GREAT FEATS OF IVAR AND HJALMAR
THE contests began with wrestling, which was one of the most popular of
the games. The simplest form of this sport was for the wrestlers to take
hold of each other’s arms or waists, as best they could, and by the
strength of their arms endeavor to throw each other off their feet.
The Sviars and the Gotlanders were pitted against each other; the former
had kept the championship for several years, and Ivar and other
Gotlanders intended to wrest it from them if they could. The competitors
divided themselves by lot into two parties, each of which was drawn up
in a row, headed by its leader. These were to pair off their men to
wrestle in the arena, between the two rows, one after the other. Ivar’s
side was the weaker, having two men less, so two men were taken off from
the Sviars’ side.
Before beginning, every man threw off his outer garment in order to be
more free and agile, and kept only a slight covering. The beholder could
see at a glance what early gymnastic and athletic training did for the
body; broad chests, strong and muscular limbs were the chief
characteristics of every man.
The crowd watched with intense eagerness the preliminaries of the
contest. Twenty-two men on each side were to take part. The contest was
quite even; here a man on the Sviar side fell, then one on the Gotlander
side. At times the wrestling was very severe between combatants, and the
spectators watched with great interest the expansion or contraction of
the muscles of the rivals.
The fourth man before the last on the Sviar side had been victorious,
and had thrown the last three men but one of the Gotlanders, and Ivar
was the only wrestler left. So he and his antagonist wrestled for a long
time, until at last the Sviar fell. Then Ivar had to wrestle with the
three others, and threw them one after the other, when a great cheer,
like the sound of distant thunder, greeted his victory, and his
foster-brothers came to congratulate him with great joy.
After this, Ivar and his foster-brothers went to the day meal, and on
the way to the hall Sigmund saw among the bevy of young women one that
looked at him intently. She was fair of face, and beautiful to look at;
she wore a red dress, ornamented all over with lace. Her hair was flaxen
and glossy, and fell over her shoulders. Sigmund asked who she was, and
about her family, and was told that she was the sister of Thorir, a
Hersir who ruled a large herad, and that her name was Thora “Hladhönd,”
which means lace hand. To Sigmund she was the most beautiful woman on
the grounds. Then he went to speak to her and found that they had met
before at a midwinter sacrifice. After their meal they rested a while,
and then went back to the games, and looked on.
* * * * *
The second day the contest was to be a more difficult form of wrestling,
which consisted in grappling and attacking according to certain rules,
by systematic turnings and grip movements with arms and legs, each
seeking to bring the other to the ground. Ivar did not wish to be
recognized, as he had been the successful champion the day before, and
the weather being chilly he had put on a cloak with a hood which partly
hid his face.
Among those who took part in the game was a man of very powerful frame,
of the name of Thorbjörn. He would walk and look round the crowd, and
any one he wanted to take part in the game he seized by the hand and
pulled forward into the field; and one after another these fell before
him, to the great amusement of the crowd. When almost all had wrestled,
except the strongest, the people began to ask themselves who should
contend against Thorbjörn. Thorbjörn himself was looking round, puffed
up with pride, thinking no one could be stronger than he, and challenged
the champions who had fought against each other the preceding day.
Noticing among them a man of large size, whose face he could not clearly
see on account of a hood he wore, he came towards him and took hold of
his hand. At first he pulled hard, and then with all his strength, but
the man sat still and could not be moved. Then Thorbjörn said in an
angry voice: “No one ever sat so firm before me as thou dost. Who art
thou?” Then pulling his hood down, so that his face could be seen, he
exclaimed: “Ivar Hjorvardson!” and added, “If thou wilt take part in
this contest with me, thou art a welcome guest.”
“I have ceased to wrestle,” answered Ivar, whose feats of the day before
Thorbjörn had not witnessed, “but there was a time when I enjoyed
wrestling greatly.”
Soon after, the contest between the two began. Thorbjörn rushed at Ivar,
who stood firm, without flinching, and then stretched his arms around
the back of Thorbjörn, caught hold of his breeches, lifted him off his
feet over his head, and threw him behind him, so that Thorbjörn’s
shoulders struck the ground with a heavy thud. This was a magnificent
exhibition of strength, and it was hailed by the crowd with great
acclamations.
Then one of Thorbjörn’s brothers, called Angul, challenged Ivar, who
said: “Let me rest a little while, and then I will be ready for thee.”
This new challenger was also of great strength, and each had the better
of the other by turns. They fell twice together on their knees. They
grasped each other so tightly that both became blue from the pressure,
but finally Angul fell.
Ivar had shown that he was so strong that the people were eager to see
two champions attack him at the same time. This was against the rules,
but was allowed if any contestant was willing to encounter such odds.
Ivar said he thought he could do so in the afternoon, after a brief
rest.
In the afternoon two champions who were thought the strongest wrestlers
attacked him at the same time; they wrestled valiantly, but could not
throw Ivar, and after awhile both men fell. All the people were greatly
delighted at this spectacle. When the wrestlers stopped they thanked
them for their exhibition, and it was the opinion of all that Ivar’s two
opponents together were not as strong as he, so Ivar was proclaimed the
champion in wrestling.
That evening the scalds sang before an admiring crowd the deeds of great
warriors, and every one present was dressed in his best attire.
* * * * *
The games of ball were by far the most popular of all; they were to last
two days, for there were so many competitors. There were three kinds of
ball games, called Knattleik, Soppleik, and Skofuleik, respectively.
This last game was a winter one, and was played on the ice, week after
week, by the people of a single herad, and was a source of great
amusement. All these games were considered more or less dangerous, as
the balls were of wood or of scraped horn enclosed in leather, and were
sent back with tremendous force by the bat.
Hord, a great ball-player from the island of Zeeland, had sent a
challenge to the men of Gotland to compete for the championship. Men of
equal strength were chosen on both sides, so that the chances might be
even.
The game was played in this way: A man threw the ball into the air, and
then struck it with a bat, sending it a long distance; another caught it
with his hands, and sent it back, but this the opposite side sought to
prevent by shoving him aside, or by throwing him down, or striking the
ball away from him. If the ball went beyond the bounds, or fell on the
ground, the man who had knocked it had to go and fetch it.
Hjalmar was a great ball-player, and wherever he had competed for the
championship in ball games he had been victorious. It was generally
conceded that he was the best player in Engel. Hord was considered the
best ball-player in Zeeland; he was very popular and a very strong man.
The contest began very eagerly; both sides had ten men each, and were
very jealous of each other, and the game became very rough. The
Gotlanders won the victory, but four men of Zeeland and three men of
Gotland had been badly hurt in the contest.
Other games of ball were taking place in different parts of the field at
the same time.
* * * * *
The fourth day the crowd seemed greater than ever, and many other men
wanted to play. Among these were two unknown men, who came to Yngvi,
and, after saluting him, said their names were Hrafn and Krak, and they
hailed from the island of Bornholm; they boasted that no one could play
better than they did. After hearing their boasting, many invited them to
play; they said that they were rather rough-handed players, but that
they could not help it, for they were strong men. The champions of Yngvi
said that they did not mind that, and would take care of themselves,
whatever might happen. The two brothers went to the games, and generally
had the ball; they played very savagely, as they had said, and pushed
men and knocked them down roughly, so that when the evening came many
were bruised or maimed.
The following morning Sigurd prevailed upon Sigmund to play with him
against them. Hrafn and Krak were already in the fields, challenging.
Hrafn took the ball and Krak the bat, and they played as they were wont.
When they had played for a while, Sigurd got hold of the ball from
Hrafn, and then snatched the bat from Krak, and sent it to Sigmund. They
kept the ball for a long time, and Hrafn and Krak could not get hold of
it; so Sigurd and Sigmund were victorious, and they kept the
championship to the end of the games, at which Yngvi, Astrid, her
sisters, and a bevy of maidens were constantly present.
* * * * *
The running games were of two kinds: men running against fast horses, or
against each other. In this game there were many competitors. The
fleetest horses in Upsalir, or rather in Svithjod, had been picked out
for the contest. Men who competed were dressed in tights only. Hjalmar,
who was one of the fleetest men known, was to run against the fleetest
horse. When the signal to start came, he started with the horse, and
though the animal kept abreast of him nearly all the time, he finally
reached the starting point somewhat ahead. One of the spectators was so
surprised at Hjalmar’s feat that he said to him: “Didst thou not hold
the strap of the saddle-girth, and let the horse pull thee along?”
“Not in the least,” replied Ivar, hotly indignant at the distrust
expressed of his foster-brother.
Yngvi had a very fast horse, which was next entered against Hjalmar. The
two started together, and Hjalmar ran ahead of the horse the whole way.
When the race was finished, Hjalmar said: “Did I this time take hold of
the saddle-girth?”
“I think thou didst start first,” replied the umpire.
The horse was allowed to breathe a while, then his rider pricked him
with his spurs, and he sprang off anew. This time Hjalmar stood still
until the umpire shouted: “Run now.” Then Hjalmar himself started, and
soon outran the horse, and kept far in front of it all the way to the
starting point of the course, which he reached long in advance. The vast
multitude loudly applauded Hjalmar; and as he passed in front of the
daughters of Yngvi and the bevy of young women, they too cheered him,
and he bowed gallantly to them. Astrid had been watching him since the
games had begun, and admired him much, and as he passed by her she
shouted, “Well done, Hjalmar Gudbrandson of Engel.” She had hardly said
these words, when her face became crimson, and she wished she had been
able to restrain herself.
Then all the men that had run faster than the horses came and competed
for the championship. Hjalmar ran so fast that his feet did not seem to
touch the ground. He distanced all his competitors, and was proclaimed
the champion runner, to the great joy of Astrid, who already loved him,
though she was, maiden-like, only half conscious of the fact.
* * * * *
The two following days were to be devoted to warlike exercises, and the
next morning Yngvi asked Ivar: “Art thou skilful in warlike exercise?”
Ivar replied in his usual modest way: “My foster-father and my
foster-mother thought so, but I have not shown my skill to others, and I
think thou wilt find it slight compared with that of many men. I have
now won several championships since the games have begun, but I do not
think I shall be the foremost in warlike games, for it would be strange
if my luck was to continue. Nevertheless I will strive for the
championship, and do my best.”
Then Ulf, a great Viking, who was said to be the best shot with the bow
and arrow in all Norway, came up to Ivar and said to him: “Let us try
our skill. Thou art younger than I, but I hear thou art very skilful
with the bow.”
Upon this, Ulf took a spear, and put its point into the ground; then he
placed an arrow on the string, and shot into the air; the arrow turned
itself in its course, came down with its point in the end of the
spear-shaft, and stood there upright. Ivar next took an arrow and shot.
It went very high, then the arrow-point came down into the shaft of the
arrow of Ulf, that had stuck on the shaft of the spear. Then Ulf took a
spear, and threw it so powerfully and so far, and nevertheless so
straight, that all wondered. But Ivar threw still farther than all, so
that his spear socket lay on the point of Ulf’s spear. Ulf took the
spear again, and shot another time, and the spear went beyond that of
Ivar’s.
“I will not throw any more, for I see it is useless,” said Ivar.
“Throw,” said Ulf, “and farther if thou canst.”
Ivar threw, and this time far ahead. After this, Ulf placed an arrow on
the bow-string, and took a knife and stuck it into an oak. He then shot
into the back of the knife-handle, so that the arrow stuck fast. Ivar
next took up his arrows, while Ulf stood near him and said: “With gold
are thy arrows wound round, and a very ambitious man art thou.”
“I did not cause these arrows to be made; they were given to me, and I
have not taken any ornaments off them,” returned Ivar, shooting, and
hitting the knife-handle, and splitting it, the arrow-point sticking in
the upper point of the blade.
“Now we will shoot farther,” said Ulf. Then he laid an arrow on the
string, and drew the bow so as to almost bend its tips together. The
arrow flew very far, and stopped in a very slender bough at which he had
aimed. Every one thought this a most excellent shot; but Ivar shot still
a little farther, and, besides, his arrow pierced a nut that had been
put up as a target. All present wondered at this.
“Now the nut shall be taken and placed on the head of Björn,” said Ulf,
“and there thou shalt try if thou canst hit it, if thou art willing to
do so. Thou shalt not shoot from a shorter distance than before. Björn
is my slave, and for his boldness and willingness I will give him his
freedom after the trial, if his life is spared.”
Björn was delighted and willing to risk his life for his freedom, for
where is the man that does not love to be free?
“Wilt thou stand still and not shrink, if I shoot at the nut?” asked
Ivar.
“Certainly,” said Björn, who had witnessed the skill of Ivar, and
therefore had great confidence in his aim.
“Then Ulf shall stand at thy side,” replied Ivar, “and see if I hit the
nut.”
Ulf assented, and Ivar made ready and took aim. The arrow flew swiftly,
and skipped over the crown of Björn’s head and under the nut, and Björn
was not wounded. The nut rolled backward from his head, but the arrow
went much farther.
When Yngvi asked if the shot had hit the nut, Ulf replied: “Better than
hit; for he shot under the nut, and it rolled down, and he harmed not
Björn.”
This extraordinary feat of Ivar was greatly applauded, and by none more
than by Randalin. Björn the slave was made free.
After this, Ivar took his sword, and handled it equally well with the
right and the left hand, and moved it so swiftly that it seemed as if
there were three swords in the air at a time. Then he threw his sword
high up, caught it with his left hand, having the shield in his right
hand, and dealt a terrific blow upon a shield which a man held for the
purpose, before the people could see what he was about to do. The
enthusiasm of Randalin was unbounded when she saw the great skill of
Ivar.
* * * * *
Then came the leaping games. Many leaped as well backward as forward,
more than their height, in full war apparel, and the championship was
undecided when Ivar came forward in full war dress, with helmet,
chain-armor, sword, and shield, and leaped far above his height, which
was nearly six feet, and then leaped backward quite as high as he had
done forward. This feat was cheered tumultuously, and all agreed that to
Ivar should be awarded the championship.
* * * * *
On the last day of the games, the twelve sons of the powerful and famous
berserk Hervard appeared on the scene of the contest for the
championship in swimming. Thorgrim was the eldest; the second, Gisli;
the third, Bui; the fourth, Seming; the fifth, Hadding; the sixth,
Thorolf; the seventh, Brani; the eighth, Angantyr; the ninth, Ketil; the
tenth, Grim; the eleventh, Barri; the twelfth, Asbjörn. All these
brothers were equal in strength and skill, with the exception of
Thorgrim, who was much the strongest; they were all great berserks, and
had inherited all the warlike qualities of their father and kin, and
most of them had also the same temper. They had all gone into battle
before they were fifteen years old, and since had ravaged far and wide,
and had met no equal in strength and courage. They had won great renown,
for never did they engage in battle without gaining the victory. These
twelve brothers always went together in one ship, with no other champion
on board, but often they had a great following of ships and men. Their
father, who had been a very great warrior, had given them many excellent
swords, which he had taken in war. Thorgrim had the sword Mistletoe,
Gisli the sword Thegn, Bui the sword Rangvid, and all the other brothers
had swords equally good and celebrated among Vikings; besides these,
they had other excellent dueling swords. They went on warlike
expeditions during the summer, but during the winter they remained at
home with their father.
It happened that the preceding Yule all these brothers were at home, and
on the evening that the men were to make vows over the horn of Bragi,
they came into the hall of their father, and after many vows had been
made, they made theirs. Bui made the vow that he would marry Astrid, the
eldest daughter of Yngvi, the Hersir of Svithjod, and never allow any
one to possess her in case her father or herself should refuse him. His
eleven brothers vowed that they would stand by him.
They had come to take part in the games, and to win championships, after
which they intended to ask for the hand of Astrid, at the feast which
was always given at the conclusion of the games.
The brothers had noticed with no little jealousy that Astrid and Hjalmar
seemed to love each other, but no one knew of their errand, for they had
kept it secret. They had resolved to try to drown Hjalmar in the
swimming contests.
Yngvi and all high-born women and men of the land were present when the
swimming began. Among the most remarkable swimmers was a man of the name
of Olvir, who went to Ivar and said to him: “What thinkest thou of our
having a swimming match?”
“I think well of it,” replied Ivar, “for I am told that thou and I are
about equal as swimmers.”
Ivar and Olvir swam off, and played a long time with each other,
alternately dragging each other down, and finally they were so long
under water that the spectators did not expect them ever to come up
again. But at last Olvir rose and swam ashore. He went up and rested
himself, but did not dress. No one knew or dared to ask what had become
of Ivar. But after a still longer time, he too appeared above the
surface. He had caught a very large seal, and sat on its back. He clung
to it with both hands by its bristles, and thus steered it, and when he
came near the shore let it go.
“Why didst not thou kill the seal with the knife thou didst carry in thy
belt?” asked many people.
“Because,” answered Ivar, “if I had done so, Olvir, or those who
witnessed our contest, would have said that I had found it dead.”
Though Olvir had been the first to come ashore, while Ivar had taken
time to capture the seal, it was decided by the umpires that the best
swimmer of the two was Ivar, to the great satisfaction of all the
maidens and women that were present, and of all his male friends as
well; but none was as pleased as Randalin.
Then came the contest in swimming clad in full war dress. Not many dared
to try this contest. Hjalmar took his helmet, chain-armor, and sword,
wrapped them in his cloak, making a bundle of them, which he tied on his
back. Then he broke off his spear handle and threw it far off into the
water, and swam towards the broken handle. He caught it, then swam
farther, to an island far away. No one swam as far as he, so he won the
championship that morning, to the great delight of Astrid.
After the day’s meal and the drinking hour were over, Thorgrim, the
eldest son of Hervard, called his brothers, and they went down to the
shore; and Thorgrim said to Gisli: “I trust to thee to drown Hjalmar
while competing with him to-day.”
Gisli answered that it would be difficult to do so, and then Thorgrim
asked Bui to undertake it. Bui replied that he was doubtful of success,
but consented to try. Then Bui went to challenge Hjalmar, and Hjalmar
accepted, saying to himself: “Now I need not spare myself, as I should
like better to contend with him than with any other of these berserks.”
Bui asked if they should try a long swimming match.
“We may do so,” replied Hjalmar, “as thou mayest have the better of it
in the other modes of swimming.”
When they had been swimming for a long time, Bui seemed anxious to go
back, but Hjalmar kept on. Bui swam somewhat more slowly, and asked,
shortly after: “Art thou to swim longer?”
“I think thou wilt be able to swim alone towards the shore,” replied
Hjalmar. “I will swim farther.”
“Very well,” said Bui, “I will risk going back;” and he turned, but had
not gone far before he became exhausted. Hjalmar swam to him, and asked
how it went with him, but Bui’s pride prevented him from acknowledging
his weakness, and he told him he might go his way.
Hjalmar replied: “I think thou deservest that we both go together, for I
do not want thee to be drowned. Lay thy hands on my back, and thus
support thyself;” and in this way they came to land.
Bui walked up the bank, but had become quite exhausted. Hjalmar sat down
upon a boulder at the mark of high water. Thorgrim asked his brother how
he felt. Bui answered, “I should not be able to tell if Hjalmar had not
been a good and generous man.”
“Now Ketil,” said Thorgrim, unmoved by hearing of this chivalrous
conduct, “thou shalt try to drown Hjalmar.”
“I will not try,” answered his brother, “for it seems to me that Bui,
who has tried the swimming, has won little glory, and that all the fame
of the contest has gone to Hjalmar.”
Then Thorgrim himself challenged Hjalmar, and threw off his clothes.
Hjalmar rose from his stone, and went into the water with Thorgrim, and
as soon as they met, Thorgrim thrust him down into the deep. No one on
shore could see what they were doing, for they were both far under
water, though the sea boiled above them. After a while it became quiet,
and Thorgrim swam ashore.
Ivar and his two other foster-brothers began to feel very anxious, as
Hjalmar was not seen any more. They thought Thorgrim had drowned him,
and they swore to avenge him. Astrid fainted on her seat, and there was
great sorrow among the women, maidens, and men that had seen the
contest, and many friends mourned the death of Hjalmar, who they thought
had surely gone to the hall of Ran without being prepared to appear
there as befitted his rank.
There was little merriment over the beer in the hall that evening. Yngvi
was overcome with anger, for if Thorgrim had drowned Hjalmar by hurting
him, it was murder; but Thorgrim declared that if Hjalmar was drowned,
it was from exhaustion, and he was ready to take his oath on the temple
ring that he was innocent of any foul deed. Lights were kindled, and the
second high seat reserved for Hjalmar was empty. Suddenly the door of
the hall opened. Hjalmar entered, greeted by great shouts of joy, and,
advancing towards the seat of Thorgrim, he placed on his knee the knife
Thorgrim had worn in his belt when swimming; then everybody knew that
Thorgrim had carried a knife, which Hjalmar had taken from him, and yet
had spared his life.
Hjalmar had swum under water for a while, and landed the other side of a
small island, where nobody could see him from the shore. After a time,
hearing the good news of Hjalmar’s safety, Astrid entered the hall,
followed by her sisters and girl friends, with a golden horn in her
hand. She paused before Hjalmar and said: “Hail to thee, noble Hjalmar!
thrice hail to thee on account of the danger thou hast escaped!” and
then seated herself by his side, and with a frowning look eyed the
twelve sons of Hervard. These were more angry than ever against Hjalmar,
and bore him no good will, but nothing could be seen of this in their
countenances.
The hall became full of clatter and cheer; the beer was drunk freely.
All felt happy that Hjalmar had not lost his life; the only unhappy ones
were the twelve brothers, who, nevertheless, tried to appear merry.
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