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LITERARY INFLUENCE 73
Such slaves were not always people of humble origin.
Gilli (Ir. Giolla), the slave who killed Thorsteinn, son of
Hallr 1
of Side, was a descendant of Cearbhall, king of Ossory.
Mention is made elsewhere of Nithbjorg, daughter of the
Irish king Biolan (Ir. Beollan) who was carried off from
Ireland in a Viking raid ;
2
also of Melkorka, King
Myrkjartan’s daughter, who was bought from a slave
dealer in Norway.
8
Icelandic custom did not necessarily
prevent the children of slave women from becoming persons
of wealth and influence ; indeed Osvifr, son of Nithbjorg
and Olaf Pai, son of Melkorka, were among the leading
men in Iceland in their time. It is not unreasonable, then,
to suppose that by the end of the tenth century Irish blood
had found its way into a large number of Icelandic families.
Lastly we may observe that the Irish and Icelandic
sagas bear certain resemblances to one another which are
at least worthy of attention. In both cases the narrative
prose is frequently interspersed with poetry, and in both
the use of dialogue is a prominent feature. Nor is the subject
matter dissimilar. Indeed it is possible to apply to the Irish
stories a classification roughly similar to that which is
adopted for the more important of the Icelandic sagas.*
As far as the
"
stories of the kings
"
are concerned, the
resemblance is most striking in the case of sagas relating
to early times such as Ynglinga Saga. There are Irish
stories, too, corresponding to a certain extent to the
Islendinga Sogur, though they are comparatively few in
1 "
This Gilli was the son of jathguth, who was the son of Gilli,
son of Bjathach (Ir. Blathach), son of King Kjarval of Ireland."
(Thorsten’s Saga Sithu Hallssonar, appendix.
’
Draumr Thorsteins
Siduhalssonar, Asmundarson’s Ed., pp. 26, 27.
*Landndmab6k, II., ch. n.
3 Cf.
p. ante.
4
Cf.
p. 66, ante.
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