King Bele and Thorsten
King Bele and Thorsten, his faithful old brother-in-arms, were now bowed
with the weight of years, like two ruined temples upon whose walls are
graven runes of wisdom still powerful to stir the hearts of reverent
beholders.
One day the King said to Thorsten: "My friend, the evening of life draws
on; no longer has the mead its wonted flavor, and heavy grows the helm
upon my weary head. The world grows dim before my eyes, but clear and
bright toward me streams the light of Valhalla. Therefore I have
summoned our sons hither. As we have ever stood fast by each other, so
it is my wish that they should do. With this and other matters I would
charge the young eagles ere my lips are sealed by death."
The three youths soon entered the royal hall, Helge, the eldest first.
Pale and gloomy of countenance was he, as if the terrors of the
death-kingdom had set their seal upon him. With blood-stained hands,
fresh from the sacrificial grove he came, for he was wont to tarry
there, communing with seers and soothsayers. Behind him followed
Halfdan, his brother, whose bright locks framed a face noble, indeed, of
feature but weak and effeminate in expression. The sword at his side
seemed worn but in jest, and he looked like some fair maid who had
sportively donned the garb of a hero. Last came Frithiof, a blue mantle
hanging from his shoulders and taller by a head than his companions. As
the three stood before the King, it was like the bright noonday between
rosy morn and dusky night.
Then the King began: "My end is nigh, O sons, wherefore I charge ye,
govern the land in harmony; for union is like the lance-ring, without
which the strength of the lance is lost. Let force stand guard before
the country's gate; but within its boundaries cherish the holy blossoms
of peace. Lift not your swords save against the foe. Let your shields be
the safeguard of the peasant's home. A foolish prince is he who
oppresses his own people; for as their strength is, so is his own. The
leafy crown of a tree whose sapless trunk is rooted in bare rock soon
withers. Four pillars of stone support the dome of heaven; the throne
rests only upon one, the law. Woe to the land where violence reigns; for
thereby shall both ruler and people perish.
"The gods, O Helge, do indeed dwell in temples, but not in them alone.
So far as voice can reach, so far as the sun's golden beams can
penetrate, or the thoughts of man can fly, so wide are the halls of
their boundless sanctuaries. The blood of sacrificial victims oft
deceives; runes, howsoever deeply graven, sometimes prove false; but
upon a just and upright heart, O Helge, Odin hath inscribed runes which
god and man may trust. As flowers adorn the brazen shield, so doth
gentleness become strength. It is not Winter, but balmy Spring, that
opens the bud of life. Make to yourself true friends! A friendless
chief, be he ever so mighty, is like a tree whose bark has been stripped
away by storms; but he who is blessed with true friendship is like the
forest giant, shielded from tempests by the companions that surround it.
Boast not of thy ancestors' deeds and honors. What avails the heritage
of a mighty bow which thou hast neither the strength nor the skill to
bend? The fame of thy sires rests with them in the grave: in its own
waves the rushing stream flows onward to the sea!" Then turning to his
second son the King continued: "Thou too, O Halfdan, hear my words and
treasure them in thy heart. A pleasant wit is the adornment of the wise;
but idle chatter befits none, least of all a prince's son. Honey is
sweet; but without hops no mead can be brewed. Put steel into thy sword,
Halfdan, and earnestness into thy play! Never yet lived there man who
knew too much, however famed for wisdom; but countless is the number of
those who know too little. Disregarded at the feast sits the fool who
holds the seat of honor by right of birth alone; 'tis to the wise man
the guests lend ear, however lowly be his seat. Choose not every man to
be thy blood-brother: an empty house stands open to all who pass; the
rich man's door is barred. Entrust thy confidence to but one; what is
known to three is known to all the world."
The old King ceased, and Thorsten arose. "To permit thee, King Bele, to
wander alone through Odin's halls, befits not one who hath ever been thy
comrade upon earth. Together we have shared life's changes, and in death
methinks we shall not be parted."
Then to Frithiof his son, he said: "The years have whispered many a
counsel in my ear for thee, my son. As Odin's birds hover about the
burial mound, so do the teachings of experience linger on the lips of
age. This above all else lay thou to heart: honor the gods. From them
alone spring all blessing and prosperity, even as it is they who send
the storm-wind and the life-giving sun-rays. They gaze into the heart's
most secret depths, whither no man's eye can penetrate. Avoid evil: long
years must oft do penance for one hour's sin. Obey the King: one must be
lord over all if the land would prosper; the night hath many lights; the
day but one; willingly should the better man do homage to the best.
"One handle only hath the sword; he who grasps it elsewhere wounds his
hand. Strength is a gift of the gods; but without judgment, force is of
small avail. The bear has the strength of twelve men, yet he is slain by
one. Against the sword-thrust hold the shield; against violence, the
law. Guard thy heart from pride; few are moved to fear thereby, but all
to hate. The more arrogant thou growest, the nearer is thy fall. Many
have I seen soar high, who now must go on crutches. Praise not the day
before its end, the mead before 'tis drunk, nor the counsel before 'tis
proved. Youth is prone to trust the lightest word; but battle tests the
value of a blade, and friendship is tried by need.
"Trust neither the ice of a night nor the snows of Spring. It is true of
all men that strength of body and mind must pass away, but the fame of
an upright man lives on forever. Therefore, O my son, resolve only what
is noble, do only what is right."
So spake the aged heroes, whose sage warnings are still passed from
mouth to mouth in the Northland. They further charged their sons to
perpetuate the friendship that had bound them together, through life, in
weal and woe.
"Ever back to back we stood when danger threatened," said King Bele,
"and if it came still closer, then with one shield we met it. Hold fast
together as one man, ye three, and never shall the Northland see your
overmatch; for strength bound to kingly rank and power is like the steel
rim that encircles the shield of gold. Fail not to greet for me my fair
rose Ingeborg, who in peace and quiet hath bloomed as becomes a royal
maiden. Shield her well with brotherly love and loyalty, that no rude
tempest bear away my tender flower. Be thou a father to her, Helge;
guard her as your own child, yet forget not that harsh constraint will
oft revolt a noble heart, which by gentleness may easily be guided in
the path of virtue and of custom. Let our weary bodies be laid to rest
beneath two grave-mounds, on either side of the stream, that its rushing
waters may chant for us eternal praises of the heroes. Oft at the
midnight hour, when the pale moon sheds her silvery splendors and the
cooling dews descend upon our mounds, shall thou and I, my Thorsten,
discourse of olden days across the flood, and our voices will mingle
with the murmuring of the waves. And now, dear sons, farewell! farewell!
Leave us in peace, that far from the court we may prepare ourselves to
enter into the glories of Valhalla."