Iceland. Njal went against Icelandic custom of avenging one’s kin. Instead, he adopted a new Christian principle of absolution, accepting insult and assault by his enemies. He proclaimed before he laid down to die, “Bear this bravely and don’t express any fear for its only a brief storm... Have faith that God is merciful, and that he will not let us burn both in this world and in the next” (Cook 220). Njal trusted in God that his martyrdom was for the good all people and would end the blood feud
Beowulf and Grettir's Saga IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT, someone or something, is murdering the local townsfolk. As fate provides, a stranger marches into the local bar announcing his intention to kill the menacing outlaw. The fiend returns to the scene of his crimes, and, as predicted, the outsider fights and mortally wounds the brute, which limps off to a hidden lair. The hero and his comrade(s) track the wounded villain to an underwater cave and the ensuing fray results in the death of the criminal's