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| author | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:16:34 -0700 |
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| committer | Roger Frank <rfrank@pglaf.org> | 2025-10-15 05:16:34 -0700 |
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diff --git a/1150-h/1150-h.htm b/1150-h/1150-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..2bbf6da --- /dev/null +++ b/1150-h/1150-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,15896 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Danish History, by Saxo Grammaticus + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1150 ***</div> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE DANISH HISTORY, + </h1> + <h1> + BOOKS I-IX + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h3> + by + </h3> + <h2> + Saxo Grammaticus + </h2> + <h4> + ("Saxo the Learned") fl. Late 12th - Early 13th Century A.D. + </h4> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + PREPARER'S NOTE: + + Originally written in Latin in the early years of the 13th + Century A.D. by the Danish historian Saxo, of whom little is + known except his name. + + The text of this edition is based on that published as + "The Nine Books of the Danish History of Saxo Grammaticus", + translated by Oliver Elton (Norroena Society, New York, 1905). + This edition is in the PUBLIC DOMAIN in the United States. + + This electronic edition was edited, proofed, and prepared by + Douglas B. Killings. + + The preparer would like to thank Mr. James W. Marchand and Mr. + Jessie D. Hurlbut for their invaluable assistance in the + production of this electronic text. Thank you. I am indebted to + you both. + + Although Saxo wrote 16 books of his "Danish History", only the + first nine were ever translated by Mr. Oliver Elton; it is these + nine books that are here included. As far as the preparer knows, + there is (unfortunately) no public domain English translation of + Books X-XVI. Those interested in the latter books should search + for the translation mentioned below. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <blockquote> + <p class="toc"> + <big><b>CONTENTS</b></big> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY: </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_INTR"> <big><b>INTRODUCTION.</b></big> </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> SAXO'S POSITION. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> LIFE OF SAXO. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> THE HISTORY. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> HISTORY OF THE WORK. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> THE MSS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0008"> SAXO AS A WRITER. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0009"> FOLK LORE INDEX. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0010"> POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0011"> CUSTOMARY LAW. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0012"> STATUTE LAWS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0013"> WAR. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0014"> SOCIAL LIFE AND MANNERS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0015"> SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0016"> FUNERAL RITES AND MAN'S FUTURE STATE. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0017"> MAGIC AND FOLK-SCIENCE. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0018"> FOLK-TALES. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0019"> SAXO'S MYTHOLOGY. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0020"> <big><b>THE DANISH HISTORY <br /> OF + SAXO GRAMMATICUS.</b></big> </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_PREF"> PREFACE. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0022"> BOOK ONE. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0023"> BOOK TWO </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> +</p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#book3"> BOOK THREE </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0024"> BOOK FOUR. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0025"> BOOK FIVE. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0026"> BOOK EIGHT. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0027"> BOOK NINE. </a> + </p> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + </blockquote> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY: + </h2> + <h3> + ORIGINAL TEXT— + </h3> + <p> + Olrik, J and Raeder (Ed.): "Saxo Grammaticus: Gesta Danorum" (Copenhagen, + 1931). + </p> + <p> + Dansk Nationallitteraert Arkiv: "Saxo Grammaticus: Gesta Danorum" (DNA, + Copenhagen, 1996). Web-based Latin edition of Saxo, substantiallly based + on the above edition; currently at the + </p> + <p> + OTHER TRANSLATIONS— + </p> + <p> + Fisher, Peter (Trans.) and Hilda Ellis Davidson (Ed.): "Saxo Grammaticus: + History of the Danes" (Brewer, Cambridge, 1979). + </p> + <p> + RECOMMENDED READING— + </p> + <p> + Jones, Gwyn: "History of the Vikings" (Oxford University Press, Oxford, + 1968, 1973, 1984). + </p> + <p> + Sturlson, Snorri: "The Heimskringla" (Translation: Samual Laing, London, + 1844; released as Online Medieval and Classical Library E-text #15, 1996). + Web version at the following URL: + http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/OMACL/Heimskringla/ + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_INTR" id="link2H_INTR"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + INTRODUCTION. + </h2> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SAXO'S POSITION. + </h2> + <p> + Saxo Grammaticus, or "The Lettered", one of the notable historians of the + Middle Ages, may fairly be called not only the earliest chronicler of + Denmark, but her earliest writer. In the latter half of the twelfth + century, when Iceland was in the flush of literary production, Denmark + lingered behind. No literature in her vernacular, save a few Runic + inscriptions, has survived. Monkish annals, devotional works, and lives + were written in Latin; but the chronicle of Roskild, the necrology of + Lund, the register of gifts to the cloister of Sora, are not literature. + Neither are the half-mythological genealogies of kings; and besides, the + mass of these, though doubtless based on older verses that are lost, are + not proved to be, as they stand, prior to Saxo. One man only, Saxo's elder + contemporary, Sueno Aggonis, or Sweyn (Svend) Aageson, who wrote about + 1185, shares or anticipates the credit of attempting a connected record. + His brief draft of annals is written in rough mediocre Latin. It names but + a few of the kings recorded by Saxo, and tells little that Saxo does not. + Yet there is a certain link between the two writers. Sweyn speaks of Saxo + with respect; he not obscurely leaves him the task of filling up his + omissions. Both writers, servants of the brilliant Bishop Absalon, and + probably set by him upon their task, proceed, like Geoffrey of Monmouth, + by gathering and editing mythical matter. This they more or less + embroider, and arrive in due course insensibly at actual history. Both, + again, thread their stories upon a genealogy of kings in part legendary. + Both write at the spur of patriotism, both to let Denmark linger in the + race for light and learning, and desirous to save her glories, as other + nations have saved theirs, by a record. But while Sweyn only made a + skeleton chronicle, Saxo leaves a memorial in which historian and + philologist find their account. His seven later books are the chief Danish + authority for the times which they relate; his first nine, here + translated, are a treasure of myth and folk-lore. Of the songs and stories + which Denmark possessed from the common Scandinavian stock, often her only + native record is in Saxo's Latin. Thus, as a chronicler both of truth and + fiction, he had in his own land no predecessor, nor had he any literary + tradition behind him. Single-handed, therefore, he may be said to have + lifted the dead-weight against him, and given Denmark a writer. The nature + of his work will be discussed presently. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + LIFE OF SAXO. + </h2> + <p> + Of Saxo little is known but what he himself indicates, though much + doubtful supposition has gathered round his name. + </p> + <p> + That he was born a Dane his whole language implies; it is full of a glow + of aggressive patriotism. He also often praises the Zealanders at the + expense of other Danes, and Zealand as the centre of Denmark; but that is + the whole contemporary evidence for the statement that he was a Zealander. + This statement is freely taken for granted three centuries afterwards by + Urne in the first edition of the book (1514), but is not traced further + back than an epitomator, who wrote more than 200 years after Saxo's death. + Saxo tells us that his father and grandfather fought for Waldemar the + First of Denmark, who reigned from 1157 to 1182. Of these men we know + nothing further, unless the Saxo whom he names as one of Waldemar's + admirals be his grandfather, in which case his family was one of some + distinction and his father and grandfather probably "King's men". But Saxo + was a very common name, and we shall see the licence of hypothesis to + which this fact has given rise. The notice, however, helps us + approximately towards Saxo's birth-year. His grandfather, if he fought for + Waldemar, who began to reign in 1157, can hardly have been born before + 1100, nor can Saxo himself have been born before 1145 or 1150. But he was + undoubtedly born before 1158, since he speaks of the death of Bishop + Asker, which took place in that year, as occurring "in our time". His life + therefore covers and overlaps the last half of the twelfth century. + </p> + <p> + His calling and station in life are debated. Except by the anonymous + Zealand chronicler, who calls him Saxo "the Long", thus giving us the one + personal detail we have, he has been universally known as Saxo + "Grammaticus" ever since the epitomator of 1431 headed his compilation + with the words, "A certain notable man of letters ("grammaticus"), a + Zealander by birth, named Saxo, wrote," etc. It is almost certain that + this general term, given only to men of signal gifts and learning, became + thus for the first time, and for good, attached to Saxo's name. Such a + title, in the Middle Ages, usually implied that its owner was a churchman, + and Saxo's whole tone is devout, though not conspicuously professional. + </p> + <p> + But a number of Saxos present themselves in the same surroundings with + whom he has been from time to time identified. All he tells us himself is, + that Absalon, Archbishop of Lund from 1179 to 1201, pressed him, who was + "the least of his companions, since all the rest refused the task", to + write the history of Denmark, so that it might record its glories like + other nations. Absalon was previously, and also after his promotion, + Bishop of Roskild, and this is the first circumstance giving colour to the + theory—which lacks real evidence—that Saxo the historian was + the same as a certain Saxo, Provost of the Chapter of Roskild, whose death + is chronicled in a contemporary hand without any mark of distinction. It + is unlikely that so eminent a man would be thus barely named; and the + appended eulogy and verses identifying the Provost and the historian are + of later date. Moreover, the Provost Saxo went on a mission to Paris in + 1165, and was thus much too old for the theory. Nevertheless, the good + Bishop of Roskild, Lave Urne, took this identity for granted in the first + edition, and fostered the assumption. Saxo was a cleric; and could such a + man be of less than canonical rank? He was (it was assumed) a Zealander; + he was known to be a friend of Absalon, Bishop of Roskild. What more + natural than that he should have been the Provost Saxo? Accordingly this + latter worthy had an inscription in gold letters, written by Lave Urne + himself, affixed to the wall opposite his tomb. + </p> + <p> + Even less evidence exists for identifying our Saxo with the scribe of that + name—a comparative menial—who is named in the will of Bishop + Absalon; and hardly more warranted is the theory that he was a member, + perhaps a subdeacon, of the monastery of St. Laurence, whose secular + canons formed part of the Chapter of Lund. It is true that Sweyn Aageson, + Saxo's senior by about twenty years, speaks (writing about 1185) of Saxo + as his "contubernalis". Sweyn Aageson is known to have had strong family + connections with the monastery of St. Laurence; but there is only a + tolerably strong probability that he, and therefore that Saxo, was + actually a member of it. ("Contubernalis" may only imply comradeship in + military service.) Equally doubtful is the consequence that since Saxo + calls himself "one of the least" of Absalon's "followers" ("comitum"), he + was probably, if not the inferior officer, who is called an "acolitus", at + most a sub-deacon, who also did the work of a superior "acolitus". This is + too poor a place for the chief writer of Denmark, high in Absalon's favor, + nor is there any direct testimony that Saxo held it. + </p> + <p> + His education is unknown, but must have been careful. Of his training and + culture we only know what his book betrays. Possibly, like other learned + Danes, then and afterwards, he acquired his training and knowledge at some + foreign University. Perhaps, like his contemporary Anders Suneson, he went + to Paris; but we cannot tell. It is not even certain that he had a degree; + for there is really little to identify him with the "M(agister) Saxo" who + witnessed the deed of Absalon founding the monastery at Sora. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THE HISTORY. + </h2> + <p> + How he was induced to write his book has been mentioned. The expressions + of modesty Saxo uses, saying that he was "the least" of Absalon's + "followers", and that "all the rest refused the task", are not to be taken + to the letter. A man of his parts would hardly be either the least in + rank, or the last to be solicited. The words, however, enable us to guess + an upward limit for the date of the inception of the work. Absalon became + Archbishop in 1179, and the language of the Preface (written, as we shall + see, last) implies that he was already Archbishop when he suggested the + History to Saxo. But about 1185 we find Sweyn Aageson complimenting Saxo, + and saying that Saxo "had `determined' to set forth all the deeds" of + Sweyn Estridson, in his eleventh book, "at greater length in a more + elegant style". The exact bearing of this notice on the date of Saxo's + History is doubtful. It certainly need not imply that Saxo had already + written ten books, or indeed that he had written any, of his History. All + we call say is, that by 1185 a portion of the history was planned. The + order in which its several parts were composed, and the date of its + completion, are not certainly known, as Absalon died in 1201. But the work + was not then finished; for, at the end of Bk. XI, one Birger, who died in + 1202, is mentioned as still alive. + </p> + <p> + We have, however, a yet later notice. In the Preface, which, as its whole + language implies, was written last, Saxo speaks of Waldemar II having + "encompassed (`complexus') the ebbing and flowing waves of Elbe." This + language, though a little vague, can hardly refer to anything but an + expedition of Waldemar to Bremen in 1208. The whole History was in that + case probably finished by about 1208. As to the order in which its parts + were composed, it is likely that Absalon's original instruction was to + write a history of Absalon's own doings. The fourteenth and succeeding + books deal with these at disproportionate length, and Absalon, at the + expense even of Waldemar, is the protagonist. Now Saxo states in his + Preface that he "has taken care to follow the statements ("asserta") of + Absalon, and with obedient mind and pen to include both his own doings and + other men's doings of which he learnt." + </p> + <p> + The latter books are, therefore, to a great extent, Absalon's personally + communicated memoirs. But we have seen that Absalon died in 1201, and that + Bk. xi, at any rate, was not written after 1202. It almost certainly + follows that the latter books were written in Absalon's life; but the + Preface, written after them, refers to events in 1208. Therefore, unless + we suppose that the issue was for some reason delayed, or that Saxo spent + seven years in polishing—which is not impossible—there is some + reason to surmise that he began with that portion of his work which was + nearest to his own time, and added the previous (especially the first + nine, or mythical) books, as a completion, and possibly as an + afterthought. But this is a point which there is no real means of + settling. We do not know how late the Preface was written, except that it + must have been some time between 1208 and 1223, when Anders Suneson ceased + to be Archbishop; nor do we know when Saxo died. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + HISTORY OF THE WORK. + </h2> + <p> + Nothing is stranger than that a work of such force and genius, unique in + Danish letters, should have been forgotten for three hundred years, and + have survived only in an epitome and in exceedingly few manuscripts. The + history of the book is worth recording. Doubtless its very merits, its + "marvellous vocabulary, thickly-studded maxims, and excellent variety of + images," which Erasmus admired long afterwards, sealed it to the vulgar. A + man needed some Latin to appreciate it, and Erasmus' natural wonder "how a + Dane at that day could have such a force of eloquence" is a measure of the + rarity both of the gift and of a public that could appraise it. The + epitome (made about 1430) shows that Saxo was felt to be difficult, its + author saying: "Since Saxo's work is in many places diffuse, and many + things are said more for ornament than for historical truth, and moreover + his style is too obscure on account of the number of terms ("plurima + vocabula") and sundry poems, which are unfamiliar to modern times, this + opuscle puts in clear words the more notable of the deeds there related, + with the addition of some that happened after Saxo's death." A Low-German + version of this epitome, which appeared in 1485, had a considerable vogue, + and the two together "helped to drive the history out of our libraries, + and explains why the annalists and geographers of the Middle Ages so + seldom quoted it." This neglect appears to have been greatest of all in + Denmark, and to have lasted until the appearance of the "First Edition" in + 1511. + </p> + <p> + The first impulse towards this work by which Saxo was saved, is found in a + letter from the Bishop of Roskild, Lave Urne, dated May 1512, to Christian + Pederson, Canon of Lund, whom he compliments as a lover of letters, + antiquary, and patriot, and urges to edit and publish "tam divinum latinae + eruditionis culmen et splendorem Saxonem nostrum". Nearly two years + afterwards Christian Pederson sent Lave Urne a copy of the first edition, + now all printed, with an account of its history. "I do not think that any + mortal was more inclined and ready for" the task. "When living at Paris, + and paying heed to good literature, I twice sent a messenger at my own + charges to buy a faithful copy at any cost, and bring it back to me. + Effecting nothing thus, I went back to my country for this purpose; I + visited and turned over all the libraries, but still could not pull out a + Saxo, even covered with beetles, bookworms, mould, and dust. So stubbornly + had all the owners locked it away." A worthy prior, in compassion offered + to get a copy and transcribe it with his own hand, but Christian, in + respect for the prior's rank, absurdly declined. At last Birger, the + Archbishop of Lund, by some strategy, got a copy, which King Christian the + Second allowed to be taken to Paris on condition of its being wrought at + "by an instructed and skilled graver (printer)." Such a person was found + in Jodocus Badius Ascenshls, who adds a third letter written by himself to + Bishop Urne, vindicating his application to Saxo of the title Grammaticus, + which he well defines as "one who knows how to speak or write with + diligence, acuteness, or knowledge." The beautiful book he produced was + worthy of the zeal, and unsparing, unweariable pains, which had been spent + on it by the band of enthusiasts, and it was truly a little triumph of + humanism. Further editions were reprinted during the sixteenth century at + Basic and at Frankfort-on-Main, but they did not improve in any way upon + the first; and the next epoch in the study of Saxo was made by the edition + and notes of Stephanus Johansen Stephanius, published at Copenhagen in the + middle of the seventeenth century (1644). Stephanius, the first + commentator on Saxo, still remains the best upon his language. Immense + knowledge of Latin, both good and bad (especially of the authors Saxo + imitated), infinite and prolix industry, a sharp eye for the text, and + continence in emendation, are not his only virtues. His very bulkiness and + leisureliness are charming; he writes like a man who had eternity to write + in, and who knew enough to fill it, and who expected readers of an equal + leisure. He also prints some valuable notes signed with the famous name of + Bishop Bryniolf of Skalholt, a man of force and talent, and others by + Casper Barth, "corculum Musarum", as Stephanius calls him, whose textual + and other comments are sometimes of use, and who worked with a MS. of + Saxo. The edition of Klotz, 1771, based on that of Stephanius, I have but + seen; however, the first standard commentary is that begun by P. E. + Muller, Bishop of Zealand, and finished after his death by Johan Velschow, + Professor of History at Copenhagen, where the first part of the work, + containing text and notes, was published in 1839; the second, with + prolegomena and fuller notes, appearing in 1858. The standard edition, + containing bibliography, critical apparatus based on all the editions and + MS. fragments, text, and index, is the admirable one of that indefatigable + veteran, Alfred Holder, Strasburg, 1886. + </p> + <p> + Hitherto the translations of Saxo have been into Danish. The first that + survives, by Anders Soffrinson Vedel, dates from 1575, some sixty years + after the first edition. In such passages as I have examined it is + vigorous, but very free, and more like a paraphrase than a translation, + Saxo's verses being put into loose prose. Yet it has had a long life, + having been modified by Vedel's grandson, John Laverentzen, in 1715, and + reissued in 1851. The present version has been much helped by the + translation of Seier Schousbolle, published at Copenhagen in 1752. It is + true that the verses, often the hardest part, are put into periphrastic + verse (by Laurentius Thura, c. 1721), and Schousbolle often does not face + a difficulty; but he gives the sense of Saxo simply and concisely. The + lusty paraphrase by the enthusiastic Nik. Fred. Sev. Grundtvig, of which + there have been several editions, has also been of occasional use. No + other translations, save of a scrap here and there into German, seem to be + extant. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + THE MSS. + </h2> + <p> + It will be understood, from what has been said, that no complete MS. of + Saxo's History is known. The epitomator in the fourteenth century, and + Krantz in the seventeenth, had MSS. before them; and there was that one + which Christian Pedersen found and made the basis of the first edition, + but which has disappeared. Barth had two manuscripts, which are said to + have been burnt in 1636. Another, possessed by a Swedish parish priest, + Aschaneus, in 1630, which Stephenhis unluckily did not know of, + disappeared in the Royal Archives of Stockholm after his death. These are + practically the only MSS. of which we have sure information, excepting the + four fragments that are now preserved. Of these by far the most + interesting is the "Angers Fragment." + </p> + <p> + This was first noticed in 1863, in the Angers Library, where it was found + degraded into the binding of a number of devotional works and a treatise + on metric, dated 1459, and once the property of a priest at Alencon. In + 1877 M. Gaston Paris called the attention of the learned to it, and the + result was that the Danish Government received it next year in exchange + for a valuable French manuscript which was in the Royal Library at + Copenhagen. This little national treasure, the only piece of contemporary + writing of the History, has been carefully photographed and edited by that + enthusiastic and urbane scholar, Christian Bruun. In the opinion both of + Dr. Vigfusson and M. Paris, the writing dates from about 1200; and this + date, though difficult to determine, owing to the paucity of Danish MSS. + of the 12th and early lath centuries, is confirmed by the character of the + contents. For there is little doubt that the Fragment shows us Saxo in the + labour of composition. The MSS. looks as if expressly written for + interlineation. Besides a marginal gloss by a later, fourteenth century + hand, there are two distinct sets of variants, in different writings, + interlined and running over into the margin. These variants are much more + numerous in the prose than in the verse. The first set are in the same + hand as the text, the second in another hand: but both of them have the + character, not of variants from some other MSS., but of alternative + expressions put down tentatively. If either hand is Saxo's it is probably + the second. He may conceivably have dictated both at different times to + different scribes. No other man would tinker the style in this fashion. A + complete translation of all these changes has been deemed unnecessary in + these volumes; there is a full collation in Holder's "Apparatus Criticus". + The verdict of the Angers-Fragment, which, for the very reason mentioned, + must not be taken as the final form of the text, nor therefore, despite + its antiquity, as conclusive against the First Edition where the two + differ, is to confirm, so far as it goes, the editing of Ascensius and + Pederson. There are no vital differences, and the care of the first + editors, as well as the authority of their source, is thus far amply + vindicated. + </p> + <p> + A sufficient account of the other fragments will be found in Holder's + list. In 1855 M. Kall-Rasmussen found in the private archives at Kronborg + a scrap of fourteenth century MS., containing a short passage from Bk. + vii. Five years later G. F. Lassen found, at Copenhagen, a fragment of Bk. + vi believed to be written in North Zealand, and in the opinion of Bruun + belonging to the same codex as Kall-Rasmussen's fragment. Of another + longish piece, found in Copenhagen at the end of the seventeenth century + by Johannes Laverentzen, and belonging to a codex burnt in the fire of + 1728, a copy still extant in the Copenhagen Museum, was made by Otto + Sperling. For fragments, either extant or alluded to, of the later books, + the student should consult the carefully collated text of Holder. The + whole MS. material, therefore, covers but a little of Saxo's work, which + was practically saved for Europe by the perseverance and fervour for + culture of a single man, Bishop Urne. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0008" id="link2H_4_0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SAXO AS A WRITER. + </h2> + <p> + Saxo's countrymen have praised without stint his remarkable style, for he + has a style. It is often very bad; but he writes, he is not in vain called + Grammaticus, the man of letters. His style is not merely remarkable + considering its author's difficulties; it is capable at need of pungency + and of high expressiveness. His Latin is not that of the Golden Age, but + neither is it the common Latin of the Middle Ages. There are traces of his + having read Virgil and Cicero. But two writers in particular left their + mark on him. The first and most influential is Valerius Maximus, the + mannered author of the "Memorabilia", who lived in the first half of the + first century, and was much relished in the Middle Ages. From him Saxo + borrowed a multitude of phrases, sometimes apt but often crabbed and + deformed, as well as an exemplary and homiletic turn of narrative. Other + idioms, and perhaps the practice of interspersing verses amid prose + (though this also was a twelfth century Icelandic practice), Saxo found in + a fifth-century writer, Martianus Capella, the pedantic author of the "De + Nuptiis Philologiae et Mercurii" Such models may have saved him from a + base mediaeval vocabulary; but they were not worthy of him, and they must + answer for some of his falsities of style. These are apparent. His + accumulation of empty and motley phrase, like a garish bunch of coloured + bladders; his joy in platitude and pomposity, his proneness to say a + little thing in great words, are only too easy to translate. We shall be + well content if our version also gives some inkling of his qualities; not + only of what Erasmus called his "wonderful vocabulary, his many pithy + sayings, and the excellent variety of his images"; but also of his feeling + for grouping, his barbaric sense of colour, and his stateliness. For he + moves with resource and strength both in prose and verse, and is often + only hindered by his own wealth. With no kind of critical tradition to + chasten him, his force is often misguided and his work shapeless; but he + stumbles into many splendours. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0009" id="link2H_4_0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FOLK LORE INDEX. + </h2> + <p> + The mass of archaic incidents, beliefs, and practices recorded by the + 12th-century writer seemed to need some other classification than a bare + alphabetic index. The present plan, a subject-index practically, has been + adopted with a view to the needs of the anthropologist and folk-lorist. + Its details have been largely determined by the bulk and character of the + entries themselves. No attempt has been made to supply full parallels from + any save the more striking and obvious old Scandinavian sources, the end + being to classify material rather than to point out its significance of + geographic distribution. With regard to the first three heads, the reader + who wishes to see how Saxo compares with the Old Northern poems may be + referred to the Grimm Centenary papers, Oxford, 1886, and the Corpus + Poeticurn Boreale, Oxford, 1883. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0010" id="link2H_4_0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS. + </h2> + <p> + King—As portrayed by Saxo, the ideal king should be (as in + "Beowulf's Lay") generous, brave and just. He should be a man of + accomplishments, of unblemished body, presumably of royal kin + (peasant-birth is considered a bar to the kingship), usually a son or a + nephew, or brother of his foregoer (though no strict rule of succession + seems to appear in Saxo), and duly chosen and acknowledged at the proper + place of election. In Denmark this was at a stone circle, and the + stability of these stones was taken as an omen for the king's reign. There + are exceptional instances noted, as the serf-king Eormenric (cf. + Guthred-Canute of Northumberland), whose noble birth washed out this blot + of his captivity, and there is a curious tradition of a conqueror setting + his hound as king over a conquered province in mockery. + </p> + <p> + The king was of age at twelve. A king of seven years of age has twelve + Regents chosen in the Moot, in one case by lot, to bring him up and rule + for him till his majority. Regents are all appointed in Denmark, in one + case for lack of royal blood, one to Scania, one to Zealand, one to Funen, + two to Jutland. Underkings and Earls are appointed by kings, and though + the Earl's office is distinctly official, succession is sometimes given to + the sons of faithful fathers. The absence of a settled succession law + leads (as in Muslim States) to rebellions and plots. + </p> + <p> + Kings sometimes abdicated, giving up the crown perforce to a rival, or in + high age to a kinsman. In heathen times, kings, as Thiodwulf tells us in + the case of Domwald and Yngwere, were sometimes sacrificed for better + seasons (African fashion), and Wicar of Norway perishes, like Iphigeneia, + to procure fair winds. Kings having to lead in war, and sometimes being + willing to fight wagers of battle, are short-lived as a rule, and + assassination is a continual peril, whether by fire at a time of feast, of + which there are numerous examples, besides the classic one on which + Biarea-mal is founded and the not less famous one of Hamlet's vengeance, + or whether by steel, as with Hiartuar, or by trick, as in Wicar's case + above cited. The reward for slaying a king is in one case 120 gold lbs.; + 19 "talents" of gold from each ringleader, 1 oz. of gold from each + commoner, in the story of Godfred, known as Ref's gild, "i.e., Fox tax". + In the case of a great king, Frode, his death is concealed for three years + to avoid disturbance within and danger from without. Captive kings were + not as a rule well treated. A Slavonic king, Daxo, offers Ragnar's son + Whitesark his daughter and half his realm, or death, and the captive + strangely desires death by fire. A captive king is exposed, chained to + wild beasts, thrown into a serpent-pit, wherein Ragnar is given the fate + of the elder Gunnar in the Eddic Lays, Atlakvida. The king is treated with + great respect by his people, he is finely clad, and his commands are + carried out, however abhorrent or absurd, as long as they do not upset + customary or statute law. The king has slaves in his household, men and + women, besides his guard of housecarles and his bearsark champions. A + king's daughter has thirty slaves with her, and the footmaiden existed + exactly as in the stories of the Wicked Waiting Maid. He is not to be + awakened in his slumbers (cf. St. Olaf's Life, where the naming of King + Magnus is the result of adherence to this etiquette). A champion weds the + king's leman. + </p> + <p> + His thanes are created by the delivery of a sword, which the king bolds by + the blade and the thane takes by the hilt. (English earls were created by + the girding with a sword. "Taking treasure, and weapons and horses, and + feasting in a hall with the king" is synonymous with thane-hood or + gesith-ship in "Beowulf's Lay"). A king's thanes must avenge him if he + falls, and owe him allegiance. (This was paid in the old English + monarchies by kneeling and laying the head down at the lord's knee.) + </p> + <p> + The trick by which the Mock-king, or King of the Beggars (parallel to our + Boy-bishop, and perhaps to that enigmatic churls' King of the "O. E. + Chronicle", s.a. 1017, Eadwiceorla-kyning) gets allegiance paid to him, + and so secures himself in his attack on the real king, is cleverly + devised. The king, besides being a counsel giver himself, and speaking the + law, has "counsellors", old and wise men, "sapientes" (like the 0. E. + Thyle). The aged warrior counsellor, as Starcad here and Master Hildebrand + in the "Nibelungenlied", is one type of these persons, another is the + false counsellor, as Woden in guise of Bruni, another the braggart, as + Hunferth in "Beowulf's Lay". At "moots" where laws are made, kings and + regents chosen, cases judged, resolutions taken of national importance, + there are discussions, as in that armed most the host. + </p> + <p> + The king has, beside his estates up and down the country, sometimes (like + Hrothgar with his palace Heorot in "Beowulf's Lay") a great fort and + treasure house, as Eormenric, whose palace may well have really existed. + There is often a primitive and negroid character about dwellings of + formidable personages, heads placed on stakes adorn their exterior, or + shields are ranged round the walls. + </p> + <p> + The provinces are ruled by removable earls appointed by the king, often + his own kinsmen, sometimes the heads of old ruling families. The + "hundreds" make up the province or subkingdom. They may be granted to + king's thanes, who became "hundred-elders". Twelve hundreds are in one + case bestowed upon a man. + </p> + <p> + The "yeoman's" estate is not only honourable but useful, as Starcad + generously and truly acknowledges. Agriculture should be fostered and + protected by the king, even at the cost of his life. + </p> + <p> + But gentle birth and birth royal place certain families above the common + body of freemen (landed or not); and for a commoner to pretend to a king's + daughter is an act of presumption, and generally rigorously resented. + </p> + <p> + The "smith" was the object of a curious prejudice, probably akin to that + expressed in St. Patrick's "Lorica", and derived from the smith's having + inherited the functions of the savage weapon-maker with his poisons and + charms. The curious attempt to distinguish smiths into good and useful + swordsmiths and base and bad goldsmiths seems a merely modern explanation: + Weland could both forge swords and make ornaments of metal. Starcad's + loathing for a smith recalls the mockery with which the Homeric gods treat + Hephaistos. + </p> + <p> + Slavery.—As noble birth is manifest by fine eyes and personal + beauty, courage and endurance, and delicate behaviour, so the slave nature + is manifested by cowardice, treachery, unbridled lust, bad manners, + falsehood, and low physical traits. Slaves had, of course, no right either + of honour, or life, or limb. Captive ladies are sent to a brothel; captive + kings cruelly put to death. Born slaves were naturally still less + considered, they were flogged; it was disgraceful to kill them with + honourable steel; to accept a slight service from a slave-woman was + beneath old Starcad's dignity. A man who loved another man's slave-woman, + and did base service to her master to obtain her as his consort, was + looked down on. Slaves frequently ran away to escape punishment for + carelessness, or fault, or to gain liberty. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0011" id="link2H_4_0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CUSTOMARY LAW. + </h2> + <p> + The evidence of Saxo to archaic law and customary institutions is pretty + much (as we should expect) that to be drawn from the Icelandic Sagas, and + even from the later Icelandic rimur and Scandinavian kaempe-viser. But it + helps to complete the picture of the older stage of North Teutonic Law, + which we are able to piece together out of our various sources, English, + Icelandic, and Scandinavian. In the twilight of Yore every glowworm is a + helper to the searcher. + </p> + <p> + There are a few MAXIMS of various times, but all seemingly drawn from + custom cited or implied by Saxo as authoritative:— + </p> + <p> + "It is disgraceful to be ruled by a woman."—The great men of + Teutonic nations held to this maxim. There is no Boudicea or Maidhbh in + our own annals till after the accession of the Tudors, when Great Eliza + rivals her elder kins-women's glories. Though Tacitus expressly notices + one tribe or confederacy, the Sitones, within the compass of his Germania, + ruled by a woman, as an exceptional case, it was contrary to the feeling + of mediaeval Christendom for a woman to be emperor; it was not till late + in the Middle Ages that Spain saw a queen regnant, and France has never + yet allowed such rule. It was not till long after Saxo that the great + queen of the North, Margaret, wielded a wider sway than that rejected by + Gustavus' wayward daughter. + </p> + <p> + "The suitor ought to urge his own suit."—This, an axiom of the most + archaic law, gets evaded bit by bit till the professional advocate takes + the place of the plaintiff. "Njal's Saga", in its legal scenes, shows the + transition period, when, as at Rome, a great and skilled chief was sought + by his client as the supporter of his cause at the Moot. In England, the + idea of representation at law is, as is well known, late and largely + derived from canon law practice. + </p> + <p> + "To exact the blood-fine was as honourable as to take vengeance."—This + maxim, begotten by Interest upon Legality, established itself both in + Scandinavia and Arabia. It marks the first stage in a progress which, if + carried out wholly, substitutes law for feud. In the society of the + heathen Danes the maxim was a novelty; even in Christian Denmark men + sometimes preferred blood to fees. + </p> + <p> + MARRIAGE.—There are many reminiscences of "archaic marriage customs + in Saxo." The capture marriage has left traces in the guarded king's + daughters, the challenging of kings to fight or hand over their daughters, + in the promises to give a daughter or sister as a reward to a hero who + shall accomplish some feat. The existence of polygamy is attested, and it + went on till the days of Charles the Great and Harold Fairhair in singular + instances, in the case of great kings, and finally disappeared before the + strict ecclesiastic regulations. + </p> + <p> + But there are evidences also of later customs, such as "marriage by + purchase", already looked on as archaic in Saxo's day; and the free women + in Denmark had clearly long had a veto or refusal of a husband for some + time back, and sometimes even free choice. "Go-betweens" negotiate + marriages. + </p> + <p> + Betrothal was of course the usage. For the groom to defile an espoused + woman is a foul reproach. Gifts made to father-in-law after bridal by + bridegroom seem to denote the old bride-price. Taking the bride home in + her car was an important ceremony, and a bride is taken to her future + husband's by her father. The wedding-feast, as in France in Rabelais' + time, was a noisy and drunken and tumultuous rejoicing, when bone-throwing + was in favor, with other rough sports and jokes. The three days after the + bridal and their observance in "sword-bed" are noticed below. + </p> + <p> + A commoner or one of slave-blood could not pretend to wed a high-born + lady. A woman would sometimes require some proof of power or courage at + her suitor's hands; thus Gywritha, like the famous lady who weds Harold + Fairhair, required her husband Siwar to be over-king of the whole land. + But in most instances the father or brother betrothed the girl, and she + consented to their choice. Unwelcome suitors perish. + </p> + <p> + The prohibited degrees were, of course, different from those established + by the mediaeval church, and brother weds brother's widow in good archaic + fashion. Foster-sister and foster-brother may marry, as Saxo notices + carefully. The Wolsung incest is not noticed by Saxo. He only knew, + apparently, the North-German form of the Niflung story. But the + reproachfulness of incest is apparent. + </p> + <p> + Birth and beauty were looked for in a bride by Saxo's heroes, and chastity + was required. The modesty of maidens in old days is eulogised by Saxo, and + the penalty for its infraction was severe: sale abroad into slavery to + grind the quern in the mud of the yard. One of the tests of virtue is + noticed, "lac in ubere". + </p> + <p> + That favourite "motif", the "Patient Grizzle", occurs, rather, however, in + the Border ballad than the Petrarcan form. + </p> + <p> + "Good wives" die with their husbands as they have vowed, or of grief for + their loss, and are wholly devoted to their interests. Among "bad wives" + are those that wed their husband's slayer, run away from their husbands, + plot against their husbands' lives. The penalty for adultery is death to + both, at husband's option—disfigurement by cutting off the nose of + the guilty woman, an archaic practice widely spread. In one case the + adulterous lady is left the choice of her own death. Married women's + Homeric duties are shown. + </p> + <p> + There is a curious story, which may rest upon fact, and not be merely + typical, where a mother who had suffered wrong forced her daughter to + suffer the same wrong. + </p> + <p> + Captive women are reduced to degrading slavery as "harlots" in one case, + according to the eleventh century English practice of Gytha. + </p> + <p> + THE FAMILY AND BLOOD REVENGE.—This duty, one of the strongest links + of the family in archaic Teutonic society, has left deep traces in Saxo. + </p> + <p> + To slay those most close in blood, even by accident, is to incur the guilt + of parricide, or kin-killing, a bootless crime, which can only be purged + by religious ceremonies; and which involves exile, lest the gods' wrath + fall on the land, and brings the curse of childlessness on the offender + until he is forgiven. + </p> + <p> + BOOTLESS CRIMES.—As among the ancient Teutons, botes and were-gilds + satisfy the injured who seek redress at law rather than by the steel. But + there are certain bootless crimes, or rather sins, that imply "sacratio", + devotion to the gods, for the clearing of the community. Such are treason, + which is punishable by hanging; by drowning in sea. + </p> + <p> + Rebellion is still more harshly treated by death and forfeiture; the + rebels' heels are bored and thonged under the sinew, as Hector's feet + were, and they are then fastened by the thongs to wild bulls, hunted by + hounds, till they are dashed to pieces (for which there are classic + parallels), or their feet are fastened with thongs to horses driven apart, + so that they are torn asunder. + </p> + <p> + For "parricide", i.e., killing within near degrees, the criminal is hung + up, apparently by the heels, with a live wolf (he having acted as a wolf + which will slay its fellows). Cunning avoidance of the guilt by trick is + shown. + </p> + <p> + For "arson" the appropriate punishment is the fire. + </p> + <p> + For "incestuous adultery" of stepson with his stepmother, hanging is + awarded to the man. In the same case Swanwhite, the woman, is punished, by + treading to death with horses. A woman accomplice in adultery is treated + to what Homer calls a "stone coat." Incestuous adultery is a foul slur. + </p> + <p> + For "witchcraft", the horror of heathens, hanging was the penalty. + </p> + <p> + "Private revenge" sometimes deliberately inflicts a cruel death for + atrocious wrong or insult, as when a king, enraged at the slaying of his + son and seduction of his daughter, has the offender hanged, an instance + famous in Nathan's story, so that Hagbard's hanging and hempen necklace + were proverbial. + </p> + <p> + For the slayer by a cruel death of their captive father, Ragnar's sons act + the blood-eagle on Ella, and salt his flesh. There is an undoubted + instance of this act of vengeance (the symbolic meaning of which is not + clear as yet) in the "Orkney Saga". + </p> + <p> + But the story of Daxo and of Ref's gild show that for such wrongs + were-gilds were sometimes exacted, and that they were considered highly + honourable to the exactor. + </p> + <p> + Among OFFENCES NOT BOOTLESS, and left to individual pursuit, are:— + </p> + <p> + "Highway robbery".—There are several stories of a type such as that + of Ingemund and Ioknl (see "Landnamaboc") told by Saxo of highwaymen; and + an incident of the kind that occurs in the Theseus story (the Bent-tree, + which sprung back and slew the wretch bound to it) is given. The romantic + trick of the mechanic bed, by which a steel-shod beam is let fall on the + sleeping traveller, also occurs. Slain highwaymen are gibbeted as in + Christian days. + </p> + <p> + "Assassination", as distinct from manslaughter in vengeance for a wrong, + is not very common. A hidden mail-coat foils a treacherous javelin-cast + (cf. the Story of Olaf the Stout and the Blind King, Hrorec); murderers + lurk spear-armed at the threshold, sides, as in the Icelandic Sagas; a + queen hides a spear-head in her gown, and murders her husband (cf. Olaf + Tryggvason's Life). Godfred was murdered by his servant (and Ynglingatal). + </p> + <p> + "Burglary".—The crafty discovery of the robber of the treasury by + Hadding is a variant of the world-old Rhampsinitos tale, but less + elaborate, possibly abridged and cut down by Saxo, and reduced to a mere + moral example in favour of the goldenness of silence and the danger of + letting the tongue feed the gallows. + </p> + <p> + Among other disgraceful acts, that make the offender infamous, but do not + necessarily involve public action:— + </p> + <p> + "Manslaughter in Breach of Hospitality".—Probably any gross breach + of hospitality was disreputable and highly abhorred, but "guest-slaughter" + is especially mentioned. The ethical question as to whether a man should + slay his guest or forego his just vengeance was often a "probleme du jour" + in the archaic times to which these traditions witness. Ingeld prefers his + vengeance, but Thuriswend, in the Lay cited by Paul the Deacon, chooses to + protect his guest. Heremod slew his messmates in his wrath, and went forth + alone into exile. ("Beowulf's Lay".) + </p> + <p> + "Suicide".—This was more honourable than what Earl Siward of + Northumberland called a "cow-death." Hadding resolves to commit suicide at + his friend's death. Wermund resolves to commit suicide if his son be slain + (in hopelessness of being able to avenge him, cf. "Njal's Saga", where the + hero, a Christian, prefers to perish in his burning house than live + dishonoured, "for I am an old man and little fitted to avenge my sons, but + I will not live in shame"). Persons commit suicide by slaying each other + in time of famine; while in England (so Baeda tells) they "decliffed" + themselves in companies, and, as in the comic little Icelandic tale + Gautrec's birth, a Tarpeian death is noted as the customary method of + relieving folks from the hateful starvation death. It is probable that the + violent death relieved the ghost or the survivors of some inconveniences + which a "straw death" would have brought about. + </p> + <p> + "Procedure by Wager of Battle".—This archaic process pervades Saxo's + whole narrative. It is the main incident of many of the sagas from which + he drew. It is one of the chief characteristics of early Teutonic + custom-law, and along with "Cormac's Saga", "Landnamaboc", and the Walter + Saga, our author has furnished us with most of the information we have + upon its principles and practice. + </p> + <p> + Steps in the process are the Challenge, the Acceptance and Settlement of + Conditions, the Engagement, the Treatment of the vanquished, the Reward of + the conqueror, and there are rules touching each of these, enough almost + to furnish a kind of "Galway code". + </p> + <p> + A challenge could not, either to war or wager of battle, be refused with + honor, though a superior was not bound to fight an inferior in rank. An + ally might accept for his principal, or a father for a son, but it was not + honourable for a man unless helpless to send a champion instead of + himself. + </p> + <p> + Men were bound to fight one to one, and one man might decline to fight two + at once. Great champions sometimes fought against odds. + </p> + <p> + The challenged man chose the place of battle, and possibly fixed the time. + This was usually an island in the river. + </p> + <p> + The regular weapons were swords and shields for men of gentle blood. They + fought by alternate separate strokes; the senior had the first blow. The + fight must go on face to face without change of place; for the ground was + marked out for the combatants, as in our prize ring, though one can hardly + help fancying that the fighting ground so carefully described in "Cormac's + Saga", ch. 10, may have been Saxo's authority. The combatants change + places accidentally in the struggle in one story. + </p> + <p> + The combat might last, like Cuchullin's with Ferdia, several days; a nine + days' fight occurs; but usually a few blows settled the matter. Endurance + was important, and we are told of a hero keeping himself in constant + training by walking in a mail coat. + </p> + <p> + The conqueror ought not to slay his man if he were a stripling, or maimed, + and had better take his were-gild for his life, the holmslausn or ransom + of "Cormac's Saga" (three marks in Iceland); but this was a mere + concession to natural pity, and he might without loss of honor finish his + man, and cut off his head, though it was proper, if the slain adversary + has been a man of honor, to bury him afterward. + </p> + <p> + The stakes are sometimes a kingdom or a kingdom's tribute, often a lady, + or the combatants fought for "love" or the point of honor. Giants and + noted champions challenge kings for their daughters (as in the fictitious + parts of the Icelandic family sagas) in true archaic fashion, and in true + archaic fashion the prince rescues the lady from a disgusting and evil + fate by his prowess. + </p> + <p> + The champion's fee or reward when he was fighting for his principal and + came off successful was heavy—many lands and sixty slaves. Bracelets + are given him; a wound is compensated for at ten gold pieces; a fee for + killing a king is 120 of the same. + </p> + <p> + Of the incidents of the combat, beside fair sleight of fence, there is the + continual occurrence of the sword-blunting spell, often cast by the eye of + the sinister champion, and foiled by the good hero, sometimes by covering + his blade with thin skin, sometimes by changing the blade, sometimes by + using a mace or club. + </p> + <p> + The strength of this tradition sufficiently explains the necessity of the + great oath against magic taken by both parties in a wager of battle in + Christian England. + </p> + <p> + The chief combats mentioned by Saxo are:— + </p> + <p> + Sciold v. Attila. Sciold v. Scate, for the hand of Alfhild. Gram v. Swarin + and eight more, for the crown of the Swedes. Hadding v. Toste, by + challenge. Frode v. Hunding, on challenge. Frode v. Hacon, on challenge. + Helge v. Hunding, by challenge at Stad. Agnar v. Bearce, by challenge. + Wizard v. Danish champions, for truage of the Slavs. Wizard v. Ubbe, for + truage of the Slavs. Coll v. Horwendill, on challenge. Athisl v. Frowine, + meeting in battle. Athisl v. Ket and Wig, on challenge. Uffe v. Prince of + Saxony and Champion, by challenge. Frode v. Froger, on challenge. Eric v. + Grep's brethren, on challenge, twelve a side. Eric v. Alrec, by challenge. + Hedin v. Hogni, the mythic everlasting battle. Arngrim v. Scalc, by + challenge. Arngrim v. Egtheow, for truage of Permland. Arrow-Odd and + Hialmar v. twelve sons of Arngrim Samsey fight. Ane Bow-swayer v. Beorn, + by challenge. Starkad v. Wisin, by challenge. Starkad v. Tanlie, by + challenge. Starkad v. Wasce—Wilzce, by challenge. Starkad v. Hame, + by challenge. Starkad v. Angantheow and eight of his brethren, on + challenge. Halfdan v. Hardbone and six champions, on challenge. Halfdan v. + Egtheow, by challenge. Halfdan v. Grim, on challenge. Halfdan v. Ebbe, on + challenge, by moonlight. Halfdan v. Twelve champions, on challenge. + Halfdan v. Hildeger, on challenge. Ole v. Skate and Hiale, on challenge. + Homod and Thole v. Beorn and Thore, by challenge. Ref. v. Gaut, on + challenge. Ragnar and three sons v. Starcad of Sweden and seven sons, on + challenge. + </p> + <p> + CIVIL PROCEDURE.—"Oaths" are an important art of early procedure, + and noticed by Saxo; one calling the gods to witness and therefor, it is + understood, to avenge perjury if he spake not truth. + </p> + <p> + "Testification", or calling witnesses to prove the steps of a legal + action, was known, "Glum's Saga" and "Landnamaboc", and when a manslayer + proceeded (in order to clear himself of murder) to announce the + manslaughter as his act, he brings the dead man's head as his proof, + exactly as the hero in the folk-tales brings the dragon's head or tongue + as his voucher. + </p> + <p> + A "will" is spoken of. This seems to be the solemn declaration of a + childless man to his kinsfolk, recommending some person as his successor. + Nothing more was possible before written wills were introduced by the + Christian clergy after the Roman fashion. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0012" id="link2H_4_0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + STATUTE LAWS. + </h2> + <p> + "Lawgivers".—The realm of Custom had already long been curtailed by + the conquests of Law when Saxo wrote, and some epochs of the invasion were + well remembered, such as Canute's laws. But the beginnings were dim, and + there were simply traditions of good and bad lawyers of the past; such + were "Sciold" first of all the arch-king, "Frode" the model lawgiver, + "Helge" the tyrant, "Ragnar" the shrewd conqueror. + </p> + <p> + "Sciold", the patriarch, is made by tradition to fulfil, by abolishing + evil customs and making good laws, the ideal of the Saxon and Frankish + Coronation oath formula (which may well go back with its two first clauses + to heathen days). His fame is as widely spread. However, the only law Saxo + gives to him has a story to it that he does not plainly tell. Sciold had a + freedman who repaid his master's manumission of him by the ingratitude of + attempting his life. Sciold thereupon decrees the unlawfulness of + manumissions, or (as Saxo puts it), revoked all manumissions, thus + ordaining perpetual slavery on all that were or might become slaves. The + heathen lack of pity noticed in Alfred's preface to "Gregory's Handbook" + is illustrated here by contrast with the philosophic humanity of the Civil + Law, and the sympathy of the mediaeval Church. + </p> + <p> + But FRODE (known also to the compiler of "Beowulf's Lay", 2025) had, in + the Dane's eyes, almost eclipsed Sciold as conqueror and lawgiver. His + name Frode almost looks as if his epithet Sapiens had become his popular + appellation, and it befits him well. Of him were told many stories, and + notably the one related of our Edwin by Bede (and as it has been told by + many men of many rulers since Bede wrote, and before). Frode was able to + hang up an arm-ring of gold in three parts of his kingdom that no thief + for many years dared touch. How this incident (according to our version + preserved by Saxo), brought the just king to his end is an archaic and + interesting story. Was this ring the Brosinga men? + </p> + <p> + Saxo has even recorded the Laws of Frode in four separate bits, which we + give as A, B, C, D. + </p> + <p> + A. is mainly a civil and military code of archaic kind: + </p> + <p> + (a) The division of spoil shall be—gold to captains, silver to + privates, arms to champions, ships to be shared by all. Cf. Jomswickinga + S. on the division of spoil by the law of the pirate community of Jom. + </p> + <p> + (b) No house stuff to be locked; if a man used a lock he must pay a gold + mark. + </p> + <p> + (c) He who spares a thief must bear his punishment. + </p> + <p> + (d) The coward in battle is to forfeit all rights (cf. "Beowulf", 2885). + </p> + <p> + (e) Women to have free choice (or, at least, veto) in taking husbands. + </p> + <p> + (f) A free woman that weds a slave loses rank and freedom (cf. Roman Law). + </p> + <p> + (g) A man must marry a girl he has seduced. + </p> + <p> + (h) An adulterer to be mutilated at pleasure of injured husband. + </p> + <p> + (i) Where Dane robbed Dane, the thief to pay double and peace-breach. + </p> + <p> + (k) Receivers of stolen goods suffer forfeiture and flogging at most. + </p> + <p> + (l) Deserter bearing shield against his countrymen to lose life and + property. + </p> + <p> + (m) Contempt of fyrd-summons or call to military service involves outlawry + and exile. + </p> + <p> + (n) Bravery in battle to bring about increase in rank (cf. the old English + "Ranks of Men"). + </p> + <p> + (o) No suit to lie on promise and pledge; fine of a gold lb. for asking + pledge. + </p> + <p> + (p) Wager of battle is to be the universal mode of proof. + </p> + <p> + (q) If an alien kill a Dane two aliens must suffer. (This is practically + the same principle as appears in the half weregild of the Welsh in West + Saxon Law.) + </p> + <p> + B. An illustration of the more capricious of the old enactments and the + jealousy of antique kings. + </p> + <p> + (a) Loss of gifts sent to the king involves the official responsible; he + shall be hanged. (This is introduced as illustration of the cleverness of + Eric and the folly of Coll.) + </p> + <p> + C. Saxo associates another set of enactments with the completion of a + successful campaign of conquest over the Ruthenians, and shows Frode + chiefly as a wise and civilising statesman, making conquest mean progress. + </p> + <p> + (a) Every free householder that fell in war was to be set in his barrow + with horse and arms (cf. "Vatzdaela Saga", ch. 2). + </p> + <p> + The body-snatcher was to be punished by death and the lack of sepulture. + </p> + <p> + Earl or king to be burned in his own ship. + </p> + <p> + Ten sailors may be burnt on one ship. + </p> + <p> + (b) Ruthenians to have the same law of war as Danes. + </p> + <p> + (c) Ruthenians must adopt Danish sale-marriage. (This involves the + abolition of the Baltic custom of capture-marriage. That capture-marriage + was a bar to social progress appears in the legislation of Richard II, + directed against the custom as carried out on the borders of the Palatine + county of Chester, while cases such as the famous one of Rob Roy's sons + speak to its late continuance in Scotland. In Ireland it survived in a + stray instance or two into this century, and songs like "William Riley" + attest the sympathy of the peasant with the eloping couple.) + </p> + <p> + (d) A veteran, one of the Doughty, must be such a man as will attack one + foe, will stand two, face three without withdrawing more than a little, + and be content to retire only before four. (One of the traditional + folk-sayings respecting the picked men, the Doughty or Old Guard, as + distinguished from the Youth or Young Guard, the new-comers in the king's + Company of House-carles. In Harald Hardrede's Life the Norwegians dread + those English house-carles, "each of whom is a match for four," who formed + the famous guard that won Stamford Bridge and fell about their lord, a + sadly shrunken band, at Senlake.) + </p> + <p> + (f) The house-carles to have winter-pay. The house-carle three pieces of + silver, a hired soldier two pieces, a soldier who had finished his service + one piece. + </p> + <p> + (The treatment of the house-carles gave Harald Harefoot a reputation long + remembered for generosity, and several old Northern kings have won their + nicknames by their good or ill feeding and rewarding their comitatus.) + </p> + <p> + D. Again a civil code, dealing chiefly with the rights of travellers. + </p> + <p> + (a) Seafarers may use what gear they find (the "remis" of the text may + include boat or tackle). + </p> + <p> + (b) No house is to be locked, nor coffer, but all thefts to be compensated + threefold. (This, like A, b, which it resembles, seems a popular tradition + intended to show the absolute security of Frode's reign of seven or three + hundred years. It is probably a gloss wrongly repeated.) + </p> + <p> + (c) A traveller may claim a single supper; if he take more he is a thief + (the mark of a prae-tabernal era when hospitality was waxing cold through + misuse). + </p> + <p> + (d) Thief and accomplices are to be punished alike, being hung up by a + line through the sinews and a wolf fastened beside. (This, which + contradicts A, i, k, and allots to theft the punishment proper for + parricide, seems a mere distorted tradition.) + </p> + <p> + But beside just Frode, tradition spoke of the unjust Kinge HELGE, whose + laws represent ill-judged harshness. They were made for conquered races, + (a) the Saxons and (b) the Swedes. + </p> + <p> + (a) Noble and freedmen to have the same were-gild (the lower, of course, + the intent being to degrade all the conquered to one level, and to allow + only the lowest were-gild of a freedman, fifty pieces, probably, in the + tradition). + </p> + <p> + (b) No remedy for wrong done to a Swede by a Dane to be legally + recoverable. (This is the traditional interpretation of the conqueror's + haughty dealing; we may compare it with the Middle-English legends of the + pride of the Dane towards the conquered English. The Tradition sums up the + position in such concrete forms as this Law of Helge's.) + </p> + <p> + Two statutes of RAGNAR are mentioned:— + </p> + <p> + (a) That any householder should give up to his service in war the worst of + his children, or the laziest of his slaves (a curious tradition, and used + by Saxo as an opportunity for patriotic exaltation). + </p> + <p> + (b) That all suits shall be absolutely referred to the judgment of twelve + chosen elders (Lodbroc here appearing in the strange character of + originator of trial by jury). + </p> + <p> + "Tributes".—Akin to laws are the tributes decreed and imposed by + kings and conquerors of old. Tribute infers subjection in archaic law. The + poll-tax in the fourteenth century in England was unpopular, because of + its seeming to degrade Englishmen to the level of Frenchmen, who paid + tribute like vanquished men to their absolute lord, as well as for other + reasons connected with the collection of the tax. + </p> + <p> + The old fur tax (mentioned in "Egil's Saga") is here ascribed to FRODE, + who makes the Finns pay him, every three years, a car full or sledge full + of skins for every ten heads; and extorts one skin per head from the + Perms. It is Frode, too (though Saxo has carved a number of Frodes out of + one or two kings of gigantic personality), that made the Saxons pay a + poll-tax, a piece of money per head, using, like William the Conqueror, + his extraordinary revenue to reward his soldiers, whom he first regaled + with double pay. But on the conquered folks rebelling, he marked their + reduction by a tax of a piece of money on every limb a cubit long, a + "limb-geld" still more hateful than the "neb-geld." + </p> + <p> + HOTHERUS (Hodr) had set a tribute on the Kurlanders and Swedes, and HROLF + laid a tribute on the conquered Swedes. + </p> + <p> + GODEFRIDUS-GOTRIC is credited with a third Saxon tribute, a heriot of 100 + snow-white horses payable to each Danish king at his succession, and by + each Saxon chief on his accession: a statement that, recalling sacred + snow-white horses kept in North Germany of yore makes one wish for fuller + information. But Godefridus also exacted from the Swedes the "Ref-gild", + or Fox-money; for the slaying of his henchman Ref, twelve pieces of gold + from each man of rank, one from every commoner. And his Friesland tribute + is stranger still, nor is it easy to understand from Saxo's account. There + was a long hall built, 240 feet, and divided up into twelve "chases" of 20 + feet each (probably square). There was a shield set up at one end, and the + taxpayers hurled their money at it; if it struck so as to sound, it was + good; if not, it was forfeit, but not reckoned in the receipt. This (a + popular version, it may be, of some early system of treasury test) was + abolished, so the story goes, by Charles the Great. + </p> + <p> + RAGNAR'S exaction from Daxo, his son's slayer, was a yearly tribute + brought by himself and twelve of his elders barefoot, resembling in part + such submissions as occur in the Angevin family history, the case of the + Calais burgesses, and of such criminals as the Corporation of Oxford, + whose penance was only finally renounced by the local patriots in our own + day. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0013" id="link2H_4_0013"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + WAR. + </h2> + <p> + "Weapons".—The sword is the weapon par excellence in Saxo's + narrative, and he names several by name, famous old blades like our royal + Curtana, which some believed was once Tristrem's, and that sword of + Carlus, whose fortunes are recorded in Irish annals. Such are "Snyrtir", + Bearce's sword; "Hothing", Agnar's blade; "Lauf", or "Leaf", Bearce's + sword; "Screp", Wermund's sword, long buried and much rust-eaten, but + sharp and trusty, and known by its whistle; Miming's sword ("Mistletoe"), + which slew Balder. Wainhead's curved blade seems to be a halbert; + "Lyusing" and "Hwiting", Ragnald of Norway's swords; "Logthe", the sword + of Ole Siward's son. + </p> + <p> + The "war-club" occurs pretty frequently. But it is usually introduced as a + special weapon of a special hero, who fashions a gold-headed club to slay + one that steel cannot touch, or who tears up a tree, like the Spanish + knight in the ballad, or who uses a club to counteract spells that blunt + steel. The bat-shapen archaic rudder of a ship is used as a club in the + story of the Sons of Arngrim. + </p> + <p> + The "spear" plays no particular part in Saxo: even Woden's spear Gungne is + not prominent. + </p> + <p> + "Bows and arrows" are not often spoken of, but archer heroes, such as + Toki, Ane Bow-swayer, and Orwar-Odd, are known. Slings and stones are + used. + </p> + <p> + The shield, of all defensive armour, is far the most prominent. They were + often painted with devices, such as Hamlet's shield, Hildiger's Swedish + shield. Dr. Vigfusson has shown the importance of these painted shields in + the poetic history of the Scandinavians. + </p> + <p> + A red shield is a signal of peace. Shields are set round ramparts on land + as round ships at sea. + </p> + <p> + "Mail-coats" are worn. Frode has one charmed against steel. Hother has + another; a mail-coat of proof is mentioned and their iron meshes are + spoken of. + </p> + <p> + "Helmets" are used, but not so carefully described as in "Beowulf's Lay"; + crested helmets and a gilded helmet occur in Bearca-mal and in another + poem. + </p> + <p> + "Banners" serve as rallying points in the battle and on the march. The + Huns' banners are spoken of in the classic passage for the description of + a huge host invading a country. Bearcamal talks of golden banners. + </p> + <p> + "Horns" (1) were blown pp at the beginning of the engagement and for + signalling. The gathering of the host was made by delivery of a wooden + arrow painted to look like iron. + </p> + <p> + "Tactics".—The hand-to-hand fight of the wager of battle with sword + and shield, and the fighting in ranks and the wedge-column at close + quarters, show that the close infantry combat was the main event of the + battle. The preliminary hurling of stones, and shooting of arrows, and + slinging of pebbles, were harassing and annoying, but seldom sufficiently + important to affect the result of the main engagement. + </p> + <p> + Men ride to battle, but fight on foot; occasionally an aged king is + car-borne to the fray, and once the car, whether by Saxo's adorning hand, + or by tradition, is scythe-armed. + </p> + <p> + The gathered host is numbered, once, where, as with Xerxes, counting was + too difficult, by making each man as he passed put a pebble in a pile + (which piles survive to mark the huge size of Frode's army). This is, of + course, a folktale, explaining the pebble-hills and illustrating the + belief in Frode's power; but armies were mustered by such expedients of + old. Burton tells of an African army each man of whom presented an egg, as + a token of his presence and a means of taking the number of the host. + </p> + <p> + We hear of men marching in light order without even scabbards, and getting + over the ice in socks. + </p> + <p> + The war equipment and habits of the Irish, light armoured, clipped at back + of head, hurling the javelin backwards in their feigned flight; of the + Slavs, small blue targets and long swords; of the Finns, with their darts + and skees, are given. + </p> + <p> + Watches are kept, and it is noted that "uht", the early watch after + midnight, is the worst to be attacked in (the duke's + two-o'clock-in-the-morning courage being needed, and the darkness and cold + helping the enemy). + </p> + <p> + Spies were, of course, slain if discovered. But we have instances of kings + and heroes getting into foeman's camps in disguise (cf. stories of Alfred + and Anlaf). + </p> + <p> + The order of battle of Bravalla fight is given, and the ideal array of a + host. To Woden is ascribed the device of the boar's head, hamalt fylking + (the swine-head array of Manu's Indian kings), the terrible column with + wedge head which could cleave the stoutest line. + </p> + <p> + The host of Ring has men from Wener, Wermland, Gotaelf, Thotn, Wick, + Thelemark, Throndham, Sogn, Firths, Fialer, Iceland; Sweden, Gislamark, + Sigtun, Upsala, Pannonia. + </p> + <p> + The host of Harold had men from Iceland, the Danish provinces, Frisia, + Lifland; Slavs, and men from Jom, Aland, and Sleswick. + </p> + <p> + The battle of Bravalla is said to have been won by the Gotland archers and + the men of Throndham, and the Dales. The death of Harald by treachery + completed the defeat, which began when Ubbe fell (after he had broken the + enemy's van) riddled with arrows. + </p> + <p> + The defeated, unless they could fly, got little quarter. One-fifth only of + the population of a province are said to have survived an invasion. After + sea-battles (always necessarily more deadly) the corpses choke the + harbours. Seventy sea-kings are swept away in one sea-fight. Heads seem to + have been taken in some cases, but not as a regular Teutonic usage, and + the practice, from its being attributed to ghosts and aliens, must have + already been considered savage by Saxo, and probably by his informants and + authorities. + </p> + <p> + Prisoners were slaves; they might be killed, put to cruel death, outraged, + used as slaves, but the feeling in favour of mercy was growing, and the + cruelty of Eormenric, who used tortures to his prisoners, of Rothe, who + stripped his captives, and of Fro, who sent captive ladies to a brothel in + insult, is regarded with dislike. + </p> + <p> + Wounds were looked on as honourable, but they must be in front or + honourably got. A man who was shot through the buttocks, or wounded in the + back, was laughed at and disgraced. We hear of a mother helping her + wounded son out of battle. + </p> + <p> + That much of human interest centered round war is evident by the mass of + tradition that surrounds the subject in Saxo, both in its public and + private aspects. Quaint is the analysis of the four kinds of warriors: (a) + The Veterans, or Doughty, who kill foes and spare flyers; (b) the Young + men who kill foes and flyers too; (c) the well-to-do, landed, and + propertied men of the main levy, who neither fight for fear nor fly for + shame; (d) the worthless, last to fight and first to fly; and curious are + the remarks about married and unmarried troops, a matter which Chaka + pondered over in later days. Homeric speeches precede the fight. + </p> + <p> + "Stratagems of War" greatly interested Saxo (probably because Valerius + Maximus, one of his most esteemed models, was much occupied with such + matters), so that he diligently records the military traditions of the + notably skillful expedients of famous commanders of old. + </p> + <p> + There is the device for taking a town by means of the "pretended death" of + the besieging general, a device ascribed to Hastings and many more + commanders (see Steenstrup Normannerne); the plan of "firing" a besieged + town by fire-bearing birds, ascribed here to Fridlev, in the case of + Dublin to Hadding against Duna (where it was foiled by all tame birds + being chased out of the place). + </p> + <p> + There is the "Birnam Wood" stratagem, by which men advanced behind a + screen of boughs, which is even used for the concealment of ships, and the + curious legend (occurring in Irish tradition also, and recalling Capt. B. + Hall's "quaker gun" story) by which a commander bluffs off his enemy by + binding his dead to stakes in rows, as if they were living men. + </p> + <p> + Less easy to understand are the "brazen horses" or "machines" driven into + the close lines of the enemy to crush and open them, an invention of + Gewar. The use of hooked weapons to pull down the foes' shields and + helmets was also taught to Hother by Gewar. + </p> + <p> + The use of black tents to conceal encampment; the defence of a pass by + hurling rocks from the heights; the bridge of boats across the Elbe; and + the employment of spies, and the bold venture, ascribed in our chronicles + to Alfred and Anlaf, of visiting in disguise the enemy's camp, is here + attributed to Frode, who even assumed women's clothes for the purpose. + </p> + <p> + Frode is throughout the typical general, as he is the typical statesman + and law-giver of archaic Denmark. + </p> + <p> + There are certain heathen usages connected with war, as the hurling of a + javelin or shooting of an arrow over the enemy's ranks as a "sacratio" to + Woden of the foe at the beginning of a battle. This is recorded in the + older vernacular authorities also, in exact accordance with the Homeric + usage, "Odyssey" xxiv, 516-595. + </p> + <p> + The dedication of part of the spoils to the god who gave good omens for + the war is told of the heathen Baltic peoples; but though, as Sidonius + records, it had once prevailed among the Saxons, and, as other witnesses + add, among the Scandinavian people, the tradition is not clearly preserved + by Saxo. + </p> + <p> + "Sea and Sea Warfare."—As might be expected, there is much mention + of Wicking adventure and of maritime warfare in Saxo. + </p> + <p> + Saxo tells of Asmund's huge ship (Gnod), built high that he might shoot + down on the enemy's craft; he speaks of a ship (such as Godwin gave as a + gift to the king his master), and the monk of St. Bertin and the + court-poets have lovingly described a ship with gold-broidered sails, gilt + masts, and red-dyed rigging. One of his ships has, like the ships in the + Chansons de Geste, a carbuncle for a lantern at the masthead. Hedin + signals to Frode by a shield at the masthead. A red shield was a peace + signal, as noted above. The practice of "strand-hewing", a great feature + in Wicking-life (which, so far as the victualling of raw meat by the + fishing fleets, and its use raw, as Mr. P. H. Emerson informs me, still + survives), is spoken of. There was great fear of monsters attacking them, + a fear probably justified by such occasional attacks of angry whales as + Melville (founding his narrative on repeated facts) has immortalised. The + whales, like Moby Dick, were uncanny, and inspired by troll-women or + witches (cf. "Frithiof Saga" and the older "Lay of Atle and Rimegerd"). + The clever sailing of Hadding, by which he eludes pursuit, is tantalising, + for one gathers that, Saxo knows the details that he for some reason + omits. Big fleets of 150 and a monster armada of 3,000 vessels are + recorded. + </p> + <p> + The ships were moved by oars and sails; they had rudders, no doubt such as + the Gokstad ship, for the hero Arrow-Odd used a rudder as a weapon. + </p> + <p> + "Champions".—Professed fighting men were often kept by kings and + earls about their court as useful in feud and fray. Harald Fairhair's + champions are admirably described in the contemporary Raven Song by + Hornclofe— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Wolf-coats they call them that in battle + Bellow into bloody shields. + They wear wolves' hides when they come into the fight, + And clash their weapons together." +</pre> + <p> + and Saxo's sources adhere closely to this pattern. + </p> + <p> + These "bear-sarks", or wolf-coats of Harald give rise to an O. N. term, + "bear-sarks' way", to describe the frenzy of fight and fury which such + champions indulged in, barking and howling, and biting their shield-rims + (like the ferocious "rook" in the narwhale ivory chessmen in the British + Museum) till a kind of state was produced akin to that of the Malay when + he has worked himself up to "run-a-muck." There seems to have been in the + 10th century a number of such fellows about unemployed, who became + nuisances to their neighbours by reason of their bullying and + highhandedness. Stories are told in the Icelandic sagas of the way such + persons were entrapped and put to death by the chiefs they served when + they became too troublesome. A favourite (and fictitious) episode in an + "edited" Icelandic saga is for the hero to rescue a lady promised to such + a champion (who has bullied her father into consent) by slaying the + ruffian. It is the same "motif" as Guy of Warwick and the Saracen lady, + and one of the regular Giant and Knight stories. + </p> + <p> + Beside men-warriors there were "women-warriors" in the North, as Saxo + explains. He describes shield-maidens, as Alfhild, Sela, Rusila (the + Ingean Ruadh, or Red Maid of the Irish Annals, as Steenstrup so + ingeniously conjectures); and the three she-captains, Wigbiorg, who fell + on the field, Hetha, who was made queen of Zealand, and Wisna, whose hand + Starcad cut off, all three fighting manfully at Bravalla fight. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0014" id="link2H_4_0014"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SOCIAL LIFE AND MANNERS. + </h2> + <p> + "Feasts".—The hall-dinner was an important feature in the old + Teutonic court-life. Many a fine scene in a saga takes place in the hall + while the king and his men are sitting over their ale. The hall decked + with hangings, with its fires, lights, plate and provisions, appears in + Saxo just as in the Eddic Lays, especially Rigsmal, and the Lives of the + Norwegian Kings and Orkney Earls. + </p> + <p> + The order of seats is a great point of archaic manners. Behaviour at table + was a matter of careful observance. The service, especially that of the + cup-bearer, was minutely regulated by etiquette. An honoured guest was + welcomed by the host rising to receive him and giving him a seat near + himself, but less distinguished visitors were often victims to the rough + horseplay of the baser sort, and of the wanton young gentleman at court. + The food was simple, boiled beef and pork, and mutton without sauce, ale + served in horns from the butt. Roast meat, game, sauces, mead, and flagons + set on the table, are looked on by Starcad as foreign luxuries, and + Germany was credited with luxurious cookery. + </p> + <p> + "Mimes and jugglers", who went through the country or were attached to the + lord's court to amuse the company, were a despised race because of their + ribaldry, obscenity, cowardice, and unabashed self-debasement; and their + newfangled dances and piping were loathsome to the old court-poets, who + accepted the harp alone as an instrument of music. + </p> + <p> + The story that once a king went to war with his jugglers and they ran + away, would represent the point of view of the old house-carle, who was + neglected, though "a first-class fighting man", for these debauched + foreign buffoons. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0015" id="link2H_4_0015"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SUPERNATURAL BEINGS. + </h2> + <p> + GODS AND GODDESSES.—The gods spring, according to Saxo's belief, + from a race of sorcerers, some of whom rose to pre-eminence and expelled + and crushed the rest, ending the "wizard-age", as the wizards had ended + the monster or "giant-age". That they were identic with the classic gods + he is inclined to believe, but his difficulty is that in the week-days we + have Jove : Thor; Mercury : Woden; whereas it is perfectly well known that + Mercury is Jove's son, and also that Woden is the father of Thor—a + comic "embarras". That the persians the heathens worshipped as gods + existed, and that they were men and women false and powerful, Saxo plainly + believes. He has not Snorre's appreciation of the humorous side of the + mythology. He is ironic and scornful, but without the kindly, naive fun of + the Icelander. + </p> + <p> + The most active god, the Dane's chief god (as Frey is the Swede's god, and + patriarch), is "Woden". He appears in heroic life as patron of great + heroes and kings. Cf. "Hyndla-Lay", where it is said of Woden:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Let us pray the Father of Hosts to be gracious to us! + He granteth and giveth gold to his servants, + He gave Heremod a helm and mail-coat, + And Sigmund a sword to take. + He giveth victory to his sons, to his followers wealth, + Ready speech to his children and wisdom to men. + Fair wind to captains, and song to poets; + He giveth luck in love to many a hero." +</pre> + <p> + He appears under various disguises and names, but usually as a one-eyed + old man, cowled and hooded; sometimes with another, bald and ragged, as + before the battle Hadding won; once as "Hroptr", a huge man skilled in + leechcraft, to Ragnar's son Sigfrid. + </p> + <p> + Often he is a helper in battle or doomer of feymen. As "Lysir", a rover of + the sea, he helps Hadding. As veteran slinger and archer he helps his + favourite Hadding; as charioteer, "Brune", he drives Harald to his death + in battle. He teaches Hadding how to array his troops. As "Yggr" the + prophet he advises the hero and the gods. As "Wecha" (Waer) the leech he + woos Wrinda. He invented the wedge array. He can grant charmed lives to + his favourites against steel. He prophesies their victories and death. He + snatches up one of his disciples, sets him on his magic horse that rides + over seas in the air, as in Skida-runa the god takes the beggar over the + North Sea. His image (like that of Frey in the Swedish story of Ogmund + dytt and Gunnar helming, "Flatey book", i, 335) could speak by magic + power. + </p> + <p> + Of his life and career Saxo gives several episodes. + </p> + <p> + Woden himself dwelt at Upsala and Byzantium (Asgard); and the northern + kings sent him a golden image ring-bedecked, which he made to speak + oracles. His wife Frigga stole the bracelets and played him false with a + servant, who advised her to destroy and rob the image. + </p> + <p> + When Woden was away (hiding the disgrace brought on him by Frigga his + wife), an imposter, Mid Odin, possibly Loke in disguise, usurped his place + at Upsala, instituted special drink-offerings, fled to Finland on Woden's + return, and was slain by the Fins and laid in barrow. But the barrow smote + all that approached it with death, till the body was unearthed, beheaded, + and impaled, a well-known process for stopping the haunting of an + obnoxious or dangerous ghost. + </p> + <p> + Woden had a son Balder, rival of Hother for the love of Nanna, daughter of + King Gewar. Woden and Thor his son fought for him against Hother, but in + vain, for Hother won the laity and put Balder to shameful flight; however, + Balder, half-frenzied by his dreams of Nanna, in turn drove him into exile + (winning the lady); finally Hother, befriended hy luck and the Wood + Maidens, to whom he owed his early successes and his magic coat, belt, and + girdle (there is obvious confusion here in the text), at last met Balder + and stabbed him in the side. Of this wound Balder died in three days, as + was foretold by the awful dream in which Proserpina (Hela) appeared to + him. Balder's grand burial, his barrow, and the magic flood which burst + from it when one Harald tried to break into it, and terrified the robbers, + are described. + </p> + <p> + The death of Balder led Woden to seek revenge. Hrossthiof the wizard, whom + he consulted, told him he must beget a son by "Wrinda" (Rinda, daughter of + the King of the Ruthenians), who should avenge his half-brother. + </p> + <p> + Woden's wooing is the best part of this story, half spoilt, however, by + euhemeristic tone and lack of epic dignity. He woos as a victorious + warrior, and receives a cuff; as a generous goldsmith, and gets a buffet; + as a handsome soldier, earning a heavy knock-down blow; but in the garb of + a women as Wecha (Wakr), skilled in leechcraft, he won his way by + trickery; and ("Wale") "Bous" was born, who, after some years, slew Hother + in battle, and died himself of his wounds. Bous' barrow in Bohusland, + Balder's haven, Balder's well, are named as local attestations of the + legend, which is in a late form, as it seems. + </p> + <p> + The story of Woden's being banished for misbehaviour, and especially for + sorcery and for having worn woman's attire to trick Wrinda, his + replacement by "Wuldor" ("Oller"), a high priest who assumed Woden's name + and flourished for ten years, but was ultimately expelled by the returning + Woden, and killed by the Danes in Sweden, is in the same style. But + Wuldor's bone vessel is an old bit of genuine tradition mangled. It would + cross the sea as well as a ship could, by virtue of certain spells marked + on it. + </p> + <p> + Of "Frey", who appears as "satrapa" of the gods at Upsala, and as the + originator of human sacrifice, and as appeased by black victims, at a + sacrifice called Froblod (Freys-blot) instituted by Hadding, who began it + as an atonement for having slain a sea-monster, a deed for which he had + incurred a curse. The priapic and generative influences of Frey are only + indicated by a curious tradition mentioned. It almost looks as if there + had once been such an institution at Upsala as adorned the Phoenician + temples, under Frey's patronage and for a symbolic means of worship. + </p> + <p> + "Thunder", or "Thor", is Woden's son, strongest of gods or men, patron of + Starcad, whom he turned, by pulling off four arms, from a monster to a + man. + </p> + <p> + He fights by Woden's side and Balder's against Hother, by whose magic wand + his club (hammer) was lopped off part of its shaft, a wholly different + and, a much later version than the one Snorre gives in the prose Edda. + Saxo knows of Thor's journey to the haunt of giant Garfred (Geirrod) and + his three daughters, and of the hurling of the iron "bloom", and of the + crushing of the giantesses, though he does not seem to have known of the + river-feats of either the ladies or Thor, if we may judge (never a safe + thing wholly) by his silence. + </p> + <p> + Whether "Tew" is meant by the Mars of the Song of the Voice is not + evident. Saxo may only be imitating the repeated catch-word "war" of the + original. + </p> + <p> + "Loke" appears as Utgard-Loke, Loke of the skirts of the World, as it + were; is treated as a venomous giant bound in agony under a + serpent-haunted cavern (no mention is made of "Sigyn" or her pious + ministry). + </p> + <p> + "Hela" seems to be meant by Saxo's Proserpina. + </p> + <p> + "Nanna" is the daughter of Gewar, and Balder sees her bathing and falls in + love with her, as madly as Frey with Gertha in Skirnismal. + </p> + <p> + "Freya", the mistress of Od, the patroness of Othere the homely, the + sister of Frey-Frode, and daughter of Niord-Fridlaf, appears as Gunwara + Eric's love and Syritha Ottar's love and the hair-clogged maiden, as Dr. + Rydberg has shown. + </p> + <p> + The gods can disguise their form, change their shape, are often met in a + mist, which shrouds them save from the right person; they appear and + disappear at will. For the rest they have the mental and physical + characteristics of the kings and queens they protect or persecute so + capriciously. They can be seen by making a magic sign and looking through + a witch's arm held akimbo. They are no good comates for men or women, and + to meddle with a goddess or nymph or giantess was to ensure evil or death + for a man. The god's loves were apparently not always so fatal, though + there seems to be some tradition to that effect. Most of the god-sprung + heroes are motherless or unborn (i.e., born like Macduff by the Caesarean + operation)—Sigfred, in the Eddic Lays for instance. + </p> + <p> + Besides the gods, possibly older than they are, and presumably mightier, + are the "Fates" (Norns), three Ladies who are met with together, who + fulfil the parts of the gift-fairies of our Sleeping Beauty tales, and + bestow endowments on the new-born child, as in the beautiful "Helge Lay", + a point of the story which survives in Ogier of the Chansons de Geste, + wherein Eadgar (Otkerus or Otgerus) gets what belonged to Holger (Holge), + the Helga of "Beowulf's Lay". The caprices of the Fates, where one + corrects or spoils the others' endowments, are seen in Saxo, when beauty, + bounty, and meanness are given together. They sometimes meet heroes, as + they met Helgi in the Eddic Lay (Helgi and Sigrun Lay), and help or begift + them; they prepare the magic broth for Balder, are charmed with Hother's + lute-playing, and bestow on him a belt of victory and a girdle of + splendour, and prophesy things to come. + </p> + <p> + The verse in Biarca-mal, where "Pluto weaves the dooms of the mighty and + fills Phlegethon with noble shapes," recalls Darrada-liod, and points to + Woden as death-doomer of the warrior. + </p> + <p> + "Giants".—These are stupid, mischievous, evil and cunning in Saxo's + eyes. Oldest of beings, with chaotic force and exuberance, monstrous in + extravagant vitality. + </p> + <p> + The giant nature of the older troll-kind is abhorrent to man and woman. + But a giantess is enamoured of a youth she had fostered, and giants carry + off king's daughters, and a three-bodied giant captures young children. + </p> + <p> + Giants live in caves by the sea, where they keep their treasure. One + giant, Unfoot (Ofoti), is a shepherd, like Polyphemus, and has a famous + dog which passed into the charge of Biorn, and won a battle; a giantess is + keeping goats in the wilds. A giant's fury is so great that it takes + twelve champions to control him, when the rage is on him. The troll (like + our Puss-in-Boots Ogre) can take any shape. + </p> + <p> + Monstrous apparitions are mentioned, a giant hand (like that in one story + of Finn) searching for its prey among the inmates of a booth in the wilds. + But this Grendel-like arm is torn off by a giantess, Hardgrip, daughter of + Wainhead and niece possibly of Hafle. + </p> + <p> + The voice heard at night prophesying is that of some god or monster, + possibly Woden himself. + </p> + <p> + "Dwarves".—These Saxo calls Satyrs, and but rarely mentions. The + dwarf Miming, who lives in the desert, has a precious sword of sharpness + (Mistletoe?) that could even pierce skin-hard Balder, and a ring + (Draupnir) that multiplied itself for its possessor. He is trapped by the + hero and robbed of his treasures. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0016" id="link2H_4_0016"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FUNERAL RITES AND MAN'S FUTURE STATE. + </h2> + <p> + "Barrow-burials".—The obsequies of great men (such as the classic + funeral of "Beowulf's Lay", 3138-80) are much noticed by Saxo, and we + might expect that he knew such a poem (one similar to Ynglingatal, but not + it) which, like the Books of the Kings of Israel and Judah, recorded the + deaths and burials, as well as the pedigrees and deeds, of the Danish + kings. + </p> + <p> + The various stages of the "obsequy by fire" are noted; the byre sometimes + formed out of a ship; the "sati"; the devoted bower-maidens choosing to + die with their mistress, the dead man's beloved (cf. The Eddic funerals of + Balder, Sigfred, and Brunhild, in the Long "Brunhild's Lay", Tregrof + Gudrumar and the lost poem of Balder's death paraphrased in the prose + Edda); the last message given to the corpse on the pyre (Woden's last + words to Balder are famous); the riding round the pyre; the eulogium; the + piling of the barrow, which sometimes took whole days, as the size of many + existing grass mounds assure us; the funeral feast, where an immense vat + of ale or mead is drunk in honor of the dead; the epitaph, like an ogham, + set up on a stone over the barrow. + </p> + <p> + The inclusion of a live man with the dead in a barrow, with the live or + fresh-slain beasts (horse and bound) of the dead man, seems to point to a + time or district when burning was not used. Apparently, at one time, + judging from Frode's law, only chiefs and warriors were burnt. + </p> + <p> + Not to bury was, as in Hellas, an insult to the dead, reserved for the + bodies of hated foes. Conquerors sometimes show their magnanimity (like + Harald Godwineson) by offering to bury their dead foes. + </p> + <p> + The buried "barrow-ghost" was formidable; he could rise and slay and eat, + vampire-like, as in the tale of Asmund and Aswit. He must in such case be + mastered and prevented doing further harm by decapitation and + thigh-forking, or by staking and burning. So criminals' bodies were often + burnt to stop possible haunting. + </p> + <p> + Witches and wizards could raise corpses by spells to make them prophesy. + The dead also appeared in visions, usually foretelling death to the person + they visited. + </p> + <p> + OTHER WORLDS.—The "Land of Undeath" is spoken of as a place reached + by an exiled hero in his wanderings. We know it from Eric the traveller's + S., Helge Thoreson's S., Herrand and Bose S., Herwon S., Thorstan + Baearmagn S., and other Icelandic sources. But the voyage to the Other + Worlds are some of the most remarkable of the narratives Saxo has + preserved for us. + </p> + <p> + "Hadding's Voyage Underground".—(a) A woman bearing in her lap + angelica fresh and green, though it was deep winter, appears to the hero + at supper, raising her head beside the brazier. Hadding wishes to know + where such plants grow. + </p> + <p> + (b) She takes him with her, under cover of her mantle, underground. + </p> + <p> + (c) They pierce a mist, get on a road worn by long use, pass nobly-clad + men, and reach the sunny fields that bear the angelica:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Through griesly shadowes by a beaten path, + Into a garden goodly garnished." + —F.Q. ii. 7, 51. +</pre> + <p> + (d) Next they cross, by a bridge, the "River of Blades", and see "two + armies fighting", ghosts of slain soldiers. + </p> + <p> + (e) Last they came to a high wall, which surrounds the land of Life, for a + cock the woman brought with her, whose neck she wrung and tossed over this + wall, came to life and crowed merrily. + </p> + <p> + Here the story breaks off. It is unfinished, we are only told that + Hadfling got back. Why he was taken to this under-world? Who took him? + What followed therefrom? Saxo does not tell. It is left to us to make out. + </p> + <p> + That it is an archaic story of the kind in the Thomas of Ercildoune and so + many more fairy-tales, e.g., Kate Crack-a-Nuts, is certain. The "River of + Blades" and "The Fighting Warriors" are known from the Eddic Poems. The + angelica is like the green birk of that superb fragment, the ballad of the + Wife of Usher's Well—a little more frankly heathen, of course— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "It fell about the Martinmas, when nights are long and mirk, + The carline wife's three sons cam hame, and their hats were + o' the birk. + It neither grew in syke nor dyke, nor yet in ony sheugh, + But at the gates o' Paradise that birk grew fair eneuch." +</pre> + <p> + The mantel is that of Woden when he bears the hero over seas; the cock is + a bird of sorcery the world over; the black fowl is the proper gift to the + Underground powers—a heriot really, for did not the Culture god + steal all the useful beasts out of the underground world for men's use? + </p> + <p> + Dr. Rydberg has shown that the "Seven Sleepers" story is an old Northern + myth, alluded to here in its early pre-Christian form, and that with this + is mixed other incidents from voyages of Swipdag, the Teutonic Odusseus. + </p> + <p> + "Thorkill's Second Voyage to Outgarth-Loke to get Knowledge".—(a) + Guthrum is troubled as to the immortality and fate of the soul, and the + reward of piety after death. To spite Thorkill, his enviers advised the + king to send him to consult Outgarth-Loke. He required of the king that + his enemies should be sent with him. + </p> + <p> + (b) In one well-stored and hide-defended ship they set out, reached a + sunless, starless land, without fuel; ate raw food and suffered. At last, + after many days, a fire was seen ashore. Thorkill, setting a jewel at the + mast-head to be able to regain his vessel easily, rows ashore to get fire. + </p> + <p> + (c) In a filthy, snake-paved, stinking cavern he sees two horny-nebbed + giants, (2) making a fire. One of the giants offers to direct him to Loke + if he will say three true things in three phrases, and this done, tells + him to row four days and then he would reach a Dark and Grassless Land. + For three more true sayings he obtains fire, and gets back to his vessel. + </p> + <p> + (d) With good wind they make Grassless Land, go ashore, find a huge, rocky + cavern, strike a flint to kindle a fire at the entrance as a safeguard + against demons, and a torch to light them as they explored the cavern. + </p> + <p> + (e) First appears iron seats set amid crawling snakes. + </p> + <p> + (f) Next is sluggish water flowing over sand. + </p> + <p> + (g) Last a steep, sloping cavern is reached, in a chamber of which lay + Outgarth-Loke chained, huge and foul. + </p> + <p> + (h) Thorkill plucks a hair of his beard "as big as a cornel-wood spear." + The stench that arose was fearful; the demens and snakes fell upon the + invaders at once; only Thorkill and five of the crew, who had sheltered + themselves with hides against the virulent poison the demons and snakes + cast, which would take a head off at the neck if it fell upon it, got back + to their ship. + </p> + <p> + (i) By vow to the "God that made the world", and offerings, a good voyage + was made back, and Germany reached, where Thorkill became a Christian. + Only two of his men survived the effects of the poison and stench, and he + himself was scarred and spoilt in the face. + </p> + <p> + (k) When he reached the king, Guthrum would not listen to his tale, + because it was prophesied to him that he would die suddenly if he heard + it; nay, he even sent men to smite him as he lay in bed, but, by the + device of laying a log in his place, he escaped, and going to the king as + he sat at meat, reproached him for his treachery. + </p> + <p> + (l) Guthrum bade him tell his story, but died of horror at hearing his god + Loke foully spoken of, while the stench of the hair that Thorkill + produced, as Othere did his horn for a voucher of his speech, slew many + bystanders. + </p> + <p> + This is the regular myth of Loke, punished by the gods, lying bound with + his own soils' entrails on three sharp stones and a sword-blade, (this + latter an addition, when the myth was made stones were the only blades), + with snakes' venom dripping on to him, so that when it falls on him he + shakes with pain and makes earthquakes—a Titan myth in answer to the + question, "Why does the earth quake?" The vitriolic power of the poison is + excellently expressed in the story. The plucking of the hair as a token is + like the plucking of a horn off the giant or devil that occurs in some + folk-tale. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0017" id="link2H_4_0017"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + MAGIC AND FOLK-SCIENCE. + </h2> + <p> + There is a belief in magic throughout Saxo's work, showing how fresh + heathendom still was in men's minds and memories. His explanations, when + he euhemerizes, are those of his day. + </p> + <p> + By means of spells all kinds of wonders could be effected, and the powers + of nature forced to work for the magician or his favourite. + </p> + <p> + "Skin-changing" (so common in "Landnamaboc") was as well known as in the + classic world of Lucian and Apuleius; and, where Frode perishes of the + attacks of a witch metamorphosed into a walrus. + </p> + <p> + "Mist" is induced by spells to cover and hide persons, as in Homer, and + "glamour" is produced by spells to dazzle foemen's sight. To cast glamour + and put confusion into a besieged place a witch is employed by the + beleaguerer, just as William the Conqueror used the witch in the Fens + against Hereward's fortalice. A soothsayer warns Charles the Great of the + coming of a Danish fleet to the Seine's mouth. + </p> + <p> + "Rain and bad weather" may be brought on, as in a battle against the + enemy, but in this, as in other instances, the spell may be counteracted. + </p> + <p> + "Panic Terror" may be induced by the spell worked with a dead horse's head + set up on a pole facing the antagonist, but the spell may be met and + combatted by silence and a counter-curse. + </p> + <p> + "Magic help" may be got by calling on the friendly magician's name. The + magician has also the power of summoning to him anyone, however unwilling, + to appear. + </p> + <p> + Of spells and magic power to blunt steel there are several instances; they + may be counteracted (as in the Icelandic Sagas) by using the hilt, or a + club, or covering the blade with fine skin. In another case the champion + can only be overcome by one that will take up some of the dust from under + his feet. This is effected by the combatants shifting their ground and + exchanging places. In another case the foeman can only be slain by gold, + whereupon the hero has a gold-headed mace made and batters the life out of + him therewith. The brothers of Swanhild cannot be cut by steel, for their + mail was charmed by the witch Gudrun, but Woden taught Eormenric, the + Gothic king, how to overcome them with stones (which apparently cannot, as + archaic weapons, be charmed against at all, resisting magic like wood and + water and fire). Jordanis tells the true history of Ermanaric, that great + Gothic emperor whose rule from the Dnieper to the Baltic and Rhine and + Danube, and long reign of prosperity, were broken by the coming of the + Huns. With him vanished the first great Teutonic empire. + </p> + <p> + Magic was powerful enough even to raise the dead, as was practised by the + Perms, who thus renewed their forces after a battle. In the Everlasting + battle the combatants were by some strange trick of fate obliged to fulfil + a perennial weird (like the unhappy Vanderdecken). Spells to wake the dead + were written on wood and put under the corpses' tongue. Spells (written on + bark) induce frenzy. + </p> + <p> + "Charms" would secure a man against claw or tooth. + </p> + <p> + "Love philtres" (as in the long "Lay of Gudrun) appear as everywhere in + savage and archaic society. + </p> + <p> + "Food", porridge mixed with the slaver of tortured snakes, gives magic + strength or endues the eater with eloquence and knowledge of beast and + bird speech (as Finn's broiled fish and Sigfred's broiled dragon-heart + do). + </p> + <p> + "Poison" like these hell-broths are part of the Witch or Obi + stock-in-trade, and Frode uses powdered gold as an antidote. + </p> + <p> + "Omens" are observed; tripping as one lands is lucky (as with our William + the Norman). Portents, such as a sudden reddening of the sea where the + hero is drowned, are noticed and interpreted. + </p> + <p> + "Dreams" (cf. Eddic Lays of Attila, and the Border ballads) are prophetic + (as nine-tenths of Europeans firmly believe still); thus the visionary + flame-spouting dragon is interpreted exactly as Hogne's and Attila's + dreams. The dreams of the three first bridals nights (which were kept + hallowed by a curious superstition, either because the dreams would then + bold good, or as is more likely, for fear of some Asmodeus) were fateful. + Animals and birds in dreams are read as persons, as nowadays. + </p> + <p> + A "curse" is powerful unless it can be turned back, when it will harm its + utterer, for harm someone it must. The "curse" of a dying man on his + slayer, and its lack of effect, is noted. + </p> + <p> + Sometimes "magic messengers" are sent, like the swans that bore a token + and uttered warning songs to the hero. + </p> + <p> + "Witches and wizards" (as belonging to the older layer of archaic beliefs) + are hateful to the gods, and Woden casts them out as accursed, though he + himself was the mightiest of wizards. Heathen Teutonic life was a long + terror by reason of witchcraft, as is the heathen African life to-day, + continual precautions being needful to escape the magic of enemies. The + Icelandic Sagas, such as Gretter's, are full of magic and witchcraft. It + is by witchcraft that Gretter is first lamed and finally slain; one can + see that Glam's curse, the Beowulf motif, was not really in the original + Gretter story. + </p> + <p> + "Folk-medicine" is really a branch of magic in old days, even to such + pioneers of science as Paracelsus. + </p> + <p> + Saxo's traditions note drinking of a lion's blood that eats men as a means + of gaining might and strength; the drinking of bear's blood is also + declared to give great bodily power. + </p> + <p> + The tests for "madness" are of a primitive character, such as those + applied to Odusseus, who, however, was not able, like Hamlet, to evade + them. + </p> + <p> + The test for death is the red-hot iron or hot brand (used by the + Abyssinians of to-day, as it was supposed in the thirteenth century to + have been used by Grimhild. "And now Grimhild goes and takes a great + brand, where the house had burnt, and goes to Gernot her brother, and + thrusts the burning brand in his mouth, and will know whether he is dead + or living. But Gernot was clearly dead. And now she goes to Gislher and + thrusts the firebrand in his mouth. He was not dead before, but Gislher + died of that. Now King Thidrec of Bern saw what Grimhild is doing, and + speaks to King Attila. `See how that devil Grimhild, thy wife, is killing + her brothers, the good warriors, and how many men have lost their lives + for her sake, and how many good men she has destroyed, Huns and Amalungs + and Niflungs; and in the same way would she bring thee and me to hell, if + she could do it?' Then spake King Attila, `Surely she is a devil, and slay + thou her, and that were a good work if thou had done it seven nights ago! + Then many a gallant fellow were whole that is now dead.' Now King Thidrec + springs at Grimhild and swings up his sword Eckisax, and hews her asunder + at the middle"). + </p> + <p> + It was believed (as in Polynesia, where "Captain Cook's path" was shown in + the grass) that the heat of the hero's body might blast the grass; so + Starcad's entrails withered the grass. + </p> + <p> + It was believed that a severed head might bite the ground in rage, and + there were certainly plenty of opportunities for observation of such + cases. + </p> + <p> + It was believed that a "dumb man" might be so wrought on by passion that + he would speak, and wholly acquire speech-power. + </p> + <p> + Little is told of "surgery", but in one case of intestines protruding + owing to wounds, withies were employed to bind round the trunk and keep + the bowels from risk till the patient could be taken to a house and his + wounds examined and dressed. It was considered heroic to pay little heed + to wounds that were not dangerous, but just to leave them to nature. + </p> + <p> + Personal "cleanliness" was not higher than among savages now. A lover is + loused by his lady after the mediaeval fashion. + </p> + <p> + CHRISTIANITY—In the first nine books of Saxo, which are devoted to + heathendom, there is not much save the author's own Christian point of + view that smacks of the New Faith. The apostleships of Ansgarius in + Denmark, the conversion of King Eric, the Christianity of several later + Danish Kings, one of whom was (like Olaf Tryggwason) baptised in Britain + are also noticed. + </p> + <p> + Of "Christian legends" and beliefs, besides the euhemerist theory, widely + held, of the heathen gods there are few hints, save the idea that Christ + was born in the reign of Frode, Frode having been somehow synchronised + with Augustus, in whose reign also there was a world-peace. + </p> + <p> + Of course the christening of Scandinavia is history, and the mythic books + are little concerned with it. The episode in Adam of Bremen, where the + king offers the people, if they want a new god, to deify Eric, one of + their hero-kings, is eminently characteristic and true. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0018" id="link2H_4_0018"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FOLK-TALES. + </h2> + <p> + There might be a classification of Saxo's stories akin to that of the + Irish poets, Battles, Sieges, Voyages, Rapes, Cattle Forays, etc.; and + quite apart from the historic element, however faint and legendary, there + are a set of stories ascribed by him, or rather his authorities, to + definite persons, which had, even in his day, probably long been the + property of Tis, their original owners not being known owing to lapse of + time and the wear of memory, and the natural and accidental catastrophies + that impair the human record. Such are the "Dragon-Slayer" stories. In one + type of these the hero (Frithlaf) is cast on a desolate island, and warned + by a dream to attack and slay a dragon guarding treasure. He wakes, sees + the dragon arise out of the waves, apparently, to come ashore and go back + to the cavern or mound wherein the treasure lay. His scales are too hard + to pierce; he is terribly strong, lashing trees down with his tail, and + wearing a deep path through the wood and over the stones with his huge and + perpetual bulk; but the hero, covered with hide-wrapped shield against the + poison, gets down into the hollow path, and pierces the monster from + below, afterward rifling its underground store and carrying off its + treasure. + </p> + <p> + Again the story is repeated; the hero (Frode Haddingsson) is warned by a + countryman of the island-dragon and its hoard, is told to cover his shield + and body with bulls' hides against the poison, and smite the monster's + belly. The dragon goes to drink, and, as it is coming back, it is + attacked, slain, and its treasure lifted precisely as before. The + analogies with the Beowulf and Sigfred stories are evident; but no great + poet has arisen to weave the dragon-slaying intimately into the lives of + Frode and Frithlaf as they have been woven into the tragedy of Sigfred the + wooer of Brunhild and, if Dr. Vigffisson be right the conqueror of Varus, + or into the story of Beowulf, whose real engagements were with + sea-monsters, not fiery dragons. + </p> + <p> + Another type is that of the "Loathly Worm". A king out hunting (Herod or + Herraud, King of Sweden), for some unexplained reason brings home two + small snakes as presents for his daughter. They wax wonderfully, have to + be fed a whole ox a day, and proceed to poison and waste the countryside. + The wretched king is forced to offer his daughter (Thora) to anyone who + will slay them. The hero (Ragnar) devises a dress of a peculiar kind (by + help of his nurse, apparently), in this case, woolly mantle and hairy + breeches all frozen and ice-covered to resist the venom, then strapping + his spear to his hand, he encounters them boldly alone. The courtiers hide + "like frightened little girls", and the king betakes him to a "narrow + shelter", an euphemism evidently of Saxo's, for the scene is comic. The + king comes forth when the hero is victorious, and laughing at his hairy + legs, nick-names him Shaggy-breech, and bids him to the feast. Ragnar + fetches up his comrades, and apparently seeks out the frightened courtiers + (no doubt with appropriate quip, omitted by Saxo, who hurries on), feasts, + marries the king's daughter, and begets on her two fine sons. + </p> + <p> + Of somewhat similar type is the proud "Maiden guarded" by Beasts. Here the + scene is laid in Gaulardale in Norway. The lady is Ladgerda, the hero + Ragnar. Enamoured of the maiden by seeing her prowess in war, he accepts + no rebuffs, but leaving his followers, enters the house, slays the + guardian Bear and Dog, thrusting one through with a spear and throttling + the other with his hand. The lady is won and wed, and two daughters and a + son (Frithlaf) duly begotten. The story of Alf and Alfhild combines + several types. There are the tame snakes, the baffled suitors' heads + staked to terrify other suitors, and the hero using red-hot iron and spear + to slay the two reptiles. + </p> + <p> + The "Proud Lady", (cf. Kudrun and the Niebelungen, and Are's story of the + queen that burnt her suitors) appears in Hermintrude, Queen of Scotland, + who battles and slays her lovers, but is out-witted by the hero (Hamlet), + and, abating her arrogance, agrees to wed him. This seems an obvious + accretion in the original Hamlet story, and probably owing not to Saxo, + but to his authority. + </p> + <p> + The "Beggar that stole the Lady" (told of Snio Siwaldson and the daughter + of the King of the Goths), with its brisk dialogue, must have been one of + the most artful of the folk-tales worked on by Saxo or his informants; but + it is only half told, unfortunately. + </p> + <p> + The "Crafty Soaker" is another excellent comic folk-tale. A terrible + famine made the king (Snio) forbid brewing to save the barley for bread, + and abolished all needless toping. The Soaker baffled the king by sipping, + never taking a full draught. Rebuked, he declared that he never drank, but + only sucked a drop. This was forbidden him for the future, so he sopped + his bread in ale, and in that inconvenient manner continued to get drunk, + excusing himself with the plea that though it was forbidden to drink or + sip beer, it was not forbidden to eat it. When this was in turn + prohibited, the Soaker gave up any pretence, and brewed and drank + unabashed, telling the angry king that he was celebrating his approaching + funeral with due respect, which excuse led to the repeal of the obnoxious + decree. A good Rabelaisian tale, that must not have been wide-spread among + the Danish topers, whose powers both Saxo and Shakespeare have celebrated, + from actual experience no doubt. + </p> + <p> + The "Magician's tricks to elude pursuit", so common an incident in our + fairy tales, e.g., Michael Scot's flight, is ascribed here to the + wonder-working and uncanny Finns, who, when pursued, cast behind them + successively three pebbles, which become to their enemies' eyes mountains, + then snow, which appeared like a roaring torrent. But they could not cast + the glamour on Arngrim a third time, and were forced to submit. The + glamour here and in the case of the breaking of Balder's barrow is akin to + that which the Druid puts on the sons of Uisnach. + </p> + <p> + The tale of the king who shuts up his daughter in an "earth-house" or + underground chamber with treasures (weapons and gold and silver), in fear + of invasion, looks like a bit of folk-tale, such as the "Hind in the + Wood", but it may have a traditional base of some kind here. + </p> + <p> + A folk-tale, very imperfectly narrated, is the "Clever King's Daughter", + who evidently in the original story had to choose her suitor by his feet + (as the giantess in the prose Edda chooses her husband), and was able to + do so by the device she had practised of sewing up her ring in his leg + sometime before, so that when she touched the flesh she could feel the + hardness of the ring beneath the scar. + </p> + <p> + Bits of folk-tales are the "Device for escaping threatened death by + putting a log in one's bed" (as in our Jack the Giant-Killer). The device, + as old as David's wife, of dressing up a dummy (here a basket with a dog + inside, covered outside with clothes), while the hero escapes, is told of + Eormenric, the mighty Gothic King of Kings, who, like Walter of Aquitaine, + Theodoric of Varona, Ecgherht, and Arminius, was an exile in his youth. + This traditional escape of the two lads from the Scyths should be compared + with the true story in Paul the Deacon of his little ancestor's captivity + and bold and successful stroke for freedom. + </p> + <p> + "Disguise" plays a great part in the folk-tales used by Saxo. Woden + disguises himself in a cowl on his earthly travels, and heroes do the + same; a king disguises himself as a slave at his rival's court, to try and + find occasion of slaying him; a hero wraps himself up in skins, like + Alleleirah. + </p> + <p> + "Escaped recognition" is accordingly a feature in many of these simple but + artistic plots. A son is not known by his mother in the story of Hrolf. + </p> + <p> + Other "Devices" are exemplified, such as the "booby-trap" loaded with a + millstone, which slays a hateful and despised tyrant, imposed by a foreign + conqueror; evasion by secret passages, and concealment in underground + vaults or earth-houses. The feigning of madness to escape death occurs, as + well as in the better-known Hamlet story. These stratagems are universal + in folk-history. + </p> + <p> + To Eric, the clever and quick of speech, is ascribed an excellent sailor's + smuggling trick to hide slaughtered cattle, by sinking them till the + search is over. + </p> + <p> + The "Hero's Mighty Childhood" (like David's) of course occurs when he + binds a bear with his girdle. Sciold is full grown at fifteen, and Hadding + is full grown in extreme youth. The hero in his boyhood slays a full-grown + man and champion. The cinder-biting, lazy stage of a mighty youth is + exemplified. + </p> + <p> + The "fierce eyes" of the hero or heroine, which can daunt an assassin as + could the piercing glance of Marius, are the "falcon eyes" of the Eddic + Lays. + </p> + <p> + The shining, effulgent, "illuminating hair" of the hero, which gives light + in the darkness, is noticed here, as it obtains in Cuaran's thirteenth + century English legend. + </p> + <p> + The wide-spread tale of the "City founded on a site marked out by a hide + cut into finest thongs", occurs, told of Hella and Iwarus exactly as our + Kentishmen told it of Hengist, and as it is also told of Dido. + </p> + <p> + The incidents of the "hero sleeping by a rill", of the guarded king's + daughter, with her thirty attendants, the king's son keeping sheep, are + part of the regular stock incidents in European folk-tales. So are the + Nausicaa incident of the "king's daughter going a washing", the hero + disguising himself as a woman and winding wool (like a second Heracles). + </p> + <p> + There are a certain number of stories, which only occur in Saxo and in our + other Northern sources with attributions, though they are of course + legendary; such are: + </p> + <p> + The "Everlasting Battle" between Hedhin and Hogne, a legend connected with + the great Brisinga-men story, and paralleled by the Cordelia-tale among + the Britons. + </p> + <p> + The story of the "Children preserved" is not very clearly told, and Saxo + seems to have euhemerized. It is evidently of the same type as the + Lionel-Lancelot story in the Arthurian cycle. Two children, ordered to be + killed, are saved by the slaying of other children in their place; and + afterwards by their being kept and named as dogs; they come to their own + and avenge their wrongs. + </p> + <p> + The "Journey to Hell" story is told of Eric, who goes to a far land to + fetch a princess back, and is successful. It is apparently an adventure of + Swipdag, if everyone had their rights. It is also told of Thorkill, whose + adventures are rather of the "True Thomas" type. + </p> + <p> + The "Test of Endurance" by sitting between fires, and the relief of the + tortured and patient hero by a kindly trick, is a variant of the famous + Eddic Lays concerning Agnar. + </p> + <p> + The "Robbers of the Island", evidently comes from an Icelandic source (cf. + The historic "Holmveria Saga" and Icelandic folk-tales of later date), the + incident of the hero slaying his slave, that the body might be mistaken + for his, is archaic in tone; the powerful horse recalls Grani, Bayard, and + even Sleipner; the dog which had once belonged to Unfoot (Ofote), the + giant shepherd (cf. its analogues in old Welsh tales), is not quite + assimilated or properly used in this story. It seems (as Dr. Rydberg + suspects) a mythical story coloured by the Icelandic relater with memory + full of the robber-hands of his own land. + </p> + <p> + The stratagem of "Starcad", who tried even in death to slay his slayer, + seems an integral part of the Starcad story; as much as the doom of three + crimes which are to be the price for the threefold life that a triple man + or giant should enjoy. The noose story in Starcad (cf. that told of Bicce + in the Eormenric story), is also integral. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0019" id="link2H_4_0019"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + SAXO'S MYTHOLOGY. + </h2> + <p> + No one has commented upon Saxo's mythology with such brilliancy, such + minute consideration, and such success as the Swedish scholar, Victor + Rydberg. More than occasionally he is over-ingenious and over-anxious to + reduce chaos to order; sometimes he almost loses his faithful reader in + the maze he treads so easily and confidently, and sometimes he stumbles + badly. But he has placed the whole subject on a fresh footing, and much + that is to follow will be drawn from his "Teutonic Mythology" (cited here + from the English version by Rasmus B. Anderson, London, 1889, as "T.M."). + </p> + <p> + Let us take first some of the incontestable results of his investigations + that affect Saxo. + </p> + <p> + SCIOLD is the father of Gram in Saxo, and the son of Sceaf in other older + authorities. Dr. Rydberg (97-101) forms the following equations for the + Sciolding patriarchs:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + a. Scef—Heimdal—Rig. + b. Sciold—Borgar—Jarl. + c. Gram—Halfdan—Koming. +</pre> + <p> + Chief among the mythic tales that concern Saxo are the various portions of + the Swipdag-Myth, which Dr. Rydberg has been able to complete with much + success. They may be resumed briefly as follows:— + </p> + <p> + Swipdag, helped by the incantations of his dead mother, whom he had raised + from the dead to teach him spells of protection, sets forth on his quests. + He is the Odusseus of the Teutonic mythology. He desires to avenge his + father on Halfdan that slew him. To this end he must have a weapon of + might against Halfdan's club. The Moon-god tells him of the blade Thiasse + has forged. It has been stolen by Mimer, who has gone out into the cold + wilderness on the rim of the world. Swipdag achieves the sword, and + defeats and slays Halfdan. He now buys a wife, Menglad, of her kinsmen the + gods by the gift of the sword, which thus passes into Frey's hands. + </p> + <p> + How he established a claim upon Frey, and who Menglad was, is explained in + Saxo's story of Eric, where the characters may be identified thus:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + Swipdag—Eric + Freya—Gunwara + Frey—Frode III + Niord—Fridlaf + Wuldor—Roller + Thor—Brac + Giants—The Greps + Giants—Coller. +</pre> + <p> + Frey and Freya had been carried off by the giants, and Swipdag and his + faithful friend resolve to get them back for the Anses, who bewail their + absence. They journey to Monster-land, win back the lady, who ultimately + is to become the hero's wife, and return her to her kindred; but her + brother can only be rescued by his father Niord. It is by wit rather than + by force that Swipdag is successful here. + </p> + <p> + The third journey of Swipdag is undertaken on Frey's behalf; he goes under + the name of Scirner to woo giant Gymer's daughter Gerth for his + brother-in-law, buying her with the sword that he himself had paid to Frey + as his sister's bride-price. So the sword gets back to the giants again. + </p> + <p> + Swipdag's dead foe Halfdan left two young "avengers", Hadding and Guthorm, + whom he seeks to slay. But Thor-Brache gives them in charge of two giant + brothers. Wainhead took care of Hadding, Hafle of Guthorm. Swipdag made + peace with Guthorm, in a way not fully explained to us, but Hadding took + up the blood-feud as soon as he was old enough. + </p> + <p> + Hadding was befriended by a woman, who took him to the Underworld—the + story is only half told in Saxo, unluckily—and by Woden, who took + him over-sea wrapt in his mantle as they rode Sleipner over the waves; but + here again Saxo either had not the whole story before him, or he wished to + abridge it for some reason or prejudice, and the only result of this + astonishing pilgrimage is that Woden gives the young hero some useful + counsels. He falls into captivity, entrapped by Loke (for what reason + again we are left to guess), and is exposed to wild beasts, but he slays + the wolf that attacks him, and eating its heart as Woden had bidden him, + he gains wisdom and foresight. + </p> + <p> + Prepared by these adventures, he gets Guthorm to join him (how or why the + peace between him and Swipdag was broken, we know not), and they attack + their father's slayer, but are defeated, though Woden sunk Asmund + Swipdag's son's ship, Grio, at Hlessey, and Wainhead and Hardgrip his + daughter fought for Hadding. + </p> + <p> + Hadding wanders off to the East with his foster-sister and mistress and + Hardgrip, who is slain protecting him against an angry ghost raised from + the Underworld by her spells. However, helped by Heimdal and Woden (who at + this time was an exile), Hadding's ultimate success is assured. + </p> + <p> + When Woden came back to power, Swipdag, whose violence and pride grew + horribly upon him, was exiled, possibly by some device of his foes, and + took upon him, whether by will or doom, a sea-monster's shape. His + faithful wife follows him over land and sea, but is not able to save him. + He is met by Hadding and, after a fierce fight, slain. Swipdag's wife + cursed the conqueror, and he was obliged to institute an annual sacrifice + to Frey (her brother) at Upsale, who annuls the curse. Loke, in seal's + guise, tried to steal the necklace of Freya at the Reef of Treasures, + where Swipdag was slain, but Haimdal, also in sealskin, fought him, and + recovered it for the gods. + </p> + <p> + Other myths having reference to the goddesses appear in Saxo. There is the + story of "Heimdall and Sol", which Dr. Rydberg has recognised in the tale + of Alf and Alfhild. The same tale of how the god won the sun for his wife + appears in the mediaeval German King Ruther (in which title Dr. Ryuberg + sees Hrutr, a name of the ram-headed god). + </p> + <p> + The story of "Othar" (Od) and "Syritha" (Sigrid) is obviously that of + Freya and her lover. She has been stolen by the giants, owing to the wiles + of her waiting-maid, Loke's helper, the evil witch Angrbode. Od seeks her, + finds her, slays the evil giant who keeps her in the cave; but she is + still bewitched, her hair knotted into a hard, horny mass, her eyes void + of brightness. Unable to gain recognition he lets her go, and she is made + by a giantess to herd her flocks. Again found by Od, and again refusing to + recognise him, she is let go again. But this time she flies to the world + of men, and takes service with Od's mother and father. Here, after a trial + of her love, she and Od are reconciled. Sywald (Sigwald), her father, weds + Od's sister. + </p> + <p> + The tale of the vengeance of Balder is more clearly given by the Dane, and + with a comic force that recalls the Aristophanic fun of Loka-senna. It + appears that the story had a sequel which only Saxo gives. Woden had the + giantess Angrbode, who stole Freya, punished. Frey, whose mother-in-law + she was, took up her quarrel, and accusing Woden of sorcery and dressing + up like a woman to betray Wrind, got him banished. While in exile Wuldor + takes Woden's place and name, and Woden lives on earth, part of the time + at least, with Scathe Thiasse's daughter, who had parted from Niord. + </p> + <p> + The giants now resolved to attack Ansegard; and Woden, under the name of + Yggr, warned the gods, who recall him after ten years' exile. + </p> + <p> + But for Saxo this part of the story of the wars of the gods would be very + fragmentary. + </p> + <p> + The "Hildiger story", where a father slays his son unwittingly, and then + falls at his brother's hand, a tale combining the Rustam and the + Balin-Balan types, is one of the Hilding tragedies, and curiously + preserved in the late "Saga of Asmund the Champions' bane". It is an + antithesis, as Dr. Rydberg remarks, to the Hildebrand and Hadubrand story, + where father and son must fight and are reconciled. + </p> + <p> + The "story of Orwandel" (the analogue of Orion the Hunter) must be + gathered chiefly from the prose Edda. He was a huntsman, big enough and + brave enough to cope with giants. He was the friend of Thor, the husband + of Groa, the father of Swipdag, the enemy of giant Coller and the monster + Sela. The story of his birth, and of his being blinded, are lost + apparently in the Teutonic stories, unless we may suppose that the + bleeding of Robin Hood till he could not see by the traitorous prioress is + the last remains of the story of the great archer's death. + </p> + <p> + Great part of the troubles which befell the gods arose from the antagonism + of the sons of Iwalde and the brethren Sindre and Brokk (Cinder and + Brank), rival artist families; and it was owing to the retirement of their + artist foster-parents that Frey and Freya were left among the giants. The + Hniflung hoard is also supposed to have consisted of the treasures of one + band of primaeval artists, the Iwaldings. + </p> + <p> + Whether we have here the phenomenon of mythological doublets belonging to + different tribes, or whether we have already among these early names that + descent of story which has led to an adventure of Moses being attributed + to Garibaldi, given to Theodoric the king the adventures of Theodoric the + god, taken Arthur to Rome, and Charles the Great to Constantinople, it is + hard to say. + </p> + <p> + The skeleton-key of identification, used even as ably as Dr. Rydberg uses + it, will not pick every mythologic lock, though it undoubtedly has opened + many hitherto closed. The truth is that man is a finite animal; that he + has a limited number of types of legend; that these legends, as long as + they live and exist, are excessively prehensile; that, like the opossum, + they can swing from tree to tree without falling; as one tree dies out of + memory they pass on to another. When they are scared away by what is + called exact intelligence from the tall forest of great personalities, + they contrive to live humbly clinging to such bare plain stocks and poles + (Tis and Jack and Cinderella) as enable them to find a precarious perch. + </p> + <p> + To drop similitudes, we must be prepared, in unravelling our tangled + mythology, to go through several processes. We must, of course, note the + parallelisms and get back to the earliest attribution-names we can find. + But all system is of late creation, it does not begin till a certain + political stage, a stage where the myths of coalescing clans come into + contact, and an official settlement is attempted by some school of poets + or priests. Moreover, systematization is never so complete that it effaces + all the earlier state of things. Behind the official systems of Homer and + Hesiod lies the actual chaos of local faiths preserved for us by Pausanias + and other mythographers. The common factors in the various local faiths + are much the majority among the factors they each possess; and many of + these common factors are exceedingly primitive, and resolve themselves + into answers to the questions that children still ask, still receiving no + answer but myth—that is, poetic and subjective hypothesis, + containing as much truth as they can receive or their inventors can grasp. + </p> + <p> + Who were our forbears? How did day and night, sun and moon, earth and + water, and fire come? How did the animals come? Why has the bear no tail? + Why are fishes dumb, the swallow cleft-tail? How did evil come? Why did + men begin to quarrel? How did death arise? What will the end be? Why do + dead persons come back? What do the dead do? What is the earth shaped + like? Who invented tools and weapons, and musical instruments, and how? + When did kings and chiefs first come? + </p> + <p> + From accepted answers to such questions most of the huge mass of mythology + arises. Man makes his gods in his own image, and the doctrines of omen, + coincidence, and correspondence helped by incessant and imperfect + observation and logic, bring about a system of religious observance, of + magic and ritual, and all the masses of folly and cruelty, hope and faith, + and even charity, that group about their inventions, and seem to be the + necessary steps in the onward path of progressive races. + </p> + <p> + When to these we add the true and exaggerated memories of actual heroes, + the material before the student is pretty completely comprised. Though he + must be prepared to meet the difficulties caused in the contact of races, + of civilisations, by the conversion of persons holding one set of mythical + ideas to belief in another set of different, more attractive, and often + more advanced stage. + </p> + <p> + The task of arriving at the scientific, speculative ethic, and the actual + practice of our remote ancestry (for to that end is the student of + mythology and folk-lore aiming) is not therefore easy. Nor is the record + perfect, though it is not so poor in most cases as was once believed. The + Brothers Grimm, patriarchs alike as mythologists and folk-lorists, the + Castor and Pollox of our studies, have proved this as regards the Teutonic + nations, just as they showed us, by many a striking example, that in great + part folk-lore was the mythology of to-day, and mythology the folk-lore of + yesterday. + </p> + <p> + In many cases we are helped by quite modern material to make out some + puzzle that an old tale presents, and there is little doubt but that the + present activity in the field of folklore will not only result in fresh + matter but in fresh methods freshly applied. + </p> + <p> + The Scandinavian material, at all events, is particularly rich: there is + the extensive Icelandic written literature touching the ninth and tenth + and eleventh centuries; the noble, if fragmentary remains of Old Northern + poetry of the Wickingtide; and lastly, the mass of tradition which, + surviving in oral form, and changing in colour from generation to + generation, was first recorded in part in the seventeenth, and again in + part, in the present century; and all these yield a plentiful field for + research. But their evidence gains immensely by the existence of Saxo's + nine books of traditional and mythic lore, collected and written down in + an age when much that was antique and heathen was passing away forever. + The gratitude due to the Welshman of the twelfth century, whose garnered + hoard has enriched so many poets and romances from his day to now, is no + less due to the twelfth-century Dane, whose faithful and eloquent + enthusiasm has swept much dust from antique time, and saved us such a + story as Shakespeare has not disdained to consecrate to highest use. Not + only Celtic and Teutonic lore are the richer for these two men, but the + whole Western world of thought and speech. In the history of modern + literature, it is but right that by the side of Geoffrey an honourable + place should be maintained for Saxo, and + </p> + <p> + "awake remembrance of these mighty dead." + </p> + <p> + —Oliver Elton + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) A horn and a tusk of great size are described as things of + price, and great uroch's horns are mentioned in Thorkill's + Second Journey. Horns were used for feast as well as fray. + (2) Such bird-beaked, bird-legged figures occur on the Cross at + Papil, Burra Island, Shetland. Cf. Abbey Morne Cross, and + an Onchan Cross, Isle of Man. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0020" id="link2H_4_0020"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h1> + THE DANISH HISTORY <br /> OF SAXO GRAMMATICUS. + </h1> + <p> + <a name="link2H_PREF" id="link2H_PREF"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + PREFACE. + </h2> + <p> + Forasmuch as all other nations are wont to vaunt the glory of their + achievements, and reap joy from the remembrance of their forefathers: + Absalon, Chief Pontiff of the Danes, whose zeal ever burned high for the + glorification of our land, and who would not suffer it to be defrauded of + like renown and record, cast upon me, the least of his followers—since + all the rest refused the task—the work of compiling into a chronicle + the history of Denmark, and by the authority of his constant admonition + spurred my weak faculty to enter on a labour too heavy for its strength. + For who could write a record of the deeds of Denmark? It had but lately + been admitted to the common faith: it still languished as strange to Latin + as to religion. But now that the holy ritual brought also the command of + the Latin tongue, men were as slothful now as they were unskilled before, + and their sluggishness proved as faultful as that former neediness. Thus + it came about that my lowliness, though perceiving itself too feeble for + the aforesaid burden, yet chose rather to strain beyond its strength than + to resist his bidding; fearing that while our neighbours rejoiced and + transmitted records of their deeds, the repute of our own people might + appear not to possess any written chronicle, but rather to be sunk in + oblivion and antiquity. Thus I, forced to put my shoulder, which was + unused to the task, to a burden unfamiliar to all authors of preceding + time, and dreading to slight his command, have obeyed more boldly than + effectually, borrowing from the greatness of my admonisher that good heart + which the weakness of my own wit denied me. + </p> + <p> + And since, ere my enterprise reached its goal, his death outran it; I + entreat thee chiefly, Andrew, who wast chosen by a most wholesome and + accordant vote to be successor in the same office and to headship of + spiritual things, to direct and inspire my theme; that I may baulk by the + defence of so great an advocate that spiteful detraction which ever + reviles what is most conspicuous. For thy breast, very fruitful in + knowledge, and covered with great store of worshipful doctrines, is to be + deemed a kind of shrine of heavenly treasures. Thou who hast searched + through Gaul and Italy and Britain also in order to gather knowledge of + letters and amass them abundantly, didst after thy long wandering obtain a + most illustrious post in a foreign school, and proved such a pillar + thereof, that thou seemedst to confer more grace on thy degree than it did + on thee. Then being made, on account of the height of thy honours and the + desert of thy virtues, Secretary to the King, thou didst adorn that + employment, in itself bounded and insignificant, with such works of wisdom + as to leave it a piece of promotion for men of greatest rank to covet + afterwards, when thou wert transferred to that office which now thou + holdest. Wherefore Skaane has been found to leap for joy that she has + borrowed a Pontiff from her neighbours rather than chosen one from her own + people; inasmuch as she both elected nobly and deserved joy of her + election. Being a shining light, therefore, in lineage, in letters, and in + parts, and guiding the people with the most fruitful labours of thy + teaching, thou hast won the deepest love of thy flock, and by thy boldness + in thy famous administration hast conducted the service thou hast + undertaken unto the summit of renown. And lest thou shouldst seem to + acquire ownership on the strength of prescription, thou hast, by a pious + and bountiful will, made over a very rich inheritance to Holy Church; + choosing rather honourably to reject riches (which are covered with the + rust of cares) than to be shackled with the greed of them and with their + burden. Likewise thou hast set about an amazing work upon the reverend + tenets of the faith; and in thy zeal to set the service of public religion + before thy private concerns, hast, by the lesson of thy wholesome + admonitions, driven those men who refused payment of the dues belonging to + religion to do to holy things the homage that they ought; and by thy pious + gift of treasure hast atoned for the ancient neglect of sacred buildings. + Further, those who pursued a wanton life, and yielded to the stress of + incontinence above measure, thou hast redeemed from nerveless sloth to a + more upright state of mind, partly by continuing instant in wholesome + reproof, and partly by the noble example of simple living; leaving it in + doubt whether thou hast edified them more by word or deed. Thus thou, by + mere counsels of wisdom, hast achieved what it was not granted to any of + thy forerunners to obtain. + </p> + <p> + And I would not have it forgotten that the more ancient of the Danes, when + any notable deeds of mettle had been done, were filled with emulation of + glory, and imitated the Roman style; not only by relating in a choice kind + of composition, which might be called a poetical work, the roll of their + lordly deeds; but also by having graven upon rocks and cliffs, in the + characters of their own language, the works of their forefathers, which + were commonly known in poems in the mother tongue. In the footsteps of + these poems, being as it were classic books of antiquity, I have trod; and + keeping true step with them as I translated, in the endeavour to preserve + their drift, I have taken care to render verses by verses; so that the + chronicle of what I shall have to write, being founded upon these, may + thus be known, not for a modern fabrication, but for the utterance of + antiquity; since this present work promises not a trumpery dazzle of + language, but faithful information concerning times past. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, how many histories must we suppose that men of such genius would + have written, could they have had skill in Latin and so slaked their + thirst for writing! Men who though they lacked acquaintance with, the + speech of Rome, were yet seized with such a passion for bequeathing some + record of their history, that they encompassed huge boulders instead of + scrolls, borrowing rocks for the usage of books. + </p> + <p> + Nor may the pains of the men of Thule be blotted in oblivion; for though + they lack all that can foster luxury (so naturally barren is the soil), + yet they make up for their neediness by their wit, by keeping continually + every observance of soberness, and devoting every instant of their lives + to perfecting our knowledge of the deeds of foreigners. Indeed, they + account it a delight to learn and to consign to remembrance the history of + all nations, deeming it as great a glory to set forth the excellences of + others as to display their own. Their stores, which are stocked with + attestations of historical events, I have examined somewhat closely, and + have woven together no small portion of the present work by following + their narrative, not despising the judgment of men whom I know to be so + well versed in the knowledge of antiquity. And I have taken equal care to + follow the statements of Absalon, and with obedient mind and pen to + include both his own doings and other men's doings of which he learnt; + treasuring the witness of his August narrative as though it were some + teaching from the skies. + </p> + <p> + Wherefore, Waldemar, (1) healthful Prince and Father of us all, shining + light of thy land, whose lineage, most glorious from times of old, I am to + relate, I beseech thee let thy grace attend the faltering course of this + work; for I am fettered under the weight of my purpose, and dread that I + may rather expose my unskillfulness and the feebleness of my parts, than + portray thy descent as I duly should. For, not to speak of thy rich + inheritance from thy fathers, thou hast nobly increased thy realm by + conquering thy neighbours, and in the toil of spreading thy sovereignty + hast encompassed the ebbing and flowing waves of Elbe, thus adding to thy + crowded roll of honours no mean portion of fame. And after outstripping + the renown and repute of thy forerunners by the greatness of thy deeds, + thou didst not forbear to make armed, assault even upon part of the Roman + empire. And though thou art deemed to be well endowed with courage and + generosity, thou hast left it in doubt whether thou dost more terrify to + thy foes in warfare or melt thy people by thy mildness. Also thy most + illustrious grandsire, who was sanctioned with the honours of public + worship, and earned the glory of immortality by an unmerited death, now + dazzles by the refulgence of his holiness those whom living he annexed in + his conquests. And from his most holy wounds more virtue than blood hath + flowed. + </p> + <p> + Moreover I, bound by an old and inherited duty of obedience, have set my + heart on fighting for thee, if it be only with all the forces of my mind; + my father and grandfather being known to have served thy illustrious sire + in camp with loyal endurance of the toils of war. Relying therefore on thy + guidance and regard, I have resolved to begin with the position and + configuration of our own country; for I shall relate all things as they + come more vividly, if the course of this history first traverse the places + to which the events belong, and take their situation as the starting-point + for its narrative. + </p> + <p> + The extremes, then, of this country are partly bounded by a frontier of + another land, and partly enclosed by the waters of the adjacent sea. The + interior is washed and encompassed by the ocean; and this, through the + circuitous winds of the interstices, now straitens into the narrows of a + firth, now advances into ampler bays, forming a number of islands. Hence + Denmark is cut in pieces by the intervening waves of ocean, and has but + few portions of firm and continuous territory; these being divided by the + mass of waters that break them up, in ways varying with the different + angle of the bend of the sea. Of all these, Jutland, being the largest and + first settled, holds the chief place in the Danish kingdom. It both lies + fore-most and stretches furthest, reaching to the frontiers of Teutonland, + from contact with which it is severed by the bed of the river Eyder. + Northwards it swells somewhat in breadth, and runs out to the shore of the + Noric Channel (Skagerrak). In this part is to be found the fjord called + Liim, which is so full of fish that it seems to yield the natives as much + food as the whole soil. + </p> + <p> + Close by this fjord also lies Lesser (North) Friesland, which curves in + from the promontory of Jutland in a cove of sinking plains and shelving + lap, and by the favour of the flooding ocean yields immense crops of + grain. But whether this violent inundation bring the inhabitants more + profit or peril, remains a vexed question. For when the (dykes of the) + estuaries, whereby the waves of the sea are commonly checked among that + people, are broken through by the greatness of the storm, such a mass of + waters is wont to overrun the fields that it sometimes overwhelms not only + the tilled lands, but people and their dwellings likewise. + </p> + <p> + Eastwards, after Jutland, comes the Isle of Funen, cut off from the + mainland by a very narrow sound of sea. This faces Jutland on the west, + and on the east Zealand, which is famed for its remarkable richness in the + necessaries of life. This latter island, being by far the most delightful + of all the provinces of our country, is held to occupy the heart of + Denmark, being divided by equal distances from the extreme frontier; on + its eastern side the sea breaks through and cuts off the western side of + Skaane; and this sea commonly yields each year an abundant haul to the + nets of the fishers. Indeed, the whole sound is apt to be so thronged with + fish that any craft which strikes on them is with difficulty got off by + hard rowing, and the prize is captured no longer by tackle, but by simple + use of the hands. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, Halland and Bleking, shooting forth from the mass of the Skaane + like two branches from a parent trunk, are linked to Gothland and to + Norway, though with wide deviations of course, and with various gaps + consisting of fjords. Now in Bleking is to be seen a rock which travellers + can visit, dotted with letters in a strange character. For there stretches + from the southern sea into the desert of Vaarnsland a road of rock, + contained between two lines a little way apart and very prolonged, between + which is visible in the midst a level space, graven all over with + characters made to be read. And though this lies so unevenly as sometimes + to break through the tops of the hills, sometimes to pass along the valley + bottoms, yet it can be discerned to preserve continuous traces of the + characters. Now Waldemar, well-starred son of holy Canute, marvelled at + these, and desired to know their purport, and sent men to go along the + rock and gather with close search the series of the characters that were + to be seen there; they were then to denote them with certain marks, using + letters of similar shape. These men could not gather any sort of + interpretation of them, because owing to the hollow space of the graving + being partly smeared up with mud and partly worn by the feet of travellers + in the trampling of the road, the long line that had been drawn became + blurred. Hence it is plain that crevices, even in the solid rock, if long + drenched with wet, become choked either by the solid washings of dirt or + the moistening drip of showers. + </p> + <p> + But since this country, by its closeness of language as much as of + position, includes Sweden and Norway, I will record their divisions and + their climates also as I have those of Denmark. These territories, lying + under the northern pole, and facing Bootes and the Great Bear, reach with + their utmost outlying parts the latitude of the freezing zone; and beyond + these the extraordinary sharpness of the cold suffers not human + habitation. Of these two, Norway has been allotted by the choice of nature + a forbidding rocky site. Craggy and barren, it is beset all around by + cliffs, and the huge desolate boulders give it the aspect of a rugged and + a gloomy land; in its furthest part the day-star is not hidden even by + night; so that the sun, scorning the vicissitudes of day and night, + ministers in unbroken presence an equal share of his radiance to either + season. + </p> + <p> + On the west of Norway comes the island called Iceland, with the mighty + ocean washing round it: a land very squalid to dwell in, but noteworthy + for marvels, both strange occurrences and objects that pass belief. A + spring is there which, by the malignant reek of its water, destroys the + original nature of anything whatsoever. Indeed, all that is sprinkled with + the breath of its vapour is changed into the hardness of stone. It remains + a doubt whether it be more marvellous or more perilous, that soft and + flowing water should be invested with such a stiffness, as by a sudden + change to transmute into the nature of stone whatsoever is put to it and + drenched with its reeking fume, nought but the shape surviving. Here also + are said to be other springs, which now are fed with floods of rising + water, and, overflowing in full channels, cast a mass of spray upwards; + and now again their bubbling flags, and they can scarce be seen below at + the bottom, and are swallowed into deep hiding far under ground. Hence, + when they are gushing over, they bespatter everything about them with the + white spume, but when they are spent the sharpest eye cannot discern them. + In this island there is likewise a mountain, whose floods of incessant + fire make it look like a glowing rock, and which, by belching out flames, + keeps its crest in an everlasting blaze. This thing awakens our wonder as + much as those aforesaid; namely, when a land lying close to the extreme of + cold can have such abundance of matter to keep up the heat, as to furnish + eternal fires with unseen fuel, and supply an endless provocative to feed + the burning. To this isle also, at fixed and appointed seasons, there + drifts a boundless mass of ice, and when it approaches and begins to dash + upon the rugged reefs, then, just as if the cliffs rang reply, there is + heard from the deep a roar of voices and a changing din of extraordinary + clamour. Whence it is supposed that spirits, doomed to torture for the + iniquity of their guilty life, do here pay, by that bitter cold, the + penalty of their sins. And so any portion of this mass that is cut off + when the aforesaid ice breaks away from the land, soon slips its bonds and + bars, though it be made fast with ever so great joins and knots. The mind + stands dazed in wonder, that a thing which is covered with bolts past + picking, and shut in by manifold and intricate barriers, should so depart + after that mass whereof it was a portion, as by its enforced and + inevitable flight to baffle the wariest watching. There also, set among + the ridges and crags of the mountains, is another kind of ice which is + known periodically to change and in a way reverse its position, the upper + parts sinking to the bottom, and the lower again returning to the top. For + proof of this story it is told that certain men, while they chanced to be + running over the level of ice, rolled into the abyss before them, and into + the depths of the yawning crevasses, and were a little later picked up + dead without the smallest chink of ice above them. Hence it is common for + many to imagine that the urn of the sling of ice first swallows them, and + then a little after turns upside down and restores them. Here also, is + reported to bubble up the water of a pestilent flood, which if a man + taste, he falls struck as though by poison. Also there are other springs, + whose gushing waters are said to resemble the quality of the bowl of + Ceres. There are also fires, which, though they cannot consume linen, yet + devour so fluent a thing as water. Also there is a rock, which flies over + mountain-steeps, not from any outward impulse, but of its innate and + proper motion. + </p> + <p> + And now to unfold somewhat more thoroughly our delineation of Norway. It + should be known that on the east it is conterminous with Sweden and + Gothland, and is bounded on both sides by the waters of the neighbouring + ocean. Also on the north it faces a region whose position and name are + unknown, and which lacks all civilisation, but teems with peoples of + monstrous strangeness; and a vast interspace of flowing sea severs it from + the portion of Norway opposite. This sea is found hazardous for + navigation, and suffers few that venture thereon to return in peace. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, the upper bend of the ocean, which cuts through Denmark and + flows past it, washes the southern side of Gothland with a gulf of some + width; while its lower channel, passing the northern sides of Gothland and + Norway, turns eastwards, widening much in breadth, and is bounded by a + curve of firm land. This limit of the sea the elders of our race called + Grandvik. Thus between Grandvik and the Southern Sea there lies a short + span of mainland, facing the seas that wash on either shore; and but that + nature had set this as a boundary where the billows almost meet, the tides + of the two seas would have flowed into one, and cut off Sweden and Norway + into an island. The regions on the east of these lands are inhabited by + the Skric-Finns. This people is used to an extraordinary kind of carriage, + and in its passion for the chase strives to climb untrodden mountains, and + attains the coveted ground at the cost of a slippery circuit. For no crag + juts out so high, but they can reach its crest by fetching a cunning + compass. For when they first leave the deep valleys, they glide twisting + and circling among the bases of the rocks, thus making the route very + roundabout by dint of continually swerving aside, until, passing along the + winding curves of the tracks, they conquer the appointed summit. This same + people is wont to use the skins of certain beasts for merchandise with its + neighbours. + </p> + <p> + Now Sweden faces Denmark and Norway on the west, but on the south and on + much of its eastern side it is skirted by the ocean. Past this eastward is + to be found a vast accumulation of motley barbarism. + </p> + <p> + That the country of Denmark was once cultivated and worked by giants, is + attested by the enormous stones attached to the barrows and caves of the + ancients. Should any man question that this is accomplished by superhuman + force, let him look up at the tops of certain mountains and say, if he + knows how, what man hath carried such immense boulders up to their crests. + For anyone considering this marvel will mark that it is inconceivable how + a mass, hardly at all or but with difficulty movable upon a level, could + have been raised to so mighty a peak of so lofty a mountain by mere human + effort, or by the ordinary exertion of human strength. But as to whether, + after the Deluge went forth, there existed giants who could do such deeds, + or men endowed beyond others with bodily force, there is scant tradition + to tell us. + </p> + <p> + But, as our countrymen aver, those who even to-day are said to dwell in + that rugged and inaccessible desert aforesaid, are, by the mutable nature + of their bodies, vouchsafed the power of being now near, now far, and of + appearing and vanishing in turn. The approach to this desert is beset with + perils of a fearful kind, and has seldom granted to those who attempted it + an unscathed return. Now I will let my pen pass to my theme. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) Waldemar the Second (1203-42); Saxo does not reach his + history. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0022" id="link2H_4_0022"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK ONE. + </h2> + <p> + Now Dan and Angul, with whom the stock of the Danes begins, were begotten + of Humble, their father, and were the governors and not only the founders + of our race. (Yet Dudo, the historian of Normandy, considers that the + Danes are sprung and named from the Danai.) And these two men, though by + the wish and favour of their country they gained the lordship of the + realm, and, owing to the wondrous deserts of their bravery, got the + supreme power by the consenting voice of their countrymen, yet lived + without the name of king: the usage whereof was not then commonly resorted + to by any authority among our people. + </p> + <p> + Of these two, Angul, the fountain, so runs the tradition, of the + beginnings of the Anglian race, caused his name to be applied to the + district which he ruled. This was an easy kind of memorial wherewith to + immortalise his fame: for his successors a little later, when they gained + possession of Britain, changed the original name of the island for a fresh + title, that of their own land. This action was much thought of by the + ancients: witness Bede, no mean figure among the writers of the Church, + who was a native of England, and made it his care to embody the doings of + his country in the most hallowed treasury of his pages; deeming it equally + a religious duty to glorify in writing the deeds of his land, and to + chronicle the history of the Church. + </p> + <p> + From Dan, however, so saith antiquity; the pedigrees of our kings have + flowed in glorious series, like channels from some parent spring. Grytha, + a matron most highly revered among the Teutons, bore him two sons, HUMBLE + and LOTHER. + </p> + <p> + The ancients, when they were to choose a king, were wont to stand on + stones planted in the ground, and to proclaim their votes, in order to + foreshadow from the steadfastness of the stones that the deed would be + lasting. By this ceremony Humble was elected king at his father's death, + thus winning a novel favour from his country; but by the malice of ensuing + fate he fell from a king into a common man. For he was taken by Lother in + war, and bought his life by yielding up his crown; such, in truth, were + the only terms of escape offered him in his defeat. Forced, therefore, by + the injustice of a brother to lay down his sovereignty, he furnished the + lesson to mankind, that there is less safety, though more pomp, in the + palace than in the cottage. Also, he bore his wrong so meekly that he + seemed to rejoice at his loss of title as though it were a blessing; and I + think he had a shrewd sense of the quality of a king's estate. But Lother + played the king as insupportably as he had played the soldier, + inaugurating his reign straightway with arrogance and crime; for he + counted it uprightness to strip all the most eminent of life or goods, and + to clear his country of its loyal citizens, thinking all his equals in + birth his rivals for the crown. He was soon chastised for his wickedness; + for he met his end in an insurrection of his country; which had once + bestowed on him his kingdom, and now bereft him of his life. + </p> + <p> + SKIOLD, his son, inherited his natural bent, but not his behaviour; + avoiding his inborn perversity by great discretion in his tender years, + and thus escaping all traces of his father's taint. So he appropriated + what was alike the more excellent and the earlier share of the family + character; for he wisely departed from his father's sins, and became a + happy counterpart of his grandsire's virtues. This man was famous in his + youth among the huntsmen of his father for his conquest of a monstrous + beast: a marvellous incident, which augured his future prowess. For he + chanced to obtain leave from his guardians, who were rearing him very + carefully, to go and see the hunting. A bear of extraordinary size met + him; he had no spear, but with the girdle that he commonly wore he + contrived to bind it, and gave it to his escort to kill. More than this, + many champions of tried prowess were at the same time of his life + vanquished by him singly; of these Attal and Skat were renowned and + famous. While but fifteen years of age he was of unusual bodily size and + displayed mortal strength in its perfection, and so mighty were the proofs + of his powers that the rest of the kings of the Danes were called after + him by a common title, the SKIOLDUNG'S. Those who were wont to live an + abandoned and flaccid life, and to sap their self-control by wantonness, + this man vigilantly spurred to the practice of virtue in an active career. + Thus the ripeness of Skiold's spirit outstripped the fulness of his + strength, and he fought battles at which one of his tender years could + scarce look on. And as he thus waxed in years and valour he beheld the + perfect beauty of Alfhild, daughter of the King of the Saxons, sued for + her hand, and, for her sake, in the sight of the armies of the Teutons and + the Danes, challenged and fought with Skat, governor of Allemannia, and a + suitor for the same maiden; whom he slew, afterwards crushing the whole + nation of the Allemannians, and forcing them to pay tribute, they being + subjugated by the death of their captain. Skiold was eminent for + patriotism as well as arms. For he annulled unrighteous laws, and most + heedfully executed whatsoever made for the amendment of his country's + condition. Further, he regained by his virtue the realm that his father's + wickedness had lost. He was the first to proclaim the law abolishing + manumissions. A slave, to whom he had chanced to grant his freedom, had + attempted his life by stealthy treachery, and he exacted a bitter penalty; + as though it were just that the guilt of one freedman should be visited + upon all. He paid off all men's debts from his own treasury, and + contended, so to say, with all other monarchs in courage, bounty, and + generous dealing. The sick he used to foster, and charitably gave + medicines to those sore stricken; bearing witness that he had taken on him + the care of his country and not of himself. He used to enrich his nobles + not only with home taxes, but also with plunder taken in war; being wont + to aver that the prize-money should flow to the soldiers, and the glory to + the general. + </p> + <p> + Thus delivered of his bitterest rival in wooing, he took as the prize of + combat the maiden, for the love of whom he had fought, and wedded her in + marriage. Soon after, he had by her a son, GRAM, whose wondrous parts + savoured so strongly of his father's virtues that he was deemed to tread + in their very footsteps. The days of Gram's youth were enriched with + surpassing gifts of mind and body, and he raised them to the crest of + renown. Posterity did such homage to his greatness that in the most + ancient poems of the Danes royal dignity is implied in his very name. He + practiced with the most zealous training whatsoever serves to sharpen and + strengthen the bodily powers. Taught by the fencers, he trained himself by + sedulous practice to parrying and dealing blows. He took to wife the + daughter of his upbringer, Roar, she being his foster-sister and of his + own years, in order the better to show his gratefulness for his nursing. A + little while after he gave her in marriage to a certain Bess, since he had + ofttimes used his strenuous service. In this partner of his warlike deeds + he put his trust; and he has left it a question whether he has won more + renown by Bess's valour or his own. + </p> + <p> + Gram, chancing to hear that Groa, daughter of Sigtryg, King of the Swedes, + was plighted to a certain giant, and holding accursed an union so unworthy + of the blood royal, entered on a Swedish war; being destined to emulate + the prowess of Hercules in resisting the attempts of monsters. He went + into Gothland, and, in order to frighten people out of his path, strode on + clad in goats' skins, swathed in the motley hides of beasts, and grasping + in his right hand a dreadful weapon, thus feigning the attire of a giant; + when he met Groa herself riding with a very small escort of women on foot, + and making her way, as it chanced, to the forest-pools to bathe, she + thought it was her betrothed who had hastened to meet her, and was scared + with feminine alarm at so strange a garb: so, flinging up the reins, and + shaking terribly all over, she began in the song of her country, thus: + </p> + <p> + "I see that a giant, hated of the king, has come, and darkens the highways + with his stride. Or my eyes play me false; for it has oft befallen bold + warriors to skulk behind the skin of a beast." + </p> + <p> + Then began Bess: "Maiden, seated on the shoulders of the steed, tell me, + pouring forth in thy turn words of answer, what is thy name, and of what + line art thou born?" + </p> + <p> + Groa replied: "Groa is my name; my sire is a king, glorious in blood, + gleaming in armour. Disclose to us, thou also, who thou art, or whence + sprung!" + </p> + <p> + To whom Bess: "I am Bess, brave in battle, ruthless to foes, a terror to + nations, and oft drenching my right hand in the blood of foes." + </p> + <p> + Then said Groa: "Who, prithee, commands your lines? Under what captain + raise ye the war-standards? What prince controls the battle? Under whose + guidance is the war made ready?" + </p> + <p> + Bess in answer: "Gram, the blest in battle, rules the array: force nor + fear can swerve him; flaming pyre and cruel sword and ocean billow have + never made him afraid. Led by him, maiden, we raise the golden standards + of war." + </p> + <p> + Groa once more: "Turn your feet and go back hence, lest Sigtryg vanquish + you all with his own array, and fasten you to a cruel stake, your throats + haltered with the cord, and doom your carcases to the stiff noose, and, + glaring evilly, thrust out your corpses to the hungry raven." + </p> + <p> + Bess again: "Gram, ere he shall shut his own eyes in death, shall first + make him a ghost, and, smiting him on the crest, shall send him to + Tartarus. We fear no camp of the Swedes. Why threaten us with ghastly + dooms, maiden?" + </p> + <p> + Groa answered him: "Behold, I will ride thence to see again the roof of my + father which I know, that I may not rashly set eyes on the array of my + brother who is coming. And I pray that your death-doom may tarry for you + who abide." + </p> + <p> + Bess replied: "Daughter, to thy father go back with good cheer; nor + imprecate swift death upon us, nor let choler shake thy bosom. For often + has a woman, harsh at first and hard to a wooer, yielded the second time." + </p> + <p> + Whereupon Gram could brook no longer to be silent, and pitching his tones + gruffly, so as to mimic a gruesome and superhuman voice, accosted the + maiden thus: + </p> + <p> + "Let not the maiden fear the brother of the fleet giant, nor turn pale + because I am nigh her. For I am sent by Grip, and never seek the couch and + embrace of damsels save when their wish matches mine." + </p> + <p> + Groa answered: "Who so mad as to wish to be the leman of giants? Or what + woman could love the bed that genders monsters? Who could be the wife of + demons, and know the seed whose fruit is monstrous? Or who would fain + share her couch with a barbarous giant? Who caresses thorns with her + fingers? Who would mingle honest kisses with mire? Who would unite shaggy + limbs to smooth ones which correspond not? Full ease of love cannot be + taken when nature cries out against it: nor doth the love customary in the + use of women sort with monsters." + </p> + <p> + Gram rejoined: "Oft with conquering hand I have tamed the necks of mighty + kings, defeating with stronger arm their insolent pride. Thence take + red-glowing gold, that the troth may be made firm by the gift, and that + the faith to be brought to our wedlock may stand fast." + </p> + <p> + Thus speaking, he cast off his disguises, and revealed his natural + comeliness; and by a single sight of him he filled the damsel with + well-nigh as much joy as he had struck her with fear before at his + counterfeit. She was even incited to his embraces by the splendour of his + beauty; nor did he fail to offer her the gifts of love. + </p> + <p> + Having won Groa, Bess proceeded and learnt that the road was beset by two + robbers. These he slew simply by charging them as they rushed covetously + forth to despoil him. This done, loth to seem to have done any service to + the soil of an enemy, he put timbers under the carcases of the slain, + fastened them thereto, and stretched them so as to counterfeit an upright + standing position; so that in their death they might menace in seeming + those whom their life had harmed in truth; and that, terrible even after + their decease, they might block the road in effigy as much as they had + once in deed. Whence it appears that in slaying the robbers he took + thought for himself and not for Sweden: for he betokened by so singular an + act how great a hatred of Sweden filled him. Having heard from the + diviners that Sigtryg could only be conquered by gold, he straightway + fixed a knob of gold to a wooden mace, equipped himself therewith in the + war wherein he attacked the king, and obtained his desire. This exploit + was besung by Bess in a most zealous strain of eulogy: + </p> + <p> + "Gram, the fierce wielder of the prosperous mace, knowing not the steel, + rained blows on the outstretched sword, and with a stock beat off the + lances of the mighty. + </p> + <p> + "Following the decrees and will of the gods, he brought low the glory of + the powerless Swedes, doing their king to death and crushing him with the + stiff gold. + </p> + <p> + "For he pondered on the arts of war: he wielded in his clasp the + ruddy-flashing wood, and victoriously with noble stroke made their fallen + captain writhe. + </p> + <p> + "Shrewdly he conquered with the hardness of gold him whom fate forbade + should be slain by steel; unsworded, waging war with the worthier metal. + </p> + <p> + "This treasure, for which its deviser claims glory and the height of + honour, shall abide yet more illustrious hereafter, known far and wide in + ampler fame." + </p> + <p> + Having now slain Sigtryg, the King of Sweden, Gram desired to confirm his + possession of the empire which he had won in war; and therefore, + suspecting Swarin the governor of Gothland of aspiring to the crown, he + challenged him to combat, and slew him. This man's brethren, of whom he + had seven lawfully born, and nine the sons of a concubine, sought to + avenge their brother's death, but Gram, in an unequal contest, cut them + off. + </p> + <p> + Gram, for his marvellous prowess, was granted a share in the sovereignty + by his father, who was now in extreme age, and thought it better and + likewise more convenient to give his own blood a portion of the supremacy + of the realm, than now in the setting of his life to administer it without + a partner. Therefore Ring, a nobly-born Zealander, stirred the greater + part of the Danes with desire for insurrection; fancying that one of these + men was unripe for his rank, and that the other had run the course of his + powers, alleging the weakness in years of both, and declaring that the + wandering wit of an old man made the one, and that of a boy the other, + unfit for royal power. But they fought and crushed him, making him an + example to all men, that no season of life is to be deemed incompatible + with valour. + </p> + <p> + Many other deeds also King Gram did. He declared war against Sumble, King + of the Finns; but when he set eyes upon the King's daughter, Signe, he + laid down his arms, the foeman turned into the suitor, and, promising to + put away his own wife, he plighted troth with her. But, while much busied + with a war against Norway, which he had taken up against King Swipdag for + debauching his sister and his daughter, he heard from a messenger that + Signe had, by Sumble's treachery, been promised in marriage to Henry, King + of Saxony. Then, inclining to love the maiden more than his soldiers, he + left his army, privily made his way to Finland, and came in upon the + wedding, which was already begun. Putting on a garb of the utmost + meanness, he lay down at the table in a seat of no honour. When asked what + he brought, he professed skill in leechcraft. At last, when all were + drenched in drunkenness, he gazed at the maiden, and amid the revels of + the riotous banquet, cursing deep the fickleness of women, and vaunting + loud his own deeds of valour, he poured out the greatness of his wrath in + a song like this: + </p> + <p> + "Singly against eight at once I drove the darts of death, and smote nine + with a back-swung sword, when I slew Swarin, who wrongfully assumed his + honours and tried to win fame unmerited; wherefore I have oft dyed in + foreign blood my blade red with death and reeking with slaughter, and have + never blenched at the clash of dagger or the sheen of helmet. Now Signe, + the daughter of Sumble, vilely spurns me, and endures vows not mine, + cursing her ancient troth; and, conceiving an ill-ordered love, commits a + notable act of female lightness; for she entangles, lures, and bestains + princes, rebuffing beyond all others the lordly of birth; yet remaining + firm to none, but ever wavering, and bringing to birth impulses doubtful + and divided." + </p> + <p> + And as he spoke he leapt up from where he lay, and there he cut Henry down + while at the sacred board and the embraces of his friends, carried off his + bride from amongst the bridesmaids, felled most of the guests, and bore + her off with him in his ship. Thus the bridal was turned into a funeral; + and the Finns might learn the lesson, that hands should not be laid upon + the loves of other men. + </p> + <p> + After this SWIPDAG, King of Norway, destroyed Gram, who was attempting to + avenge the outrage on his sister and the attempt on his daughter's + chastity. This battle was notable for the presence of the Saxon forces, + who were incited to help Swipdag, not so much by love of him, as by desire + to avenge Henry. + </p> + <p> + GUTHORM and HADDING, the son of Gram (Groa being the mother of the first + and Signe of the second), were sent over to Sweden in a ship by their + foster-father, Brage (Swipdag being now master of Denmark), and put in + charge of the giants Wagnhofde and Hafle, for guard as well as rearing. + </p> + <p> + As I shall have briefly to relate doings of these folk, and would fain not + seem to fabricate what conflicts with common belief or outsteps the + faithful truth, it is worth the knowing that there were in old times three + kinds of magicians who by diverse sleights practiced extraordinary + marvels. The first of these were men of monstrous stock, termed by + antiquity giants; these by their exceeding great bodily stature surpassed + the size natural to mankind. Those who came after these were the first who + gained skill in divination from entrails, and attained the Pythonic art. + These surpassed the former in briskness of mental parts as much as they + fell behind them in bodily condition. Constant wars for the supremacy were + waged between these and the giants; till at last the sorcerers prevailed, + subdued the tribe of giants by arms, and acquired not merely the privilege + of ruling, but also the repute of being divine. Both of these kinds had + extreme skill in deluding the eyesight, knowing how to obscure their own + faces and those of others with divers semblances, and to darken the true + aspects of things with beguiling shapes. But the third kind of men, + springing from the natural union of the first two, did not answer to the + nature of their parents either in bodily size or in practice of magic + arts; yet these gained credit for divinity with minds that were befooled + by their jugglings. + </p> + <p> + Nor must we marvel if, tempted by the prodigious miracles of these folk, + the barbaric world fell to worshipping a false religion, when others like + unto these, who were mere mortals, but were reverenced with divine + honours, beguiled even the shrewdness of the Latins. I have touched on + these things lest, when I relate of sleights and marvels, I be checked by + the disbelief of the reader. Now I will leave these matters and return to + my theme. + </p> + <p> + Swipdag, now that he had slain Gram, was enriched with the realms of + Denmark and Sweden; and because of the frequent importunities of his wife + he brought back from banishment her brother Guthorm, upon his promising + tribute, and made him ruler of the Danes. But Hadding preferred to avenge + his father rather than take a boon from his foe. + </p> + <p> + This man's nature so waxed and throve that in the early season of his + youth he was granted the prime of manhood. Leaving the pursuit of + pleasure, he was constantly zealous in warlike exercises; remembering that + he was the son of a fighting father, and was bound to spend his whole span + of life in approved deeds of warfare. Hardgrep, daughter of Wagnhofde, + tried to enfeeble his firm spirit with her lures of love, contending and + constantly averring that he ought to offer the first dues of the marriage + bed in wedlock with her, who had proffered to his childhood most zealous + and careful fostering, and had furnished him with his first rattle. + </p> + <p> + Nor was she content with admonishing in plain words, but began a strain of + song as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Why doth thy life thus waste and wander? Why dost thou pass thy years + unwed, following arms, thirsting for throats? Nor does my beauty draw thy + vows. Carried away by excess of frenzy, thou art little prone to love. + Steeped in blood and slaughter, thou judgest wars better than the bed, nor + refreshest thy soul with incitements. Thy fierceness finds no leisure; + dalliance is far from thee, and savagery fostered. Nor is thy hand free + from blasphemy while thou loathest the rites of love. Let this hateful + strictness pass away, let that loving warmth approach, and plight the + troth of love to me, who gave thee the first breasts of milk in childhood, + and helped thee, playing a mother's part, duteous to thy needs." + </p> + <p> + When he answered that the size of her body was unwieldy for the embraces + of a mortal, since doubtless her nature was framed in conformity to her + giant stock, she said: + </p> + <p> + "Be not moved by my unwonted look of size. For my substance is sometimes + thinner, sometimes ampler; now meagre, now abundant; and I alter and + change at my pleasure the condition of my body, which is at one time + shrivelled up and at another time expanded: now my tallness rises to the + heavens, and now I settle down into a human being, under a more bounded + shape." + </p> + <p> + As he still faltered, and was slow to believe her words, she added the + following song: + </p> + <p> + "Youth, fear not the converse of my bed. I change my bodily outline in + twofold wise, and am wont to enjoin a double law upon my sinews. For I + conform to shapes of different figure in turn, and am altered at my own + sweet will: now my neck is star-high, and soars nigh to the lofty + Thunderer; then it falls and declines to human strength, and plants again + on earth that head which was near the firmament. Thus I lightly shift my + body into diverse phases, and am beheld in varying wise; for changefully + now cramped stiffness draws in my limbs, now the virtue of my tall body + unfolds them, and suffers them to touch the cloud-tops. Now I am short and + straitened, now stretch out with loosened knee; and I have mutably changed + myself like wax into strange aspects. He who knows of Proteus should not + marvel at me. My shape never stays the same, and my aspect is twofold: at + one time it contrasts its outstretched limbs, at another shoots them out + when closed; now disentangling the members and now rolling them back into + a coil. I dart out my ingathered limbs, and presently, while they are + strained, I wrinkle them up, dividing my countenance between shapes twain, + and adopting two forms; with the greater of these I daunt the fierce, + while with the shorter I seek the embraces of men." + </p> + <p> + By thus averring she obtained the embraces of Hadding; and her love for + the youth burned so high that when she found him desirous of revisiting + his own land, she did not hesitate to follow him in man's attire, and + counted it as joy to share his hardships and perils. While upon the + journey she had undertaken, she chanced to enter in his company, in order + to pass the night, a dwelling, the funeral of whose dead master was being + conducted with melancholy rites. Here, desiring to pry into the purposes + of heaven by the help of a magical espial, she graved on wood some very + dreadful spells, and caused Hadding to put them under the dead man's + tongue; thus forcing him to utter, with the voice so given, a strain + terrible to hear: + </p> + <p> + "Perish accursed he who hath dragged me back from those below, let him be + punished for calling a spirit out of bale! + </p> + <p> + "Whoso hath called me, who am lifeless and dead, back from the abode + below, and hath brought me again into upper air, let him pay full penalty + with his own death in the dreary shades beneath livid Styx. Behold, + counter to my will and purpose, I must declare some bitter tidings. For as + ye go away from this house ye will come to the narrow path of a grove, and + will be a prey to demons all about. Then she who hath brought our death + back from out of void, and has given us a sight of this light once more, + by her prayers wondrously drawing forth the ghost and casting it into the + bonds of the body, shall bitterly bewail her rash enterprise. + </p> + <p> + "Perish accursed he who hath dragged me back from those below, let him be + punished for calling a spirit out of bale! + </p> + <p> + "For when the black pestilence of the blast that engenders monsters has + crushed out the inmost entrails with stern effort, and when their hand has + swept away the living with cruel nail, tearing off limbs and rending + ravished bodies; then Hadding, thy life shall survive, nor shall the + nether realms bear off thy ghost, nor thy spirit pass heavily to the + waters of Styx; but the woman who hath made the wretched ghost come back + hither, crushed by her own guilt, shall appease our dust; she shall be + dust herself. + </p> + <p> + "Perish accursed he who hath dragged me back from those below, let him be + punished for calling a spirit out of bale!" + </p> + <p> + So, while they were passing the night in the forest foretold them, in a + shelter framed of twigs, a hand of extraordinary size was seen to wander + over the inside of the dwelling. Terrified at this portent, Hadding + entreated the aid of his nurse. Then Hardgrep, expanding her limbs and + swelling to a mighty bigness, gripped the hand fast and held it to her + foster-child to hew off. What flowed from the noisesome wounds he dealt + was not so much blood as corrupt matter. But she paid the penalty of this + act, presently being torn in pieces by her kindred of the same stock; nor + did her constitution or her bodily size help her against feeling the + attacks of her foes' claws. + </p> + <p> + Hadding, thus bereft of his foster-mother, chanced to be made an ally in a + solemn covenant to a rover, Lysir, by a certain man of great age that had + lost an eye, who took pity on his loneliness. Now the ancients, when about + to make a league, were wont to besprinkle their footsteps with blood of + one another, so to ratify their pledge of friendship by reciprocal barter + of blood. Lysir and Hadding, being bound thus in the strictest league, + declared war against Loker, the tyrant of the Kurlanders. They were + defeated; and the old man aforementioned took Hadding, as he fled on + horseback, to his own house, and there refreshed him with a certain + pleasant draught, telling him that he would find himself quite brisk and + sound in body. This prophetic advice he confirmed by a song as follows: + </p> + <p> + "As thou farest hence, a foe, thinking thee a deserter, will assail thee, + that he may keep thee bound and cast thee to be devoured by the mangling + jaws of beasts. But fill thou the ears of the warders with divers tales, + and when they have done the feast and deep sleep holds them, snap off the + fetters upon thee and the loathly chains. Turn thy feet thence, and when a + little space has fled, with all thy might rise up against a swift lion who + is wont to toss the carcases of the prisoners, and strive with thy stout + arms against his savage shoulders, and with naked sword search his + heart-strings. Straightway put thy throat to him and drink the steaming + blood, and devour with ravenous jaws the banquet of his body. Then renewed + strength will come to thy limbs, then shall undreamed-of might enter thy + sinews, and an accumulation of stout force shall bespread and nerve thy + frame through-out. I myself will pave the path to thy prayers, and will + subdue the henchmen in sleep, and keep them snoring throughout the + lingering night." + </p> + <p> + And as he spoke, he took back the young man on his horse, and set him + where he had found him. Hadding cowered trembling under his mantle; but so + extreme was his wonder at the event, that with keen vision he peered + through its holes. And he saw that before the steps of the horse lay the + sea; but was told not to steal a glimpse of the forbidden thing, and + therefore turned aside his amazed eyes from the dread spectacle of the + roads that he journeyed. Then he was taken by Loker, and found by very + sure experience that every point of the prophecy was fulfilled upon him. + So he assailed Handwan, king of the Hellespont, who was entrenched behind + an impregnable defence of wall in his city Duna, and withstood him not in + the field, but with battlements. Its summit defying all approach by a + besieger, he ordered that the divers kinds of birds who were wont to nest + in that spot should be caught by skilled fowlers, and he caused wicks + which had been set on fire to be fastened beneath their wings. The birds + sought the shelter of their own nests, and filled the city with a blaze; + all the townsmen flocked to quench it, and left the gates defenceless. He + attacked and captured Handwan, but suffered him to redeem his life with + gold for ransom. Thus, when he might have cut off his foe, he preferred to + grant him the breath of life; so far did his mercy qualify his rage. + </p> + <p> + After this he prevailed over a great force of men of the East, and came + back to Sweden. Swipdag met him with a great fleet off Gottland; but + Hadding attacked and destroyed him. And thus he advanced to a lofty pitch + of renown, not only by the fruits of foreign spoil, but by the trophies of + his vengeance for his brother and his father. And he exchanged exile for + royalty, for he became king of his own land as soon as he regained it. + </p> + <p> + At this time there was one Odin, who was credited over all Europe with the + honour, which was false, of godhead, but used more continually to sojourn + at Upsala; and in this spot, either from the sloth of the inhabitants or + from its own pleasantness, he vouchsafed to dwell with somewhat especial + constancy. The kings of the North, desiring more zealously to worship his + deity, embounded his likeness in a golden image; and this statue, which + betokened their homage, they transmitted with much show of worship to + Byzantium, fettering even the effigied arms with a serried mass of + bracelets. Odin was overjoyed at such notoriety, and greeted warmly the + devotion of the senders. But his queen Frigga, desiring to go forth more + beautified, called smiths, and had the gold stripped from the statue. Odin + hanged them, and mounted the statue upon a pedestal, which by the + marvellous skill of his art he made to speak when a mortal touched it. But + still Frigga preferred the splendour of her own apparel to the divine + honours of her husband, and submitted herself to the embraces of one of + her servants; and it was by this man's device she broke down the image, + and turned to the service of her private wantonness that gold which had + been devoted to public idolatry. Little thought she of practicing + unchastity, that she might the easier satisfy her greed, this woman so + unworthy to be the consort of a god; but what should I here add, save that + such a godhead was worthy of such a wife? So great was the error that of + old befooled the minds of men. Thus Odin, wounded by the double trespass + of his wife, resented the outrage to his image as keenly as that to his + bed; and, ruffled by these two stinging dishonours, took to an exile + overflowing with noble shame, imagining so to wipe off the slur of his + ignominy. + </p> + <p> + When he had retired, one Mit-othin, who was famous for his juggling + tricks, was likewise quickened, as though by inspiration from on high, to + seize the opportunity of feigning to be a god; and, wrapping the minds of + the barbarians in fresh darkness, he led them by the renown of his + jugglings to pay holy observance to his name. He said that the wrath of + the gods could never be appeased nor the outrage to their deity expiated + by mixed and indiscriminate sacrifices, and therefore forbade that prayers + for this end should be put up without distinction, appointing to each of + those above his especial drink-offering. But when Odin was returning, he + cast away all help of jugglings, went to Finland to hide himself, and was + there attacked and slain by the inhabitants. Even in his death his + abominations were made manifest, for those who came nigh his barrow were + cut off by a kind of sudden death; and after his end, he spread such + pestilence that he seemed almost to leave a filthier record in his death + than in his life: it was as though he would extort from the guilty a + punishment for his slaughter. The inhabitants, being in this trouble, took + the body out of the mound, beheaded it, and impaled it through the breast + with a sharp stake; and herein that people found relief. + </p> + <p> + The death of Odin's wife revived the ancient splendour of his name, and + seemed to wipe out the disgrace upon his deity; so, returning from exile, + he forced all those, who had used his absence to assume the honours of + divine rank, to resign them as usurped; and the gangs of sorcerers that + had arisen he scattered like a darkness before the advancing glory of his + godhead. And he forced them by his power not only to lay down their + divinity, but further to quit the country, deeming that they, who tried to + foist themselves so iniquitously into the skies, ought to be outcasts from + the earth. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Asmund, the son of Swipdag, fought with Hadding to avenge his + father. And when he heard that Henry his son, his love for whom he set + even before his own life, had fallen fighting valiantly, his soul longed + for death, and loathed the light of day, and made a song in a strain like + this: + </p> + <p> + "What brave hath dared put on my armour? The sheen of the helmet serves + not him who tottereth, nor doth the breastplate fitly shelter him that is + sore spent. Our son is slain, let us riot in battle; my eager love for him + driveth me to my death, that I may not be left outliving my dear child. In + each hand I am fain to grasp the sword; now without shield let us ply our + warfare bare-breasted, with flashing blades. Let the rumour of our rage + beacon forth: boldly let us grind to powder the column of the foe; nor let + the battle be long and chafe us; nor let our onset be shattered in rout + and be still." + </p> + <p> + When he had said this, he gripped his hilt with both hands, and, fearless + of peril, swung his shield upon his back and slew many. Hadding therefore + called on the powers with which he was allied to protect him, and on a + sudden Wagnhofde rode up to fight on his side. And when Asmund saw his + crooked sword, he cried out, and broke into the following strain: + </p> + <p> + "Why fightest thou with curved sword? The short sword shall prove thy + doom, the javelin shall be flung and bring forth death. Thou shouldst + conquer thy foe by thy hand, but thou trustest that he can be rent by + spells; thou trustest more in words than rigour, and puttest thy strength + in thy great resource. Why dost thus beat me back with thy shield, + threatening with thy bold lance, when thou art so covered with wretched + crimes and spotted all over? Thus hath the brand of shame bestained thee, + rotting in sin, lubber-lipped." + </p> + <p> + While he thus clamoured, Hadding, flinging his spear by the thong, pierced + him through. But Asmund lacked not comfort even for his death; for while + his life flickered in the socket he wounded the foot of his slayer, and by + this short instant of revenge he memorized his fall, punishing the other + with an incurable limp. Thus crippling of a limb befell one of them and + loss of life the other. Asmund's body was buried in solemn state at Upsala + and attended with royal obsequies. His wife Gunnhild, loth to outlive him, + cut off her own life with the sword, choosing rather to follow her lord in + death than to forsake him by living. Her friends, in consigning her body + to burial, laid her with her husband's dust, thinking her worthy to share + the mound of the man, her love for whom she had set above life. So there + lies Gunnhild, clasping her lord somewhat more beautifully in the tomb + than she had ever done in the bed. + </p> + <p> + After this Hadding, now triumphant, wasted Sweden. But Asmund's son, named + Uffe, shrinking from a conflict, transported his army into Denmark, + thinking it better to assail the house of his enemy than to guard his own, + and deeming it a timely method of repelling his wrongs to retaliate upon + his foe what he was suffering at his hands. Thus the Danes had to return + and defend their own, preferring the safety of their land to lordship of a + foreign realm; and Uffe went back to his own country, now rid of an + enemy's arms. + </p> + <p> + Hadding, on returning from the Swedish war, perceived that his treasury, + wherein he was wont to store the wealth he had gotten by the spoils of + war, had been forced and robbed, and straightway hanged its keeper Glumer, + proclaiming by a crafty device, that, if any of the culprits brought about + the recovery of the stolen goods, he should have the same post of honour + as Glumer had filled. Upon this promise, one of the guilty men became more + zealous to reap the bounty than to hide his crime, and had the money + brought back to the king. His confederates fancied he had been received + into the king's closest friendship, and believed that the honours paid him + were as real as they were lavish; and therefore they also, hoping to be as + well rewarded, brought back their moneys and avowed their guilt. Their + confession was received at first with promotion and favours, and soon + visited with punishment, thus bequeathing a signal lesson against being + too confiding. I should judge that men, whose foolish blabbing brought + them to destruction, when wholesome silence could have ensured their + safety, well deserved to atone upon the gallows for their breach of + reticence. + </p> + <p> + After this Hadding passed the whole winter season in the utmost + preparation for the renewal of the war. When the frosts had been melted by + the springtime sun, he went back to Sweden and there spent five years in + warfare. By dint of this prolonged expedition, his soldiers, having + consumed all their provision, were reduced almost to the extremity of + emaciation, and began to assuage their hunger with mushrooms from the + wood. At last, under stress of extreme necessity, they devoured their + horses, and finally satisfied themselves with the carcases of dogs. Worse + still, they did not scruple to feed upon human limbs. So, when the Danes + were brought unto the most desperate straits, there sounded in the camp, + in the first sleep of the night, and no man uttering it, the following + song: + </p> + <p> + "With foul augury have ye left the abode of your country, thinking to + harry these fields in War. What idle notion mocks your minds? What blind + self-confidence has seized your senses, that ye think this soil can thus + be won. The might of Sweden cannot yield or quail before the War of the + stranger; but the whole of your column shall melt away when it begins to + assault our people in War. For when flight has broken up the furious + onset, and the straggling part of the fighters wavers, then to those who + prevail in the War is given free scope to slay those who turn their backs, + and they have earned power to smite the harder when fate drives the + renewer of the war headlong. Nor let him whom cowardice deters aim the + spears." + </p> + <p> + This prophecy was accomplished on the morrow's dawn by a great slaughter + of the Danes. On the next night the warriors of Sweden heard an utterance + like this, none knowing who spake it: + </p> + <p> + "Why doth Uffe thus defy me with grievous rebellion? He shall pay the + utmost penalty. For he shall be buried and transpierced under showers of + lances, and shall fall lifeless in atonement for his insolent attempt. Nor + shall the guilt of his wanton rancour be unpunished; and, as I forebode, + as soon as he joins battle and fights, the points shall fasten in his + limbs and strike his body everywhere, and his raw gaping wounds no bandage + shall bind up; nor shall any remedy heal over thy wide gashes." + </p> + <p> + On that same night the armies fought; when two hairless old men, of + appearance fouler than human, and displaying their horrid baldness in the + twinkling starlight, divided their monstrous efforts with opposing ardour, + one of them being zealous on the Danish side, and the other as fervent for + the Swedes. Hadding was conquered and fled to Helsingland, where, while + washing in the cold sea-water his body which was scorched with heat, he + attacked and cut down with many blows a beast of unknown kind, and having + killed it had it carried into camp. As he was exulting in this deed a + woman met him and addressed him in these words: + </p> + <p> + "Whether thou tread the fields afoot, or spread canvas overseas, thou + shalt suffer the hate of the gods, and through all the world shalt behold + the elements oppose thy purposes. Afield thou shalt fall, on sea thou + shalt be tossed, an eternal tempest shall attend the steps of thy + wandering, nor shall frost-bind ever quit thy sails; nor shall thy + roof-tree roof thee, but if thou seekest it, it shall fall smitten by the + hurricane; thy herd shall perish of bitter chill. All things shall be + tainted, and shall lament that thy lot is there. Thou shalt be shunned + like a pestilent tetter, nor shall any plague be fouler than thou. Such + chastisement doth the power of heaven mete out to thee, for truly thy + sacrilegious hands have slain one of the dweller's above, disguised in a + shape that was not his: thus here art thou, the slayer of a benignant god! + But when the sea receives thee, the wrath of the prison of Eolus shall be + loosed upon thy head. The West and the furious North, the South wind shall + beat thee down, shall league and send forth their blasts in rivalry; until + with better prayers thou hast melted the sternness of heaven, and hast + lifted with appeasement the punishment thou hast earned." + </p> + <p> + So, when Hadding went back, he suffered all things after this one fashion, + and his coming brought disquiet upon all peaceful places. For when he was + at sea a mighty storm arose and destroyed his fleet in a great tempest: + and when, a shipwrecked man, he sought entertainment, he found a sudden + downfall of that house. Nor was there any cure for his trouble, ere he + atoned by sacrifice for his crime, and was able to return into favour with + heaven. For, in order to appease the deities, he sacrificed dusky victims + to the god Frey. This manner of propitiation by sacrifice he repeated as + an annual feast, and left posterity to follow. This rite the Swedes call + Froblod (the sacrifice or feast of Frey). + </p> + <p> + Hadding chanced to hear that a certain giant had taken in troth Ragnhild, + daughter of Hakon, King of the Nitherians; and, loathing so ignominious a + state of affairs, and utterly abominating the destined union, he + forestalled the marriage by noble daring. For he went to Norway and + overcame by arms him that was so foul, a lover for a princess. For he + thought so much more of valour than of ease, that, though he was free to + enjoy all the pleasures of a king, he accounted it sweeter than any + delight to repel the wrongs done, not only to himself, but to others. The + maiden, not knowing him, ministered with healing tendance to the man that + had done her kindness and was bruised with many wounds. And in order that + lapse of time might not make her forget him, she shut up a ring in his + wound, and thus left a mark on his leg. Afterwards her father granted her + freedom to choose her own husband; so when the young men were assembled at + banquet, she went along them and felt their bodies carefully, searching + for the tokens she had stored up long ago. All the rest she rejected, but + Hadding she discovered by the sign of the secret ring; then she embraced + him, and gave herself to be the wife of him who had not suffered a giant + to win her in marriage. + </p> + <p> + While Hadding was sojourning with her a marvellous portent befell him. + While he was at supper, a woman bearing hemlocks was seen to raise her + head beside the brazier, and, stretching out the lap of her robe, seemed + to ask, "in what part of the world such fresh herbs had grown in winter?" + The king desired to know; and, wrapping him in her mantle, she drew him + with her underground, and vanished. I take it that the nether gods + purposed that he should pay a visit in the flesh to the regions whither he + must go when he died. So they first pierced through a certain dark misty + cloud, and then advancing along a path that was worn away with long + thoroughfaring, they beheld certain men wearing rich robes, and nobles + clad in purple; these passed, they at last approached sunny regions which + produced the herbs the woman had brought away. Going further, they came on + a swift and tumbling river of leaden waters, whirling down on its rapid + current divers sorts of missiles, and likewise made passable by a bridge. + When they had crossed this, they beheld two armies encountering one + another with might and main. And when Hadding inquired of the woman about + their estate: "These," she said, "are they who, having been slain by the + sword, declare the manner of their death by a continual rehearsal, and + enact the deeds of their past life in a living spectacle." Then a wall + hard to approach and to climb blocked their further advance. The woman + tried to leap it, but in vain, being unable to do so even with her slender + wrinkled body; then she wrung off the head of a cock which she chanced to + be taking down with her, and flung it beyond the barrier of the walls; and + forthwith the bird came to life again, and testified by a loud crow to + recovery of its breathing. Then Hadding turned back and began to make + homewards with his wife; some rovers bore down on him, but by swift + sailing he baffled their snares; for though it was almost the same wind + that helped both, they were behind him as he clove the billows, and, as + they had only just as much sail, could not overtake him. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Uffe, who had a marvellously fair daughter, decreed that the man + who slew Hadding should have her. This sorely tempted one Thuning, who got + together a band of men of Perm (Byarmenses), being fain so to win the + desired advancement. Hadding was going to fall upon him, but while he was + passing Norway in his fleet he saw upon the beach an old man signing to + him, with many wavings of his mantle, to put into shore. His companions + opposed it, and declared that it would be a ruinous diversion from their + journey; but he took the man on board, and was instructed by him how to + order his army. For this man, in arranging the system of the columns, used + to take special care that the front row consisted of two, the second of + four, while the third increased and was made up to eight, and likewise + each row was double that in front of it. Also the old man bade the wings + of the slingers go back to the extremity of the line, and put with them + the ranks of the archers. So when the squadrons were arranged in the + wedge, he stood himself behind the warriors, and from the wallet which was + slung round his neck drew an arbalist. This seemed small at first, but + soon projected with more prolonged tip, and accommodated ten arrows to its + string at once, which were shot all at once at the enemy in a brisk + volley, and inflicted as many wounds. Then the men of Perm, quitting arms + for cunning, by their spells loosed the sky in clouds of rain, and melted + the joyous visage of the air in dismal drenching showers. But the old man, + on the other hand, drove back with a cloud the heavy mass of storm which + had arisen, and checked the dripping rain by this barrier of mist. Thus + Hadding prevailed. But the old man, when he parted from him, foretold that + the death whereby he would perish would be inflicted, not by the might of + an enemy, but by his own hand. Also he forbade him to prefer obscure wars + to such as were glorious, and border wars to those remote. + </p> + <p> + Hadding, after leaving him, was bidden by Uffe to Upsala on pretence of a + interview; but lost all his escort by treachery, and made his escape + sheltered by the night. For when the Danes sought to leave the house into + which they had been gathered on pretext of a banquet, they found one + awaiting them, who mowed off the head of each of them with his sword as it + was thrust out of the door. For this wrongful act Hadding retaliated and + slew Uffe; but put away his hatred and consigned his body to a sepulchre + of notable handiwork, thus avowing the greatness of his foe by his pains + to beautify his tomb, and decking in death with costly distinctions the + man whom he used to pursue in his life with hot enmity. Then, to win the + hearts of the people he had subdued, he appointed Hunding, the brother of + Uffe, over the realm, that the sovereignty might seem to be maintained in + the house of Asmund, and not to have passed into the hand of a stranger. + </p> + <p> + Thus his enemy was now removed, and he passed several years without any + stirring events and in utter disuse of arms; but at last he pleaded the + long while he had been tilling the earth, and the immoderate time he had + forborne from exploits on the seas; and seeming to think war a merrier + thing than peace, he began to upbraid himself with slothfulness in a + strain like this: + </p> + <p> + "Why loiter I thus in darksome hiding, in the folds of rugged hills, nor + follow seafaring as of old? The continual howling of the band of wolves, + and the plaintive cry of harmful beasts that rises to heaven, and the + fierce impatient lions, all rob my eyes of sleep. Dreary are the ridges + and the desolation to hearts that trusted to do wilder work. The stark + rocks and the rugged lie of the ground bar the way to spirits who are wont + to love the sea. It were better service to sound the firths with the oars, + to revel in plundered wares, to pursue the gold of others for my coffer, + to gloat over sea-gotten gains, than to dwell in rough lands and winding + woodlands and barren glades." + </p> + <p> + Then his wife, loving a life in the country, and weary of the marin + harmony of the sea-birds, declared how great joy she found in frequenting + the woodlands, in the following strain: + </p> + <p> + "The shrill bird vexes me as I tarry by the shore, and with its chattering + rouses me when I cannot sleep. Wherefore the noisy sweep of its boisterous + rush takes gentle rest from my sleeping eye, nor doth the loud-chattering + sea-mew suffer me to rest in the night, forcing its wearisome tale into my + dainty ears; nor when I would lie down doth it suffer me to be refreshed, + clamouring with doleful modulation of its ill-boding voice. Safer and + sweeter do I deem the enjoyment of the woods. How are the fruits of rest + plucked less by day or night than by tarrying tossed on the shifting sea?" + </p> + <p> + At this time one Toste emerged, from the obscure spot of Jutland where he + was born, into bloody notoriety. For by all manner of wanton attacks upon + the common people he spread wide the fame of his cruelty, and gained so + universal a repute for rancour, that he was branded with the name of the + Wicked. Nor did he even refrain from wrongdoing to foreigners, but, after + foully harrying his own land, went on to assault Saxony. The Saxon general + Syfrid, when his men were hard put to it in the battle, entreated peace. + Toste declared that he should have what he asked, but only if he would + promise to become his ally in a war against Hadding. Syfrid demurred, + dreading to fulfill the condition, but by sharp menaces Toste induced him + to promise what he asked. For threats can sometimes gain a request which + soft-dealing cannot compass. Hadding was conquered by this man in an + affair by land; but in the midst of his flight he came on his enemy's + fleet, and made it unseaworthy by boring the sides; then he got a skiff + and steered it out to sea. Toste thought he was slain, but though he + sought long among the indiscriminate heaps of dead, could not find him, + and came back to his fleet; when he saw from afar off a light boat tossing + on the ocean billows. Putting out some vessels, he resolved to give it + chase, but was brought back by peril of shipwreck, and only just reached + the shore. Then he quickly took some sound craft, and accomplished the + journey which he had before begun. Hadding, seeing he was caught, + proceeded to ask his companion whether he was a skilled and practised + swimmer; and when the other said he was not, Hadding despairing of flight, + deliberately turned the vessel over and held on inside to its hollow, thus + making his pursuers think him dead. Then he attacked Toste, who, careless + and unaware, was greedily watching over the remnants of his spoil; cut + down his army, forced him to quit his plunder, and avenged his own rout by + that of Toste. + </p> + <p> + But Toste lacked not heart to avenge himself. For, not having store enough + in his own land to recruit his forces—so heavy was the blow he had + received—he went to Britain, calling himself an ambassador. Upon his + outward voyage, for sheer wantonness, he got his crew together to play + dice, and when a wrangle arose from the throwing of the cubes, he taught + them to wind it up with a fatal affray. And so, by means of this peaceful + sport, he spread the spirit of strife through the whole ship, and the jest + gave place to quarrelling, which engendered bloody combat. Also, fain to + get some gain out of the misfortunes of others, he seized the moneys of + the slain, and attached to him a certain rover then famous, named Koll; + and a little after returned in his company to his own land, where he was + challenged and slain by Hadding, who preferred to hazard his own fortune + rather than that of his soldiers. For generals of antique valour were loth + to accomplish by general massacre what could be decided by the lot of a + few. + </p> + <p> + After these deeds the figure of Hadding's dead wife appeared before him in + his sleep, and sang thus: + </p> + <p> + "A monster is born to thee that shall tame the rage of wild beasts, and + crush with fierce mouth the fleet wolves." + </p> + <p> + Then she added a little: "Take thou heed; from thee hath issued a bird of + harm, in choler a wild screech-owl, in tongue a tuneful swan." + </p> + <p> + On the morrow the king, when he had shaken off slumber, told the vision to + a man skilled in interpretations, who explained the wolf to denote a son + that would be truculent and the word swan as signifying a daughter; and + foretold that the son would be deadly to enemies and the daughter + treacherous to her father. The result answered to the prophecy. Hadding's + daughter, Ulfhild, who was wife to a certain private person called + Guthorm, was moved either by anger at her match, or with aspirations to + glory, and throwing aside all heed of daughterly love, tempted her husband + to slay her father; declaring that she preferred the name of queen to that + of princess. I have resolved to set forth the manner of her exhortation + almost in the words in which she uttered it; they were nearly these: + </p> + <p> + "Miserable am I, whose nobleness is shadowed by an unequal yoke! Hapless + am I, to whose pedigree is bound the lowliness of a peasant! Luckless + issue of a king, to whom a common man is equal by law of marriage! + Pitiable daughter of a prince, whose comeliness her spiritless father hath + made over to base and contemptible embraces! Unhappy child of thy mother, + with thy happiness marred by consorting with this bed! thy purity is + handled by the impurity of a peasant, thy nobility is bowed down by + ignoble commonness, thy high birth is impaired by the estate of thy + husband! But thou, if any pith be in thee, if valour reign in thy soul at + all, if thou deem thyself fit husband for a king's daughter, wrest the + sceptre from her father, retrieve thy lineage by thy valour, balance with + courage thy lack of ancestry, requite by bravery thy detriment of blood. + Power won by daring is more prosperous than that won by inheritance. + Boldness climbs to the top better than inheritance, and worth wins power + better than birth. Moreover, it is no shame to overthrow old age, which of + its own weight sinks and totters to its fall. It shall be enough for my + father to have borne the sceptre for so long; let the dotard's power fall + to thee; if it elude thee, it will pass to another. Whatsoever rests on + old age is near its fall. Think that his reign has been long enough, and + be it thine, though late in the day, to be first. Further, I would rather + have my husband than my father king—would rather be ranked a king's + wife than daughter. It is better to embrace a monarch in one's home, than + to give him homage from afar; it is nobler to be a king's bride than his + courtier. Thou, too, must surely prefer thyself to thy wife's father for + bearing the sceptre; for nature has made each one nearest to himself. If + there be a will for the deed, a way will open; there is nothing but yields + to the wit of man. The feast must be kept, the banquet decked, the + preparations looked to, and my father bidden. The path to treachery shall + be smoothed by a pretence of friendship, for nothing cloaks a snare better + than the name of kindred. Also his soddenness shall open a short way to + his slaughter; for when the king shall be intent upon the dressing of his + hair, and his hand is upon his beard and his mind upon stories; when he + has parted his knotted locks, either with hairpin or disentangling comb, + then let him feel the touch of the steel in his flesh. Busy men commonly + devise little precaution. Let thy hand draw near to punish all his sins. + It is a righteous deed to put forth thy hand to avenge the wretched!" + </p> + <p> + Thus Ulfhild importuned, and her husband was overcome by her promptings, + and promised his help to the treachery. But meantime Hadding was warned in + a dream to beware of his son-in-law's guile. He went to the feast, which + his daughter had made ready for him with a show of love, and posted an + armed guard hard by to use against the treachery when need was. As he ate, + the henchman who was employed to do the deed of guile silently awaited a + fitting moment for his crime, his dagger hid under his robe. The king, + remarking him, blew on the trumpet a signal to the soldiers who were + stationed near; they straightway brought aid, and he made the guile recoil + on its deviser. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Hunding, King of the Swedes, heard false tidings that Hadding + was dead, and resolved to greet them with obsequies. So he gathered his + nobles together, and filled a jar of extraordinary size with ale, and had + this set in the midst of the feasters for their delight, and, to omit no + mark of solemnity, himself assumed a servant's part, not hesitating to + play the cupbearer. And while he was passing through the palace in + fulfilment of his office, he stumbled and fell into the jar, and, being + choked by the liquor, gave up the ghost; thus atoning either to Orcus, + whom he was appeasing by a baseless performance of the rites, or to + Hadding, about whose death he had spoken falsely. Hadding, when he heard + this, wished to pay like thanks to his worshipper, and, not enduring to + survive his death, hanged himself in sight of the whole people. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0023" id="link2H_4_0023"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK TWO + </h2> + <p> + HADDING was succeeded by FRODE, his son, whose fortunes were many and + changeful. When he had passed the years of a stripling, he displayed the + fulness of a warrior's prowess; and being loth that this should be spoilt + by slothfulness, he sequestered his mind from delights and perseveringly + constrained it to arms. Warfare having drained his father's treasury, he + lacked a stock of pay to maintain his troops, and cast about diligently + for the supplies that he required; and while thus employed, a man of the + country met him and roused his hopes by the following strain: + </p> + <p> + "Not far off is an island rising in delicate slopes, hiding treasure in + its hills and ware of its rich booty. Here a noble pile is kept by the + occupant of the mount, who is a snake wreathed in coils, doubled in many a + fold, and with tail drawn out in winding whorls, shaking his manifold + spirals and shedding venom. If thou wouldst conquer him, thou must use thy + shield and stretch thereon bulls' hides, and cover thy body with the skins + of kine, nor let thy limbs lie bare to the sharp poison; his slaver burns + up what it bespatters. Though the three-forked tongue flicker and leap out + of the gaping mouth, and with awful yawn menace ghastly wounds remember to + keep the dauntless temper of thy mind; nor let the point of the jagged + tooth trouble thee, nor the starkness of the beast, nor the venom spat + from the swift throat. Though the force of his scales spurn thy spears, + yet know there is a place under his lowest belly whither thou mayst plunge + the blade; aim at this with thy sword, and thou shalt probe the snake to + his centre. Thence go fearless up to the hill, drive the mattock, dig and + ransack the holes; soon fill thy pouch with treasure, and bring back to + the shore thy craft laden." + </p> + <p> + Frode believed, and crossed alone to the island, loth to attack the beast + with any stronger escort than that wherewith it was the custom for + champions to attack. When it had drunk water and was repairing to its + cave, its rough and sharp hide spurned the blow of Frode's steel. Also the + darts that he flung against it rebounded idly, foiling the effort of the + thrower. But when the hard back yielded not a whit, he noted the belly + heedfully, and its softness gave entrance to the steel. The beast tried to + retaliate by biting, but only struck the sharp point of its mouth upon the + shield. Then it shot out its flickering tongue again and again, and gasped + away life and venom together. + </p> + <p> + The money which the King found made him rich; and with this supply he + approached in his fleet the region of the Kurlanders, whose king Dorn, + dreading a perilous war, is said to have made a speech of the following + kind to his soldiers: + </p> + <p> + "Nobles! Our enemy is a foreigner, begirt with the arms and the wealth of + almost all the West; let us, by endeavouring to defer the battle for our + profit, make him a prey to famine, which is all inward malady; and he will + find it very hard to conquer a peril among his own people. It is easy to + oppose the starving. Hunger will be a better weapon against our foe than + arms; famine will be the sharpest lance we shall hurl at him. For lack of + food nourishes the pestilence that eats away men's strength, and lack of + victual undermines store of weapons. Let this whirl the spears while we + sit still; let this take up the prerogative and the duty of fighting. + Unimperilled, we shall be able to imperil others; we can drain their blood + and lose no drop of ours. One may defeat an enemy by inaction. Who would + not rather fight safely than at a loss? Who would strive to suffer + chastisement when he may contend unhurt? Our success in arms will be more + prosperous if hunger joins battle first. Let hunger captain us, and so let + us take the first chance of conflict. Let it decide the day in our stead, + and let our camp remain free from the stir of war; if hunger retreat + beaten, we must break off idleness. He who is fresh easily overpowers him + who is shaken with languor. The hand that is flaccid and withered will + come fainter to the battle. He whom any hardship has first wearied, will + bring slacker hands to the steel. When he that is wasted with sickness + engages with the sturdy, the victory hastens. Thus, undamaged ourselves, + we shall be able to deal damage to others." + </p> + <p> + Having said this, he wasted all the places which he saw would be hard to + protect, distrusting his power to guard them, and he so far forestalled + the ruthlessness of the foe in ravaging his own land, that he left nothing + untouched which could be seized by those who came after. Then he shut up + the greater part of his forces in a town of undoubted strength, and + suffered the enemy to blockade him. Frode, distrusting his power of + attacking this town, commanded several trenches of unwonted depth to be + made within the camp, and the earth to be secretly carried out in baskets + and cast quietly into the river bordering the walls. Then he had a mass of + turf put over the trenches to hide the trap: wishing to cut off the unwary + enemy by tumbling them down headlong, and thinking that they would be + overwhelmed unawares by the slip of the subsiding earth. Then he feigned a + panic, and proceeded to forsake the camp for a short while. The townsmen + fell upon it, missed their footing everywhere, rolled forward into the + pits, and were massacred by him under a shower of spears. + </p> + <p> + Thence he travelled and fell in with Trannon, the monarch of the + Ruthenians. Desiring to spy out the strength of his navy, he made a number + of pegs out of sticks, and loaded a skiff with them; and in this he + approached the enemy's fleet by night, and bored the hulls of the vessels + with an auger. And to save them from a sudden influx of the waves, he + plugged up the open holes with the pegs he had before provided, and by + these pieces of wood he made good the damage done by the auger. But when + he thought there were enough holes to drown the fleet, he took out the + plugs, thus giving instant access to the waters, and then made haste to + surround the enemy's fleet with his own. The Ruthenians were beset with a + double peril, and wavered whether they should first withstand waves or + weapons. Fighting to save their ships from the foe, they were shipwrecked. + Within, the peril was more terrible than without: within, they fell back + before the waves, while drawing the sword on those without. For the + unhappy men were assaulted by two dangers at once; it was doubtful whether + the swiftest way of safety was to swim or to battle to the end; and the + fray was broken off at its hottest by a fresh cause of doom. Two forms of + death advanced in a single onset; two paths of destruction offered united + peril: it was hard to say whether the sword or the sea hurt them more. + While one man was beating off the swords, the waters stole up silently and + took him. Contrariwise, another was struggling with the waves, when the + steel came up and encompassed him. The flowing waters were befouled with + the gory spray. Thus the Ruthenians were conquered, and Frode made his way + back home. + </p> + <p> + Finding that some envoys, whom he had sent into Russia to levy tribute, + had been horribly murdered through the treachery of the inhabitants, Frode + was stung by the double wrong and besieged closely their town Rotel. Loth + that the intervening river should delay his capture of the town, he + divided the entire mass of the waters by making new and different streams, + thus changing what had been a channel of unknown depth into passable + fords; not ceasing till the speed of the eddy, slackened by the division + of its outlet, rolled its waves onward in fainter current, and winding + along its slender reaches, slowly thinned and dwindled into a shallow. + Thus he prevailed over the river; and the town, which lacked natural + defences, he overthrew, his soldiers breaking in without resistance. This + done, he took his army to the city of Paltisca. Thinking no force could + overcome it, he exchanged war for guile. He went into a dark and unknown + hiding-place, only a very few being in the secret, and ordered a report of + his death to be spread abroad, so as to inspire the enemy with less fear; + his obsequies being also held, and a barrow raised, to give the tale + credit. Even the soldiers bewailed his supposed death with a mourning + which was in the secret of the trick. This rumour led Vespasins, the king + of the city, to show so faint and feeble a defence, as though the victory + was already his, that the enemy got a chance of breaking in, and slew him + as he sported at his ease. + </p> + <p> + Frode, when he had taken this town, aspired to the Empire of the East, and + attacked the city of Handwan. This king, warned by Hadding's having once + fired his town, accordingly cleared the tame birds out of all his houses, + to save himself from the peril of like punishment. But Frode was not at a + loss for new trickery. He exchanged garments with a serving-maid, and + feigned himself to be a maiden skilled in fighting; and having thus laid + aside the garb of man and imitated that of woman, he went to the town, + calling himself a deserter. Here he reconnoitred everything narrowly, and + on the next day sent out an attendant with orders that the army should be + up at the walls, promising that he would see to it that the gates were + opened. Thus the sentries were eluded and the city despoiled while it was + buried in sleep; so that it paid for its heedlessness with destruction, + and was more pitiable for its own sloth than by reason of the valour of + the foe. For in warfare nought is found to be more ruinous than that a + man, made foolhardy by ease, should neglect and slacken his affairs and + doze in arrogant self-confidence. + </p> + <p> + Handwan, seeing that the fortunes of his country were lost and overthrown, + put all his royal wealth on shipboard and drowned it in the sea, so as to + enrich the waves rather than his enemy. Yet it had been better to + forestall the goodwill of his adversaries with gifts of money than to + begrudge the profit of it to the service of mankind. After this, when + Frode sent ambassadors to ask for the hand of his daughter, he answered, + that he must take heed not to be spoiled by his thriving fortunes, or to + turn his triumph into haughtiness; but let him rather bethink him to spare + the conquered, and in this their abject estate to respect their former + bright condition; let him learn to honour their past fortune in their + present pitiable lot. Therefore, said Handwan, he must mind that he did + not rob of his empire the man with whom he sought alliance, nor bespatter + her with the filth of ignobleness whom he desired to honour with marriage: + else he would tarnish the honour of the union with covetousness. The + courtliness of this saying not only won him his conqueror for son-in-law, + but saved the freedom of his realm. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Thorhild, wife of Hunding, King of the Swedes, possessed with a + boundless hatred for her stepsons Ragnar and Thorwald, and fain to + entangle them in divers perils, at last made them the king's shepherds. + But Swanhwid, daughter of Hadding, wished to arrest by woman's wit the + ruin of natures so noble; and taking her sisters to serve as retinue, + journeyed to Sweden. Seeing the said youths beset with sundry prodigies + while busy watching at night over their flocks, she forbade her sisters, + who desired to dismount, in a poem of the following strain: + </p> + <p> + "Monsters I behold taking swift leaps and flinging themselves over the + night places. The demon is at war, and the unholy throng, devoted to the + mischievous fray, battles in the mid-thoroughfare. Prodigies of aspect + grim to behold pass by, and suffer no mortal to enter this country. The + ranks galloping in headlong career through the void bid us stay our + advance in this spot; they warn us to turn our rein and hold off from the + accursed fields, they forbid us to approach the country beyond. A scowling + horde of ghosts draws near, and scurries furiously through the wind, + bellowing drearily to the stars. Fauns join Satyrs, and the throng of Pans + mingles with the Spectres and battles with fierce visage. The Swart ones + meet the Woodland Spirits, and the pestilent phantoms strive to share the + path with the Witches. Furies poise themselves on the leap, and on them + huddle the Phantoms, whom Foreboder (Fantua) joined to the Flatnoses + (Satyrs), jostles. The path that the footfarer must tread brims with + horror. It were safer to burden the back of the tall horse." + </p> + <p> + Thereon Ragnar declared that he was a slave of the king, and gave as + reason of his departure so far from home that, when he had been banished + to the country on his shepherd's business, he had lost the flock of which + he had charge, and despairing to recover it, had chosen rather to forbear + from returning than to incur punishment. Also, loth to say nothing about + the estate of his brother, he further spoke the following poem: + </p> + <p> + "Think us men, not monsters; we are slaves who drove our lingering flocks + for pasture through the country. But while we took our pastime in gentle + sports, our flock chanced to stray and went into far-off fields. And when + our hope of finding them, our long quest failed, trouble came upon the + mind of the wretched culprits. And when sure tracks of our kine were + nowhere to be seen, dismal panic filled our guilty hearts. That is why, + dreading the penal stripe of the rod, we thought it doleful to return to + our own roof. We supposed it safer to hold aloof from the familiar hearth + than to bear the hand of punishment. Thus we are fain to put off the + punishment; we loathe going back and our wish is to lie hid here and + escape our master's eye. This will aid us to elude the avenger of his + neglected flock; and this is the one way of escape that remains safe for + us." + </p> + <p> + Then Swanhwid gazed intently, and surveying his features, which were very + comely, admired them ardently, and said: + </p> + <p> + "The radiant flashing of thine eyes is eloquent that thou art of kingly + and not of servile stock. Beauty announces blood, and loveliness of soul + glitters in the flash of the eyes. A keen glance betokens lordly birth, + and it is plain that he whom fairness, that sure sign of nobleness, + commends, is of no mean station. The outward alertness of thine eyes + signifies a spirit of radiance within. Face vouches for race; and the + lustre of forefathers is beheld in the brightness of the countenance. For + an aspect so benign and noble could never have issued from base parentage. + The grace of thy blood makes thy brow mantle with a kindred grace, and the + estate of thy birth is reflected in the mirror of thy countenance. It is + no obscure craftsman, therefore, that has finished the portrait of so + choice a chasing. Now therefore turn aside with all speed, seek constantly + to depart out of the road, shun encounters with monsters, lest ye yield + your most gracious bodies to be the prey and pasture of the vilest + hordes." + </p> + <p> + But Ragnar was seized with great shame for his unsightly attire, which he + thought was the only possible device to disguise his birth. So he + rejoined, "That slaves were not always found to lack manhood; that a + strong hand was often hidden under squalid raiment, and sometimes a stout + arm was muffled trader a dusky cloak; thus the fault of nature was + retrieved by valour, and deficiency in race requited by nobleness of + spirit. He therefore feared the might of no supernatural prowess, save of + the god Thor only, to the greatness of whose force nothing human or divine + could fitly be compared. The hearts of men ought not to be terrified at + phantoms, which were only awful from their ghastly foulness, and whose + semblances, marked by counterfeit ghostliness, were wont for a moment to + borrow materiality from the fluent air. Swanhwid therefore erred in + trying, womanlike, to sap the firm strength of men, and to melt in unmanly + panic that might which knew not defeat." + </p> + <p> + Swanhwid marvelled at the young man's steadfastness, and cast off the + cloud of mist which overshadowed her, dispelling the darkness which + shrouded her face, till it was clear and cloudless. Then, promising that + she would give him a sword fitted for diver's kinds of battle, she + revealed the marvellous maiden beauty of her lustrous limbs. Thus was the + youth kindled, and she plighted her troth with him, and proffering the + sword, she thus began: + </p> + <p> + "King, in this sword, which shall expose the monsters to thy blows, take + the first gift of thy betrothed. Show thyself duly deserving hereof; let + hand rival sword, and aspire to add lustre to its weapon. Let the might of + steel strengthen the defenceless point of thy wit, and let spirit know how + to work with hand. Let the bearer match the burden: and that thy deed may + sort with thy blade, let equal weight in each be thine. What avails the + javelin when the breast is weak and faint, and the quivering hands have + dropped the lance? Let steel join soul, and be both the body's armour! Let + the right hand be linked with its hilt in alliance. These fight famous + battles, because they always keep more force when together; but less when + parted. Therefore if it be joy to thee to win fame by the palm of war, + pursue with daring whatsoever is hard pressed by thy hand." + </p> + <p> + After thus discoursing long in harmoniously-adjusted strains, she sent + away her retinue, and passed all the night in combat against the foulest + throngs of monsters; and at return of daybreak she perceived fallen all + over the fields diverse shapes of phantoms, and figures extraordinary to + look on; and among them was seen the semblance of Thorhild herself covered + with wounds. All these she piled in a heap and burnt, kindling a huge + pyre, lest the foul stench of the filthy carcases might spread in + pestilent vapour and hurt those who came nigh with its taint of + corruption. This done, she won the throne of Sweden for Ragnar, and Ragnar + for her husband. And though he deemed it uncomely to inaugurate his first + campaign with a wedding, yet, moved by gratitude for the preservation of + his safety, he kept his promise. + </p> + <p> + Meantime one Ubbe, who had long since wedded Ulfhild the sister of Frode, + trusting in the high birth of his wife, seized the kingdom of Denmark, + which he was managing carelessly as deputy. Frode was thus forced to quit + the wars of the East and fought a great battle in Sweden with his sister + Swanhwid, in which he was beaten. So he got on board a skiff, and sailed + stealthily in a circuit, seeking some way of boring through the enemy's + fleet. When surprised by his sister and asked why he was rowing silently + and following divers meandering courses, he cut short her inquiry by a + similar question; for Swanhwid had also, at the same time of the night, + taken to sailing about alone, and was stealthily searching out all the + ways of approach and retreat through devious and dangerous windings. So + she reminded her brother of the freedom he had given her long since, and + went on to ask him that he should allow her full enjoyment of the husband + she had taken; since, before he started on the Russian war, he had given + her the boon of marrying as she would; and that he should hold valid after + the event what he had himself allowed to happen. These reasonable + entreaties touched Frode, and he made a peace with Ragnar, and forgave, at + his sister's request, the wrongdoing which Ragnar, seemed to have begun + because of her wantonness. They presented him with a force equal to that + which they had caused him to lose: a handsome gift in which he rejoiced as + compensation for so ugly a reverse. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar, entering Denmark, captured Ubbe, had him brought before him, and + pardoned him, preferring to visit his ill deserts with grace rather than + chastisement; because the man seemed to have aimed at the crown rather at + his wife's instance than of his own ambition, and to have been the + imitator and not the cause of the wrong. But he took Ulfhild away from him + and forced her to wed his friend Scot, the same man that founded the + Scottish name; esteeming change of wedlock a punishment for her. As she + went away he even escorted her in the royal chariot, requiting evil with + good; for he regarded the kinship of his sister rather than her + disposition, and took more thought for his own good name than of her + iniquity. But the fair deeds of her brother did not make her obstinate and + wonted hatred slacken a whit; she wore the spirit of her new husband with + her design of slaying Frode and mastering the sovereignty of the Danes. + For whatsoever design the mind has resolutely conceived, it is slow to + quit; nor is a sin that is long schemed swept away by the stream of years. + For the temper of later life follows the mind of childhood; nor do the + traces easily fade of vices which have been stamped upon the character in + the impressible age. Finding the ears of her husband deaf, she diverted + her treachery from her brother against her lord, hiring bravoes to cut his + throat while he slept. Scot was told about this by a waiting-woman, and + retired to bed in his cuirass on the night on which he had heard the deed + of murder was to be wrought upon him. Ulfhild asked him why he had + exchanged his wonted ways to wear the garb of steel; he rejoined that such + was just then his fancy. The agents of the treachery, when they imagined + him in a deep sleep, burst in; but he slipped from his bed and cut them + down. The result was, that he prevented Ulfhild from weaving plots against + her brother, and also left a warning to others to beware of treachery from + their wives. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the design occurred to Frode of a campaign against Friesland; he + was desirous to dazzle the eyes of the West with the glory he had won in + conquering the East. He put out to ocean, and his first contest was with + Witthe, a rover of the Frisians; and in this battle he bade his crews + patiently bear the first brunt of the enemy's charge by merely opposing + their shields, ordering that they should not use their missiles before + they perceived that the shower of the enemy's spears was utterly silent. + This the Frisians hurled as vehemently as the Danes received it + impassively; for Witthe supposed that the long-suffering of Frode was due + to a wish for peace. High rose the blast of the trumpet, and loud whizzed + the javelins everywhere, till at last the heedless Frisians had not a + single lance remaining, and they were conquered, overwhelmed by the + missiles of the Danes. They fled hugging the shore, and were cut to pieces + amid the circuitous windings of the canals. Then Frode explored the Rhine + in his fleet, and laid hands on the farthest parts of Germany. Then he + went back to the ocean, and attacked the Frisian fleet, which had struck + on shoals; and thus he crowned shipwreck with slaughter. Nor was he + content with the destruction of so great an army of his foes, but assailed + Britain, defeated its king, and attacked Melbrik, the Governor of the + Scottish district. Just as he was preparing to fight him, he heard from a + scout that the King of the Britons was at hand, and could not look to his + front and his rear both at once. So he assembled the soldiers, and ordered + that they should abandon their chariots, fling away all their goods, and + scatter everywhere over the fields the gold which they had about them; for + he declared that their one chance was to squander their treasure; and + that, now they were hemmed in, their only remaining help was to tempt the + enemy from combat to covetousness. They ought cheerfully to spend on so + extreme a need the spoil they had gotten among foreigners; for the enemy + would drop it as eagerly, when it was once gathered, as they would snatch + it when they first found it; for it would be to them more burden than + profit. + </p> + <p> + Then Thorkill, who was a more notable miser and a better orator than them + all, dishelming and leaning on his shield, said: + </p> + <p> + "O King! Most of us who rate high what we have bought with our life-blood + find thy bidding hard. We take it ill that we should fling away what we + have won with utmost hazard; and men are loth to forsake what they have + purchased at peril of their lives. For it is utter madness to spurn away + like women what our manly hearts and hands have earned, and enrich the + enemy beyond their hopes. What is more odious than to anticipate the + fortune of war by despising the booty which is ours, and, in terror of an + evil that may never come, to quit a good which is present and assured? + Shall we scatter our gold upon the earth, ere we have set eyes upon the + Scots? Those who faint at the thought of warring when they are out for + war, what manner of men are they to be thought in the battle? Shall we be + a derision to our foes, we who were their terror? Shall we take scorn + instead of glory? The Briton will marvel that he was conquered by men whom + he sees fear is enough to conquer. We struck them before with panic; shall + we be panic-stricken by them? We scorned them when before us; shall we + dread them when they are not here? When will our bravery win the treasure + which our cowardice rejects? Shall we shirk the fight, in scorn of the + money which we fought to win, and enrich those whom we should rightly have + impoverished? What deed more despicable can we do than to squander gold on + those whom we should smite with steel? Panic must never rob us of the + spoils of valour; and only war must make us quit what in warfare we have + won. Let us sell our plunder at the price at which we bought it; let the + purchase-money be weighed out in steel. It is better to die a noble death, + than to molder away too much in love with the light life. In a fleeting + instant of time life forsakes us, but shame pursues us past the grave. + Further, if we cast away this gold, the greater the enemy thinks our fear, + the hotter will be his chase. Besides, whichever the issue of the day, the + gold is not hateful to us. Conquerors, we shall triumph in the treasure + which now we bear; conquered, we shall leave it to pay our burying." + </p> + <p> + So spoke the old man; but the soldiers regarded the advice of their king + rather than of their comrade, and thought more of the former than of the + latter counsel. So each of them eagerly drew his wealth, whatever he had, + from his pouch; they unloaded their ponies of the various goods they were + carrying; and having thus cleared their money-bags, girded on their arms + more deftly. They went on, and the Britons came up, but broke away after + the plunder which lay spread out before them. Their king, when he beheld + them too greedily busied with scrambling for the treasure, bade them "take + heed not to weary with a load of riches those hands which were meant for + battle, since they ought to know that a victory must be culled ere it is + counted. Therefore let them scorn the gold and give chase to the + possessors of the gold; let them admire the lustre, not of lucre, but of + conquest; remembering, that a trophy gave more reward than gain. Courage + was worth more than dross, if they measured aright the quality of both; + for the one furnished outward adorning, but the other enhanced both + outward and inward grace. Therefore they must keep their eyes far from the + sight of money, and their soul from covetousness, and devote it to the + pursuits of war. Further, they should know that the plunder had been + abandoned by the enemy of set purpose, and that the gold had been + scattered rather to betray them than to profit them. Moreover, the honest + lustre of the silver was only a bait on the barb of secret guile. It was + not thought to be that they, who had first forced the Britons to fly, + would lightly fly themselves. Besides, nothing was more shameful than + riches which betrayed into captivity the plunderer whom they were supposed + to enrich. For the Danes thought that the men to whom they pretended to + have offered riches ought to be punished with sword and slaughter. Let + them therefore feel that they were only giving the enemy a weapon if they + seized what he had scattered. For if they were caught by the look of the + treasure that had been exposed, they must lose, not only that, but any of + their own money that might remain. What could it profit them to gather + what they must straightway disgorge? But if they refuse to abase + themselves before money, they would doubtless abase the foe. Thus it was + better for them to stand erect in valour than be grovelling in greed; with + their souls not sinking into covetousness, but up and doing for renown. In + the battle they would have to use not gold but swords." + </p> + <p> + As the king ended, a British knight, shewing them all his lapful of gold, + said: + </p> + <p> + "O King! From thy speech can be gathered two feelings; and one of them + witnesses to thy cowardice and the other to thy ill will: inasmuch as thou + forbiddest us the use of the wealth because of the enemy, and also + thinkest it better that we should serve thee needy than rich. What is more + odious than such a wish? What more senseless than such a counsel? We + recognise these as the treasures of our own homes, and having done so, + shall we falter to pick them up? We were on our way to regain them by + fighting, we were zealous to win them back by our blood: shall we shun + them when they are restored unasked? Shall we hesitate to claim our own? + Which is the greater coward, he who squanders his winnings, or he who is + fearful to pick up what is squandered? Look how chance has restored what + compulsion took! These are, not spoils from the enemy, but from ourselves; + the Dane took gold from Britain, he brought none. Beaten and loth we lost + it; it comes back for nothing, and shall we run away from it? Such a gift + of fortune it were a shame to take in an unworthy spirit. For what were + madder than to spurn wealth that is set openly before us, and to desire it + when it is shut up and kept from us? Shall we squeamishly yield what is + set under our eyes, and clutch at it when it vanishes? Shall we seek + distant and foreign treasure, refraining from what is made public + property? If we disown what is ours, when shall we despoil the goods of + others? No anger of heaven can I experience which can force me to unload + of its lawful burden the lap which is filled with my father's and my + grandsire's gold. I know the wantonness of the Danes: never would they + have left jars full of wine had not fear forced them to flee. They would + rather have sacrificed their life than their liquor. This passion we share + with them, and herein we are like them. Grant that their flight is + feigned; yet they will light upon the Scots ere they can come back. This + gold shall never rust in the country, to be trodden underfoot of swine or + brutes: it will better serve the use of men. Besides, if we plunder the + spoil of the army that prevailed over us, we transfer the luck of the + conqueror to ourselves. For what surer omen of triumph could be got, than + to bear off the booty before the battle, and to capture ere the fray the + camp which the enemy have forsaken? Better conquer by fear than by steel." + </p> + <p> + The knight had scarce ended, when behold; the hands of all were loosed + upon the booty and everywhere plucked up the shining treasure. There you + might have marvelled at their disposition of filthy greed, and watched a + portentous spectacle of avarice. You could have seen gold and grass + clutched up together; the birth of domestic discord; fellow-countrymen in + deadly combat, heedless of the foe; neglect of the bonds of comradeship + and of reverence for ties; greed the object of all minds, and friendship + of none. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Frode traversed in a great march the forest which separates + Scotland and Britain, and bade his soldiers arm. When the Scots beheld his + line, and saw that they had only a supply of light javelins, while the + Danes were furnished with a more excellent style of armour, they + forestalled the battle by flight. Frode pursued them but a little way, + fearing a sally of the British, and on returning met Scot, the husband of + Ulfhild, with a great army; he had been brought from the utmost ends of + Scotland by the desire of aiding the Danes. Scot entreated him to abandon + the pursuit of the Scottish and turn back into Britain. So he eagerly + regained the plunder which he had cunningly sacrificed; and got back his + wealth with the greater ease, that he had so tranquilly let it go. Then + did the British repent of their burden and pay for their covetousness with + their blood. They were sorry to have clutched at greed with insatiate + arms, and ashamed to have hearkened to their own avarice rather than to + the counsel of their king. + </p> + <p> + Then Frode attacked London, the most populous city of Britain; but the + strength of its walls gave him no chance of capturing it. Therefore he + reigned to be dead, and his guile strengthened him. For Daleman, the + governor of London, on hearing the false news of his death, accepted the + surrender of the Danes, offered them a native general, and suffered them + to enter the town, that they might choose him out of a great throng. They + feigned to be making a careful choice, but beset Daleman in a night + surprise and slew him. + </p> + <p> + When he had done these things, and gone back to his own land, one Skat + entertained him at a banquet, desirous to mingle his toilsome warfare with + joyous licence. Frode was lying in his house, in royal fashion, upon + cushions of cloth of gold, and a certain Hunding challenged him to fight. + Then, though he had bent his mind to the joys of wassail, he had more + delight in the prospect of a fray than in the presence of a feast, and + wound up the supper with a duel and the duel with a triumph. In the combat + he received a dangerous wound; but a taunt of Hakon the champion again + roused him, and, slaying his challenger, he took vengeance for the + disturbance of his rest. Two of his chamber-servants were openly convicted + of treachery, and he had them tied to vast stones and drowned in the sea; + thus chastising the weighty guilt of their souls by fastening boulders to + their bodies. Some relate that Ulfhild gave him a coat which no steel + could pierce, so that when he wore it no missile's point could hurt him. + Nor must I omit how Frode was wont to sprinkle his food with brayed and + pounded atoms of gold, as a resource against the usual snares of + poisoners. While he was attacking Ragnar, the King of Sweden, who had been + falsely accused of treachery, he perished, not by the spears, but stifled + in the weight of his arms and by the heat of his own body. + </p> + <p> + Frode left three sons, Halfdan, Ro, and Skat, who were equal in valour, + and were seized with an equal desire for the throne. All thought of sway, + none was constrained by brotherly regard: for love of others forsaketh him + who is eaten up with love of self, nor can any man take thought at once + for his own advancement and for his friendship with others. Halfdan, the + eldest son, disgraced his birth with the sin of slaying his brethren, + winning his kingdom by the murder of his kin; and, to complete his display + of cruelty, arrested their adherents, first confining them in bonds, and + presently hanging them. The most notable thing in the fortunes of Halfdan + was this, that though he devoted every instant of his life to the practice + of cruel deeds, yet he died of old age, and not by the steel. + </p> + <p> + Halfdan's sons were Ro and Helge. Ro is said to have been the founder of + Roskild, which was later increased in population and enhanced in power by + Sweyn, who was famous for the surname Forkbeard. Ro was short and spare, + while Helge was rather tall of stature. Dividing the realm with his + brother, Helge was allotted the domain of the sea; and attacking Skalk, + the King of Sklavia, with his naval force, he slew him. Having reduced + Sklavia into a province, he scoured the various arms of the sea in a + wandering voyage. Savage of temper as Helge was, his cruelty was not + greater than his lust. For he was so immoderately prone to love, that it + was doubtful whether the heat of his tyranny or of his concupiscence was + the greater. In Thorey he ravished the maiden Thora, who bore a daughter, + to whom she afterwards gave the name of Urse. Then he conquered in battle, + before the town of Stad, the son of Syrik, King of Saxony, Hunding, whom + he challenged, attacked, and slew in duel. For this he was called + Hunding's-Bane, and by that name gained glory of his victory. He took + Jutland out of the power of the Saxons, and entrusted its management to + his generals, Heske, Eyr, and Ler. In Saxony he enacted that the slaughter + of a freedman and of a noble should be visited with the same punishment; + as though he wished it to be clearly known that all the households of the + Teutons were held in equal slavery, and that the freedom of all was + tainted and savoured equally of dishonour. + </p> + <p> + Then Helge went freebooting to Thorey. But Thora had not ceased to bewail + her lost virginity, and planned a shameful device in abominable vengeance + for her rape. For she deliberately sent down to the beach her daughter, + who was of marriageable age, and prompted her father to deflower her. And + though she yielded her body to the treacherous lures of delight, yet she + must not be thought to have abjured her integrity of soul, inasmuch as her + fault had a ready excuse by virtue of her ignorance. Insensate mother, who + allowed the forfeiture of her child's chastity in order to avenge her own; + caring nought for the purity of her own blood, so she might stain with + incest the man who had cost her her own maidenhood at first! + Infamous-hearted woman, who, to punish her defiler, measured out as it + were a second defilement to herself, whereas she clearly by the selfsame + act rather swelled than lessened the transgression! Surely, by the very + act wherewith she thought to reach her revenge, she accumulated guilt; she + added a sin in trying to remove a crime: she played the stepdame to her + own offspring, not sparing her daughter abomination in order to atone for + her own disgrace. Doubtless her soul was brimming over with shamelessness, + since she swerved so far from shamefastness, as without a blush to seek + solace for her wrong in her daughter's infamy. A great crime, with but one + atonement; namely, that the guilt of this intercourse was wiped away by a + fortunate progeny, its fruits being as delightful as its repute was evil. + </p> + <p> + ROLF, the son of Urse, retrieved the shame of his birth by signal deeds of + valour; and their exceeding lustre is honoured with bright laudation by + the memory of all succeeding time. For lamentation sometimes ends in + laughter, and foul beginnings pass to fair issues. So that the father's + fault, though criminal, was fortunate, being afterwards atoned for by a + son of such marvellous splendour. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Ragnar died in Sweden; and Swanhwid his wife passed away soon + after of a malady which she had taken from her sorrow, following in death + the husband from whom she had not endured severance in life. For it often + happens that some people desire to follow out of life those whom they + loved exceedingly when alive. Their son Hothbrodd succeeded them. Fain to + extend his empire, he warred upon the East, and after a huge massacre of + many peoples begat two sons, Athisl and Hother, and appointed as their + tutor a certain Gewar, who was bound to him by great services. Not content + with conquering the East, he assailed Denmark, challenged its king, Ro, in + three battles, and slew him. Helge, when he heard this, shut up his son + Rolf in Leire, wishing, however he might have managed his own fortunes, to + see to the safety of his heir. When Hothbrodd sent in governors, wanting + to free his country from alien rule, he posted his people about the city + and prevailed and slew them. Also he annihilated Hothbrodd himself and all + his forces in a naval battle; so avenging fully the wrongs of his country + as well as of his brother. Hence he who had before won a nickname for + slaying Hunding, now bore a surname for the slaughter of Hothbrodd. + Besides, as if the Swedes had not been enough stricken in the battles, he + punished them by stipulating for most humiliating terms; providing by law + that no wrong done to any of them should receive amends according to the + form of legal covenants. After these deeds, ashamed of his former infamy, + he hated his country and his home, went back to the East, and there died. + Some think that he was affected by the disgrace which was cast in his + teeth, and did himself to death by falling upon his drawn sword. + </p> + <p> + He was succeeded by his son Rolf, who was comely with every gift of mind + and body, and graced his mighty stature with as high a courage. In his + time Sweden was subject to the sway of the Danes; wherefore Athisl, the + son of Hothbrodd, in pursuit of a crafty design to set his country free, + contrived to marry Rolf's mother, Urse, thinking that his kinship by + marriage would plead for him, and enable him to prompt his stepson more + effectually to relax the tribute; and fortune prospered his wishes. But + Athisl had from his boyhood been imbued with a hatred of liberality, and + was so grasping of money, that he accounted it a disgrace to be called + openhanded. Urse, seeing him so steeped in filthy covetousness, desired to + be rid of him; but, thinking that she must act by cunning, veiled the + shape of her guile with a marvellous skill. Feigning to be unmotherly, she + spurred on her husband to grasp his freedom, and urged and tempted him to + insurrection; causing her son to be summoned to Sweden with a promise of + vast gifts. For she thought that she would best gain her desire if, as + soon as her son had got his stepfather's gold, she could snatch up the + royal treasures and flee, robbing her husband of bed and money to hoot. + For she fancied that the best way to chastise his covetousness would be to + steal away his wealth. This deep guilefulness was hard to detect, from + such recesses of cunning did it spring; because she dissembled her longing + for a change of wedlock under a show of aspiration for freedom. + Blind-witted husband, fancying the mother kindled against the life of the + son, never seeing that it was rather his own ruin being compassed! Doltish + lord, blind to the obstinate scheming of his wife, who, out of pretended + hatred of her son, devised opportunity for change of wedlock! Though the + heart of woman should never be trusted, he believed in a woman all the + more insensately, because he supposed her faithful to himself and + treacherous to her son. + </p> + <p> + Accordingly, Rolf, tempted by the greatness of the gifts, chanced to enter + the house of Athisl. He was not recognised by his mother owing to his long + absence and the cessation of their common life; so in jest he first asked + for some victual to appease his hunger. She advised him to ask the king + for a luncheon. Then he thrust out a torn piece of his coat, and begged of + her the service of sewing it up. Finding his mother's ears shut to him, he + observed, "That it was hard to discover a friendship that was firm and + true, when a mother refused her son a meal, and a sister refused a brother + the help of her needle." Thus he punished his mother's error, and made her + blush deep for her refusal of kindness. Athisl, when he saw him reclining + close to his mother at the banquet, taunted them both with wantonness, + declaring that it was an impure intercourse of brother and sister. Rolf + repelled the charge against his honour by an appeal to the closest of + natural bonds, and answered, that it was honourable for a son to embrace a + beloved mother. Also, when the feasters asked him what kind of courage he + set above all others, he named Endurance. When they also asked Athisl, + what was the virtue which above all he desired most devotedly, he + declared, Generosity. Proofs were therefore demanded of bravery on the one + hand and munificence on the other, and Rolf was asked to give an evidence + of courage first. He was placed to the fire, and defending with his target + the side that was most hotly assailed, had only the firmness of his + endurance to fortify the other, which had no defence. How dexterous, to + borrow from his shield protection to assuage the heat, and to guard his + body, which was exposed to the flames, with that which sometime sheltered + it amid the hurtling spears! But the glow was hotter than the fire of + spears; as though it could not storm the side that was entrenched by the + shield, yet it assaulted the flank that lacked its protection. But a + waiting-maid who happened to be standing near the hearth, saw that he was + being roasted by the unbearable heat upon his ribs; so taking the stopper + out of a cask, she spilt the liquid and quenched the flame, and by the + timely kindness of the shower checked in its career the torturing blaze. + Rolf was lauded for supreme endurance, and then came the request for + Athisl's gifts. And they say that he showered treasures on his stepson, + and at last, in order to crown the gift, bestowed on him an enormously + heavy necklace. + </p> + <p> + Now Urse, who had watched her chance for the deed of guile, on the third + day of the banquet, without her husband ever dreaming of such a thing, put + all the king's wealth into carriages, and going out stealthily, stole away + from her own dwelling and fled in the glimmering twilight, departing with + her son. Thrilled with fear of her husband's pursuit, and utterly + despairing of escape beyond, she begged and bade her companions to cast + away the money, declaring that they must lose either life or riches; the + short and only path to safety lay in flinging away the treasure, nor could + any aid to escape be found save in the loss of their possessions. + Therefore, said she, they must follow the example of the manner in which + Frode was said to have saved himself among the Britons. She added, that it + was not paying a great price to lay down the Swedes' own goods for them to + regain; if only they could themselves gain a start in flight, by the very + device which would check the others in their pursuit, and if they seemed + not so much to abandon their own possessions as to restore those of other + men. Not a moment was lost; in order to make the flight swifter, they did + the bidding of the queen. The gold is cleared from their purses; the + riches are left for the enemy to seize. Some declare that Urse kept back + the money, and strewed the tracks of her flight with copper that was gilt + over. For it was thought credible that a woman who could scheme such great + deeds could also have painted with lying lustre the metal that was meant + to be lost, mimicking riches of true worth with the sheen of spurious + gold. So Athisl, when he saw the necklace that he had given to Rolf left + among the other golden ornaments, gazed fixedly upon the dearest treasure + of his avarice, and, in order to pick up the plunder, glued his knees to + the earth and deigned to stoop his royalty unto greed. Rolf, seeing him + lie abjectly on his face in order to gather up the money, smiled at the + sight of a man prostrated by his own gifts, just as if he were seeking + covetously to regain what he had craftily yielded up. The Swedes were + content with their booty, and Rolf quickly retired to his ships, and + managed to escape by rowing violently. + </p> + <p> + Now they relate that Rolf used with ready generosity to grant at the first + entreaty whatsoever he was begged to bestow, and never put off the request + till the second time of asking. For he preferred to forestall repeated + supplication by speedy liberality, rather than mar his kindness by delay. + This habit brought him a great concourse of champions; valour having + commonly either rewards for its food or glory for its spur. + </p> + <p> + At this time, a certain Agnar, son of Ingild, being about to wed Rute, the + sister of Rolf, celebrated his bridal with a great banquet. The champions + were rioting at this banquet with every sort of wantonness, and flinging + from all over the room knobbed bones at a certain Hjalte; but it chanced + that his messmate, named Bjarke, received a violent blow on the head + through the ill aim of the thrower; at whom, stung both by the pain and + the jeering, he sent the bone back, so that he twisted the front of his + head to the back, and wrung the back of it to where the front had been; + punishing the wryness of the man's temper by turning his face sidelong. + This deed moderated their wanton and injurious jests, and drove the + champions to quit the place. The bridegroom, nettled at this affront to + the banquet, resolved to fight Bjarke, in order to seek vengeance by means + of a duel for the interruption of their mirth. At the outset of the duel + there was a long dispute, which of them ought to have the chance of + striking first. For of old, in the ordering of combats, men did not try to + exchange their blows thick and fast; but there was a pause, and at the + same time a definite succession in striking: the contest being carried on + with few strokes, but those terrible, so that honour was paid more to the + mightiness than to the number of the blows. Agnar, being of higher rank, + was put first; and the blow which he dealt is said to have been so + furious, that he cut through the front of the helmet, wounded the skin on + the scalp, and had to let go his sword, which became locked in the + vizor-holes. Then Bjarke, who was to deal the return-stroke, leaned his + foot against a stock, in order to give the freer poise to his steel, and + passed his fine-edged blade through the midst of Agnar's body. Some + declare that Agnar, in supreme suppression of his pain, gave up the ghost + with his lips relaxed into a smile. The champions passionately sought to + avenge him, but were visited by Bjarke with like destruction; for he used + a sword of wonderful sharpness and unusual length which he called Lovi. + While he was triumphing in these deeds of prowess, a beast of the forest + furnished him fresh laurels. For he met a huge bear in a thicket, and slew + it with a javelin; and then bade his companion Hjalte put his lips to the + beast and drink the blood that came out, that he might be the stronger + afterwards. For it was believed that a draught of this sort caused an + increase of bodily strength. By these valorous achievements he became + intimate with the most illustrious nobles, and even, became a favourite of + the king; took to wife his sister Rute, and had the bride of the conquered + as the prize of the conquest. When Rolf was harried by Athisl he avenged + himself on him in battle and overthrew Athisl in war. Then Rolf gave his + sister Skulde in marriage to a youth of keen wit, called Hiartuar, and + made him governor of Sweden, ordaining a yearly tax; wishing to soften the + loss of freedom to him by the favour of an alliance with himself. + </p> + <p> + Here let me put into my work a thing that it is mirthful to record. A + youth named Wigg, scanning with attentive eye the bodily size of Rolf, and + smitten with great wonder thereat, proceeded to inquire in jest who was + that "Krage" whom Nature in her beauty had endowed with such towering + stature? Meaning humorously to banter his uncommon tallness. For "Krage" + in the Danish tongue means a tree-trunk, whose branches are pollarded, and + whose summit is climbed in such wise that the foot uses the lopped timbers + as supports, as if leaning on a ladder, and, gradually advancing to the + higher parts, finds the shortest way to the top. Rolf accepted this random + word as though it were a name of honour for him, and rewarded the wit of + the saying with a heavy bracelet. Then Wigg, thrusting out his right arm + decked with the bracelet, put his left behind his back in affected shame, + and walked with a ludicrous gait, declaring that he, whose lot had so long + been poverty-stricken, was glad of a scanty gift. When he was asked why he + was behaving so, he said that the arm which lacked ornament and had no + splendour to boast of was mantling with the modest blush of poverty to + behold the other. The ingenuity of this saying won him a present to match + the first. For Rolf made him bring out to view, like the other, the hand + which he was hiding. Nor was Wigg heedless to repay the kindness; for he + promised, uttering a strict vow, that, if it befell Rolf to perish by the + sword, he would himself take vengeance on his slayers. Nor should it be + omitted that in old time nobles who were entering. The court used to + devote to their rulers the first-fruits of their service by vowing some + mighty exploit; thus bravely inaugurating their first campaign. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Skulde was stung with humiliation at the payment of the tribute, + and bent her mind to devise deeds of horror. Taunting her husband with his + ignominious estate, she urged and egged him to break off his servitude, + induced him to weave plots against Rolf, and filled his mind with the most + abominable plans of disloyalty, declaring that everyone owed more to their + freedom than to kinship. Accordingly, she ordered huge piles of arms to be + muffled up under divers coverings, to be carried by Hiartuar into Denmark, + as if they were tribute: these would furnish a store wherewith to slay the + king by night. So the vessels were loaded with the mass of pretended + tribute, and they proceeded to Leire, a town which Rolf had built and + adorned with the richest treasure of his realm, and which, being a royal + foundation and a royal seat, surpassed in importance all the cities of the + neighbouring districts. The king welcomed the coming of Hiartuar with a + splendid banquet, and drank very deep, while his guests, contrary to their + custom, shunned immoderate tippling. So, while all the others were + sleeping soundly, the Swedes, who had been kept from their ordinary rest + by their eagerness on their guilty purpose, began furtively to slip down + from their sleeping-rooms. Straightway uncovering the hidden heap of + weapons, each girded on his arms silently and then went to the palace. + Bursting into its recesses, they drew their swords upon the sleeping + figures. Many awoke; but, invaded as much by the sudden and dreadful + carnage as by the drowsiness of sleep, they faltered in their resistance; + for the night misled them and made it doubtful whether those they met were + friends or foes. Hjalte, who was foremost in tried bravery among the + nobles of the king, chanced to have gone out in the dead of that same + night into the country and given himself to the embraces of a harlot. But + when his torpid hearing caught from afar the rising din of battle, + preferring valour to wantonness, he chose rather to seek the deadly perils + of the War-god than to yield to the soft allurements of Love. What a love + for his king, must we suppose, burned in this warrior! For he might have + excused his absence by feigning not to have known; but he thought it + better to expose his life to manifest danger than save it for pleasure. As + he went away, his mistress asked him how aged a man she ought to marry if + she were to lose him? Then Hjalte bade her come closer, as though he would + speak to her more privately; and, resenting that she needed a successor to + his love, he cut off her nose and made her unsightly, punishing the + utterance of that wanton question with a shameful wound, and thinking that + the lecherousness of her soul ought to be cooled by outrage to her face. + When he had done this, he said he left her choice free in the matter she + had asked about. Then he went quickly back to the town and plunged into + the densest of the fray, mowing down the opposing ranks as he gave blow + for blow. Passing the sleeping-room of Bjarke, who was still slumbering, + he bade him wake up, addressing him as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Let him awake speedily, whoso showeth himself by service or avoweth + himself in mere loyalty, a friend of the king! Let the princes shake off + slumber, let shameless lethargy begone; let their spirits awake and warm + to the work; each man's own right hand shall either give him to glory, or + steep him in sluggard shame; and this night shall be either end or + vengeance of our woes. + </p> + <p> + "I do not now bid ye learn the sports of maidens, nor stroke soft cheeks, + nor give sweet kisses to the bride and press the slender breasts, nor + desire the flowing wine and chafe the soft thigh and cast eyes upon snowy + arms. I call you out to the sterner fray of War. We need the battle, and + not light love; nerveless languor has no business here: our need calls for + battles. Whoso cherishes friendship for the king, let him take up arms. + Prowess in war is the readiest appraiser of men's spirits. Therefore let + warriors have no fearfulness and the brave no fickleness: let pleasure + quit their soul and yield place to arms. Glory is now appointed for wages; + each can be the arbiter of his own renown, and shine by his own right + hand. Let nought here be tricked out with wantonness: let all be full of + sternness, and learn how to rid them of this calamity. He who covets the + honours or prizes of glory must not be faint with craven fear, but go + forth to meet the brave, nor whiten at the cold steel." + </p> + <p> + At this utterance, Bjarke, awakened, roused up his chamber-page Skalk + speedily, and addressed him as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Up, lad, and fan the fire with constant blowing; sweep the hearth clear + of wood, and scatter the fine ashes. Strike out sparks from the fire, + rouse the fallen embers, draw out the smothered blaze. Force the + slackening hearth to yield light by kindling the coals to a red glow with + a burning log. It will do me good to stretch out my fingers when the fire + is brought nigh. Surely he that takes heed for his friend should have warm + hands, and utterly drive away the blue and hurtful chill." + </p> + <p> + Hjalte said again: "Sweet is it to repay the gifts received from our lord, + to grip the swords, and devote the steel to glory. Behold, each man's + courage tells him loyally to follow a king of such deserts, and to guard + our captain with fitting earnestness. Let the Teuton swords, the helmets, + the shining armlets, the mail-coats that reach the heel, which Rolf of old + bestowed upon his men, let these sharpen our mindful hearts to the fray. + The time requires, and it is just, that in time of war we should earn + whatsoever we have gotten in the deep idleness of peace, that we should + not think more of joyous courses than of sorrowful fortunes, or always + prefer prosperity to hardship. Being noble, let us with even soul accept + either lot, nor let fortune sway our behaviour, for it beseems us to + receive equably difficult and delightsome days; let us pass the years of + sorrow with the same countenance wherewith we took the years of joy. Let + us do with brave hearts all the things that in our cups we boasted with + sodden lips; let us keep the vows which we swore by highest Jove and the + mighty gods. My master is the greatest of the Danes: let each man, as he + is valorous, stand by him; far, far hence be all cowards! We need a brave + and steadfast man, not one that turns his back on a dangerous pass, or + dreads the grim preparations for battle. Often a general's greatest valour + depends on his soldiery, for the chief enters the fray all the more at + ease that a better array of nobles throngs him round. Let the thane catch + up his arms with fighting fingers, setting his right hand on the hilt and + holding fast the shield: let him charge upon the foes, nor pale at any + strokes. Let none offer himself to be smitten by the enemy behind, let + none receive the swords in his back: let the battling breast ever front + the blow. `Eagles fight brow foremost', and with swift gaping beaks speed + onward in the front: be ye like that bird in mien, shrinking from no + stroke, but with body facing the foe. + </p> + <p> + "See how the enemy, furious and confident overduly, his limbs defended by + the steel, and his face with a gilded helmet, charges the thick of the + battle-wedges, as though sure of victory, fearless of rout and invincible + by any endeavour. Ah, misery! Swedish assurance spurns the Danes. Behold, + the Goths with savage eyes and grim aspect advance with crested helms and + clanging spears: wreaking heavy slaughter in our blood, they wield their + swords and their battle-axes hone-sharpened. + </p> + <p> + "Why name thee, Hiartuar, whom Skulde hath filled with guilty purpose, and + hath suffered thus to harden in sin? Why sing of thee, villain, who hast + caused our peril, betrayer of a noble king? Furious lust of sway hath + driven thee to attempt an abomination, and, stung with frenzy, to screen + thyself behind thy wife's everlasting guilt. What error hath made thee to + hurt the Danes and thy lord, and hurled thee into such foul crime as this? + Whence entered thy heart the treason framed with such careful guile? + </p> + <p> + "Why do I linger? Now we have swallowed our last morsel. Our king + perishes, and utter doom overtakes our hapless city. Our last dawn has + risen, unless perchance there be one here so soft that he fears to offer + himself to the blows, or so unwarlike that he dares not avenge his lord, + and disowns all honours worthy of his valour. + </p> + <p> + "Thou, Ruta, rise and put forth thy snow-white head, come forth from thy + hiding into the battle. The carnage that is being done without calls thee. + By now the council-chamber is shaken with warfare, and the gates creak + with the dreadful fray. Steel rends the mail-coats, the woven mesh is torn + apart, and the midriff gives under the rain of spears. By now the huge + axes have hacked small the shield of the king; by now the long swords + clash, and the battle-axe clatters its blows upon the shoulders of men, + and cleaves their breasts. Why are your hearts afraid? Why is your sword + faint and blunted? The gate is cleared of our people, and is filled with + the press of the strangers." + </p> + <p> + And when Hjalte had wrought very great carnage and stained the battle with + blood, he stumbled for the third time on Bjarke's berth, and thinking he + desired to keep quiet because he was afraid, made trial of him with such + taunts at his cowardice as these: + </p> + <p> + "Bjarke, why art thou absent? Doth deep sleep hold thee? I prithee, what + makes thee tarry? Come out, or the fire will overcome thee. Ho! Choose the + better way, charge with me! Bears may be kept off with fire; let us spread + fire in the recesses, and let the blaze attack the door-posts first. Let + the firebrand fall upon the bedchamber, let the falling roof offer fuel + for the flames and serve to feed the fire. It is right to scatter + conflagration on the doomed gates. But let us who honour our king with + better loyalty form the firm battle-wedges, and, having measured the + phalanx in safe rows, go forth in the way the king taught us: our king, + who laid low Rorik, the son of Bok the covetous, and wrapped the coward in + death. He was rich in wealth, but in enjoyment poor, stronger in gain than + bravery; and thinking gold better than warfare, he set lucre above all + things, and ingloriously accumulated piles of treasure, scorning the + service of noble friends. And when he was attacked by the navy of Rolf, he + bade his servants take the gold from the chests and spread it out in front + of the city gates, making ready bribes rather than battle, because he knew + not the soldier, and thought that the foe should be attempted with gifts + and not with arms: as though he could fight with wealth alone, and prolong + the war by using, not men, but wares! So he undid the heavy coffers and + the rich chests; he brought forth the polished bracelets and the heavy + caskets; they only fed his destruction. Rich in treasure, poor in + warriors, he left his foes to take away the prizes which he forebore to + give to the friends of his own land. He who once shrank to give little + rings of his own will, now unwillingly squandered his masses of wealth, + rifling his hoarded heap. But our king in his wisdom spurned him and the + gifts he proffered, and took from him life and goods at once; nor was his + foe profited by the useless wealth which he had greedily heaped up through + long years. But Rolf the righteous assailed him, slew him, and captured + his vast wealth, and shared among worthy friends what the hand of avarice + had piled up in all those years; and, bursting into the camp which was + wealthy but not brave, gave his friends a lordly booty without bloodshed. + Nothing was so fair to him that he would not lavish it, or so dear that he + would not give it to his friends, for he used treasure like ashes, and + measured his years by glory and not by gain. Whence it is plain that the + king who hath died nobly lived also most nobly, that the hour of his doom + is beautiful, and that he graced the years of his life with manliness. For + while he lived his glowing valour prevailed over all things, and he was + allotted might worthy of his lofty stature. He was as swift to war as a + torrent tearing down to sea, and as speedy to begin battle as a stag is to + fly with cleft foot upon his fleet way. + </p> + <p> + "See now, among the pools dripping with human blood, the teeth struck out + of the slain are carried on by the full torrent of gore, and are polished + on the rough sands. Dashed on the slime they glitter, and the torrent of + blood bears along splintered bones and flows above lopped limbs. The blood + of the Danes is wet, and the gory flow stagnates far around, and the + stream pressed out of the steaming veins rolls back the scattered bodies. + Tirelessly against the Danes advances Hiartuar, lover of battle, and + challenges the fighters with outstretched spear. Yet here, amid the + dangers and dooms of war, I see Frode's grandson smiling joyously, who + once sowed the fields of Fyriswald with gold. Let us also be exalted with + an honourable show of joy, following in death the doom of our noble + father. Be we therefore cheery in voice and bold in daring; for it is + right to spurn all fear with words of courage, and to meet our death in + deeds of glory. Let fear quit heart and face; in both let us avow our + dauntless endeavours, that no sign anywhere may show us to betray + faltering fear. Let our drawn sword measure the weight of our service. Fame + follows us in death, and glory shall outlive our crumbling ashes! And that + which perfect valour hath achieved during its span shall not fade for ever + and ever. What want we with closed floors? Why doth the locked bolt close + the folding-gates? For it is now the third cry, Bjarke, that calls thee, + and bids thee come forth from the barred room." + </p> + <p> + Bjarke rejoined: "Warlike Hjalte, why dost thou call me so loud? I am the + son-in-law of Rolf. He who boasts loud and with big words challenges other + men to battle, is bound to be venturous and act up to his words, that his + deed may avouch his vaunt. But stay till I am armed and have girded on the + dread attire of war. + </p> + <p> + "And now I tie my sword to my side, now first I get my body guarded with + mail-coat and headpiece, the helm keeping my brows and the stout iron + shrouding my breast. None shrinks more than I from being burnt a prisoner + inside, and made a pyre together with my own house: though an island + brought me forth, and though the land of my birth be bounded, I shall hold + it a debt to repay to the king the twelve kindreds which he added to my + honours. Hearken, warriors! Let none robe in mail his body that shall + perish; let him last of all draw tight the woven steel; let the shields go + behind the back; let us fight with bared breasts, and load all your arms + with gold. Let your right hands receive the bracelets, that they may swing + their blows the more heavily and plant the grievous wound. Let none fall + back! Let each zealously strive to meet the swords of the enemy and the + threatening spears, that we may avenge our beloved master. Happy beyond + all things is he who can mete out revenge for such a crime, and with + righteous steel punish the guilt of treacheries. + </p> + <p> + "Lo, methinks I surely pierced a wild stag with the Teutonic sword which + is called Snyrtir: from which I won the name of Warrior, when I felled + Agnar, son of Ingild, and brought the trophy home. He shattered and broke + with the bite the sword Hoding which smote upon my head, and would have + dealt worse wounds if the edge of his blade had held out better. In return + I clove asunder his left arm and part of his left side and his right foot, + and the piercing steel ran down his limbs and smote deep into his ribs. By + Hercules! No man ever seemed to me stronger than he. For he sank down + half-conscious, and, leaning on his elbow, welcomed death with a smile, + and spurned destruction with a laugh, and passed rejoicing in the world of + Elysium. Mighty was the man's courage, which knew how with one laugh to + cover his death-hour, and with a joyous face to suppress utter anguish of + mind and body! + </p> + <p> + "Now also with the same blade I searched the heart of one sprung from an + illustrious line, and plunged the steel deep in his breast. He was a + king's son, of illustrious ancestry, of a noble nature, and shone with the + brightness of youth. The mailed metal could not avail him, nor his sword, + nor the smooth target-boss; so keen was the force of my steel, it knew not + how to be stayed by obstacles. + </p> + <p> + "Where, then, are the captains of the Goths, and the soldiery of Hiartuar? + Let them come, and pay for their might with their life-blood. Who can + cast, who whirl the lance, save scions of kings? War springs from the + nobly born: famous pedigrees are the makers of war. For the perilous deeds + which chiefs attempt are not to be done by the ventures of common men. + Renowned nobles are passing away. Lo! Greatest Rolf, thy great ones have + fallen, thy holy line is vanishing. No dim and lowly race, no low-born + dead, no base souls are Pluto's prey, but he weaves the dooms of the + mighty, and fills Phlegethon with noble shapes. + </p> + <p> + "I do not remember any combat wherein swords were crossed in turn and blow + dealt out for blow more speedily. I take three for each I give; thus do + the Goths requite the wounds I deal them, and thus doth the stronger hand + of the enemy avenge with heaped interest the punishment that they receive. + Yet singly in battle I have given over the bodies of so many men to the + pyre of destruction, that a mound like a hill could grow up and be raised + out of their lopped limbs, and the piles of carcases would look like a + burial-barrow. And now what doeth he, who but now bade me come forth, + vaunting himself with mighty praise, and chafing others with his arrogant + words, and scattering harsh taunts, as though in his one body he enclosed + twelve lives?" + </p> + <p> + Hjalte answered: "Though I have but scant help, I am not far off. Even + here, where I stand, there is need of aid, and nowhere is a force or a + chosen band of warriors ready for battle wanted more. Already the hard + edges and the spear-points have cleft my shield in splinters, and the + ravening steel has rent and devoured its portions bit by bit in the + battle. The first of these things testifies to and avows itself. Seeing is + better than telling, eyesight faithfuller than hearing. For of the broken + shield only the fastenings remain, and the boss, pierced and broken in its + circle, is all left me. And now, Bjarke, thou art strong, though thou hast + come forth more tardily than was right, and thou retrievest by bravery the + loss caused by thy loitering." + </p> + <p> + But Bjarke said: "Art thou not yet weary of girding at me and goading me + with taunts? Many things often cause delay. The reason why I tarried was + the sword in my path, which the Swedish foe whirled against my breast with + mighty effort. Nor did the guider of the hilt drive home the sword with + little might; for though the body was armed he smote it as far as one may + when it is bare or defenceless; he pierced the armour of hard steel like + yielding waters; nor could the rough, heavy breastplate give me any help. + </p> + <p> + "But where now is he that is commonly called Odin, the mighty in battle, + content ever with a single eye? If thou see him anywhere, Rute, tell me." + </p> + <p> + Rute replied: "Bring thine eye closer and look under my arm akimbo: thou + must first hallow thine eyes with the victorious sign, if thou wilt safely + know the War-god face to face." + </p> + <p> + Then said Bjarke: "If I may look on the awful husband of Frigg, howsoever + he be covered with his white shield, and guide his tall steed, he shall in + no wise go safe out of Leire; it is lawful to lay low in war the + war-waging god. Let a noble death come to those that fall before the eyes + of their king. While life lasts, let us strive for the power to die + honourably and to reap a noble end by our deeds. I will die overpowered + near the head of my slain captain, and at his feet thou also shalt slip on + thy face in death, so that whoso scans the piled corpses may see in what + wise we rate the gold our lord gave us. We shall be the prey of ravens and + a morsel for hungry eagles, and the ravening bird shall feast on the + banquet of our body. Thus should fall princes dauntless in war, clasping + their famous king in a common death." + </p> + <p> + I have composed this particular series of harangues in metrical shape, + because the gist of the same thoughts is found arranged in a short form in + a certain ancient Danish song, which is repeated by heart by many + conversant with antiquity. + </p> + <p> + Now, it came to pass that the Goths gained the victory and all the array + of Rolf fell, no man save Wigg remaining out of all those warriors. For + the soldiers of the king paid this homage to his noble virtues in that + battle, that his slaying inspired in all the longing to meet their end, + and union with him in death was accounted sweeter than life. + </p> + <p> + HIARTUAR rejoiced, and had the tables spread for feasting, bidding the + banquet come after the battle, and fain to honour his triumph with a + carouse. And when he was well filled therewith, he said that it was matter + of great marvel to him, that out of all the army of Rolf no man had been + found to take thought for his life by flight or fraud. Hence, he said, it + had been manifest with what zealous loyalty they had kept their love for + their king, because they had not endured to survive him. He also blamed + his ill fortune, because it had not suffered the homage of a single one of + them to be left for himself: protesting that he would very willingly + accept the service of such men. Then Wigg came forth, and Hiartuar, as + though he were congratulating him on the gift, asked him if he were + willing to fight for him. Wigg assenting, he drew and proferred him a + sword. But Wigg refused the point, and asked for the hilt, saying first + that this had been Rolf's custom when he handed forth a sword to his + soldiers. For in old time those who were about to put themselves in + dependence on the king used to promise fealty by touching the hilt of the + sword. And in this wise Wigg clasped the hilt, and then drove the point + through Hiartuar; thus gaining the vengeance which he had promised Rolf to + accomplish for him. When he had done this, and the soldiers of Hiartuar + rushed at him, he exposed his body to them eagerly and exultantly, + shouting that he felt more joy in the slaughter of the tyrant than + bitterness at his own. Thus the feast was turned into a funeral, and the + wailing of burial followed the joy of victory. Glorious, ever memorable + hero, who valiantly kept his vow, and voluntarily courted death, staining + with blood by his service the tables of the despot! For the lively valour + of his spirit feared not the hands of the slaughterers, when he had once + beheld the place where Rolf had been wont to live bespattered with the + blood of his slayer. Thus the royalty of Hiartuar was won and ended on the + same day. For whatsoever is gotten with guile melts away in like fashion + as it is sought, and no fruits are long-lasting that have been won by + treachery and crime. Hence it came to pass that the Swedes, who had a + little before been the possessors of Denmark, came to lose even their own + liberty. For they were straightway cut off by the Zealanders, and paid + righteous atonement to the injured shades of Rolf. In this way does stern + fortune commonly avenge the works of craft and cunning. + </p> + <p> + <a name="book3" id="book3"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK THREE. + </h2> + <p> + After Hiartuar, HOTHER, whom I mentioned above, the brother of Athisl, and + also the fosterling of King Gewar, became sovereign of both realms. It + will be easier to relate his times if I begin with the beginning of his + life. For if the earlier years of his career are not doomed to silence, + the latter ones can be more fully and fairly narrated. + </p> + <p> + When Helgi had slain Hodbrodd, his son Hother passed the length of his + boyhood under the tutelage of King Gewar. While a stripling, he excelled + in strength of body all his foster-brethren and compeers. Moreover, he was + gifted with many accomplishments of mind. He was very skilled in swimming + and archery, and also with the gloves; and further was as nimble as such a + youth could be, his training being equal to his strength. Though his years + were unripe, his richly-dowered spirit surpassed them. None was more + skilful on lyre or harp; and he was cunning on the timbrel, on the lute, + and in every modulation of string instruments. With his changing measures + he could sway the feelings of men to what passions he would; he knew how + to fill human hearts with joy or sadness, with pity or with hatred, and + used to enwrap the soul with the delight or terror of the ear. All these + accomplishments of the youth pleased Nanna, the daughter of Gewar, + mightily, and she began to seek his embraces. For the valour of a youth + will often kindle a maid, and the courage of those whose looks are not so + winning is often acceptable. For love hath many avenues; the path of + pleasure is opened to some by grace, to others by bravery of soul, and to + some by skill in accomplishments. Courtesy brings to some stores of Love, + while most are commended by brightness of beauty. Nor do the brave inflict + a shallower wound on maidens than the comely. + </p> + <p> + Now it befell that Balder the son of Odin was troubled at the sight of + Nanna bathing, and was seized with boundless love. He was kindled by her + fair and lustrous body, and his heart was set on fire by her manifest + beauty; for nothing exciteth passion like comeliness. Therefore he + resolved to slay with the sword Hother, who, he feared, was likeliest to + baulk his wishes; so that his love, which brooked no postponement, might + not be delayed in the enjoyment of its desire by any obstacle. + </p> + <p> + About this time Hother chanced, while hunting, to be led astray by a mist, + and he came on a certain lodge in which were wood-maidens; and when they + greeted him by his own name, he asked who they were. They declared that it + was their guidance and government that mainly determined the fortunes of + war. For they often invisibly took part in battles, and by their secret + assistance won for their friends the coveted victories. They averted, + indeed, that they could win triumphs and inflict defeats as they would; + and further told him how Balder had seen his foster-sister Nanna while she + bathed, and been kindled with passion for her; but counselled Hother not + to attack him in war, worthy as he was of his deadliest hate, for they + declared that Balder was a demigod, sprung secretly from celestial seed. + When Hother had heard this, the place melted away and left him + shelterless, and he found himself standing in the open and out in the + midst of the fields, without a vestige of shade. Most of all he marvelled + at the swift flight of the maidens, the shifting of the place, and the + delusive semblance of the building. For he knew not that all that had + passed around him had been a mere mockery and an unreal trick of the arts + of magic. + </p> + <p> + Returning thence, he related to Gewar the mystification that had followed + on his straying, and straightway asked him for his daughter. Gewar + answered that he would most gladly favour him, but that he feared if he + rejected Balder he would incur his wrath; for Balder, he said, had + proffered him a like request. For he said that the sacred strength of + Balder's body was proof even against steel; adding, however, that he knew + of a sword which could deal him his death, which was fastened up in the + closest bonds; this was in the keeping of Miming, the Satyr of the woods, + who also had a bracelet of a secret and marvellous virtue, that used to + increase the wealth of the owner. Moreover, the way to these regions was + impassable and filled with obstacles, and therefore hard for mortal men to + travel. For the greater part of the road was perpetually beset with + extraordinary cold. So he advised him to harness a car with reindeer, by + means of whose great speed he could cross the hard-frozen ridges. And when + he had got to the place, he should set up his tent away from the sun in + such wise that it should catch the shadow of the cave where Miming was + wont to be; while he should not in return cast a shade upon Miming, so + that no unaccustomed darkness might be thrown and prevent the Satyr from + going out. Thus both the bracelet and the sword would be ready to his + hand, one being attended by fortune in wealth and the other by fortune in + war, and each of them thus bringing a great prize to the owner. Thus much + said Gewar; and Hother was not slow to carry out his instructions. + Planting his tent in the manner aforesaid, he passed the nights in + anxieties and the days in hunting. But through either season he remained + very wakeful and sleepless, allotting the divisions of night and day so as + to devote the one to reflection on events, and to spend the other in + providing food for his body. Once as he watched all night, his spirit was + drooping and dazed with anxiety, when the Satyr cast a shadow on his tent. + Aiming a spear at him, he brought him down with the blow, stopped him, and + bound him, while he could not make his escape. Then in the most dreadful + words he threatened him with the worst, and demanded the sword and + bracelets. The Satyr was not slow to tender him the ransom of his life for + which he was asked. So surely do all prize life beyond wealth; for nothing + is ever cherished more among mortals than the breath of their own life. + Hother, exulting in the treasure he had gained, went home enriched with + trophies which, though few, were noble. + </p> + <p> + When Gelder, the King of Saxony, heard that Hother had gained these + things, he kept constantly urging his soldiers to go and carry off such + glorious booty; and the warriors speedily equipped a fleet in obedience to + their king. Gewar, being very learned in divining and an expert in the + knowledge of omens, foresaw this; and summoning Hother, told him, when + Gelder should join battle with him, to receive his spears with patience, + and not let his own fly until he saw the enemy's missiles exhausted; and + further, to bring up the curved scythes wherewith the vessels could be + rent and the helmets and shields plucked from the soldiers. Hother + followed his advice and found its result fortunate. For he bade his men, + when Gelder began to charge, to stand their ground and defend their bodies + with their shields, affirming that the victory in that battle must be won + by patience. But the enemy nowhere kept back their missiles, spending them + all in their extreme eagerness to fight; and the more patiently they found + Hother bear himself in his reception of their spears and lances, the more + furiously they began to hurl them. Some of these stuck in the shields and + some in the ships, and few were the wounds they inflicted; many of them + were seen to be shaken off idly and to do no hurt. For the soldiers of + Hother performed the bidding of their king, and kept off the attack of the + spears by a penthouse of interlocked shields; while not a few of the + spears smote lightly on the bosses and fell into the waves. When Gelder + was emptied of all his store, and saw the enemy picking it up, and swiftly + hurling it back at him, he covered the summit of the mast with a crimson + shield, as a signal of peace, and surrendered to save his life. Hother + received him with the friendliest face and the kindliest words, and + conquered him as much by his gentleness as he had by his skill. + </p> + <p> + At this time Helgi, King of Halogaland, was sending frequent embassies to + press his suit for Thora, daughter of Kuse, sovereign of the Finns and + Perms. Thus is weakness ever known by its wanting help from others. For + while all other young men of that time used to sue in marriage with their + own lips, this man was afflicted with so faulty an utterance that he was + ashamed to be heard not only by strangers, but by those of his own house. + So much doth calamity shun all witnesses; for natural defects are the more + vexing the more manifest they are. Kuse despised his embassy, answering + that that man did not deserve a wife who trusted too little to his own + manhood, and borrowed by entreaty the aid of others in order to gain his + suit. When Helgi heard this, he besought Hother, whom he knew to be an + accomplished pleader, to favour his desires, promising that he would + promptly perform whatsoever he should command him. The earnest entreaties + of the youth prevailed on Hother, and he went to Norway with an armed + fleet, intending to achieve by arms the end which he could not by words. + And when he had pleaded for Helgi with the most dulcet eloquence, Kuse + rejoined that his daughter's wish must be consulted, in order that no + paternal strictness might forestall anything against her will. He called + her in and asked her whether she felt a liking for her wooer; and when she + assented he promised Helgi her hand. In this way Hother, by the sweet + sounds of his fluent and well-turned oratory, opened the ears of Kuse, + which were before deaf to the suit he urged. + </p> + <p> + While this was passing in Halogaland, Balder entered the country of Gewar + armed, in order to sue for Nanna. Gewar bade him learn Nanna's own mind; + so he approached the maiden with the most choice and cajoling words; and + when he could win no hearing for his prayers, he persisted in asking the + reason of his refusal. She replied, that a god could not wed with a + mortal, because the vast difference of their natures prevented any bond of + intercourse. Also the gods sometimes used to break their pledges; and the + bond contracted between unequals was apt to snap suddenly. There was no + firm tie between those of differing estate; for beside the great, the + fortunes of the lowly were always dimmed. Also lack and plenty dwelt in + diverse tents, nor was there any fast bond of intercourse between gorgeous + wealth and obscure poverty. In fine, the things of earth would not mate + with those of heaven, being sundered by a great original gulf through a + difference in nature; inasmuch as mortal man was infinitely far from the + glory of the divine majesty. With this shuffling answer she eluded the + suit of Balder, and shrewdly wove excuses to refuse his hand. + </p> + <p> + When Hother heard this from Gewar, he complained long to Helgi of Balder's + insolence. Both were in doubt as to what should be done, and beat their + brains over divers plans; for converse with a friend in the day of + trouble, though it removeth not the peril, yet maketh the heart less sick. + Amid all the desires of their souls the passion of valour prevailed, and a + naval battle was fought with Balder. One would have thought it a contest + of men against gods, for Odin and Thor and the holy array of the gods + fought for Balder. There one could have beheld a war in which divine and + human might were mingled. But Hother was clad in his steel-defying tunic, + and charged the closest bands of the gods, assailing them as vehemently as + a son of earth could assail the powers above. However, Thor was swinging + his club with marvellous might, and shattered all interposing shields, + calling as loudly on his foes to attack him as upon his friends to back + him up. No kind of armour withstood his onset, no man could receive his + stroke and live. Whatsoever his blow fended off it crushed; neither shield + nor helm endured the weight of its dint; no greatness of body or of + strength could serve. Thus the victory would have passed to the gods, but + that Hother, though his line had already fallen back, darted up, hewed off + the club at the haft, and made it useless. And the gods, when they had + lost this weapon, fled incontinently. But that antiquity vouches for it, + it were quite against common belief to think that men prevailed against + gods. (We call them gods in a supposititious rather than in a real sense; + for to such we give the title of deity by the custom of nations, not + because of their nature.) + </p> + <p> + As for Balder, he took to flight and was saved. The conquerors either + hacked his ships with their swords or sunk them in the sea; not content to + have defeated gods, they pursued the wrecks of the fleet with such rage, + as if they would destroy them to satiate their deadly passion for war. + Thus doth prosperity commonly whet the edge of licence. The haven, + recalling by its name Balder's flight, bears witness to the war. Gelder, + the King of Saxony, who met his end in the same war, was set by Hother + upon the corpses of his oarsmen, and then laid on a pyre built of vessels, + and magnificently honoured in his funeral by Hother, who not only put his + ashes in a noble barrow, treating them as the remains of a king, but also + graced them with most reverent obsequies. Then, to prevent any more + troublesome business delaying his hopes of marriage, he went back to Gewar + and enjoyed the coveted embraces of Nanna. Next, having treated Helgi and + Thora very generously, he brought his new queen back to Sweden, being as + much honoured by all for his victory as Balder was laughed at for his + flight. + </p> + <p> + At this time the nobles of the Swedes repaired to Demnark to pay their + tribute; but Hother, who had been honoured as a king by his countrymen for + the splendid deeds of his father, experienced what a lying pander Fortune + is. For he was conquered in the field by Balder, whom a little before he + had crushed, and was forced to flee to Gewar, thus losing while a king + that victory which he had won as a common man. The conquering Balder, in + order to slake his soldiers, who were parched with thirst, with the + blessing of a timely draught, pierced the earth deep and disclosed a fresh + spring. The thirsty ranks made with gaping lips for the water that gushed + forth everywhere. The traces of these springs, eternised by the name, are + thought not quite to have dried up yet, though they have ceased to well so + freely as of old. Balder was continually harassed by night phantoms + feigning the likeness of Nanna, and fell into such ill health that he + could not so much as walk, and began the habit of going his journeys in a + two horse car or a four-wheeled carriage. So great was the love that had + steeped his heart and now had brought him down almost to the extremity of + decline. For he thought that his victory had brought him nothing if Nanna + was not his prize. Also Frey, the regent of the gods, took his abode not + far from Upsala, where he exchanged for a ghastly and infamous + sin-offering the old custom of prayer by sacrifice, which had been used by + so many ages and generations. For he paid to the gods abominable + offerings, by beginning to slaughter human victims. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Hother (1) learned that Denmark lacked leaders, and that Hiartuar + had swiftly expiated the death of Rolf; and he used to say that chance had + thrown into his hands that to which he could scarce have aspired. For + first, Rolf, whom he ought to have killed, since he remembered that Rolf's + father had slain his own, had been punished by the help of another; and + also, by the unexpected bounty of events, a chance had been opened to him + of winning Denmark. In truth, if the pedigree of his forefathers were + rightly traced, that realm was his by ancestral right! Thereupon he took + possession, with a very great fleet, of Isefjord, a haven of Zealand, so + as to make use of his impending fortune. There the people of the Danes met + him and appointed him king; and a little after, on hearing of the death of + his brother Athisl, whom he had bidden rule the Swedes, he joined the + Swedish empire to that of Denmark. But Athisl was cut off by an + ignominious death. For whilst, in great jubilation of spirit, he was + honouring the funeral rites of Rolf with a feast, he drank too greedily, + and paid for his filthy intemperance by his sudden end. And so, while he + was celebrating the death of another with immoderate joviality, he forced + on his own apace. + </p> + <p> + While Hother was in Sweden, Balder also came to Zealand with a fleet; and + since he was thought to be rich in arms and of singular majesty, the Danes + accorded him with the readiest of voices whatever he asked concerning the + supreme power. With such wavering judgment was the opinion of our + forefathers divided. Hother returned from Sweden and attacked him. They + both coveted sway, and the keenest contest for the sovereignty began + between them; but it was cut short by the flight of Hother. He retired to + Jutland, and caused to be named after him the village in which he was wont + to stay. Here he passed the winter season, and then went back to Sweden + alone and unattended. There he summoned the grandees, and told them that + he was weary of the light of life because of the misfortunes wherewith + Balder had twice victoriously stricken him. Then he took farewell of all, + and went by a circuitous path to a place that was hard of access, + traversing forests uncivilised. For it oft happens that those upon whom + has come some inconsolable trouble of spirit seek, as though it were a + medicine to drive away their sadness, far and sequestered retreats, and + cannot bear the greatness of their grief amid the fellowship of men; so + dear, for the most part, is solitude to sickness. For filthiness and grime + are chiefly pleasing to those who have been stricken with ailments of the + soul. Now he had been wont to give out from the top of a hill decrees to + the people when they came to consult him; and hence when they came they + upbraided the sloth of the king for hiding himself, and his absence was + railed at by all with the bitterest complaints. + </p> + <p> + But Hother, when he had wandered through remotest byways and crossed an + uninhabited forest, chanced to come upon a cave where dwelt some maidens + whom he knew not; but they proved to be the same who had once given him + the invulnerable coat. Asked by them wherefore he had come thither, he + related the disastrous issue of the war. So he began to bewail the ill + luck of his failures and his dismal misfortunes, condemning their breach + of faith, and lamenting that it had not turned out for him as they had + promised him. But the maidens said that though he had seldom come off + victorious, he had nevertheless inflicted as much defeat on the enemy as + they on him, and had dealt as much carnage as he had shared in. Moreover, + the favour of victory would be speedily his, if he could first lay hands + upon a food of extraordinary delightsomeness which had been devised to + increase the strength of Balder. For nothing would be difficult if he + could only get hold of the dainty which was meant to enhance the rigour of + his foe. + </p> + <p> + Hard as it sounded for earthborn endeavours to make armed assault upon the + gods, the words of the maidens inspired Hother's mind with instant + confidence to fight with Balder. Also some of his own people said that he + could not safely contend with those above; but all regard for their + majesty was expelled by the boundless fire of his spirit. For in brave + souls vehemence is not always sapped by reason, nor doth counsel defeat + rashness. Or perchance it was that Hother remembered how the might of the + lordliest oft proveth unstable, and how a little clod can batter down + great chariots. + </p> + <p> + On the other side, Balder mustered the Danes to arms and met Hother in the + field. Both sides made a great slaughter; the carnage of the opposing + parties was nearly equal, and night stayed the battle. About the third + watch, Hother, unknown to any man, went out to spy upon the enemy, anxiety + about the impending peril having banished sleep. This strong excitement + favours not bodily rest, and inward disquiet suffers not outward repose. + So, when he came to the camp of the enemy he heard that three maidens had + gone out carrying the secret feast of Balder. He ran after them (for their + footsteps in the dew betrayed their flight), and at last entered their + accustomed dwelling. When they asked him who he was, he answered, a + lutanist, nor did the trial belie his profession. For when the lyre was + offered him, he tuned its strings, ordered and governed the chords with + his quill, and with ready modulation poured forth a melody pleasant to the + ear. Now they had three snakes, of whose venom they were wont to mix a + strengthening compound for the food of Balder, and even now a flood of + slaver was dripping on the food from the open mouths of the serpents. And + some of the maidens would, for kindness sake, have given Hother a share of + the dish, had not eldest of the three forbidden them, declaring that + Balder would be cheated if they increased the bodily powers of his enemy. + He had said, not that he was Hother, but that he was one of his company. + Now the same nymphs, in their gracious kindliness, bestowed on him a belt + of perfect sheen and a girdle which assured victory. + </p> + <p> + Retracing the path by which he had come, he went back on the same road, + and meeting Balder plunged his sword into his side, and laid him low half + dead. When the news was told to the soldiers, a cheery shout of triumph + rose from all the camp of Hother, while the Danes held a public mourning + for the fate of Balder. He, feeling no doubt of his impending death, and + stung by the anguish of his wound, renewed the battle on the morrow; and, + when it raged hotly, bade that he should be borne on a litter into the + fray, that he might not seem to die ignobly within his tent. On the night + following, Proserpine was seen to stand by him in a vision, and to promise + that on the morrow he should have her embrace. The boding of the dream was + not idle; for when three days had passed, Balder perished from the + excessive torture of his wound; and his body given a royal funeral, the + army causing it to be buried in a barrow which they had made. + </p> + <p> + Certain men of our day, Chief among whom was Harald, (2) since the story + of the ancient burial-place still survived, made a raid on it by night in + the hope of finding money, but abandoned their attempt in sudden panic. + For the hill split, and from its crest a sudden and mighty torrent of + loud-roaring waters seemed to burst; so that its flying mass, shooting + furiously down, poured over the fields below, and enveloped whatsoever it + struck upon, and at its onset the delvers were dislodged, flung down their + mattocks, and fled divers ways; thinking that if they strove any longer to + carry through their enterprise they would be caught in the eddies of the + water that was rushing down. Thus the guardian gods of that spot smote + fear suddenly into the minds of the youths, taking them away from + covetousness, and turning them to see to their safety; teaching them to + neglect their greedy purpose and be careful of their lives. Now it is + certain that this apparent flood was not real but phantasmal; not born in + the bowels of the earth (since Nature suffereth not liquid springs to gush + forth in a dry place), but produced by some magic agency. All men + afterwards, to whom the story of that breaking in had come down, left this + hill undisturbed. Wherefore it has never been made sure whether it really + contains any wealth; for the dread of peril has daunted anyone since + Harald from probing its dark foundations. + </p> + <p> + But Odin, though he was accounted the chief of the gods, began to inquire + of the prophets and diviners concerning the way to accomplish vengeance + for his son, as well as all others whom he had beard were skilled in the + most recondite arts of soothsaying. For godhead that is incomplete is oft + in want of the help of man. Rostioph (Hrossthiof), the Finn, foretold to + him that another son must be born to him by Rinda (Wrinda), daughter of + the King of the Ruthenians; this son was destined to exact punishment for + the slaying of his brother. For the gods had appointed to the brother that + was yet to be born the task of avenging his kinsman. Odin, when he heard + this, muffled his face with a cap, that his garb might not betray him, and + entered the service of the said king as a soldier; and being made by him + captain of the soldiers, and given an army, won a splendid victory over + the enemy. And for his stout achievement in this battle the king admitted + him into the chief place in his friendship, distinguishing him as + generously with gifts as with honours. A very little while afterwards Odin + routed the enemy single-handed, and returned, at once the messenger and + the doer of the deed. All marvelled that the strength of one man could + deal such slaughter upon a countless host. Trusting in these services, he + privily let the king into the secret of his love, and was refreshed by his + most gracious favour; but when he sought a kiss from the maiden, he + received a cuff. But he was not driven from his purpose either by anger at + the slight or by the odiousness of the insult. + </p> + <p> + Next year, loth to quit ignobly the quest he had taken up so eagerly, he + put on the dress of a foreigner and went back to dwell with the king. It + was hard for those who met him to recognise him; for his assumed filth + obliterated his true features, and new grime hid his ancient aspect. He + said that his name was Roster (Hrosstheow), and that he was skilled in + smithcraft. And his handiwork did honour to his professions: for he + portrayed in bronze many and many a shape most beautifully, so that he + received a great mass of gold from the king, and was ordered to hammer out + the ornaments of the matrons. So, after having wrought many adornments for + women's wearing, he at last offered to the maiden a bracelet which he had + polished more laboriously than the rest and several rings which were + adorned with equal care. But no services could assuage the wrath of Rinda; + when he was fain to kiss her she cuffed him; for gifts offered by one we + hate are unacceptable, while those tendered by a friend are far more + grateful: so much doth the value of the offering oft turn on the offerer. + For this stubborn-hearted maiden never doubted that the crafty old man was + feigning generosity in order to seize an opening to work his lust. His + temper, moreover, was keen and indomitable; for she knew that his homage + covered guile, and that under the devotion of his gifts there lay a desire + for crime. Her father fell to upbraiding her heavily for refusing the + match; but she loathed to wed an old man, and the plea of her tender years + lent her some support in her scorning of his hand; for she said that a + young girl ought not to marry prematurely. + </p> + <p> + But Odin, who had found that nothing served the wishes of lovers more than + tough persistency, though he was stung with the shame of his double + rebuff, nevertheless, effacing the form he had worn before, went to the + king for the third time, professing the completest skill in soldiership. + He was led to take this pains not only by pleasure but by the wish to wipe + out his disgrace. For of old those who were skilled in magic gained this + power of instantly changing their aspect and exhibiting the most different + shapes. Indeed, they were clever at imitating any age, not only in its + natural bodily appearance, but also in its stature; and so the old man, in + order to exhibit his calling agreeably, used to ride proudly up and down + among the briskest of them. But not even such a tribute could move the + rigour of the maiden; for it is hard for the mind to come back to a + genuine liking for one against whom it has once borne heavy dislike. When + he tried to kiss her at his departure, she repulsed him so that he + tottered and smote his chin upon the ground. Straightway he touched her + with a piece of bark whereon spells were written, and made her like unto + one in frenzy: which was a gentle revenge to take for all the insults he + had received. + </p> + <p> + But still he did not falter in the fulfilment of his purpose; for trust in + his divine majesty buoyed him up with confidence; so, assuming the garb of + a maiden, this indefatigable journeyer repaired for the fourth time to the + king, and, on being received by him, showed himself assiduous and even + forward. Most people believed him to be a woman, as he was dressed almost + in female attire. Also he declared that his name was Wecha, and his + calling that of a physician: and this assertion he confirmed by the + readiest services. At last he was taken into the household of the queen, + and played the part of a waiting-woman to the princess, and even used to + wash the soil off her feet at eventide; and as he was applying the water + he was suffered to touch her calves and the upper part of the thighs. But + fortune goes with mutable steps, and thus chance put into his hand what + his address had never won. For it happened that the girl fell sick, and + looked around for a cure; and she summoned to protect her health those + very hands which aforetime she had rejected, and appealed for preservation + to him whom she had ever held in loathing. He examined narrowly all the + symptoms of the trouble, and declared that, in order to check the disease + as soon as possible, it was needful to use a certain drugged draught; but + that it was so bitterly compounded, that the girl could never endure so + violent a cure unless she submitted to be bound; since the stuff of the + malady must be ejected from the very innermost tissues. When her father + heard this he did not hesitate to bind his daughter; and laying her on the + bed, he bade her endure patiently all the applications of the doctor. For + the king was tricked by the sight of the female dress, which the old man + was using to disguise his persistent guile; and thus the seeming remedy + became an opportunity of outrage. For the physician seized the chance of + love, and, abandoning his business of healing, sped to the work, not of + expelling the fever, but of working his lust; making use of the sickness + of the princess, whom in sound health he had found adverse to him. It will + not be wearisome if I subjoin another version of this affair. For there + are certain who say that the king, when he saw the physician groaning with + love, but despite all his expense of mind and body accomplishing nothing, + did not wish to rob of his due reward one who had so well earned it, and + allowed him to lie privily with his daughter. So doth the wickedness of + the father sometimes assail the child, when vehement passion perverts + natural mildness. But his fault was soon followed by a remorse that was + full of shame, when his daughter bore a child. + </p> + <p> + But the gods, whose chief seat was then at Byzantium, (Asgard), seeing + that Odin had tarnished the fair name of godhead by divers injuries to its + majesty, thought that he ought to be removed from their society. And they + had him not only ousted from the headship, but outlawed and stripped of + all worship and honour at home; thinking it better that the power of their + infamous president should be overthrown than that public religion should + be profaned; and fearing that they might themselves be involved in the sin + of another, and though guiltless be punished for the crime of the guilty. + For they saw that, now the derision of their great god was brought to + light, those whom they had lured to proffer them divine honours were + exchanging obeisance for scorn and worship for shame; that holy rites were + being accounted sacrilege, and fixed and regular ceremonies deemed so much + childish raving. Fear was in their souls, death before their eyes, and one + would have supposed that the fault of one was visited upon the heads of + all. So, not wishing Odin to drive public religion into exile, they exiled + him and put one Oller (Wulder?) in his place, to bear the symbols not only + Of royalty but also of godhead, as though it had been as easy a task to + create a god as a king. And though they had appointed him priest for + form's sake, they endowed him actually with full distinction, that he + might be seen to be the lawful heir to the dignity, and no mere deputy + doing another's work. Also, to omit no circumstance of greatness, they + further gave his the name of Odin, trying by the prestige of that title to + be rid of the obloquy of innovation. For nearly ten years Oller held the + presidency of the divine senate; but at last the gods pitied the horrible + exile of Odin, and thought that he had now been punished heavily enough; + so he exchanged his foul and unsightly estate for his ancient splendour; + for the lapse of time had now wiped out the brand of his earlier disgrace. + Yet some were to be found who judged that he was not worthy to approach + and resume his rank, because by his stage-tricks and his assumption of a + woman's work he had brought the foulest scandal on the name of the gods. + Some declare that he bought back the fortune of his lost divinity with + money; flattering some of the gods and mollifying some with bribes; and + that at the cost of a vast sum he contrived to get back to the distinction + which he had long quitted. If you ask how much he paid for them, inquire + of those who have found out what is the price of a godhead. I own that to + me it is but little worth. + </p> + <p> + Thus Oller was driven out from Byzantium by Odin and retired into Sweden. + Here, while he was trying, as if in a new world, to repair the records of + his glory, the Danes slew him. The story goes that he was such a cunning + wizard that he used a certain bone, which he had marked with awful spells, + wherewith to cross the seas, instead of a vessel; and that by this bone he + passed over the waters that barred his way as quickly as by rowing. + </p> + <p> + But Odin, now that he had regained the emblems of godhead, shone over all + parts of the world with such a lustre of renown that all nations welcomed + him as though he were light restored to the universe; nor was any spot to + be found on the earth which did not hornage to his might. Then finding + that Boe, his son by Rhlda, was enamoured of the hardships of war, he + called him, and bade him bear in mind the slaying of his brother: saying + that it would be better for him to take vengeande on the murderers of + Balder than to overcome them in battle; for warfare was most fitting and + wholesome when a holy occasion for waging it was furnished by a righteous + opening for vengeande. + </p> + <p> + News came meantime that Gewar had been slain by the guile of his own + satrap (jarl), Gunne. Hother determined to visit his murder with the + strongest and sharpest revenge. So he surprised Gunne, cast him on a + blazing pyre, and burnt him; for Gunne had himself treacherously waylaid + Gewar, and burnt him alive in the night. This was his offering of + vengeance to the shade of his foster-father; and then he made his sons, + Herlek and Gerit, rulers of Norway. + </p> + <p> + Then he summoned the elders to assembly, and told them that he would + perish in the war wherein he was bound to meet Boe, and said that he knew + this by no doubtful guesswork, but by sure prophecies of seers. So he + besought them to make his son RORIK king, so that the judgment of wicked + men should not transfer the royalty to strange and unknown houses; + averring that he would reap more joy from the succession of his son than + bitterness from his own impending death. This request was speedily + granted. Then he met Boe in battle and was killed; but small joy the + victory gave Boe. Indeed, he left the battle so sore stricken that he was + lifted on his shield and carried home by his foot-soldiers supporting him + in turn, to perish next day of the pain of his wounds. The Ruthenian army + gave his body a gorgeous funeral and buried it in a splendid howe, which + it piled in his name, to save the record of so mighty a warrior from + slipping out of the recollection of after ages. + </p> + <p> + So the Kurlanders and the Swedes, as though the death of Hother set them + free from the burden of their subjection, resolved to attack Denmark, to + which they were accustomed to do homage with a yearly tax. By this the + Slavs also were emboldened to revolt, and a number of others were turned + from subjects into foes. Rorik, in order to check this wrongdoing, + summoned his country to arms, recounted the deeds of his forefathers, and + urged them in a passionate harangue unto valorous deeds. But the + barbarians, loth to engage without a general, and seeing that they needed + a head, appointed a king over them; and, displaying all the rest of their + military force, hid two companies of armed men in a dark spot. But Rorik + saw the trap; and perceiving that his fleet was wedged in a certain narrow + creek among the shoal water, took it out from the sands where it was + lying, and brought it forth to sea; lest it should strike on the oozy + swamps, and be attacked by the foe on different sides. Also, he resolved + that his men should go into hiding during the day, where they could stay + and suddenly fall on the invaders of his ships. He said that perchance the + guile might in the end recoil on the heads of its devisors. And in fact + the barbarians who had been appointed to the ambuscade knew nothing of the + wariness of the Danes, and sallying against them rashly, were all + destroyed. The remaining force of the Slavs, knowing nothing of the + slaughter of their friends, hung in doubt wondering over the reason of + Rorik's tarrying. And after waiting long for him as the months wearily + rolled by, and finding delay every day more burdensome, they at last + thought they should attack him with their fleet. + </p> + <p> + Now among them there was a man of remarkable stature, a wizard by calling. + He, when he beheld the squadrons of the Danes, said: "Suffer a private + combat to forestall a public slaughter, so that the danger of many may be + bought off at the cost of a few. And if any of you shall take heart to + fight it out with me, I will not flinch from these terms of conflict. But + first of all I demand that you accept the terms I prescribe, the form + whereof I have devised as follows: If I conquer, let freedom be granted us + from taxes; if I am conquered, let the tribute be paid you as of old: For + to-day I will either free my country from the yoke of slavery by my + victory or bind her under it by my defeat. Accept me as the surety and the + pledge for either issue." One of the Danes, whose spirit was stouter than + his strength, heard this, and proceeded to ask Rorik, what would be the + reward for the man who met the challenger in combat? Rorik chanced to have + six bracelets, which were so intertwined that they could not be parted + from one another, the chain of knots being inextricaly laced; and he + promised them as a reward for the man who would venture on the combat. But + the youth, who doubted his fortune, said: "Rorik, if I prove successful, + let thy generosity award the prize of the conqueror, do thou decide and + allot the palm; but if my enterprise go little to my liking, what prize + canst thou owe to the beaten, who will be wrapped either in cruel death or + in bitter shame? These things commonly go with feebleness, these are the + wages of the defeated, for whom naught remains but utter infamy. What + guerdon must be paid, what thanks offered, to him who lacks the prize of + courage? Who has ever garlanded with ivy the weakling in War, or decked + him with a conqueror's wage? Valour wins the prize, not sloth, and failure + lacks renown. For one is followed by triumph and honour, the other by an + unsightly life or by a stagnant end. I, who know not which way the issue + of this duel inclines, dare not boldly anticipate that as a reward, of + which I know not whether it be rightly mine. For one whose victory is + doubtful may not seize the assured reward of the victor. I forbear, while + I am not sure of the day, to claim firmly the title to the wreath. I + refuse the gain, which may be the wages of my death as much as of my life. + It is folly to lay hands on the fruit before it is ripe, and to be fain to + pluck that which one is not yet sure is one's title. This hand shall win + me the prize, or death." Having thus spoken, he smote the barbarian with + his sword; but his fortune was tardier than his spirit; for the other + smote him back, and he fell dead under the force of the first blow. Thus + he was a sorry sight unto the Danes, but the Slavs granted their + triumphant comrade a great procession, and received him with splendid + dances. On the morrow the same man, whether he was elated with the good + fortune of his late victory, or was fired with the wish to win another, + came close to the enemy, and set to girding at them in the words of his + former challenge. For, supposing that he had laid low the bravest of the + Danes, he did not think that any of them would have any heart left to + fight further with him upon his challenge. Also, trusting that, now one + champion had fallen, he had shattered the strength of the whole army, he + thought that naught would be hard to achieve upon which his later + endeavours were bent. For nothing pampers arrogance more than success, or + prompts to pride more surely than prosperity. + </p> + <p> + So Rorik was vexed that the general courage should be sapped by the + impudence of one man; and that the Danes, with their roll of victories, + should be met presumptuously by those whom they had beaten of old; nay, + should be ignominiously spurned; further, that in all that host not one + man should be found so quick of spirit or so vigorous of arm, that he + longed to sacrifice his life for his country. It was the high-hearted Ubbe + who first wiped off this infamous reproach upon the hesitating Danes. For + he was of great bodily strength and powerful in incantations. He also + purposely asked the prize of the combat, and the king promised him the + bracelets. Then said he: "How can I trust the promise when thou keepest + the pledge in thine own hands, and dost not deposit the gift in the charge + of another? Let there be some one to whom thou canst entrust the pledge, + that thou mayst not be able to take thy promise back. For the courage of + the champion is kindled by the irrevocable certainty of the prize." Of + course it was plain that he had said this in jest; sheer courage had armed + him to repel the insult to his country. But Rorik thought he was tempted + by avarice, and was loth to seem as if, contrary to royal fashion, he + meant to take back the gift or revoke his promise; so, being stationed on + his vessel, he resolved to shake off the bracelets, and with a mighty + swing send them to the asker. But his attempt was baulked by the width of + the gap between them; for the bracelets fell short of the intended spot, + the impulse being too faint and slack, and were reft away by the waters. + For this nickname of Slyngebond, (swing-bracelet) clung to Rorik. But this + event testified much to the valour of Ubbe. For the loss of his drowned + prize never turned his mind from his bold venture; he would not seem to + let his courage be tempted by the wages of covetousness. So he eagerly + went to fight, showing that he was a seeker of honour and not the slave of + lucre, and that he set bravery before lust of pelf; and intent to prove + that his confidence was based not on hire, but on his own great soul. Not + a moment is lost; a ring is made; the course is thronged with soldiers; + the champions engage; a din arises; the crowd of onlookers shouts in + discord, each backing his own. And so the valour of the champions blazes + to white-heat; falling dead under the wounds dealt by one another, they + end together the combat and their lives. I think that it was a provision + of fortune that neither of them should reap joy and honour by the other's + death. This event won back to Rorik the hearts of the insurgents and + regained him the tribute. + </p> + <p> + At this time Horwendil and Feng, whose father Gerwendil had been governor + of the Jutes, were appointed in his place by Rorik to defend Jutland. But + Horwendil held the monarchy for three years, and then, to will the height + of glory, devoted himself to roving. Then Koller, King of Norway, in + rivalry of his great deeds and renown, deemed it would be a handsome deed + if by his greater strength in arms he could bedim the far-famed glory of + the rover; and cruising about the sea, he watched for Horwendil's fleet + and came up with it. There was an island lying in the middle of the sea, + which each of the rovers, bringing his ships up on either side, was + holding. The captains were tempted by the pleasant look of the beach, and + the comeliness of the shores led them to look through the interior of the + springtide woods, to go through the glades, and roam over the sequestered + forests. It was here that the advance of Koller and Horwendil brought them + face to face without any witness. Then Horwendil endeavoured to address + the king first, asking him in what way it was his pleasure to fight, and + declaring that one best which needed the courage of as few as possible. + For, said he, the duel was the surest of all modes of combat for winning + the meed of bravery, because it relied only upon native courage, and + excluded all help from the hand of another. Koller marvelled at so brave a + judgment in a youth, and said: "Since thou hast granted me the choice of + battle, I think it is best to employ that kind which needs only the + endeavours of two, and is free from all the tumult. Certainly it is more + venturesome, and allows of a speedier award of the victory. This thought + we share, in this opinion we agree of our own accord. But since the issue + remains doubtful, we must pay some regard to gentle dealing, and must not + give way so far to our inclinations as to leave the last offices undone. + Hatred is in our hearts; yet let piety be there also, which in its due + time may take the place of rigour. For the rights of nature reconcile us, + though we are parted by differences of purpose; they link us together, + howsoever rancour estrange our spirit. Let us, therefore, have this pious + stipulation, that the conqueror shall give funeral rites to the conquered. + For all allow that these are the last duties of human kind, from which no + righteous man shrinks. Let each army lay aside its sternness and perform + this function in harmony. Let jealousy depart at death, let the feud be + buried in the tomb. Let us not show such an example of cruelty as to + persecute one another's dust, though hatred has come between us in our + lives. It will be a boast for the victor if he has borne his beaten foe in + a lordly funeral. For the man who pays the rightful dues over his dead + enemy wins the goodwill of the survivor; and whoso devotes gentle dealing + to him who is no more, conquers the living by his kindness. Also there is + another disaster, not less lamentable, which sometimes befalls the living—the + loss of some part of their body; and I think that succor is due to this + just as much as to the worst hap that may befall. For often those who + fight keep their lives safe, but suffer maiming; and this lot is commonly + thought more dismal than any death; for death cuts off memory of all + things, while the living cannot forget the devastation of his own body. + Therefore this mischief also must be helped somehow; so let it be agreed, + that the injury of either of us by the other shall be made good with ten + talents (marks) of gold. For if it be righteous to have compassion on the + calamities of another, how much more is it to pity one's own? No man but + obeys nature's prompting; and he who slights it is a self-murderer." + </p> + <p> + After mutually pledging their faiths to these terms, they began the + battle. Nor was their strangeness his meeting one another, nor the + sweetness of that spring-green spot, so heeded as to prevent them from the + fray. Horwendil, in his too great ardour, became keener to attack his + enemy than to defend his own body; and, heedless of his shield, had + grasped his sword with both hands; and his boldness did not fail. For by + his rain of blows he destroyed Koller's shield and deprived him of it, and + at last hewed off his foot and drove him lifeless to the ground. Then, not + to fail of his compact, he buried him royally, gave him a howe of lordly + make and pompous obsequies. Then he pursued and slew Koller's sister Sela, + who was a skilled warrior and experienced in roving. + </p> + <p> + He had now passed three years in valiant deeds of war; and, in order to + win higher rank in Rorik's favour, he assigned to him the best trophies + and the pick of the plunder. His friendship with Rorik enabled him to woo + and will in marriage his daughter Gerutha, who bore him a son Amleth. + </p> + <p> + Such great good fortune stung Feng with jealousy, so that he resolved + treacherously to waylay his brother, thus showing that goodness is not + safe even from those of a man's own house. And behold, when a chance came + to murder him, his bloody hand sated the deadly passion of his soul. Then + he took the wife of the brother he had butchered, capping unnatural murder + with incest. For whoso yields to one iniquity, speedily falls an easier + victim to the next, the first being an incentive to the second. Also, the + man veiled the monstrosity of his deed with such hardihood of cunning, + that he made up a mock pretence of goodwill to excuse his crime, and + glossed over fratricide with a show of righteousness. Gerutha, said he, + though so gentle that she would do no man the slightest hurt, had been + visited with her husband's extremest hate; and it was all to save her that + he had slain his brother; for he thought it shameful that a lady so meek + and unrancorous should suffer the heavy disdain of her husband. Nor did + his smooth words fail in their intent; for at courts, where fools are + sometimes favoured and backbiters preferred, a lie lacks not credit. Nor + did Feng keep from shameful embraces the hands that had slain a brother; + pursuing with equal guilt both of his wicked and impious deeds. + </p> + <p> + Amleth beheld all this, but feared lest too shrewd a behaviour might make + his uncle suspect him. So he chose to feign dulness, and pretend an utter + lack of wits. This cunning course not only concealed his intelligence but + ensured his safety. Every day he remained in his mother's house utterly + listless and unclean, flinging himself on the ground and bespattering his + person with foul and filthy dirt. His discoloured face and visage smutched + with slime denoted foolish and grotesque madness. All he said was of a + piece with these follies; all he did savoured of utter lethargy. In a + word, you would not have thought him a man at all, but some absurd + abortion due to a mad fit of destiny. He used at times to sit over the + fire, and, raking up the embers with his hands, to fashion wooden crooks, + and harden them in the fire, shaping at their lips certain barbs, to make + them hold more tightly to their fastenings. When asked what he was about, + he said that he was preparing sharp javelins to avenge his father. This + answer was not a little scoffed at, all men deriding his idle and + ridiculous pursuit; but the thing helped his purpose afterwards. Now it + was his craft in this matter that first awakened in the deeper observers a + suspicion of his cunning. For his skill in a trifling art betokened the + hidden talent of the craftsman; nor could they believe the spirit dull + where the hand had acquired so cunning a workmanship. Lastly, he always + watched with the most punctual care over his pile of stakes that he had + pointed in the fire. Some people, therefore, declared that his mind was + quick enough, and fancied that he only played the simpleton in order to + hide his understanding, and veiled some deep purpose under a cunning + feint. His wiliness (said these) would be most readily detected, if a fair + woman were put in his way in some secluded place, who should provoke his + mind to the temptations of love; all men's natural temper being too + blindly amorous to be artfully dissembled, and this passion being also too + impetuous to be checked by cunning. Therefore, if his lethargy were + feigned, he would seize the opportunity, and yield straightway to violent + delights. So men were commissioned to draw the young man in his rides into + a remote part of the forest, and there assail him with a temptation of + this nature. Among these chanced to be a foster-brother of Amleth, who had + not ceased to have regard to their common nurture; and who esteemed his + present orders less than the memory of their past fellowship. He attended + Amleth among his appointed train, being anxious not to entrap, but to warn + him; and was persuaded that he would suffer the worst if he showed the + slightest glimpse of sound reason, and above all if he did the act of love + openly. This was also plain enough to Amleth himself. For when he was + bidden mount his horse, he deliberately set himself in such a fashion that + he turned his back to the neck and faced about, fronting the tail; which + he proceeded to encompass with the reins, just as if on that side he would + check the horse in its furious pace. By this cunning thought he eluded the + trick, and overcame the treachery of his uncle. The reinless steed + galloping on, with rider directing its tail, was ludicrous enough to + behold. + </p> + <p> + Amleth went on, and a wolf crossed his path amid the thicket. When his + companions told him that a young colt had met him, he retorted, that in + Feng's stud there were too few of that kind fighting. This was a gentle + but witty fashion of invoking a curse upon his uncle's riches. When they + averred that he had given a cunning answer, he answered that he had spoken + deliberately; for he was loth, to be thought prone to lying about any + matter, and wished to be held a stranger to falsehood; and accordingly he + mingled craft and candour in such wise that, though his words did lack + truth, yet there was nothing to betoken the truth and betray how far his + keenness went. + </p> + <p> + Again, as he passed along the beach, his companions found the rudder of a + ship, which had been wrecked, and said they had discovered a huge knife. + "This," said he, "was the right thing to carve such a huge ham;" by which + he really meant the sea, to whose infinitude, he thought, this enormous + rudder matched. Also, as they passed the sandhills, and bade him look at + the meal, meaning the sand, he replied that it had been ground small by + the hoary tempests of the ocean. His companions praising his answer, he + said that he had spoken it wittingly. Then they purposely left him, that + he might pluck up more courage to practise wantonness. The woman whom his + uncle had dispatched met him in a dark spot, as though she had crossed him + by chance; and he took her and would have ravished her, had not his + foster-brother, by a secret device, given him an inkling of the trap. For + this man, while pondering the fittest way to play privily the prompter's + part, and forestall the young man's hazardous lewdness, found a straw on + the ground and fastened it underneath the tail of a gadfly that was flying + past; which he then drove towards the particular quarter where he knew + Amleth to be: an act which served the unwary prince exceedingly well. The + token was interpreted as shrewdly as it had been sent. For Amleth saw the + gadfly, espied with curiosity the straw which it wore embedded in its + tail, and perceived that it was a secret warning to beware of treachery. + Alarmed, scenting a trap, and fain to possess his desire in greater + safety, he caught up the woman in his arms and dragged her off to a + distant and impenetrable fen. Moreover, when they had lain together, he + conjured her earnestly to disclose the matter to none, and the promise of + silence was accorded as heartily as it was asked. For both of them had + been under the same fostering in their childhood; and this early rearing + in common had brought Amleth and the girl into great intimacy. + </p> + <p> + So, when he had returned home, they all jeeringly asked him whether he had + given way to love, and he avowed that he had ravished the maid. When he + was next asked where he did it, and what had been his pillow, he said that + he had rested upon the hoof of a beast of burden, upon a cockscomb, and + also upon a ceiling. For, when he was starting into temptation, he had + gathered fragments of all these things, in order to avoid lying. And + though his jest did not take aught of the truth out of the story, the + answer was greeted with shouts of merriment from the bystanders. The + maiden, too, when questioned on the matter, declared that he had done no + such thing; and her denial was the more readily credited when it was found + that the escort had not witnessed the deed. Then he who had marked the + gadfly in order to give a hint, wishing to show Amleth that to his trick + he owed his salvation, observed that latterly he had been singly devoted + to Amleth. The young man's reply was apt. Not to seem forgetful of his + informant's service, he said that he had seen a certain thing bearing a + straw flit by suddenly, wearing a stalk of chaff fixed in its hinder + parts. The cleverness of this speech, which made the rest split with + laughter, rejoiced the heart of Amleth's friend. + </p> + <p> + Thus all were worsted, and none could open the secret lock of the young + man's wisdom. But a friend of Feng, gifted more with assurance than + judgment, declared that the unfathomable cunning of such a mind could not + be detected by any vulgar plot, for the man's obstinacy was so great that + it ought not to be assailed with any mild measures; there were many sides + to his wiliness, and it ought not to be entrapped by any one method. + Accordingly, said he, his own profounder acuteness had hit on a more + delicate way, which was well fitted to be put in practice, and would + effectually discover what they desired to know. Feng was purposely to + absent himself, pretending affairs of great import. Amleth should be + closeted alone with his mother in her chamber; but a man should first be + commissioned to place himself in a concealed part of the room and listen + heedfully to what they talked about. For if the son had any wits at all he + would not hesitate to speak out in the hearing of his mother, or fear to + trust himself to the fidelity of her who bore him. The speaker, loth to + seem readier to devise than to carry out the plot, zealously proffered + himself as the agent of the eavesdropping. Feng rejoiced at the scheme, + and departed on pretence of a long journey. Now he who had given this + counsel repaired privily to the room where Amleth was shut up with his + mother, and lay flown skulking in the straw. But Amleth had his antidote + for the treachery. Afraid of being overheard by some eavesdropper, he at + first resorted to his usual imbecile ways, and crowed like a noisy cock, + beating his arms together to mimic the flapping of wings. Then he mounted + the straw and began to swing his body and jump again and again, wishing to + try if aught lurked there in hiding. Feeling a lump beneath his feet, he + drove his sword into the spot, and impaled him who lay hid. Then he + dragged him from his concealment and slew him. Then, cutting his body into + morsels, he seethed it in boiling water, and flung it through the mouth of + an open sewer for the swine to eat, bestrewing the stinking mire with his + hapless limbs. Having in this wise eluded the snare, he went back to the + room. Then his mother set up a great wailing, and began to lament her + son's folly to his face; but he said: "Most infamous of women; dost thou + seek with such lying lamentations to hide thy most heavy guilt? Wantoning + like a harlot, thou hast entered a wicked and abominable state of wedlock, + embracing with incestuous bosom thy husband's slayer, and wheedling with + filthy lures of blandishment him who had slain the father of thy son. + This, forsooth, is the way that the mares couple with the vanquishers of + their mates; for brute beasts are naturally incited to pair + indiscriminately; and it would seem that thou, like them, hast clean + forgot thy first husband. As for me, not idly do I wear the mask of folly; + for I doubt not that he who destroyed his brother will riot as ruthlessly + in the blood of his kindred. Therefore it is better to choose the garb of + dulness than that of sense, and to borrow some protection from a show of + utter frenzy. Yet the passion to avenge my father still burns in my heart; + but I am watching the chances, I await the fitting hour. There is a place + for all things; against so merciless and dark spirit must be used the + deeper devices of the mind. And thou, who hadst been better employed in + lamenting thine own disgrace, know it is superfluity to bewail my + witlessness; thou shouldst weep for the blemish in thine own mind, not for + that in another's. On the rest see thou keep silence." With such + reproaches he rent the heart of his mother and redeemed her to walk in the + ways of virtue; teaching her to set the fires of the past above the + seductions of the present. + </p> + <p> + When Feng returned, nowhere could he find the man who had suggested the + treacherous espial; he searched for him long and carefully, but none said + they had seen him anywhere. Amleth, among others, was asked in jest if he + had come on any trace of him, and replied that the man had gone to the + sewer, but had fallen through its bottom and been stifled by the floods of + filth, and that he had then been devoured by the swine that came up all + about that place. This speech was flouted by those who heard; for it + seemed senseless, though really it expressly avowed the truth. + </p> + <p> + Feng now suspected that his stepson was certainly full of guile, and + desired to make away with him, but durst not do the deed for fear of the + displeasure, not only of Amleth's grandsire Rorik, but also of his own + wife. So he thought that the King of Britain should be employed to slay + him, so that another could do the deed, and he be able to feign innocence. + Thus, desirous to hide his cruelty, he chose rather to besmirch his friend + than to bring disgrace on his own head. Amleth, on departing, gave secret + orders to his mother to hang the hall with woven knots, and to perform + pretended obsequies for him a year thence; promising that he would then + return. Two retainers of Feng then accompanied him, bearing a letter + graven on wood—a kind of writing material frequent in old times; + this letter enjoined the king of the Britons to put to death the youth who + was sent over to him. While they were reposing, Amleth searched their + coffers, found the letter, and read the instructions therein. Whereupon he + erased all the writing on the surface, substituted fresh characters, and + so, changing the purport of the instructions, shifted his own doom upon + his companions. Nor was he satisfied with removing from himself the + sentence of death and passing the peril on to others, but added an + entreaty that the King of Britain would grant his daughter in marriage to + a youth of great judgment whom he was sending to him. Under this was + falsely marked the signature of Feng. + </p> + <p> + Now when they had reached Britain, the envoys went to the king, and + proffered him the letter which they supposed was an implement of + destruction to another, but which really betokened death to themselves. + The king dissembled the truth, and entreated them hospitably and kindly. + Then Amleth scouted all the splendour of the royal banquet like vulgar + viands, and abstaining very strangely, rejected that plenteous feast, + refraining from the drink even as from the banquet. All marvelled that a + youth and a foreigner should disdain the carefully cooked dainties of the + royal board and the luxurious banquet provided, as if it were some + peasant's relish. So, when the revel broke up, and the king was dismissing + his friends to rest, he had a man sent into the sleeping-room to listen + secretly, in order that he might hear the midnight conversation of his + guests. Now, when Amleth's companions asked him why he had refrained from + the feast of yestereve, as if it were poison, he answered that the bread + was flecked with blood and tainted; that there was a tang of iron in the + liquor; while the meats of the feast reeked of the stench of a human + carcase, and were infected by a kind of smack of the odour of the charnel. + He further said that the king had the eyes of a slave, and that the queen + had in three ways shown the behaviour of a bondmaid. Thus he reviled with + insulting invective not so much the feast as its givers. And presently his + companions, taunting him with his old defect of wits, began to flout him + with many saucy jeers, because he blamed and cavilled at seemly and worthy + things, and because he attacked thus ignobly an illustrious king and a + lady of so refined a behaviour, bespattering with the shamefullest abuse + those who merited all praise. + </p> + <p> + All this the king heard from his retainer; and declared that he who could + say such things had either more than mortal wisdom or more than mortal + folly; in these few words fathoming the full depth of Amleth's + penetration. Then he summoned his steward and asked him whence he had + procured the bread. The steward declared that it had been made by the + king's own baker. The king asked where the corn had grown of which it was + made, and whether any sign was to be found there of human carnage? The + other answered, that not far off was a field, covered with the ancient + bones of slaughtered men, and still bearing plainly all the signs of + ancient carnage; and that he had himself planted this field with grain in + springtide, thinking it more fruitful than the rest, and hoping for + plenteous abundance; and so, for aught he knew, the bread had caught some + evil savour from this bloodshed. The king, on hearing this, surmised that + Amleth had spoken truly, and took the pains to learn also what had been + the source of the lard. The other declared that his hogs had, through + negligence, strayed from keeping, and battened on the rotten carcase of a + robber, and that perchance their pork had thus come to have something of a + corrupt smack. The king, finding that Amletll's judgment was right in this + thing also, asked of what liquor the steward had mixed the drink? Hearing + that it had been brewed of water and meal, he had the spot of the spring + pointed out to him, and set to digging deep down; and there he found, + rusted away, several swords, the tang whereof it was thought had tainted + the waters. Others relate that Amleth blamed the drink because, while + quaffing it, he had detected some bees that had fed in the paunch of a + dead man; and that the taint, which had formerly been imparted to the + combs, had reappeared in the taste. The king, seeing that Amleth had + rightly given the causes of the taste he had found so faulty, and learning + that the ignoble eyes wherewith Amleth had reproached him concerned some + stain upon his birth, had a secret interview with his mother, and asked + her who his father had really been. She said she had submitted to no man + but the king. But when he threatened that he would have the truth out of + her by a trial, he was told that he was the offspring of a slave. By the + evidence of the avowal thus extorted he understood the whole mystery of + the reproach upon his origin. Abashed as he was with shame for his low + estate, he was so ravished with the young man's cleverness, that he asked + him why he had aspersed the queen with the reproach that she had demeaned + herself like a slave? But while resenting that the courtliness of his wife + had been accused in the midnight gossip of guest, he found that her mother + had been a bondmaid. For Amleth said he had noted in her three blemishes + showing the demeanor of a slave; first, she had muffled her head in her + mantle as handmaids do; next, that she had gathered up her gown for + walking; and thirdly, that she had first picked out with a splinter, and + then chewed up, the remnant of food that stuck in the crevices between her + teeth. Further, he mentioned that the king's mother had been brought into + slavery from captivity, lest she should seem servile only in her habits, + yet not in her birth. + </p> + <p> + Then the king adored the wisdom of Amleth as though it were inspired, and + gave him his daughter to wife; accepting his bare word as though it were a + witness from the skies. Moreover, in order to fulfil the bidding of his + friend, he hanged Amleth's companions on the morrow. Amleth, feigning + offence, treated this piece of kindness as a grievance, and received from + the king, as compensation, some gold, which he afterwards melted in the + fire, and secretly caused to be poured into some hollowed sticks. + </p> + <p> + When he had passed a whole year with the king he obtained leave to make a + journey, and returned to his own land, carrying away of all his princely + wealth and state only the sticks which held the gold. On reaching Jutland, + he exchanged his present attire for his ancient demeanour, which he had + adopted for righteous ends, purposely assuming an aspect of absurdity. + Covered with filth, he entered the banquet-room where his own obsequies + were being held, and struck all men utterly aghast, rumour having falsely + noised abroad his death. At last terror melted into mirth, and the guests + jeered and taunted one another, that he whose last rites they were + celebrating as through he were dead, should appear in the flesh. When he + was asked concerning his comrades, he pointed to the sticks he was + carrying, and said, "Here is both the one and the other." This he observed + with equal truth and pleasantry; for his speech, though most thought it + idle, yet departed not from the truth; for it pointed at the weregild of + the slain as though it were themselves. Thereon, wishing to bring the + company into a gayer mood, he jollied the cupbearers, and diligently did + the office of plying the drink. Then, to prevent his loose dress hampering + his walk, he girdled his sword upon his side, and purposely drawing it + several times, pricked his fingers with its point. The bystanders + accordingly had both sword and scabbard riveted across with all iron nail. + Then, to smooth the way more safely to his plot, he went to the lords and + plied them heavily with draught upon draught, and drenched them all so + deep in wine, that their feet were made feeble with drunkenness, and they + turned to rest within the palace, making their bed where they had + revelled. Then he saw they were in a fit state for his plots, and thought + that here was a chance offered to do his purpose. So he took out of his + bosom the stakes he has long ago prepared, and went into the building, + where the ground lay covered with the bodies of the nobles wheezing off + their sleep and their debauch. Then, cutting away its support, he brought + down the hanging his mother had knitted, which covered the inner as well + as the outer walls of the hall. This he flung upon the snorers, and then + applying the crooked stakes, he knotted and bound them up in such + insoluble intricacy, that not one of the men beneath, however hard he + might struggle, could contrive to rise. After this he set fire to the + palace. The flames spread, scattering the conflagration far and wide. It + enveloped the whole dwelling, destroyed the palace, and burnt them all + while they were either buried in deep sleep or vainly striving to arise. + Then he went to the chamber of Feng, who had before this been conducted by + his train into his pavilion; plucked up a sword that chanced to be hanging + to the bed, and planted his own in its place. Then, awakening his uncle, + he told him that his nobles were perishing in the flames, and that Amleth + was here, armed with his crooks to help him, and thirsting to exact the + vengeance, now long overdue, for his father's murder. Feng, on hearing + this, leapt from his couch, but was cut down while deprived of his own + sword, and as he strove in vain to draw the strange one. O valiant Amleth, + and worthy of immortal fame, who being shrewdly armed with a feint of + folly, covered a wisdom too high for human wit under a marvellous disguise + of silliness! And not only found in his subtlety means to protect his own + safety, but also by its guidance found opportunity to avenge his father. + By this skilful defence of himself, and strenuous revenge for his parent, + he has left it doubtful whether we are to think more of his wit or his + bravery. (3) + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) Saxo now goes back to the history of Denmark. All the + events hitherto related in Bk. III, after the first + paragraph, are a digression in retrospect. + (2) M. conjectures that this was a certain Harald, the bastard + son of Erik the Good, and a wild and dissolute man, who died + in 1135, not long before the probable date of Saxo's birth. + (3) Shakespere's tragedy, "Hamlet", is derived from this story. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0024" id="link2H_4_0024"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK FOUR. + </h2> + <p> + Amleth, when he had accomplished the slaughter of his stepfather, feared + to expose his deed to the fickle judgment of his countrymen, and thought + it well to lie in hiding till he had learnt what way the mob of the + uncouth populace was tending. So the whole neighbourhood, who had watched + the blaze during the night, and in the morning desired to know the cause + of the fire they had seen, perceived the royal palace fallen in ashes; + and, on searching through its ruins, which were yet warm, found only some + shapeless remains of burnt corpses. For the devouring flame had consumed + everything so utterly that not a single token was left to inform them of + the cause of such a disaster. Also they saw the body of Feng lying pierced + by the sword, amid his blood-stained raiment. Some were seized with open + anger, others with grief, and some with secret delight. One party bewailed + the death of their leader, the other gave thanks that the tyranny of the + fratricide was now laid at rest. Thus the occurrence of the king's + slaughter was greeted by the beholders with diverse minds. + </p> + <p> + Amleth, finding the people so quiet, made bold to leave his hiding. + Summoning those in whom he knew the memory of his father to be + fast-rooted, he went to the assembly and there made a speech after this + manner: + </p> + <p> + "Nobles! Let not any who are troubled by the piteous end of Horwendil be + worried by the sight of this disaster before you; be not ye, I say, + distressed, who have remained loyal to your king and duteous to your + father. Behold the corpse, not of a prince, but of a fratricide. Indeed, + it was a sorrier sight when ye saw our prince lying lamentably butchered + by a most infamous fratricide-brother, let me not call him. With your own + compassionating eyes ye have beheld the mangled limbs of Horwendil; they + have seen his body done to death with many wounds. Surely that most + abominable butcher only deprived his king of life that he might despoil + his country of freedom! The hand that slew him made you slaves. Who then + so mad as to choose Feng the cruel before Horwendil the righteous? + Remember how benignantly Horwendil fostered you, how justly he dealt with + you, how kindly he loved you. Remember how you lost the mildest of princes + and the justest of fathers, while in his place was put a tyrant and an + assassin set up; how your rights were confiscated; how everything was + plague-stricken; how the country was stained with infamies; how the yoke + was planted on your necks, and how, your free will was forfeited! And now + all this is over; for ye see the criminal stifled in his own crimes, the + slayer of his kin punished for his misdoings. What man of but ordinary + wit, beholding it, would account this kindness a wrong? What sane man + could be sorry that the crime has recoiled upon the culprit? Who could + lament the killing of a most savage executioner? Or bewail the righteous + death of a most cruel despot? Ye behold the doer of the deed; he is before + you. Yea, I own that I have taken vengeance for my country and my father. + Your hands were equally bound to the task which mine fulfilled. What it + would have beseemed you to accomplish with me, I achieved alone. Nor had I + any partner in so glorious a deed, or the service of any man to help me. + Not that I forget that you would have helped this work, had I asked you; + for doubtless you have remained loyal to your king and loving to your + prince. But I chose that the wicked should be punished without imperilling + you; I thought that others need not set their shoulders to the burden when + I deemed mine strong enough to bear it. Therefore I consumed all the + others to ashes, and left only the trunk of Feng for your hands to burn, + so that on this at least you may wreak all your longing for a righteous + vengeance. Now haste up speedily, heap the pyre, burn up the body of the + wicked, consume away his guilty limbs, scatter his sinful ashes, strew + broadcast his ruthless dust; let no urn or barrow enclose the abominable + remnants of his bones. Let no trace of his fratricide remain; let there be + no spot in his own land for his tainted limbs; let no neighbourhood suck + infection from him; let not sea nor soil be defiled by harboring his + accursed carcase. I have done the rest; this one loyal duty is left for + you. These must be the tyrant's obsequies, this the funeral procession of + the fratricide. It is not seemly that he who stripped his country of her + freedom should have his ashes covered by his country's earth. + </p> + <p> + "Besides, why tell again my own sorrows? Why count over my troubles? Why + weave the thread of my miseries anew? Ye know them more fully than I + myself. I, pursued to the death by my stepfather, scorned by my mother, + spat upon by friends, have passed my years in pitiable wise, and my days + in adversity; and my insecure life has teemed with fear and perils. In + fine, I passed every season of my age wretchedly and in extreme calamity. + Often in your secret murmurings together you have sighed over my lack of + wits; there was none (you said) to avenge the father, none to punish the + fratricide. And in this I found a secret testimony of your love; for I saw + that the memory of the King's murder had not yet faded from your minds. + </p> + <p> + "Whose breast is so hard that it can be softened by no fellow-feeling for + what I have felt? Who is so stiff and stony, that he is swayed by no + compassion for my griefs? Ye whose hands are clean of the blood of + Horwendil, pity your fosterling, be moved by my calamities. Pity also my + stricken mother, and rejoice with me that the infamy of her who was once + your queen is quenched. For this weak woman had to bear a twofold weight + of ignominy, embracing one who was her husband's brother and murderer. + Therefore, to hide my purpose of revenge and to veil my wit, I + counterfeited a listless bearing; I feigned dulness; I planned a + stratagem; and now you can see with your own eyes whether it has + succeeded, whether it has achieved its purpose to the full; I am content + to leave you to judge so great a matter. It is your turn; trample under + foot the ashes of the murderer! Disdain the dust of him who slew his + brother, and defiled his brother's queen with infamous desecration, who + outraged his sovereign and treasonably assailed his majesty, who brought + the sharpest tyranny upon you, stole your freedom, and crowned fratricide + with incest. I have been the agent of this just vengeance; I have burned + for this righteous retribution; uphold me with a high-born spirit; pay me + the homage that you owe; warm me with your kindly looks. It is I who have + wiped off my country's shame; I who have quenched my mother's dishonour; I + who have beaten back oppression; I who have put to death the murderer; I + who have baffled the artful hand of my uncle with retorted arts. Were he + living, each new day would have multiplied his crimes. I resented the + wrong done to father and to fatherland: I slew him who was governing you + outrageously and more hardly than it beseemed men. Acknowledge my service, + honour my wit, give me the throne if I have earned it; for you have in me + one who has done you a mighty service, and who is no degenerate heir to + his father's power; no fratricide, but the lawful successor to the throne; + and a dutiful avenger of the crime of murder. It is I who have stripped + you of slavery, and clothed you with freedom; I have restored your height + of fortune, and given you your glory back; I have deposed the despot and + triumphed over the butcher. In your hands is the reward; you know what I + have done for you, and from your righteousness I ask my wage." + </p> + <p> + Every heart had been moved while the young man thus spoke; he affected + some to compassion, and some even to tears. When the lamentation ceased, + he was appointed king by prompt and general acclaim. For one and all + rested their greatest hopes on his wisdom, since he had devised the whole + of such an achievement with the deepest cunning, and accomplished it with + the most astonishing contrivance. Many could have been seen marvelling how + he had concealed so subtle a plan over so long a space of time. + </p> + <p> + After these deeds in Denmark, Amleth equipped three vessels, and went back + to Britain to see his wife and her father. He had also enrolled in his + service the flower of the warriors, and arrayed them very choicely, + wishing to have everything now magnificently appointed, even as of old he + had always worn contemptible gear, and to change all his old devotion to + poverty for outlay on luxury. He also had a shield made for him, whereon + the whole series of his exploits, beginning with his earliest youth, was + painted in exquisite designs. This he bore as a record of his deeds of + prowess, and gained great increase of fame thereby. Here were to be seen + depicted the slaying of Horwendil; the fratricide and incest of Feng; the + infamous uncle, the whimsical nephew; the shapes of the hooked stakes; the + stepfather suspecting, the stepson dissembling; the various temptations + offered, and the woman brought to beguile him; the gaping wolf; the + finding of the rudder; the passing of the sand; the entering of the wood; + the putting of the straw through the gadfly; the warning of the youth by + the tokens; and the privy dealings with the maiden after the escort was + eluded. And likewise could be seen the picture of the palace; the queen + there with her son; the slaying of the eavesdropper; and how, after being + killed, he was boiled down, and so dropped into the sewer, and so thrown + out to the swine; how his limbs were strewn in the mud, and so left for + the beasts to finish. Also it could be seen how Amleth surprised the + secret of his sleeping attendants, how he erased the letters, and put new + characters in their places; how he disdained the banquet and scorned the + drink; how he condemned time face of the king and taxed the Queen with + faulty behaviour. There was also represented the hanging of the envoys, + and the young man's wedding; then the voyage back to Denmark; the festive + celebration of the funeral rites; Amleth, in answer to questions, pointing + to the sticks in place of his attendants, acting as cupbearer, and + purposely drawing his sword and pricking his fingers; the sword riveted + through, the swelling cheers of the banquet, the dance growing fast and + furious; the hangings flung upon the sleepers, then fastened with the + interlacing crooks, and wrapped tightly round them as they slumbered; the + brand set to the mansion, the burning of the guests, the royal palace + consumed with fire and tottering down; the visit to the sleeping-room of + Feng, the theft of his sword, the useless one set in its place; and the + king slain with his own sword's point by his stepson's hand. All this was + there, painted upon Amleth's battle-shield by a careful craftsman in the + choicest of handiwork; he copied truth in his figures, and embodied real + deeds in his outlines. Moreover, Amleth's followers, to increase the + splendour of their presence, wore shields which were gilt over. + </p> + <p> + The King of Britain received them very graciously, and treated them with + costly and royal pomp. During the feast he asked anxiously whether Feng + was alive and prosperous. His son-in-law told him that the man of whose + welfare he was vainly inquiring had perished by the sword. With a flood of + questions he tried to find out who had slain Feng, and learnt that the + messenger of his death was likewise its author. And when the king heard + this, he was secretly aghast, because he found that an old promise to + avenge Feng now devolved upon himself. For Feng and he had determined of + old, by a mutual compact, that one of them should act as avenger of the + other. Thus the king was drawn one way by his love for his daughter and + his affection for his son-in-law; another way by his regard for his + friend, and moreover by his strict oath and the sanctity of their mutual + declarations, which it was impious to violate. At last he slighted the + ties of kinship, and sworn faith prevailed. His heart turned to vengeance, + and he put the sanctity of his oath before family bonds. But since it was + thought sin to wrong the holy ties of hospitality, he preferred to + execrate his revenge by the hand of another, wishing to mask his secret + crime with a show of innocence. So he veiled his treachery with + attentions, and hid his intent to harm under a show of zealous goodwill. + His queen having lately died of illness, he requested Amleth to undertake + the mission of making him a fresh match, saying that he was highly + delighted with his extraordinary shrewdness. He declared that there was a + certain queen reigning in Scotland, whom he vehemently desired to marry. + Now he knew that she was not only unwedded by reason of her chastity, but + that in the cruelty of her arrogance she had always loathed her wooers, + and had inflicted on her lovers the uttermost punishment, so that not one + but of all the multitude was to be found who had not paid for his + insolence with his life. + </p> + <p> + Perilous as this commission was Amleth started, never shrinking to obey + the duty imposed upon him, but trusting partly in his own servants, and + partly in the attendants of the king. He entered Scotland, and, when quite + close to the abode of the queen, he went into a meadow by the wayside to + rest his horses. Pleased by the look of the spot, he thought of resting—the + pleasant prattle of the stream exciting a desire to sleep—and posted + men to keep watch some way off. The queen on hearing of this, sent out ten + warriors to spy on the approach of the foreigners and their equipment. One + of these, being quick-witted, slipped past the sentries, pertinaciously + made his way up, and took away the shield, which Amleth had chanced to set + at his head before he slept, so gently that he did not ruffle his + slumbers, though he was lying upon it, nor awaken one man of all that + troop; for he wished to assure his mistress not only by report but by some + token. With equal address he filched the letter entrusted to Amleth from + the coffer in which it was kept. When these things were brought to the + queen, she scanned the shield narrowly, and from the notes appended made + out the whole argument. Then she knew that here was the man who, trusting + in his own nicely calculated scheme, had avenged on his uncle the murder + of his father. She also looked at the letter containing the suit for her + band, and rubbed out all the writing; for wedlock with the old she utterly + abhorred, and desired the embraces of young men. But she wrote in its + place a commission purporting to be sent from the King of Britain to + herself, signed like the other with his name and title, wherein she + pretended that she was asked to marry the bearer. Moreover, she included + an account of the deeds of which she had learnt from Amleth's shield, so + that one would have thought the shield confirmed the letter, while the + letter explained the shield. Then she told the same spies whom she had + employed before to take the shield back, and put the letter in its place + again; playing the very trick on Amleth which, as she had learnt, he had + himself used in outwitting his companions. + </p> + <p> + Amleth, meanwhile, who found that his shield had been filched from under + his head, deliberately shut his eyes and cunningly feigned sleep, hoping + to regain by pretended what he had lost by real slumbers. For he thought + that the success of his one attempt would incline the spy to deceive him a + second time. And he was not mistaken. For as the spy came up stealthily, + and wanted to put back the shield and the writing in their old place, + Amleth leapt up, seized him, and detained him in bonds. Then he roused his + retinue, and went to the abode of the queen. As representing his + father-in-law, he greeted her, and handled her the writing, sealed with + the king's seal. The queen, who was named Hermutrude, took and read it, + and spoke most warmly of Amleth's diligence and shrewdness, saying, that + Feng had deserved his punishment, and that the unfathomable wit of Amleth + had accomplished a deed past all human estimation; seeing that not only + had his impenetrable depth devised a mode of revenging his father's death + and his mother's adultery, but it had further, by his notable deeds Of + prowess, seized the kingdom of the man whom he had found constantly + plotting against him. She marvelled therefore that a man of such + instructed mind could have made the one slip of a mistaken marriage; for + though his renown almost rose above mortality, he seemed to have stumbled + into an obscure and ignoble match. For the parents of his wife had been + slaves, though good luck had graced them with the honours of royalty. Now + (said she), when looking for a wife a wise man must reckon the lustre of + her birth and not of her beauty. Therefore, if he were to seek a match in + a proper spirit, he should weigh the ancestry, and not be smitten by the + looks; for though looks were a lure to temptation, yet their empty + bedizenment had tarnished the white simplicity of many a man. Now there + was a woman, as nobly born as himself, whom he could take. She herself, + whose means were not poor nor her birth lowly, was worthy his embraces, + since he did not surpass her in royal wealth nor outshine her in the + honour of his ancestors. Indeed she was a queen, and but that her sex + gainsaid it, might be deemed a king; may (and this is yet truer), + whomsoever she thought worthy of her bed was at once a king, and she + yielded her kingdom with herself. Thus her sceptre and her hand went + together. It was no mean favour for such a woman to offer her love, who in + the case of other men had always followed her refusal with the sword. + Therefore she pressed him to transfer his wooing, to make over to her his + marriage vows, and to learn to prefer birth to beauty. So saying, she fell + upon him with a close embrace. + </p> + <p> + Amleth was overjoyed at the gracious speech of the maiden, fell to kissing + back, and returned her close embrace, protesting that the maiden's wish + was his own. Then a banquet was held, friends bidden, the nobles gathered, + and the marriage rites performed. When they were accomplished, he went + back to Britain with his bride, a strong band of Scots being told to + follow close behind, that he might have its help against the diverse + treacheries in his path. As he was returning, the daughter of the King of + Britain, to whom he was still married, met him. Though she complained that + she was slighted by the wrong of having a paramour put over her, yet, she + said, it would be unworthy for her to hate him as an adulterer more than + she loved him as a husband: nor would she so far shrink from her lord as + to bring herself to hide in silence the guile which she knew was intended + against him. For she had a son as a pledge of their marriage, and regard + for him, if nothing else, must have inclined his mother to the affection + of a wife. "He," she said, "may hate the supplanter of his mother, I will + love her; no disaster shall put out my flame for thee; no ill-will shall + quench it, or prevent me from exposing the malignant designs against thee, + or from revealing the snares I have detected. Bethink thee, then, that + thou must beware of thy father-in-law, for thou hast thyself reaped the + harvest of thy mission, foiled the wishes of him who sent thee, and with + willful trespass seized over all the fruit for thyself." By this speech + she showed herself more inclined to love her husband than her father. + </p> + <p> + While she thus spoke, the King of Britain came up and embraced his + son-in-law closely, but with little love, and welcomed him with a banquet, + to hide his intended guile under a show of generosity. But Amleth, having + learnt the deceit, dissembled his fear, took a retinue of two hundred + horsemen, put on an under-shirt (of mail), and complied with the + invitation, preferring the peril of falling in with the king's deceit to + the shame of hanging back. So much heed for honour did he think that he + must take in all things. As he rode up close, the king attacked him just + under the porch of the folding doors, and would have thrust him through + with his javelin, but that the hard shirt of mail threw off the blade. + Amleth received a slight wound, and went to the spot where he had bidden + the Scottish warriors wait on duty. He then sent back to the king his new + wife's spy, whom he had captured. This man was to bear witness that he had + secretly taken from the coffer where it was kept the letter which was + meant for his mistress, and thus was to make the whole blame recoil on + Hermutrude, by this studied excuse absolving Amleth from the charge of + treachery. The king without tarrying pursued Amleth hotly as he fled, and + deprived him of most of his forces. So Amleth, on the morrow, wishing to + fight for dear life, and utterly despairing of his powers of resistance, + tried to increase his apparent numbers. He put stakes under some of the + dead bodies of his comrades to prop them up, set others on horseback like + living men, and tied others to neighbouring stones, not taking off any of + their armour, and dressing them in due order of line and wedge, just as if + they were about to engage. The wing composed of the dead was as thick as + the troop of the living. It was an amazing spectacle this, of dead men + dragged out to battle, and corpses mustered to fight. The plan served him + well, for the very figures of the dead men showed like a vast array as the + sunbeams struck them. For those dead and senseless shapes restored the + original number of the army so well, that the mass might have been + unthinned by the slaughter of yesterday. The Britons, terrified at the + spectacle, fled before fighting, conquered by the dead men whom they had + overcome in life. I cannot tell whether to think more of the cunning or of + the good fortune of this victory. The Danes came down on the king as he + was tardily making off, and killed him. Amleth, triumphant, made a great + plundering, seized the spoils of Britain, and went back with his wives to + his own land. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Rorik had died, and Wiglek, who had come to the throne, had + harassed Amleth's mother with all manner of insolence and stripped her of + her royal wealth, complaining that her son had usurped the kingdom of + Jutland and defrauded the King of Leire, who had the sole privilege of + giving and taking away the rights of high offices. This treatment Amleth + took with such forbearance as apparently to return kindness for slander, + for he presented Wiglek with the richest of his spoils. But afterwards he + seized a chance of taking vengeance, attacked him, subdued him, and from a + covert became an open foe. Fialler, the governor of Skaane, he drove into + exile; and the tale is that Fialler retired to a spot called Undensakre, + which is unknown to our peoples. After this, Wiglek, recruited with the + forces of Skaane and Zealand, sent envoys to challenge Amleth to a war. + Amleth, with his marvellous shrewdness, saw that he was tossed between two + difficulties, one of which involved disgrace and the other danger. For he + knew that if he took up the challenge he was threatened with peril of his + life, while to shrink from it would disgrace his reputation as a soldier. + Yet in that spirit ever fixed on deeds of prowess the desire to save his + honour won the day. Dread of disaster was blunted by more vehement thirst + for glory; he would not tarnish the unblemished lustre of his fame by + timidly skulking from his fate. Also he saw that there is almost as wide a + gap between a mean life and a noble death as that which is acknowledged + between honour and disgrace themselves. + </p> + <p> + Yet Amleth was enchained by such great love for Hermutrude, that he was + more deeply concerned in his mind about her future widowhood than about + his own death, and cast about very zealously how he could decide on some + second husband for her before the opening of the war. Hermutrude, + therefore, declared that she had the courage of a man, and promised that + she would not forsake him even on the field, saying that the woman who + dreaded to be united with her lord in death was abominable. But she kept + this rare promise ill; for when Amleth had been slain by Wiglek in battle + in Jutland, she yielded herself up unasked to be the conqueror's spoil and + bride. Thus all vows of woman are loosed by change of fortune and melted + by the shifting of time; the faith of their soul rests on a slippery + foothold, and is weakened by casual chances; glib in promises, and as + sluggish in performance, all manner of lustful promptings enslave it, and + it bounds away with panting and precipitate desire, forgetful of old + things in the ever hot pursuit after something fresh. So ended Amleth. Had + fortune been as kind to him as nature, he would have equalled the gods in + glory, and surpassed the labours of Hercules by his deeds of prowess. A + plain in Jutland is to be found, famous for his name and burial-place. + Wiglek's administration of the kingdom was long and peaceful, and he died + of disease. + </p> + <p> + WERMUND, his son, succeeded him. The long and leisurely tranquillity of a + most prosperous and quiet time flowed by and Wermund in undisturbed + security maintained a prolonged and steady peace at home. He had no + children during the prime of his life, but in his old age, by a belated + gift of fortune, he begat a son, Uffe, though all the years which had + glided by had raised him up no offspring. This Uffe surpassed all of his + age in stature, but in his early youth was supposed to have so dull and + foolish a spirit as to be useless for all affairs public or private. For + from his first years he never used to play or make merry, but was so void + of all human pleasure that he kept his lips sealed in a perennial silence, + and utterly restrained his austere visage from the business of laughter. + But though through the years of his youth he was reputed for an utter + fool, he afterwards left that despised estate and became famous, turning + out as great a pattern of wisdom and hardihood as he had been a picture of + stagnation. His father, seeing him such a simpleton, got him for a wife + the daughter of Frowin, the governor of the men of Sleswik; thinking that + by his alliance with so famous a man Uffe would receive help which would + serve him well in administering the realm. Frowin had two sons, Ket and + Wig, who were youths of most brilliant parts, and their excellence, not + less than that of Frowin, Wermund destined to the future advantage of his + son. + </p> + <p> + At this time the King of Sweden was Athisl, a man of notable fame and + energy. After defeating his neighbours far around, he was loth to leave + the renown won by his prowess to be tarnished in slothful ease, and by + constant and zealous practice brought many novel exercises into vogue. For + one thing he had a daily habit of walking alone girt with splendid armour: + in part because he knew that nothing was more excellent in warfare than + the continual practice of arms; and in part that he might swell his glory + by ever following this pursuit. Self-confidence claimed as large a place + in this man as thirst for fame. Nothing, he thought, could be so terrible + as to make him afraid that it would daunt his stout heart by its + opposition. He carried his arms into Denmark, and challenged Frowin to + battle near Sleswik. The armies routed one another with vast slaughter, + and it happened that the generals came to engage in person, so that they + conducted the affair like a duel; and, in addition to the public issues of + the war, the fight was like a personal conflict. For both of them longed + with equal earnestness for an issue of the combat by which they might + exhibit their valour, not by the help of their respective sides, but by a + trial of personal strength. The end was that, though the blows rained + thick on either side, Athisl prevailed and overthrew Frowin, and won a + public victory as well as a duel, breaking up and shattering the Danish + ranks in all directions. When he returned to Sweden, he not only counted + the slaying of Frowin among the trophies of his valour, but even bragged + of it past measure, so ruining the glory of the deed by his wantonness of + tongue. For it is sometimes handsomer for deeds of valour to be shrouded + in the modesty of silence than to be blazoned in wanton talk. + </p> + <p> + Wermund raised the sons of Frowin to honours of the same rank as their + father's, a kindness which was only due to the children of his friend who + had died for the country. This prompted Athisl to carry the war again into + Denmark. Emboldened therefore by his previous battle, he called back, + bringing with him not only no slender and feeble force, but all the flower + of the valour of Sweden, thinking he would seize the supremacy of all + Denmark. Ket, the son of Frowin, sent Folk, his chief officer, to take + this news to Wermund, who then chanced to be in his house Jellinge. (1) + Folk found the king feasting with his friends, and did his errand, + admonishing him that here was the long-wished-for chance of war at hand, + and pressing itself upon the wishes of Wermund, to whom was give an + immediate chance of victory and the free choice of a speedy and honourable + triumph. Great and unexpected were the sweets of good fortune, so long + sighed for, and now granted to him by this lucky event. For Athisl had + come encompassed with countless forces of the Swedes, just as though in + his firm assurance he had made sure of victory; and since the enemy who + was going to fight would doubtless prefer death to flight, this chance of + war gave them a fortunate opportunity to take vengeance for their late + disaster. + </p> + <p> + Wermund, declaring that he had performed his mission nobly and bravely, + ordered that he should take some little refreshment of the banquet, since + "far-faring ever hurt fasters." When Folk said that he had no kind of + leisure to take food, he begged him to take a draught to quench his + thirst. This was given him; and Wermund also bade him keep the cup, which + was of gold, saying that men who were weary with the heat of wayfaring + found it handier to take up the water in a goblet than in the palms, and + that it was better to use a cup for drinking than the hand. When the king + accompanied his great gift with such gracious words, the young man, + overjoyed at both, promised that, before the king should see him turn and + flee, he would take a draught of his own blood to the full measure of the + liquor he had drunk. + </p> + <p> + With this doughty vow Wermund accounted himself well repaid, and got + somewhat more joy from giving the boon than the soldier had from gaining + it. Nor did he find that Folk's talk was braver than his fighting. + </p> + <p> + For, when battle had begun, it came to pass that amidst divers charges of + the troops Folk and Athisl met and fought a long while together; and that + the host of the Swedes, following the fate of their captain, took to + flight, and Athisl also was wounded and fled from the battle to his ships. + And when Folk, dazed with wounds and toils, and moreover steeped alike in + heat and toil and thirst, had ceased to follow the rout of the enemy, + then, in order to refresh himself, he caught his own blood in his helmet, + and put it to his lips to drain: by which deed he gloriously requited the + king's gift of the cup. Wermund, who chanced to see this, praised him + warmly for fulfilling his vow. Folk answered, that a noble vow ought to be + strictly performed to the end: a speech wherein he showed no less approval + of his own deed than Wermund. + </p> + <p> + Now, while the conquerors had laid down their arms, and, as is usual after + battle, were exchanging diverse talk with one another, Ket, the governor + of the men of Sleswik, declared that it was a matter of great marvel to + him how it was that Athisl, though difficulties strewed his path, had + contrived an opportunity to escape, especially as he had been the first + and foremost in the battle, but last of all in the retreat; and though + there had not been one of the enemy whose fall was so vehemently desired + by the Danes. Wermund rejoined that he should know that there were four + kinds of warrior to be distinguished in every army. The fighters of the + first order were those who, tempering valour with forbearance, were keen + to slay those who resisted, but were ashamed to bear hard on fugitives. + For these were the men who had won undoubted proofs of prowess by veteran + experience in arms, and who found their glory not in the flight of the + conquered, but in overcoming those whom they had to conquer. Then there + was a second kind of warriors, who were endowed with stout frame and + spirit, but with no jot of compassion, and who raged with savage and + indiscriminate carnage against the backs as well as the breasts of their + foes. Now of this sort were the men carried away by hot and youthful + blood, and striving to grace their first campaign with good auguries of + warfare. They burned as hotly with the glow of youth as with the glow for + glory, and thus rushed headlong into right or wrong with equal + recklessness. There was also the third kind, who, wavering betwixt shame + and fear, could not go forward for terror, while shame barred retreat. Of + distinguished blood, but only notable for their useless stature, they + crowded the ranks with numbers and not with strength, smote the foe more + with their shadows than with their arms, and were only counted among the + throng of warriors as so many bodies to be seen. These men were lords of + great riches, but excelled more in birth than bravery; hungry for life + because owning great possessions, they were forced to yield to the sway of + cowardice rather than nobleness. There were others, again, who brought + show to the war, and not substance, and who, foisting themselves into the + rear of their comrades, were the first to fly and the last to fight. One + sure token of fear betrayed their feebleness; for they always deliberately + sought excuses to shirk, and followed with timid and sluggish advance in + the rear of the fighters. It must be supposed, therefore, that these were + the reasons why the king had escaped safely; for when he fled he was not + pursued pertinaciously by the men of the front rank; since these made it + their business to preserve the victory, not to arrest the conquered, and + massed their wedges, in order that the fresh-won victory might be duly and + sufficiently guarded, and attain the fulness of triumph. + </p> + <p> + Now the second class of fighters, whose desire was to cut down everything + in their way, had left Athisl unscathed, from lack not of will but of + opportunity; for they had lacked the chance to hurt him rather than the + daring. Moreover, though the men of the third kind, who frittered away the + very hour of battle by wandering about in a flurried fashion, and also + hampered the success of their own side, had had their chance of harming + the king, they yet lacked courage to assail him. In this way Wermund + satisfied the dull amazement of Ket, and declared that he had set forth + and expounded the true reasons of the king's safe escape. + </p> + <p> + After this Athisl fled back to Sweden, still wantonly bragging of the + slaughter of Frowin, and constantly boasting the memory of his exploit + with prolix recital of his deeds; not that he bore calmly the shame of his + defeat, but that he might salve the wound of his recent flight by the + honours of his ancient victory. This naturally much angered Ket and Wig, + and they swore a vow to unite in avenging their father. Thinking that they + could hardly accomplish this in open war, they took an equipment of + lighter armament, and went to Sweden alone. Then, entering a wood in which + they had learnt by report that the king used to take his walks + unaccompanied, they hid their weapons. Then they talked long with Athisl, + giving themselves out as deserters; and when he asked them what was their + native country, they said they were men of Sleswik, and had left their + land "for manslaughter". The king thought that this statement referred not + to their vow to commit the crime, but to the guilt of some crime already + committed. For they desired by this deceit to foil his inquisitiveness, so + that the truthfulness of the statement might baffle the wit of the + questioner, and their true answer, being covertly shadowed forth in a + fiction, might inspire in him a belief that it was false. For famous men + of old thought lying a most shameful thing. Then Athisl said he would like + to know whom the Danes believed to be the slayer of Frowin. Ket replied + that there was a doubt as to who ought to claim so illustrious a deed, + especially as the general testimony was that he had perished on the field + of battle. Athisl answered that it was idle to credit others with the + death of Frowin, which he, and he alone, had accomplished in mutual + combat. Soon he asked whether Frowin had left any children. Ket answering + that two sons of his were alive, said that he would be very glad to learn + their age and stature. Ket replied that they were almost of the same size + as themselves in body, alike in years, and much resembling them in + tallness. Then Athisl said: "If the mind and the valour of their sire were + theirs, a bitter tempest would break upon me." Then he asked whether those + men constantly spoke of the slaying of their father. Ket rejoined that it + was idle to go on talking and talking about a thing that could not be + softened by any remedy, and declared that it was no good to harp with + constant vexation on an inexpiable ill. By saying this he showed that + threats ought not to anticipate vengeance. + </p> + <p> + When Ket saw that the king regularly walked apart alone in order to train + his strength, he took up his arms, and with his brother followed the king + as he walked in front of them. Athisl, when he saw them, stood his ground + on the sand, thinking it shameful to avoid threateners. Then they said + that they would take vengeance for his slaying of Frowin, especially as he + avowed with so many arrogant vaunts that he alone was his slayer. But he + told them to take heed lest while they sought to compass their revenge, + they should be so foolhardy as to engage him with their feeble and + powerless hand, and while desiring the destruction of another, should find + they had fallen themselves. Thus they would cut off their goodly promise + of overhasty thirst for glory. Let them then save their youth and spare + their promise; let them not be seized so lightly with a desire to perish. + Therefore, let them suffer him to requite with money the trespass done + them in their father's death, and account it great honour that they would + be credited with forcing so mighty a chief to pay a fine, and in a manner + with shaking him with overmastering fear. Yet he said he advised them + thus, not because he was really terrified, but because he was moved with + compassion for their youth. Ket replied that it was idle to waste time in + beating so much about the bush and trying to sap their righteous longing + for revenge by an offer of pelf. So he bade him come forward and make + trial with him in single combat of whatever strength he had. He himself + would do without the aid of his brother, and would fight with his own + strength, lest it should appear a shameful and unequal combat, for the + ancients held it to be unfair, and also infamous, for two men to fight + against one; and a victory gained by this kind of fighting they did not + account honourable, but more like a disgrace than a glory. Indeed, it was + considered not only a poor, but a most shameful exploit for two men to + overpower one. + </p> + <p> + But Athisl was filled with such assurance that he bade them both assail + him at once, declaring that if he could not cure them of the desire to + fight, he would at least give them the chance of fighting more safely. But + Ket shrank so much from this favour that he swore he would accept death + sooner: for he thought that the terms of battle thus offered would be + turned into a reproach to himself. So he engaged hotly with Athisl, who + desirous to fight him in a forbearing fashion, merely thrust lightly with + his blade and struck upon his shield; thus guarding his own safety with + more hardihood than success. When he had done this some while, he advised + him to take his brother to share in his enterprise, and not be ashamed to + ask for the help of another hand, since his unaided efforts were useless. + If he refused, said Athisl, he should not be spared; then making good his + threats, he assailed him with all his might. But Ket received him with so + sturdy a stroke of his sword, that it split the helmet and forced its way + down upon the head. Stung by the wound (for a stream of blood flowed from + his poll), he attacked Ket with a shower of nimble blows, and drove him to + his knees. Wig, leaning more to personal love than to general usage, (2) + could not bear the sight, but made affection conquer shame, and attacking + Athisl, chose rather to defend the weakness of his brother than to look on + at it. But he won more infamy than glory by the deed. In helping his + brother he had violated the appointed conditions of the duel; and the help + that he gave him was thought more useful than honourable. For on the one + scale he inclined to the side of disgrace, and on the other to that of + affection. Thereupon they perceived themselves that their killing of + Athisl had been more swift than glorious. Yet, not to hide the deed from + the common people, they cut off his head, slung his body on a horse, took + it out of the wood, and handed it over to the dwellers in a village near, + announcing that the sons of Frowin had taken vengeance upon Athisl, King + of the Swedes, for the slaying of their father. Boasting of such a victory + as this, they were received by Wermund with the highest honours; for he + thought they had done a most useful deed, and he preferred to regard the + glory of being rid of a rival with more attention than the infamy of + committing an outrage. Nor did he judge that the killing of a tyrant was + in any wise akin to shame. It passed into a proverb among foreigners, that + the death of the king had broken down the ancient principle of combat. + </p> + <p> + When Wermund was losing his sight by infirmity of age, the King of Saxony, + thinking that Denmark lacked a leader, sent envoys ordering him to + surrender to his charge the kingdom which he held beyond the due term of + life; lest, if he thirsted to hold sway too long, he should strip his + country of laws and defence. For how could he be reckoned a king, whose + spirit was darkened with age, and his eyes with blindness not less black + and awful? If he refused, but yet had a son who would dare to accept a + challenge and fight with his son, let him agree that the victor should + possess the realm. But if he approved neither offer, let him learn that he + must be dealt with by weapons and not by warnings; and in the end he must + unwillingly surrender what he was too proud at first to yield uncompelled. + Wermund, shaken by deep sighs, answered that it was too insolent to sting + him with these taunts upon his years; for he had passed no timorous youth, + nor shrunk from battle, that age should bring him to this extreme misery. + It was equally unfitting to cast in his teeth the infirmity of his + blindness: for it was common for a loss of this kind to accompany such a + time of life as his, and it seemed a calamity fitter for sympathy than for + taunts. It were juster to fix the blame on the impatience of the King of + Saxony, whom it would have beseemed to wait for the old man's death, and + not demand his throne; for it was somewhat better to succeed to the dead + than to rob the living. Yet, that he might not be thought to make over the + honours of his ancient freedom, like a madman, to the possession of + another, he would accept the challenge with his own hand. The envoys + answered that they knew that their king would shrink from the mockery of + fighting a blind man, for such an absurd mode of combat was thought more + shameful than honourable. It would surely be better to settle the affair + by means of their offspring on either side. The Danes were in + consternation, and at a sudden loss for a reply: but Uffe, who happened to + be there with the rest, craved his father's leave to answer; and suddenly + the dumb as it were spake. When Wermund asked who had thus begged leave to + speak, and the attendants said that it was Uffe, he declared that it was + enough that the insolent foreigner should jeer at the pangs of his misery, + without those of his own household vexing him with the same wanton + effrontery. But the courtiers persistently averred that this man was Uffe; + and the king said: "He is free, whosoever he be, to say out what he + thinks." Then said Uffe, "that it was idle for their king to covet a realm + which could rely not only on the service of its own ruler, but also on the + arms and wisdom of most valiant nobles. Moreover, the king did not lack a + son nor the kingdom an heir; and they were to know that he had made up his + mind to fight not only the son of their king, but also, at the same time, + whatsoever man the prince should elect as his comrade out of the bravest + of their nation." + </p> + <p> + The envoys laughed when they beard this, thinking it idle lip-courage. + Instantly the ground for the battle was agreed on, and a fixed time + appointed. But the bystanders were so amazed by the strangeness of Uffe's + speaking and challenging, that one can scarce say if they were more + astonished at his words or at his assurance. + </p> + <p> + But on the departure of the envoys Wermund praised him who had made the + answer, because he had proved his confidence in his own valour by + challenging not one only, but two; and said that he would sooner quit his + kingdom for him, whoever he was, than for an insolent foe. But when one + and all testified that he who with lofty self-confidence had spurned the + arrogance of the envoys was his own son, he bade him come nearer to him, + wishing to test with his hands what he could not with his eyes. Then he + carefully felt his body, and found by the size of his limbs and by his + features that he was his son; and then began to believe their assertions, + and to ask him why he had taken pains to hide so sweet an eloquence with + such careful dissembling, and had borne to live through so long a span of + life without utterance or any intercourse of talk, so as to let men think + him utterly incapable of speech, and a born mute. He replied that he had + been hitherto satisfied with the protection of his father, that he had not + needed the use of his own voice, until he saw the wisdom of his own land + hard pressed by the glibness of a foreigner. The king also asked him why + he had chosen to challenge two rather than one. He said he had desired + this mode of combat in order that the death of King Athisl, which, having + been caused by two men, was a standing reproach to the Danes, might be + balanced by the exploit of one, and that a new ensample of valour might + erase the ancient record of their disgrace. Fresh honour, he said, would + thus obliterate the guilt of their old dishonour. + </p> + <p> + Wermund said that his son had judged all things rightly, and bade him + first learn the use of arms, since he had been little accustomed to them. + When they were offered to Uffe, he split the narrow links of the + mail-coats by the mighty girth of his chest, nor could any be found large + enough to hold him properly. For he was too hugely built to be able to use + the arms of any other man. At last, when he was bursting even his father's + coat of mail by the violent compression of his body, Wermund ordered it to + be cut away on the left side and patched with a buckle; thinking it + mattered little if the side guarded by the shield were exposed to the + sword. He also told him to be most careful in fixing on a sword which he + could use safely. Several were offered him; but Uffe, grasping the hilt, + shattered them one after the other into flinders by shaking them, and not + a single blade was of so hard a temper but at the first blow he broke it + into many pieces. But the king had a sword of extraordinary sharpness, + called "Skrep", which at a single blow of the smiter struck straight + through and cleft asunder any obstacle whatsoever; nor would aught be hard + enough to check its edge when driven home. The king, loth to leave this + for the benefit of posterity, and greatly grudging others the use of it, + had buried it deep in the earth, meaning, since he had no hopes of his + son's improvement, to debar everyone else from using it. But when he was + now asked whether he had a sword worthy of the strength of Uffe, he said + that he had one which, if he could recognize the lie of the ground and + find what he had consigned long ago to earth, he could offer him as worthy + of his bodily strength. Then he bade them lead him into a field, and kept + questioning his companions over all the ground. At last he recognised the + tokens, found the spot where he had buried the sword, drew it out of its + hole, and handed it to his son. Uffe saw it was frail with great age and + rusted away; and, not daring to strike with it, asked if he must prove + this one also like the rest, declaring that he must try its temper before + the battle ought to be fought. Wermund replied that if this sword were + shattered by mere brandishing, there was nothing left which could serve + for such strength as his. He must, therefore, forbear from the act, whose + issue remained so doubtful. + </p> + <p> + So they repaired to the field of battle as agreed. It is fast encompassed + by the waters of the river Eider, which roll between, and forbid any + approach save by ship. Hither Uffe went unattended, while the Prince of + Saxony was followed by a champion famous for his strength. Dense crowds on + either side, eager to see, thronged each winding bank, and all bent their + eyes upon this scene. Wermund planted himself on the end of the bridge, + determined to perish in the waters if defeat were the lot of his son: he + would rather share the fall of his own flesh and blood than behold, with + heart full of anguish, the destruction of his own country. Both the + warriors assaulted Uffe; but, distrusting his sword, he parried the blows + of both with his shield, being determined to wait patiently and see which + of the two he must beware of most heedfully, so that he might reach that + one at all events with a single stroke of his blade. Wermund, thinking + that his feebleness was at fault, that he took the blows so patiently, + dragged himself little by little, in his longing for death, forward to the + western edge of the bridge, meaning to fling himself down and perish, + should all be over with his son. + </p> + <p> + Fortune shielded the old father, for Uffe told the prince to engage with + him more briskly, and to do some deed of prowess worthy of his famous + race; lest the lowborn squire should seem braver than the prince. Then, in + order to try the bravery of the champion, he bade him not skulk timorously + at his master's heels, but requite by noble deeds of combat the trust + placed in him by his prince, who had chosen him to be his single partner + in the battle. The other complied, and when shame drove him to fight at + close quarters, Uffe clove him through with the first stroke of his blade. + The sound revived Wermund, who said that he heard the sword of his son, + and asked "on what particular part he had dealt the blow?" Then the + retainers answered that it had gone through no one limb, but the man's + whole frame; whereat Wermund drew back from the precipice and came on the + bridge, longing now as passionately to live as he had just wished to die. + Then Uffe, wishing to destroy his remaining foe after the fashion of the + first, incited the prince with vehement words to offer some sacrifice by + way of requital to the shade of the servant slain in his cause. Drawing + him by those appeals, and warily noting the right spot to plant his blow, + he turned the other edge of his sword to the front, fearing that the thin + side of his blade was too frail for his strength, and smote with a + piercing stroke through the prince's body. When Wermund heard it, he said + that the sound of his sword "Skrep" had reached his ear for the second + time. Then, when the judges announced that his son had killed both + enemies, he burst into tears from excess of joy. Thus gladness bedewed the + cheeks which sorrow could not moisten. So while the Saxons, sad and + shamefaced, bore their champions to burial with bitter shame, the Danes + welcomed Uffe and bounded for joy. Then no more was heard of the disgrace + of the murder of Athisl, and there was an end of the taunts of the Saxons. + </p> + <p> + Thus the realm of Saxony was transferred to the Danes, and Uffe, after his + father, undertook its government; and he, who had not been thought equal + to administering a single kingdom properly, was now appointed to manage + both. Most men have called him Olaf, and he has won the name of "the + Gentle" for his forbearing spirit. His later deeds, lost in antiquity, + have lacked formal record. But it may well be supposed that when their + beginnings were so notable, their sequel was glorious. I am so brief in + considering his doings, because the lustre of the famous men of our nation + has been lost to memory and praise by the lack of writings. But if by good + luck our land had in old time been endowed with the Latin tongue, there + would have been countless volumes to read of the exploits of the Danes. + </p> + <p> + Uffe was succeeded by his son DAN, who carried his arms against + foreigners, and increased his sovereignty with many a trophy; but he + tarnished the brightness of the glory he had won by foul and abominable + presumption; falling so far away from the honour of his famous father, who + surpassed all others in modesty, that he contrariwise was puffed up and + proudly exalted in spirit, so that he scorned all other men. He also + squandered the goods of his father on infamies, as well as his own + winnings from the spoils of foreign nations; and he devoured in + expenditure on luxuries the wealth which should have ministered to his + royal estate. Thus do sons sometimes, like monstrous births, degenerate + from their ancestors. + </p> + <p> + After this HUGLEIK was king, who is said to have defeated in battle at sea + Homod and Hogrim, the despots of Sweden. + </p> + <p> + To him succeeded FRODE, surnamed the Vigorous, who bore out his name by + the strength of his body and mind. He destroyed in war ten captains of + Norway, and finally approached the island which afterwards had its name + from him, meaning to attack the king himself last of all. This king, + Froger, was in two ways very distinguished, being notable in arms no less + than in wealth; and graced his sovereignty with the deeds of a champion, + being as rich in prizes for bodily feats as in the honours of rank. + According to some, he was the son of Odin, and when he begged the immortal + gods to grant him a boon, received the privilege that no man should + conquer him, save he who at the time of the conflict could catch up in his + hand the dust lying beneath Froger's feet. When Frode found that Heaven + had endowed this king with such might, he challenged him to a duel, + meaning to try to outwit the favour of the gods. So at first, feigning + inexperience, he besought the king for a lesson in fighting, knowing (he + said) his skill and experience in the same. The other, rejoicing that his + enemy not only yielded to his pretensions, but even made him a request, + said that he was wise to submit his youthful mind to an old man's wisdom; + for his unscarred face and his brow, ploughed by no marks of battle, + showed that his knowledge of such matters was but slender. So he marked + off on the ground two square spaces with sides an ell long, opposite one + another, meaning to begin by instructing him about the use of these plots. + When they had been marked off, each took the side assigned to him. Then + Frode asked Froger to exchange arms and ground with him, and the request + was readily granted. For Froger was excited with the dashing of his + enemy's arms, because Frode wore a gold-hilted sword, a breastplate + equally bright, and a headpiece most brilliantly adorned in the same + manner. So Frode caught up some dust from the ground whence Froger had + gone, and thought that he had been granted an omen of victory. Nor was he + deceived in his presage; for he straightway slew Froger, and by this petty + trick won the greatest name for bravery; for he gained by craft what had + been permitted to no man's strength before. + </p> + <p> + After him DAN came to the throne. When he was in the twelfth year of his + age, he was wearied by the insolence of the embassies, which commanded him + either to fight the Saxons or to pay them tribute. Ashamed, he preferred + fighting to payment and was moved to die stoutly rather than live a + coward. So he elected to fight; and the warriors of the Danes filled the + Elbe with such a throng of vessels, that the decks of the ships lashed + together made it quite easy to cross, as though along a continuous bridge. + The end was that the King of Saxony had to accept the very terms he was + demanding from the Danes. + </p> + <p> + After Dan, FRIDLEIF, surnamed the Swift, assumed the sovereignty. During + his reign, Huyrwil, the lord of Oland, made a league with the Danes and + attacked Norway. No small fame was added to his deeds by the defeat of the + amazon Rusila, who aspired with military ardour to prowess in battle: but + he gained manly glory over a female foe. Also he took into his alliance, + on account of their deeds of prowess, her five partners, the children of + Finn, named Brodd, Bild, Bug, Fanning, and Gunholm. Their confederacy + emboldened him to break the treaty which he made with the Danes; and the + treachery of the violation made it all the more injurious, for the Danes + could not believe that he could turn so suddenly from a friend into an + enemy; so easily can some veer from goodwill into hate. I suppose that + this man inaugurated the morals of our own day, for we do not account + lying and treachery as sinful and sordid. When Huyrwil attacked the + southern side of Zealand, Fridleif assailed him in the harbour which was + afterwards called by Huyrwil's name. In this battle the soldiers, in their + rivalry for glory, engaged with such bravery that very few fled to escape + peril, and both armies were utterly destroyed; nor did the victory fall to + either side, where both were enveloped in an equal ruin. So much more + desirous were they all of glory than of life. So the survivors of + Huyrwil's army, in order to keep united, had the remnants of their fleet + lashed together at night. But, in the same night, Bild and Brodd cut the + cables with which the ships were joined, and stealthily severed their own + vessels from the rest, thus yielding to their own terrors by deserting + their brethren, and obeying the impulses of fear rather than fraternal + love. When daylight returned, Fridleif, finding that after the great + massacre of their friends only Huyrwil, Gunholm, Bug, and Fanning were + left, determined to fight them all single-handed, so that the mangled + relics of his fleet might not again have to be imperilled. Besides his + innate courage, a shirt of steel-defying mail gave him confidence; a garb + which he used to wear in all public battles and in duels, as a + preservative of his life. He accomplished his end with as much fortune as + courage, and ended the battle successfully. For, after slaying Huyrwil, + Bug, and Fanning, he killed Gunholm, who was accustomed to blunt the blade + of an enemy with spells, by a shower of blows from his hilt. But while he + gripped the blade too eagerly, the sinews, being cut and disabled, + contracted the fingers upon the palm, and cramped them with life-long + curvature. + </p> + <p> + While Fridleif was besieging Dublin, a town in Ireland, and saw from the + strength of the walls that there was no chance of storming them, he + imitated the shrewd wit of Hadding, and ordered fire to be shut up in + wicks and fastened to the wings of swallows. When the birds got back in + their own nesting-place, the dwellings suddenly flared up; and while the + citizens all ran up to quench them, and paid more heed to abating the fire + than to looking after the enemy, Fridleif took Dublin. After this he lost + his soldiers in Britain, and, thinking that he would find it hard to get + back to the coast, he set up the corpses of the slain (Amleth's device) + and stationed them in line, thus producing so nearly the look of his + original host that its great reverse seemed not to have lessened the show + of it a whit. By this deed he not only took out of the enemy all heart for + fighting, but inspired them with the desire to make their escape. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) Jellinge. Lat. "Ialunga", Icel. "Jalangr". + (2) General usage. "publicus consuetudini": namely, the rule of + combat that two should not fight against one. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0025" id="link2H_4_0025"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK FIVE. + </h2> + <p> + After the death of Fridleif, his son FRODE, aged seven, was elected in his + stead by the unanimous decision of the Danes. But they held an assembly + first, and judged that the minority of the king should be taken in charge + by guardians, lest the sovereignty should pass away owing to the + boyishness of the ruler. For one and all paid such respect to the name and + memory of Fridleif, that the royalty was bestowed on his son despite his + tender years. So a selection was made, and the brothers Westmar and Koll + were summoned to the charge of bringing up the king. Isulf, also, and Agg + and eight other men of mark were not only entrusted with the guardianship + of the king, but also granted authority to administer the realm under him. + These men were rich in strength and courage, and endowed with ample gifts + of mind as well as of body. Thus the state of the Danes was governed with + the aid of regents until the time when the king should be a man. + </p> + <p> + The wife of Koll was Gotwar, who used to paralyse the most eloquent and + fluent men by her glib and extraordinary insolence; for she was potent in + wrangling, and full of resource in all kinds of disputation. Words were + her weapons; and she not only trusted in questions, but was armed with + stubborn answers. No man could subdue this woman, who could not fight, but + who found darts in her tongue instead. Some she would argue down with a + flood of impudent words, while others she seemed to entangle in the meshes + of her quibbles, and strangle in the noose of her sophistries; so nimble a + wit had the woman. Moreover, she was very strong, either in making or + cancelling a bargain, and the sting of her tongue was the secret of her + power in both. She was clever both at making and at breaking leagues; thus + she had two sides to her tongue, and used it for either purpose. + </p> + <p> + Westmar had twelve sons, three of whom had the same name—Grep in + common. These three men were conceived at once and delivered at one birth, + and their common name declared their simultaneous origin. They were + exceedingly skillful swordsmen and boxers. Frode had also given the + supremacy of the sea to Odd; who was very closely related to the king. + Koll rejoiced in an offspring of three sons. At this time a certain son of + Frode's brother held the chief command of naval affairs for the protection + of the country, Now the king had a sister, Gunwar, surnamed the Fair + because of her surpassing beauty. The sons of Westmar and Koll, being + ungrown in years and bold in spirit, let their courage become recklessness + and devoted their guilt-stained minds to foul and degraded orgies. + </p> + <p> + Their behaviour was so outrageous and uncontrollable that they ravished + other men's brides and daughters, and seemed to have outlawed chastity and + banished it to the stews. Nay, they defiled the couches of matrons, and + did not even refrain from the bed of virgins. A man's own chamber was no + safety to him: there was scarce a spot in the land but bore traces of + their lust. Husbands were vexed with fear, and wives with insult to their + persons: and to these wrongs folk bowed. No ties were respected, and + forced embraces became a common thing. Love was prostituted, all reverence + for marriage ties died out, and lust was greedily run after. And the + reason of all this was the peace; for men's bodies lacked exercise and + were enervated in the ease so propitious to vices. At last the eldest of + those who shared the name of Grep, wishing to regulate and steady his + promiscuous wantonness, ventured to seek a haven for his vagrant amours in + the love of the king's sister. Yet he did amiss. For though it was right + that his vagabond and straying delights should be bridled by modesty, yet + it was audacious for a man of the people to covet the child of a king. + She, much fearing the impudence of her wooer, and wishing to be safer from + outrage, went into a fortified building. Thirty attendants were given to + her, to keep guard and constant watch over her person. + </p> + <p> + Now the comrades of Frode, sadly lacking the help of women in the matter + of the wear of their garments, inasmuch as they had no means of patching + or of repairing rents, advised and urged the king to marry. At first he + alleged his tender years as an excuse, but in the end yielded to the + persistent requests of his people. And when he carefully inquired of his + advisers who would be a fit wife for him, they all praised the daughter of + the King of the Huns beyond the rest. When the question was pushed, what + reason Frode had for objecting to her, he replied that he had heard from + his father that it was not expedient for kings to seek alliance far + afield, or to demand love save from neighbours. When Gotwar heard this she + knew that the king's resistance to his friends was wily. Wishing to + establish his wavering spirit, and strengthen the courage of his weakling + soul, she said: "Bridals are for young men, but the tomb awaits the old. + The steps of youth go forward in desires and in fortune; but old age + declines helpless to the sepulchre. Hope attends youth; age is bowed with + hopeless decay. The fortune of young men increases; it will never leave + unfinished what it begins." Respecting her words, he begged her to + undertake the management of the suit. But she refused, pleading her age as + her pretext, and declaring herself too stricken in years to bear so + difficult a commission. The king saw that a bribe was wanted, and, + proffering a golden necklace, promised it as the reward of her embassy. + For the necklace had links consisting of studs, and figures of kings + interspersed in bas-relief, which could be now separated and now drawn + together by pulling a thread inside; a gewgaw devised more for luxury than + use. Frode also ordered that Westmar and Koll, with their sons, should be + summoned to go on the same embassy, thinking that their cunning would + avoid the shame of a rebuff. + </p> + <p> + They went with Gotwar, and were entertained by the King of the Huns at a + three days' banquet, ere they uttered the purpose of their embassy. For it + was customary of old thus to welcome guests. When the feast had been + prolonged three days, the princess came forth to make herself pleasant to + the envoys with a most courteous address, and her blithe presence added + not a little to the festal delights of the banqueters. And as the drink + went faster Westmar revealed his purpose in due course, in a very merry + declaration, wishing to sound the mind of the maiden in talk of a friendly + sort. And, in order not to inflict on himself a rebuff, he spoke in a + mirthful vein, and broke the ground of his mission, by venturing to make + up a sportive speech amid the applause of the revellers. The princess said + that she disdained Frode because he lacked honour and glory. For in days + of old no men were thought fit for the hand of high-born women but those + who had won some great prize of glory by the lustre of their admirable + deeds. Sloth was the worst of vices in a suitor, and nothing was more of a + reproach in one who sought marriage than the lack of fame. A harvest of + glory, and that alone, could bring wealth in everything else. Maidens + admired in their wooers not so much good looks as deeds nobly done. So the + envoys, flagging and despairing of their wish, left the further conduct of + the affair to the wisdom of Gotwar, who tried to subdue the maiden not + only with words but with love-philtres, and began to declare that Frode + used his left hand as well as his right, and was a quick and skillful + swimmer and fighter. Also by the drink which she gave she changed the + strictness of the maiden to desire, and replaced her vanished anger with + love and delight. Then she bade Westmar, Koll, and their sons go to the + king and urge their mission afresh; and finally, should they find him + froward, to anticipate a rebuff by a challenge to fight. + </p> + <p> + So Westmar entered the palace with his men-at-arms, and said: "Now thou + must needs either consent to our entreaties, or meet in battle us who + entreat thee. We would rather die nobly than go back with our mission + unperformed; lest, foully repulsed and foiled of our purpose, we should + take home disgrace where we hoped to will honour. If thou refuse thy + daughter, consent to fight: thou must needs grant one thing or the other. + We wish either to die or to have our prayers beard. Something—sorrow + if not joy—we will get from thee. Frode will be better pleased to + hear of our slaughter than of our repulse." Without another word, he + threatened to aim a blow at the king's throat with his sword. The king + replied that it was unseemly for the royal majesty to meet an inferior in + rank in level combat, and unfit that those of unequal station should fight + as equals. But when Westmar persisted in urging him to fight, he at last + bade him find out what the real mind of the maiden was; for in old time + men gave women who were to marry, free choice of a husband. For the king + was embarrassed, and hung vacillating betwixt shame and fear of battle. + Thus Westmar, having been referred to the thoughts of the girl's heart, + and knowing that every woman is as changeable in purpose as she is fickle + in soul, proceeded to fulfil his task all the more confidently because he + knew how mutable the wishes of maidens were. His confidence in his charge + was increased and his zeal encouraged, because she had both a maiden's + simplicity, which was left to its own counsels, and a woman's freedom of + choice, which must be wheedled with the most delicate and mollifying + flatteries; and thus she would be not only easy to lead away, but even + hasty in compliance. But her father went after the envoys, that he might + see more surely into his daughter's mind. She had already been drawn by + the stealthy working of the draught to love her suitor, and answered that + the promise of Frode, rather than his present renown, had made her expect + much of his nature: since he was sprung from so famous a father, and every + nature commonly answered to its origin. The youth therefore had pleased + her by her regard of his future, rather than his present, glory. These + words amazed the father; but neither could he bear to revoke the freedom + he had granted her, and he promised her in marriage to Frode. Then, having + laid in ample stores, he took her away with the most splendid pomp, and, + followed by the envoys, hastened to Denmark, knowing that a father was the + best person to give away a daughter in marriage. Frode welcomed his bride + most joyfully, and also bestowed the highest honours upon his future royal + father-in-law; and when the marriage rites were over, dismissed him with a + large gift of gold and silver. + </p> + <p> + And so with Hanund, the daughter of the King of the Huns, for his wife, he + passed three years in the most prosperous peace. But idleness brought + wantonness among his courtiers, and peace begot lewdness, which they + displayed in the most abominable crimes. For they would draw some men up + in the air on ropes, and torment them, pushing their bodies as they hung, + like a ball that is tossed; or they would put a kid's hide under the feet + of others as they walked, and, by stealthily pulling a rope, trip their + unwary steps on the slippery skill in their path; others they would strip + of their clothes, and lash with sundry tortures of stripes; others they + fastened to pegs, as with a noose, and punished with mock-hanging. They + scorched off the beard and hair with tapers; of others they burned the + hair of the groin with a brand. Only those maidens might marry whose + chastity they had first deflowered. Strangers they battered with bones; + others they compelled to drunkenness with immoderate draughts, and made + them burst. No man might give his daughter to wife unless he had first + bought their favour and goodwill. None might contract any marriage without + first purchasing their consent with a bribe. Moreover, they extended their + abominable and abandoned lust not only to virgins, but to the multitude of + matrons indiscriminately. Thus a twofold madness incited this mixture of + wantonness and frenzy. Guests and strangers were proffered not shelter but + revilings. All these maddening mockeries did this insolent and wanton crew + devise, and thus under a boy-king freedom fostered licence. For nothing + prolongs reckless sin like the procrastination of punishment and + vengeance. This unbridled impudence of the soldiers ended by making the + king detested, not only by foreigners, but even by his own people, for the + Danes resented such an arrogant and cruel rule. But Grep was contented + with no humble loves; he broke out so outrageously that he was guilty of + intercourse with the queen, and proved as false to the king as he was + violent to all other men. Then by degrees the scandal grew, and the + suspicion of his guilt crept on with silent step. The common people found + it out before the king. For Grep, by always punishing all who alluded in + the least to this circumstance, had made it dangerous to accuse him. But + the rumour of his crime, which at first was kept alive in whispers, was + next passed on in public reports; for it is hard for men to hide another's + guilt if they are aware of it. Gunwar had many suitors; and accordingly + Grep, trying to take revenge for his rebuff by stealthy wiles, demanded + the right of judging the suitors, declaring that the princess ought to + make the choicest match. But he disguised his anger, lest he should seem + to have sought the office from hatred of the maiden. At his request the + king granted him leave to examine the merits of the young men. So he first + gathered all the wooers of Gunwar together on the pretence of a banquet, + and then lined the customary room of the princess with their heads—a + gruesome spectacle for all the rest. Yet he forfeited none of his favour + with Frode, nor abated his old intimacy with him. For he decided that any + opportunity of an interview with the king must be paid for, and gave out + that no one should have any conversation with him who brought no presents. + Access, he announced, to so great a general must be gained by no stale or + usual method, but by making interest most zealously. He wished to lighten + the scandal of his cruelty by the pretence of affection to his king. The + people, thus tormented, vented their complaint of their trouble in silent + groans. None had the spirit to lift up his voice in public against this + season of misery. No one had become so bold as to complain openly of the + affliction that was falling upon them. Inward resentment vexed the hearts + of men, secretly indeed, but all the more bitterly. + </p> + <p> + When Gotar, the King of Norway, heard this, he assembled his soldiers, and + said that the Danes were disgusted with their own king, and longed for + another if they could get the opportunity; that he had himself resolved to + lead an army thither, and that Denmark would be easy to seize if attacked. + Frode's government of his country was as covetous as it was cruel. Then + Erik rose up and gainsaid the project with contrary reasons. "We + remember," he said, "how often coveters of other men's goods lose their + own. He who snatches at both has oft lost both. It must be a very strong + bird that can wrest the prey from the claws of another. It is idle for + thee to be encouraged by the internal jealousies of the country, for these + are oft blown away by the approach of an enemy. For though the Danes now + seem divided in counsel, yet they will soon be of one mind to meet the + foe. The wolves have often made peace between the quarrelling swine. Every + man prefers a leader of his own land to a foreigner, and every province is + warmer in loyalty to a native than to a stranger king. For Frode will not + await thee at home, but will intercept thee abroad as thou comest. Eagles + claw each other with their talons, and fowls fight fronting. Thou thyself + knowest that the keen sight of the wise man must leave no cause for + repentance. Thou hast an ample guard of nobles. Keep thou quiet as thou + art; indeed thou wilt almost be able to find out by means of others what + are thy resources for war. Let the soldiers first try the fortunes of + their king. Provide in peace for thine own safety, and risk others if thou + dost undertake the enterprise: better that the slave should perish than + the master. Let thy servant do for thee what the tongs do for the smith, + who by the aid of his iron tool guards his hand from scorching, and saves + his fingers from burning. Learn thou also, by using thy men, to spare and + take thought for thyself." + </p> + <p> + So spake Erik, and Gotar, who had hitherto held him a man of no parts, now + marvelled that he had graced his answer with sentences so choice and + weighty, and gave him the name of Shrewd-spoken, thinking that his + admirable wisdom deserved some title. For the young man's reputation had + been kept in the shade by the exceeding brilliancy of his brother Roller. + Erik begged that some substantial gift should be added to the name, + declaring that the bestowal of the title ought to be graced by a present + besides. The king gave him a ship, and the oarsmen called it "Skroter." + Now Erik and Roller were the sons of Ragnar, the champion, and children of + one father by different mothers; Roller's mother and Erik's stepmother was + named Kraka. + </p> + <p> + And so, by leave of Gotar, the task of making a raid on the Danes fell to + one Hrafn. He was encountered by Odd, who had at that time the greatest + prestige among the Danes as a rover, for he was such a skilled magician + that he could range over the sea without a ship, and could often raise + tempests by his spells, and wreck the vessels of the enemy. Accordingly, + that he might not have to condescend to pit his sea-forces against the + rovers, he used to ruffle the waters by enchantment, and cause them to + shipwreck his foes. To traders this man was ruthless, but to tillers of + the soil he was merciful, for he thought less of merchandise than of the + plough-handle, but rated the clean business of the country higher than the + toil for filthy lucre. When he began to fight with the Northmen he so + dulled the sight of the enemy by the power of his spells that they thought + the drawn swords of the Danes cast their beams from afar off, and sparkled + as if aflame. Moreover, their vision was so blunted that they could not so + much as look upon the sword when it was drawn from the sheath: the dazzle + was too much for their eyesight, which could not endure the glittering + mirage. So Hrafn and many of his men were slain, and only six vessels + slipped back to Norway to teach the king that it was not so easy to crush + the Danes. The survivors also spread the news that Frode trusted only in + the help of his champions, and reigned against the will of his people, for + his rule had become a tyranny. + </p> + <p> + In order to examine this rumour, Roller, who was a great traveller abroad, + and eager to visit unknown parts, made a vow that he would get into the + company of Frode. But Erik declared that, splendid as were his bodily + parts, he had been rash in pronouncing the vow. At last, seeing him + persisting stubbornly in his purpose, Erik bound himself under a similar + vow; and the king promised them that he would give them for companions + whomsoever they approved by their choice. The brethren, therefore, first + resolved to visit their father and beg for the stores and the necessaries + that were wanted for so long a journey. He welcomed them paternally, and + on the morrow took them to the forest to inspect the herd, for the old man + was wealthy in cattle. Also he revealed to them treasures which had long + lain hid in caverns of the earth; and they were suffered to gather up + whatsoever of these they would. The boon was accepted as heartily as it + was offered: so they took the riches out of the ground, and bore away what + pleased them. + </p> + <p> + Their rowers meanwhile were either refreshing themselves or exercising + their skill with casting weights. Some sped leaping, some running; others + tried their strength by sturdily hurling stones; others tested their + archery by drawing the bow. Thus they essayed to strengthen themselves + with divers exercises. Some again tried to drink themselves into a drowse. + Roller was sent by his father to find out what had passed at home in the + meanwhile. And when he saw smoke coming from his mother's hut he went up + outside, and, stealthily applying his eye, saw through the little chink + and into the house, where he perceived his mother stirring a cooked mess + in an ugly-looking pot. Also he looked up at three snakes hanging from + above by a thin cord, from whose mouths flowed a slaver which dribbled + drops of moisture on the meal. Now two of these were pitchy of hue, while + the third seemed to have whitish scales, and was hung somewhat higher than + the others. This last had a fastening on its tail, while the others were + held by a cord round their bellies. Roller thought the affair looked like + magic, but was silent on what he had seen, that he might not be thought to + charge his mother with sorcery. For he did not know that the snakes were + naturally harmless, or how much strength was being brewed for that meal. + Then Ragnar and Erik came up, and, when they saw the smoke issuing from + the cottage, entered and went to sit at meat. When they were at table, and + Kraka's son and stepson were about to eat together, she put before them a + small dish containing a piebald mess, part looking pitchy, but spotted + with specks of yellow, while part was whitish: the pottage having taken a + different hue answering to the different appearance of the snakes. And + when each had tasted a single morsel, Erik, judging the feast not by the + colours but by the inward strengthening effected, turned the dish around + very quickly, and transferred to himself the part which was black but + compounded of stronger juices; and, putting over to Roller the whitish + part which had first been set before himself, throve more on his supper. + And, to avoid showing that the exchange was made on purpose, he said, + "Thus does prow become stern when the sea boils up." The man had no little + shrewdness, thus to use the ways of a ship to dissemble his cunning act. + </p> + <p> + So Erik, now refreshed by this lucky meal, attained by its inward working + to the highest pitch of human wisdom. For the potency of the meal bred in + him the fulness of all kinds of knowledge to an incredible degree, so that + he had cunning to interpret even the utterances of wild beasts and cattle. + For he was not only well versed in all the affairs of men, but he could + interpret the particular feelings which brutes experienced from the sounds + which expressed them. He was also gifted with an eloquence so courteous + and graceful, that he adorned whatsoever he desired to expound with a flow + of witty adages. But when Kraka came up, and found that the dish had been + turned round, and that Erik had eaten the stronger share of the meal, she + lamented that the good luck she had bred for her son should have passed to + her stepson. Soon she began to sigh, and entreat Eric that he should never + fail to help his brother, whose mother had heaped on him fortune so rich + and strange: for by tasting a single savoury meal he had clearly attained + sovereign wit and eloquence, besides the promise of success in combat. She + added also, that Roller was almost as capable of good counsel, and that he + should not utterly miss the dainty that had been intended for him. She + also told him that in case of extreme and violent need, he could find + speedy help by calling on her name; declaring that she trusted partially + in her divine attributes, and that, consorting as she did in a manner with + the gods, she wielded an innate and heavenly power. Erik said that he was + naturally drawn to stand by his brother, and that the bird was infamous + which fouled its own nest. But Kraka was more vexed by her own + carelessness than weighed down by her son's ill-fortune: for in old time + it made a craftsman bitterly ashamed to be outwitted by his own + cleverness. + </p> + <p> + Then Kraka, accompanied by her husband, took away the brothers on their + journey to the sea. They embarked in a single ship, but soon attached two + others. They had already reached the coast of Denmark, when, + reconnoitering, they learned that seven ships had come up at no great + distance. Then Erik bade two men who could speak the Danish tongue well, + to go to them unclothed, and, in order to spy better, to complain to Odd + of their nakedness, as if Erik had caused it, and to report when they had + made careful scrutiny. These men were received as friends by Odd, and + hunted for every plan of the general with their sharp ears. He had + determined to attack the enemy unawares at daybreak, that he might + massacre them the more speedily while they were swathed in their night + garments: for he said that men's bodies were wont to be most dull and + heavy at that hour of dawn. He also told them, thereby hastening what was + to prove his own destruction, that his ships were laden with stones fit + for throwing. The spies slipped off in the first sleep of the night, + reported that Odd had filled all his vessels with pebbles, and also told + everything else they had heard. Erik now quite understood the case, and, + when he considered the smallness of his own fleet, thought that he must + call the waters to destroy the enemy, and win their aid for himself. + </p> + <p> + So he got into a boat and rowed, pulling silently, close up to the keels + of the enemy; and gradually, by screwing in an auger, he bored the planks + (a device practiced by Hadding and also by Frode), nearest to the water, + and soon made good his return, the oar-beat being scarce audible. Now he + bore himself so warily, that not one of the watchers noted his approach or + departure. As he rowed off, the water got in through the chinks of Odd's + vessels, and sank them, so that they were seen disappearing in the deep, + as the water flooded them more and more within. The weight of the stones + inside helped them mightily to sink. The billows were washing away the + thwarts, and the sea was flush with the decks, when Odd, seeing the + vessels almost on a level with the waves, ordered the heavy seas that had + been shipped to be baled out with pitchers. And so, while the crews were + toiling on to protect the sinking parts of the vessels from the flood of + waters, the enemy hove close up. Thus, as they fell to their arms, the + flood came upon them harder, and as they prepared to fight, they found + they must swim for it. Waves, not weapons, fought for Erik, and the sea, + which he had himself Enabled to approach and do harm, battled for him. + Thus Erik made better use of the billow than of the steel, and by the + effectual aid of the waters seemed to fight in his own absence, the ocean + lending him defence. The victory was given to his craft; for a flooded + ship could not endure a battle. Thus was Odd slain with all his crew; the + look-outs were captured, and it was found that no man escaped to tell the + tale of the disaster. + </p> + <p> + Erik, when the massacre was accomplished, made a rapid retreat, and put in + at the isle Lesso. Finding nothing there to appease his hunger, he sent + the spoil homeward on two ships, which were to bring back supplies for + another year. He tried to go by himself to the king in a single ship. So + he put in to Zealand, and the sailors ran about over the shore, and began + to cut down the cattle: for they must either ease their hunger or perish + of famine. So they killed the herd, skinned the carcases, and cast them on + board. When the owners of the cattle found this out, they hastily pursued + the free-booters with a fleet. And when Erik found that he was being + attacked by the owners of the cattle, he took care that the carcases of + the slaughtered cows should be tied with marked ropes and hidden under + water. Then, when the Zealanders came up, he gave them leave to look about + and see if any of the carcases they were seeking were in his hands; saying + that a ship's corners were too narrow to hide things. Unable to find a + carcase anywhere, they turned their suspicions on others, and thought the + real criminals were guiltless of the plunder. Since no traces of + free-booting were to be seen, they fancied that others had injured them, + and pardoned the culprits. As they sailed off, Erik lifted the carcase out + of the water and took it in. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Frode learnt that Odd and his men had gone down. For a widespread + rumour of the massacre had got wind, though the author of the deed was + unknown. There were men, however, who told how they had seen three sails + putting in to shore, and departing again northwards. Then Erik went to the + harbour, not far from which Frode was tarrying, and, the moment that he + stepped out of the ship, tripped inadvertently, and came tumbling to the + ground. He found in the slip a presage of a lucky issue, and forecast + better results from this mean beginning. When Grep heard of his coming, he + hastened down to the sea, intending to assail with chosen and pointed + phrases the man whom he had heard was better-spoken than all other folk. + Grep's eloquence was not so much excellent as impudent, for he surpassed + all in stubbornness of speech. So he began the dispute with reviling, and + assailed Erik as follows: + </p> + <p> + Grep: "Fool, who art thou? What idle quest is thine? Tell me, whence or + whither dost thou journey? What is thy road? What thy desire? Who thy + father? What thy lineage? Those have strength beyond others who have never + left their own homes, and the Luck of kings is their houseluck. For the + things of a vile man are acceptable unto few, and seldom are the deeds of + the hated pleasing." + </p> + <p> + Erik: "Ragnar is my father; eloquence clothes my tongue; I have ever loved + virtue only. Wisdom hath been my one desire; I have travelled many ways + over the world, and seen the different manners of men. The mind of the + fool can keep no bounds in aught: it is base and cannot control its + feelings. The use of sails is better than being drawn by the oar; the gale + troubles the waters, a drearier gust the land. For rowing goes through the + seas and lying the lands; and it is certain that the lands are ruled with + the lips, but the seas with the hand." + </p> + <p> + Grep: "Thou art thought to be as full of quibbling as a cock of dirt. Thou + stinkest heavy with filth, and reekest of nought but sin. There is no need + to lengthen the plea against a buffoon, whose strength is in an empty and + voluble tongue." + </p> + <p> + Erik: "By Hercules, if I mistake not, the coward word is wont to come back + to the utterer. The gods with righteous endeavour bring home to the + speaker words cast forth without knowledge. As soon as we espy the + sinister ears of the wolf, we believe that the wolf himself is near. Men + think no credit due to him that hath no credit, whom report accuses of + treachery." + </p> + <p> + Grep: "Shameless boy, owl astray from the path, night-owl in the darkness, + thou shalt pay for thy reckless words. Thou shalt be sorry for the words + thou now belchest forth madly, and shalt pay with thy death for thy + unhallowed speech. Lifeless thou shalt pasture crows on thy bloodless + corpse, to be a morsel for beasts, a prey to the ravenous bird." + </p> + <p> + Erik: "The boding of the coward, and the will that is trained to evil, + have never kept themselves within due measure. He who betrays his lord, he + who conceives foul devices, will be as great a snare to himself as to his + friends. Whoso fosters a wolf in his house is thought to feed a thief and + a pest for his own hearth." + </p> + <p> + Grep: "I did not, as thou thinkest, beguile the queen, but I was the + guardian of her tender estate. She increased my fortunes, and her favour + first brought me gifts and strength, and wealth and counsel." + </p> + <p> + Erik: "Lo, thy guilty disquiet lies heavy on thee; that man's freedom is + safest whose mind remains untainted. Whoso asks a slave to be a friend, is + deceived; often the henchman hurts his master." + </p> + <p> + At this Grep, shorn of his glibness of rejoinder, set spurs to his horse + and rode away. Now when he reached home, he filled the palace with + uproarious and vehement clamour; and shouting that he had been worsted in + words, roused all his soldiers to fight, as though he would avenge by main + force his luckless warfare of tongues. For he swore that he would lay the + host of the foreigners under the claws of eagles. But the king warned him + that he should give his frenzy pause for counsel, that blind plans were + commonly hurtful; that nothing could be done both cautiously and quickly + at once; that headstrong efforts were the worst obstacle; and lastly, that + it was unseemly to attack a handful with a host. Also, said he, the + sagacious man was he who could bridle a raging spirit, and stop his + frantic empetuosity in time. Thus the king forced the headlong rage of the + young man to yield to reflection. But he could not wholly recall to + self-control the frenzy of his heated mind, or prevent the champion of + wrangles, abashed by his hapless debate, and finding armed vengeance + refused him, from asking leave at least to try his sorceries by way of + revenge. He gained his request, and prepared to go back to the shore with + a chosen troop of wizards. So he first put on a pole the severed head of a + horse that had been sacrificed to the gods, and setting sticks beneath + displayed the jaws grinning agape; hoping that he would foil the first + efforts of Erik by the horror of this wild spectacle. For he supposed that + the silly souls of the barbarians would give away at the bogey of a + protruding neck. + </p> + <p> + Erik was already on his road to meet them, and saw the head from afar off, + and, understanding the whole foul contrivance, he bade his men keep silent + and behave warily; no man was to be rash or hasty of speech, lest by some + careless outburst they might give some opening to the sorceries; adding + that if talking happened to be needed, he would speak for all. And they + were now parted by a river; when the wizards, in order to dislodge Erik + from the approach to the bridge, set up close to the river, on their own + side, the pole on which they had fixed the horse's head. Nevertheless Erik + made dauntlessly for the bridge, and said: "On the bearer fall the + ill-luck of what he bears! May a better issue attend our steps! Evil + befall the evil-workers! Let the weight of the ominous burden crush the + carrier! Let the better auguries bring us safety!" And it happened + according to his prayer. For straightway the head was shaken off, the + stick fell and crushed the bearer. And so all that array of sorceries was + baffled at the bidding of a single curse, and extinguished. + </p> + <p> + Then, as Erik advanced a little, it came into his mind that strangers + ought to fix on gifts for the king. So he carefully wrapped up in his robe + a piece of ice which he happened to find, and managed to take it to the + king by way of a present. But when they reached the palace he sought + entrance first, and bade his brother follow close behind. Already the + slaves of the king, in order to receive him with mockery as he entered, + had laid a slippery hide on the threshold; and when Erik stepped upon it, + they suddenly jerked it away by dragging a rope, and would have tripped + him as he stood upon it, had not Roller, following behind, caught his + brother on his breast as he tottered. So Erik, having half fallen, said + that "bare was the back of the brotherless." And when Gunwar said that + such a trick ought not to be permitted by a king, the king condemned the + folly of the messenger who took no heed against treachery. And thus he + excused his flout by the heedlessness of the man he flouted. + </p> + <p> + Within the palace was blazing a fire, which the aspect of the season + required: for it was now gone midwinter. By it, in different groups, sat + the king on one side and the champions on the other. These latter, when + Erik joined them, uttered gruesome sounds like things howling. The king + stopped the clamour, telling them that the noises of wild beasts ought not + to be in the breasts of men. Erik added, that it was the way of dogs, for + all the others to set up barking when one started it; for all folk by + their bearing betrayed their birth and revealed their race. But when Koll, + who was the keeper of the gifts offered to the king, asked him whether he + had brought any presents with him, he produced the ice which he had hidden + in his breast. And when he had handed it to Koll across the hearth, he + purposely let it go into the fire, as though it had slipped from the hand + of the receiver. All present saw the shining fragment, and it seemed as + though molten metal had fallen into the fire. Erik, maintaining that it + had been jerked away by the carelessness of him who took it, asked what + punishment was due to the loser of the gift. + </p> + <p> + The king consulted the opinion of the queen, who advised him not to relax + the statute of the law which he had passed, whereby he gave warning that + all who lost presents that were transmitted to him should be punished with + death. Everyone else also said that the penalty by law appointed ought not + to be remitted. And so the king, being counselled to allow the punishment + as inevitable, gave leave for Koll to be hanged. + </p> + <p> + Then Frode began to accost Erik thus: "O thou, wantoning in insolent + phrase, in boastful and bedizened speech, whence dost thou say that thou + hast come hither, and why?" + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "I came from Rennes Isle, and I took my seat by a stone." + </p> + <p> + Frode rejoined: "I ask, whither thou wentest next?" + </p> + <p> + Erik answered. "I went off from the stone riding on a beam, and often + again took station by a stone." + </p> + <p> + Frode replied: "I ask thee whither thou next didst bend thy course, or + where the evening found thee?" + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "Leaving a crag, I came to a rock, and likewise lay by a + stone." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "The boulders lay thick in those parts." + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "Yet thicker lies the sand, plain to see." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "Tell what thy business was, and whither thou struckest off + thence." + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "Leaving the rock, as my ship ran on, I found a dolphin." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "Now thou hast said something fresh, though both these things + are common in the sea: but I would know what path took thee after that?" + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "After a dolphin I went to a dolphin." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "The herd of dolphins is somewhat common." + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "It does swim somewhat commonly on the waters." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "I would fain blow whither thou wert borne on thy toilsome + journey after leaving the dolphins?" + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "I soon came upon the trunk of a tree." + </p> + <p> + Frode rejoined: "Whither didst thou next pass on thy journey?" + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "From a trunk I passed on to a log." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "That spot must be thick with trees, since thou art always + calling the abodes of thy hosts by the name of trunks." + </p> + <p> + Erik replied: "There is a thicker place in the woods." + </p> + <p> + Frode went on: "Relate whither thou next didst bear thy steps." + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "Oft again I made my way to the lopped timbers of the + woods; but, as I rested there, wolves that were sated on human carcases + licked the points of the spears. There a lance-head was shaken from the + shaft of the king, and it was the grandson of Fridleif." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "I am bewildered, and know not what to think about the + dispute: for thou hast beguiled my mind with very dark riddling." + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "Thou owest me the prize for this contest that is finished: + for under a veil I have declared to thee certain things thou hast ill + understood. For under the name I gave before of `spear-point' I signified + Odd, whom my hand had slain." + </p> + <p> + And when the queen also had awarded him the palm of eloquence and the + prize for flow of speech, the king straightway took a bracelet from his + arm, and gave it to him as the appointed reward, adding: "I would fain + learn from thyself thy debate with Grep, wherein he was not ashamed openly + to avow himself vanquished." + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "He was smitten with shame for the adultery wherewith he + was taxed; for since he could bring no defence, he confessed that he had + committed it with thy wife." + </p> + <p> + The king turned to Hanund and asked her in what spirit she received the + charge; and she not only confessed her guilt by a cry, but also put forth + in her face a blushing signal of her sin, and gave manifest token of her + fault. The king, observing not only her words, but also the signs of her + countenance, but doubting with what sentence he should punish the + criminal, let the queen settle by her own choice the punishment which her + crime deserved. When she learnt that the sentence committed to her + concerned her own guilt, she wavered awhile as she pondered how to + appraise her transgression; but Grep sprang up and ran forward to transfix + Erik with a spear, wishing to buy off his own death by slaying the + accuser. But Roller fell on him with drawn sword, and dealt him first the + doom he had himself purposed. + </p> + <p> + Erik said: "The service of kin is best for the helpless." + </p> + <p> + And Roller said: "In sore needs good men should be dutifully summoned." + </p> + <p> + Then Frode said: "I think it will happen to you according to the common + saying, `that the striker sometimes has short joy of his stroke', and + `that the hand is seldom long glad of the smiting'." + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "The man must not be impeached whose deed justice excuses. + For my work is as far as from that of Grep, as an act of self-defence is + from an attack upon another." + </p> + <p> + Then the brethren of Grep began to spring up and clamour and swear that + they would either bring avengers upon the whole fleet of Erik, or would + fight him and ten champions with him. + </p> + <p> + Erik said to them: "Sick men have to devise by craft some provision for + their journey. He whose sword-point is dull should only probe things that + are soft and tender. He who has a blunt knife must search out the ways to + cut joint by joint. Since, therefore, it is best for a man in distress to + delay the evil, and nothing is more fortunate in trouble than to stave off + hard necessity, I ask three days' space to get ready, provided that I may + obtain from the king the skill of a freshly slain ox." + </p> + <p> + Frode answered: "He who fell on a hide deserves a hide"; thus openly + taunting the asker with his previous fall. But Erik, when the hide was + given him, made some sandals, which he smeared with a mixture of tar and + sand, in order to plant his steps the more firmly, and fitted them on to + the feet of himself and his people. At last, having meditated what spot he + should choose for the fight—for he said that he was unskilled in + combat by land and in all warfare—he demanded it should be on the + frozen sea. To this both sides agreed. The king granted a truce for + preparations, and bade the sons of Westmar withdraw, saying that it was + amiss that a guest, even if he had deserved ill should be driven from his + lodging. Then he went back to examine into the manner of the punishment, + which he had left to the queen's own choice to exact. For she forebore to + give judgment, and begged pardon for her slip. Erik added, that woman's + errors must often be forgiven, and that punishment ought not to be + inflicted, unless amendment were unable to get rid of her fault. So the + king pardoned Hanund. As twilight drew near, Erik said: "With Gotar, not + only are rooms provided when the soldiers are coming to feast at the + banquet, but each is appointed a separate place and seat where he is to + lie." Then the king gave up for their occupation the places where his own + champions had sat; and next the servants brought the banquet. But Erik, + knowing well the courtesy of the king, which made him forbid them to use + up any of the meal that was left, cast away the piece of which he had + tasted very little, calling whole portions broken bits of food. And so, as + the dishes dwindled, the servants brought up fresh ones to the lacking and + shamefaced guests, thus spending on a little supper what might have served + for a great banquet. + </p> + <p> + So the king said: "Are the soldiers of Gotar wont to squander the meat + after once touching it, as if it were so many pared-off crusts? And to + spurn the first dishes as if they were the last morsels?" + </p> + <p> + Erik said: "Uncouthness claims no place in the manners of Gotar, neither + does any disorderly habit feign there." + </p> + <p> + But Frode said: "Then thy manners are not those of thy lord, and thou hast + proved that thou hast not taken all wisdom to heart. For he who goes + against the example of his elders shows himself a deserter and a + renegade." + </p> + <p> + Then said Erik: "The wise man must be taught by the wiser. For knowledge + grows by learning, and instruction is advanced by doctrine." + </p> + <p> + Frode rejoined: "This affectation of thine of superfluous words, what + exemplary lesson will it teach me?" + </p> + <p> + Erik said: "A loyal few are a safer defence for a king than many + traitors." + </p> + <p> + Frode said to him: "Wilt thou then show us closer allegiance than the + rest?" + </p> + <p> + Erik answered: "No man ties the unborn (horse) to the crib, or the + unbegotten to the stall. For thou hast not yet experienced all things. + Besides, with Gotar there is always a mixture of drinking with feasting; + liquor, over and above, and as well as meat, is the joy of the reveller." + </p> + <p> + Frode said: "Never have I found a more shameless beggar of meat and + drink." + </p> + <p> + Erik replied: "Few reckon the need of the silent, or measure the wants of + him who holds his peace." + </p> + <p> + Then the king bade his sister bring forth the drink in a great goblet. + Erik caught hold of her right hand and of the goblet she offered at the + same time, and said: "Noblest of kings, hath thy benignity granted me this + present? Dost thou assure me that what I hold shall be mine as an + irrevocable gift?" + </p> + <p> + The king, thinking that he was only asking for the cup, declared it was a + gift. But Erik drew the maiden to him, as if she was given with the cup. + When the king saw it, he said: "A fool is shown by his deed; with us + freedom of maidens is ever held inviolate." + </p> + <p> + Then Erik, feigning that he would cut off the girl's hand with his sword, + as though it had been granted under the name of the cup, said: "If I have + taken more than thou gavest, or if I am rash to keep the whole, let me at + least get some." The king saw his mistake in his promise, and gave him the + maiden, being loth to undo his heedlessness by fickleness, and that the + weight of his pledge might seem the greater; though it is held an act more + of ripe judgment than of unsteadfastness to take back a foolish promise. + </p> + <p> + Then, taking from Erik security that he would return, he sent him to the + ships; for the time appointed for the battle was at hand. Erik and his men + went on to the sea, then covered near with ice; and, thanks to the + stability of their sandals, felled the enemy, whose footing was slippery + and unsteady. For Frode had decreed that no man should help either side if + it wavered or were distressed. Then he went back in triumph to the king. + So Gotwar, sorrowing at the destruction of her children who had miserably + perished, and eager to avenge them, announced that it would please her to + have a flyting with Erik, on condition that she should gage a heavy + necklace and he his life; so that if he conquered he should win gold, but + if he gave in, death. Erik agreed to the contest, and the gage was + deposited with Gunwar. So Gotwar began thus: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Quando tuam limas admissa cote bipennem, + Nonne terit tremulas mentula quassa nates?" +</pre> + <p> + Erik rejoined: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Ut cuivis natura pilos in corpore sevit, + Omnis nempe suo barba ferenda loco est. + Re Veneris homines artus agitare necesse est; + Motus quippe suos nam labor omnis habet. + Cum natis excipitur nate, vel cum subdita penem + Vulva capit, quid ad haec addere mas renuit?" +</pre> + <p> + Powerless to answer this, Gotwar had to give the gold to the man whom she + had meant to kill, and thus wasted a lordly gift instead of punishing the + slayer of her son. For her ill fate was crowned, instead of her ill-will + being avenged. First bereaved, and then silenced by furious words, she + lost at once her wealth and all reward of her eloquence. She made the man + blest who had taken away her children, and enriched her bereaver with a + present: and took away nothing to make up the slaughter of her sons save + the reproach of ignorance and the loss of goods. Westmar, when he saw + this, determined to attack the man by force, since he was the stronger of + tongue, and laid down the condition that the reward of the conqueror + should be the death of the conquered, so that the life of both parties was + plainly at stake. Erik, unwilling to be thought quicker of tongue than of + hand, did not refuse the terms. + </p> + <p> + Now the manner of combat was as follows. A ring, plaited of withy or rope, + used to be offered to the combatants for them to drag away by wrenching it + with a great effort of foot and hand; and the prize went to the stronger, + for if either of the combatants could wrench it from the other, he was + awarded the victory. Erik struggled in this manner, and, grasping the rope + sharply, wrested it out of the hands of his opponent. When Erode saw this, + he said: "I think it is hard to tug at a rope with a strong man." + </p> + <p> + And Erik said: "Hard, at any rate, when a tumour is in the body or a hunch + sits on the back." + </p> + <p> + And straightway, thrusting his foot forth, he broke the infirm neck and + back of the old man, and crushed him. And so Westmar failed to compass his + revenge: zealous to retaliate, he fell into the portion of those who need + revenging; being smitten down even as those whose slaughter he had desired + to punish. + </p> + <p> + Now Frode intended to pierce Erik by throwing a dagger at him. But Gunwar + knew her brother's purpose, and said, in order to warn her betrothed of + his peril, that no man could be wise who took no forethought for himself. + This speech warned Erik to ward off the treachery, and he shrewdly + understood the counsel of caution. For at once he sprang up and said that + the glory of the wise man would be victorious, but that guile was its own + punishment; thus censuring his treacherous intent in very gentle terms. + But the king suddenly flung his knife at him, yet was too late to hit him; + for he sprang aside, and the steel missed its mark and ran into the wall + opposite. Then said Erik: "Gifts should be handed to friends, and not + thrown; thou hadst made the present acceptable if thou hadst given the + sheath to keep the blade company." + </p> + <p> + On this request the king at once took the sheath from his girdle and gave + it to him, being forced to abate his hatred by the self-control of his + foe. Thus he was mollified by the prudent feigning of the other, and with + goodwill gave him for his own the weapon which he had cast with ill will. + And thus Erik, by taking the wrong done him in a dissembling manner, + turned it into a favour, accepting as a splendid gift the steel which had + been meant to slay him. For he put a generous complexion on what Frode had + done with intent to harm. Then they gave themselves up to rest. In the + night Gunwar awoke Erik silently, and pointed out to him that they ought + to fly, saying that it was very expedient to return with safe chariot ere + harm was done. He went with her to the shore, where he happened to find + the king's fleet beached: so, cutting away part of the sides, he made it + unseaworthy, and by again replacing some laths he patched it so that the + damage might be unnoticed by those who looked at it. Then he caused the + vessel whither he and his company had retired to put off a little from the + shore. + </p> + <p> + The king prepared to give them chase with his mutilated ships, but soon + the waves broke through; and though he was very heavily laden with his + armour, he began to swim off among the rest, having become more anxious to + save his own life than to attack that of others. The bows plunged over + into the sea, the tide flooded in and swept the rowers from their seats. + When Erik and Roller saw this they instantly flung themselves into the + deep water, spurning danger, and by swimming picked up the king, who was + tossing about. Thrice the waves had poured over him and borne him down + when Erik caught him by the hair, and lifted him out of the sea. The + remaining crowd of the wrecked either sank in the waters, or got with + trouble to the land. The king was stripped of his dripping attire and + swathed round with dry garments, and the water poured in floods from his + chest as he kept belching it; his voice also seemed to fail under the + exhaustion of continual pantings. At last heat was restored to his limbs, + which were numbed with cold, and his breathing became quicker. He had not + fully got back his strength, and could sit but not rise. Gradually his + native force returned. But when he was asked at last whether he sued for + life and grace, he put his hand to his eyes, and strove to lift up their + downcast gaze. But as, little by little, power came back to his body, and + as his voice became more assured, he said: + </p> + <p> + "By this light, which I am loth to look on, by this heaven which I behold + and drink in with little joy, I beseech and conjure you not to persuade me + to use either any more. I wished to die; ye have saved me in vain. I was + not allowed to perish in the waters; at least I will die by the sword. I + was unconquered before; thine, Erik, was the first wit to which I yielded: + I was all the more unhappy, because I had never been beaten by men of + note, and now I let a low-born man defeat me. This is great cause for a + king to be ashamed. This is a good and sufficient reason for a general to + die; it is right that he should care for nothing so much as glory. If he + want that, then take it that he lacks all else. For nothing about a king + is more on men's lips than his repute. I was credited with the height of + understanding and eloquence. But I have been stripped of both the things + wherein I was thought to excel, and am all the more miserable because I, + the conqueror of kings, am seen conquered by a peasant. Why grant life to + him whom thou hast robbed of honour? I have lost sister, realm, treasure, + household gear, and, what is greater than them all, renown: I am luckless + in all chances, and in all thy good fortune is confessed. Why am I to be + kept to live on for all this ignominy? What freedom can be so happy for me + that it can wipe out all the shame of captivity? What will all the + following time bring for me? It can beget nothing but long remorse in my + mind, and will savour only of past woes. What will prolonging of life + avail, if it only brings back the memory of sorrow? To the stricken nought + is pleasanter than death, and that decease is happy which comes at a man's + wish, for it cuts not short any sweetness of his days, but annihilates his + disgust at all things. Life in prosperity, but death in adversity, is best + to seek. No hope of better things tempts me to long for life. What hap can + quite repair my shattered fortunes? And by now, had ye not rescued me in + my peril, I should have forgotten even these. What though thou shouldst + give me back my realm, restore my sister, and renew my treasure? Thou + canst never repair my renown. Nothing that is patched up can have the + lustre of the unimpaired, and rumour will recount for ages that Frode was + taken captive. Moreover, if ye reckon the calamities I have inflicted on + you, I have deserved to die at your hands; if ye recall the harms I have + done, ye will repent your kindness. Ye will be ashamed of having aided a + foe, if ye consider how savagely he treated you. Why do ye spare the + guilty? Why do ye stay your hand from the throat of your persecutor? It is + fitting that the lot which I had prepared for you should come home to + myself. I own that if I had happened to have you in my power as ye now + have me, I should have paid no heed to compassion. But if I am innocent + before you in act, I am guilty at least in will. I pray you, let my + wrongful intention, which sometimes is counted to stand for the deed, + recoil upon me. If ye refuse me death by the sword I will take care to + kill myself with my own hand." + </p> + <p> + Erik rejoined thus: "I pray that the gods may turn thee from the folly of + thy purpose; turn thee, I say, that thou mayst not try to end a most + glorious life abominably. Why, surely the gods themselves have forbidden + that a man who is kind to others should commit unnatural self-murder. + Fortune has tried thee to find out with what spirit thou wouldst meet + adversity. Destiny has proved thee, not brought thee low. No sorrow has + been inflicted on thee which a happier lot cannot efface. Thy prosperity + has not been changed; only a warning has been given thee. No man behaves + with self-control in prosperity who has not learnt to endure adversity. + Besides, the whole use of blessings is reaped after misfortunes have been + graciously acknowledged. Sweeter is the joy which follows on the + bitterness of fate. Wilt thou shun thy life because thou hast once had a + drenching, and the waters closed over thee? But if the waters can crush + thy spirit, when wilt thou with calm courage bear the sword? Who would not + reckon swimming away in his armour more to his glory than to his shame? + How many men would think themselves happy were they unhappy with thy + fortune? The sovereignty is still thine; thy courage is in its prime; thy + years are ripening; thou canst hope to compass more than thou hast yet + achieved. I would not find thee fickle enough to wish, not only to shun + hardships, but also to fling away thy life, because thou couldst not bear + them. None is so unmanly as he who from fear of adversity loses heart to + live. No wise man makes up for his calamities by dying. Wrath against + another is foolish, but against a man's self it is foolhardy; and it is a + coward frenzy which dooms its owner. But if thou go without need to thy + death for some wrong suffered, or for some petty perturbation of spirit, + whom dost thou leave behind to avenge thee? Who is so mad that he would + wish to punish the fickleness of fortune by destroying himself? What man + has lived so prosperously but that ill fate has sometimes stricken him? + Hast thou enjoyed felicity unbroken and passed thy days without a shock, + and now, upon a slight cloud of sadness, dost thou prepare to quit thy + life, only to save thy anguish? If thou bear trifles so ill, how shalt + thou endure the heavier frowns of fortune? Callow is the man who has never + tasted of the cup of sorrow; and no man who has not suffered hardships is + temperate in enjoying ease. Wilt thou, who shouldst have been a pillar of + courage, show a sign of a palsied spirit? Born of a brave sire, wilt thou + display utter impotence? Wilt thou fall so far from thy ancestors as to + turn softer than women? Hast thou not yet begun thy prime, and art thou + already taken with weariness of life? Whoever set such an example before? + Shall the grandson of a famous man, and the child of the unvanquished, be + too weak to endure a slight gust of adversity? Thy nature portrays the + courage of thy sires; none has conquered thee, only thine own heedlessness + has hurt thee. We snatched thee from peril, we did not subdue thee; wilt + thou give us hatred for love, and set our friendship down as wrongdoing? + Our service should have appeased thee, and not troubled thee. May the gods + never desire thee to go so far in frenzy, as to persist in branding thy + preserver as a traitor! Shall we be guilty before thee in a matter wherein + we do thee good? Shall we draw anger on us for our service? Wilt thou + account him thy foe whom thou hast to thank for thy life? For thou wert + not free when we took thee, but in distress, and we came in time to help + thee. And, behold, I restore thy treasure, thy wealth, thy goods. If thou + thinkest thy sister was betrothed to me over-hastily, let her marry the + man whom thou commandest; for her chastity remains inviolate. Moreover, if + thou wilt accept me, I wish to fight for thee. Beware lest thou wrongfully + steel thy mind in anger. No loss of power has shattered thee, none of thy + freedom has been forfeited. Thou shalt see that I am obeying, not + commanding thee. I agree to any sentence thou mayst pronounce against my + life. Be assured that thou art as strong here as-in thy palace; thou hast + the same power to rule here as in thy court. Enact concerning us here + whatsoever would have been thy will in the palace: we are ready to obey." + Thus much said Erik. + </p> + <p> + Now this speech softened the king towards himself as much as towards his + foe. Then, everything being arranged and made friendly, they returned to + the shore. The king ordered that Erik and his sailors should be taken in + carriages. But when they reached the palace he had an assembly summoned, + to which he called Erik, and under the pledge of betrothal gave him his + sister and command over a hundred men. Then he added that the queen would + be a weariness to him, and that the daughter of Gotar had taken his + liking. He must, therefore, have a fresh embassy, and the business could + best be done by Erik, for whose efforts nothing seemed too hard. He also + said that he would stone Gotwar to death for her complicity in concealing + the crime; but Hanund he would restore to her father, that he might not + have a traitress against his life dwelling amongst the Danes. Erik + approved his plans, and promised his help to carry out his bidding; except + that he declared that it would be better to marry the queen, when she had + been put away, to Roller, of whom his sovereignty need have no fears. This + opinion Frode received reverentially, as though it were some lesson + vouchsafed from above. The queen also, that she might not seem to be + driven by compulsion, complied, as women will, and declared that there was + no natural necessity to grieve, and that all distress of spirit was a + creature of fancy: and, moreover, that one ought not to bewail the + punishment that befell one's deserts. And so the brethren celebrated their + marriages together, one wedding the sister of the king, and the other his + divorced queen. + </p> + <p> + Then they sailed back to Norway, taking their wives with them. For the + women could not be torn from the side of their husbands, either by + distance of journey or by dread of peril, but declared that they would + stick to their lords like a feather to something shaggy. They found that + Ragnar was dead, and that Kraka had already married one Brak. Then they + remembered the father's treasure, dug up the money, and bore it off. But + Erik's fame had gone before him, and Gotar had learnt all his good + fortune. Now when Gotar learnt that he had come himself, he feared that + his immense self-confidence would lead him to plan the worst against the + Norwegians, and was anxious to take his wife from him and marry him to his + own daughter in her place: for his queen had just died, and he was anxious + to marry the sister of Frode more than anyone. Erik, when he learnt of his + purpose, called his men together, and told them that his fortune had not + yet got off from the reefs. Also he said that he saw, that as a bundle + that was not tied by a band fell to pieces, so likewise the heaviest + punishment that was not constrained on a man by his own fault suddenly + collapsed. They had experienced this of late with Frode; for they saw how + at the hardest pass their innocence had been protected by the help of the + gods; and if they continued to preserve it they should hope for like aid + in their adversity. Next, they must pretend flight for a little while, if + they were attacked by Gotar, for so they would have a juster plea for + fighting. For they had every right to thrust out the hand in order to + shield the head from peril. Seldom could a man carry to a successful end a + battle he had begun against the innocent; so, to give them a better plea + for assaulting the enemy, he must be provoked to attack them first. + </p> + <p> + Erik then turned to Gunwar, and asked her, in order to test her fidelity, + whether she had any love for Gotar, telling her it was unworthy that a + maid of royal lineage should be bound to the bed of a man of the people. + Then she began to conjure him earnestly by the power of heaven to tell her + whether his purpose was true or reigned? He said that he had spoken + seriously, and she cried: "And so thou art prepared to bring on me the + worst of shame by leaving me a widow, whom thou lovedst dearly as a maid! + Common rumour often speaks false, but I have been wrong in my opinion of + thee. I thought I had married a steadfast man; I hoped his loyalty was + past question; but now I find him to be more fickle than the winds." + Saying this, she wept abundantly. + </p> + <p> + Dear to Erik was his wife's fears; presently he embraced her and said: "I + wished to know how loyal thou wert to me. Nought but death has the right + to sever us, but Gotar means to steal thee away, seeking thy love by + robbery. When he has committed the theft, pretend it is done with thy + goodwill; yet put off the wedding till he has given me his daughter in thy + place. When she has been granted, Gotar and I will hold our marriage on + the same day. And take care that thou prepare rooms for our banqueting + which have a common party-wall, yet are separate: lest perchance, if I + were before thine eyes, thou shouldst ruffle the king with thy lukewarm + looks at him. For this will be a most effective trick to baffle the wish + of the ravisher." Then he bade Brak (one of his men), to lie in ambush not + far from the palace with a chosen band of his quickest men, that he might + help him at need. + </p> + <p> + Then he summoned Roller, and fled in his ship with his wife and all his + goods, in order to tempt the king out, pretending panic: So, when he saw + that the fleet of Gotar was pressing him hard, he said: "Behold how the + bow of guile shooteth the shaft of treachery;" and instantly rousing his + sailors with the war-shout, he steered the ship about. Gotar came close up + to him and asked who was the pilot of the ship, and he was told that it + was Erik. He also shouted a question whether he was the same man who by + his marvellous speaking could silence the eloquence of all other men. + Erik, when he heard this, replied that he had long since received the + surname of the "Shrewd-spoken", and that he had not won the auspicious + title for nothing. Then both went back to the nearest shore, where Gotar, + when he learnt the mission of Erik, said that he wished for the sister of + Frode, but would rather offer his own daughter to Frode's envoy, that Erik + might not repent the passing of his own wife to another man. Thus it would + not be unfitting for the fruit of the mission to fall to the ambassador. + </p> + <p> + Erik, he said, was delightful to him as a son-in-law, if only he could win + alliance with Frode through Gunwar. + </p> + <p> + Erik lauded the kindness of the king and approved his judgment, declaring + he could not have expected a greater thing from the immortal gods than + what was now offered him unasked. Still, he said, the king must first + discover Gunwar's own mind and choice. She accepted the flatteries of the + king with feigned goodwill, and seemed to consent readily to his suit, but + besought him to suffer Erik's nuptials to precede hers; because, if Erik's + were accomplished first, there would be a better opportunity for the + king's; but chiefly on this account, that, if she were to marry again, she + might not be disgusted at her new marriage troth by the memory of the old + recurring. She also declared it inexpedient for two sets of preparations + to be confounded in one ceremony. The king was prevailed upon by her + answers, and highly approved her requests. + </p> + <p> + Gotar's constant talks with Erik furnished him with a store of most + fairshapen maxims, wherewith to rejoice and refresh his mind. So, not + satisfied with giving him his daughter in marriage he also made over to + him the district of Lither, thinking that their connection deserved some + kindness. Now Kraka, whom Erik, because of her cunning in witchcraft, had + brought with him on his travels, feigned weakness of the eyes, and muffled + up her face in her cloak, so that not a single particle of her head was + visible for recognition. When people asked her who she was, she said that + she was Gunwar's sister, child of the same mother but a different father. + </p> + <p> + Now when they came to the dwelling of Gotar, the wedding-feast of Alfhild + (this was his daughter's name) was being held. Erik and the king sat at + meat in different rooms, with a party-wall in common, and also entirely + covered on the inside with hanging tapestries. Gunwar sat by Gotar, but + Erik sat close between Kraka on the one side and Alfhild on the other. + Amid the merrymaking, he gradually drew a lath out of the wall, and made + an opening large enough to allow the passage of a human body; and thus, + without the knowledge of the guests, he made a space wide enough to go + through. Then, in the course of the feast, he began to question his + betrothed closely whether she would rather marry himself or Frode: + especially since, if due heed were paid to matches, the daughter of a king + ought to go to the arms of one as noble as herself, so that the lowliness + of one of the pair might not impair the lordliness of the other. She said + that she would never marry against the permission of her father; but he + turned her aversion into compliance by promises that she should be queen, + and that she should be richer than all other women, for she was captivated + by the promise of wealth quite as much as of glory. There is also a + tradition that Kraka turned the maiden's inclinations to Frode by a drink + which she mixed and gave to her. + </p> + <p> + Now Gotar, after the feast, in order to make the marriage-mirth go fast + and furious, went to the revel of Erik. As he passed out, Gunwar, as she + had been previously bidden, went through the hole in the party-wall where + the lath had been removed, and took the seat next to Erik. Gotar marvelled + that she was sitting there by his side, and began to ask eagerly how and + why she had come there. She said that she was Gunwar's sister, and that + the king was deceived by the likeness of their looks. And when the king, + in order to look into the matter, hurried back to the royal room, Gunwar + returned through the back door by which she had come and sat in her old + place in the sight of all. Gotar, when he saw her, could scarcely believe + his eyes, and in the utmost doubt whether he had recognized her aright, he + retraced his steps to Erik; and there he saw before him Gunwar, who had + got back in her own fashion. And so, as often as he changed to go from one + hall to the other, he found her whom he sought in either place. By this + time the king was tormented by great wonder at what was no mere likeness, + but the very same face in both places. For it seemed flatly impossible + that different people should look exactly and undistinguishably alike. At + last, when the revel broke up, he courteously escorted his daughter and + Erik as far as their room, as the manner is at weddings, and went back + himself to bed elsewhere. + </p> + <p> + But Erik suffered Alfhild, who was destined for Frode, to lie apart, and + embraced Gunwar as usual, thus outwitting the king. So Gotar passed a + sleepless night, revolving how he had been apparently deluded with a dazed + and wandering mind: for it seemed to him no mere likeness of looks, but + sameness. Thus he was filled with such wavering and doubtful judgment, + that though he really discerned the truth he thought he must have been + mistaken. At last it flashed across his mind that the wall might have been + tampered with. He gave orders that it should be carefully surveyed and + examined, but found no traces of a breakage: in fact, the entire room + seemed to be whole and unimpaired. For Erik, early in the night, had + patched up the damage of the broken wall, that his trick might not be + detected. Then the king sent two men privily into the bedroom of Erik to + learn the truth, and bade them stand behind the hangings and note all + things carefully. They further received orders to kill Erik if they found + him with Gunwar. They went secretly into the room, and, concealing + themselves in the curtained corners, beheld Erik and Gunwar in bed + together with arms entwined. Thinking them only drowsy, they waited for + their deeper sleep, wishing to stay until a heavier slumber gave them a + chance to commit their crime. Erik snored lustily, and they knew it was a + sure sign that he slept soundly; so they straightway came forth with drawn + blades in order to butcher him. Erik was awakened by their treacherous + onset, and seeing their swords hanging over his head, called out the name + of his stepmother, (Kraka), to which long ago he had been bidden to appeal + when in peril, and he found a speedy help in his need. For his shield, + which hung aloft from the rafter, instantly fell and covered his unarmed + body, and, as if on purpose, covered it from impalement by the cutthroats. + He did not fail to make use of his luck, but, snatching his sword, lopped + off both feet of the nearest of them. Gunwar, with equal energy, ran a + spear through the other: she had the body of a woman, but the spirit of a + man. + </p> + <p> + Thus Erik escaped the trap; whereupon he went back to the sea and made + ready to sail off by night. But Roller sounded on his horn the signal for + those who had been bidden to watch close by, to break into the palace. + When the king heard this, he thought it meant that the enemy was upon + them, and made off hastily in a ship. Meanwhile Brak, and those who had + broken in with him, snatched up the goods of the king, and got them on + board Erik's ships. Almost half the night was spent in pillaging. In the + morning, when the king found that they had fled, he prepared to pursue + them, but was advised by one of his friends not to plan anything on a + sudden or do it in haste. His friend, indeed, tried to convince him that + he needed a larger equipment, and that it was ill-advised to pursue the + fugitives to Denmark with a handful. But neither could this curb the + king's impetuous spirit; it could not bear the loss; for nothing had stung + him more than this, that his preparations to slay another should have + recoiled on his own men. So he sailed to the harbour which is now called + Omi. Here the weather began to be bad, provision failed, and they thought + it better, since die they must, to die by the sword than by famine. And so + the sailors turned their hand against one another, and hastened their end + by mutual blows. The king with a few men took to the cliffs and escaped. + Lofty barrows still mark the scene of the slaughter. Meanwhile Erik ended + his voyage fairly, and the wedding of Alfhild and Frode was kept. + </p> + <p> + Then came tidings of an inroad of the Sclavs, and Erik was commissioned to + suppress it with eight ships, since Frode as yet seemed inexperienced in + war. Erik, loth ever to flinch from any manly undertaking, gladly + undertook the business and did it bravely. Learning that the pirates had + seven ships, he sailed up to them with only one of his own, ordering the + rest to be girt with timber parapets, and covered over with pruned boughs + of trees. Then he advanced to observe the number of the enemy more fully, + but when the Sclavs pursued closely, he beat a quick retreat to his men. + But the enemy, blind to the trap, and as eager to take the fugitives, + rowed smiting the waters fast and incessantly. For the ships of Erik could + not be clearly distinguished, looking like a leafy wood. The enemy, after + venturing into a winding strait, suddenly saw themselves surrounded by the + fleet of Erik. First, confounded by the strange sight, they thought that a + wood was sailing; and then they saw that guile lurked under the leaves. + Therefore, tardily repenting their rashness, they tried to retrace their + incautious voyage: but while they were trying to steer about, they saw the + enemy boarding them; Erik, however, put his ship ashore, and slung stones + against the enemy from afar. Thus most of the Sclavs were killed, and + forty taken, who afterwards under stress of bonds and famine, and in + strait of divers torments, gave up the ghost. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Frode, in order to cross on an expedition into Sclavia, had + mustered a mighty fleet from the Danes, as well as from neighbouring + peoples. The smallest boat of this fleet could carry twelve sailors, and + be rowed by as many oars. Then Erik, bidding his men await him patiently + went to tell Frode the tidings of the defeat he had inflicted. As he + sailed along he happened to see a pirate ship aground on some shallows; + and being wont to utter weighty words upon chance occurrences, he said, + "Obscure is the lot of the base-born, and mean is the fortune of the + lowly." Then he brought his ship up close and destroyed the pirates, who + were trying to get off their own vessel with poles, and busily engrossed + in saving her. This accomplished, he made his way back to the king's + fleet; and wishing to cheer Frode with a greeting that heralded his + victory, he said, "Hail to the maker of a most prosperous peace!" The king + prayed that his word might come true, and declared that the spirit of the + wise man was prophetic. Erik answered that he spoke truly, and that the + petty victory brought an omen of a greater one; declaring that a presage + of great matters could often be got from trifles. Then the king counselled + him to scatter his force, and ordered the horsemen of Jutland to go by the + land way, while the rest of the army went by the short sea-passage. But + the sea was covered with such a throng of vessels, that there were not + enough harbours to take them in, nor shores for them to encamp on, nor + money for their provisions; while the land army is said to have been so + great that, in order to shorten the way, it levelled mountains, made + marshes passable, filled up pits with material, and the hugest chasms by + casting in great boulders. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Strunik the King of the Sclavs sent envoys to ask for a truce; + but Frode refused him time to equip himself, saying that an enemy ought + not to be furnished with a truce. Moreover, he said, he had hitherto + passed his life without experience of war, and now he ought not to delay + its beginning by waiting in doubt; for the man that conducted his first + campaign successfully might hope for as good fortune in the rest. For each + side would take the augury afforded by the first engagements as a presage + of the combat; since the preliminary successes of war were often a + prophecy of the sequel. Erik commended the wisdom of the reply, declaring + that the game ought to be played abroad just as it had been begun at home: + meaning that the Danes had been challenged by the Sclavs. After these + words he fought a furious battle, slew Strunik with the bravest of his + race, and received the surrender of the rest. Then Frode called the Sclavs + together, and proclaimed by a herald that any man among them who had been + trained to theft or plunder should be speedily given up; promising that he + would reward the character of such men with the highest honours. He also + ordered that all of them, who were versed in evil arts should come forth + to have their reward. This offer pleased the Sclavs: and some of them, + tempted by their hopes of the gift, betrayed themselves with more avarice + than judgment, before the others could make them known. These were misled + by such great covetousness, that they thought less of shame than lucre, + and accounted as their glory what was really their guilt. When these had + given themselves up of their own will, he said: "Sclavs! This is the pest + from which you must clear your land yourselves." And straightway he + ordered the executioners to seize them, and had them fixed upon the + highest gallows by the hand of their own countrymen. The punishers looked + fewer than the punished. And thus the shrewd king, by refusing to those + who owned their guilt the pardon which he granted to the conquered foe, + destroyed almost the entire stock of the Sclavic race. Thus the longing + for an undeserved reward was visited with a deserved penalty, and the + thirst for an undue wage justly punished. I should think that these men + were rightly delivered to their doom, who brought the peril on their own + heads by speaking, when they could have saved their lives by the + protection of silence. + </p> + <p> + The king, exalted by the honours of his fresh victory, and loth to seem + less strong in justice than in battle, resolved to remodel his army by + some new laws, some of which are retained by present usage, while others + men have chosen to abolish for new ones. (a) For he decreed, when the + spoil was divided, that each of the vanguard should receive a greater + share than the rest of the soldiery: while he granted all gold that was + taken to the generals (before whom the standards were always borne in + battle) on account of their rank; wishing the common soldiers to be + content with silver. He ordered that the arms should go to the champions, + but the captured ships should pass to the common people, as the due of + those who had the right of building and equipping vessels. (b) Also he + forbade that anyone should venture to lock up his household goods, as he + would receive double the value of any losses from the treasury of the + king; but if anyone thought fit to keep it in locked coffers, he must pay + the king a gold mark. He also laid down that anyone who spared a thief + should be punished as a thief. (d) Further, that the first man to flee in + battle should forfeit all common rights. (e) But when he had returned into + Denmark he wished to amend by good measures any corruption caused by the + evil practices of Grep; and therefore granted women free choice in + marriage, so that there might be no compulsory wedlock. And so he provided + by law that women should be held duly married to those whom they had + wedded without consulting their fathers. (f) But if a free woman agreed to + marry a slave, she must fall to his rank, lose the blessing of freedom, + and adopt the standing of a slave. (g) He also imposed on men the statute + that they must marry any woman whom they had seduced. (h) He ordained that + adulterers should be deprived of a member by the lawful husbands, so that + continence might not be destroyed by shameful sins. (I) Also he ordained + that if a Dane plundered another Dane, he should repay double, and be held + guilty of a breach of the peace. (k) And if any man were to take to the + house of another anything which he had got by thieving, his host, if he + shut the door of his house behind the man, should incur forfeiture of all + his goods, and should be beaten in full assembly, being regarded as having + made himself guilty of the same crime. (l) Also, whatsoever exile should + turn enemy to his country, or bear a shield against his countrymen, should + be punished with the loss of life and goods. (m) But if any man, from a + contumacious spirit, were slack in fulfilling the orders of the king, he + should be punished with exile. For, on all occasion of any sudden and + urgent war, an arrow of wood, looking like iron, used to be passed on + everywhere from man to man as a messenger. (n) But if any one of the + commons went in front of the vanguard in battle, he was to rise from a + slave into a freeman, and from a peasant into a nobleman; but if he were + nobly-born already, he should be created a governor. So great a guerdon + did valiant men earn of old; and thus did the ancients think noble rank + the due of bravery. For it was thought that the luck a man had should be + set down to his valour, and not his valour to his luck. (o) He also + enacted that no dispute should be entered on with a promise made under + oath and a gage deposited; but whosoever requested another man to deposit + a gage against him should pay that man half a gold mark, on pain of severe + bodily chastisement. For the king had foreseen that the greatest occasions + of strife might arise from the depositing of gages. (p) But he decided + that any quarrel whatsoever should be decided by the sword, thinking a + combat of weapons more honourable than one of words. But if either of the + combatants drew back his foot, and stepped out of the ring of the circle + previously marked, he was to consider himself conquered, and suffer the + loss of his case. But a man of the people, if he attacked a champion on + any score, should be armed to meet him; but the champion should only fight + with a truncheon an ell long. (q) Further, he appointed that if an alien + killed a Dane, his death should be redressed by the slaying of two + foreigners. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, Gotar, in order to punish Erik, equipped his army for war: and + Frode, on the other side, equipped a great fleet to go against Norway. + When both alike had put into Rennes-Isle, Gotar, terrified by the + greatness of Frode's name, sent ambassadors to pray for peace. Erik said + to them, "Shameless is the robber who is the first to seek peace, or + ventures to offer it to the good. He who longs to win must struggle: blow + must counter blow, malice repel malice." + </p> + <p> + Gotar listened attentively to this from a distance, and then said, as + loudly as he could: "Each man fights for valour according as he remembers + kindness." Erik said to him: "I have requited thy kindness by giving thee + back counsel." By this speech he meant that his excellent advice was worth + more than all manner of gifts. And, in order to show that Gotar was + ungrateful for the counsel he had received, he said: "When thou desiredst + to take my life and my wife, thou didst mar the look of thy fair example. + Only the sword has the right to decide between us." Then Gotar attacked + the fleet of the Danes; he was unsuccessful in the engagement, and slain. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards Roller received his realm from Frode as a gift; it stretched + over seven provinces. Erik likewise presented Roller with the province + which Gotar had once bestowed upon him. After these exploits Frode passed + three years in complete and tranquil peace. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the King of the Huns, when he heard that his daughter had been + put away, allied himself with Olmar, King of the Easterlings, and in two + years equipped an armament against the Danes. So Frode levied an army not + only of native Danes, but also of Norwegians and Sclavs. Erik, whom he had + sent to spy out the array of the enemy, found Olmar, who had received the + command of the fleet, not far from Russia; while the King of the Huns led + the land forces. He addressed Olmar thus: + </p> + <p> + "What means, prithee, this strong equipment of war? Or whither dost thou + speed, King Olmar, mighty in thy fleet?" + </p> + <p> + Olmar. "We are minded to attack the son of Fridleif. And who art thou, + whose bold lips ask such questions?" + </p> + <p> + Erik. "Vain hope of conquering the unconquered hath filled thy heart; over + Frode no man can prevail." + </p> + <p> + Olmar. "Whatsoever befalls, must once happen for the first time; and often + enough the unexpected comes to pass." + </p> + <p> + By this saying he let him know that no man must put too much trust in + fortune. Then Erik rode up to inspect the army of the Huns. As it passed + by him, and he in turn by it, it showed its vanguard to the rising and its + rear to the setting sun. So he asked those whom he met, who had the + command of all those thousands. Hun, the King of the Huns, happened to see + him, and heard that he had undertaken to reconnoitre, and asked what was + the name of the questioner. Erik said he was the man who came everywhere + and was found nowhere. Then the king, when an interpreter was brought, + asked what work Frode was about. Erik replied, "Frode never waits at home + for a hostile army, nor tarries in his house for his foe. For he who + covets the pinnacle of another's power must watch and wake all night. No + man has ever won a victory by snoring, and no wolf has ever found a + carcase by lying asleep." + </p> + <p> + The king, perceiving that he was a cunning speaker of choice maxims, said: + "Here, perchance, is that Erik who, as I have heard, accused my daughter + falsely." + </p> + <p> + But Erik, when they were bidden to seize him instantly, said that it was + unseemly for one man to be dragged off by really; and by this saying he + not only appeased the mind of the king, but even inclined him to be + willing to pardon him. But it was clear that this impunity came more from + cunning than kindness; for the chief reason why he was let go was that he + might terrify Frode by the report of their vast numbers. When he returned, + Frode bad him relate what he had discovered, and he said that he had seen + six kings each with his fleet; and that each of these fleets contained + five thousand ships, each ship being known to hold three hundred rowers. + Each millenary of the whole total he said consisted of four wings; now, + since the full number of a wing is three hundred, he meant that a + millenary should be understood to contain twelve hundred men. When Frode + wavered in doubt what he could do against so many, and looked eagerly + round for reinforcements, Erik said: "Boldness helps the righteous; a + valiant dog must attack the bear; we want wolf-hounds, and not little + unwarlike birds." This said, he advised Frode to muster his fleet. When it + was drawn up they sailed off against the enemy; and so they fought and + subdued the islands lying between Denmark and the East; and as they + advanced thence, met some ships of the Ruthenian fleet. Frode thought it + shameful to attack such a handful, but Erik said: "We must seek food from + the gaunt and lean. He who falls shall seldom fatten, nor has that man the + power to bite whom the huge sack has devoured." By this warning he cured + the king of all shame about making an assault, and presently induced him + to attack a small number with a throng; for he showed him that advantage + must be counted before honour. + </p> + <p> + After this they went on to meet Olmar, who because of the slowness of his + multitude preferred awaiting the enemy to attacking it; for the vessels of + the Ruthenians seemed disorganized, and, owing to their size, not so well + able to row. But not even did the force of his multitudes avail him. For + the extraordinary masses of the Ruthenians were stronger in numbers than + in bravery, and yielded the victory to the stout handful of the Danes. + </p> + <p> + When Frode tried to return home, his voyage encountered an unheard-of + difficulty. For the crowds of dead bodies, and likewise the fragments of + shields and spears, bestrewed the entire gulf of the sea, and tossed on + the tide, so that the harbours were not only straitened, but stank. The + vessels stuck, hampered amid the corpses. They could neither thrust off + with oars, nor drive away with poles, the rotting carcases that floated + around, or prevent, when they had put one away, another rolling up and + driving against the fleet. You would have thought that a war had arisen + with the dead, and there was a strange combat with the lifeless. + </p> + <p> + So Frode summoned the nations which he had conquered, and enacted (a) that + any father of a family who had fallen in that war should be buried with + his horse and all his arms and decorations. And if any body-snatcher, in + his abominable covetousness, made an attempt on him, he was to suffer for + it, not only with his life, but also with the loss of burial for his own + body; he should have no barrow and no funeral. For he thought it just that + he who despoiled another's ashes should be granted no burial, but should + repeat in his own person the fate he had inflicted on another. He + appointed that the body of a centurion or governor should receive funeral + on a pyre built of his own ship. He ordered that the bodies of every ten + pilots should be burnt together with a single ship, but that every earl or + king that was killed should be put on his own ship and burnt with it. He + wished this nice attention to be paid in conducting the funerals of the + slain, because he wished to prevent indiscriminate obsequies. By this time + all the kings of the Russians except Olmar and Dag had fallen in battle. + (b) He also ordered the Russians to conduct their warfare in imitation of + the Danes, and never to marry a wife without buying her. He thought that + bought marriages would have more security, believing that the troth which + was sealed with a price was the safest. (d) Moreover, anyone who durst + attempt the violation of a virgin was to be punished with the severance of + his bodily parts, or else to requite the wrong of his intercourse with a + thousand talents. (e) He also enacted that any man that applied himself to + war, who aspired to the title of tried soldier, should attack a single + man, should stand the attack of two, should only withdraw his foot a + little to avoid three, but should not blush to flee from four. (f) He also + proclaimed that a new custom concerning the pay of the soldiers should be + observed by the princes under his sway. He ordered that each native + soldier and housecarl should be presented in the winter season with three + marks of silver, a common or hired soldier with two, a private soldier who + had finished his service with only one. By this law he did injustice to + valour, reckoning the rank of the soldiers and not their courage; and he + was open to the charge of error in the matter, because he set familiar + acquaintance above desert. + </p> + <p> + After this the king asked Erik whether the army of the Huns was as large + as the forces of Olmar, and Erik answered in the following song: + </p> + <p> + "By Hercules, I came on a countless throng, a throng that neither earth + nor wave could hold. Thick flared all their camp-fires, and the whole wood + blazed up; the flame betokened a numberless array. The earth sank under + the fraying of the horse-hoofs; creaking waggons rattled swiftly. The + wheels rumbled, the driver rode upon the winds, so that the chariots + sounded like thunder. The earth hardly bore the throngs of men-at-arms, + speeding on confusedly; they trod it, but it could not bear their weight. + I thought that the air crashed and the earth was shaken, so mighty was the + motion of the stranger army. For I saw fifteen standards flickering at + once; each of them had a hundred lesser standards, and after each of these + could have been seen twenty; and the captains in their order were equal in + number to the standards." + </p> + <p> + Now when Frode asked wherewithal he was to resist so many, Erik instructed + him that he must return home and suffer the enemy first to perish of their + own hugeness. His counsel was obeyed, the advice being approved as + heartily as it was uttered. But the Huns went on through pathless deserts, + and, finding provisions nowhere, began to run the risk of general + starvation; for it was a huge and swampy district, and nothing could be + found to relieve their want. At last, when the beasts of burden had been + cut down and eaten, they began to scatter, lacking carriages as much as + food. Now their straying from the road was as perilous to them as their + hunger. Neither horses nor asses were spared, nor did they refrain from + filthy garbage. At last they did not even spare dogs: to dying men every + abomination was lawful; for there is nothing too hard for the bidding of + extreme need. At last when they were worn out with hunger, there came a + general mortality. Bodies were carried out for burial without end, for all + feared to perish, and none pitied the perishing. Fear indeed had cast out + humanity. So first the divisions deserted from the king little by little; + and then the army melted away by companies. He was also deserted by the + prophet Ygg, a man of unknown age, which was prolonged beyond the human + span; this man went as a deserter to Frode, and told him of all the + preparations of the Huns. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Hedin, prince of a considerable tribe of the Norwegians, + approached the fleet of Frode with a hundred and fifty vessels. Choosing + twelve out of these, he proceeded to cruise nearer, signalling the + approach of friends by a shield raised on the mast. He thus greatly + augmented the forces of the king, and was received into his closest + friendship. A mutual love afterwards arose between this man and Hilda, the + daughter of Hogni, a chieftain of the Jutes, and a maiden of most eminent + renown. For, though they had not yet seen one another, each had been + kindled by the other's glory. But when they had a chance of beholding one + another, neither could look away; so steadfast was the love that made + their eyes linger. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, Frode distributed his soldiers through the towns, and carefully + gathered in the materials needed for the winter supplies; but even so he + could not maintain his army, with its burden of expense: and plague fell + on him almost as great as the destruction that met the Huns. Therefore, to + prevent the influx of foreigners, he sent a fleet to the Elbe to take care + that nothing should cross; the admirals were Revil and Mevil. When the + winter broke up, Hedin and Hogni resolved to make a roving-raid together; + for Hogni did not know that his partner was in love with his daughter. Now + Hogni was of unusual stature, and stiff in temper; while Hedin was very + comely, but short. Also, when Frode saw that the cost of keeping up his + army grew daily harder to bear, he sent Roller to Norway, Olmar to Sweden, + King Onef and Glomer, a rover captain, to the Orkneys for supplies, each + with his own forces. Thirty kings followed Frode, and were his friends or + vassals. But when Hun heard that Frode had sent away his forces he + mustered another and a fresh army. But Hogni betrothed his daughter to + Hedin, after they had sworn to one another that whichever of them should + perish by the sword should be avenged by the other. + </p> + <p> + In the autumn, the men in search of supplies came back, but they were + richer in trophies than in food. For Roller had made tributary the + provinces Sundmor and Nordmor, after slaying Arthor their king. But Olmar + conquered Thor the Long, the King of the Jemts and the Helsings, with two + other captains of no less power, and also took Esthonia and Kurland, with + Oland, and the isles that fringe Sweden; thus he was a most renowned + conqueror of savage lands. So he brought back 700 ships, thus doubling the + numbers of those previously taken out. Onef and Glomer, Hedin and Hogni, + won victories over the Orkneys, and returned with 900 ships. And by this + time revenues had been got in from far and wide, and there were ample + materials gathered by plunder to recruit their resources. They had also + added twenty kingdoms to the sway of Frode, whose kings, added to the + thirty named before, fought on the side of the Danes. + </p> + <p> + Trusting in their strength, they engaged with the Huns. Such a carnage + broke out on the first day of this combat that the three chief rivers of + Russia were bestrewn with a kind of bridge of corpses, and could be + crossed and passed over. Also the traces of the massacre spread so wide + that for the space of three days' ride the ground was to be seen covered + with human carcases. So, when the battle had been seven days prolonged, + King Hun fell; and his brother of the same name, when he saw the line of + the Huns giving way, without delay surrendered himself and his company. In + that war 170 kings, who were either Huns or fighting amongst the Huns, + surrendered to the king. This great number Erik had comprised in his + previous description of the standards, when he was giving an account of + the multitude of the Huns in answer to the questions of Frode. So Frode + summoned the kings to assembly, and imposed a rule upon them that they + should all live under one and the same law. Now he set Olmar over + Holmgard; Onef over Conogard; and he bestowed Saxony on Hun, his prisoner, + and gave Revil the Orkneys. To one Dimar he allotted the management of the + provinces of the Helsings, of the Jarnbers, and the Jemts, as well as both + Laplands; while on Dag he bestowed the government of Esthonia. Each of + these men he burdened with fixed conditions of tribute, thus making + allegiance a condition of his kindness. So the realms of Frode embraced + Russia on the east, and on the west were bounded by the Rhine. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, certain slanderous tongues accused Hedin to Hogni of having + tempted and defiled his daughter before the rites of betrothal; which was + then accounted an enormous crime by all nations. So the credulous ears of + Hogni drank in this lying report, and with his fleet he attacked Hedin, + who was collecting the king's dues among the Slavs; there was an + engagement, and Hogni was beaten, and went to Jutland. And thus the peace + instituted by Frode was disturbed by intestine war, and natives were the + first to disobey the king's law. Frode, therefore, sent men to summon them + both at once, and inquired closely what was the reason of their feud. When + he had heard it, he gave judgment according to the terms of the law he had + enacted; but when he saw that even this could not reconcile them (for the + father obstinately demanded his daughter back), he decreed that the + quarrel should be settled by the sword—it seemed the only remedy for + ending the dispute. The fight began, and Hedin was grievously wounded; but + when he began to lose blood and bodily strength, he received unexpected + mercy from his enemy. For though Hogni had an easy chance of killing him, + yet, pitying youth and beauty, he constrained his cruelty to give way to + clemency. And so, loth to cut off a stripling who was panting at his last + gasp, he refrained his sword. For of old it was accounted shameful to + deprive of his life one who was ungrown or a weakling; so closely did the + antique bravery of champions take heed of all that could incline them to + modesty. So Hedin, with the help of his men, was taken back to his ship, + saved by the kindness of his foe. + </p> + <p> + In the seventh year after, these same men began to fight on Hedin's isle, + and wounded each other so that they died. Hogni would have been lucky if + he had shown severity rather than compassion to Hedin when he had once + conquered him. They say that Hilda longed so ardently for her husband, + that she is believed to have conjured up the spirits of the combatants by + her spells in the night in order to renew the war. + </p> + <p> + At the same time came to pass a savage war between Alrik, king of the + Swedes, and Gestiblind, king of the Goths. The latter, being the weaker, + approached Frode as a suppliant, willing, if he might get his aid, to + surrender his kingdom and himself. He soon received the aid of Skalk, the + Skanian, and Erik, and came back with reinforcements. He had determined to + let loose his attack on Alrik, but Erik thought that he should first + assail his son Gunthion, governor of the men of Wermland and Solongs, + declaring that the storm-weary mariner ought to make for the nearest + shore, and moreover that the rootless trunk seldom burgeoned. So he made + an attack, wherein perished Gunthion, whose tomb records his name. Alrik, + when he heard of the destruction of his son, hastened to avenge him, and + when he had observed his enemies, he summoned Erik, and, in a secret + interview, recounted the leagues of their fathers, imploring him to refuse + to fight for Gestiblind. This Erik steadfastly declined, and Alrik then + asked leave to fight Gestiblind, thinking that a duel was better than a + general engagement. But Erik said that Gestiblind was unfit for arms by + reason of old age, pleading his bad health, and above all his years; but + offered himself to fight in his place, explaining that it would be + shameful to decline a duel on behalf of the man for whom he had come to + make a war. Then they fought without delay: Alrik was killed, and Erik was + most severely wounded; it was hard to find remedies, and he did not for + long time recover health. Now a false report had come to Frode that Erik + had fallen, and was tormenting the king's mind with sore grief; but Erik + dispelled this sadness with his welcome return; indeed, he reported to + Frode that by his efforts Sweden, Wermland, Helsingland, and the islands + of the Sun (Soleyar) had been added to his realm. Frode straightway made + him king of the nations he had subdued, and also granted to him + Helsingland with the two Laplands, Finland and Esthonia, under a yearly + tribute. None of the Swedish kings before him was called by the name of + Erik, but the title passed from him to the rest. + </p> + <p> + At the same time Alf was king in Hethmark, and he had a son Asmund. Biorn + ruled in the province of Wik, and had a son Aswid. Asmund was engaged on + an unsuccessful hunt, and while he was proceeding either to stalk the game + with dogs or to catch it in nets, a mist happened to come on. By this he + was separated from his sharers on a lonely track, wandered over the dreary + ridges, and at last, destitute of horse and clothing, ate fungi and + mushrooms, and wandered on aimlessly till he came to the dwelling of King + Biorn. Moreover, the son of the king and he, when they had lived together + a short while, swore by every vow, in order to ratify the friendship which + they observed to one another, that whichever of them lived longest should + be buried with him who died. For their fellowship and love were so strong, + that each determined he would not prolong his days when the other was cut + off by death. + </p> + <p> + After this Frode gathered together a host of all his subject nations, and + attacked Norway with his fleet, Erik being bidden to lead the land force. + For, after the fashion of human greed, the more he gained the more he + wanted, and would not suffer even the dreariest and most rugged region of + the world to escape this kind of attack; so much is increase of wealth + wont to encourage covetousness. So the Norwegians, casting away all hope + of self-defence, and losing all confidence in their power to revolt, began + to flee for the most part to Halogaland. The maiden Stikla also withdrew + from her country to save her chastity, proferring the occupations of war + to those of wedlock. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Aswid died of an illness, and was consigned with his horse and + dog to a cavern in the earth. And Asmund, because of his oath of + friendship, had the courage to be buried with him, food being put in for + him to eat. + </p> + <p> + Now just at this time Erik, who had crossed the uplands with his army, + happened to draw near the barrow of Aswid; and the Swedes, thinking that + treasures were in it, broke the hill open with mattocks, and saw disclosed + a cave deeper than they had thought. To examine it, a man was wanted, who + would lower himself on a hanging rope tied around him. One of the quickest + of the youths was chosen by lot; and Asmund, when he saw him let down in a + basket following a rope, straightway cast him out and climbed into the + basket. Then he gave the signal to draw him up to those above who were + standing by and controlling the rope. They drew in the basket in the hopes + of great treasure; but when they saw the unknown figure of the man they + had taken out, they were scared by his extraordinary look, and, thinking + that the dead had come to life, flung down the rope and fled all ways. For + Asmund looked ghastly and seemed to be covered as with the corruption of + the charnel. He tried to recall the fugitives, and began to clamour that + they were wrongfully afraid of a living man. And when Erik saw him, he + marvelled most at the aspect of his bloody face: the blood flowing forth + and spurting over it. For Aswid had come to life in the nights, and in his + continual struggles had wrenched off his left ear; and there was to be + seen the horrid sight of a raw and unhealed scar. And when the bystanders + bade him tell how he had got such a wound, he began to speak thus:— + </p> + <p> + "Why stand ye aghast, who see me colourless? Surely every live man fades + among the dead. Evil to the lonely man, and burdensome to the single, + remains every dwelling in the world. Hapless are they whom chance hath + bereft of human help. The listless night of the cavern, the darkness of + the ancient den, have taken all joy from my eyes and soul. The ghastly + ground, the crumbling barrow, and the heavy tide of filthy things have + marred the grace of my youthful countenance, and sapped my wonted pith and + force. Besides all this, I have fought with the dead, enduring the heavy + burden and grievous peril of the wrestle; Aswid rose again and fell on me + with rending nails, by hellish might renewing ghastly warfare after he was + ashes. + </p> + <p> + "Why stand ye aghast, who see me colourless? Surely every live man fades + among the dead. + </p> + <p> + "By some strange enterprise of the power of hell the spirit of Aswid was + sent up from the nether world, and with cruel tooth eats the fleet-footed + (horse), and has given his dog to his abominable jaws. Not sated with + devouring the horse or hound, he soon turned his swift nails upon me, + tearing my cheek and taking off my ear. Hence the hideous sight of my + slashed countenance, the blood-spurts in the ugly wound. Yet the bringer + of horrors did it not unscathed; for soon I cut off his head with my + steel, and impaled his guilty carcase with a stake. + </p> + <p> + "Why stand ye aghast who see me colourless? Surely every live man fades + among the dead." + </p> + <p> + Frode had by this taken his fleet over to Halogaland; and here, in order + to learn the numbers of his host, which seemed to surpass all bounds and + measure that could be counted, he ordered his soldiers to pile up a hill, + one stone being cast upon the heap for each man. The enemy also pursued + the same method of numbering their host, and the hills are still to be + seen to convince the visitor. Here Frode joined battle with the + Norwegians, and the day was bloody. At nightfall both sides determined to + retreat. As daybreak drew near, Erik, who had come across the land, came + up and advised the king to renew the battle. In this war the Danes + suffered such slaughter that out of 3,000 ships only 170 are supposed to + have survived. The Northmen, however, were exterminated in such a mighty + massacre, that (so the story goes) there were not men left to till even a + fifth of their villages. + </p> + <p> + Frode, now triumphant, wished to renew peace among all nations, that he + might ensure each man's property from the inroads of thieves and now + ensure peace to his realms after war. So he hung one bracelet on a crag + which is called Frode's Rock, and another in the district of Wik, after he + had addressed the assembled Norwegians; threatening that these necklaces + should serve to test the honesty which he had decreed, and threatening + that if they were filched punishment should fall on all the governors of + the district. And thus, sorely imperilling the officers, there was the + gold unguarded, hanging up full in the parting of the roads, and the + booty, so easy to plunder, a temptation to all covetous spirits. (a) Frode + also enacted that seafarers should freely use oars wherever they found + them; while to those who wished to cross a river he granted free use of + the horse which they found nearest to the ford. He decreed that they must + dismount from this horse when its fore feet only touched land and its hind + feet were still washed by the waters. For he thought that services such as + these should rather be accounted kindness than wrongdoing. Moreover, he + ordained that whosoever durst try and make further use of the horse after + he had crossed the river should be condemned to death. (b) He also ordered + that no man should hold his house or his coffer under lock and key, or + should keep anything guarded by bolts, promising that all losses should be + made good threefold. Also, he appointed that it was lawful to claim as + much of another man's food for provision as would suffice for a single + supper. If anyone exceeded this measure in his takings, he was to be held + guilty of theft. Now, a thief (so he enacted) was to be hung up with a + sword passed through his sinews, with a wolf fastened by his side, so that + the wicked man might look like the savage beast, both being punished + alike. He also had the same penalty extended to accomplices in thefts. + Here he passed seven most happy years of peace, begetting a son Alf and a + daughter Eyfura. + </p> + <p> + It chanced that in these days Arngrim, a champion of Sweden, who had + challenged, attacked, and slain Skalk the Skanian because he had once + robbed him of a vessel, came to Frode. Elated beyond measure with his + deed, he ventured to sue for Frode's daughter; but, finding the king deaf + to him, he asked Erik, who was ruling Sweden, to help him. Erik advised + him to win Frode's goodwill by some illustrious service, and to fight + against Egther, the King of Permland, and Thengil, the King of Finmark, + since they alone seemed to repudiate the Danish rule, while all men else + submitted. Without delay he led his army to that country. Now, the Finns + are the uttermost peoples of the North, who have taken a portion of the + world that is barely habitable to till and dwell in. They are very keen + spearmen, and no nation has a readier skill in throwing the javelin. They + fight with large, broad arrows; they are addicted to the study of spells; + they are skilled hunters. Their habitation is not fixed, and their + dwellings are migratory; they pitch and settle wherever they have caught + game. Riding on curved boards (skees or snow-skates), they run over ridges + thick with snow. These men Arngrim attacked, in order to win renown, and + he crushed them. They fought with ill success; but, as they were + scattering in flight, they cast three pebbles behind them, which they + caused to appear to the eyes of the enemy like three mountains. Arngrim's + eyes were dazzled and deluded, and he called back his men from the pursuit + of the enemy, fancying that he was checked by a barrier of mighty rocks. + Again, when they engaged and were beaten on the morrow, the Finns cast + snow upon the ground and made it look like a mighty river. So the Swedes, + whose eyes were utterly deluded, were deceived by their misjudgment, for + it seemed the roaring of an extraordinary mass of waters. Thus, the + conqueror dreading the unsubstantial phantom of the waters, the Finns + managed to escape. They renewed the war again on the third day; but there + was no effective means of escape left any longer, for when they saw that + their lines were falling back, they surrendered to the conqueror. Arngrim + imposed on them the following terms of tribute: that the number of the + Finns should be counted, and that, after the lapse of (every) three years, + every ten of them should pay a carriage-full of deer-skins by way of + assessment. Then he challenged and slew in single combat Egther, the + captain of the men of Permland, imposing on the men of Permland the + condition that each of them should pay one skin. Enriched with these + spoils and trophies, he returned to Erik, who went with him into Denmark, + and poured loud praises of the young warrior into the ear of Frode, + declaring that he who had added the ends of the world to his realms + deserved his daughter. Then Frode, considering his splendid deserts, + thought it was not amiss to take for a son-in-law a man who had won + wide-resounding fame by such a roll of noble deeds. + </p> + <p> + Arngrim had twelve sons by Eyfura, whose names I here subjoin: Brand, + Biarbe, Brodd, Hiarrande; Tand, Tyrfing, two Haddings; Hiortuar, Hiartuar, + Hrane, Anganty. These followed the business of sea-roving from their youth + up; and they chanced to sail all in one ship to the island Samso, where + they found lying off the coast two ships belonging to Hialmar and Arvarodd + (Arrow-Odd) the rovers. These ships they attacked and cleared of rowers; + but, not knowing whether they had cut down the captains, they fitted the + bodies of the slain to their several thwarts, and found that those whom + they sought were missing. At this they were sad, knowing that the victory + they had won was not worth a straw, and that their safety would run much + greater risk in the battle that was to come. In fact, Hialmar and + Arvarodd, whose ships had been damaged by a storm, which had torn off + their rudders, went into a wood to hew another; and, going round the trunk + with their axes, pared down the shapeless timber until the huge stock + assumed the form of a marine implement. This they shouldered, and were + bearing it down to the beach, ignorant of the disaster of their friends, + when the sons of Eyfura, reeking with the fresh blood of the slain, + attacked them, so that they two had to fight many; the contest was not + even equal, for it was a band of twelve against two. But the victory did + not go according to the numbers. For all the sons of Eyfura were killed; + Hialmar was slain by them, but Arvarodd gained the honours of victory, + being the only survivor left by fate out of all that band of comrades. He, + with an incredible effort, poised the still shapeless hulk of the rudder, + and drove it so strongly against the bodies of his foes that, with a + single thrust of it, he battered and crushed all twelve. And, so, though + they were rid of the general storm of war, the band of rovers did not yet + quit the ocean. + </p> + <p> + This it was that chiefly led Frode to attack the West, for his one desire + was the spread of peace. So he summoned Erik, and mustered a fleet of all + the kingdoms that bid him allegiance, and sailed to Britain with + numberless ships. But the king of that island, perceiving that he was + unequal in force (for the ships seemed to cover the sea), went to Frode, + affecting to surrender, and not only began to flatter his greatness, but + also promised to the Danes, the conquerors of nations, the submission of + himself and of his country; proffering taxes, assessment, tribute, what + they would. Finally, he gave them a hospitable invitation. Frode was + pleased with the courtesy of the Briton, though his suspicions of + treachery were kept by so ready and unconstrained a promise of everything, + so speedy a surrender of the enemy before fighting; such offers being + seldom made in good faith. They were also troubled with alarm about the + banquet, fearing that as drunkenness came on their sober wits might be + entangled in it, and attacked by hidden treachery. So few guests were + bidden, moreover, that it seemed unsafe for them to accept the invitation; + and it was further thought foolish to trust their lives to the good faith + of an enemy whom they did not know. + </p> + <p> + When the king found their minds thus wavering he again approached Frode, + and invited him to the banquet with 2,400 men; having before bidden him to + come to the feast with 1,200 nobles. Frode was encouraged by the increase + in the number of guests, and was able to go to the banquet with greater + inward confidence; but he could not yet lay aside his suspicions, and + privily caused men to scour the interior and let him know quickly of any + treachery which they might espy. On this errand they went into the forest, + and, coming upon the array of an armed encampment belonging to the forces + of the Britons, they halted in doubt, but hastily retraced their steps + when the truth was apparent. For the tents were dusky in colour, and + muffled in a sort of pitchy coverings, that they might not catch the eye + of anyone who came near. When Frode learned this, he arranged a + counter-ambuscade with a strong force of nobles, that he might not go + heedlessly to the banquet, and be cheated of timely aid. They went into + hiding, and he warned them that the note of the trumpet was the signal for + them to bring assistance. Then with a select band, lightly armed, he went + to the banquet. The hall was decked with regal splendour; it was covered + all round with crimson hangings of marvellous rich handiwork. A curtain of + purple dye adorned the propelled walls. The flooring was bestrewn with + bright mantles, which a man would fear to trample on. Up above was to be + seen the twinkle of many lanterns, the gleam of lamps lit with oil, and + the censers poured forth fragrance whose sweet vapour was laden with the + choicest perfumes. The whole way was blocked by the tables loaded with + good things; and the places for reclining were decked with + gold-embroidered couches; the seats were full of pillows. The majestic + hall seemed to smile upon the guests, and nothing could be noticed in all + that pomp either inharmonious to the eye or offensive to the smell. In the + midst of the hall stood a great butt ready for refilling the goblets, and + holding an enormous amount of liquor; enough could be drawn from it for + the huge revel to drink its fill. Servants, dressed in purple, bore golden + cups, and courteously did the office of serving the drink, pacing in + ordered ranks. Nor did they fail to offer the draught in the horns of the + wild ox. + </p> + <p> + The feast glittered with golden bowls, and was laden with shining goblets, + many of them studded with flashing jewels. The place was filled with an + immense luxury; the tables groaned with the dishes, and the bowls brimmed + over with divers liquors. Nor did they use wine pure and simple, but, with + juices sought far and wide, composed a nectar of many flavours. The dishes + glistened with delicious foods, being filled mostly with the spoils of the + chase; though the flesh of tame animals was not lacking either. The + natives took care to drink more sparingly than the guests; for the latter + felt safe, and were tempted to make an orgy; while the others, meditating + treachery, had lost all temptations to be drunken. So the Danes, who, if I + may say so with my country's leave, were seasoned to drain the bowl + against each other, took quantities of wine. The Britons, when they saw + that the Danes were very drunk, began gradually to slip away from the + banquet, and, leaving their guests within the hall, made immense efforts, + first to block the doors of the palace by applying bars and all kinds of + obstacles, and then to set fire to the house. The Danes were penned inside + the hall, and when the fire began to spread, battered vainly at the doors; + but they could not get out, and soon attempted to make a sally by + assaulting the wall. And the Angles, when they saw that it was tottering + under the stout attack of the Danes, began to shove against it on their + side, and to prop the staggering pile by the application of large blocks + on the outside, to prevent the wall being shattered and releasing the + prisoners. But at last it yielded to the stronger hand of the Danes, whose + efforts increased with their peril; and those pent within could sally out + with ease. Then Frode bade the trumpet strike in, to summon the band that + had been posted in ambush; and these, roused by the note of the clanging + bugle, caught the enemy in their own trap; for the King of the Britons, + with countless hosts of his men, was utterly destroyed. Thus the band + helped Frode doubly, being both the salvation of his men and the + destruction of his enemies. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the renown of the Danish bravery spread far, and moved the Irish + to strew iron calthrops on the ground, in order to make their land harder + to invade, and forbid access to their shores. Now the Irish use armour + which is light and easy to procure. They crop the hair close with razors, + and shave all the hair off the back of the head, that they may not be + seized by it when they run away. They also turn the points of their spears + towards the assailant, and deliberately point their sword against the + pursuer; and they generally fling their lances behind their back, being + more skilled at conquering by flight than by fighting. Hence, when you + fancy that the victory is yours, then is the moment of danger. But Frode + was wary and not rash in his pursuit of the foe who fled so treacherously, + and he routed Kerwil (Cearbal), the leader of the nation, in battle. + Kerwil's brother survived, but lost heart for resistance, and surrendered + his country to the king (Frode), who distributed among his soldiers the + booty he had won, to show himself free from all covetousness and excessive + love of wealth, and only ambitious to gain honour. + </p> + <p> + After the triumphs in Britain and the spoiling of the Irish they went back + to Denmark; and for thirty years there was a pause from all warfare. At + this time the Danish name became famous over the whole world almost for + its extraordinary valour. Frode, therefore, desired to prolong and + establish for ever the lustre of his empire, and made it his first object + to inflict severe treatment upon thefts and brigandage, feeling these were + domestic evils and intestine plagues, and that if the nations were rid of + them they would come to enjoy a more tranquil life; so that no ill-will + should mar and hinder the continual extention of peace. He also took care + that the land should not be devoured by any plague at home when the enemy + was at rest, and that intestine wickedness should not encroach when there + was peace abroad. At last he ordered that in Jutland, the chief district + of his realm, a golden bracelet, very heavy, should be set up on the + highways (as he had done before in the district of Wik), wishing by this + magnificent price to test the honesty which he had enacted. Now, though + the minds of the dishonest were vexed with the provocation it furnished, + and the souls of the evil tempted, yet the unquestioned dread of danger + prevailed. For so potent was the majesty of Frode, that it guarded even + gold that was thus exposed to pillage, as though it were fast with bolts + and bars. The strange device brought great glory upon its inventor. After + dealing destruction everywhere, and gaining famous victories far and wide, + he resolved to bestow quiet on all men, that the cheer of peace should + follow the horrors of war, and the end of slaughter might be the beginning + of safety. He further thought that for the same reason all men's property + should be secured to them by a protective decree, so that what had been + saved from a foreign enemy might not find a plunderer at home. + </p> + <p> + About the same time, the Author of our general salvation, coming to the + earth in order to save mortals, bore to put on the garb of mortality; at + which time the fires of war were quenched, and all the lands were enjoying + the calmest and most tranquil peace. It has been thought that the peace + then shed abroad so widely, so even and uninterrupted over the whole + world, attended not so much an earthly rule as that divine birth; and that + it was a heavenly provision that this extraordinary gift of time should be + a witness to the presence of Him who created all times. + </p> + <p> + Meantime a certain matron, skilled in sorcery, who trusted in her art more + than she feared the severity of the king, tempted the covetousness of her + son to make a secret effort for the prize; promising him impunity, since + Frode was almost at death's door, his body failing, and the remnant of his + doting spirit feeble. To his mother's counsels he objected the greatness + of the peril; but she bade him take hope, declaring, that either a sea-cow + should have a calf, or that the king's vengeance should be baulked by some + other chance. By this speech she banished her son's fears, and made him + obey her advice. When the deed was done, Frode, stung by the affront, + rushed with the utmost heat and fury to raze the house of the matron, + sending men on to arrest her and bring her with her children. This the + woman foreknew, and deluded her enemies by a trick, changing from the + shape of a woman into that of a mare. When Frode came up she took the + shape of a sea-cow, and seemed to be straying and grazing about the shore; + and she also made her sons look like calves of smaller size. This portent + amazed the king, and he ordered that they should be surrounded and cut off + from returning to the waters. Then he left the carriage, which he used + because of the feebleness of his aged body, and sat on the ground + marvelling. But the mother, who had taken the shape of the larger beast, + charged at the king with outstretched tusk, and pierced one of his sides. + The wound killed him; and his end was unworthy of such majesty as his. His + soldiers, thirsting to avenge his death, threw their spears and transfixed + the monsters, and saw, when they were killed, that they were the corpses + of human beings with the heads of wild beasts: a circumstance which + exposed the trick more than anything. + </p> + <p> + So ended Frode, the most famous king in the whole world. The nobles, when + he had been disembowelled, had his body kept embalmed for three years, for + they feared the provinces would rise if the king's end were published. + They wished his death to be concealed above all from foreigners, so that + by the pretence that he was alive they might preserve the boundaries of + the empire, which had been extended for so long; and that, on the strength + of the ancient authority of their general, they might exact the usual + tribute from their subjects. So, the lifeless corpse was carried away by + them in such a way that it seemed to be taken, not in a funeral bier, but + in a royal carriage, as if it were a due and proper tribute from the + soldiers to an infirm old man not in full possession of his forces. Such + splendour did his friends bestow on him even in death. But when his limbs + rotted, and were seized with extreme decay, and when the corruption could + not be arrested, they buried his body with a royal funeral in a barrow + near Waere, a bridge of Zealand; declaring that Frode had desired to die + and be buried in what was thought the chief province of his kingdom. + </p> + <p> + BOOK SIX. + </p> + <p> + After the death of Frode, the Danes wrongly supposed that Fridleif, who + was being reared in Russia, had perished; and, thinking that the + sovereignty halted for lack of an heir, and that it could no longer be + kept on in the hands of the royal line, they considered that the sceptre + would be best deserved by the man who should affix to the yet fresh grave + of Frode a song of praise in his glorification, and commit the renown of + the dead king to after ages by a splendid memorial. Then one HIARN, very + skilled in writing Danish poetry, wishing to give the fame of the hero + some notable record of words, and tempted by the enormous prize, composed, + after his own fashion, a barbarous stave. Its purport, expressed in four + lines, I have transcribed as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Frode, whom the Danes would have wished to live long, they bore long + through their lands when he was dead. The great chief's body, with this + turf heaped above it, bare earth covers under the lucid sky." + </p> + <p> + When the composer of this song had uttered it, the Danes rewarded him with + the crown. Thus they gave a kingdom for an epitaph, and the weight of a + whole empire was presented to a little string of letters. Slender expense + for so vast a guerdon! This huge payment for a little poem exceeded the + glory of Caesar's recompense; for it was enough for the divine Julius to + pension with a township the writer and glorifier of those conquests which + he had achieved over the whole world. But now the spendthrift kindness of + the populace squandered a kingdom on a churl. Nay, not even Africanus, + when he rewarded the records of his deed, rose to the munificence of the + Danes. For there the wage of that laborious volume was in mere gold, while + here a few callow verses won a sceptre for a peasant. + </p> + <p> + At the same time Erik, who held the governorship of Sweden, died of + disease; and his son Halfdan, who governed in his father's stead, alarmed + by the many attacks of twelve brothers of Norwegian birth, and powerless + to punish their violence, fled, hoping for reinforcements, to ask aid of + Fridleif, then sojourning in Russia. Approaching him with a suppliant + face, he lamented that he was himself shattered and bruised by a foreign + foe, and brought a dismal plaint of his wrongs. From him Fridleif heard + the tidings of his father's death, and granting the aid he sought, went to + Norway in armed array. At this time the aforesaid brothers, their allies + forsaking them, built a very high rampart within an island surrounded by a + swift stream, also extending their earthworks along the level. Trusting to + this refuge, they harried the neighborhood with continual raids. For they + built a bridge on which they used to get to the mainland when they left + the island. This bridge was fastened to the gate of the stronghold; and + they worked it by the guidance of ropes, in such a way that it turned as + if on some revolving hinge, and at one time let them pass across the + river; while at another, drawn back from above by unseen cords, it helped + to defend the entrance. + </p> + <p> + These warriors were of valiant temper, young and stalwart, of splendid + bodily presence, renowned for victories over giants, full of trophies of + conquered nations, and wealthy with spoil. I record the names of some of + them—for the rest have perished in antiquity—Gerbiorn, + Gunbiorn, Arinbiorn, Stenbiorn, Esbiorn, Thorbiorn, and Biorn. Biorn is + said to have had a horse which was splendid and of exceeding speed, so + that when all the rest were powerless to cross the river it alone stemmed + the roaring eddy without weariness. This rapid comes down in so swift and + sheer a volume that animals often lose all power of swimming in it, and + perish. For, trickling from the topmost crests of the hills, it comes down + the steep sides, catches on the rocks, and is shattered, falling into the + deep valleys with a manifold clamour of waters; but, being straightway + rebuffed by the rocks that bar the way, it keeps the speed of its current + ever at the same even pace. And so, along the whole length of the channel, + the waves are one turbid mass, and the white foam brims over everywhere. + But, after rolling out of the narrows between the rocks, it spreads abroad + in a slacker and stiller flood, and turns into an island a rock that lies + in its course. On either side of the rock juts out a sheer ridge, thick + with divers trees, which screen the river from distant view. Biorn had + also a dog of extraordinary fierceness, a terribly vicious brute, + dangerous for people to live with, which had often singly destroyed twelve + men. But, since the tale is hearsay rather than certainty, let good judges + weigh its credit. This dog, as I have heard, was the favourite of the + giant Offot (Un-foot), and used to watch his herd amid the pastures. + </p> + <p> + Now the warriors, who were always pillaging the neighbourhood, used often + to commit great slaughters. Plundering houses, cutting down cattle, + sacking everything, making great hauls of booty, rifling houses, then + burning them, massacring male and female promiscuously—these, and + not honest dealings, were their occupations. Fridleif surprised them while + on a reckless raid, and drove them all back for refuge to the stronghold; + he also seized the immensely powerful horse, whose rider, in the haste of + his panic, had left it on the hither side of the river in order to fly + betimes; for he durst not take it with him over the bridge. Then Fridleif + proclaimed that he would pay the weight of the dead body in gold to any + man who slew one of those brothers. The hope of the prize stimulated some + of the champions of the king; and yet they were fired not so much with + covetousness as with valour; so, going secretly to Fridleif, they promised + to attempt the task, vowing to sacrifice their lives if they did not bring + home the severed heads of the robbers. Fridleif praised their valour and + their vows, but bidding the onlookers wait, went in the night to the + river, satisfied with a single companion. For, not to seem better provided + with other men's valour than with his own, he determined to forestall + their aid by his own courage. Thereupon he crushed and killed his + companion with a shower of flints, and flung his bloodless corpse into the + waves, having dressed it in his own clothes; which he stripped off, + borrowing the cast-off garb of the other, so that when the corpse was seen + it might look as if the king had perished. He further deliberately drew + blood from the beast on which he had ridden, and bespattered it, so that + when it came back into camp he might make them think he himself was dead. + Then he set spur to his horse and drove it into the midst of the eddies, + crossed the river and alighted, and tried to climb over the rampart that + screened the stronghold by steps set up against the mound. When he got + over the top and could grasp the battlements with his hand, he quietly put + his foot inside, and, without the knowledge of the watch, went lightly on + tiptoe to the house into which the bandits had gone to carouse. And when + he had reached its hall, he sat down under the porch overhanging the door. + Now the strength of their fastness made the warriors feel so safe that + they were tempted to a debauch; for they thought that the swiftly rushing + river made their garrison inaccessible, since it seemed impossible either + to swim over or to cross in boats. For no part of the river allowed of + fording. + </p> + <p> + Biorn, moved by the revel, said that in his sleep he had seen a beast come + out of the waters, which spouted ghastly fire from its mouth, enveloping + everything in a sheet of flame. Therefore the holes and corners of the + island should, he said, be searched; nor ought they to trust so much to + their position, as rashly to let overweening confidence bring them to + utter ruin. No situation was so strong that the mere protection of nature + was enough for it without human effort. Moreover they must take great care + that the warning of his slumbers was not followed by a yet more gloomy and + disastrous fulfilment. So they all sallied forth from the stronghold, and + narrowly scanned the whole circuit of the island; and finding the horse + they surmised that Fridleif had been drowned in the waters of the river. + They received the horse within the gates with rejoicing, supposing that it + had flung off its rider and swum over. But Biorn, still scared with the + memory of the visions of the night, advised them to keep watch, since it + was not safe for them yet to put aside suspicion of danger. Then he went + to his room to rest, with the memory of his vision deeply stored in his + heart. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the horse, which Fridleif, in order to spread a belief in his + death, had been loosed and besprinkled with blood (though only with that + which lies between flesh and skin), burst all bedabbled into the camp of + his soldiers. They went straight to the river, and finding the carcase of + the slave, took it for the body of the king; the hissing eddies having + cast it on the bank, dressed in brave attire. Nothing helped their mistake + so much as the swelling of the battered body; inasmuch as the skin was + torn and bruised with the flints, so that all the features were blotted + out, bloodless and wan. This exasperated the champions who had just + promised Fridleif to see that the robbers were extirpated: and they + approached the perilous torrent, that they might not seem to tarnish the + honour of their promise by a craven neglect of their vow. The rest + imitated their boldness, and with equal ardour went to the river, ready to + avenge their king or to endure the worst. When Fridleif saw them he + hastened to lower the bridge to the mainland; and when he had got the + champions he cut down the watch at the first attack. Thus he went on to + attack the rest and put them to the sword, all save Biorn; whom he tended + very carefully and cured of his wounds; whereupon, under pledge of solemn + oath, he made him his colleague, thinking it better to use his services + than to boast of his death. He also declared it would be shameful if such + a flower of bravery were plucked in his first youth and perished by an + untimely death. + </p> + <p> + Now the Danes had long ago had false tidings of Fridleif's death, and when + they found that he was approaching, they sent men to fetch him, and + ordered Hiarn to quit the sovereignty, because he was thought to be + holding it only on sufferance and carelessly. But he could not bring + himself to resign such an honour, and chose sooner to spend his life for + glory than pass into the dim lot of common men. Therefore he resolved to + fight for his present estate, that he might not have to resume his former + one stripped of his royal honours. Thus the land was estranged and vexed + with the hasty commotion of civil strife; some were of Hiarn's party, + while others agreed to the claims of Fridleif, because of the vast + services of Frode; and the voice of the commons was perplexed and divided, + some of them respecting things as they were, others the memory of the + past. But regard for the memory of Frode weighed most, and its sweetness + gave Fridleif the balance of popularity. + </p> + <p> + Many wise men thought that a person of peasant rank should be removed from + the sovereignty; since, contrary to the rights of birth, and only by the + favour of fortune, he had reached an unhoped-for eminence; and in order + that the unlawful occupant might not debar the rightful heir to the + office, Fridleif told the envoys of the Danes to return, and request Hiarn + either to resign the kingdom or to meet him in battle. Hiarn thought it + more grievous than death to set lust of life before honour, and to seek + safety at the cost of glory. So he met Fridleif in the field, was crushed, + and fled into Jutland, where, rallying a band, he again attacked his + conqueror. But his men were all consumed with the sword, and he fled + unattended, as the island testifies which has taken its name from his + (Hiarno). And so, feeling his lowly fortune, and seeing himself almost + stripped of his forces by the double defeat, he turned his mind to craft, + and went to Fridleif with his face disguised, meaning to become intimate, + and find an occasion to slay him treacherously. + </p> + <p> + Hiarn was received by the king, hiding his purpose under the pretence of + servitude. For, giving himself out as a salt-distiller, he performed base + offices among the servants who did the filthiest work. He used also to + take the last place at meal-time, and he refrained from the baths, lest + his multitude of scars should betray him if he stripped. The king, in + order to ease his own suspicions, made him wash; and when he knew his + enemy by the scars, he said: "Tell me now, thou shameless bandit, how + wouldst thou have dealt with me, if thou hadst found out plainly that I + wished to murder thee?" Hiarn, stupefied, said: "Had I caught thee I would + have first challenged thee, and then fought thee, to give thee a better + chance of wiping out thy reproach." Fridleif presently took him at his + word, challenged him and slew him, and buried his body in a barrow that + bears the dead man's name. + </p> + <p> + Soon after FRIDLEIF was admonished by his people to think about marrying, + that he might prolong his line; but he maintained that the unmarried life + was best, quoting his father Frode, on whom his wife's wantonness had + brought great dishonour. At last, yielding to the persistent entreaties of + all, he proceeded to send ambassadors to ask for the daughter of Amund, + King of Norway. One of these, named Frok, was swallowed by the waves in + mid-voyage, and showed a strange portent at his death. For when the + closing flood of billows encompassed him, blood arose in the midst of the + eddy, and the whole face of the sea was steeped with an alien redness, so + that the ocean, which a moment before was foaming and white with tempest, + was presently swollen with crimson waves, and was seen to wear a colour + foreign to its nature. + </p> + <p> + Around implacably declined to consent to the wishes of the king, and + treated the legates shamefully, declaring that he spurned the embassy + because the tyranny of Frode had of old borne so heavily upon Norway. But + Amund's daughter, Frogertha, not only looking to the birth of Fridleif, + but also honouring the glory of his deeds, began to upbraid her father, + because he scorned a son-in-law whose nobility was perfect, being both + sufficient in valour and flawless in birth. She added that the portentous + aspect of the sea, when the waves were suddenly turned into blood, simply + and solely signified the defeat of Norway, and was a plain presage of the + victory of Denmark. And when Fridleif sent a further embassy to ask for + her, wishing to vanquish the refusal by persistency, Amund was indignant + that a petition he had once denied should be obstinately pressed, and + hurried the envoys to death, wishing to offer a brutal check to the zeal + of this brazen wooer. Fridleif heard news of this outrage, and summoning + Halfdan and Biorn, sailed round Norway. Amund, equipped with his native + defences, put out his fleet against him. The firth into which both fleets + had mustered is called Frokasund. Here Fridleif left the camp at night to + reconnoitre; and, hearing an unusual kind of sound close to him as of + brass being beaten, he stood still and looked up, and heard the following + song of three swans, who were crying above him: + </p> + <p> + "While Hythin sweeps the sea and cleaves the ravening tide, his serf + drinks out of gold and licks the cups of milk. Best is the estate of the + slave on whom waits the heir, the king's son, for their lots are rashly + interchanged." Next, after the birds had sung, a belt fell from on high, + which showed writing to interpret the song. For while the son of Hythin, + the King of Tellemark, was at his boyish play, a giant, assuming the usual + appearance of men, had carried him off, and using him as an oarsman + (having taken his skiff over to the neighbouring shore), was then sailing + past Fridleif while he was occupied reconnoitering. But the king would not + suffer him to use the service of the captive youth, and longed to rob the + spoiler of his prey. The youth warned him that he must first use sharp + reviling against the giant, promising that he would prove easy to attack, + if only he were assailed with biting verse. Then Fridleif began thus: + </p> + <p> + "Since thou art a giant of three bodies, invincible, and almost reachest + heaven with thy crest, why does this silly sword bind thy thigh? Why doth + a broken spear gird thy huge side? Why, perchance, dost thou defend thy + stalwart breast with a feeble sword, and forget the likeness of thy bodily + stature, trusting in a short dagger, a petty weapon? Soon, soon will I + balk thy bold onset, when with blunted blade thou attemptest war. Since + thou art thyself a timid beast, a lump lacking proper pith, thou art swept + headlong like a flying shadow, having with a fair and famous body got a + heart that is unwarlike and unstable with fear, and a spirit quite + unmatched to thy limbs. Hence thy frame totters, for thy goodly presence + is faulty through the overthrow of thy soul, and thy nature in all her + parts is at strife. Hence shall all tribute of praise quit thee, nor shalt + thou be accounted famous among the brave, but shalt be reckoned among + ranks obscure." + </p> + <p> + When he had said this he lopped off a hand and foot of the giant, made him + fly, and set his prisoner free. Then he went straightway to the giant's + headland, took the treasure out of his cave, and carried it away. + Rejoicing in these trophies, and employing the kidnapped youth to row him + over the sea, he composed with cheery voice the following strain: + </p> + <p> + "In the slaying of the swift monster we wielded our blood-stained swords + and our crimsoned blade, whilst thou, Amund, lord of the Norwegian ruin, + wert in deep slumber; and since blind night covers thee, without any light + of soul, thy valour has melted away and beguiled thee. But we crushed a + giant who lost use of his limbs and wealth, and we pierced into the + disorder of his dreary den. There we seized and plundered his piles of + gold. And now with oars we sweep the wave-wandering main, and joyously + return, rowing back to the shore our booty-laden ship; we fleet over the + waves in a skiff that travels the sea; gaily let us furrow those open + waters, lest the dawn come and betray us to the foe. Lightly therefore, + and pulling our hardest, let us scour the sea, making for our camp and + fleet ere Titan raise his rosy head out of the clear waters; that when + fame noises the deed about, and Frogertha knows that the spoil has been + won with a gallant struggle, her heart may be stirred to be more gentle to + our prayer." + </p> + <p> + On the morrow there was a great muster of the forces, and Fridleif had a + bloody battle with Amund, fought partly by sea and partly by land. For not + only were the lines drawn up in the open country, but the warriors also + made an attack with their fleet. The battle which followed cost much + blood. So Biorn, when his ranks gave back, unloosed his hound and sent it + against the enemy; wishing to win with the biting of a dog the victory + which he could not achieve with the sword. The enemy were by this means + shamefully routed, for a square of the warriors ran away when attacked + with its teeth. + </p> + <p> + There is no saying whether their flight was more dismal or more + disgraceful. Indeed, the army of the Northmen was a thing to blush for; + for an enemy crushed it by borrowing the aid of a brute. Nor was it + treacherous of Fridleif to recruit the failing valour of his men with the + aid of a dog. In this war Amund fell; and his servant Ane, surnamed the + Archer, challenged Fridleif to fight him; but Biorn, being a man of meaner + estate, not suffering the king to engage with a common fellow, attacked + him himself. And when Biorn had bent his bow and was fitting the arrow to + the string, suddenly a dart sent by Ane pierced the top of the cord. Soon + another arrow came after it and struck amid the joints of his fingers. A + third followed, and fell on the arrow as it was laid to the string. For + Ane, who was most dexterous at shooting arrows from a distance, had + purposely only struck the weapon of his opponent, in order that, by + showing it was in his power to do likewise to his person, he might recall + the champion from his purpose. But Biorn abated none of his valour for + this, and, scorning bodily danger, entered the fray with heart and face so + steadfast, that he seemed neither to yield anything to the skill of Ane, + nor lay aside aught of his wonted courage. Thus he would in nowise be made + to swerve from his purpose, and dauntlessly ventured on the battle. Both + of them left it wounded; and fought another also on Agdar Ness with an + emulous thirst for glory. + </p> + <p> + By the death of Amund, Fridleif was freed from a most bitter foe, and + obtained a deep and tranquil peace; whereupon he forced his savage temper + to the service of delight; and, transferring his ardour to love, equipped + a fleet in order to seek the marriage which had once been denied him. At + last he set forth on his voyage; and his fleet being becalmed, he invaded + some villages to look for food; where, being received hospitably by a + certain Grubb, and at last winning his daughter in marriage, he begat a + son named Olaf. After some time had passed he also won Frogertha; but, + while going back to his own country, he had a bad voyage, and was driven + on the shores of an unknown island. A certain man appeared to him in a + vision, and instructed him to dig up a treasure that was buried in the + ground, and also to attack the dragon that guarded it, covering himself in + an ox-hide to escape the poison; teaching him also to meet the envenomed + fangs with a hide stretched over his shield. Therefore, to test the + vision, he attacked the snake as it rose out of the waves, and for a long + time cast spears against its scaly side; in vain, for its hard and shelly + body foiled the darts flung at it. But the snake, shaking its mass of + coils, uprooted the trees which it brushed past by winding its tail about + them. Moreover, by constantly dragging its body, it hollowed the ground + down to the solid rock, and had made a sheer bank on either hand, just as + in some places we see hills parted by an intervening valley. So Fridleif, + seeing that the upper part of the creature was proof against attack, + assailed the lower side with his sword, and piercing the groin, drew blood + from the quivering beast. When it was dead, he unearthed the money from + the underground chamber and had it taken off in his ships. + </p> + <p> + When the year had come to an end, he took great pains to reconcile Biorn + and Ane, who had often challenged and fought one another, and made them + exchange their hatred for friendship; and even entrusted to them his + three-year-old son, Olaf, to rear. But his mistress, Juritha, the mother + of Olaf, he gave in marriage to Ane, whom he made one of his warriors; + thinking that she would endure more calmly to be put away, if she wedded + such a champion, and received his robust embrace instead of a king's. + </p> + <p> + The ancients were wont to consult the oracles of the Fates concerning the + destinies of their children. In this way Fridleif desired to search into + the fate of his son Olaf; and, after solemnly offering up his vows, he + went to the house of the gods in entreaty; where, looking into the chapel, + he saw three maidens, sitting on three seats. The first of them was of a + benignant temper, and bestowed upon the boy abundant beauty and ample + store of favour in the eyes of men. The second granted him the gift of + surpassing generosity. But the third, a woman of more mischievous temper + and malignant disposition, scorning the unanimous kindness of her sisters, + and likewise wishing to mar their gifts, marked the future character of + the boy with the slur of niggardliness. Thus the benefits of the others + were spoilt by the poison of a lamentable doom; and hence, by virtue of + the twofold nature of these gifts Olaf got his surname from the meanness + which was mingled with his bounty. So it came about that this blemish + which found its way into the gift marred the whole sweetness of its first + benignity. + </p> + <p> + When Fridleif had returned from Norway, and was traveling through Sweden, + he took on himself to act as ambassador, and sued successfully for + Hythin's daughter, whom he had once rescued from a monster, to be the wife + of Halfdan, he being still unwedded. Meantime his wife Frogertha bore a + son FRODE, who afterwards got his surname from his noble munificence. And + thus Frode, because of the memory of his grandsire's prosperity, which he + recalled by his name, became from his very cradle and earliest childhood + such a darling of all men, that he was not suffered even to step or stand + on the ground, but was continually cherished in people's laps and kissed. + Thus he was not assigned to one upbringer only, but was in a manner + everybody's fosterling. And, after his father's death, while he was in his + twelfth year, Swerting and Hanef, the kings of Saxony, disowned his sway, + and tried to rebel openly. He overcame them in battle, and imposed on the + conquered peoples a poll-tax of a coin, which they were to pay as his + slaves. For he showed himself so generous that he doubled the ancient pay + of the soldiers: a fashion of bounty which then was novel. For he did not, + as despots do, expose himself to the vulgar allurements of vice, but + strove to covet ardently whatsoever he saw was nearest honour; to make his + wealth public property; to surpass all other men in bounty, to forestall + them all in offices of kindness; and, hardest of all, to conquer envy by + virtue. By this means the youth soon won such favour with all men, that he + not only equalled in renown the honours of his forefathers, but surpassed + the most ancient records of kings. + </p> + <p> + At the same time one Starkad, the son of Storwerk, escaped alone, either + by force or fortune, from a wreck in which his friends perished, and was + received by Frode as his guest for his incredible excellence both of mind + and body. And, after being for some little time his comrade, he was + dressed in a better and more comely fashion every day, and was at last + given a noble vessel, and bidden to ply the calling of a rover, with the + charge of guarding the sea. For nature had gifted him with a body of + superhuman excellence; and his greatness of spirit equalled it, so that + folk thought him behind no man in valour. So far did his glory spread, + that the renown of his name and deeds continues famous even yet. He shone + out among our own countrymen by his glorious roll of exploits, and he had + also won a most splendid record among all the provinces of the Swedes and + Saxons. Tradition says that he was born originally in the country which + borders Sweden on the east, where barbarous hordes of Esthonians and other + nations now dwell far and wide. But a fabulous yet common rumour has + invented tales about his birth which are contrary to reason and flatly + incredible. For some relate that he was sprung from giants, and betrayed + his monstrous birth by an extraordinary number of hands, four of which, + engendered by the superfluity of his nature, they declare that the god + Thor tore off, shattering the framework of the sinews and wrenching from + his whole body the monstrous bunches of fingers; so that he had but two + left, and that his body, which had before swollen to the size of a + giant's, and, by reason of its shapeless crowd of limbs looked gigantic, + was thenceforth chastened to a better appearance, and kept within the + bounds of human shortness. + </p> + <p> + For there were of old certain men versed in sorcery, Thor, namely, and + Odin, and many others, who were cunning in contriving marvellous sleights; + and they, winning the minds of the simple, began to claim the rank of + gods. For, in particular, they ensnared Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the + vainest credulity, and by prompting these lands to worship them, infected + them with their imposture. The effects of their deceit spread so far, that + all other men adored a sort of divine power in them, and, thinking them + either gods or in league with gods, offered up solemn prayers to these + inventors of sorceries, and gave to blasphemous error the honour due to + religion. Hence it has come about that the holy days, in their regular + course, are called among us by the names of these men; for the ancient + Latins are known to have named these days severally, either after the + titles of their own gods, or after the planets, seven in number. But it + can be plainly inferred from the mere names of the holy days that the + objects worshipped by our countrymen were not the same as those whom the + most ancient of the Romans called Jove and Mercury, nor those to whom + Greece and Latium paid idolatrous homage. For the days, called among our + countrymen Thors-day or Odins-day, the ancients termed severally the holy + day of Jove or of Mercury. If, therefore, according to the distinction + implied in the interpretation I have quoted, we take it that Thor is Jove + and Odin Mercury, it follows that Jove was the son of Mercury; that is, if + the assertion of our countrymen holds, among whom it is told as a matter + of common belief, that Thor was Odin's son. Therefore, when the Latins, + believing to the contrary effect, declare that Mercury was sprung from + Jove, then, if their declaration is to stand, we are driven to consider + that Thor was not the same as Jove, and that Odin was also different from + Mercury. Some say that the gods, whom our countrymen worshipped, shared + only the title with those honoured by Greece or Latium, but that, being in + a manner nearly equal to them in dignity, they borrowed from them the + worship as well as the name. This must be sufficient discourse upon the + deities of Danish antiquity. I have expounded this briefly for the general + profit, that my readers may know clearly to what worship in its heathen + superstition our country has bowed the knee. Now I will go back to my + subject where I left it. + </p> + <p> + Ancient tradition says that Starkad, whom I mentioned above, offered the + first-fruits of his deeds to the favour of the gods by slaying Wikar, the + king of the Norwegians. The affair, according to the version of some + people, happened as follows:— + </p> + <p> + Odin once wished to slay Wikar by a grievous death; but, loth to do the + deed openly, he graced Starkad, who was already remarkable for his + extraordinary size, not only with bravery, but also with skill in the + composing of spells, that he might the more readily use his services to + accomplish the destruction of the king. For that was how he hoped that + Starkad would show himself grateful for the honour he paid him. For the + same reason he also endowed him with three spans of mortal life, that he + might be able to commit in them as many abominable deeds. So Odin resolved + that Starkad's days should be prolonged by the following crime: Starkad + presently went to Wikar and dwelt awhile in his company, hiding treachery + under homage. At last he went with him sea-roving. And in a certain place + they were troubled with prolonged and bitter storms; and when the winds + checked their voyage so much that they had to lie still most of the year, + they thought that the gods must be appeased with human blood. When the + lots were cast into the urn it so fell that the king was required for + death as a victim. Then Starkad made a noose of withies and bound the king + in it; saying that for a brief instant he should pay the mere semblance of + a penalty. But the tightness of the knot acted according to its nature, + and cut off his last breath as he hung. And while he was still quivering + Starkad rent away with his steel the remnant of his life; thus disclosing + his treachery when he ought to have brought aid. I do not think that I + need examine the version which relates that the pliant withies, hardened + with the sudden grip, acted like a noose of iron. + </p> + <p> + When Starkad had thus treacherously acted he took Wikar's ship and went to + one Bemon, the most courageous of all the rovers of Denmark, in order to + take up the life of a pirate. For Bemon's partner, named Frakk, weary of + the toil of sea-roving, had lately withdrawn from partnership with him, + after first making a money-bargain. Now Starkad and Bemon were so careful + to keep temperate, that they are said never to have indulged in + intoxicating drink, for fear that continence, the greatest bond of + bravery, might be expelled by the power of wantonness. So when, after + overthrowing provinces far and wide, they invaded Russia also in their + lust for empire, the natives, trusting little in their walls or arms, + began to bar the advance of the enemy with nails of uncommon sharpness, + that they might check their inroad, though they could not curb their onset + in battle; and that the ground might secretly wound the soles of the men + whom their army shrank from confronting in the field. But not even such a + barrier could serve to keep off the foe. The Danes were cunning enough to + foil the pains of the Russians. For they straightway shod themselves with + wooden clogs, and trod with unhurt steps upon the points that lay beneath + their soles. Now this iron thing is divided into four spikes, which are so + arranged that on whatsoever side chance may cast it, it stands steadily on + three equal feet. Then they struck into the pathless glades, where the + woods were thickets, and expelled Flokk, the chief of the Russians, from + the mountain hiding-places into which he had crept. And here they got so + much booty, that there was not one of them but went back to the fleet + laden with gold and silver. + </p> + <p> + Now when Bemon was dead, Starkad was summoned because of his valour by the + champions of Permland. And when he had done many noteworthy deeds among + them, he went into the land of the Swedes, where he lived at leisure for + seven years' space with the sons of Frey. At last he left them and betook + himself to Hakon, the tyrant of Denmark, because when stationed at Upsala, + at the time of the sacrifices, he was disgusted by the effeminate gestures + and the clapping of the mimes on the stage, and by the unmanly clatter of + the bells. Hence it is clear how far he kept his soul from lasciviousness, + not even enduring to look upon it. Thus does virtue withstand wantonness. + </p> + <p> + Starkad took his fleet to the shore of Ireland with Hakon, in order that + even the furthest kingdoms of the world might not be untouched by the + Danish arms. The king of the island at this time was Hugleik, who, though + he had a well-filled treasury, was yet so prone to avarice, that once, + when he gave a pair of shoes which had been adorned by the hand of a + careful craftsman, he took off the ties, and by thus removing the latches + turned his present into a slight. This unhandsome act blemished his gift + so much that he seemed to reap hatred for it instead of thanks. Thus he + used never to be generous to any respectable man, but to spend all his + bounty upon mimes and jugglers. For so base a fellow was bound to keep + friendly company with the base, and such a slough of vices to wheedle his + partners in sin with pandering endearments. + </p> + <p> + Still Hugleik had the friendship of Geigad and Swipdag, nobles of tried + valour, who, by the lustre of their warlike deeds, shone out among their + unmanly companions like jewels embedded in ordure; these alone were found + to defend the riches of the king. When a battle began between Hugleik and + Hakon, the hordes of mimes, whose light-mindedness unsteadied their + bodies, broke their ranks and scurried off in panic; and this shameful + flight was their sole requital for all their king's benefits. Then Geigad + and Swipdag faced all those thousands of the enemy single-handed, and + fought with such incredible courage, that they seemed to do the part not + merely of two warriors, but of a whole army. Geigad, moreover, dealt + Hakon, who pressed him hard, such a wound in the breast that he exposed + the upper part of his liver. It was here that Starkad, while he was + attacking Geigad with his sword, received a very sore wound on the head; + wherefore he afterwards related in a certain song that a ghastlier wound + had never befallen him at any time; for, though the divisions of his + gashed head were bound up by the surrounding outer skin, yet the livid + unseen wound concealed a foul gangrene below. + </p> + <p> + Starkad conquered, killed Hugleik and routed the Irish; and had the actors + beaten whom chance made prisoner; thinking it better to order a pack of + buffoons to be ludicrously punished by the loss of their skins than to + command a more deadly punishment and take their lives. Thus he visited + with a disgraceful chastisement the baseborn throng of professional + jugglers, and was content to punish them with the disgusting flouts of the + lash. Then the Danes ordered that the wealth of the king should be brought + out of the treasury in the city of Dublin and publicly pillaged. For so + vast a treasure had been found that none took much pains to divide it + strictly. + </p> + <p> + After this, Starkad was commissioned, together with Win, the chief of the + Sclavs, to check the revolt of the East. They, having fought against the + armies of the Kurlanders, the Sembs, the Sangals, and, finally, all the + Easterlings, won splendid victories everywhere. + </p> + <p> + A champion of great repute, named Wisin, settled upon a rock in Russia + named Ana-fial, and harried both neighbouring and distant provinces with + all kinds of outrage. This man used to blunt the edge of every weapon by + merely looking at it. He was made so bold in consequence, by having lost + all fear of wounds, that he used to carry off the wives of distinguished + men and drag them to outrage before the eyes of their husbands. Starkad + was roused by the tale of this villainy, and went to Russia to destroy the + criminal; thinking nothing too hard to overcome, he challenged Wisin, + attacked him, made even his tricks useless to him, and slew him. For + Starkad covered his blade with a very fine skin, that it might not met the + eye of the sorcerer; and neither the power of his sleights nor his great + strength were any help to Wisin, for he had to yield to Starkad. Then + Starkad, trusting in his bodily strength, fought with and overcame a giant + at Byzantium, reputed invincible, named Tanne, and drove him to fly an + outlaw to unknown quarters of the earth. Therefore, finding that he was + too mighty for any hard fate to overcome him, he went to the country of + Poland, and conquered in a duel a champion whom our countrymen name Wasce; + but the Teutons, arranging the letters differently, call him Wilzce. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile the Saxons began to attempt a revolt, and to consider + particularly how they could destroy Frode, who was unconquered in war, by + some other way than an open conflict. Thinking that it would be best done + by a duel, they sent men to provoke the king with a challenge, knowing + that he was always ready to court any hazard, and that his high spirit + would not yield to any admonition whatever. They fancied that this was the + best time to attack him, because they knew that Starkad, whose valour most + men dreaded, was away on business. But while Frode hesitated, and said + that he would talk with his friends about the answer to be given, Starkad, + who had just returned from his sea-roving, appeared, and blamed such a + challenge, principally (he said) because it was fitting for kings to fight + only with their equals, and because they should not take up arms against + men of the people; but it was more fitting for himself, who was born in a + lowlier station, to manage the battle. + </p> + <p> + The Saxons approached Hame, who was accounted their most famous champion, + with many offers, and promised him that, if he would lend his services for + the duel they would pay him his own weight in gold. The fighter was + tempted by the money, and, with all the ovation of a military procession, + they attended him to the ground appointed for the combat. Thereupon the + Danes, decked in warlike array, led Starkad, who was to represent his + king, out to the duelling-ground. Hame, in his youthful assurance, + despised him as withered with age, and chose to grapple rather than fight + with an outworn old man. Attacking Starkad, he would have flung him + tottering to the earth, but that fortune, who would not suffer the old man + to be conquered, prevented him from being hurt. For he is said to have + been so crushed by the fist of Hame, as he dashed on him, that he touched + the earth with his chin, supporting himself on his knees. But he made up + nobly for his tottering; for, as soon as he could raise his knee and free + his hand to draw his sword, he clove Hame through the middle of the body. + Many lands and sixty bondmen apiece were the reward of the victory. + </p> + <p> + After Hame was killed in this manner the sway of the Danes over the Saxons + grew so insolent, that they were forced to pay every year a small tax for + each of their limbs that was a cubit (ell) long, in token of their + slavery. This Hanef could not bear, and he meditated war in his desire to + remove the tribute. Steadfast love of his country filled his heart every + day with greater compassion for the oppressed; and, longing to spend his + life for the freedom of his countrymen, he openly showed a disposition to + rebel. Frode took his forces over the Elbe, and killed him near the + village of Hanofra (Hanover), so named after Hanef. But Swerting, though + he was equally moved by the distress of his countrymen, said nothing about + the ills of his land, and revolved a plan for freedom with a spirit yet + more dogged than Hanef's. Men often doubt whether this zeal was liker to + vice or to virtue; but I certainly censure it as criminal, because it was + produced by a treacherous desire to revolt. It may have seemed most + expedient to seek the freedom of the country, but it was not lawful to + strive after this freedom by craft and treachery. Therefore, since the + deed of Swerting was far from honourable, neither will it be called + expedient; for it is nobler to attack openly him whom you mean to attack, + and to exhibit hatred in the light of day, than to disguise a real wish to + do harm under a spurious show of friendship. But the gains of crime are + inglorious, its fruits are brief and fading. For even as that soul is + slippery, which hides its insolent treachery by stealthy arts, so is it + right that whatsoever is akin to guilt should be frail and fleeting. For + guilt has been usually found to come home to its author; and rumour + relates that such was the fate of Swerting. For he had resolved to + surprise the king under the pretence of a banquet, and burn him to death; + but the king forestalled and slew him, though slain by him in return. + Hence the crime of one proved the destruction of both; and thus, though + the trick succeeded against the foe, it did not bestow immunity on its + author. + </p> + <p> + Frode was succeeded by his son Ingild, whose soul was perverted from + honour. He forsook the examples of his forefathers, and utterly enthralled + himself to the lures of the most wanton profligacy. Thus he had not a + shadow of goodness and righteousness, but embraced vices instead of + virtue; he cut the sinews of self-control, neglected the duties of his + kingly station, and sank into a filthy slave of riot. Indeed, he fostered + everything that was adverse or ill-fitted to an orderly life. He tainted + the glories of his father and grandfather by practising the foulest lusts, + and bedimmed the brightest honours of his ancestors by most shameful + deeds. For he was so prone to gluttony, that he had no desire to avenge + his father, or repel the aggressions of his foes; and so, could he but + gratify his gullet, he thought that decency and self-control need be + observed in nothing. By idleness and sloth he stained his glorious + lineage, living a loose and sensual life; and his soul, so degenerate, so + far perverted and astray from the steps of his fathers, he loved to plunge + into most abominable gulfs of foulness. Fowl-fatteners, scullions, + frying-pans, countless cook-houses, different cooks to roast or spice the + banquet—the choosing of these stood to him for glory. As to arms, + soldiering, and wars, he could endure neither to train himself to them, + nor to let others practise them. Thus he cast away all the ambitions of a + man and aspired to those of women; for his incontinent itching of palate + stirred in him love of every kitchen-stench. Ever breathing of his + debauch, and stripped of every rag of soberness, with his foul breath he + belched the undigested filth in his belly. He was as infamous in + wantonness as Frode was illustrious in war. So utterly had his spirit been + enfeebled by the untimely seductions of gluttony. Starkad was so disgusted + at the excess of Ingild, that he forsook his friendship, and sought the + fellowship of Halfdan, the King of Swedes, preferring work to idleness. + Thus he could not bear so much as to countenance excessive indulgence. Now + the sons of Swerting, fearing that they would have to pay to Ingild the + penalty of their father's crime, were fain to forestall his vengeance by a + gift, and gave him their sister in marriage. Antiquity relates that she + bore him sons, Frode, Fridleif, Ingild, and Olaf (whom some say was the + son of Ingild's sister). + </p> + <p> + Ingild's sister Helga had been led by amorous wooing to return the flame + of a certain low-born goldsmith, who was apt for soft words, and furnished + with divers of the little gifts which best charm a woman's wishes. For + since the death of the king there had been none to honour the virtues of + the father by attention to the child; she had lacked protection, and had + no guardians. When Starkad had learnt this from the repeated tales of + travellers, he could not bear to let the wantonness of the smith pass + unpunished. For he was always heedful to bear kindness in mind, and as + ready to punish arrogance. So he hastened to chastise such bold and + enormous insolence, wishing to repay the orphan ward the benefits he had + of old received from Frode. Then he travelled through Sweden, went into + the house of the smith, and posted himself near the threshold muffling his + face in a cap to avoid discovery. The smith, who had not learnt the lesson + that "strong hands are sometimes found under a mean garment", reviled him, + and bade him quickly leave the house, saying that he should have the last + broken victuals among the crowd of paupers. But the old man, whose + ingrained self-control lent him patience, was nevertheless fain to rest + there, and gradually study the wantonness of his host. For his reason was + stronger than his impetuosity, and curbed his increasing rage. Then the + smith approached the girl with open shamelessness, and cast himself in her + lap, offering the hair of his head to be combed out by her maidenly hands. + </p> + <p> + Also he thrust forward his loin cloth, and required her help in picking + out the fleas; and exacted from this woman of lordly lineage that she + should not blush to put her sweet fingers in a foul apron. Then, believing + that he was free to have his pleasure, he ventured to put his longing + palms within her gown and to set his unsteady hands close to her breast. + But she, looking narrowly, was aware of the presence of the old man whom + she once had known, and felt ashamed. She spurned the wanton and + libidinous fingering, and repulsed the unchaste hands, telling the man + also that he had need of arms, and urging him to cease his lewd sport. + </p> + <p> + Starkad, who had sat down by the door, with the hat muffling his head, had + already become so deeply enraged at this sight, that he could not find + patience to hold his hand any longer, but put away his covering and + clapped his right hand to his sword to draw it. Then the smith, whose only + skill was in lewdness, faltered with sudden alarm, and finding that it had + come to fighting, gave up all hope of defending himself, and saw in flight + the only remedy for his need. Thus it was as hard to break out of the + door, of which the enemy held the approach, as it was grievous to await + the smiter within the house. At last necessity forced him to put an end to + his delay, and he judged that a hazard wherein there lay but the smallest + chance of safety was more desirable than sure and manifest danger. Also, + hard as it was to fly, the danger being so close, yet he desired flight + because it seemed to bring him aid, and to be the nearer way to safety; + and he cast aside delay, which seemed to be an evil bringing not the + smallest help, but perhaps irretrievable ruin. But just as he gained the + threshold, the old man watching at the door smote him through the hams, + and there, half dead, he tottered and fell. For the smiter thought he + ought carefully to avoid lending his illustrious hands to the death of a + vile cinder-blower, and considered that ignominy would punish his + shameless passion worse than death. Thus some men think that he who + suffers misfortune is worse punished than he who is slain outright. Thus + it was brought about, that the maiden, who had never had parents to tend + her, came to behave like a woman of well-trained nature, and did the part, + as it were, of a zealous guardian to herself. And when Starkad, looking + round, saw that the household sorrowed over the late loss of their master, + he heaped shame on the wounded man with more invective, and thus began to + mock: + </p> + <p> + "Why is the house silent and aghast? What makes this new grief? Or where + now rest that doting husband whom the steel has just punished for his + shameful love? Keeps he still aught of his pride and lazy wantonness? + Holds he to his quest, glows his lust as hot as before? Let him while away + an hour with me in converse, and allay with friendly words my hatred of + yesterday. Let your visage come forth with better cheer; let not + lamentation resound in the house, or suffer the faces to become dulled + with sorrow. + </p> + <p> + "Wishing to know who burned with love for the maiden, and was deeply + enamoured of my beloved ward, I put on a cap, lest my familiar face might + betray me. Then comes in that wanton smith, with lewd steps, bending his + thighs this way and that with studied gesture, and likewise making eyes as + he ducked all ways. His covering was a mantle fringed with beaver, his + sandals were inlaid with gems, his cloak was decked with gold. Gorgeous + ribbons bound his plaited hair, and a many-coloured band drew tight his + straying locks. Hence grew a sluggish and puffed-up temper; he fancied + that wealth was birth, and money forefathers, and reckoned his fortune + more by riches than by blood. Hence came pride unto him, and arrogance led + to fine attire. For the wretch began to think that his dress made him + equal to the high-born; he, the cinder-blower, who hunts the winds with + hides, and puffs with constant draught, who rakes the ashes with his + fingers, and often by drawing back the bellows takes in the air, and with + a little fan makes a breath and kindles the smouldering fires! Then he + goes to the lap of the girl, and leaning close, says, `Maiden, comb my + hair and catch the skipping fleas, and remove what stings my skin.' Then + he sat and spread his arms that sweated under the gold, lolling on the + smooth cushion and leaning back on his elbow, wishing to flaunt his + adornment, just as a barking brute unfolds the gathered coils of its + twisted tail. But she knew me, and began to check her lover and rebuff his + wanton hands; and, declaring that it was I, she said, `Refrain thy + fingers, check thy promptings, take heed to appease the old man sitting + close by the doors. The sport will turn to sorrow. I think Starkad is + here, and his slow gaze scans thy doings.' The smith answered: `Turn not + pale at the peaceful raven and the ragged old man; never has that mighty + one whom thou fearest stooped to such common and base attire. The strong + man loves shining raiment, and looks for clothes to match his courage.' + Then I uncovered and drew my sword, and as the smith fled I clove his + privy parts; his hams were laid open, cut away from the bone; they showed + his entrails. Presently I rise and crush the girl's mouth with my fist, + and draw blood from her bruised nostril. Then her lips, used to evil + laughter, were wet with tears mingled with blood, and foolish love paid + for all the sins it committed with soft eyes. Over is the sport of the + hapless woman who rushed on, blind with desire, like a maddened mare, and + makes her lust the grave of her beauty. Thou deservest to be sold for a + price to foreign peoples and to grind at the mill, unless blood pressed + from thy breasts prove thee falsely accused, and thy nipple's lack of milk + clear thee of the crime. Howbeit, I think thee free from this fault; yet + bear not tokens of suspicion, nor lay thyself open to lying tongues, nor + give thyself to the chattering populace to gird at. Rumour hurts many, and + a lying slander often harms. A little word deceives the thoughts of common + men. Respect thy grandsires, honour thy fathers, forget not thy parents, + value thy forefathers; let thy flesh and blood keep its fame. What madness + came on thee? And thou, shameless smith, what fate drove thee in thy lust + to attempt a high-born race? Or who sped thee, maiden, worthy of the + lordliest pillows, to loves obscure? Tell me, how durst thou taste with + thy rosy lips a mouth reeking of ashes, or endure on thy breast hands + filthy with charcoal, or bring close to thy side the arms that turn the + live coals over, and put the palms hardened with the use of the tongs to + thy pure cheeks, and embrace the head sprinkled with embers, taking it to + thy bright arms? + </p> + <p> + "I remember how smiths differ from one another, for once they smote me. + All share alike the name of their calling, but the hearts beneath are + different in temper. I judge those best who weld warriors' swords and + spears for the battle, whose temper shows their courage, who betoken their + hearts by the sternness of their calling, whose work declares their + prowess. There are also some to whom the hollow mould yields bronze, as + they make the likeness of divers things in molten gold, who smelt the + veins and recast the metal. But Nature has fashioned these of a softer + temper, and has crushed with cowardice the hands which she has gifted with + rare skill. Often such men, while the heat of the blast melts the bronze + that is poured in the mould, craftily filch flakes of gold from the lumps, + when the vessel thirsts after the metal they have stolen." + </p> + <p> + So speaking, Starkad got as much pleasure from his words as from his + works, and went back to Halfdan, embracing his service with the closest + friendship, and never ceasing from the exercise of war; so that he weaned + his mind from delights, and vexed it with incessant application to arms. + </p> + <p> + Now Ingild had two sisters, Helga and Asa; Helga was of full age to marry, + while Asa was younger and unripe for wedlock. Then Helge the Norwegian was + moved with desire to ask for Helga for his wife, and embarked. Now he had + equipped his vessel so luxuriously that he had lordly sails decked with + gold, held up also on gilded masts, and tied with crimson ropes. When he + arrived Ingild promised to grant him his wish if, to test his reputation + publicly, he would first venture to meet in battle the champions pitted + against him. Helge did not flinch at the terms; he answered that he would + most gladly abide by the compact. And so the troth-plight of the future + marriage was most ceremoniously solemnized. + </p> + <p> + A story is remembered that there had grown up at the same time, on the + Isle of Zealand, the nine sons of a certain prince, all highly gifted with + strength and valour, the eldest of whom was Anganty. This last was a rival + suitor for the same maiden; and when he saw that the match which he had + been denied was promised to Helge, he challenged him to a struggle, + wishing to fight away his vexation. Helge agreed to the proposed combat. + The hour of the fight was appointed for the wedding-day by the common wish + of both. For any man who, being challenged, refused to fight, used to be + covered with disgrace in the sight of all men. Thus Helge was tortured on + the one side by the shame of refusing the battle, on the other by the + dread of waging it. For he thought himself attacked unfairly and counter + to the universal laws of combat, as he had apparently undertaken to fight + nine men single-handed. While he was thus reflecting his betrothed told + him that he would need help, and counselled him to refrain from the + battle, wherein it seemed he would encounter only death and disgrace, + especially as he had not stipulated for any definite limit to the number + of those who were to be his opponents. He should therefore avoid the + peril, and consult his safety by appealing to Starkad, who was sojourning + among the Swedes; since it was his way to help the distressed, and often + to interpose successfully to retrieve some dismal mischance. + </p> + <p> + Then Helge, who liked the counsel thus given very well, took a small + escort and went into Sweden; and when he reached its most famous city, + Upsala, he forbore to enter, but sent in a messenger who was to invite + Starkad to the wedding of Frode's daughter, after first greeting him + respectfully to try him. This courtesy stung Starkad like an insult. He + looked sternly on the youth, and said, "That had he not had his beloved + Frode named in his instructions, he should have paid dearly for his + senseless mission. He must think that Starkad, like some buffoon or + trencherman, was accustomed to rush off to the reek of a distant kitchen + for the sake of a richer diet." Helge, when his servant had told him this, + greeted the old man in the name of Frode's daughter, and asked him to + share a battle which he had accepted upon being challenged, saying that he + was not equal to it by himself, the terms of the agreement being such as + to leave the number of his adversaries uncertain. Starkad, when he had + heard the time and place of the combat, not only received the suppliant + well, but also encouraged him with the offer of aid, and told him to go + back to Denmark with his companions, telling him that he would find his + way to him by a short and secret path. Helge departed, and if we may trust + report, Starkad, by sheer speed of foot, travelled in one day's journeying + over as great a space as those who went before him are said to have + accomplished in twelve; so that both parties, by a chance meeting, reached + their journey's end, the palace of Ingild, at the very same time. Here + Starkad passed, just as the servants did, along the tables filled with + guests; and the aforementioned nine, howling horribly with repulsive + gestures, and running about as if they were on the stage, encouraged one + another to the battle. Some say that they barked like furious dogs at the + champion as he approached. Starkad rebuked them for making themselves look + ridiculous with such an unnatural visage, and for clowning with wide + grinning cheeks; for from this, he declared, soft and effeminate + profligates derived their wanton incontinence. When Starkad was asked + banteringly by the nine whether he had valour enough to fight, he answered + that doubtless he was strong enough to meet, not merely one, but any + number that might come against him. And when the nine heard this they + understood that this was the man whom they had heard would come to the + succour of Helge from afar. Starkad also, to protect the bride-chamber + with a more diligent guard, voluntarily took charge of the watch; and, + drawing back the doors of the bedroom, barred them with a sword instead of + a bolt, meaning to post himself so as to give undisturbed quiet to their + bridal. + </p> + <p> + When Helge woke, and, shaking off the torpor of sleep, remembered his + pledge, he thought of buckling on his armour. But, seeing that a little of + the darkness of night yet remained, and wishing to wait for the hour of + dawn, he began to ponder the perilous business at hand, when sleep stole + on him and sweetly seized him, so that he took himself back to bed laden + with slumber. Starkad, coming in on him at daybreak, saw him locked asleep + in the arms of his wife, and would not suffer him to be vexed with a + sudden shock, or summoned from his quiet slumbers; lest he should seem to + usurp the duty of wakening him and breaking upon the sweetness of so new a + union, all because of cowardice. He thought it, therefore, more handsome + to meet the peril alone than to gain a comrade by disturbing the pleasure + of another. So he quietly retraced his steps, and scorning his enemies, + entered the field which in our tongue is called Roliung, and finding a + seat under the slope of a certain hill, he exposed himself to wind and + snow. Then, as though the gentle airs of spring weather were breathing + upon him, he put off his cloak, and set to picking out the fleas. He also + cast on the briars a purple mantle which Helga had lately given him, that + no clothing might seem to lend him shelter against the raging shafts of + hail. Then the champions came and climbed the hill on the opposite side; + and, seeking a spot sheltered from the winds wherein to sit, they lit a + fire and drove off the cold. At last, not seeing Starkad, they sent a man + to the crest of the hill, to watch his coming more clearly, as from a + watch-tower. This man climbed to the top of the lofty mountain, and saw, + on its sloping side, an old man covered shoulder-high with the snow that + showered down. He asked him if he was the man who was to fight according + to the promise. Starkad declared that he was. Then the rest came up and + asked him whether he had resolved to meet them all at once or one by one. + But he said, "Whenever a surly pack of curs yelps at me, I commonly send + them flying all at once, and not in turn." Thus he let them know that he + would rather fight with-them all together than one by one, thinking that + his enemies should be spurned with words first and deeds afterwards. + </p> + <p> + The fight began furiously almost immediately, and he felled six of them + without receiving any wound in return; and though the remaining three + wounded him so hard in seventeen places that most of his bowels gushed out + of his belly, he slew them notwithstanding, like their brethren. + Disembowelled, with failing strength, he suffered from dreadful straits of + thirst, and, crawling on his knees in his desire to find a draught, he + longed for water from the streamlet that ran close by. But when he saw it + was tainted with gore he was disgusted at the look of the water, and + refrained from its infected draught. For Anganty had been struck down in + the waves of the river, and had dyed its course so deep with his red blood + that it seemed now to flow not with water, but with some ruddy liquid. So + Starkad thought it nobler that his bodily strength should fail than that + he should borrow strength from so foul a beverage. Therefore, his force + being all but spent, he wriggled on his knees, up to a rock that happened + to be lying near, and for some little while lay leaning against it. A + hollow in its surface is still to be seen, just as if his weight as he lay + had marked it with a distinct impression of his body. But I think this + appearance is due to human handiwork, for it seems to pass all belief that + the hard and uncleavable rock should so imitate the softness of wax, as, + merely by the contact of a man leaning on it, to present the appearance of + a man having sat there, and assume concavity for ever. + </p> + <p> + A certain man, who chanced to be passing by in a cart, saw Starkad wounded + almost all over his body. Equally aghast and amazed, he turned and drove + closer, asking what reward he should have if he were to tend and heal his + wounds. But Starkad would rather be tortured by grievous wounds than use + the service of a man of base estate, and first asked his birth and + calling. The man said that his profession was that of a sergeant. Starkad, + not content with despising him, also spurned him with revilings, because, + neglecting all honourable business, he followed the calling of a + hanger-on; and because he had tarnished his whole career with ill repute, + thinking the losses of the poor his own gains; suffering none to be + innocent, ready to inflict wrongful accusation upon all men, most + delighted at any lamentable turn in the fortunes of another; and toiling + most at his own design, namely of treacherously spying out all men's + doings, and seeking some traitorous occasion to censure the character of + the innocent. + </p> + <p> + As this first man departed, another came up, promising aid and remedies. + Like the last comer, he was bidden to declare his condition; and he said + that he had a certain man's handmaid to wife, and was doing peasant + service to her master in order to set her free. Starkad refused to accept + his help, because he had married in a shameful way by taking a slave to + his embrace. Had he had a shred of virtue he should at least have + disdained to be intimate with the slave of another, but should have + enjoyed some freeborn partner of his bed. What a mighty man, then, must we + deem Starkad, who, when enveloped in the most deadly perils, showed + himself as great in refusing aid as in receiving wounds! + </p> + <p> + When this man departed a woman chanced to approach and walk past the old + man. She came up to him in order to wipe his wounds, but was first bidden + to declare what was her birth and calling. She said that she was a + handmaid used to grinding at the mill. Starkad then asked her if she had + children; and when he was told that she had a female child, he told her to + go home and give the breast to her squalling daughter; for he thought it + most uncomely that he should borrow help from a woman of the lowest + degree. Moreover, he knew that she could nourish her own flesh and blood + with milk better than she could minister to the wounds of a stranger. + </p> + <p> + As the woman was departing, a young man came riding up in a cart. He saw + the old man, and drew near to minister to his wounds. On being asked who + he was, he said his father was a labourer, and added that he was used to + the labours of a peasant. Starkad praised his origin, and pronounced that + his calling was also most worthy of honour; for, he said, such men sought + a livelihood by honourable traffic in their labour, inasmuch as they knew + not of any gain, save what they had earned by the sweat of their brow. He + also thought that a country life was justly to be preferred even to the + most splendid riches; for the most wholesome fruits of it seemed to be + born and reared in the shelter of a middle estate, halfway between + magnificence and squalor. But he did not wish to pass the kindness of the + youth unrequited, and rewarded the esteem he had shown him with the mantle + he had cast among the thorns. So the peasant's son approached, replaced + the parts of his belly that had been torn away, and bound up with a plait + of withies the mass of intestines that had fallen out. Then he took the + old man to his car, and with the most zealous respect carried him away to + the palace. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Helga, in language betokening the greatest wariness, began to + instruct her husband, saying that she knew that Starkad, as soon as he + came back from conquering the champions, would punish him for his absence, + thinking that he had inclined more to sloth and lust than to his promise + to fight as appointed. Therefore he must withstand Starkad boldly, because + he always spared the brave but loathed the coward. Helge respected equally + her prophecy and her counsel, and braced his soul and body with a glow of + valorous enterprise. Starkad, when he had been driven to the palace, + heedless of the pain of his wounds, leaped swiftly out of the cart, and + just like a man who was well from top to toe, burst into the + bridal-chamber, shattering the doors with his fist. Then Helge leapt from + his bed, and, as he had been taught by the counsel of his wife, plunged + his blade full at Starkad's forehead. And since he seemed to be meditating + a second blow, and to be about to make another thrust with his sword, + Helga flew quickly from the couch, caught up a shield, and, by interposing + it, saved the old man from impending destruction; for, notwithstanding, + Helge with a stronger stroke of his blade smote the shield right through + to the boss. Thus the praiseworthy wit of the woman aided her friend, and + her hand saved him whom her counsel had injured; for she protected the old + man by her deed, as well as her husband by her warning. Starkad was + induced by this to let Helge go scot-free; saying that a man whose ready + and assured courage so surely betokened manliness, ought to be spared; for + he vowed that a man ill deserved death whose brave spirit was graced with + such a dogged will to resist. + </p> + <p> + Starkad went back to Sweden before his wounds had been treated with + medicine, or covered with a single scar. Halfdan had been killed by his + rivals; and Starkad, after quelling certain rebels, set up Siward as the + heir to his father's sovereignty. With him he sojourned a long time; but + when he heard—for the rumour spread—that Ingild, the son of + Frode (who had been treacherously slain), was perversely minded, and + instead of punishing his father's murderers, bestowed upon them kindness + and friendship, he was vexed with stinging wrath at so dreadful a crime. + And, resenting that a youth of such great parts should have renounced his + descent from his glorious father, he hung on his shoulders a mighty mass + of charcoal, as though it were some costly burden, and made his way to + Denmark. When asked by those he met why he was taking along so unusual a + load, he said that he would sharpen the dull wits of King Ingild to a + point by bits of charcoal. So he accomplished a swift and headlong + journey, as though at a single breath, by a short and speedy track; and at + last, becoming the guest of Ingild, he went up, as his custom was, in to + the seat appointed for the great men; for he had been used to occupy the + highest post of distinction with the kings of the last generation. + </p> + <p> + When the queen came in, and saw him covered over with filth and clad in + the mean, patched clothes of a peasant, the ugliness of her guest's dress + made her judge him with little heed; and, measuring the man by the + clothes, she reproached him with crassness of wit, because he had gone + before greater men in taking his place at table, and had assumed a seat + that was too good for his boorish attire. She bade him quit the place, + that he might not touch the cushions with his dress, which was fouler than + it should have been. For she put down to crassness and brazenness what + Starkad only did from proper pride; she knew not that on a high seat of + honour the mind sometimes shines brighter than the raiment. The spirited + old man obeyed, though vexed at the rebuff, and with marvellous + self-control choked down the insult which his bravery so ill deserved; + uttering at this disgrace he had received neither word nor groan. But he + could not long bear to hide the bitterness of his anger in silence. + Rising, and retreating to the furthest end of the palace, he flung his + body against the walls; and strong as they were, he so battered them with + the shock, that the beams quaked mightily; and he nearly brought the house + down in a crash. Thus, stung not only with his rebuff, but with the shame + of having poverty cast in his teeth, he unsheathed his wrath against the + insulting speech of the queen with inexorable sternness. + </p> + <p> + Ingild, on his return from hunting, scanned him closely, and, when he + noticed that he neither looked cheerfully about, nor paid him the respect + of rising, saw by the sternness written on his brow that it was Starkad. + For when he noted his hands horny with fighting, his scars in front, the + force and fire of his eye, he perceived that a man whose body was seamed + with so many traces of wounds had no weakling soul. He therefore rebuked + his wife, and charged her roundly to put away her haughty tempers, and to + soothe and soften with kind words and gentle offices the man she had + reviled; to comfort him with food and drink, and refresh him with kindly + converse; saying, that this man had been appointed his tutor by his father + long ago, and had been a most tender guardian of his childhood. Then, + learning too late the temper of the old man, she turned her harshness into + gentleness, and respectfully waited on him whom she had rebuffed and + railed at with bitter revilings. The angry hostess changed her part, and + became the most fawning of flatterers. She wished to check his anger with + her attentiveness; and her fault was the less, inasmuch as she was so + quick in ministering to him after she had been chidden. But she paid + dearly for it, for she presently beheld stained with the blood of her + brethren the place where she had flouted and rebuffed the brave old man + from his seat. + </p> + <p> + Now, in the evening, Ingild took his meal with the sons of Swerting, and + fell to a magnificent feast, loading the tables with the profusest dishes. + With friendly invitation he kept the old man back from leaving the revel + too early; as though the delights of elaborate dainties could have + undermined that staunch and sturdy virtue! But when Starkad had set eyes + on these things, he scorned so wanton a use of them; and, not to give way + a whit to foreign fashions, he steeled his appetite against these tempting + delicacies with the self-restraint which was his greatest strength. He + would not suffer his repute as a soldier to be impaired by the allurements + of an orgy. For his valour loved thrift, and was a stranger to all + superfluity of food, and averse to feasting in excess. For his was a + courage which never at any moment had time to make luxury of aught + account, and always forewent pleasure to pay due heed to virtue. So, when + he saw that the antique character of self-restraint, and all good old + customs, were being corrupted by new-fangled luxury and sumptuosity, he + wished to be provided with a morsel fitter for a peasant, and scorned the + costly and lavish feast. + </p> + <p> + Spurning profuse indulgence in food, Starkad took some smoky and rather + rancid fare, appeasing his hunger with a bitter relish because more + simply; and being unwilling to enfeeble his true valour with the tainted + sweetness of sophisticated foreign dainties, or break the rule of antique + plainness by such strange idolatries of the belly. He was also very wroth + that they should go, to the extravagance of having the same meat both + roasted and boiled at the same meal; for he considered an eatable which + was steeped in the vapours of the kitchen, and which the skill of the cook + rubbed over with many kinds of flavours, in the light of a monstrosity. + </p> + <p> + Unlike Starkad Ingild flung the example of his ancestors to the winds, and + gave himself freer licence of innovation in the fashions of the table than + the custom of his fathers allowed. For when he had once abandoned himself + to the manners of Teutonland, he did not blush to yield to its unmanly + wantonness. No slight incentives to debauchery have flowed down our + country's throat from that sink of a land. Hence came magnificent dishes, + sumptuous kitchens, the base service of cooks, and all sorts of abominable + sausages. Hence came our adoption, wandering from the ways of our fathers, + of a more dissolute dress. Thus our country, which cherished + self-restraint as its native quality, has gone begging to our neighbours + for luxury; whose allurements so charmed Ingild, that he did not think it + shameful to requite wrongs with kindness; nor did the grievous murder of + his father make him heave one sigh of bitterness when it crossed his mind. + </p> + <p> + But the queen would not depart without effecting her purpose. Thinking + that presents would be the best way to banish the old man's anger, she + took off her own head a band of marvellous handiwork, and put it in his + lap as he supped: desiring to buy his favour since she could not blunt his + courage. But Starkad, whose bitter resentment was not yet abated, flung it + back in the face of the giver, thinking that in such a gift there was more + scorn than respect. And he was wise not to put this strange ornament of + female dress upon the head that was all bescarred and used to the helmet; + for he knew that the locks of a man ought not to wear a woman's head-band. + Thus he avenged slight with slight, and repaid with retorted scorn the + disdain he had received; thereby bearing himself well-nigh as nobly in + avenging his disgrace as he had borne himself in enduring it. + </p> + <p> + To the soul of Starkad reverence for Frode was grappled with hooks of + love. Drawn to him by deeds of bounty, countless kindnesses, he could not + be wheedled into giving up his purpose of revenge by any sort of alluring + complaisance. Even now, when Frode was no more, he was eager to pay the + gratitude due to his benefits, and to requite the kindness of the dead, + whose loving disposition and generous friendship he had experienced while + he lived. For he bore graven so deeply in his heart the grievous picture + of Frode's murder, that his honour for that most famous captain could + never be plucked from the inmost chamber of his soul; and therefore he did + not hesitate to rank his ancient friendship before the present kindness. + Besides, when he recalled the previous affront, he could not thank the + complaisance that followed; he could not put aside the disgraceful wound + to his self-respect. For the memory of benefits or injuries ever sticks + more firmly in the minds of brave men than in those of weaklings. For he + had not the habits of those who follow their friends in prosperity and + quit them in adversity, who pay more regard to fortune than to looks, and + sit closer to their own gain than to charity toward others. + </p> + <p> + But the woman held to her purpose, seeing that even so she could not win + the old man to convivial mirth. Continuing with yet more lavish courtesy + her efforts to soothe him, and to heap more honours on the guest, she bade + a piper strike up, and started music to melt his unbending rage. For she + wanted to unnerve his stubborn nature by means of cunning sounds. But the + cajolery of pipe or string was just as powerless to enfeeble that dogged + warrior. When he heard it, he felt that the respect paid him savoured more + of pretence than of love. Hence the crestfallen performer seemed to be + playing to a statue rather than a man, and learnt that it is vain for + buffoons to assail with, their tricks a settled and weighty sternness, and + that a mighty mass cannot be shaken with the idle puffing of the lips. For + Starkad had set his face so firmly in his stubborn wrath, that he seemed + not a whit easier to move than ever. For the inflexibility which he owed + his vows was not softened either by the strain of the lute or the + enticements of the palate; and he thought that more respect should be paid + to his strenuous and manly purpose than to the tickling of the ears or the + lures of the feast. Accordingly he flung the bone, which he had stripped + in eating the meat, in the face of the harlequin, and drove the wind + violently out of his puffed cheeks, so that they collapsed. By this he + showed how his austerity loathed the clatter of the stage; for his ears + were stopped with anger and open to no influence of delight. This reward, + befitting an actor, punished an unseemly performance with a shameful wage. + For Starkad excellently judged the man's deserts, and bestowed a shankbone + for the piper to pipe on, requiting his soft service with a hard fee. None + could say whether the actor piped or wept the louder; he showed by his + bitter flood of tears how little place bravery has in the breasts of the + dissolute. For the fellow was a mere minion of pleasure, and had never + learnt to bear the assaults of calamity. This man's hurt was ominous of + the carnage that was to follow at the feast. Right well did Starkad's + spirit, heedful of sternness, hold with stubborn gravity to steadfast + revenge; for he was as much disgusted at the lute as others were + delighted, and repaid the unwelcome service by insultingly flinging a + bone; thus avowing that he owed a greater debt to the glorious dust of his + mighty friend than to his shameless and infamous ward. + </p> + <p> + But when Starkad saw that the slayers of Frode were in high favour with + the king, his stern glances expressed the mighty wrath which he harboured, + and his face betrayed what he felt. The visible fury of his gaze betokened + the secret tempest in his heart. At last, when Ingild tried to appease him + with royal fare, he spurned the dainty. Satisfied with cheap and common + food, he utterly spurned outlandish delicacies; he was used to plain diet, + and would not pamper his palate with any delightful flavour. When he was + asked why he had refused the generous attention of the king with such a + clouded brow, he said that he had come to Denmark to find the son of + Frode, not a man who crammed his proud and gluttonous stomach with rich + elaborate feasts. For the Teuton extravagance which the king favoured had + led him, in his longing for the pleasures of abundance, to set to the fire + again, for roasting, dishes which had been already boiled. Thereupon he + could not forbear from attacking Ingild's character, but poured out the + whole bitterness of his reproaches on his head. He condemned his unfilial + spirit, because he gaped with repletion and vented his squeamishness in + filthy hawkings; because, following the lures of the Saxons, he strayed + and departed far from soberness; because he was so lacking in manhood as + not to pursue even the faintest shadow of it. But, declared Starkad, he + bore the heaviest load of infamy, because, even when he first began to see + service, he forgot to avenge his father, to whose butchers, forsaking the + law of nature, he was kind and attentive. Men whose deserts were most vile + he welcomed with loving affection; and not only did he let those go + scot-free, whom he should have punished most sharply, but he even judged + them fit persons to live with and entertain at his table, whereas he + should rather have put them to death. Hereupon Starkad is also said to + have sung as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Let the unwarlike youth yield to the aged, let him honour all the years + of him that is old. When a man is brave, let none reproach the number of + his days. + </p> + <p> + "Though the hair of the ancient whiten with age, their valour stays still + the same; nor shall the lapse of time have power to weaken their manly + heart. + </p> + <p> + "I am elbowed away by the offensive guest, who taints with vice his + outward show of goodness, whilst he is the slave of his belly and prefers + his daily dainties to anything. + </p> + <p> + "When I was counted as a comrade of Frode, I ever sat in the midst of + warriors on a high seat in the hall, and I was the first of the princes to + take my meal. + </p> + <p> + "Now, the lot of a nobler age is reversed; I am shut in a corner, I am + like the fish that seeks shelter as it wanders to and fro hidden in the + waters. + </p> + <p> + "I, who used surely in the former age to lie back on a couch handsomely + spread, am now thrust among the hindmost and driven from the crowded hall. + </p> + <p> + "Perchance I had been driven on my back at the doors, had not the wall + struck my side and turned me back, and had not the beam, in the way made + it hard for me to fly when I was thrust forth. + </p> + <p> + "I am baited with the jeers of the court-folk; I am not received as a + guest should be; I am girded at with harsh gibing, and stung with babbling + taunts. + </p> + <p> + "I am a stranger, and would gladly know what news are spread abroad by + busy rumour; what is the course of events; what the order of the land; + what is doing in your country. + </p> + <p> + "Thou, Ingild, buried in sin, why dost thou tarry in the task of avenging + thy father? Wilt thou think tranquilly of the slaughter of thy righteous + sire? + </p> + <p> + "Why dost thou, sluggard, think only of feasting, and lean thy belly back + in ease, more effeminate than harlots? Is the avenging of thy slaughtered + father a little thing to thee? + </p> + <p> + "When last I left thee, Frode, I learned by my prophetic soul that thou, + mightiest of kings, wouldst surely perish by the sword of enemies. + </p> + <p> + "And while I travelled long in the land, a warning groan rose in my soul, + which augured that thereafter I was never to see thee more. + </p> + <p> + "Wo is me, that then I was far away, harrying the farthest peoples of the + earth, when the traitorous guest aimed craftily at the throat of his king. + </p> + <p> + "Else I would either have shown myself the avenger of my lord, or have + shared his fate and fallen where he fell, and would joyfully have followed + the blessed king in one and the same death. + </p> + <p> + "I have not come to indulge in gluttonous feasting, the sin whereof I will + strive to chastise; nor will I take mine ease, nor the delights of the fat + belly. + </p> + <p> + "No famous king has ever set me before in the middle by the strangers. I + have been wont to sit in the highest seats among friends. + </p> + <p> + "I have come from Sweden, travelling over wide lands, thinking that I + should be rewarded, if only I had the joy to find the son of my beloved + Frode. + </p> + <p> + "But I sought a brave man, and I have come to a glutton, a king who is the + slave of his belly and of vice, whose liking has been turned back towards + wantonness by filthy pleasure. + </p> + <p> + "Famous is the speech men think that Halfdan spoke: he warned us it would + soon come to pass that an understanding father should beget a witless son. + </p> + <p> + "Though the heir be deemed degenerate, I will not suffer the wealth of + mighty Frode to profit strangers or to be made public like plunder." + </p> + <p> + At these words the queen trembled, and she took from her head the ribbon + with which she happened, in woman's fashion, to be adorning her hair, and + proffered it to the enraged old man, as though she could avert his anger + with a gift. Starkad in anger flung it back most ignominiously in the face + of the giver, and began again in a loud voice: + </p> + <p> + "Take hence, I pray thee, thy woman's gift, and set back thy headgear on + thy head; no brave man assumes the chaplets that befit Love only. + </p> + <p> + "For it is amiss that the hair of men that are ready for battle should be + bound back with wreathed gold; such attire is right for the throngs of the + soft and effeminate. + </p> + <p> + "But take this gift to thy husband, who loves luxury, whose finger itches, + while he turns over the rump and handles the flesh of the bird roasted + brown. + </p> + <p> + "The flighty and skittish wife of Ingild longs to observe the fashions of + the Teutons; she prepares the orgy and makes ready the artificial + dainties. + </p> + <p> + "For she tickles the palate with a new-fangled feast; she pursues the zest + of an unknown flavour, raging to load all the tables with dishes yet more + richly than before. + </p> + <p> + "She gives her lord wine to drink in bowls, pondering all things with + zealous preparation; she bids the cooked meats be roasted, and intends + them for a second fire. + </p> + <p> + "Wantonly she feeds her husband like a hog; a shameless whore, + trusting.... + </p> + <p> + "She roasts the boiled, and recooks the roasted meats, planning the meal + with spendthrift extravagance, careless of right and wrong, practising + sin, a foul woman. + </p> + <p> + "Wanton in arrogance, a soldier of Love, longing for dainties, she abjures + the fair ways of self-control, and also provides devices for gluttony. + </p> + <p> + "With craving stomach she desires turnip strained in a smooth pan, cakes + with thin juice, and shellfish in rows. + </p> + <p> + "I do not remember the Great Frode putting his hand to the sinews of + birds, or tearing the rump of a cooked fowl with crooked thumb. + </p> + <p> + "What former king could have been so gluttonous as to stir the stinking + filthy flesh, or rummage in the foul back of a bird with plucking fingers? + </p> + <p> + "The food of valiant men is raw; no need, methinks, of sumptuous tables + for those whose stubborn souls are bent on warfare. + </p> + <p> + "It had been fitter for thee to have torn the stiff beard, biting hard + with thy teeth, than greedily to have drained the bowl of milk with thy + wide mouth. + </p> + <p> + "We fled from the offence of the sumptuous kitchen; we stayed our stomach + with rancid fare; few in the old days loved cooked juices. + </p> + <p> + "A dish with no sauce of herbs gave us the flesh of rams and swine. We + partook temperately, tainting nothing with bold excess. + </p> + <p> + "Thou who now lickest the milk-white fat, put on, prithee, the spirit of a + man; remember Frode, and avenge thy father's death. + </p> + <p> + "The worthless and cowardly heart shall perish, and shall not parry the + thrust of death by flight, though it bury itself in a valley, or crouch in + darkling dens. + </p> + <p> + "Once we were eleven princes, devoted followers of King Hakon, and here + Geigad sat above Helge in the order of the meal. + </p> + <p> + "Geigad used to appease the first pangs of hunger with a dry rump of ham; + and plenty of hard crust quelled the craving of his stomach. + </p> + <p> + "No one asked for a sickly morsel; all took their food in common; the meal + of mighty men cost but slight display. + </p> + <p> + "The commons shunned foreign victual, and the greatest lusted not for a + feast; even the king remembered to live temperately at little cost. + </p> + <p> + "Scorning to look at the mead, he drank the fermented juice of Ceres; he + shrank not from the use of undercooked meats, and hated the roast. + </p> + <p> + "The board used to stand with slight display, a modest salt-cellar showed + the measure of its cost; lest the wise ways of antiquity should in any + wise be changed by foreign usage. + </p> + <p> + "Of old, no man put flagons or mixing-bowls on the tables; the steward + filled the cup from the butt, and there was no abundance of adorned + vessels. + </p> + <p> + "No one who honoured past ages put the smooth wine-jars beside the + tankards, and of old no bedizened lackey heaped the platter with dainties. + </p> + <p> + "Nor did the vainglorious host deck the meal with little salt-shell or + smooth cup; but all has been now abolished in shameful wise by the + new-fangled manners. + </p> + <p> + "Who would ever have borne to take money in ransom for the death of a lost + parent, or to have asked a foe for a gift to atone for the murder of a + father? + </p> + <p> + "What strong heir or well-starred son would have sat side by side with + such as these, letting a shameful bargain utterly unnerve the warrior? + </p> + <p> + "Wherefore, when the honours of kings are sung, and bards relate the + victories of captains, I hide my face for shame in my mantle, sick at + heart. + </p> + <p> + "For nothing shines in thy trophies, worthy to be recorded by the pen; no + heir of Frode is named in the roll of the honourable. + </p> + <p> + "Why dost thou vex me with insolent gaze, thou who honourest the foe + guilty of thy father's blood, and art thought only to take thy vengeance + with loaves and warm soup? + </p> + <p> + "When men speak well of the avengers of crimes, then long thou to lose thy + quick power of hearing, that thy impious spirit may not be ashamed. + </p> + <p> + "For oft has the virtue of another vexed a heart that knows its guilt, and + the malice in the breast is abashed by the fair report of the good. + </p> + <p> + "Though thou go to the East, or live sequestered in the countries of the + West, or whether, driven thence, thou seek the midmost place of the earth; + </p> + <p> + "Whether thou revisit the cold quarter of the heaven where the pole is to + be seen, and carries on the sphere with its swift spin, and looks down + upon the neighbouring Bear; + </p> + <p> + "Shame shall accompany thee far, and shall smite thy countenance with + heavy disgrace, when the united assembly of the great kings is taking + pastime. + </p> + <p> + "Since everlasting dishonour awaits thee, thou canst not come amidst the + ranks of the famous; and in every clime thou shalt pass thy days in + infamy. + </p> + <p> + "The fates have given Frode an offspring born into the world when gods + were adverse, whose desires have been enthralled by crime and ignoble + lust. + </p> + <p> + "Even as in a ship all things foul gather to the filthy hollow of the + bilge, even so hath a flood of vices poured into Ingild. + </p> + <p> + "Therefore, in terror of thy shame being published, thou shalt lie crushed + in the corners of the land, sluggish on thy foul hearth, and never to be + seen in the array of the famous. + </p> + <p> + "Then shalt thou shake thy beard at thine evil fate, kept down by the + taunts of thy mistresses, when thy paramour galls thy ear with her + querulous cries. + </p> + <p> + "Since chill fear retards thy soul, and thou dreadest to become the + avenger of thy sire, thou art utterly degenerate, and thy ways are like a + slave's. + </p> + <p> + "It would have needed scant preparation to destroy thee; even as if a man + should catch and cut the throat of a kid, or slit the weazand of a soft + sheep and butcher it. + </p> + <p> + "Behold, a son of the tyrant Swerting shall take the inheritance of + Denmark after thee; he whose slothful sister thou keepest in infamous + union. + </p> + <p> + "Whilst thou delightest to honour thy bride, laden with gems and shining + in gold apparel, we burn with all indignation that is linked with shame, + lamenting thy infamies. + </p> + <p> + "When thou art stirred by furious lust, our mind is troubled, and recalls + the fashion of ancient times, and bids us grieve sorely. + </p> + <p> + "For we rate otherwise than thou the crime of the foes whom now thou + holdest in honour; wherefore the face of this age is a burden to me, + remembering the ancient ways. + </p> + <p> + "I would crave no greater blessing, O Frode, if I might see those guilty + of thy murder duly punished for such a crime." + </p> + <p> + Now he prevailed so well by this stirring counsel, that his reproach + served like a flint wherewith to strike a blazing flame of valour in the + soul that had been chill and slack. For the king had at first heard the + song inattentively; but, stirred by the earnest admonition of his + guardian, he conceived in his heart a tardy fire of revenge; and, + forgetting the reveller, he changed into the foeman. At last he leapt up + from where he lay, and poured the whole flood of his anger on those at + table with him; insomuch that he unsheathed his sword upon the sons of + Swerting with bloody ruthlessness, and aimed with drawn blade at the + throats of those whose gullets he had pampered with the pleasures of the + table. These men he forthwith slew; and by so doing he drowned the holy + rites of the table in blood. He sundered the feeble bond of their league, + and exchanged a shameful revel for enormous cruelty; the host became the + foe, and that vilest slave of excess the bloodthirsty agent of revenge. + For the vigorous pleading of his counsellor bred a breath of courage in + his soft and unmanly youth; it drew out his valour from its lurking-place, + and renewed it, and so fashioned it that the authors of a most grievous + murder were punished even as they deserved. For the young man's valour had + been not quenched, but only in exile, and the aid of an old man had drawn + it out into the light; and it accomplished a deed which was all the + greater for its tardiness; for it was somewhat nobler to steep the cups in + blood than in wine. What a spirit, then, must we think that old man had, + who by his eloquent adjuration expelled from that king's mind its infinite + sin, and who, bursting the bonds of iniquity, implanted a most effectual + seed of virtue. Starkad aided the king with equal achievements; and not + only showed the most complete courage in his own person, but summoned back + that which had been rooted out of the heart of another. When the deed was + done, he thus begun: + </p> + <p> + "King Ingild, farewell; thy heart, full of valour, hath now shown a deed + of daring. The spirit that reigns in thy body is revealed by its fair + beginning; nor did there lack deep counsel in thy heart, though thou wert + silent till this hour; for thou dost redress by thy bravery what delay had + lost, and redeemest the sloth of thy spirit by mighty valour. Come now, + let us rout the rest, and let none escape the peril which all alike + deserve. Let the crime come home to the culprit; let the sin return and + crush its contriver. + </p> + <p> + "Let the servants take up in a car the bodies of the slain, and let the + attendant quickly bear out the carcases. Justly shall they lack the last + rites; they are unworthy to be covered with a mound; let no funeral + procession or pyre suffer them the holy honour of a barrow; let them be + scattered to rot in the fields, to be consumed by the beaks of birds; let + them taint the country all about with their deadly corruption. + </p> + <p> + "Do thou too, king, if thou hast any wit, flee thy savage bride, lest the + she-wolf bring forth a litter like herself, and a beast spring from thee + that shall hurt its own father. + </p> + <p> + "Tell me, Rote, continual derider of cowards, thinkest thou that we have + avenged Frode enough, when we have spent seven deaths on the vengeance of + one? Lo, those are borne out dead who paid homage not to thy sway in deed, + but only in show, and though obsequious they planned treachery. But I + always cherished this hope, that noble fathers have noble offspring, who + will follow in their character the lot which they received by their birth. + Therefore, Ingild, better now than in time past dost thou deserve to be + called lord of Leire and of Denmark. + </p> + <p> + "When, O King Hakon, I was a beardless youth, and followed thy leading and + command in warfare, I hated luxury and wanton souls, and practiced only + wars. Training body and mind together, I banished every unholy thing from + my soul, and shunned the pleasures of the belly, loving deeds of prowess. + For those that followed the calling of arms had rough clothing and common + gear and short slumbers and scanty rest. Toil drove ease far away, and the + time ran by at scanty cost. Not as with some men now, the light of whose + reason is obscured by insatiate greed with its blind maw. Some one of + these clad in a covering of curiously wrought raiment effeminately guides + the fleet-footed (steed), and unknots his dishevelled locks, and lets his + hair fly abroad loosely. + </p> + <p> + "He loves to plead often in the court, and to covet a base pittance, and + with this pursuit he comforts his sluggish life, doing with venal tongue + the business entrusted to him. + </p> + <p> + "He outrages the laws by force, he makes armed assault upon men's rights, + he tramples on the innocent, he feeds on the wealth of others, he + practices debauchery and gluttony, he vexes good fellowship with biting + jeers, and goes after harlots as a hoe after the grass. + </p> + <p> + "The coward falls when battles are lulled in peace. Though he who fears + death lie in the heart of the valley, no mantlet shall shelter him. His + final fate carries off every living man; doom is not to be averted by + skulking. But I, who have shaken the whole world with my slaughters, shall + I enjoy a peaceful death? Shall I be taken up to the stars in a quiet end? + Shall I die in my bed without a wound?" + </p> + <p> + BOOK SEVEN. + </p> + <p> + We are told by historians of old, that Ingild had four sons, of whom three + perished in war, while OLAF alone reigned after his father; but some say + that Olaf was the son of Ingild's sister, though this opinion is doubtful. + Posterity has but an uncertain knowledge of his deeds, which are dim with + the dust of antiquity; nothing but the last counsel of his wisdom has been + rescued by tradition. For when he was in the last grip of death he took + thought for his sons FRODE and HARALD, and bade them have royal sway, one + over the land and the other over the sea, and receive these several + powers, not in prolonged possession, but in yearly rotation. Thus their + share in the rule was made equal; but Frode, who was the first to have + control of the affairs of the sea, earned disgrace from his continual + defeats in roving. His calamity was due to his sailors being newly + married, and preferring nuptial joys at home to the toils of foreign + warfare. After a time Harald, the younger son, received the rule of the + sea, and chose soldiers who were unmarried, fearing to be baffled like his + brother. Fortune favoured his choice; for he was as glorious a rover as + his brother was inglorious; and this earned him his brother's hatred. + Moreover, their queens, Signe and Ulfhild, one of whom was the daughter of + Siward, King of Sweden, the other of Karl, the governor of Gothland, were + continually wrangling as to which was the nobler, and broke up the mutual + fellowship of their husbands. Hence Harald and Frode, when their common + household was thus shattered, divided up the goods they held in common, + and gave more heed to the wrangling altercations of the women than to the + duties of brotherly affection. + </p> + <p> + Moreover, Frode, judging that his brother's glory was a disgrace to + himself and brought him into contempt, ordered one of his household to put + him to death secretly; for he saw that the man of whom he had the + advantage in years was surpassing him in courage. When the deed was done, + he had the agent of his treachery privily slain, lest the accomplice + should betray the crime. Then, in order to gain the credit of innocence + and escape the brand of crime, he ordered a full inquiry to be made into + the mischance that had cut off his brother so suddenly. But he could not + manage, by all his arts, to escape silent condemnation in the thoughts of + the common people. He afterwards asked Karl, "Who had killed Harald?" and + Karl replied that it was deceitful in him to ask a question about + something which he knew quite well. These words earned him his death; for + Frode thought that he had reproached him covertly with fratricide. + </p> + <p> + After this, the lives of Harald and Halfdan, the sons of Harald by Signe + the daughter of Karl, were attempted by their uncle. But the guardians + devised a cunning method of saving their wards. For they cut off the claws + of wolves and tied them to the soles of their feet; and then made them run + along many times so as to harrow up the mud near their dwelling, as well + as the ground (then covered with, snow), and give the appearance of an + attack by wild beasts. Then they killed the children of some bond-women, + tore their bodies into little pieces, and scattered their mangled limbs + all about. So when the youths were looked for in vain, the scattered limbs + were found, the tracks of the beasts were pointed out, and the ground was + seen besmeared with blood. It was believed that the boys had been devoured + by ravening wolves; and hardly anyone was suffered to doubt so plain a + proof that they were mangled. The belief in this spectacle served to + protect the wards. They were presently shut up by their guardians in a + hollow oak, so that no trace of their being alive should get abroad, and + were fed for a long time under pretence that they were dogs; and were even + called by hounds' names, to prevent any belief getting abroad that they + were hiding. (1) + </p> + <p> + Frode alone refused to believe in their death; and he went and inquired of + a woman skilled in divination where they were hid. So potent were her + spells, that she seemed able, at any distance, to perceive anything, + however intricately locked away, and to summon it out to light. She + declared that one Ragnar had secretly undertaken to rear them, and had + called them by the names of dogs to cover the matter. When the young men + found themselves dragged from their hiding by the awful force of her + spells, and brought before the eyes of the enchantress, loth to be + betrayed by this terrible and imperious compulsion, they flung into her + lap a shower of gold which they had received from their guardians. When + she had taken the gift, she suddenly feigned death, and fell like one + lifeless. Her servants asked the reason why she fell so suddenly; and she + declared that the refuge of the sons of Harald was inscrutable; for their + wondrous might qualified even the most awful effects of her spells. Thus + she was content with a slight benefit, and could not bear to await a + greater reward at the king's hands. After this Ragnar, finding that the + belief concerning himself and his wards was becoming rife in common talk, + took them, both away into Funen. Here he was taken by Frode, and confessed + that he had put the young men in safe keeping; and he prayed the king to + spare the wards whom he had made fatherless, and not to think it a piece + of good fortune to be guilty of two unnatural murders. By this speech he + changed the king's cruelty into shame; and he promised that if they + attempted any plots in their own land, he would give information to the + king. Thus he gained safety for his wards, and lived many years in freedom + from terror. + </p> + <p> + When the boys grew up, they went to Zealand, and were bidden by their + friends to avenge their father. They vowed that they and their uncle + should not both live out the year. When Ragnar found this out, he went by + night to the palace, prompted by the recollection of his covenant, and + announced that he was come privily to tell the king something he had + promised. But the king was asleep, and he would not suffer them to wake + him up, because Frode had been used to punish any disturbance of his rest + with the sword. So mighty a matter was it thought of old to break the + slumbers of a king by untimely intrusion. Frode heard this from the + sentries in the morning; and when he perceived that Ragnar had come to + tell him of the treachery, he gathered together his soldiers, and resolved + to forestall deceit by ruthless measures. Harald's sons had no help for it + but to feign madness. For when they found themselves suddenly attacked, + they began to behave like maniacs, as if they were distraught. And when + Frode thought that they were possessed, he gave up his purpose, thinking + it shameful to attack with the sword those who seemed to be turning the + sword against themselves. But he was burned to death by them on the + following night, and was punished as befitted a fratricide. For they + attacked the palace, and first crushing the queen with a mass of stones + and then, having set fire to the house, they forced Frode to crawl into a + narrow cave that had been cut out long before, and into the dark recesses + of tunnels. Here he lurked in hiding and perished, stifled by the reek and + smoke. + </p> + <p> + After Frode was killed, HALFDAN reigned over his country about three + years, and then, handing over his sovereignty to his brother Harald as + deputy, went roving, and attacked and ravaged Oland and the neighbouring + isles, which are severed from contact with Sweden by a winding sound. Here + in the winter he beached and entrenched his ships, and spent three years + on the expedition. After this he attacked Sweden, and destroyed its king + in the field. Afterwards he prepared to meet the king's grandson Erik, the + son of his own uncle Frode, in battle; and when he heard that Erik's + champion, Hakon, was skillful in blunting swords with his spells, he + fashioned, to use for clubbing, a huge mace studded with iron knobs, as if + he would prevail by the strength of wood over the power of sorcery. Then—for + he was conspicuous beyond all others for his bravery—amid the + hottest charges of the enemy, he covered his head with his helmet, and, + without a shield, poised his club, and with the help of both hands whirled + it against the bulwark of shields before him. No obstacle was so stout but + it was crushed to pieces by the blow of the mass that smote it. Thus he + overthrew the champion, who ran against him in the battle, with a violent + stroke of his weapon. But he was conquered notwithstanding, and fled away + into Helsingland, where he went to one Witolf (who had served of old with + Harald), to seek tendance for his wounds. This man had spent most of his + life in camp; but at last, after the grievous end of his general, he had + retreated into this lonely district, where he lived the life of a peasant, + and rested from the pursuits of war. Often struck himself by the missiles + of the enemy, he had gained no slight skill in leechcraft by constantly + tending his own wounds. But if anyone came with flatteries to seek his + aid, instead of curing him he was accustomed to give him something that + would secretly injure him, thinking it somewhat nobler to threaten than to + wheedle for benefits. When the soldiers of Erik menaced his house, in + their desire to take Halfdan, he so robbed them of the power of sight that + they could neither perceive the house nor trace it with certainty, though + it was close to them. So utterly had their eyesight been dulled by a + decisive mist. + </p> + <p> + When Halfdan had by this man's help regained his full strength, he + summoned Thore, a champion of notable capacity, and proclaimed war against + Erik. But when the forces were led out on the other side, and he saw that + Erik was superior in numbers, he hid a part of his army, and instructed it + to lie in ambush among the bushes by the wayside, in order to destroy the + enemy by an ambuscade as he marched through the narrow part of the path. + Erik foresaw this, having reconnoitred his means of advancing, and thought + he must withdraw for fear, if he advanced along the track he had intended, + of being hard-pressed by the tricks of the enemy among the steep windings + of the hills. They therefore joined battle, force against force, in a deep + valley, inclosed all round by lofty mountain ridges. Here Halfdan, when he + saw the line of his men wavering, climbed with Thore up a crag covered + with stones and, uprooting boulders, rolled them down upon the enemy + below; and the weight of these as they fell crushed the line that was + drawn up in the lower position. Thus he regained with stones the victory + which he had lost with arms. For this deed of prowess he received the name + of Biargramm ("rock strong"), a word which seems to have been compounded + from the name of his fierceness and of the mountains. He soon gained so + much esteem for this among the Swedes that he was thought to be the son of + the great Thor, and the people bestowed divine honours upon him, and + judged him worthy of public libation. + </p> + <p> + But the souls of the conquered find it hard to rest, and the insolence of + the beaten ever struggles towards the forbidden thing. So it came to pass + that Erik, in his desire to repair the losses incurred in flight, attacked + the districts subject to Halfdan. Even Denmark he did not exempt from this + harsh treatment; for he thought it a most worthy deed to assail the + country of the man who had caused him to be driven from his own. And so, + being more anxious to inflict injury than to repel it, he set Sweden free + from the arms of the enemy. When Halfdan heard that his brother Harald had + been beaten by Erik in three battles, and slain in the fourth, he was + afraid of losing his empire; he had to quit the land of the Swedes and go + back to his own country. Thus Erik regained the kingdom of Sweden all the + more quickly, that he quitted it so lightly. Had fortune wished to favour + him in keeping his kingdom as much as she had in regaining it, she would + in nowise have given him into the hand of Halfdan. This capture was made + in the following way: When Halfdan had gone back into Sweden, he hid his + fleet craftily, and went to meet Erik with two vessels. Erik attacked him + with ten; and Halfdan, sailing through sundry winding channels, stole back + to his concealed forces. Erik pursued him too far, and the Danish fleet + came out on the sea. Thus Erik was surrounded; but he rejected the life, + which was offered him under condition of thraldom. He could not bear to + think more of the light of day than liberty, and chose to die rather than + serve; lest he should seem to love life so well as to turn from a slave + into a freeman; and that he might not court with new-born obeisance the + man whom fortune had just before made only his equal. So little knows + virtue how to buy life with dishonour. Wherefore he was put in chains, and + banished to a place haunted by wild beasts; an end unworthy of that lofty + spirit. + </p> + <p> + Halfdan had thus become sovereign of both kingdoms, and graced his fame + with a triple degree of honour. For he was skillful and eloquent in + composing poems in the fashion of his country; and he was no less notable + as a valorous champion than as a powerful king. But when he heard that two + active rovers, Toke and Anund, were threatening the surrounding districts, + he attacked and routed them in a sea-fight. For the ancients thought that + nothing was more desirable than glory which was gained, not by brilliancy + of wealth, but by address in arms. Accordingly, the most famous men of old + were so minded as to love seditions, to renew quarrels, to loathe ease, to + prefer fighting to peace, to be rated by their valour and not by their + wealth, to find their greatest delight in battles, and their least in + banquetings. + </p> + <p> + But Halfdan was not long to seek for a rival. A certain Siwald, of most + illustrious birth, related with lamentation in the assembly of the Swedes + the death of Frode and his queen; and inspired in almost all of them such + a hatred of Halfdan, that the vote of the majority granted him permission + to revolt. Nor was he content with the mere goodwill of their voices, but + so won the heart of the commons by his crafty canvassing that he induced + almost all of them to set with their hands the royal emblem on his head. + Siwald had seven sons, who were such clever sorcerers that often, inspired + with the force of sudden frenzy, they would roar savagely, bite their + shields, swallow hot coals, and go through any fire that could be piled + up; and their frantic passion could only be checked by the rigour of + chains, or propitiated by slaughter of men. With such a frenzy did their + own sanguinary temper, or else the fury of demons, inspire them. + </p> + <p> + When Halfdan had heard of these things while busy roving, he said it was + right that his soldiers, who had hitherto spent their rage upon + foreigners, should now smite with the steel the flesh of their own + countrymen, and that they who had been used to labour to extend their + realm should now avenge its wrongful seizure. On Halfdan approaching, + Siwald sent him ambassadors and requested him, if he was as great in act + as in renown, to meet himself and his sons in single combat, and save the + general peril by his own. When the other answered, that a combat could not + lawfully be fought by more than two men, Siwald said, that it was no + wonder that a childless bachelor should refuse the proffered conflict, + since his nature was void of heat, and had struck a disgraceful frost into + his soul and body. Children, he added, were not different from the man who + begot them, since they drew from him their common principle of birth. Thus + he and his sons were to be accounted as one person, for nature seemed in a + manner to have bestowed on them a single body. Halfdan, stung with this + shameful affront, accepted the challenge; meaning to wipe out with noble + deeds of valour such an insulting taunt upon his celibacy. And while he + chanced to be walking through a shady woodland, he plucked up by the roots + all oak that stuck in his path, and, by simply stripping it of its + branches, made it look like a stout club. Having this trusty weapon, he + composed a short song as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Behold! The rough burden which I bear with straining crest, shall unto + crests bring wounds and destruction. Never shall any weapon of leafy wood + crush the Goths with direr augury. It shall shatter the towering strength + of the knotty neck, and shall bruise the hollow temples with the mass of + timber. The club which shall quell the wild madness of the land shall be + no less fatal to the Swedes. Breaking bones, and brandished about the + mangled limbs of warriors, the stock I have wrenched off shall crush the + backs of the wicked, crush the hearths of our kindred, shed the blood of + our countrymen, and be a destructive pest upon our land." + </p> + <p> + When he had said this, he attacked Siwald and his seven sons, and + destroyed them, their force and bravery being useless against the enormous + mass of his club. + </p> + <p> + At this time one Hardbeen, who came from Helsingland, gloried in + kidnapping and ravishing princesses, and used to kill any man who hindered + him in his lusts. He preferred high matches to those that were lowly; and + the more illustrious the victims he could violate, the more noble he + thought himself. No man escaped unpunished who durst measure himself with + Hardbeen in valour. He was so huge, that his stature reached the measure + of nine ells. He had twelve champions dwelling with him, whose business it + was to rise up and to restrain his fury with the aid of bonds, whenever + the rage came on him that foreboded of battle. These men asked Halfdan to + attack Hardbeen and his champions man by man; and he not only promised to + fight, but assured himself the victory with most confident words. When + Hardbeen heard this, a demoniacal frenzy suddenly took him; he furiously + bit and devoured the edges of his shield; he kept gulping down fiery + coals; he snatched live embers in his mouth and let them pass down into + his entrails; he rushed through the perils of crackling fires; and at + last, when he had raved through every sort of madness, he turned his sword + with raging hand against the hearts of six of his champions. It is + doubtful whether this madness came from thirst for battle or natural + ferocity. Then with the remaining band of his champions he attacked + Halfdan, who crushed him with a hammer of wondrous size, so that he lost + both victory and life; paying the penalty both to Halfdan, whom he had + challenged, and to the kings whose offspring he had violently ravished. + </p> + <p> + Fortune never seemed satisfied with the trying of Halfdan's strength, and + used to offer him unexpected occasions for fighting. It so happened that + Egther, a Finlander, was harrying the Swedes on a roving raid. Halfdan, + having found that he had three ships, attacked him with the same number. + Night closed the battle, so that he could not conquer him; but he + challenged Egther next day, fought with and overthrew him. He next heard + that Grim, a champion of immense strength, was suing, under threats of a + duel, for Thorhild, the daughter of the chief Hather, and that her father + had proclaimed that he who put the champion out of the way should have + her. Halfdan, though he had reached old age a bachelor, was stirred by the + promise of the chief as much as by the insolence of the champion, and went + to Norway. When he entered it, he blotted out every mark by which he could + be recognized, disguising his face with splashes of dirt; and when he came + to the spot of the battle, drew his sword first. And when he knew that it + had been blunted by the glance of the enemy, he cast it on the ground, + drew another from the sheath, with which he attacked Grim, cutting through + the meshes on the edge of his cuirass, as well as the lower part of his + shield. Grim wondered at the deed, and said, "I cannot remember an old man + who fought more keenly;" and, instantly drawing his sword, he pierced + through and shattered the target that was opposed to his blade. But as his + right arm tarried on the stroke, Halfdan, without wavering, met and smote + it swiftly with his sword. The other, notwithstanding, clasped his sword + with his left hand, and cut through the thigh of the striker, revenging + the mangling of his own body with a slight wound. Halfdan, now conqueror, + allowed the conquered man to ransom the remnant of his life with a sum of + money; he would not be thought shamefully to rob a maimed man, who could + not fight, of the pitiful remainder of his days. By this deed he showed + himself almost as great in saving as in conquering his enemy. As a prize + for this victory he won Thorhild in marriage, and had by her a son Asmund, + from whom the kings of Norway treasure the honour of being descended; + retracing the regular succession of their line down from Halfdan. + </p> + <p> + After this, Ebbe, a rover of common birth, was so confident of his valour, + that he was moved to aspire to a splendid marriage. He was a suitor for + Sigrid, the daughter of Yngwin, King of the Goths, and moreover demanded + half the Gothic kingdom for her dowry. Halfdan was consulted whether the + match should be entertained, and advised that a feigned consent should be + given, promising that he would baulk the marriage. He also gave + instructions that a seat should be allotted to himself among the places of + the guests at table. Yngwin approved the advice; and Halfdan, utterly + defacing the dignity of his royal presence with an unsightly and alien + disguise, and coming by night on the wedding feast, alarmed those who met + him; for they marvelled at the coming of a man of such superhuman stature. + </p> + <p> + When Halfdan entered the palace, he looked round on all and asked, who was + he that had taken the place next to the king? Upon Ebbe replying that the + future son-in-law of the king was next to his side, Halfdan asked him, in + the most passionate language, what madness, or what demons, had brought + him to such wantonness, as to make bold to unite his contemptible and + filthy race with a splendid and illustrious line, or to dare to lay his + peasant finger upon the royal family: and, not content even with such a + claim, to aspire, as it seemed, to a share even in the kingdom of another. + Then he bade Ebbe fight him, saying that he must get the victory before he + got his wish. The other answered that the night was the time to fight with + monsters, but the day the time with men; but Halfdan, to prevent him + shirking the battle by pleading the hour, declared that the moon was + shining with the brightness of daylight. Thus he forced Ebbe to fight, and + felled him, turning the banquet into a spectacle, and the wedding into a + funeral. + </p> + <p> + Some years passed, and Halfdan went back to his own country, and being + childless he bequeathed the royal wealth by will to Yngwin, and appointed + him king. YNGWIN was afterwards overthrown in war by a rival named + Ragnald, and he left a son SIWALD. + </p> + <p> + Siwald's daughter, Sigrid, was of such excellent modesty, that though a + great concourse of suitors wooed her for her beauty, it seemed as if she + could not be brought to look at one of them. Confident in this power of + self-restraint, she asked her father for a husband who by the sweetness of + his blandishments should be able to get a look back from her. For in old + time among us the self-restraint of the maidens was a great subduer of + wanton looks, lest the soundness of the soul should be infected by the + licence of the eyes; and women desired to avouch the purity of their + hearts by the modesty of their faces. Then one Ottar, the son of Ebb, + kindled with confidence in the greatness either of his own achievements, + or of his courtesy and eloquent address, stubbornly and ardently desired + to woo the maiden. And though he strove with all the force of his wit to + soften her gaze, no device whatever could move her downcast eyes; and, + marvelling at her persistence in her indomitable rigour, he departed. + </p> + <p> + A giant desired the same thing, but, finding himself equally foiled, he + suborned a woman; and she, pretending friendship for the girl, served her + for a while as her handmaid, and at last enticed her far from her father's + house, by cunningly going out of the way; then the giant rushed upon her + and bore her off into the closest fastnesses of a ledge on the mountain. + Others think that he disguised himself as a woman, treacherously continued + his devices so as to draw the girl away from her own house, and in the end + carried her off. When Ottar heard of this, he ransacked the recesses of + the mountain in search of the maiden, found her, slew the giant, and bore + her off. But the assiduous giant had bound back the locks of the maiden, + tightly twisting her hair in such a way that the matted mass of tresses + was held in a kind of curled bundle; nor was it easy for anyone to unravel + their plaited tangle, without using the steel. Again, he tried with divers + allurements to provoke the maiden to look at him; and when he had long + laid vain siege to her listless eyes, he abandoned his quest, since his + purpose turned out so little to his liking. But he could not bring himself + to violate the girl, loth to defile with ignoble intercourse one of + illustrious birth. She then wandered long, and sped through divers desert + and circuitous paths, and happened to come to the hut of a certain huge + woman of the woods, who set her to the task of pasturing her goats. Again + Ottar granted her his aid to set her free, and again he tried to move her, + addressing her in this fashion: "Wouldst thou rather hearken to my + counsels, and embrace me even as I desire, than be here and tend the flock + of rank goats? + </p> + <p> + "Spurn the hand of thy wicked mistress, and flee hastily from thy cruel + taskmistress, that thou mayst go back with me to the ships of thy friends + and live in freedom. + </p> + <p> + "Quit the care of the sheep entrusted to thee; scorn to drive the steps of + the goats; share my bed, and fitly reward my prayers. + </p> + <p> + "O thou whom I have sought with such pains, turn again thy listless beams; + for a little while—it is an easy gesture—lift thy modest face. + </p> + <p> + "I will take thee hence, and set thee by the house of thy father, and + unite thee joyfully with thy loving mother, if but once thou wilt show me + thine eyes stirred with soft desires. + </p> + <p> + "Thou, whom I have borne so oft from the prisons of the giants, pay thou + some due favour to my toil of old; pity my hard endeavours, and be stern + no more. + </p> + <p> + "For why art thou become so distraught and brainsick, that thou wilt + choose to tend the flock of another, and be counted among the servants of + monsters, sooner than encourage our marriage-troth with fitting and equal + consent?" + </p> + <p> + But she, that she might not suffer the constancy of her chaste mind to + falter by looking at the world without, restrained her gaze, keeping her + lids immovably rigid. How modest, then, must we think, were the women of + that age, when, under the strongest provocations of their lovers, they + could not be brought to make the slightest motion of their eyes! So when + Ottar found that even by the merits of his double service he could not + stir the maiden's gaze towards him, he went back to the fleet, wearied out + with shame and chagrin. Sigrid, in her old fashion, ran far away over the + rocks, and chanced to stray in her wanderings to the abode of Ebb; where, + ashamed of her nakedness and distress, she pretended to be a daughter of + paupers. The mother of Ottar saw that this woman, though bestained and + faded, and covered with a meagre cloak, was the scion of some noble stock; + and took her, and with honourable courtesy kept her by her side in a + distinguished seat. For the beauty of the maiden was a sign that betrayed + her birth, and her telltale features echoed her lineage. Ottar saw her, + and asked why she hid her face in her robe. Also, in order to test her + mind more surely, he feigned that a woman was about to become his wife, + and, as he went up into the bride-bed, gave Sigrid the torch to hold. The + lights had almost burnt down, and she was hard put to it by the flame + coming closer; but she showed such an example of endurance that she was + seen to hold her hand motionless, and might have been thought to feel no + annoyance from the heat. For the fire within mastered the fire without, + and the glow of her longing soul deadened the burn of her scorched skin. + At last Ottar bade her look to her hand. Then, modestly lifting her eyes, + she turned her calm gaze upon him; and straightway, the pretended marriage + being put away, went up unto the bride-bed to be his wife. Siwald + afterwards seized Ottar, and thought that he ought to be hanged for + defiling his daughter. + </p> + <p> + But Sigrid at once explained how she had happened to be carried away, and + not only brought Ottar back into the king's favour, but also induced her + father himself to marry Ottar's sister. After this a battle was fought + between Siwald and Ragnald in Zealand, warriors of picked valour being + chosen on both sides. For three days they slaughtered one another; but so + great was the bravery of both sides, that it was doubtful how the victory + would go. Then Ottar, whether seized with weariness at the prolonged + battle, or with desire of glory, broke, despising death, through the + thickest of the foe, cut down Ragnald among the bravest of his soldiers, + and won the Danes a sudden victory. This battle was notable for the + cowardice of the greatest nobles. For the whole mass fell into such a + panic, that forty of the bravest of the Swedes are said to have turned and + fled. The chief of these, Starkad, had been used to tremble at no fortune, + however cruel, and no danger, however great. But some strange terror stole + upon him, and he chose to follow the flight of his friends rather than to + despise it. I should think that he was filled with this alarm by the power + of heaven, that he might not think himself courageous beyond the measure + of human valour. Thus the prosperity of mankind is wont ever to be + incomplete. Then all these warriors embraced the service of King Hakon, + the mightiest of the rovers, like remnants of the war drifting to him. + </p> + <p> + After this Siwald was succeeded by his son SIGAR, who had sons Siwald, + Alf, and Alger, and a daughter Signe. All excelled the rest in spirit and + beauty, and devoted himself to the business of a rover. Such a grace was + shed on his hair, which had a wonderful dazzling glow, that his locks + seemed to shine silvery. At the same time Siward, the king of the Goths, + is said to have had two sons, Wemund and Osten, and a daughter Alfhild, + who showed almost from her cradle such faithfulness to modesty that she + continually kept her face muffled in her robe, lest she should cause her + beauty to provoke the passion of another. Her father banished her into + very close keeping, and gave her a viper and a snake to rear, wishing to + defend her chastity by the protection of these reptiles when they came to + grow up. For it would have been hard to pry into her chamber when it was + barred by so dangerous a bolt. He also enacted that if any man tried to + enter it, and failed, he must straightway yield his head to be taken off + and impaled on a stake. The terror which was thus attached to wantonness + chastened the heated spirits of the young men. + </p> + <p> + Alf, the son of Sigar, thinking that peril of the attempt only made it + nobler, declared himself a wooer, and went to subdue the beasts that kept + watch beside the room of the maiden; inasmuch as, according to the decree, + the embraces of the maiden were the prize of their subduer. Alf covered + his body with a blood-stained hide in order to make them more frantic + against him. Girt with this, as soon as he had entered the doors of the + enclosure, he took a piece of red-hot steel in the tongs, and plunged it + into the yawning throat of the viper, which he laid dead. Then he flung + his spear full into the gaping mouth of the snake as it wound and writhed + forward, and destroyed it. And when he demanded the gage which was + attached to victory by the terms of the covenant, Siward answered that he + would accept that man only for his daughter's husband of whom she made a + free and decided choice. None but the girl's mother was stiff against the + wooer's suit; and she privately spoke to her daughter in order to search + her mind. The daughter warmly praised her suitor for his valour; whereon + the mother upbraided her sharply, that her chastity should be unstrung, + and she be captivated by charming looks; and because, forgetting to judge + his virtue, she cast the gaze of a wanton mind upon the flattering lures + of beauty. Thus Alfhild was led to despise the young Dane; whereupon she + exchanged woman's for man's attire, and, no longer the most modest of + maidens, began the life of a warlike rover. + </p> + <p> + Enrolling in her service many maidens who were of the same mind, she + happened to come to a spot where a band of rovers were lamenting the death + of their captain, who had been lost in war; they made her their rover + captain for her beauty, and she did deeds beyond the valour of woman. Alf + made many toilsome voyages in pursuit of her, and in winter happened to + come on a fleet of the Blacmen. The waters were at this time frozen hard, + and the ships were caught in such a mass of ice that they could not get on + by the most violent rowing. But the continued frost promised the prisoners + a safer way of advance; and Alf ordered his men to try the frozen surface + of the sea in their brogues, after they had taken off their slippery + shoes, so that they could run over the level ice more steadily. The + Blacmen supposed that they were taking to flight with all the nimbleness + of their heels, and began to fight them, but their steps tottered + exceedingly and they gave back, the slippery surface under their soles + making their footing uncertain. But the Danes crossed the frozen sea with + safer steps, and foiled the feeble advance of the enemy, whom they + conquered, and then turned and sailed to Finland. Here they chanced to + enter a rather narrow gulf, and, on sending a few men to reconnoitre, they + learnt that the harbour was being held by a few ships. For Alfhild had + gone before them with her fleet into the same narrows. And when she saw + the strange ships afar off, she rowed in swift haste forward to encounter + them, thinking it better to attack the foe than to await them. Alf's men + were against attacking so many ships with so few; but he replied that it + would be shameful if anyone should report to Alfhild that his desire to + advance could be checked by a few ships in the path; for he said that + their record of honours ought not to be tarnished by such a trifle. + </p> + <p> + The Danes wondered whence their enemies got such grace of bodily beauty + and such supple limbs. So, when they began the sea-fight, the young man + Alf leapt on Alfhild's prow, and advanced towards the stern, slaughtering + all that withstood him. His comrade Borgar struck off Alfhild's helmet, + and, seeing the smoothness of her chin, saw that he must fight with kisses + and not with arms; that the cruel spears must be put away, and the enemy + handled with gentler dealings. So Alf rejoiced that the woman whom he had + sought over land and sea in the face of so many dangers was now beyond all + expectation in his power; whereupon he took hold of her eagerly, and made + her change her man's apparel for a woman's; and afterwards begot on her a + daughter, Gurid. Also Borgar wedded the attendant of Alfhild, Groa, and + had by her a son, Harald, to whom the following age gave the surname + Hyldeland. + </p> + <p> + And that no one may wonder that this sex laboured at warfare, I will make + a brief digression, in order to give a short account of the estate and + character of such women. There were once women among the Danes who dressed + themselves to look like men, and devoted almost every instant of their + lives to the pursuit of war, that they might not suffer their valour to be + unstrung or dulled by the infection of luxury. For they abhorred all + dainty living, and used to harden their minds and bodies with toil and + endurance. They put away all the softness and lightmindedness of women, + and inured their womanish spirit to masculine ruthlessness. They sought, + moreover, so zealously to be skilled in warfare, that they might have been + thought to have unsexed themselves. Those especially, who had either force + of character or tall and comely persons, used to enter on this kind of + life. These women, therefore (just as if they had forgotten their natural + estate, and preferred sternness to soft words), offered war rather than + kisses, and would rather taste blood than busses, and went about the + business of arms more than that of amours. They devoted those hands to the + lance which they should rather have applied to the loom. They assailed men + with their spears whom they could have melted with their looks, they + thought of death and not of dalliance. Now I will cease to wander, and + will go back to my theme. + </p> + <p> + In the early spring, Alf and Alger, who had gone back to sea-roving, were + exploring the sea in various directions, when they lighted with a hundred + ships upon Helwin, Hagbard, and Hamund, sons of the kinglet Hamund. These + they attacked and only the twilight stayed their blood-wearied hands; and + in the night the soldiers were ordered to keep truce. On the morrow this + was ratified for good by a mutual oath; for such loss had been suffered on + both sides in the battle of the day before that they had no force left to + fight again. Thus, exhausted bye quality of valour, they were driven + perforce to make peace. About the same time Hildigisl, a Teuton Of noble + birth, relying on his looks and his rank, sued for Signe, the daughter of + Sigar. But she scorned him, chiefly for his insignificance, inasmuch as he + was not brave, but wished to adorn his fortunes with the courage of other + people. But this woman was inclined to love Hakon, chiefly for the high + renown of his great deeds. For she thought more of the brave than the + feeble; she admired notable deeds more than looks, knowing that every + allurement of beauty is mere dross when reckoned against simple valour, + and cannot weigh equal with it in the balance. For there are maids that + are more charmed by the fame than by the face of their lovers; who go not + by the looks, but by the mind, and whom naught but regard for a man's + spirit can kindle to pledge their own troth. Now Hagbard, going to Denmark + with the sons of Sigar, gained speech of their sister without their + knowledge, and in the end induced her to pledge her word to him that she + would secretly become his mistress. Afterwards, when the waiting-women + happened to be comparing the honourable deeds of the nobles, she preferred + Hakon to Hildigisl, declaring that the latter had nothing to praise but + his looks, while in the case of the other a wrinkled visage was outweighed + by a choice spirit. Not content with this plain kind of praise, she is + said to have sung as follows: + </p> + <p> + "This man lacks fairness, but shines with foremost courage, measuring his + features by his force. + </p> + <p> + "For the lofty soul redeems the shortcoming of harsh looks, and conquers + the body's blemish. + </p> + <p> + "His look flashes with spirit, his face, notable in its very harshness, + delights in fierceness. + </p> + <p> + "He who strictly judges character praises not the mind for the fair hue, + but rather the complexion for the mind. + </p> + <p> + "This man is not prized for beauty, but for brave daring and war-won + honour. + </p> + <p> + "While the other is commended by his comely head and radiant countenance + and crest of lustrous locks. + </p> + <p> + "Vile is the empty grace of beauty, self-confounded the deceptive pride of + comeliness. + </p> + <p> + "Valour and looks are swayed by different inclinations: one lasts on, the + other perishes. + </p> + <p> + "Empty red and white brings in vice, and is frittered away little by + little by the lightly gliding years; + </p> + <p> + "But courage plants firmer the hearts devoted to it, and does not slip and + straightway fall. + </p> + <p> + "The voice of the multitude is beguiled by outward good, and forsakes the + rule of right; + </p> + <p> + "But I praise virtue at a higher rate, and scorn the grace of comeliness." + </p> + <p> + This utterance fell on the ears of the bystanders in such a way, that they + thought she praised Hagbard under the name of Hakon. And Hildigisl, vexed + that she preferred Hagbard to himself, bribed a certain blind man, Bolwis, + to bring the sons of Sigar and the sons of Hamund to turn their friendship + into hatred. For King Sigar had been used to transact almost all affairs + by the advice of two old men, one of whom was Bolwis. The temper of these + two men was so different, that one used to reconcile folk who were at + feud, while the other loved to sunder in hatred those who were bound by + friendship, and by estranging folk to fan pestilent quarrels. + </p> + <p> + So Bolwis began by reviling the sons of Hamund to the sons of Sigar, in + lying slanders, declaring that they never used to preserve the bonds of + fellowship loyally, and that they must be restrained by war rather than by + league. Thus the alliance of the young men was broken through; and while + Hagbard was far away, the sons of Sigar, Alf and Alger, made an attack, + and Helwin and Hamund were destroyed by the harbour which is called + Hamund's Bay. Hagbard then came up with fresh forces to avenge his + brothers, and destroyed them in battle. Hildigisl slunk off with a spear + through both buttocks, which was the occasion for a jeer at the Teutons, + since the ugliness of the blow did not fail to brand it with disgrace. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards Hagbard dressed himself in woman's attire, and, as though he + had not wronged Sigar's daughter by slaying her brothers, went back to her + alone, trusting in the promise he had from her, and feeling more safe in + her loyalty than alarmed by reason of his own misdeed. Thus does lust + despise peril. And, not to lack a pretext for his journey, he gave himself + out as a fighting-maid of Hakon, saying that he took an embassy from him + to Sigar. And when he was taken to bed at night among the handmaids, and + the woman who washed his feet were wiping them, they asked him why he had + such hairy legs, and why his hands were not at all soft to touch, he + answered: + </p> + <p> + "What wonder that the soft hollow of my foot should harden, and that long + hairs should stay on my shaggy leg, when the sand has so often smitten my + soles beneath, and the briars have caught me in mid-step? + </p> + <p> + "Now I scour the forest with leaping, now the waters with running. Now the + sea, now the earth, now the wave is my path. + </p> + <p> + "Nor could my breast, shut in bonds of steel, and wont to be beaten with + lance and missile, ever have been soft to the touch, as with you who are + covered by the mantle or the smooth gown. + </p> + <p> + "Not the distaff or the wool-frails, but spears dripping from the + slaughter, have served for our handling." + </p> + <p> + Signe did not hesitate to back up his words with like dissembling, and + replied that it was natural that hands which dealt more in wounds than + wools, and in battle than in tasks of the house should show the hardness + that befitted their service; and that, unenfeebled with the pliable + softness of women, they should not feel smooth to the touch of others. For + they were hardened partly by the toils of war, partly by the habit of + seafaring. For, said she, the warlike handmaid of Hakon did not deal in + woman's business, but had been wont to bring her right hand blood-stained + with hurling spears and flinging missiles. It was no wonder, therefore, if + her soles were hardened by the immense journeys she had gone; and that, + when the shores she had scoured so often had bruised them with their rough + and broken shingle, they should toughen in a horny stiffness, and should + not feel soft to the touch like theirs, whose steps never strayed, but who + were forever cooped within the confines of the palace. Hagbard received + her as his bedfellow, under plea that he was to have the couch of honour; + and, amid their converse of mutual delight, he addressed her slowly in + such words as these: + </p> + <p> + "If thy father takes me and gives me to bitter death, wilt thou ever, when + I am dead, forget so strong a troth, and again seek the marriage-plight? + </p> + <p> + "For if the chance should fall that way, I can hope for no room for + pardon; nor will the father who is to avenge his sons spare or have pity. + </p> + <p> + "For I stripped thy brothers of their power on the sea and slew them; and + now, unknown to thy father, as though I had done naught before counter to + his will, I hold thee in the couch we share. + </p> + <p> + "Say, then, my one love, what manner of wish wilt thou show when thou + lackest the accustomed embrace?" + </p> + <p> + Signe answered: + </p> + <p> + "Trust me, dear; I wish to die with thee, if fate brings thy turn to + perish first, and not to prolong my span of life at all, when once dismal + death has cast thee to the tomb. + </p> + <p> + "For if thou chance to close thy eyes for ever, a victim to the maddened + attack of the men-at-arms;—by whatsoever doom thy breath be cut off, + by sword or disease, by sea or soil, I forswear every wanton and corrupt + flame, and vow myself to a death like thine; that they who were bound by + one marriage-union may be embraced in one and the same punishment. Nor + will I quit this man, though I am to feel the pains of death; I have + resolved he is worthy of my love who gathered the first kisses of my + mouth, and had the first fruits of my delicate youth. I think that no vow + will be surer than this, if speech of woman have any loyalty at all." + </p> + <p> + This speech so quickened the spirit of Hagbard, that he found more + pleasure in her promise than peril in his own going away (to his death). + The serving-women betrayed him; and when Sigar's men-at-arms attacked him, + he defended himself long and stubbornly, and slew many of them in the + doorway. But at last he was taken, and brought before the assembly, and + found the voices of the people divided over him. For very many said that + he should be punished for so great an offence; but Bilwis, the brother of + Bolwis, and others, conceived a better judgment, and advised that it would + be better to use his stout service than to deal with him too ruthlessly. + Then Bolwis came forward and declared that it was evil advice which urged + the king to pardon when he ought to take vengeance, and to soften with + unworthy compassion his righteous impulse to anger. For how could Sigar, + in the case of this man, feel any desire to spare or pity him, when he had + not only robbed him of the double comfort of his sons, but had also + bestained him with the insult of deflowering his daughter? The greater + part of the assembly voted for this opinion; Hagbard was condemned, and a + gallows-tree planted to receive him. Hence it came about that he who at + first had hardly one sinister voice against him was punished with general + harshness. Soon after the queen handed him a cup, and, bidding him assuage + his thirst, vexed him with threats after this manner: + </p> + <p> + "Now, insolent Hagbard, whom the whole assembly has pronounced worthy of + death, now to quench thy thirst thou shalt give thy lips liquor to drink + in a cup of horn. + </p> + <p> + "Wherefore cast away fear, and, at this last hour of thy life, taste with + bold lips the deadly goblet; + </p> + <p> + "That, having drunk it, thou mayst presently land by the dwellings of + those below, passing into the sequestered palace of stern Dis, giving thy + body to the gibbet and thy spirit to Orcus." + </p> + <p> + Then the young man took the cup offered him, and is said to have made + answer as follows: + </p> + <p> + "With this hand, wherewith I cut off thy twin sons, I will take my last + taste, yea the draught of the last drink. + </p> + <p> + "Now not unavenged shall I go to the Elysian regions, not unchastising to + the stern ghosts. For these men have first been shut in the dens of + Tartarus by a slaughter wrought by my endeavours. This right hand was wet + with blood that was yours, this hand robbed thy children of the years of + their youth, children whom thy womb brought to light; but the deadly sword + spared it not then. Infamous woman, raving in spirit, hapless, childless + mother, no years shall restore to thee the lost, no time and no day + whatsoever shall save thy child from the starkness of death, or redeem + him!" + </p> + <p> + Thus he avenged the queen's threats of death by taunting her with the + youths whom he had slain; and, flinging back the cup at her, drenched her + face with the sprinkled wine. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Signe asked her weeping women whether they could endure to bear + her company in the things which she purposed. They promised that they + would carry out and perform themselves whatsoever their mistress should + come to wish, and their promise was loyally kept. Then, drowned in tears, + she said that she wished to follow in death the only partner of her bed + that she had ever had; and ordered that, as soon as the signal had been + given from a place of watch, torches should be put to the room, then that + halters should be made out of their robes; and to these they should + proffer their throats to be strangled, thrusting away the support to the + feet. They agreed, and that they might blench the less at death, she gave + them a draught of wine. After this Hagbard was led to the hill, which + afterwards took its name from him, to be hanged. Then, to test the loyalty + of his true love, he told the executioners to hang up his mantle, saying + that it would be a pleasure to him if he could see the likeness of his + approaching death rehearsed in some way. The request was granted; and the + watcher on the outlook, thinking that the thing was being done to Hagbard, + reported what she saw to the maidens who were shut within the palace. They + quickly fired the house, and thrusting away the wooden support under their + feet, gave their necks to the noose to be writhen. So Hagbard, when he saw + the palace wrapped in fire, and the familiar chamber blazing, said that he + felt more joy from the loyalty of his mistress than sorrow at his + approaching death. He also charged the bystanders to do him to death, + witnessing how little he made of his doom by a song like this: + </p> + <p> + "Swiftly, O warriors! Let me be caught and lifted into the air. Sweet, O + my bride! Is it for me to die when thou hast gone. + </p> + <p> + "I perceive the crackling and the house ruddy with flames; and the love, + long-promised, declares our troth. + </p> + <p> + "Behold, thy covenant is fulfilled with no doubtful vows, since thou + sharest my life and my destruction. + </p> + <p> + "We shall have one end, one bond after our troth, and somewhere our first + love will live on. + </p> + <p> + "Happy am I, that have deserved to have joy of such a consort, and not to + go basely alone to the gods of Tartarus! + </p> + <p> + "Then let the knot gripe the midst of the throat; nought but pleasure the + last doom shall bring, + </p> + <p> + "Since there remains a sure hope of the renewal of love, and a death which + will soon have joys of its own. + </p> + <p> + "Either country is sweet; in both worlds shall be held in honour the + repose of our souls together, our equal truth in love, + </p> + <p> + "For, see now, I welcome the doom before me; since not even among the + shades does very love suffer the embrace of its partner to perish." And as + he spoke the executioners strangled him. And, that none may think that all + traces of antiquity have utterly disappeared, a proof of the aforesaid + event is afforded by local marks yet existing; for the killing of Hagbard + gave his name to the stead; and not far from the town of Sigar there is a + place to be seen, where a mound a little above the level, with the + appearance of a swelling in the ground, looks like an ancient homestead. + Moreover, a man told Absalon that he had seen a beam found in the spot, + which a countryman struck with his ploughshare as he burrowed into the + clods. + </p> + <p> + Hakon, the son of Hamund, heard of this; but when he was seen to be on the + point of turning his arms from the Irish against the Danes in order to + avenge his brother, Hakon the Zealander, the son of Wigar, and Starkad + deserted him. They had been his allies from the death of Ragnald up to + that hour: one, because he was moved by regard for friendship, the other + by regard for his birth; so that different reasons made both desire the + same thing. + </p> + <p> + Now patriotism diverted Hakon (of Zealand) from attacking his country; for + it was apparent that he was going to fight his own people, while all the + rest warred with foreigners. But Starkad forbore to become the foe of the + aged Sigar, whose hospitality he had enjoyed, lest he should be thought to + wrong one who deserved well of him. For some men pay such respect to + hospitality that, if they can remember ever to have experienced kindly + offices from folk, they cannot be thought to inflict any annoyance on + them. But Hakon thought the death of his brother a worse loss than the + defection of his champions; and, gathering his fleet into the haven called + Herwig in Danish, and in Latin Hosts' Bight, he drew up his men, and + posted his line of foot-soldiers in the spot where the town built by + Esbern now defends with its fortifications those who dwell hard by, and + repels the approach of barbarous savages. Then he divided his forces in + three, and sent on two-thirds of his ships, appointing a few men to row to + the river Susa. This force was to advance on a dangerous voyage along its + winding reaches, and to help those on foot if necessary. He marched in + person by land with the remainder, advancing chiefly over wooded country + to escape notice. Part of this path, which was once closed up with thick + woods, is now land ready for the plough, and fringed with a scanty scrub. + And, in order that when they got out into the plain they might not lack + the shelter of trees, he told them to cut and carry branches. Also, that + nothing might burden their rapid march, he bade them cast away some of + their clothes, as well as their scabbards; and carry their swords naked. + In memory of this event he left the mountain and the ford a perpetual + name. Thus by his night march he eluded two pickets of sentries; but when + he came upon the third, a scout, observing the marvellous event, went to + the sleeping-room of Sigar, saying that he brought news of a portentous + thing; for he saw leaves and shrubs like men walking. Then the king asked + him how far off was the advancing forest; and when he heard that it was + near, he added that this prodigy boded his own death. Hence the marsh + where the shrubs were cut down was styled in common parlance Deadly Marsh. + Therefore, fearing the narrow passages, he left the town, and went to a + level spot which was more open, there to meet the enemy in battle. Sigar + fought unsuccessfully, and was crushed and slain at the spot that is + called in common speech Walbrunna, but in Latin the Spring of Corpses or + Carnage. Then Hakon used his conquest to cruel purpose, and followed up + his good fortune so wickedly, that he lusted for an indiscriminate + massacre, and thought no forbearance should be shown to rank or sex. Nor + did he yield to any regard for compassion or shame, but stained his sword + in the blood of women, and attacked mothers and children in one general + and ruthless slaughter. + </p> + <p> + SIWALD, the son of Sigar, had thus far stayed under his father's roof. But + when he heard of this, he mustered an army in order to have his vengeance. + So Hakon, alarmed at the gathering of such numbers, went back with a third + of his army to his fleet at Herwig, and planned to depart by sea. But his + colleague, Hakon, surnamed the Proud, thought that he ought himself to + feel more confidence at the late victory than fear at the absence of + Hakon; and, preferring death to flight, tried to defend the remainder of + the army. So he drew back his camp for a little, and for a long time + waited near the town of Axelsted, for the arrival of the fleet, blaming + his friends for their tardy coming. For the fleet that had been sent into + the river had not yet come to anchor in the appointed harbour. Now the + killing of Sigar and the love of Siwald were stirring the temper of the + people one and all, so that both sexes devoted themselves to war, and you + would have thought that the battle did not lack the aid of women. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow Hakon and Siwald met in an encounter and fought two whole + days. The combat was most frightful; both generals fell; and victory + graced the remnants of the Danes. But, in the night after the battle, the + fleet, having penetrated the Susa, reached the appointed haven. It was + once possible to row along this river; but its bed is now choked with + solid substances, and is so narrowed by its straits that few vessels can + get in, being prevented by its sluggishness and contractedness. At + daybreak, when the sailors saw the corpses of their friends, they heaped + up, in order to bury the general, a barrow of notable size, which is + famous to this day, and is commonly named Hakon's Howe. + </p> + <p> + But Borgar, with Skanian chivalry suddenly came up and slaughtered a + multitude of them. When the enemy were destroyed, he manned their ships, + which now lacked their rowers, and hastily, with breathless speed, pursued + the son of Hamund. He encountered him, and ill-fortune befell Hakon, who + fled in hasty panic with three ships to the country of the Scots, where, + after two years had gone by, he died. + </p> + <p> + All these perilous wars and fortunes had so exhausted the royal line among + the Danes, that it was found to be reduced to GURID alone, the daughter of + Alf, and granddaughter of Sigar. And when the Danes saw themselves + deprived of their usual high-born sovereigns, they committed the kingdom + to men of the people, and appointed rulers out of the commons, assigning + to Ostmar the regency of Skaane, and that of Zealand to Hunding; on Hane + they conferred the lordship of Funen; while in the hands of Rorik and + Hather they put the supreme power of Jutland, the authority being divided. + Therefore, that it may not be unknown from what father sprang the + succeeding line of kings, some matters come to my mind which must be + glanced at for a while in a needful digression. + </p> + <p> + They say that Gunnar, the bravest of the Swedes, was once at feud with + Norway for the most weighty reasons, and that he was granted liberty to + attack it, but that he turned this liberty into licence by the greatest + perils, and fell, in the first of the raids he planned, upon the district + of Jather, which he put partly to the sword and partly to the flames. + Forbearing to plunder, he rejoiced only in passing through the paths that + were covered with corpses, and the blood-stained ways. Other men used to + abstain from bloodshed, and love pillage more than slaughter; but he + preferred bloodthirstiness to booty, and liked best to wreak his deadly + pleasure by slaughtering men. His cruelty drove the islanders to forestall + the impending danger by a public submission. Moreover, Ragnald, the King + of the Northmen, now in extreme age, when he heard how the tyrant busied + himself, had a cave made and shut up in it his daughter Drota, giving her + due attendance, and providing her maintenance for a long time. Also he + committed to the cave some swords which had been adorned with the choicest + smith-craft, besides the royal household gear; so that he might not leave + the enemy to capture and use the sword, which he saw that he could not + wield himself. And, to prevent the cave being noticed by its height, he + levelled the hump down to the firmer ground. Then he set out to war; but + being unable with his aged limbs to go down into battle, he leaned on the + shoulders of his escort and walked forth propped by the steps of others. + So he perished in the battle, where he fought with more ardour than + success, and left his country a sore matter for shame. + </p> + <p> + For Gunnar, in order to punish the cowardice of the conquered race by + terms of extraordinary baseness, had a dog set over them as a governor. + What can we suppose to have been his object in this action, unless it were + to make a haughty nation feel that their arrogance was being more signally + punished when they bowed their stubborn heads before a yapping hound? To + let no insult be lacking, he appointed governors to look after public and + private affairs in its name; and he appointed separate ranks of nobles to + keep continual and steadfast watch over it. He also enacted that if any + one of the courtiers thought it contemptible to do allegiance to their + chief, and omitted offering most respectful homage to its various goings + and comings as it ran hither and thither, he should be punished with loss + of his limbs. Also Gunnar imposed on the nation a double tribute, one to + be paid out of the autumn harvest, the other in the spring. Thus he burst + the bubble conceit of the Norwegians, to make them feel clearly how their + pride was gone, when they saw it forced to do homage to a dog. + </p> + <p> + When he heard that the king's daughter was shut up in some distant + hiding-place, Gunnar strained his wits in every nerve to track her out. + Hence, while he was himself conducting the search with others, his + doubtful ear caught the distant sound of a subterranean hum. Then he went + on slowly, and recognized a human voice with greater certainty. He ordered + the ground underfoot to be dug down to the solid rock; and when the cave + was suddenly laid open, he saw the winding tunnels. The servants were + slain as they tried to guard the now uncovered entrance to the cave, and + the girl was dragged out of the hole, together with the booty therein + concealed. With great foresight, she had consigned at any rate her + father's swords to the protection of a more secret place. Gunnar forced + her to submit to his will, and she bore a son Hildiger. This man was such + a rival to his father in cruelty, that he was ever thirsting to kill, and + was bent on nothing but the destruction of men, panting with a boundless + lust for bloodshed. Outlawed by his father on account of his unbearable + ruthlessness, and soon after presented by Alver with a government, he + spent his whole life in arms, visiting his neighbours with wars and + slaughters; nor did he, in his estate of banishment, relax his accustomed + savagery a whir, but would not change his spirit with his habitation. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Borgar, finding that Gunnar had married Drota, the daughter of + Ragnald, by violence, took from him both life and wife, and wedded Drota + himself. She was not an unwilling bride; she thought it right for her to + embrace the avenger of her parent. For the daughter mourned her father, + and could never bring herself to submit with any pleasure to his murderer. + This woman and Borgar had a son Halfdan, who through all his early youth + was believed to be stupid, but whose later years proved illustrious for + the most glorious deeds, and famous for the highest qualities that can + grace life. Once, when a stripling, he mocked in boyish fashion at a + champion of noble repute, who smote him with a buffet; whereupon Halfdan + attacked him with the staff he was carrying and killed him. This deed was + an omen of his future honours; he had hitherto been held in scorn, but + henceforth throughout his life he had the highest honour and glory. The + affair, indeed, was a prophecy of the greatness of his deeds in war. + </p> + <p> + At this period, Rothe, a Ruthenian rover, almost destroyed our country + with his rapine and cruelty. His harshness was so notable that, while + other men spared their prisoners utter nakedness, he did not think it + uncomely to strip of their coverings even the privy parts of their bodies; + wherefore we are wont to this day to call all severe and monstrous acts of + rapine Rothe-Ran (Rothe's Robbery). He used also sometimes to inflict the + following kind of torture: Fastening the men's right feet firmly to the + earth, he tied the left feet to boughs for the purpose that when these + should spring back the body would be rent asunder. Hane, Prince of Funen, + wishing to win honour and glory, tried to attack this man with his + sea-forces, but took to flight with one attendant. It was in reproach of + him that the proverb arose: "The cock (Hane) fights better on its own + dunghill." Then Borgar, who could not bear to see his countrymen perishing + any longer, encountered Rothe. Together they fought and together they + perished. It is said that in this battle Halfdan was sorely stricken, and + was for some time feeble with the wounds he had received. One of these was + inflicted conspicuously on his mouth, and its scar was so manifest that it + remained as an open blotch when all the other wounds were healed; for the + crushed portion of the lip was so ulcerated by the swelling, that the + flesh would not grow out again and mend the noisome gash. This + circumstance fixed on him a most insulting nickname,... although wounds in + the front of the body commonly bring praise and not ignominy. So spiteful + a colour does the belief of the vulgar sometimes put upon men's virtues. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Gurid, the daughter of Alf, seeing that the royal line was + reduced to herself alone, and having no equal in birth whom she could + marry, proclaimed a vow imposing chastity on herself, thinking it better + to have no husband than to take one from the commons. Moreover, to escape + outrage, she guarded her room with a chosen band of champions. Once + Halfdan happened to come to see her. The champions, whose brother he had + himself slain in his boyhood, were away. He told her that she ought to + loose her virgin zone, and exchange her austere chastity for deeds of + love; that she ought not to give in so much to her inclination for modesty + as to be too proud to make a match, and so by her service repair the + fallen monarchy. So he bade her look on himself, who was of eminently + illustrious birth, in the light of a husband, since it appeared that she + would only admit pleasure for the reason he had named. Gurid answered that + she could not bring her mind to ally the remnants of the royal line to a + man of meaner rank. Not content with reproaching his obscure birth, she + also taunted his unsightly countenance. Halfdan rejoined that she brought + against him two faults: one that his blood was not illustrious enough; + another, that he was blemished with a cracked lip whose scar had never + healed. Therefore he would not come back to ask for her before he had + wiped away both marks of shame by winning glory in war. + </p> + <p> + Halfdan entreated her to suffer no man to be privy to her bed until she + heard certain tidings either of his return or his death. The champions, + whom he had bereaved of their brother long ago, were angry that he had + spoken to Gurid, and tried to ride after him as he went away. When he saw + it, he told his comrades to go into ambush, and said he would encounter + the champions alone. His followers lingered, and thought it shameful to + obey his orders, but he drove them off with threats, saying that Gurid + should not find that fear had made him refuse to fight. Presently he cut + down an oak-tree and fashioned it into a club, fought the twelve + single-handed, and killed them. After their destruction, not content with + the honours of so splendid an action, and meaning to do one yet greater, + he got from his mother the swords of his grandfather, one of which was + called Lyusing.... and the other Hwyting, after the sheen of its + well-whetted point. But when he heard that war was raging between Alver, + the King of Sweden, and the Ruthenians (Russians), he instantly went to + Russia, offered help to the natives, and was received by all with the + utmost honour. Alver was not far off, there being only a little ground to + cross to cover the distance between the two. Alver's soldier Hildiger, the + son of Gunnar, challenged the champions of the Ruthenians to fight him; + but when he saw that Halfdan was put up against him, though knowing well + that he was Halfdan's brother, he let natural feeling prevail over + courage, and said that he, who was famous for the destruction of seventy + champions, would not fight with an untried man. Therefore he told him to + measure himself in enterprises of lesser moment, and thenceforth to follow + pursuits fitted to his strength. He made this announcement not from + distrust in his own courage, but in order to preserve his uprightness; for + he was not only very valiant, but also skilled at blunting the sword with + spells. For when he remembered that Halfdan's father had slain his own, he + was moved by two feelings—the desire to avenge his father, and his + love for his brother. He therefore thought it better to retire from the + challenge than to be guilty of a very great crime. Halfdan demanded + another champion in his place, slew him when he appeared, and was soon + awarded the palm of valour even by the voice of the enemy, being accounted + by public acclamation the bravest of all. On the next day he asked for two + men to fight with, and slew them both. On the third day he subdued three; + on the fourth he overcame four who met him; and on the fifth he asked for + five. + </p> + <p> + When Halfdan conquered these, and when the eighth day had been reached + with an equal increase in the combatants and in the victory, he laid low + eleven who attacked him at once. Hildiger, seeing that his own record of + honours was equalled by the greatness of Halfdan's deeds could not bear to + decline to meet him any longer. And when he felt that Halfdan had dealt + him a deadly wound with a sword wrapped in rags, he threw away his arms, + and, lying on the earth, addressed his brother as follows: + </p> + <p> + "It is pleasing to pass an hour away in mutual talk; and, while the sword + rests, to sit a little on the ground and while away the time by speaking + in turn, and keep ourselves in good heart. Time is left for our purpose; + our two destinies have a different lot; one is surely doomed to die by a + fatal weird, while triumph and glory and all the good of living await the + other in better years. Thus our omens differ, and our portions are + distinguished. Thou art a son of the Danish land, I of the country of + Sweden. Once, Drota thy mother had her breast swell for thee; she bore me, + and by her I am thy foster-brother. Lo now, there perishes a righteous + offspring, who had the heart to fight with savage spears; brothers born of + a shining race charge and bring death on one another; while they long for + the height of power, they lose their days, and, having now received a + fatal mischief in their desire for a sceptre, they will go to Styx in a + common death. Fast by my head stands my Swedish shield, which is adorned + with (as) a fresh mirror of diverse chasing, and ringed with layers of + marvellous fretwork. There a picture of really hues shows slain nobles and + conquered champions, and the wars also and the notable deed of my right + hand. In the midst is to be seen, painted in bright relief, the figure of + my son, whom this hand bereft of his span of life. He was our only heir, + the only thought of his father's mind, and given to his mother with + comfort from above. An evil lot, which heaps years of ill-fortune on the + joyous, chokes mirth in mourning, and troubles our destiny. For it is + lamentable and wretched to drag out a downcast life, to draw breath + through dismal days and to chafe at foreboding. But whatsoever things are + bound by the prophetic order of the fates, whatsoever are shadowed in the + secrets of the divine plan, whatsoever are foreseen and fixed in the + course of the destinies, no change of what is transient shall cancel these + things." + </p> + <p> + When he had thus spoken, Halfdan condemned Hildiger for sloth in avowing + so late their bond of brotherhood; he declared he had kept silence that he + might not be thought a coward for refusing to fight, or a villain if he + fought; and while intent on these words of excuse, he died. But report had + given out among the Danes that Hildiger had overthrown Halfdan. After + this, Siwar, a Saxon of very high birth, began to be a suitor for Gurid, + the only survivor of the royal blood among the Danes. Secretly she + preferred Halfdan to him, and imposed on her wooer the condition that he + should not ask her in marriage till he had united into one body the + kingdom of the Danes, which was now torn limb from limb, and restored by + arms what had been wrongfully taken from her. Siwar made a vain attempt to + do this; but as he bribed all the guardians, she was at last granted to + him in betrothal. Halfdan heard of this in Russia through traders, and + voyaged so hard that he arrived before the time of the wedding-rites. On + their first day, before he went to the palace, he gave orders that his men + should not stir from the watches appointed them till their ears caught the + clash of the steel in the distance. Unknown to the guests, he came and + stood before the maiden, and, that he might not reveal his meaning to too + many by bare and common speech, he composed a dark and ambiguous song as + follows: + </p> + <p> + "As I left my father's sceptre, I had no fear of the wiles of woman's + device nor of female subtlety. + </p> + <p> + "When I overthrew, one and two, three and four, and soon five, and next + six, then seven, and also eight, yea eleven single-handed, triumphant in + battle. + </p> + <p> + "But neither did I then think that I was to be shamed with the taint of + disgrace, with thy frailness to thy word and thy beguiling pledges." + </p> + <p> + Gurid answered: "My soul wavered in suspense, with slender power over + events, and shifted about with restless fickleness. The report of thee was + so fleeting, so doubtful, borne on uncertain stories, and parched by + doubting heart. I feared that the years of thy youth had perished by the + sword. Could I withstand singly my elders and governors, when they forbade + me to refuse that thing, and pressed me to become a wife? My love and my + flame are both yet unchanged, they shall be mate and match to thine; nor + has my troth been disturbed, but shall have faithful approach to thee. + </p> + <p> + "For my promise has not yet beguiled thee at all, though I, being alone, + could not reject the counsel of such manifold persuasion, nor oppose their + stern bidding in the matter of my consent to the marriage bond." + </p> + <p> + Before the maiden had finished her answer, Halfdan had already run his + sword through the bridegroom. Not content with having killed one man, he + massacred most of the guests. Staggering tipsily backwards, the Saxons ran + at him, but his servants came up and slaughtered them. After this HALFDAN + took Gurid to wife. But finding in her the fault of barrenness, and + desiring much to have offspring, he went to Upsala in order to procure + fruitfulness for her; and being told in answer, that he must make + atonement to the shades of his brother if he would raise up children, he + obeyed the oracle, and was comforted by gaining his desire. For he had a + son by Gurid, to whom he gave the name of Harald. Under his title Halfdan + tried to restore the kingdom of the Danes to its ancient estate, as it was + torn asunder by the injuries of the chiefs; but, while fighting in + Zealand, he attacked Wesete, a very famous champion, in battle, and was + slain. Gurid was at the battle in man's attire, from love for her son. She + saw the event; the young man fought hotly, but his companions fled; and + she took him on her shoulders to a neighbouring wood. Weariness, more than + anything else, kept the enemy from pursuing him; but one of them shot him + as he hung, with an arrow, through the hinder parts, and Harald thought + that his mother's care brought him more shame than help. + </p> + <p> + HARALD, being of great beauty and unusual size, and surpassing those of + his age in strength and stature, received such favour from Odin (whose + oracle was thought to have been the cause of his birth), that steel could + not injure his perfect soundness. The result was, that shafts which + wounded others were disabled from doing him any harm. Nor was the boon + unrequited; for he is reported to have promised to Odin all the souls + which his sword cast out of their bodies. He also had his father's deeds + recorded for a memorial by craftsmen on a rock in Bleking, whereof I have + made mention. + </p> + <p> + After this, hearing that Wesete was to hold his wedding in Skaane, he went + to the feast disguised as a beggar; and when all were sunken in wine and + sleep, he battered the bride-chamber with a beam. But Wesete, without + inflicting a wound, so beat his mouth with a cudgel, that he took out two + teeth; but two grinders unexpectedly broke out afterwards and repaired + their loss: an event which earned him the name of Hyldetand, which some + declare he obtained on account of a prominent row of teeth. Here he slew + Wesete, and got the sovereignty of Skaane. Next he attacked and killed + Hather in Jutland; and his fall is marked by the lasting name of the town. + After this he overthrew Hunding and Rorik, seized Leire, and reunited the + dismembered realm of Denmark into its original shape. Then he found that + Asmund, the King of the Wikars, had been deprived of his throne by his + elder sister; and, angered by such presumption on the part of a woman, + went to Norway with a single ship, while the war was still undecided, to + help him. The battle began; and, clothed in a purple cloak, with a coif + broidered with gold, and with his hair bound up, he went against the enemy + trusting not in arms, but in his silent certainty of his luck, insomuch + that he seemed dressed more for a feast than a fray. But his spirit did + not match his attire. For, though unarmed and only adorned with his + emblems of royalty, he outstripped the rest who bore arms, and exposed + himself, lightly-armed as he was, to the hottest perils of the battle. For + the shafts aimed against him lost all power to hurt, as if their points + had been blunted. When the other side saw him fighting unarmed, they made + an attack, and were forced for very shame into assailing him more hotly. + But Harald, whole in body, either put them to the sword, or made them take + to flight; and thus he overthrew the sister of Asmund, and restored him + his kingdom. When Asmund offered him the prizes of victory, he said that + the reward of glory was enough by itself; and demeaned himself as greatly + in refusing the gifts as he had in earning them. By this he made all men + admire his self-restraint as much as his valour; and declared that the + victory should give him a harvest not of gold but glory. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Alver, the King of the Swedes, died leaving sons Olaf, Ing, and + Ingild. One of these, Ing, dissatisfied with the honours his father + bequeathed him, declared war with the Danes in order to extend his empire. + And when Harald wished to inquire of oracles how this war would end, an + old man of great height, but lacking one eye, and clad also in a hairy + mantle, appeared before him, and declared that he was called Odin, and was + versed in the practice of warfare; and he gave him the most useful + instruction how to divide up his army in the field. Now he told him, + whenever he was going to make war with his land-forces, to divide his + whole army into three squadrons, each of which he was to pack into twenty + ranks; the centre squadron, however, he was to extend further than the + rest by the number of twenty men. This squadron he was also to arrange in + the form of the point of a cone or pyramid, and to make the wings on + either side slant off obliquely from it. He was to compose the successive + ranks of each squadron in the following way: the front should begin with + two men, and the number in each succeeding rank should only increase by + one; he was, in fact, to post a rank of three in the second line, four in + the third, and so on behind. And thus, when the men mustered, all the + succeeding ranks were to be manned at the same rate of proportion, until + the end of (the edge that made) the junction of men came down to the + wings; each wing was to be drawn up in ten lines from that point. Likewise + after these squadrons he was to put the young men, equipped with lances, + and behind these to set the company of aged men, who would support their + comrades with what one might call a veteran valour if they faltered; next, + a skilful reckoner should attach wings of slingers to stand behind the + ranks of their fellows and attack the enemy from a distance with missiles. + After these he was to enroll men of any age or rank indiscriminately, + without heed of their estate. Moreover, he was to draw up the rear like + the vanguard, in three separated divisions, and arranged in ranks + similarly proportioned. The back of this, joining on to the body in front + would protect it by facing in the opposite direction. But if a sea-battle + happened to occur, he should withdraw a portion of his fleet, which when + he began the intended engagement, was to cruise round that of the enemy, + wheeling to and fro continually. Equipped with this system of warfare, he + forestalled matters in Sweden, and killed Ing and Olaf as they were making + ready to fight. Their brother Ingild sent messengers to beg a truce, on + pretence of his ill-health. Harald granted his request, that his own + valour, which had learnt to spare distress, might not triumph over a man + in the hour of lowliness and dejection. When Ingild afterwards provoked + Harald by wrongfully ravishing his sister, Harald vexed him with long and + indecisive war, but then took him into his friendship, thinking it better + to have him for ally than for enemy. + </p> + <p> + After this he heard that Olaf, King of the Thronds, had to fight with the + maidens Stikla and Rusila for the kingdom. Much angered at this arrogance + on the part of women, he went to Olaf unobserved, put on dress which + concealed the length of his teeth, and attacked the maidens. He overthrew + them both, leaving to two harbours a name akin to theirs. It was then that + he gave a notable exhibition of valour; for defended only by a shirt under + his shoulders, he fronted the spears with unarmed breast. + </p> + <p> + When Olaf offered Harald the prize of victory, he rejected the gift, thus + leaving it a question whether he had shown a greater example of bravery or + self-control. Then he attacked a champion of the Frisian nation, named + Ubbe, who was ravaging the borders of Jutland and destroying numbers of + the common people; and when Harald could not subdue him to his arms, he + charged his soldiers to grip him with their hands, throw him on the + ground, and to bind him while thus overpowered. Thus he only overcame the + man and mastered him by a shameful kind of attack, though a little before + he thought he would inflict a heavy defeat on him. But Harald gave him his + sister in marriage, and thus gained him for his soldier. + </p> + <p> + Harald made tributaries of the nations that lay along the Rhine, levying + troops from the bravest of that race. With these forces he conquered + Sclavonia in war, and caused its generals, Duk and Dal, because of their + bravery, to be captured, and not killed. These men he took to serve with + him, and, after overcoming Aquitania, soon went to Britain, where he + overthrew the King of the Humbrians, and enrolled the smartest of the + warriors he had conquered, the chief of whom was esteemed to be Orm, + surnamed the Briton. The fame of these deeds brought champions from divers + parts of the world, whom he formed into a band of mercenaries. + Strengthened by their numbers, he kept down insurrections in all kingdoms + by the terror of his name, so that he took out of their rulers all courage + to fight with one another. Moreover, no man durst assume any sovereignty + on the sea without his consent; for of old the state of the Danes had the + joint lordship of land and sea. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Ingild died in Sweden, leaving only a very little son, Ring, whom + he had by the sister of Harald. Harald gave the boy guardians, and put him + over his father's kingdom. Thus, when he had overcome princes and + provinces, he passed fifty years in peace. To save the minds of his + soldiers from being melted into sloth by this inaction, he decreed that + they should assiduously learn from the champions the way of parrying and + dealing blows. Some of these were skilled in a remarkable manner of + fighting, and used to smite the eyebrow on the enemy's forehead with an + infallible stroke; but if any man, on receiving the blow, blinked for + fear, twitching his eyebrow, he was at once expelled the court and + dismissed the service. + </p> + <p> + At this time Ole, the son of Siward and of Harald's sister, came to + Denmark from the land of Norway in the desire to see his uncle. Since it + is known that he had the first place among the followers of Harald, and + that after the Swedish war he came to the throne of Denmark, it bears + somewhat on the subject to relate the traditions of his deeds. Ole, then, + when he had passed his tenth to his fifteenth year with his father, showed + incredible proofs of his brilliant gifts both of mind and body. Moreover, + he was so savage of countenance that his eyes were like the arms of other + men against the enemy, and he terrified the bravest with his stern and + flashing glance. He heard the tidings that Gunn, ruler of Tellemark, with + his son Grim, was haunting as a robber the forest of Etha-scog, which was + thick with underbrush and full of gloomy glens. The offence moved his + anger; then he asked his father for a horse, a dog, and such armour as + could be got, and cursed his youth, which was suffering the right season + for valour to slip sluggishly away. He got what he asked, and explored the + aforesaid wood very narrowly. He saw the footsteps of a man printed deep + on the snow; for the rime was blemished by the steps, and betrayed the + robber's progress. Thus guided, he went over a hill, and came on a very + great river. This effaced the human tracks he had seen before, and he + determined that he must cross. But the mere mass of water, whose waves ran + down in a headlong torrent, seemed to forbid all crossing; for it was full + of hidden reefs, and the whole length of its channel was turbid with a + kind of whirl of foam. Yet all fear of danger was banished from Ole's mind + by his impatience to make haste. So valour conquered fear, and rashness + scorned peril; thinking nothing hard to do if it were only to his mind, he + crossed the hissing eddies on horseback. When he had passed these, he came + upon defiles surrounded on all sides with swamps, the interior of which + was barred from easy approach by the pinnacle of a bank in front. He took + his horse over this, and saw an enclosure with a number of stalls. Out of + this he turned many horses, and was minded to put in his own, when a + certain Tok, a servant of Gunn, angry that a stranger should wax so + insolent, attacked him fiercely; but Ole foiled his assailant by simply + opposing his shield. Thinking it a shame to slay the fellow with the + sword, he seized him, shattered him limb by limb, and flung him across + into the house whence he had issued in his haste. This insult quickly + aroused Gunn and Grim: they ran out by different side-doors, and charged + Ole both at once, despising his age and strength. He wounded them fatally; + and, when their bodily powers were quite spent, Grim, who could scarce + muster a final gasp, and whose force was almost utterly gone, with his + last pants composed this song: + </p> + <p> + "Though we be weak in frame, and the loss of blood has drained our + strength; since the life-breath, now drawn out by my wound, scarce quivers + softly in my pierced breast: + </p> + <p> + "I counsel that we should make the battle of our last hour glorious with + dauntless deeds, that none may say that a combat has anywhere been + bravelier waged or harder fought; + </p> + <p> + "And that our wild strife while we bore arms may, when our weary flesh has + found rest in the tomb, win us the wage of immortal fame. + </p> + <p> + "Let our first stroke crush the shoulder-blades of the foe, let our steel + cut off both his hands; so that, when Stygian Pluto has taken us, a like + doom may fall on Ole also, and a common death tremble over three, and one + urn cover the ashes of three." + </p> + <p> + Here Grim ended. But his father, rivalling his indomitable spirit, and + wishing to give some exhortation in answer to his son's valiant speech, + thus began: + </p> + <p> + "What though our veins be wholly bloodless, and in our frail body the life + be brief, yet our last fight be so strong and strenuous that it suffer not + the praise of us to be brief also. + </p> + <p> + "Therefore aim the javelin first at the shoulders and arms of the foe, so + that the work of his hands may be weakened; and thus when we are gone + three shall receive a common sepulchre, and one urn alike for three shall + cover our united dust." + </p> + <p> + When he had said this, both of them, resting on their knees (for the + approach of death had drained their strength), made a desperate effort to + fight Ole hand to hand, in order that, before they perished, they might + slay their enemy also; counting death as nothing if only they might + envelope their slayer in a common fall. Ole slew one of them with his + sword, the other with his hound. But even he gained no bloodless victory; + for though he had been hitherto unscathed, now at last he received a wound + in front. His dog diligently licked him over, and he regained his bodily + strength: and soon, to publish sure news of his victory, he hung the + bodies of the robbers upon gibbets in wide view. Moreover, he took the + stronghold, and put in secret keeping all the booty he found there, in + reserve for future use. + </p> + <p> + At this time the arrogant wantonness of the brothers Skate and Hiale waxed + so high that they would take virgins of notable beauty from their parents + and ravish them. Hence it came about that they formed the purpose of + seizing Esa, the daughter of Olaf, prince of the Werms; and bade her + father, if he would not have her serve the passion of a stranger, fight + either in person, or by some deputy, in defence of his child. When Ole had + news of this, he rejoiced in the chance of a battle, and borrowing the + attire of a peasant, went to the dwelling of Olaf. He received one of the + lowest places at table; and when he saw the household of the king in + sorrow, he called the king's son closer to him, and asked why they all + wore so lamentable a face. The other answered, that unless someone quickly + interposed to protect them, his sister's chastity would soon be outraged + by some ferocious champions. Ole next asked him what reward would be + received by the man who devoted his life for the maiden. Olaf, on his son + asking him about this matter, said that his daughter should go to the man + who fought for her: and these words, more than anything, made Ole long to + encounter the danger. + </p> + <p> + Now the maiden was wont to go from one guest to another in order to scan + their faces narrowly, holding out a light that she might have a surer view + of the dress and character of those who were entertained. It is also + believed that she divined their lineage from the lines and features of the + face, and could discern any man's birth by sheer shrewdness of vision. + When she stood and fixed the scrutiny of her gaze upon Olaf, she was + stricken with the strange awfulness of his eyes, and fell almost lifeless. + But when her strength came slowly back, and her breath went and came more + freely, she again tried to look at the young man, but suddenly slipped and + fell forward, as though distraught. A third time also she strove to lift + her closed and downcast gaze, but suddenly tottered and fell, unable not + only to move her eyes, but even to control her feet; so much can strength + be palsied by amazement. When Olaf saw it, he asked her why she had fallen + so often. She averred that she was stricken by the savage gaze of the + guest; that he was born of kings; and she declared that if he could baulk + the will of the ravishers, he was well worthy of her arms. Then all of + them asked Ole, who was keeping his face muffled in a hat, to fling off + his covering, and let them see something by which to learn his features. + Then, bidding them all lay aside their grief, and keep their heart far + from sorrow, he uncovered his brow; and he drew the eyes of all upon him + in marvel at his great beauty. For his locks were golden and the hair of + his head was radiant; but he kept the lids close over his pupils, that + they might not terrify the beholders. + </p> + <p> + All were heartened with the hope of better things; the guests seemed to + dance and the courtiers to leap for joy; the deepest melancholy seemed to + be scattered by an outburst of cheerfulness. Thus hope relieved their + fears; the banquet wore a new face, and nothing was the same, or like what + it had been before. So the kindly promise of a single guest dispelled the + universal terror. Meanwhile Hiale and Skate came up with ten servants, + meaning to carry off the maiden then and there, and disturbed all the + place with their noisy shouts. They called on the king to give battle, + unless he produced his daughter instantly. Ole at once met their frenzy + with the promise to fight, adding the condition that no one should + stealthily attack an opponent in the rear, but should only combat in the + battle face to face. Then, with his sword called Logthi, he felled them + all, single-handed—an achievement beyond his years. The ground for + the battle was found on an isle in the middle of a swamp, not far from + which is a stead that serves to memorise this slaughter, bearing the names + of the brothers Hiale and Skate together. + </p> + <p> + So the girl was given him as prize of the combat, and bore him a son + Omund. Then he gained his father-in-law's leave to revisit his father. But + when he heard that his country was being attacked by Thore, with the help + of Toste Sacrificer, and Leotar, surnamed.... he went to fight them, + content with a single servant, who was dressed as a woman. When he was + near the house of Thore, he concealed his own and his attendant's swords + in hollowed staves. And when he entered the palace, he disguised his true + countenance, and feigned to be a man broken with age. He said that with + Siward he had been king of the beggars, but that he was now in exile, + having been stubbornly driven forth by the hatred of the king's son Ole. + Presently many of the courtiers greeted him with the name of king, and + began to kneel and offer him their hands in mockery. He told them to bear + out in deeds what they had done in jest; and, plucking out the swords + which he and his man kept shut in their staves, attacked the king. So some + aided Ole, taking it more as jest than earnest, and would not be false to + the loyalty which they mockingly yielded him; but most of them, breaking + their idle vow, took the side of Thore. Thus arose an internecine and + undecided fray. At last Thore was overwhelmed and slain by the arms of his + own folk, as much as by these of his guests; and Leotar, wounded to the + death, and judging that his conqueror, Ole, was as keen in mind as he was + valorous in deeds, gave him the name of the Vigorous, and prophesied that + he should perish by the same kind of trick as he had used with Thore; for, + without question he should fall by the treachery of his own house. And, as + he spoke, he suddenly passed away. Thus we can see that the last speech of + the dying man expressed by its shrewd divination the end that should come + upon his conqueror. + </p> + <p> + After these deeds Ole did not go back to his father till he had restored + peace to his house. His father gave him the command of the sea, and he + destroyed seventy sea-kings in a naval battle. The most distinguished + among these were Birwil and Hwirwil, Thorwil, Nef and Onef, Redward (?), + Rand and Erand (?). By the honour and glory of this exploit he excited + many champions, whose whole heart's desire was for bravery, to join in + alliance with him. He also enrolled into a bodyguard the wild young + warriors who were kindled with a passion for glory. Among these he + received Starkad with the greatest honour, and cherished him with more + friendship than profit. Thus fortified, he checked, by the greatness of + his name, the wantonness of the neighbouring kings, in that he took from + them all their forces and all liking and heart for mutual warfare. + </p> + <p> + After this he went to Harald, who made him commander of the sea; and at + last he was transferred to the service of Ring. At this time one Brun was + the sole partner and confidant of all Harald's councils. To this man both + Harald and Ring, whenever they needed a secret messenger, used to entrust + their commissions. This degree of intimacy he obtained because he had been + reared and fostered with them. But Brun, amid the toils of his constant + journeys to and fro, was drowned in a certain river; and Odin, disguised + under his name and looks, shook the close union of the kings by his + treacherous embassage; and he sowed strife so guilefully that he + engendered in men, who were bound by friendship and blood, a bitter mutual + hate, which seemed unappeasable except by war. Their dissensions first + grew up silently; at last both sides betrayed their leanings, and their + secret malice burst into the light of day. So they declared their feuds, + and seven years passed in collecting the materials of war. Some say that + Harald secretly sought occasions to destroy himself, not being moved by + malice or jealousy for the crown, but by a deliberate and voluntary + effort. His old age and his cruelty made him a burden to his subjects; he + preferred the sword to the pangs of disease, and liked better to lay down + his life in the battle-field than in his bed, that he might have an end in + harmony with the deeds of his past life. Thus, to make his death more + illustrious, and go to the nether world in a larger company, he longed to + summon many men to share his end; and he therefore of his own will + prepared for war, in order to make food for future slaughter. For these + reasons, being seized with as great a thirst to die himself as to kill + others, and wishing the massacre on both sides to be equal, he furnished + both sides with equal resources; but let Ring have a somewhat stronger + force, preferring he should conquer and survive him. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) A parallel is the Lionel-Lancelot story of children saved by + being turned into dogs. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0026" id="link2H_4_0026"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK EIGHT. + </h2> + <p> + STARKAD was the first to set in order in Danish speech the history of the + Swedish war, a conflict whereof he was himself a mighty pillar; the said + history being rather an oral than a written tradition. He set forth and + arranged the course of this war in the mother tongue according to the + fashion of our country; but I purpose to put it into Latin, and will first + recount the most illustrious princes on either side. For I have felt no + desire to include the multitude, which are even past exact numbering. And + my pen shall relate first those on the side of Harald, and presently those + who served under Ring. + </p> + <p> + Now the most famous of the captains that mustered to Harald are + acknowledged to have been Sweyn and Sambar (Sam?), Ambar and Elli; Rati of + Funen, Salgard and Roe (Hrothgar), whom his long beard distinguished by a + nickname. Besides these, Skalk the Scanian, and Alf the son of Agg; to + whom are joined Olwir the Broad, and Gnepie the Old. Besides these there + was Gardh, founder of the town Stang. To these are added the kinsfolk or + bound followers of Harald: Blend (Blaeng?), the dweller in furthest Thule, + (1) and Brand, whose surname was Crumb (Bitling?). Allied with these were + Thorguy, with Thorwig, Tatar (Teit), and Hialte. These men voyaged to + Leire with bodies armed for war; but they were also mighty in excellence + of wit, and their trained courage matched their great stature; for they + had skill in discharging arrows both from bow and catapult, and at + fighting their foe as they commonly did, man to man; and also at readily + stringing together verse in the speech of their country: so zealously had + they trained mind and body alike. Now out of Leire came Hortar (Hjort) and + Borrhy (Borgar or Borgny), and also Belgi and Beigad, to whom were added + Bari and Toli. Now out of the town of Sle, under the captains Hetha (Heid) + and Wisna, with Hakon Cut-cheek came Tummi the Sailmaker. On these + captains, who had the bodies of women, nature bestowed the souls of men. + Webiorg was also inspired with the same spirit, and was attended by Bo + (Bui) Bramason and Brat the Jute, thirsting for war. In the same throng + came Orm of England, Ubbe the Frisian, Ari the One-eyed, and Alf Gotar. + Next in the count came Dal the Fat and Duk the Sclav; Wisna, a woman, + filled with sternness, and a skilled warrior, was guarded by a band of + Sclavs: her chief followers were Barri and Gnizli. But the rest of the + same company had their bodies covered by little shields, and used very + long swords and targets of skiey hue, which, in time of war, they either + cast behind their backs or gave over to the baggage-bearers; while they + cast away all protection to their breasts, and exposed their bodies to + every peril, offering battle with drawn swords. The most illustrious of + these were Tolkar and Ymi. After these, Toki of the province of Wohin was + conspicuous together with Otrit surnamed the Young. Hetha, guarded by a + retinue of very active men, brought an armed company to the war, the + chiefs of whom were Grim and Grenzli; next to whom are named Geir the + Livonian, Hame also and Hunger, Humbli and Biari, bravest of the princes. + These men often fought duels successfully, and won famous victories far + and wide. + </p> + <p> + The maidens I have named, in fighting as well as courteous array, led + their land-forces to the battle-field. Thus the Danish army mustered + company by company. There were seven kings, equal in spirit but differing + in allegiance, some defending Harald, and some Ring. Moreover, the + following went to the side of Harald: Homi and Hosathul (Eysothul?), + Him...., Hastin and Hythin (Hedin) the Slight, also Dahar (Dag), named + Grenski, and Harald Olafsson also. From the province of Aland came Har and + Herlewar (Herleif), with Hothbrodd, surnamed the Furious; these fought in + the Danish camp. But from Imisland arrived Humnehy (?) and Harald. They + were joined by Haki and by Sigmund and Serker the sons of Bemon, all + coming from the North. All these were retainers of the king, who + befriended them most generously; for they were held in the highest + distinction by him, receiving swords adorned with gold, and the choicest + spoils of war. There came also.... the sons of Gandal the old, who were in + the intimate favour of Harald by reason of ancient allegiance. Thus the + sea was studded with the Danish fleet, and seemed to interpose a bridge, + uniting Zealand to Skaane. To those that wished to pass between those + provinces, the sea offered a short road on foot over the dense mass of + ships. But Harald would not have the Swedes unprepared in their + arrangements for war, and sent men to Ring to carry his public declaration + of hostilities, and notify the rupture of the mediating peace. The same + men were directed to prescribe the place of combat. These then whom I have + named were the fighters for Harald. + </p> + <p> + Now, on the side of Ring were numbered Ulf, Aggi (Aki?), Windar (Eywind?), + Egil the One-eyed; Gotar, Hildi, Guti Alfsson; Styr the Stout, and (Tolo-) + Stein, who lived by the Wienic Mere. To these were joined Gerd the Glad + and Gromer (Glum?) from Wermland. After these are reckoned the dwellers + north on the Elbe, Saxo the Splitter, Sali the Goth; Thord the Stumbler, + Throndar Big-nose; Grundi, Oddi, Grindir, Tovi; Koll, Biarki, Hogni the + Clever, Rokar the Swart. Now these scorned fellowship with the common + soldiers, and had formed themselves into a separate rank apart from the + rest of the company. Besides these are numbered Hrani Hildisson and Lyuth + Guthi (Hljot Godi), Svein the Topshorn, (Soknarsoti?), Rethyr (Hreidar?) + Hawk, and Rolf the Uxorious (Woman-lover). Massed with these were Ring + Adilsson and Harald who came from Thotn district. Joined to these were + Walstein of Wick, Thorolf the Thick, Thengel the Tall, Hun, Solwe, Birwil + the Pale, Borgar and Skumbar (Skum). But from, Tellemark came the bravest + of all, who had most courage but least arrogance—Thorleif the + Stubborn, Thorkill the Gute (Gothlander), Grettir the Wicked and the Lover + of Invasions. Next to these came Hadd the Hard and Rolder (Hroald) + Toe-joint. + </p> + <p> + From Norway we have the names of Thrand of Throndhjem, Thoke (Thore) of + More, Hrafn the White, Haf (war), Biarni, Blihar (Blig?) surnamed + Snub-nosed; Biorn from the district of Sogni; Findar (Finn) born in the + Firth; Bersi born in the town F(I)alu; Siward Boarhead, Erik the + Story-teller, Holmstein the White, Hrut Rawi (or Vafi, the Doubter), + Erling surnamed Snake. Now from the province of Jather came Odd the + Englishman, Alf the Far-wanderer, Enar the Paunched, and Ywar surnamed + Thriug. Now from Thule (Iceland) came Mar the Red, born and bred in the + district called Midfirth; Grombar the Aged, Gram Brundeluk (Bryndalk?) + Grim from the town of Skier (um) born in Skagafiord. Next came Berg the + Seer, accompanied by Bragi and Rafnkel. + </p> + <p> + Now the bravest of the Swedes were these: Arwakki, Keklu-Karl + (Kelke-Karl), Krok the Peasant, (from Akr), Gudfast and Gummi from + Gislamark. These were kindred of the god Frey, and most faithful witnesses + to the gods. Ingi (Yngwe) also, and Oly, Alver, Folki, all sons of Elrik + (Alrek), embraced the service of Ring; they were men ready of hand, quick + in counsel, and very close friends of Ring. They likewise held the god + Frey to be the founder of their race. Amongst these from the town of + Sigtun also came Sigmund, a champion advocate, versed in making contracts + of sale and purchase; besides him Frosti surnamed Bowl: allied with him + was Alf the Lofty (Proud?) from the district of Upsala; this man was a + swift spear-thrower, and used to go in the front of the battle. + </p> + <p> + Ole had a body-guard in which were seven kings, very ready of hand and of + counsel; namely, Holti, Hendil, Holmar, Lewy (Leif), and Hame; with these + was enrolled Regnald the Russian, the grandson of Radbard; and Siwald also + furrowed the sea with eleven light ships. Lesy (Laesi), the conqueror of + the Pannonians (Huns), fitted with a sail his swift galley ringed with + gold. Thririkar (Erik Helsing) sailed in a ship whose prows were twisted + like a dragon. Also Thrygir (Tryggve) and Torwil sailed and brought twelve + ships jointly. In the entire fleet of Ring there were 2,500 ships. + </p> + <p> + The fleet of Gotland was waiting for the Swedish fleet in the harbour + named Garnum. So Ring led the land-force, while Ole was instructed to + command the fleet. Now the Goths were appointed a time and a place between + Wik and Werund for the conflict with the Swedes. Then was the sea to be + seen furrowed up with prows, and the canvas unfurled upon the masts cut + off the view over the ocean. The Danes had so far been distressed with bad + weather; but the Swedish fleet had a fair voyage, and had reached the + scene of battle earlier. Here Ring disembarked his forces from his fleet, + and then massed and prepared to draw up in line both these and the army he + had himself conducted overland. When these forces were at first loosely + drawn up over the open country, it was found that one wing reached all the + way to Werund. The multitude was confused in its places and ranks; but the + king rode round it, and posted in the van all the smartest and most + excellently-armed men, led by Ole, Regnald, and Wivil; then he massed the + rest of the army on the two wings in a kind of curve. Ung, with the sons + of Alrek, and Trig, he ordered to protect the right wing, while the left + was put under the command of Laesi. Moreover, the wings and the masses + were composed mainly of a close squadron of Kurlanders and of Esthonians. + Last stood the line of slingers. + </p> + <p> + Meantime the Danish fleet, favoured by kindly winds, sailed, without + stopping, for twelve days, and came to the town (stead) of Kalmar. The + wind-blown sails covering the waters were a marvel; and the canvas + stretched upon the yards blotted out the sight of the heavens. For the + fleet was augmented by the Sclavs and the Livonians and 7,000 Saxons. But + the Skanians, knowing the country, were appointed as guides and scouts to + those who were going over the dry land. So when the Danish army came upon + the Swedes, who stood awaiting them, Ring told his men to stand quietly + until Harald had drawn up his line of battle; bidding them not to sound + the signal before they saw the king settled in his chariot beside the + standards; for he said he should hope that an army would soon come to + grief which trusted in the leading of a blind man. Harald, moreover, he + said, had been seized in extreme age with the desire of foreign empire, + and was as witless as he was sightless; wealth could not satisfy a man + who, if he looked to his years, ought to be well-nigh contented with a + grave. The Swedes therefore were bound to fight for their freedom, their + country, and their children, while the enemy had undertaken the war in + rashness and arrogance. Moreover, on the other side, there were very few + Danes, but a mass of Saxons and other unmanly peoples stood arrayed. + Swedes and Norwegians should therefore consider, how far the multitudes of + the North had always surpassed the Germans and the Sclavs. They should + therefore despise an army which seemed to be composed more of a mass of + fickle offscourings than of a firm and stout soldiery. + </p> + <p> + By this harangue of King Ring he kindled high the hearts of the soldiers. + Now Brun, being instructed to form the line on Harald's behalf, made the + front in a wedge, posting Hetha on the right flank, putting Hakon in + command of the left, and making Wisna standard-bearer. Harald stood up in + his chariot and complained, in as loud a voice as he could, that Ring was + requiting his benefits with wrongs; that the man who had got his kingdom + by Harald's own gift was now attacking him; so that Ring neither pitied an + old man nor spared an uncle, but set his own ambitions before any regard + for Harald's kinship or kindness. So he bade the Danes remember how they + had always won glory by foreign conquest, and how they were more wont to + command their neighbours than to obey them. He adjured them not to let + such glory as theirs to be shaken by the insolence of a conquered nation, + nor to suffer the empire, which he had won in the flower of his youth, to + be taken from him in his outworn age. + </p> + <p> + Then the trumpets sounded, and both sides engaged in battle with all their + strength. The sky seemed to fall suddenly on the earth, fields and woods + to sink into the ground; all things were confounded, and old Chaos come + again; heaven and earth mingling in one tempestuous turmoil, and the world + rushing to universal ruin. For, when the spear-throwing began, the + intolerable clash of arms filled the air with an incredible thunder. The + steam of the wounds suddenly hung a mist over the sky, the daylight was + hidden under the hail of spears. The help of the slingers was of great use + in the battle. But when the missiles had all been flung from hand or + engines, they fought with swords or iron-shod maces; and it was now at + close quarters that most blood was spilt. Then the sweat streamed down + their weary bodies, and the clash of the swords could be heard afar. + </p> + <p> + Starkad, who was the first to set forth the history of this war in the + telling, fought foremost in the fray, and relates that he overthrew the + nobles of Harald, Hun and Elli, Hort and Burgha, and cut off the right + hand of Wisna. He also relates that one Roa, with two others, Gnepie and + Gardar, fell wounded by him in the field. To these he adds the father of + Skalk, whose name is not given. He also declares that he cast Hakon, the + bravest of the Danes, to the earth, but received from him such a wound in + return that he had to leave the war with his lung protruding from his + chest, his neck cleft to the centre, and his hand deprived of one finger; + so that he long had a gaping wound, which seemed as if it would never + either scar over or be curable. The same man witnesses that the maiden + Weghbiorg (Webiorg) fought against the enemy and felled Soth the champion. + While she was threatening to slay more champions, she was pierced through + by an arrow from the bowstring of Thorkill, a native of Tellemark. For the + skilled archers of the Gotlanders strung their bows so hard that the + shafts pierced through even the shields; nothing proved more murderous; + for the arrow-points made their way through hauberk and helmet as if they + were men's defenceless bodies. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Ubbe the Frisian, who was the readiest of Harald's soldiers, and + of notable bodily stature, slew twenty-five picked champions, besides + eleven whom he had wounded in the field. All these were of Swedish or + Gothic blood. Then he attacked the vanguard and burst into the thickest of + the enemy, driving the Swedes struggling in a panic every way with spear + and sword. It had all but come to a flight, when Hagder (Hadd), Rolder + (Hroald), and Grettir attacked the champion, emulating his valour, and + resolving at their own risk to retrieve the general ruin. But, fearing to + assault him at close quarters, they accomplished their end with arrows + from afar; and thus Ubbe was riddled by a shower of arrows, no one daring + to fight him hand to hand. A hundred and forty-four arrows had pierced the + breast of the warrior before his bodily strength failed and he bent his + knee to the earth. Then at last the Danes suffered a great defeat, owing + to the Thronds and the dwellers in the province of Dala. For the battle + began afresh by reason of the vast mass of the archers, and nothing + damaged our men more. + </p> + <p> + But when Harald, being now blind with age, heard the lamentable murmur of + his men, he perceived that fortune had smiled on his enemies. So, as he + was riding in a chariot armed with scythes, he told Brun, who was + treacherously acting as charioteer, to find out in what manner Ring had + his line drawn up. Brun's face relaxed into something of a smile, and he + answered that he was fighting with a line in the form of a wedge. When the + king heard this he began to be alarmed, and to ask in great astonishment + from whom Ring could have learnt this method of disposing his line, + especially as Odin was the discoverer and imparter of this teaching, and + none but himself had ever learnt from him this new pattern of warfare. At + this Brun was silent, and it came into the king's mind that here was Odin, + and that the god whom he had once known so well was now disguised in a + changeful shape, in order either to give help or withhold it. Presently he + began to beseech him earnestly to grant the final victory to the Danes, + since he had helped them so graciously before, and to fill up his last + kindness to the measure of the first; promising to dedicate to him as a + gift the spirits of all who fell. But Brun, utterly unmoved by his + entreaties, suddenly jerked the king out of the chariot, battered him to + the earth, plucked the club from him as he fell, whirled it upon his head, + and slew him with his own weapon. Countless corpses lay round the king's + chariot, and the horrid heap overtopped the wheels; the pile of carcases + rose as high as the pole. For about 12,000 of the nobles of Ring fell upon + the field. But on the side of Harald about 30,000 nobles fell, not to name + the slaughter of the commons. + </p> + <p> + When Ring heard that Harald was dead, he gave the signal to his men to + break up their line and cease fighting. Then under cover of truce he made + treaty with the enemy, telling them that it was vain to prolong the fray + without their captain. Next he told the Swedes to look everywhere among + the confused piles of carcases for the body of Harald, that the corpse of + the king might not wrongfully lack its due rights. So the populace set + eagerly to the task of turning over the bodies of the slain, and over this + work half the day was spent. At last the body was found with the club, and + he thought that propitiation should be made to the shade of Harald. So he + harnessed the horse on which he rode to the chariot of the king, decked it + honourably with a golden saddle, and hallowed it in his honour. Then he + proclaimed his vows, and added his prayer that Harald would ride on this + and outstrip those who shared his death in their journey to Tartarus; and + that he would pray Pluto, the lord of Orcus, to grant a calm abode there + for friend and foe. Then he raised a pyre, and bade the Danes fling on the + gilded chariot of their king as fuel to the fire. And while the flames + were burning the body cast upon them, he went round the mourning nobles + and earnestly charged them that they should freely give arms, gold, and + every precious thing to feed the pyre in honour of so great a king, who + had deserved so nobly of them all. He also ordered that the ashes of his + body, when it was quite burnt, should be transferred to an urn, taken to + Leire, and there, together with the horse and armour, receive a royal + funeral. By paying these due rites of honour to his uncle's shade, he won + the favour of the Danes, and turned the hate of his enemies into goodwill. + Then the Danes besought him to appoint Hetha over the remainder of the + realm; but, that the fallen strength of the enemy might not suddenly + rally, he severed Skaane from the mass of Denmark, and put it separately + under the governorship of Ole, ordering that only Zealand and the other + lands of the realm should be subject to Hetha. Thus the changes of fortune + brought the empire of Denmark under the Swedish rule. So ended the Bravic + war. + </p> + <p> + But the Zealanders, who had had Harald for their captain, and still had + the picture of their former fortune hovering before their minds, thought + it shameful to obey the rule of a woman, and appealed to OLE not to suffer + men that had been used to serve under a famous king to be kept under a + woman's yoke. They also promised to revolt to him if he would take up arms + to remove their ignominious lot. Ole, tempted as much by the memory of his + ancestral glory as by the homage of the soldiers, was not slow to answer + their entreaties. So he summoned Hetha, and forced her by threats rather + than by arms to quit every region under her control except Jutland; and + even Jutland he made a tributary state, so as not to allow a woman the + free control of a kingdom. He also begot a son whom he named Omund. But he + was given to cruelty, and showed himself such an unrighteous king, that + all who had found it a shameful thing to be ruled by a queen now repented + of their former scorn. + </p> + <p> + Twelve generals, whether moved by the disasters of their country, or + hating Ole for some other reason, began to plot against his life. Among + these were Hlenni, Atyl, Thott, and Withne, the last of whom was a Dane by + birth, though he held a government among the Sclavs. Moreover, not + trusting in their strength and their cunning to accomplish their deed, + they bribed Starkad to join them. He was prevailed to do the deed with the + sword; he undertook the bloody work, and resolved to attack the king while + at the bath. In he went while the king was washing, but was straightway + stricken by the keenness of his gaze and by the restless and quivering + glare of his eyes. His limbs were palsied with sudden dread; he paused, + stepped back, and stayed his hand and his purpose. Thus he who had + shattered the arms of so many captains and champions could not bear the + gaze of a single unarmed man. But Ole, who well knew about his own + countenance, covered his face, and asked him to come closer and tell him + what his message was; for old fellowship and long-tried friendship made + him the last to suspect treachery. But Starkad drew his sword, leapt + forward, thrust the king through, and struck him in the throat as he tried + to rise. One hundred and twenty marks of gold were kept for his reward. + Soon afterwards he was smitten with remorse and shame, and lamented his + crime so bitterly, that he could not refrain from tears if it happened to + be named. Thus his soul, when he came to his senses, blushed for his + abominable sin. Moreover, to atone for the crime he had committed, he slew + some of those who had inspired him to it, thus avenging the act to which + he had lent his hand. + </p> + <p> + Now the Danes made OMUND, the son of Ole, king, thinking that more heed + should be paid to his father's birth than to his deserts. Omund, when he + had grown up, fell in nowise behind the exploits of his father; for he + made it his aim to equal or surpass the deeds of Ole. + </p> + <p> + At this time a considerable tribe of the Northmen (Norwegians) was + governed by Ring, and his daughter Esa's great fame commended her to + Omund, who was looking out for a wife. + </p> + <p> + But his hopes of wooing her were lessened by the peculiar inclination of + Ring, who desired no son-in-law but one of tried valour; for he found as + much honour in arms as others think lies in wealth. Omund therefore, + wishing to become famous in that fashion, and to win the praise of valour, + endeavoured to gain his desire by force, and sailed to Norway with a + fleet, to make an attempt on the throne of Ring under plea of hereditary + right. Odd, the chief of Jather, who declared that Ring had assuredly + seized his inheritance, and lamented that he harried him with continual + wrongs, received Omund kindly. Ring, in the meantime, was on a roving raid + in Ireland, so that Omund attacked a province without a defender. Sparing + the goods of the common people, he gave the private property of Ring over + to be plundered, and slew his kinsfolk; Odd also having joined his forces + to Omund. Now, among all his divers and manifold deeds, he could never + bring himself to attack an inferior force, remembering that he was the son + of a most valiant father, and that he was bound to fight armed with + courage, and not with numbers. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Ring had returned from roving; and when Omund heard he was back, + he set to and built a vast ship, whence, as from a fortress, he could rain + his missiles on the enemy. To manage this ship he enlisted Homod and Thole + the rowers, the soils of Atyl the Skanian, one of whom was instructed to + act as steersman, while the other was to command at the prow. Ring lacked + neither skill nor dexterity to encounter them. For he showed only a small + part of his forces, and caused the enemy to be attacked on the rear. + Omund, when told of his strategy by Odd, sent men to overpower those + posted in ambush, telling Atyl the Skanian to encounter Ring. The order + was executed with more rashness than success; and Atyl, with his power + defeated and shattered, fled beaten to Skaane. Then Omund recruited his + forces with the help of Odd, and drew up his fleet to fight on the open + sea. + </p> + <p> + Atyl at this time had true visions of the Norwegian war in his dreams, and + started on his voyage in order to make up for his flight as quickly as + possible, and delighted Omund by joining him on the eve of battle. + Trusting in his help, Omund began to fight with equal confidence and + success. For, by fighting himself, he retrieved the victory which he had + lost when his servants were engaged. Ring, wounded to the death, gazed at + him with faint eyes, and, beckoning to him with his hand, as well as he + could—for his voice failed him—he besought him to be his + son-in-law, saying that he would gladly meet his end if he left his + daughter to such a husband. Before he could receive an answer he died. + Omund wept for his death, and gave Homod, whose trusty help he had + received in the war, in marriage to one of the daughters of Ring, taking + the other himself. + </p> + <p> + At the same time the amazon Rusla, whose prowess in warfare exceeded the + spirit of a woman, had many fights in Norway with her brother, Thrond, for + the sovereignty. She could not endure that Omund rule over the Norwegians, + and she had declared war against all the subjects of the Danes. Omund, + when he heard of this, commissioned his most active men to suppress the + rising. Rusla conquered them, and, waxing haughty on her triumph, was + seized with overweening hopes, and bent her mind upon actually acquiring + the sovereignty of Denmark. She began her attack on the region of Halland, + but was met by Homod and Thode, whom the king had sent over. Beaten, she + retreated to her fleet, of which only thirty ships managed to escape, the + rest being taken by the enemy. Thrond encountered his sister as she was + eluding the Danes, but was conquered by her and stripped of his entire + army; he fled over the Dovrefjeld without a single companion. Thus she, + who had first yielded before the Danes, soon overcame her brother, and + turned her flight into a victory. When Omund heard of this, he went back + to Norway with a great fleet, first sending Homod and Thole by a short and + secret way to rouse the people of Tellemark against the rule of Rusla. The + end was that she was driven out of her kingdom by the commons, fled to the + isles for safety, and turned her back, without a blow, upon the Danes as + they came up. The king pursued her hotly, caught up her fleet on the sea, + and utterly destroyed it, the enemy suffered mightily, and he won a + bloodless victory and splendid spoils. But Rusla escaped with a very few + ships, and rowed ploughing the waves furiously; but, while she was + avoiding the Danes, she met her brother and was killed. So much more + effectual for harm are dangers unsurmised; and chance sometimes makes the + less alarming evil worse than that which threatens. The king gave Thrond a + governorship for slaying his sister, put the rest under tribute, and + returned home. + </p> + <p> + At this time Thorias (?) and Ber (Biorn), the most active of the soldiers + of Rusla, were roving in Ireland; but when they heard of the death of + their mistress, whom they had long ago sworn to avenge, they hotly + attacked Omund, and challenged him to a duel, which it used to be + accounted shameful for a king to refuse; for the fame of princes of old + was reckoned more by arms than by riches. So Homod and Thole came forward, + offering to meet in battle the men who had challenged the king. Omund + praised them warmly, but at first declined for very shame to allow their + help. At last, hard besought by his people, he brought himself to try his + fortune by the hand of another. We are told that Ber fell in this combat, + while Thorias left the battle severely wounded. The king, having first + cured him of his wounds, took him into his service, and made him prince + (earl) over Norway. Then he sent ambassadors to exact the usual tribute + from the Sclavs; these were killed, and he was even attacked in Jutland by + a Sclavish force; but he overcame seven kings in a single combat, and + ratified by conquest his accustomed right to tribute. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Starkad, who was now worn out with extreme age, and who seemed + to be past military service and the calling of a champion, was loth to + lose his ancient glory through the fault of eld, and thought it would be a + noble thing if he could make a voluntary end, and hasten his death by his + own free will. Having so often fought nobly, he thought it would be mean + to die a bloodless death; and, wishing to enhance the glory of his past + life by the lustre of his end, he preferred to be slain by some man of + gallant birth rather than await the tardy shaft of nature. So shameful was + it thought that men devoted to war should die by disease. His body was + weak, and his eyes could not see clearly, so that he hated to linger any + more in life. In order to buy himself an executioner, he wore hanging on + his neck the gold which he had earned for the murder of Ole; thinking + there was no fitter way of atoning for the treason he had done than to + make the price of Ole's death that of his own also, and to spend on the + loss of his own life what he had earned by the slaying of another. This, + he thought, would be the noblest use he could make of that shameful price. + So he girded him with two swords, and guided his powerless steps leaning + on two staves. + </p> + <p> + One of the common people, seeing him, thinking two swords superfluous for + the use of an old man, mockingly asked him to make him a present of one of + them. Starkad, holding out hopes of consent, bade him come nearer, drew + the sword from his side, and ran him through. This was seen by a certain + Hather, whose father Hlenne Starkad had once killed in repentance for his + own impious crime. Hatfier was hunting game with his dogs, but now gave + over the chase, and bade two of his companions spur their horses hard and + charge at the old man to frighten him. They galloped forward, and tried to + make off, but were stopped by the staves of Starkad, and paid for it with + their lives. Hather, terrified by the sight, galloped up closer, and saw + who the old man was, but without being recognized by him in turn; and + asked him if he would like to exchange his sword for a carriage. Starkad + replied that he used in old days to chastise jeerers, and that the + insolent had never insulted him unpunished. But his sightless eyes could + not recognize the features of the youth; so he composed a song, wherein he + should declare the greatness of his anger, as follows: + </p> + <p> + "As the unreturning waters sweep down the channel; so, as the years run + by, the life of man flows on never to come back; fast gallops the cycle of + doom, child of old age who shall make an end of all. Old age smites alike + the eyes and the steps of men, robs the warrior of his speech and soul, + tarnishes his fame by slow degrees, and wipes out his deeds of honour. It + seizes his failing limbs, chokes his panting utterance, and numbs his + nimble wit. When a cough is taken, when the skin itches with the scab, and + the teeth are numb and hollow, and the stomach turns squeamish,—then + old age banishes the grace of youth, covers the complexion with decay, and + sows many a wrinkle in the dusky skin. Old age crushes noble arts, brings + down the memorials of men of old, and scorches ancient glories up; + shatters wealth, hungrily gnaws away the worth and good of virtue, turns + athwart and disorders all things. + </p> + <p> + "I myself have felt the hurtful power of injurious age, I, dim-sighted, + and hoarse in my tones and in my chest; and all helpful things have turned + to my hurt. Now my body is less nimble, and I prop it up, leaning my faint + limbs on the support of staves. Sightless I guide my steps with two + sticks, and follow the short path which the rod shows me, trusting more in + the leading of a stock than in my eyes. None takes any charge of me, and + no man in the ranks brings comfort to the veteran, unless, perchance, + Hather is here, and succours his shattered friend. Whomsoever Hather once + thinks worthy of his duteous love, that man he attends continually with + even zeal, constant to his purpose, and fearing to break his early ties. + He also often pays fit rewards to those that have deserved well in war, + and fosters their courage; he bestows dignities on the brave, and honours + his famous friends with gifts. Free with his wealth, he is fain to + increase with bounty the brightness of his name, and to surpass many of + the mighty. Nor is he less in war: his strength is equal to his goodness; + he is swift in the fray, slow to waver, ready to give battle; and he + cannot turn his back when the foe bears him hard. But for me, if I + remember right, fate appointed at my birth that wars I should follow and + in war I should die, that I should mix in broils, watch in arms, and pass + a life of bloodshed. I was a man of camps, and rested not; hating peace, I + grew old under thy standard, O War-god, in utmost peril; conquering fear, + I thought it comely to fight, shameful to loiter, and noble to kill and + kill again, to be for ever slaughtering! Oft have I seen the stern kings + meet in war, seen shield and helmet bruised, and the fields redden with + blood, and the cuirass broken by the spear-point, and the corselets all + around giving at the thrust of the steel, and the wild beasts battening on + the unburied soldier. Here, as it chanced, one that attempted a mighty + thing, a strong-handed warrior, fighting against the press of the foe, + smote through the mail that covered my head, pierced my helmet, and + plunged his blade into my crest. This sword also hath often been driven by + my right hand in war, and, once unsheathed, hath cleft the skin and bitten + into the skull." + </p> + <p> + Hather, in answer, sang as follows: + </p> + <p> + "Whence comest thou, who art used to write the poems of thy land, leaning + thy wavering steps on a frail staff? Or whither dost thou speed, who art + the readiest bard of the Danish muse? All the glory of thy great strength + is faded and lost; the hue is banished from thy face, the joy is gone out + of thy soul; the voice has left thy throat, and is hoarse and dull; thy + body has lost its former stature; the decay of death begins, and has + wasted thy features and thy force. As a ship wearies, buffeted by + continual billows, even so old age, gendered by a long course of years, + brings forth bitter death; and the life falls when its strength is done, + and suffers the loss of its ancient lot. Famous old man, who has told thee + that thou mayst not duly follow the sports of youth, or fling balls, or + bite and eat the nut? I think it were better for thee now to sell thy + sword, and buy a carriage wherein to ride often, or a horse easy on the + bit, or at the same cost to purchase a light cart. It will be more fitting + for beasts of burden to carry weak old men, when their steps fail them; + the wheel, driving round and round, serves for him whose foot totters + feebly. But if perchance thou art loth to sell the useless steel, thy + sword, if it be not for sale, shall be taken from thee and shall slay + thee." + </p> + <p> + Starkad answered: "Wretch, thy glib lips scatter idle words, unfit for the + ears of the good. Why seek the gifts to reward that guidance, which thou + shouldst have offered for naught? Surely I will walk afoot, and will not + basely give up my sword and buy the help of a stranger; nature has given + me the right of passage, and hath bidden me trust in my own feet. Why mock + and jeer with insolent speech at him whom thou shouldst have offered to + guide upon his way? Why give to dishonour my deeds of old, which deserve + the memorial of fame? Why requite my service with reproach? Why pursue + with jeers the old man mighty in battle, and put to shame my unsurpassed + honours and illustrious deeds, belittling my glories and girding at my + prowess? For what valour of thine dost thou demand my sword, which thy + strength does not deserve? It befits not the right hand or the unwarlike + side of a herdsman, who is wont to make his peasant-music on the pipe, to + see to the flock, to keep the herds in the fields. Surely among the + henchmen, close to the greasy pot, thou dippest thy crust in the bubbles + of the foaming pan, drenching a meagre slice in the rich, oily fat, and + stealthily, with thirsty finger, licking the warm juice; more skilled to + spread thy accustomed cloak on the ashes, to sleep on the hearth, and + slumber all day long, and go busily about the work of the reeking kitchen, + than to make the brave blood flow with thy shafts in war. Men think thee a + hater of the light and a lover of a filthy hole, a wretched slave of thy + belly, like a whelp who licks the coarse grain, husk and all. + </p> + <p> + "By heaven, thou didst not try to rob me of my sword when thrice at great + peril I fought (for?) the son of Ole. For truly, in that array, my hand + either broke the sword or shattered the obstacle, so heavy was the blow of + the smiter. What of the day when I first taught them, to run with + wood-shod feet over the shore of the Kurlanders, and the path bestrewn + with countless points? For when I was going to the fields studded with + calthrops, I guarded their wounded feet with clogs below them. After this + I slew Hame, who fought me mightily; and soon, with the captain Rin the + son of Flebak, I crushed the Kurlanders, yea, or all the tribes Esthonia + breeds, and thy peoples, O Semgala! Then I attacked the men of Tellemark, + and took thence my head bloody with bruises, shattered with mallets, and + smitten with the welded weapons. Here first I learnt how strong was the + iron wrought on the anvil, or what valour the common people had. Also it + was my doing that the Teutons were punished, when, in avenging my lord, I + laid low over their cups thy sons, O Swerting, who were guilty of the + wicked slaughter of Frode. + </p> + <p> + "Not less was the deed when, for the sake of a beloved maiden, I slew nine + brethren in one fray;—witness the spot, which was consumed by the + bowels that left me, and brings not forth the grain anew on its scorched + sod. And soon, when Ker the captain made ready a war by sea, with a noble + army we beat his serried ships. Then I put Waske to death, and punished + the insolent smith by slashing his hinder parts; and with the sword I slew + Wisin, who from the snowy rocks blunted the spears. Then I slew the four + sons of Ler, and the champions of Permland; and then having taken the + chief of the Irish race, I rifled the wealth of Dublin; and our courage + shall ever remain manifest by the trophies of Bravalla. Why do I linger? + Countless are the deeds of my bravery, and when I review the works of my + hands I fail to number them to the full. The whole is greater than I can + tell. My work is too great for fame, and speech serves not for my doings." + </p> + <p> + So sang Starkad. At last, when he found by their talk that Hather was the + son of Hlenne, and saw that the youth was of illustrious birth, he offered + him his throat to smite, bidding him not to shrink from punishing the + slayer of his father. He promised him that if he did so he should possess + the gold which he had himself received from Hlenne. And to enrage his + heart more vehemently against him, he is said to have harangued him as + follows: + </p> + <p> + "Moreover, Hather, I robbed thee of thy father Hlenne; requite me this, I + pray, and strike down the old man who longs to die; aim at my throat with + the avenging steel. For my soul chooses the service of a noble smiter, and + shrinks to ask its doom at a coward's hand. Righteously may a man choose + to forstall the ordinance of doom. What cannot be escaped it will be + lawful also to anticipate. The fresh tree must be fostered, the old one + hewn down. He is nature's instrument who destroys what is near its doom + and strikes down what cannot stand. Death is best when it is sought: and + when the end is loved, life is wearisome. Let not the troubles of age + prolong a miserable lot." + </p> + <p> + So saying, he took money from his pouch and gave it him. But Hather, + desiring as much to enjoy the gold as to accomplish vengeance for his + father, promised that he would comply with his prayer, and would not + refuse the reward. Starkad eagerly handed him the sword, and at once + stooped his neck beneath it, counselling him not to do the smiter's work + timidly, or use the sword like a woman; and telling him that if, when he + had killed him, he could spring between the head and the trunk before the + corpse fell, he would be rendered proof against arms. It is not known + whether he said this in order to instruct his executioner or to punish + him, for perhaps, as he leapt, the bulk of the huge body would have + crushed him. So Hather smote sharply with the sword and hacked off the + head of the old man. When the severed head struck the ground, it is said + to have bitten the earth; thus the fury of the dying lips declared the + fierceness of the soul. But the smiter, thinking that the promise hid some + treachery, warily refrained from leaping. Had he done so rashly, perhaps + he would have been crushed by the corpse as it fell, and have paid with + his own life for the old man's murder. But he would not allow so great a + champion to lie unsepulchred, and had his body buried in the field that is + commonly called Rolung. + </p> + <p> + Now Omund, as I have heard, died most tranquilly, while peace was + unbroken, leaving two sons and two daughters. The eldest of these, SIWARD, + came to the throne by right of birth, while his brother Budle was still of + tender years. At this time Gotar, King of the Swedes, conceived boundless + love for one of the daughters of Omund, because of the report of her + extraordinary beauty, and entrusted one Ebb, the son of Sibb, with the + commission of asking for the maiden. Ebb did his work skilfully, and + brought back the good news that the girl had consented. Nothing was now + lacking to Gotar's wishes but the wedding; but, as he feared to hold this + among strangers, he demanded that his betrothed should be sent to him in + charge of Ebb, whom he had before used as envoy. + </p> + <p> + Ebb was crossing Halland with a very small escort, and went for a night's + lodging to a country farm, where the dwellings of two brothers faced one + another on the two sides of a river. Now these men used to receive folk + hospitably and then murder them, but were skilful to hide their brigandage + under a show of generosity. For they had hung on certain hidden chains, in + a lofty part of the house, an oblong beam like a press, and furnished it + with a steel point; they used to lower this in the night by letting down + the fastenings, and cut off the heads of those that lay below. Many had + they beheaded in this way with the hanging mass. So when Ebb and his men + had been feasted abundantly, the servants laid them out a bed near the + hearth, so that by the swing of the treacherous beam they might mow off + their heads, which faced the fire. When they departed, Ebb, suspecting the + contrivance slung overhead, told his men to feign slumber and shift their + bodies, saying that it would be very wholesome for them to change their + place. + </p> + <p> + Now among these were some who despised the orders which the others obeyed, + and lay unmoved, each in the spot where he had chanced to lie down. Then + towards the mirk of night the heavy hanging machine was set in motion by + the doers of the treachery. Loosened from the knots of its fastening, it + fell violently on the ground, and slew those beneath it. Thereupon those + who had the charge of committing the crime brought in a light, that they + might learn clearly what had happened, and saw that Ebb, on whose especial + account they had undertaken the affair, had wisely been equal to the + danger. He straightway set on them and punished them with death; and also, + after losing his men in the mutual slaughter, he happened to find a + vessel, crossed a river full of blocks of ice, and announced to Gotar the + result, not so much of his mission as of his mishap. + </p> + <p> + Gotar judged that this affair had been inspired by Siward, and prepared to + avenge his wrongs by arms. Siward, defeated by him in Halland, retreated + into Jutland, the enemy having taken his sister. Here he conquered the + common people of the Sclavs, who ventured to fight without a leader; and + he won as much honour from this victory as he had got disgrace by his + flight. But a little afterwards, the men whom he had subdued when they + were ungeneraled, found a general and defeated Siward in Funen. Several + times he fought them in Jutland, but with ill-success. The result was that + he lost both Skaane and Jutland, and only retained the middle of his realm + without the head, like the fragments of some body that had been consumed + away. His son Jarmerik (Eormunrec), with his child-sisters, fell into the + hands of the enemy; one of these was sold to the Germans, the other to the + Norwegians; for in old time marriages were matters of purchase. Thus the + kingdom of the Danes, which had been enlarged with such valour, made + famous by such ancestral honours, and enriched by so many conquests, fell, + all by the sloth of one man, from the most illustrious fortune and + prosperity into such disgrace that it paid the tribute which it used to + exact. But Siward, too often defeated and guilty of shameful flights, + could not endure, after that glorious past, to hold the troubled helm of + state any longer in this shameful condition of his land; and, fearing that + living longer might strip him of his last shred of glory, he hastened to + win an honourable death in battle. For his soul could not forget his + calamity, it was fain to cast off its sickness, and was racked with + weariness of life. So much did he abhor the light of life in his longing + to wipe out his shame. So he mustered his army for battle, and openly + declared war with one Simon, who was governor of Skaane under Gotar. This + war he pursued with stubborn rashness; he slew Simon, and ended his own + life amid a great slaughter of his foes. Yet his country could not be + freed from the burden of the tribute. + </p> + <p> + Jarmerik, meantime, with his foster-brother of the same age as himself, + Gunn, was living in prison, in charge of Ismar, the King of the Sclavs. At + last he was taken out and put to agriculture, doing the work of a peasant. + So actively did he manage this matter that he was transferred and made + master of the royal slaves. As he likewise did this business most + uprightly, he was enrolled in the band of the king's retainers. Here he + bore himself most pleasantly as courtiers use, and was soon taken into the + number of the king's friends and obtained the first place in his intimacy; + thus, on the strength of a series of great services, he passed from the + lowest estate to the most distinguished height of honour. Also, loth to + live a slack and enfeebled youth, he trained himself to the pursuits of + war, enriching his natural gifts by diligence. All men loved Jarmerik, and + only the queen mistrusted the young man's temper. A sudden report told + them that the king's brother had died. Ismar, wishing to give his body a + splendid funeral, prepared a banquet of royal bounty to increase the + splendour of the obsequies. + </p> + <p> + But Jarmerik, who used at other times to look after the household affairs + together with the queen, began to cast about for means of escape; for a + chance seemed to be offered by the absence of the king. For he saw that + even in the lap of riches he would be the wretched thrall of a king, and + that he would draw, as it were, his very breath on sufferance and at the + gift of another. Moreover, though he held the highest offices with the + king, he thought that freedom was better than delights, and burned with a + mighty desire to visit his country and learn his lineage. But, knowing + that the queen had provided sufficient guards to see that no prisoner + escaped, he saw that he must approach by craft where he could not arrive + by force. So he plaited one of those baskets of rushes and withies, shaped + like a man, with which countrymen used to scare the birds from the corn, + and put a live dog in it; then he took off his own clothes, and dressed it + in them, to give a more plausible likeness to a human being. Then he broke + into the private treasury of the king, took out the money, and hid himself + in places of which he alone knew. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Gunn, whom he had told to conceal the absence of his friend, took + the basket into the palace and stirred up the dog to bark; and when the + queen asked what this was, he answered that Jarmerik was out of his mind + and howling. She, beholding the effigy, was deceived by the likeness, and + ordered that the madman should be cast out of the house. Then Gunn took + the effigy out and put it to bed, as though it were his distraught friend. + But towards night he plied the watch bountifully with wine and festal + mirth, cut off their heads as they slept, and set them at their groins, in + order to make their slaying more shameful. The queen, roused by the din, + and wishing to learn the reason of it, hastily rushed to the doors. But + while she unwarily put forth her head, the sword of Gunn suddenly pierced + her through. Feeling a mortal wound, she sank, turned her eyes on her + murderer, and said, "Had it been granted me to live unscathed, no screen + or treachery should have let thee leave this land unpunished." A flood of + such threats against her slayer poured from her dying lips. + </p> + <p> + Then Jarmerik, with Gunn, the partner of his noble deed, secretly set fire + to the tent wherein the king was celebrating with a banquet the obsequies + of his brother; all the company were overcome with liquor. The fire filled + the tent and spread all about; and some of them, shaking off the torpor of + drink, took horse and pursued those who had endangered them. But the young + men fled at first on the beasts they had taken; and at last, when these + were exhausted with their long gallop, took to flight on foot. They were + all but caught, when a river saved them. For they crossed a bridge, of + which, in order to delay the pursuer, they first cut the timbers down to + the middle, thus making it not only unequal to a burden, but ready to come + down; then they retreated into a dense morass. + </p> + <p> + The Sclavs pressed on them hard and, not forseeing the danger, unwarily + put the weight of their horses on the bridge; the flooring sank, and they + were shaken off and flung into the river. But, as they swam up to the + bank, they were met by Gunn and Jarmerik, and either drowned or slain. + Thus the young men showed great cunning, and did a deed beyond their + years, being more like sagacious old men than runaway slaves, and + successfully achieving their shrewd design. When they reached the strand + they seized a vessel chance threw in their way, and made for the deep. The + barbarians who pursued them, tried, when they saw them sailing off, to + bring them back by shouting promises after them that they should be kings + if they returned; "for, by the public statute of the ancients, the + succession was appointed to the slayers of the kings." As they retreated, + their ears were long deafened by the Sclavs obstinately shouting their + treacherous promises. + </p> + <p> + At this time BUDLE, the brother of Siward, was Regent over the Danes, who + forced him to make over the kingdom to JARMERIK when he came; so that + Budle fell from a king into a common man. At the same time Gotar charged + Sibb with debauching his sister, and slew him. Sibb's kindred, much + angered by his death, came wailing to Jarmerik, and promised to attack + Gotar with him, in order to avenge their kinsman. They kept their promise + well, for Jarmerik, having overthrown Gotar by their help, gained Sweden. + Thus, holding the sovereignty of both nations, he was encouraged by his + increased power to attack the Sclavs, forty of whom he took and hung with + a wolf tied to each of them. This kind of punishment was assigned of old + to those who slew their own kindred; but he chose to inflict it upon + enemies, that all might see plainly, just from their fellowship with + ruthless beasts, how grasping they had shown themselves towards the Danes. + </p> + <p> + When Jarmerik had conquered the country, he posted garrisons in all the + fitting places, and departing thence, he made a slaughter of the Sembs and + the Kurlanders, and many nations of the East. The Sclavs, thinking that + this employment of the king gave them a chance of revolting, killed the + governors whom he had appointed, and ravaged Denmark. Jarmerik, on his way + back from roving, chanced to intercept their fleet, and destroyed it, a + deed which added honour to his roll of conquests. He also put their nobles + to death in a way that one would weep to see; namely, by first passing + thongs through their legs, and then tying them to the hoofs of savage + bulls; then hounds set on them and dragged them into miry swamps. This + deed took the edge off the valour of the Sclavs, and they obeyed the + authority of the king in fear and trembling. + </p> + <p> + Jarmerik, enriched with great spoils, wished to provide a safe storehouse + for his booty, and built on a lofty hill a treasure-house of marvellous + handiwork. Gathering sods, he raised a mound, laying a mass of rocks for + the foundation, and girt the lower part with a rampart, the centre with + rooms, and the top with battlements. All round he posted a line of + sentries without a break. Four huge gates gave free access on the four + sides; and into this lordly mansion he heaped all his splendid riches. + Having thus settled his affairs at home, he again turned his ambition + abroad. He began to voyage, and speedily fought a naval battle with four + brothers whom he met on the high seas, Hellespontines by race, and veteran + rovers. After this battle had lasted three days, he ceased fighting, + having bargained for their sister and half the tribute which they had + imposed on those they had conquered. + </p> + <p> + After this, Bikk, the son of the King of the Livonians, escaped from the + captivity in which he lay under these said brothers, and went to Jarmerik. + But he did not forget his wrongs, Jarmerik having long before deprived him + of his own brothers. He was received kindly by the king, in all whose + secret counsels he soon came to have a notable voice; and, as soon as he + found the king pliable to his advice in all things, he led him, when his + counsel was asked, into the most abominable acts, and drove him to commit + crimes and infamies. Thus he sought some device to injure the king by a + feint of loyalty, and tried above all to steel him against his nearest of + blood; attempting to accomplish the revenge of his brother by guile, since + he could not by force. So it came to pass that the king embraced filthy + vices instead of virtues, and made himself generally hated by the cruel + deeds which he committed at the instance of his treacherous adviser. Even + the Sclavs began to rise against him; and, as a means of quelling them, he + captured their leaders, passed a rope through their shanks, and delivered + them to be torn asunder by horses pulling different ways. So perished + their chief men, punished for their stubbornness of spirit by having their + bodies rent apart. This kept the Sclavs duly obedient in unbroken and + steady subjugation. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, the sons of Jarmerik's sister, who had all been born and bred in + Germany, took up arms, on the strength of their grandsire's title, against + their uncle, contending that they had as good a right to the throne as he. + The king demolished their strongholds in Germany with engines, blockaded + or took several towns, and returned home with a bloodless victory. The + Hellespontines came to meet him, proffering their sister for the promised + marriage. After this had been celebrated, at Bikk's prompting he again + went to Germany, took his nephews in war, and incontinently hanged them. + He also got together the chief men under the pretence of a banquet and had + them put to death in the same fashion. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, the king appointed Broder, his son by another marriage, to have + charge over his stepmother, a duty which he fulfilled with full vigilance + and integrity. But Bikk accused this man to his father of incest; and, to + conceal the falsehood of the charge, suborned witnesses against him. When + the plea of the accusation had been fully declared, Broder could not bring + any support for his defence, and his father bade his friends pass sentence + upon the convicted man, thinking it less impious to commit the punishment + proper for his son to the judgment of others. All thought that he deserved + outlawry except Bikk, who did not shrink from giving a more terrible vote + against his life, and declaring that the perpetrator of an infamous + seduction ought to be punished with hanging. But lest any should think + that this punishment was due to the cruelty of his father, Bikk judged + that, when he had been put in the noose, the servants should hold him up + on a beam put beneath him, so that, when weariness made them take their + hands from the burden, they might be as good as guilty of the young man's + death, and by their own fault exonerate the king from an unnatural murder. + He also pretended that, unless the accused were punished, he would plot + against his father's life. The adulteress Swanhild, he said, ought to + suffer a shameful end, trampled under the hoofs of beasts. + </p> + <p> + The king yielded to Bikk; and, when his son was to be hanged, he made the + bystanders hold him up by means of a plank, that he might not be choked. + Thus his throat was only a little squeezed, the knot was harmless, and it + was but a punishment in show. But the king had the queen tied very tight + on the ground, and delivered her to be crushed under the hoofs of horses. + The story goes that she was so beautiful, that even the beasts shrank from + mangling limbs so lovely with their filthy feet. The king, divining that + this proclaimed the innocence of his wife, began to repent of his error, + and hastened to release the slandered lady. But meantime Bikk rushed up, + declaring that when she was on her back she held off the beasts by awful + charms, and could only be crushed if she lay on her face; for he knew that + her beauty saved her. When the body of the queen was placed in this + manner, the herd of beasts was driven upon it, and trod it down deep with + their multitude of feet. Such was the end of Swanhild. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, the favourite dog of Broder came creeping to the king making a + sort of moan, and seemed to bewail its master's punishment; and his hawk, + when it was brought in, began to pluck out its breast-feathers with its + beak. The king took its nakedness as an omen of his bereavement, to + frustrate which he quickly sent men to take his son down from the noose: + for he divined by the featherless bird that he would be childless unless + he took good heed. Thus Broder was freed from death, and Bikk, fearing he + would pay the penalty of an informer, went and told the men of the + Hellespont that Swanhild had been abominably slain by her husband. When + they set sail to avenge their sister, he came back to Jarmerik, and told + him that the Hellespontines were preparing war. + </p> + <p> + The king thought that it would be safer to fight with walls than in the + field, and retreated into the stronghold which he had built. To stand the + siege, he filled its inner parts with stores, and its battlements with + men-at-arms. Targets and shields flashing with gold were hung round and + adorned the topmost circle of the building. + </p> + <p> + It happened that the Hellespontines, before sharing their booty, accused a + great band of their men of embezzling, and put them to death. Having now + destroyed so large a part of their forces by internecine slaughter, they + thought that their strength was not equal to storming the palace, and + consulted a sorceress named Gudrun. She brought it to pass that the + defenders of the king's side were suddenly blinded and turned their arms + against one another. When the Hellespontines saw this, they brought up a + shield-mantlet, and seized the approaches of the gates. Then they tore up + the posts, burst into the building, and hewed down the blinded ranks of + the enemy. In this uproar Odin appeared, and, making for the thick of the + ranks of the fighters, restored by his divine power to the Danes that + vision which they had lost by sleights; for he ever cherished them with + fatherly love. He instructed them to shower stones to batter the + Hellespontines, who used spells to harden their bodies against weapons. + Thus both companies slew one another and perished. Jarmerik lost both feet + and both hands, and his trunk was rolled among the dead. BRODER, little + fit for it, followed him as king. + </p> + <p> + The next king was SIWALD. His son SNIO took vigorously to roving in his + father's old age, and not only preserved the fortunes of his country, but + even restored them, lessened as they were, to their former estate. + Likewise, when he came to the sovereignty, he crushed the insolence of the + champions Eskil and Alkil, and by this conquest reunited to his country + Skaane, which had been severed from the general jurisdiction of Denmark. + At last he conceived a passion for the daughter of the King of the Goths; + it was returned, and he sent secret messengers to seek a chance of meeting + her. These men were intercepted by the father of the damsel and hanged: + thus paying dearly for their rash mission. Snio, wishing to avenge their + death, invaded Gothland. Its king met him with his forces, and the + aforesaid champions challenged him to send strong men to fight. Snio laid + down as condition of the duel, that each of the two kings should either + lose his own empire or gain that of the other, according to the fortune of + the champions, and that the kingdom of the conquered should be staked as + the prize of the victory. The result was that the King of the Goths was + beaten by reason of the ill-success of his defenders, and had to quit his + kingdom for the Danes. Snio, learning that this king's daughter had been + taken away at the instance of her father to wed the King of the Swedes, + sent a man clad in ragged attire, who used to ask alms on the public + roads, to try her mind. And while he lay, as beggars do, by the threshold, + he chanced to see the queen, and whined in a weak voice, "Snio loves + thee." She feigned not to have heard the sound that stole on her ears, and + neither looked nor stepped back, but went on to the palace, then returned + straightway, and said in a low whisper, which scarcely reached his ears, + "I love him who loves me"; and having said this she walked away. + </p> + <p> + The beggar rejoiced that she had returned a word of love, and, as he sat + on the next day at the gate, when the queen came up, he said, briefly as + ever, "Wishes should have a tryst." Again she shrewdly caught his cunning + speech, and passed on, dissembling wholly. A little later she passed by + her questioner, and said that she would shortly go to Bocheror; for this + was the spot to which she meant to flee. And when the beggar heard this, + he insisted, with his wonted shrewd questions, upon being told a fitting + time for the tryst. The woman was as cunning as he, and as little clear of + speech, and named as quickly as she could the beginning of the winter. + </p> + <p> + Her train, who had caught a flying word of this love-message, took her + great cleverness for the raving of utter folly. And when Snio had been + told all this by the beggar, he contrived to carry the queen off in a + vessel; for she got away under pretence of bathing, and took her husband's + treasures. After this there were constant wars between Snio and the King + of Sweden, whereof the issue was doubtful and the victory changeful; the + one king seeking to regain his lawful, the other to keep his unlawful + love. + </p> + <p> + At this time the yield of crops was ruined by most inclement weather, and + a mighty dearth of corn befell. Victuals began to be scarce, and the + commons were distressed with famine, so that the king, anxiously pondering + how to relieve the hardness of the times, and seeing that the thirsty + spent somewhat more than the hungry, introduced thrift among the people. + He abolished drinking-bouts, and decreed that no drink should be prepared + from gram, thinking that the bitter famine should be got rid of by + prohibiting needless drinking, and that plentiful food could be levied as + a loan on thirst. + </p> + <p> + Then a certain wanton slave of his belly, lamenting the prohibition + against drink, adopted a deep kind of knavery, and found a new way to + indulge his desires. He broke the public law of temperance by his own + excess, contriving to get at what he loved by a device both cunning and + absurd. For he sipped the forbidden liquor drop by drop, and so satisfied + his longing to be tipsy. When he was summoned for this by the king, he + declared that there was no stricter observer of sobriety than he, inasmuch + as he mortified his longing to quaff deep by this device for moderate + drinking. He persisted in the fault with which he was taxed, saying that + he only sucked. At last he was also menaced with threats, and forbidden + not only to drink, but even to sip; yet he could not check his habits. For + in order to enjoy the unlawful thing in a lawful way, and not to have his + throat subject to the command of another, he sopped morsels of bread in + liquor, and fed on the pieces thus soaked with drink; tasting slowly, so + as to prolong the desired debauch, and attaining, though in no unlawful + manner, the forbidden measure of satiety. + </p> + <p> + Thus his stubborn and frantic intemperance risked his life, all for + luxury; and, undeterred even by the threats of the king, he fortified his + rash appetite to despise every peril. A second time he was summoned by the + king on the charge of disobeying his regulation. Yet he did not even theft + cease to defend his act, but maintained that he had in no wise contravened + the royal decree, and that the temperance prescribed by the ordinance had + been in no way violated by that which allured him; especially as the + thrift ordered in the law of plain living was so described, that it was + apparently forbidden to drink liquor, but not to eat it. Then the king + called heaven to witness, and swore by the general good, that if he + ventured on any such thing hereafter he would punish him with death. But + the man thought that death was not so bad as temperance, and that it was + easier to quit life than luxury; and he again boiled the grain in water, + and then fermented the liquor; whereupon, despairing of any further plea + to excuse his appetite, he openly indulged in drink, and turned to his + cups again unabashed. Giving up cunning for effrontery, he chose rather to + await the punishment of the king than to turn sober. Therefore, when the + king asked him why he had so often made free to use the forbidden thing, + he said: + </p> + <p> + "O king, this craving is begotten, not so much of my thirst, as of my + goodwill towards thee! For I remembered that the funeral rites of a king + must be paid with a drinking-bout. Therefore, led by good judgment more + than the desire to swill, I have, by mixing the forbidden liquid, taken + care that the feast whereat thy obsequies are performed should not, by + reason of the scarcity of corn, lack the due and customary drinking. Now I + do not doubt that thou wilt perish of famine before the rest, and be the + first to need a tomb; for thou hast passed this strange law of thrift in + fear that thou wilt be thyself the first to lack food. Thou art thinking + for thyself, and not for others, when thou bringest thyself to start such + strange miserly ways." + </p> + <p> + This witty quibbling turned the anger of the king into shame; and when he + saw that his ordinance for the general good came home in mockery to + himself, he thought no more of the public profit, but revoked the edict, + relaxing his purpose sooner than anger his subjects. + </p> + <p> + Whether it was that the soil had too little rain, or that it was too hard + baked, the crops, as I have said, were slack, and the fields gave but + little produce; so that the land lacked victual, and was worn with a weary + famine. The stock of food began to fail, and no help was left to stave off + hunger. Then, at the proposal of Agg and of Ebb, it was provided by a + decree of the people that the old men and the tiny children should be + slain; that all who were too young to bear arms should be taken out of the + land, and only the strong should be vouchsafed their own country; that + none but able-bodied soldiers and husbandmen should continue to abide + under their own roofs and in the houses of their fathers. When Agg and Ebb + brought news of this to their mother Gambaruk, she saw that the authors of + this infamous decree had found safety in crime. Condemning the decision of + the assembly, she said that it was wrong to relieve distress by murder of + kindred, and declared that a plan both more honourable and more desirable + for the good of their souls and bodies would be, to preserve respect + towards their parents and children, and choose by lot men who should quit + the country. And if the lot fell on old men and weak, then the stronger + should offer to go into exile in their place, and should of their own free + will undertake to bear the burden of it for the feeble. But those men who + had the heart to save their lives by crime and impiety, and to prosecute + their parents and their children by so abominable a decree, did not + deserve life; for they would be doing a work of cruelty and not of love. + Finally, all those whose own lives were dearer to them than the love of + their parents or their children, deserved but ill of their country. These + words were reported to the assembly, and assented to by the vote of the + majority. So the fortunes of all were staked upon the lot and those upon + whom it fell were doomed to be banished. Thus those who had been loth to + obey necessity of their own accord had now to accept the award of chance. + So they sailed first to Bleking, and then, sailing past Moring, they came + to anchor at Gothland; where, according to Paulus, they are said to have + been prompted by the goddess Frigg to take the name of the Longobardi + (Lombards), whose nation they afterwards founded. In the end they landed + at Rugen, and, abandoning their ships, began to march overland. They + crossed and wasted a great portion of the world; and at last, finding an + abode in Italy, changed the ancient name of the nation for their own. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, the land of the Danes, where the tillers laboured less and + less, and all traces of the furrows were covered with overgrowth, began to + look like a forest. Almost stripped of its pleasant native turf, it + bristled with the dense unshapely woods that grew up. Traces of this are + yet seen in the aspect of its fields. What were once acres fertile in + grain are now seen to be dotted with trunks of trees; and where of old the + tillers turned the earth up deep and scattered the huge clods there has + now sprung up a forest covering the fields, which still bear the tracks of + ancient tillage. Had not these lands remained untilled and desolate with + long overgrowth, the tenacious roots of trees could never have shared the + soil of one and the same land with the furrows made by the plough. + Moreover, the mounds which men laboriously built up of old on the level + ground for the burial of the dead are now covered by a mass of woodland. + Many piles of stones are also to be seen interspersed among the forest + glades. These were once scattered over the whole country, but the peasants + carefully gathered the boulders and piled them into a heap that they might + not prevent furrows being cut in all directions; for they would sooner + sacrifice a little of the land than find the whole of it stubborn. From + this work, done by the toil of the peasants for the easier working of the + fields, it is judged that the population in ancient times was greater than + the present one, which is satisfied with small fields, and keeps its + agriculture within narrower limits than those of the ancient tillage. Thus + the present generation is amazed to behold that it has exchanged a soil + which could once produce grain for one only fit to grow acorns, and the + plough-handle and the cornstalks for a landscape studded with trees. Let + this account of Snio, which I have put together as truly as I could, + suffice. + </p> + <p> + Snio was succeeded by BIORN; and after him HARALD became sovereign. + Harald's son GORM won no mean place of honour among the ancient generals + of the Danes by his record of doughty deeds. For he ventured into fresh + fields, preferring to practise his inherited valour, not in war, but in + searching the secrets of nature; and, just as other kings are stirred by + warlike ardour, so his heart thirsted to look into marvels; either what he + could experience himself, or what were merely matters of report. And being + desirous to go and see all things foreign and extraordinary, he thought + that he must above all test a report which he had heard from the men of + Thule concerning the abode of a certain Geirrod. For they boasted past + belief of the mighty piles of treasure in that country, but said that the + way was beset with peril, and hardly passable by mortal man. For those who + had tried it declared that it was needful to sail over the ocean that goes + round the lands, to leave the sun and stars behind, to journey down into + chaos, and at last to pass into a land where no light was and where + darkness reigned eternally. + </p> + <p> + But the warrior trampled down in his soul all fear of the dangers that + beset him. Not that he desired booty, but glory; for he hoped for a great + increase of renown if he ventured on a wholly unattempted quest. Three + hundred men announced that they had the same desire as the king; and he + resolved that Thorkill, who had brought the news, should be chosen to + guide them on the journey, as he knew the ground and was versed in the + approaches to that country. Thorkill did not refuse the task, and advised + that, to meet the extraordinary fury of the sea they had to cross, + strongly-made vessels should be built, fitted with many knotted cords and + close-set nails, filled with great store of provision, and covered above + with ox-hides to protect the inner spaces of the ships from the spray of + the waves breaking in. Then they sailed off in only three galleys, each + containing a hundred chosen men. + </p> + <p> + Now when they had come to Halogaland (Helgeland), they lost their + favouring breezes, and were driven and tossed divers ways over the seas in + perilous voyage. At last, in extreme want of food, and lacking even bread, + they staved off hunger with a little pottage. Some days passed, and they + heard the thunder of a storm brawling in the distance, as if it were + deluging the rocks. By this perceiving that land was near, they bade a + youth of great nimbleness climb to the masthead and look out; and he + reported that a precipitous island was in sight. All were overjoyed, and + gazed with thirsty eyes at the country at which he pointed, eagerly + awaiting the refuge of the promised shore. At last they managed to reach + it, and made their way out over the heights that blocked their way, along + very steep paths, into the higher ground. Then Thorkill told them to take + no more of the herds that were running about in numbers on the coast, than + would serve once to appease their hunger. If they disobeyed, the guardian + gods of the spot would not let them depart. But the seamen, more anxious + to go on filling their bellies than to obey orders, postponed counsels of + safety to the temptations of gluttony, and loaded the now emptied holds of + their ships with the carcases of slaughtered cattle. These beasts were + very easy to capture, because they gathered in amazement at the unwonted + sight of men, their fears being made bold. On the following night monsters + dashed down upon the shore, filled the forest with clamour, and + beleaguered and beset the ships. One of them, huger than the rest, strode + over the waters, armed with a mighty club. Coming close up to them, he + bellowed out that they should never sail away till they had atoned for the + crime they had committed in slaughtering the flock, and had made good the + losses of the herd of the gods by giving up one man for each of their + ships. Thorkill yielded to these threats; and, in order to preserve the + safety of all by imperilling a few, singled out three men by lot and gave + them up. + </p> + <p> + This done, a favouring wind took them, and they sailed to further + Permland. It is a region of eternal cold, covered with very deep snows, + and not sensible to the force even of the summer heats; full of pathless + forests, not fertile in grain and haunted by beasts uncommon elsewhere. + Its many rivers pour onwards in a hissing, foaming flood, because of the + reefs imbedded in their channels. + </p> + <p> + Here Thorkill drew up his ships ashore, and bade them pitch their tents on + the beach, declaring that they had come to a spot whence the passage to + Geirrod would be short. Moreover, he forbade them to exchange any speech + with those that came up to them, declaring that nothing enabled the + monsters to injure strangers so much as uncivil words on their part: it + would be therefore safer for his companions to keep silence; none but he, + who had seen all the manners and customs of this nation before, could + speak safely. As twilight approached, a man of extraordinary bigness + greeted the sailors by their names, and came among them. All were aghast, + but Thorkill told them to greet his arrival cheerfully, telling them that + this was Gudmund, the brother of Geirrod, and the most faithful guardian + in perils of all men who landed in that spot. When the man asked why all + the rest thus kept silence, he answered that they were very unskilled in + his language, and were ashamed to use a speech they did not know. Then + Gudmund invited them to be his guests, and took them up in carriages. As + they went forward, they saw a river which could be crossed by a bridge of + gold. They wished to go over it, but Gudmund restrained them, telling them + that by this channel nature had divided the world of men from the world of + monsters, and that no mortal track might go further. Then they reached the + dwelling of their guide; and here Thorkill took his companions apart and + warned them to behave like men of good counsel amidst the divers + temptations chance might throw in their way; to abstain from the food of + the stranger, and nourish their bodies only on their own; and to seek a + seat apart from the natives, and have no contact with any of them as they + lay at meat. For if they partook of that food they would lose recollection + of all things, and must live for ever in filthy intercourse amongst + ghastly hordes of monsters. Likewise he told them that they must keep + their hands off the servants and the cups of the people. + </p> + <p> + Round the table stood twelve noble sons of Gudmund, and as many daughters + of notable beauty. When Gudmund saw that the king barely tasted what his + servants brought, he reproached him with repulsing his kindness, and + complained that it was a slight on the host. But Thorkill was not at a + loss for a fitting excuse. He reminded him that men who took unaccustomed + food often suffered from it seriously, and that the king was not + ungrateful for the service rendered by another, but was merely taking care + of his health, when he refreshed himself as he was wont, and furnished his + supper with his own viands. An act, therefore, that was only done in the + healthy desire to escape some bane, ought in no wise to be put down to + scorn. Now when Gudmund saw that the temperance of his guest had baffled + his treacherous preparations, he determined to sap their chastity, if he + could not weaken their abstinence, and eagerly strained every nerve of his + wit to enfeeble their self-control. For he offered the king his daughter + in marriage, and promised the rest that they should have whatever women of + his household they desired. Most of them inclined to his offer: but + Thorkill by his healthy admonitions prevented them, as he had done before, + from falling into temptation. + </p> + <p> + With wonderful management Thorkill divided his heed between the suspicious + host and the delighted guests. Four of the Danes, to whom lust was more + than their salvation, accepted the offer; the infection maddened them, + distraught their wits, and blotted out their recollection: for they are + said never to have been in their right mind after this. If these men had + kept themselves within the rightful bounds of temperance, they would have + equalled the glories of Hercules, surpassed with their spirit the bravery + of giants, and been ennobled for ever by their wondrous services to their + country. + </p> + <p> + Gudmund, stubborn to his purpose, and still spreading his nets, extolled + the delights of his garden, and tried to lure the king thither to gather + fruits, desiring to break down his constant wariness by the lust of the + eye and the baits of the palate. The king, as before, was strengthened + against these treacheries by Thorkill, and rejected this feint of kindly + service; he excused himself from accepting it on the plea that he must + hasten on his journey. Gudmund perceived that Thorkill was shrewder than + he at every point; so, despairing to accomplish his treachery, he carried + them all across the further side of the river, and let them finish their + journey. + </p> + <p> + They went on; and saw, not far off, a gloomy, neglected town, looking more + like a cloud exhaling vapour. Stakes interspersed among the battlements + showed the severed heads of warriors and dogs of great ferocity were seen + watching before the doors to guard the entrance. Thorkill threw them a + horn smeared with fat to lick, and so, at slight cost, appeased their most + furious rage. High up the gates lay open to enter, and they climbed to + their level with ladders, entering with difficulty. Inside the town was + crowded with murky and misshapen phantoms, and it was hard to say whether + their shrieking figures were more ghastly to the eye or to the ear; + everything was foul, and the reeking mire afflicted the nostrils of the + visitors with its unbearable stench. Then they found the rocky dwelling + which Geirrod was rumoured to inhabit for his palace. They resolved to + visit its narrow and horrible ledge, but stayed their steps and halted in + panic at the very entrance. Then Thorkill, seeing that they were of two + minds, dispelled their hesitation to enter by manful encouragement, + counselling them, to restrain themselves, and not to touch any piece of + gear in the house they were about to enter, albeit it seemed delightful to + have or pleasant to behold; to keep their hearts as far from all + covetousness as from fear; neither to desire what was pleasant to take, + nor dread what was awful to look upon, though they should find themselves + amidst abundance of both these things. If they did, their greedy hands + would suddenly be bound fast, unable to tear themselves away from the + thing they touched, and knotted up with it as by inextricable bonds. + Moreover, they should enter in order, four by four. + </p> + <p> + Broder and Buchi (Buk?) were the first to show courage to attempt to enter + the vile palace; Thorkill with the king followed them, and the rest + advanced behind these in ordered ranks. + </p> + <p> + Inside, the house was seen to be ruinous throughout, and filled with a + violent and abominable reek. And it also teemed with everything that could + disgust the eye or the mind: the door-posts were begrimed with the soot of + ages, the wall was plastered with filth, the roof was made up of + spear-heads, the flooring was covered with snakes and bespattered with all + manner of uncleanliness. Such an unwonted sight struck terror into the + strangers, and, over all, the acrid and incessant stench assailed their + afflicted nostrils. Also bloodless phantasmal monsters huddled on the iron + seats, and the places for sitting were railed off by leaden trellises; and + hideous doorkeepers stood at watch on the thresholds. Some of these, armed + with clubs lashed together, yelled, while others played a gruesome game, + tossing a goat's hide from one to the other with mutual motion of goatish + backs. + </p> + <p> + Here Thorkill again warned the men, and forbade them to stretch forth + their covetous hands rashly to the forbidden things. Going on through the + breach in the crag, they beheld an old man with his body pierced through, + sitting not far off, on a lofty seat facing the side of the rock that had + been rent away. Moreover, three women, whose bodies were covered with + tumours, and who seemed to have lost the strength of their back-bones, + filled adjoining seats. Thorkill's companions were very curious; and he, + who well knew the reason of the matter, told them that long ago the god + Thor had been provoked by the insolence of the giants to drive red-hot + irons through the vitals of Geirrod, who strove with him, and that the + iron had slid further, torn up the mountain, and battered through its + side; while the women had been stricken by the might of his thunderbolts, + and had been punished (so he declared) for their attempt on the same + deity, by having their bodies broken. + </p> + <p> + As the men were about to depart thence, there were disclosed to them seven + butts hooped round with belts of gold; and from these hung circlets of + silver entwined with them in manifold links. Near these was found the tusk + of a strange beast, tipped at both ends with gold. Close by was a vast + stag-horn, laboriously decked with choice and flashing gems, and this also + did not lack chasing. Hard by was to be seen a very heavy bracelet. One + man was kindled with an inordinate desire for this bracelet, and laid + covetous hands upon the gold, not knowing that the glorious metal covered + deadly mischief, and that a fatal bane lay hid under the shining spoil. A + second also, unable to restrain his covetousness, reached out his + quivering hands to the horn. A third, matching the confidence of the + others, and having no control over his fingers, ventured to shoulder the + tusk. The spoil seemed alike lovely to look upon and desirable to enjoy, + for all that met the eye was fair and tempting to behold. But the bracelet + suddenly took the form of a snake, and attacked him who was carrying it + with its poisoned tooth; the horn lengthened out into a serpent, and took + the life of the man who bore it; the tusk wrought itself into a sword, and + plunged into the vitals of its bearer. + </p> + <p> + The rest dreaded the fate of perishing with their friends, and thought + that the guiltless would be destroyed like the guilty; they durst not hope + that even innocence would be safe. Then the side-door of another room + showed them a narrow alcove: and a privy chamber with a yet richer + treasure was revealed, wherein arms were laid out too great for those of + human stature. Among these were seen a royal mantle, a handsome hat, and a + belt marvellously wrought. Thorkill, struck with amazement at these + things, gave rein to his covetousness, and cast off all his purposed + self-restraint. He who so oft had trained others could not so much as + conquer his own cravings. For he laid his hand upon the mantle, and his + rash example tempted the rest to join in his enterprise of plunder. + Thereupon the recess shook from its lowest foundations, and began suddenly + to reel and totter. Straightway the women raised a shriek that the wicked + robbers were being endured too long. Then they, who were before supposed + to be half-dead or lifeless phantoms, seemed to obey the cries of the + women, and, leaping suddenly up from their seats, attacked the strangers + with furious onset. The other creatures bellowed hoarsely. + </p> + <p> + But Broder and Buchi fell to their old and familiar arts, and attacked the + witches, who ran at them, with a shower of spears from every side; and + with the missiles from their bows and slings they crushed the array of + monsters. There could be no stronger or more successful way to repulse + them; but only twenty men out of all the king's company were rescued by + the intervention of this archery; the rest were torn in pieces by the + monsters. The survivors returned to the river, and were ferried over by + Gudmund, who entertained them at his house. Long and often as he besought + them, he could not keep them back; so at last he gave them presents and + let them go. + </p> + <p> + Buchi relaxed his watch upon himself; his self-control became unstrung, + and he forsook the virtue in which he hitherto rejoiced. For he conceived + an incurable love for one of the daughters of Gudmund, and embraced her; + but he obtained a bride to his undoing, for soon his brain suddenly began + to whirl, and he lost his recollection. Thus the hero who had subdued all + the monsters and overcome all the perils was mastered by passion for one + girl; his soul strayed far from temperance, and he lay under a wretched + sensual yoke. For the sake of respect, he started to accompany the + departing king; but as he was about to ford the river in his carriage, his + wheels sank deep, he was caught up in the violent eddies and destroyed. + </p> + <p> + The king bewailed his friend's disaster and departed hastening on his + voyage. This was at first prosperous, but afterwards he was tossed by bad + weather; his men perished of hunger, and but few survived, so that he + began to feel awe in his heart, and fell to making vows to heaven, + thinking the gods alone could help him in his extreme need. At last the + others besought sundry powers among the gods, and thought they ought to + sacrifice to the majesty of divers deities; but the king, offering both + vows and peace-offerings to Utgarda-Loki, obtained that fair season of + weather for which he prayed. + </p> + <p> + Coming home, and feeling that he had passed through all these seas and + toils, he thought it was time for his spirit, wearied with calamities, to + withdraw from his labours. So he took a queen from Sweden, and exchanged + his old pursuits for meditative leisure. His life was prolonged in the + utmost peace and quietness; but when he had almost come to the end of his + days, certain men persuaded him by likely arguments that souls were + immortal; so that he was constantly turning over in his mind the + questions, to what abode he was to fare when the breath left his limbs, or + what reward was earned by zealous adoration of the gods. + </p> + <p> + While he was thus inclined, certain men who wished ill to Thorkill came + and told Gorm that it was needful to consult the gods, and that assurance + about so great a matter must be sought of the oracles of heaven, since it + was too deep for human wit and hard for mortals to discover. + </p> + <p> + Therefore, they said, Utgarda-Loki must be appeased, and no man would + accomplish this more fitly than Thorkill. Others, again, laid information + against him as guilty of treachery and an enemy of the king's life. + Thorkill, seeing himself doomed to extreme peril, demanded that his + accusers should share his journey. Then they who had aspersed an innocent + man saw that the peril they had designed against the life of another had + recoiled upon themselves, and tried to take back their plan. But vainly + did they pester the ears of the king; he forced them to sail under the + command of Thorkill, and even upbraided them with cowardice. Thus, when a + mischief is designed against another, it is commonly sure to strike home + to its author. And when these men saw that they were constrained, and + could not possibly avoid the peril, they covered their ship with ox-hides, + and filled it with abundant store of provision. + </p> + <p> + In this ship they sailed away, and came to a sunless land, which knew not + the stars, was void of daylight, and seemed to overshadow them with + eternal night. Long they sailed under this strange sky; at last their + timber fell short, and they lacked fuel; and, having no place to boil + their meat in, they staved off their hunger with raw viands. But most of + those who ate contracted extreme disease, being glutted with undigested + food. For the unusual diet first made a faintness steal gradually upon + their stomachs; then the infection spread further, and the malady reached + the vital parts. Thus there was danger in either extreme, which made it + hurtful not to eat, and perilous to indulge; for it was found both unsafe + to feed and bad for them to abstain. Then, when they were beginning to be + in utter despair, a gleam of unexpected help relieved them, even as the + string breaks most easily when it is stretched tightest. For suddenly the + weary men saw the twinkle of a fire at no great distance, and conceived a + hope of prolonging their lives. Thorkill thought this fire a heaven-sent + relief, and resolved to go and take some of it. + </p> + <p> + To be surer of getting back to his friends, Thorkill fastened a jewel upon + the mast-head, to mark it by the gleam. When he got to the shore, his eyes + fell on a cavern in a close defile, to which a narrow way led. Telling his + companions to await him outside, he went in, and saw two men, swart and + very huge, with horny noses, feeding their fire with any chance-given + fuel. Moreover, the entrance was hideous, the door-posts were decayed, the + walls grimy with mould, the roof filthy, and the floor swarming with + snakes; all of which disgusted the eye as much as the mind. Then one of + the giants greeted him, and said that he had begun a most difficult + venture in his burning desire to visit a strange god, and his attempt to + explore with curious search an untrodden region beyond the world. Yet he + promised to tell Thorkill the paths of the journey he proposed to make, if + he would deliver three true judgments in the form of as many sayings. Then + said Thorkill: "In good truth, I do not remember ever to have seen a + household with more uncomely noses; nor have I ever come to a spot where I + had less mind to live." Also he said: "That, I think, is my best foot + which can get out of this foremost." + </p> + <p> + The giant was pleased with the shrewdness of Thorkill, and praised his + sayings, telling him that he must first travel to a grassless land which + was veiled in deep darkness; but he must first voyage for four days, + rowing incessantly, before he could reach his goal. There he could visit + Utgarda-Loki, who had chosen hideous and grisly caves for his filthy + dwelling. Thorkill was much aghast at being bidden to go on a voyage so + long and hazardous; but his doubtful hopes prevailed over his present + fears, and he asked for some live fuel. Then said the giant: "If thou + needest fire, thou must deliver three more judgments in like sayings." + Then said Thorkill: "Good counsel is to be obeyed, though a mean fellow + gave it." Likewise: "I have gone so far in rashness, that if I can get + back I shall owe my safety to none but my own legs." And again: "Were I + free to retreat this moment, I would take good care never to come back." + </p> + <p> + Thereupon Thorkill took the fire along to his companions; and finding a + kindly wind, landed on the fourth day at the appointed harbour. With his + crew he entered a land where an aspect of unbroken night checked the + vicissitude of light and darkness. He could hardly see before him, but + beheld a rock of enormous size. Wishing to explore it, he told his + companions, who were standing posted at the door, to strike a fire from + flints as a timely safeguard against demons, and kindle it in the + entrance. Then he made others bear a light before him, and stooped his + body through the narrow jaws of the cavern, where he beheld a number of + iron seats among a swarm of gliding serpents. Next there met his eye a + sluggish mass of water gently flowing over a sandy bottom. He crossed + this, and approached a cavern which sloped somewhat more steeply. Again, + after this, a foul and gloomy room was disclosed to the visitors, wherein + they saw Utgarda-Loki, laden hand and foot with enormous chains. Each of + his reeking hairs was as large and stiff as a spear of cornel. Thorkill + (his companions lending a hand), in order that his deeds might gain more + credit, plucked one of these from the chin of Utgarda-Loki, who suffered + it. Straightway such a noisome smell reached the bystanders, that they + could not breathe without stopping their noses with their mantles. They + could scarcely make their way out, and were bespattered by the snakes + which darted at them on every side. + </p> + <p> + Only five of Thorkill's company embarked with their captain: the poison + killed the rest. The demons hung furiously over them, and cast their + poisonous slaver from every side upon the men below them. But the sailors + sheltered themselves with their hides, and cast back the venom that fell + upon them. One man by chance at this point wished to peep out; the poison + touched his head, which was taken off his neck as if it had been severed + with a sword. Another put his eyes out of their shelter, and when he + brought them back under it they were blinded. Another thrust forth his + hand while unfolding his covering, and, when he withdrew his arm, it was + withered by the virulence of the same slaver. They besought their deities + to be kinder to them; vainly, until Thorkill prayed to the god of the + universe, and poured forth unto him libations as well as prayers; and + thus, presently finding the sky even as before and the elements clear, he + made a fair voyage. + </p> + <p> + And now they seemed to behold another world, and the way towards the life + of man. At last Thorkill landed in Germany, which had then been admitted + to Christianity; and among its people he began to learn how to worship + God. His band of men were almost destroyed, because of the dreadful air + they had breathed, and he returned to his country accompanied by two men + only, who had escaped the worst. But the corrupt matter which smeared his + face so disguised his person and original features that not even his + friends knew him. But when he wiped off the filth, he made himself + recognizable by those who saw him, and inspired the king with the greatest + eagerness to hear about his quest. But the detraction of his rivals was + not yet silenced; and some pretended that the king would die suddenly if + he learnt Thorkill's tidings. The king was the more disposed to credit + this saying, because he was already credulous by reason of a dream which + falsely prophesied the same thing. Men were therefore hired by the king's + command to slay Thorkill in the night. But somehow he got wind of it, left + his bed unknown to all, and put a heavy log in his place. By this he + baffled the treacherous device of the king, for the hirelings smote only + the stock. + </p> + <p> + On the morrow Thorkill went up to the king as he sat at meat, and said: "I + forgive thy cruelty and pardon thy error, in that thou hast decreed + punishment, and not thanks, to him who brings good tidings of his errand. + For thy sake I have devoted my life to all these afflictions, and battered + it in all these perils; I hoped that thou wouldst requite my services with + much gratitude; and behold! I have found thee, and thee alone, punish my + valour sharpliest. But I forbear all vengeance, and am satisfied with the + shame within thy heart—if, after all, any shame visits the thankless—as + expiation for this wrongdoing towards me. I have a right to surmise that + thou art worse than all demons in fury, and all beasts in cruelty, if, + after escaping the snares of all these monsters, I have failed to be safe + from thine." + </p> + <p> + The king desired to learn everything from Thorkill's own lips; and, + thinking it hard to escape destiny, bade him relate what had happened in + due order. He listened eagerly to his recital of everything, till at last, + when his own god was named, he could not endure him to be unfavourably + judged. For he could not bear to hear Utgarda-Loki reproached with + filthiness, and so resented his shameful misfortunes, that his very life + could not brook such words, and he yielded it up in the midst of + Thorkill's narrative. Thus, whilst he was so zealous in the worship of a + false god, he came to find where the true prison of sorrows really was. + Moreover, the reek of the hair, which Thorkill plucked from the locks of + the giant to testify to the greatness of his own deeds, was exhaled upon + the bystanders, so that many perished of it. + </p> + <p> + After the death of Gorm, GOTRIK his son came to the throne. He was notable + not only for prowess but for generosity, and none can say whether his + courage or his compassion was the greater. He so chastened his harshness + with mercy, that he seemed to counterweigh the one with the other. At this + time Gaut, the King of Norway, was visited by Ber (Biorn?) and Ref, men of + Thule. Gaut treated Ref with attention and friendship, and presented him + with a heavy bracelet. + </p> + <p> + One of the courtiers, when he saw this, praised the greatness of the gift + over-zealously, and declared that no one was equal to King Gaut in + kindliness. But Ref, though he owed thanks for the benefit, could not + approve the inflated words of this extravagant praiser, and said that + Gotrik was more generous than Gaut. Wishing to crush the empty boast of + the flatterer, he chose rather to bear witness to the generosity of the + absent than tickle with lies the vanity of his benefactor who was present. + For another thing, he thought it somewhat more desirable to be charged + with ingratitude than to support with his assent such idle and boastful + praise, and also to move the king by the solemn truth than to beguile him + with lying flatteries. But Ulf persisted not only in stubbornly repeating + his praises of the king, but in bringing them to the proof; and proposed + their gainsayer a wager. + </p> + <p> + With his consent Ref went to Denmark, and found Gotrik seated in state, + and dealing out the pay to his soldiers. When the king asked him who he + was, he said that his name was "Fox-cub" The answer filled some with mirth + and some with marvel, and Gotrik said, "Yea, and it is fitting that a fox + should catch his prey in his mouth." And thereupon he drew a bracelet from + his arm, called the man to him, and put it between his lips. Straightway + Ref put it upon his arm, which he displayed to them all adorned with gold, + but the other arm he kept hidden as lacking ornament; for which shrewdness + he received a gift equal to the first from that hand of matchless + generosity. At this he was overjoyed, not so much because the reward was + great, as because he had won his contention. And when the king learnt from + him about the wager he had laid, he rejoiced that he had been lavish to + him more by accident than of set purpose, and declared that he got more + pleasure from the giving than the receiver from the gift. So Ref returned + to Norway and slew his opponent, who refused to pay the wager. Then he + took the daughter of Gaut captive, and brought her to Gotrik for his own. + </p> + <p> + Gotrik, who is also called Godefride, carried his arms against foreigners, + and increased his strength and glory by his successful generalship. Among + his memorable deeds were the terms of tribute he imposed upon the Saxons; + namely, that whenever a change of kings occurred among the Danes, their + princes should devote a hundred snow-white horses to the new king on his + accession. But if the Saxons should receive a new chief upon a change in + the succession, this chief was likewise to pay the aforesaid tribute + obediently, and bow at the outset of his power to the sovereign majesty of + Denmark; thereby acknowledging the supremacy of our nation, and solemnly + confessing his own subjection. Nor was it enough for Gotrik to subjugate + Germany: he appointed Ref on a mission to try the strength of Sweden. The + Swedes feared to slay him with open violence, but ventured to act like + bandits, and killed him, as he slept, with the blow of a stone. For, + hanging a millstone above him, they cut its fastenings, and let it drop + upon his neck as he lay beneath. To expiate this crime it was decreed that + each of the ringleaders should pay twelve golden talents, while each of + the common people should pay Gotrik one ounce. Men called this "the + Fox-cub's tribute". (Refsgild). + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile it befell that Karl, King of the Franks, crushed Germany in war, + and forced it not only to embrace the worship of Christianity, but also to + obey his authority. When Gotrik heard of this, he attacked the nations + bordering on the Elbe, and attempted to regain under his sway as of old + the realm of Saxony, which eagerly accepted the yoke of Karl, and + preferred the Roman to the Danish arms. Karl had at this time withdrawn + his victorious camp beyond the Rhine, and therefore forbore to engage the + stranger enemy, being prevented by the intervening river. But when he was + intending to cross once more to subdue the power of Gotrik, he was + summoned by Leo the Pope of the Romans to defend the city. + </p> + <p> + Obeying this command, Karl intrusted his son Pepin with the conduct of the + war against Gotrik; so that while he himself was working against a distant + foe, Pepin might manage the conflict he had undertaken with his neighbour. + For Karl was distracted by two anxieties, and had to furnish sufficient + out of a scanty band to meet both of them. Meanwhile Gotrik won a glorious + victory over the Saxons. Then gathering new strength, and mustering a + larger body of forces, he resolved to avenge the wrong he had suffered in + losing his sovereignty, not only upon the Saxons, but upon the whole + people of Germany. He began by subduing Friesland with his fleet. + </p> + <p> + This province lies very low, and whenever the fury of the ocean bursts the + dykes that bar its waves, it is wont to receive the whole mass of the + deluge over its open plains. On this country Gotrik imposed a kind of + tribute, which was not so much harsh as strange. I will briefly relate its + terms and the manner of it. First, a building was arranged, two hundred + and forty feet in length, and divided into twelve spaces; each of these + stretching over an interval of twenty feet, and thus making together, when + the whole room was exhausted, the aforesaid total. Now at the upper end of + this building sat the king's treasurer, and in a line with him at its + further end was displayed a round shield. When the Frisians came to pay + tribute, they used to cast their coins one by one into the hollow of this + shield; but only those coins which struck the ear of the distant + toll-gatherer with a distinct clang were chosen by him, as he counted, to + be reckoned among the royal tribute. The result was that the collector + only reckoned that money towards the treasury of which his distant ear + caught the sound as it fell. But that of which the sound was duller, and + which fell out of his earshot, was received indeed into the treasury, but + did not count as any increase to the sum paid. Now many coins that were + cast in struck with no audible loudness whatever on the collector's ear, + so that men who came to pay their appointed toll sometimes squandered much + of their money in useless tribute. Karl is said to have freed them + afterwards from the burden of this tax. After Gotrik had crossed + Friesland, and Karl had now come back from Rome, Gotrik determined to + swoop down upon the further districts of Germany, but was treacherously + attacked by one of his own servants, and perished at home by the sword of + a traitor. When Karl heard this, he leapt up overjoyed, declaring that + nothing more delightful had ever fallen to his lot than this happy chance. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) Furthest Thule—The names of Icelanders have thus crept + into the account of a battle fought before the discovery of + Iceland. +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0027" id="link2H_4_0027"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + BOOK NINE. + </h2> + <p> + After Gotrik's death reigned his son OLAF; who, desirous to avenge his + father, did not hesitate to involve his country in civil wars, putting + patriotism after private inclination. When he perished, his body was put + in a barrow, famous for the name of Olaf, which was built up close by + Leire. + </p> + <p> + He was succeeded by HEMMING, of whom I have found no deed worthy of + record, save that he made a sworn peace with Kaiser Ludwig; and yet, + perhaps, envious antiquity hides many notable deeds of his time, albeit + they were then famous. + </p> + <p> + After these men there came to the throne, backed by the Skanians and + Zealanders, SIWARD, surnamed RING. He was the son, born long ago, of the + chief of Norway who bore the same name, by Gotrik's daughter. Now Ring, + cousin of Siward, and also a grandson of Gotrik, was master of Jutland. + Thus the power of the single kingdom was divided; and, as though its two + parts were contemptible for their smallness, foreigners began not only to + despise but to attack it. These Siward assailed with greater hatred than + he did his rival for the throne; and, preferring wars abroad to wars at + home, he stubbornly defended his country against dangers for five years; + for he chose to put up with a trouble at home that he might the more + easily cure one which came from abroad. Wherefore Ring (desiring his) + command, seized the opportunity, tried to transfer the whole sovereignty + to himself, and did not hesitate to injure in his own land the man who was + watching over it without; for he attacked the provinces in the possession + of Siward, which was an ungrateful requital for the defence of their + common country. Therefore, some of the Zealanders who were more zealous + for Siward, in order to show him firmer loyalty in his absence, proclaimed + his son Ragnar as king, when he was scarcely dragged out of his cradle. + Not but what they knew he was too young to govern; yet they hoped that + such a gage would serve to rouse their sluggish allies against Ring. But, + when Ring heard that Siward had meantime returned from his expedition, he + attacked the Zealanders with a large force, and proclaimed that they + should perish by the sword if they did not surrender; but the Zealanders, + who were bidden to choose between shame and peril, were so few that they + distrusted their strength, and requested a truce to consider the matter. + It was granted; but, since it did not seem open to them to seek the favour + of Siward, nor honourable to embrace that of Ring, they wavered long in + perplexity between fear and shame. In this plight even the old were at a + loss for counsel; but Ragnar, who chanced to be present at the assembly, + said: "The short bow shoots its shaft suddenly. Though it may seem the + hardihood of a boy that I venture to forestall the speech of the elders, + yet I pray you to pardon my errors, and be indulgent to my unripe words. + Yet the counsellor of wisdom is not to be spurned, though he seem + contemptible; for the teaching of profitable things should be drunk in + with an open mind. Now it is shameful that we should be branded as + deserters and runaways, but it is just as foolhardy to venture above our + strength; and thus there is proved to be equal blame either way. We must, + then, pretend to go over to the enemy, but, when a chance comes in our + way, we must desert him betimes. It will thus be better to forestall the + wrath of our foe by reigned obedience than, by refusing it, to give him a + weapon wherewith to attack us yet more harshly; for if we decline the sway + of the stronger, are we not simply turning his arms against our own + throat? Intricate devices are often the best nurse of craft. You need + cunning to trap a fox." By this sound counsel he dispelled the wavering of + his countrymen, and strengthened the camp of the enemy to its own hurt. + </p> + <p> + The assembly, marvelling at the eloquence as much as at the wit of one so + young, gladly embraced a proposal of such genius, which they thought + excellent beyond his years. Nor were the old men ashamed to obey the + bidding of a boy when they lacked counsel themselves; for, though it came + from one of tender years, it was full, notwithstanding, of weighty and + sound instruction. But they feared to expose their adviser to immediate + peril, and sent him over to Norway to be brought up. Soon afterwards, + Siward joined battle with Ring and attacked him. He slew Ring, but himself + received an incurable wound, of which he died a few days afterwards. + </p> + <p> + He was succeeded on the throne by RAGNAR. At this time Fro (Frey?), the + King of Sweden, after slaying Siward, the King of the Norwegians, put the + wives of Siward's kinsfolk in bonds in a brothel, and delivered them to + public outrage. When Ragnar heard of this, he went to Norway to avenge his + grandfather. As he came, many of the matrons, who had either suffered + insult to their persons or feared imminent peril to their chastity, + hastened eagerly to his camp in male attire, declaring that they would + prefer death to outrage. Nor did Ragnar, who was to punish this reproach + upon the women, scorn to use against the author of the infamy the help of + those whose shame he had come to avenge. Among them was Ladgerda, a + skilled amazon, who, though a maiden, had the courage of a man, and fought + in front among the bravest with her hair loose over her shoulders. + All-marvelled at her matchless deeds, for her locks flying down her back + betrayed that she was a woman. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar, when he had justly cut down the murderer of his grandfather, asked + many questions of his fellow soldiers concerning the maiden whom he had + seen so forward in the fray, and declared that he had gained the victory + by the might of one woman. Learning that she was of noble birth among the + barbarians, he steadfastly wooed her by means of messengers. She spurned + his mission in her heart, but feigned compliance. Giving false answers, + she made her panting wooer confident that he would gain his desires; but + ordered that a bear and a dog should be set at the porch of her dwelling, + thinking to guard her own room against all the ardour of a lover by means + of the beasts that blocked the way. Ragnar, comforted by the good news, + embarked, crossed the sea, and, telling his men to stop in Gaulardale, as + the valley is called, went to the dwelling of the maiden alone. Here the + beasts met him, and he thrust one through with a spear, and caught the + other by the throat, wrung its neck, and choked it. Thus he had the maiden + as the prize of the peril he had overcome. By this marriage he had two + daughters, whose names have not come down to us, and a son Fridleif. Then + he lived three years at peace. + </p> + <p> + The Jutlanders, a presumptuous race, thinking that because of his recent + marriage he would never return, took the Skanians into alliance, and tried + to attack the Zealanders, who preserved the most zealous and affectionate + loyalty towards Ragnar. He, when he heard of it, equipped thirty ships, + and, the winds favouring his voyage, crushed the Skanians, who ventured to + fight, near the stead of Whiteby, and when the winter was over he fought + successfully with the Jutlanders who dwelt near the Liim-fjord in that + region. A third and a fourth time he conquered the Skanians and the + Hallanders triumphantly. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards, changing his love, and desiring Thora, the daughter of the + King Herodd, to wife, Ragnar divorced himself from Ladgerda; for he + thought ill of her trustworthiness, remembering that she had long ago set + the most savage beasts to destroy him. Meantime Herodd, the King of the + Swedes, happening to go and hunt in the woods, brought home some snakes, + found by his escort, for his daughter to rear. She speedily obeyed the + instructions of her father, and endured to rear a race of adders with her + maiden hands. Moreover, she took care that they should daily have a whole + ox-carcase to gorge upon, not knowing that she was privately feeding and + keeping up a public nuisance. The vipers grew up, and scorched the + country-side with their pestilential breath. Whereupon the king, repenting + of his sluggishness, proclaimed that whosoever removed the pest should + have his daughter. + </p> + <p> + Many warriors were thereto attracted by courage as much as by desire; but + all idly and perilously wasted their pains. Ragnar, learning from men who + travelled to and fro how the matter stood, asked his nurse for a woolen + mantle, and for some thigh-pieces that were very hairy, with which he + could repel the snake-bites. He thought that he ought to use a dress + stuffed with hair to protect himself, and also took one that was not + unwieldy, that he might move nimbly. And when he had landed in Sweden, he + deliberately plunged his body in water, while there was a frost falling, + and, wetting his dress, to make it the less penetrable, he let the cold + freeze it. Thus attired, he took leave of his companions, exhorted them to + remain loyal to Fridleif, and went on to the palace alone. When he saw it, + he tied his sword to his side, and lashed a spear to his right hand with a + thong. As he went on, an enormous snake glided up and met him. Another, + equally huge, crawled up, following in the trail of the first. They strove + now to buffet the young man with the coils of their tails, and now to spit + and belch their venom stubbornly upon him. Meantime the courtiers, + betaking themselves to safer hiding, watched the struggle from afar like + affrighted little girls. The king was stricken with equal fear, and fled, + with a few followers, to a narrow shelter. But Ragnar, trusting in the + hardness of his frozen dress, foiled the poisonous assaults not only with + his arms, but with his attire, and, singlehanded, in unweariable combat, + stood up against the two gaping creatures, who stubbornly poured forth + their venom upon him. For their teeth he repelled with his shield, their + poison with his dress. At last he cast his spear, and drove it against the + bodies of the brutes, who were attacking him hard. He pierced both their + hearts, and his battle ended in victory. + </p> + <p> + After Ragnar had thus triumphed the king scanned his dress closely, and + saw that he was rough and hairy; but, above all, he laughed at the shaggy + lower portion of his garb, and chiefly the uncouth aspect of his breeches; + so that he gave him in jest the nickname of Lodbrog. Also he invited him + to feast with his friends, to refresh him after his labours. Ragnar said + that he would first go back to the witnesses whom he had left behind. He + set out and brought them back, splendidly attired for the coming feast. At + last, when the banquet was over, he received the prize that was appointed + for the victory. By her he begot two nobly-gifted sons, Radbard and + Dunwat. These also had brothers—Siward, Biorn, Agnar, and Iwar. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, the Jutes and Skanians were kindled with an unquenchable fire + of sedition; they disallowed the title of Ragnar, and gave a certain + Harald the sovereign power. Ragnar sent envoys to Norway, and besought + friendly assistance against these men; and Ladgerda, whose early love + still flowed deep and steadfast, hastily sailed off with her husband and + her son. She brought herself to offer a hundred and twenty ships to the + man who had once put her away. And he, thinking himself destitute of all + resources, took to borrowing help from folk of every age, crowded the + strong and the feeble all together, and was not ashamed to insert some old + men and boys among the wedges of the strong. So he first tried to crush + the power of the Skanians in the field which in Latin is called Laneus + (Woolly); here he had a hard fight with the rebels. Here, too, Iwar, who + was in his seventh year, fought splendidly, and showed the strength of a + man in the body of a boy. But Siward, while attacking the enemy face to + face, fell forward upon the ground wounded. When his men saw this, it made + them look round most anxiously for means of flight; and this brought low + not only Siward, but almost the whole army on the side of Ragnar. But + Ragnar by his manly deeds and exhortations comforted their amazed and + sunken spirits, and, just when they were ready to be conquered, spurred + them on to try and conquer. + </p> + <p> + Ladgerda, who had a matchless spirit though a delicate frame, covered by + her splendid bravery the inclination of the soldiers to waver. For she + made a sally about, and flew round to the rear of the enemy, taking them + unawares, and thus turned the panic of her friends into the camp of the + enemy. At last the lines of HARALD became slack, and HARALD himself was + routed with a great slaughter of his men. LADGERDA, when she had gone home + after the battle, murdered her husband.... in the night with a spear-head, + which she had hid in her gown. Then she usurped the whole of his name and + sovereignty; for this most presumptuous dame thought it pleasanter to rule + without her husband than to share the throne with him. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Siward was taken to a town in the neighbourhood, and gave + himself to be tended by the doctors, who were reduced to the depths of + despair. But while the huge wound baffled all the remedies they applied, a + certain man of amazing size was seen to approach the litter of the sick + man, and promised that Siward should straightway rejoice and be whole, if + he would consecrate unto him the souls of all whom he should overcome in + battle. Nor did he conceal his name, but said that he was called Rostar. + Now Siward, when he saw that a great benefit could be got at the cost of a + little promise, eagerly acceded to this request. Then the old man + suddenly, by the help of his hand, touched and banished the livid spot, + and suddenly scarred the wound over. At last he poured dust on his eyes + and departed. Spots suddenly arose, and the dust, to the amaze of the + beholders, seemed to become wonderfully like little snakes. + </p> + <p> + I should think that he who did this miracle wished to declare, by the + manifest token of his eyes, that the young man was to be cruel in future, + in order that the more visible part of his body might not lack some omen + of his life that was to follow. When the old woman, who had the care of + his draughts, saw him showing in his face signs of little snakes; she was + seized with an extraordinary horror of the young man, and suddenly fell + and swooned away. Hence it happened that Siward got the widespread name of + Snake-Eye. + </p> + <p> + Meantime Thora, the bride of Ragnar, perished of a violent malady, which + caused infinite trouble and distress to the husband, who dearly loved his + wife. This distress, he thought, would be best dispelled by business, and + he resolved to find solace in exercise and qualify his grief by toil. To + banish his affliction and gain some comfort, he bent his thoughts to + warfare, and decreed that every father of a family should devote to his + service whichever of his children he thought most contemptible, or any + slave of his who was lazy at his work or of doubtful fidelity. And albeit + that this decree seemed little fitted for his purpose, he showed that the + feeblest of the Danish race were better than the strongest men of other + nations; and it did the young men great good, each of those chosen being + eager to wipe off the reproach of indolence. Also he enacted that every + piece of litigation should be referred to the judgment of twelve chosen + elders, all ordinary methods of action being removed, the accuser being + forbidden to charge, and the accused to defend. This law removed all + chance of incurring litigation lightly. Thinking that there was thus + sufficient provision made against false accusations by unscrupulous men, + he lifted up his arms against Britain, and attacked and slew in battle its + king, Hame, the father of Ella, who was a most noble youth. Then he killed + the earls of Scotland and of Pictland, and of the isles that they call the + Southern or Meridional (Sudr-eyar), and made his sons Siward and Radbard + masters of the provinces, which were now without governors. He also + deprived Norway of its chief by force, and commanded it to obey Fridleif, + whom he also set over the Orkneys, from which he took their own earl. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, some of the Danes who were most stubborn in their hatred against + Ragnar were obstinately bent on rebellion. They rallied to the side of + Harald, once an exile, and tried to raise the fallen fortunes of the + tyrant. By this hardihood they raised up against the king the most + virulent blasts of civil war, and entangled him in domestic perils when he + was free from foreign troubles. Ragnar, setting out to check them with a + fleet of the Danes who lived in the isles, crushed the army of the rebels, + drove Harald, the leader of the conquered army, a fugitive to Germany, and + forced him to resign unbashfully an honour which he had gained without + scruple. Nor was he content simply to kill his prisoners: he preferred to + torture them to death, so that those who could not be induced to forsake + their disloyalty might not be so much as suffered to give up the ghost + save under the most grievous punishment. Moreover, the estates of those + who had deserted with Harald he distributed among those who were serving + as his soldiers, thinking that the fathers would be worse punished by + seeing the honour of their inheritance made over to the children whom they + had rejected, while those whom they had loved better lost their patrimony. + But even this did not sate his vengeance, and he further determined to + attack Saxony, thinking it the refuge of his foes and the retreat of + Harald. So, begging his sons to help him, he came on Karl, who happened + then to be tarrying on those borders of his empire. Intercepting his + sentries, he eluded the watch that was posted on guard. But while he + thought that all the rest would therefore be easy and more open to his + attacks, suddenly a woman who was a soothsayer, a kind of divine oracle or + interpreter of the will of heaven, warned the king with a saving prophecy, + and by her fortunate presage forestalled the mischief that impended, + saying that the fleet of Siward had moored at the mouth of the river + Seine. The emperor, heeding the warning, and understanding that the enemy + was at hand, managed to engage with and stop the barbarians, who were thus + pointed out to him. A battle was fought with Ragnar; but Karl did not + succeed as happily in the field as he had got warning of the danger. And + so that tireless conqueror of almost all Europe, who in his calm and + complete career of victory had travelled over so great a portion of the + world, now beheld his army, which had vanquished all these states and + nations, turning its face from the field, and shattered by a handful from + a single province. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar, after loading the Saxons with tribute, had sure tidings from + Sweden of the death of Herodd, and also heard that his own sons, owing to + the slander of Sorle, the king chosen in his stead, had been robbed of + their inheritance. He besought the aid of the brothers Biorn, Fridleif, + and Ragbard (for Ragnald, Hwitserk, and Erik, his sons by Swanloga, had + not yet reached the age of bearing arms), and went to Sweden. Sorle met + him with his army, and offered him the choice between a public conflict + and a duel; and when Ragnar chose personal combat, he sent against him + Starkad, a champion of approved daring, with his band of seven sons, to + challenge and fight with him. Ragnar took his three sons to share the + battle with him, engaged in the sight of both armies, and came out of the + combat triumphant. + </p> + <p> + Biorn, having inflicted great slaughter on the foe without hurt to + himself, gained from the strength of his sides, which were like iron, a + perpetual name (Ironsides). This victory emboldened Ragnar to hope that he + could overcome any peril, and he attacked and slew Sorle with the entire + forces he was leading. He presented Biorn with the lordship of Sweden for + his conspicuous bravery and service. Then for a little interval he rested + from wars, and chanced to fall deeply in love with a certain woman. In + order to find some means of approaching and winning her the more readily, + he courted her father (Esbern) by showing him the most obliging and + attentive kindness. He often invited him to banquets, and received him + with lavish courtesy. When he came, he paid him the respect of rising, and + when he sat, he honoured him with a set next to himself. He also often + comforted him with gifts, and at times with the most kindly speech. The + man saw that no merits of his own could be the cause of all this + distinction, and casting over the matter every way in his mind, he + perceived that the generosity of his monarch was caused by his love for + his daughter, and that he coloured this lustful purpose with the name of + kindness. But, that he might balk the cleverness of the lover, however + well calculated, he had the girl watched all the more carefully that he + saw her beset by secret aims and obstinate methods. But Ragnar, who was + comforted by the surest tidings of her consent, went to the farmhouse in + which she was kept, and fancying that love must find out a way, repaired + alone to a certain peasant in a neighbouring lodging. In the morning he + exchanged dress with the women, and went in female attire, and stood by + his mistress as she was unwinding wool. Cunningly, to avoid betrayal, he + set his hands to the work of a maiden, though they were little skilled in + the art. In the night he embraced the maiden and gained his desire. When + her time drew near, and the girl growing big, betrayed her outraged + chastity, the father, not knowing to whom his daughter had given herself + to be defiled, persisted in asking the girl herself who was the unknown + seducer. She steadfastly affirmed that she had had no one to share her bed + except her handmaid, and he made the affair over to the king to search + into. He would not allow an innocent servant to be branded with an + extraordinary charge, and was not ashamed to prove another's innocence by + avowing his own guilt. By this generosity he partially removed the woman's + reproach, and prevented an absurd report from being sown in the ears of + the wicked. Also he added, that the son to be born of her was of his own + line, and that he wished him to be named Ubbe. When this son had grown up + somewhat, his wit, despite his tender years, equalled the discernment of + manhood. For he took to loving his mother, since she had had converse with + a noble bed, but cast off all respect for his father, because he had + stooped to a union too lowly. + </p> + <p> + After this Ragnar prepared an expedition against the Hellespontines, and + summoned an assembly of the Danes, promising that he would give the people + most wholesome laws. He had enacted before that each father of a household + should offer for service that one among his sons whom he esteemed least; + but now he enacted that each should arm the son who was stoutest of hand + or of most approved loyalty. Thereon, taking all the sons he had by Thora, + in addition to Ubbe, he attacked, crushed in sundry campaigns, and subdued + the Hellespont with its king Dia. At last he involved the same king in + disaster after disaster, and slew him. Dia's sons, Dia and Daxo, who had + before married the daughters of the Russian king, begged forces from their + father-in-law, and rushed with most ardent courage to the work of avenging + their father. But Ragnar, when he saw their boundless army, distrusted his + own forces; and he put brazen horses on wheels that could be drawn easily, + took them round on carriages that would turn, and ordered that they should + be driven with the utmost force against the thickest ranks of the enemy. + This device served so well to break the line of the foe, that the Danes' + hope of conquest seemed to lie more in the engine than in the soldiers: + for its insupportable weight overwhelmed whatever it struck. Thus one of + the leaders was killed, while one made off in flight, and the whole army + of the area of the Hellespont retreated. The Scythians, also, who were + closely related by blood to Daxo on the mother's side, are said to have + been crushed in the same disaster. Their province was made over to + Hwitserk, and the king of the Russians, trusting little in his own + strength, hastened to fly out of the reach of the terrible arms of Ragnar. + </p> + <p> + Now Ragnar had spent almost five years in sea-roving, and had quickly + compelled all other nations to submit; but he found the Perms in open + defiance of his sovereignty. He had just conquered them, but their loyalty + was weak. When they heard that he had come they cast spells upon the sky, + stirred up the clouds, and drove them into most furious storms. This for + some time prevented the Danes from voyaging, and caused their supply of + food to fail. Then, again, the storm suddenly abated, and now they were + scorched by the most fervent and burning heat; nor was this plague any + easier to bear than the great and violent cold had been. Thus the + mischievous excess in both directions affected their bodies alternately, + and injured them by an immoderate increase first of cold and then of heat. + Moreover, dysentery killed most of them. So the mass of the Danes, being + pent in by the dangerous state of the weather, perished of the bodily + plague that arose on every side. And when Ragnar saw that he was hindered, + not so much by a natural as by a factitious tempest, he held on his voyage + as best he could, and got to the country of the Kurlanders and Sembs, who + paid zealous honour to his might and majesty, as if he were the most + revered of conquerors. This service enraged the king all the more against + the arrogance of the men of Permland, and he attempted to avenge his + slighted dignity by a sudden attack. Their king, whose name is not known, + was struck with panic at such a sudden invasion of the enemy, and at the + same time had no heart to join battle with them; and fled to Matul, the + prince of Finmark. He, trusting in the great skill of his archers, + harassed with impunity the army of Ragnar, which was wintering in + Permland. For the Finns, who are wont to glide on slippery timbers + (snowskates), scud along at whatever pace they will, and are considered to + be able to approach or depart very quickly; for as soon as they have + damaged the enemy they fly away as speedily as they approach, nor is the + retreat they make quicker than their charge. Thus their vehicles and their + bodies are so nimble that they acquire the utmost expertness both in + advance and flight. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar was filled with amazement at the poorness of his fortunes when he + saw that he, who had conquered Rome at its pinnacle of power, was dragged + by an unarmed and uncouth race into the utmost peril. He, therefore, who + had signally crushed the most glorious flower of the Roman soldiery, and + the forces of a most great and serene captain, now yielded to a base mob + with the poorest and slenderest equipment; and he whose lustre in war the + might of the strongest race on earth had failed to tarnish, was now too + weak to withstand the tiny band of a miserable tribe. Hence, with that + force which had helped him bravely to defeat the most famous pomp in all + the world and the weightiest weapon of military power, and to subdue in + the field all that thunderous foot, horse, and encampment; with this he + had now, stealthily and like a thief, to endure the attacks of a wretched + and obscure populace; nor must he blush to stain by a treachery in the + night that noble glory of his which had been won in the light of day, for + he took to a secret ambuscade instead of open bravery. This affair was as + profitable in its issue as it was unhandsome in the doing. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar was equally as well pleased at the flight of the Finns as he had + been at that of Karl, and owned that he had found more strength in that + defenceless people than in the best equipped soldiery; for he found the + heaviest weapons of the Romans easier to bear than the light darts of this + ragged tribe. Here, after killing the king of the Perms and routing the + king of the Finns, Ragnar set an eternal memorial of his victory on the + rocks, which bore the characters of his deeds on their face, and looked + down upon them. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Ubbe was led by his grandfather, Esbern, to conceive an unholy + desire for the throne; and, casting away all thought of the reverence due + to his father, he claimed the emblem of royalty for his own head. + </p> + <p> + When Ragnar heard of his arrogance from Kelther and Thorkill, the earls of + Sweden, he made a hasty voyage towards Gothland. Esbern, finding that + these men were attached with a singular loyalty to the side of Ragnar, + tried to bribe them to desert the king. But they did not swerve from their + purpose, and replied that their will depended on that of Biorn, declaring + that not a single Swede would dare to do what went against his pleasure. + Esbern speedily made an attempt on Biorn himself, addressing him most + courteously through his envoys. Biorn said that he would never lean more + to treachery than to good faith, and judged that it would be a most + abominable thing to prefer the favour of an infamous brother to the love + of a most righteous father. The envoys themselves he punished with + hanging, because they counselled him to so grievous a crime. The Swedes, + moreover, slew the rest of the train of the envoys in the same way, as a + punishment for their mischievous advice. So Esbern, thinking that his + secret and stealthy manoeuvres did not succeed fast enough, mustered his + forces openly, and went publicly forth to war. But Iwar, the governor of + Jutland, seeing no righteousness on either side of the impious conflict, + avoided all unholy war by voluntary exile. + </p> + <p> + Ragnar attacked and slew Esbern in the bay that is called in Latin + Viridis; he cut off the dead man's head and bade it be set upon the ship's + prow, a dreadful sight for the seditious. But Ubbe took to flight, and + again attacked his father, having revived the war in Zealand. Ubbe's ranks + broke, and he was assailed single-handed from all sides; but he felled so + many of the enemy's line that he was surrounded with a pile of the corpses + of the foe as with a strong bulwark, and easily checked his assailants + from approaching. At last he was overwhelmed by the thickening masses of + the enemy, captured, and taken off to be laden with public fetters. By + immense violence he disentangled his chains and cut them away. But when he + tried to sunder and rend the bonds that were (then) put upon him, he could + not in any wise escape his bars. But when Iwar heard that the rising in + his country had been quelled by the punishment of the rebel, he went to + Denmark. Ragnar received him with the greatest honour, because, while the + unnatural war had raged its fiercest, he had behaved with the most entire + filial respect. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile Daxo long and vainly tried to overcome Hwitserk, who ruled over + Sweden; but at last he enrapped him under pretence of making a peace, and + attacked him. Hwitserk received him hospitably, but Daxo had prepared an + army with weapons, who were to feign to be trading, ride into the city in + carriages, and break with a night-attack into the house of their host. + Hwitserk smote this band of robbers with such a slaughter that he was + surrounded with a heap of his enemies' bodies, and could only be taken by + letting down ladders from above. Twelve of his companions, who were + captured at the same time by the enemy, were given leave to go back to + their country; but they gave up their lives for their king, and chose to + share the dangers of another rather than be quit of their own. + </p> + <p> + Daxo, moved with compassion at the beauty of Hwitserk, had not the heart + to pluck the budding blossom of that noble nature, and offered him not + only his life, but his daughter in marriage, with a dowry of half his + kingdom; choosing rather to spare his comeliness than to punish his + bravery. But the other, in the greatness of his soul, valued as nothing + the life which he was given on sufferance, and spurned his safety as + though it were some trivial benefit. Of his own will he embraced the + sentence of doom, saying, that Ragnar would exact a milder vengeance for + his son if he found that he had made his own choice in selecting the + manner of his death. The enemy wondered at his rashness, and promised that + he should die by the manner of death which he should choose for this + punishment. This leave the young man accepted as a great kindness, and + begged that he might be bound and burned with his friends. Daxo speedily + complied with his prayers that craved for death, and by way of kindness + granted him the end that he had chosen. When Ragnar heard of this, he + began to grieve stubbornly even unto death, and not only put on the garb + of mourning, but, in the exceeding sorrow of his soul, took to his bed and + showed his grief by groaning. But his wife, who had more than a man's + courage, chid his weakness, and put heart into him with her manful + admonitions. Drawing his mind off from his woe, she bade him be zealous in + the pursuit of war; declaring that it was better for so brave a father to + avenge the bloodstained ashes of his son with weapons than with tears. She + also told him not to whimper like a woman, and get as much disgrace by his + tears as he had once earned glory by his valour. Upon these words Ragnar + began to fear lest he should destroy his ancient name for courage by his + womanish sorrow; so, shaking off his melancholy garb and putting away his + signs of mourning, he revived his sleeping valour with hopes of speedy + vengeance. Thus do the weak sometimes nerve the spirits of the strong. So + he put his kingdom in charge of Iwar, and embraced with a father's love + Ubbe, who was now restored to his ancient favour. Then he transported his + fleet over to Russia, took Daxo, bound him in chains, and sent him away to + be kept in Utgard. (1) + </p> + <p> + Ragnar showed on this occasion the most merciful moderation towards the + slayer of his dearest son, since he sufficiently satisfied the vengeance + which he desired, by the exile of the culprit rather than his death. This + compassion shamed the Russians out of any further rage against such a + king, who could not be driven even by the most grievous wrongs to inflict + death upon his prisoners. Ragnar soon took Daxo back into favour, and + restored him to his country, upon his promising that he would every year + pay him his tribute barefoot, like a suppliant, with twelve elders, also + unshod. For he thought it better to punish a prisoner and a suppliant + gently, than to draw the axe of bloodshed; better to punish that proud + neck with constant slavery than to sever it once and for all. Then he went + on and appointed his son Erik, surnamed Wind-hat, over Sweden. Here, while + Fridleif and Siward were serving under him, he found that the Norwegians + and the Scots had wrongfully conferred the title of king on two other men. + So he first overthrew the usurper to the power of Norway, and let Biorn + have the country for his own benefit. + </p> + <p> + Then he summoned Biorn and Erik, ravaged the Orkneys, landed at last on + the territory of the Scots, and in a three-days' battle wearied out their + king Murial, and slew him. But Ragnar's sons, Dunwat and Radbard, after + fighting nobly, were slain by the enemy. So that the victory their father + won was stained with their blood. He returned to Denmark, and found that + his wife Swanloga had in the meantime died of disease. Straightway he + sought medicine for his grief in loneliness, and patiently confined the + grief of his sick soul within the walls of his house. But this bitter + sorrow was driven out of him by the sudden arrival of Iwar, who had been + expelled from the kingdom. For the Gauls had made him fly, and had + wrongfully bestowed royal power on a certain Ella, the son of Hame. Ragnar + took Iwar to guide him, since he was acquainted with the country, gave + orders for a fleet, and approached the harbour called York. Here he + disembarked his forces, and after a battle which lasted three days, he + made Ella, who had trusted in the valour of the Gauls, desirous to fly. + The affair cost much blood to the English and very little to the Danes. + Here Ragnar completed a year of conquest, and then, summoning his sons to + help him, he went to Ireland, slew its king Melbrik, besieged Dublin, + which was filled with wealth of the barbarians, attacked it, and received + its surrender. There he lay in camp for a year; and then, sailing through + the midland sea, he made his way to the Hellespont. He won signal + victories as he crossed all the intervening countries, and no ill-fortune + anywhere checked his steady and prosperous advance. + </p> + <p> + Harald, meanwhile, with the adherence of certain Danes who were + cold-hearted servants in the army of Ragnar, disturbed his country with + renewed sedition, and came forward claiming the title of king. He was met + by the arms of Ragnar returning from the Hellespont; but being + unsuccessful, and seeing that his resources of defence at home were + exhausted, he went to ask help of Ludwig, who was then stationed at Mainz. + But Ludwig, filled with the greatest zeal for promoting his religion, + imposed a condition on the Barbarian, promising him help if he would agree + to follow the worship of Christ. For he said there could be no agreement + of hearts between those who embraced discordant creeds. Anyone, therefore, + who asked for help, must first have a fellowship in religion. No men could + be partners in great works who were separated by a different form of + worship. This decision procured not only salvation for Ludwig's guest, but + the praise of piety for Ludwig himself, who, as soon as Harald had gone to + the holy font, accordingly strengthened him with Saxon auxiliaries. + Trusting in these, Harald built a temple in the land of Sleswik with much + care and cost, to be hallowed to God. Thus he borrowed a pattern of the + most holy way from the worship of Rome. He unhallowed, pulled down the + shrines that had been profaned by the error of misbelievers, outlawed the + sacrificers, abolished the (heathen) priesthood, and was the first to + introduce the religion of Christianity to his uncouth country. Rejecting + the worship of demons, he was zealous for that of God. Lastly, he observed + with the most scrupulous care whatever concerned the protection of + religion. But he began with more piety than success. For Ragnar came up, + outraged the holy rites he had brought in, outlawed the true faith, + restored the false one to its old position, and bestowed on the ceremonies + the same honour as before. As for Harald, he deserted and cast in his lot + with sacrilege. For though he was a notable ensample by his introduction + of religion, yet he was the first who was seen to neglect it, and this + illustrious promoter of holiness proved a most infamous forsaker of the + same. + </p> + <p> + Meanwhile, Ella betook himself to the Irish, and put to the sword or + punished all those who were closely and loyally attached to Ragnar. Then + Ragnar attacked him with his fleet, but, by the just visitation of the + Omnipotent, was openly punished for disparaging religion. For when he had + been taken and cast into prison, his guilty limbs were given to serpents + to devour, and adders found ghastly substance in the fibres of his + entrails. His liver was eaten away, and a snake, like a deadly + executioner, beset his very heart. Then in a courageous voice he recounted + all his deeds in order, and at the end of his recital added the following + sentence: "If the porkers knew the punishment of the boar-pig, surely they + would break into the sty and hasten to loose him from his affliction." At + this saying, Ella conjectured that some of his sons were yet alive, and + bade that the executioners should stop and the vipers be removed. The + servants ran up to accomplish his bidding; but Ragnar was dead, and + forestalled the order of the king. Surely we must say that this man had a + double lot for his share? By one, he had a fleet unscathed, an empire + well-inclined, and immense power as a rover; while the other inflicted on + him the ruin of his fame, the slaughter of his soldiers, and a most bitter + end. The executioner beheld him beset with poisonous beasts, and asps + gorging on that heart which he had borne steadfast in the face of every + peril. Thus a most glorious conqueror declined to the piteous lot of a + prisoner; a lesson that no man should put too much trust in fortune. + </p> + <p> + Iwar heard of this disaster as he happened to be looking on at the games. + Nevertheless, he kept an unmoved countenance, and in nowise broke down. + Not only did he dissemble his grief and conceal the news of his father's + death, but he did not even allow a clamour to arise, and forbade the + panic-stricken people to leave the scene of the sports. Thus, loth to + interrupt the spectacle by the ceasing of the games, he neither clouded + his countenance nor turned his eyes from public merriment to dwell upon + his private sorrow; for he would not fall suddenly into the deepest + melancholy from the height of festal joy, or seem to behave more like an + afflicted son than a blithe captain. + </p> + <p> + But when Siward heard the same tidings, he loved his father more than he + cared for his own pain, and in his distraction plunged deeply into his + foot the spear he chanced to be holding, dead to all bodily troubles in + his stony sadness. For he wished to hurt some part of his body severely, + that he might the more patiently bear the wound in his soul. By this act + he showed at once his bravery and his grief, and bore his lot like a son + who was more afflicted and steadfast. But Biorn received the tidings of + his father's death while he was playing at dice, and squeezed so violently + the piece that he was grasping that he wrung the blood from his fingers + and shed it on the table; whereon he said that assuredly the cast of fate + was more fickle than that of the very die which he was throwing. When Ella + heard this, he judged that his father's death had been borne with the + toughest and most stubborn spirit by that son of the three who had paid no + filial respect to his decease; and therefore he dreaded the bravery of + Iwar most. + </p> + <p> + Iwar went towards England, and when he saw that his fleet was not strong + enough to join battle with the enemy, he chose to be cunning rather than + bold, and tried a shrewd trick on Ella, begging as a pledge of peace + between them a strip of land as great as he could cover with a horse's + hide. He gained his request, for the king supposed that it would cost + little, and thought himself happy that so strong a foe begged for a little + boon instead of a great one; supposing that a tiny skin would cover but a + very little land. But Iwar cut the hide out and lengthened it into very + slender thongs, thus enclosing a piece of ground large enough to build a + city on. Then Ella came to repent of his lavishness, and tardily set to + reckoning the size of the hide, measuring the little skin more narrowly + now that it was cut up than when it was whole. For that which he had + thought would encompass a little strip of ground, he saw lying wide over a + great estate. Iwar brought into the city, when he founded it, supplies + that would serve amply for a siege, wishing the defences to be as good + against scarcity as against an enemy. + </p> + <p> + Meantime, Siward and Biorn came up with a fleet of 400 ships, and with + open challenge declared war against the king. This they did at the + appointed time; and when they had captured him, they ordered the figure of + an eagle to be cut in his back, rejoicing to crush their most ruthless foe + by marking him with the cruellest of birds. Not satisfied with imprinting + a wound on him, they salted the mangled flesh. Thus Ella was done to + death, and Biorn and Siward went back to their own kingdoms. + </p> + <p> + Iwar governed England for two years. Meanwhile the Danes were stubborn in + revolt, and made war, and delivered the sovereignty publicly to a certain + SIWARD and to ERIK, both of the royal line. The sons of Ragnar, together + with a fleet of 1,700 ships, attacked them at Sleswik, and destroyed them + in a conflict which lasted six months. Barrows remain to tell the tale. + The sound on which the war was conducted has gained equal glory by the + death of Siward. And now the royal stock was almost extinguished, saving + only the sons of Ragnar. Then, when Biorn and Erik had gone home, Iwar and + Siward settled in Denmark, that they might curb the rebels with a stronger + rein, setting Agnar to govern England. Agnar was stung because the English + rejected him, and, with the help of Siward, chose, rather than foster the + insolence of the province that despised him, to dispeople it and leave its + fields, which were matted in decay, with none to till them. He covered the + richest land of the island with the most hideous desolation, thinking it + better to be lord of a wilderness than of a headstrong country. After this + he wished to avenge Erik, who had been slain in Sweden by the malice of a + certain Osten. But while he was narrowly bent on avenging another, he + squandered his own blood on the foe; and while he was eagerly trying to + punish the slaughter of his brother, sacrificed his own life to brotherly + love. + </p> + <p> + Thus SIWARD, by the sovereign vote of the whole Danish assembly, received + the empire of his father. But after the defeats he had inflicted + everywhere he was satisfied with the honour he received at home, and liked + better to be famous with the gown than with the sword. He ceased to be a + man of camps, and changed from the fiercest of despots into the most + punctual guardian of peace. He found as much honour in ease and leisure as + he had used to think lay in many victories. Fortune so favoured his change + of pursuits, that no foe ever attacked him, nor he any foe. He died, and + ERIK, who was a very young child, inherited his nature, rather than his + realm or his tranquillity. For Erik, the brother of Harald, despising his + exceedingly tender years, invaded the country with rebels, and seized the + crown; nor was he ashamed to assail the lawful infant sovereign, and to + assume an unrightful power. In thus bringing himself to despoil a feeble + child of the kingdom he showed himself the more unworthy of it. Thus he + stripped the other of his throne, but himself of all his virtues, and cast + all manliness out of his heart, when he made war upon a cradle: for where + covetousness and ambition flamed, love of kindred could find no place. But + this brutality was requited by the wrath of a divine vengeance. For the + war between this man and Gudorm, the son of Harald, ended suddenly with + such slaughter that they were both slain, with numberless others; and the + royal stock of the Danes, now worn out by the most terrible massacres, was + reduced to the only son of the above Siward. + </p> + <p> + This man (Erik) won the fortune of a throne by losing his kindred; it was + luckier for him to have his relations dead than alive. He forsook the + example of all the rest, and hastened to tread in the steps of his + grandfather; for he suddenly came out as a most zealous practitioner of + roving. And would that he had not shown himself rashly to inherit the + spirit of Ragnar, by his abolition of Christian worship! For he + continually tortured all the most religious men, or stripped them of their + property and banished them. But it were idle for me to blame the man's + beginnings when I am to praise his end. For that life is more laudable of + which the foul beginning is checked by a glorious close, than that which + begins commendably but declines into faults and infamies. For Erik, upon + the healthy admonitions of Ansgarius, laid aside the errors of his impious + heart, and atoned for whatsoever he had done amiss in the insolence + thereof; showing himself as strong in the observance of religion as he had + been in slighting it. Thus he not only took a draught of more wholesome + teaching with obedient mind, but wiped off early stains by his purity at + the end. He had a son KANUTE by the daughter of Gudorm, who was also the + granddaughter of Harald; and him he left to survive his death. + </p> + <p> + While this child remained in infancy a guardian was required for the pupil + and for the realm. But inasmuch it seemed to most people either invidious + or difficult to give the aid that this office needed, it was resolved that + a man should be chosen by lot. For the wisest of the Danes, fearing much + to make a choice by their own will in so lofty a matter, allowed more + voice to external chance than to their own opinions, and entrusted the + issue of the selection rather to luck than to sound counsel. The issue was + that a certain Enni-gnup (Steep-brow), a man of the highest and most + entire virtue, was forced to put his shoulder to this heavy burden; and + when he entered on the administration which chalice had decreed, he + oversaw, not only the early rearing of the king, but the affairs of the + whole people. For which reason some who are little versed in our history + give this man a central place in its annals. But when Kanute had passed + through the period of boyhood, and had in time grown to be a man, he left + those who had done him the service of bringing him up, and turned from an + almost hopeless youth to the practice of unhoped-for virtue; being + deplorable for this reason only, that he passed from life to death without + the tokens of the Christian faith. + </p> + <p> + But soon the sovereignty passed to his son FRODE. This man's fortune, + increased by arms and warfare, rose to such a height of prosperity that he + brought back to the ancient yoke the provinces which had once revolted + from the Danes, and bound them in their old obedience. He also came + forward to be baptised with holy water in England, which had for some + while past been versed in Christianity. But he desired that his personal + salvation should overflow and become general, and begged that Denmark + should be instructed in divinity by Agapete, who was then Pope of Rome. + But he was cut off before his prayers attained this wish. His death befell + before the arrival of the messengers from Rome: and indeed his intention + was better than his fortune, and he won as great a reward in heaven for + his intended piety as others are vouchsafed for their achievement. + </p> + <p> + His son GORM, who had the surname of "The Englishman," because he was born + in England, gained the sovereignty in the island on his father's death; + but his fortune, though it came soon, did not last long. He left England + for Denmark to put it in order; but a long misfortune was the fruit of + this short absence. For the English, who thought that their whole chance + of freedom lay in his being away, planned an open revolt from the Danes, + and in hot haste took heart to rebel. But the greater the hatred and + contempt of England, the greater the loyal attachment of Denmark to the + king. Thus while he stretched out his two hands to both provinces in his + desire for sway, he gained one, but lost the lordship of the other + irretrievably; for he never made any bold effort to regain it. So hard is + it to keep a hold on very large empires. + </p> + <p> + After this man his son HARALD came to be king of Denmark; he is + half-forgotten by posterity, and lacks all record for famous deeds, + because he rather preserved than extended the possessions of the realm. + </p> + <p> + After this the throne was obtained by GORM, a man whose soul was ever + hostile to religion, and who tried to efface all regard for Christ's + worshippers, as though they were the most abominable of men. All those who + shared this rule of life he harassed with divers kinds of injuries and + incessantly pursued with whatever slanders he could. Also, in order to + restore the old worship to the shrines, he razed to its lowest + foundations, as though it were some unholy abode of impiety, a temple + which religious men had founded in a stead in Sleswik; and those whom he + did not visit with tortures he punished by the demolition of the holy + chapel. Though this man was thought notable for his stature, his mind did + not answer to his body; for he kept himself so well sated with power that + he rejoiced more in saving than increasing his dignity, and thought it + better to guard his own than to attack what belonged to others: caring + more to look to what he had than to swell his havings. + </p> + <p> + This man was counselled by the elders to celebrate the rites of marriage, + and he wooed Thyra, the daughter of Ethelred, the king of the English, for + his wife. She surpassed other women in seriousness and shrewdness, and + laid the condition on her suitor that she would not marry him till she had + received Denmark as a dowry. This compact was made between them, and she + was betrothed to Gorm. But on the first night that she went up on to the + marriage-bed, she prayed her husband most earnestly that she should be + allowed to go for three days free from intercourse with man. For she + resolved to have no pleasure of love till she had learned by some omen in + a vision that her marriage would be fruitful. Thus, under pretence of + self-control, she deferred her experience of marriage, and veiled under a + show of modesty her wish to learn about her issue. She put off lustful + intercourse, inquiring, under the feint of chastity, into the fortune she + would have in continuing her line. Some conjecture that she refused the + pleasures of the nuptial couch in order to win her mate over to + Christianity by her abstinence. But the youth, though he was most ardently + bent on her love, yet chose to regard the continence of another more than + his own desires, and thought it nobler to control the impulses of the + night than to rebuff the prayers of his weeping mistress; for he thought + that her beseechings, really coming from calculation, had to do with + modesty. Thus it befell that he who should have done a husband's part made + himself the guardian of her chastity so that the reproach of an infamous + mind should not be his at the very beginning of his marriage; as though he + had yielded more to the might of passion than to his own self-respect. + Moreover that he might not seem to forestall by his lustful embraces the + love which the maiden would not grant, he not only forbore to let their + sides that were next one another touch, but even severed them by his drawn + sword, and turned the bed into a divided shelter for his bride and + himself. But he soon tasted in the joyous form of a dream the pleasure + which he postponed from free loving kindness. For, when his spirit was + steeped in slumber, he thought that two birds glided down from the privy + parts of his wife, one larger than the other; that they poised their + bodies aloft and soared swiftly to heaven, and, when a little time had + elapsed, came back and sat on either of his hands. A second, and again a + third time, when they had been refreshed by a short rest, they ventured + forth to the air with outspread wings. At last the lesser of them came + back without his fellow, and with wings smeared with blood. He was amazed + with this imagination, and, being in a deep sleep, uttered a cry to + betoken his astonishment, filling the whole house with an uproarious + shout. When his servants questioned him, he related his vision; and Thyra, + thinking that she would be blest with offspring, forbore her purpose to + put off her marriage, eagerly relaxing the chastity for which she had so + hotly prayed. Exchanging celibacy for love, she granted her husband full + joy of herself, requiting his virtuous self-restraint with the fulness of + permitted intercourse, and telling him that she would not have married him + at all, had she not inferred from these images in the dream which he had + related, the certainty of her being fruitful. + </p> + <p> + By a device as cunning as it was strange, Thyra's pretended modesty passed + into an acknowledgment of her future offspring. Nor did fate disappoint + her hopes. Soon she was the fortunate mother of Kanute and Harald. When + these princes had attained man's estate, they put forth a fleet and + quelled the reckless insolence of the Sclavs. Neither did they leave + England free from an attack of the same kind. Ethelred was delighted with + their spirit, and rejoiced at the violence his nephews offered him; + accepting an abominable wrong as though it were the richest of benefits. + For he saw far more merit in their bravery than in piety. Thus he thought + it nobler to be attacked by foes than courted by cowards, and felt that he + saw in their valiant promise a sample of their future manhood. + </p> + <p> + For he could not doubt that they would some day attack foreign realms, + since they so boldly claimed those of their mother. He so much preferred + their wrongdoing to their service, that he passed over his daughter, and + bequeathed England in his will to these two, not scrupling to set the name + of grandfather before that of father. Nor was he unwise; for he knew that + it beseemed men to enjoy the sovereignty rather than women, and considered + that he ought to separate the lot of his unwarlike daughter from that of + her valiant sons. Hence Thyra saw her sons inheriting the goods of her + father, not grudging to be disinherited herself. For she thought that the + preference above herself was honourable to her, rather than insulting. + </p> + <p> + Kanute and Harald enriched themselves with great gains from sea-roving, + and most confidently aspired to lay hands on Ireland. Dublin, which was + considered the capital of the country, was beseiged. Its king went into a + wood adjoining the city with a few very skilled archers, and with + treacherous art surrounded Kanute (who was present with a great throng of + soldiers witnessing the show of the games by night), and aimed a deadly + arrow at him from afar. It struck the body of the king in front, and + pierced him with a mortal wound. But Kanute feared that the enemy would + greet his peril with an outburst of delight. He therefore wished his + disaster to be kept dark; and summoning voice with his last breath, he + ordered the games to be gone through without disturbance. By this device + he made the Danes masters of Ireland ere he made his own death known to + the Irish. + </p> + <p> + Who would not bewail the end of such a man, whose self-mastery served to + give the victory to his soldiers, by reason of the wisdom that outlasted + his life? For the safety of the Danes was most seriously endangered, and + was nearly involved in the most deadly peril; yet because they obeyed the + dying orders of their general they presently triumphed over those they + feared. + </p> + <p> + Germ had now reached the extremity of his days, having been blind for many + years, and had prolonged his old age to the utmost bounds of the human + lot, being more anxious for the life and prosperity of his sons than for + the few days he had to breathe. But so great was his love for his elder + son that he swore that he would slay with his own hand whosoever first + brought him news of his death. As it chanced, Thyra heard sure tidings + that this son had perished. But when no man durst openly hint this to + Germ, she fell back on her cunning to defend her, and revealed by her + deeds the mischance which she durst not speak plainly out. For she took + the royal robes off her husband and dressed him in filthy garments, + bringing him other signs of grief also, to explain the cause of her + mourning; for the ancients were wont to use such things in the performance + of obsequies, bearing witness by their garb to the bitterness of their + sorrow. Then said Germ: "Dost thou declare to me the death of Kanute?" (2) + And Thyra said: "That is proclaimed by thy presage, not by mine." By this + answer she made out her lord a dead man and herself a widow, and had to + lament her husband as soon as her son. Thus, while she announced the fate + of her son to her husband, she united them in death, and followed the + obsequies of both with equal mourning; shedding the tears of a wife upon + the one and of a mother upon the other; though at that moment she ought to + have been cheered with comfort rather than crushed with disasters. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + ENDNOTES: + (1) Utgard. Saxo, rationalising as usual, turns the mythical + home of the giants into some terrestrial place in his + vaguely-defined Eastern Europe. + (2) Kanute. Here the vernacular is far finer. The old king + notices "Denmark is drooping, dead must my son be!", puts on + the signs of mourning, and dies. +</pre> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 1150 ***</div> +</body> +</html> |