Freyr, a Horse, and an Oath
- Aug 15
- 3 min read
This my very loose retelling of Hrafnkels Saga.
A young man, named Hrafnkel, arrives in Iceland in the year 900 with his father. They are one of the first settlers. He is full of ambition and excitement for the possibilities of this new land, so his father gives permission to Hrafnkel to stake out on his own and build his own settlement. He names his farm stead, Aðalból, which means “Noble-Home.” He builds a large temple to his favorite god, Freyr. He holds lavish ceremonies honouring Freyr. He goes so far as to dedicate his favorite horse, Freyfaxi, to the god. Hrafnkel swears an oath that no one shall ride Freyfaxi, beside himself or Freyr. Anyone else who dares will be put to death.
As Hrafnkel becomes a chieftain, while he is good to his own men, he soon builds a reputation of being a bully and unfair to those outside his circle.
A young man named Einar comes to him for employment. He is given the job of shepherd to 50 ewes. Hrafnkel tells Einar about the horse Freyfaxi, the consequence of riding him, and even makes sure he knows that there are 12 other horses that can be ridden if the need arises. Things go well for Einar until Miðsumar, when 30 ewes go missing. He searches the hills for them for over a week without finding anything. One morning, he gets up early and, in an attempt, to cover more ground searching, decides to saddle a horse. As he approaches the horses, they all run from him except Freyfaxi. He decides that Hrafnkel will not find out if he rides Freyfaxi for this important task. He ends up riding Freyfaxi from early morning to nighttime. Just as he is about to give up the search and head back home, he finds the missing ewes and is able to drive them back home. Freyfaxi is covered in sweat, mud, and is completely exhausted. The horse begins to neigh loudly, runs away from Einar and right to where Hrafnkel is sitting. Hrafnkel knows.
In the morning, he goes to the stable with nothing but his ax in hand. Einar admits what he had done to Freyfaxi. Hrafnkel leaps off his horse and deals Einar a death blow to uphold his oath. Einar's father, Þorbjörn, is devastated by the death of his son and demands a weregild (compensation to a man's family for death or dismemberment by the person guilty of it) from Hrafnkel. Hrafnkel declares that he has never paid a weregild but believes that he should in this case because it wears on his heart. He makes Þorbjörn a very generous lifelong offer and Þorbjörn refuses. Þorbjörn eventually brings others to his side to bring a lawsuit against Hrafnkel and wins. Hrafnkel is removed from his lands, has his fortune taken from him, his temples are burned to the ground, and even poor Freyfaxi is driven off a cliff by Hrafnkel's enemies. Hrafnkel's faith in the Gods is shaken.
Many these days would hear this story and wonder why Hrafnkel stuck so stubbornly to his oath that cost him so dearly… It would have been so easy to overlook Einar’s offence and move forward. Hrafnkel truly believed that no good comes to those who break solemn oaths, no matter the consequences of keeping it. He also could have dedicated Freyfaxi to Freyr without making the oath. As with many people, he got caught up in the moment of showing his pure dedication to Freyr by loudly declaring this oath without thinking it through.
What can we take away from this saga? Think your words through before you say them. Oaths are solemn long after they are said and should be treated that way. Even keeping an oath comes with consequences but the long-term implications are important for victory of the folk as a whole.
Gyðja Sara Ault
~ From The Runestone, August 2026 ~
