“In Ireland, the tribes are called after the founder, as the Hy Conaill, Hy Fiach…” — Sabine Baring-Gould

According to Celtic law, all sons equally divided the inheritance and principalities of their father.

About two hundred or two hundred and fifty years after the death of Grettir, his history was committed to writing, and then it became fixed - nothing further was added to it, and we have his story after having travelled down over two hundred years as a tradition.

In winter, the Icelanders told the tales of the brave men of old in their families, and so the tradition was handed on from father to son, the same stories told every winter, till all the particulars became well known.

I went to Iceland in 1861 and went over nearly every bit of the ground made famous by the adventures of Grettir.