Chapter 6 (pp 139-157)

Rather unusually, this chapter begins with a long list of belongings in the form of an index. The list has been compiled by the clerks at the law officers who have been commissioned by Blondal to take inventory of the few possessions of Agnes and Sigga at the time they were arrested at Illugastadir. Their belongings are meagre and all assets are practical. By extension, these lists show how utterly dependant both women were on Natan which explains why neither ran away from his farm prior to the murders; neither owns enough to even cover the price of their incarceration.

For the first time, in the confines of the badstofa, Agnes tells the story of her foster mother’s death to someone other than just Toti. Margret and the girls listen in as she recalls that the weather prevented Bjorn from getting help and, as such, Inga’s premature labour ends in her death. Agnes is haunted by the ‘low, awful language’ (p147) made as Inga laboured into the night and she felt helpless to stop it. Eventually, Inga and the child perish and their bodies, unable to be buried because the ground was frozen, lay ‘like butchered meat, drying in the stale air’ (p157) in the storeroom. Agnes is anguished with the guilt of being handed the newborn bundle and, being unable to keep it warm, it dies in her arms and her bereft step-father Bjorn delivers a prophecy that Agnes may well die one day as he chillingly dismisses the young girl’s torment.

This chapter confirms that literally everything is contingent upon the weather and it is a fact that residents accept with little complaint. Although beautiful and the source of most Icelandic families’ sustenance, it is simultaneously dangerous and deceptive.

Chapter 6 Quotes

‘He didn’t like me reading or writing either, and was not adverse to whipping the learning out of me if he caught me at it.’ (Agnes, about her step-father Bjorn) Chapter 6

I can feel others listening. I can feel Steina and Margret and Kristin and Lauga stretching their ears towards us in the shadowy corner, eating up this story like fresh butter and bread. (Agnes) Chapter 6

‘… Reverend, do you think that I here because when I was a child I said I wanted to die? Because, when I said it, I meant it. I pronounced it like a prayer. I hope I die. Did I author my own fate, then?’ (Agnes) Chapter 6

It seems everyone I love is taken from me and buried in the ground, while I remain alone. (Agnes) Chapter 6

Chapter 7 (pp 159–195)

The chapter begins with a small letter from Reverend Tomasson detailing Fridrick’s date of birth and his observations regarding his upbringing, including the conclusion of his ‘blatant disobedience’ (p159) and a concern that he was raised with too much freedom. The second is a request to Toti; having just received contact from Fridrick’s spiritual advisor, Blondal requests a meeting with Toti to receive an update on his progress with Agnes.

The regalia that Blondal is attired in serves as testimony to his position over Toti. His residency as Hvammur is affluent and it is used in dichotomy to the humble shelter of the decrepit farmhouse at Kornsa. Once they conclude with the formalities, Blondal espouses the true story of the Illugastadir murders and confesses that he believes ‘it was a cold blooded attack on two defenceless men’ (p167) in the dead of night. Toti holds his own, positing a more effective way of supporting Agnes through her remaining few months before execution. His suggestion of withholding the ‘religious rebuke’ (p165) in favour of ‘the gentle and enquiring tones of a friend’ (p166) irritates Blondal and causes him to chastise the young minister with the luxury of knowledge. The details of the case have only been known to Blondal and a few select others from the court hearing and Blondal reminds Toti consistently throughout their meeting that the young minister is only half-informed of the details and, as such, Blondal reminds Toti that Agnes has contrived the story merely to ‘prick your [his] sympathy’ (p170) and manipulate him.

Upon his departure, Blondal’s young maid Karitas relays her unique knowledge of Natan and is refreshingly sympathetic toward Agnes. The ease with which she defends the ‘blacked[ening] of her [Agnes’s] name’ (p175) gives Toti relief that his initial observations of her were not as clear cut as Blondal purported.

As harvest time arrives, Agnes’ presence continues to be a disturbance; Lauga and Steina are sent away to the harvest festival for what Agnes believes to be a ‘reprieve from my [her] presence’ (p180) and Margret’s fellows convene, their disgust at finding Agnes still as acute as ever.

It is in this chapter that Agnes begins to let down her guard and speak with Toti about her time with Natan, including her attraction to him. All at once, Agnes recalls the attraction as being ‘the drop of a match’ (p195), a simultaneous ignition of desire and danger. In place of courting Agnes, Natan bewitched her and took advantage of her vulnerabilities –
Natan: ‘Do you know what it means, to have a hollow palm? It means there is something secretive about us. This empty space can be filled with bad luck if we’re not careful. If we expose the hollow to the world and all its darkness, all its misfortune.’
Agness: ‘But how can one help the shape of one’s hand?’ I was laughing.
Natan: ‘By covering it with another’s, Agnes.’

Chapter 7 Quotes

Toti sat up straighter in his chair. ‘It’s become apparent to me that the condemned requires means other than religious rebuke to acquaint herself with death and prepare for her meeting with the Lord.’ (Toti to Blondal) Chapter 7

‘Assistant Reverend Thorvadur. You might be forgiven for thinking that friendship will direct this murderess to the way of truth and repentance, You are young and inexperienced. I bear some blame for this.’ (Blondal as he reminds Toti of his obligation to Agnes) Chapter 7

Blondal shook his head. ‘The maid of sixteen who burst into tears as soon as I summoned her? Sigga didn’t even attempt to lie – she is too simple-minded, too young to know how. She told me everything. How Agnes hated Natan, how Agnes was jealous of his attentions to her. Sigga is not bright, but she saw that much? (Blondal to Toti) Chapter 7

Blondal sighed and leaned back in his chair. ‘I’ve never known tongues to wag faster than they do in this valley.’ Chapter 7

It was a surprise to suddenly realise that the girls were gone: I suppose I have grown used to Lauga’s rolling eyes, like some disgruntled calf, and Steina following me like a shadow. (Agnes) Chapter 7

Chapter 8 (pp 197-222)

Poet Rosa’s poem at the beginning of this chapter condemns Natan for his behaviour, and serves as a warning to the ‘traitor, look at your misfortune…’ (p197).

At the beginning of the chapter, we are reminded of Margret’s illness as her lungs are ‘mossy with mucus’ (p198) and that her death is as inevitable as Agnes’. As autumn falls, news arrives that Roslin’s baby is ‘wayward’ (p 199); Agnes’ instincts set in and she expertly administers care which allows the baby to arrive safely. Agnes refuses to cradle the baby, unwilling to condemn it to an early grave, serving as a testament to the distorted memories of her childhood where she held her step mother Inga’s newborn child and it perished. Margret recognises this inclination and her sympathy for the young woman deepens. As the women begin to discuss the household like ‘mistress and servant’ (p201), the only reminder that Agnes is a criminal is Lauga’s caustic comments and Toti’s regular visits of consultation.

Agnes draws an analogy between slaughter time at the farm and her circumstances, feeling the urgency of winter ‘nipping at your heels, reminding you that winter is coming’ (p202) and that her fate is inevitable. She likens herself to the lambs waiting for slaughter; the ‘dumb animals’ (p203) in the killing pen. Ironically, the animals are beheaded and she envies how quickly their death arrives for them. Kent reminds us of the Icelandic subsistence lifestyle as she spends time explaining the intricacies of how every piece of the animal is made use of: the offal is hung and dried out, the innards are boiled and rolled into fat sausages, the fat and kidneys are fried for an immediate meal, the flesh is salted and packed tightly into drums for preservation, the bones and head are boiled down into a stock mixture and the wool and skin is set aside for clothing and blankets. The routine of the tasks allow all the women to work together, united by the urgency to prepare for what promises to be another vicious winter, but one that Agnes will not live to see. Agnes relishes the opportunity to work with her hands once more – ‘this is my life as it used to be: up to my elbows in the guts of things… I can forget who I am’ (p204). When the stench of innards and the bloom of burning flesh gets too much for her and she steps out of the badstofa, Margret and Agnes’ relationship intensifies as, in place of berating her, Margret offers her a hand up and the two share resignation of their shared fate.

In the same way, Toti develops a bond with Agnes which he fears he will never be able to break. He wrestles with the emotional upheaval he feels as he listens to Agnes admit her profound infatuation with Natan. Toti is confused by this duality; his ‘throat felt tight and painful’ (p218) whilst she spoke of Natan.

As the family work in the badstofa, coupled together for practicality and warmth, Agnes’ story is heard by more than just Toti and she admits to not liking Petur very much. She explains that ‘he had a habit of laughing when there was nothing to laugh at’ (p213) which unnerved her, and often told people of his brutal dreams which made many ‘uneasy’ (p213). He was infamous for killing livestock, slitting the throats of over thirty sheep for entertainment.

Chapter 8 Quotes

She was too used to having Agnes’ presence on the farm. Perhaps it was the usefulness of an extra pair of hands about the place. Having another woman’s help had already eased the pain in his back, and her cough did not seem to interrupt her breath as frequently as it had done. She avoided thinking about what would happen when the day of execution was announced. (Margret) Chapter 8

Have they kept me amongst their number of mouths to feed? I fight an impulse to offer myself up to Jon and his knife. Why not kill me here, now, on an unremarkable day? It is the waiting that cripples. (Agnes) Chapter 8

‘You don’t see it, but we’re all marked now. And it does us no favours that they see us talking to her, giving her plenty to eat. We’ll never be married.’ (Lauga and Steina) Chapter 8

Despite the weather, Toti was reluctant to stay at home with his father. He felt that some invisible membrane between Agnes and him had been broken. She had begun, finally, to speak of Natan, and the thought that she might draw him closer still, might trust him enough to speak of what had happened at Illugastadir, set something quickening in him. Chapter 8

Chapter 9 (pp 223–242)

A short poem from an anonymous author prefaces this chapter. Upon arriving at Illugastadir, Agnes meets Sigga whose ‘very red lips’ and ‘fair…tangled’ (p225) hair puzzles her. Her age befuddles Agnes, and she surmises that she may be Natan’s daughter.

Toti’s interest in Agnes’ description of Illugastadir causes her to give an account of the place with little reservation; situated at the base of the mountain, near the sea, it had an untamed appeal to it which at first drew Agnes in, but after a time she began to consider it a prison and that after a ‘year or so… [she became] trapped upon that corner of God’s earth’ (p227). Natan’s workshop remained the unpenetrated place that the girls stayed clear of, symbolic of the mysterious man that employed them both in his home for mere sport. Although he offered luxuries that the girls were not used to, a surplus of ground coffee and seal-skin shoes if they so desired, it is a transient situation that threatens to boil over. Agnes soon comes to learn that she has not liberated herself at all, but she has allowed yet another man to gain control over her. Geographically, she is isolated and has little contact with anyone other than those on the farm. Much like her time at Kornsa, her stay begins well with Natan teaching her a little of his craft with herbs and healing, and they take one another as lovers, satiating a fiery lust that at times both fulfils and frightens Agnes. Yet Natan’s mercurial nature is soon revealed and Kent uses his method of fox-catching (to break the front paws of the cubs in order to lure the distraught parents out by their anguished cries) to set him up as someone not to be trifled with.

When Reverend Petur Bjarnson from Undirfell arrives at the Kornsa house, Agnes surprises everybody by announcing herself as ‘Agnes Jonsdottir’ (p230). It is later revealed that her intention was to announce herself as Jon Bjarnason’s daughter, and not a daughter of the Kornsa residence, but it seems only Toti understands the statement Agnes hopes to make by announcing her true birthright. As an aside, this causes Agnes to begin reflecting on what her life might have amounted to had she been the third daughter of Margret and Jon – her wistful speculation highlights the way her life has been shaped by circumstances beyond her control. The minister announces that it’s his intention to enter all the inhabitants in the soul register at the Undirfell parish. For this he must ascertain their reading level and questions each member individually. His observations of Agnes are innocent enough but his final report of her is, as Toti’s initial impressions were, tainted by Blondal’s assertion that she is ‘unpredictable’ (p232).

Chapter 9 Quotes

‘I remember thinking it was a strange place to build a workshop, away from the croft and surrounded by water, but Natan planned it thus. Even the window of the cottage looked inland, rather than out to sea, because Natan wanted to observe who might be travelling along the mountain. He had some enemies.’ (Agnes) Chapter 9

‘She told me that with a wild sort of giggle, and I remember thinking her as daft as Natan had told me she was.’ (Agnes, about Sigga) Chapter 9

‘Very well-spoken. Educated, I should think. Surprising, considering her illegitimacy. Well brought up. But when I spoke to the District Officer, he said her behaviour was… Unpredictable. He mentioned hysterics.’ (Reverend Petur Bjarnason to Toti, regarding Agnes) Chapter 9

Agnes Jonsdottir. She sounds like the woman I should have been… She could even have been the sister of Sigurlaug and Steinvor Jonsdottir. Margret’s daughter. Born blessed under a marriage. Born into a family that would not be ripped apart by poverty. (Agnes) Chapter 9

Chapter 10 (pp 243-265)

The finality of Agnes’ countdown haunts her and the small enjoyments of the ‘ordinariness of days at the farm’ (p247) have turned sour as she serves her sentence, convinced that Blondal means to ‘cripple me [her] with waiting before stretching my [her] neck out’ (p247). All that she once believed was useful, such as winding wool and taking stock for next year’s winter, has become futile and what she considers ‘idle’ (p248). This is exacerbated by Toti’s absence; the young Reverend has fallen ill and is unable to deliver word to the Jonsson family to notify them. Typically, Agnes’ first thoughts are that he’s abandoned her and continues her narrative to an imaginary audience.

A statement concerning Poet-Rosa’s evidence in the trial prefaces this chapter; Rosa releases Agnes and Sigga from accusation on her part as she stated there was ‘nothing unusual’ (p243) about either of them. Her even-handedness at her testimony is unexpected given her previous declaration that Agnes and her were ‘on a battleground’ (p249) and the tension that arose when Rosa insisted their child Thoranna was to stay at the farm. Their competiveness is short-lived as Rosa disappears and the relationship between Natan and Agnes begins to disintegrate further. Natan’s jealousy becomes simply too overwhelming for Agnes. Her most painful discovery that she is one in a long line of Natan’s conquests still stings her and she develops a bitterness that Toti is not present to hear her recollect her pain and the dreadful conundrum she found herself in at Illugastadir. The elusive farmhand Daniel also turns sour as his love for Agnes remains unrequited and he warns her that her affair with Natan is fleeting. As time moves on, Agnes finds it impossible to balance the two roles, one moment Natan’s lover and the next, his work maid with his ‘cool commands… like reprimands…’ (p256). The toxic brew of jealousy, deception and manipulation is precipitated by Natan’s fury and superstition, which seems to grow with each passing day and frightens Agnes who feels as though she can no longer keep him tamed. When he accuses her of thieving things from his workshop, Agnes realises she must leave the Illugastadir farm but accepts that her circumstances shackle her; as a sullied woman who has been living unmarried with a man like Natan, there are few that would give her work should she leave.

Chapter 10 Quotes

… Perhaps he [Toti] has had enough of my stories; perhaps I have said something and he is now convinced I am guilty, and that I must be abandoned and punished. I am too godless. (Agnes when Toti ceases his visits) Chapter 10

I hated the way my mind would turn to Natan throughout the day, until I was sick with the pattern of my thoughts. I hated the nausea that came at the suggestion he did not care for me. (Agnes) Chapter 10

‘Don’t be fooled. Just because you play at being a wife, does not make you a married woman, Agnes.’ (Daniel to Agnes) Chapter 10