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diff --git a/old/33471-8.txt b/old/33471-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d23c52b --- /dev/null +++ b/old/33471-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9393 @@ +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: ISO-8859-1 + +*** 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 + + + + + + + + + + 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 Sögur Northrlanda_ have hitherto been +translated into English. The _Völsungasaga_ 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 _Tháttr of Sörli_--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 _Rímur_, 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 Fćrřerne_. 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 Tháttr of Nornagest 11 + The Tháttr of Sörli 38 + The Saga of Hromund Greipsson 58 + The Saga of Hervör and Heithrek 79 + Appendix to Part I (The Combat at Samsř + and Hjalmar's Death Song) 144 + + + PART II + + BALLADS + + General Introduction 153 + Gríplur 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 (Gátu Ríma) 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 _Fornaldarsögur 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 Ásmundarson 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 _Íslendinga Sögur_, or 'Stories +of Icelanders' and the _Konunga Sögur_, 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 _Völsunga 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 Högni[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 Jösur." 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 Hervör 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 +_Tháttr[11] of Nornagest_. The _Reginsmál_ 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 Samsř; 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 Samsř, 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 _Thćttir of Nornagest_ and of _Sörli_ respectively, +though into the former has entered a considerable element of folk-tale +which is introduced with a certain _naďveté_ 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 _Rímur_ 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 _Gríplur_, a +_Ríma_ based on an early form of the story of Hromund Greipsson[15]. +The _Rímur_ 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 _Rímur_ have as yet +been published and the _Gríplur_ 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 _Rímur_, 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 _Fjölsvinsmál_, +_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 _Völsunga Saga_ and the Faroese +cycle of ballads generally classed together as _Sjúrđar Kvćđi_--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 Jónsson'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 _Fornaldarsögur_ +collectively, see the annual _Islandica_, Vol. V, pp. 1-9, compiled +by Halldór 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 í Udvalg_ + (Copenhagen and Christiania, 1913), pp. 81, 82.] + + [Footnote 11: A. _Tháttr_ (pl. _Thćttir_) 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 _Gríplur_, 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.; Vigfússon 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 Hervör and + Heithrek_, p. 81 f. below.] + + [Footnote 24: Copenhagen, 1901.] + + + + +INTRODUCTION TO THE THÁTTR 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 Magnússon in the _Saga Library_[1]. The best known manuscript +(_F_) of the longer saga is the _Flateyjarbók_ which comes from the +island of Flatey in Breithifjörth 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 _Tháttr 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 _tháttr_ +stands by itself. + +Rafn[2], in his edition of the _Fornaldarsögur_, based his text of the +_tháttr_ 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 _tháttr_, 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 Ásmundarson[6], +from whose version the following translation has been made. The +differences between all three MSS. appear to be very slight, but +Ásmundarson'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 Ásmundarson 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 _tháttr_ 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 +_tháttr_, 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 _tháttr_, 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 _Reginsmál_. 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 _naďveté_ 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 Vögg[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: _Fornaldarsögur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829), + Introduction, pp. xix, xx.] + + [Footnote 3: Wilken, _Die Prosaische Edda nebst Völsungasaga + und Nornageststháttr_ (Paderborn, 1877), p. lxxxv ff.] + + [Footnote 4: _Norrřne Skrifter af Sagnhistorisk Indhold_ + (Christiania, 1873).] + + [Footnote 5: _Op. cit._, p. lxxxviii.] + + [Footnote 6: See _Fornaldarsögur Northrlanda_ (Reykjavík, + 1891), Vol. I, pp. 247-266.] + + [Footnote 7: The second edition follows the _Codex Regius_ in + the text of the poems included in the _Tháttr_ more closely + than did the first edition.] + + [Footnote 8: Cf. Finnur Jónsson, _Den Oldnorske og + Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. II, p. 847; also + Mogk, _Norwegisch-Isländischen Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), + p. 822.] + + [Footnote 9: Cf. p. 19 below and note (p. 222).] + + [Footnote 10: Cf. _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 3; also _Hrólfs Saga + Kraka_, ch. 42.] + + +THE THÁTTR 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 Völsung, and of Hjördis, the daughter of Eylimi, +was there at that time. Sigmund had fallen in battle against the sons +of Hunding, and Hjördis had married Alf the son of King Hjalprek. +There Sigurth grew up together with all the other sons of King +Sigmund. Among these were Sinfjötli 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 Völsung. At that time, Sigmund was married to Borghild, but +they parted because Borghild killed Sinfjötli the son of Sigmund by +poison. Then Sigmund went south to the land of the Franks and married +Hjördis, 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 Hjörvarth, 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 Völsung, when I gave the raven joy + Of carnage. Call me either of the two-- + Fjölnir 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 Högni, 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 Kvćnir. 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 _Guthrúnar-rćtha_ 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 Björn 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 Hlöthver 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 THÁTTR OF SÖRLI + + +This story, like the last, is taken from the long _Saga of Olaf +Tryggvason_ contained in the _Flateyjarbók_, Vol. I, pp. 275-283. Its +connection, however, with the story of that King is of the slightest. +According to the opinion of Finnur Jónsson[1] the story in its present +form dates from the first half of the fourteenth century. + +This story, like the _Tháttr 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 Sörli, from whom the story takes its (somewhat +inappropriate) title[2]. Sörli comes into contact (first as an enemy, +later as a friend) with another prince called Högni, and this leads up +to the main theme--the friendship and subsequent quarrel of Hethin +and Högni, 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 Högni was a favourite one in the North. It +is told in _Skáldskaparmál_, 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 _Ragnarsdrápa_, str. 3-7. The story must +also have been well known in the Orkneys, since we find the following +verses in the _Háttalykill_ by Jarl Rögnvald (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; + Högni 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. Hćgstad +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 +_tháttr_, though an attempt has been made to connect it with the +second part of the German poem _Kudrun_. + +The story of Hethin and Högni 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 Högni'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 Göndul and the "potion +of forgetfulness." On the other hand our version contains no reference +to the statement made in _Skáldskaparmál_ 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 +Hervör[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. Högni 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 Högni 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 Högni. Parallels can be found in many literatures, both +ancient and modern[8]. + +This _tháttr_ has been translated into English under the title of +_The Tale of Hogni and Hedinn_ in _Three Northern Love Stories_ by W. +Morris and Eiríkr Magnússon, 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--_Sörla Saga Sterka_ which is published in Vol. + III of Ásmundarson's edition of the _Fornaldarsögur_.] + + [Footnote 3: Cf. Finnur Jónsson, _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 Hćgstad's + corrected text.] + + [Footnote 6: _Op. cit._, p. 113.] + + [Footnote 7: Cf. The _Saga of Hervör 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 THÁTTR OF SÖRLI + +I. To the East of Vanakvisl in Asia was a country called Asialand or +Asiaheim. Its inhabitants were called Ćsir 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 Njörth and Frey as +priests. Njörth 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 Sörli the Strong, and the +younger Erlend. They were promising young men. Sörli 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 Sörli 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 +Högni 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 Sörli 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 Sörli 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 Gnöth 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 Sćvar, 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 Sörli, "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 Sörli took possession of the warship and everything on +it that was of value. + +Then Sörli learned that Högni had returned from a raiding expedition +and was lying off Odinsř. Sörli 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 Högni declined all his +offers. Then they joined battle, as is told in the poem dealing +with Sörli. Haakon fought very boldly and slew Sćvar, Sörli's +standard-bearer and fo'c'sle-man. Then Sörli slew Haakon, but Högni +slew King Erling, Sörli's father. After that Högni and Sörli fought +together, and Sörli went down before Högni from weariness and wounds. +And Högni 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. Sörli 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 Högni heard of Sörli'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 +Högni and paid him tribute. Högni 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 Göndul. 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 Högni 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 Högni 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, +Högni 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. + +Högni 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 Högni was somewhat older. He had +married Hervör, the daughter of Hjörvarth, the son of Heithrek Ulfham. +Högni 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 Högni 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 Högni 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: "Högni has married a wife of high +birth, whereas you have no wife." + +He replied: "Högni 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 Högni 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 +Högni 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 Göndul 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 Högni and all your followers, and lay you +under all the spells imposed by Othin." + +Then Hethin awoke and saw the fleeting shadow of Göndul, 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 Högni 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. Högni 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 Högni was making for a harbour, Hethin's +sails were sighted out at sea; so Högni 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 Högni 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. Högni 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." + +Högni 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 Högni, save that they should +fight, he ordered his men to land, saying: + +"I will no longer hold back from Högni, nor make excuses to avoid +fighting. Let every man bear himself bravely!" + +They thereupon landed and fell to fighting. Högni 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 +Jarnskjöld 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 Högni, 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 Högni, +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 Högni face to face, and also not +to slay me before you slay him; because no mortal man can encounter +Högni 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 Högni and struck him on the +head, and clove his skull down to the shoulders, whereupon Högni 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 Hröngvith 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 _Landnámabók_, 1, ch. 3, they were second cousins, and their +grandfathers, who had come from Thelamörk in the south-west of Norway, +were sons of Hromund. Olaf 'The Sailors' King' is mentioned also +in the _Saga of Grím 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 Váli. 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 _Völsungakvitha_), +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 _Káruljóth_. 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 Sigrún--just as the two +latter were themselves reincarnations of Helgi the son of Hjörvarth +and Sváva--"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 +_Gríplur_, 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 _Gríplur_ to the +extant texts of the saga and to the later ballads, the reader is +referred to Kölbing, _Beiträge zur Vergleichenden Geschichte der +Romantischen Poesie und Prosa des Mittelalters_ (Breslau, 1876), pp. +181-83, and to Andrews, _Studies in the Fornaldarsögur 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 Ásmundarson'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 Örnulf, 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 Gunnlöth, the daughter of Hrok the Black. +They had nine sons whose names were as follows: Hrolf, Haki, Gaut, +Thröst, 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 Örnulf 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 Hröngvith, 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." + +Hröngvith 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. + +Hröngvith 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 Hröngvith 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!" + +Hröngvith spitted Örnulf on his spear, and when both the brothers had +fallen, Hröngvith called out to the rest to surrender. Then a +murmur of discontent arose in the King's host. No blade would wound +Hröngvith. 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. + +Hröngvith 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 Hröngvith such a blow with his club that his +head was all awry afterwards. + +Hröngvith said: "I have been in many battles, but I never got such a +blow!" + +Hromund struck another blow at Hröngvith 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 Hröngvith, +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 Gunnlöth. 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 Hröngvith 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 Hröngvith. 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 Hröngvith, 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 HERVÖR AND HEITHREK + + +The _Saga of Hervör and Heithrek_ is found in two vellums, the +_Hauksbók_ (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 Jónsson[4] is of the +opinion that _R_ is the best text throughout; but Heusler[5], like +Valdimar Ásmundarson, 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 Ásmundarson, +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 Samsř and _Hjalmar's Death Song_. Ásmundarson'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 Lćsebog_[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 Samsř. This +story is known to us from other sources, the earliest being the poem +_Hyndluljóth_ (str. 24), which according to Finnur Jónsson[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 Örvar-Odd_, Saxo's _Danish History_, the later ballads +translated below, etc. + +We then pass on to the account of Hervör, 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 Hervör'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 Hlöth, 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 +Hervör the daughter of Heithrek in the latter part of the story bears +a strong resemblance to the description of the more prominent Hervör, +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 Hervör and Angantyr at the Barrows of Samsř, 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.--Hervör 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 Hervör 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 Hervör. The Hervör of the prose narrative is perfectly +consistent with the Hervör 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 Völsung +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 Samsř--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 +_Fornaldarsögur_. + + [Footnote 1: This MS. is identical with the one referred to as + _A_ in the Introduction to the _Tháttr of Nornagest_ (cf. p. + 11 above).] + + [Footnote 2: Quoted by Heusler, _Eddica Minora_ (Dortmund, + 1903), p. vii.] + + [Footnote 3: _Fornaldarsögur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829), + Vol. I; _Antiquités 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 _Fornaldarsögur Northrlanda_ (Reykjavík, + 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-Isländischen + Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), p. 605.] + + +THE SAGA OF HERVÖR 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 Jötunheimar, 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 Jötunheimar 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 Höfund. 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 Jötunheimar Ögn +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 Ögn 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 Hjörvarth, Sćming 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 Sćming 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 Ingibjörg 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 Ingibjörg 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 Samsř 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 Samsř. 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 Samsř, and went +ashore to look for Hjalmar; and the story of their adventures there +is related in the _Saga of Örvar-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 +Ingibjörg 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 Hervör, 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 Samsř, 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 'Hjörvarth'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 Hervör: + + 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 Hervör'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, Hjörvarth, 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, Hjörvarth, 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 Hervör, 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 Hervör, Hervör, 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. + +Hervör: + + 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! + +Hervör: + + 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. + +Hervör: + + 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 Hervör, '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. + +Hervör: + + 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! + +Hervör: + + 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! + +Hervör: + + 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 Hervör 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. + +Höfund, the son of Guthmund, heard of this and went and asked for the +hand of Hervör, and was accepted; and he took her home. + +Höfund 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 'höfund' or +judge of law-suits takes his name in every realm. + +He and Hervör 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. Höfund loved him very much, as indeed did everybody. +But however much good he did, Heithrek did still more evil. He was +Hervör's favourite. His foster-father was called Gizur. + +One day Höfund 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 Höfund 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. Höfund was told of it, and Heithrek escaped at once to the +woods. Höfund 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 Höfund and asked him to give their son sound +advice. Höfund 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 Höfund, 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. Höfund 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 Dís. + +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 Hlöth. 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 Hlöth, 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 Hervör 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 Ćgir'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 Ćgir'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. + +Hlöth 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 Hlöth the son of Heithrek: + + In the land of the Huns was Hölth 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 Hlöth 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 Hlöth resolved that Hlöth 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: + + Hlöth, 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. + +Hlöth 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 Hlöth 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: + + Hlöth, 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 Hlöth: + --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." + +Hlöth said: "We are come hither for a different purpose than to fill +our stomachs." + +Then Hlöth 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. + +Hlöth 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 Hlöth, 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, Hlöth, + 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 Hlöth 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 Hervör, +the sister of Angantyr and Hlöth, 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 Hervör 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 Hervör: "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 Hervör 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 Hervör's +troops began to suffer heavy losses; and in the end Hervör 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 Hervör 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 Jösur, 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 Jösur 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 Hlöth 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 Hlöth +exchanged blows with his brother. There fell Hlöth 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 Hlöth. 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 Rćning. 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 Hilditönn +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 Hilditönn 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 Hilditönn at the Battle of Bravöll 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 +Hlöth 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 Hilditönn 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, Björn Ironside, +inherited Sweden, and Sigurth Denmark, Hvitserk the Eastern Realm, and +Ivar the Boneless England. + +The sons of Björn 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 Björnsson were Önund of Upsala and King Björn. +Then the Swedish Realm again came to be divided between brothers. They +succeeded to the Kingdom on the death of Eric Refilsson. King Björn +built a house called 'Barrow,' and he himself was called Björn of the +Barrow. Bragi the poet was with him. King Önund 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 Björn, who came to the throne after +his father and ruled for a long time. The sons of Björn, Eric the +Victorious, and Olaf succeeded to the kingdom after their father. Olaf +was the father of Styrbjörn the Strong. In their days King Harold +the Fair-haired died. Styrbjörn fought against King Eric his father's +brother at Fyrisvellir, and there Styrbjörn 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 Önund 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 Rögnvald 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 Mćr +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 Vestergötland. 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 Smĺland and into +Östergötland 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 SAMSŘ AND HJALMAR'S DEATH SONG + + +The following passage is taken from an early text of the _Saga of +Hervör 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 Samsř 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 Örvar-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 Hjörvarth 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 Hjörvarth 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 Ingibjörg + 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 Samsř 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 Ingibjörg, + 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 Ingibjörg 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 Ingibjörg + 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 Samsř +with all their weapons. + + [Footnote 1: Printed in Wimmer's _Oldnordisk Lćsebog_ (4th + ed.) p. 29 ff. The poetry is also found, though with + many divergent readings, in _Örvar-Odds Saga_, ch. 14 + _(Fornaldarsögur_, 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 _Örvar-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 _Sandoyjarbók_, 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 Schrřter, +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 Schrřter, a clergyman on Suderř, 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. Müller, he published at Copenhagen in 1822, under the title of +_Fćröiske Kvćder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og hans Ćt_. + +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 _Fćröiske_ _Kvćder_ 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, _Fřroyja +Kvćđi_--_Corpus Carminum Faeroensium_--_Fćrřernes 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 Ívint Herintsson, running to +five divisions (_Tćttir_) 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 Fjćldet ut_. Sometimes in +the Faroese repertoire, Norse ballads are found complete with their +own melodies, e.g. _Sřmandsviserne_, 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 Fćrřerne_ (_Fćrřske 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 Sumbř on Suderř, 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 + Sumbř 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' (_trókingar 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 (_örindi_) is sung, and reversing the movement with + considerable energy during the singing of the refrain + (_viđgangur, niđurlág, stev_). This round dance is + characteristic of Sumbř[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 Lođbrók_: + + _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 _Fornkvćđi_[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 Táttur_, 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 +Kvćđi_ 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 Sögur_ composed +in Iceland during the thirteenth century or in some fourteenth century +_Rímur_ derived from the sagas. That many of the Faroese ballads were +literary in origin[29], and were based on either Sagas or Rímur, is +conclusively established by the opening lines of many of the ballads +themselves, notably that of the _Olufu Ríma_: + + Ein er ríman ur Íslandi komin, + Skrívađ í bók so breiđa. + + ("This story is come from Iceland, written in a book so + broad.") + +And _Tröllini í Hornalandum_: + + Verse 1. Frřđíđ er komiđ frá Íslandí + Skrívađ í bók so víđa _etc._ + + Verse 2. Frřđiđ er komiđ frá Íslandi + Skrívađ í bók so breiđa _etc._ + + Verse 3. Frřđiđ er komiđ frá Íslandi + Higar iđ skald tađ tók, + Haviđ tćr hoyrt um kongin tann, + Íđ skrívađur stendur í bók? + + ("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 Rímur 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 _Tćttir_, +each whole in itself and yet forming a part of the ballad, and +suggests the Icelandic _Rímur_ as the models for this particular form. +It is even possible that the word _Ríma_ is used advisedly in the +first strophe of _Olufu Kvćđi_, instead of the somewhat commoner +_Kvćđi_, with some reminiscence of its origin. One of the _Sjurđar +Kvćđi_ (_Dvörgamoy_ III) begins: + + Eina veit eg rímuna, + Íđ inni hevir ligiđ leingi. + + (I know a rhyme (or _Ríma_?) etc.) + +and _Rísin í Holmgarđ_ also begins: + + Eg veit eina rímuna, + Íđ gjörd 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 _Fřroyja Kvćđi_, are first and last _Ballads_--rightly +ballads. They have a form of their own, like other ballads, and are +not a degenerate form of _Rímur_ 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 naďveté, 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 _tćttir_ 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 Angĺende Fćrřernes + Litteratur og sprog_, in _Aarbřger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed_, + published by the Royal Norse Early Text Society (Copenhagen), + 1882, p. 358.] + + [Footnote 2: _Fćroa 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 Jörgen + Blochs Fřroyjakvćđi og fćrřske ordbog_, in _Arkiv för Nordisk + Filologi_ (Lund, 1890), p. 249.] + + [Footnote 7: Sv. Grundtvig, _Fćrřernes Litteratur og Sprog_, + in _Aarbřg 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. Müller, Introduction to Lyngbye's _Fćr. Kv._, + pp. 14, 15. The _Trawlaravísur_ 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 Fćrřerne, med et Musikbilag_, 1901. _Folkesangen paa + Fćrřerne_, 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 Fćrřerne_ + (Copenhagen, 1908), p. 9, a certain fixed number of songs are + now sung on Suderř; 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 + Fćrřerne_, 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 Jón Sigurđsson, _Islenzk + Fornkvćđi_, 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 _Sörla Tháttr_, 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 + _Kvćđi_, and less frequently _Ríma_.] + + [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 í + 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 GRÍPLUR I + + +In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Iceland, many of the +Sagas or portions of them were turned into rhyming verse known +as _Rímur_. Sagas of almost every class were subjected to this +treatment--_Íslendinga Sögur_, _Fornaldar Sögur_, _Fornmanna Sögur_ +and others. It is supposed that in the first place these rhymed +versions (_Rímur_) were made for the purpose of recitation at social +gatherings. There is ground for believing that the _Rímur_ 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 Jónsson[3] and Mogk[4], the _Rímur_ 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 _Rímur_ is very +striking. Whether the influence of Latin hymns in Iceland was directly +responsible for the change, however, as Jónsson 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 _Gríplur_, some twenty stanzas of which are given below, represent +this stage in the development of Icelandic literature. It may be +observed that, like other _Rímur_, 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 _Rímur_ rather than from the Saga direct. + +Reference is made to the exploits of Hromund in other _Rímur_ besides +the _Gríplur_, notably in the _Málsháttakvćđi_, the _Skíđa-Ríma_[5] +(which is interesting as being based, in all probability, on an +earlier poem than the _Gríplur_) and in the _Klerka-Ríma_[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 Hölgi (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 naďve +simplicity[10]. + + [Footnote 1: Cf. Finnur Jónsson, _Oldnorske og Oldislandske + Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. III, p. 35.] + + [Footnote 2: Cf. F. Jónsson, _op. cit._, Vol. III, p. 36; also + Eugen Mogk, _Geschichte der Norwegisch-Isländischen 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. Jónsson, + _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. Kölbing, _Beiträge 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 Fornaldarsögur + Northrlanda_, in _Modern Philology_, 1911, 1912.] + + +GRÍPLUR I + + 9. Olaf was a mighty Prince + Who governed Hörthaland. + The brave folk dwelling along the coast + He guarded with his hand. + + 10. Gnöthar-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 Örnulf 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 Gunnlöth, his good wife, + They had nine sons in all: + (Clever verses are made about them) + And _Hrök_ 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, Högni, Haki and Gaut, + And Thröst 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 Hrök 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 _Fćröiske Kvćder om Sigurd Fofnersbane_ etc. In his visit +to the Faroes in 1847-8, Hammershaimb took down the ballad from oral +recitation at Sumbř. He afterwards collated his version carefully +with those of Svabo, Schrřter and Lyngbye, and published the result +in _Fćröiske Kvćder_, 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. _Rísin í +Holmgarđum_, 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 Fćrřerne_. + + [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: + Eítt er frřđiđ um | Nor-na gest, | Lat tćr rá-đa | + rađ-gerđ í | van-da. | Ti likum góđum | gekk hann nćst. | + Ox-ar tolv voru | leid-dir á torg, | og so fram á | + fri-đu borg. | Gra-ni bar | gul-liđ af |hei-đi. ||] + + +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 Högni, 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 Högni, 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. "Högni'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 Högni, 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. Körnar 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 _Fćröiske Kvćder_, Vol. II. He took down a second version of the +same ballad, but consisting of only nineteen stanzas, at Sumbř 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 +Táttur_, 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 Hervör 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 Fćrřerne_. + + [Footnote 1: _Lied und Epos_ (Dortmund, 1905), p. 41 ff.] + + +_The Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_ + +KIRKJUBŘ. + +[Illustration] + +[Music quarter note=112] + + [Lyric: + Bóndin | undir | eikini | býr, || Vćl | bornir | + menn |Eigir hann | ellivu | synir | dýr! || Arngrims + synir á | Bjarn | londum | ber- | jast viđ | 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 Samsř._ + + 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 Samsř._ + + + + +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 Hervör 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 Samsř 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 Hervör and Heithrek_. Offue's revenge is peculiar +to the Danish, and here too no mention is made of Ingibjörg'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 Samsř +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 í 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. í 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 uprootéd; + 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 Sandř and published it in the _Antiquarisk Tídsskrift_, 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 + Sandř, 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 Tídsskrift_ for + 1849-1851 I published another version which I took down + in Sandř 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 (_tháttr_) of _Hjalmar's Kvćđi_, of + which the first part (_The Tháttr of Örvar-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, Asbjörn and Örvarodd," + etc. Many verses of _Arngrim's Sons_ presuppose a first + _táttur_ to the ballad, for example that in which the sick + Asbjörn complains that he cannot follow his companion to the + fight on Samsř[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 Sandř 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 Sandř 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 Kvćđi_ 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 Kvćđi_, 2 +tćttir: _a_, Örvaroddur, _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 (_hirđ_) of the Swedish King, +how he distinguishes himself by his bravery against the vikings, and +how he and Asbjörn and Örvarodd 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 Hervör 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 Hervör 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 Samsř. +Finally, Arngrim is said to have been killed by Örvarodd, and Hervik +accordingly kills Örvarodd in retaliation. Another 'Young Odd' appears +later as Hjalmar's companion in the true place of Örvarodd. + +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 _Rímur_ 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 _Skítharíma_[7], +probably composed in the fifteenth century by Einar or Sigurđur +Fóstri. _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 Rímur respectively. + +The air to which the following ballad is sung on the Faroes has been +transcribed and printed by Thuren in _Folkesangen paa Fćrřerne_, pp. +132, 133. + + [Footnote 1: Cf. also the introduction of Örvar-Odd in v. + 29 of Hammershaimb's version (_Antiq. Tídss._, 1849-51, pp. + 61-74); also vv. 28, 33, 58.] + + [Footnote 2: Cf. _Antiq. Tídss._, 1849-1851, p. 28.] + + [Footnote 3: _Ib._, p. 58.] + + [Footnote 4: Copenhagen, 1855.] + + [Footnote 5: So Svabo's version; the Sandř 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 _Gátu Ríma_ (see p. 213 f. + below) especially v. 22.] + + [Footnote 7: _Carmina Scaldica_ (_a selection of Norwegian + and Icelandic Scaldic poetry_) by Finnur Jónsson, Copenhagen, + 1913.] + + +_The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ + +[Illustration] [Music: dotted-quarter note = 116 SANDOY.] + + [Lyric: + Arngrímur | eigir | eina | borg, hon | stendur á | högum + | fjalli, :|| + ellivu | eigir hann | synir | sćr og | tólvti er | riddarin + | snjalli. + + (Refrain) + Nú | fellur | rí | man | yvir tann] + breiđa | fjörđ; | har | liggur ein | bón- | di | + deyđur í | dökkari | jörd! | Nú | fellur | rí- | man. ||] + + +_Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ + +(1) I SŘRVAGI. + +[Music] + +(2) + +[Music] + +(3) KVALBŘ. + +[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 Örvarodd + 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 Örvarodd + 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 seizéd 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 Örvarodd 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, Örvarodd, + 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, Örvarodd, + 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 Örvarodd, + Stand up, and arm thy band!" + + 41. It fell full early on a morning tide, + Before the sun rose high, + Bold Örvarodd had a hundred men and twelve + Accoutred royally. + + 42. Bold Örvarodd 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 Örvarodd 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 Örvarodd + And cut him in pieces twain. + + 50. She has slain the warrior Örvarodd + 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 Ingibjörg 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 Ingibjörg 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 piercéd, + 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 Ingibjörg, + 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 Ingibjörg, + 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 (GÁTU RÍMA) + + +The _Gátu Ríma_ was first taken down in Suderř by a clergyman, +Schröter, early in the nineteenth century, and is preserved in the +archives of the Early Text Society in Copenhagen. Unfortunately +Schröter 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 Schröter's. He +published this version first in the _Antiquarisk Tídsskrift_, +1849-1851, and later _Fćröiske Kvćđer_, vol. II. (Copenhagen, 1855). +The translation given below is taken from the ballad as printed in +_Fćröiske Kvćđer_. + +That a longer version of this ballad once existed is proved by the +fact that verse 8 of both Schröter'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 _Ríma_ 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 _Gátu Ríma_ 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_.] + + +GÁTU RÍMA. + + 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. Hćgstad 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 Högni. 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 THÁTTR OF NORNAGEST + +_The Tháttr of Nornagest._ A _tháttr_ is a portion (episode) of a +longer saga, in this case the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_ which is found +in the _Flateyjarbók_. + +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, '_ţingbítr_,' 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 Hervör 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 Hervör and Heithrek_, ch. 1. For +the name of the tree or grove called _Glasir_ beside Othin's abode +in Valhalla, see _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 34: "Glasir stands with golden +foliage before the halls of the God of Victory." See also _Bjarkamál +in Forna_, str. 3. + +II. _Ulf the Red_ was standard-bearer to Olaf Tryggvason at the Battle +of Svöld (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 _Hálfssaga_, ch. 10; and _Flateyjarbók_, 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 Jómsvíkings. 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 _Völsunga 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. Guthrún 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 Gjúki, 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 Guthrún._ It is generally believed that this is +the name of another lost heroic poem. But the title may possibly mean +_The Adventures of Guthrún_, in which case the poem referred to may be +the well-known _Ancient Lay of Guthrún_ (_Guđrúnarkviđa hin forna_). +This latter poem is alluded to in ch. 9 below under the title of +_Guđrúnarrćđa_. + +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 Völsung is +related in _Völsunga Saga_. + +_Hundingsbani_, i.e. 'Slayer of Hunding.' See _Völsunga Saga_, ch. 9. + +V. _It chanced one day that_, etc. Chapters 5 and 6 are mainly taken +from the poem _Reginsmál_ of which strophes 13-26 are quoted in our +text. _Reginsmál_ is the first poem of a trilogy dealing with the +early adventures of Sigurth. The two remaining poems _Fáfnismál_ and +_Sigrdrifumál_ 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 +_Völsunga 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 _Völsunga Saga_, ch. 17. + +_The sea-king's steed._ The text has _Rćfils hestum_, lit. 'Rćfil's +horses.' Rćfil 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 _Grímnismál_ (str. 47) and +elsewhere. + +_The Moon's sister._ The text has _systur Mána_, 'Máni's sister,' i.e. +the sun. _Máni_, the old word for the moon, is preserved in Iceland +only in a mythological sense, the ordinary word in use for moon being +_tungl_. _Máni_ and _Sól_ (the sun) were brother and sister. See +_Vafţrúţnismál_, 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.) +Vigfússon 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 (Ćlla) is said to have +been put to death in this way by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrók. Cf. the +_Saga of Ragnar Lođbrók and his sons_, ch. 18; also the _Tháttr of +Ragnar's Sons_, ch. 3. + +_Hugin and Munin_ were Othin's attendant ravens who gave him +information. See _Grímnismál_, 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 _Völsunga Saga_, ch. 20-32. It +is uncertain whether the reference here is to the _Völsunga 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 _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 41, +_Völsunga Saga_ ch. 25, and in the _Edda Poems_, as the father of +Gunnar and Guthrún. His name appears also (as _Gifica_, _Gibicho_, +etc.) in the Anglo-Saxon poem _Widsiţ_, the Latin poem _Waltharius_, +and in several early German poems. + +_Sigurth Hring_, a legendary king of Sweden and Denmark, and the +father of Ragnar Lođbrók. His story is related at length in a fragment +of the _Skjöldunga 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 Vingulmörk 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 Högni._ The story of the relations of Gunnar and Högni +with Sigurth is told in _Völsunga Saga_, ch. 26 f. + +_Jarnamotha._ The locality is unknown. There were large forests in +Holstein in the Middle Ages called 'Iarnawith' and 'Isarnho'; cf. +Müllenhoff, _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 +Skallagrímsson_, ch. 52. + +_The Kurir_ were the people of Courland (perhaps Lithuanians). The +_Kvćnir_ 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 Skallagrímsson_, 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 +Brávöll--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 Hörthaland 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 _ferđa_, 'travels,' adopted by +Wilken, not _frćnda_, as in the _Fornaldar Sögur_, ed. by Ásmundarson. +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. + +_Guthrúnarrćtha._ This is no doubt the poem commonly called +_Guđrúnarkviđa 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 _Helreiđ 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 _Sigrdrifumál_, 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 Gnítaheiđ 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 Lothbrók 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 Lothbrók_, and in the _Tháttr +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 (Ćlla) and +thrown into a snake-pit, where he "died laughing," as we are told in +a late poem (_Krakumál_ or the 'Death-song of Ragnar Lothbrók'). His +death was afterwards avenged by his sons who invaded England in 866. +Practically nothing historical is known of Lođbrók 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, Björn Ironside, a son of +Ragnar Lothbrók, with Hástein 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 Hafrsfjörth (_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 _Helgakviđa Hundingsbana_, 1, str. 2; +_Gylfaginning_, chs. 15, 16; Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 223; +the _Saga of Burnt Njál_, ch. 156. Similar beliefs occur in Greek +stories about the Fates ([Greek: Klôthes]) 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 THÁTTR OF SÖRLI + +I. _Vanakvisl._ The opening sentence may be compared with +_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 1, in the _Heimskringla_. From this it appears +that Vanakvísl is the River Don, though strictly _kv[vi]sl_ means the +fork (delta) of a river. + +_Ćsir 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 _Ćsir_. +According to _Ynglingasaga_, chs. 1-4, there was war between the Ćsir +and the Vanir, which was concluded by an exchange of hostages. The +Vanir gave to the Ćsir three of their leading people--Njörth and his +children Frey and Freyja. Othin made Njörth 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 Ćsir, see +_Gylfaginning_, chs. 2, 9, 14, etc. + +_Men in Asia called Alfregg_, etc. For Dvalin, cf. the _Saga of Hervör +and Heithrek_, ch. 2 and note. + +_Lived in a rock_; cf. _Völuspá_, str. 48. + +_Necklace._ For the _Brísingamen_, Freyja's treasure, see +_Thrymskviđa_, 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. _Laxdćla +Saga_, ch. 40 'Mun konungr [i.e. Olaf Tryggvason] vera giftudrjúgr ok +hamingju-mikill.' + +III. _Frithfrothi_, the mythical peace-king of the Danes. See +_Skáldskaparmál_, 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 Sörli._ Their story is told in the _Saga of Sörli the +Strong_ (_Fornaldar Sögur_, III.). + +_Skerries of the Elf._ Rocky islands near the mouth of the Göta Elv +not far from Göteborg. + +IV. _Halfdan_, surnamed Brönufóstri. See the _Saga of Sörli the +Strong_, ch. 11, where he is represented as King of Sweden. + +_Roeskilde_, the old capital of Sjćlland, now the ecclesiastical +capital of Denmark. + +_Ellithi._ See the _Saga of Thorstein Vikingson_ (passim), and the +_Saga of Friđjóf the Bold_ (passim). + +_Gnoth._ The ship Gnoth belonged to Ásmund, who was called after it +'Gnođar-Ásmund.' Cf. the _Saga of Egil and Asmund_, ch. 17; and +the _Saga of Grím Lođinkinni_, 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. + +_Högni ... went raiding in the Baltic_, etc. In _Widsiđ_ l. 21, Högni +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 _Hôrant_ 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 _Widsiţ_, l. 21, which gives the name of an +unknown people. + +_Göndul_, the name of one of the Valkyries. See _Völuspá_, str. 31; +_Hákonarmál_, passim; _Skáldskaparmál_, chs. 2 and 47. + +VI. _Heithrek Ulfham._ For Heithrek Ulfham see the _Saga of Hervör and +Heithrek_, ch. 16. + +VII. _She asked him._ I have followed Rafn's text. The Reykjavík ed. +apparently has a misprint here--_hann_ for _hón_. + +_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 _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note. + +IX. _Jarnskjöld._ Cf. _Fornmanna Sögur_, vol. III, p. 125 ff. (_Saga +of Olaf Tryggvason_). + +_Glance of his eye_, etc. Literally, "He has the _ćgishjálmr_." 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 Sögur_, vol. III), especially +ch. 17. He is mentioned also in the _Saga of Grím Lođinkinni_, ch. 2. +A different account of Olaf's family is given in _Göngu-Hrólfs 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. _Landnámabók_, I, ch. +3, _Hversu Noregr Bygthist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar Sögur_, II, p. 7) etc., +point to Norway, especially the provinces of Thelamörk and Hörthaland, +as the home of Hromund and his family. + +_Hromund._ According to _Landnámabók_, 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. _Gríplur_, 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 _Blámenn_, 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 _Blámenn_, even in +stories relating exclusively to the North. Cf. _The Ballad of Hjálmar +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 Skallagrímsson_, ch. +81, where Thorgerth, Egil's daughter, says that she will have no +supper till she "sup with Freyja." + +_No blade would wound Hröngvith._ 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 _Tháttr 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. + +_Gunnlöth._ Other documents appear to make Hromund a Norwegian, and +this is what we should gather from _Landnámabók_ quoted above (p. 231, +note). See _Hversu Noregr Bygđist_, ch. 2. + +_Mistletoe_, the name of the sword again connects this story with that +of Balder who is stated in _Völuspá_, str. 32 and _Gylfaginning_, ch. +49 to have been killed by a piece of mistletoe. + +V. _Dagny_, the wife of Ingjóld, who was the friend of Grím +Lothinkinni. See the _Saga of Grím Lođinkinni_, ch. 3. + +_Hálogaland._ See _Hervarar Saga_, ch. 1 and note; and also the Sagas +of _Ketil Hćng_ and _Grím Lođinkinni_. + +_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. +_Gríplur_, p. 383, str. 20, 21. + +VI. _Helgi_ is known elsewhere as Helgi Haddingjaskati, e.g. in the +short text called _Hversu Noregr Bygđist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar +Sögur_, II, p. 7). According to the prose at the end of _Helgakviđa +Hundingsbana_ II, Helgi Haddingjaskati and Kara were reincarnations +of Helgi Hundingsbani and Sigrún, the hero and heroine of this poem. +Their story was given in a poem called _Káruljóđ_ which is now lost. +See however Vigfússon 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 _Skáldskaparmál_, 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 _Helgakviđa +Hundingsbana_ II, Kara is called a valkyrie. + +VIII. _Hagal._ The story of Hagal and Blind is given also at the +beginning of _Helgakviđa 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 bölvísi_ ('skilled in harmful doings'). + + +SAGA OF HERVÖR AND HEITHREK + +I. _Finnmark_, i.e. the northernmost part of the Scandinavian +Peninsula. + +_Jötunheimar_, i.e. the homes of the _jötnar_ or giants. This name +occurs frequently in Norse stories, though it is not elsewhere +connected with Finnmark. + +_Ymisland_, i.e. the land of _Ýmir_; see below. + +_Halogaland_, i.e. the northern part of Norway stretching from about +lat. 65° as far as Finnmark. + +_Guthmund._ Cf. the _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note. + +_Glasisvellir._ Cf. the _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 1, and note. + +_Fields of immortality_, i.e. lit. 'Fields of the not dead' +(_ódainsakr_). Cf. the _Saga of Eiríkr Víđförla_, ch. 1, and the +_Saga of Hálfdan Eysteinsson_, ch. 1. See also Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. +Hist._, p. 129. + +_Höfund._ 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. _Völuspá_, str. 3; +_Vafţrúţnismál_, str. 21; _Grímnismál_, str. 40; _Hyndluljóđ_, 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 _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note. See also Saxo +Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 224, 225. + +_Elivagar._ See _Vafţrúţnismál_, str. 31; _Gylfaginning_, ch. 5; +_Hymiskviđa_, str. 5. + +_Alfheimar_, a name given to the region between the Gřtaelv 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 _Tháttr 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 Svegđir in _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 15. + +_Dvalin_ is the name of a dwarf in _Völuspá_, str. 11, 14; _Hávamál_, +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 +_Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 3, 57. _Dulin_ does not occur elsewhere, though +_Durin_ is found in _Völuspá_, str. 10. + +_Standing in the doorway of the stone_, etc. Cf. _Völuspá_, str. 48. + +_Your sword_, etc. Cf. _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 49. "Now I have drawn +_Dáinsleif_, 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. _Hyndluljóth_, str. 23, 24; +Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 203-205; _Saga of Örvar 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 _Helgakviđa Hjörvarđssónar_, str. 32. + +_Angantyr made a vow._ In the Royal MS. (see p. 79) it is Hjörvarth +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 Högni's sword in +_Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 49. + +_Samsř._ The fight at Samsř 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 Örvar Odd_, ch. 14, and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, +p. 205. The Island of Samsř is situated half way between Jutland and +Sjćlland. + +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; +_Völsunga Saga_, ch. 13. + +_She grew up_, etc. Cf. the description of the later Hervör 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 +Hervör 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 Rök; cf. also _Vafţrúţnismál_, 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._ _annanhvárn_, apparently for _annanhvern_. + +_Hall of the Dís._ It is not clear who the _dís_ was, as the word is +used rather loosely for supernatural female beings. Another reference +to the _Hall of the Dís_ 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 _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 10 and +note. + +_Sifka and Hlöth._ The names here mentioned, together with _Heithrek_ +and _Angantyr_, are believed by some scholars to recur in _Widsiţ_, l. +116, where we find + + _Heađoric and Sifecan, Hliđe and Incgenđeow_, + +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 Höfund'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 Hervör +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, Hervör is expressly +stated to be a daughter of Hergerth. + +_Ormar_ is presumably to be identified with the _Wyrmhere_ mentioned +in _Widsiţ_, 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 Sögur_, 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 Mćren (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-gođar_) to keep up the sacrifices and administer +justice among men; cf. _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 2 (_Hyndluljóđ_, str. 30; +_Gautrekssaga_, ch. 7). In the Irish _Lay of Magnus Barelegs_, the +Norwegians are referred to as _Clann an dá [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c] +déag_ ('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; _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 35; +_Hyndlulióđ_, str. 5, 7. + +XI. _I would that I had that_, etc. On these riddles see Heusler, +_Eddica Minora_, p. xc ff.; 'Diealtnordischen Rätsel' in _Zeitschrift +des Vereins für 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 Sögur_, 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 _Vafţrúţnismál_, 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 _Hávamál_, str. 160, where it has been +thought to mean 'at sunrise.' See also the genealogy in _Hversu +Noregr Bygđist_, ch. I (_Fornaldar Sögur_, II, p. 6), where a certain +Svanhild is said to be the daughter of Day, the son of Delling, and +of Sól (i.e. the sun), the daughter of Mundilfari (cf. _Gylfaginning_, +ch. II). + +_Wolves are always struggling for it._ See _Gylfaginning_, ch. 12 +(from _Grímnismál_, str. 39). + +_He who made it_, etc. I have followed Heusler's reading and read _er_ +for _ker_ and _ţó_ or _sjá_ for _ţá_. + +_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. + +_Ćgis meyjar._ Ćgir or Hlér, the husband of Rann, is a personification +of the sea; but the kennings 'Ćgir's daughters,' 'Ćgir's steed,' etc. +for 'billows' are common in poetry. See _Helgakviđa Hundingsbana_ II, +str. 29, and _Bragar-rćđur_, ch. 55 (included in Brodeur's translation +of the _Prose Edda_ as _Skáldskaparmál_, ch. I). + +_Reefs._ For _brimserkum_, read _brimskerjum_. + +_Ocean-path._ For _brim-reiđar_, read _brim-leiđar_. 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' (_dauđar 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 _ćđi_ which means 'vein' as well +as 'eider-duck.' + +_Sleipnir._ Othin's eight-footed horse. Cf. especially _Gylfaginning_, +ch. 42. + +_Tell me lastly_, etc. In _Vafţrúţnismál_, str. 54, Othin makes +himself known to Vafţrúţnir 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 Hlöth._ 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 _Hlöđ_ 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 _Atlakviđa_, +str. 3, 5, and 13; and in _Helgakviđa Hundingsbana_, I, str. 53. + +_Pillar_, lit. 'stone.' I do not know what is meant. Possibly +_Guđrúnarkviđa_ III, str. 3 may be compared. + +_Danaper's Shore._ _Danpr_ is treated as a personal name in +_Rígsţula_, 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 _Tháttr 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 _Widsiđ_ 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. _Widsiţ_, l. 121 ff. + +XVI. _Ivar Vithfathmi._ For Ivar Vithfathmi and his family, see +_Ynglingasaga_, chs. 44, 45, and the first fragment of _Skjöldunga +Saga_ (printed in the _Fornaldar Sögur_, I, p. 285 ff.), chs. 1-3. + +_Harold Hilditönn._ The fullest account of Harold Hilditönn is that +given by Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 296 ff. See also the +fragments of the _Skjöldunga Saga_, ch. 4 ff. + +_Gautland_, i.e. the Land of the _Geatas_ in _Beowulf_, the modern +Götaland (whether Vestergötland or Östergötland 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 Ása, was married to Guthröth, King of Vestfold--the +_Godefridus_ who fought against Charlemagne and died in 810. See +_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 53. Their son was Hálfdan the Black, the father of +Harold the Fairhaired. + +_Sigurth Hring._ See the _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note. + +_Battle of Brávöll._ The chief accounts of this battle are to be found +in the second fragment of the _Skjöldunga Saga_, ch. 8 f. (see above); +and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 309 ff. + +_The Sons of King Ragnar._ For Ragnar Lothbrók and his sons, see the +_Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 9 and note. + +_A sea-king._ Cf. the _Saga of Olaf the Holy (Heimskringla)_, ch. 4. + +_The Sons of Eric Björnson were Önund and Björn._ 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 Arinbjörn the friend of +Egil Skallagrímsson. In the _Saga of Egil Skallagrímsson_, ch. 59, +he is said to have saved his life by composing in one night a poem +in honour of King Björn. 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 _Tháttr of Nornagest_, ch. 10, +and note. + +_Eric the Victorious._ The battle won by Eric the Victorious over +Styrbjörn 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 Fyrisĺ, 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 Blótsvein were all reigning +in 1081. + +_Philippus_, d. 1118. + +_Ingi II_, d. 1125. + + +GRIPLUR I + +10. _Gnoth-Ásmund_, etc. For notes on people mentioned in the +_Gríplur_, 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. +_Skáldskaparmál_, ch. 35. Cf. also _Völuspá_, 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._ + +Schrřter 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 Högni_, etc. Lyngbye here inserts a stanza: + + Högni was a mighty man: + Swarthy of hue was he as I ween. + +16. _Rich, brave_, etc. The Suderř 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 Gnítaheiđ 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 Sumbř 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 +Bláland,' by which the Faroese ballads and the _Fornaldar Sögur_ +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 Bláland' (_af Blálandum_) should be 'from +Bólmland' (af _Bólmlandi_), i.e. from the Island of Bólm, 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 Sumbř 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 Kvćđi_, str. 13, 28, +48. + +5. _Their anchor they cast_, etc. Cf. _Magna Dans_ (_Icelandic +Fornkvćđi_) 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 Sumbř version, which is undoubtedly better +here, has + + _Angantyr loypur so tungliga á land_ + Angantyr leapt so heavily to land, + +instead of + + _Fyrstur steig Angantýr fótum á land_ + Angantyr was the first to step with his feet to land. + +10. _Here sittest thou_, etc. In the Sumbř 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 Sumbř 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 Sumbř version the fight took place +outside the hall, and only Angantyr is credited with the troll-like +bellowing. Indeed one feels throughout the Sumbř 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 ... +Odderskićr_." Axel Olrik, however, in the version which he prints in +_Danske Folkeviser i Udvalg_, p. 105 f. has "Alf ... Odderskćr." He +explains (Introduction, p. 78) Alf to be 'a combination of Arngrim the +father of the berserks and Hjalmar's foster-brother Örvarodd.' + +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 Hervör 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 _hón_, 'she,' which is what we should expect. Cf. the _Saga of +Hervör 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 Sandř in 1848 and published in the +_Antiq. Tídss._, 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 Hervör 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. Tídss._ 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 _leikvöllr_ 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 _Samsř_. 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 _Kvćđi +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 Kvćđi_, the only change being +that 'Hugin the King' takes the place of 'Hervik the Earl's +daughter.' They are practically identical too with the _Kvćđi of the +Jómsvíkingar_, vv. 6-8 (inclusive). Cf. also _Sjurđar Kvćđi_ (III +_Högna Táttur_, vv. 46-49), and _Ragnarlikkja_, vv. 40-48. + +20. _Striped gold on a scarlet ground._ The text has _Gull viđ reyđan +brand_, which is probably a mishearing of the line _Gull viđ reyđan +rand_ ('with a gold stripe on a red ground'). Verse 39 of _Brúsajökils +Kvćđi_ (which is otherwise identical with the above) gives in the +second line _Gull viđ ráum brann_ ('gold blazed on the yardarms'). In +Hammershaimb's version of our ballad, vv. 10, 72, the line is _Gulli +vovin viđ rand_ ('woven with gold in stripes'), as also in v. 22 of +the _Kvćđi of Ormar Torolvsson_. The line also occurs in the form +_Gull viđ vágum 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 Kvćđi_ and vv. 24, 25 of +the _Kvćđi of Ormar Torolvsson_. Cf. also _Sigmundar Kvćđi_, v. 32; +_Brúsajökils Kvćđi_, v. 41 and the _Kvćđi of Alvur Kongur_, vv. 24-26 +and _Sjurđar Kvćđi_ (_Högna Táttur_, vv. 71-73). + +25. _Herd and fee._ Either the word _jćge_ or the word _fć_ seems to +have an unusual sense here. + +28. _Though quake now fell and fold._ The original (_kyk gekk jörđ á +fold_) is not clear. I have merely adopted Grundtvig's translation of +Hammershaimb's early text in the _Antiq. Tídss_. 1849-1851. The 1855 +ed. substitutes _hon_ for _jörđ_ 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 Kvćđi_, 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 _Kvćđi of Ormar Torolvsson_, v. 26; and the _Kvćđi of +Alvur Kongur_, v. 33. + +36. _A hundred men and five_--a stock number in the Faroese ballads. +Cf. the _Kvćđi 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 Kvćđi_, v. 27. + +37. _Mead or wine_, etc. Cf. _Sjurđar Kvćđi_ (III, _Högna Táttur_, 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 _Kvćđi of +Finnur hin Fríđi_, 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 Kvćđi_, 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 Ingibjörg hear_, etc. Lit. "the lady +Ingibjörg will learn that I fled." There is a suppressed condition. +"If I let you fight, the lady Ingibjörg would learn, etc." +Hammershaimb's text (_Antiq. Tídss._) v. 37, has a negative and no +condition: "The lady Ingibjörg 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 _reyđa_ ('red') is a printer's +error for _reiđa_ ('angry'), though the same form occurs also in the +version of the ballad published in the _Antiquarisk Tídsskrift_. In +v. 16, however, we find _skariđ_ whereas in v. 17 the word is written +_skarđiđ_, the form used in both verses in _Antiq. Tídss._, 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. Tídss._, in the form +_ei_, 'they have _not_ fathers or mothers.' Indeed the entire ballad +would seem to be somewhat carelessly printed in _Fćröiske Kvćđer_. + + +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 Sögur Norđrlanda_, ed. by C. C. Rafn, published at + Copenhagen, 1829. + + _Fornaldar Sögur Norđrlanda_, ed. by Valdimar Ásmundarson, + published by Sigurđur Kristjánsson, Reykjavík, 1891-1911. + + _Die Prosaische Edda im Auszuge nebst Völsungasaga und + Nornageststháttr_, ed. with introduction and glossary by Ernst + Wilken, Paderborn, 1877. 2nd ed., 1912. + + _Sagaen om Hervar ok Kong Heiđrek_, ed. by N. N. Petersen + and published (together with a Danish translation by G. + Thorarensen), by the Norse Literature Society, Copenhagen, + 1847. + + +PART II + + _Fćröiske Kvćđer henhřrende til Hervarar Saga_, published by + V. U. Hammershaimb in the _Antiquarisk Tídsskrift_, 1849-1851, + Copenhagen, 1852. + + _Fćröiske Kvćđer_, 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. + + _Gríplur_, published in _Rímnasafn_, edited by Finnur Jónsson, + 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., Vigfússon and Powell, Oxford, 1883. + + _Five Pieces of Runic Poetry_, including _Hervör and + Angantyr_, translated into prose by Bishop Percy, 1763. + + _Hickes's Thesaurus_, including _Hervör 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 Sćmund_, translated by B. Thorpe, published by + Trübner 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. Magnússon; + 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 Landnámabók_--'The Book of the Settlement of + Iceland,' translated by T. Ellwood and published at Kendal, + 1898. + + _The Story of Egill Skallagrímsson_, translated by W. C. + Green, published by Elliot Stock, 1893. + + _Grettissaga--The Story of Grettir the Strong_, translated by + E. Magnússon and W. Morris, published by Longmans, Green and + Co. (new edition), 1900. Also translated by G. A. Hight in + Dent's _Everyman_ Series. + + _Brennu Njálssaga--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. Magnússon and W. Morris. 2nd ed. 1901. + + _Völsunga Saga--The Story of Sigurth the Völsung_, translated + by W. Morris and E. Magnússon; 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 Halldór +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 dá [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c] déag_ ('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[=ó]th' corrected to 'Hyndluljóth' Other occurence +in this book: 'Hyndluljóth' (no macron); ... elsewhere: [Hyndluljóđ] +(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 *** + +***** This file should be named 33471-8.txt or 33471-8.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/4/7/33471/ + +Produced by Lesley Halamek, Ted Garvin and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + + +Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: + + http://www.gutenberg.org + +This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, +including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary +Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to +subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/33471-8.zip b/old/33471-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..8cb81f5 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/33471-8.zip diff --git a/old/33471.txt b/old/33471.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..790d7e5 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/33471.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9393 @@ +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: ASCII + +*** 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 + + + + + + + + + + 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 Soegur Northrlanda_ have hitherto been +translated into English. The _Voelsungasaga_ 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 _Thattr of Soerli_--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 _Rimur_, 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 Faeroerne_. 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 Thattr of Nornagest 11 + The Thattr of Soerli 38 + The Saga of Hromund Greipsson 58 + The Saga of Hervoer and Heithrek 79 + Appendix to Part I (The Combat at Samso + and Hjalmar's Death Song) 144 + + + PART II + + BALLADS + + General Introduction 153 + Griplur 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 (Gatu Rima) 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 _Fornaldarsoegur 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 Asmundarson 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 _Islendinga Soegur_, or 'Stories +of Icelanders' and the _Konunga Soegur_, 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 _Voelsunga 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 Hoegni[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 Joesur." 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 Hervoer 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 +_Thattr[11] of Nornagest_. The _Reginsmal_ 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 Samso; 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 Samso, 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 _Thaettir of Nornagest_ and of _Soerli_ respectively, +though into the former has entered a considerable element of folk-tale +which is introduced with a certain _naivete_ 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 _Rimur_ 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 _Griplur_, a +_Rima_ based on an early form of the story of Hromund Greipsson[15]. +The _Rimur_ 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 _Rimur_ have as yet +been published and the _Griplur_ 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 _Rimur_, 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 _Fjoelsvinsmal_, +_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 _Voelsunga Saga_ and the Faroese +cycle of ballads generally classed together as _Sjurethar Kvaeethi_--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 Jonsson'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 _Fornaldarsoegur_ +collectively, see the annual _Islandica_, Vol. V, pp. 1-9, compiled +by Halldor 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 i Udvalg_ + (Copenhagen and Christiania, 1913), pp. 81, 82.] + + [Footnote 11: A. _Thattr_ (pl. _Thaettir_) 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 _Griplur_, 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.; Vigfusson 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 Hervoer and + Heithrek_, p. 81 f. below.] + + [Footnote 24: Copenhagen, 1901.] + + + + +INTRODUCTION TO THE THATTR 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 Magnusson in the _Saga Library_[1]. The best known manuscript +(_F_) of the longer saga is the _Flateyjarbok_ which comes from the +island of Flatey in Breithifjoerth 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 _Thattr 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 _thattr_ +stands by itself. + +Rafn[2], in his edition of the _Fornaldarsoegur_, based his text of the +_thattr_ 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 _thattr_, 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 Asmundarson[6], +from whose version the following translation has been made. The +differences between all three MSS. appear to be very slight, but +Asmundarson'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 Asmundarson 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 _thattr_ 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 +_thattr_, 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 _thattr_, 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 _Reginsmal_. 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 _naivete_ 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 Voegg[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: _Fornaldarsoegur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829), + Introduction, pp. xix, xx.] + + [Footnote 3: Wilken, _Die Prosaische Edda nebst Voelsungasaga + und Nornageststhattr_ (Paderborn, 1877), p. lxxxv ff.] + + [Footnote 4: _Norrone Skrifter af Sagnhistorisk Indhold_ + (Christiania, 1873).] + + [Footnote 5: _Op. cit._, p. lxxxviii.] + + [Footnote 6: See _Fornaldarsoegur Northrlanda_ (Reykjavik, + 1891), Vol. I, pp. 247-266.] + + [Footnote 7: The second edition follows the _Codex Regius_ in + the text of the poems included in the _Thattr_ more closely + than did the first edition.] + + [Footnote 8: Cf. Finnur Jonsson, _Den Oldnorske og + Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. II, p. 847; also + Mogk, _Norwegisch-Islaendischen Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), + p. 822.] + + [Footnote 9: Cf. p. 19 below and note (p. 222).] + + [Footnote 10: Cf. _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 3; also _Hrolfs Saga + Kraka_, ch. 42.] + + +THE THATTR 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 Voelsung, and of Hjoerdis, the daughter of Eylimi, +was there at that time. Sigmund had fallen in battle against the sons +of Hunding, and Hjoerdis had married Alf the son of King Hjalprek. +There Sigurth grew up together with all the other sons of King +Sigmund. Among these were Sinfjoetli 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 Voelsung. At that time, Sigmund was married to Borghild, but +they parted because Borghild killed Sinfjoetli the son of Sigmund by +poison. Then Sigmund went south to the land of the Franks and married +Hjoerdis, 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 Hjoervarth, 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 Voelsung, when I gave the raven joy + Of carnage. Call me either of the two-- + Fjoelnir 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 Hoegni, 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 Kvaenir. 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 _Guthrunar-raetha_ 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 Bjoern 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 Hloethver 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 THATTR OF SOeRLI + + +This story, like the last, is taken from the long _Saga of Olaf +Tryggvason_ contained in the _Flateyjarbok_, Vol. I, pp. 275-283. Its +connection, however, with the story of that King is of the slightest. +According to the opinion of Finnur Jonsson[1] the story in its present +form dates from the first half of the fourteenth century. + +This story, like the _Thattr 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 Soerli, from whom the story takes its (somewhat +inappropriate) title[2]. Soerli comes into contact (first as an enemy, +later as a friend) with another prince called Hoegni, and this leads up +to the main theme--the friendship and subsequent quarrel of Hethin +and Hoegni, 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 Hoegni was a favourite one in the North. It +is told in _Skaldskaparmal_, 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 _Ragnarsdrapa_, str. 3-7. The story must +also have been well known in the Orkneys, since we find the following +verses in the _Hattalykill_ by Jarl Roegnvald (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; + Hoegni 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. Haegstad +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 +_thattr_, though an attempt has been made to connect it with the +second part of the German poem _Kudrun_. + +The story of Hethin and Hoegni 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 Hoegni'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 Goendul and the "potion +of forgetfulness." On the other hand our version contains no reference +to the statement made in _Skaldskaparmal_ 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 +Hervoer[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. Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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 Hoegni. Parallels can be found in many literatures, both +ancient and modern[8]. + +This _thattr_ has been translated into English under the title of +_The Tale of Hogni and Hedinn_ in _Three Northern Love Stories_ by W. +Morris and Eirikr Magnusson, 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--_Soerla Saga Sterka_ which is published in Vol. + III of Asmundarson's edition of the _Fornaldarsoegur_.] + + [Footnote 3: Cf. Finnur Jonsson, _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 Haegstad's + corrected text.] + + [Footnote 6: _Op. cit._, p. 113.] + + [Footnote 7: Cf. The _Saga of Hervoer 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 THATTR OF SOeRLI + +I. To the East of Vanakvisl in Asia was a country called Asialand or +Asiaheim. Its inhabitants were called AEsir 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 Njoerth and Frey as +priests. Njoerth 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 Soerli the Strong, and the +younger Erlend. They were promising young men. Soerli 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 Soerli 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 +Hoegni 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 Soerli 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 Soerli 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 Gnoeth 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 Saevar, 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 Soerli, "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 Soerli took possession of the warship and everything on +it that was of value. + +Then Soerli learned that Hoegni had returned from a raiding expedition +and was lying off Odinso. Soerli 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 Hoegni declined all his +offers. Then they joined battle, as is told in the poem dealing +with Soerli. Haakon fought very boldly and slew Saevar, Soerli's +standard-bearer and fo'c'sle-man. Then Soerli slew Haakon, but Hoegni +slew King Erling, Soerli's father. After that Hoegni and Soerli fought +together, and Soerli went down before Hoegni from weariness and wounds. +And Hoegni 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. Soerli 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 Hoegni heard of Soerli'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 +Hoegni and paid him tribute. Hoegni 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 Goendul. 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 Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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, +Hoegni 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. + +Hoegni 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 Hoegni was somewhat older. He had +married Hervoer, the daughter of Hjoervarth, the son of Heithrek Ulfham. +Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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: "Hoegni has married a wife of high +birth, whereas you have no wife." + +He replied: "Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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 +Hoegni 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 Goendul 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 Hoegni and all your followers, and lay you +under all the spells imposed by Othin." + +Then Hethin awoke and saw the fleeting shadow of Goendul, 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 Hoegni 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. Hoegni 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 Hoegni was making for a harbour, Hethin's +sails were sighted out at sea; so Hoegni 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 Hoegni 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. Hoegni 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." + +Hoegni 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 Hoegni, save that they should +fight, he ordered his men to land, saying: + +"I will no longer hold back from Hoegni, nor make excuses to avoid +fighting. Let every man bear himself bravely!" + +They thereupon landed and fell to fighting. Hoegni 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 +Jarnskjoeld 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 Hoegni, 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 Hoegni, +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 Hoegni face to face, and also not +to slay me before you slay him; because no mortal man can encounter +Hoegni 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 Hoegni and struck him on the +head, and clove his skull down to the shoulders, whereupon Hoegni 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 Hroengvith 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 _Landnamabok_, 1, ch. 3, they were second cousins, and their +grandfathers, who had come from Thelamoerk in the south-west of Norway, +were sons of Hromund. Olaf 'The Sailors' King' is mentioned also +in the _Saga of Grim 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 Vali. 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 _Voelsungakvitha_), +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 _Karuljoth_. 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 Sigrun--just as the two +latter were themselves reincarnations of Helgi the son of Hjoervarth +and Svava--"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 +_Griplur_, 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 _Griplur_ to the +extant texts of the saga and to the later ballads, the reader is +referred to Koelbing, _Beitraege zur Vergleichenden Geschichte der +Romantischen Poesie und Prosa des Mittelalters_ (Breslau, 1876), pp. +181-83, and to Andrews, _Studies in the Fornaldarsoegur 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 Asmundarson'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 Oernulf, 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 Gunnloeth, the daughter of Hrok the Black. +They had nine sons whose names were as follows: Hrolf, Haki, Gaut, +Throest, 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 Oernulf 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 Hroengvith, 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." + +Hroengvith 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. + +Hroengvith 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 Hroengvith 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!" + +Hroengvith spitted Oernulf on his spear, and when both the brothers had +fallen, Hroengvith called out to the rest to surrender. Then a +murmur of discontent arose in the King's host. No blade would wound +Hroengvith. 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. + +Hroengvith 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 Hroengvith such a blow with his club that his +head was all awry afterwards. + +Hroengvith said: "I have been in many battles, but I never got such a +blow!" + +Hromund struck another blow at Hroengvith 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 Hroengvith, +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 Gunnloeth. 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 Hroengvith 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 Hroengvith. 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 Hroengvith, 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 HERVOeR AND HEITHREK + + +The _Saga of Hervoer and Heithrek_ is found in two vellums, the +_Hauksbok_ (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 Jonsson[4] is of the +opinion that _R_ is the best text throughout; but Heusler[5], like +Valdimar Asmundarson, 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 Asmundarson, +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 Samso and _Hjalmar's Death Song_. Asmundarson'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 Laesebog_[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 Samso. This +story is known to us from other sources, the earliest being the poem +_Hyndluljoth_ (str. 24), which according to Finnur Jonsson[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 Oervar-Odd_, Saxo's _Danish History_, the later ballads +translated below, etc. + +We then pass on to the account of Hervoer, 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 Hervoer'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 Hloeth, 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 +Hervoer the daughter of Heithrek in the latter part of the story bears +a strong resemblance to the description of the more prominent Hervoer, +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 Hervoer and Angantyr at the Barrows of Samso, 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.--Hervoer 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 Hervoer 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 Hervoer. The Hervoer of the prose narrative is perfectly +consistent with the Hervoer 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 Voelsung +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 Samso--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 +_Fornaldarsoegur_. + + [Footnote 1: This MS. is identical with the one referred to as + _A_ in the Introduction to the _Thattr of Nornagest_ (cf. p. + 11 above).] + + [Footnote 2: Quoted by Heusler, _Eddica Minora_ (Dortmund, + 1903), p. vii.] + + [Footnote 3: _Fornaldarsoegur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829), + Vol. I; _Antiquites 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 _Fornaldarsoegur Northrlanda_ (Reykjavik, + 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-Islaendischen + Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), p. 605.] + + +THE SAGA OF HERVOeR 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 Joetunheimar, 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 Joetunheimar 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 Hoefund. 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 Joetunheimar Oegn +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 Oegn 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 Hjoervarth, Saeming 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 Saeming 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 Ingibjoerg 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 Ingibjoerg 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 Samso 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 Samso. 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 Samso, and went +ashore to look for Hjalmar; and the story of their adventures there +is related in the _Saga of Oervar-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 +Ingibjoerg 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 Hervoer, 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 Samso, 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 'Hjoervarth'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 Hervoer: + + 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 Hervoer'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, Hjoervarth, 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, Hjoervarth, 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 Hervoer, 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 Hervoer, Hervoer, 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. + +Hervoer: + + 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! + +Hervoer: + + 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. + +Hervoer: + + 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 Hervoer, '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. + +Hervoer: + + 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! + +Hervoer: + + 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! + +Hervoer: + + 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 Hervoer 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. + +Hoefund, the son of Guthmund, heard of this and went and asked for the +hand of Hervoer, and was accepted; and he took her home. + +Hoefund 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 'hoefund' or +judge of law-suits takes his name in every realm. + +He and Hervoer 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. Hoefund loved him very much, as indeed did everybody. +But however much good he did, Heithrek did still more evil. He was +Hervoer's favourite. His foster-father was called Gizur. + +One day Hoefund 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 Hoefund 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. Hoefund was told of it, and Heithrek escaped at once to the +woods. Hoefund 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 Hoefund and asked him to give their son sound +advice. Hoefund 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 Hoefund, 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. Hoefund 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 Dis. + +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 Hloeth. 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 Hloeth, 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 Hervoer 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 AEgir'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 AEgir'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. + +Hloeth 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 Hloeth the son of Heithrek: + + In the land of the Huns was Hoelth 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 Hloeth 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 Hloeth resolved that Hloeth 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: + + Hloeth, 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. + +Hloeth 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 Hloeth 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: + + Hloeth, 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 Hloeth: + --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." + +Hloeth said: "We are come hither for a different purpose than to fill +our stomachs." + +Then Hloeth 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. + +Hloeth 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 Hloeth, 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, Hloeth, + 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 Hloeth 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 Hervoer, +the sister of Angantyr and Hloeth, 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 Hervoer 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 Hervoer: "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 Hervoer 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 Hervoer's +troops began to suffer heavy losses; and in the end Hervoer 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 Hervoer 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 Joesur, 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 Joesur 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 Hloeth 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 Hloeth +exchanged blows with his brother. There fell Hloeth 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 Hloeth. 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 Raening. 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 Hilditoenn +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 Hilditoenn 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 Hilditoenn at the Battle of Bravoell 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 +Hloeth 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 Hilditoenn 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, Bjoern Ironside, +inherited Sweden, and Sigurth Denmark, Hvitserk the Eastern Realm, and +Ivar the Boneless England. + +The sons of Bjoern 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 Bjoernsson were Oenund of Upsala and King Bjoern. +Then the Swedish Realm again came to be divided between brothers. They +succeeded to the Kingdom on the death of Eric Refilsson. King Bjoern +built a house called 'Barrow,' and he himself was called Bjoern of the +Barrow. Bragi the poet was with him. King Oenund 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 Bjoern, who came to the throne after +his father and ruled for a long time. The sons of Bjoern, Eric the +Victorious, and Olaf succeeded to the kingdom after their father. Olaf +was the father of Styrbjoern the Strong. In their days King Harold +the Fair-haired died. Styrbjoern fought against King Eric his father's +brother at Fyrisvellir, and there Styrbjoern 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 Oenund 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 Roegnvald 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 Maer +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 Vestergoetland. 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 Smaland and into +Oestergoetland 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 SAMSO AND HJALMAR'S DEATH SONG + + +The following passage is taken from an early text of the _Saga of +Hervoer 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 Samso 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 Oervar-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 Hjoervarth 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 Hjoervarth 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 Ingibjoerg + 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 Samso 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 Ingibjoerg, + 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 Ingibjoerg 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 Ingibjoerg + 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 Samso +with all their weapons. + + [Footnote 1: Printed in Wimmer's _Oldnordisk Laesebog_ (4th + ed.) p. 29 ff. The poetry is also found, though with + many divergent readings, in _Oervar-Odds Saga_, ch. 14 + _(Fornaldarsoegur_, 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 _Oervar-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 _Sandoyjarbok_, 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 Schroter, +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 Schroter, a clergyman on Sudero, 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. Mueller, he published at Copenhagen in 1822, under the title of +_Faeroeiske Kvaeder om Sigurd Fofnersbane og hans AEt_. + +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 _Faeroeiske_ _Kvaeder_ 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, _Foroyja +Kvaeethi_--_Corpus Carminum Faeroensium_--_Faeroernes 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 Ivint Herintsson, running to +five divisions (_Taettir_) 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 Fjaeldet ut_. Sometimes in +the Faroese repertoire, Norse ballads are found complete with their +own melodies, e.g. _Somandsviserne_, 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 Faeroerne_ (_Faeroske 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 Sumbo on Sudero, 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 + Sumbo 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' (_trokingar 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 (_oerindi_) is sung, and reversing the movement with + considerable energy during the singing of the refrain + (_viethgangur, niethurlag, stev_). This round dance is + characteristic of Sumbo[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 Loethbrok_: + + _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 _Fornkvaeethi_[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 Tattur_, 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 +Kvaeethi_ 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 Soegur_ composed +in Iceland during the thirteenth century or in some fourteenth century +_Rimur_ derived from the sagas. That many of the Faroese ballads were +literary in origin[29], and were based on either Sagas or Rimur, is +conclusively established by the opening lines of many of the ballads +themselves, notably that of the _Olufu Rima_: + + Ein er riman ur Islandi komin, + Skrivaeth i bok so breietha. + + ("This story is come from Iceland, written in a book so + broad.") + +And _Troellini i Hornalandum_: + + Verse 1. Froethieth er komieth fra Islandi + Skrivaeth i bok so vietha _etc._ + + Verse 2. Froethieth er komieth fra Islandi + Skrivaeth i bok so breietha _etc._ + + Verse 3. Froethieth er komieth fra Islandi + Higar ieth skald taeth tok, + Havieth taer hoyrt um kongin tann, + Ieth skrivaethur stendur i bok? + + ("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 Rimur 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 _Taettir_, +each whole in itself and yet forming a part of the ballad, and +suggests the Icelandic _Rimur_ as the models for this particular form. +It is even possible that the word _Rima_ is used advisedly in the +first strophe of _Olufu Kvaeethi_, instead of the somewhat commoner +_Kvaeethi_, with some reminiscence of its origin. One of the _Sjurethar +Kvaeethi_ (_Dvoergamoy_ III) begins: + + Eina veit eg rimuna, + Ieth inni hevir ligieth leingi. + + (I know a rhyme (or _Rima_?) etc.) + +and _Risin i Holmgareth_ also begins: + + Eg veit eina rimuna, + Ieth gjoerd 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 _Foroyja Kvaeethi_, are first and last _Ballads_--rightly +ballads. They have a form of their own, like other ballads, and are +not a degenerate form of _Rimur_ 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 naivete, 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 _taettir_ 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 Angaende Faeroernes + Litteratur og sprog_, in _Aarboger for Nordisk Oldkyndighed_, + published by the Royal Norse Early Text Society (Copenhagen), + 1882, p. 358.] + + [Footnote 2: _Faeroa 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 Joergen + Blochs Foroyjakvaeethi og faeroske ordbog_, in _Arkiv foer Nordisk + Filologi_ (Lund, 1890), p. 249.] + + [Footnote 7: Sv. Grundtvig, _Faeroernes Litteratur og Sprog_, + in _Aarbog 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. Mueller, Introduction to Lyngbye's _Faer. Kv._, + pp. 14, 15. The _Trawlaravisur_ 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 Faeroerne, med et Musikbilag_, 1901. _Folkesangen paa + Faeroerne_, 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 Faeroerne_ + (Copenhagen, 1908), p. 9, a certain fixed number of songs are + now sung on Sudero; 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 + Faeroerne_, 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 Jon Sigurethsson, _Islenzk + Fornkvaeethi_, 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 _Soerla Thattr_, 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 + _Kvaeethi_, and less frequently _Rima_.] + + [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 i + 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 GRIPLUR I + + +In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Iceland, many of the +Sagas or portions of them were turned into rhyming verse known +as _Rimur_. Sagas of almost every class were subjected to this +treatment--_Islendinga Soegur_, _Fornaldar Soegur_, _Fornmanna Soegur_ +and others. It is supposed that in the first place these rhymed +versions (_Rimur_) were made for the purpose of recitation at social +gatherings. There is ground for believing that the _Rimur_ 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 Jonsson[3] and Mogk[4], the _Rimur_ 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 _Rimur_ is very +striking. Whether the influence of Latin hymns in Iceland was directly +responsible for the change, however, as Jonsson 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 _Griplur_, some twenty stanzas of which are given below, represent +this stage in the development of Icelandic literature. It may be +observed that, like other _Rimur_, 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 _Rimur_ rather than from the Saga direct. + +Reference is made to the exploits of Hromund in other _Rimur_ besides +the _Griplur_, notably in the _Malshattakvaeethi_, the _Skietha-Rima_[5] +(which is interesting as being based, in all probability, on an +earlier poem than the _Griplur_) and in the _Klerka-Rima_[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 Hoelgi (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 naive +simplicity[10]. + + [Footnote 1: Cf. Finnur Jonsson, _Oldnorske og Oldislandske + Litteraturs Historie_, Vol. III, p. 35.] + + [Footnote 2: Cf. F. Jonsson, _op. cit._, Vol. III, p. 36; also + Eugen Mogk, _Geschichte der Norwegisch-Islaendischen 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. Jonsson, + _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. Koelbing, _Beitraege 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 Fornaldarsoegur + Northrlanda_, in _Modern Philology_, 1911, 1912.] + + +GRIPLUR I + + 9. Olaf was a mighty Prince + Who governed Hoerthaland. + The brave folk dwelling along the coast + He guarded with his hand. + + 10. Gnoethar-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 Oernulf 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 Gunnloeth, his good wife, + They had nine sons in all: + (Clever verses are made about them) + And _Hroek_ 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, Hoegni, Haki and Gaut, + And Throest 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 Hroek 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 _Faeroeiske Kvaeder om Sigurd Fofnersbane_ etc. In his visit +to the Faroes in 1847-8, Hammershaimb took down the ballad from oral +recitation at Sumbo. He afterwards collated his version carefully +with those of Svabo, Schroter and Lyngbye, and published the result +in _Faeroeiske Kvaeder_, 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. _Risin i +Holmgarethum_, 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 Faeroerne_. + + [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: + Eitt er froethieth um | Nor-na gest, | Lat taer ra-etha | + raeth-gereth i | van-da. | Ti likum goethum | gekk hann naest. | + Ox-ar tolv voru | leid-dir a torg, | og so fram a | + fri-ethu borg. | Gra-ni bar | gul-lieth af |hei-ethi. ||] + + +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 Hoegni, 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 Hoegni, 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. "Hoegni'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 Hoegni, 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. Koernar 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 _Faeroeiske Kvaeder_, Vol. II. He took down a second version of the +same ballad, but consisting of only nineteen stanzas, at Sumbo 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 +Tattur_, 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 Hervoer 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 Faeroerne_. + + [Footnote 1: _Lied und Epos_ (Dortmund, 1905), p. 41 ff.] + + +_The Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr_ + +KIRKJUBO. + +[Illustration] + +[Music quarter note=112] + + [Lyric: + Bondin | undir | eikini | byr, || Vael | bornir | + menn |Eigir hann | ellivu | synir | dyr! || Arngrims + synir a | Bjarn | londum | ber- | jast vieth | 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 Samso._ + + 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 Samso._ + + + + +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 Hervoer 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 Samso 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 Hervoer and Heithrek_. Offue's revenge is peculiar +to the Danish, and here too no mention is made of Ingibjoerg'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 Samso +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 i 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. i 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 uprooted; + 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 Sando and published it in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, 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 + Sando, 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 Tidsskrift_ for + 1849-1851 I published another version which I took down + in Sando 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 (_thattr_) of _Hjalmar's Kvaeethi_, of + which the first part (_The Thattr of Oervar-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, Asbjoern and Oervarodd," + etc. Many verses of _Arngrim's Sons_ presuppose a first + _tattur_ to the ballad, for example that in which the sick + Asbjoern complains that he cannot follow his companion to the + fight on Samso[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 Sando 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 Sando 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 Kvaeethi_ 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 Kvaeethi_, 2 +taettir: _a_, Oervaroddur, _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 (_hireth_) of the Swedish King, +how he distinguishes himself by his bravery against the vikings, and +how he and Asbjoern and Oervarodd 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 Hervoer 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 Hervoer 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 Samso. +Finally, Arngrim is said to have been killed by Oervarodd, and Hervik +accordingly kills Oervarodd in retaliation. Another 'Young Odd' appears +later as Hjalmar's companion in the true place of Oervarodd. + +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 _Rimur_ 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 _Skitharima_[7], +probably composed in the fifteenth century by Einar or Sigurethur +Fostri. _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 Rimur respectively. + +The air to which the following ballad is sung on the Faroes has been +transcribed and printed by Thuren in _Folkesangen paa Faeroerne_, pp. +132, 133. + + [Footnote 1: Cf. also the introduction of Oervar-Odd in v. + 29 of Hammershaimb's version (_Antiq. Tidss._, 1849-51, pp. + 61-74); also vv. 28, 33, 58.] + + [Footnote 2: Cf. _Antiq. Tidss._, 1849-1851, p. 28.] + + [Footnote 3: _Ib._, p. 58.] + + [Footnote 4: Copenhagen, 1855.] + + [Footnote 5: So Svabo's version; the Sando 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 _Gatu Rima_ (see p. 213 f. + below) especially v. 22.] + + [Footnote 7: _Carmina Scaldica_ (_a selection of Norwegian + and Icelandic Scaldic poetry_) by Finnur Jonsson, Copenhagen, + 1913.] + + +_The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ + +[Illustration] [Music: dotted-quarter note = 116 SANDOY.] + + [Lyric: + Arngrimur | eigir | eina | borg, hon | stendur a | hoegum + | fjalli, :|| + ellivu | eigir hann | synir | saer og | tolvti er | riddarin + | snjalli. + + (Refrain) + Nu | fellur | ri | man | yvir tann] + breietha | fjoereth; | har | liggur ein | bon- | di | + deyethur i | doekkari | joerd! | Nu | fellur | ri- | man. ||] + + +_Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ + +(1) I SORVAGI. + +[Music] + +(2) + +[Music] + +(3) KVALBO. + +[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 Oervarodd + 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 Oervarodd + 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 seized 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 Oervarodd 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, Oervarodd, + 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, Oervarodd, + 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 Oervarodd, + Stand up, and arm thy band!" + + 41. It fell full early on a morning tide, + Before the sun rose high, + Bold Oervarodd had a hundred men and twelve + Accoutred royally. + + 42. Bold Oervarodd 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 Oervarodd 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 Oervarodd + And cut him in pieces twain. + + 50. She has slain the warrior Oervarodd + 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 Ingibjoerg 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 Ingibjoerg 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 pierced, + 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 Ingibjoerg, + 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 Ingibjoerg, + 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 (GATU RIMA) + + +The _Gatu Rima_ was first taken down in Sudero by a clergyman, +Schroeter, early in the nineteenth century, and is preserved in the +archives of the Early Text Society in Copenhagen. Unfortunately +Schroeter 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 Schroeter's. He +published this version first in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, +1849-1851, and later _Faeroeiske Kvaeether_, vol. II. (Copenhagen, 1855). +The translation given below is taken from the ballad as printed in +_Faeroeiske Kvaeether_. + +That a longer version of this ballad once existed is proved by the +fact that verse 8 of both Schroeter'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 _Rima_ 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 _Gatu Rima_ 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_.] + + +GATU RIMA. + + 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. Haegstad 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 Hoegni. 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 THATTR OF NORNAGEST + +_The Thattr of Nornagest._ A _thattr_ is a portion (episode) of a +longer saga, in this case the _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_ which is found +in the _Flateyjarbok_. + +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, '_ţingbitr_,' 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 Hervoer 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 Hervoer and Heithrek_, ch. 1. For +the name of the tree or grove called _Glasir_ beside Othin's abode +in Valhalla, see _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 34: "Glasir stands with golden +foliage before the halls of the God of Victory." See also _Bjarkamal +in Forna_, str. 3. + +II. _Ulf the Red_ was standard-bearer to Olaf Tryggvason at the Battle +of Svoeld (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 _Halfssaga_, ch. 10; and _Flateyjarbok_, 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 Jomsvikings. 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 _Voelsunga 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. Guthrun 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 Gjuki, 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 Guthrun._ It is generally believed that this is +the name of another lost heroic poem. But the title may possibly mean +_The Adventures of Guthrun_, in which case the poem referred to may be +the well-known _Ancient Lay of Guthrun_ (_Guethrunarkvietha hin forna_). +This latter poem is alluded to in ch. 9 below under the title of +_Guethrunarraeetha_. + +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 Voelsung is +related in _Voelsunga Saga_. + +_Hundingsbani_, i.e. 'Slayer of Hunding.' See _Voelsunga Saga_, ch. 9. + +V. _It chanced one day that_, etc. Chapters 5 and 6 are mainly taken +from the poem _Reginsmal_ of which strophes 13-26 are quoted in our +text. _Reginsmal_ is the first poem of a trilogy dealing with the +early adventures of Sigurth. The two remaining poems _Fafnismal_ and +_Sigrdrifumal_ 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 +_Voelsunga 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 _Voelsunga Saga_, ch. 17. + +_The sea-king's steed._ The text has _Raefils hestum_, lit. 'Raefil's +horses.' Raefil 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 _Grimnismal_ (str. 47) and +elsewhere. + +_The Moon's sister._ The text has _systur Mana_, 'Mani's sister,' i.e. +the sun. _Mani_, the old word for the moon, is preserved in Iceland +only in a mythological sense, the ordinary word in use for moon being +_tungl_. _Mani_ and _Sol_ (the sun) were brother and sister. See +_Vafţruţnismal_, 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.) +Vigfusson 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 (AElla) is said to have +been put to death in this way by the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok. Cf. the +_Saga of Ragnar Loethbrok and his sons_, ch. 18; also the _Thattr of +Ragnar's Sons_, ch. 3. + +_Hugin and Munin_ were Othin's attendant ravens who gave him +information. See _Grimnismal_, 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 _Voelsunga Saga_, ch. 20-32. It +is uncertain whether the reference here is to the _Voelsunga 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 _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 41, +_Voelsunga Saga_ ch. 25, and in the _Edda Poems_, as the father of +Gunnar and Guthrun. His name appears also (as _Gifica_, _Gibicho_, +etc.) in the Anglo-Saxon poem _Widsiţ_, the Latin poem _Waltharius_, +and in several early German poems. + +_Sigurth Hring_, a legendary king of Sweden and Denmark, and the +father of Ragnar Loethbrok. His story is related at length in a fragment +of the _Skjoeldunga 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 Vingulmoerk 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 Hoegni._ The story of the relations of Gunnar and Hoegni +with Sigurth is told in _Voelsunga Saga_, ch. 26 f. + +_Jarnamotha._ The locality is unknown. There were large forests in +Holstein in the Middle Ages called 'Iarnawith' and 'Isarnho'; cf. +Muellenhoff, _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 +Skallagrimsson_, ch. 52. + +_The Kurir_ were the people of Courland (perhaps Lithuanians). The +_Kvaenir_ 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 Skallagrimsson_, 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 +Bravoell--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 Hoerthaland 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 _feretha_, 'travels,' adopted by +Wilken, not _fraenda_, as in the _Fornaldar Soegur_, ed. by Asmundarson. +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. + +_Guthrunarraetha._ This is no doubt the poem commonly called +_Guethrunarkvietha 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 _Helreieth 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 _Sigrdrifumal_, 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 Gnitaheieth 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 Lothbrok 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 Lothbrok_, and in the _Thattr +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 (AElla) and +thrown into a snake-pit, where he "died laughing," as we are told in +a late poem (_Krakumal_ or the 'Death-song of Ragnar Lothbrok'). His +death was afterwards avenged by his sons who invaded England in 866. +Practically nothing historical is known of Loethbrok 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, Bjoern Ironside, a son of +Ragnar Lothbrok, with Hastein 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 Hafrsfjoerth (_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 _Helgakvietha Hundingsbana_, 1, str. 2; +_Gylfaginning_, chs. 15, 16; Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 223; +the _Saga of Burnt Njal_, ch. 156. Similar beliefs occur in Greek +stories about the Fates ([Greek: Klothes]) 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 THATTR OF SOeRLI + +I. _Vanakvisl._ The opening sentence may be compared with +_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 1, in the _Heimskringla_. From this it appears +that Vanakvisl is the River Don, though strictly _kv[vi]sl_ means the +fork (delta) of a river. + +_AEsir 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 _AEsir_. +According to _Ynglingasaga_, chs. 1-4, there was war between the AEsir +and the Vanir, which was concluded by an exchange of hostages. The +Vanir gave to the AEsir three of their leading people--Njoerth and his +children Frey and Freyja. Othin made Njoerth 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 AEsir, see +_Gylfaginning_, chs. 2, 9, 14, etc. + +_Men in Asia called Alfregg_, etc. For Dvalin, cf. the _Saga of Hervoer +and Heithrek_, ch. 2 and note. + +_Lived in a rock_; cf. _Voeluspa_, str. 48. + +_Necklace._ For the _Brisingamen_, Freyja's treasure, see +_Thrymskvietha_, 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. _Laxdaela +Saga_, ch. 40 'Mun konungr [i.e. Olaf Tryggvason] vera giftudrjugr ok +hamingju-mikill.' + +III. _Frithfrothi_, the mythical peace-king of the Danes. See +_Skaldskaparmal_, 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 Soerli._ Their story is told in the _Saga of Soerli the +Strong_ (_Fornaldar Soegur_, III.). + +_Skerries of the Elf._ Rocky islands near the mouth of the Goeta Elv +not far from Goeteborg. + +IV. _Halfdan_, surnamed Broenufostri. See the _Saga of Soerli the +Strong_, ch. 11, where he is represented as King of Sweden. + +_Roeskilde_, the old capital of Sjaelland, now the ecclesiastical +capital of Denmark. + +_Ellithi._ See the _Saga of Thorstein Vikingson_ (passim), and the +_Saga of Friethjof the Bold_ (passim). + +_Gnoth._ The ship Gnoth belonged to Asmund, who was called after it +'Gnoethar-Asmund.' Cf. the _Saga of Egil and Asmund_, ch. 17; and +the _Saga of Grim Loethinkinni_, 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. + +_Hoegni ... went raiding in the Baltic_, etc. In _Widsieth_ l. 21, Hoegni +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 _Horant_ 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 _Widsiţ_, l. 21, which gives the name of an +unknown people. + +_Goendul_, the name of one of the Valkyries. See _Voeluspa_, str. 31; +_Hakonarmal_, passim; _Skaldskaparmal_, chs. 2 and 47. + +VI. _Heithrek Ulfham._ For Heithrek Ulfham see the _Saga of Hervoer and +Heithrek_, ch. 16. + +VII. _She asked him._ I have followed Rafn's text. The Reykjavik ed. +apparently has a misprint here--_hann_ for _hon_. + +_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 _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note. + +IX. _Jarnskjoeld._ Cf. _Fornmanna Soegur_, vol. III, p. 125 ff. (_Saga +of Olaf Tryggvason_). + +_Glance of his eye_, etc. Literally, "He has the _aegishjalmr_." 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 Soegur_, vol. III), especially +ch. 17. He is mentioned also in the _Saga of Grim Loethinkinni_, ch. 2. +A different account of Olaf's family is given in _Goengu-Hrolfs 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. _Landnamabok_, I, ch. +3, _Hversu Noregr Bygthist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar Soegur_, II, p. 7) etc., +point to Norway, especially the provinces of Thelamoerk and Hoerthaland, +as the home of Hromund and his family. + +_Hromund._ According to _Landnamabok_, 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. _Griplur_, 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 _Blamenn_, 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 _Blamenn_, even in +stories relating exclusively to the North. Cf. _The Ballad of Hjalmar +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 Skallagrimsson_, ch. +81, where Thorgerth, Egil's daughter, says that she will have no +supper till she "sup with Freyja." + +_No blade would wound Hroengvith._ 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 _Thattr 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. + +_Gunnloeth._ Other documents appear to make Hromund a Norwegian, and +this is what we should gather from _Landnamabok_ quoted above (p. 231, +note). See _Hversu Noregr Bygethist_, ch. 2. + +_Mistletoe_, the name of the sword again connects this story with that +of Balder who is stated in _Voeluspa_, str. 32 and _Gylfaginning_, ch. +49 to have been killed by a piece of mistletoe. + +V. _Dagny_, the wife of Ingjold, who was the friend of Grim +Lothinkinni. See the _Saga of Grim Loethinkinni_, ch. 3. + +_Halogaland._ See _Hervarar Saga_, ch. 1 and note; and also the Sagas +of _Ketil Haeng_ and _Grim Loethinkinni_. + +_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. +_Griplur_, p. 383, str. 20, 21. + +VI. _Helgi_ is known elsewhere as Helgi Haddingjaskati, e.g. in the +short text called _Hversu Noregr Bygethist_, ch. 2 (_Fornaldar +Soegur_, II, p. 7). According to the prose at the end of _Helgakvietha +Hundingsbana_ II, Helgi Haddingjaskati and Kara were reincarnations +of Helgi Hundingsbani and Sigrun, the hero and heroine of this poem. +Their story was given in a poem called _Karuljoeth_ which is now lost. +See however Vigfusson 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 _Skaldskaparmal_, 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 _Helgakvietha +Hundingsbana_ II, Kara is called a valkyrie. + +VIII. _Hagal._ The story of Hagal and Blind is given also at the +beginning of _Helgakvietha 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 boelvisi_ ('skilled in harmful doings'). + + +SAGA OF HERVOeR AND HEITHREK + +I. _Finnmark_, i.e. the northernmost part of the Scandinavian +Peninsula. + +_Joetunheimar_, i.e. the homes of the _joetnar_ or giants. This name +occurs frequently in Norse stories, though it is not elsewhere +connected with Finnmark. + +_Ymisland_, i.e. the land of _Ymir_; see below. + +_Halogaland_, i.e. the northern part of Norway stretching from about +lat. 65 deg. as far as Finnmark. + +_Guthmund._ Cf. the _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 1 and note. + +_Glasisvellir._ Cf. the _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 1, and note. + +_Fields of immortality_, i.e. lit. 'Fields of the not dead' +(_odainsakr_). Cf. the _Saga of Eirikr Viethfoerla_, ch. 1, and the +_Saga of Halfdan Eysteinsson_, ch. 1. See also Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. +Hist._, p. 129. + +_Hoefund._ 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. _Voeluspa_, str. 3; +_Vafţruţnismal_, str. 21; _Grimnismal_, str. 40; _Hyndluljoeth_, 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 _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note. See also Saxo +Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 224, 225. + +_Elivagar._ See _Vafţruţnismal_, str. 31; _Gylfaginning_, ch. 5; +_Hymiskvietha_, str. 5. + +_Alfheimar_, a name given to the region between the Gotaelv 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 _Thattr 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 Svegethir in _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 15. + +_Dvalin_ is the name of a dwarf in _Voeluspa_, str. 11, 14; _Havamal_, +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 +_Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 3, 57. _Dulin_ does not occur elsewhere, though +_Durin_ is found in _Voeluspa_, str. 10. + +_Standing in the doorway of the stone_, etc. Cf. _Voeluspa_, str. 48. + +_Your sword_, etc. Cf. _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 49. "Now I have drawn +_Dainsleif_, 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. _Hyndluljoth_, str. 23, 24; +Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 203-205; _Saga of Oervar 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 _Helgakvietha Hjoervarethssonar_, str. 32. + +_Angantyr made a vow._ In the Royal MS. (see p. 79) it is Hjoervarth +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 Hoegni's sword in +_Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 49. + +_Samso._ The fight at Samso 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 Oervar Odd_, ch. 14, and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, +p. 205. The Island of Samso is situated half way between Jutland and +Sjaelland. + +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; +_Voelsunga Saga_, ch. 13. + +_She grew up_, etc. Cf. the description of the later Hervoer 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 +Hervoer 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 Roek; cf. also _Vafţruţnismal_, 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._ _annanhvarn_, apparently for _annanhvern_. + +_Hall of the Dis._ It is not clear who the _dis_ was, as the word is +used rather loosely for supernatural female beings. Another reference +to the _Hall of the Dis_ 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 _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 10 and +note. + +_Sifka and Hloeth._ The names here mentioned, together with _Heithrek_ +and _Angantyr_, are believed by some scholars to recur in _Widsiţ_, l. +116, where we find + + _Heaethoric and Sifecan, Hliethe and Incgenetheow_, + +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 Hoefund'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 Hervoer +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, Hervoer is expressly +stated to be a daughter of Hergerth. + +_Ormar_ is presumably to be identified with the _Wyrmhere_ mentioned +in _Widsiţ_, 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 Soegur_, 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 Maeren (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-goethar_) to keep up the sacrifices and administer +justice among men; cf. _Ynglingasaga_, ch. 2 (_Hyndluljoeth_, str. 30; +_Gautrekssaga_, ch. 7). In the Irish _Lay of Magnus Barelegs_, the +Norwegians are referred to as _Clann an da [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c] +deag_ ('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; _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 35; +_Hyndlulioeth_, str. 5, 7. + +XI. _I would that I had that_, etc. On these riddles see Heusler, +_Eddica Minora_, p. xc ff.; 'Diealtnordischen Raetsel' in _Zeitschrift +des Vereins fuer 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 Soegur_, 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 _Vafţruţnismal_, 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 _Havamal_, str. 160, where it has been +thought to mean 'at sunrise.' See also the genealogy in _Hversu +Noregr Bygethist_, ch. I (_Fornaldar Soegur_, II, p. 6), where a certain +Svanhild is said to be the daughter of Day, the son of Delling, and +of Sol (i.e. the sun), the daughter of Mundilfari (cf. _Gylfaginning_, +ch. II). + +_Wolves are always struggling for it._ See _Gylfaginning_, ch. 12 +(from _Grimnismal_, str. 39). + +_He who made it_, etc. I have followed Heusler's reading and read _er_ +for _ker_ and _ţo_ or _sja_ for _ţa_. + +_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. + +_AEgis meyjar._ AEgir or Hler, the husband of Rann, is a personification +of the sea; but the kennings 'AEgir's daughters,' 'AEgir's steed,' etc. +for 'billows' are common in poetry. See _Helgakvietha Hundingsbana_ II, +str. 29, and _Bragar-raeethur_, ch. 55 (included in Brodeur's translation +of the _Prose Edda_ as _Skaldskaparmal_, ch. I). + +_Reefs._ For _brimserkum_, read _brimskerjum_. + +_Ocean-path._ For _brim-reiethar_, read _brim-leiethar_. 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' (_dauethar 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 _aeethi_ which means 'vein' as well +as 'eider-duck.' + +_Sleipnir._ Othin's eight-footed horse. Cf. especially _Gylfaginning_, +ch. 42. + +_Tell me lastly_, etc. In _Vafţruţnismal_, str. 54, Othin makes +himself known to Vafţruţnir 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 Hloeth._ 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 _Hloeeth_ 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 _Atlakvietha_, +str. 3, 5, and 13; and in _Helgakvietha Hundingsbana_, I, str. 53. + +_Pillar_, lit. 'stone.' I do not know what is meant. Possibly +_Guethrunarkvietha_ III, str. 3 may be compared. + +_Danaper's Shore._ _Danpr_ is treated as a personal name in +_Rigsţula_, 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 _Thattr 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 _Widsieth_ 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. _Widsiţ_, l. 121 ff. + +XVI. _Ivar Vithfathmi._ For Ivar Vithfathmi and his family, see +_Ynglingasaga_, chs. 44, 45, and the first fragment of _Skjoeldunga +Saga_ (printed in the _Fornaldar Soegur_, I, p. 285 ff.), chs. 1-3. + +_Harold Hilditoenn._ The fullest account of Harold Hilditoenn is that +given by Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 296 ff. See also the +fragments of the _Skjoeldunga Saga_, ch. 4 ff. + +_Gautland_, i.e. the Land of the _Geatas_ in _Beowulf_, the modern +Goetaland (whether Vestergoetland or Oestergoetland 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 Asa, was married to Guthroeth, King of Vestfold--the +_Godefridus_ who fought against Charlemagne and died in 810. See +_Ynglingasaga_, ch. 53. Their son was Halfdan the Black, the father of +Harold the Fairhaired. + +_Sigurth Hring._ See the _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 7 and note. + +_Battle of Bravoell._ The chief accounts of this battle are to be found +in the second fragment of the _Skjoeldunga Saga_, ch. 8 f. (see above); +and in Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, pp. 309 ff. + +_The Sons of King Ragnar._ For Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, see the +_Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 9 and note. + +_A sea-king._ Cf. the _Saga of Olaf the Holy (Heimskringla)_, ch. 4. + +_The Sons of Eric Bjoernson were Oenund and Bjoern._ 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 Arinbjoern the friend of +Egil Skallagrimsson. In the _Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson_, ch. 59, +he is said to have saved his life by composing in one night a poem +in honour of King Bjoern. 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 _Thattr of Nornagest_, ch. 10, +and note. + +_Eric the Victorious._ The battle won by Eric the Victorious over +Styrbjoern 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 Fyrisa, 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 Blotsvein were all reigning +in 1081. + +_Philippus_, d. 1118. + +_Ingi II_, d. 1125. + + +GRIPLUR I + +10. _Gnoth-Asmund_, etc. For notes on people mentioned in the +_Griplur_, 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. +_Skaldskaparmal_, ch. 35. Cf. also _Voeluspa_, 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._ + +Schroter 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 Hoegni_, etc. Lyngbye here inserts a stanza: + + Hoegni was a mighty man: + Swarthy of hue was he as I ween. + +16. _Rich, brave_, etc. The Sudero 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 Gnitaheieth 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 Sumbo 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 +Blaland,' by which the Faroese ballads and the _Fornaldar Soegur_ +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 Blaland' (_af Blalandum_) should be 'from +Bolmland' (af _Bolmlandi_), i.e. from the Island of Bolm, 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 Sumbo 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 Kvaeethi_, str. 13, 28, +48. + +5. _Their anchor they cast_, etc. Cf. _Magna Dans_ (_Icelandic +Fornkvaeethi_) 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 Sumbo version, which is undoubtedly better +here, has + + _Angantyr loypur so tungliga a land_ + Angantyr leapt so heavily to land, + +instead of + + _Fyrstur steig Angantyr fotum a land_ + Angantyr was the first to step with his feet to land. + +10. _Here sittest thou_, etc. In the Sumbo 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 Sumbo 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 Sumbo version the fight took place +outside the hall, and only Angantyr is credited with the troll-like +bellowing. Indeed one feels throughout the Sumbo 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 ... +Odderskiaer_." Axel Olrik, however, in the version which he prints in +_Danske Folkeviser i Udvalg_, p. 105 f. has "Alf ... Odderskaer." He +explains (Introduction, p. 78) Alf to be 'a combination of Arngrim the +father of the berserks and Hjalmar's foster-brother Oervarodd.' + +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 Hervoer 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 _hon_, 'she,' which is what we should expect. Cf. the _Saga of +Hervoer 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 Sando in 1848 and published in the +_Antiq. Tidss._, 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 Hervoer 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. Tidss._ 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 _leikvoellr_ 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 _Samso_. 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 _Kvaeethi +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 Kvaeethi_, the only change being +that 'Hugin the King' takes the place of 'Hervik the Earl's +daughter.' They are practically identical too with the _Kvaeethi of the +Jomsvikingar_, vv. 6-8 (inclusive). Cf. also _Sjurethar Kvaeethi_ (III +_Hoegna Tattur_, vv. 46-49), and _Ragnarlikkja_, vv. 40-48. + +20. _Striped gold on a scarlet ground._ The text has _Gull vieth reyethan +brand_, which is probably a mishearing of the line _Gull vieth reyethan +rand_ ('with a gold stripe on a red ground'). Verse 39 of _Brusajoekils +Kvaeethi_ (which is otherwise identical with the above) gives in the +second line _Gull vieth raum brann_ ('gold blazed on the yardarms'). In +Hammershaimb's version of our ballad, vv. 10, 72, the line is _Gulli +vovin vieth rand_ ('woven with gold in stripes'), as also in v. 22 of +the _Kvaeethi of Ormar Torolvsson_. The line also occurs in the form +_Gull vieth vagum 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 Kvaeethi_ and vv. 24, 25 of +the _Kvaeethi of Ormar Torolvsson_. Cf. also _Sigmundar Kvaeethi_, v. 32; +_Brusajoekils Kvaeethi_, v. 41 and the _Kvaeethi of Alvur Kongur_, vv. 24-26 +and _Sjurethar Kvaeethi_ (_Hoegna Tattur_, vv. 71-73). + +25. _Herd and fee._ Either the word _jaege_ or the word _fae_ seems to +have an unusual sense here. + +28. _Though quake now fell and fold._ The original (_kyk gekk joereth a +fold_) is not clear. I have merely adopted Grundtvig's translation of +Hammershaimb's early text in the _Antiq. Tidss_. 1849-1851. The 1855 +ed. substitutes _hon_ for _joereth_ 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 Kvaeethi_, 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 _Kvaeethi of Ormar Torolvsson_, v. 26; and the _Kvaeethi of +Alvur Kongur_, v. 33. + +36. _A hundred men and five_--a stock number in the Faroese ballads. +Cf. the _Kvaeethi 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 Kvaeethi_, v. 27. + +37. _Mead or wine_, etc. Cf. _Sjurethar Kvaeethi_ (III, _Hoegna Tattur_, 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 _Kvaeethi of +Finnur hin Friethi_, 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 Kvaeethi_, 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 Ingibjoerg hear_, etc. Lit. "the lady +Ingibjoerg will learn that I fled." There is a suppressed condition. +"If I let you fight, the lady Ingibjoerg would learn, etc." +Hammershaimb's text (_Antiq. Tidss._) v. 37, has a negative and no +condition: "The lady Ingibjoerg 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 _reyetha_ ('red') is a printer's +error for _reietha_ ('angry'), though the same form occurs also in the +version of the ballad published in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_. In +v. 16, however, we find _skarieth_ whereas in v. 17 the word is written +_skarethieth_, the form used in both verses in _Antiq. Tidss._, 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. Tidss._, in the form +_ei_, 'they have _not_ fathers or mothers.' Indeed the entire ballad +would seem to be somewhat carelessly printed in _Faeroeiske Kvaeether_. + + +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 Soegur Norethrlanda_, ed. by C. C. Rafn, published at + Copenhagen, 1829. + + _Fornaldar Soegur Norethrlanda_, ed. by Valdimar Asmundarson, + published by Sigurethur Kristjansson, Reykjavik, 1891-1911. + + _Die Prosaische Edda im Auszuge nebst Voelsungasaga und + Nornageststhattr_, ed. with introduction and glossary by Ernst + Wilken, Paderborn, 1877. 2nd ed., 1912. + + _Sagaen om Hervar ok Kong Heiethrek_, ed. by N. N. Petersen + and published (together with a Danish translation by G. + Thorarensen), by the Norse Literature Society, Copenhagen, + 1847. + + +PART II + + _Faeroeiske Kvaeether henhorende til Hervarar Saga_, published by + V. U. Hammershaimb in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, 1849-1851, + Copenhagen, 1852. + + _Faeroeiske Kvaeether_, 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. + + _Griplur_, published in _Rimnasafn_, edited by Finnur Jonsson, + 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., Vigfusson and Powell, Oxford, 1883. + + _Five Pieces of Runic Poetry_, including _Hervoer and + Angantyr_, translated into prose by Bishop Percy, 1763. + + _Hickes's Thesaurus_, including _Hervoer 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 Saemund_, translated by B. Thorpe, published by + Truebner 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. Magnusson; + 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 Landnamabok_--'The Book of the Settlement of + Iceland,' translated by T. Ellwood and published at Kendal, + 1898. + + _The Story of Egill Skallagrimsson_, translated by W. C. + Green, published by Elliot Stock, 1893. + + _Grettissaga--The Story of Grettir the Strong_, translated by + E. Magnusson and W. Morris, published by Longmans, Green and + Co. (new edition), 1900. Also translated by G. A. Hight in + Dent's _Everyman_ Series. + + _Brennu Njalssaga--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. Magnusson and W. Morris. 2nd ed. 1901. + + _Voelsunga Saga--The Story of Sigurth the Voelsung_, translated + by W. Morris and E. Magnusson; 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 Halldor +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 da [.c]o[.m]airlea[.c] deag_ ('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[=o]th' corrected to 'Hyndluljoth' Other occurence +in this book: 'Hyndluljoth' (no macron); ... elsewhere: [Hyndluljoeth] +(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 *** + +***** This file should be named 33471.txt or 33471.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/4/7/33471/ + +Produced by Lesley Halamek, Ted Garvin and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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font-size: 18pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #CCFFFF} +h2 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF} +a:link { +color: #CC0000} +a:active { color: #ffcc33} +a:visited { color: +#cc6600} +td { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; +font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: +#000000} +--> +</style> +</head> + +<body> +<table border="0" +cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> + <tr> + <td width="12" +height="13"> </td> + <td width="2" +bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td width="16"> </td> + +<td> </td> + </tr> + <tr valign="middle"> + <td colspan=3 +bgcolor="#003399"> </td> + <td bgcolor="#003399"> + +<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> + <tr> + +<td> + <h2>Nornagests Rima</h2> + </td> + +</tr> + </table> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + +<td> </td> + <td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + +<td> </td> + <td valign=top align=center width="15"> <br> + <object id="ScorchPlugin" + classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429" + width="604" + height="896" + codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab#4,0,0,0"> + <param name="src" value="music-178.sib"> + <param name="type" value="application/x-sibelius-score"> + <param name="scorch_minimum_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_preferred_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_shrink_limit" value="90"> + <embed src="music-178.sib" + scorch_minimum_version="5000" + scorch_preferred_version="5000" + scorch_shrink_limit="90" + width="604" + height="896" + type="application/x-sibelius-score" + pluginspage="http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl"> + </embed> + </object> + </td> + +</tr> + <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> + <td> </td> + +<td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td> </td> + <td +nowrap><br> + If you can't see the score, <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/scorch/">get the Sibelius Scorch plug-in here</a>.<br> + Created using <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/">Sibelius</a>.<br> + Visit the largest collection of new scores on the web at <a href="http://www.sibeliusmusic.com">www.sibeliusmusic.com</a>. + </td> + +</tr> +</table> + +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/old/music/music-178.pdf b/old/music/music-178.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dd462c1 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-178.pdf diff --git a/old/music/music-178.sib b/old/music/music-178.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..80a9ae4 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-178.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-178p.mid b/old/music/music-178p.mid Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2b6f6e7 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-178p.mid diff --git a/old/music/music-184.htm b/old/music/music-184.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3ec0920 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-184.htm @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +<!-- saved from url=(0022)http://internet.e-mail --> +<html> +<head> +<title>The Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr by Kirkjubø</title> +<meta +http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; +charset=utf-8"> +<style +type="text/css"> +<!-- +body { background-color: #FFFFFF} +h1 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #CCFFFF} +h2 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF} +a:link { +color: #CC0000} +a:active { color: #ffcc33} +a:visited { color: +#cc6600} +td { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; +font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: +#000000} +--> +</style> +</head> + +<body> +<table border="0" +cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> + <tr> + <td width="12" +height="13"> </td> + <td width="2" +bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td width="16"> </td> + +<td> </td> + </tr> + <tr valign="middle"> + <td colspan=3 +bgcolor="#003399"> </td> + <td bgcolor="#003399"> + +<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> + <tr> + +<td> + <h2>The Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr by Kirkjubø</h2> + </td> + +</tr> + </table> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + +<td> </td> + <td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + +<td> </td> + <td valign=top align=center width="15"> <br> + <object id="ScorchPlugin" + classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429" + width="604" + height="896" + codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab#4,0,0,0"> + <param name="src" value="music-184.sib"> + <param name="type" value="application/x-sibelius-score"> + <param name="scorch_minimum_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_preferred_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_shrink_limit" value="90"> + <embed src="music-184.sib" + scorch_minimum_version="5000" + scorch_preferred_version="5000" + scorch_shrink_limit="90" + width="604" + height="896" + type="application/x-sibelius-score" + pluginspage="http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl"> + </embed> + </object> + </td> + +</tr> + <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> + <td> </td> + +<td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td> </td> + <td +nowrap><br> + If you can't see the score, <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/scorch/">get the Sibelius Scorch plug-in here</a>.<br> + Created using <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/">Sibelius</a>.<br> + Visit the largest collection of new scores on the web at <a href="http://www.sibeliusmusic.com">www.sibeliusmusic.com</a>. + </td> + +</tr> +</table> + +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/old/music/music-184.pdf b/old/music/music-184.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..9c22535 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-184.pdf diff --git a/old/music/music-184.sib b/old/music/music-184.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f627891 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-184.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-184p.mid b/old/music/music-184p.mid Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..dda546a --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-184p.mid diff --git a/old/music/music-196.htm b/old/music/music-196.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..27542a9 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-196.htm @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +<!-- saved from url=(0022)http://internet.e-mail --> +<html> +<head> +<title>The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by Sandoy.</title> +<meta +http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; +charset=utf-8"> +<style +type="text/css"> +<!-- +body { background-color: #FFFFFF} +h1 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #CCFFFF} +h2 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF} +a:link { +color: #CC0000} +a:active { color: #ffcc33} +a:visited { color: +#cc6600} +td { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; +font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: +#000000} +--> +</style> +</head> + +<body> +<table border="0" +cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> + <tr> + <td width="12" +height="13"> </td> + <td width="2" +bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td width="16"> </td> + +<td> </td> + </tr> + <tr valign="middle"> + <td colspan=3 +bgcolor="#003399"> </td> + <td bgcolor="#003399"> + +<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> + <tr> + +<td> + <h2>The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by Sandoy.</h2> + </td> + +</tr> + </table> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + +<td> </td> + <td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + +<td> </td> + <td valign=top align=center width="15"> <br> + <object id="ScorchPlugin" + classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429" + width="604" + height="896" + codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab#4,0,0,0"> + <param name="src" value="music-196.sib"> + <param name="type" value="application/x-sibelius-score"> + <param name="scorch_minimum_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_preferred_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_shrink_limit" value="90"> + <embed src="music-196.sib" + scorch_minimum_version="5000" + scorch_preferred_version="5000" + scorch_shrink_limit="90" + width="604" + height="896" + type="application/x-sibelius-score" + pluginspage="http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl"> + </embed> + </object> + </td> + +</tr> + <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> + <td> </td> + +<td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td> </td> + <td +nowrap><br> + If you can't see the score, <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/scorch/">get the Sibelius Scorch plug-in here</a>.<br> + Created using <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/">Sibelius</a>.<br> + Visit the largest collection of new scores on the web at <a href="http://www.sibeliusmusic.com">www.sibeliusmusic.com</a>. + </td> + +</tr> +</table> + +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/old/music/music-196.pdf b/old/music/music-196.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..3f911c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-196.pdf diff --git a/old/music/music-196.sib b/old/music/music-196.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..0483bd5 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-196.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-196p.mid b/old/music/music-196p.mid Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a8bc3ee --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-196p.mid diff --git a/old/music/music-196p.sib b/old/music/music-196p.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..41b814c --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-196p.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-197.htm b/old/music/music-197.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..71a3e05 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-197.htm @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +<!-- saved from url=(0022)http://internet.e-mail --> +<html> +<head> +<title>Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by I. Sørvagi.</title> +<meta +http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; +charset=utf-8"> +<style +type="text/css"> +<!-- +body { background-color: #FFFFFF} +h1 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #CCFFFF} +h2 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF} +a:link { +color: #CC0000} +a:active { color: #ffcc33} +a:visited { color: +#cc6600} +td { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; +font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: +#000000} +--> +</style> +</head> + +<body> +<table border="0" +cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> + <tr> + <td width="12" +height="13"> </td> + <td width="2" +bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td width="16"> </td> + +<td> </td> + </tr> + <tr valign="middle"> + <td colspan=3 +bgcolor="#003399"> </td> + <td bgcolor="#003399"> + +<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> + <tr> + +<td> + <h2>Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by I. Sørvagi.</h2> + </td> + +</tr> + </table> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + +<td> </td> + <td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + +<td> </td> + <td valign=top align=center width="15"> <br> + <object id="ScorchPlugin" + classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429" + width="604" + height="896" + codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab#4,0,0,0"> + <param name="src" value="music-197.sib"> + <param name="type" value="application/x-sibelius-score"> + <param name="scorch_minimum_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_preferred_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_shrink_limit" value="90"> + <embed src="music-197.sib" + scorch_minimum_version="5000" + scorch_preferred_version="5000" + scorch_shrink_limit="90" + width="604" + height="896" + type="application/x-sibelius-score" + pluginspage="http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl"> + </embed> + </object> + </td> + +</tr> + <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> + <td> </td> + +<td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td> </td> + <td +nowrap><br> + If you can't see the score, <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/scorch/">get the Sibelius Scorch plug-in here</a>.<br> + Created using <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/">Sibelius</a>.<br> + Visit the largest collection of new scores on the web at <a href="http://www.sibeliusmusic.com">www.sibeliusmusic.com</a>. + </td> + +</tr> +</table> + +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/old/music/music-197.pdf b/old/music/music-197.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f506d19 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-197.pdf diff --git a/old/music/music-197.sib b/old/music/music-197.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..7a59088 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-197.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-197p.mid b/old/music/music-197p.mid Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..5a63a32 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-197p.mid diff --git a/old/music/music-198.htm b/old/music/music-198.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a398353 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-198.htm @@ -0,0 +1,108 @@ +<!-- saved from url=(0022)http://internet.e-mail --> +<html> +<head> +<title>Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by Kvalbø.</title> +<meta +http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; +charset=utf-8"> +<style +type="text/css"> +<!-- +body { background-color: #FFFFFF} +h1 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #CCFFFF} +h2 { +font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; +font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; color: #FFFFFF} +a:link { +color: #CC0000} +a:active { color: #ffcc33} +a:visited { color: +#cc6600} +td { font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; +font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; color: +#000000} +--> +</style> +</head> + +<body> +<table border="0" +cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> + <tr> + <td width="12" +height="13"> </td> + <td width="2" +bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td width="16"> </td> + +<td> </td> + </tr> + <tr valign="middle"> + <td colspan=3 +bgcolor="#003399"> </td> + <td bgcolor="#003399"> + +<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4"> + <tr> + +<td> + <h2>Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons by Kvalbø.</h2> + </td> + +</tr> + </table> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + +<td> </td> + <td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + +<td> </td> + <td valign=top align=center width="15"> <br> + <object id="ScorchPlugin" + classid="clsid:A8F2B9BD-A6A0-486A-9744-18920D898429" + width="604" + height="896" + codebase="http://www.sibelius.com/download/software/win/ActiveXPlugin.cab#4,0,0,0"> + <param name="src" value="music-198.sib"> + <param name="type" value="application/x-sibelius-score"> + <param name="scorch_minimum_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_preferred_version" value="5000"> + <param name="scorch_shrink_limit" value="90"> + <embed src="music-198.sib" + scorch_minimum_version="5000" + scorch_preferred_version="5000" + scorch_shrink_limit="90" + width="604" + height="896" + type="application/x-sibelius-score" + pluginspage="http://www.sibelius.com/cgi/plugin.pl"> + </embed> + </object> + </td> + +</tr> + <tr valign="bottom" align="center"> + <td> </td> + +<td bgcolor="#FF9900"> </td> + <td> </td> + <td +nowrap><br> + If you can't see the score, <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/scorch/">get the Sibelius Scorch plug-in here</a>.<br> + Created using <a +href="http://www.sibelius.com/">Sibelius</a>.<br> + Visit the largest collection of new scores on the web at <a href="http://www.sibeliusmusic.com">www.sibeliusmusic.com</a>. + </td> + +</tr> +</table> + +</body> +</html> + diff --git a/old/music/music-198.pdf b/old/music/music-198.pdf Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..2313a87 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-198.pdf diff --git a/old/music/music-198.sib b/old/music/music-198.sib Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..78ea83d --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-198.sib diff --git a/old/music/music-198p.mid b/old/music/music-198p.mid Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..a1b0e01 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/music/music-198p.mid |