Clankenbeard said:
I guess I have little choice now but to read Njal's Saga and verify the truth of this statement. I never imagined that the Escapist would have introduced me to Iceland's greatest blood fued saga.
Njáls saga starts slow but don't give up on it.
It has some of the best humor and violence in all of medieval literature.
"Now when they were come near to the house they knew not whether Gunnar were at home, and bade that some one would go straight up to the house and see if he could find out. But the rest sat them down on the ground.
Thorgrim the Easterling went and began to climb up on the hall; Gunnar sees that a red kirtle passed before the windowslit, and thrusts out the bill, and smote him on the middle. Thorgrim's feet slipped from under him, and he dropped his shield, and down he toppled from the roof.
Then he goes to Gizur and his band as they sat on the ground.
Gizur looked at him and said, "Well, is Gunnar at home?
"Find that out for yourselves," said Thorgrim; "but this I am sure of, that his bill is at home," and with that he fell down dead."
Translated by George Webbe Dasent [1861]
The entire saga can be found at Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17919
Egils saga is even better!