Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes, page 12
The brothers reacted quickly and armed themselves, going straight to where the battle was. There they saw that the berserkers had an army half again as large as Svipdag’s. By this point, Svipdag had accomplished a great deal, but he was badly injured and he had lost one eye. His army was being killed in huge numbers, and the king had not come to assist him.
And as the brothers came into the battle, they pushed forward hard and soon came to where the berserkers stood before them. The fight ended with all the berserkers falling at the brothers’ hands. Now there began to be a great loss of life in the berserkers’ army, and the brothers proved victorious, and took the survivors as prisoners.
After this, they went to meet with King Ađils and told him all the news. The king thanked them well for their courageous deeds.
Svipdag had taken two wounds on his hands, and a large wound on his head, and he was one-eyed for the rest of his life. For a while he lay in bed and let his wounds heal, and Queen Yrsa cared for him. And when Svipdag had recovered to normal health, he told King Ađils that he wished to go away. “I want to visit a king who will give me more honor than you do, king. You have repaid me badly for the defense of your kingdom, and such a victory as we have won for you.” King Ađils told him to stay home, and that he would reward him and his brothers richly, and he said that no one would be honored above them. But Svipdag said he did not want to do anything but ride away, and mostly because King Ađils had not come to the recent battle before it was over because he would have been equally pleased, whoever would win the victory.
The king had, in fact, stayed in a certain forest and watched the battle from there, with a choice of entering the fray whenever he wanted, {88} and indeed it would not have mattered to him even if Svipdag had lost the battle and died there.
Chapter 22
Now the brothers prepared to go away, and there was nothing that could hold them there. King Ađils asked where they intended to go, and they answered that they had not drawn any conclusions about that—“But we will part from you at once. And now I want to get to know the ways of other men and other kings, and not grow old here in Sweden.”
Now they went to their horses, and they thanked Queen Yrsa well for the honor she had given Svipdag. They mounted up on their horses and rode along their way until they came to their father. They asked him for some advice on what they ought to do, “And where should we go?”
Their father Svip said that the greatest honor would be to go among King Hrólf and his champions in Denmark. “And that is the most likely place for you to win some fame to back up your pride, because I have heard it for a fact that all the best champions in the Northlands have gathered there.”
“What kind of man is he?” said Svipdag.
His father said, “I am told that King Hrólf is generous with large gifts, faithful to his promises, and a great chooser of friends, such that no man can be called his equal. He does not hold back any gold or jewels from almost anyone who might want them. He is short in height, but a big and difficult man to test, and the handsomest of men. He is proud to the arrogant, but kind and magnanimous to the poor, and to all who do not resist his rule. He is the least haughty of all men, so that he answers little men in the same way as he answers the powerful. He is such a great man that his name will never be forgotten while the world is inhabited. He also receives taxes from all other kings in his vicinity, because all of them are eager to serve him.”
Svipdag said, “You’ve told quite a story here, and I’ve decided to go with both my brothers to meet King Hrólf, if he’ll take us.”
{89} The farmer Svip said, “It’s your business to decide your journeys and your actions, but it would seem best to me if you stayed at home with me.”
They said that this would not do. So they told their father and their mother farewell, and they rode away until they came to King Hrólf. Svipdag went before the king and greeted him, and the king asked who he was. Svipdag told him his name and the names of his brothers, and he said he had been with King Ađils for a while.
King Hrólf said, “Why did you come here? There is no friendship between Ađils and my men.”
Svipdag said, “I know it, lord. But still I wanted to be a man in your service, if there was a choice in the matter, as did my brothers, though you might find little remarkable about us.”
The king said, “I hadn’t been intending to make friends with any of King Ađils’s men. But since you sought me out, I will receive you. I think it will go better for the man who doesn’t reject you, because I see that you are worthy gentlemen. I have heard that you have won great fame, and killed King Ađils’s berserkers and done many other courageous deeds.”
“Where would you have me sit?” asked Svipdag.
The king said, “Sit next to the man named Bjálki, and let there be a space twelve men wide between the two of you and me.”
Svipdag had promised King Ađils, before he left Sweden, to visit him again.
And now the brothers went to the spot which the king had directed them to. Svipdag asked Bjálki why there would be a space of twelve men between them and the king, and Bjálki said that the king’s twelve berserkers sat there when they came home, but they were now out raiding.
One of King Hrólf’s daughters was named Skúr [“Rain-shower,” a common poetic circumlocution for “battle”], and the other Drífa [“Heavy-snowstorm,” another commonplace poetic name for “battle”]. Drífa was at home with the king and she was the noblest of all women. Drífa liked the brothers, and they all got along well.
Time passed through the rest of the summer, until the berserkers came home during the fall to the king’s hall. And in their usual way, they each came up to every man when they came into the hall, and {90} each one asked every man whether he thought he was an even match for him. Men looked for the right words to answer with, words that would not hurt their honor, but nonetheless it could be heard in the words of each man who replied, that he thought he was lacking quite a bit to be an even match for the berserker. And now a berserker came to Svipdag, and asked him whether he thought he might be his match.
Svipdag sprang up and drew his sword and said he was in no way a lesser man than the berserker. The berserker said, “So swing that at my helmet.” Svipdag did so, and the sword did not pierce it. Now they were about to fight, but the king ran in the middle of them and told them this was forbidden and that the two of them would be called evenly matched from then on. “And both of you will be called my friends.” And after this the two men settled peacefully and were always together, going on raids and winning victories wherever they went.
King Hrólf now sent men to Sweden to meet his mother Queen Yrsa and ask her to send him the treasure that his father King Helgi had possessed and that King Ađils had taken for his own when Helgi had been killed. Yrsa said this was an appropriate request, and quite right, if only it were possible for her to do. “But if you search for the treasure yourself, I will help you faithfully, my son. King Ađils is such a greedy man that he does not care what he has to do to keep it,” and she told the messengers to say this to King Hrólf, and she sent wonderful gifts also.
Chapter 23
King Hrólf now went out raiding, and it was some time before he went to meet with King Ađils. He gathered a great deal of men, and he taxed all the kings he met, and it was a great sign that all the best champions wanted to be with him and serve no other king, because he was much more generous with his money than any other king.
King Hrólf established his capital at the place called Lejre; it is in Denmark, and it is a great, strong city. There was more splendor there, more opulence, and more of everything great than in any other place, and more than anyone had heard of.
{91} A powerful king was named Hjorvarđ. He married Skuld, King Hrólf’s sister and the daughter of King Helgi, with the permission of King Ađils and Queen Yrsa as well as of her brother Hrólf. On one occasion King Hrólf invited his brother-in-law Hjorvarđ to a festival. One day during this festival, the two kings were outside when King Hrólf took off his belt, and handed the sword that was in it to King Hjorvarđ. And when King Hrólf had put the belt back on, he took the sword back and said to King Hjorvarđ, “Both of us know that it’s been a saying for a long time, that the man who holds another’s sword while he adjusts his belt is the lesser man. Now you must be my under-king, and endure it as well as others do.” Hjorvarđ became extremely angry about this but had no choice in the matter, and so he went home afterward and resented his lot.
Nonetheless, he paid taxes to King Hrólf like his other under-kings who owed him obedience. And here ends the tale of Svipdag.
Part 4: The Tale of Bođvar
Chapter 24
It is now time to recount that to the north in Norway, at Uppdalir, a king named Hring ruled. He had a son who was named Bjorn. It is now told that the queen died, and this seemed a great loss to the king and to many others besides. The king’s countrymen and counselors urged him to marry again, and it happened that he sent men south through the country to court a wife for him. But these men encountered unfavorable winds and great storms, and they had to turn the prows of their ships and fight to resist the wind, and it ended with them wrecking to the north in Finnmark. They stayed there over the winter.
One day they went up on the land and came to a certain house. There were two women sitting inside, both beautiful. The women greeted them well and asked where they had come from. They told the women about their journey and what their errand was. They asked what kind of women they were and why they were there alone, so far from other people, especially such beautiful and lovely women as they {92} were. The older woman replied, “There is a reason for all of it, boys; we are here because a powerful king courted my daughter, but she did not want to marry him. And he promised her tough penalties for this, and thus I have hidden her in this place, while her father is away from home on raids.”
They asked who her father was, and her mother replied, “She is the daughter of the king of the Sámi.” They asked what she was named. The older one replied, “I am named Ingibjorg, and my daughter is named Hvít. I am the concubine of the king of the Sámi.” There was also a girl there acting as their servant. The king’s men looked upon them well, and they agreed among themselves to ask if Hvít might come with them and be married to King Hring. It was the man in charge who brought it up with her. She did not answer quickly, but turned to her mother for a prediction.
“It is just like they say, for every difficulty some kind of solution will emerge,” said her mother, “though it seems bad to me that her father is not here to be asked. But it must be risked, if she is going to get closer to a good life.”
After this, Hvít prepared for her journey with them, and they went their way and met King Hring, and the messengers asked whether the king wanted to marry this woman or send her back the way she came. The king looked well upon the woman and married her immediately. He did not give any heed to the fact that she was not from a wealthy family. The king was somewhat old, and this quickly became apparent from the way the new queen acted.
Chapter 25
A certain man lived a short way from King Hring. He had a wife and among his children there was one daughter who was named Bera. She was of a young age and beautiful. Bjorn, son of King Hring, and Bera, the farmer’s daughter, played together as children, and they got along well. In his youth, the farmer was the best of fighters and had gone out raiding for long periods, and he had become a wealthy man.
Bera and Bjorn loved each other greatly, and they met frequently.
{93} Some time passed with no news. Prince Bjorn matured greatly in the meantime, and he became both large and strong. He was well trained in all kinds of sporting competitions.
King Hring was out of the land for long periods on raids, and Hvít stayed at home and ruled the country. She was not popular among the people, but she was very pleasant and cheerful to Bjorn. He acknowledged her little. One time, when the king went from home, Queen Hvít said to King Hring that his son Bjorn ought to stay home to be with her and help her rule the land. The king thought this seemed advisable.
The queen now became arrogant and proud. The king told his son Bjorn that he must remain at home and guard the land with the queen. Bjorn said he thought little of this and that he felt very unkindly toward his stepmother the queen. The king said, however, that he must remain behind. Then the king departed the land with a great army.
Bjorn went home after this discussion with his father, at which they had disagreed so vehemently. He went to his bed and was uncheerful, and looked red as blood. The queen went to speak with him and wanted to cheer him up, and she spoke in such a way as to kindle amorous feelings in Bjorn. He told her to go away. She did so. But she often came to speak with him and said that it would be very good if they shared one bed while the king was away, and said their dealings with one another would be much better than what she had with such an old man as his father was. Bjorn heard this suggestion with disgust and slapped her hard on the face, telling her to drag herself away from him and do it quickly.
She told him she was not accustomed to being beaten or struck, “And you, Bjorn, think it’s better to embrace a farmer’s daughter. And that perhaps suits you, and is expected, but it is more shameful than if you enjoyed my love and good cheer. And I would not be surprised if something happens to get in the way of your stubbornness and stupidity.”
She then struck him with wolfskin gloves and said that he would be turned into a savage and grim cave-bear, “And yet no food will satisfy you besides your own father’s livestock. You will kill them for your meals, more than any normal bear would, and you will never get out of this curse, and this reminder will be worse for you than if you had none.”
{94} Chapter 26
Following this, Bjorn disappeared, and no one knew what had become of him. Men noticed his absence and looked for him, but they never found him, as might be expected. It might now be told that the king’s livestock began to be found slaughtered in huge numbers, and a large, fearsome gray bear was blamed.
One evening it happened that Bera, the farmer’s daughter, saw this fearsome bear. The bear came to her and was very cheerful with her. And she thought she recognized in this bear the eyes of Prince Bjorn, and she feared it only a little bit. The animal then went away from her, but she followed it until it came to a certain cave. And as she entered the cave, there stood a man before her and he greeted her as Bera, the farmer’s daughter. She recognized that this was Bjorn, Son of Hring, and it was a reunion of great joy. They remained in the cave for a while, because she did not wish to be parted from him while there was any choice. But he told her it was not suitable for her to remain with him, for he was an animal during the day but a man during the night.
King Hring now returned home from raiding, and he was told what news had come to pass while he was away. He was told of the disappearance of his son Bjorn, and also about the great bear that had come to the land and killed livestock, mostly the king’s own. The queen strongly urged the king to have the bear killed, although this was put off for a while. The king let few of his thoughts on this matter be known, and thought it was a strange situation.
One night when Bera was in bed with Prince Bjorn, Bjorn told her, “I suspect that my death-day will come tomorrow and they will kill me in the hunt. And I do not find it joyful to live with this curse that lies upon me, although I have had one single pleasure, which was my time spent together with you, though that will now be ended. I will give you this ring that I have under my left hand. You must watch the hunt, during which I will be killed, tomorrow, and when I am dead, go to the king and ask him to give you whatever is under the left shoulder of the bear. He will agree to this. The queen will have her suspicions about it, and when you intend to leave, she will give you some of the bear-meat to eat. You must not eat it, because you are pregnant, {95} as you are aware, and you will give birth to three boys who will be my sons. And it will be visible upon them if you eat the bear-meat. This queen is the greatest of witches.
“After this, go home to your father, and there you will give birth to the boys. One will seem worst to you, however. And if you cannot manage at home on account of their bad fates and recklessness, lead them away, and come here to my cave with them. Here you will see a treasure chest with three layers. There will be runes there nearby that will tell you which boy is to have what. There are three weapons in the cave-wall, and each boy will have the weapon that is intended for him. Our son who comes first shall be named Thórir, the second Moose-Fróđi, the third Bođvar, and I think it is likely that they will not be inconsequential men and that their names will be famous for a long time.”
He told her of many other things, and then the bear form returned to him, and the bear went out and she followed it. And she looked around, and she saw that a great group of men was coming over the ridgeline, and many large dogs out before them. The bear now ran away from the cave and along the foot of the mountain in front of him. The dogs and the king’s men came against him, and he was a hard opponent for them. He injured many men before they closed in on him, and he killed all the dogs. It came to pass that they formed a circle around him and he tried every direction inside this circle before he saw that he could not escape it. He then turned toward where the king stood, and he clutched the man who stood nearest him in his claws and tore him in half while he was still alive. Now the bear was so exhausted that he cast himself flat upon the ground, and the men ran at him quickly and killed him.
Bera saw all of this, and she went to the king and said, “My lord, will you give me whatever is under the left shoulder of the beast?” The king agreed to this, and said that whatever was under there would be a suitable gift for her. The king’s men had mostly flayed the bear’s skin off by this point. Bera went then and took the ring, and hid it, and no men saw what she took though afterward they sought to find out. The king asked who she was, because he did not know her. She told him something that seemed good to her, but that was other than the truth.
