Yngvi’s Three Beautiful Daughters
THE three daughters of Yngvi were renowned all over the Northern lands
for their accomplishments and their beauty; the eldest was named Astrid,
the second Randalin, and the youngest Gunnhild. Randalin, “Ran’s dale,”
had been named after Ran, the goddess of the sea; Gunnhild after the two
Valkyrias, Gunn and Hild. It was the custom in those days to make one
name of two. Astrid was twenty-two, Randalin twenty, and Gunnhild
nineteen years of age.
Astrid was so fair that wise men of the country said that she was the
most beautiful maiden in all the Northern lands. Her hair was so long
and thick that she could cover her whole body with it; it was as fine as
silk, and of the color of amber with a tinge of gold. She was somewhat
tall, being above the average height, and had a graceful and slender
figure; on her shoulders rested an extremely handsome head; her features
were perfect, her nose was Grecian in shape, like those of her
ancestors, and her eyes were soft and dreamy, deep blue, contrasting
charmingly with her clear and fresh complexion; the bloom of her cheeks
had that exquisite, soft pink tinge which diffused itself into her white
skin, as delicate as apple blossoms floating on milk, or the hues of the
most lovely carnation; her teeth were so even that they seemed a row of
pearls set between two lovely cherry lips; her hands were slender, not
too small, and her feet were in perfect proportion to her size, with a
high instep; both foot and hand showed the characteristic elegance of
generations of wealth and cultivation. Her walk was dignified for a girl
of her age, and to add to all her charms, she had a sweet and soft
voice, without which no woman is perfect.
Randalin was of medium height, somewhat stouter than Astrid, with a
well-knit body, due to constant exercise, for she was fond of riding and
walking. She had the features of her father, and was very much like him
in many ways. Her eyes were also blue, but her cheeks were ruddier than
those of her eldest sister. She was very accomplished and learned, and
had been taught to speak Greek by one of her bondwomen who had been
captured in Greece. She loved the society of the wise and of scalds, and
admired, above all, valor in men. Good looks to her were nothing without
courage, accomplishments, and good manners.
Gunnhild, the youngest daughter, was of the same height as her eldest
sister. She had thick chestnut hair with darker streaks here and there.
She had blue eyes, which people said were exactly like those of her
mother. Her nose was straight, her mouth small, and when she talked or
smiled, showed two rows of beautiful small teeth; her complexion browned
easily in the sun during the summer months, and her pink cheeks looked
the more beautiful through the darkened skin. She was by far the most
coquettish of all the sisters, and extremely lively and witty, and loved
to see men, young and old, captive at her feet. She had the faculty of
making the last man that she spoke to believe that he was the favorite;
but though much courted, she did not know what love was, and could not
have loved, even if she had tried.
These three sisters had very aristocratic manners. They seemed to have
been born to rule, and appeared in every way descended from high
lineage, and were every inch daughters of Hersirs. They were so
beautiful that the people believed that the Nornir had, at their birth,
fated them to be the fairest among the fair daughters of earth, and had
also gifted them with all the loveliness, charms, and accomplishments
which make women attractive to men, and lead the bravest, highest, and
the most intellectual, captive at their feet, and their willing slaves.
Their presence at the games always incited the players to greater feats;
the scalds became more inspired, and every guest tried his best to be
foremost in their good graces.
Many a great warrior, sons of powerful Hersirs, and foremost in all
kinds of athletic games, had undertaken daring and dangerous expeditions
in the Roman Empire and elsewhere, and had challenged the greatest
champions of the land to combat, and performed acts of great valor and
prowess, in order that their deeds might be sung by the scalds before
the daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod, for they were considered the
greatest prizes in the Viking lands, and no one but those of Odin’s kin
could ever aspire to become their husbands. No chief’s son had yet been
so bold as to ask one of them in marriage, for they all feared that they
had not accomplished deeds of valor great enough to permit them to hope
to win their hearts, for there was nothing in the world which the
Vikings admired more than charming women; towards all they were the soul
of chivalry.
These three sisters lived in their skemma, or bower. There they sewed,
embroidered, and did other handiwork, attended by their free servants or
bondwomen; and there they received their friends.
Each of them owned several bondwomen, to whom they were much attached,
and who were regarded as part of the family. These had been captured,
with their parents, when young; two of them came from Britain, two from
the northern shores of Gaul, and two had come from the Mediterranean.
One of the latter was the daughter of a citizen of Rome, and the other
was a Greek.
Astrid had superintended the household of her father since her mother’s
death, two years before. She attended to the brewing of ale, and vied
with other women of high lineage who should brew the best ale; and she
prided herself upon weaving the finest of linen and spinning the best
spun wool for clothes.
For some reason, the sisters had not made their appearance in the hall
since the arrival of Ivar, and there was great curiosity to see them
among those who had never been to Upsalir; and every day many eyes were
turned towards their bower, trying to get glimpses of their fair forms.
Men dressed in their best, groomed their moustaches, and parted their
long hanging hair carefully, and were most particular in their toilets
when they went out, so that they should not be seen at disadvantage if
perchance they were to meet the three sisters.
The skemma in which the three daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod lived
was an extremely handsome house, with others attached to it. The lower
floor was accessible through a beautiful, pointed porch ornamented with
fine carving; the door led to the large every-day room, which contained
several looms and spinning-wheels. It was used for meals also, and along
the walls were shelves where beautiful dishes, drinking horns, cups, and
table ware were displayed to advantage. There were, besides, other large
rooms on that floor, one of which was the sewing and embroidering room.
The upper story was accessible through stairs leading to the verandas
above, from which one had access to the bedrooms.
Astrid had a bedroom to herself, while Randalin and Gunnhild slept in
another room. Their beds were built along the walls, and between them
was a large closet of the same depth as the width of the beds; heavy
home-made woollen curtains of bright color were hung to hide the beds,
and were very ornamental. Two steps led into each bed. Tables, carved
chairs, cupboards, movable closets with elaborate carvings, made up the
furniture of these bedrooms.
Several smaller rooms on this floor were entirely devoted to the
wardrobe of the three sisters, and contained several large wooden,
painted chests to store many different articles in.
One room contained their dresses. Here hung their “slœdurs,” or festive
gowns, with their long trains; these were worn only at great feasts.
Many of them were of brocade or costly woollens, and gold- and
silver-embroidered. These festive dresses were made very wide, and the
sleeves reached to the wrists. When worn, the waist was generally
adorned by a beautiful belt of gold, from which a bag, often
gold-embroidered, was suspended for rings or other precious ornaments.
Opposite these hung their kirtles, or every-day dresses, which were much
shorter than the festive ones, and were generally of linen or wool, and
of varied patterns.
The mantles were of many kinds. The finest ones were called “skikkja”
and “mottul.” These, like the cloaks of the men, could only be worn by
women of high birth. They were without sleeves, usually fastened at the
neck by a beautiful and costly brooch, or valuable hooks. They were of
different colors—red, brown, purple, blue—and ornamented with wide braid
or with lace on their edges. There were other cloaks, used for winter,
lined with different varieties of fur. In a smaller room was their linen
and silk underwear.
Exquisite small boxes, with hinges of gold, were for their jewels; some
of these boxes were of box-wood, and beautifully carved, and contained
long hair-pins, to fasten the hair when arranged in a large knot on the
back of the head. Some of these pins were of gold, others of silver,
ornamented with gold tops of various designs; there were also diadems of
gold, some with the ends ending in snake-heads, on which the names of
the owners were written in runic letters; numerous necklaces of gold,
some of gold rods, ornamented with crescents. Gold Roman coins, with
loops attached, were fastened to gold chains to be worn round the neck.
There were also other pendants of gold of exquisite filigree work. The
bracelets were many, and of various patterns, some so graceful that even
to-day no jeweler could excel them. Many of these were spiral in shape.
Two of these bracelets on account of their beauty were called “sviagris”
and “hnitud,” and no goldsmith had been able to rival them. They had
been heirlooms in the family for generations. The collection of gold and
mosaic beads was something extraordinary. The mosaics were lovely and of
most skilled workmanship. Besides these were crystal balls of wonderful
clearness, with Greek inscriptions upon them, and amber beads. Gold
buttons for sleeves, and hooks of varied patterns, were together in a
large bowl.
The brooches were most remarkable; some of them were very old, and had
been in the family for generations. Among these were cruciform fibulæ of
bronze, ending with heads of horses, or other animals; circular ones,
and others in the shape of the “Svastica,” a peculiar cross, a sign seen
among the relics of Troy, and to-day on the foot of the image of Buddha,
in India. Many others were circular, of bronze, covered over with a
sheet of _repoussé_ work of gold, upon which were lovely designs. There
were other brooches entirely of gold, or silver gilt, and of various
patterns.
But the finest of all the jewels were the gold “bracteates.” These were
worn hanging on the breast. They were round in shape, and varied very
much in size, from one inch in diameter to seven and eight inches, and
were of the purest gold, very thin, and remarkable for the originality
and peculiarity of their designs.
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