Burial Rites

Chapter 12 opens with Agnes and Fridrik arriving at Natan’s home, but he’s not there, having left to visit a sick friend. Sigga refuses to say whether or not he touched her again, and tells Fridrik that Natan had been looking for more compensation for Sigga. He then decided he wouldn’t let Sigga marry Fridrik and that he would marry her instead. The trio began making their plan to escape. Agnes would accompany Sigga back to the village, while Fridrik knew of someone who might take Agnes on as a housekeeper. They didn’t see Natan and Petur approaching the farm, and Natan was enraged to see Agnes again, ordering her out. Agnes slept in the cowshed that night, and was woken by Fridrik, who made advances on her. She ignored him and went back to sleep. She woke up in the middle of the night and tried to find him, but only saw Sigga huddled up against the wall, terrified. When she found Fridrik, he was standing over Natan’s prone body while holding a bloody hammer. Petur was lying on the floor dead, while Natan was close to death from a head wound as well. She screamed, and Natan woke up, calling her name.