Translator’s note: Kalf Arneson (var.: Kalb or Kalv - 995 – 1051) was instrumental in the history of the Norse kings as both friend and foe. The death blow that killed St. Olav (Olav Haraldson) in 1030 is attributed to Kalf, who is later exiled from Norway by King Magnus the Good but then repatriated by King Harald Hardrade (Harold Sigurdsson, brother of St. Olaf). Kalf died in a battle in Denmark where he was sent by King Harald – thought to be an act of revenge by the king. Inasmuch as Kalf died before Saemund the Wise was born there is little likelihood of Kalf having consorted with Saemund, or even of having lived in Iceland. How the tale of their relationship came to be is a question yet to be resolved, if ever.
It is told that Kalf Arneson committed himself to the devil while he was at the Black School. Once he had returned to Iceland, he had no greater wish than to be released from this promise, but what he should do to accomplish this he had no idea.
Finally, he sought an answer by visiting Saemund the Wise to ask for his advice for escaping the situation. Saemund advised him to get a steer calf and to name it Arne. He should then take another calf bred from the first steer, raise it and name it Kalf and so “… it would be Kalf Arneson.”
Kalf followed the advice that Saemund had given him. After some time the devil came to, as he said, take Kalf Arneson. Kalf told the devil that there was nothing to prevent him doing so and then got the calf that he had raised from the first steer. He gave it to the devil with the words, “Here is Kalf Arneson.”
The devil was unable to object, and although to his mind it was a poor fulfillment of Kalf’s promise, he had to put a good face on a bad game and let Kalf Arneson go free and die after reaching an honorable old age.
Another time, Kalf Arneson wanted to visit Saemund the Wise in Odda. He told his people that he would try to appear completely unexpected to surprise Saemund. Nothing more is told of Kalf’s trip until he arrived at Odda at night and knocked very quietly on Saemund’s door.
Saemund heard the knock and ordered one of his houseboys to answer it to see who the visitor was. The boy went outside but found no one there. So he returned inside and said that no one stood outside.
A knock came a second time, and Saemund ordered another houseboy to go to the door. The boy obeyed, and as he could see no one outside he went around the whole house but saw no one. So unsuccessful, he returned inside again and said that he had seen no one outside.
There came a third time a knock at the door. This time, Saemund sprang up, saying that he would certainly be the one who wished to speak with the visitor. So he went out and saw his comrade Kalf Arneson standing outside and the two offered friendly greetings to each other.
Kalf asked for a place to spend the night, and he naturally wasn’t refused as one well may imagine. He also asked Saemund to hobble (22) his horse, so Saemund began searching for a hobble. Kalf said that is actually a shame to ask Saemund to hobble his horse but he believed that he must ask him to do so.
Saemund said that he would certainly do so and went about it right away. But after some time had passed, he was still having trouble. Kalf acted surprised how long it took to hobble a horse and so asked Saemund if he knew how to do it.
Saemund replied that of course he knew how, but that he couldn’t find any legs under the horse. Kalf said that they stuck out of the horse’s stomach underneath, just as for any other horse. Saemund replied that this may be, but that this horse had no legs, or at least he couldn’t find any.
A good amount of time passed while Saemund continued to search for the horse’s legs until finally he gave up this task so that no one knows if he hobbled the horse or not.
At any rate, Saemund invited Kalf to come inside, who accepted the invitation gladly. Saemund led the way with a candle and then waited at the end of the hallway for Kalf. But Kalf was still delayed outside.
After some time had passed, Saemund’s wife came out and asked him who had arrived. Saemund told her. She then asked him if he had offered the guest to come inside, and Saemund replied that he had long since done so. She wanted to go outside herself and again invite Kalf to come into the house, but Saemund would not have it; he would soon come in, he said.
Again a good bit of time went by, and then Kalf finally came inside, totally out of breath. He asked Saemund’s wife to bring him a large drink. “Do you need much to drink?” asked Saemund. Kalf answered, “It could easily happen that others besides me must drink before the evening has passed.”
They led Kalf into the parlor, served him something to eat and a knife for dining. But when he tried to cut with the knife, it was very dull. Saemund asked him if the knife wasn’t sharp, and Kalf replied that it wasn’t. Saemund’s wife said that it was not her intention to provide him with one of her poorest knives, and that this knife must be sharp.
Saemund asked for the knife, intending to whet it. Kalf gave him the knife. When Saemund had finished whetting the knife he gave it back to Kalf and said that Kalf should be cautious with it because he believed that it was quite sharp enough. Kalf replied that he was not afraid. But as he went to cut the first piece, the knife cut through the board and table and deep into his thigh.
Saemund said that he had implored him to be careful, that the knife was very sharp. Kalf replied that the wound was not deadly, and he then bandaged it.
In those days it was the custom to read a table prayer both before and after the meal. While Kalf read the table prayer after his meal, Saemund suddenly fell from his chair as though dead. Kalf ordered that he immediately be doused with water. With this, Saemund recovered and when Kalf suggested that he drink some water he did so immediately.
Kalf then said, “Didn’t I say that someone other than I would have to drink something this evening when I asked for a large drink after I had searched for the door until I was tired?" They then stopped the teasing, and chatted together over which of them was the cleverest.
Later, Kalf would tell that Saemund learned more at the Black School than he and so could do more than Kalf.
22. Translator’s note: To hobble is to bind either the horse’s forelegs or hind legs together to allow the some movement for grazing, etc., but to prevent galloping, and is sometimes done in place of tethering by the bridle.
Kalf once had a serious and dangerous sickness. The devil came to him where he was staying and told him that he intended to be present if he died and by previous agreement with Kalf, would take his soul.
Kalf replied that this time he would probably not die. Nonetheless, he asked the devil to get a priest who was not a mercenary and not to be in a hurry because, so he said, his condition would last for a while.
At this, the devil became quiet and thought that it would not be an easy task to find such a man. Kalf replied that the devil would not have him, Kalf, if the devil could not bring such a priest and so their agreement would be invalid.
The devil then left and was gone some time. He looked carefully but found no priest who was not also mercenary. With much trouble and after a long search, however, he brought a priest to Kalf whom he said he had found far away in a foreign land. Although this priest was not without greed, there was only one priest living in Germany who was reputed to not be a mercenary but that the devil was unable to approach him because of the glowing fires that surrounded him.
Kalf said that he wanted nothing to do with the priest that the devil had brought him as he was not fully without greed and so the devil had no claim of payment.
When Kalf had reached a very old age, he became very ill, and knew ahead of time that this sickness would be his death. So he asked everyone in his house to leave the farm, and to close the room door but to leave the key in the door lock.
He also told them to return after a specific time, but not to bother if they found that various things on the farm in disorder and disarray, but if everything in his bedroom still is as before then they should bury him with full honors. But if they find anything in his room destroyed or broken then they should bury his body anywhere just as any other.
Kalf had a foster son named Arne whom he loved dearly. He did not want to leave the farm with the others and so hid behind the farm wall when the others left. After a short time, Arne saw the devil coming. First, he went around the whole farm wall and then into the yard where for some time he jumped and sprang around. Finally, the devil went inside the house where he again sprang and jumped, causing much damage.
After some time passed, Arne sneaked into the house, opened the door to the room where his foster father Kalf was lying. Kalf lay dead, but everything in the room was where it had stood earlier; Arne saw nothing of the devil.
Kalf Arneson was buried in the churchyard with all honors, just as he had requested.