barrows was a favourite exploit of the Norsemen, no doubt for the sake
of the gold which they often contained. References to the practice are
very common in the sagas, e.g. _Grettissaga_, ch. 18; _Hartharsaga_,
ch. 15; cf. also Saxo Grammaticus, _Dan. Hist._, p. 200 ff., etc. The
ruthlessness with which the Norsemen plundered the Irish barrows is
mentioned with great indignation in the Irish Chronicles. In the
_War of the Gaedhil with the Gaill_, cap. XXV, we read that certain
Norsemen plundered in Ireland "until they reached Kerry, and they left
not a cave there under ground that they did not explore." In the same
work cap. LXIX, we are told that--
Never was there a fortress, or a fastness, or a mound, or a
church, or a sacred place, or a sanctuary, when it was taken
by that howling, furious, loathsome crew, which was not
plundered by the collectors and accumulators of that wealth.
Neither was there in concealment under ground in Erin, nor the
various solitudes belonging to Fians or to Fairies,
anything that was not discovered by these foreign, wonderful
Denmarkians, through paganism and idol worship.
Finally in the _Annals of Ulster_ we read (sub anno 862) that
The cave of Achadh-Aldai (i.e. probably New Grange, near
Dublin) and [the cave] of Knowth, and the cave of Fert-Boadan
over Dowth, and the cave of the smith's wife were searched by
the foreigners (i.e. Norsemen, etc.) which had not been done
before.
And in England as late as 1344 Thomas of Walsingham records the
slaying of the dragon that guarded a barrow, and the recovery of a
great treasure of gold by the retainers of the Earl of Warrenne.
Popular imagination believed that barrows were occupied by a ghostly
inhabitant 'haugbui,' who guarded the treasure. This was sometimes a
dragon, as in _Beowulf_, or a reanimated corpse, as in our saga; but
whatever he was, he inspired the outside world with such fear that
the breaking into a grave-mound came to be regarded as a deed of the
greatest courage and prowess. The 'hogboy' (_haugbui_) of Maeshowe, a
barrow in the Orkneys, is still a living reality in the imaginations
of the country people[1].
Unfortunately _The Saga of Hromund Greipsson_ is preserved only
in late paper MSS., of which none apparently are earlier than the
seventeenth century. None of the verses of which the notice in the
_Saga of Thorgils and Haflithi_ speaks (cf. p. 58 above) have been
preserved. There is, however, a rhymed version of the saga known as
_GrÌplur_, dating apparently from about the year 1400 and evidently
taken from a better text than any of those which have come down to us.
A short extract from these rhymed verses will be found on pp. 173-75.
For a full discussion of the relationship of the _GrÌplur_ to the
extant texts of the saga and to the later ballads, the reader is
referred to Kˆlbing, _Beitr‰ge zur Vergleichenden Geschichte der
Romantischen Poesie und Prosa des Mittelalters_ (Breslau, 1876), pp.
181-83, and to Andrews, _Studies in the Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_[2]
in _Modern Philology_, 1911, 1912.
A full bibliography of texts, translations and literature relating to
this saga will be found in _Islandica_, Vol. v, p. 30.
[Footnote 1: Cf. Joseph Anderson, _Scotland in Pagan Times:
The Bronze and Stone Ages_, pp. 278-279 (publ. by Douglas,
Edinburgh, 1886).]
[Footnote 2: It is pointed out by Andrews, p. 2, that the form
Lara (which appears in Rafn's and ¡smundarson's editions, ch.
7) is due to a misreading. The MSS. have Cara.]
THE SAGA OF HROMUND GREIPSSON
I. There was a King called Olaf, the son of Gnothar-Asmund, and he
ruled over Garthar in Denmark, and was very famous. Two brothers, Kari
and ÷rnulf, both mighty warriors, were entrusted with the defence of
his territories. In that district there was a wealthy landowner called
Greip, who had a wife called Gunnlˆth, the daughter of Hrok the Black.
They had nine sons whose names were as follows: Hrolf, Haki, Gaut,
Thrˆst, Angantyr, Logi, Hromund, Helgi, Hrok. They were all promising
fellows, though Hromund was the finest of them. He did not know what
fear was. He was blue-eyed and fair-haired; he was broad-shouldered,
tall and strong, and resembled his mother's father. The King had two
men called Bild and Voli. They were wicked and deceitful, but the King
valued them highly.
On one occasion King Olaf was sailing eastwards with his fleet along
the coast of Norway. They put in at Ulfasker, and lying to off one of
the islands they began to plunder. The King bade Kari and ÷rnulf go up
on the island and look if they could see any warships. They went up on
land and saw six warships under some cliffs, one of them being a most
gorgeous 'Dragon.' Kari called to the men and asked whose ships they
were. One of the scoundrels on the 'Dragon' stood up and declared his
name to be Hrˆngvith, adding:
"But what may your name be?"
Kari told him his own name and the name of his brother and added:
"You are the worst man I know and I am going to chop you into
fragments."
Hrˆngvith replied: "For thirty-three years I have harried both summer
and winter. I have fought sixty battles and been victorious every
time with my sword Brynthvari, which has never grown blunt. Come here
to-morrow, Kari, and I will sheathe it in your breast."
Kari said he would not fail to appear.
Hrˆngvith had it in his power to choose every day who was to perish by
the point of his sword.
II. The brothers went back to the King and told him the news. The King
gave orders to prepare for battle, and his men set to work. The hosts
met and a stiff fight took place. The brothers fought bravely, Kari
slaying eight or twelve men with every blow. When Hrˆngvith saw that,
he leapt up on the King's ship, attacked Kari and thrust him through
with his sword. As soon as Kari was wounded he called to the King:
"Farewell, Sire. I am going to be Othin's guest!"
Hrˆngvith spitted ÷rnulf on his spear, and when both the brothers had
fallen, Hrˆngvith called out to the rest to surrender. Then a
murmur of discontent arose in the King's host. No blade would wound
Hrˆngvith. Now it is told that Hromund Greipsson was in the King's
retinue. He took a club in his hand, fastened a long grey goat's beard
on his face, drew a hood over his head, and then rushed to the fight,
where he found the two brothers lying dead. He rescued the King's
standard, and began to deal death among the scoundrels with his club.
Hrˆngvith asked who he was and if he were the father of that wretched
Kari.
Hromund told him his name and said he was going to avenge the
brothers:--
"Though Kari was no relative of mine, I will slay you all the same."
And thereupon he dealt Hrˆngvith such a blow with his club that his
head was all awry afterwards.
Hrˆngvith said: "I have been in many battles, but I never got such a
blow!"
Hromund struck another blow at Hrˆngvith and broke his skull. At the
third stroke he died. After that all the survivors surrendered to the
King, and so the battle ended.
III. Then Hromund proceeded to ransack the ship, and came upon a man
prepared to offer resistance in the prow. He asked the man's name; and
he replied that he was called Helgi the Bold, a brother of Hrˆngvith,
and added: "I have no mind to sue for peace." Hromund gave orders that
the wounds of Helgi the Bold should be attended to. Then he sailed
away to Sweden and was entrusted with the defence of part of the
country.
After that King Olaf sailed away to the British Isles with his host,
as far as the Hebrides, where they landed and made a raid. There was
a man dwelling hard by whose cattle had been taken and driven away by
the King's men, and he was bewailing his loss piteously. Hromund went
and asked him who he was.
The man replied that his name was Mani and that his home was a
very little way off; and he said that they would win more honour by
breaking into barrows and plundering the treasures of ghosts.
Hromund asked him to tell him if he knew anything about places of this
kind.
Mani replied that he certainly did:--
"There was a berserk called Thrain, a big, strong man who was deeply
versed in sorcery. He conquered Valland and was King there. He was put
into a barrow with a sword, armour and great treasure; but no-one is
in a hurry to go there."
Hromund asked in which direction they should sail in order to reach
it, and he replied that they could reach it by sailing due south for
six days. Hromund thanked the man for his information, gave him money,
and restored his cattle to him. Then they sailed away in the direction
indicated by the man, and at the end of six days they saw the barrow
straight in front of their ship.
IV. They went from the British Isles to Valland, and found the barrow
and immediately set to work to break it open. And when six days had
elapsed they came upon a trap-door in the barrow. There they beheld a
big fiend, black and huge, all clad in glittering gold, and seated on
a throne. He was roaring loudly and blowing a fire.
Hromund asked: "Now who will enter the barrow? Whoever does so shall
have his choice of three treasures."
Voli replied: "No-one will be anxious to forfeit his life for them.
There are sixty men here, and that troll will be the death of them
all."
Hromund said: "Kari would have ventured on it, had he been alive,"
and he added--what was true enough--that even if he were let down by
a rope, it would not be so bad to struggle against eight others as
against Thrain.
Then Hromund climbed down by a rope.--It was during the night; and
when he had got down, he gathered up a great amount of treasure and
bound it to the end of the rope.
Thrain had been King of Valland in bygone days and had won all his
victories by magic. He had wrought great evil; and when he was so old
that he could fight no longer, he had got himself shut up alive in the
barrow, and much treasure along with him.
Now Hromund saw a sword hanging up on a pillar. He took it down,
girded it on, and marched up to the throne, saying:
"It is time for me to leave the barrow since there is no-one to stop
me. But what ails you, old fellow? Have you not seen me gathering up
your money while you sit quietly by, you hateful cur? Were you not
ashamed to look on while I took your sword and necklace and ever so
many more of your treasures?"
Thrain said that he cared for nothing if only he would let him sit
quietly on his throne: "Formerly," he continued, "I used to be the
first to fight. I must have become a great coward if I let you rob me
of my wealth single handed; but I'm going to prevent your taking my
treasures; you had better beware of me, dead though I am."
Then said Hromund: "Hoist yourself up on your legs, coward and
weakling, and take back your sword from me if you dare."
The ghost replied: "There is no glory in attacking me with a sword
when I am unarmed. I would rather try my strength in wrestling with
you."
Then Hromund flung down the sword and trusted to his strength. When
Thrain saw that, he took down his cauldron which he kept above him.
He was by no means pleasant to watch as he blew up his fire, ready to
make a meal from the cauldron. The body of the cauldron was full,
and there was a big flame beneath its feet. Thrain was wearing a
gold-wrought mantle. Both his hands were crooked and his finger nails
were like talons.
Hromund said: "Get down off your throne, vile wretch, now that you
have been robbed of all wealth."
Then said the ghost: "To be sure, it is high time to get on my legs,
since you taunt me with lack of courage."
Day departed, and evening drew on, and it became dark in the barrow.
Then the ghost began wrestling with Hromund and threw down his
cauldron. Hromund put forth all his strength, and they fought so hard
that rubble and stones were torn up. Then the ghost sank down on one
knee, saying:
"You press me hard: you are indeed a brave fellow."
Hromund replied: "Stand up on your feet again without support. You are
much weaker than Mani the peasant said."
Then Thrain turned himself into a troll, and the barrow was filled
with a horrible stench: and he stuck his claws into the back of
Hromund's neck, tearing the flesh from his bones down to his loins,
saying:
"You need not complain if the game is rough and your body sore, for I
am going to tear you limb from limb."
"I cannot imagine," cried Hromund, "how such a cat has got into this
barrow!"
The ghost replied: "You must have been brought up by Gunnlˆth. There
are not many like you."
"It will go ill with you," said Hromund, "if you go on scratching me
long."
They wrestled hard and long till everything round them shook. At last
Hromund tripped him and brought him down. It had become very dark by
this time.
Then said the ghost: "By guile you have overcome me and taken my
sword. It was that that brought our struggle to this issue. I have
lived in my barrow for a long time, brooding over my riches; but it is
not wise to trust too much to one's treasures, however good they may
seem. Never would I have thought that you, Mistletoe, my good sword,
would do me a hurt."
Hromund then freed himself and seized the sword, and said:
"Now tell me how many men you have slain in single combat with
Mistletoe."
"A hundred and forty four," said the ghost, "and I never got a
scratch. I tried my skill with King Seming who was in Sweden, and he
was of the opinion that it would take a long time to vanquish me."
Hromund said: "You have been a curse on men for a long time, and it
will be a good deed to kill you at once."
Then he cut off the ghost's head, and burned him to ashes on the fire;
and then he went out of the barrow. They asked him on what terms he
and Thrain had parted, and he replied that matters had gone according
to his wishes:--"For I cut off his head."
Hromund kept for himself the three treasures which he had won in the
barrow--the ring, the necklace and Mistletoe; but everyone received a
share of the money.
Then King Olaf sailed away to his kingdom in the north, and settled
down peacefully in his own country.
V. After that Hromund grew very famous. He was generous and popular.
One day he gave to a man called Hrok a ring of solid gold which
weighed an ounce. Voli got to know about that and slew Hrok by night
and stole the ring. And when the King heard of it he said he would be
even with Voli some day for such a piece of villainy.
The King had two sisters, one called Dagny and the other Svanhvit.
Svanhvit was better than her sister in every way, and had no equal
between Sweden and Halogaland.
Hromund Greipsson was at home at this time and became friendly with
Svanhvit; but he took no precautions against either Voli or Bild. On
one occasion she told Hromund that Voli and Bild were busy slandering
him to the King.
He said: "I am not afraid of any low wretch, and I shall talk to you
as long as you give me the chance."
This slander became so serious that Hromund and his brother had to
leave the King's retinue and go home to their father.
A short time after, Svanhvit was talking to King Olaf and said:
"Hromund, who brought us the greatest glory, has now been banished
from the royal retinue; and in his place you retain two men who care
for neither honour nor virtue."
The King replied: "A rumour reached me that he intended to betray you;
and the sword shall part your love."
"You have very soon forgotten," said she, "the time when he went alone
into the barrow; and no-one else dared.--Voli and Bild will be hanged
first."
And having said this, she departed hastily.
VI. Some time after this, two kings, both called Hadding, came
from Sweden, and Helgi the brother of Hrˆngvith was with them. They
challenged King Olaf to battle with them on the frozen surface of Lake
Vener in the western part of the land. He preferred fighting them to
abandoning his country, so he summoned Hromund and his brothers to
follow him. Hromund, however, declined to go, saying that Bild and
Voli were mighty fine fellows and always fought for the King.
The King departed with his host. Svanhvit was grieved at what had
happened, and went to Hromund's home. Hromund welcomed her.
"Hearken now to my prayer," said she, "more favourably than you did to
my brother's request, and help the King. I will give you a shield with
a strap attached. Nothing can harm you while you wear this strap."
Hromund thanked her for the gift and she was comforted; so he and his
eight brothers made ready to set out.
In the meantime the King and his host reached the frozen Vener, where
the Swedish army was waiting for them. And in the morning, as soon as
it was light enough to fight, they armed themselves on the ice, and
the Swedes made a fierce onslaught. Bild was slain as soon as the
battle began, but Voli was nowhere to be seen. King Olaf and King
Hadding were wounded.
Hromund had pitched his tent near the side of the lake. His brothers
armed themselves early in the morning; but Hromund said:
"I had a bad dream in the night; some misfortune is in store for us,
and I am not going into the battle today."
His brothers replied that it was disgraceful not to have the courage
to support the King's army, when he had come for that very purpose.
They went into the battle and fought bravely and all those of the army
of the Haddings who came against them fell in heaps. A witch had
come among them in the likeness of a swan. She sang and worked
such powerful spells that none of Olaf's men took heed to defend
themselves. Then she flew over the sons of Greip, singing loudly.
Her name was Kara. At that same moment Helgi the Bold encountered the
eight brothers and slew every one of them.
VII. At this point Hromund entered the battle. Helgi the Bold caught
sight of him and cried:
"Here comes the man who slew my brother Hrˆngvith. Now you must beware
of that sword of his which he got in the barrow.--You held aloof while
I slew your brothers."
"You need not question my courage, Helgi," replied Hromund, "for one
or other of us must fall now."
Helgi said: "Mistletoe is such a heavy weapon that you cannot use it.
I will lend you another that you can manage."
"You need not taunt me with faint-heartedness," cried Hromund.
"Remember the blow which I dealt Hrˆngvith, when I shattered his skull
to atoms!"
Helgi said: "You have bound a girl's garter round your hand, Hromund.
Lay aside the shield which you are carrying. It will be impossible to
wound you so long as you carry that: I am sure that you are dependent
on that girl."
Hromund could not endure these galling words, and flung down his
shield. Helgi the Bold had always been victorious, and it was by
means of magic that he had gained his success. His mistress' name was
Kara--she who was present in the form of a swan. Helgi brandished his
sword so high over his head that it chopped off the swan's leg. He
drove the sword down into the ground as far as the hilt, and said:
"My luck has fled now; and it was a bad business when I missed you."
Hromund replied: "You were very unlucky, Helgi, to be the slayer of
your own mistress, and you will have no more happiness."
Kara dropped down dead. And with the stroke that Helgi made at
Hromund, when the sword was buried up to the hilt, the point of
the sword caught Hromund's belly and ripped it open, and Helgi fell
forward with the force of his own stroke. Hromund was not behindhand
then: he struck Helgi on the head with Mistletoe, cleaving helmet and
skull down to the shoulders, and breaking a piece out of the sword.
Then Hromund took his belt-knife and thrust it into his belly where
there was a gaping wound, and forced back the paunch fat which was
hanging out. At the same time he stitched up the edges of his belly
with a cord, bound his clothes firmly over it, and so continued
fighting valiantly. Men fell dead in heaps before him, and he fought
on till midnight. Then the survivors of the army of the Haddings fled,
and thereupon the battle came to an end.
Then Hromund saw a man standing before him on the ice, and he felt
convinced that he must have made the ice on the lake by spells. He
perceived that it was Voli. He remarked that it was not unfitting
that he should give him his deserts, and rushed at him, brandishing
Mistletoe and intending to strike him. Voli blew the sword out of his
hand, and it happened to light on a hole in the ice, and sank to the
bottom.
Then Voli laughed and said: "You are doomed now that you have lost
hold of Mistletoe."
Hromund replied: "You will die before me."
Then he leapt upon Voli and caught him up and dashed him down against
the ice, so that his neck-bone was broken. There lay the great
sorcerer dead! But Hromund sat him down on the ice, saying:
"I did not take the girl's advice, so now I have got fourteen wounds;
and in addition to that my eight brothers lie slain, and my good blade
Mistletoe has fallen into the lake, and nothing will ever make up to
me for the loss of my sword."
Then he went back to his tent and got some rest.
VIII. Now the King's sisters were sent for. Svanhvit examined
Hromund's wound, and stitched his stomach together and tried to bring
him round. She got him taken to a man called Hagal to be cured. This
man's wife was very skilful, and they made him welcome and nursed him
back to health. Hromund discovered that the couple were skilled in
magic.
The man was a fisherman, and one day when he was fishing, he caught a
pike, and on going home and cutting it open he found Hromund's sword
Mistletoe in its maw, and gave it to him. Hromund was glad to get it
and kissed the sword-hilt and rewarded the peasant richly.
In King Hadding's army was a man called Blind the Evil. He told the
King that Hromund was alive and was being nursed secretly in the home
of the peasant couple. The King refused to believe it, declaring that
they would not dare to conceal him; but he ordered a search to be
made. Blind and some other men went to the dwelling of Hagal and his
wife and asked if Hromund was under their care. The woman said he
would not be found there. Blind searched thoroughly, but did not find
Hromund because the woman had hidden him under her cauldron. Blind and
his companions went away, and when they had gone some distance Blind
said:
"Our quest has not been fruitful. We must go back again."
They did so. They went back and found the woman. Blind told her that
she was a crafty one and had hidden Hromund under her cauldron.
"Look there then and see if you can find him," said she. This she
said because, when she saw them returning, she had dressed Hromund in
woman's clothes and set him to grind and turn the handmill. The men
now made search in the house and when they came upon the girl turning
the handmill they sniffed all round the place, but she cast an
unfriendly look on the King's men, and they went away again without
finding anything.
And when they had gone away, Blind said that the peasant's wife
had made things look different from what they were, and he had his
suspicions that it must have been Hromund who was turning the mill,
dressed as a woman.--"And I see we have been deceived. We shall do no
good struggling with the woman for she is more cunning than we."
They cursed her and went back home to the King, leaving matters as
they stood.
IX. In the following winter Blind saw many things in a dream, and on
one occasion he told his dream to the King, saying:
"I dreamed that a wolf came running from the east, and bit you and
wounded you, O King."
The King said he would interpret his dream as follows:
"A King will come here from some other land, and his coming will be
terrible at first; yet afterwards peace will be brought about."
And Blind said that he dreamed he saw many hawks perched on a
house--"And there I espied your falcon, Sire. He was all bare and
stripped of his feathers."
The King said: "A wind will come from the clouds and shake our
castle."
Blind related a third dream as follows.
"I saw a herd of swine running from the south towards the King's hall
and rooting up the earth with their snouts."
The King said: "That signifies the flood-tide, wet weather, and grass
springing from moisture, when the sun shines on the heath."
Blind related a fourth dream:
"I thought I saw a terrible giant come hither from the east; he gave
you a great wound with his teeth."
The King said: "Messengers from some King will come into my hall. They
will provoke enmity and I shall be angered thereby."
"Here is a fifth dream," said Blind; "I dreamed that a terrible
serpent lay coiled round Sweden."
"A splendid warship will land here, loaded with jewels," said the
King.
"I had a sixth dream," said Blind; "I dreamed that dark clouds came
over the land with claws and wings, and flew away with thee, O King;
and I dreamed moreover that there was a serpent in the house of Hagal
the peasant. He attacked people in a terrible manner. He devoured both
you and me and all the men belonging to the court. Now what can that
signify?"
The King said: "I have heard that there is a bear lurking not far from
Hagal's dwelling. I will go and attack the bear, and it will be in a
great rage."
"Next I dreamed that a dragon's form had been drawn round the King's
hall, and Hromund's belt was hanging from it."
The King said: "You know that Hromund lost his sword and belt in the
lake; and are you afraid of Hromund after that?"
Blind dreamed yet more dreams which he told to the King; and the King
interpreted them all to his liking, and none of them according to
their real significance.
But now Blind related one more dream--this time one which concerned
himself.
"I dreamed that an iron ring was fixed round my neck."
The King said: "The meaning of this dream is that you are going to be
hanged; and that will be the end of both of us."
X. After that King Olaf gathered together an army and went to Sweden.
Hromund accompanied him, and they took the hall of King Hadding by
surprise. He was in bed in an outer chamber, and was not aware of
their presence till they smashed in the door of his room. Hadding
shouted to his men and asked who was disturbing the peace of the
night. Hromund told him who they were.
The King said: "You are anxious to avenge your brothers."
Hromund said that he had not come to waste words about the death of
his brothers, adding--"Now you will have to pay for it and perish on
the spot."
Then one of King Hadding's champions, as big as a giant, leapt up; but
Hromund slew him. King Hadding covered himself up in bed and got no
wound, because every time Hromund cut down at him, the sword turned
and came down flat on him. Then Hromund took a club and beat King
Hadding to death.
Then said Hromund: "Here I have laid low King Hadding, the most famous
man I have ever seen."
The man Blind, who was also called Bavis, was bound and then hanged;
and so his dream was fulfilled.
They got a quantity of gold and other booty there, and then went
home. King Olaf married Svanhvit to Hromund. They were devoted to one
another, and had a family of sons and daughters; they were people of
great distinction in every respect. Kings and great champions sprang
from their stock.
Here ends the Saga of Hromund Greipsson.
INTRODUCTION TO THE SAGA OF HERV÷R AND HEITHREK
The _Saga of Hervˆr and Heithrek_ is found in two vellums, the
_HauksbÛk_ (A.M. 544), dating from c. 1325, which for convenience
is usually called _H_; and MS. 2845[1] in the Royal Library at
Copenhagen, dating from the fifteenth century, and generally called
_R_. Besides these there are a number of paper MSS. (h) dating
from the seventeenth century. According to Bugge[2], these have no
independent value and can contribute nothing to our knowledge of the
text up to the point at which the vellums break off. They are useful
however as continuing the Saga beyond this point. _H_ comes to an end
with Gestumblindi's second riddle, while _R_ breaks off just before
the close of ch. 12. Beyond this point we are entirely dependent on
the paper MSS. One of these (A.M. 345 written in 1694) was adopted by
Rafn[3] as the text for his edition of the Saga, though he gives _H_
in full as an Appendix.
The MSS. differ considerably among themselves. For instance _R_ omits
the first chapter of the Saga, but contains _Hjalmar's Death Song_.
Here, too, many of the riddles are wanting, and the order of the
rest is quite different from that of _h_. Finnur JÛnsson[4] is of the
opinion that _R_ is the best text throughout; but Heusler[5], like
Valdimar ¡smundarson, keeps the order of the riddles as in _h_.
Petersen[6] regards _H_ as the best text and follows it so far as
it goes; but when it breaks off he follows _R_ mainly, although he
considers the latter MS. to be defective in many places, "at the
beginning, middle and end." He has supplied the lacunae in it from
Arn. Magn. 192, the paper MS. which comes nearest to it, and also
from others but with greater reservation. Valdimar ¡smundarson,
like Petersen, and no doubt influenced by him, has followed _H_ very
closely in his edition of the Saga[7] till it breaks off, and after
that the paper MSS. (_h_) most closely related to it. He does not
appear to have used _R_, and therefore omits the details of the fight
on Sams¯ and _Hjalmar's Death Song_. ¡smundarson's version has been
followed closely in the translation given below, but one or two
interesting passages omitted by _H_ have been translated separately
(see Appendix on pp. 144-150) from the text printed from _R_ in
Wimmer's _Oldnordisk LÊsebog_[8] and from some short excerpts from _h_
printed at the close of Petersen's edition of the Saga.
For a full bibliography of the texts, translations, and literature
dealing with this saga the reader is referred to _Islandica_, Vol. V,
pp. 22-26.
In this saga we have what appears to be the history of a certain
family for more than four generations. From the point of view of
construction, the story can hardly be regarded as a success. Yet it
contains scenes at least equal to any others which can be found among
sagas of this kind. It also embodies a considerable amount of poetry
which is not found elsewhere. Some of this is of high merit, and one
piece, dealing with the battle between the Huns and the Goths, is
evidently of great antiquity.
The Saga opens in a purely mythical milieu--with Guthmund in
Glasisvellir, to whom we have already had reference in the story
of Nornagest. Next we have a typical story of the Viking Age--the
adventures of the sons of Arngrim and their fight on Sams¯. This
story is known to us from other sources, the earliest being the poem
_HyndluljÛth_ (str. 24), which according to Finnur JÛnsson[9] cannot
be later in date than the latter part of the tenth century, though
Mogk[10] is inclined to doubt this. Other references occur in the
_Saga of ÷rvar-Odd_, Saxo's _Danish History_, the later ballads
translated below, etc.
We then pass on to the account of Hervˆr, the daughter of Angantyr
(which is only found here and in the ballads), and the striking poem
in which she is represented as visiting her father's grave-mound to
obtain his sword.
The next and longest section contains the life of Hervˆr's son
Heithrek, which is peculiar to this saga and which in its earlier
part likewise seems to be a story of the Viking Age. Towards the end,
however, it gradually dawns upon us that there has been an unconscious
change of scene, and that Heithrek instead of being a Viking prince
of the Northern coasts, is now represented as a King of the Goths,
somewhere in the East of Europe--apparently in the neighbourhood
of the Dnieper. In the last section of the story, dealing with the
adventures of Angantyr and Hlˆth, the sons of Heithrek, there is no
longer any reminiscence of the Viking Age or the North of Europe. Here
we are away back among the Goths and Huns in the fifth or the latter
part of the fourth century.
Throughout this strange concatenation of scenes a connecting link
is afforded by the magic flaming sword, which is handed on from
generation to generation, and which can never be sheathed without
having dealt a death wound.
It is abundantly clear that the latter part of the story is of a
totally different origin from the first part, and in reality many
centuries earlier. The prose here is for the most part little more
than a paraphrase of the poem, which probably has its roots in poetry
of the Gothic period. But how this story came to be joined on to a
narrative of the Viking Age is far from clear.
It is also interesting to note that some of the characters in the
saga are repetitions of one another. At all events what is said about
Hervˆr the daughter of Heithrek in the latter part of the story bears
a strong resemblance to the description of the more prominent Hervˆr,
the daughter of Angantyr, in the first part.
Three poems of considerable length are preserved in the story. The
Riddles of Gestumblindi, though somewhat tedious as a whole, afford
a better specimen of this type of composition than is to be found
elsewhere in early Norse literature. They cannot fail to be of
considerable interest to anyone who studies the Anglo-Saxon Riddles,
though unlike the latter they are wholly Teutonic in spirit and form.
Direct Latin influence appears to be entirely absent.
Gestumblindi's Riddles, while they belong essentially to popular
literature, yet contain many arresting phrases which show a minute
observation of nature. They illustrate the condensed, proverbial type
of wisdom that prevails in a primitive state of society, as well as
its keen interest and delight in the little things of life. They can
hardly be called literature as we understand the term; they are rather
the stuff of which literature is made. But though it is a far cry from
these little nature verses to the more beautiful and more ambitious
nature poems of Burns and Tennyson, yet Gestumblindi's loving interest
in "every creature of earth" surprised even King Heithrek into
comment. The keen and whimsical observation that noted that even a
spider is a "marvel" and that it "carries its knees higher than its
body" is the same spirit that inspired a poem to the
Wee sleekit, cowrin', tim'rous beastie.
The poet who noticed that water falling as hail on rock looks _white_
by contrast, yet forms little _black_ circles when it falls into the
sand as rain, had much in common with one who noticed that rock and
sand yield opposite sounds when struck by the same object--
Low on the sand and loud on the stone
The last wheel echoed away.
But though these things are pleasing in themselves, they are, of
course, slight. Gestumblindi cannot rise to the heights of true poetry
reached by Burns or Tennyson.
Besides the Riddles, this saga has preserved for us two far finer
poems--in fact two of the finest Norse poems that we possess--the
dialogue between Hervˆr and Angantyr at the Barrows of Sams¯, and
the narrative of the great battle between the Goths and the Huns, the
_Chevy Chase_ of the North. The ruthlessness and barbaric splendour of
the Hunnish leaders, the cruelty and the poetry of warfare a thousand
years ago, are here vividly depicted in Norse verse at its simplest
and best.
We may notice too the little vignettes that appear from time to time
both in the poetry itself and in the prose narrative, some of which is
evidently derived from lost verses.--Hervˆr standing at sunrise on the
summit of the tower and looking southward towards the forest; Angantyr
marshalling his men for battle and remarking drily that there used to
be more of them when mead drinking was in question; great clouds of
dust rolling over the plain, through which glittered white corslet and
golden helmet, as the Hunnish host came riding on.
The dialogue between Hervˆr and Angantyr, despite a certain
melodramatic element in the setting, is treated with great delicacy
and poetic feeling, and an atmosphere of terror and mystery pervades
the whole poem. The midnight scene in the eerie and deserted
burial-ground, the lurid flickering of the grave fires along the
lonely beach, the tombs opening one by one as the corpses start to
life--all these work on the imagination and create an atmosphere
of dread. The poet understood the technique of presenting the
supernatural, and he is deliberately vague and suggestive. Much more
is implied than is stated, and much is left to the imagination.
The greatest charm of the poem, however, lies in the sympathetic
treatment of Hervˆr. The Hervˆr of the prose narrative is perfectly
consistent with the Hervˆr of the poem, but at the same time the
poem--which is probably more than a century older than the saga--would
lead us to conclude that her character was not correctly understood by
the writer of the saga. Obviously unsympathetic, he denounces her with
an indignation which would have made the writer of the poem smile.
"She grew up to be a beautiful girl ... but as soon as she could do
anything it was oftener harm than good; and when she had been checked
she escaped to the woods.... And when the Earl heard of it he had her
caught and brought home."
The picture which the poem presents to us is that of a high-spirited
girl, headstrong and impulsive, not unlike Brynhild in the Vˆlsung
story. When she goes to the barrows, every nerve is strung up to gain
the treasure that has fired her imagination:
What care I though the death-fires blaze,
They sink and tremble before my gaze,
They quiver out and die!
But a reaction comes when she holds the sword in her hands at last:
Surely in terror I drew my breath
Between the worlds of life and death
When the grave fires girt me round.
Surveying the saga as a whole, perhaps the most striking feature is
its extraordinary diversity of interest. It would be difficult to find
elsewhere in Norse literature--or indeed perhaps in any literature--so
great a variety of subjects and of literary forms brought together
within such narrow limits.
Of the poems contained in the saga, the first is romantic, the second
gnomic, the third heroic--and the prose narrative itself is not less
varied in character. The conclusion of the saga appears to be purely
historical; indeed it is generally regarded as one of the most
important authorities for early Swedish history. Elsewhere also
historical elements are probably not wanting, but they are interwoven
in a network of romance and folklore. Thus whoever King Heithrek may
have been, the part which he has come to play in the saga is chiefly
that of linking together a number of folk-tales and illustrating
popular saws. As regards chronology, the war described in ch. 12-15
must belong to a period nearly seven centuries before the incidents
related at the close of the saga. Still more strange is the fact that
the victor in this war, the younger Angantyr, would seem to have lived
some four or five centuries before his great grandfather and namesake
who perished at Sams¯--if indeed the latter story rests on any genuine
tradition. In spite of these and similar inconsistencies, however,
the saga is on the whole perhaps the most attractive of all the
_Fornaldarsˆgur_.
[Footnote 1: This MS. is identical with the one referred to as
_A_ in the Introduction to the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_ (cf. p.
11 above).]
[Footnote 2: Quoted by Heusler, _Eddica Minora_ (Dortmund,
1903), p. vii.]
[Footnote 3: _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (Copenhagen, 1829),
Vol. I; _AntiquitÈs russes_ etc. (Copenhagen, 1850-2), Vol.
I.]
[Footnote 4: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_,
Vol. II, p. 839 f.]
[Footnote 5: _Eddica Minora_, pp. 106-120.]
[Footnote 6: Cf. _Forord_ to N. M. Petersen's edition of
_Hervarar Saga ok Heithreks Konungs_ (published by the
'Nordiske Literatur-Samfund,' Copenhagen, 1847).]
[Footnote 7: See _Fornaldarsˆgur Northrlanda_ (ReykjavÌk,
1891), Vol. I, pp. 309-360.]
[Footnote 8: Copenhagen, 4th edition, 1889.]
[Footnote 9: _Oldnorske og Oldislandske Litteraturs Historie_,
Vol. I, p. 201.]
[Footnote 10: _Geschichte der Norwegisch-Isl‰ndischen
Literatur_ (Strassburg, 1904), p. 605.]
THE SAGA OF HERV÷R AND HEITHREK
Here begins the Saga of King Heithrek the Wise.
I. It is said that in the days of old the northern part of Finnmark
was called Jˆtunheimar, and that there was a country called Ymisland
to the south between it and Halogaland. These lands were then the home
of many giants and half-giants; for there was a great intermixture
of races at that time, because the giants took wives from among the
people of Ymisland.
There was a king in Jˆtunheimar called Guthmund. He was a mighty man
among the heathen. He dwelt at a place called Grund in the region of
Glasisvellir. He was wise and mighty. He and his men lived for
many generations, and so heathen men believed that the fields of
immortality lay in his realm; and whoever went there cast off sickness
or old age and became immortal.
After Guthmund's death, people worshipped him and called him their
god. His son's name was Hˆfund. He had second sight and was wise of
understanding, and was judge of all suits throughout the neighbouring
kingdoms. He never gave an unjust judgment, and no-one dared violate
his decision.
There was a man called Hergrim who was a giant dwelling in the rocks.
He carried off from Ymisland Ama the daughter of Ymir, and afterwards
married her. Their son Thorgrim Halftroll took from Jˆtunheimar ÷gn
Alfasprengi, and afterwards married her. Their son was called Grim.
She had been betrothed to Starkath Aludreng, who had eight hands; but
she was carried off while he was away to the north of Elivagar. When
he came home he slew Hergrim in single combat; but ÷gn ran herself
through with a sword rather than marry Starkath. After that Starkath
carried off Alfhild the daughter of King Alf from Alfheimar, but he
was afterwards slain by Thor.
Then Alfhild went to her kinsfolk, and Grim was with her there till
he went raiding and became a great warrior. He married Bauggerth the
daughter of Starkath Aludreng and set up his dwelling on an island
off Halogaland called Bolm. He was called Ey-grim Bolm. His son by
Bauggerth was called Arngrim the Berserk, who afterwards lived in Bolm
and was a very famous man.
II. There was a King called Sigrlami who was said to be a son of
Othin. His son Svafrlami succeeded to the kingdom after his father and
was a very great warrior. One day as the King rode a-hunting he got
separated from his men, and at sunset he came upon a big stone and
two dwarfs beside it. The King banned them with his graven sword from
entering the stone. The dwarfs begged him to spare their lives.
The King said: "What are your names?"
One of them said his name was Dvalin and the other Dulin.
The King said: "As you are the most cunning of all dwarfs you must
make me a sword, the best you can. The hilt and the grip must be of
gold, and it must cut iron as easily as if it were cloth and never
rust; and it must bring victory to whoever uses it in battle and
single combat."
They agreed to this, and the King rode away home.
And when the appointed day came, the King rode to the stone. The
dwarfs were outside, and they handed to the King a sword which was
very beautiful.
But as Dvalin was standing in the doorway of the stone he said:
"Your sword, Svafrlami, will be the death of a man every time it
is drawn; and moreover it will be the instrument of three pieces of
villainy; and to you yourself also it shall bring death."
Then the King struck at the dwarfs with the sword. But they sprang
into the stone, and the sword came down on it--sinking so deep that
both the ridges of the blade were hidden; for the door into the stone
closed as they disappeared. The King called the sword 'Tyrfing,' and
ever afterwards he carried it in battle and single combat, and was
always victorious.
The King had a daughter who was called Eyfura, an exceedingly
beautiful and clever girl.
At that time Arngrim was raiding among the Perms in the Baltic. He
raided the Kingdom of King Svafrlami and fought against him. They met
face to face, and King Svafrlami struck at Arngrim who parried the
blow with his shield; but the lower part of the shield was cut away
and the sword plunged into the earth. Then Arngrim struck off the
King's hand, so that he had to let Tyrfing fall. Arngrim caught up
Tyrfing and cut down first the King, and then many others. He took
great booty there, and carried off Eyfura, the King's daughter and
took her to his home in Bolm.
By her he had twelve sons. The eldest was Angantyr, then Hervarth,
then Hjˆrvarth, SÊming and Hrani, Brami, Barri, Reifnir, Tind and Bui,
and the two Haddings who only did one man's work between them, because
they were twins and the youngest of the family; whereas Angantyr, who
was a head taller than other men, did the work of two. They were all
berserks, and were unequalled in strength and courage. Even when they
went marauding there were never more than just the twelve brothers on
one ship. They raided far and wide in many lands, and had much success
and won great renown. Angantyr had Tyrfing, and SÊming Mistletoe,
Hervarth had Hrotti, and each of the others possessed a sword famous
in single combat. And it was their custom when they had only their own
men with them, to land when they felt the berserks' fury coming upon
them, and wrestle with trees or great rocks; for they had been known
to slay their own men and disable their ship. Great tales were told
about them and they became very famous.
III. One Yule Eve at Bolm, Angantyr made a vow over the pledge cup, as
the custom then was, that he would wed Ingibjˆrg the daughter of King
Yngvi of Upsala--the cleverest and most beautiful maiden in all the
Northlands--or perish in the attempt and marry no-one else. No more of
their vows are recorded.
Tyrfing had this characteristic, that whenever it was unsheathed it
shone like a sunbeam, even in the dark, and could only be sheathed
with human blood still warm upon it. Never did he whose blood was shed
by Tyrfing live to see another day. It is very famous in all stories
of the olden days.
Next summer the brothers went to Upsala in Sweden, and when they had
entered the hall, Angantyr told the King his vow and that he intended
to wed his daughter.
Everybody in the hall listened. Angantyr asked the King to declare
what was to be the result of their errand, whereupon Hjalmar the
stout-hearted rose from the table, and addressed the King:
"Call to mind, Sire, how much honour I have won for you since I came
into your kingdom, and how many times I have risked my life for you.
In return for these my services I beg that you will give me your
daughter in marriage. And moreover I consider myself more deserving a
favourable answer than these berserks, who do harm to everyone."
The King pondered over the matter, and found it difficult to decide
the question in such a way as to give rise to as little trouble as
possible; and he answered at last:
"My wish is that Ingibjˆrg should choose for herself the husband she
prefers."
She replied: "If you want to marry me to anyone, then I would rather
have a man whose good qualities I know already than one of whom I have
only known by hearsay, and nothing but evil at that."
Angantyr said: "I will not bandy words with you; for I can see that
you love Hjalmar. But as for you, Hjalmar, come south to Sams¯ and
meet me in single combat. If you do not appear next midsummer you will
be a coward in the eyes of all men."
Hjalmar said that he would not fail to come and fight, and the sons of
Arngrim went home to their father and told him what had happened. He
replied that this was the first time he had ever felt any anxiety on
their behalf.
They spent the winter at home, and in the spring made ready to start,
going first to Earl Bjartmar, where a feast was made for them.
And during the evening Angantyr asked the Earl for the hand of his
daughter and in this as in the rest they got their wish. The wedding
took place, and afterwards the sons of Arngrim prepared to set out.
But the night before they left, Angantyr had a dream which he related
to the Earl:
"I dreamed that I and my brothers were in Sams¯. We found many birds
there and killed all that we saw. Then I dreamed that as we were
setting out again upon the island, two eagles flew towards us. I went
against one and we had a stiff encounter; and at last we sank down and
had no strength left in us. But the other eagle fought with my eleven
brothers and overcame them all."
The Earl said: "The death of mighty men has been revealed to you in
this dream."
Then Angantyr and his brothers went away and came to Sams¯, and went
ashore to look for Hjalmar; and the story of their adventures there
is related in the _Saga of ÷rvar-Odd_. First they came to Munarvagar,
where they slew all the men from the two ships of Hjalmar and Odd; and
afterwards they went ashore and encountered Hjalmar and Odd themselves
on the island. Odd slew Angantyr's eleven brothers, and Hjalmar slew
Angantyr, and afterwards died there himself of his wounds.
Then Odd had all the rest of them placed in great barrows with all
their weapons; but Hjalmar's body he took home to Sweden. And when
Ingibjˆrg the King's daughter saw Hjalmar's body, she fell down dead
and they were both laid together in one barrow at Upsala.
IV. The story goes on to say that a girl was born to the daughter of
Earl Bjartmar. Everyone advised exposing the child, saying that if
she resembled her father's kinsmen she would not have a womanly
disposition. The Earl, however, had her sprinkled with water; and
he brought her up, and called her Hervˆr, saying that the line of
Arngrim's sons would not be extinguished if she were left alive.
She grew up to be a beautiful girl. She was tall and strong, and
trained herself in the use of bow, shield and sword. But as soon as
she could do anything it was oftener harm than good; and when she had
been checked she ran away to the woods and killed people to provide
herself with money. And when the Earl heard of it, he had her caught
and brought home, where she remained for a time.
One day she went to the Earl and said: "I want to go away because I am
not happy here."
A little while after she departed alone, dressed and armed like a
man, and joined some vikings and stayed with them for a time, calling
herself Hervarth. Shortly afterwards the chief of the vikings died,
and Hervarth took command of the band.
One day when they sailed to Sams¯, Hervarth landed; but her men would
not follow her, saying that it was not safe for anyone to be out of
doors there by night. Hervarth declared that there was likely to be
much treasure in the barrows. She landed on the island towards sunset,
but they lay off in Munarvagar. She met a shepherd boy and asked him
for information.
He said: "You are a stranger to the island; but come home with me, for
it is unsafe for anyone to be out of doors here after sunset; and I am
in a hurry to get home."
Hervarth replied: "Tell me where are 'Hjˆrvarth's Barrows,' as they
are called."
"You must surely be mad," replied the boy, "if you want to explore by
night what no-one dare visit at mid-day. Burning flame plays over them
as soon as the sun has set."
But Hervarth insisted that she would visit the barrows--whereupon the
shepherd said:
"I see that you are a brave man though not a wise one, so I will give
you my necklace if you will come home with me."
But Hervarth replied: "Even if you give me all you have you will not
hold me back."
And when the sun had set, loud rumblings were heard all over the
island, and flames leapt out of the barrows. Then the shepherd grew
frightened and took to his heels and ran to the wood as fast as he
could, without once looking back. Here is a poem giving an account of
his talk with Hervˆr:
Driving his flocks at the fall of day,
In Munarvagar along the bay,
A shepherd met a maid.--
"Who comes to our island here alone?
Haste to seek shelter, the day is done,
The light will quickly fade."
"I will not seek for a resting place:
A stranger am I to the island race.--
But tell me quick I pray,
Ere thou goest hence, if I may descry
Where the tombs of the children of Arngrim lie:
O tell me, where are they?"
"Forbear from such questions utterly!
Foolish and rash must thou surely be,
And in a desperate plight!
Let us haste from these horrors as fast as we can,
For abroad it is ghastly for children of men
To wander about in the night."
"My necklace of gold is the price I intend
To pay for thy guidance; for I am the friend
Of vikings, and will not be stayed."
"No treasures so costly, nor rings of red gold
Shall take me their thrall, or my footsteps withhold,
That thereby my flight be gainsaid.
"Foolish is he who comes here alone
In the fearsome dark when the sun has gone
And the flames are mounting high;--
When earth and fen are alike ablaze,
And tombs burst open before thy gaze:
O faster let us hie!"
"Let us never heed for the snorting blaze,
Nor fear, though over the island ways
Dart tongues of living light.
Let us not lightly give way to fear
Of the noble warriors buried here,
But talk with them tonight."
But the shepherd lad fled fast away,
Nor stayed to hear what the youth would say,
But into the forest sped;
While in Hervˆr's breast rose proud and high
Her hard-knit heart, as she saw near by
The dwellings of the dead.
She could now see the fires of the barrows and the ghosts standing
outside; and she approached the barrows fearlessly and passed through
the fires as if they had been merely smoke, until she reached the
barrow of the berserks. Then she cried:
V. Awaken, Angantyr, hearken to me!
The only daughter of Tofa and thee
Is here and bids thee awake!
Give me from out the barrow's shade
The keen-edged sword which the dwarfs once made
For Svafrlami's sake.
Hervarth, Hjˆrvarth, Angantyr,
And Hrani, under the tree-roots here,
I bid you now appear;--
Clad in harness and coat of mail,
With shield and broadsword of biting steel,
Helmet and reddened spear!
The sons of Arngrim are changed indeed
To heaps of dust, and Eyfura's seed
Has crumbled into mould.--
In Munarvagar will no one speak
To her who has come thus far to seek
Discourse with the men of old?
Hervarth, Hjˆrvarth, Angantyr
And Hrani, great be your torment here
If ye will not hear my words.
Give me the blade that Dvalin made;
It is ill becoming the ghostly dead
To keep such costly swords!
In your tortured ribs shall my curses bring
A maddening itch and a frenzied sting,
Till ye writhe in agonies,
As if ye were laid to your final rest
Where the ants are swarming within their nest,
And revelling in your thighs!
Then answered Angantyr:
O Hervˆr, daughter, why dost thou call
Words full of cursing upon us all?
Thou goest to meet thy doom!
Mad art thou grown, and thy wits are fled;
Thy mind is astray, that thou wak'st the dead
--The dwellers in the tomb.
No father buried me where I lie,
Nor other kinsman[1] ...
The only two who remained unslain
Laid hold on Tyrfing, but now again
One only possesses the sword.
She answered:
Nought save the truth shalt thou tell to me!
May the ancient gods deal ill with thee
If thou harbour Tyrfing there!
Thine only daughter am I, and yet
Unwilling thou art that I should get
That which belongs to thine heir!
It now seemed as if the barrows, which had opened, were surrounded
with an unbroken ring of flame. Then Angantyr cried:
The barrows are opening! Before thy gaze
The round of the island is all ablaze,
And the gate of Hell stands wide.
There are spectres abroad that are ghastly to see.
Return, little maiden, right hastily
To thy ship that waits on the tide.
She replied:
No funeral fire that burns by night
Can make me tremble with affright,
Or fear of awful doom.
Thy daughter's heart can know no fear,
Though a ghost before her should appear
In the doorway of the tomb.
Angantyr:
O Hervˆr, Hervˆr, hearken to me!
Nought save the truth will I tell to thee
That will surely come about!
Believe me, maiden, Tyrfing will be
A curse upon all thy progeny
Till thy race be blotted out.
A son shalt thou bear, as I prophesy,
Who shall fight with Tyrfing mightily,
And trust to Tyrfing's might.
I tell thee Heithrek shall be his name,
The noblest man and of greatest fame
Of all under Heaven's light.
Hervˆr:
On all you dead this curse I cry:--
Mouldering and rotting shall ye lie
With the spirits in the tomb!
Out of the barrow, Angantyr,
Give me the keen-edged Tyrfing here,
The sword called 'Hjalmar's Doom'!
Angantyr:
Surely unlike to a mortal thou
To wander about from howe to howe,
And stand in the doorway here!
In the horror of night-time, my little maid,
Thou comest with helmet and byrnie and blade,
And shakest thy graven spear!
Hervˆr:
A mortal maiden is she who comes,
Arousing the corpses within their tombs,
And will not be denied:--
Give me from out the barrow's shade
The keen-edged sword that the dwarf-folk made,
Which it ill becomes thee to hide!
Angantyr:
The sword that the death-stroke to Hjalmar gave
Lies under my shoulders within the grave,
And wrapped about with flame.
But that maiden lives not in any land
Who dare grasp the weapon within her hand
For any hope of fame.
Hervˆr:
There lives, O Angantyr, a maid
Who yearns to handle the keen-edged blade,
And such a maid am I!
And what care I though the tomb fires blaze!
They sink and tremble before my gaze,
They quiver out and die!
Angantyr:
O Hervˆr, 'tis folly and madness dire
To rush wide-eyed through the flaming fire
With courage undismayed.
Rather by far will I give to thee
The accursed sword, though unwillingly,
My little, tender maid.
Hervˆr:
O son of the vikings, well hast thou done
In giving me Tyrfing from out the tomb;
And happier am I today
That I now grasp Tyrfing within my hands
Than if I were queen of the broad Northlands,
And conqueror of Noroway.
Angantyr:
Vain is thy rapture, my luckless maid!
Thy hopes are false. All too soon will fade
The flush of joy from thy face.
Try, child, to listen; I am warning thee!--
This sword is the sword of destiny,
The destroyer of all thy race!
Hervˆr:
Away, away to my 'ocean-steed'!
The daughter of princes is glad indeed,
O glad at heart today!
And what care I for the destiny
Of children as yet undreamed by me?--
Let them quarrel as they may!
Angantyr:
Thou shalt have and enjoy without sorrow or pain
The blade which proved to be Hjalmar's bane,
If thou draw it not from its sheath.
Worse than a plague is this cursed thing.
Touch not its edges, for poisons cling
Above it and beneath.
Farewell, yet fain would I give to thee
The life that has passed from my brothers and me,
O daughter, 'tis truth I say!
--The strength and vigour and hardihood,
--All that we had that was great and good,
That has vanished and passed away!
Hervˆr:
Farewell, farewell to all you dead!
Farewell! I would that I were sped!
Farewell all you in the mound!...
Surely in terror I drew my breath
Between the Worlds of Life and Death
When the grave fires girt me round!
[Footnote 1: Two lines are missing from the MS. at this
point.]
Then she returned towards her ships; but when dawn came, she saw that
they had departed. The vikings had been scared by the rumblings
and the flames on the island. She got a ship to carry her away;
but nothing is told of her voyage till she came to Guthmund in
Glasisvellir, where she remained all through the winter, still calling
herself Hervarth.
VI. One day Guthmund was playing chess, and when the game was almost
up, he asked if anyone could advise him as to his moves. So Hervarth
went up to him and began to direct his moves; and it was not long
before Guthmund began to win. Then somebody took up Tyrfing and drew
it. When Hervarth saw this, he snatched the sword out of his hands,
and slew him, and then left the room. They wanted to rush out in
pursuit, but Guthmund said:
"Don't stir--you will not be avenged on the man so easily as you
think, for you don't know who he is. This woman-man will cost you dear
before you take his life."
After that Hervˆr spent a long time in piracy and had great success.
And when she grew tired of that she went home to the Earl, her
mother's father. There she behaved like other girls, working at her
embroidery and fine needlework.
Hˆfund, the son of Guthmund, heard of this and went and asked for the
hand of Hervˆr, and was accepted; and he took her home.
Hˆfund was a very wise man and so just in his judgments that he never
swerved from giving a correct decision, whether the persons involved
were natives or foreigners. And it is from him that the 'hˆfund' or
judge of law-suits takes his name in every realm.
He and Hervˆr had two sons. One was called Angantyr, the other
Heithrek. They were both big strong men--sensible and handsome.
Angantyr resembled his father in character and was kindly disposed
towards everyone. Hˆfund loved him very much, as indeed did everybody.
But however much good he did, Heithrek did still more evil. He was
Hervˆr's favourite. His foster-father was called Gizur.
One day Hˆfund held a feast and invited all the chief men in his
kingdom except Heithrek. This greatly displeased him, but he put in
an appearance all the same, declaring that he would do them some
mischief. And when he entered the hall, Angantyr rose and went to meet
him and invited him to sit beside him. Heithrek was not cheerful, but
he sat till late in the evening after Angantyr had gone; and then he
turned to the men who sat on either side of him and worked upon them
by his conversation in such a way that they became infuriated with
each other. But when Angantyr came back he told them to be quiet. And
when Angantyr went out a second time, Heithrek reminded them of his
words, and worked upon them to such an extent that one of them struck
the other. Then Angantyr returned and persuaded them to keep the peace
till morning. And the third time Angantyr went away, Heithrek asked
the man who had been struck why he had not the courage to avenge
himself. And so effective did his persuasion prove that he who had
been struck sprang up and slew his companion. When Angantyr returned,
he was displeased at what had taken place. And when Hˆfund heard of
it, he told Heithrek that he must either leave his kingdom or forfeit
his life.
So Heithrek went out, and his brother with him. Then his mother came
up and gave him Tyrfing. And Heithrek said to her:
"I don't know when I shall be able to show as much difference in my
treatment of my father and mother as they do in their treatment of me.
My father proclaims me an outlaw while my mother has given me Tyrfing,
which is of more account to me than a great territory. But I shall do
that very thing that will most distress my father."
He then drew the sword, which gleamed and flashed brilliantly, and
then he got into a great rage and showed the berserk's fury coming
upon him. The two brothers were alone. Now since Tyrfing had to be the
death of a man every time it was drawn, Heithrek dealt his brother his
death-blow. Hˆfund was told of it, and Heithrek escaped at once to the
woods. Hˆfund had a funeral feast made for his son Angantyr, and he
was lamented by everybody.
Heithrek got little joy of his deed and lived in the woods for a long
time, shooting deer and bears for food. And when he came to think over
his position, he reflected that there would be but a poor tale to tell
if no-one was to know what had become of him; and it occurred to him
that he could even yet become a man famous for deeds of prowess like
his ancestors before him. So he went home and sought out his mother
and begged her to ask his father to give him some sound advice before
they parted. She went to Hˆfund and asked him to give their son sound
advice. Hˆfund replied that he would give him a little, but added that
it would turn out to his disadvantage nevertheless; he said however
that he would not ignore his request:
"In the first place he must not aid a man who has slain his liege
lord. Secondly, he must not protect a man who has slain one of his
comrades. Thirdly, his wife ought not to be always leaving home to
visit her relatives. Fourthly, he ought not to stay out late with his
sweetheart. Fifthly, he should not ride his best horse when he is in
a hurry. Sixthly, he ought not to bring up the child of a man in a
better position than himself. Seventhly, let him always be cheerful
towards one who comes for hospitality. Eighthly, he should never lay
Tyrfing on the ground.--Yet he will not get any benefit from this
advice."
His mother repeated these maxims to him.
Heithrek replied: "This advice must have been given me in a spiteful
spirit. It will not be of any use to me."
His mother gave him a mark of gold at parting, and bade him always
bear in mind how sharp his sword was, and how great renown had been
won by everyone who had borne it--what great protection its sharp
edges afforded to him who wielded it in battle or single combat, and
what great success it always had.--Then they parted.
He went on his way; and when he had gone a short distance he came upon
some men who were leading a man in bonds. Heithrek asked what the man
had done, and they replied that he had betrayed his liege lord. He
asked if they would accept money as his ransom, and they said that
they were willing to do so. He ransomed the man for half his gold
mark.
The man then offered to serve him, but Heithrek replied:
"You would not be faithful to a stranger like me, seeing that you
betrayed your liege lord to whom you owed many benefits."
Shortly after he again came upon some men, of whom one was in bonds.
He asked what this man had done, and they replied that he had murdered
one of his comrades. He freed him with the other half of his gold
mark. This man also offered to serve him, but Heithrek declined.
After that he went on his way till he came to Reithgotaland, where he
went to the King who ruled there. His name was Harold, and he was an
old man at the time. Heithrek remained for a time with the King, who
gave him a cordial welcome.
VII. There were two Earls who had plundered the kingdom of King Harold
and made it subject to them, and because he was old he paid them
tribute every year. Heithrek grew intimate with the King, and
eventually it came about that he became the commander of his army
and betook himself to raiding, and soon made himself famous for his
victories. He proceeded to make war on the Earls who had subdued King
Harold's kingdom, and a stiff fight took place between them. Heithrek
fought with Tyrfing and, as in the past, no-one could withstand it,
for it cut through steel as easily as cloth; and the result was that
he slew both the Earls and put all their army to flight. He then
went throughout the kingdom and brought it under King Harold and took
hostages, and then returned home. And as a mark of great honour, King
Harold went himself to meet him, and he acquired great fame from this.
The King gave him his daughter Helga in marriage and with her half his
kingdom. Heithrek had the defence of the whole realm in his hands; and
this arrangement lasted for a time.
King Harold had a son in his old age. Heithrek also had a son, who
was called Angantyr. Presently a great famine began in Reithgotaland
(which is now called Jutland) and it threatened to destroy all the
inhabitants. So they tried divination, and the answer was that there
would be no plenty in Reithgotaland until the noblest boy in the land
had been sacrificed. Heithrek said that that was King Harold's son,
but the King declared that Heithrek's son was the noblest; and there
was no escape from this dilemma save by referring it to Hˆfund, whose
decisions were always just.
Thereupon Heithrek went to visit his father, who made him welcome.
He asked his father's decision about this question. Hˆfund pronounced
Heithrek's son to be the noblest in that land.
"What compensation do you adjudge to me for my loss?" asked Heithrek.
"You shall claim for yourself in compensation every second man in
the retinue of King Harold. Beyond that there is no need to give you
advice, considering your character and the army that you have under
you."
Then Heithrek went back and summoned a meeting, and told them his
father's opinion:
"He decided that it was my son who must be sacrificed; and as
compensation to me he adjudged to me every second man of those who are
with King Harold, and I want you to swear an oath that this shall be
done."
And they did so. Then the people demanded that he should give up his
son and get them a better harvest. Heithrek then talked with his
men after the force had been divided, and demanded fresh oaths of
allegiance from them. These they gave, swearing to follow him whether
at home or abroad, for whatever purpose he wished.
Then said he: "It appears to me that Othin will have been well
compensated for one boy if he gets in place of him King Harold and his
son and all his host!"
He then bade his men raise his standard and make an attack on King
Harold and slay him and all his host, declaring that he was giving
this host to Othin instead of his own son. He caused the altars to be
reddened with the blood of King Harold and his son Halfdan, while the
Queen took her own life in the temple of the DÌs.
Heithrek was now accepted as King throughout the realm. He made love
to Sifka the daughter of Humli, a prince from the land of the Huns.
Their son was called Hlˆth. He was brought up with his mother's
father.