shown through the murder of Þorsteinn and burning of Þorgrímr’s temple. This part is ultimately self-explanatory, but Búi’s general attitude towards social conventions marked him as peculiar early on in life. He already refused to sacrifice to the Gods, but he took it a step further to commit murder and burn down a site of religious activity. This deed was in response to Þorsteinn outlawing Búi for forestry and wrong religion — bearing in mind that Búi simply did not care that he was outlawed to begin with and continued to show himself in public, which led to the aforementioned fight between the two parties.
IV.
One of the remaining indications of Búi being a troll presents itself at the end of the saga. Búi refuses to acknowledge his twelve year old son, Jǫkull, who Friðr said would be sent to him after twelve years. In response to Jǫkull's willingness to meet his father, Búi rejects him and insists on fighting him to the death because he thinks his appearance is weak. Unfortunately for Búi, his son manages to kill him and it is revealed that Búi regrets this for he realised that Jǫkull would have been a promising young man.
The troll within us:
Ultimately, the Kjalnesinga saga with Búi Andríðsson as its main character is one of the most intriguing sagas that could have separate articles written devoted to different aspects of its content entirely. One takeaway we learn from this is that one’s actions — in this case, Búi — living in a cave, being raised by a troll-woman, refusing to sacrifice to the Gods, using unconventional weapons, abandoning Friðr and behaving in an overall anti-social manner reveals his inner troll nature.
We often think of trolls today as ugly hulking hermits that dwell under bridges and demand a toll for travellers to pass, and there is some truth behind that, but the source literature of our tradition reveals that we ourselves can become troll-like by the actions we take. By being anti-social, unconventional, filled with disdain and a general lack of care, we become those beings to the world around us. Through your own actions you can ascend or descend on a spiritual level depending on your overall (spiritual) goals in life, and, live in accordance with your inner nature.
In Humans, Trolls and Hel II, we will delve into another cave of mysterious lore as we explore the hidden knowledge contained within Jǫkuls þáttr Búasonar, the tale of Búi’s son, Jǫkull, with his journey to Greenland and his encounters with otherworldly beings.