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+Project Gutenberg's Stories and Ballads of the Far Past, by Nora Kershaw
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Stories and Ballads of the Far Past
+       Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with
+       Introductions and Notes
+
+Author: Nora Kershaw
+
+Release Date: August 20, 2010 [EBook #33471]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES AND BALLADS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Lesley Halamek, Ted Garvin and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
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+
+
+
+  STORIES AND BALLADS
+  OF THE FAR PAST
+
+  TRANSLATED FROM THE NORSE
+  (ICELANDIC AND FAROESE)
+  WITH INTRODUCTIONS AND NOTES
+
+  BY
+
+  N. KERSHAW
+
+  CAMBRIDGE
+  AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
+  1921
+
+
+
+
+PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN
+
+
+
+
+Preface
+
+
+Very few of the _Fornaldar Sˆgur Northrlanda_ have hitherto been
+translated into English. The _Vˆlsungasaga_ is of course well known,
+but with this exception the 'Stories of Icelanders,' and the 'Stories
+of the Kings of Norway' are probably the only sagas familiar to the
+majority of English readers. Of the four sagas contained in this
+volume only one--the _Th·ttr of Sˆrli_--has appeared in English
+before, though the poetry which they contain has frequently been
+translated, from the time of Hickes's _Thesaurus_ (1705). So far as
+I am aware no version of any of the Faroese ballads has appeared in
+English. Out of the great number which were collected during the
+18th and 19th centuries I have chosen a few which deal with the same
+stories as the sagas translated here; and for purposes of comparison I
+have added a short extract from one of the Icelandic _RÌmur_, as well
+as a Danish ballad and part of the Shetland _Hildina_.
+
+In accordance with general custom in works of this kind I have
+discarded the use of accents, unfamiliar symbols, etc., except in a
+few Norse words which can hardly be anglicised.
+
+My thanks are due to the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press for
+undertaking the publication of this book, and to the staff for their
+unfailing courtesy.
+
+To Professor Thuren of Christiania I am indebted for kindly allowing
+me to print the melodies from his son's _Folkesangen paa FÊr¯erne_. I
+have also to thank many friends in St Andrews and Cambridge for
+help which they have kindly given to me in various ways, including
+Professor Lawson, Dr Maitland Anderson and the staffs of the two
+University Libraries, and Mr B. Dickins. Especially I wish to thank
+Professor Chadwick to whom I am indebted for constant help and advice
+throughout the book.
+
+  N. K.
+
+  _2 November, 1920._
+
+
+
+
+Table of Contents
+
+
+  PART I
+
+  SAGAS
+  PAGE
+  General Introduction                              3
+  The Th·ttr of Nornagest                          11
+  The Th·ttr of Sˆrli                              38
+  The Saga of Hromund Greipsson                    58
+  The Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek                  79
+  Appendix to Part I (The Combat at Sams¯
+  and Hjalmar's Death Song)                       144
+
+
+  PART II
+
+  BALLADS
+
+  General Introduction                            153
+  GrÌplur I                                       171
+  The Faroese Ballad of Nornagest                 176
+  The Faroese Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr      182
+  The Danish Ballad of Angelfyr and Helmer        186
+  The Faroese Ballad of Arngrim's Sons            193
+  The Faroese Riddle Ballad (G·tu RÌma)           212
+  The Shetland Ballad of Hildina                  217
+
+  Notes                                           220
+  List of editions and translations               254
+
+
+
+
+TO MY SISTER
+
+
+
+
+PART I
+
+SAGAS
+
+
+
+
+THE SAGAS
+
+GENERAL INTRODUCTION
+
+
+The following stories are taken from the _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_,
+or 'Stories of Ancient Times relating to the countries of the
+North'--a collection of Sagas edited by Rafn in 1829-30 and re-edited
+by Valdimar ¡smundarson in 1886-1891. The stories contained in this
+collection deal almost exclusively with times anterior to Harold the
+Fairhaired (c. 860-930) and the colonisation of Iceland, and stop
+therefore where the better known stories relating to Iceland and the
+historical kings of Norway begin. Some of them relate to persons and
+events of the ninth century, while others are concerned with times
+as remote as the fourth or fifth centuries. Their historical value is
+naturally far inferior to that of the _Õslendinga Sˆgur_, or 'Stories
+of Icelanders' and the _Konunga Sˆgur_, or 'Stories of the Kings.'
+
+From the literary point of view also the 'Stories of Ancient Times'
+are generally much inferior to the others. The 'Stories of Icelanders'
+are derived from oral tradition, which generally goes back in more
+or less fixed form to the time at which the characters in the stories
+lived, and they give us a vivid picture of the persons themselves and
+of the conditions of life in their time. In the 'Stories of Ancient
+Times,' on the other hand, though there is some element derived from
+tradition, often apparently of a local character, it is generally very
+meagre. More often perhaps the source of the stories is to be found in
+poems, notable instances of which will be found in _Hervarar Saga_ and
+in _Vˆlsunga Saga_. In many cases, however, the stories without doubt
+contain a large proportion of purely fictitious matter.
+
+The texts of the 'Stories of Ancient Times' which have come down to us
+date as a rule from the thirteenth and the beginning of the fourteenth
+centuries though the actual MSS. themselves are generally later. Most
+of the stories, however, were probably in existence before this time.
+The Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus (c. 1200) was familiar with many
+of them, including the story of Hethin and Hˆgni[1] and one of the
+scenes recorded in _Hervarar Saga_[2]. And we are told that a story
+which seems to have corresponded, in its main outlines at least, to
+the story of Hromund Greipsson was composed and recited at a wedding
+in Iceland in 1119[3]. But in many cases the materials of our
+stories were far earlier than this, though they no doubt underwent
+considerable changes before they assumed their present form.
+
+Indeed many stages in the literary history of the North are
+represented in the following translations. Of these probably the
+oldest is that section of the _Hervarar Saga_ which deals with the
+battle between the Goths and the Huns "at Dylgia and on Dunheith and
+upon all the heights of Jˆsur." The poetry here included in the saga
+dates even in its present form probably from the Viking Age, perhaps
+from the tenth century. But the verses themselves do not appear to be
+all of the same date. Some of them show a certain elaboration and
+a sense of conscious art, while others are comparatively bare and
+primitive in type and contain very early features[4]; and there is
+every probability that such poetry was ultimately derived from poetry
+composed at a time when the Goths were still remembered. This is not
+surprising in view of the fact that stories relating to the Goths were
+popular in English and German heroic poetry, as well as in the heroic
+lays of the North. Indeed we know from Jordanes[5] and elsewhere that
+heroic poetry was common among the Goths themselves and that they were
+wont to celebrate the deeds of their ancestors in verse sung to the
+accompaniment of the harp.
+
+This poem is no doubt much older than the saga. Originally it would
+seem to have been complete in itself; but many verses have probably
+been lost. Thus there can be little doubt that the prose passages in
+chs. XII-XV are often merely a paraphrase of lost verses, though it
+must not be assumed that all the prose in this portion of the saga
+originated in such a way[6]. "It is difficult to tell ... where the
+prose of the manuscripts is to be taken as standing in the place
+of lost narrative verses, and where it fills a gap that was never
+intended to be filled with verse, but was always left to the reciter
+to be supplied in his own way[7]." The difficulty, however, is greater
+in some cases than in others. The following picturesque passage
+from the opening of ch. 14 of the _Hervarar Saga_ is a very probable
+instance of a paraphrase of lost verses:
+
+    It happened one morning at sunrise that as Hervˆr was standing
+    on the summit of a tower over the gate of the fortress, she
+    looked southwards towards the forest and saw clouds of dust,
+    arising from a great body of horse, by which the sun was
+    hidden for a long time. Next she saw a gleam beneath the dust,
+    as though she were gazing on a mass of gold--fair shields
+    overlaid with gold, gilded helmets and white corslets.
+
+The motif of a chief or his lady standing on the pinnacle of a tower
+of the fort and looking out over the surrounding country for an
+approaching army is a very common one in ballads. The motif of the
+above passage from _Hervarar Saga_, including the armour of the foe
+and the shining shields, occurs in the opening stanzas of the Danish
+Ballad _De vare syv og syvsindstyve_[8], which probably dates from
+the fourteenth century (though it may possibly be later[9]) and which
+derives its material ultimately from old heroic lays[10].
+
+To the same period approximately as the poem on the battle with the
+Huns belong the two pieces from the _Older Edda_ contained in the
+_Th·ttr[11] of Nornagest_. The _Reginsm·l_ indeed, of which only about
+half is quoted, may be even earlier than the former (in the form in
+which it appears in _Hervarar Saga_), while the _Hellride of Brynhild_
+can hardly be later than the early part of the eleventh century.
+
+A second stage in the literary history of the North is represented
+by the 'episodic' poems _Hjalmar's Death Song_ and the _Waking of
+Angantyr_, both of which are attributed to the twelfth century by
+Heusler and Ranisch[12]. Unlike the poem on the battle between the
+Goths and the Huns, neither of these forms a story complete in
+itself. They presuppose the existence of a saga in some form or other,
+presumably oral, dealing at least with the fight at Sams¯; and the
+existence of such a saga in the twelfth century is confirmed by the
+account of the same event given by Saxo[13].
+
+A third stage in the literary development of the heroic legends is
+represented by the written saga itself, which has evidently been
+formed by the welding together, with more or less skill as the case
+may be, of several distinct stories, and of more than one literary
+form. A particularly striking instance of this is to be found in the
+_Hervarar Saga_ with its stories of the Heroic and Viking Ages,
+the poems dealing with the fight on Sams¯, the primitive Riddles of
+Gestumblindi and the early poem of the battle between the Goths and
+Huns[14]. Something of the same kind has also taken place in the
+composition of the _ThÊttir of Nornagest_ and of _Sˆrli_ respectively,
+though into the former has entered a considerable element of folk-tale
+which is introduced with a certain _naÔvetÈ_ and no little skill
+alongside the old heroic legends. As has been already mentioned, these
+three sagas, like others of the same type, appear to have been written
+down in the late thirteenth or the early years of the fourteenth
+century. On the other hand most if not the whole of the _Saga of
+Hromund Greipsson_ appears to have been composed early in the twelfth
+century, but we do not know when it was first written down.
+
+A fourth stage is represented by the Icelandic _RÌmur_ which are for
+the most part rhyming metrical versions of the sagas and which date
+from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. As an illustration of
+this stage I have translated a few stanzas from the _GrÌplur_, a
+_RÌma_ based on an early form of the story of Hromund Greipsson[15].
+The _RÌmur_ are, so far as we can judge, somewhat wearisome
+paraphrases of the prose stories, and while the metre and diction
+are elaborate in the extreme, the treatment of the story is often
+mechanical and puerile. Comparatively few of the _RÌmur_ have as yet
+been published and the _GrÌplur_ is the only one known to me which is
+primarily concerned with any of the sagas contained in this volume.
+
+The ballads, both Faroese and Danish[16], belong to a fifth stage in
+the life of heroic legend in the North; but their origin and history
+is by no means so clear as that of the _RÌmur_, and it is at present
+impossible to assign even approximate dates to more than a few of
+them with any degree of certainty. I have touched on this question at
+somewhat greater length below[17]; and I would only add here that
+some Danish and Swedish ballads, e.g. _Ung Sveidal_[18], _Thord af
+Haffsgaard_[19] and perhaps _Her Aage_[20], appear to be derived more
+or less directly from poems of the Viking Age, such as _Fjˆlsvinsm·l_,
+_Thrymskvitha_ and _Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I_--without any
+intermediate prose stage.
+
+A careful study of the Faroese ballads as a whole might enable one
+to determine something more of the relation of ballads to
+'Literature'[21] and of the various ballad forms to one another, such
+as that of the short and simple _Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_
+to the longer and more complicated _Ballad of Arngrims Sons_.
+Simplification and confusion are among the chief characteristics of
+popular poetry[22]; but it is to be noted that in the case of
+the _Hervarar Saga_ confusion set in long before the days of the
+ballad--as early as the saga itself, where there must surely be at
+least one case of repetition of character[23]. In reality, considering
+through how many stages the ballad material has passed, one is amazed
+at the vitality of the stories and the amount of original groundwork
+preserved. A careful comparison of the _Vˆlsunga Saga_ and the Faroese
+cycle of ballads generally classed together as _Sj˙rar KvÊi_--which,
+be it observed, were never written down at all till the nineteenth
+century--brings out to a degree literally amazing the conservatism of
+the ballads on the old heroic themes.
+
+Readers who desire to make further acquaintance with the 'Stories of
+Ancient Times' as a whole will find a further account of the subject
+in Professor Craigie's _Icelandic Sagas_ (p. 92 ff.). More detailed
+accounts will be found in Finnur JÛnsson's _Oldnorske og Oldislandske
+Litteraturs Historie_[24], Vol. II, pp. 789-847, and in Mogk's
+_Geschichte der Altnordischen Literatur_ in Paul's _Grundriss der
+Germanischen Philologie_, Ed. II, 1904, Vol. II, pp. 830-857, while a
+discussion of the heroic stories will be found in Professor Chadwick's
+_Heroic Age_, chs. I-VIII. For a full bibliography of the texts,
+translations, and general literature dealing with the _Fornaldarsˆgur_
+collectively, see the annual _Islandica_, Vol. V, pp. 1-9, compiled
+by HalldÛr Hermannsson and issued by the Cornell University Library,
+1912.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, Book V, p.
+    160 (Elton's translation, pp. 197, 198).]
+
+    [Footnote 2: Cf. Saxo, _op. cit._, Book V, p. 166 (Elton's
+    translation, p. 205).]
+
+    [Footnote 3: Cf. Introduction to the _Saga of Hromund
+    Greipsson_, p. 58 below.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: Cf. Heusler and Ranisch, _Eddica Minora_
+    (Dortmund, 1903) p. xii.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: _De Origine Actibusque Getarum_ (transl. C.C.
+    Mierow, Princeton, 1915), cap. 5.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: Cf. Heusler and Ranisch, _op. cit._, p. x ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: Ker, _Epic and Romance_ (London, 1908, 2nd ed.),
+    p. 112.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: S. Grundtvig, _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_
+    (Copenhagen, 1853-1890), Bd I, no. 7.]
+
+    [Footnote 9: See General Introduction to Part II, p. 166
+    below.]
+
+    [Footnote 10: Cf. Axel Olrik, _Danske Folkeviser Ì Udvalg_
+    (Copenhagen and Christiania, 1913), pp. 81, 82.]
+
+    [Footnote 11: A. _Th·ttr_ (pl. _ThÊttir_) is a story within a
+    story--an episode complete in itself but contained in a long
+    saga.]
+
+    [Footnote 12: _Eddica Minora_, pp. xxi, xlii.]
+
+    [Footnote 13: _Op. cit._, Book V, p. 166 (Elton's translation,
+    pp. 204, 205).]
+
+    [Footnote 14: See Introduction to the _Hervarar Saga_, pp.
+    81-4 below.]
+
+    [Footnote 15: See Introduction to the _GrÌplur_, p. 171 ff.
+    below.]
+
+    [Footnote 16: Cf. p. 165 ff. below.]
+
+    [Footnote 17: Cf. General Introduction to Part II, p. 166
+    below.]
+
+    [Footnote 18: Bugge's edition of the _Saemundar Edda_, p. 352
+    ff.; also Ker, _Epic and Romance_, p. 114 etc.; Vigf˙sson and
+    Powell, _Corpus Poeticum Boreale_ (Oxford, 1883), Vol. I, p.
+    501 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 19: _C. P. B._, Vol. I, pp. 175 and 501 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 20: _C. P. B._, Vol. I, p. 502 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 21: Always, however, with the proviso that, owing
+    to the avowed literary origin of many of them, the Faroese
+    ballads to some extent form a class by themselves; cf. General
+    Introduction to Part II, p. 166 below.]
+
+    [Footnote 22: Cf. Chadwick, _The Heroic Age_ (Cambridge,
+    1912), p. 95.]
+
+    [Footnote 23: Cf. the Introduction to the _Saga of Hervˆr and
+    Heithrek_, p. 81 f. below.]
+
+    [Footnote 24: Copenhagen, 1901.]
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE TH¡TTR OF NORNAGEST
+
+
+This story occurs as an episode in the long _Saga of Olaf
+Tryggvason_--to be distinguished from the shorter _Saga of Olaf
+Tryggvason_ contained in the _Heimskringla_ and translated by Morris
+and Magn˙sson in the _Saga Library_[1]. The best known manuscript
+(_F_) of the longer saga is the _FlateyjarbÛk_ which comes from the
+island of Flatey in Breithifjˆrth off the west of Iceland, and was
+written between 1386 and 1394. The second (_S_) is the Codex _Arn.
+Magn. 62_ in the Royal Library (at Copenhagen), which, like the
+former, contains a fragment only of the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_,
+but includes the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_. This MS. dates, in all
+probability, from shortly after the middle of the fourteenth
+century. Finally, besides several paper MSS. (comparatively late and
+unimportant), there is a MS. _A_ (number 2845 of the Royal Library at
+Copenhagen) dating from the fifteenth century, in which the _th·ttr_
+stands by itself.
+
+Rafn[2], in his edition of the _Fornaldarsˆgur_, based his text of the
+_th·ttr_ on _A_; but subsequent examination has rendered it probable
+that this MS. is hardly independent of _F_ which gives an earlier and
+better text. As regards MSS. _F_ and _S_, the latter frequently gives
+a better reading than the former[3]. For this reason it was followed
+by Bugge[4] who believed it to be the better source. Wilken[5] however
+held that _F_ represents the 'Vulgate' of the _th·ttr_, while _S_
+gives a corrected and edited version. In his edition, therefore, he
+chiefly followed _F_, though he made use of _S_ throughout, and also
+(for the poems) the _Codex Regius_ of the Older Edda. His example has
+been followed by later editors, including Valdimar ¡smundarson[6],
+from whose version the following translation has been made. The
+differences between all three MSS. appear to be very slight, but
+¡smundarson's edition approximates more closely to Wilken's than to
+Rafn's. Indeed the variations between the texts of Wilken's second
+edition[7] and ¡smundarson are negligible. For a full bibliography of
+texts, translations, and literature relating to this saga the reader
+is referred to _Islandica_, Vol. V, p. 32.
+
+The saga itself dates from about 1300[8]. It is derived from
+tradition, mainly Icelandic; but the various stories contained in
+it differ greatly from one another in their historical value. This
+episode is probably to be regarded as legendary in part; and it would
+seem also to contain a good deal of conscious fiction.
+
+The _th·ttr_ falls naturally into three parts. The framework of
+the story--the arrival of Guest at the hall of Olaf Tryggvason, his
+inclusion in the King's retinue, and his baptism--forms a whole in
+itself and contains nothing inherently improbable save the manner of
+his death, where the folk-tale element creeps in. The first 'story
+within a story,' the account that Guest gives of his wanderings and
+more especially of the adventures of Sigurth, is legendary--or perhaps
+rather made up from old legends with the help of the _Edda_ poems. As
+in the case of the Anglo-Saxon poem _Widsith_--and indeed to a much
+greater extent--the persons who figure in the stranger's stories lived
+in reality in widely different ages. Sigurth and his brothers-in-law
+belong to the early part of the fifth century, Harold the Fairhaired
+and the sons of Lothbrok to the latter part of the ninth century.
+Other characters such as Guthmund of Glasisvellir who is mentioned in
+the first chapters are probably mythical.
+
+The third part, which is perhaps the most interesting part of the
+_th·ttr_, is the passage in which Guest explains how he came by his
+name. There can be no doubt that here we are in the region of pure
+folk-tale. The story of the visit of the Norns shows a very remarkable
+resemblance to the Greek legend of Althaea and Meleager. The same
+motif appears to some extent in the mediaeval French romances of
+_Ogier the Dane_, and is familiar to everyone in a slightly different
+form as the first part of the German folk-tale, _Sleeping Beauty_,
+where the reference to spinning should be noted.
+
+The poetry contained in this _th·ttr_, unlike that in the _Hervarar
+Saga_, is all taken from the _Older Edda_. One of the poems, the
+_Hellride of Brynhild_, is given almost complete and there are long
+extracts from _Reginsm·l_. There are, however, some references to
+poems which no longer exist[9].
+
+In many respects the story of Nornagest is among the most interesting
+of the Romantic Sagas. It gives a vivid picture of life in a northern
+court--the _naÔvetÈ_ and friendliness of the conversation; the
+personal interest that the King took in his men; the intimacy and
+directness and simplicity of the intercourse between them. There is
+something, too, of the same boyish indulgence--e.g. in King Olaf's
+attitude towards the wager--which one notices in Hrolf Kraki's talk
+with Vˆgg[10]. Yet combined with the amiability of both kings is a
+certain natural dignity which is very convincing.
+
+    [Footnote 1: An abridged translation of the longer saga by
+    J. Sephton is published in the _Northern Library_, Vol. II
+    (London, 1898).]
+
+    [Footnote 2: _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829),
+    Introduction, pp. xix, xx.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: Wilken, _Die Prosaische Edda nebst Vˆlsungasaga
+    und Nornageststh·ttr_ (Paderborn, 1877), p. lxxxv ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: _Norr¯ne Skrifter af Sagnhistorisk Indhold_
+    (Christiania, 1873).]
+
+    [Footnote 5: _Op. cit._, p. lxxxviii.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: See _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (ReykjavÌk,
+    1891), Vol. I, pp. 247-266.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: The second edition follows the _Codex Regius_ in
+    the text of the poems included in the _Th·ttr_ more closely
+    than did the first edition.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: Cf. Finnur JÛnsson, _Den Oldnorske og
+    Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. II, p. 847; also
+    Mogk, _Norwegisch-Isl‰ndischen Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904),
+    p. 822.]
+
+    [Footnote 9: Cf. p. 19 below and note (p. 222).]
+
+    [Footnote 10: Cf. _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 3; also _HrÛlfs Saga
+    Kraka_, ch. 42.]
+
+
+THE TH¡TTR OF NORNAGEST
+
+I. The story goes that on one occasion when King Olaf Tryggvason was
+living at Trondhjem, it chanced that a man came to him late in the day
+and addressed him respectfully. The King welcomed him and asked him
+who he was, and he said that his name was Guest.
+
+The King answered: "You shall be guest here, whatever you are called."
+
+Guest said: "I have told you my name truly, Sire, and I will gladly
+receive your hospitality if I may."
+
+The King told him he could have it readily. But since the day was far
+spent, the King would not enter into conversation with his guest; for
+he was going soon to vespers, and after that to dinner, and then to
+bed and to sleep.
+
+Now on that same night King Olaf Tryggvason was lying awake in his
+bed and saying his prayers, while all the other men in the hall were
+asleep. Then the King noticed that an elf or spirit of some kind had
+come into the hall, though all the doors were locked. He made his way
+past the beds of the men who were asleep there, one after another, and
+at last reached the bed of a man at the far end.
+
+Then the elf stopped and said: "An empty house, and a mighty strong
+bolt on the door! People say that the King is the wisest of men. If he
+were as clever in things of this kind as they say he would not sleep
+so soundly."
+
+After that he vanished through the door, locked as it was.
+
+Early next morning the King sent his servant to find out who had
+occupied that bed over night, and it proved to have been the stranger.
+The King ordered him to be summoned before him and asked him whose son
+he was.
+
+He answered: "My father's name was Thorth. He was a Dane and was
+called 'The Contentious,' and lived at a place called Groening in
+Denmark."
+
+"You are a well set-up man," said the King.
+
+Guest was bold of speech, and bigger in build than most men. He looked
+strong but was somewhat advanced in years. He asked the King if he
+might stay for a while in his retinue. The King asked if he were
+baptised. Guest said that he had been prime-signed but not baptised.
+The King said that he was free to remain in his retinue, but added:
+
+"You will not remain long unbaptised with me."
+
+The reason for the elf's remark about the bolt was that Guest had
+crossed himself, that evening like other men, but was in reality still
+a heathen.
+
+The King said: "Can you do anything in the way of sport or music?"
+
+He replied that he could play the harp and tell stories which people
+enjoyed.
+
+Then said the King: "King Svein has no right to let unbaptised men
+leave his kingdom and wander about from one country to another."
+
+Guest replied: "You must not blame the King of the Danes for this,
+for it is a long time since I left Denmark. In fact it was a long time
+before the Emperor Otto burnt the Dane-work and forced King Harold
+Gormsson and Earl Haakon the Heathen to become Christians."
+
+The King questioned Guest about many subjects and he always gave him
+good and intelligent answers. Men say that it was in the third year of
+King Olaf's reign that Guest came to him.
+
+In this year also there came to him two men called Grim who were sent
+by Guthmund from Glasisvellir. They brought to the King as a present
+from Guthmund two horns which were also called 'Grim.' They had also
+some further business with the King which we will return later.
+
+As for Guest, he remained with the King, and had a place at the far
+end of the visitors' seats. He was a man of breeding and had good
+manners, and was popular and much respected by everyone.
+
+II. A little before Yule, Ulf the Red and his following came home. He
+had been engaged on the King's business all summer, for he had been
+appointed to guard the coasts of 'The Bay' against Danish raids. He
+never failed to be with King Olaf at mid-winter.
+
+Ulf had many fine treasures to bring to the King, which he had got
+during the summer, and one gold ring in particular which was called
+Hnituth. It was welded together in seven places and each piece had a
+different colour. It was made of much finer gold than rings usually
+are. The ring had been given to Ulf by a landowner called Lothmund,
+and before that it had belonged to King Half, from whom the
+Halfsrekkar take their name. The ring had come to them as forced
+tribute from King Halfdan Ylfing. Lothmund had asked Ulf in return for
+it that he would guard his home with the support of King Olaf, and Ulf
+had promised to do so.
+
+Now King Olaf was keeping Yule in magnificent style at his court in
+Trondhjem; and it was on the eighth day of Yule that Ulf gave him the
+gold ring Hnituth. The King thanked him for the gift as well as for
+all the faithful service which he had constantly rendered him.
+
+The ring was passed round the building in which the drinking was going
+on.--As yet no halls had been built in Norway. Now each man showed it
+to his neighbour and they thought that they had never seen such
+fine gold as that of which the ring was made. At last it came to the
+guest-table, and so to the guest who had just arrived. He looked at
+the ring and handed it back on the palm of his hand--the hand in which
+he had been holding his drinking horn. He was not much impressed with
+the treasure, and made no remarks about it, but went on jesting with
+his companions. A serving-man was pouring out drink at the end of the
+guest-table.
+
+"Do you not like the ring?" he asked.
+
+They said; "We all like it very much except the new-comer. He can't
+see anything in it; but we think he can't appreciate it simply because
+he doesn't care for things of this kind."
+
+The serving-man went up the hall to the King and told him exactly what
+the guests had said, adding that, the new-comer had taken little note
+of the treasure, valuable as it was, when it was shown to him.
+
+Then the King remarked: "The new-comer probably knows more than you
+think: he must come to me in the morning and tell me a story."
+
+Now he and the other guests at the farthest table were talking among
+themselves. They asked the new-comer where he had seen a better ring
+or even one as good as this.
+
+"Since you evidently think it strange," said he, "that I make so
+little of it, I may say that I have certainly seen gold which is in no
+way inferior, but actually better."
+
+The King's men now laughed heartily and said that that promised good
+sport, adding:
+
+"Will you agree to wager with us that you have seen gold as good as
+this, and prove it? We will stake four marks in current coin against
+your knife and belt; and the King shall decide who is in the right."
+
+Then said Guest: "I will neither be made a laughing-stock for you nor
+fail to keep the wager which you offer. And I will certainly lay a
+wager with you on the spot, and stake exactly what you have suggested,
+and the King shall judge who is in the right."
+
+Then they stopped talking, and Guest took his harp and played it well
+till far into the evening, so that it was a joy to all who heard him.
+What he rendered best was _The Harping of Gunnar_; and last of all he
+played the ancient _Wiles of Guthrun_, neither of which they had heard
+before. And after that they went to sleep for the night.
+
+III. In the morning the King rose early and heard Mass; and after that
+he went to breakfast with his retinue. And when he had taken his place
+in the high seat, the guests came up to him, and Guest with them; and
+they told him all about their agreement and the wager which they had
+made.
+
+"I am not much taken with your wager," replied the King, "although it
+is your own money that you are staking. I suspect that the drink must
+have gone to your heads; and I think you would do well to give it up,
+especially if Guest agrees."
+
+"My wish is," replied Guest, "that the whole agreement should stand."
+
+"It looks to me, Guest," said the King, "as if it was my men rather
+than you whose tongues have got them into trouble; but we will soon
+put it to the test."
+
+After that they left him and went to drink; and when the drinking
+tables were removed, the King summoned Guest and spoke to him as
+follows:
+
+"Now is the time for you to produce the gold if you have any, so that
+I can decide your wager."
+
+"As you will, Sire!" replied Guest.
+
+Then he felt in a pouch which he had with him, and took out of it a
+fob which he untied, and then handed something to the King.
+
+The King saw that it was a piece of a saddle-buckle and that it was of
+exceedingly fine gold. Then he bade them bring the ring Hnituth; and
+when they did so, the King compared the ring and the piece of gold and
+said:
+
+"I have no doubt whatever that the gold which Guest has shown us is
+the finer, and anyone who looks at it must think so too."
+
+Everybody agreed with the King. Then he decided the wager in Guest's
+favour, and the other guests came to the conclusion that they had made
+fools of themselves over the business.
+
+Then Guest said: "Take your money and keep it yourselves, for I don't
+need it; but don't make any more wagers with strangers, for you never
+know when you may hit upon someone who has both seen and heard more
+than you have.--I thank you, Sire, for your decision!"
+
+Then the King said: "Now I want you to tell me where you got that gold
+from, which you carry about with you."
+
+Guest replied: "I am loth to tell you, because no-one will believe
+what I have to say about it."
+
+"Let us hear it all the same," said the King, "for you promised before
+that you would tell us your story."
+
+"If I tell you the history of this piece of gold," replied Guest, "I
+expect you will want to hear the rest of my story along with it."
+
+"I expect that that is just what will happen," said the King.
+
+IV. "Then I will tell you how once I went south into the land of the
+Franks. I wanted to see for myself what sort of a prince Sigurth the
+son of Sigmund was, and to discover if the reports which had reached
+me of his great beauty and courage were true. Nothing happened
+worth mentioning until I came to the land of the Franks and met
+King Hjalprek. He had a great court around him. Sigurth, the son of
+Sigmund, the son of Vˆlsung, and of Hjˆrdis, the daughter of Eylimi,
+was there at that time. Sigmund had fallen in battle against the sons
+of Hunding, and Hjˆrdis had married Alf the son of King Hjalprek.
+There Sigurth grew up together with all the other sons of King
+Sigmund. Among these were Sinfjˆtli and Helgi, who surpassed all men
+in strength and stature. Helgi slew King Hunding, thereby earning the
+name Hundingsbani. The third son was called Hamund. Sigurth, however,
+outstripped all his brothers, and it is a well-known fact that he was
+the noblest of all warrior princes, and the very model of a king in
+heathen times.
+
+At that time, Regin, the son of Hreithmar, had also come to King
+Hjalprek. He was a dwarf in stature, but there was no-one more cunning
+than he. He was a wise man, but malign and skilled in magic. Regin
+taught Sigurth many things and was devoted to him. He told him about
+his birth and his wondrous adventures.
+
+And when I had been there a little while, I entered Sigurth's service
+like many others. He was very popular with everybody, because he was
+friendly and unassuming, and generous to all.
+
+V. It chanced one day that we came to Regin's house and Sigurth was
+made welcome there. Then Regin spoke these verses:
+
+  The son of Sigmund cometh to our hall,
+  A valiant warrior. It must needs befall
+  That I, less doughty and oppressed with age,
+  Shall fall a victim to his wolfish rage.
+
+  But I will cherish Yngvi's valorous heir,
+  Since Fate hath sent him hither to our care,
+  Train him to be, in valour and in worth,
+  The mightiest and most famous prince on earth.
+
+At this time, Sigurth was constantly in Regin's company. Regin told
+him much about Fafnir--how he dwelt upon Gnitaheith in the form of a
+serpent, and also of his wondrous size. Regin made for Sigurth a sword
+called Gram. It was so sharp that when he thrust it into the River
+Rhine it cut in two a flock of wool which he had dropped into the
+river and which was drifting down stream, cutting it just as clean as
+it did the water itself. Later on, Sigurth clove Regin's stithy with
+the sword. After that Regin urged Sigurth to slay his brother Fafnir
+and Sigurth recited this verse:
+
+  The sons of Hunding would laugh loud and high,
+  Who shed the life-blood of King Eylimi,
+  If that his grandson bold should more desire
+  Rings of red gold than vengeance for his sire.
+
+After that Sigurth made ready an expedition to attack the sons of
+Hunding; and King Hjalprek gave him many men and some warships.
+Hamund, Sisurth's brother, was with him on this venture, and so was
+Regin the dwarf. I was present too, and they called me Nornagest. King
+Hjalprek had got to know me when he was in Denmark with Sigmund the
+son of Vˆlsung. At that time, Sigmund was married to Borghild, but
+they parted because Borghild killed Sinfjˆtli the son of Sigmund by
+poison. Then Sigmund went south to the land of the Franks and married
+Hjˆrdis, the daughter of King Eylimi. The sons of Hunding slew him, so
+Sigurth had both his father and grandfather to avenge.
+
+Helgi, the son of Sigmund, who was called Hundingsbani, was the
+brother of Sigurth who was afterwards called Fafnisbani. Helgi,
+Sigurth's brother, had slain King Hunding and three of his sons,
+Eyjulf, Hervarth, and Hjˆrvarth, but Lyngvi and his two remaining
+brothers, Alf and Heming, escaped. They were exceedingly famous for
+exploits and accomplishments of every kind; but Lyngvi surpassed all
+his brothers. They were very skilled in magic. They had reduced many
+petty kings to subjection, and slain many champions, and burnt many
+cities. They had worked the greatest havoc with their raids in Spain
+and in the land of the Franks. But at that time the Imperial Power had
+not yet been transferred to the regions north of the Alps. The sons of
+Hunding had seized the realm which had belonged to Sigurth in the land
+of the Franks, and they had very large forces there.
+
+VI. Now I must tell you how Sigurth prepared for battle against the
+sons of Hunding. He had got together a large and well-armed host, and
+Regin was a mighty man in the councils of the force. He had a sword
+which was called Rithil and which he had forged himself. Sigurth asked
+Regin to lend him the sword. He did so, begging him to slay Fafnir
+when he should return from this adventure, and this Sigurth promised
+to do.
+
+After that we sailed away south along the coast, and then we met with
+a great storm raised by witchcraft, and many believed that it had
+been stirred up by the sons of Hunding. After this we hugged the shore
+somewhat more closely, and then we saw a man on a rocky promontory
+which jutted out from the cliffs. He wore a green cloak and dark
+breeches, and had high laced boots on his feet, and carried a spear in
+his hand. This man addressed us in the following stanza:
+
+  What folk are ye who ride the sea-king's steed,
+  Mounting the lofty billows, and proceed
+  Athwart the tossing main? Drenched is your sail,
+  Nor can your ships against the wind prevail.
+
+Regin replied:
+
+  Hither come we with Sigurth o'er the foam,
+  Whom ocean breezes blow to our last home.--
+  Full soon the breakers, higher than the prow
+  Will sink our 'ocean-steeds'; but who art thou?
+
+The man in the cloak replied:
+
+  Hnikar the name men did for me employ,
+  Young Vˆlsung, when I gave the raven joy
+  Of carnage. Call me either of the two--
+  Fjˆlnir or Feng, but let me fare with you.
+
+Then we steered towards the land and the wind fell immediately; and
+Sigurth bade the man come on board. He did so, and a fair breeze
+sprang up. The man sat down at Sigurth's feet and was very friendly,
+asking if Sigurth would like to hear some advice from him. Sigurth
+said that he would, and added that he had an idea that Hnikar could
+give people very helpful advice if he were willing to turn it to their
+advantage. Then Sigurth said to the man in the cloak:
+
+  O Hnikar, since you know the destiny
+  Of gods and men, declare this unto me.--
+  Which are the omens that should most delight
+  When swords are swinging and a man must fight?
+
+Hnikar replied:
+
+  Many propitious signs, if men could know,
+  Appear when swords are swinging to and fro.
+  I hold a warrior has a trusty guide
+  When a dark raven hovers at his side.
+
+  I hold it too for a propitious sign
+  If men to make a journey should design,
+  And, coming out of doors, see close at hand
+  Two gallant warriors in the pathway stand.
+
+  And if you hear beneath the rowan tree
+  A howling wolf, the sound spells luck to thee,
+  And luck shall helmed warriors bring to thee,
+  If thou such warriors art the first to see.
+
+  Facing the sinking and late shining light
+  Of the Moon's sister, warriors should not fight.
+  Victory is theirs who, eager for the fray,
+  Can clearly see to order their array.
+
+  I hold it no occasion for delight
+  When a man stumbles as he goes to fight;
+  For guileful spirits dog him on his way
+  With mischief-bearing looks throughout the fray
+
+  A man of wisdom, as each day goes past,
+  Washes, and combs his hair, and breaks his fast.
+  He knows not where by evening he may be.--
+  Stumbling is bad luck, boding ill to thee.
+
+And after that we sailed southwards along the coast of Holstein and to
+the east of Friesland, and there we landed. The sons of Hunding heard
+at once of our expedition and gathered an army; and they soon had a
+larger force than we had, and when we encountered them there was a
+great battle. Lyngvi was the most valiant of the brothers in every
+onset, though they all fought bravely. Sigurth's attack was so
+fierce that everyone shrank before him, when they saw that they were
+threatened by the sword Gram. There was no need to reproach Sigurth
+with lack of courage. And when he and Lyngvi met, they exchanged many
+blows and fought with the greatest valour. Then there was a lull in
+the battle, for people turned to watch the single combat. For a long
+time neither of them was able to inflict a wound on the other, so
+skilled in arms were they.
+
+Then Lyngvi's brothers made a fierce attack and slew many of our men,
+while others took to flight. Then Hamund, Sigurth's brother, rushed to
+meet them, and I joined him, and then there was another encounter.
+
+The end of the affair between Sigurth and Lyngvi was that Sigurth made
+him prisoner and had him fettered. And when Sigurth joined us, matters
+very soon changed. Then the sons of Hunding fell and all their
+host; but then night was coming on. And when day dawned, Hnikar had
+vanished, and he was never seen again. We came to the conclusion that
+it must in reality have been Othin.
+
+A discussion then took place as to what death Lyngvi should suffer;
+Regin counselled that the 'blood eagle' should be carved on his back.
+Then I handed to Regin his sword and with it he carved Lyngvi's back
+till he had severed the ribs from the spine; and then he drew out the
+lungs. Thus died Lyngvi with great courage.
+
+Then Regin said:
+
+  Full seldom has a bolder warrior
+  Reddened the earth than Sigmund's murderer.
+  Hugin he feasted. Now with biting sword
+  The 'bloody eagle' on his back is scored.
+
+Great spoil was taken there. Sigurth's sailors got the whole of it
+because he would not take any himself. The clothes and weapons taken
+were worth much gold.
+
+Afterwards Sigurth slew Fafnir, and Regin also, because Regin had
+intended to deal treacherously with him. Sigurth took Fafnir's gold
+and rode away with it, and from that time on he was called Fafnisbani.
+
+After that he rode up to Hindarheith where he found Brynhild. What
+passed between them is told in the story of Sigurth Fafnisbani.
+
+VII. Later on Sigurth married Guthrun the daughter of King Gjuki and
+then stayed for a while with his brothers-in-law, the sons of Gjuki. I
+returned to the North with Sigurth and was with him in Denmark, and
+I was also with him when Sigurth Hring sent his brothers-in-law, the
+sons of Gandalf, to Gunnar and Hˆgni, the sons of Gjuki, and demanded
+that they should pay him tribute, threatening them with invasion in
+case they refused. But they decided to defend their country. Thereupon
+Gandalf's sons challenged the sons of Gjuki to a pitched battle on the
+frontier, and then returned home; but the sons of Gjuki asked Sigurth
+Fafnisbani to go to battle with them, and he agreed to do so. I was
+still with Sigurth at that time. Then we sailed again northwards along
+the coast of Holstein and landed at a place called Jarnamotha. Not far
+from the landing place hazel-wood poles had been set up to mark where
+the fight was to take place.
+
+Then we saw many ships sailing from the north under the command of
+the sons of Gandalf. Then the two hosts charged one another fiercely.
+Sigurth Hring was not there, because he had to defend his own land,
+Sweden, against the inroads of the Kurir and KvÊnir. Sigurth was a
+very old man at that time. Then the forces came into collision, and
+there was a great battle and much slaughter. The sons of Gandalf
+fought bravely, for they were exceptionally big and strong.
+
+In that host there appeared a big strong man who made such slaughter
+of men and horses that no-one could withstand him, for he was more
+like a giant than a man. Gunnar bade Sigurth go and attack the
+scoundrel, adding that as things were, there would be no success. So
+Sigurth made ready to encounter the mighty man, and some others went
+with him, but most of them were far from eager.
+
+We quickly came upon the mighty man, and Sigurth asked him his name
+and whence he came. He said that he was Starkath, the son of Storverk,
+and that he came from the North, from Fenhring in Norway. Sigurth said
+that he had heard reports of him and generally little to his credit,
+adding that no mercy ought to be shown towards such people.
+
+Starkath said: "Who is this man who casts insults in my teeth?"
+
+Sigurth told him who he was.
+
+Starkath said: "Are you called Fafnisbani?"
+
+Sigurth said he was.
+
+Then Starkath sought to escape, but Sigurth pursued him and swung
+aloft the sword Gram and struck him on the jaw with the hilt so hard
+that two molars fell out of his mouth; it was a stunning blow.
+
+Then Sigurth bade the cur take himself off, and Starkath went away,
+and I picked up one of the teeth and carried it off with me. It is now
+used on a bell-rope at Lund in Denmark and weighs seven ounces; and
+people go and look at it there as a curiosity.
+
+As soon as Starkath had run away, the sons of Gandalf took to flight,
+and we captured great booty; and after that Sigurth went home to his
+realm and remained there for a while.
+
+VIII. A short time after, we heard that Starkath had committed a foul
+murder, slaying King Ali in his bath.
+
+It chanced one day that as Sigurth Fafnisbani was riding to some
+gathering or other, he rode into a muddy pool, and his horse Grani
+leapt up so wildly that his saddle-girth burst asunder and the buckle
+fell to the ground. And when I saw where it lay shining in the mud, I
+picked it up and handed it to Sigurth; but he said that I might keep
+it. It was that very piece of gold that you were looking at a short
+time ago. Then Sigurth got down from his horse, and I rubbed it down
+and washed the mud off it; and I pulled a lock of hair out of its tail
+as a proof of its great size."
+
+Then Guest showed the lock and it was seven ells long.
+
+King Olaf said: "I think your stories are very entertaining."
+
+Everybody praised his stories and his talent.
+
+Then the King wanted him to tell them much more about the adventures
+he had met with on his travels. So Guest told them many amusing
+stories till late in the evening. It was then time to go to bed; but
+next morning the King sent for Guest, and wanted to talk to him still
+further.
+
+The King said: "I can't quite make out your age and how you can be
+old enough to have been present when these events took place. You will
+have to tell another story so as to make us better acquainted with
+things of this kind."
+
+Guest replied: "I suspected before that you would want to hear another
+of my stories, if I told you what had happened about the gold."
+
+"You must certainly tell me some more," replied the King.
+
+IX. "I must tell you then," Guest began, "that I went north to Denmark
+and there settled down on my estate, for my father had died a short
+time before; and a little later I heard of the death of Sigurth and
+the sons of Gjuki, and I felt that that was news indeed."
+
+"What was the cause of Sigurth's death?" asked the King.
+
+Guest replied: "It is generally believed that Guthorm the son of Gjuki
+ran a sword through him while he was asleep in bed with Guthrun. On
+the other hand, Germans say that Sigurth was slain out in the forest.
+In the _Guthr˙nar-rÊtha_ again it is stated that Sigurth and the sons
+of Gjuki had ridden to a gathering and that they slew him then. But
+one thing is agreed by all--that they set on him when he was down and
+off his guard, and that they were guilty of gross treachery towards
+him."
+
+Then one of the retinue asked:
+
+"How did Brynhild behave then?"
+
+Guest answered: "Brynhild then slew seven of her slaves and five
+handmaidens, and ran herself through with a sword, commanding that she
+should be taken to the pyre along with these people and burned beside
+Sigurth. This was done, one pile being made for Sigurth and another
+for Brynhild, and he was burned first, and then Brynhild. She was
+taken in a chariot with a canopy of velvet and silk which was all
+ablaze with gold, and thus was she burnt."
+
+Then Guest was asked if Brynhild had chanted a lay after she was dead.
+He replied that she had, and they asked him to recite it if he could.
+
+Then Guest said: "As Brynhild was being driven to the pyre on the way
+to Hell, she was brought near some cliffs where an ogress dwelt. The
+ogress was standing outside the doors of her cave and wore a skin
+kirtle and was of a blackish hue. She carried a long faggot in her
+hand and cried:
+
+'This will I contribute to your burning, Brynhild. It would have been
+better if you had been burned while you were still alive, before
+you were guilty of getting such a splendid man as Sigurth Fafnisbani
+slain. I was always friendly to him and therefore I shall attack you
+in a reproachful song which will make you hated by everybody who hears
+what you have done.'
+
+After that Brynhild and the ogress chanted to one another.
+
+The ogress sang as follows:
+
+  Thou shalt not be suffered to pass through my courts
+    With their pillars of stone in my mansion drear,--
+  Better far wert thou busied at home with thy needle!
+    Not thine is the husband thou followest here.
+
+  Inconstant soul, why comest thou hither?
+    From the land of the Romans why visit'st thou me?
+  Full many a wolf hast thou made be partaker
+    Of the life-blood of men who were butchered by thee!
+
+Then cried Brynhild:
+
+  Upbraid me no more from thy rock bound dwelling
+    For battles I fought in the days of old.--
+  Thou wilt not be deemed to be nobler of nature
+    Than I, wheresoever our story is told!
+
+The Ogress:
+
+  In an evil hour, O Buthli's daughter,
+    In an evil hour wert thou brought to birth.--
+  The Sons of Gjuki thou gavest to slaughter,
+    Their noble dwellings thou rased'st to earth.
+
+Brynhild:
+
+  A true account, if thou carest to hearken,
+    O thou lying soul, will I tell to thee;--
+  How empty of love and o'ershadowed by falsehood
+    The life that the Gjukings had destined for me!
+
+  Atli's daughter was I, yet the monarch bold-hearted
+    Assigned me a home neath the shade of the oak.
+  But twelve summers old, if thou carest to hearken,
+    Was this maid when her vows to the hero she spoke.
+
+  Hjalmgunnar the Old, of the Gothic nation,
+    Great chief, on the pathway to Hell did I speed;
+  And victory granted to Auth's young brother;
+    Then Othin's dread fury was roused at my deed.
+
+  Then a phalanx of bucklers did Othin set round me
+    On Skatalund's heights, shields crimson and white,--
+  Bade only that prince break the slumber that bound me
+    Who knew naught of terror, nor shrank from the fight.
+
+  And flames high towering and fiercely raging
+  Round my Southern hall did he set in a ring:
+  None other was destined to pass through in safety
+    Save the hero who treasure of Fafnir should bring.
+
+  The generous hero with treasure a-gleaming,
+    The Danish viking on Grani rode,--
+  Foremost champion in deeds of valour--
+    Where my foster-father had his abode.
+
+  As brother with sister we slept together;
+    Eight nights' space he lay at my side.
+  There were we happy and slumbered idly,
+    Nor loving caresses did ever betide.
+
+  Yet Guthrun the daughter of Gjuki reviled me,
+    That I in the arms of her lover had slept.
+  O then was I 'ware of the thing I desired not--
+    The truth of my marriage from me had they kept.
+
+  All too long against storms of adversity struggling
+    Both women and men seek their fortunes to right;
+  But I with my Sigurth shall end my life's battle
+    At last. Now depart from me, daughter of Night!
+
+Then the ogress gave a horrible shriek and leapt into the cliff."
+
+Then the King's followers cried: "That's fine! Go on and tell us some
+more!"
+
+But the King said: "You need not tell us any more about things of that
+kind." Then he continued: "Were you ever with the sons of Lothbrok?"
+
+Guest replied: "I was only with them for a short time; I joined them
+when they were making an expedition to the south in the neighbourhood
+of the Alps, and when they destroyed Vifilsborg. Panic spread
+everywhere at their approach, for they were victorious wherever they
+went. They were intending at the time to go to Rome. It chanced one
+day that a certain man came up to King Bjˆrn Ironside and saluted him.
+The King received him in a friendly way and asked him whence he came.
+He said that he had come from the south, from Rome.
+
+The King asked him: 'How long is the journey there?'
+
+He replied: 'You can see here, O King, the shoes which I am wearing.'
+
+Then he took iron-bound shoes from his feet, and the tops of them were
+very thick, but underneath they were all torn.
+
+'You can see now how severely my shoes have suffered,' said he, 'and
+tell by that what a long way it is from here to Rome.'
+
+'It must be a very long way,' said the King; 'I shall turn back and
+give up the idea of attacking the territories of Rome.'
+
+And the result was that they went no further on their way; and
+everyone thought it extraordinary that they should change their minds
+so suddenly at the word of one man, when they had all their plans
+laid. So after this the sons of Lothbrok went back to their homes in
+the north, and made no further raids in the south."
+
+The King said: "It is clear that the saints in Rome would not allow
+them to make their way there. The man you spoke of must have been a
+Spirit sent from God to make them change their minds so quickly, so
+as not to bring destruction on Rome, the most holy place of Jesus
+Christ."
+
+X. Then the King asked Guest: "Amongst the kings whom you have
+visited, whose was the court that you liked best?"
+
+Guest replied: "I enjoyed most being with Sigurth and the sons of
+Gjuki; but the sons of Lothbrok were those who allowed most freedom
+to their followers to live as they liked. Then again the richest place
+was that of Eric at Upsala; but King Harold the Fairhaired was more
+exacting than any of the kings I have mentioned in the duties that he
+imposed on his followers. I was with King Hlˆthver too in the land of
+the Saxons, and there I was prime-signed; for it was not possible
+to remain with him otherwise, because the Christian religion was
+carefully observed there. That was the place I liked best on the
+whole."
+
+The King said: "You can give us a great deal of information whatever
+question we ask you."
+
+The King then asked Guest many further questions, and Guest told him
+everything clearly, and finally he said:
+
+"Now I must tell you why I am called Norna-gest."
+
+The King said he would like to hear.
+
+XI. Guest began: "I was brought up at my father's home at a place
+called Groening. My father was a wealthy man and kept house in great
+style. At that time wise women used to go about the country. They
+were called 'spae-wives,' and they foretold people's futures. For
+this reason people used to invite them to their houses and gave them
+hospitality and bestowed gifts on them at parting.
+
+My father did the same, and they came to him with a great following to
+foretell my fate. I was lying in my cradle when the time came for them
+to prophesy about me, and two candles were burning above me. Then they
+foretold that I should be a favourite of Fortune, and a greater man
+than any of my kindred or forbears--greater even than the sons of the
+chief men in the land; and they said that all would come to pass
+just as it has done. But the youngest Norn thought that she was not
+receiving enough attention compared with the other two, since
+they were held in high account yet did not consult her about these
+prophecies. There was also a great crowd of roughs present, who pushed
+her off her seat, so that she fell to the ground. She was much vexed
+at this and called out loudly and angrily, telling them to stop
+prophesying such good things about me:
+
+'For I ordain that the boy shall live no longer than that candle burns
+which is alight beside him.'
+
+Then the eldest spae-wife took the candle and extinguished it and bade
+my mother take charge of it and not light it until the last day of
+my life. After that the spae-wives went away, and my father gave them
+good gifts at parting. When I was full-grown, my mother gave me the
+candle to take charge of: I have it with me now."
+
+The King said: "Why have you come here to me now?"
+
+Guest replied: "The idea that came into my mind was this: I expected
+that I should get good luck from you, because I have heard you highly
+praised by good and wise men."
+
+The King said: "Will you receive holy baptism now?"
+
+Guest replied: "Yes, I will, since you advise it."
+
+So it came to pass; and the King took him into his favour and made
+him one of his retinue. Guest became a very good Christian and loyally
+followed the King's rules of life. He was also popular with everybody.
+
+XII. It happened one day that the King asked Guest: "How much longer
+would you live if you could choose?"
+
+Guest replied: "Only a short time, please God!"
+
+The King said: "What will happen if you take your candle now?"
+
+Thereupon Guest took his candle out of the frame of his harp. The King
+ordered it to be lighted, and this was done. And when the candle was
+lighted it soon began to burn away.
+
+Then the King said to Guest: "How old are you?"
+
+And Guest replied: "I am now three hundred years old."
+
+"You are an old man," observed the King.
+
+Then Guest laid himself down and asked them to anoint him with oil.
+The King ordered it to be done, and when it was finished there was
+very little of the candle left unburnt. Then it became clear that
+Guest was drawing near to his end, and his spirit passed just as the
+torch flickered out; and they all marvelled at his passing. The King
+also set great store by his stories and held that the account which he
+had given of his life was perfectly true.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE TH¡TTR OF S÷RLI
+
+
+This story, like the last, is taken from the long _Saga of Olaf
+Tryggvason_ contained in the _FlateyjarbÛk_, Vol. I, pp. 275-283. Its
+connection, however, with the story of that King is of the slightest.
+According to the opinion of Finnur JÛnsson[1] the story in its present
+form dates from the first half of the fourteenth century.
+
+This story, like the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, shows evidence of a
+definite structural plan and falls into three distinct parts. In the
+first two chapters the scene is laid among the gods, and the story is
+set in motion by the forging of a necklace for the goddess Freyja by
+some dwarfs. This is stolen by Loki and given to Othin, who refuses
+to restore it to Freyja till she promises to bring about a perpetual
+battle between two mighty kings.
+
+Then in chs. III and IV we have an account of the adventures of a
+Viking prince named Sˆrli, from whom the story takes its (somewhat
+inappropriate) title[2]. Sˆrli comes into contact (first as an enemy,
+later as a friend) with another prince called Hˆgni, and this leads up
+to the main theme--the friendship and subsequent quarrel of Hethin
+and Hˆgni, in whose tragic fate Freyja's promise is fulfilled. The
+perpetual battle between these two heroes is finally ended by one of
+Olaf Tryggvason's men, and it is through this that the story comes to
+be introduced into his Saga.
+
+The story of Hethin and Hˆgni was a favourite one in the North. It
+is told in _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 49 and in Saxo Grammaticus' _Danish
+History_, Book V (Elton, pp. 195-198). The earliest Norse reference to
+it is to be found in Bragi's _Ragnarsdr·pa_, str. 3-7. The story must
+also have been well known in the Orkneys, since we find the following
+verses in the _H·ttalykill_ by Jarl Rˆgnvald (1136-58) and an
+Icelandic skald Hall who flourished 1140-48[3].
+
+  Who planned to carry off Hild?
+  Who fight all day long?
+  Who will be reconciled at last?
+  Who incited the kings?
+  Hethin planned to carry off Hild;
+  The Hjathningar are always fighting;
+  They will be reconciled at last;
+  Hild incited the host.
+
+  Who reddens the keen blades?
+  Who chops meat for the wolf?
+  Who makes showers of helmets?
+  Who stirred up strife?
+  Harold reddened the keen blades;
+  The host chops meat for the wolf;
+  Hˆgni makes the shower of helmets;
+  Hjarrandi stirred up strife!
+
+In the Shetlands the story survived down to modern times in the form
+of a ballad known as _Hildina_, which was taken down by George Low[4]
+from the recitation of an old man on the Isle of Foula in 1774. The
+Norwegian dialect (Norn) in which it is composed is so obscure as
+we have it in Low's script as to be almost untranslatable, though a
+serious attempt at its interpretation has been made by Dr M. HÊgstad
+in _Skrifter udgivne af Videnskabsselskabet i Christiania_, 1900
+(_Historisk-Filosofisk Klasse_, II), with a very full discussion of
+all the linguistic difficulties involved[5]. According to Low "The
+subject is a strife between a King of Norway and an Earl of Orkney, on
+account of the hasty marriage of the Earl with the King's daughter
+in her father's absence." Further on[6] he gives the substance of the
+ballad at greater length:
+
+    An Earl of Orkney, in some of his rambles on the coast of
+    Norway, saw and fell in love with the King's daughter of the
+    country. As their passion happened to be reciprocal he carried
+    her off in her father's absence, who was engaged in war with
+    some of his distant neighbours. On his return, he followed the
+    fugitives to Orkney, accompanied by his army, to revenge
+    on the Earl the rape of his daughter. On his arrival there,
+    Hildina (which was her name) first spied him, and advised her
+    now husband to go and attempt to pacify the King. He did so,
+    and by his appearance and promises brought the King so over as
+    to be satisfied with the match.
+
+After this, with the introduction of a courtier Hiluge the story
+proceeds in a form totally different from anything found in the
+_th·ttr_, though an attempt has been made to connect it with the
+second part of the German poem _Kudrun_.
+
+The story of Hethin and Hˆgni however was not confined to Norway and
+its colonies; indeed it seems to have been popular throughout the
+whole Teutonic world. It forms the subject of the first part of the
+mediaeval German poem _Kudrun_, and characters from the story are
+mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon poems _Widsith_, l. 21, and _Deor_, l. 36
+ff.
+
+For a treatment of the different versions of the story as it was known
+to men of old, the reader may be referred to Miss Clarke's _Sidelights
+on Teutonic History during the Migration Period_ (Cambridge, 1911),
+p. 190 ff., and to Chambers' _Widsith_, p. 100 ff. It may be mentioned
+here that in the main points of the story--the carrying off of Hild
+and the subsequent pursuit by the father--all the versions are agreed.
+The German version, however, differs in many respects from those of
+the North (except that of the _Hildina_)--especially in the fact that
+the combatants become reconciled. The various Scandinavian versions of
+the story also differ somewhat in detail among themselves. The story
+translated below is the only one which mentions the slaying by Hethin
+of Hˆgni's wife, and it is only here that Hethin is described as being
+of foreign origin. Moreover this is the only version in which the
+goddess Freyja is made responsible for the Unending Battle. Indeed
+the supernatural element, and especially the influence of charms and
+spells, is more prominent in this version than in any of the others.
+It is only here, too, that we find the story of Gˆndul and the "potion
+of forgetfulness." On the other hand our version contains no reference
+to the statement made in _Sk·ldskaparm·l_ and Saxo that it was Hild
+who by her magic spells restored the dead to life each night.
+
+In our version of the story the character of Hild is left wholly
+undeveloped. Indeed the writers of the Romantic Sagas are always
+so much more interested in incident than in character that highly
+individualised personality is rare. Even when as in the case of
+Hervˆr[7], the very nature of the story presents an interesting and
+somewhat unusual personality, we are sometimes left with a feeling of
+dissatisfaction and a conviction that the writer did not realise the
+full merits and possibilities of his material. Hˆgni is the usual type
+of hot-headed implacable sea-rover. The character of Hethin, however,
+presents some interesting features and strikes us as more modern in
+conception. Naturally gentle of disposition, he had been forced
+by malignant powers into a situation foreign to his nature. Hardly
+characteristic of a viking chief are his genuine regret for the harm
+he had done and his anxiety that the men of Hˆgni and himself
+should not be called upon to forfeit their lives for his "crimes and
+misdeeds." The conventional viking, clear-eyed and purely material
+in his view of life, would have stayed to brave out the consequences.
+Hethin only wished "to go away somewhere a long way off, where he
+would not each day have his wicked deeds cast in his teeth." His
+remorse had broken him down.--"You will find it an easy matter to slay
+me when I am left alive last of all!"
+
+The motif of the Everlasting Battle is not confined the story of
+Hethin and Hˆgni. Parallels can be found in many literatures, both
+ancient and modern[8].
+
+This _th·ttr_ has been translated into English under the title of
+_The Tale of Hogni and Hedinn_ in _Three Northern Love Stories_ by W.
+Morris and EirÌkr Magn˙sson, London, 1875.
+
+For a full bibliography of MSS., translations, and the general
+literature dealing with this saga, cf. _Islandica_, Vol. v, pp. 41,
+42.
+
+    [Footnote 1: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_,
+    Vol. II, p. 837.]
+
+    [Footnote 2: The life of this prince is told at length in
+    another saga--_Sˆrla Saga Sterka_ which is published in Vol.
+    III of ¡smundarson's edition of the _Fornaldarsˆgur_.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: Cf. Finnur JÛnsson, _op. cit._, Vol. II, pp. 34,
+    35.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: Cf. _A Tour through the Islands of Orkney and
+    Schetland_, by George Low, edited by J. A. Anderson (Kirkwall,
+    1879), p. 108 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: On p. 217 ff. below I have attempted a
+    translation of the first twelve stanzas from HÊgstad's
+    corrected text.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: _Op. cit._, p. 113.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: Cf. The _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_ translated
+    below, p. 87 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: Cf. Panzer, _Hilde-Gudrun_ (Halle, 1901),
+    _passim_; Frazer, _Pausanias's Description of Greece_ (London,
+    1898), Vol. II, p. 443 ff.; etc.]
+
+
+THE TH¡TTR OF S÷RLI
+
+I. To the East of Vanakvisl in Asia was a country called Asialand or
+Asiaheim. Its inhabitants were called ∆sir and the chief city they
+called Asgarth. Othin was the name of their King, and it was a great
+place for heathen sacrifices. Othin appointed Njˆrth and Frey as
+priests. Njˆrth had a daughter called Freyja who accompanied Othin and
+was his mistress. There were four men in Asia called Alfregg, Dvalin,
+Berling and Grer, who dwelt not far from the King's hall, and who were
+so clever that they could turn their hands to anything. Men of this
+kind were called dwarfs. They dwelt in a rock, but at that time they
+mixed more with men than they do now. Othin loved Freyja very much,
+and she was the fairest of all women in her day. She had a bower of
+her own which was beautiful and strong, and it was said that if the
+door was closed and bolted, no-one could enter the bower against her
+will.
+
+It chanced one day that Freyja went to the rock and found it open, and
+the dwarfs were forging a gold necklace, which was almost finished.
+Freyja was charmed with the necklace, and the dwarfs with Freyja.
+She asked them to sell it, offering gold and silver and other costly
+treasures in exchange for it. The dwarfs replied that they were not
+in need of money, but each one said that he would give up his share
+in the necklace.... And at the end of four nights they handed it to
+Freyja. She went home to her bower and kept silence about it as if
+nothing had happened.
+
+II. There was a man called Farbauti who was a peasant and had a
+wife called Laufey. She was thin and meagre, and so she was called
+'Needle.' They had no children except a son who was called Loki. He
+was not a big man, but he early developed a caustic tongue and was
+alert in trickery and unequalled in that kind of cleverness which is
+called cunning. He was very full of guile even in his youth, and for
+this reason he was called Loki the Sly. He set off to Othin's home
+in Asgarth and became his man. Othin always had a good word for him
+whatever he did, and often laid heavy tasks upon him, all of which he
+performed better than could have been expected. He also knew almost
+everything that happened, and he told Othin whatever he knew.
+
+Now it is said that Loki got to know that Freyja had received the
+necklace ... and this he told to Othin. And when Othin heard of it he
+told Loki to fetch him the necklace. Loki said that there was not much
+hope of that, because no-one could get into Freyja's bower against her
+will. Othin told him to go, and not come back without the necklace.
+So Loki went off howling, and everyone was glad that he had got into
+trouble.
+
+He went to Freyja's bower, but it was locked. He tried to get in but
+could not. The weather outside was very cold and he became thoroughly
+chilled. Then he turned himself into a fly, and flew around all the
+bolts and along the whole of the woodwork, but nowhere could he find
+a hole big enough to enter by, right up to the gable. He found only a
+hole no bigger than would allow of the insertion of a needle. Through
+this hole he crept. And when he got inside he stared around, wondering
+if anyone was awake. But he found that the room was all wrapped in
+slumber.
+
+Then he went in and up to Freyja's bed and found that she was wearing
+the necklace and that the clasp was underneath her. Loki thereupon
+turned himself into a flea and settled on Freyja's cheek and stung
+her, till she awoke and turned over and went to sleep again. Then he
+laid aside his flea-form, drew the necklace from her gently, opened
+the door and departed, carrying the necklace to Othin.
+
+When Freyja awoke in the morning she found that the door was open,
+though it had not been forced, and that her lovely necklace was gone.
+She had a shrewd idea of the trick that had been played on her, and
+when she was dressed she went into the hall to King Othin, and told
+him that he had done ill to rob her of her trinket, and begged him to
+return it.
+
+Othin replied that considering how she had come by it she should never
+get it back:
+
+"--Unless you bring about a quarrel between two kings, each of whom
+has twenty kings subject to him; so that they shall fight under the
+influence of such spells and charms that as fast as they fall they
+shall start up again and fight on--unless there be some Christian man
+so brave and so much favoured by the great good fortune of his liege
+lord that he shall dare to take arms and enter among the combatants
+and slay them. Then and not till then shall the labours of those
+princes be brought to an end--whoever may be the chief who is destined
+to free them from the oppression and toil of their disastrous lot."
+
+Freyja agreed to this and recovered the necklace.
+
+III. Four and twenty years after the death of Frithfrothi a King
+called Erling ruled over the Highlands of Norway. He had a wife and
+two sons, of whom the elder was called Sˆrli the Strong, and the
+younger Erlend. They were promising young men. Sˆrli was the stronger
+of the two. As soon as they were old enough they took to raiding, and
+fought against the viking Sindri, the son of Sveigir, the son of Haki,
+a sea-king in the Skerries of the Elf. There fell Sindri the viking,
+and with him all his host; and Erlend the son of Erling also fell
+in that battle. After that Sˆrli sailed into the Baltic and harried
+there, and performed so many great deeds that it would take too long
+to recount them all.
+
+IV. There was a King called Halfdan who ruled Denmark; and his capital
+was at Roskilde. He married Hvethna the elder, and their sons were
+Hˆgni and Haakon. They were distinguished for their stature, strength
+and ability. As soon as they were old enough they took to piracy.
+
+Now we must return to Sˆrli and relate how one autumn he set sail
+for Denmark. King Halfdan had been intending to go to a gathering
+of kings. He was far advanced in years at the time when the events
+related here took place. He had such a fine warship that for strength
+and excellence of every kind it had no equal in all the countries of
+the North. It was riding at anchor in the harbour, but King Halfdan
+had gone ashore to give orders for a carousal before starting on his
+voyage. And when Sˆrli saw the warship his heart was consumed with a
+burning desire to possess it at all possible hazards. And indeed it is
+generally agreed that there never was a greater treasure of a warship
+than this in all the countries of the North, except the warships
+Ellithi and Gnˆth and the Long Serpent.
+
+So he ordered his men to prepare themselves for battle--
+
+"For we must slay King Halfdan and seize his warship."
+
+A man called SÊvar, his fo'c'sle-man and marshal, made answer:
+
+"That is not advisable, Sire, for Halfdan is a great chief and a
+famous man. Moreover he has two sons who will be certain to avenge
+him, for they are both very famous men already."
+
+"Though they be superior to the very gods," said Sˆrli, "yet we shall
+fight just as we have done before."
+
+They prepared for battle, and the news reached King Halfdan. He
+started up and went with all his men to his ships, and they prepared
+them for battle at once. Some of Halfdan's men protested to him that
+it was not advisable to fight, and suggested that he should take to
+flight as the odds were too heavy against them. The King replied that
+they would all fall dead one on the top of another before he would
+flee.
+
+Both sides now prepared to give battle, and closed forthwith in a
+fierce combat, the result of which was that King Halfdan fell with all
+his host; and Sˆrli took possession of the warship and everything on
+it that was of value.
+
+Then Sˆrli learned that Hˆgni had returned from a raiding expedition
+and was lying off Odins¯. Sˆrli set off thither with his ships, and
+when they met, he told him of the death of Halfdan, his father, and
+made him an offer of reconciliation on his own terms, suggesting also
+that they should become foster-brothers; but Hˆgni declined all his
+offers. Then they joined battle, as is told in the poem dealing
+with Sˆrli. Haakon fought very boldly and slew SÊvar, Sˆrli's
+standard-bearer and fo'c'sle-man. Then Sˆrli slew Haakon, but Hˆgni
+slew King Erling, Sˆrli's father. After that Hˆgni and Sˆrli fought
+together, and Sˆrli went down before Hˆgni from weariness and wounds.
+And Hˆgni afterwards caused him to be healed of his wounds, and they
+swore foster-brotherhood to one another, and both remained true to
+their oaths as long as they lived. Sˆrli was the first to die. He fell
+in the Baltic at the hands of vikings, as is told in the poem of which
+he is the subject.
+
+And when Hˆgni heard of Sˆrli's death, he went raiding in the Baltic
+the same summer, and was victorious everywhere. He became king over
+those regions; and it is said that twenty kings were vassals to King
+Hˆgni and paid him tribute. Hˆgni became so famous on account of his
+great deeds and his raiding expeditions that his name was as well
+known in the north of Finland as away in Paris, and everywhere in
+between.
+
+V. There was a King called Hjarrandi who ruled over Serkland. He had
+a wife and a son called Hethin, who quickly grew into a man remarkable
+for his strength, stature and ability. While still a youth he went on
+raiding expeditions and became a sea-king, harrying all round Spain
+and Greece and all the neighbouring kingdoms; so that he made twenty
+kings pay him tribute, holding their land and revenue as his vassals.
+In winter time Hethin used to stay at home in Serkland. It is said
+that on one occasion he went into a forest with his retinue. He left
+his men and found himself alone in a glade where he saw a woman, tall
+and fair, sitting on a throne. She spoke to him courteously, and when
+he asked her her name she said she was called Gˆndul. Then they talked
+together. She questioned him about his mighty deeds and he told her
+everything frankly and asked her whether she knew of any king to match
+himself in valour and hardihood, renown and prowess. She replied that
+she knew of one who did not fall short of him--one who had twenty
+kings subject to him just as Hethin had; and she added that his name
+was Hˆgni and that he lived in the North, in Denmark.
+
+"I know one thing," said Hethin; "we have got to prove which of us is
+the more valiant."
+
+"It is high time for you to return to your men," said she; "they will
+be looking for you."
+
+Then they parted. He returned to his men, and she remained sitting
+there.
+
+At the very beginning of spring, Hethin prepared to set out. He had
+a warship, and three hundred and sixty men in it, and he made for
+the northern part of the world. He sailed all that summer and the
+following winter, and at the beginning of spring he reached Denmark.
+
+VI. King Hˆgni was at home at that time; and when he heard that a
+famous king had come to his shores, he invited him to a magnificent
+banquet, and Hethin accepted the invitation. And as they sat drinking,
+Hˆgni asked what motive brought Hethin so far north.
+
+Hethin replied that his object was to compete with him in contests
+which would make trial of their courage and daring and all their
+prowess and skill.
+
+Hˆgni said he was ready for this; and early next morning they went
+swimming and shooting together. They rode a-tilt, and performed feats
+of arms and of skill of all kinds. And in all their exploits they were
+so equal that no-one could distinguish which was the better of the
+two. After that they swore foster-brotherhood to one another, and
+bound themselves to share everything equally.
+
+Hethin was young and unmarried, but Hˆgni was somewhat older. He had
+married Hervˆr, the daughter of Hjˆrvarth, the son of Heithrek Ulfham.
+Hˆgni had a daughter who was called Hild, and who excelled all other
+women in beauty and understanding. He loved his daughter exceedingly.
+He had no other children.
+
+VII. It is said that a little later Hˆgni went on a raiding expedition
+while Hethin stayed behind to look after his kingdom. It chanced one
+day that Hethin went into a forest to pass the time. The weather
+was mild. He again wandered away from his men. He came upon a forest
+glade, and there he saw sitting on a throne the same woman whom he
+had seen before in Serkland--only now he thought her even fairer than
+before. She was again the first to speak and chattered to him gaily.
+She was holding a horn with a lid to it. The King fell in love with
+her. She offered him a drink and he felt thirsty, as he had grown
+warm; so he took the horn and drank; and when he had drunk, a very
+wonderful change came over him, for he remembered nothing that had
+happened to him previously. He then sat down and talked to her.
+
+She asked him if what she had said to him before of the skill and
+courage of Hˆgni had proved true and Hethin replied that it was true
+enough--"for he did not come short of me in any feat that we tried,
+and so we declared ourselves a match."
+
+"Yet you two are not equal," said she.
+
+"And why not?" asked Hethin.
+
+"For this reason," replied she: "Hˆgni has married a wife of high
+birth, whereas you have no wife."
+
+He replied: "Hˆgni will marry me to Hild his daughter as soon as I
+like to ask him, and then I shall be as well married as he."
+
+"Your honour will be impaired," said she, "if you ask Hˆgni for a
+marriage alliance. If, as you profess, you lack neither courage nor
+valour, you would do better to carry off Hild by force, and put the
+Queen to death by taking her and laying her down in front of the prow
+of your warship, and letting it cut her in two when it is launched."
+
+The wickedness and forgetfulness contained in the ale which Hethin had
+drunk had so got the better of him that there seemed to him to be no
+alternative, and he had not the slightest recollection that he and
+Hˆgni were 'foster-brothers.'
+
+Presently they parted, and Hethin went back to his men. This took
+place in the late summer.
+
+Then Hethin ordered his men to get ready the warship, saying that he
+intended to go home to Serkland. Then he went into the ladies' bower
+and took the Queen and Hild by either hand and led them out. Hild's
+clothes and jewels were also taken. There was no-one in the kingdom
+who had the courage to do anything; for they were afraid of Hethin and
+his men--he glowered so fiercely.
+
+Hild asked Hethin what his intention was, and he told her. She
+besought him to think better of it, adding:
+
+"My father will marry me to you if you ask him for me."
+
+"Ask for you?" echoed Hethin; "I will never do that."
+
+"And," she continued, "if you really must carry me off, even so my
+father will make it up with you. But if you do anything so wicked and
+unmanly as to put my mother to death, my father will never make it up
+with you. I have had a warning in dreams that you two will fight and
+slay one another. Yet I am afraid that there must be something still
+more terrible in store. It will be a great sorrow to me if I have to
+be the means of exposing my father to the ruinous effects of magic
+spells; nor shall I have any joy in seeing you in difficulties and
+toils."
+
+Hethin replied that he cared not at all for the consequences, and that
+he would do as he had threatened.
+
+"You cannot mend it now," said Hild, "because in this case you are not
+your own master."
+
+Then Hethin went down to the sea-shore, and now was the warship
+launched. He thrust the Queen down in front of the prow, so that
+she perished. Hethin stepped into the warship. And when it was quite
+ready, he took it into his head to land alone, leaving his men behind;
+and he went into the same forest where he had gone before. And when
+he came into the glade, there he saw Gˆndul seated on her throne. They
+greeted one another cordially. Hethin told her what he had done and
+she expressed her approval.
+
+She had with her the horn which she had carried before, and she
+offered him a drink from it. He took it and drank; and when he had
+drunk, sleep fell upon him, and he let his head sink into her lap.
+And when he had fallen asleep, she slipped away from under his head,
+saying:
+
+"Now I devote both you and Hˆgni and all your followers, and lay you
+under all the spells imposed by Othin."
+
+Then Hethin awoke and saw the fleeting shadow of Gˆndul, but she
+appeared to him now to be big and black; and he recalled everything
+and realised how much mischief he had done. He decided now to go away
+somewhere a long way off, where he would not each day have his wicked
+deeds cast in his teeth. So he went to his ship, and made haste to
+free her from her moorings. A fair breeze was blowing off the land,
+and so he sailed away with Hild.
+
+VIII. When Hˆgni returned home, he learnt that Hethin had sailed away
+with Hild and the warship Halfdanarnaut, leaving the dead body of the
+Queen in his tracks. Hˆgni was furious and bade his men start up on
+the spot and sail in pursuit of Hethin. This they did, and a fair
+breeze sprang up. Every evening they reached the harbour from which
+Hethin had sailed away in the morning.
+
+It happened one day that as Hˆgni was making for a harbour, Hethin's
+sails were sighted out at sea; so Hˆgni and his men gave chase. As a
+matter of fact, it is said that at this point Hethin got a head wind
+against him, whereas Hˆgni had the luck to have a fair wind as before.
+Hethin then lay to off an island called Hoy, and there he rode at
+anchor. Hˆgni quickly came alongside, and when they met, Hethin
+greeted him courteously.
+
+"I must tell you, foster-brother," said Hethin, "that so great a
+misfortune has come upon me that no-one save you can remedy it. I
+have carried off your daughter and your warship, and put your wife
+to death, yet from no personal wickedness of my own, but rather from
+promptings of evil spirits and wicked spells. My wish now is that you
+shall have your own way entirely in this matter between yourself and
+me. I also offer to give up to you both Hild and the warship, and all
+the men and money contained in it, and to go to such distant lands
+that I can never return to the North nor into your sight as long as I
+live."
+
+Hˆgni replied: "Had you asked me for Hild I would have married her
+to you; and even in spite of your having carried her off by force
+we might have made up our quarrel. Now, however, since you have been
+guilty of such an outrage as to put the Queen to death in a most
+shameful manner, I certainly will not make terms with you. We will try
+here, on the spot, which of us is the more valiant fighter."
+
+Hethin replied: "It would be best, if nothing less than fighting will
+satisfy you, that we two should measure our strength alone; for you
+have no quarrel with any man here save with me. There is no use in
+making innocent men pay for my crimes and evil deeds."
+
+Their followers all swore with one accord that they would rather fall
+dead in heaps than that they two should exchange blows alone. And when
+Hethin saw that nothing would satisfy Hˆgni, save that they should
+fight, he ordered his men to land, saying:
+
+"I will no longer hold back from Hˆgni, nor make excuses to avoid
+fighting. Let every man bear himself bravely!"
+
+They thereupon landed and fell to fighting. Hˆgni was full of fury,
+but Hethin was both dexterous with his weapons and mighty in his
+stroke. It is told for fact that so potent was the evil charm in
+the spell that even when they had cloven one another to the very
+shoulders, yet they started up as before and went on fighting. Hild
+sat in a grove and watched the battle.
+
+This harrowing torment continued to oppress them from the time when
+they began to fight until Olaf Tryggvason became King of Norway. It
+is said to have gone on for a hundred and forty-three years, until it
+fell to the lot of this famous man that one of his retinue released
+them from their grievous calamities and tragic doom.
+
+IX. In the first year of King Olaf's reign, it is said that he came
+one evening to the island of Hoy and anchored there. It was a
+regular occurrence in the neighbourhood of this island that watchmen
+disappeared every night, and no-one knew what had become of them. On
+this particular night it was Ivar the Gleam who kept guard. And
+when all the men on the ships were asleep, Ivar took the sword that
+Jarnskjˆld had had and that Thorstein his son had given him, and all
+his armour, and went up on to the island. And when he had landed
+on the island he saw a man coming towards him. He was very tall and
+covered with blood, and his face was full of sorrow. Ivar asked
+him his name, and he replied that he was called Hethin, the son of
+Hjarrandi, and that he had come of a stock in far Serkland, adding:
+
+"I am telling you the truth when I say that the vanishing of the
+watchmen must be laid to the charge of me and Hˆgni, the son of
+Halfdan. For we and our men have been laid under such powerful and
+destructive spells that we go on fighting night and day; and this has
+continued for many generations, while Hild, the daughter of Hˆgni,
+sits and looks on. It is Othin who has laid this spell upon us; and
+our only hope of redemption is that a Christian man should give battle
+to us.--When that occurs, he whom the Christian slays shall not stand
+up again; and so will each one be freed from his distress. Now I would
+pray you that you will come to fight with us, because I know that you
+are a good Christian, and also that the King whom you serve is very
+lucky. I have a feeling too that we shall get some good from him and
+his men."
+
+Ivar agreed to go with him.
+
+Hethin was glad at that and said:
+
+"You must take care not to encounter Hˆgni face to face, and also not
+to slay me before you slay him; because no mortal man can encounter
+Hˆgni face to face and slay him if I die before him, for the glance
+of his eye strikes terror and spares none. Therefore this is the only
+way: I will attack him in front and engage him in battle, while you go
+behind and give him his death stroke. You will find it an easy matter
+to slay me, when I am left alive last of all."
+
+Then they went into the battle, and Ivar saw that all that Hethin had
+told him was quite true. He went behind Hˆgni and struck him on the
+head, and clove his skull down to the shoulders, whereupon Hˆgni fell
+down dead and never rose up again. After that he slew all the men
+who were fighting, and last of all he slew Hethin, which was no great
+task.
+
+When he returned to the ships the day was dawning. He went to the King
+and told him what he had done. The King was very well pleased with
+his work and told him that he had had great good luck. Next day they
+landed and made their way to the spot where the battle had taken
+place; but they saw no sign of what had happened there. Yet the
+bloodstains on Ivar's sword were visible proofs; and never again did
+watchmen disappear on that coast.
+
+After that the King went home to his realm.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE SAGA OF HROMUND GREIPSSON
+
+
+In the _Saga of Thorgils and Haflithi_, ch. 10 (published in
+_Sturlunga Saga_, ed. by G. Vigfusson, Vol. I, p. 19), we are told
+that at a wedding held at Reykjaholar in Iceland in 1119, "There was
+fun and merriment and great festivity and all kinds of amusements,
+such as dancing and wrestling and story-telling.... Although it is a
+matter of no great importance, some record has been preserved of the
+entertainment which was provided, and who were the people who provided
+it. Stories were told which many people now reject, and of which they
+disclaim any knowledge; for it seems that many people do not know
+what is true, but think some things to be true which are really pure
+invention and other things to be fictitious which are really true.
+Hralf of Skalmarnes told a story about Hrˆngvith the Viking and Olaf
+'the Sailors' King,' and about the rifling of the barrow of Thrain the
+berserk, and about Hromund Gripsson, and included many verses in
+his story. King Sverrir used to be entertained with this story and
+declared that fictitious stories like this were the most entertaining
+of any. Yet there are men who can trace their ancestry to Hromund
+Gripsson. Hrolf himself had composed this story."
+
+Among those whose ancestry was traced to Hromund Greipsson were Ingolf
+and Leif, the first Norwegian colonists of Iceland. According
+to _Landn·mabÛk_, 1, ch. 3, they were second cousins, and their
+grandfathers, who had come from Thelamˆrk in the south-west of Norway,
+were sons of Hromund. Olaf 'The Sailors' King' is mentioned also
+in the _Saga of GrÌm Lothinkinni_, ch. 3; and members of his family
+figure prominently in several other sagas.
+
+These persons may actually be historical. But the fictitious element
+is obvious enough in many places as, for instance, in Hromund's voyage
+to the west. Thrain himself is vividly presented to us as "black and
+huge, with talons like bird's claws, all clad in glittering gold,
+seated on a throne, roaring loudly and blowing a fire!" This chapter
+is indeed a tale of
+
+  Ghaisties and ghoulies,
+  And lang-leggity beasties,
+  And things that gae bump in the nicht.
+
+The most curious features of the saga, however, are the blurred and
+perhaps confused reminiscences of stories and characters which form
+the subject of some of the Edda poems. The brothers Bild and Voli can
+hardly be other than corruptions of the god Balder and his
+avenger V·li. The name of Hromund's sword 'Mistletoe' too may be a
+reminiscence of the same story, though a sword of the same name is
+found in _Hervarar Saga_ (ch. 2). Again, the account of Hromund's
+sojourn with Hagal, disguised as a grinding-maid, and the search
+made by Blind (ch. 8) are certainly reminiscences of the Edda poem
+_Helgakvitha Hundingsbana II_ (sometimes called _Vˆlsungakvitha_),
+where the same adventures are recorded in connection with the same
+names, except that Helgi here takes the place Hromund.
+
+But the most interesting case, however, is the story of Hromund's
+opponent Helgi the Bold and Kara (ch. 7). In this story, Helgi is said
+to be in the service of two kings called Hadding, and there can
+be little doubt that Helgi and Kara are identical with Helgi
+Haddingjaskati and Kara, whose adventures formed the subject of a lost
+poem called _K·ruljÛth_. This poem is referred to in the prose at the
+end of _Helgakvitha Hundingsbana II_, where it is stated that they
+were reincarnations of Helgi Hundingsbani and Sigr˙n--just as the two
+latter were themselves reincarnations of Helgi the son of Hjˆrvarth
+and Sv·va--"but that is now said to be an old wives' tale."
+
+Chapter 4 also has a special interest of its own. Breaking into
+barrows was a favourite exploit of the Norsemen, no doubt for the sake
+of the gold which they often contained. References to the practice are
+very common in the sagas, e.g. _Grettissaga_, ch. 18; _Hartharsaga_,
+ch. 15; cf. also Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 200 ff., etc. The
+ruthlessness with which the Norsemen plundered the Irish barrows is
+mentioned with great indignation in the Irish Chronicles. In the
+_War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, cap. XXV, we read that certain
+Norsemen plundered in Ireland "until they reached Kerry, and they left
+not a cave there under ground that they did not explore." In the same
+work cap. LXIX, we are told that--
+
+    Never was there a fortress, or a fastness, or a mound, or a
+    church, or a sacred place, or a sanctuary, when it was taken
+    by that howling, furious, loathsome crew, which was not
+    plundered by the collectors and accumulators of that wealth.
+    Neither was there in concealment under ground in Erin, nor the
+    various solitudes belonging to Fians or to Fairies,
+    anything that was not discovered by these foreign, wonderful
+    Denmarkians, through paganism and idol worship.
+
+Finally in the _Annals of Ulster_ we read (sub anno 862) that
+
+    The cave of Achadh-Aldai (i.e. probably New Grange, near
+    Dublin) and [the cave] of Knowth, and the cave of Fert-Boadan
+    over Dowth, and the cave of the smith's wife were searched by
+    the foreigners (i.e. Norsemen, etc.) which had not been done
+    before.
+
+And in England as late as 1344 Thomas of Walsingham records the
+slaying of the dragon that guarded a barrow, and the recovery of a
+great treasure of gold by the retainers of the Earl of Warrenne.
+
+Popular imagination believed that barrows were occupied by a ghostly
+inhabitant 'haugbui,' who guarded the treasure. This was sometimes a
+dragon, as in _Beowulf_, or a reanimated corpse, as in our saga; but
+whatever he was, he inspired the outside world with such fear that
+the breaking into a grave-mound came to be regarded as a deed of the
+greatest courage and prowess. The 'hogboy' (_haugbui_) of Maeshowe, a
+barrow in the Orkneys, is still a living reality in the imaginations
+of the country people[1].
+
+Unfortunately _The Saga of Hromund Greipsson_ is preserved only
+in late paper MSS., of which none apparently are earlier than the
+seventeenth century. None of the verses of which the notice in the
+_Saga of Thorgils and Haflithi_ speaks (cf. p. 58 above) have been
+preserved. There is, however, a rhymed version of the saga known as
+_GrÌplur_, dating apparently from about the year 1400 and evidently
+taken from a better text than any of those which have come down to us.
+A short extract from these rhymed verses will be found on pp. 173-75.
+For a full discussion of the relationship of the _GrÌplur_ to the
+extant texts of the saga and to the later ballads, the reader is
+referred to Kˆlbing, _Beitr‰ge zur Vergleichenden Geschichte der
+Romantischen Poesie und Prosa des Mittelalters_ (Breslau, 1876), pp.
+181-83, and to Andrews, _Studies in the Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_[2]
+in _Modern Philology_, 1911, 1912.
+
+A full bibliography of texts, translations and literature relating to
+this saga will be found in _Islandica_, Vol. v, p. 30.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. Joseph Anderson, _Scotland in Pagan Times:
+    The Bronze and Stone Ages_, pp. 278-279 (publ. by Douglas,
+    Edinburgh, 1886).]
+
+    [Footnote 2: It is pointed out by Andrews, p. 2, that the form
+    Lara (which appears in Rafn's and ¡smundarson's editions, ch.
+    7) is due to a misreading. The MSS. have Cara.]
+
+
+THE SAGA OF HROMUND GREIPSSON
+
+I. There was a King called Olaf, the son of Gnothar-Asmund, and he
+ruled over Garthar in Denmark, and was very famous. Two brothers, Kari
+and ÷rnulf, both mighty warriors, were entrusted with the defence of
+his territories. In that district there was a wealthy landowner called
+Greip, who had a wife called Gunnlˆth, the daughter of Hrok the Black.
+They had nine sons whose names were as follows: Hrolf, Haki, Gaut,
+Thrˆst, Angantyr, Logi, Hromund, Helgi, Hrok. They were all promising
+fellows, though Hromund was the finest of them. He did not know what
+fear was. He was blue-eyed and fair-haired; he was broad-shouldered,
+tall and strong, and resembled his mother's father. The King had two
+men called Bild and Voli. They were wicked and deceitful, but the King
+valued them highly.
+
+On one occasion King Olaf was sailing eastwards with his fleet along
+the coast of Norway. They put in at Ulfasker, and lying to off one of
+the islands they began to plunder. The King bade Kari and ÷rnulf go up
+on the island and look if they could see any warships. They went up on
+land and saw six warships under some cliffs, one of them being a most
+gorgeous 'Dragon.' Kari called to the men and asked whose ships they
+were. One of the scoundrels on the 'Dragon' stood up and declared his
+name to be Hrˆngvith, adding:
+
+"But what may your name be?"
+
+Kari told him his own name and the name of his brother and added:
+
+"You are the worst man I know and I am going to chop you into
+fragments."
+
+Hrˆngvith replied: "For thirty-three years I have harried both summer
+and winter. I have fought sixty battles and been victorious every
+time with my sword Brynthvari, which has never grown blunt. Come here
+to-morrow, Kari, and I will sheathe it in your breast."
+
+Kari said he would not fail to appear.
+
+Hrˆngvith had it in his power to choose every day who was to perish by
+the point of his sword.
+
+II. The brothers went back to the King and told him the news. The King
+gave orders to prepare for battle, and his men set to work. The hosts
+met and a stiff fight took place. The brothers fought bravely, Kari
+slaying eight or twelve men with every blow. When Hrˆngvith saw that,
+he leapt up on the King's ship, attacked Kari and thrust him through
+with his sword. As soon as Kari was wounded he called to the King:
+
+"Farewell, Sire. I am going to be Othin's guest!"
+
+Hrˆngvith spitted ÷rnulf on his spear, and when both the brothers had
+fallen, Hrˆngvith called out to the rest to surrender. Then a
+murmur of discontent arose in the King's host. No blade would wound
+Hrˆngvith. Now it is told that Hromund Greipsson was in the King's
+retinue. He took a club in his hand, fastened a long grey goat's beard
+on his face, drew a hood over his head, and then rushed to the fight,
+where he found the two brothers lying dead. He rescued the King's
+standard, and began to deal death among the scoundrels with his club.
+
+Hrˆngvith asked who he was and if he were the father of that wretched
+Kari.
+
+Hromund told him his name and said he was going to avenge the
+brothers:--
+
+"Though Kari was no relative of mine, I will slay you all the same."
+
+And thereupon he dealt Hrˆngvith such a blow with his club that his
+head was all awry afterwards.
+
+Hrˆngvith said: "I have been in many battles, but I never got such a
+blow!"
+
+Hromund struck another blow at Hrˆngvith and broke his skull. At the
+third stroke he died. After that all the survivors surrendered to the
+King, and so the battle ended.
+
+III. Then Hromund proceeded to ransack the ship, and came upon a man
+prepared to offer resistance in the prow. He asked the man's name; and
+he replied that he was called Helgi the Bold, a brother of Hrˆngvith,
+and added: "I have no mind to sue for peace." Hromund gave orders that
+the wounds of Helgi the Bold should be attended to. Then he sailed
+away to Sweden and was entrusted with the defence of part of the
+country.
+
+After that King Olaf sailed away to the British Isles with his host,
+as far as the Hebrides, where they landed and made a raid. There was
+a man dwelling hard by whose cattle had been taken and driven away by
+the King's men, and he was bewailing his loss piteously. Hromund went
+and asked him who he was.
+
+The man replied that his name was Mani and that his home was a
+very little way off; and he said that they would win more honour by
+breaking into barrows and plundering the treasures of ghosts.
+
+Hromund asked him to tell him if he knew anything about places of this
+kind.
+
+Mani replied that he certainly did:--
+
+"There was a berserk called Thrain, a big, strong man who was deeply
+versed in sorcery. He conquered Valland and was King there. He was put
+into a barrow with a sword, armour and great treasure; but no-one is
+in a hurry to go there."
+
+Hromund asked in which direction they should sail in order to reach
+it, and he replied that they could reach it by sailing due south for
+six days. Hromund thanked the man for his information, gave him money,
+and restored his cattle to him. Then they sailed away in the direction
+indicated by the man, and at the end of six days they saw the barrow
+straight in front of their ship.
+
+IV. They went from the British Isles to Valland, and found the barrow
+and immediately set to work to break it open. And when six days had
+elapsed they came upon a trap-door in the barrow. There they beheld a
+big fiend, black and huge, all clad in glittering gold, and seated on
+a throne. He was roaring loudly and blowing a fire.
+
+Hromund asked: "Now who will enter the barrow? Whoever does so shall
+have his choice of three treasures."
+
+Voli replied: "No-one will be anxious to forfeit his life for them.
+There are sixty men here, and that troll will be the death of them
+all."
+
+Hromund said: "Kari would have ventured on it, had he been alive,"
+and he added--what was true enough--that even if he were let down by
+a rope, it would not be so bad to struggle against eight others as
+against Thrain.
+
+Then Hromund climbed down by a rope.--It was during the night; and
+when he had got down, he gathered up a great amount of treasure and
+bound it to the end of the rope.
+
+Thrain had been King of Valland in bygone days and had won all his
+victories by magic. He had wrought great evil; and when he was so old
+that he could fight no longer, he had got himself shut up alive in the
+barrow, and much treasure along with him.
+
+Now Hromund saw a sword hanging up on a pillar. He took it down,
+girded it on, and marched up to the throne, saying:
+
+"It is time for me to leave the barrow since there is no-one to stop
+me. But what ails you, old fellow? Have you not seen me gathering up
+your money while you sit quietly by, you hateful cur? Were you not
+ashamed to look on while I took your sword and necklace and ever so
+many more of your treasures?"
+
+Thrain said that he cared for nothing if only he would let him sit
+quietly on his throne: "Formerly," he continued, "I used to be the
+first to fight. I must have become a great coward if I let you rob me
+of my wealth single handed; but I'm going to prevent your taking my
+treasures; you had better beware of me, dead though I am."
+
+Then said Hromund: "Hoist yourself up on your legs, coward and
+weakling, and take back your sword from me if you dare."
+
+The ghost replied: "There is no glory in attacking me with a sword
+when I am unarmed. I would rather try my strength in wrestling with
+you."
+
+Then Hromund flung down the sword and trusted to his strength. When
+Thrain saw that, he took down his cauldron which he kept above him.
+He was by no means pleasant to watch as he blew up his fire, ready to
+make a meal from the cauldron. The body of the cauldron was full,
+and there was a big flame beneath its feet. Thrain was wearing a
+gold-wrought mantle. Both his hands were crooked and his finger nails
+were like talons.
+
+Hromund said: "Get down off your throne, vile wretch, now that you
+have been robbed of all wealth."
+
+Then said the ghost: "To be sure, it is high time to get on my legs,
+since you taunt me with lack of courage."
+
+Day departed, and evening drew on, and it became dark in the barrow.
+Then the ghost began wrestling with Hromund and threw down his
+cauldron. Hromund put forth all his strength, and they fought so hard
+that rubble and stones were torn up. Then the ghost sank down on one
+knee, saying:
+
+"You press me hard: you are indeed a brave fellow."
+
+Hromund replied: "Stand up on your feet again without support. You are
+much weaker than Mani the peasant said."
+
+Then Thrain turned himself into a troll, and the barrow was filled
+with a horrible stench: and he stuck his claws into the back of
+Hromund's neck, tearing the flesh from his bones down to his loins,
+saying:
+
+"You need not complain if the game is rough and your body sore, for I
+am going to tear you limb from limb."
+
+"I cannot imagine," cried Hromund, "how such a cat has got into this
+barrow!"
+
+The ghost replied: "You must have been brought up by Gunnlˆth. There
+are not many like you."
+
+"It will go ill with you," said Hromund, "if you go on scratching me
+long."
+
+They wrestled hard and long till everything round them shook. At last
+Hromund tripped him and brought him down. It had become very dark by
+this time.
+
+Then said the ghost: "By guile you have overcome me and taken my
+sword. It was that that brought our struggle to this issue. I have
+lived in my barrow for a long time, brooding over my riches; but it is
+not wise to trust too much to one's treasures, however good they may
+seem. Never would I have thought that you, Mistletoe, my good sword,
+would do me a hurt."
+
+Hromund then freed himself and seized the sword, and said:
+
+"Now tell me how many men you have slain in single combat with
+Mistletoe."
+
+"A hundred and forty four," said the ghost, "and I never got a
+scratch. I tried my skill with King Seming who was in Sweden, and he
+was of the opinion that it would take a long time to vanquish me."
+
+Hromund said: "You have been a curse on men for a long time, and it
+will be a good deed to kill you at once."
+
+Then he cut off the ghost's head, and burned him to ashes on the fire;
+and then he went out of the barrow. They asked him on what terms he
+and Thrain had parted, and he replied that matters had gone according
+to his wishes:--"For I cut off his head."
+
+Hromund kept for himself the three treasures which he had won in the
+barrow--the ring, the necklace and Mistletoe; but everyone received a
+share of the money.
+
+Then King Olaf sailed away to his kingdom in the north, and settled
+down peacefully in his own country.
+
+V. After that Hromund grew very famous. He was generous and popular.
+One day he gave to a man called Hrok a ring of solid gold which
+weighed an ounce. Voli got to know about that and slew Hrok by night
+and stole the ring. And when the King heard of it he said he would be
+even with Voli some day for such a piece of villainy.
+
+The King had two sisters, one called Dagny and the other Svanhvit.
+Svanhvit was better than her sister in every way, and had no equal
+between Sweden and Halogaland.
+
+Hromund Greipsson was at home at this time and became friendly with
+Svanhvit; but he took no precautions against either Voli or Bild. On
+one occasion she told Hromund that Voli and Bild were busy slandering
+him to the King.
+
+He said: "I am not afraid of any low wretch, and I shall talk to you
+as long as you give me the chance."
+
+This slander became so serious that Hromund and his brother had to
+leave the King's retinue and go home to their father.
+
+A short time after, Svanhvit was talking to King Olaf and said:
+
+"Hromund, who brought us the greatest glory, has now been banished
+from the royal retinue; and in his place you retain two men who care
+for neither honour nor virtue."
+
+The King replied: "A rumour reached me that he intended to betray you;
+and the sword shall part your love."
+
+"You have very soon forgotten," said she, "the time when he went alone
+into the barrow; and no-one else dared.--Voli and Bild will be hanged
+first."
+
+And having said this, she departed hastily.
+
+VI. Some time after this, two kings, both called Hadding, came
+from Sweden, and Helgi the brother of Hrˆngvith was with them. They
+challenged King Olaf to battle with them on the frozen surface of Lake
+Vener in the western part of the land. He preferred fighting them to
+abandoning his country, so he summoned Hromund and his brothers to
+follow him. Hromund, however, declined to go, saying that Bild and
+Voli were mighty fine fellows and always fought for the King.
+
+The King departed with his host. Svanhvit was grieved at what had
+happened, and went to Hromund's home. Hromund welcomed her.
+
+"Hearken now to my prayer," said she, "more favourably than you did to
+my brother's request, and help the King. I will give you a shield with
+a strap attached. Nothing can harm you while you wear this strap."
+
+Hromund thanked her for the gift and she was comforted; so he and his
+eight brothers made ready to set out.
+
+In the meantime the King and his host reached the frozen Vener, where
+the Swedish army was waiting for them. And in the morning, as soon as
+it was light enough to fight, they armed themselves on the ice, and
+the Swedes made a fierce onslaught. Bild was slain as soon as the
+battle began, but Voli was nowhere to be seen. King Olaf and King
+Hadding were wounded.
+
+Hromund had pitched his tent near the side of the lake. His brothers
+armed themselves early in the morning; but Hromund said:
+
+"I had a bad dream in the night; some misfortune is in store for us,
+and I am not going into the battle today."
+
+His brothers replied that it was disgraceful not to have the courage
+to support the King's army, when he had come for that very purpose.
+
+They went into the battle and fought bravely and all those of the army
+of the Haddings who came against them fell in heaps. A witch had
+come among them in the likeness of a swan. She sang and worked
+such powerful spells that none of Olaf's men took heed to defend
+themselves. Then she flew over the sons of Greip, singing loudly.
+Her name was Kara. At that same moment Helgi the Bold encountered the
+eight brothers and slew every one of them.
+
+VII. At this point Hromund entered the battle. Helgi the Bold caught
+sight of him and cried:
+
+"Here comes the man who slew my brother Hrˆngvith. Now you must beware
+of that sword of his which he got in the barrow.--You held aloof while
+I slew your brothers."
+
+"You need not question my courage, Helgi," replied Hromund, "for one
+or other of us must fall now."
+
+Helgi said: "Mistletoe is such a heavy weapon that you cannot use it.
+I will lend you another that you can manage."
+
+"You need not taunt me with faint-heartedness," cried Hromund.
+"Remember the blow which I dealt Hrˆngvith, when I shattered his skull
+to atoms!"
+
+Helgi said: "You have bound a girl's garter round your hand, Hromund.
+Lay aside the shield which you are carrying. It will be impossible to
+wound you so long as you carry that: I am sure that you are dependent
+on that girl."
+
+Hromund could not endure these galling words, and flung down his
+shield. Helgi the Bold had always been victorious, and it was by
+means of magic that he had gained his success. His mistress' name was
+Kara--she who was present in the form of a swan. Helgi brandished his
+sword so high over his head that it chopped off the swan's leg. He
+drove the sword down into the ground as far as the hilt, and said:
+
+"My luck has fled now; and it was a bad business when I missed you."
+
+Hromund replied: "You were very unlucky, Helgi, to be the slayer of
+your own mistress, and you will have no more happiness."
+
+Kara dropped down dead. And with the stroke that Helgi made at
+Hromund, when the sword was buried up to the hilt, the point of
+the sword caught Hromund's belly and ripped it open, and Helgi fell
+forward with the force of his own stroke. Hromund was not behindhand
+then: he struck Helgi on the head with Mistletoe, cleaving helmet and
+skull down to the shoulders, and breaking a piece out of the sword.
+Then Hromund took his belt-knife and thrust it into his belly where
+there was a gaping wound, and forced back the paunch fat which was
+hanging out. At the same time he stitched up the edges of his belly
+with a cord, bound his clothes firmly over it, and so continued
+fighting valiantly. Men fell dead in heaps before him, and he fought
+on till midnight. Then the survivors of the army of the Haddings fled,
+and thereupon the battle came to an end.
+
+Then Hromund saw a man standing before him on the ice, and he felt
+convinced that he must have made the ice on the lake by spells. He
+perceived that it was Voli. He remarked that it was not unfitting
+that he should give him his deserts, and rushed at him, brandishing
+Mistletoe and intending to strike him. Voli blew the sword out of his
+hand, and it happened to light on a hole in the ice, and sank to the
+bottom.
+
+Then Voli laughed and said: "You are doomed now that you have lost
+hold of Mistletoe."
+
+Hromund replied: "You will die before me."
+
+Then he leapt upon Voli and caught him up and dashed him down against
+the ice, so that his neck-bone was broken. There lay the great
+sorcerer dead! But Hromund sat him down on the ice, saying:
+
+"I did not take the girl's advice, so now I have got fourteen wounds;
+and in addition to that my eight brothers lie slain, and my good blade
+Mistletoe has fallen into the lake, and nothing will ever make up to
+me for the loss of my sword."
+
+Then he went back to his tent and got some rest.
+
+VIII. Now the King's sisters were sent for. Svanhvit examined
+Hromund's wound, and stitched his stomach together and tried to bring
+him round. She got him taken to a man called Hagal to be cured. This
+man's wife was very skilful, and they made him welcome and nursed him
+back to health. Hromund discovered that the couple were skilled in
+magic.
+
+The man was a fisherman, and one day when he was fishing, he caught a
+pike, and on going home and cutting it open he found Hromund's sword
+Mistletoe in its maw, and gave it to him. Hromund was glad to get it
+and kissed the sword-hilt and rewarded the peasant richly.
+
+In King Hadding's army was a man called Blind the Evil. He told the
+King that Hromund was alive and was being nursed secretly in the home
+of the peasant couple. The King refused to believe it, declaring that
+they would not dare to conceal him; but he ordered a search to be
+made. Blind and some other men went to the dwelling of Hagal and his
+wife and asked if Hromund was under their care. The woman said he
+would not be found there. Blind searched thoroughly, but did not find
+Hromund because the woman had hidden him under her cauldron. Blind and
+his companions went away, and when they had gone some distance Blind
+said:
+
+"Our quest has not been fruitful. We must go back again."
+
+They did so. They went back and found the woman. Blind told her that
+she was a crafty one and had hidden Hromund under her cauldron.
+
+"Look there then and see if you can find him," said she. This she
+said because, when she saw them returning, she had dressed Hromund in
+woman's clothes and set him to grind and turn the handmill. The men
+now made search in the house and when they came upon the girl turning
+the handmill they sniffed all round the place, but she cast an
+unfriendly look on the King's men, and they went away again without
+finding anything.
+
+And when they had gone away, Blind said that the peasant's wife
+had made things look different from what they were, and he had his
+suspicions that it must have been Hromund who was turning the mill,
+dressed as a woman.--"And I see we have been deceived. We shall do no
+good struggling with the woman for she is more cunning than we."
+
+They cursed her and went back home to the King, leaving matters as
+they stood.
+
+IX. In the following winter Blind saw many things in a dream, and on
+one occasion he told his dream to the King, saying:
+
+"I dreamed that a wolf came running from the east, and bit you and
+wounded you, O King."
+
+The King said he would interpret his dream as follows:
+
+"A King will come here from some other land, and his coming will be
+terrible at first; yet afterwards peace will be brought about."
+
+And Blind said that he dreamed he saw many hawks perched on a
+house--"And there I espied your falcon, Sire. He was all bare and
+stripped of his feathers."
+
+The King said: "A wind will come from the clouds and shake our
+castle."
+
+Blind related a third dream as follows.
+
+"I saw a herd of swine running from the south towards the King's hall
+and rooting up the earth with their snouts."
+
+The King said: "That signifies the flood-tide, wet weather, and grass
+springing from moisture, when the sun shines on the heath."
+
+Blind related a fourth dream:
+
+"I thought I saw a terrible giant come hither from the east; he gave
+you a great wound with his teeth."
+
+The King said: "Messengers from some King will come into my hall. They
+will provoke enmity and I shall be angered thereby."
+
+"Here is a fifth dream," said Blind; "I dreamed that a terrible
+serpent lay coiled round Sweden."
+
+"A splendid warship will land here, loaded with jewels," said the
+King.
+
+"I had a sixth dream," said Blind; "I dreamed that dark clouds came
+over the land with claws and wings, and flew away with thee, O King;
+and I dreamed moreover that there was a serpent in the house of Hagal
+the peasant. He attacked people in a terrible manner. He devoured both
+you and me and all the men belonging to the court. Now what can that
+signify?"
+
+The King said: "I have heard that there is a bear lurking not far from
+Hagal's dwelling. I will go and attack the bear, and it will be in a
+great rage."
+
+"Next I dreamed that a dragon's form had been drawn round the King's
+hall, and Hromund's belt was hanging from it."
+
+The King said: "You know that Hromund lost his sword and belt in the
+lake; and are you afraid of Hromund after that?"
+
+Blind dreamed yet more dreams which he told to the King; and the King
+interpreted them all to his liking, and none of them according to
+their real significance.
+
+But now Blind related one more dream--this time one which concerned
+himself.
+
+"I dreamed that an iron ring was fixed round my neck."
+
+The King said: "The meaning of this dream is that you are going to be
+hanged; and that will be the end of both of us."
+
+X. After that King Olaf gathered together an army and went to Sweden.
+Hromund accompanied him, and they took the hall of King Hadding by
+surprise. He was in bed in an outer chamber, and was not aware of
+their presence till they smashed in the door of his room. Hadding
+shouted to his men and asked who was disturbing the peace of the
+night. Hromund told him who they were.
+
+The King said: "You are anxious to avenge your brothers."
+
+Hromund said that he had not come to waste words about the death of
+his brothers, adding--"Now you will have to pay for it and perish on
+the spot."
+
+Then one of King Hadding's champions, as big as a giant, leapt up; but
+Hromund slew him. King Hadding covered himself up in bed and got no
+wound, because every time Hromund cut down at him, the sword turned
+and came down flat on him. Then Hromund took a club and beat King
+Hadding to death.
+
+Then said Hromund: "Here I have laid low King Hadding, the most famous
+man I have ever seen."
+
+The man Blind, who was also called Bavis, was bound and then hanged;
+and so his dream was fulfilled.
+
+They got a quantity of gold and other booty there, and then went
+home. King Olaf married Svanhvit to Hromund. They were devoted to one
+another, and had a family of sons and daughters; they were people of
+great distinction in every respect. Kings and great champions sprang
+from their stock.
+
+Here ends the Saga of Hromund Greipsson.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE SAGA OF HERV÷R AND HEITHREK
+
+
+The _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_ is found in two vellums, the
+_HauksbÛk_ (A.M. 544), dating from c. 1325, which for convenience
+is usually called _H_; and MS. 2845[1] in the Royal Library at
+Copenhagen, dating from the fifteenth century, and generally called
+_R_. Besides these there are a number of paper MSS. (h) dating
+from the seventeenth century. According to Bugge[2], these have no
+independent value and can contribute nothing to our knowledge of the
+text up to the point at which the vellums break off. They are useful
+however as continuing the Saga beyond this point. _H_ comes to an end
+with Gestumblindi's second riddle, while _R_ breaks off just before
+the close of ch. 12. Beyond this point we are entirely dependent on
+the paper MSS. One of these (A.M. 345 written in 1694) was adopted by
+Rafn[3] as the text for his edition of the Saga, though he gives _H_
+in full as an Appendix.
+
+The MSS. differ considerably among themselves. For instance _R_ omits
+the first chapter of the Saga, but contains _Hjalmar's Death Song_.
+Here, too, many of the riddles are wanting, and the order of the
+rest is quite different from that of _h_. Finnur JÛnsson[4] is of the
+opinion that _R_ is the best text throughout; but Heusler[5], like
+Valdimar ¡smundarson, keeps the order of the riddles as in _h_.
+Petersen[6] regards _H_ as the best text and follows it so far as
+it goes; but when it breaks off he follows _R_ mainly, although he
+considers the latter MS. to be defective in many places, "at the
+beginning, middle and end." He has supplied the lacunae in it from
+Arn. Magn. 192, the paper MS. which comes nearest to it, and also
+from others but with greater reservation. Valdimar ¡smundarson,
+like Petersen, and no doubt influenced by him, has followed _H_ very
+closely in his edition of the Saga[7] till it breaks off, and after
+that the paper MSS. (_h_) most closely related to it. He does not
+appear to have used _R_, and therefore omits the details of the fight
+on Sams¯ and _Hjalmar's Death Song_. ¡smundarson's version has been
+followed closely in the translation given below, but one or two
+interesting passages omitted by _H_ have been translated separately
+(see Appendix on pp. 144-150) from the text printed from _R_ in
+Wimmer's _Oldnordisk LÊsebog_[8] and from some short excerpts from _h_
+printed at the close of Petersen's edition of the Saga.
+
+For a full bibliography of the texts, translations, and literature
+dealing with this saga the reader is referred to _Islandica_, Vol. V,
+pp. 22-26.
+
+In this saga we have what appears to be the history of a certain
+family for more than four generations. From the point of view of
+construction, the story can hardly be regarded as a success. Yet it
+contains scenes at least equal to any others which can be found among
+sagas of this kind. It also embodies a considerable amount of poetry
+which is not found elsewhere. Some of this is of high merit, and one
+piece, dealing with the battle between the Huns and the Goths, is
+evidently of great antiquity.
+
+The Saga opens in a purely mythical milieu--with Guthmund in
+Glasisvellir, to whom we have already had reference in the story
+of Nornagest. Next we have a typical story of the Viking Age--the
+adventures of the sons of Arngrim and their fight on Sams¯. This
+story is known to us from other sources, the earliest being the poem
+_HyndluljÛth_ (str. 24), which according to Finnur JÛnsson[9] cannot
+be later in date than the latter part of the tenth century, though
+Mogk[10] is inclined to doubt this. Other references occur in the
+_Saga of ÷rvar-Odd_, Saxo's _Danish History_, the later ballads
+translated below, etc.
+
+We then pass on to the account of Hervˆr, the daughter of Angantyr
+(which is only found here and in the ballads), and the striking poem
+in which she is represented as visiting her father's grave-mound to
+obtain his sword.
+
+The next and longest section contains the life of Hervˆr's son
+Heithrek, which is peculiar to this saga and which in its earlier
+part likewise seems to be a story of the Viking Age. Towards the end,
+however, it gradually dawns upon us that there has been an unconscious
+change of scene, and that Heithrek instead of being a Viking prince
+of the Northern coasts, is now represented as a King of the Goths,
+somewhere in the East of Europe--apparently in the neighbourhood
+of the Dnieper. In the last section of the story, dealing with the
+adventures of Angantyr and Hlˆth, the sons of Heithrek, there is no
+longer any reminiscence of the Viking Age or the North of Europe. Here
+we are away back among the Goths and Huns in the fifth or the latter
+part of the fourth century.
+
+Throughout this strange concatenation of scenes a connecting link
+is afforded by the magic flaming sword, which is handed on from
+generation to generation, and which can never be sheathed without
+having dealt a death wound.
+
+It is abundantly clear that the latter part of the story is of a
+totally different origin from the first part, and in reality many
+centuries earlier. The prose here is for the most part little more
+than a paraphrase of the poem, which probably has its roots in poetry
+of the Gothic period. But how this story came to be joined on to a
+narrative of the Viking Age is far from clear.
+
+It is also interesting to note that some of the characters in the
+saga are repetitions of one another. At all events what is said about
+Hervˆr the daughter of Heithrek in the latter part of the story bears
+a strong resemblance to the description of the more prominent Hervˆr,
+the daughter of Angantyr, in the first part.
+
+Three poems of considerable length are preserved in the story. The
+Riddles of Gestumblindi, though somewhat tedious as a whole, afford
+a better specimen of this type of composition than is to be found
+elsewhere in early Norse literature. They cannot fail to be of
+considerable interest to anyone who studies the Anglo-Saxon Riddles,
+though unlike the latter they are wholly Teutonic in spirit and form.
+Direct Latin influence appears to be entirely absent.
+
+Gestumblindi's Riddles, while they belong essentially to popular
+literature, yet contain many arresting phrases which show a minute
+observation of nature. They illustrate the condensed, proverbial type
+of wisdom that prevails in a primitive state of society, as well as
+its keen interest and delight in the little things of life. They can
+hardly be called literature as we understand the term; they are rather
+the stuff of which literature is made. But though it is a far cry from
+these little nature verses to the more beautiful and more ambitious
+nature poems of Burns and Tennyson, yet Gestumblindi's loving interest
+in "every creature of earth" surprised even King Heithrek into
+comment. The keen and whimsical observation that noted that even a
+spider is a "marvel" and that it "carries its knees higher than its
+body" is the same spirit that inspired a poem to the
+
+  Wee sleekit, cowrin', tim'rous beastie.
+
+The poet who noticed that water falling as hail on rock looks _white_
+by contrast, yet forms little _black_ circles when it falls into the
+sand as rain, had much in common with one who noticed that rock and
+sand yield opposite sounds when struck by the same object--
+
+  Low on the sand and loud on the stone
+  The last wheel echoed away.
+
+But though these things are pleasing in themselves, they are, of
+course, slight. Gestumblindi cannot rise to the heights of true poetry
+reached by Burns or Tennyson.
+
+Besides the Riddles, this saga has preserved for us two far finer
+poems--in fact two of the finest Norse poems that we possess--the
+dialogue between Hervˆr and Angantyr at the Barrows of Sams¯, and
+the narrative of the great battle between the Goths and the Huns, the
+_Chevy Chase_ of the North. The ruthlessness and barbaric splendour of
+the Hunnish leaders, the cruelty and the poetry of warfare a thousand
+years ago, are here vividly depicted in Norse verse at its simplest
+and best.
+
+We may notice too the little vignettes that appear from time to time
+both in the poetry itself and in the prose narrative, some of which is
+evidently derived from lost verses.--Hervˆr standing at sunrise on the
+summit of the tower and looking southward towards the forest; Angantyr
+marshalling his men for battle and remarking drily that there used to
+be more of them when mead drinking was in question; great clouds of
+dust rolling over the plain, through which glittered white corslet and
+golden helmet, as the Hunnish host came riding on.
+
+The dialogue between Hervˆr and Angantyr, despite a certain
+melodramatic element in the setting, is treated with great delicacy
+and poetic feeling, and an atmosphere of terror and mystery pervades
+the whole poem. The midnight scene in the eerie and deserted
+burial-ground, the lurid flickering of the grave fires along the
+lonely beach, the tombs opening one by one as the corpses start to
+life--all these work on the imagination and create an atmosphere
+of dread. The poet understood the technique of presenting the
+supernatural, and he is deliberately vague and suggestive. Much more
+is implied than is stated, and much is left to the imagination.
+
+The greatest charm of the poem, however, lies in the sympathetic
+treatment of Hervˆr. The Hervˆr of the prose narrative is perfectly
+consistent with the Hervˆr of the poem, but at the same time the
+poem--which is probably more than a century older than the saga--would
+lead us to conclude that her character was not correctly understood by
+the writer of the saga. Obviously unsympathetic, he denounces her with
+an indignation which would have made the writer of the poem smile.
+
+"She grew up to be a beautiful girl ... but as soon as she could do
+anything it was oftener harm than good; and when she had been checked
+she escaped to the woods.... And when the Earl heard of it he had her
+caught and brought home."
+
+The picture which the poem presents to us is that of a high-spirited
+girl, headstrong and impulsive, not unlike Brynhild in the Vˆlsung
+story. When she goes to the barrows, every nerve is strung up to gain
+the treasure that has fired her imagination:
+
+  What care I though the death-fires blaze,
+  They sink and tremble before my gaze,
+        They quiver out and die!
+
+But a reaction comes when she holds the sword in her hands at last:
+
+  Surely in terror I drew my breath
+  Between the worlds of life and death
+        When the grave fires girt me round.
+
+Surveying the saga as a whole, perhaps the most striking feature is
+its extraordinary diversity of interest. It would be difficult to find
+elsewhere in Norse literature--or indeed perhaps in any literature--so
+great a variety of subjects and of literary forms brought together
+within such narrow limits.
+
+Of the poems contained in the saga, the first is romantic, the second
+gnomic, the third heroic--and the prose narrative itself is not less
+varied in character. The conclusion of the saga appears to be purely
+historical; indeed it is generally regarded as one of the most
+important authorities for early Swedish history. Elsewhere also
+historical elements are probably not wanting, but they are interwoven
+in a network of romance and folklore. Thus whoever King Heithrek may
+have been, the part which he has come to play in the saga is chiefly
+that of linking together a number of folk-tales and illustrating
+popular saws. As regards chronology, the war described in ch. 12-15
+must belong to a period nearly seven centuries before the incidents
+related at the close of the saga. Still more strange is the fact that
+the victor in this war, the younger Angantyr, would seem to have lived
+some four or five centuries before his great grandfather and namesake
+who perished at Sams¯--if indeed the latter story rests on any genuine
+tradition. In spite of these and similar inconsistencies, however,
+the saga is on the whole perhaps the most attractive of all the
+_Fornaldarsˆgur_.
+
+    [Footnote 1: This MS. is identical with the one referred to as
+    _A_ in the Introduction to the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_ (cf. p.
+    11 above).]
+
+    [Footnote 2: Quoted by Heusler, _Eddica Minora_ (Dortmund,
+    1903), p. vii.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829),
+    Vol. I; _AntiquitÈs russes_ etc. (Copenhagen, 1850-2), Vol.
+    I.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_,
+    Vol. II, p. 839 f.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: _Eddica Minora_, pp. 106-120.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: Cf. _Forord_ to N. M. Petersen's edition of
+    _Hervarar Saga ok Heithreks Konungs_ (published by the
+    'Nordiske Literatur-Samfund,' Copenhagen, 1847).]
+
+    [Footnote 7: See _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (ReykjavÌk,
+    1891), Vol. I, pp. 309-360.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: Copenhagen, 4th edition, 1889.]
+
+    [Footnote 9: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_,
+    Vol. I, p. 201.]
+
+    [Footnote 10: _Geschichte der Norwegisch-Isl‰ndischen
+    Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), p. 605.]
+
+
+THE SAGA OF HERV÷R AND HEITHREK
+
+Here begins the Saga of King Heithrek the Wise.
+
+I. It is said that in the days of old the northern part of Finnmark
+was called Jˆtunheimar, and that there was a country called Ymisland
+to the south between it and Halogaland. These lands were then the home
+of many giants and half-giants; for there was a great intermixture
+of races at that time, because the giants took wives from among the
+people of Ymisland.
+
+There was a king in Jˆtunheimar called Guthmund. He was a mighty man
+among the heathen. He dwelt at a place called Grund in the region of
+Glasisvellir. He was wise and mighty. He and his men lived for
+many generations, and so heathen men believed that the fields of
+immortality lay in his realm; and whoever went there cast off sickness
+or old age and became immortal.
+
+After Guthmund's death, people worshipped him and called him their
+god. His son's name was Hˆfund. He had second sight and was wise of
+understanding, and was judge of all suits throughout the neighbouring
+kingdoms. He never gave an unjust judgment, and no-one dared violate
+his decision.
+
+There was a man called Hergrim who was a giant dwelling in the rocks.
+He carried off from Ymisland Ama the daughter of Ymir, and afterwards
+married her. Their son Thorgrim Halftroll took from Jˆtunheimar ÷gn
+Alfasprengi, and afterwards married her. Their son was called Grim.
+She had been betrothed to Starkath Aludreng, who had eight hands; but
+she was carried off while he was away to the north of Elivagar. When
+he came home he slew Hergrim in single combat; but ÷gn ran herself
+through with a sword rather than marry Starkath. After that Starkath
+carried off Alfhild the daughter of King Alf from Alfheimar, but he
+was afterwards slain by Thor.
+
+Then Alfhild went to her kinsfolk, and Grim was with her there till
+he went raiding and became a great warrior. He married Bauggerth the
+daughter of Starkath Aludreng and set up his dwelling on an island
+off Halogaland called Bolm. He was called Ey-grim Bolm. His son by
+Bauggerth was called Arngrim the Berserk, who afterwards lived in Bolm
+and was a very famous man.
+
+II. There was a King called Sigrlami who was said to be a son of
+Othin. His son Svafrlami succeeded to the kingdom after his father and
+was a very great warrior. One day as the King rode a-hunting he got
+separated from his men, and at sunset he came upon a big stone and
+two dwarfs beside it. The King banned them with his graven sword from
+entering the stone. The dwarfs begged him to spare their lives.
+
+The King said: "What are your names?"
+
+One of them said his name was Dvalin and the other Dulin.
+
+The King said: "As you are the most cunning of all dwarfs you must
+make me a sword, the best you can. The hilt and the grip must be of
+gold, and it must cut iron as easily as if it were cloth and never
+rust; and it must bring victory to whoever uses it in battle and
+single combat."
+
+They agreed to this, and the King rode away home.
+
+And when the appointed day came, the King rode to the stone. The
+dwarfs were outside, and they handed to the King a sword which was
+very beautiful.
+
+But as Dvalin was standing in the doorway of the stone he said:
+
+"Your sword, Svafrlami, will be the death of a man every time it
+is drawn; and moreover it will be the instrument of three pieces of
+villainy; and to you yourself also it shall bring death."
+
+Then the King struck at the dwarfs with the sword. But they sprang
+into the stone, and the sword came down on it--sinking so deep that
+both the ridges of the blade were hidden; for the door into the stone
+closed as they disappeared. The King called the sword 'Tyrfing,' and
+ever afterwards he carried it in battle and single combat, and was
+always victorious.
+
+The King had a daughter who was called Eyfura, an exceedingly
+beautiful and clever girl.
+
+At that time Arngrim was raiding among the Perms in the Baltic. He
+raided the Kingdom of King Svafrlami and fought against him. They met
+face to face, and King Svafrlami struck at Arngrim who parried the
+blow with his shield; but the lower part of the shield was cut away
+and the sword plunged into the earth. Then Arngrim struck off the
+King's hand, so that he had to let Tyrfing fall. Arngrim caught up
+Tyrfing and cut down first the King, and then many others. He took
+great booty there, and carried off Eyfura, the King's daughter and
+took her to his home in Bolm.
+
+By her he had twelve sons. The eldest was Angantyr, then Hervarth,
+then Hjˆrvarth, SÊming and Hrani, Brami, Barri, Reifnir, Tind and Bui,
+and the two Haddings who only did one man's work between them, because
+they were twins and the youngest of the family; whereas Angantyr, who
+was a head taller than other men, did the work of two. They were all
+berserks, and were unequalled in strength and courage. Even when they
+went marauding there were never more than just the twelve brothers on
+one ship. They raided far and wide in many lands, and had much success
+and won great renown. Angantyr had Tyrfing, and SÊming Mistletoe,
+Hervarth had Hrotti, and each of the others possessed a sword famous
+in single combat. And it was their custom when they had only their own
+men with them, to land when they felt the berserks' fury coming upon
+them, and wrestle with trees or great rocks; for they had been known
+to slay their own men and disable their ship. Great tales were told
+about them and they became very famous.
+
+III. One Yule Eve at Bolm, Angantyr made a vow over the pledge cup, as
+the custom then was, that he would wed Ingibjˆrg the daughter of King
+Yngvi of Upsala--the cleverest and most beautiful maiden in all the
+Northlands--or perish in the attempt and marry no-one else. No more of
+their vows are recorded.
+
+Tyrfing had this characteristic, that whenever it was unsheathed it
+shone like a sunbeam, even in the dark, and could only be sheathed
+with human blood still warm upon it. Never did he whose blood was shed
+by Tyrfing live to see another day. It is very famous in all stories
+of the olden days.
+
+Next summer the brothers went to Upsala in Sweden, and when they had
+entered the hall, Angantyr told the King his vow and that he intended
+to wed his daughter.
+
+Everybody in the hall listened. Angantyr asked the King to declare
+what was to be the result of their errand, whereupon Hjalmar the
+stout-hearted rose from the table, and addressed the King:
+
+"Call to mind, Sire, how much honour I have won for you since I came
+into your kingdom, and how many times I have risked my life for you.
+In return for these my services I beg that you will give me your
+daughter in marriage. And moreover I consider myself more deserving a
+favourable answer than these berserks, who do harm to everyone."
+
+The King pondered over the matter, and found it difficult to decide
+the question in such a way as to give rise to as little trouble as
+possible; and he answered at last:
+
+"My wish is that Ingibjˆrg should choose for herself the husband she
+prefers."
+
+She replied: "If you want to marry me to anyone, then I would rather
+have a man whose good qualities I know already than one of whom I have
+only known by hearsay, and nothing but evil at that."
+
+Angantyr said: "I will not bandy words with you; for I can see that
+you love Hjalmar. But as for you, Hjalmar, come south to Sams¯ and
+meet me in single combat. If you do not appear next midsummer you will
+be a coward in the eyes of all men."
+
+Hjalmar said that he would not fail to come and fight, and the sons of
+Arngrim went home to their father and told him what had happened. He
+replied that this was the first time he had ever felt any anxiety on
+their behalf.
+
+They spent the winter at home, and in the spring made ready to start,
+going first to Earl Bjartmar, where a feast was made for them.
+And during the evening Angantyr asked the Earl for the hand of his
+daughter and in this as in the rest they got their wish. The wedding
+took place, and afterwards the sons of Arngrim prepared to set out.
+But the night before they left, Angantyr had a dream which he related
+to the Earl:
+
+"I dreamed that I and my brothers were in Sams¯. We found many birds
+there and killed all that we saw. Then I dreamed that as we were
+setting out again upon the island, two eagles flew towards us. I went
+against one and we had a stiff encounter; and at last we sank down and
+had no strength left in us. But the other eagle fought with my eleven
+brothers and overcame them all."
+
+The Earl said: "The death of mighty men has been revealed to you in
+this dream."
+
+Then Angantyr and his brothers went away and came to Sams¯, and went
+ashore to look for Hjalmar; and the story of their adventures there
+is related in the _Saga of ÷rvar-Odd_. First they came to Munarvagar,
+where they slew all the men from the two ships of Hjalmar and Odd; and
+afterwards they went ashore and encountered Hjalmar and Odd themselves
+on the island. Odd slew Angantyr's eleven brothers, and Hjalmar slew
+Angantyr, and afterwards died there himself of his wounds.
+
+Then Odd had all the rest of them placed in great barrows with all
+their weapons; but Hjalmar's body he took home to Sweden. And when
+Ingibjˆrg the King's daughter saw Hjalmar's body, she fell down dead
+and they were both laid together in one barrow at Upsala.
+
+IV. The story goes on to say that a girl was born to the daughter of
+Earl Bjartmar. Everyone advised exposing the child, saying that if
+she resembled her father's kinsmen she would not have a womanly
+disposition. The Earl, however, had her sprinkled with water; and
+he brought her up, and called her Hervˆr, saying that the line of
+Arngrim's sons would not be extinguished if she were left alive.
+
+She grew up to be a beautiful girl. She was tall and strong, and
+trained herself in the use of bow, shield and sword. But as soon as
+she could do anything it was oftener harm than good; and when she had
+been checked she ran away to the woods and killed people to provide
+herself with money. And when the Earl heard of it, he had her caught
+and brought home, where she remained for a time.
+
+One day she went to the Earl and said: "I want to go away because I am
+not happy here."
+
+A little while after she departed alone, dressed and armed like a
+man, and joined some vikings and stayed with them for a time, calling
+herself Hervarth. Shortly afterwards the chief of the vikings died,
+and Hervarth took command of the band.
+
+One day when they sailed to Sams¯, Hervarth landed; but her men would
+not follow her, saying that it was not safe for anyone to be out of
+doors there by night. Hervarth declared that there was likely to be
+much treasure in the barrows. She landed on the island towards sunset,
+but they lay off in Munarvagar. She met a shepherd boy and asked him
+for information.
+
+He said: "You are a stranger to the island; but come home with me, for
+it is unsafe for anyone to be out of doors here after sunset; and I am
+in a hurry to get home."
+
+Hervarth replied: "Tell me where are 'Hjˆrvarth's Barrows,' as they
+are called."
+
+"You must surely be mad," replied the boy, "if you want to explore by
+night what no-one dare visit at mid-day. Burning flame plays over them
+as soon as the sun has set."
+
+But Hervarth insisted that she would visit the barrows--whereupon the
+shepherd said:
+
+"I see that you are a brave man though not a wise one, so I will give
+you my necklace if you will come home with me."
+
+But Hervarth replied: "Even if you give me all you have you will not
+hold me back."
+
+And when the sun had set, loud rumblings were heard all over the
+island, and flames leapt out of the barrows. Then the shepherd grew
+frightened and took to his heels and ran to the wood as fast as he
+could, without once looking back. Here is a poem giving an account of
+his talk with Hervˆr:
+
+  Driving his flocks at the fall of day,
+  In Munarvagar along the bay,
+            A shepherd met a maid.--
+  "Who comes to our island here alone?
+  Haste to seek shelter, the day is done,
+            The light will quickly fade."
+
+  "I will not seek for a resting place:
+  A stranger am I to the island race.--
+            But tell me quick I pray,
+  Ere thou goest hence, if I may descry
+  Where the tombs of the children of Arngrim lie:
+            O tell me, where are they?"
+
+  "Forbear from such questions utterly!
+  Foolish and rash must thou surely be,
+            And in a desperate plight!
+  Let us haste from these horrors as fast as we can,
+  For abroad it is ghastly for children of men
+            To wander about in the night."
+
+  "My necklace of gold is the price I intend
+  To pay for thy guidance; for I am the friend
+            Of vikings, and will not be stayed."
+  "No treasures so costly, nor rings of red gold
+  Shall take me their thrall, or my footsteps withhold,
+            That thereby my flight be gainsaid.
+
+  "Foolish is he who comes here alone
+  In the fearsome dark when the sun has gone
+            And the flames are mounting high;--
+  When earth and fen are alike ablaze,
+  And tombs burst open before thy gaze:
+            O faster let us hie!"
+
+  "Let us never heed for the snorting blaze,
+  Nor fear, though over the island ways
+            Dart tongues of living light.
+  Let us not lightly give way to fear
+  Of the noble warriors buried here,
+            But talk with them tonight."
+
+  But the shepherd lad fled fast away,
+  Nor stayed to hear what the youth would say,
+            But into the forest sped;
+  While in Hervˆr's breast rose proud and high
+  Her hard-knit heart, as she saw near by
+            The dwellings of the dead.
+
+She could now see the fires of the barrows and the ghosts standing
+outside; and she approached the barrows fearlessly and passed through
+the fires as if they had been merely smoke, until she reached the
+barrow of the berserks. Then she cried:
+
+  V. Awaken, Angantyr, hearken to me!
+  The only daughter of Tofa and thee
+            Is here and bids thee awake!
+  Give me from out the barrow's shade
+  The keen-edged sword which the dwarfs once made
+            For Svafrlami's sake.
+
+  Hervarth, Hjˆrvarth, Angantyr,
+  And Hrani, under the tree-roots here,
+            I bid you now appear;--
+  Clad in harness and coat of mail,
+  With shield and broadsword of biting steel,
+            Helmet and reddened spear!
+
+  The sons of Arngrim are changed indeed
+  To heaps of dust, and Eyfura's seed
+            Has crumbled into mould.--
+  In Munarvagar will no one speak
+  To her who has come thus far to seek
+            Discourse with the men of old?
+
+  Hervarth, Hjˆrvarth, Angantyr
+  And Hrani, great be your torment here
+            If ye will not hear my words.
+  Give me the blade that Dvalin made;
+  It is ill becoming the ghostly dead
+            To keep such costly swords!
+
+  In your tortured ribs shall my curses bring
+  A maddening itch and a frenzied sting,
+            Till ye writhe in agonies,
+  As if ye were laid to your final rest
+  Where the ants are swarming within their nest,
+            And revelling in your thighs!
+
+Then answered Angantyr:
+
+  O Hervˆr, daughter, why dost thou call
+  Words full of cursing upon us all?
+            Thou goest to meet thy doom!
+  Mad art thou grown, and thy wits are fled;
+  Thy mind is astray, that thou wak'st the dead
+            --The dwellers in the tomb.
+
+  No father buried me where I lie,
+  Nor other kinsman[1] ...
+  The only two who remained unslain
+  Laid hold on Tyrfing, but now again
+            One only possesses the sword.
+
+She answered:
+
+  Nought save the truth shalt thou tell to me!
+  May the ancient gods deal ill with thee
+            If thou harbour Tyrfing there!
+  Thine only daughter am I, and yet
+  Unwilling thou art that I should get
+            That which belongs to thine heir!
+
+It now seemed as if the barrows, which had opened, were surrounded
+with an unbroken ring of flame. Then Angantyr cried:
+
+  The barrows are opening! Before thy gaze
+  The round of the island is all ablaze,
+            And the gate of Hell stands wide.
+  There are spectres abroad that are ghastly to see.
+  Return, little maiden, right hastily
+            To thy ship that waits on the tide.
+
+She replied:
+
+  No funeral fire that burns by night
+  Can make me tremble with affright,
+            Or fear of awful doom.
+  Thy daughter's heart can know no fear,
+  Though a ghost before her should appear
+            In the doorway of the tomb.
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  O Hervˆr, Hervˆr, hearken to me!
+  Nought save the truth will I tell to thee
+            That will surely come about!
+  Believe me, maiden, Tyrfing will be
+  A curse upon all thy progeny
+            Till thy race be blotted out.
+
+  A son shalt thou bear, as I prophesy,
+  Who shall fight with Tyrfing mightily,
+            And trust to Tyrfing's might.
+  I tell thee Heithrek shall be his name,
+  The noblest man and of greatest fame
+            Of all under Heaven's light.
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  On all you dead this curse I cry:--
+  Mouldering and rotting shall ye lie
+            With the spirits in the tomb!
+  Out of the barrow, Angantyr,
+  Give me the keen-edged Tyrfing here,
+            The sword called 'Hjalmar's Doom'!
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  Surely unlike to a mortal thou
+  To wander about from howe to howe,
+            And stand in the doorway here!
+  In the horror of night-time, my little maid,
+  Thou comest with helmet and byrnie and blade,
+            And shakest thy graven spear!
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  A mortal maiden is she who comes,
+  Arousing the corpses within their tombs,
+            And will not be denied:--
+  Give me from out the barrow's shade
+  The keen-edged sword that the dwarf-folk made,
+            Which it ill becomes thee to hide!
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  The sword that the death-stroke to Hjalmar gave
+  Lies under my shoulders within the grave,
+            And wrapped about with flame.
+  But that maiden lives not in any land
+  Who dare grasp the weapon within her hand
+            For any hope of fame.
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  There lives, O Angantyr, a maid
+  Who yearns to handle the keen-edged blade,
+            And such a maid am I!
+  And what care I though the tomb fires blaze!
+  They sink and tremble before my gaze,
+            They quiver out and die!
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  O Hervˆr, 'tis folly and madness dire
+  To rush wide-eyed through the flaming fire
+            With courage undismayed.
+  Rather by far will I give to thee
+  The accursed sword, though unwillingly,
+            My little, tender maid.
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  O son of the vikings, well hast thou done
+  In giving me Tyrfing from out the tomb;
+            And happier am I today
+  That I now grasp Tyrfing within my hands
+  Than if I were queen of the broad Northlands,
+            And conqueror of Noroway.
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  Vain is thy rapture, my luckless maid!
+  Thy hopes are false. All too soon will fade
+            The flush of joy from thy face.
+  Try, child, to listen; I am warning thee!--
+  This sword is the sword of destiny,
+            The destroyer of all thy race!
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  Away, away to my 'ocean-steed'!
+  The daughter of princes is glad indeed,
+            O glad at heart today!
+  And what care I for the destiny
+  Of children as yet undreamed by me?--
+            Let them quarrel as they may!
+
+Angantyr:
+
+  Thou shalt have and enjoy without sorrow or pain
+  The blade which proved to be Hjalmar's bane,
+            If thou draw it not from its sheath.
+  Worse than a plague is this cursed thing.
+  Touch not its edges, for poisons cling
+            Above it and beneath.
+
+  Farewell, yet fain would I give to thee
+  The life that has passed from my brothers and me,
+            O daughter, 'tis truth I say!
+  --The strength and vigour and hardihood,
+  --All that we had that was great and good,
+            That has vanished and passed away!
+
+Hervˆr:
+
+  Farewell, farewell to all you dead!
+  Farewell! I would that I were sped!
+            Farewell all you in the mound!...
+  Surely in terror I drew my breath
+  Between the Worlds of Life and Death
+            When the grave fires girt me round!
+
+    [Footnote 1: Two lines are missing from the MS. at this
+    point.]
+
+Then she returned towards her ships; but when dawn came, she saw that
+they had departed. The vikings had been scared by the rumblings
+and the flames on the island. She got a ship to carry her away;
+but nothing is told of her voyage till she came to Guthmund in
+Glasisvellir, where she remained all through the winter, still calling
+herself Hervarth.
+
+VI. One day Guthmund was playing chess, and when the game was almost
+up, he asked if anyone could advise him as to his moves. So Hervarth
+went up to him and began to direct his moves; and it was not long
+before Guthmund began to win. Then somebody took up Tyrfing and drew
+it. When Hervarth saw this, he snatched the sword out of his hands,
+and slew him, and then left the room. They wanted to rush out in
+pursuit, but Guthmund said:
+
+"Don't stir--you will not be avenged on the man so easily as you
+think, for you don't know who he is. This woman-man will cost you dear
+before you take his life."
+
+After that Hervˆr spent a long time in piracy and had great success.
+And when she grew tired of that she went home to the Earl, her
+mother's father. There she behaved like other girls, working at her
+embroidery and fine needlework.
+
+Hˆfund, the son of Guthmund, heard of this and went and asked for the
+hand of Hervˆr, and was accepted; and he took her home.
+
+Hˆfund was a very wise man and so just in his judgments that he never
+swerved from giving a correct decision, whether the persons involved
+were natives or foreigners. And it is from him that the 'hˆfund' or
+judge of law-suits takes his name in every realm.
+
+He and Hervˆr had two sons. One was called Angantyr, the other
+Heithrek. They were both big strong men--sensible and handsome.
+Angantyr resembled his father in character and was kindly disposed
+towards everyone. Hˆfund loved him very much, as indeed did everybody.
+But however much good he did, Heithrek did still more evil. He was
+Hervˆr's favourite. His foster-father was called Gizur.
+
+One day Hˆfund held a feast and invited all the chief men in his
+kingdom except Heithrek. This greatly displeased him, but he put in
+an appearance all the same, declaring that he would do them some
+mischief. And when he entered the hall, Angantyr rose and went to meet
+him and invited him to sit beside him. Heithrek was not cheerful, but
+he sat till late in the evening after Angantyr had gone; and then he
+turned to the men who sat on either side of him and worked upon them
+by his conversation in such a way that they became infuriated with
+each other. But when Angantyr came back he told them to be quiet. And
+when Angantyr went out a second time, Heithrek reminded them of his
+words, and worked upon them to such an extent that one of them struck
+the other. Then Angantyr returned and persuaded them to keep the peace
+till morning. And the third time Angantyr went away, Heithrek asked
+the man who had been struck why he had not the courage to avenge
+himself. And so effective did his persuasion prove that he who had
+been struck sprang up and slew his companion. When Angantyr returned,
+he was displeased at what had taken place. And when Hˆfund heard of
+it, he told Heithrek that he must either leave his kingdom or forfeit
+his life.
+
+So Heithrek went out, and his brother with him. Then his mother came
+up and gave him Tyrfing. And Heithrek said to her:
+
+"I don't know when I shall be able to show as much difference in my
+treatment of my father and mother as they do in their treatment of me.
+My father proclaims me an outlaw while my mother has given me Tyrfing,
+which is of more account to me than a great territory. But I shall do
+that very thing that will most distress my father."
+
+He then drew the sword, which gleamed and flashed brilliantly, and
+then he got into a great rage and showed the berserk's fury coming
+upon him. The two brothers were alone. Now since Tyrfing had to be the
+death of a man every time it was drawn, Heithrek dealt his brother his
+death-blow. Hˆfund was told of it, and Heithrek escaped at once to the
+woods. Hˆfund had a funeral feast made for his son Angantyr, and he
+was lamented by everybody.
+
+Heithrek got little joy of his deed and lived in the woods for a long
+time, shooting deer and bears for food. And when he came to think over
+his position, he reflected that there would be but a poor tale to tell
+if no-one was to know what had become of him; and it occurred to him
+that he could even yet become a man famous for deeds of prowess like
+his ancestors before him. So he went home and sought out his mother
+and begged her to ask his father to give him some sound advice before
+they parted. She went to Hˆfund and asked him to give their son sound
+advice. Hˆfund replied that he would give him a little, but added that
+it would turn out to his disadvantage nevertheless; he said however
+that he would not ignore his request:
+
+"In the first place he must not aid a man who has slain his liege
+lord. Secondly, he must not protect a man who has slain one of his
+comrades. Thirdly, his wife ought not to be always leaving home to
+visit her relatives. Fourthly, he ought not to stay out late with his
+sweetheart. Fifthly, he should not ride his best horse when he is in
+a hurry. Sixthly, he ought not to bring up the child of a man in a
+better position than himself. Seventhly, let him always be cheerful
+towards one who comes for hospitality. Eighthly, he should never lay
+Tyrfing on the ground.--Yet he will not get any benefit from this
+advice."
+
+His mother repeated these maxims to him.
+
+Heithrek replied: "This advice must have been given me in a spiteful
+spirit. It will not be of any use to me."
+
+His mother gave him a mark of gold at parting, and bade him always
+bear in mind how sharp his sword was, and how great renown had been
+won by everyone who had borne it--what great protection its sharp
+edges afforded to him who wielded it in battle or single combat, and
+what great success it always had.--Then they parted.
+
+He went on his way; and when he had gone a short distance he came upon
+some men who were leading a man in bonds. Heithrek asked what the man
+had done, and they replied that he had betrayed his liege lord. He
+asked if they would accept money as his ransom, and they said that
+they were willing to do so. He ransomed the man for half his gold
+mark.
+
+The man then offered to serve him, but Heithrek replied:
+
+"You would not be faithful to a stranger like me, seeing that you
+betrayed your liege lord to whom you owed many benefits."
+
+Shortly after he again came upon some men, of whom one was in bonds.
+He asked what this man had done, and they replied that he had murdered
+one of his comrades. He freed him with the other half of his gold
+mark. This man also offered to serve him, but Heithrek declined.
+
+After that he went on his way till he came to Reithgotaland, where he
+went to the King who ruled there. His name was Harold, and he was an
+old man at the time. Heithrek remained for a time with the King, who
+gave him a cordial welcome.
+
+VII. There were two Earls who had plundered the kingdom of King Harold
+and made it subject to them, and because he was old he paid them
+tribute every year. Heithrek grew intimate with the King, and
+eventually it came about that he became the commander of his army
+and betook himself to raiding, and soon made himself famous for his
+victories. He proceeded to make war on the Earls who had subdued King
+Harold's kingdom, and a stiff fight took place between them. Heithrek
+fought with Tyrfing and, as in the past, no-one could withstand it,
+for it cut through steel as easily as cloth; and the result was that
+he slew both the Earls and put all their army to flight. He then
+went throughout the kingdom and brought it under King Harold and took
+hostages, and then returned home. And as a mark of great honour, King
+Harold went himself to meet him, and he acquired great fame from this.
+The King gave him his daughter Helga in marriage and with her half his
+kingdom. Heithrek had the defence of the whole realm in his hands; and
+this arrangement lasted for a time.
+
+King Harold had a son in his old age. Heithrek also had a son, who
+was called Angantyr. Presently a great famine began in Reithgotaland
+(which is now called Jutland) and it threatened to destroy all the
+inhabitants. So they tried divination, and the answer was that there
+would be no plenty in Reithgotaland until the noblest boy in the land
+had been sacrificed. Heithrek said that that was King Harold's son,
+but the King declared that Heithrek's son was the noblest; and there
+was no escape from this dilemma save by referring it to Hˆfund, whose
+decisions were always just.
+
+Thereupon Heithrek went to visit his father, who made him welcome.
+He asked his father's decision about this question. Hˆfund pronounced
+Heithrek's son to be the noblest in that land.
+
+"What compensation do you adjudge to me for my loss?" asked Heithrek.
+
+"You shall claim for yourself in compensation every second man in
+the retinue of King Harold. Beyond that there is no need to give you
+advice, considering your character and the army that you have under
+you."
+
+Then Heithrek went back and summoned a meeting, and told them his
+father's opinion:
+
+"He decided that it was my son who must be sacrificed; and as
+compensation to me he adjudged to me every second man of those who are
+with King Harold, and I want you to swear an oath that this shall be
+done."
+
+And they did so. Then the people demanded that he should give up his
+son and get them a better harvest. Heithrek then talked with his
+men after the force had been divided, and demanded fresh oaths of
+allegiance from them. These they gave, swearing to follow him whether
+at home or abroad, for whatever purpose he wished.
+
+Then said he: "It appears to me that Othin will have been well
+compensated for one boy if he gets in place of him King Harold and his
+son and all his host!"
+
+He then bade his men raise his standard and make an attack on King
+Harold and slay him and all his host, declaring that he was giving
+this host to Othin instead of his own son. He caused the altars to be
+reddened with the blood of King Harold and his son Halfdan, while the
+Queen took her own life in the temple of the DÌs.
+
+Heithrek was now accepted as King throughout the realm. He made love
+to Sifka the daughter of Humli, a prince from the land of the Huns.
+Their son was called Hlˆth. He was brought up with his mother's
+father.
+
+VIII. King Heithrek went out raiding and marched against the land of
+the Saxons with a great host. The King of the Saxons sent men to
+meet him and they made peace with one another, and the King invited
+Heithrek to a banquet. Heithrek accepted the invitation. The result of
+this banquet was that Heithrek sought the hand of the King's daughter
+and married her, receiving much property and land as her dowry; and
+with that King Heithrek went home to his kingdom. She often used to
+ask to go to visit her father, and Heithrek was indulgent to her in
+this matter. Her stepson Angantyr used to go with her.
+
+On one occasion when Heithrek was returning from a raid, he lay in
+hiding off the land of the Saxons. He landed during the night and
+entered the building in which his wife was sleeping. He had only one
+companion with him. All the sentries were asleep. He found a handsome
+man asleep beside his wife. He took his son Angantyr and carried him
+away with him, and returned to his ship, having first cut off a lock
+of the man's hair.
+
+Next morning he lay to in the King's berth, and all the people went to
+greet him; and a feast was prepared in his honour. A little later he
+had a meeting called and asked if anything was known of his son. The
+Queen alleged that he had died suddenly. He asked her to guide him to
+his tomb, and when she said that that would only increase his grief,
+he replied that he did not mind that. A search was made accordingly,
+and a dog was found wrapped in a shroud. Heithrek remarked that his
+son had not changed for the better. Then the King caused the man
+whom he had found asleep to be brought forward, and he proved to be a
+bondman. Thereupon Heithrek put away his wife, and then went home to
+his kingdom.
+
+One summer as Heithrek was away raiding, he went into the land of the
+Huns and harried there, and Humli his father-in-law fled before him.
+Heithrek there captured great booty and also Sifka, the daughter
+of King Humli, and then returned home to his kingdom. Their son was
+called Hlˆth, as we said before. He sent her home shortly after. He
+also captured another woman called Sifka from Finland. She was the
+loveliest woman ever seen.
+
+One summer he sent men east to Holmgarth to offer to bring up the
+child of King Hrollaug, the most powerful king of the time. This he
+did because he was anxious to act exactly contrary to the whole of his
+father's advice. Messengers came to Holmgarth and told their errand to
+the King, who had a young son called Horlaug.
+
+The King replied: "Is it likely that I shall send him my son to bring
+up, when he has betrayed King Harold his father-in-law and his other
+relatives and friends?"
+
+But the Queen urged: "Do not be so hasty in refusing this, for if you
+do not accept his offer the result will certainly be war. I expect it
+will fare with you as with many another, and war with him will be no
+trifle. Moreover he has a sword which nothing can withstand, and the
+man who wields it will always be victorious."
+
+So the King resolved to send his son to Heithrek; and Heithrek was
+pleased with him and brought him up and loved him much.
+
+Heithrek's father had also counselled him not to tell secrets to his
+sweetheart.
+
+IX. Every summer King Heithrek went raiding; he always went into the
+Baltic where he had King Hrollaug's friendly country at hand. On one
+occasion King Hrollaug invited him to a feast, and Heithrek consulted
+his friends as to whether he should accept the invitation. They all
+tried to dissuade him, bidding him bear in mind his father's maxims.
+
+"All his maxims will I disregard," he replied, and sent word to the
+King that he would be present at the feast.
+
+He divided his host into three parts. One he ordered to guard the
+ships, the second accompanied him, while the third he ordered to go
+on shore and conceal themselves in a wood near the house in which the
+feast was to be held, and to be on the look out in case he should need
+help. Heithrek went to the feast, and the next day, when the Kings
+were seated, Heithrek asked where the King's son, his foster-child,
+was. A search was made for him, but he could not be found. Heithrek
+was greatly distressed and retired to bed early; and when Sifka joined
+him she asked why he was distressed.
+
+"That is a difficult matter to talk about," replied he, "because my
+life is at stake if it becomes known."
+
+She promised to keep the secret, adding:
+
+"Tell me for the sake of the love that is between us."
+
+So Heithrek began:
+
+"As I was riding to the forest yesterday looking for sport, I caught
+sight of a wild boar and made a thrust at him with my spear; but I
+missed my aim and the shaft snapped. Then I leapt down from my horse
+and drew Tyrfing, which was effective as usual, and I slew the boar.
+But when I looked round there was no-one by except the King's son.
+But it is a peculiarity of Tyrfing that it must be sheathed with human
+blood still warm upon it, so I slew the lad. Now this will be the end
+of me if King Hrollaug hears of it, because we have only a small force
+here."
+
+Next morning when Sifka came to the Queen, the Queen asked her why
+Heithrek had been depressed. She said that she did not dare to tell.
+But the Queen persuaded her to change her mind, so she told the Queen
+all that Heithrek had told her.
+
+"These are terrible tidings," cried the Queen, and went off in deep
+grief and told the King; but she added:
+
+"Yet Heithrek has done this against his will."
+
+"Your advice has turned out as I expected," said the King as he left
+the hall to give orders to his men to arm.
+
+Heithrek had a shrewd notion as to what Sifka had said, and ordered
+his men to arm themselves secretly, and then to go out in small
+detachments and try to find out what was happening.
+
+A little later King Hrollaug came in and asked Heithrek to come and
+have a private talk with him. And when they entered a garden, some men
+sprang at Heithrek and seized him and cast him into fetters and bound
+him securely; and he recognised the two men who bound him most tightly
+as the men whose lives he had saved. The King ordered him to be taken
+to the forest and hanged. There were two hundred and forty of them all
+told, and when they entered the forest, King Heithrek's men sprang out
+at them with his weapons and standard and a trumpet which they blew
+as they attacked their foes. Their companions concealed in the woods
+heard the noise and came out to meet King Heithrek's men. And when the
+natives saw that, they all took to their heels; but most of them were
+slain. The Goths took their King and released him. Heithrek went to
+his ships after that, taking with him the King's son whom he had left
+with the men concealed in the wood.
+
+King Hrollaug now summoned a very large force, and King Heithrek
+raided in his kingdom wherever he went.
+
+Then said King Hrollaug to the Queen:
+
+"Your advice has turned out badly for me. I find that our son is with
+Heithrek, and in his present state of anger he will think nothing
+of making an end of him in his criminal way, just as he slew his own
+innocent brother."
+
+"We have been far too easily convinced," replied the Queen. "You saw
+how popular he was, when no-one would fetter him except two bad men;
+and our son is taken good care of. This has been a trick of his to
+make trial of you, and you offered him a poor return for bringing up
+your child. Send men to him now, and offer to make it up with him,
+and to give him so much of your territories as you may agree upon with
+him; and offer him your daughter too, if we can recover our son. That
+will be better than that you should part from him in enmity. And even
+if he already has wide territory, he has not a wife as beautiful as
+she."
+
+"I had not intended to offer her to anyone," replied the King; "but as
+you are so wise, you shall decide."
+
+Messengers were sent accordingly to King Heithrek to bring about a
+reconciliation. A council was held and a reconciliation effected by
+Heithrek's marrying Hergerth, the daughter of King Hrollaug; and she
+brought him as her dowry Wendland, the province which lies nearest to
+Reithgotaland.
+
+On one occasion the King was riding his best horse as he was
+conducting Sifka home. It was late in the evening, and when the King
+came to a river his horse fell dead. Shortly afterwards, when Sifka
+attempted to embrace him, he threw her down and broke her leg.
+Afterwards King Heithrek settled down in his own kingdom and became a
+great sage.
+
+X. They had a daughter called Hervˆr who was brought up by a man
+called Ormar. She was a most beautiful girl, but as tall and strong as
+a man, and trained herself in the use of bow and arrows.
+
+There was a great man in Reithgotaland called Gestumblindi, who was
+not on good terms with King Heithrek.
+
+In the King's retinue there were seven men whose duty it was to decide
+all the disputes that arose in that country.
+
+King Heithrek worshipped Frey, and he used to give Frey the biggest
+boar he could find. They regarded it as so sacred that in all
+important cases they used to take the oath on its bristles. It was the
+custom to sacrifice this boar at the 'sacrifice of the herd.' On Yule
+Eve the 'boar of the herd' was led into the hall before the King.
+Then men laid their hands on his bristles and made solemn vows. King
+Heithrek himself made a vow that however deeply a man should have
+wronged him, if he came into his power he should not be deprived of
+the chance of receiving a trial by the King's judges; but he should
+get off scot free if he could propound riddles which the King could
+not answer. But when people tried to ask the King riddles, not one was
+put to him which he could not solve.
+
+The King sent a message to Gestumblindi bidding him come to him on
+an appointed day; otherwise the King said that he would send to fetch
+him. Neither alternative pleased Gestumblindi, because he knew himself
+to be no match for the King in a contest of words; neither did he
+think he had much to hope from a trial before the judges, for his
+offences were many. On the other hand, he knew that if the King had to
+send men to bring him it would cost him his life. Then he proceeded to
+sacrifice to Othin and to ask his help, promising him great offerings.
+
+One evening a stranger visited Gestumblindi, and said that he also
+was called Gestumblindi. They were so much alike that neither could
+be distinguished from the other. They exchanged clothes, and the
+landowner went into hiding, and everyone thought the stranger was the
+landowner himself.
+
+This man went to visit the King and greeted him. The King looked at
+him and was silent.
+
+Gestumblindi said: "I am come, Sire, to make my peace with you."
+
+"Will you stand trial by the judges?" asked the King.
+
+"Are there no other means of escape?" asked Gestumblindi.
+
+"If," replied the King, "you can ask me riddles which I cannot answer,
+you shall go free."
+
+"I am not likely to be able to do that," replied Gestumblindi; "yet
+the alternative is severe."
+
+"Do you prefer the trial?" asked the King.
+
+"Nay," said he, "I would rather ask riddles."
+
+"That is quite in order," said the King, "and much depends on the
+issue. If you can get the better of me you shall marry my daughter and
+none shall gainsay you. Yet I don't imagine you are very clever, and
+it has never yet happened that I have been unable to solve the riddles
+that have been put to me."
+
+Then a chair was placed for Gestumblindi, and the people began to
+listen eagerly to the words of wisdom.
+
+Gestumblindi began as follows:
+
+    XI. I would that I had that which I had yesterday. Guess O
+    King, what that was:--Exhauster of men, retarder of words, yet
+    originator of speech. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed
+    it.--Give him some ale. That is what confounds many people's
+    reason. Some are made garrulous by it, but some become
+    confused in their speech.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I went from home, I made my way from home, I looked upon a
+    road of roads. A road was beneath me, a road above and a road
+    on every side. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed
+    it. You went over a bridge, and the course of the river was
+    beneath it, and birds were flying over your head and on either
+    side of you; that was their road; you saw a salmon in the
+    river, and that was his road.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What was the drink that I had yesterday? It was neither wine
+    nor water, mead nor ale, nor any kind of food; and yet I went
+    away with my thirst quenched. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    You lay in the shade and cooled your lips in dew. But if
+    you are the Gestumblindi I took you for, you are a more
+    intelligent man than I expected; for I had heard that your
+    conversation showed no brains, yet now you are setting to work
+    cleverly.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I expect that I shall soon come to grief; yet I should like
+    you to listen a while longer.
+
+Then he continued:
+
+    Who is that clanging one who traverses hard paths which he has
+    trod before? He kisses very rapidly, has two mouths and walks
+    on gold alone. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is the goldsmith's hammer, with which gold is forged.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is that huge one that passes over the earth, swallowing
+    lakes and pools? He fears the wind, but he fears not man, and
+    carries on hostilities against the sun. King Heithrek, read me
+    this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is fog. One cannot see the sea because of it. Yet as soon
+    as the wind blows, the fog lifts; but men can do nothing to
+    it. Fog kills the sunshine. You have a cunning way of asking
+    riddles and conundrums, whoever you are.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is that huge one that controls many things and of which
+    half faces towards Hell? It saves people's lives and grapples
+    with the earth, if it has a trusty friend. King Heithrek, read
+    me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is an anchor with its thick strong cable. It controls
+    many a ship, and grips the earth with one of its flukes which
+    is pointing towards Hell. It is a means of safety to many
+    people. Greatly do I marvel at your readiness of speech and
+    wisdom.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Ah, but I am now almost at the end of my riddles; yet everyone
+    is eager to save his life.--What lives in high mountains? What
+    falls in deep valleys? What lives without breathing? What is
+    never silent? King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    A raven always lives in high mountains, and dew falls in
+    deep valleys, a fish lives without breathing, and the booming
+    waterfall is never silent.
+
+    Things are now becoming serious, said Gestumblindi, and I do
+    not know what is going to happen.--What is the marvel which
+    I have seen outside Delling's doorway? It points its head
+    towards Hell and turns its feet to the sun. King Heithrek,
+    read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is a leek. Its head grows down into the ground, and its
+    blades upward into the air.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway?--Two restless, lifeless things boiling a wound-leek.
+    King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is the smith's bellows which have breath, yet not life.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway?--White fliers smiting the rock, and black fliers
+    burying themselves in sand! King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    But now your riddles are growing trivial. That is hail and
+    rain; for hail beats upon the street; whereas rain-drops fall
+    into the sand and sink into the earth.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway? I saw a black hog wallowing in mud, yet no bristles
+    were standing up on his back. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed
+    it. That is a dung-beetle. But we have talked too long when
+    dung-beetles come to exercise the wits of great men.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    "It is best to put off misfortune"; and though there are some
+    who overlook this truth, many will want to go on trying. I
+    myself too see now that I shall have to look out for every
+    possible way of escape. What is the marvel that I have seen
+    outside Delling's doorway? This creature has ten tongues,
+    twenty eyes, forty feet, and walks with difficulty. King
+    Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That was a sow with nine little pigs.
+
+Then the King had the sow killed and they found they had killed with
+her nine little pigs, as Gestumblindi had said.
+
+Then the King said:
+
+    I am beginning to suspect that I have to deal with a cleverer
+    man than myself in this business; but I don't know who you can
+    be.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I am such as you can see; and I am very anxious to save my
+    life and be quit of this task.
+
+    You must go on asking riddles, replied the King, till you have
+    exhausted your stock, or else till I fail to solve them.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway? It flies high, with a whistling sound like the
+    whirring of an eagle. Hard it is to clutch, O King. King
+    Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is an arrow, said the King.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway? It has eight feet and four eyes, and carries its
+    knees higher than its body. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    I notice firstly that you have a long hood; and secondly that
+    you look downwards more than most people, since you observe
+    every creature of the earth.--That is a spider.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway? It shines upon men in every land; and yet wolves are
+    always struggling for it. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    It is the sun. It gives light to every land and shines down on
+    all men. But the wolves are called Skalli and Hatti. Those are
+    the wolves who accompany the sun, one in front and one behind.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is the marvel which I have seen outside Delling's
+    doorway? It was harder than horn, blacker than the raven,
+    whiter than the membrane of an egg, straighter than a shaft.
+    King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    You saw an agate, and a sunbeam penetrated the house and shone
+    upon it. But since you seem to be a learned man, can you not
+    propound your riddles without always beginning them in the
+    same way?
+
+Then said Gestumblindi:
+
+    Two bond-women, fair-haired brides, were carrying ale to the
+    store-room. The cask was not turned by hands, nor clinched
+    by hammers; and he who made it strutted about outside the
+    islands. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    These are eider duck laying their eggs. The eggs are not made
+    with hammer or hands, and the hand-maidens put the ale into
+    the egg-shell.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    He who has got but a little sword and is very short of
+    learning has to look out for help. I would like to talk still
+    further.--Who are those ladies of the lofty mountain? A woman
+    begets by a woman; a maid has a son by a maid; and these
+    good-wives have no husbands. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    They are two Angelicas joined together, and a young angelica
+    shoot is growing between them.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the girls who fight without weapons around their lord?
+    The dark red ones always protect him, and the fair ones seek
+    to destroy him. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is a game of chess. The pieces smite one another without
+    weapons around the king, and the red assist him.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the merry-maids who glide over the land for their
+    father's pleasure? They bear a white shield in winter and a
+    black one in summer. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    Those are ptarmigan.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the damsels who go sorrowing for their father's
+    pleasure? These white-hooded ladies have shining hair, and are
+    very wide awake in a gale. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    Those are the billows, which are called ∆gir's maidens.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the maidens who go about many together for their
+    father's pleasure? They have brought trouble to many; and
+    these good-wives have no husbands. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    Those are billows like the last.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the brides who go about the reefs and trail along the
+    firths? These white-hooded ladies have a hard bed and do not
+    play much when the weather is calm. King Heithrek read me this
+    riddle.
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    Those again are ∆gir's maidens; but your pleading has now
+    become so weak that you will have to stand trial by the
+    judges.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I am loath to do so; and yet I fear that it will very soon
+    come to that. I saw a barrow-dweller pass by, a corpse
+    sitting on a corpse, the blind riding on the blind towards
+    the ocean-path. Lifeless was the steed. King Heithrek, read me
+    this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    It is that you came to a river; and an ice-floe was floating
+    along the stream, and on it a dead horse was lying, and on the
+    horse was a dead snake; and thus the blind was carrying the
+    blind when they were all three together.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is that beast which slays people's flocks and is girt
+    around with iron? It has eight horns, yet no head, and it runs
+    when it can. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is the _Hunn_ in chess. It has the same name as a bear.
+    It runs as soon as it is thrown.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    What is that beast which protects the Danes? Its back is
+    bloody, but it shields men, encounters spears and saves men's
+    lives. Man fits his hand to its body. King Heithrek, read me
+    this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is a shield. It protects many people and often has a
+    bloody back.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    A 'nose-goose' (i.e. duck) in former days had grown very
+    big when eager for young. She gathered together her building
+    timber: 'biters of straw' sheltered her, and 'drink's echoing
+    cavern' was above her. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    There a duck was sitting on her eggs between the jaws of an
+    ox, which you call 'biters of straw.' The 'echoing cavern' is
+    the skull, and the 'building timber,' the nest.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Four walking, four hanging, two pointing the way, two warding
+    off the dogs, one, generally dirty, dangling behind! King
+    Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is a cow. She has four feet and four udders, two horns
+    and two eyes, and the tail dangles behind.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who is that solitary one who sleeps in the grey ash and is
+    made from stone only? This greedy one has neither father nor
+    mother. There will he spend his life. King Heithrek, read me
+    this riddle.
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is a spark struck by a flint and hidden in the hearth.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I saw a horse standing....
+
+Then the King said:
+
+    My retinue shall read this riddle.
+
+They made many guesses, but not particularly good ones. And when the
+King saw that they could do nothing he said:
+
+    What you call a 'horse' is a piece of linen, and his 'mare' is
+    the weaver's rod; and the linen is shaken up and down.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are the thanes who ride to the meeting, sixteen of them
+    together? They send their men far and wide to make homes of
+    their own. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    That is 'King Itrek's game.'
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    In summer time at sunset I saw the King's body-guard awake and
+    very joyful. The nobles were drinking their ale in silence,
+    but the ale-butts stood screaming. King Heithrek, read me this
+    riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed
+    it. That is a sow with her litter. When the little pigs are
+    feeding, she squeals and they are silent.--But I can't imagine
+    who you are who can compose such things so deftly out of such
+    unpromising materials!
+
+The King then silently made a sign that the door of the hall was to be
+closed.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I saw maidens like dust. Rocks were their beds. They were
+    black and swarthy in the sunshine, but the darker it grew, the
+    fairer they appeared. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    They are pale embers on the hearth.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    I sat on a sail, and saw dead men carrying a channel of blood
+    in the bark of a tree. King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    Your riddle is a good one, Gestumblindi. I have guessed it.
+    You sat on a wall, and watched a hawk flying and carrying an
+    eider duck in its claws.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Who are those two who have ten feet, three eyes and one tail?
+    King Heithrek, read me this riddle!
+
+Heithrek replied:
+
+    You are hard up when you have to turn back to things of long
+    ago to bring forward against me. That is Othin riding his
+    horse Sleipnir. It had eight feet and Othin two, and they had
+    three eyes--Sleipnir two and Othin one.
+
+Gestumblindi said:
+
+    Tell me lastly, Heithrek, if you are wiser than any other
+    prince, what did Othin whisper in Balder's ear, before he was
+    placed upon the pyre?
+
+The King replied:
+
+    I am sure it was something scandalous and cowardly and
+    thoroughly contemptible. You are the only person who knows the
+    words which you spoke, you evil and wretched creature.
+
+Then the King drew Tyrfing, and struck at Gestumblindi; but he changed
+himself into a falcon and flew out through the window of the hall. And
+the sword struck the tail of the falcon; and that is why it has had
+a short tail ever since, according to heathen superstition. But Othin
+had now become wroth with the King for striking at him; and that night
+he was slain.
+
+XII. It is said that King Heithrek had some slaves, nine in all, whom
+he had taken in a freebooting expedition in the West. They came of
+noble families, and chafed against their captivity. One night, when
+King Heithrek lay in bed, attended by only a handful of men, the
+slaves armed themselves and went to the building in which he lay.
+They first slew the sentries, and then went and broke into the King's
+chamber, and slew the King and all who were within. They took the
+sword Tyrfing, and all the treasure that they found there, and carried
+everything off with them.
+
+For a while, no one knew who had done the deed or how vengeance was to
+be taken. Then Angantyr the son of King Heithrek had a meeting called,
+and by that assembly he was proclaimed King over all the territories
+that King Heithrek had held. And at the same meeting he swore a solemn
+oath that he would never sit on his father's throne until he had
+avenged him.
+
+Shortly after the meeting, Angantyr went away by himself and travelled
+far and wide searching for these men. One evening he was walking down
+to the sea along a river called Graf. There he saw three men in a
+fishing-boat, and presently he saw one of the men catch a fish, and
+heard him call to one of his companions to hand him a bait-knife to
+cut off the fish's head. The man replied that he could not spare it.
+Then the first man said:
+
+"Take down the sword from over there by the rudder, and hand it to
+me."
+
+And he took it and unsheathed it, and cut off the fish's head, and
+then spoke a verse:
+
+  This pike at the mouth of the river
+    Has paid the penalty
+  For the slaughter inflicted on Heithrek,
+    'Neath the Mountains of Harvathi.
+
+Angantyr immediately perceived that it was Tyrfing, and went off at
+once to the wood and waited there till it was dark. And the fishermen
+rowed to the land, and went to a tent which they had, and lay down and
+went to sleep. And when it was close on midnight, Angantyr went up to
+them and pulled down the tent on top of the slaves and slew all nine
+of them, and carried off the sword Tyrfing as a sign that he had
+avenged his father. He then went home and had a great funeral feast
+held to his father's memory on the banks of the Dnieper, at a place
+called Arheimar. The kings who ruled at that time were as follows:
+Humli ruled the Huns, Gizur the Gautar, Angantyr the Goths, Valdar the
+Danes, Kjar the Gauls; Alrek the Bold ruled the English people.
+
+Hlˆth the son of King Heithrek was brought up at the court of King
+Humli, his grandfather. He was a very handsome and valiant man. There
+was an old saying at that time that a man was "born with weapons or
+horses." And the explanation is that it referred to the weapons which
+were being forged at the time when the man was born; also to any
+sheep, beasts, oxen and horses that were born about the same time.
+These were all given to high-born men as an honour to them, as is here
+related about Hlˆth the son of Heithrek:
+
+  In the land of the Huns was Hˆlth born
+    In a holy forest glade,
+  With ring-bedizened helmet,
+    With dagger and keen-edged blade,
+  With byrnie and with broadsword,
+    And noble prancing steed.
+
+Then Hlˆth learnt of the death of his father, and also that his
+brother Angantyr had been made King over all the territory which their
+father had held. Then King Humli and Hlˆth resolved that Hlˆth should
+go and request his brother Angantyr to allow him a share of his
+father's property, and that he should try first by fair words--as is
+said here:
+
+  Hlˆth, the heir of Heithrek,
+    Came riding from the East,
+  To where Angantyr was holding
+    King Heithrek's funeral feast.
+  He came to his court in Arheimar
+    Where the Gothic people dwell,
+  Demanding his share of the heritage left
+    By the King when he journeyed to Hell.
+
+Hlˆth now arrived in Arheimar with a great host as it says here:
+
+  He found a warrior hastening
+    Towards the lofty hall;
+  And unto this late traveller
+    Did Hlˆth his greeting call:
+  O man, make haste to enter
+    This hall that towers so high!
+      Bid Angantyr speed,
+      For great is the need
+    We hold a colloquy.
+
+The men entered and went up to Angantyr's table and saluted the King,
+saying:
+
+  Hlˆth, thy warlike brother,
+    King Heithrek's valiant heir,
+  Has sent me hither to thee,
+    And bidden me declare
+  That he wishes to hold converse;
+    And though he be young indeed,
+  Yet he looks a mighty champion,
+    Seated high upon his steed.
+
+And when the King heard that, he flung down his knife upon the table
+and arose from the feast; and he put on his corslet and took a white
+shield in one hand and the sword Tyrfing in the other. Then a great
+din arose in the hall, as is said in the poem:
+
+  Then a murmur arose from the warriors,
+    And all in the hall drew near,
+  As the warder reported the message of Hlˆth:
+    --Everyone lent an ear;
+  And the men all awaited with quivering breath
+    The message of Angantyr.
+
+Then Angantyr said: "Hail, brother! You are welcome! Come in and drink
+with us, and let us first drink mead in memory of our father, to the
+honour and glory of us all with full ceremony."
+
+Hlˆth said: "We are come hither for a different purpose than to fill
+our stomachs."
+
+Then Hlˆth cried:
+
+  Of all the possessions of Heithrek
+    The half do I now demand;
+  --His spear and blade and treasures,
+    His cattle and his land,
+  His handmaids and his bondmen,
+    And the children to them born,
+  And the murmuring mill that the bondwomen turn
+    As they wearily grind the corn.
+
+  And half of the far-famed Myrkvith,
+    And half of the holy grave
+  Far off mid the Gothic peoples,--
+    These also will I have.--
+  Half of the noble pillar
+    That stands on Danaper's shore;
+  And of Heithrek's castles, land and folk,
+    And half of his golden store!
+
+Cried Angantyr:
+
+  The white-shining shield shall be cloven, brother,
+    And spear on spear shall ring;
+  And many a helmet be lowered, brother,
+    In battle for this thing,
+  Ere I give thee half my heritage,
+    Or half of the sword Tyrfing.
+
+But Angantyr added:
+
+  I will offer thee wealth in plenty,
+    And all thy heart's desire
+  In store of costly treasure,
+    And rings of golden fire;
+  Twelve hundred squires will I give thee,
+    Twelve hundred prancing steeds;
+      Twelve hundred men
+      To attend on them
+    And arm them for mighty deeds.
+
+  And every man whom I give thee
+    Shall receive a richer store
+  Of rings and costly treasures
+    Than ever he had before.--
+  To every man a maiden!
+    To every maid a ring!
+  I will clasp a necklace round her throat,
+    A necklace fit for a king!
+
+  I will case thee all in silver
+    As thou sittest on thy throne;
+  And a third of the Gothic peoples
+    Shall be thine to rule alone;
+  With gold shalt thou be covered
+    As thou farest through the land.--
+      Thou shalt dazzle the sight
+      As thou walk'st in the light
+    Like the flame of a fiery brand.
+
+XIII. Gizur, a liegeman from the Grytingar, King Heithrek's
+foster-father, was with King Angantyr. He was a very old man at that
+time. And when he heard King Angantyr's suggestion, he thought that he
+was offering too much and said:
+
+  King Angantyr is generous,
+    And royal his offering!
+  For thy mother was merely a bondmaid
+    Though thou hadst for thy father a King.
+  And though thou art only an outcast,
+    Yet a seat of honour was thine,
+  When the Prince was dividing his treasure and land,
+    And his portion to each did assign.
+
+Hlˆth grew very angry at being called an outcast and the child of a
+bondwoman, if he accepted his brother's offer; so he departed at once
+with all his men and returned home to King Humli, his mother's father,
+in the land of the Huns. And he told Humli that Angantyr his brother
+had not granted him an equal share. King Humli enquired as to all that
+had passed between them, and was very angry that Hlˆth, the son of his
+daughter, should be called the son of a bondmaid, and he cried:
+
+  We will stay in our homes for the winter,
+    And as princes are wont when they dine,
+  We will hold high converse together,
+    Quaffing the costly wine.
+  We will call on the Hunnish people
+    To arm them with spear and with shield.--
+      They shall march to the fight
+      Right royally dight,
+    And conquer their foes in the field.
+
+Then he added:
+
+  We will summon a mighty host, Hlˆth,
+    And shield on shield will clang,
+  As the warriors arm them from twelve years old,
+    And the wild colts gallop along.
+      And the Huns shall mass
+      Ere the winter pass,
+    And assemble a countless throng.
+
+That winter, King Humli and Hlˆth remained quiet, but the following
+spring they collected such a large army that the land of the Huns was
+swept bare of fighting men. All those of twelve years old and upwards,
+who were fit for military service and could carry arms, joined the
+army, and all the horses of two years old and upwards. The host was
+now so big that thousands and nothing less than thousands could be
+counted in the legions. And a commander was set over every 'thousand,'
+and a standard was set up over every legion. And there were five
+'thousand' in each legion, each 'thousand' containing thirteen
+'hundreds,' and each 'hundred' four times forty men; and these legions
+were thirty three in number.
+
+When these troops had assembled, they rode through the forest which
+was called Myrkvith, and which separated the land of the Huns from
+that of the Goths. And when they emerged from the forest, they came
+upon a thickly inhabited country with level fields; and on these
+plains there was a fine fortress. It was under the command of Hervˆr,
+the sister of Angantyr and Hlˆth, and Ormar, her foster-father was
+with her. They had been appointed to defend the land against the
+Hunnish host, and they had a large army there.
+
+XIV. It happened one morning at sunrise that as Hervˆr was standing
+on the summit of a tower over the gate of the fortress, she looked
+southwards towards the forest, and saw clouds of dust arising from a
+great body of horse, by which the sun was hidden for a long time. Next
+she saw a gleam beneath the dust, as though she were gazing on a mass
+of gold--fair shields overlaid with gold, gilded helmets and white
+corslets. Then she perceived that it was the Hunnish host coming on in
+vast numbers. She descended hastily and called her trumpeter, and bade
+him sound the assembly.
+
+Then said Hervˆr: "Take your weapons and arm for battle; and do thou,
+Ormar, ride against the Huns and offer them battle before the Southern
+Gate."
+
+Ormar replied: "I will certainly take my shield and ride with the
+companies of the Goths. I will challenge the Huns and offer them
+battle before the Southern Gate."
+
+Then Ormar rode out of the fortress against the Huns. He called loudly
+bidding them ride up to the fort, saying:
+
+"Outside the gate of the fortress, in the plains to the south--there
+will I offer you battle. Let those who arrive first await their foes!"
+
+Then Ormar rode back to the fortress, and found Hervˆr and all her
+host armed and ready. They rode forthwith out of the fort with all
+their host against the Huns, and a great battle began between them.
+But the Hunnish host was far superior in numbers, so that Hervˆr's
+troops began to suffer heavy losses; and in the end Hervˆr fell, and
+a great part of her army round about her. And when Ormar saw her fall,
+he fled with all those who still survived. Ormar rode day and night as
+fast as he could to King Angantyr in Arheimar. The Huns then proceeded
+to ravage and burn throughout the land.
+
+And when Ormar came into the presence of King Angantyr, he cried:
+
+  From the south have I journeyed hither
+    To bear these tidings to thee:--
+  The whole of the forest of Myrkvith
+    Is burnt up utterly;
+  And the land of the Goths is drenched with blood
+    As our warriors fall and die.
+
+Then he continued:
+
+  All of thy noblest warriors
+    On the field are lying dead.
+  King Heithrek's daughter fell by the sword;
+    She drooped and bowed her head.
+  Thy sister Hervˆr is now no more.--
+    By the Huns was her life-blood shed.
+  O prouder and lighter the maiden's step
+    As she wielded spear and sword
+  Than if she were sped to her trysting place,
+    Or her seat at the bridal-board!
+
+When King Angantyr heard that, he drew back his lips, and it was some
+time before he spoke. Then he said:
+
+"In no brotherly wise hast thou been treated, my noble sister!"
+
+Then he surveyed his retinue, and his band of men was but small; then
+he cried:
+
+  The Gothic warriors were many,
+    As they sat and drank the mead;
+  But now when many are called for,
+    The array is poor indeed!
+  Not a man in the host will adventure--
+    Though I offer a rich reward--
+      To take his shield,
+      And ride to the field,
+    To seek out the Hunnish horde.
+
+Then Gizur the Old cried:
+
+  I will crave no single farthing,
+    Nor ringing coin of gold;
+      I will take my shield
+      And ride to the field
+    To the Huns with their myriads untold.
+  And the message of war that you send to the host
+    Will I carry, and there unfold.
+
+It was a rule with King Heithrek that if his army was invading a land,
+and the King of that land had set up hazel stakes to mark the spot
+on which the battle was to take place, then the vikings should not go
+raiding till the battle had been fought.
+
+Gizur armed himself with good weapons and leapt on his horse as if he
+had been a young man. Then he cried to the King:
+
+"Where shall I challenge the host of the Huns to battle?"
+
+King Angantyr replied: "Challenge them to battle at Dylgia and on
+Dunheith, and upon all the heights of Jˆsur, where the Goths have
+often won renown by glorious victories!"
+
+Then Gizur rode away until he came to the host of the Huns. He rode
+just within earshot, and then called loudly, crying:
+
+  Your host is panic stricken,
+    And your prince is doomed to fall;
+  Though your banners are waving high in the air,
+    Yet Othin is wroth with you all.
+  Come forth to the Jˆsur Mountains,
+    On Dylgia and Dunheith come fight;
+      For I make a sure boast,
+      In the heart of your host
+    The javelin of Othin will light!
+
+When Hlˆth heard Gizur's words, he cried:
+
+"Lay hold upon Gizur of the Grytingar, Angantyr's man, who has come
+from Arheimar!"
+
+King Humli said: "We must not injure heralds who travel about
+unattended."
+
+Gizur cried: "You Hunnish dogs are not going to overcome us with
+guile."
+
+Then Gizur struck spurs into his horse and rode back to King Angantyr,
+and went up to him and saluted him. The King asked him if he had
+parleyed with the Huns.
+
+Gizur replied: "I spoke with them and I challenged them to meet us on
+the battle-field of Dunheith and in the valleys of Dylgia."
+
+Angantyr asked how big the army of the Huns was.
+
+"Their host is very numerous," replied Gizur. "There are six legions
+in all, and five 'thousands' in every legion, and each 'thousand'
+contains thirteen 'hundreds,' and in every 'hundred' there are a
+hundred and sixty men."
+
+Angantyr asked further questions about the host of the Huns.
+
+He then sent men in all directions to summon every man who was willing
+to support him and could bear weapons. He then marched to Dunheith
+with his army, and it was a very great host. There the host of the
+Huns came against him with an army half as big again as his own.
+
+XV. Next day they began their battle, and they fought together the
+whole day, and at evening they went to their quarters. They continued
+fighting for eight days, but the princes were then still all
+unwounded, though none could count the number of the slain. But both
+day and night troops came thronging round Angantyr's banner from all
+quarters; and so it came about that his army never grew less.
+
+The battle now became fiercer than ever. The Huns were desperate, for
+they now saw that their only chance of escaping annihilation lay in
+victory, and that sorry would be their lot if they had to ask for
+quarter from the Goths. The Goths on the other hand were defending
+their freedom and their native land against the Huns; so they stood
+fast and encouraged one another to fight on. Then towards the close of
+the day the Goths made so fierce an attack that the line of the Huns
+recoiled before it. And when Angantyr saw that, he pressed forward
+from behind the rampart of shields into the forefront of the battle
+and grasping Tyrfing in his hand, mowed down both men and horses.
+Then the ranks fell apart in front of the Kings of the Huns, and Hlˆth
+exchanged blows with his brother. There fell Hlˆth and King Humli, and
+then the Huns took to flight. The Goths cut them down and made such
+a great slaughter that the rivers were dammed with the bodies and
+diverted from their courses, and the valleys were full of dead men and
+horses. Angantyr then went to search among the slain, and found his
+brother Hlˆth. Then he cried:
+
+  I offered thee wealth unstinted, brother,
+    And treasures manifold,--
+  Riches of cattle and land, brother,
+    Riches of glittering gold;
+  But now thou hast wagered and lost in the battle
+    Thy desires and glories untold.
+
+  A curse has fallen upon us, brother,
+    I have dealt destruction to thee;
+  And ne'er shall the deed be forgotten, brother;
+    Full ill is the norns' decree!
+
+XVI. Angantyr ruled Reithgotaland as King for a long time. He was
+powerful and generous and a great warrior, and lines of kings are
+sprung from him.
+
+He had a son called Heithrek Wolfskin who ruled after him for a long
+time in Reithgotaland. Heithrek had a daughter called Hild, who was
+the mother of Halfdan the Valiant, the father of Ivar Vithfathmi. Ivar
+Vithfathmi went with his army into the Swedish kingdom, as is told in
+the Sagas of the Kings. And King Ingjald the Wicked was panic-stricken
+at the approach of his army, and burned the roof over himself and all
+his retinue at a place called RÊning. Ivar Vithfathmi then conquered
+all Sweden. He also subdued Denmark and Courland and the land of the
+Saxons and Esthonia, and all the eastern realms as far as Russia. He
+also ruled the land of the Saxons in the West and conquered the part
+of England which was called Northumbria.
+
+Then he conquered all Denmark and set over it King Valdar, to whom
+he married his daughter Alfhild. Their sons were Harold Hilditˆnn
+and Randver who afterwards fell in England. And when Valdar died in
+Denmark, Randver got possession of the Danish kingdom and made himself
+King over it. And King Harold Hilditˆnn got himself proclaimed King
+of Gautland, and he afterwards conquered all the kingdoms already
+mentioned, which King Ivar Vithfathmi had held.
+
+King Randver married Asa, the daughter of King Harold of the Red
+Moustache from Norway. Their son was Sigurth Hring. King Randver died
+suddenly, and Sigurth Hring succeeded to the Kingdom of Denmark. He
+fought against King Harold Hilditˆnn at the Battle of Bravˆll in East
+Gautland, and there King Harold fell, and a great multitude of his
+army with him. This battle and the one which Angantyr and his brother
+Hlˆth fought at Dunheith are the battles which have been most famous
+in stories of old. Never were any greater slaughters made.
+
+King Sigurth Hring ruled the Kingdom of the Danes till the day of his
+death; and his son Ragnar Lothbrok succeeded him.
+
+Harold Hilditˆnn had a son called Eystein the Wicked, who succeeded to
+the Swedish Realm after his father, and ruled it until he was slain
+by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, as is related in the Saga of Ragnar
+Lothbrok. The sons of Ragnar Lothbrok conquered all the Swedish
+Kingdom; and after the death of King Ragnar, his son, Bjˆrn Ironside,
+inherited Sweden, and Sigurth Denmark, Hvitserk the Eastern Realm, and
+Ivar the Boneless England.
+
+The sons of Bjˆrn Ironside were Eric and Refil. The latter was a
+warrior-prince and sea-king. King Eric ruled the Swedish Realm after
+his father, and lived but a short time. Then Eric the son of Refil
+succeeded to the Kingdom. He was a great warrior and a very powerful
+King. The sons of Eric Bjˆrnsson were ÷nund of Upsala and King Bjˆrn.
+Then the Swedish Realm again came to be divided between brothers. They
+succeeded to the Kingdom on the death of Eric Refilsson. King Bjˆrn
+built a house called 'Barrow,' and he himself was called Bjˆrn of the
+Barrow. Bragi the poet was with him. King ÷nund had a son called Eric,
+and he succeeded to the throne at Upsala after his father. He was a
+mighty King. In his days Harold the Fair-haired made himself King of
+Norway. He was the first to unite the whole of that country under his
+sway.
+
+Eric at Upsala had a son called Bjˆrn, who came to the throne after
+his father and ruled for a long time. The sons of Bjˆrn, Eric the
+Victorious, and Olaf succeeded to the kingdom after their father. Olaf
+was the father of Styrbjˆrn the Strong. In their days King Harold
+the Fair-haired died. Styrbjˆrn fought against King Eric his father's
+brother at Fyrisvellir, and there Styrbjˆrn fell. Then Eric ruled
+Sweden till the day of his death. He married Sigrith the Ambitious.
+They had a son called Olaf who was accepted as King in Sweden after
+King Eric. He was only a child at the time and the Swedes carried him
+about with them, and for this reason they called him 'Skirt-King,'
+and then, later, Olaf the Swede. He ruled for a long time and was a
+powerful King. He was the first king of Sweden to be converted, and in
+his days, Sweden was nominally Christian.
+
+King Olaf the Swede had a son called ÷nund who succeeded him. He died
+in his bed. In his day fell King Olaf the Saint at Stiklestad. Olaf
+the Swede had another son called Eymund, who came to the throne after
+his brother. In his day the Swedes neglected the Christian religion,
+but he was King for only a short time.
+
+There was a great man of noble family in Sweden called Steinkel. His
+mother's name was Astrith, the daughter of Njal the son of Fin the
+Squinter, from Halogaland; and his father was Rˆgnvald the Old.
+Steinkel was an Earl in Sweden at first, and then after the death of
+Eymund, the Swedes elected him their King. Then the throne passed
+out of the line of the ancient kings of Sweden. Steinkel was a mighty
+prince. He married the daughter of King Eymund. He died in his bed in
+Sweden about the time that King Harold fell in England.
+
+Steinkel had a son called Ingi, who became King of Sweden after
+Haakon. Ingi was King of Sweden for a long time, and was popular and a
+good Christian. He tried to put an end to heathen sacrifices in Sweden
+and commanded all the people to accept Christianity; yet the Swedes
+held to their ancient faith. King Ingi married a woman called MÊr
+who had a brother called Svein. King Ingi liked Svein better than any
+other man, and Svein became thereby the greatest man in Sweden. The
+Swedes considered that King Ingi was violating the ancient law of the
+land when he took exception to many things which Steinkel his father
+had permitted, and at an assembly held between the Swedes and King
+Ingi, they offered him two alternatives, either to follow the old
+order, or else to abdicate. Then King Ingi spoke up and said that he
+would not abandon the true faith; whereupon the Swedes raised a shout
+and pelted him with stones, and drove him from the assembly.
+
+Svein, the King's brother-in-law, remained behind in the assembly, and
+offered the Swedes to do sacrifices on their behalf if they would give
+him the Kingdom. They all agreed to accept Svein's offer, and he was
+then recognised as King over all Sweden. A horse was then brought to
+the assembly and hewn in pieces and cut up for eating, and the
+sacred tree was smeared with blood. Then all the Swedes abandoned
+Christianity, and sacrifices were started again. They drove King Ingi
+away; and he went into Vestergˆtland. Svein the Sacrificer was King of
+Sweden for three years.
+
+King Ingi set off with his retinue and some of his followers, though
+it was but a small force. He then rode eastwards by SmÂland and into
+÷stergˆtland and then into Sweden. He rode both day and night, and
+came upon Svein suddenly in the early morning. They caught him in his
+house and set it on fire and burned the band of men who were within.
+
+There was a baron called Thjof who was burnt inside. He had been
+previously in the retinue of Svein the Sacrificer. Svein himself left
+the house, but was slain immediately.
+
+Thus Ingi once more received the Kingdom of Sweden; and he
+reestablished Christianity and ruled the Kingdom till the end of his
+life, when he died in his bed.
+
+King Steinkel had, besides Ingi, another son Hallstein who reigned
+along with his brother. Hallstein's sons were Philip and Ingi, and
+they succeeded to the Kingdom of Sweden after King Ingi the elder.
+Philip married Ingigerth, the daughter of King Harold the son of
+Sigurth. He reigned for only a short time.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX TO PART I
+
+THE COMBAT AT SAMSÿ AND HJALMAR'S DEATH SONG
+
+
+The following passage is taken from an early text of the _Saga of
+Hervˆr and Heithrek_ (MS. 2845 in the Royal Library at Copenhagen)
+where it occurs immediately after the earl's speech ("The death of
+mighty men" etc.) on p. 92[1].
+
+
+When the brothers came home they made ready to go to the combat, and
+their father accompanied them to the ship and gave the sword Tyrfing
+to Angantyr, saying:
+
+"I think that you will have need of good weapons now."
+
+He then bade them farewell, and so they parted.
+
+And when the brothers came to Sams¯ they saw two ships lying in a
+harbour which was called Munarvag. The ships were of the kind called
+'Ash.' The brothers concluded that these must be the ships of Hjalmar
+and Odd the Far-travelling, who was called ÷rvar-Odd. The sons of
+Arngrim then drew their swords and gnawed the rims of their shields
+and worked themselves up into the berserks' fury. Then they sallied
+forth, six against each 'Ash,' but so brave were the men whom they
+encountered on board that they all drew their weapons, and not one
+fled from his post, and not one spoke a word of fear. And the berserks
+made their way up one side of the ship and down the other and slew
+them all. Then they landed and began to howl.
+
+Hjalmar and Odd had landed on the Island to find out if the berserks
+had come. And as they made their way from the forest to join their
+ships, the berserks were leaving the ships with bloody weapons and
+drawn swords. But by this time the berserk fury had passed away from
+them, and at such times their strength is reduced like that of people
+who are recovering from illness of some kind.
+
+Then said Odd:
+
+  I never knew aught of terror
+    Till today when the berserks came.
+  They have sailed to this isle in their ashen ships,
+    All twelve devoid of shame,
+  And landed with many a whoop and yell,
+    Those wretches of evil fame.
+
+Then said Hjalmar to Odd: "Do you see that all our men are fallen? It
+is my belief that we shall all be Othin's guests tonight in Valhalla."
+
+--And it is said that that was the only word of fear ever uttered by
+Hjalmar.
+
+Odd replied: "My advice would be that we should make off to the wood;
+for we shall never be able to put up a fight, being only two against
+twelve--and twelve too who have slain the twelve bravest men in
+Sweden."
+
+Then said Hjalmar: "We will never flee from our foes. Rather will we
+suffer the worst that their weapons can inflict. I am going to fight
+against the berserks."
+
+"Not so," replied Odd; "I have no mind to visit Othin tonight. It is
+all these berserks who must perish before evening comes; but you and I
+will be left alive."
+
+An account of their dialogue is found in these verses which Hjalmar
+chanted:
+
+  Twelve berserks hasten onward,
+    Inglorious warriors;--
+  Leaving their warships on they come;
+    And when night's shadow lowers
+  We two shall feast in Othin's hall,
+    Leaving them conquerors.
+
+But Odd replied:
+
+  This is the answer I give thee:--
+    In Othin's hall tonight,
+      Twelve berserks shall feast,
+      Every one as a guest,
+  While we shall live on in the light.
+
+Hjalmar and Odd saw that Angantyr had Tyrfing in his hand, for it
+flashed like a sunbeam.
+
+Hjalmar said: "Will you fight against Angantyr alone, or against all
+his eleven brothers?"
+
+"I will fight against Angantyr," replied Odd; "He will give mighty
+strokes with Tyrfing; but I have more faith in the protection of my
+shirt than in that of your mail-coat."
+
+Then cried Hjalmar: "When did you and I ever go to battle and you took
+the lead of me? You want to fight Angantyr because you hold that to be
+the deed of greater prowess. I am the leader in this combat, however,
+and far other was the vow I made to the daughter of the King of the
+Swedes than to let you or anybody else come before me in the fight. It
+is I who am going to fight Angantyr."
+
+And with that he drew his sword and stepped forth to meet Angantyr and
+they commended one another to Valhalla[2]. Hjalmar and Angantyr then
+made ready for the combat, and mighty strokes fell thick and fast
+between them.
+
+Odd called to the berserks, saying:
+
+  Man to man should a warrior fight
+    Who would win a well-fought day,--
+  Unless it be that his courage fail,
+    Or his valour has ebbed away.
+
+Then Hjˆrvarth advanced, and he and Odd had a stiff encounter; but
+Odd's silken shirt was so strong that no weapon could pierce it. And
+so good was his sword that it cut through iron as easily as cloth; and
+few strokes had he dealt ere Hjˆrvarth fell dead.
+
+Then Hervarth came on and the same thing happened;--then Hrani, then
+each of the others in turn. And with such force did Odd encounter them
+all that he slew every one of the eleven brothers. As for the combat
+between Hjalmar and Angantyr, the upshot was that Hjalmar was wounded
+in sixteen places, and then Angantyr fell dead.
+
+Then Odd went over to where Hjalmar lay and cried:
+
+  O Hjalmar! Why has thy face grown pale
+    As the face of men who die?
+  Wide gape the rents in byrnie and helm,
+    And I fear that the end draws nigh;
+  And the strength of manhood has gone from thine arm,
+    And the light of life from thine eye.
+
+Hjalmar made answer[3]:
+
+  With sixteen wounds is my mailcoat rent,
+    And the world is fading fast.
+  Blindly I tread in the gathering gloom,
+    Pierced to the heart at the last
+  By Angantyr's sword with its pitiless point
+    And its edges in poison cast.
+
+  *I have given no cause to Ingibjˆrg
+    To hold my prowess light;
+  It shall never be said by our maidens at home
+    That I gave one thought to flight.
+  They shall hear how the battle was fought and won.--
+    How I wielded my sword in the fight.
+
+  Five manors were mine, all nobly appointed,
+    Where I might have tarried and made good cheer.
+  Yet my heart was stirred by a restless longing
+    That urged me onward to Sams¯ here,
+  Where, pierced by the sword, with my life blood out pouring,
+    I shall linger and die on this island so drear.
+
+  In my mind I can see the henchmen
+    Drinking mead in my father's hall.--
+  A circle of gold is round every throat,
+    And joy is among them all.
+  My merry companions are drinking their ale,
+    Till thought and care are no more,
+  While I, torn with wounds from a murderous sword,
+    Perish here on this island shore.
+
+  *The lofty halls of Sigtun,
+    I see them from far away;
+  And the maidens who sought to withhold us
+    As we hastened forth on our way.
+  I shall never again see those maidens,
+    Or talk with the warriors bold,
+  Or drink fair ale in the King's high hall,
+    As I did in the days of old.
+
+  In my heart a voice still lingers,
+    The voice of a maiden fair,
+  Who rode with me forth to Agni's meads,
+    And bade farewell to me there.
+  And true, too true, were the words she spake
+    From the depths of her despair,
+  That never again should I touch her lips,
+    Or tangle her golden hair.
+
+  In my ear a song is ringing,
+    An echo from out the East,--
+  I heard it from Soti's cliffs on the night
+    When I left my friends at the feast.
+  How could I know that never again
+    Should I hear the maidens' lay,
+  As I hastened forth with my heart aflame,
+    And my good ship sailed away?
+
+  *In token of what has befallen,
+    My helmet and corslet take,
+  And bear them forth to the King's high hall.--
+    'Tis the last request I make.
+  The prince's daughter, fair Ingibjˆrg,
+    Will be stricken with grief and pain
+  When she looks on my good shield hacked and rent,
+    And knows that her love was vain.
+
+  Draw from my arm this token,
+    This ring of gleaming gold:
+  And bear it to Ingibjˆrg the fair,
+    Lest she deem my love grown cold.
+  Young is the maid to bear the sorrow
+    Her heart must then endure,
+  When I ride not home to greet her,
+    When I keep not my tryst as of yore
+
+  *I left the youthful Ingibjˆrg
+    Upon that fateful day,
+  When rashly we placed our fortunes
+    In the hands of Destiny.
+  O heavy will be the maiden's grief,
+    The sorrow she must endure
+  When she knows I have fallen in battle,
+    And will enter her hall no more.
+
+  From the tree tops away to the Eastward
+    There gather a loathly brood:--
+  Raven and eagle are swooping
+    To wet their bills in my blood.
+  Full many a feast has the eagle had
+    Of carrion slain by me:
+      I have fought my last fight,
+        And I pass to the night;
+      And now he shall feast on me.
+
+Then Hjalmar died[4]. Odd brought the tidings to Sweden; and the
+King's daughter could not bear to live after Hjalmar, so she took her
+own life. Angantyr and his brothers were laid in a barrow in Sams¯
+with all their weapons.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Printed in Wimmer's _Oldnordisk LÊsebog_ (4th
+    ed.) p. 29 ff. The poetry is also found, though with
+    many divergent readings, in _÷rvar-Odds Saga_, ch. 14
+    _(Fornaldarsˆgur_, Vol. II, p. 217 ff.).]
+
+    [Footnote 2: In late (paper) MSS. the following passage is
+    here added.--"Angantyr said: 'It is my wish that if any of
+    us escapes from here we should not rob one another of our
+    weapons. If I die, I wish to have Tyrfing in the barrow
+    with me. Odd likewise shall have his shirt and Hjalmar his
+    weapons!' And they agreed that those who were left alive were
+    to raise a barrow for the others."
+
+    Then follows a long description of the fighting.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: This poem is given more fully in _÷rvar-Odds
+    Saga_ than in _Hervarar Saga_. The strophes which occur only
+    in the former are marked with an asterisk. I have re-arranged
+    the order of the stanzas, in regard to which there is
+    considerable variation between the two texts.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: In paper MSS. the following passage occurs here:
+
+    "Odd remained there all night. In the morning he brought
+    together the bodies of all the berserks and then set about
+    building barrows. The islanders built chambers of great oaks
+    as Odd directed them, and then piled up stones and sand on
+    the top. They were strongly constructed, and it was a great
+    achievement. Odd was busy at this work for a fortnight. Then
+    he placed the berserks in with their weapons and closed the
+    barrows. After this Odd took Hjalmar's body and carried it to
+    a ship and conveyed it to Sweden."]
+
+
+
+
+PART II
+
+BALLADS
+
+
+
+
+BALLADS
+
+GENERAL INTRODUCTION
+
+
+I. The ballads of the Faroe Islands aroused the interest of Ole Worm
+as early as 1639; but the five ballads which he took down are no
+longer extant, and we know of them only from a reference by Peder
+Syv[1] towards the close of the seventeenth century. In 1673 Lucas
+Debes[2] wrote a description of the islands which contained an account
+of their dances and songs; but unfortunately he did not transcribe any
+of the ballads. Indeed the balladry and songs attracted little general
+attention till the close of the eighteenth century, when Jens Kristjan
+Svabo devoted himself to a careful study of the language and a
+collection of the ballads of his native Islands.
+
+In 1781-2, during a visit to the Faroes, Svabo turned his attention
+especially to Faroese folk-songs and made a ms. collection of
+fifty-two ballads, which were purchased by the Crown Prince and
+presented to the Royal Library at Copenhagen. It is interesting to
+note that Svabo, like his contemporary Bishop Percy[3], thought it
+necessary to apologise in his preface for making the collection, and
+humbly claims for it an interest merely antiquarian. It is clear,
+however from his tone throughout the Preface, that Svabo had a far
+more scholarly appreciation of the value of his material than had
+Percy. Indeed it would be difficult to overestimate the debt which all
+succeeding students of Faroese ballads owe to him. Disappointed in his
+hopes of public recognition of his work done for the Civil Service,
+he retired to the Islands, where, in solitude and poverty, he devoted
+himself, till his death in 1829, to the collection and transcription
+of ballad material. His personal help and example inspired other
+Faroe-islanders to make collections for themselves, some of which,
+notably Klemmentsen's _SandoyjarbÛk_, are among our best authorities
+for the ballads today. His own ballad collection, still in ms. in the
+Royal Library at Copenhagen, has never been published; but Schr¯ter,
+Lyngbye and Hammershaimb all owed their incentive and inspiration to
+his work. To study the history of Faroese ballad collections without
+realising the force of Svabo's personality is to leave Hamlet out of
+the play.
+
+In 1817 the Danish botanist, Hans Kristjan Lyngbye visited the Faroes,
+where he became acquainted with "the learned Svabo" as he calls him,
+and also with Johan Henrik Schr¯ter, a clergyman on Suder¯, himself
+a keenly interested ballad collector, and, incidentally, the first to
+make a collection of Faroese folk-tales in prose. Partly from these
+men, and partly from oral recitations and material supplied by Provost
+Hentze, Lyngbye was able to gather together a considerable body of
+Faroese ballads which, with the support and encouragement of Bishop
+P. E. M¸ller, he published at Copenhagen in 1822, under the title of
+_FÊrˆiske KvÊder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og hans ∆t_.
+
+Unfortunately Lyngbye knew no Icelandic and very little Faroese, and
+his work necessarily suffers in consequence. Still more unfortunate
+was his unscientific handling of material and lack of literary
+conscience, which permitted his cutting out, adding and transposing
+stanzas--and again we are reminded of the _Reliques_--till the
+original form of a ballad is sometimes entirely lost. Fortunately,
+however, most of the material that he had at his command is still
+preserved. It is to be noted that the qualities which go to make an
+ideal _collector_ of ballads do not always imply an ideal editor of
+the material collected. The great collector of Jutland ballads and
+folk-lore, Evald Tang Kristensen, has started a new and sounder
+tradition by a reverent in-gathering of all that formed part of the
+common stock of peasant lore in his day[4]. The sifting of material
+is wisely left to the trained scholar, and, one hopes, to a later and
+less intrepid generation[5].
+
+The tradition started by Svabo and Lyngbye was carried on by V. U.
+Hammershaimb, himself a native of the Islands and a great lover of
+Faroese folk-lore. During the years 1847-8, and again in 1853, he
+visited the Faroes expressly to study the dialects, and to collect
+the native ballads and folklore, which he published under the title
+of _FÊrˆiske_ _KvÊder_ in the _Nordiske Literatur-Samfund_, the
+_Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, etc.
+
+Like Svabo, Hammershaimb eventually returned and settled on the
+Faroes; but unfortunately, owing to the pressure of his administrative
+duties, he was never able to spare time for a final revision of his
+collection, though urged repeatedly to the work by his friend Svend
+Grundtvig. Ultimately, however, when Grundtvig himself undertook to
+make an exhaustive critical edition of the Faroese ballads in all
+their variant forms, Hammershaimb placed all his material in his
+hands.
+
+Svend Grundtvig and his colleague J. Bloch, of the Royal Library
+staff, completed in 1876 their great fifteen vol. MS. collection
+of Faroese ballads with all their known variants, _F¯royja
+KvÊi_--_Corpus Carminum Faeroensium_--_FÊr¯ernes Gamle Folkeviser_.
+This was afterwards increased by Bloch to sixteen volumes by the
+addition of much new material, some of which was collected by Jakobsen
+in his journey to the Faroes in 1887[6]. Before beginning the work
+Grundtvig had every available version, whether in public or private
+hands, at his disposal, so that he had a magnificent apparatus
+criticus. Unfortunately the work has never been published, so that
+owing to the difficulties of communication with Denmark (which have
+proved to be insuperable) it has been impossible for me to consult
+it. The first three volumes, however, which include all the Faroese
+ballads translated below, are based on Hammershaimb's collections of
+1851-1855. Hammershaimb was himself a genuine scholar with a sensitive
+literary conscience and a thorough knowledge of all the Faroese
+dialects, and his work is spoken of in the highest terms by Grundtvig
+in his article on the _Corpus Carminum Faroensium_[7]. Moreover
+Hammershaimb had consulted all the other available versions of
+these ballads before printing; so that it is improbable that when a
+comparison of the texts can be made much alteration will be required.
+
+II. The Faroe Islands are probably the only place to be found in
+Western Europe where ballads are still sung to the accompaniment of
+the dance. The dance and song, it must be confessed, are gradually
+losing their original character, while the ballads are often long and
+unwieldy, sometimes, as in the Ballad of Õvint Herintsson, running to
+five divisions (_TÊttir_) and over three hundred and fifty verses. The
+verses are frequently chanted in a solemn recitative, while the ballad
+tunes tend to be confined chiefly to the refrains. The method of
+supplying the melody, however, is subject to almost endless variation.
+Sometimes old native folk tunes are attached to special ballads, e.g.
+in the case of _Vi hugged mid kaarde_; sometimes native ballads are
+sung to Danish folk melodies and refrains as, e.g. _Grindevisen_, sung
+to the tune of the Danish _Burmand holder i FjÊldet ut_. Sometimes in
+the Faroese repertoire, Norse ballads are found complete with their
+own melodies, e.g. _S¯mandsviserne_, or sung to Danish folk-tunes,
+e.g. _Zinklars Vise_. Most curious of all is the method not
+infrequently resorted to in modern times of singing native ballads,
+often of modern origin, to the tunes of the Protestant Psalmody--a
+custom which may have had its origin in the common practice of singing
+both ballads and psalms on all momentous occasions, such as on the
+night of a wedding, or before starting on a big fishing expedition.
+The Islanders have little idea of tone or melody and do not sing well;
+and eye-witnesses of some of the ballad dances at Thorshaven aver
+that the tunes sound less like dance music than melancholy dirges.
+In _Folkesangen paa FÊr¯erne_ (_FÊr¯ske Kvadmelodier_), pp. 85-140,
+Thuren has published a large number of original ballad tunes. The
+characteristic motifs of folk tunes are traceable throughout, as well
+as their elusive qualities. Thus we find, side by side with airs based
+on the ordinary major and minor scales, others which, like mediaeval
+church music, are based on a 'modal' or 'gapped' tonal system.
+Indeed traces of the pentatonic scale are not infrequently met with,
+especially in the tunes attached to the earlier ballads. The majority
+of Faroese melodies, however, have only one gap and have more in
+common with the system of notation found in Gregorian music than with
+the pentatonic scale of many Hebridean lays. A further characteristic
+of folk music which appears in most Faroese airs is the curious form
+of close which rarely occurs on the tonic. Not infrequently the theme
+ends on the leading note or supertonic which strikes the ear with a
+perpetual surprise, the cadence leading one to anticipate a repetition
+rather than a conclusion of the air. The reason is that these tunes,
+like many folk songs from Somerset, the Appalachians and the Hebrides,
+were 'circular,' that is, formed for continuous repetition to suit the
+lengthy nature of the songs and ballads.
+
+The ballad however is not a mere historical relic on the Faroes, but
+a living literary form. The simplicity of the life, and the absence of
+class distinction[8], still constitute an atmosphere in some respects
+not unlike that of Mediaeval Denmark, and the ballad is the favourite
+form of artistic expression. A whale-hunt, a shipwreck, or the
+adventures of fishermen in the far north are still made the subject
+of a new ballad, composed by one or more of the community; and if the
+result finds general favour it is added to the ballad repertoire along
+with the ballads of Sir Tristram or Childe Sigurth[9].
+
+In his description of his travels on the Faroes 1847-8, V. U.
+Hammershaimb[10] says that he took down the greater number of his
+ballads at Sumb¯ on Suder¯, the most southerly village in the Islands.
+He describes the ballad dance as follows:
+
+    It is the custom here that the same ballad should not be sung
+    more than once a year[11] in the 'dancing-chamber,' so that
+    the repertoire is obviously extensive, seeing that they dance
+    at wedding feasts, generally for three days and nights without
+    cessation. In the special dancing season from Yule till Lent,
+    the ballads are danced not only on Sundays but also on the
+    so-called 'Feast Days.' (They do not dance again from the
+    beginning of Lent till the day after Christmas.) The dance at
+    Sumb¯ has characteristics of its own which differ from those
+    of the rest of the Faroes. The people here generally sing
+    well and know how to put expression into the actual dance.
+    Elsewhere on the Islands this is now for the most part reduced
+    to a uniform stamp with the feet, marking the melody of the
+    ballad. Moreover they still continue here in common use both
+    the 'Walking Verse' (_stigingar stev_) and the more rapid
+    measure 'Tripping Verse' (_trÛkingar stev_) of the Round
+    Dance, in which, as a rule, the dancers hold one another by
+    the hand, forming a circle, dancing backwards while the
+    verse (_ˆrindi_) is sung, and reversing the movement with
+    considerable energy during the singing of the refrain
+    (_vigangur, niurl·g, stev_). This round dance is
+    characteristic of Sumb¯[12].
+
+For the most part the dance is now performed with the same speed
+in both verse and refrain[13], and though little changed since
+Hammershaimb wrote, it tends more and more to become a solemn and
+joyless function; and there is a curious unanimity today among
+eyewitnesses as to the depressing effect it has on them. Hjalmar
+Thuren, writing in later times (1908), furnishes some additional
+information as to the manner of the ballad dance[14]. The ballads
+are danced with special zest on the 29th of July, the day of the
+anniversary of the death of Saint Olaf, when all the islanders who
+can leave their homes flock to Thorshaven and dance from sunset till
+sunrise. Sometimes the ballads are danced in the open air, and it
+has been the custom in certain districts from ancient times to hold
+assemblies for dancing out in the fields on certain fixed days. On
+the 12th Sunday after Trinity people meet in definite places on the
+Northern Islands. On the other hand the dance is often the spontaneous
+outcome of the desire of the moment, "as much to keep themselves warm
+as for the sake of entertainment." Thus after a whale-hunt the men
+sometimes dance in their wet, bloody clothes, singing the popular
+ballad of the ca'ing whale with the refrain:
+
+  To us bold men great joy it is
+  To slay a whale!
+
+The dance is always accompanied by song, but instrumental music has
+never been in use on the Faroes. The time and character of the dance
+are indicated at the beginning of the ballad by the precentor. This
+post of honour was originally much sought after and some precentors
+were famous over the islands for their special rendering of certain
+ballads, some of which were family possessions in the old days.
+
+When a ballad is concluded, one of those who are taking part
+straightway begins on a new one, the dance frequently continuing
+uninterrupted, even when the song is ended. The precentor must have
+a strong voice and great powers of endurance as the ballads are often
+very long. He is generally of a lively disposition with some dramatic
+power, so that by imitating his gesticulations the dancers give
+character and individuality to the ballad. Thus in the refrain to the
+_Death-Song of Ragnar LobrÛk_:
+
+  _We struck with the sword_
+
+the dancers stamp on the floor and clap hands together; but they are
+solemn and silent during the singing of a sorrowful ballad such as
+
+  Queen Dagmar lies sick, etc.
+
+With the ballad dances of the Faroes it is interesting to compare the
+ballad dances of the Ukraine and also the choral dances of a community
+so far removed as the Torres Straits. Of these latter Dr Haddon
+writes[15]:
+
+    The dancing-ground was an oblong space.... The drummer with
+    the singers generally struck up a song, but sometimes the
+    dancers sang a refrain or called for a song by name. Each song
+    seemed to be associated with its own particular dance and
+    to be _accompanied by some story or incident_ which was
+    illustrated by the movements of the dancers.
+
+A much closer parallel, however, is furnished by the [Cyrillic:
+Khorovod] or choral dance of Little Russia. The [Cyrillic: Khorovod],
+according to the account of an eye witness[16], is not only a song
+sung to the accompaniment of a dance; but the song is narrative
+in form and answers in all respects to the ballad of North Western
+Europe. The dancers join hands and dance in a circle from west to
+east, in a contrary direction to the sun's movements--_withershins_ as
+the Scots peasants have it. Then, because it is considered unlucky to
+do anything _withershins_, in the refrain the motion is reversed and
+the dancers pass from east to west, to counteract the baleful effects
+of the first direction. Here too, however, it is interesting to note,
+the dance is sometimes stationary.
+
+III. Into the rise of the ballads on the Faroes and their exact
+relation of form and content to the Icelandic _FornkvÊi_[17], and to
+the _Viser_ of Norway[18], Sweden[19], and above all of Denmark[20],
+it is impossible to enter here. Perhaps the relationship between the
+ballads of the various countries of the North will never be fully
+understood. The ramifications are too many and too complex, while too
+many links in the chain have already been lost in the "scrubby paper
+books" such as that with which Bishop Percy found the housemaid
+lighting the parlour fire. And those who would too hastily dogmatise
+on the 'conveyance', translation, and borrowing of the various
+versions receive a wholesome warning from Dr Axel Olrik's analysis[21]
+of the ancestry and parallel versions of the Scots, Icelandic,
+Swedish, Norwegian and Danish forms of the ballads of Earl Brand (Dan.
+_Riboldsvisen_). Moreover it is no easier to generalise about the
+sources of the Faroese ballad material than about the Danish. The
+motif of the Faroese _Tristrams T·ttur_, also found in the Icelandic
+ballad of _Tristram_ comes ultimately (through the Tristram's Saga
+one would suppose) from a French romance; that of Nornagest, changed
+though it is in form, is surely founded on the Icelandic Saga; _Olufu
+KvÊi_ comes no doubt from a Spanish story; and the motif of the
+Scots ballad of _Binnorie_ is "found also among the people of Ireland,
+Norway, Sweden, Denmark and the Faroes[22]."
+
+It would be pleasant to develop a theory that the purveyors of ballad
+material were the sailors and merchants who plied up and down the
+great trade routes in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, or even
+earlier. It has been suggested by Professor Ker[23] and others that
+Shetland _may_ have been "the chief meeting-place or trading station
+between the ballads of Scotland and Norway." The Shetland ballad of
+_Sir Orfeo_ actually has a refrain in Norn, the Norse dialect spoken
+in Shetland and the small neighbouring islands till the eighteenth
+century; while the ballad of _Hildina_ taken down by Low[24] on the
+Island of Foula off Shetland (cf. p. 217 below) is entirely composed
+in Norn. Indeed we know from Low's account[25] that many ballads and
+songs must have perished with the language:
+
+    Nothing remains but a few names of things and two or three
+    remnants of songs which one old man can repeat;
+
+and further on he continues:
+
+    Most of the fragments they have are _old historical ballads
+    and romances_.... William Henry, a farmer in Guttorm in Foula
+    has the most knowledge of any I found; he spoke of three kinds
+    of poetry used in Norn, and repeated or sung by the old men;
+    the Ballad (or Romance, I suppose); _the Vysie or vyse, now
+    commonly sung to dancers_[26]; and the simple song.... Most
+    of all their tales are relative to the history of Norway;
+    they seem to know little of the rest of Europe but by names;
+    Norwegian transactions they have at their fingers' ends.
+
+One would like to have known more about Norn and its 'Vysies,' which
+might have formed an interesting and instructive link between some of
+the Northern ballads. On the other hand, the Scandinavian colonies in
+Ireland, and settlers in English ports such as Bristol, may have done
+not a little, through their trade with France and the Mediterranean
+countries, to spread the new rhyming four line verse and the romantic
+stories of southern and eastern Europe[27].
+
+While this obscurity remains as to the connection between the Faroese
+ballads and those of neighbouring countries, notably Denmark, the
+questions of the age and origin of many of the Faroese ballads in
+their present form are also frought with difficulty. Of the Danish
+ballads, which sometimes offer parallels so close as to suggest
+translation from one language to the other, the first MS. collection
+that can be dated with certainty was written down in 1550. But there
+is much evidence, both internal and external, for assigning a much
+earlier date to the historical ballads at least. It has been suggested
+by Olrik[28], who supports his view by arguments which it would be
+extremely difficult to contest, that many of the historical ballads
+are practically contemporaneous with the events which they describe,
+and some of these took place in the thirteenth century, while others,
+e.g. _Riboldsvisen_, are possibly of the twelfth century.
+
+Unfortunately we have fewer data, whether philological or historical,
+for assigning dates to the Faroese ballads than we have for the
+Danish. There can be little doubt, however, that the ballads
+translated below had their origin in the _Fornaldar Sˆgur_ composed
+in Iceland during the thirteenth century or in some fourteenth century
+_RÌmur_ derived from the sagas. That many of the Faroese ballads were
+literary in origin[29], and were based on either Sagas or RÌmur, is
+conclusively established by the opening lines of many of the ballads
+themselves, notably that of the _Olufu RÌma_:
+
+  Ein er rÌman ur Õslandi komin,
+  SkrÌva Ì bÛk so breia.
+
+    ("This story is come from Iceland, written in a book so
+    broad.")
+
+And _Trˆllini Ì Hornalandum_:
+
+  Verse 1. Fr¯Ì er komi fr· ÕslandÌ
+           SkrÌva Ì bÛk so vÌa _etc._
+
+  Verse 2. Fr¯i er komi fr· Õslandi
+           SkrÌva Ì bÛk so breia _etc._
+
+  Verse 3. Fr¯i er komi fr· Õslandi
+           Higar i skald ta tÛk,
+           Havi tÊr hoyrt um kongin tann,
+           Õ skrÌvaur stendur Ì bÛk?
+
+    ("This poem has come from Iceland, brought hither by a
+    _skald_. Have you heard of the king about whom this book is
+    written?")
+
+The passages quoted above would seem to point to RÌmur rather than
+Sagas as the sources of the ballads. Or had more than one "Book
+so broad" come from Iceland? One wonders. Heusler notices[30] the
+tendency to divide up the longer ballads into sections or _TÊttir_,
+each whole in itself and yet forming a part of the ballad, and
+suggests the Icelandic _RÌmur_ as the models for this particular form.
+It is even possible that the word _RÌma_ is used advisedly in the
+first strophe of _Olufu KvÊi_, instead of the somewhat commoner
+_KvÊi_, with some reminiscence of its origin. One of the _Sjurar
+KvÊi_ (_Dvˆrgamoy_ III) begins:
+
+  Eina veit eg rÌmuna,
+  Õ inni hevir ligi leingi.
+
+    (I know a rhyme (or _RÌma_?) etc.)
+
+and _RÌsin Ì Holmgar_ also begins:
+
+  Eg veit eina rÌmuna,
+  Õ gjˆrd er um Virgar sterka.
+
+Many other instances might be quoted.
+
+But it would be perilous to press too far what may, after all, be a
+mere verbal coincidence. And whatever gave rise to our poems as they
+now stand, it cannot be too strongly emphasised that they, like the
+rest of the _F¯royja KvÊi_, are first and last _Ballads_--rightly
+ballads. They have a form of their own, like other ballads, and are
+not a degenerate form of _RÌmur_ or a mere versification of some
+old Icelandic legends. Indeed what Professor Ker says of the Danish
+ballads[31] may with equal truth be applied to the ballads of the
+Faroes:
+
+    The ballads are not rude, rustic travesties of older more
+    dignified stories; though some, perhaps many, of the older
+    stories may survive among the ballads. They are for Denmark in
+    the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries what the older heroic
+    lays of the Poetic Edda had been before them in the Northern
+    lands. They take the place of earlier heroic poetry.
+
+Whatever the nature of their connection with the ballads of the
+surrounding lands, the Faroese ballads are no isolated growth. They
+exhibit all the main characteristics of the ballad type, especially of
+the Danish, Norwegian and Icelandic ballads. Crude and inartistic they
+often are compared with the best of the Danish and even the Scottish
+ballads. The _Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_ has little to recommend
+it beyond its simplicity and naÔvetÈ, the 'quaintness' of primitive
+literature; the _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ exhibits a curious lack of
+skill in the manipulation of the theme, and perhaps we are justified
+in assuming that two earlier ballads or perhaps _tÊttir_ have been
+imperfectly welded. The _Ballad of Nornagest_ is bald to a fault
+and lacks inspiration; and all alike show an imperfect artistry in
+diction.
+
+Yet despite all these blemishes they are ballads as surely as _Sir
+Patrick Spens_ or _Ungen Sveidal_ are ballads. Nor is Professor Ker
+quite just to the ballads of the Faroes in saying[32] that because of
+their length, and "because they were made out of books, nothing but
+the lyrical form and the dancing custom kept them from turning into
+ordinary romances." Surely no material could be less promising than
+King Heithrek's Riddles; yet in virtue of what has been forgotten
+and what has been selected--the telescoping of the riddles and the
+elaboration of the setting--the ballad spirit has entered in and
+shaped from the unwieldy mass an artistic whole.
+
+Indeed whatever their faults one realises in all these ballads the
+truth of Sidgwick's epigram[33]: "You never know what a ballad will
+say next, though you _do_ know how it is going to say it!" For it is
+even less similarity of theme than similarity of form that links
+the ballads of the Faroes with those of Denmark and the North. The
+invariable accompaniment of the refrain; the fluctuation between
+assonance and rhyme, the disregard of alliteration, and the general
+verse form; the love of repetition and ballad formulae,--especially
+of repetition of whole phrases or verses with the alteration of merely
+the words that rhyme, or of repetition with inversion of word order;
+the balladist's love of colour, of the material and the concrete, of
+glitter and shine; the large element of dialogue; the abrupt dramatic
+openings; the condensation and concentration of narrative and the
+strict exclusion of the irrelevant or superfluous; the infallible
+feeling for a 'situation'; the atmosphere of the tragic or the
+critical; the "echo, without comment, of the clash of man and
+fate[34]." All these are the elements that make the ballad a form of
+literature distinct from other lyric or epic forms; all these are the
+elements that go to make the Faroese ballads what they are--part of
+what Ker calls the "Platonic Idea, a Ballad in itself, unchangeable
+and one, of which the phenomenal multitude of ballads are
+'partakers[35].'"
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. S. Grundtvig, _Meddelelse AngÂende FÊr¯ernes
+    Litteratur og sprog_, in _Aarb¯ger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed_,
+    published by the Royal Norse Early Text Society (Copenhagen),
+    1882, p. 358.]
+
+    [Footnote 2: _FÊroa Reserata_ (Copenhagen, 1673), pp. 251 and
+    308 (tr. John Sterpin, London, 1676).]
+
+    [Footnote 3: _Reliques_, Vol. I, _Epistle to the Countess of
+    Northumberland_.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: Cf. W. A. Craigie, _Evald Tang Kristensen,
+    A Danish Folk-lorist_, in _Folklore_, Vol. IX, 1898, pp.
+    194-220.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: Cf. C. J. Sharp, _English Folk Songs from the
+    Southern Appalachians_ (London, 1917), p. xxii.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: Axel Olrik, _Om Svend Grundtvigs og Jˆrgen
+    Blochs F¯royjakvÊi og fÊr¯ske ordbog_, in _Arkiv fˆr Nordisk
+    Filologi_ (Lund, 1890), p. 249.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: Sv. Grundtvig, _FÊr¯ernes Litteratur og Sprog_,
+    in _Aarb¯g for Nord. Oldk._, 1882, p. 364.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: Cf. N. Annandale, _The Faroes and Iceland_
+    (Oxford, 1905), p. 42.]
+
+    [Footnote 9: For interesting accounts of the composition
+    of new ballads, cf. Lyngbye's article in the _Skandinavske
+    Litteraturselskabs Skrifter_, 12th and 13th Annual, p. 234
+    ff.; also P. E. M¸ller, Introduction to Lyngbye's _FÊr. Kv._,
+    pp. 14, 15. The _TrawlaravÌsur_ and other ballads, besides
+    the dances and tunes of the Faroe Islands of today, have been
+    investigated by Thuren who published several studies on this
+    most interesting subject, e.g. _Dans og Kvaddigtning
+    paa FÊr¯erne, med et Musikbilag_, 1901. _Folkesangen paa
+    FÊr¯erne_, 1908, etc., (cf. especially _Nyere Danseviser_, pp.
+    273-282), etc.]
+
+    [Footnote 10: _Antiq. Tidsk._, 1846-1848, pp. 258-267.]
+
+    [Footnote 11: According to H. Thuren, _Dansen paa FÊr¯erne_
+    (Copenhagen, 1908), p. 9, a certain fixed number of songs are
+    now sung on Suder¯; a great many have been quite forgotten
+    since Hammershaimb wrote.]
+
+    [Footnote 12: It is also occasionally danced in Andefjord,
+    but only very rarely nowadays (cf. H. Thuren, _Dansen paa
+    FÊr¯erne_, p. 8).]
+
+    [Footnote 13: _Ib._ p. 8.]
+
+    [Footnote 14: _Ib._, pp. 4-10.]
+
+    [Footnote 15: _Dances and Dance Paraphernalia_, in _Expedition
+    to the Torres Straits_ (Cambridge, 1904), Vol. IV, p. 292.]
+
+    [Footnote 16: Miss Aline Brylinska, who has kindly supplied me
+    with this information.]
+
+    [Footnote 17: S. Grundtvig and JÛn Sigursson, _Islenzk
+    FornkvÊi_, in _Nordiske Oldskrifter_ (Copenhagen, 1854-85).]
+
+    [Footnote 18: Landstad, _Norske Folkeviser_ (Christiania,
+    1853); S. Bugge, 1858.]
+
+    [Footnote 19: Geijer and Afzelius, 1814-1816, 1880; Arwidsson,
+    1834-1842.]
+
+    [Footnote 20: S. Grundtvig, _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_,
+    1853-1890. S. Grundtvig and A. Olrik, _Danske Ridderviser_,
+    1895-1919.]
+
+    [Footnote 21: _Riboldsvisen_ (a review of von der Recke's
+    _Nogle Folkeviseredaktioner_) in _Danske Studier_, 1906, p.
+    175 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 22: Landstad, _Norske Folkeviser_, note to _Dei Tvo
+    Systar_, p. 867.]
+
+    [Footnote 23: _On the Danish Ballads_ (_Scottish Historical
+    Review_, Vol. I, No. 4, July, 1904), p. 362.]
+
+    [Footnote 24: _A Tour through Orkney and Schetland in 1774_,
+    Kirkwall, 1879. Cf. also Preface to _Sˆrla Th·ttr_, p. 39 ff.
+    above.]
+
+    [Footnote 25: _Ib._, p. 105 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 26: The _Vyse_, be it observed, is the Danish
+    word most commonly used to denote a ballad. The Faroese use
+    _KvÊi_, and less frequently _RÌma_.]
+
+    [Footnote 27: For an account of the Scandinavian settlements
+    on the Bristol Channel, cf. A. Bugge, _Contributions to the
+    History of the Norsemen in Ireland_, No. III, published in
+    _Videnskabsselskabet i Christiania, Historisk-filosofisk
+    Klasse_, 11, 1900.]
+
+    [Footnote 28: Axel Olrik, Introduction to _Danske Folkeviser Ì
+    Udvalg_, 3rd ed. (Copenhagen and Christiania, 1913), p. 40 ff.
+    Cf. also Steenstrup, _Vore Folkeviser_ (Copenhagen, 1891), ch.
+    VII.]
+
+    [Footnote 29: On the literary sources of the Faroese ballads,
+    cf. Steenstrup, _op. cit._ Introduction.]
+
+    [Footnote 30: _Lied und Epos_ (Dortmund, 1915), p. 19.]
+
+    [Footnote 31: _On the History of the Ballads, 1100-1500_,
+    published in _Proceedings of the British Academy_ for
+    1902-1910, p. 202.]
+
+    [Footnote 32: _On the History of the Ballads_, etc., p. 202.]
+
+    [Footnote 33: Frank Sidgwick, _The Ballad_, London (Arts and
+    Crafts of Letters Series), p. 61.]
+
+    [Footnote 34: Gummere, _The Popular Ballad_ (London, 1907), p.
+    340.]
+
+    [Footnote 35: _On the History of the Ballads_, etc., p. 204.]
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO GRÕPLUR I
+
+
+In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Iceland, many of the
+Sagas or portions of them were turned into rhyming verse known
+as _RÌmur_. Sagas of almost every class were subjected to this
+treatment--_Õslendinga Sˆgur_, _Fornaldar Sˆgur_, _Fornmanna Sˆgur_
+and others. It is supposed that in the first place these rhymed
+versions (_RÌmur_) were made for the purpose of recitation at social
+gatherings. There is ground for believing that the _RÌmur_ were
+sometimes recited, as an accompaniment of dances in Iceland[1]; but
+this is not believed to have been the purpose for which they were
+originally composed[2].
+
+According to both JÛnsson[3] and Mogk[4], the _RÌmur_ and other forms
+of rhyming verse in early Norse poetry originated in the Mediaeval
+Latin Church Hymns introduced into Iceland in the thirteenth century.
+The similarity between the rhyming metres of the Latin and many
+(though not all) of the forms of verse used in the _RÌmur_ is very
+striking. Whether the influence of Latin hymns in Iceland was directly
+responsible for the change, however, as JÛnsson and Mogk believe, or
+whether the Latin hymns only influenced Norse verse indirectly
+through the medium of French poetry, is problematical. Perhaps these
+compositions owe their origin to the fashion of turning all kinds of
+material, likely and unlikely, into rhyming verse--a fashion which
+originated in France, and from the latter part of the twelfth century
+onwards gradually made its way over most of the West and North of
+Europe. The rhyming chronicles of the fourteenth century in England
+may be mentioned as one instance of this fashion, and the rhyming
+paraphrases of the splendid prose of Iceland are an outcome of the
+same movement.
+
+The _GrÌplur_, some twenty stanzas of which are given below, represent
+this stage in the development of Icelandic literature. It may be
+observed that, like other _RÌmur_, they are the work of educated
+people--a fact which makes the wretched quality of much of the verse
+all the more striking, especially when they are contrasted with
+the ballads, which are, at least in most cases, the work of the
+unlettered. Unattractive however as they appear to the modern mind, it
+has been thought advisable to include a short extract from them here
+because it seems possible that in some cases the Faroese ballads may
+have derived their material from Iceland through the intermediate
+stage of the _RÌmur_ rather than from the Saga direct.
+
+Reference is made to the exploits of Hromund in other _RÌmur_ besides
+the _GrÌplur_, notably in the _M·lsh·ttakvÊi_, the _SkÌa-RÌma_[5]
+(which is interesting as being based, in all probability, on an
+earlier poem than the _GrÌplur_) and in the _Klerka-RÌma_[6]. And he
+and Thrain the Berserk still live in the popular songs of the North.
+He is the _Ungen Ranild_[7] of the Danish ballad; and in the Norwegian
+ballad _Ramund den Unge_[8], Ramund (Hromund) and Hˆlgi (Helgi) appear
+as rivals for the hand of Svanhvit (who, however, is not mentioned by
+name). Like some of the Faroese ballads on the _Hervarar Saga_, these
+later versions are far removed from the story as we know it from early
+Icelandic sources[9]. They are of interest only to those who care
+for folk song and ballad for their freshness and their naÔve
+simplicity[10].
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. Finnur JÛnsson, _Oldnorske og Oldislandske
+    Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. III, p. 35.]
+
+    [Footnote 2: Cf. F. JÛnsson, _op. cit._, Vol. III, p. 36; also
+    Eugen Mogk, _Geschichte der Norwegisch-Isl‰ndischen Literatur_
+    (Strasburg, 1904), p. 722.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: _Op. cit._, III, p. 26 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: _Op. cit._, p. 722 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: Ed. by K. Maurer, Munich, 1869; F. JÛnsson,
+    _Carmina Scaldica_ (Copenhagen, 1913).]
+
+    [Footnote 6: Codex A.M. 604 H.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: S. Grundtvig, _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_, Vol.
+    I, p. 367 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 8: M. B. Landstad, _Norske Folkeviser_ (Christiania,
+    1853), p. 189 ff.]
+
+    [Footnote 9: Cf. Kˆlbing, _Beitr‰ge zur Vergleichenden
+    Geschichte der Romantischen Poesie und Prosa des
+    Mittelalters_, pp. 185-187.]
+
+    [Footnote 10: For further ballads on the story of Hromund
+    Greipsson, cf. Andrews, _Studies in the Fornaldarsˆgur
+    Northrlanda_, in _Modern Philology_, 1911, 1912.]
+
+
+GRÕPLUR I
+
+  9. Olaf was a mighty Prince
+    Who governed Hˆrthaland.
+  The brave folk dwelling along the coast
+    He guarded with his hand.
+
+  10. Gnˆthar-Asmund, the Prince's father,
+    A peerless man was he;
+  By many a battle he reft from Kings
+    Their land and territory.
+
+  11. In the stern of the King's ship Kari stood,
+    And of heroes many another;
+  In strength of limb had he never a peer;
+    And ÷rnulf was his brother.
+
+  12. The King and his warriors reddened their swords
+    In the blood of wicked men;
+  But no man travelling with merchandise
+    Got any hurt from them.
+
+  13. The Prince brought joy to his followers' hearts,
+    With Draupnir's beautiful blood.
+  A franklin who better were named a burgess
+    Beside the princes stood.
+
+  14. Grip was a man who stirred up strife,
+    Eager with blade for slaughter.
+  This hero's wife was a good woman:
+    Of Hrok the Black was she daughter.
+
+  15. Grip and Gunnlˆth, his good wife,
+    They had nine sons in all:
+  (Clever verses are made about them)
+    And _Hrˆk_ did they every one call!
+
+  16. Hromund was a son of Grip,
+    Eldest of the brothers was he;
+  His heart knew never aught of fear,
+    Nor faltered his valiancy.
+
+  17. Hrolf must I add, Hˆgni, Haki and Gaut,
+    And Thrˆst with the other five;
+  Angantyr and Helgi whose lot it was
+    In the fortunes of war to thrive.
+
+  18. Logi was youngest (a tiny lad)
+    Of the sons of the worthy pair;
+  Hromund alone sallied forth to fight in battle,
+    And the rest stayed at home where they were.
+
+  19. The hero feared neither fire nor sword
+    When shields clashed in the fray;
+  His shoulders were broad, and shining his hair.
+    And kindly and keen was his eye.
+
+  20. He never fled or deserted the host,
+    But poured forth darts on the shield;--
+  Faithful and true in courage was he
+    As a hero should be in the field.
+
+  21. His wicked foe did he slay with might--
+    He knew no fear of pain;
+  And all his noble courage and valour
+    From his kinsman Hrˆk did he gain.
+
+  22. Two villains were there with the King,
+    Deep-versed in magic arts.
+  I swear those brothers Bild and Vali
+    Both had evil hearts!
+
+  23. The King of Vali council takes,
+    And a sad mistake made he;
+  A name had he gained for courtesy and valour,
+    But he never donned byrnie.
+
+  24. Less trusty warrior in the field
+    I never look to find;--
+  False he was and treacherous,--
+    Full of deceit his mind.
+
+  25. The Prince's troop, the Niflung men,
+    Along Norway's coast did sail,
+  Until they came to the Skerries of the Elf,--
+    Nor did their courage fail.
+
+  26. The troop had prepared for a mighty battle,
+    And against a promontory
+  Olaf's men in their warships there
+    Lay at anchor in the bay.
+
+  27. "Over the Island do ye go,"--
+    Thus to Kari spoke he,--
+  "To see if ye come on the vikings' ships,
+    And if they are like to fight fiercely."
+
+  28. Kari and Ornulf, clothed and armed,
+    With shield and polished blade
+  Examine the coast, and hastily
+    A search through the island made.
+
+  29. Six tall warships soon they see,
+    Under the sea-cliffs lay they;
+  And a '_Dragon_' carved in wondrous wise
+    Beside the warships lay.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE FAROESE BALLAD OF NORNAGEST
+
+
+The _Ballad of Nornagest_ was published for the first time by Lyngbye
+in 1822 in _FÊrˆiske KvÊder om Sigurd Fofnersbane_ etc. In his visit
+to the Faroes in 1847-8, Hammershaimb took down the ballad from oral
+recitation at Sumb¯. He afterwards collated his version carefully
+with those of Svabo, Schr¯ter and Lyngbye, and published the result
+in _FÊrˆiske KvÊder_, Vol. I, Copenhagen, 1851. This is the version of
+the ballad translated below.
+
+Lyngbye points out that Nornagest has become a well-known character
+in modern Faroese legend. We certainly note his popularity in the
+ballads, which is no doubt due to his association with Sigurth in the
+original story. In some ballads he appears as a companion in arms of
+the latter and even as a great warrior himself. He it is who rides
+with Sigurth and Virgar to meet the giant in Holmgarth (cf. _RÌsin Ì
+Holmgarum_, v. 33), and in _Ragnarlikkja_ (cf. v. 39 ff.) "the fierce
+Nornagest" sails with Sigurth, Brand, and Virgar to slay the King of
+Girtland; and so too in other stories.
+
+It will be observed that the framework of the story differs
+considerably from that of the Saga, notably in the opening and closing
+scenes. The beginning of another story, dealing likewise with an old
+man, has been substituted for the original opening. The mention of
+the boat in verse 40 is perhaps reminiscent of some folk-tale; and the
+story of the leaden casket containing the soul of Nornagest which was
+sunk in the lake is an interesting instance of the external soul. I
+have no doubt that it is a reference to some folk-tale, but have not
+yet been able to identify it. Among many primitive peoples, who can
+hardly grasp abstract ideas, the life or soul of a man is regarded
+as a concrete thing which can be laid aside, and which, so long as
+it remains unharmed, will secure for him immortality. There is, for
+example, a Hindoo story of a princess whose soul was believed to be in
+her necklace.--One day an astrologer said to her parents: "This is
+no common child; the necklace of gold about her neck contains your
+daughter's soul; let it therefore be guarded with the utmost care; for
+if it were taken off and worn by another person, she would die[1]."
+
+Many similar folk-tales are known from Icelandic and Danish sources as
+well as from many parts of Europe and Asia.
+
+The air to which the following ballad is sung will be found on pp.
+117, 118 of Thuren's _Folkesangen paa FÊr¯erne_.
+
+    [Footnote 1: For many interesting parallels, cf. Frazer,
+    _Golden Bough_ (London, 1911-1915), "Balder the Beautiful,"
+    ch. II.]
+
+
+_Nornagests Rima_
+
+Taken down by A. P. BERGGEEN.
+
+
+[Illustration: Music]
+
+  [Lyric:
+  EÌtt er fr¯i um | Nor-na gest, | Lat tÊr r·-a |
+  ra-ger Ì | van-da. | Ti likum gÛum | gekk hann nÊst. |
+  Ox-ar tolv voru | leid-dir · torg, | og so fram · |
+  fri-u borg. | Gra-ni bar | gul-li af |hei-i. ||]
+
+
+THE FAROESE BALLAD OF NORNAGEST
+
+  1.  A Ballad there is of Nornagest,
+    Refrain:--_Be ready with a plan in trouble!_--
+      In manly virtues among the best.
+    Refrain:--_Every lad should do so!_
+
+  2.  Twelve oxen were led to the market square,
+      And onward thence to a castle fair.
+
+  3.  The King he thought to hew them to earth,
+      And with courage and joy did he sally forth.
+
+  4.  The King he struck such a mighty blow
+      That the blood from the wounds did swiftly flow.
+
+  5.  All the oxen fell down dead,
+      And the axe sank deep that he brandished.
+
+  6.  All men praised his princely blow:
+      The blood from the wounds did swiftly flow.
+
+  7.  A man there came with crutches twain:
+      With these he steadied himself amain.
+
+  8.  The King to the man full mildly spoke:--
+      "O why, and O why, dost thou praise not my stroke?"
+
+  9.  "O Sire, thou struckest full manfully;
+      But I saw a finer stroke in days gone by.
+
+  10. "Of Sigurth's deeds hast thou heard the worth,--
+      The mightiest champion of men on earth!
+
+  11. "Leaf and grove did tremble and quake
+      When Sigurth clove in sunder the snake.
+
+  12. "This may you tell of Sigurth the bold:--
+      'He was mightiest of all men in days of old.'
+
+  13. "This can I tell of Sigurth's fame:--
+      'I know no hero with eyes so keen.'
+
+  14. "Leaf and grove did tremble and shake
+      When Sigurth clove in sunder the snake.
+
+  15. "A noble man was Hˆgni, I ween,
+      Full well did I know his ugly mien.
+
+  16. "Rich, brave and gentle was Gunnar enow,
+      Wise too, and Gunnhild was like him, I trow.
+
+  17. "Wise too, and Gunnhild was like him, I trow.
+      Of heroes like him are there all too few.
+
+  18. "My father he had a homestead fair:
+      Herds of cattle were pastured there.
+
+  19. "And horses I tended as I sat in the wood.--
+      And blithest my heart when the weather was good!
+
+  20. "One and all in their saddles they ride,
+      Childe Sigurth, and Hˆgni, and Gunnar beside.
+
+  22. "Over the mire-pit rode all and one.--
+      I was a lad, and I looked thereon.
+
+  23. "First sprang Gunnar's horse forthright.
+      Gunnar measured his leap aright.
+
+  24. "Hˆgni's horse sprang after then.
+      Fast stuck Grani in the fen.
+
+  25. "The last to spring was Sigurth's steed.
+      Sigurth had given him so heavy a feed!
+
+  26. "Grani floundered in the fen:
+      His saddle girth brake in pieces twain.
+
+  27. "Down from their saddles each did glide,--
+      Childe Sigurth, and Hˆgni, and Gunnar beside.
+
+  28. "They dragged at the noble steed amain;
+      But Sigurth pulled hardest the bridle rein.
+
+  29. "'Oft have I leapt o'er the pit aright
+      By day and eke in the murky night.
+
+  30. "'O Guest, a service of thee I pray:--
+      Wash from my courser the mire away.
+
+  31. "'The saddle buckle which broke 'neath me--
+      The same, O Guest, will I give to thee.'
+
+  32. "Forth they rode to a river then.
+      No-one was there to look to the men.
+
+  33. "I washed his poitrail and breast for him,
+      His thigh, his leg, and each long limb.
+
+  34. "The noble courser I made full clean.
+      Then Sigurth took me for his horse-swain.
+
+  35. "So rode we forth to Fafnir's lair.
+      Like the sun's own beams did the gold shine there.
+
+  36. "From Sigurth's steed did I draw a hair,
+      Of wondrous length and beyond compare.
+
+  37. "The hair in the tail of Grani hung,
+       --Well-nigh a foot and a fathom long.
+
+  38. "Well-nigh a foot and a fathom in height.
+      And it shone and gleamed like silver so bright.
+
+  39. "In days gone by, full far have I strayed,
+      Nor found I my candle and span of days."
+
+  40. The King he gave him pole and boat,
+      And directed the old man on his road.
+
+  41. "In the Land of the Franks is a lake broad and wide
+      Where thy candle and span of days do bide."
+
+  42. Long and long dived the courteous man
+      Before he came his candle upon.
+
+  43. Kˆrnar the priest baptised him anon.
+      When the candle burnt out his life was done.
+
+  44. When the light in the lanthorn had burnt away,
+    Refrain:--_Be ready with a plan in trouble!_--
+      Then ended too his own life's day.
+    Refrain:--_Every lad should do so!_
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE BALLAD OF HJALMAR AND ANGANTYR
+
+
+The following ballad was taken down by Hammershaimb from oral
+recitation in Westmanhavn in 1846, and published at Copenhagen in 1855
+in _FÊrˆiske KvÊder_, Vol. II. He took down a second version of the
+same ballad, but consisting of only nineteen stanzas, at Sumb¯ in
+1847, which he published in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, 1849-50.
+This second version differs slightly from the one given in our text.
+In it Arngrim is said to have twelve sons of whom Angantyr was the
+youngest. Hjalmar is not expressly stated to have been a brother of
+Angantyr, as he is in our version and in the Danish ballad _Angelfyr
+and Helmer the Warrior_ (cf. p. 188 ff.). Moreover Angantyr is the
+first to learn of the franklin's daughter, and he forthwith builds
+a ship and sails away alone; and it is only later that Hjalmar also
+hears of her and sets sail, thus reaching the spot when Angantyr has
+already landed. More colour is given to the maiden's choice in the
+second version by the additional detail that
+
+  Hjalmar leapt so lightly to land,
+  He made no footprint on the sand.
+
+This, however, it is to be noted, is the regular formula by which the
+landing of the hero is described in the Faroese ballads. Cf. _Lokka
+T·ttur_, v. 78.
+
+It is the opinion of Hammershaimb that this ballad was the original
+from which the longer ballad of _Arngrim's Sons_ sprang. This would
+seem to be supported by Heusler's contention that _The Long Ballad_
+of the _Marsk Stig_ Cycle was composed by welding together several
+shorter ballads[1]; and certainly the _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_
+suggests that at least two distinct ballads have been run into one,
+especially when we compare the two varying versions of Svabo and
+Hammershaimb. Against this, however, we have to place the fact that
+something of the same invertebrate impression is given by the _Saga
+of Hervˆr and Heithrek_, on which these ballads are ultimately based.
+Even if we assume a composite origin for the _Ballad of Arngrim's
+Sons_, there is no evidence that any portion of it was based on the
+short _Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_, while the difference of metre
+diminishes the probability of a connection.
+
+The air and refrain to this ballad are given on p. 124 of Thuren's
+_Folkesangen paa FÊr¯erne_.
+
+    [Footnote 1: _Lied und Epos_ (Dortmund, 1905), p. 41 ff.]
+
+
+_The Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_
+
+KIRKJUBÿ.
+
+[Illustration]
+
+[Music quarter note=112]
+
+  [Lyric:
+  BÛndin | undir | eikini | b˝r, || VÊl | bornir |
+  menn |Eigir hann | ellivu | synir | d˝r! || Arngrims
+  synir · | Bjarn | londum | ber- | jast vi | Sams | oy. ||]
+
+
+THE BALLAD OF HJALMAR AND ANGANTYR
+
+  1.  A man lived up in a high oak-tree,
+    Refrain:--    _Ye well-born men!_--
+      Eleven warlike sons had he.
+    Refrain:--    _Arngrim's Sons from Africa_,
+               _They fought, they fought on Sams¯._
+
+  2.  He had eleven sons so dear,--
+      The champions Hjalmar and Angantyr.
+
+  3.  A ship, a ship did these warriors man,
+      And swift 'fore the wind was the course she ran.
+
+  4.  They hoisted their sail to the mast so high:
+      They had faith in their strength and their valiancy.
+
+  5.  Their anchor they cast in the white, white sand.
+      Hjalmar hastily sprang to the land.
+
+  6.  Their anchor they cast in the white, white sand.
+      And Angantyr eagerly sprang on the strand.
+
+  7.  Angantyr eagerly sprang on the strand.
+      Up to his knees he sank in the sand.
+
+  8.  "I drew my hose from my legs so bare
+     To hide the sand from my lady fair!"
+
+  9.  In the garden they busked them in cloaks of skin,
+      And so went up to the franklin sitting there within.
+
+  10. "Here sittest thou, franklin, drinking thy wine:
+      I beg that thy daughter so fair may be mine!"
+
+  11. When Hjalmar stood before the board,
+      Angantyr straight took up the word.--
+
+  12. "Here sittest thou, franklin, drinking thy wine:
+      I beg that thy daughter so fair may be mine!"
+
+  13. In sorry plight was the franklin then,
+      For there at the board stood two mighty men.
+
+  14. "No choice so hard will I ever make;
+      The maiden herself must choose her mate."
+
+  15. "No choice so hard shall be made by thee:
+      The warrior Hjalmar shall wed with me.
+
+  16. "With Hjalmar the Brave would I wedded be,
+      Who is so lovely and fair to see."
+
+  17. "O franklin! Lend me a trusty blade,
+      We two must fight for the hand of the maid."
+
+  18. "O franklin! Lend me a sharp penknife:
+      Each of us surely must lose his life."
+
+  19. They fought their way forth of the hall.
+      They bellowed louder than any troll.
+
+  20. Till they reached a river they fought amain,
+      Down on their knees and then up again.
+
+  21. Down on their knees and then up again
+    Refrain:--    _Ye well-born men!_--
+      Till stiff and dead lay those champions twain.
+    Refrain:--    _Arngrim's Sons from Africa_,
+               _They fought, they fought on Sams¯._
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE DANISH BALLAD OF ANGELFYR AND HELMER THE WARRIOR
+
+
+Four different versions of the Danish ballad of _Angelfyr and Helmer
+the Warrior_ are given by Grundtvig in _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_,
+Vol. I, number 19 (Copenhagen, 1853). Two of these, closely allied,
+are found in a MS. written in the sixteenth century[1]. The version
+which Grundtvig has called _A_ is the one adopted for translation
+below.
+
+An interesting study in ballad composition is afforded by a comparison
+of this Danish ballad with the Faroese ballads of the _Sons of
+Arngrim_. According to Axel Olrik[2] the Danish ballad is founded on
+the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_. That the ultimate source of all the
+ballads of the _Sons of Arngrim_ was the Saga there can be no doubt.
+But whether the Danish ballad is derived directly from the Saga or
+through some intermediate stage, Icelandic, Faroese or Danish, is
+problematical. A definite relationship between the Danish and the
+Faroese ballads would seem to be shown by several common features of
+the story which do not occur in the Saga itself, as well as by some
+striking verbal resemblances which have no foundation in the prose
+narrative.
+
+Thus on the one hand both in the Danish and in the Faroese ballads
+translated above, Hjalmar and Angantyr are described as brothers[3],
+whereas in the Saga they are not related. On the other hand the Danish
+and the two Faroese ballads are almost identical in their description
+of Angantyr and all his kin as "vile trolls," though Version _A_
+given by Grundtvig describes him in accordance with the Saga as a
+"half-troll" (i.e. on his mother's side).
+
+Other close verbal parallels, surely indicative of cross-relationship
+or of a common source, are afforded by a comparison of certain
+passages of the Danish ballad and the Faroese _Ballad of Arngrim's
+Sons_. Thus _v. 5_ of the Danish is practically identical with _v. 74_
+of the Faroese, and we may compare _v. 9_ of the shorter _Ballad of
+Hjalmar and Angantyr_. May we also compare _v. 6_ of the Danish with
+_v. 79_ of the longer Faroese ballad; _v. 8_ with _v. 81_; _v. 10_
+with _v. 84_; _v. 14_ with _v. 79_? Conventional as many of these
+phrases are, the identity can hardly be accidental in all cases.
+
+The precise nature of the relationship between the two versions is not
+so clear. We may note, however, some of the features contained in the
+Danish version of the story which are not found in the Saga. In the
+first place neither Arngrim nor Sams¯ are mentioned, the names Offue
+and Uthiss-kier being substituted for them[4]; secondly, except in
+the refrain there is no mention of the sea or a voyage in the Danish
+ballad. Helmer bids them "saddle his steed," and both he and Angelfyr
+_ride_ to Upsala. Finally after _v. 11_ of our text, the Danish ballad
+differs entirely from the Faroese version of the story and also from
+that of the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_. Offue's revenge is peculiar
+to the Danish, and here too no mention is made of Ingibjˆrg's death.
+
+From all these changes, and especially from the transference of names
+and places, it is obvious that the Danish version of the story is
+considerably more remote from the Saga than either of the two Faroese
+versions. At the same time, the absence of any reference to Sams¯
+or any other Danish locality renders it highly improbable that its
+divergences are due to any (Danish) local tradition independent of the
+Saga.
+
+On the whole it would seem that at an early date (fifteenth or early
+sixteenth century?) a ballad had been made from this portion of the
+Saga, either directly or through the intermediate stage of a lost
+rhymed version; and that it was composed in the Faroes themselves
+or in Iceland or some other region--the Orkneys and Shetlands are
+a possible suggestion--and acquired by the Danes not very long
+afterwards.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. Grundtvig, _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_, Vol.
+    I, p. 252. Also Axel Olrik, _Danske Folkeviser Ì Udvalg_, Vol.
+    I, p. 263.]
+
+    [Footnote 2: Cf. Olrik, _op. cit._, p. 78. For general
+    information on the Danish ballads the reader is referred to
+    Steenstrup, _Vore Folkeviser_ (Copenhagen, 1891), translated
+    by E. G. Cox (Boston, 1914).]
+
+    [Footnote 3: See, however, the Introduction to the _Ballad of
+    Hjalmar and Angantyr_, p. 182 above.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: So MS. _A_; but cf. below _v. 1_ and note.]
+
+
+ANGELFYR AND HELMER THE WARRIOR
+
+  1.  Offue he dwelt in Uthiss-kier,
+        Both rich and bold was he;
+      And when two sons were born to him,
+        He vowed they should warriors be.
+
+  Refrain:  _But the tempest from the North
+            Lashes dark and troubled billows
+            On the gleaming waste of sand._[1]
+
+  2.  It was Young Helmer the Warrior;
+        He bade them saddle his steed:
+      "I Ride to Upsala this day,
+        The King's daughter to wed."
+
+  3.  Then up and spake Young Angelfyr,
+        Where he stood in scarlet so red:
+      "O never shalt thou this eventide
+        To the lovely maid be wed!"
+
+  4.  Then up and spake Young Angelfyr:
+        He bade them saddle his steed:
+      "I will gallop today to Upsala,
+        Till the earth is rent with my speed."
+
+  5.  Out of doors in the castle-court
+        They busked them in cloaks of skin,
+      And so went they to the hall gallery,
+        Where the King of Upsala sat within.
+
+  6.  In came Young Helmer the Warrior,
+        And stood before the board;
+      "O King, I pray thee, give me thy daughter,--
+        I wait thy friendly word."
+
+  7.  In there came Young Angelfyr,
+        And gold shone on his hand:
+      "O King, I pray thee, give me thy daughter
+        And quit thee from this thy land."
+
+  8.  Long and long stood the King of Upsala,
+        And pondered silently,
+      How those heroes who stood before him
+        He might answer fittingly.
+
+  9.  It was the King of Upsala,
+        And he spake this word theretil:
+      "I give my daughter to that man only
+        Who has won him her goodwill."
+
+  10. "I give thee thanks, my father dear,
+        That the choice thou lay'st on me;
+      I give myself to Young Helmer the Warrior,
+        For a noble man is he.
+
+  11. "I will not wed me to Angelfyr:
+        For he is half a troll;--
+      So is his father, and so his mother,
+        And so are his kinsfolk all."
+
+  12. Then up and spake Young Angelfyr
+        As he stood and pondered there:
+      "We both will take us forth to the courtyard,
+        And fight for the maiden fair."
+
+  13. It was the King of Upsala,
+        And answered he forthright:
+      "O the swords they be keen, and the lads they be bold,
+        And may measure them well in a fight."
+
+  14. Then up and rose Young Angelfyr
+        Where he his sword out drew;
+      And up rose Young Helmer the Warrior,
+        Whom he to the earth did hew.
+
+  15. Offue he stands in Uthiss-kier
+        And far and wide looks he:
+      "O somewhere is Helmer suffering pain,
+        For I feel such woe in the heart of me."
+
+  16. Offue he stands in Uthiss-kier
+        And looks o'er the wide, wide heath:
+      "O what can be harming my two sons today,
+        And why are they both so wroth?"
+
+  17. It was Offue in Uthiss-kier;
+        He sprang on his red-roan steed.
+      And so came he to the King's courtyard,
+        Ere Helmer was dead indeed.
+
+  18. "O hearken, hearken, Young Helmer,
+        Beloved son of mine:
+      Thy noble sword from out thy hands
+        Why didst thou list to tine?"
+
+  19. "Eight are the mortal wounds I bear,
+        They are both deep and sore;
+      And had I only one of them
+        I could not live an hour."
+
+  20. O it was Offue in Uthiss-kier,
+        And he his sword out drew;--
+      And O it was Young Angelfyr
+        Whom down to the earth he slew.
+
+  21. "Lie thou there, Young Angelfyr
+        And bleed till thou art dead;
+      So woeful was I in my heart
+        When I saw how Helmer bled.
+
+  22. "Lie thou there, Young Angelfyr,
+        And lose thy life-blood all.
+      So woeful was I in my heart
+        When I saw Young Helmer fall."
+
+  Refrain:  _But the tempest from the North
+            Lashes dark and troubled billows
+            On the gleaming waste of sand._
+
+    [Footnote 1: The translation of the refrain is somewhat free;
+    but cf. Olrik, _D. F. Ì U._, p. 78. Extreme condensation is a
+    feature of all Faroese and Danish ballad refrains which makes
+    a literal translation into English practically impossible.]
+
+
+In MS. _B_ of the _Ballad of Angelfyr_ etc., _vv._ 1-11 correspond
+pretty closely to MS. _A_; but _vv._ 12-18 are different:
+
+  12. Alff he stood in Odderskier,
+        And listened over the field;
+      Then could he hear so far away
+        Where his sons their swords did wield.
+
+  13. Up then rose Alff in Odderskier;
+        He sprang on his red-roan steed;
+      And came he so to Upsala
+        Ere both the warriors were dead.
+
+  14. "O hearken, hearken, Young Helmer,
+        Beloved son of mine:
+      Why does the life blood from thy head
+        In streams come running down?"
+
+  15. It was Young Helmer the Warrior,
+        And his father answered he:
+      "My brother Angelfyr could not have the maid,
+        And therefore he wrought this ill to me.
+
+  16. "My body is pierced with fifteen wounds,
+        All tainted with poison full sore;
+      And had I only one of them
+        I could not live an hour."
+
+  17. It was Alff in Odderskier,
+        And an oak he uprootÈd;
+      He struck with the oak Young Angelfyr,
+        Till he lay on the earth stone dead.
+
+  18. Now both these warriors are lying dead,
+        And dead lie they in their grave;
+      And the King he is ready to give his daughter
+        To the man whom he himself will have.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE FAROESE BALLAD OF ARNGRIM'S SONS
+
+
+The _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ was first taken down by Svabo towards
+the close of the eighteenth century. He never published it, but his
+MS. (III. 9) is preserved in the Royal Library at Copenhagen. In 1848
+V. U. Hammershaimb took the ballad down again from oral recitation
+on Sand¯ and published it in the _Antiquarisk TÌdsskrift_, 1849-1851
+(Copenhagen, 1852). He had, however, consulted Svabo's version, for he
+says in the prefatory note to the ballad:
+
+    It is entirely confused in Svabo's version in the Royal
+    Library. I have therefore kept to the version which I got on
+    Sand¯, which in the main points agrees with the Saga. Only in
+    the conclusion and two other passages have I followed Svabo's
+    version.
+
+By 1855, however, it would seem that his view had changed. In his
+prefatory note to the _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_, published in
+_Nordiske Oldskrifter_, vols. 18-19, Part II (Copenhagen, 1855), he
+writes:
+
+    The version given by Svabo is at variance with the Saga and
+    has many internal discrepancies arising mainly from the fact
+    that Hjalmar and Angantyr are here taken to be brothers, as
+    in the Danish ballad. In the _Antiquarisk TÌdsskrift_ for
+    1849-1851 I published another version which I took down
+    in Sand¯ in 1848, and in which I made some use of Svabo's
+    version. My version corresponds exactly with the _Harvarar
+    Saga_, but it is open to suspicion from the fact that it here
+    forms the second part (_th·ttr_) of _Hjalmar's KvÊi_, of
+    which the first part (_The Th·ttr of ÷rvar-Oddr_) is clearly
+    of later origin; as is shown not only by the language,
+    but also by the fact that the whole falls in with Suhm's
+    story,--"The three friends, Hjalmar, Asbjˆrn and ÷rvarodd,"
+    etc. Many verses of _Arngrim's Sons_ presuppose a first
+    _t·ttur_ to the ballad, for example that in which the sick
+    Asbjˆrn complains that he cannot follow his companion to the
+    fight on Sams¯[1]. That the language in the second part is
+    purer and older than in the first part is easily explained
+    from the fact that the people of Sand¯ have utilised the
+    older Faroese version which was taken down by Svabo. They only
+    needed to transpose the verses and to make a very few changes
+    to get the whole readjusted according to the Saga or Suhm's
+    story. The verses which the Sand¯ version has in common with
+    Svabo's could therefore be used for purposes of comparison.
+    There are thus weighty reasons for giving preference to
+    Svabo's version, in spite of all its imperfections.
+
+Of the first part of _Hjalmar's KvÊi_ I have unfortunately been
+unable to obtain a copy, though it is no doubt accessible at
+Copenhagen, as it is mentioned as number 60 ('_Hjalmar's KvÊi_, 2
+tÊttir: _a_, ÷rvaroddur, _b_, Arngrim's Sinir') in a list of
+Faroese ballads taken down in the Faroes by Hammershaimb for the
+archaeological archives of the Royal Old Norse Text Society[2].
+Hammershaimb says[3], however, that the first part "deals with
+Hjalmar's youth, the counsel given him by his father when he leaves
+home, how he is taken into the retinue (_hir_) of the Swedish King,
+how he distinguishes himself by his bravery against the vikings, and
+how he and Asbjˆrn and ÷rvarodd swear to be foster-brothers."
+
+The translation which follows is made from Hammershaimb's second
+edition of the ballad, published in _Nordiske Oldskrifter_, vols. 18
+and 19, Part II[4]--which is in fact Svabo's text; but the refrain of
+his first version has been adopted.
+
+It will be noticed that the ballad differs in many points from the
+_Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_. In the first place, according to the
+ballad, it is Arngrim and not Angantyr who is buried with the sword
+Tyrfing[5]. Secondly, Hervik (the Hervˆr of the Saga) is described
+as a daughter of Arngrim and a sister of Angantyr. Hjalmar also is
+a brother of Hervik and of Angantyr according to the ballad, and
+actually accompanies Hervik on her quest of the sword Tyrfing, which
+according to the ballad took place _before_ the fight on Sams¯.
+Finally, Arngrim is said to have been killed by ÷rvarodd, and Hervik
+accordingly kills ÷rvarodd in retaliation. Another 'Young Odd' appears
+later as Hjalmar's companion in the true place of ÷rvarodd.
+
+Thus we see that, as commonly happens in popular poetry, complex
+situations have become simplified, and, where simplification has not
+taken place, the people and events have become confused[6]. Both
+in the shorter Faroese ballad of _Hjalmar and Angantyr_, and in
+the Danish ballad of _Angelfyr and Helmer the_ _Warrior_, the
+simplification has proceeded even farther, and a still more striking
+instance of rigorous simplification is to be found in the _Ballad of
+Nornagest_.
+
+No _RÌmur_ dealing with Arngrim's Sons have been published, and I have
+not been able to ascertain whether any exist, though a passing mention
+is made of them in verse 74 of the satirical poem _SkÌtharÌma_[7],
+probably composed in the fifteenth century by Einar or Sigurur
+FÛstri. _A priori_ it would seem probable that the ballads are derived
+from compositions of this kind rather than from the Saga direct.
+But it would be unwise to hazard even a guess as to the balance of
+probability without detailed knowledge of the relative circulation,
+distribution and popularity of the Sagas and the RÌmur respectively.
+
+The air to which the following ballad is sung on the Faroes has been
+transcribed and printed by Thuren in _Folkesangen paa FÊr¯erne_, pp.
+132, 133.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Cf. also the introduction of ÷rvar-Odd in v.
+    29 of Hammershaimb's version (_Antiq. TÌdss._, 1849-51, pp.
+    61-74); also vv. 28, 33, 58.]
+
+    [Footnote 2: Cf. _Antiq. TÌdss._, 1849-1851, p. 28.]
+
+    [Footnote 3: _Ib._, p. 58.]
+
+    [Footnote 4: Copenhagen, 1855.]
+
+    [Footnote 5: So Svabo's version; the Sand¯ version of
+    Hammershaimb's first edition, however, preserves Angantyr
+    here.]
+
+    [Footnote 6: A still more striking instance of the latter
+    development will be found in the _G·tu RÌma_ (see p. 213 f.
+    below) especially v. 22.]
+
+    [Footnote 7: _Carmina Scaldica_ (_a selection of Norwegian
+    and Icelandic Scaldic poetry_) by Finnur JÛnsson, Copenhagen,
+    1913.]
+
+
+_The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_
+
+[Illustration] [Music: dotted-quarter note = 116 SANDOY.]
+
+  [Lyric:
+  ArngrÌmur | eigir      | eina  | borg, hon | stendur · | hˆgum
+          | fjalli,  :||
+  ellivu    | eigir hann | synir | sÊr   og  | tÛlvti er | riddarin
+          | snjalli.
+
+  (Refrain)
+  N˙ | fellur | rÌ | man | yvir tann]
+  breia | fjˆr; | har | liggur ein | bÛn- | di  |
+  deyur Ì | dˆkkari | jˆrd! | N˙ | fellur | rÌ- | man. ||]
+
+
+_Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_
+
+(1) I SÿRVAGI.
+
+[Music]
+
+(2)
+
+[Music]
+
+(3) KVALBÿ.
+
+[Music]
+
+(4)
+
+[Music]
+
+
+THE BALLAD OF ARNGRIM'S SONS.
+
+    1.  High on a lofty mountain
+          Does Arngrim his castle hold;
+        He has eleven noble sons,
+          And his twelfth is a champion bold.
+
+  Refrain: _Noble men are sailing now from Norway,
+              And a fair breeze bears them o'er the wave._
+
+    2.  He has eleven noble sons,
+          Each skilled to wield his brand;
+        And mightiest of all is Angantyr
+          Who comes from Bjarnaland.
+
+    3.  He has eleven noble sons,
+          Beneath oak-trees live they;
+        And Angantyr lives with them there
+          And a warrior bold is he.
+
+    4.  Arngrim and the Earl's lady,
+          Children so fine had they--
+        Their daughter was named Hervik,
+          Who governed land and fee.
+
+    5.  This maiden was named Hervik,
+          'Fore all men I declare,
+        She tilted in the tourney
+          When the lads were playing there.
+
+    6.  She tilted in the tourney
+          Among the lads so strong.
+        Then blood was up and blood was shed
+          Ere she had played her long.
+
+    7.  Down then sat the lads there;
+          Angry were they each one.--
+        "Better than fighting us so fiercely
+          Go 'venge thy father anon!"
+
+    8.  Water she cast on her armour;
+          She list no longer to fight,
+        But went and stood before her mother,
+          With cheeks all red and white.
+
+    9.  "O hearken, hearken my Mother dear,
+          The truth from thee would I know.--
+        Was my father slain in battle
+          Or did he die on straw?"
+
+   10.  "No truer tale can I tell to thee,
+          My daughter whom I love:
+        He fell before the bold ÷rvarodd
+          To the South in Isan's Grove.
+
+   11.  "I can tell thee no truer, my daughter dear
+          Than I tell as here I stand;--
+        He fell before the bold ÷rvarodd
+          To the South in Isan's Land."
+
+   12.  She took her quickly to a chest
+          Which guarded gold and fee;
+        She drew a shirt from out the chest,
+          And flung it on Hervik's knee.
+
+   13.  She drew a shirt from out the chest,
+          All bloodstained where it had lain.--
+        "Here may'st thou see the very same shirt
+          In which thy father was slain."
+
+   14.  Up then rose Hervik the Earl's daughter
+          And manned ship hastily;
+        Its cables were of shining gold,
+          All twisted cunningly.
+
+   15.  Up then rose Hervik the Earl's daughter,
+          And decked her ship so fine,
+        And bade them store within the hold
+          Both ale and costly wine.
+
+   16.  Tarred were the masts,
+          And black was the ship in hue;
+        The masthead was of the red, red gold,
+          And the sun shone on it too.
+
+   17.  Tarred were the masts;
+          The ship it was quite new;
+        The golden weather-cock spun aloft,
+          And shone amid Heaven's own blue.
+
+   18.  Tarred were the masts,
+          The beams scored wondrously;
+        Stem and stern were of red, red gold,
+          And so was the sail on high.
+
+   19.  All in the middle of the ship's deck
+          The colour shone so fair
+        Where Hervik, the Earl's daughter,
+          Sat on the platform there.
+
+   20.  She hoists aloft her silken sail,
+          Striped gold on a scarlet ground,
+        Nor ever once does she strike it again
+          Till she comes to Isan's Land.
+
+   21.  She hoists aloft her silken sail,
+          (The like will scarce be found)
+        Nor ever once does she strike it again
+          Till she comes to Isan's ground.
+
+   22.  Forth when Hervik's frigate
+          Touched the fair land,
+        Cast she forth her anchor
+          Into the white, white sand.
+
+   23.  Cast she down her anchor
+          Into the white, white sand;
+        And the first was Hervik the Earl's daughter
+          To spring with her foot to land.
+
+   24.  The first was Hervik the Earl's daughter
+          To spring with her foot to land,
+        And with her Hjalmar her brother
+          Close at her right hand.
+
+   25.  There a huntsman met her;
+          He had hunted herd and fee:
+        "O why art thou so sorrowful,
+          As a troll had been hunting thee?"
+
+   26.  Then up stood Hervik the Earl's daughter,
+          Her good sword out she drew,
+        And with it she clove the huntsman
+          And him in sunder slew.
+
+   27.  Three cross roads are bending,
+          And one can she descry;
+        Hervik has gone straight forth to the barrow
+          Wherein her father doth lie.
+
+   28.  Hervik has gone straight forth to the barrow
+          Where her father lies dead and cold.
+        Little recks she of fear or favour,
+          Though quake now fell and fold.
+
+   29.  Then up and spake the voice of Arngrim,
+          And these words first spake he:--
+        "O where are my eleven sons gone,
+          Since daughters are visiting me?"
+
+   30.  "I pass not for my eleven brothers,
+          Or where they share their fee.
+        No treasure have I, save only Hjalmar,
+          Hither brought with me.
+
+   31.  "O haste thee, haste thee, my noble Father
+          The good brand to give me;
+        Or shall I set fire here to this barrow,
+          And burn it over thee?"
+
+   32.  Full woe was the champion Arngrim
+          That she should wreck his grave.
+        He seizÈd Tyrfing in both his hands
+          And to his daughter gave.
+
+   33.  He gave to her the sword then
+          Was wonderfully made.--
+        The length of it was eighteen ells,
+          And poisoned was its blade.
+
+   34.  He gave to her the sword then
+          Was wonderfully made.
+        No leechcraft could avail the man
+          Was wounded by its blade.
+
+   35.  All in the middle of the garden
+          She clad her in cloak of skin;
+        She busked her in a cloak of fur,
+          And entered the high hall within.
+
+   36. She busked her in her cloak of fur
+          And entered the high hall belive,
+        Where ÷rvarodd sat before the board
+          With a hundred men and five.
+
+   37.  "O welcome, welcome, Hervik,
+          Hither now to me
+        Mead or wine shalt thou have to drink
+          As liefest is to thee."
+
+   38.  "O little to me is thy mead, ÷rvarodd,
+          And little to me thy wine.
+        Today I have come to thy high hall,
+          And a different errand is mine.
+
+   39.  "O little to me is thy mead, ÷rvarodd,
+          And little to me thy beer;
+        For a different errand did I busk me
+          When I left my home to come here.
+
+   40.  "I busked me and came from Sweden
+          To fight in this thy land.
+        Stand up! Stand up! Thou bold ÷rvarodd,
+          Stand up, and arm thy band!"
+
+   41.  It fell full early on a morning tide,
+          Before the sun rose high,
+        Bold ÷rvarodd had a hundred men and twelve
+          Accoutred royally.
+
+   42.  Bold ÷rvarodd had a hundred men and twelve
+          Accoutred royally.
+        Then up rose Hervik, the Earl's daughter,
+         To meet them gallantly.
+
+   43.  Up then rose Hervik, the Earl's daughter,
+          So doughty in the fight.
+        She blew a blast on her golden horn,
+          And struck to left and right.
+
+   44.  It was Hervik, the Earl's daughter,
+          So gallantly she rode;--
+        She clove to the shoulders every knight
+          Who forth against her strode.
+
+   45.  She clove to the shoulders every knight
+          Who forth against her strode,
+        Till only ÷rvarodd and his two companions
+          Survivors of the army stood.
+
+   46.  Under the castle gateway
+          The King crept fearfully.--
+        "Now mercy, mercy, sweet Hervik,
+          I pray thou'lt give to me!"
+
+   47. "Just so much is the sweet mercy
+          Thou now shalt get of me
+        As thou gavest to my noble Father
+          When thou slew'st him felonly!"
+
+   48.  "Just so much is the sweet mercy
+          Thou now shalt win of me
+        As thou gavest to my noble Father
+          When thou slew'st him cruelly!"
+
+   49.  That was Hervik, the Earl's daughter,
+          To draw her sword was fain.
+        She has slain the warrior ÷rvarodd
+          And cut him in pieces twain.
+
+   50.  She has slain the warrior ÷rvarodd
+          And cut him in pieces twain,
+        And all his men so brave and true
+          She has heaped on his corse amain.
+
+   51.  Up then rose Hervik, the Earl's daughter;
+          Through the greenwood gan she ride;
+        But hawk or hound made never a cry
+          In the greenwood by her side.
+
+   52.  She hoists aloft her silken sail,
+          Striped gold on a scarlet ground;
+        Nor ever once does she strike it again
+          Till she reaches far Uppland.
+
+   53.  Forth when Hervik's frigate
+          Touched the fair land,
+        Cast she forth her anchor
+          Into the white, white sand.
+
+   54.  Cast she forth her anchor
+          Into the white, white sand;
+       And forthwith her brother Angantyr
+          Came riding down the strand.
+
+   55.  She gave to him the sword then
+          Was wonderfully made.--
+        The length of it was eighteen ells,
+          And poisoned was its blade.
+
+   56.  She gave to him the sword then
+          Was wonderfully made.--
+        No leechcraft could avail the man
+          Was wounded by its blade.
+
+   57.  Angantyr sits in his high seat,
+          And with his men spake he!--
+       "O where will I get a make to myself?
+          This thought has been long with me."
+
+   58.  One and all they hung their heads,
+          And never a word spake they,
+        Save Hjalmar his brother, and better were it
+          He had held his peace that day.
+
+   59.  "I can no truer tell thee,
+          But and thou list to hear:
+        The King of Upsala has a daughter,
+          And she is passing fair.
+
+   60.  "The King of Upsala has a daughter
+          As lovely as the sun.
+        Her cheeks they are as red and white
+          As blood on driven snow.
+
+   61.  "The King of Upsala has a daughter:
+          Of many is her fame the word.
+        Her throne it is of the red, red gold,
+          And stands at the King's own board."
+
+   62.  "O gin the maiden be so fair,
+          And gin she be so fine,
+        I swear an oath, though ill betide,
+          To call that maiden mine.
+
+   63.  "O long and long will the journey be
+          O'er breaker but and billow;
+        But I go forth to Upsala, Hjalmar,
+          And thou, my brother, must follow."
+
+   64.  Then up spake Hjalmar the warrior,
+          And straightway answered he:
+        "The bird feels joy when he spies a corpse,
+          And so do I follow thee!"
+
+   65.  Up then rose him Angantyr,
+          And manned ship hastily.
+        Its cables were of shining gold
+          All twisted cunningly.
+
+   66.  Up then rose him Angantyr,
+          And decked his ship so fine,
+        And bade them store within the hold
+          Both ale and costly wine.
+
+   67.  He hoists aloft his silken sail,
+          Striped gold on a scarlet ground
+        Nor ever once does he strike it again
+          Till he comes to Uppsaland.
+
+   68.  Forth then when his frigate
+          Touched the fair land,
+        Cast he down his anchor
+          Into the white, white sand.
+
+   69.  Cast he down his anchor
+          Into the white, white sand.
+        And Angantyr was the first to light
+          With his foot to land.
+
+   70.  Angantyr was the first to light
+          With his foot to land,
+        And by him Hjalmar his brother,
+          Close at his right hand.
+
+   71.  By him Hjalmar his brother
+          Close at his right hand;
+        Truly is it told to me
+          He sank to his knees in sand.
+
+   72.  Up they went from the sea-shore,
+          Those men of wealth and worth;
+        The rollers brake, and the earth it shook
+          As they set their ships in berth.
+
+   73.  Up they went from the sea-shore,
+          In their clothes of scarlet so fair;
+        Their helmets were of burnished gold,
+          And no man did they fear.
+
+   74.  All in the middle of the garden
+          They clad them in cloaks of skin;
+        They busked them in their cloaks of fur
+          And entered the high hall within.
+
+   75.  They busked them in their cloaks of fur
+          And entered the high hall belive,
+        Where the King of Uppland sat at the board
+          With a hundred men and five.
+
+   76.  Hjalmar went into the high hall
+          With silk embroidered hood.
+        His cheeks were red as lobster's claws,
+          His eyes were like the dove.
+
+   77.  Angantyr has do'en him to the high hall,
+          'Twas the custom in days gone by;
+        And all in a word did he hail the King
+          And ask for the maid truly.
+
+   78.  Angantyr stands on the hall floor,
+          Offers him greeting there;--
+        "Now hail be to thee, bold King of Uppsaland,
+          Give me thy daughter fair!"
+
+   79.  Then up and spake the bold Hjalmar,
+          Before the broad board he stood:--
+        "O King, I pray thee, give me thy daughter
+          Who is so fair and good."
+
+   80.  Up then rose the bold Hjalmar,
+          Before the broad board sat he:--
+        "O King, I pray thee, give me thy daughter
+          Who is so wise and fair to see."
+
+   81.  Long in sorrow sat the King
+          And silently pondered.
+        What he should answer the two fierce warriors,
+          Who stood before the board.
+
+   82.  Up then rose the King of Uppsaland;
+          Angry and wroth was he:
+        "My lady daughter shall come to the hall
+          And for herself reply."
+
+   83.  They have led his daughter to the hall,
+          Attended fittingly;
+        And Hjalmar's face grew red and pale
+          As in the high-seat sat he.
+
+   84.  "Now thanks and thanks to my noble father
+          Who gave this choice to me.
+        Hjalmar the champion from Uppland,
+          He shall my husband be.
+
+   85.  "I will not wed me to Angantyr:
+          He is so vile a troll;
+        So is his father and so his mother,
+          And so are his kinsfolk all."
+
+   86.  "Come forth, come forth, thou bold Hjalmar
+          For ne'er so brief a tide.
+        To battle on an island make thee bowne;
+          She shall not be thy bride."
+
+   87.  Then up and answered Odd the Young:
+          "Once more we are fighting here.
+        You shall go against Arngrim's Sons,
+          And I against Angantyr."
+
+   88.  "We two, Angantyr and I,
+          Shall fight with mighty strife;
+        I would not that lady Ingibjˆrg hear
+          That I sought to flee for my life.
+
+   89.  "We two, Angantyr and I,
+          Shall meet in a mighty gripe,
+        And long will lady Ingibjˆrg wait
+          Ere she hear that I shrank for my life."
+
+   90.  Out then spake the Young Odd,
+          And pondered heavily;
+        "O gin thou go'est against Angantyr,
+          Thou choosest thy death truly."
+
+   91.  All the sons of Arngrim
+          Rode up the river shore
+        A-tightening of their shield-straps
+          Till they could tighten them no more.
+
+   92.  All the sons of Arngrim
+          Rode through the plain so green;
+        A league and a league you could hear on the stones
+          The clang of their spears so keen.
+
+   93.  All the sons of Arngrim,
+          Angry were they in mood.
+        Little recked they for weapons,
+          But tore up clubs of stout oakwood.
+
+   94.  All the sons of Arngrim
+          Rode up the river strand.
+        It is the young Odd will lose his life,
+          For Hjalmar is not at hand.
+
+   95.  Odd rode against the Sons of Arngrim,
+          His noble weapons proved he so,
+        And he slew all the eleven brothers
+          Yet never dealt he a second blow.
+
+   96.  Angantyr and the bold Hjalmar
+          On the island combated.
+        All their followers who manned the ship
+          Are lying now stone dead.
+
+   97.  Hjalmar then struck Angantyr,
+          So lay he at his feet.
+        "O Hjalmar, give me now a drink,
+          For it comforts the meanest wight."
+
+   98.  "A drink from out my drinking horn
+          I give thee willingly;
+        But hearken, Angantyr my brother,
+          Today have I surely conquered thee."
+
+   99.  O he held the horn before his lips,
+          --He the noble warrior,--
+        And O it was the heathen dog
+          Who stabbed him under the helmet there.
+
+  100.  It was the warrior Hjalmar,
+          He drew his sword amain;
+        He has cleft his brother Angantyr
+          And cut him in pieces twain.
+
+  101.  Odd came home at eventide
+          A-riding on the strand,
+        And saw where Hjalmar had sat him there,
+          Marred by the poisoned brand.
+
+  102.  Odd came home at eventide,
+          Where Hjalmar leant his back on a stone;
+        "O why art thou so wondrous pale,
+          And what has brought thee to make such moan?"
+
+  103.  "My corslet he has piercÈd,
+          He has scathed my skin so white;
+        The poison smeared upon the blade
+          My heart will surely smite."
+
+  104.  "Thou didst put thy faith in thy corslet,
+          All made of shining steel;
+        But here stand I in my shirt only,
+          And yet no wound I feel.
+
+  105.  "Thou didst put thy trust in thy corslet,
+          All made of silver bright;
+        But here stand I in my shirt only,
+          And got no wound in the fight.
+
+  106.  "Thou did'st put thy trust in thy corslet,
+          All made of silver white;
+        But here stand I in my shirt only
+          Which sword could never bite."
+
+  107.  Then up and spake the Warrior Hjalmar.
+          The first word he did say
+        Was "Hearken and hearken now Young Odd,
+          And bear me hence away."
+
+  108.  Then up and answered the Young Odd,
+          He gazed on the rocky ravine:
+        "This fight, O Hjalmar, if thou list to hear
+          Has gone as I had foreseen."
+
+  109.  He drew the gold ring from his arm;
+          Speech could he utter still;
+        Bade carry it to the lady Ingibjˆrg,
+          And bade him fare him well
+
+  110.  He drew the gold ring from his arm;
+          All floating was he in blood.
+        He sent it to the lady Ingibjˆrg,
+          That maid so fair and good.
+
+  111.  She died of grief for Hjalmar--
+          She the noble maid;
+        I swear an oath upon my honour
+          There lives none of whom the like can be said.
+
+Refrain: _Noble men are sailing now from Norway,
+          And a fair breeze bears them o'er the wave._
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE FAROESE RIDDLE BALLAD (G¡TU RÕMA)
+
+
+The _G·tu RÌma_ was first taken down in Suder¯ by a clergyman,
+Schrˆter, early in the nineteenth century, and is preserved in the
+archives of the Early Text Society in Copenhagen. Unfortunately
+Schrˆter was only able to obtain the Ballad in a fragmentary form,
+and he has left us only a Danish translation of what he found. In his
+travels on the Faroes in 1847-1848 Hammershaimb made strenuous efforts
+to get the entire version, but curiously enough only succeeded
+in getting a version (of course in the original Faroese) which
+corresponds closely in length and content with Schrˆter's. He
+published this version first in the _Antiquarisk TÌdsskrift_,
+1849-1851, and later _FÊrˆiske KvÊer_, vol. II. (Copenhagen, 1855).
+The translation given below is taken from the ballad as printed in
+_FÊrˆiske KvÊer_.
+
+That a longer version of this ballad once existed is proved by the
+fact that verse 8 of both Schrˆter's and Hammershaimb's versions
+states that Guest the Blind[1] propounds thirty riddles to King
+Heithrek--about the same number as are to be found in the Saga, though
+only some six riddles and the answers to four others have come down
+to us. Hammershaimb attributed the loss of the others to the fact
+that the ballad is no longer one of those used in the dance. He was of
+opinion that the riddles propounded in the _RÌma_ are not the same as
+those found in the Saga; but it is to be noticed that the subjects
+of the riddles are in four cases the same, and in the other cases the
+subjects have the same characteristics, though the riddles themselves
+are not identical. It would therefore seem on the whole that the
+subjects of the _G·tu RÌma_ were originally identical with those of
+the Saga, but that they have become corrupted and possibly confused in
+the popular mind.
+
+    [Footnote 1: Presumably a corruption of _Gestumblindi_.]
+
+
+G¡TU RÕMA.
+
+  1.  Guest goes wandering from the hall,
+        Silent and blind is he;
+      Meets he with an eldern man
+        All with hair so grey.
+
+  2.  Meets he with an eldern man,
+        All with hair so grey;
+      "Why art thou so silent, Guest the Blind,
+        And wherefore dost thou stray?"
+
+  3.  "It is not so wonderful
+        Though I of speech am slow;
+      For riddles have brought me to an evil pass,
+        And I lose my head tomorrow.
+
+  4.  "It is not so wonderful
+        Though mournful am I and slow;
+      For riddles have brought me to an evil pass,
+        And I lose my life tomorrow."
+
+  5.  "How much of the red, red gold
+        Wilt thou give to me,
+      If I go in before King Heithrek
+        And ask thy riddles for thee?"
+
+  6.  "Twelve marks of the red, red gold
+        Will I give to thee,
+      If thou wilt go in before King Heithrek,
+        And ransom my head for me."
+
+  7.  "Go thou into thy courtyard
+        And look to thy dwelling, thou,
+      While I go in before King Heithrek,
+        And ask him riddles now."
+
+  8.  "Thirty are the riddles
+        And one will I propose ...
+          (_Riddles lost._)
+
+  9.  (_First two lines lost._)
+      Thunder is the red drum
+        Which beats over all the world."
+
+  10. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        Where dost thou know the neighbours,
+      Both of whom use the same door,
+        And neither one knows the other?"
+
+  11. "My thought and thy thought,
+        No neighbour is one to other;
+      Both of them use the same door,
+        Yet neither knows the other."
+
+  12. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        Where dost thou know the brothers
+      Who roll far away on the outer reefs,
+        And have neither fathers nor mothers?"
+
+  13. "The Western flow and the Eastern flow,
+        Well may they be called brothers;
+      They roll far away on the outer reefs
+        And have neither fathers nor mothers."
+
+  14. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        And what can this be now?--
+      Soft as down and hard as horn,
+        And white as glistening snow!"
+
+  15. "Hear thou this now, Guest the Blind;
+        This riddle I understand.--
+      The sea it is both soft and hard,
+        And flings white spray upon the land."
+
+  16. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        Where does the sapling grow,--
+      Its root is turned towards high Heaven,
+        And its head turned down below?"
+
+  17. "The icicle on the high crags,
+        No sapling it is I trow,
+      Yet its root is turned towards high heaven,
+        And its head turned down below."
+
+  18. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        Where does that forest grow,--
+      It is cut on every holy day,
+        And yet there is wood enow?"
+
+  19. "The beard which grows on each man's chin,
+        No forest is that I trow,
+      Though shaved on every holy day,
+        And yet there is wood enow."
+
+  20. "O hearken now, Heithrek my King,
+        Where dost thou know the brothers,--
+      Both of them live in the same hall,
+        And have neither fathers nor mothers?"
+
+  21. "Turf clods and brimstones,
+        Neither of the twain are brothers.
+      Both of them live in the same hall,
+        And have neither fathers nor mothers."
+
+  22. "The sow she wanders to her sty,
+        She wallows on the green, green earth.
+      The boar he grunts and the little pigs squeak,
+        And each makes music with his mouth."
+
+  23. "O well do I know thy riddle,
+        And well it shall be spoke;
+      The hammer is raised in every smithy,
+        And falls with even stroke."
+
+  24. "O well do I know thy riddle,
+        Though thereof no boast make I.
+      It is Othin who rides upon his steed,
+        By land and eke by sea.
+
+  25. "O well do I know thy riddle,
+        Yet of wisdom I make no display.
+      Othin he rides upon his steed
+        By night and eke by day."
+
+  26. Othin has turned into a wild fowl,
+        And flown out from the hall;
+      And therein King Heithrek has been burnt,
+        He and his nobles all.
+
+  27. Othin has turned into a wild fowl,
+        And has flown far out to sea;
+      He has burnt King Heithrek in his hall,
+        And all his company.
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION TO THE SHETLAND BALLAD OF HILDINA
+
+
+This ballad has been discussed above, pp. 39 and 164 f. It was taken
+down by George Low in the course of a visit made by him to the island
+of Foula in the Shetlands in 1774. He was entirely ignorant of the
+language, and had apparently no idea as to the meaning of the actual
+words, though the general drift of the ballad was explained to him by
+the islander, William Henry, from whom he obtained it (cf. p. 164).
+As very few remains of the dialect have been preserved, apart from the
+ballad, the interpretation presents great difficulties. The following
+translation of the first twelve stanzas is made from the corrected
+text given by Dr M. HÊgstad in his edition of the _Hildina_ contained
+in _Skrifter udgivne af Videnskabsselskabet i Christiania_, 1900
+(_Historisk-Filosofiske Klasse_, II).
+
+
+THE SHETLAND BALLAD OF HILDINA
+
+  1.  It was the Earl from Orkney,
+        And counsel of his kin sought he,
+      Whether he should the maiden
+        Free from her misery.
+
+  2.  "If thou free the maid from her gleaming hall,
+        O kinsman dear of mine,
+      Ever while the world shall last
+        Thy glory still shall shine."
+
+  3.  Home came the king,
+        Home from the ship's levy
+      The lady Hildina she was gone,
+        And only her stepmother there found he.
+
+  4.  "Be he in whatever land,
+        This will I prove true,
+      He shall be hanged from the highest tree
+        That ever upward grew."
+
+  5.  "If the Earl but come to Orkney,
+        Saint Magnus will be his aid,
+      And in Orkney ever he will remain--
+        Haste after him with speed."
+
+  6.  The King he stood before his lady,
+        And a box on her ear gave he,
+      And all adown her lily white cheeks
+       The tears did flow truly.
+
+  7.  The Earl he stood before Hildina,
+        And a pat on her cheek gave he,--
+      "O which of us two wouldst thou have lie dead,
+       Thy father dear or me?"
+
+  8.  "I would rather see my father doomed,
+        And all his company,
+      If so my own true lord and I
+        May long rule in Orkney.
+
+  9.  "Now do thou take in hand thy steed,
+        And ride thou down to the strand;
+      And do thou greet my sire full blithely,
+        And gladly will he clasp thy hand."
+
+  10. The King he now made answer--
+        So sore displeased was he--
+      "In payment for my daughter
+        What wilt thou give to me."
+
+  11. "Thirty marks of the red gold,
+        This to thee will I give,
+      And never shalt thou lack a son
+        As long as I may live."
+
+  12. Now long stood the King,
+        And long on the Earl gazed he:--
+      "O thou art worth a host of sons;
+        Thy boon is granted thee."
+
+It will be seen that up to this point, in spite of the loss of the
+names, there can be little doubt that the subject of the ballad is the
+story of Hethin and Hˆgni. After this however the narrative deviates
+from any other known version of this story. It would rather seem
+that--as in the German Kudrun--two stories, originally distinct, have
+been brought together in one poem.
+
+
+
+
+NOTES
+
+The numbers refer to chapters (sagas) and strophes (ballads, etc.)
+
+
+THE TH¡TTR OF NORNAGEST
+
+_The Th·ttr of Nornagest._ A _th·ttr_ is a portion (episode) of a
+longer saga, in this case the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_ which is found
+in the _FlateyjarbÛk_.
+
+I. _King Olaf Tryggvason_, one of the most famous kings of Norway
+(_r._ 995-1000). He compelled the country to accept Christianity. For
+accounts of his life and times, see the _Story of Olaf Tryggvison_ in
+the _Heimskringla_, vol. I, pp. 221-378; and also the longer _Saga of
+King Olaf Tryggwason_, translated by Sephton.
+
+_Trondhjem_, originally the name, not of a town, but of the entire
+district round the Trondhjem Fjord.
+
+_A man came to him._ Cf. the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_
+(_Heimskringla_), ch. 71.
+
+_Guest._ Here a pun is intended, the word _Gestr_ in Icelandic
+signifying a 'guest' as well as a 'stranger.'
+
+_The Contentious._ The word in the text, '_˛ingbÌtr_,' seems to mean
+'sharp in debate,' and to refer to his ready wit and astuteness in
+litigation.
+
+_Guest said that he had been prime-signed._ To 'prime-sign' signified
+to make the _prima signatio_ or sign of the Cross over a person,
+preliminary to baptism. People so 'prime-signed' were admitted to
+certain parts of the Mass and to social intercourse in Christian
+communities. See the _Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson_, ch. 50 "King
+Athelstan [of England] was a good Christian.... He asked Thorolf and
+his brother to let themselves be prime-signed; for this was a common
+practice with both merchants and soldiers who took service under
+Christians. Men who were prime-signed had free intercourse with both
+Christians and heathens, and followed whatever religion they liked
+best. Thorolf and Egil did as the King asked them, and both were
+prime-signed."
+
+_Svein Forkbeard_, King of Denmark from 986 (?) to 1014, and of
+England also during the last year of his life.
+
+_The Emperor Otto_, i.e. Otto II, 973-983.
+
+_Dane-work_, i.e. the Danish Wall still partially preserved, which
+divided Jutland from the land of the Saxons and stretched from near
+the city of Slesvig to the marsh-land along the River Treene.
+
+_King Harold Gormsson_ appears to have reigned for about fifty years
+and to have died probably in 986. He was nick-named Harold 'Bluetooth'
+(or perhaps 'Blacktooth'). About 974 he fought the Emperor Otto II,
+and Earl Haakon of Norway aided him. Both Harold and Haakon were
+forced to accept Christianity, but Haakon afterwards renounced it.
+
+_Earl Haakon the Heathen_, i.e. Earl Haakon the Great, or the Bad, who
+ruled over Norway, 975-995.
+
+_Guthmund._ Cf. the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_, ch. 1. See also
+Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 346-349, where Guthmund is
+described as a magician dwelling in the land of the Perms. But see
+_Glasisvellir_, below.
+
+_Glasisvellir._ Cf. the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_, ch. 1. For
+the name of the tree or grove called _Glasir_ beside Othin's abode
+in Valhalla, see _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 34: "Glasir stands with golden
+foliage before the halls of the God of Victory." See also _Bjarkam·l
+in Forna_, str. 3.
+
+II. _Ulf the Red_ was standard-bearer to Olaf Tryggvason at the Battle
+of Svˆld (cf. the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason, Heimskringla_, ch. 56),
+where he slew great numbers of the enemy.
+
+_The Bay_, i.e. Christiania Fjord and the adjacent coasts.
+
+_King Half._ See _H·lfssaga_, ch. 10; and _FlateyjarbÛk_, 11, pp. 136,
+137. King Half had a chosen band of warriors numbering about sixty,
+who were subject to strict discipline and rules which Professor
+Craigie (_The Icelandic Sagas_, p. 94) suggests were modelled on those
+of the JÛmsvÌkings. For instance, "It was one of their customs always
+to lie off the ends of promontories. Secondly, they made a rule of
+never pitching tents on their ships and never clewing up the sail on
+account of bad weather." The incident referred to in the text is not
+mentioned in the Saga.
+
+_No halls had been built in Norway._ The writer probably means to
+contrast the stone halls of his own day with the wooden structures of
+earlier times.
+
+_The Harping of Gunnar_, a lost poem. The legend here referred to is
+told in _Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 37 (and elsewhere), doubtless from an old
+lay.--'King Attila had Gunnar cast into a pit full of snakes ... and
+his hands were tied. Guthr˙n sent him a harp, and he was so skilful
+in harping that he could play it with his toes; and he harped so well
+that hardly anyone had ever heard such skilful playing, even with the
+hand. So beautifully did he play that all the snakes were lulled to
+sleep except one horrible big adder which crept up to him and stung
+him to the heart. Thus he perished with great courage.'
+
+Gunnar, the son of Gj˙ki, is the central figure both of the Norse
+story and of the German _Nibelungenlied_, in which he is called
+Gunther. In reality, he was overthrown and killed by the Huns in 437,
+after which the Burgundians moved from the Rhine to the district now
+known as Burgundy.
+
+_The Ancient Wiles of Guthr˙n._ It is generally believed that this is
+the name of another lost heroic poem. But the title may possibly mean
+_The Adventures of Guthr˙n_, in which case the poem referred to may be
+the well-known _Ancient Lay of Guthr˙n_ (_Gur˙narkvia hin forna_).
+This latter poem is alluded to in ch. 9 below under the title of
+_Gur˙narrÊa_.
+
+IV. _The Land of the Franks_, the Rhineland. As far back as the
+fifth century the Franks occupied that region--to the north of the
+Burgundians.
+
+_Sigurth the son of Sigmund._ The story of Sigurth the Vˆlsung is
+related in _Vˆlsunga Saga_.
+
+_Hundingsbani_, i.e. 'Slayer of Hunding.' See _Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 9.
+
+V. _It chanced one day that_, etc. Chapters 5 and 6 are mainly taken
+from the poem _Reginsm·l_ of which strophes 13-26 are quoted in our
+text. _Reginsm·l_ is the first poem of a trilogy dealing with the
+early adventures of Sigurth. The two remaining poems _F·fnism·l_ and
+_Sigrdrifum·l_ are used only in the last two sentences of ch. 6.
+
+_Yngvi_ is a name of the god Frey, from whom the kings of Norway and
+the early kings of Sweden were believed to have sprung.
+
+_Fafnisbani_, i.e. 'Slayer of Fafnir.' Cf. ch. 6 _infra_. See also
+_Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 18.
+
+_The Imperial Power had not_, etc. This may mean either the refounding
+of the Western Empire by Charlemagne, A.D. 800, or possibly the
+gaining of the Imperial throne by Otto I, King of the Germans, in 962.
+
+VI. _Sigurth prepared for battle_, etc. An account of this battle is
+given in _Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 17.
+
+_The sea-king's steed._ The text has _RÊfils hestum_, lit. 'RÊfil's
+horses.' RÊfil was a legendary sea-king. The names of such characters
+are frequently used in 'kennings' (i.e. poetic circumlocutions) like
+this.
+
+_Hnikar_, a name of the god Othin in the _GrÌmnism·l_ (str. 47) and
+elsewhere.
+
+_The Moon's sister._ The text has _systur M·na_, 'M·ni's sister,' i.e.
+the sun. _M·ni_, the old word for the moon, is preserved in Iceland
+only in a mythological sense, the ordinary word in use for moon being
+_tungl_. _M·ni_ and _SÛl_ (the sun) were brother and sister. See
+_Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 23; also _Gylfaginning_, ch. 11, 12.
+
+_Order their array_, lit. 'draw up a wedge-shaped column'--a
+favourite battle-formation, the origin of which was ascribed to Othin.
+_Stumbling is bad luck_, etc. So Wilken (gloss. _s.v. fyrir_, 2.)
+Vigf˙sson and Gering transl. 'It is an ill thing to outrun one's
+luck.'
+
+_Friesland._ In early times the Frisians occupied a much greater
+extent of coast than now, reaching from the boundary between Holland
+and Belgium on one side to beyond the mouth of the Weser on the
+other--apart from the Frisians inhabiting the west coast of Slesvig.
+
+_The 'blood-eagle'_ was a form of vengeance practised by the heathen
+Scandinavians in battle when anyone captured the slayer of his father.
+The ribs were cut in the shape of an eagle, and the lungs torn out
+through the opening. The Northumbrian King Ella (∆lla) is said to have
+been put to death in this way by the sons of Ragnar LothbrÛk. Cf. the
+_Saga of Ragnar LobrÛk and his sons_, ch. 18; also the _Th·ttr of
+Ragnar's Sons_, ch. 3.
+
+_Hugin and Munin_ were Othin's attendant ravens who gave him
+information. See _GrÌmnism·l_, str. 20; _Gylfaginning_, ch. 38;
+_Ynglingasaga_ (_Heimskringla_), ch. 7.
+
+_The story of Sigurth Fafnisbani._ The whole story of the loves of
+Sigurth and Brynhild is related in the _Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 20-32. It
+is uncertain whether the reference here is to the _Vˆlsunga Saga_ as
+we have it or to an earlier form of the story.
+
+VII. _Gjuki_ is mentioned under the form _Gebica_ in the _Lex
+Burgundionum_ (_c._ 500 A.D.). Nothing more is known of him from
+historical sources; but he is mentioned in _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 41,
+_Vˆlsunga Saga_ ch. 25, and in the _Edda Poems_, as the father of
+Gunnar and Guthr˙n. His name appears also (as _Gifica_, _Gibicho_,
+etc.) in the Anglo-Saxon poem _Widsi˛_, the Latin poem _Waltharius_,
+and in several early German poems.
+
+_Sigurth Hring_, a legendary king of Sweden and Denmark, and the
+father of Ragnar LobrÛk. His story is related at length in a fragment
+of the _Skjˆldunga Saga_; and he is probably identical with the
+_Sigifridus_ who is mentioned in several Frankish Chronicles under
+the year 812 as carrying on hostilities against another Danish King
+_Anulo_.
+
+_The sons of Gandalf_ were in constant hostility with King Harold the
+Fairhaired and his father. They owned Alfheimar and Vingulmˆrk along
+the Swedish coast of the Kattegat. Cf. the _Story of Halfdan the
+Black_ (_Heimskringla_), ch. 1, 4; also the _Story of Harold the
+Fairhaired_ (_Heimskringla_), ch. 1 etc.
+
+_Gunnar and Hˆgni._ The story of the relations of Gunnar and Hˆgni
+with Sigurth is told in _Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 26 f.
+
+_Jarnamotha._ The locality is unknown. There were large forests in
+Holstein in the Middle Ages called 'Iarnawith' and 'Isarnho'; cf.
+M¸llenhoff, _Deutsche Altertumskunde_, v, p. 122.
+
+_hazlewood poles had been set up_, etc. The verb _hasla_, used in
+the sense of 'to challenge (to a pitched battle),' means, lit. 'to
+enhazle' a battlefield, i.e. to mark out the space reserved for
+a pitched battle with hazel poles. Cf. the _Saga of Egil
+SkallagrÌmsson_, ch. 52.
+
+_The Kurir_ were the people of Courland (perhaps Lithuanians). The
+_KvÊnir_ were the Finnish inhabitants of the northern portion of what
+is now Sweden. King Alfred, in his translation of _Orosius_, inserts
+an original account of Norway and the neighbouring regions which was
+given to him by a Norwegian called Ohthere. It is there stated that
+beyond the mountains which bound the northern part of Norway was 'the
+land of the Cwenas.' Cf. also the _Saga of Egil SkallagrÌmsson_, ch.
+14.
+
+_Starkath_, the ideal warrior of old time in the North. Probably
+originally a historical figure, he became the centre of much legendary
+matter, and, as often happened in such cases, he was even credited
+with the composition of many poems, notably that on the Battle of
+Br·vˆll--an event which probably took place long after his time. In
+Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 246-258, he corresponds to the
+unnamed "Old Warrior" mentioned in _Beowulf_, l. 2041 ff.
+
+_Fenhring_, in Hˆrthaland in Norway, not far from Bergen.
+
+_Lund_, the old ecclesiastical capital of Denmark, situated in
+Skaane in the extreme south of Sweden. Not only Skaane, but also the
+neighbouring provinces (Halland, etc.) belonged in early times to
+Denmark.
+
+VIII. _Starkath had committed a foul murder._ For this story see Saxo
+Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 314 ff. Saxo says that the rule of
+King Ali or Ole was so hateful to the Zealanders that twelve of their
+generals resolved to put him to death, bribing Starkath to join them.
+Although a personal friend of Ole, Starkath agreed to do so, and
+murdered him in his bath. He afterwards repented bitterly, "and to
+atone for his crime slew some of those who had inspired him to it."
+
+_Travels._ I have followed the reading _fera_, 'travels,' adopted by
+Wilken, not _frÊnda_, as in the _Fornaldar Sˆgur_, ed. by ¡smundarson.
+The latter would read: "The King wanted him to tell him much more
+about the history of his relatives."
+
+IX. _Germans say_, etc. For the German story of the murder of Sigurth
+see the _Nibelungenlied_, str. 985 ff.
+
+_Guthr˙narrÊtha._ This is no doubt the poem commonly called
+_Gur˙narkvia hin forna_, the opening of which narrates how Sigurth's
+horse came home riderless.
+
+_Brynhild and the ogress chanted_, etc. The following lay is found
+in the _Edda Poems_ under the title of _Helrei Brynhildar_ ('The
+Hell-ride of Brynhild').
+
+_From the Land of the Romans_, lit. 'From Valland'--the 'land of the
+Valar,' i.e. the Celts or Romans. Here the reference is doubtless
+to the Roman territories on the west bank of the Rhine. In the
+_Nibelungenlied_, Gunther (i.e. Gunnar) is represented as reigning at
+Worms. Cf. p. 232 below.
+
+_Assigned me a home_, etc. In the _Codex Regius_ of the _Edda Poems_
+this passage runs as follows: "The courageous king had my swan-form
+and those of my eight sisters carried beneath an oak."
+
+_Hjalmgunnar._ See _Sigrdrifum·l_, the prose following str. 4. "She
+(i.e. Sigrdrifa) said that two kings were fighting. One was called
+Hjalmgunnar. He was old at that time, but a very great warrior, and
+Othin had promised him victory; but the other was called Agnar, the
+brother of Autha, whom no being would protect. Sigrdrifa (who was a
+valkyrie) slew Hjalmgunnar in battle, but Othin pierced her with a
+sleep-producing thorn in punishment for this," etc.
+
+_Fafnir_ was the serpent who guarded the gold hoard on GnÌtahei till
+Sigurth slew him and carried off the treasure.
+
+_All too long_, etc. In the _Codex Regius_ of the _Edda Poems_ this
+passage runs as follows: "For far too long a time (? for ever) will
+women and men be born into the world to overwhelming sorrow."
+
+_The Sons of Lothbrok._ Ragnar LothbrÛk was a famous king who
+flourished about the middle of the ninth century, and who, according
+to legend, obtained his name ('Shaggy Breeks') from the shaggy
+trowsers which he wore when he went to attack a serpent. His various
+exploits are told in the _Saga of Ragnar LothbrÛk_, and in the _Th·ttr
+of the Sons of Ragnar_, and also by Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._,
+pp. 368-380, etc. Among his other adventures he is said to have
+invaded Northumbria, but he was defeated by King Ella (∆lla) and
+thrown into a snake-pit, where he "died laughing," as we are told in
+a late poem (_Krakum·l_ or the 'Death-song of Ragnar LothbrÛk'). His
+death was afterwards avenged by his sons who invaded England in 866.
+Practically nothing historical is known of LobrÛk himself, though
+the achievements of his sons, both in the British Isles and on the
+continent, are of great historical importance.
+
+_In the neighbourhood of the Alps._ In 856, Bjˆrn Ironside, a son of
+Ragnar LothbrÛk, with H·stein his chief lieutenant, invaded France,
+and during the years 859-862 made expeditions to Spain, Africa, the
+south of France, and Italy, capturing Pisa, Luna, etc. There can be
+no doubt that in their invasion of Italy in 860 the real objective was
+Rome; but for some unknown reason they returned without approaching
+it. According to Scandinavian tradition, when they entered Luna they
+were under the impression that it was Rome, and returned satisfied
+that their aim was accomplished.
+
+_Vifilsborg._ This place is identified by Wilken with the modern
+Avenches in the Canton Vaud (Switzerland).
+
+_Make their way there_, lit. 'pass over (the mountains) thither.'
+
+X. _Eric_, a famous King of Sweden in the time of Harold the
+Fairhaired, King of Norway, in the latter half of the ninth century.
+He is frequently referred to in the Sagas and regarded as the typical
+great Swedish King of the past.
+
+_Upsala_, i.e. Old Upsala, the ancient capital of the Swedish kingdom,
+a few miles from the modern city.
+
+_King Harold the Fairhaired_, said to have been born _c._ 850 and to
+have succeeded as King of Vestfold _c._ 860. His conquest of Norway
+was practically completed at the Battle of Hafrsfjˆrth (_c._ 872). He
+is said to have retired in 930 and died _c._ 933.
+
+_King Hlothver_, i.e. Louis I, King of the Franks and Emperor,
+814-840.
+
+_The Saxons_ inhabited a large part of north-west Germany and Holland;
+but the name _Saxland_ is often used in a wider sense, i.e. the German
+part of the Empire.
+
+_Nornagest_, i.e. 'Gest (or guest) of the Norns.' The Norns were
+represented in Scandinavian mythology as women with the power of
+shaping human destiny. See _Helgakvia Hundingsbana_, 1, str. 2;
+_Gylfaginning_, chs. 15, 16; Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 223;
+the _Saga of Burnt Nj·l_, ch. 156. Similar beliefs occur in Greek
+stories about the Fates ([Greek: KlÙthes]) e.g. the late Greek legend
+of the birth of Meleager. Cf. p. 13 above.
+
+XII. _Three hundred._ I have used round figures here as elsewhere.
+Strictly the Norse 100 is 120.
+
+
+THE TH¡TTR OF S÷RLI
+
+I. _Vanakvisl._ The opening sentence may be compared with
+_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 1, in the _Heimskringla_. From this it appears
+that VanakvÌsl is the River Don, though strictly _kv[vi]sl_ means the
+fork (delta) of a river.
+
+_∆sir and Vanir_, two sets of Scandinavian deities; but the references
+to the River Don and Asia are due to the learned speculations of
+later times, suggested partly by the resemblance of _Asia_ and _∆sir_.
+According to _Ynglingasaga_, chs. 1-4, there was war between the ∆sir
+and the Vanir, which was concluded by an exchange of hostages. The
+Vanir gave to the ∆sir three of their leading people--Njˆrth and his
+children Frey and Freyja. Othin made Njˆrth and Frey temple-priests,
+and Freyja a temple-priestess. What is said about Freyja here is not
+mentioned in _Ynglingasaga_; but from the poems of the _Edda_ it is
+clear that she was the Aphrodite of northern mythology.
+
+_Asgarth._ For a description of Asgarth, the home of the ∆sir, see
+_Gylfaginning_, chs. 2, 9, 14, etc.
+
+_Men in Asia called Alfregg_, etc. For Dvalin, cf. the _Saga of Hervˆr
+and Heithrek_, ch. 2 and note.
+
+_Lived in a rock_; cf. _Vˆlusp·_, str. 48.
+
+_Necklace._ For the _BrÌsingamen_, Freyja's treasure, see
+_Thrymskvia_, str. 12, etc. Cf. also _Beowulf_, l. 1199.
+
+II. _Nal_, i.e. 'Needle.'
+
+_Loki._ See _Gylfaginning_, ch. 33; and the _Edda Poems_, passim.
+
+_So much favoured by the great good fortune of his lord._ Cf. _LaxdÊla
+Saga_, ch. 40 'Mun konungr [i.e. Olaf Tryggvason] vera giftudrj˙gr ok
+hamingju-mikill.'
+
+III. _Frithfrothi_, the mythical peace-king of the Danes. See
+_Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 43. He is often split up into two different
+characters, as by Saxo Grammaticus. (See especially _Dan. Hist._, Book
+v, which gives an account of the great Frothi.)
+
+_Erling and Sˆrli._ Their story is told in the _Saga of Sˆrli the
+Strong_ (_Fornaldar Sˆgur_, III.).
+
+_Skerries of the Elf._ Rocky islands near the mouth of the Gˆta Elv
+not far from Gˆteborg.
+
+IV. _Halfdan_, surnamed BrˆnufÛstri. See the _Saga of Sˆrli the
+Strong_, ch. 11, where he is represented as King of Sweden.
+
+_Roeskilde_, the old capital of SjÊlland, now the ecclesiastical
+capital of Denmark.
+
+_Ellithi._ See the _Saga of Thorstein Vikingson_ (passim), and the
+_Saga of FrijÛf the Bold_ (passim).
+
+_Gnoth._ The ship Gnoth belonged to ¡smund, who was called after it
+'Gnoar-¡smund.' Cf. the _Saga of Egil and Asmund_, ch. 17; and
+the _Saga of GrÌm Loinkinni_, ch. 3. See also the _Saga of Hromund
+Greipsson_, ch. 1.
+
+_Long Serpent_, i.e. the warship of Olaf Tryggvason.
+
+_As is told in the poem_, etc. The poem is now lost.
+
+_The poem of which he is the subject._ The Saga here quotes a
+difficult and obscure stanza which I have omitted.
+
+_Hˆgni ... went raiding in the Baltic_, etc. In _Widsi_ l. 21, Hˆgni
+is said to have ruled the _Holmryge_, i.e., no doubt, the Rugii on the
+coast of Pomerania.
+
+V. _Hjarrandi_ is the name of Hethin's father in all the Norse forms
+of the story; but originally this would seem to have been the name of
+Hethin's minstrel--the _HÙrant_ of _Kudrun_, and the _Heorrenda_ of
+_Deor_.
+
+_Serkland_, i.e. Africa, 'Saracen Land.' It is only in this story
+that Hethin is said to come from here. Saxo Grammaticus calls him
+a Norwegian. Cf. also _Widsi˛_, l. 21, which gives the name of an
+unknown people.
+
+_Gˆndul_, the name of one of the Valkyries. See _Vˆlusp·_, str. 31;
+_H·konarm·l_, passim; _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, chs. 2 and 47.
+
+VI. _Heithrek Ulfham._ For Heithrek Ulfham see the _Saga of Hervˆr and
+Heithrek_, ch. 16.
+
+VII. _She asked him._ I have followed Rafn's text. The ReykjavÌk ed.
+apparently has a misprint here--_hann_ for _hÛn_.
+
+_He thrust the Queen down in front of the prow_, etc. The murder of
+the Queen is peculiar to this saga.
+
+VIII. _This harrowing torment continued_, etc. A good deal has been
+written on the subject of the Unending Battle, which many writers
+believe to have been of mythological origin. Very often, however, it
+appears in local traditions. See Frazer's _Pausanias_, vol. II, p. 443
+(the reference to the Battle of Marathon), where a considerable number
+of parallels are given. See also Panzer, _Hilde-Gudrun_, p. 328. Cf.
+p. 43, note I above.
+
+_Olaf Tryggvason._ See the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note.
+
+IX. _Jarnskjˆld._ Cf. _Fornmanna Sˆgur_, vol. III, p. 125 ff. (_Saga
+of Olaf Tryggvason_).
+
+_Glance of his eye_, etc. Literally, "He has the _Êgishj·lmr_." This
+is a poetical expression for a glance inspiring terror.
+
+
+THE SAGA OF HROMUND GREIPSSON
+
+I. _Gnothar-Asmund_, i.e. Asmund of the Gnoth, who was so called from
+his ship 'Gnoth' (cf. p. 230 above). For an account of him see the
+_Saga of Egil and Asmund_ (in _Fornaldar Sˆgur_, vol. III), especially
+ch. 17. He is mentioned also in the _Saga of GrÌm Loinkinni_, ch. 2.
+A different account of Olaf's family is given in _Gˆngu-HrÛlfs Saga_,
+ch. 38.
+
+_Garthar in Denmark._ The geography of the story is by no means clear.
+Elsewhere in this saga Olaf's realm would seem to be situated in
+Sweden, while references in other works, e.g. _Landn·mabÛk_, I, ch.
+3, _Hversu Noregr Bygthist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar Sˆgur_, II, p. 7) etc.,
+point to Norway, especially the provinces of Thelamˆrk and Hˆrthaland,
+as the home of Hromund and his family.
+
+_Hromund._ According to _Landn·mabÛk_, I, ch. 3, Ingolf and Leif,
+the first settlers in Iceland (A.D. 874) were the great grandsons of
+Hromund Greipsson. This would seem to show that he lived in the
+second half of the eighth century. See also the _Saga of Halfdan
+Eysteinsson_, ch. 1.
+
+_Bild and Voli._ For these names, see Introduction to this saga, p.
+59, and the note to _Mistletoe_ below.
+
+_Ulfasker._ A corruption of _Elfasker_. Cf. _GrÌplur_, str. 25, and
+note to _Skerries of the Elf_, p. 229 above.
+
+_Dragon_, a common term for a large type of warship in the Viking Age.
+
+_Scoundrels._ The text has _Bl·menn_, i.e. lit. 'Black men', negroes.
+But in the Romantic Sagas, owing probably to the influence of stories
+relating to the Saracens, pirates are described as _Bl·menn_, even in
+stories relating exclusively to the North. Cf. _The Ballad of Hj·lmar
+and Angantyr_ (refrain), p. 184, above.
+
+II. _I am going to be Othin's guest_, is a euphemism for 'be slain,'
+and is equivalent to 'go to Valhalla,' the abode of slain warriors
+which belonged to Othin. See the _Saga of Egil SkallagrÌmsson_, ch.
+81, where Thorgerth, Egil's daughter, says that she will have no
+supper till she "sup with Freyja."
+
+_No blade would wound Hrˆngvith._ It is not uncommon to hear that a
+warrior, usually an unsympathetic character, was immune through spells
+from wounds inflicted by weapons; cf. _Beowulf_, l. 804, where this is
+stated of Grendel.
+
+III. _Hebrides._ The word _Suthreyjar_, here translated Hebrides,
+properly means all the islands off the west coast of Scotland. The
+modern form of the word is _Sodor_, surviving in the name of the
+diocese of 'Sodor and Man.'
+
+_Ghosts._ It will be seen from the context that the word _draugr_ here
+translated 'ghost,' is in reality the animated corpse of the dead man.
+This is a common feature of Norse stories (e.g. the _Saga of Grettir
+the Strong_, ch. 18).
+
+IV. _Valland_, i.e. France, lit. the 'Land of the _Valar_,' i.e.
+of the Celts or Romans. In Anglo-Saxon literature the French are
+sometimes called _Galwalas_, i.e. the 'Walas (Welsh) of Gaul'. See
+also the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 9 and note.
+
+_And he added_, etc. Are we to assume a lacuna here? The composition
+of this saga is however far from perfect. In certain passages (e.g. at
+the beginning of this chapter) one is inclined to suspect that someone
+has tried to combine two different texts of the story.
+
+_Finger nails_, etc. Cf. the physiological fact of the growth of the
+finger nails after death, and the legend of Charlemagne according to
+which his beard grew through a stone table after his death.
+
+_Gunnlˆth._ Other documents appear to make Hromund a Norwegian, and
+this is what we should gather from _Landn·mabÛk_ quoted above (p. 231,
+note). See _Hversu Noregr Bygist_, ch. 2.
+
+_Mistletoe_, the name of the sword again connects this story with that
+of Balder who is stated in _Vˆlusp·_, str. 32 and _Gylfaginning_, ch.
+49 to have been killed by a piece of mistletoe.
+
+V. _Dagny_, the wife of IngjÛld, who was the friend of GrÌm
+Lothinkinni. See the _Saga of GrÌm Loinkinni_, ch. 3.
+
+_H·logaland._ See _Hervarar Saga_, ch. 1 and note; and also the Sagas
+of _Ketil HÊng_ and _GrÌm Loinkinni_.
+
+_Voli and Bild_, etc. At this point the writer of the saga has omitted
+part of the dialogue in which Olaf threatens to hang Hromund. Cf.
+_GrÌplur_, p. 383, str. 20, 21.
+
+VI. _Helgi_ is known elsewhere as Helgi Haddingjaskati, e.g. in the
+short text called _Hversu Noregr Bygist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar
+Sˆgur_, II, p. 7). According to the prose at the end of _Helgakvia
+Hundingsbana_ II, Helgi Haddingjaskati and Kara were reincarnations
+of Helgi Hundingsbani and Sigr˙n, the hero and heroine of this poem.
+Their story was given in a poem called _K·ruljÛ_ which is now lost.
+See however Vigf˙sson and Powell, _Corpus Poeticum Boreale_, vol. I,
+pp. 129 and 130.
+
+_On the frozen surface of Lake Vener._ This story is perhaps taken
+from that of the battle related in _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 43 and
+_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 33. Cf. _Beowulf_, l. 2392 ff.
+
+_Kara._ For the form _Lara_ which appears in the printed editions
+see p. 62, note, above. In the prose at the end of _Helgakvia
+Hundingsbana_ II, Kara is called a valkyrie.
+
+VIII. _Hagal._ The story of Hagal and Blind is given also at the
+beginning of _Helgakvia Hundingsbana_ II; but here the person
+disguised as a grinding-maid is Helgi, the hero of the poem.
+
+X. _Who was also called Bavis_; cf. _Helgakv. Hund_. II, str. 2, where
+he is called _Blindr enn bˆlvÌsi_ ('skilled in harmful doings').
+
+
+SAGA OF HERV÷R AND HEITHREK
+
+I. _Finnmark_, i.e. the northernmost part of the Scandinavian
+Peninsula.
+
+_Jˆtunheimar_, i.e. the homes of the _jˆtnar_ or giants. This name
+occurs frequently in Norse stories, though it is not elsewhere
+connected with Finnmark.
+
+_Ymisland_, i.e. the land of _›mir_; see below.
+
+_Halogaland_, i.e. the northern part of Norway stretching from about
+lat. 65∞ as far as Finnmark.
+
+_Guthmund._ Cf. the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note.
+
+_Glasisvellir._ Cf. the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1, and note.
+
+_Fields of immortality_, i.e. lit. 'Fields of the not dead'
+(_Ûdainsakr_). Cf. the _Saga of EirÌkr VÌfˆrla_, ch. 1, and the
+_Saga of H·lfdan Eysteinsson_, ch. 1. See also Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan.
+Hist._, p. 129.
+
+_Hˆfund._ The name means lit. 'Judge.'
+
+_Ymir_, i.e. the old 'Rime-giant,' the first being created out
+of Chaos, from whom the giants sprang; cf. _Vˆlusp·_, str. 3;
+_Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 21; _GrÌmnism·l_, str. 40; _HyndluljÛ_, str.
+33; _Gylfaginning_, chs. 5-8.
+
+_Starkath Aludreng._ See _Gautreks Saga_, ch. 3, according to which
+this Starkath is the grandfather of his more famous namesake, for
+whom see the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note. See also Saxo
+Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 224, 225.
+
+_Elivagar._ See _Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 31; _Gylfaginning_, ch. 5;
+_Hymiskvia_, str. 5.
+
+_Alfheimar_, a name given to the region between the G¯taelv and the
+River Glommen, in the south-east of Norway (now mainly in Sweden). The
+royal family of this region is frequently mentioned in the history
+of Harold the Fairhaired and his father, and also in the stories of
+Sigurth Hring. See the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note.
+
+_Ey-grim Bolm_, i.e. 'Grim of the Island of Bolm.'
+
+_Arngrim._ See Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 203 ff.
+
+_Berserk._ See _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 6.
+
+II. _Dwarfs._ Cf. the story of Svegir in _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 15.
+
+_Dvalin_ is the name of a dwarf in _Vˆlusp·_, str. 11, 14; _H·vam·l_,
+str. 143, and in other of the _Edda_ poems. It is, in fact, the
+typical name for a dwarf. Cf. also _Gylfaginning_, ch. 14, and
+_Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 3, 57. _Dulin_ does not occur elsewhere, though
+_Durin_ is found in _Vˆlusp·_, str. 10.
+
+_Standing in the doorway of the stone_, etc. Cf. _Vˆlusp·_, str. 48.
+
+_Your sword_, etc. Cf. _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 49. "Now I have drawn
+_D·insleif_, which the dwarfs made and which must cause a man's death
+every time it is drawn, and never fails in its stroke."
+
+_Tyrfing._ It has been suggested that this name is derived from
+_tyrfi_, 'resinous fir-tree,' owing to its flaming like resinous
+fir-wood. In early times it was customary for swords to be called by
+names ending in _-ing_. Cf. the swords _Hrunting_ in _Beowulf_, l.
+1457, etc., _Nagling_, _ibid._, l. 2680, and _Mimming_ in _Waldhere_,
+l. 3, etc., etc.
+
+_Perms._ The text has _um Bjarmaland_ 'in the land of the Bjarmar,'
+i.e. the _Beormas_ of Ohthere's Voyage in Alfred's translation of
+_Orosius_. It is generally reached, not as here, apparently, by the
+Baltic, but by voyages round the North Cape. The name is generally
+supposed to be connected with _Perm_, and in early times may have
+comprehended the Zyrianians, as well as the Permians proper and the
+Votiaks. There is some evidence from place-names that this group
+of languages was once spoken as far west as the White Sea. Cf.
+Abercromby, _The Pre- and Proto-historic Finns_, p. 10 f.
+
+_Svafrlami._ The text (H) followed by the Reykjavik edition here has
+Sigrlami--which can hardly be right. Rafn's ed. reads Svafrlami.
+
+_Twelve sons._ For Arngrim's Sons, Cf. _HyndluljÛth_, str. 23, 24;
+Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 203-205; _Saga of ÷rvar Odd_, ch.
+14.
+
+_Twins._ See the _Saga of Harold the Fairhaired_ (_Heimskringla_), ch.
+18, where again we find twins both receiving the same name.
+
+_Mistletoe._ A sword of the same name occurs in the _Saga of Hromund
+Greipsson_ (see above).
+
+_Hrotti._ Cf. _Hrunting_, the sword of Hunferth in _Beowulf_, l. 1457
+etc. See also the note to _Tyrfing_, p. 235.
+
+III. _Yule_, a festival of heathen times, approximately at Christmas,
+but rather later.
+
+_Feast_, lit. 'At the Bragi-cup.' The custom of making vows in
+connection with these toasts was carried on into Christian times,
+an interesting example being found in the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_
+(_Heimskringla_), ch. 39. See also the _Saga of Haakon the Good_
+(_Heimskringla_), ch. 16; and _Helgakvia HjˆrvarssÛnar_, str. 32.
+
+_Angantyr made a vow._ In the Royal MS. (see p. 79) it is Hjˆrvarth
+who makes the vow and subsequently claims the bride.
+
+_Yngvi_ is the family name of the early Swedish kings. Collectively
+the early Swedish royal family were called _Ynglingar_. Cf.
+_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 20.
+
+_Never did he_, etc. Compare what is said of Hˆgni's sword in
+_Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 49.
+
+_Sams¯._ The fight at Sams¯ is described in another MS. of this saga
+(which is translated in the appendix to Part I, p. 145 ff. above and
+which contains also the _Death-song of Hjalmar_), as well as in the
+_Saga of ÷rvar Odd_, ch. 14, and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._,
+p. 205. The Island of Sams¯ is situated half way between Jutland and
+SjÊlland.
+
+IV. _Exposing the child_, etc. For the custom of exposing infants,
+especially girls, at birth, so as to cause their death, see the _Saga
+of Gunnlaug Ormstungu_, ch. 3, the _Saga of Finnbogi Rammi_, etc. A
+similar custom prevailed in Ancient Greece. Cf. Plato, _Rep._ v, 461;
+Aristophanes, _Clouds_, l. 530 f.
+
+_Sprinkled with water._ Sprinkling a child with water when a name was
+given to it appears to have been customary in heathen times. Cf. the
+_Saga of Harold the Fairhaired_ (_Heimskringla_), ch. 40; the _Saga of
+Haakon the Good_, ch. 12; the _Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson_, ch. 31;
+_Vˆlsunga Saga_, ch. 13.
+
+_She grew up_, etc. Cf. the description of the later Hervˆr in ch. 10.
+
+_Here is a poem_, etc. The poem is probably earlier than the Saga in
+its present form. Heusler (_Eddica Minora_, p. xxi) refers it to the
+early part of the twelfth century.
+
+_I will give you my necklace_, etc. Note the discrepancy between the
+poem and the prose at this point. In the former it would seem to be
+Hervˆr who offers a necklace, and this is what we should expect.
+
+_Foolish is he who comes here alone_, etc. Cf. J. M. Synge, _The Aran
+Islands_, III: "We went up on the dun, where Michael said he had
+never been before after nightfall, though he lives within a stone's
+throw.... These people make no distinction between the natural and the
+supernatural."
+
+V. _Ghosts_, i.e. the animated corpses of the people buried there.
+
+_Nor other kinsman._ There is a lacuna in the text of the ms. at this
+point.
+
+VI. _Bring up the child_, etc. It was customary for men in high
+station to send their children to be brought up and educated in the
+houses of relatives and friends.
+
+_Reithgotaland_ is here explained as Jutland; but in ch. 9, Heithrek's
+subjects are described as _Gotar_, i.e. Goths; and in the latter part
+of the Saga, from ch. 12 onwards, the subject is clearly a war between
+the Goths and Huns. The earliest occurrence of the word (in the
+Swedish Inscription of Rˆk; cf. also _Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 12) gives
+not _Reithgotaland_, but _Hraithgotaland_, which suggests that the
+name may be connected in some way with _Hrethgotan_, a name applied to
+the Goths in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
+
+VII. _Divination._ The phrase means literally, 'The casting of bits of
+wood at the sacrifice.' Cf. Tacitus, _Germania_, ch. 10.
+
+_Every second man._ _annanhv·rn_, apparently for _annanhvern_.
+
+_Hall of the DÌs._ It is not clear who the _dÌs_ was, as the word is
+used rather loosely for supernatural female beings. Another reference
+to the _Hall of the DÌs_ occurs in _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 33. One of the
+goddesses (Freyja?) may be meant; or it may be the guardian spirit of
+the family.
+
+VIII. _Land of the Saxons._ Cf. the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 10 and
+note.
+
+_Sifka and Hlˆth._ The names here mentioned, together with _Heithrek_
+and _Angantyr_, are believed by some scholars to recur in _Widsi˛_, l.
+116, where we find
+
+  _Heaoric and Sifecan, Hlie and Incgeneow_,
+
+mentioned as being among the followers of Eormenric. These names
+clearly come from Gothic tradition, but the passage would seem to
+suggest that _Sifeca_ was a man, the Sibich of the German poems. Cf.
+Chambers, _Widsith_, p. 32. For the name Lotherus in Saxo, see note to
+ch. 12, p. 242.
+
+_Holmgarth_, i.e. Novgorod.
+
+IX. _Wendland_, i.e. the 'Land of the Slavs' (Anglo-Saxon
+_Weonodland_). After the expansion of the Slavs, from the fifth
+century onwards, this term came to denote an enormous expanse of
+country, including the coast of Eastern Germany, to which it
+is applied in the account of the voyage of Wulfstan in Alfred's
+translation of _Orosius_. In earlier times, when the Goths still
+occupied Poland and Galicia, the Slavs were restricted to the regions
+east of these countries.
+
+_His horse fell dead._ Here the point of the story seems to be missed,
+or at least not clearly expressed. According to Hˆfund's fifth maxim
+(see ch. 6), Heithrek was not to ride his best horse when he was in a
+hurry.
+
+X. _They had a daughter._ From our text it would appear that Hervˆr
+was the daughter of Sifka; but the end of ch. 9 is probably a late
+addition to the text. In the text printed by Rafn, Hervˆr is expressly
+stated to be a daughter of Hergerth.
+
+_Ormar_ is presumably to be identified with the _Wyrmhere_ mentioned
+in _Widsi˛_, l. 119, in connection with the war waged by the Goths
+against the Huns in defence of their ancient fatherland, round the
+forest of the Vistula.
+
+_Gestumblindi._ For this curious name, cf. the _Gestiblindus Gothorum
+rex_ mentioned by Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 198 ff.
+
+_In the King's retinue there were seven men_, etc. In the text (_a_)
+of this saga printed in Rafn's edition (_Fornaldar Sˆgur_, I, p.
+462), there are said to be twelve men here. This is no doubt the right
+figure, twelve being the regular number in the judicial councils of
+the North, whether historical or legendary. Thus, e.g. in the _Saga of
+Olaf the Holy_ (_Heimskringla_), ch. 96 we read of a council of twelve
+sages (_spekingar_), whose duty it was to advise the Swedish king,
+especially in the administration of justice. Similar councils existed
+in the Danish settlements in England. Thus Lincoln and Stamford had
+each a council of twelve (cf. Stubbs, _Const. Hist._, I, p. 106,
+and n. 4). We may compare the twelve priests who officiated in the
+sacrifices at MÊren (cf. the _Saga of Olaf the Holy, Heimskr_. ch.
+115), and the story of the twelve gods who were appointed by Othin as
+temple priests (_hof-goar_) to keep up the sacrifices and administer
+justice among men; cf. _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 2 (_HyndluljÛ_, str. 30;
+_Gautrekssaga_, ch. 7). In the Irish _Lay of Magnus Barelegs_, the
+Norwegians are referred to as _Clann an d· [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c]
+dÈag_ ('children or clan of the twelve councillors'). Cf. _Laoi[.d]
+Ma[.g]nius Moir_ (_Reliques of Irish Poetry_, by Charlotte Brooke,
+Dublin 1789, p. 274).
+
+_King Heithrek worshipped Frey._ One text quoted by Rafn (_Verelius_)
+has _Freyja_ for _Frey_. The boar appears in stories relating to both
+these deities, e.g. _Gylfaginning_, ch. 49; _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 35;
+_HyndluliÛ_, str. 5, 7.
+
+XI. _I would that I had that_, etc. On these riddles see Heusler,
+_Eddica Minora_, p. xc ff.; 'Diealtnordischen R‰tsel' in _Zeitschrift
+des Vereins f¸r Volkskunde_, XI, p. 117 ff.; Tupper, _Modern Language
+Notes_, 18, p. 103; _The Riddles of the Exeter Book_, p. lii, etc. In
+the original the riddles are all in verse, while the King's answers,
+except the refrain with which they begin ("Your riddle is a good one,"
+etc.) are in prose.
+
+_You went over a bridge_, etc. The metrical text given by Rafn
+(_Fornaldar Sˆgur_, I, p. 466), has: "A bird flew above thee, a fish
+swam beneath thee, thou did'st go over a bridge." The prose text given
+on the same page has: "Thou did'st go over a bridge, and the course of
+the river was beneath thee, but birds were flying over thy head and on
+both sides of thee, and that was their road."
+
+_Delling's doorway._ Delling (perhaps from an obsolete word _dallr_,
+'bright, shining') is mentioned in _Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 25, as
+the 'father of Day.' Possibly he may originally have been a
+personification of day itself. The expression "before Delling's
+doorway" occurs also in _H·vam·l_, str. 160, where it has been
+thought to mean 'at sunrise.' See also the genealogy in _Hversu
+Noregr Bygist_, ch. I (_Fornaldar Sˆgur_, II, p. 6), where a certain
+Svanhild is said to be the daughter of Day, the son of Delling, and
+of SÛl (i.e. the sun), the daughter of Mundilfari (cf. _Gylfaginning_,
+ch. II).
+
+_Wolves are always struggling for it._ See _Gylfaginning_, ch. 12
+(from _GrÌmnism·l_, str. 39).
+
+_He who made it_, etc. I have followed Heusler's reading and read _er_
+for _ker_ and _˛Û_ or _sj·_ for _˛·_.
+
+_Laying their eggs._ For _verja_ read _verpa_.
+
+_Have no husbands._ For _eigu_, read _eigut_, as on p. 121.
+
+_Game of chess._ The text has _hneftafl_, i.e. a game having certain
+features in common with chess which was played in Iceland till the
+introduction of the latter, probably in the thirteenth century.
+Game-pieces have been discovered in Iceland which were probably used
+for this game. Some are plain and hemispherical in shape, others are
+shaped with a man's head or a dog's head. For a full and interesting
+description of _hneftafl_ see H. J. R. Murray, _A History of Chess_,
+Oxford, 1913, Appendix I, 'Chess in Iceland,' pp. 443-446.
+
+_∆gis meyjar._ ∆gir or HlÈr, the husband of Rann, is a personification
+of the sea; but the kennings '∆gir's daughters,' '∆gir's steed,' etc.
+for 'billows' are common in poetry. See _Helgakvia Hundingsbana_ II,
+str. 29, and _Bragar-rÊur_, ch. 55 (included in Brodeur's translation
+of the _Prose Edda_ as _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. I).
+
+_Reefs._ For _brimserkum_, read _brimskerjum_.
+
+_Ocean-path._ For _brim-reiar_, read _brim-leiar_. The passage is
+possibly corrupt.
+
+_That is the hunn._ This stanza is difficult to interpret as we have
+no clear information as to the character of the game. It would seem
+that like the game of the Welsh _tawlbwrdd_, it was played between
+sides composed, the one of sixteen 'fair' (white) men, the other of a
+King (called _hnefa_ or _hunn_) and eight 'dark' (black) men. Cf.
+note to _Game of Chess_ above. See also Murray, _A History of Chess_,
+Oxford 1913, Appendix I, 'Chess in Iceland,' pp. 443-446.
+
+_Four walking_, etc. This riddle is found in a form almost identical
+with our text in Jakobsen's _Dialect and Place Names of Shetland_
+(Lerwick, 1897), p. 53. The 'sow' is also found in the _Exeter
+Book_, while 'the waves,' 'the anchor' and 'hailstones' have certain
+affinities with the AS. riddles.
+
+_King Itrek's Game._ The reference here seems to be to a game
+something like chess. The text (R) given by Heusler in his edition
+of the _Eddica Minora_, p. 118, reads: "That is Itrek and Andath when
+they sit at their game."
+
+_Dead men_, etc. In this strophe there seems to be an elaborate play
+on words. The phrase 'dead men' (_dauar menn_) seems to be a disguise
+for _val_ which means 'the slain' as well as 'hawk.' So also 'channel
+of blood' seems to be a disguise for _Êi_ which means 'vein' as well
+as 'eider-duck.'
+
+_Sleipnir._ Othin's eight-footed horse. Cf. especially _Gylfaginning_,
+ch. 42.
+
+_Tell me lastly_, etc. In _Vaf˛r˙˛nism·l_, str. 54, Othin makes
+himself known to Vaf˛r˙˛nir by the same question.
+
+XII. _This pike_, etc. This verse is generally supposed to come from a
+lost poem on Heithrek.
+
+_Mountains of Harvathi._ It is thought that _Harvathi_ may be the
+early Teutonic name for the Carpathians--a reminiscence of Gothic
+times.
+
+_Humli and Hlˆth._ These names may be compared with _Humblus_ and
+_Lotherus_, two sons of Dan, the first kings mentioned in Saxo
+Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 1. For the name _Hlˆ_ cf. also note to
+ch. 7, p. 238.
+
+_Poem._ For this poem on the battle between the Goths and the Huns,
+see Heusler, _Eddica Minora_, p. vii ff., and notes. In part at least
+it appears to be very old.
+
+_Myrkvith._ The forest _Myrkvith_ is mentioned also in _Atlakvia_,
+str. 3, 5, and 13; and in _Helgakvia Hundingsbana_, I, str. 53.
+
+_Pillar_, lit. 'stone.' I do not know what is meant. Possibly
+_Gur˙narkvia_ III, str. 3 may be compared.
+
+_Danaper's Shore._ _Danpr_ is treated as a personal name in
+_RÌgs˛ula_, str. 49, but it is more likely to have been originally
+the name of the River Dnieper (mentioned by Jordanes, _The Origins and
+Deeds of the Goths_, ch. 5, 52, as _Danaper_), which was within the
+territories of the Goths in the fourth century.
+
+XIII. _Gizur._ There appear to be reminiscences of this story in Saxo,
+Book V, e.g. in regard to the numbering of the Hunnish forces. _Gizur_
+seems to correspond to Eric in Saxo p. 190 f. It has been suggested
+that he is Othin in disguise.
+
+_Hazle stakes._ Cf. the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 (note).
+
+XIV. _They rode forthwith ... against the Huns._ It has been suggested
+by Heinzel that this battle between the Goths and the Huns was the
+great battle fought on the Catalaunian Plain in 451 A.D.; but the
+passage in _Widsi_ cited on p. 238 points rather to Poland.
+
+_Drew ... lips_, lit. 'drew back his moustache.'
+
+_Dunheith_ and the other place names are unknown.
+
+XV. _The Goths were defending_, etc. Cf. _Widsi˛_, l. 121 ff.
+
+XVI. _Ivar Vithfathmi._ For Ivar Vithfathmi and his family, see
+_Ynglingasaga_, chs. 44, 45, and the first fragment of _Skjˆldunga
+Saga_ (printed in the _Fornaldar Sˆgur_, I, p. 285 ff.), chs. 1-3.
+
+_Harold Hilditˆnn._ The fullest account of Harold Hilditˆnn is that
+given by Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 296 ff. See also the
+fragments of the _Skjˆldunga Saga_, ch. 4 ff.
+
+_Gautland_, i.e. the Land of the _Geatas_ in _Beowulf_, the modern
+Gˆtaland (whether Vestergˆtland or ÷stergˆtland or both), comprising
+roughly speaking the southern portions of Sweden, exclusive of the
+Danish districts (Skaane etc).
+
+_Harold of the Red Moustache._ He was King of Agthir. A daughter of
+his, also called ¡sa, was married to Guthrˆth, King of Vestfold--the
+_Godefridus_ who fought against Charlemagne and died in 810. See
+_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 53. Their son was H·lfdan the Black, the father of
+Harold the Fairhaired.
+
+_Sigurth Hring._ See the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note.
+
+_Battle of Br·vˆll._ The chief accounts of this battle are to be found
+in the second fragment of the _Skjˆldunga Saga_, ch. 8 f. (see above);
+and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 309 ff.
+
+_The Sons of King Ragnar._ For Ragnar LothbrÛk and his sons, see the
+_Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 9 and note.
+
+_A sea-king._ Cf. the _Saga of Olaf the Holy (Heimskringla)_, ch. 4.
+
+_The Sons of Eric Bjˆrnson were ÷nund and Bjˆrn._ These are probably
+to be identified with the Swedish kings Bern and Anoundus mentioned
+in Rembertus' _Life of St. Ansgar_, chs. 11 and 19, in connection with
+the saint's missionary visits to Sweden (_c._ 830).
+
+_Bragi Skald_ was the great grandfather of Arinbjˆrn the friend of
+Egil SkallagrÌmsson. In the _Saga of Egil SkallagrÌmsson_, ch. 59,
+he is said to have saved his life by composing in one night a poem
+in honour of King Bjˆrn. Some fragments of his poems have been
+preserved--the earliest datable Norse poems which have come down to
+us.
+
+_King Harold the Fairhaired._ See the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, ch. 10,
+and note.
+
+_Eric the Victorious._ The battle won by Eric the Victorious over
+Styrbjˆrn at Fyrisvellir seems to have taken place between 980
+and 985. Several Runic inscriptions contain references to it. The
+statement that Harold the Fairhaired died in Eric's time can hardly be
+correct; for Harold is believed to have died in 933.
+
+_Fyrisvellir_, on the banks of the FyrisÂ, close to the site of the
+modern town of Upsala.
+
+_Olaf the Swede._ The traditional date of his conversion is 1008.
+
+_Olaf the Saint_, ex-King of Norway, whence he had been expelled in
+1028, was killed at the Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 in an attempt to
+recover the throne.
+
+_He tried to put an end to_, etc. An interesting account of the
+heathen ceremonies of the Swedes, dating from shortly after the middle
+of the eleventh century, is given by Adam of Bremen in his _History of
+the Church of Hamburg_, Book IV., ch. 26 f.
+
+_The sacred tree._ The sacrificial tree in question is presumably that
+mentioned in schol. 134 to Adam of Bremen as standing beside the great
+temple of Upsala.
+
+_Eymund_, _c._ 1050-_c._ 1060.
+
+_Steinkel_, 1060-1066.
+
+_Haakon the Red_, 1066-1079?
+
+_Ingi I_, d. _c._ 1110. He, Hallstein and BlÛtsvein were all reigning
+in 1081.
+
+_Philippus_, d. 1118.
+
+_Ingi II_, d. 1125.
+
+
+GRIPLUR I
+
+10. _Gnoth-¡smund_, etc. For notes on people mentioned in the
+_GrÌplur_, see notes to the _Saga of Hromund Greipsson_, p. 231 ff.
+above.
+
+13. _Draupnir's beautiful blood_, a _kenning_ for 'gold rings.'
+Draupnir was the name of Othin's ring which was made by the smith
+Eitri and sent to Othin by his brother Brokk. Its special value lay in
+the fact that every ninth night, eight gold rings dropped from it. Cf.
+_Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 35. Cf. also _Vˆlusp·_, str. 15, where Draupnir
+is mentioned in the list of dwarfs.
+
+
+THE FAROESE BALLAD OF NORNAGEST
+
+_Refrain._ According to Lyngbye the refrain should be:
+
+  _You dare not give counsel in trouble_, etc.
+
+Others have it
+
+  _Let them have help in trouble._
+
+Schr¯ter took down the first two verses as follows:
+
+  A ballad there is of Nornagest,--
+      _You dare not give counsel in trouble_--
+  In manly virtues among the best.--
+      _Let every lad do so!_
+  Twelve oxen were led to the Market Square,
+  And onward thence to a castle fair.--
+      _Grani bore gold from the heath._
+
+  The King he thought to hew them to earth,--
+      _You dare not give counsel in trouble_--
+  With courage and joy does he sally forth,--
+      _Let every lad do so!_
+  The King he struck such a mighty blow,
+  That the blood from the wounds did swiftly flow.
+      _Grani bore gold from the heath._
+
+10. _The mightiest champion_, etc. In Lyngbye's version 10 and 11 are
+transposed. Hammershaimb's is no doubt the correct order.
+
+15. _Was Hˆgni_, etc. Lyngbye here inserts a stanza:
+
+  Hˆgni was a mighty man:
+  Swarthy of hue was he as I ween.
+
+16. _Rich, brave_, etc. The Suder¯ version of the ballad here
+substitutes at the beginning of the line: "They were old and grey."
+
+31. _The saddle-buckle_, etc. In Lyngbye's version of the _Ballad
+of Regin the Smith_, v. 131 (omitted by Hammershaimb) the following
+stanza is found:
+
+  [Grani] sprang across the pool
+    And his saddle-buckle brake.
+  And as I ween that saddle-buckle
+    Nornagest did take.
+
+In the _Ballad of Regin the Smith_ we are told that the accident to
+Grani occurred when Sigurth was on his way home from GnÌtahei after
+slaying Fafnir. Grani was heavily laden with treasure and Sigurth
+also was mounted on him, so that the accident there appears perfectly
+natural.
+
+_In days_, etc. So Hammershaimb. Lyngbye has:
+
+  In days gone by full far have I strayed
+  In search of my candle and span of days.
+
+_In the land._ Here Lyngbye has:
+
+  In the Land of the Franks is a lake broad and wide:
+  O there does my span of life abide.
+
+  O there does my span of life abide:
+  And so for long I have wandered far and wide.
+
+But he adds a version corresponding to Hammershaimb's in a footnote
+and states that it is frequently sung so.
+
+42. _The courteous man._ According to Lyngbye, by a 'courteous man,'
+the Faroese mean a _Scotsman_ and says that the origin of the word
+(_kurtis_) is unknown. It is of course the same as the Icelandic
+_kurteis_ which is a French loan-word.
+
+According to Lyngbye it was still part of popular Faroese legend in
+his day that Nornagest kept his candle in a little leaden casket which
+was sunk in a lake. Lyngbye says that Nornagest was regarded as the
+'Nestor' of the Faroes, which is quite in accordance both with his
+"three hundred years" mentioned in the saga, and with the unusually
+long span of life often associated with the External Soul of folklore.
+
+
+THE BALLAD OF HJALMAR AND ANGANTYR
+
+1. _In a high oak-tree._ In the version of this ballad obtained by
+Hammershaimb at Sumb¯ the first line runs 'A man there lived on (lit.
+'in') an island high,' whereas in the _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_,
+v. 3, we are told that Arngrim and his sons lived 'under' an oak.
+Possibly the first line of our text is a confusion of these two
+versions. The error is made more comprehensible by the fact that
+there are no trees on the Faroes, and so the phrase must have been a
+meaningless jingle of words to the singers.
+
+_Arngrim's sons from Africa._ The text has 'Arngrim's sons from
+Bl·land,' by which the Faroese ballads and the _Fornaldar Sˆgur_
+generally mean Africa. Here, however, we should more naturally have
+expected 'Norway,' and it is very probable that, as Hammershaimb
+suggests, we here have the refrain in a corrupt form as so often
+happens. Probably 'from Bl·land' (_af Bl·landum_) should be 'from
+BÛlmland' (af _BÛlmlandi_), i.e. from the Island of BÛlm, but the
+Faroese may have substituted the more familiar name for that of the
+island with which they were unacquainted.
+
+2. _The champions Hjalmar_, etc. The Sumb¯ version has:
+
+  He has eleven sons so dear;
+  The twelfth is the warrior Angantyr,
+and also inserts immediately following a verse giving reasons for the
+voyage:
+
+  News then came to Angantyr
+  That a man there was had a daughter fair.
+
+4. _They hoisted their sail_, etc. Cf. _Sigmundar KvÊi_, str. 13, 28,
+48.
+
+5. _Their anchor they cast_, etc. Cf. _Magna Dans_ (_Icelandic
+FornkvÊi_) v. 3, with which this is practically identical.
+
+6. _Angantyr eagerly_, etc. The lit. transl. of the text is 'Angantyr
+was the first to step,' etc.; but the following v. has 'Hjalmar was
+the first to step!' The Sumb¯ version, which is undoubtedly better
+here, has
+
+  _Angantyr loypur so tungliga · land_
+  Angantyr leapt so heavily to land,
+
+instead of
+
+  _Fyrstur steig Angant˝r fÛtum · land_
+  Angantyr was the first to step with his feet to land.
+
+10. _Here sittest thou_, etc. In the Sumb¯ version, Hjalmar's request
+is not recorded. The repetition of Angantyr's request in our text, if
+it has any significance at all, implies that both Hjalmar and Angantyr
+made the proposal.
+
+18. _O franklin, lend me_, etc. The Sumb¯ version here inserts an
+additional verse.
+
+  Angantyr is so vile a troll,
+  So are his kinsfolk and followers all.
+
+19. _Forth of the hall._ In the Sumb¯ version the fight took place
+outside the hall, and only Angantyr is credited with the troll-like
+bellowing. Indeed one feels throughout the Sumb¯ version a more
+clearly defined hostility to Angantyr on the part of the balladist,
+whereas the Westmanhavn version is more detached in its attitude.
+
+
+THE DANISH BALLAD OF ANGELFYR AND HELMER
+
+1. _Offue he dwelt in Uthiss-kier_, so MS. A. MS. B has "_Alff ...
+Odderskier_." MS. C. has "_Ulff ... Oderskier_." MS. D has "_Alff ...
+OdderskiÊr_." Axel Olrik, however, in the version which he prints in
+_Danske Folkeviser i Udvalg_, p. 105 f. has "Alf ... OdderskÊr." He
+explains (Introduction, p. 78) Alf to be 'a combination of Arngrim the
+father of the berserks and Hjalmar's foster-brother ÷rvarodd.'
+
+7. _Gold shone on his hand._ The phrase is not quite clear. It may
+possibly refer to some personal ornament, but in view of the following
+line, would seem more probably to indicate that Angelfyr offered money
+to the King of Upsala.
+
+11. _He is half a troll_, So A, which is in accordance with Angelfyr's
+ancestry as told in the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_, ch. I. B and
+D, however, like the Faroese, have 'He is so vile a troll.' A gives
+little sense, considering the second half of the verse, and the whole
+becomes a meaningless formula in all the versions in which Angantyr
+and Hjalmar are described as brothers.
+
+18. _Whom he himself will have._ Possibly _han_, 'he,' is a misprint
+for _hÛn_, 'she,' which is what we should expect. Cf. the _Saga of
+Hervˆr and Heithrek_, ch. 3. One hardly expects a cynical touch like
+this in an authentic ballad. But the whole of the latter part of B may
+be a later version than the original.
+
+
+THE FAROESE BALLAD OF ARNGRIM'S SONS
+
+_Refrain._ I have adopted the refrain given in Hammershaimb's version
+of the Ballad, taken down on Sand¯ in 1848 and published in the
+_Antiq. TÌdss._, 1849-1851, rather than Svabo's version which he
+afterwards adopted, but which is very obscure and possibly corrupt.
+
+2. _Bjarnaland_, so sing the Faroese according to both Svabo and
+Hammershaimb. By _Bjarnaland_ they mean Norway. Contrast, however,
+the _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_, ch. 2, where we are distinctly told
+that Angantyr's mother was Eyfura who had been carried off by Arngrim
+from _Bjarmaland_ (i.e. the land of the Perms) where her father was
+king. See also the note on this passage. The Faroese have no doubt
+confused the unfamiliar name with one more familiar to themselves.
+
+3. _Beneath oak trees live they_--a common ballad formula with no real
+significance. It is interesting, however, as a touch indicating the
+literary origin of this and other stories told in the Faroese ballads.
+As has been remarked (see p. 247 above) there are no trees on the
+Faroes. On the other hand farm houses in Scandinavian lands stand
+frequently beneath the shadow of a large oak. For a discussion of this
+subject, see Chadwick, _Cult of Othin_ (Cambridge, 1899), p. 72 ff.
+Compare the Scottish Ballad of _Rose the Red and White Lily_, v. 38:
+
+  Then out and spak' the King again,
+    Says, "Bonny boy, tell to me
+  Who lives into yon bigly bow'r,
+    Stands by yon green oak-tree?"
+
+4. _Arngrim and the Earl's lady_, etc. So Svabo. In Hammershaimb's
+version (_Antiq. TÌdss._ 1849-1851) she is described as the daughter
+of Angantyr.
+
+7. _Better than fighting_, etc. The incident of a _boy_ playing too
+roughly with his companions and being told by them to go and avenge
+his father instead of maltreating them is very widespread. Prof. Ker
+notes its occurrence (_On the History of the Ballads_ 1100-1500,
+p. 194) in the Irish Romance of Maelduin, in four Norwegian, five
+Faroese, two or three Danish ballads, in a Literary History of the
+Arabs and in New Guinea.
+
+8. _Water she cast_, etc. The passage is obscure. It is not clear
+if Hervik had actually been fighting with the 'lads,' so that the
+cleansing of her armour was an actual necessity; or if she had only
+been playing rather roughly. _Leika_ can mean both 'to play' and
+'to fight'; and _leikvˆllr_ may mean both a 'playground' and a
+'battlefield.' If Hervik had only been playing, the throwing of the
+water on the armour was possibly a rite performed before undertaking
+vengeance.
+
+9. _Die on straw._ To 'die on straw' is the regular idiom in Faroese
+and Icelandic for to 'die in one's bed,' of old age or sickness, as
+opposed to death by the sword.
+
+10. _Isan's Grove._ Hammershaimb suggests that by _Isan's Land_ here
+and in vv. 20 and 21 below the Faroese mean _Sams¯_. On the other hand
+there was a forest in Holstein in ancient times called _Isarnho_,
+and some such name may possibly be preserved here. There was a King
+_Isung_ mentioned in the Danish Ballad _De vare syv og syvsindstyve_,
+as an opponent of King _Didrik_; but it is improbable that his land is
+here indicated.
+
+13. _She drew a shirt from out the chest_, etc.--a common ballad
+motif. A verse almost identical with this is to be found in the _KvÊi
+of Regin the Smith_, v. 47.
+
+14. _Up then rose Hervik_, etc. vv. 14, 15, 16 and 20 are identical
+with vv. 12-16 (inclusive) of _Olufu KvÊi_, the only change being
+that 'Hugin the King' takes the place of 'Hervik the Earl's
+daughter.' They are practically identical too with the _KvÊi of the
+JÛmsvÌkingar_, vv. 6-8 (inclusive). Cf. also _Sjurar KvÊi_ (III
+_Hˆgna T·ttur_, vv. 46-49), and _Ragnarlikkja_, vv. 40-48.
+
+20. _Striped gold on a scarlet ground._ The text has _Gull vi reyan
+brand_, which is probably a mishearing of the line _Gull vi reyan
+rand_ ('with a gold stripe on a red ground'). Verse 39 of _Br˙sajˆkils
+KvÊi_ (which is otherwise identical with the above) gives in the
+second line _Gull vi r·um brann_ ('gold blazed on the yardarms'). In
+Hammershaimb's version of our ballad, vv. 10, 72, the line is _Gulli
+vovin vi rand_ ('woven with gold in stripes'), as also in v. 22 of
+the _KvÊi of Ormar Torolvsson_. The line also occurs in the form
+_Gull vi v·gum rann_ ('the margin of the ship was gold down to where
+it touched the waves'). This is no doubt corrupt, but it is difficult
+to conjecture as to which of all the variants was the original form of
+the line.
+
+23. _Cast she down her anchor_, etc. vv. 23, 24 are the almost
+invariable formula for the landing in the Faroese ballads. They are
+practically identical with v. 46 of _Olufu KvÊi_ and vv. 24, 25 of
+the _KvÊi of Ormar Torolvsson_. Cf. also _Sigmundar KvÊi_, v. 32;
+_Br˙sajˆkils KvÊi_, v. 41 and the _KvÊi of Alvur Kongur_, vv. 24-26
+and _Sjurar KvÊi_ (_Hˆgna T·ttur_, vv. 71-73).
+
+25. _Herd and fee._ Either the word _jÊge_ or the word _fÊ_ seems to
+have an unusual sense here.
+
+28. _Though quake now fell and fold._ The original (_kyk gekk jˆr ·
+fold_) is not clear. I have merely adopted Grundtvig's translation of
+Hammershaimb's early text in the _Antiq. TÌdss_. 1849-1851. The 1855
+ed. substitutes _hon_ for _jˆr_ which is better.
+
+35. _All in the middle_, etc. There is obviously a lacuna or
+transference of some kind here. For this and the following verses,
+cf. _Olufu KvÊi_, vv. 26, 27, which are identical except the names.
+Indeed it is a common formula in the Faroese and Danish Ballads, and
+occurs in the _KvÊi of Ormar Torolvsson_, v. 26; and the _KvÊi of
+Alvur Kongur_, v. 33.
+
+36. _A hundred men and five_--a stock number in the Faroese ballads.
+Cf. the _KvÊi of Ormar Torolvsson_, v. 27, where we are also told
+that the King sat at the board 'with a hundred men and five.' Cf. also
+_Olufu KvÊi_, v. 27.
+
+37. _Mead or wine_, etc. Cf. _Sjurar KvÊi_ (III, _Hˆgna T·ttur_, v.
+181).
+
+52. Perhaps we should here again assume a lacuna or transposition.
+
+_Uppland_ is the old name for the modern province of Upsala in Sweden.
+
+60. _Her cheeks they are as red and white_, etc. Cf. the _KvÊi of
+Finnur hin FrÌi_, v. 18. Cf. also the old Celtic romance of the _Fate
+of the Sons of Usna_: "I should like," said Deirdre, "that he who is
+to be my husband should have these three colours: his hair as black
+as the raven: his cheeks red as the blood: his skin like the snow"
+(Joyce's translation). Cf. also Grimm's story of _Little Snowdrop_.
+
+68. _Forth then when his frigate_, etc. vv. 68-84 are found in almost
+identical form in _Olufu KvÊi_, vv. 22-35.
+
+69. _Angantyr was the first to light_, etc. A common ballad formula,
+both Faroese and Danish.
+
+88. _I would not that lady Ingibjˆrg hear_, etc. Lit. "the lady
+Ingibjˆrg will learn that I fled." There is a suppressed condition.
+"If I let you fight, the lady Ingibjˆrg would learn, etc."
+Hammershaimb's text (_Antiq. TÌdss._) v. 37, has a negative and no
+condition: "The lady Ingibjˆrg shall not learn," etc.
+
+97. _O Hjalmar, give me now a drink._ This incident appears to be
+taken from _Gunnlaugs Saga_, ch. 12.
+
+
+THE FAROESE GATU RIMA
+
+9. _Thunder is the red drum._ Probably _reya_ ('red') is a printer's
+error for _reia_ ('angry'), though the same form occurs also in the
+version of the ballad published in the _Antiquarisk TÌdsskrift_. In
+v. 16, however, we find _skari_ whereas in v. 17 the word is written
+_skari_, the form used in both verses in _Antiq. TÌdss._, and the
+two words are obviously identical in both verses. Moreover in v. 21
+_einir_ ('own,' 'single') which gives little sense, is surely an error
+for _eingir_ ('no,' adj.) as in vv. 11, 17, 19. The negative is also
+found in v. 21 in the version in the _Antiq. TÌdss._, in the form
+_ei_, 'they have _not_ fathers or mothers.' Indeed the entire ballad
+would seem to be somewhat carelessly printed in _FÊrˆiske KvÊer_.
+
+
+HILDINA
+
+5. _St Magnus_, Earl of Orkney, 1108 to 1116. A cathedral was built at
+Kirkwall in his honour by one of his successors, Earl Ronald.
+
+
+
+
+EDITIONS OF TEXTS USED FOR TRANSLATIONS
+
+
+PART I
+
+    _Fornaldar Sˆgur Norrlanda_, ed. by C. C. Rafn, published at
+    Copenhagen, 1829.
+
+    _Fornaldar Sˆgur Norrlanda_, ed. by Valdimar ¡smundarson,
+    published by Sigurur Kristj·nsson, ReykjavÌk, 1891-1911.
+
+    _Die Prosaische Edda im Auszuge nebst Vˆlsungasaga und
+    Nornageststh·ttr_, ed. with introduction and glossary by Ernst
+    Wilken, Paderborn, 1877. 2nd ed., 1912.
+
+    _Sagaen om Hervar ok Kong Heirek_, ed. by N. N. Petersen
+    and published (together with a Danish translation by G.
+    Thorarensen), by the Norse Literature Society, Copenhagen,
+    1847.
+
+
+PART II
+
+    _FÊrˆiske KvÊer henh¯rende til Hervarar Saga_, published by
+    V. U. Hammershaimb in the _Antiquarisk TÌdsskrift_, 1849-1851,
+    Copenhagen, 1852.
+
+    _FÊrˆiske KvÊer_, published by V. U. Hammershaimb at
+    Copenhagen, Part I, 1851; Part II, 1855.
+
+    _Danmarks Gamle Folkeviser_, Vol. I, collected and edited by
+    Svend Grundtvig, 1853.
+
+    _GrÌplur_, published in _RÌmnasafn_, edited by Finnur JÛnsson,
+    Copenhagen, 1905-1912, p. 351 ff.
+
+
+
+
+NOTE: TRANSLATIONS
+
+
+The following is a list of English translations of works referred
+to in the notes of the present volume. It is not in the nature of a
+bibliography; but for the convenience of English readers, reference
+has been given, whenever English translations are accessible, to the
+translations in preference to the original work.
+
+    _Corpus Poeticum Boreale_, 'The Poetry of the Old Northern
+    Tongue from the earliest times to the Thirteenth Century,' 2
+    Vols., Vigf˙sson and Powell, Oxford, 1883.
+
+    _Five Pieces of Runic Poetry_, including _Hervˆr and
+    Angantyr_, translated into prose by Bishop Percy, 1763.
+
+    _Hickes's Thesaurus_, including _Hervˆr and Angantyr_,
+    translated into prose, Oxford, 1705.
+
+    _The Elder or Poetic Edda_, Part I, _The Mythological Poems_,
+    translated and edited by Olive Bray; printed for the Viking
+    Club, 1908.
+
+    _The Edda of SÊmund_, translated by B. Thorpe, published by
+    Tr¸bner and Co., London, 1866.
+
+    _The Prose Edda_, translated by A. G. Brodeur, New York, 1916.
+
+    Saxo Grammaticus, _Danish History_, Books I-IX, translated
+    from the Latin by Professor Elton; published by D. Nutt,
+    1894 (the numbers in the notes refer to the pages of the
+    translation, and not to the original Latin).
+
+    _The Heimskringla_, translated by W. Morris and E. Magn˙sson;
+    published by B. Quaritch in _The Saga Library_, 1889.
+
+    _The Saga of King Olaf Tryggwason_, translated by J. Sephton
+    and published by D. Nutt in _The Northern Library_, London
+    1895 (different from _The Story of Olaf Tryggvison_ contained
+    in the _Heimskringla_).
+
+    _Islands Landn·mabÛk_--'The Book of the Settlement of
+    Iceland,' translated by T. Ellwood and published at Kendal,
+    1898.
+
+    _The Story of Egill SkallagrÌmsson_, translated by W. C.
+    Green, published by Elliot Stock, 1893.
+
+    _Grettissaga--The Story of Grettir the Strong_, translated by
+    E. Magn˙sson and W. Morris, published by Longmans, Green and
+    Co. (new edition), 1900. Also translated by G. A. Hight in
+    Dent's _Everyman_ Series.
+
+    _Brennu Nj·lssaga--The Story of Burnt Njal_, translated by G.
+    W. Dasent; published by Edmonston and Douglas, Edinburgh 1861;
+    republished by Dent in the _Everyman_ Series.
+
+    _Three Northern Love Stories and other tales_, translated by
+    E. Magn˙sson and W. Morris. 2nd ed. 1901.
+
+    _Vˆlsunga Saga--The Story of Sigurth the Vˆlsung_, translated
+    by W. Morris and E. Magn˙sson; published by the 'Walter Scott'
+    Publishing Co. Ltd., London and Felling-on-Tyne.
+
+    _The Nibelungenlied--The Lay of the Nibelung Men_, translated
+    into verse by Arthur S. Way; published at the Cambridge
+    University Press, 1911. Also _The Lay of the Nibelungs_,
+    translated into prose by Alice Horton, and edited by Edward
+    Bell; published by George Bell and Sons, London, 1898. Also
+    _The Fall of the Nibelungs_, translated by M. Armour in Dent's
+    _Everyman_ Series.
+
+A further list of English translations of sagas not referred to in
+this book will be found in Craigie's _Icelandic Sagas_, ch. VII, p.
+110. A list of foreign translations, especially translations into the
+various Teutonic languages, will be found in _Islandica_, issued
+by the Cornell University Library, Vol. V, compiled by HalldÛr
+Hermansson, 1912, pp. 3-7 (general) and _passim_.
+
+
+
+
+CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY J. B. PEACE, M.A., AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+Throughout this book 'I' (Roman numeral 'one') has been used for '1'
+(one). In the case of 'II' and 'III' it is not always clear whether
+the Author referred to 2, or 11 (eleven); or 3, or 111 (one hundred
+and eleven). (The number keys on some old typewriters only contained
+numerals 2 to 9. Capital 'I' was used for '1', and capital 'O' for
+zero).
+
+Page 239: Irish Gaelic: Original had dots over the letters 'c', 'm',
+'d' and 'g'. 'c', 'm', 'd' and 'g', with dots above, are shown as
+[.c], [.m], [.d] and [.g].
+
+"In the Irish _Lay of Magnus Barelegs_, the Norwegians are referred to
+as _Clann an d· [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c] dÈag_ ('children or clan of the
+twelve councillors'). Cf. _Laoi[.d] Ma[.g]nius Moir_ (_Reliques of
+Irish Poetry_, by Charlotte Brooke, Dublin 1789, p. 274)."
+
+Accents on proper names are not necessarily consistent throughout
+this Book.
+
+
+Errata
+
+Sundry missing or damaged punctuation has been repaired.
+
+Text corrections:
+
+Page 81: 'Hyndlulj[=Û]th' corrected to 'HyndluljÛth' Other occurence
+in this book: 'HyndluljÛth' (no macron); ... elsewhere: [HyndluljÛ]
+(Wikipedia). (The 'o' had a macron (line over, indicated as [=o]) as
+well as the acute accent).
+
+Page 180: 'bridal' corrected to 'bridle' ... "But Sigurth pulled
+hardest the bridle rein."
+
+Page 240: 'wou d' corrected to 'would' - missing letter replaced: "XI.
+_I would that I had that_, etc."
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Stories and Ballads of the Far Past, by 
+Nora Kershaw
+
+*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK STORIES AND BALLADS ***
+
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