Two Sagas of Mythical Heroes, page 13
{96} Chapter 27
Now the king went home, and Bera went with him. Queen Hvít was very cheerful and greeted Bera well, and asked who she might be. She answered untruthfully, as before. Now the queen had a great feast made and she had the bear’s meat prepared as a feast for the joy of the people. Bera was kept in the queen’s own little detached house and had no means to get away, because the queen suspected who she might be. And when the queen came to her there with a plate sooner than Bera had expected, there was bear-meat on the plate, and Hvít told Bera to enjoy it, though Bera did not want to eat it.
“It is a horrible shock,” said Queen Hvít, “that you reject this offered gift that the queen herself sees fit to offer you! Eat it quickly, otherwise it will be something worse.” She cut off a piece for her, and the end of this interaction was that Bera ate a piece.
Queen Hvít then cut off another piece and put it in Bera’s mouth, and she swallowed only a tiny piece of it but then spat the rest out of her mouth and said she would eat no more of it, whether she was tortured or killed for doing so. Queen Hvít said, “It may be that something will come of even this much,” and she laughed.
Then Bera went away, and she went home to her father. She had a difficult time finding respite during her hard pregnancy, and she told her father about everything that had changed about her situation and how it had turned out.
A little later she went into labor and gave birth to a boy, though he was somewhat unusual. He was a human in his top half, though he was a moose from his navel down. He was named Moose-Fróđi.
Another boy was born, and he was called Thórir. He had dog’s feet from the ankles down and he was called Thórir Dog-foot because of this. He was the handsomest of men in every other respect.
The third boy was born, and he was the handsomest of all three. He was named Bođvar, and there was no fault in his appearance. His mother loved Bođvar best.
Now all the boys grew up like grass, and when they dealt with other people they were fearsome and unfair about everything. Everyone was badly treated by them. Moose-Fróđi injured many of the king’s men, and killed some others.
{97} Chapter 28
And so it continued like this for a while, until the boys were twelve years old. At this point they were so strong that none of the king’s men could stand against them, and they could not play with other children.
Then Moose-Fróđi said to his mother that he wanted to go away, “And I can’t live around other men, because they are weaklings and get hurt as soon as I’m there.” She told him he couldn’t be around other men because of his brutality.
Bera now went to the cave and showed Moose-Fróđi the treasure that his father had intended for him, because Bjorn had said what he intended for each to have. Moose-Fróđi wanted to take more, because he had been given the least treasure of all of them, but he could not. And then he saw where there were weapons sticking out of the cave-wall. First he gripped the hilt of the sword, but it was so firmly embedded that he could not pull it out. Then he grasped the handle of the axe, but it was no looser. Moose-Fróđi said, “I suspect the one who put these weapons here intended the distribution of the weapons to be like the distribution of the other gifts,” and he gripped a small hilt, and that came loose for him immediately, and there followed out of the rock a short sword. He looked at the blade a while and then said, “The man who divided up these gifts was not a fair-minded one,” and he stabbed this short sword at the cave wall with both hands and wanted to snap it in half, but the sword cut into the rock as far as the hand-guard and the steel rang out and did not break. Then Moose-Fróđi said, “What does it matter if I carry this gift of my father’s spite—it’s not untrue that it can bite.” After this he said farewell to his mother. Moose-Fróđi now departed on a high mountain road and there he did evil deeds and killed men for their money, and he built himself a cabin and lived there.
By now King Hring had a suspicion about what sort of dark magic might be causing all of this, though he did not say anything publicly before the people and he let everything remain as calm as it had been before.
{98} Chapter 29
A little later, Thórir Dog-foot told his mother that he wanted to go away, and she showed him the way to the cave and the treasure that was intended for him, and she told him about the weapons and asked him to take the axe, saying that this was what his father had said he intended. First he took hold of the sword-hilt, but the sword would not move. Then he took hold of the axe handle, and it came loose because it was intended for him. Then he took the treasure and went on his way, and told his mother farewell.
Thórir went first in the direction that took him to a meeting with his brother Moose-Fróđi. He went into his brother’s cabin and sat down in a chair and pulled his hood low over his face. A little later Moose-Fróđi came home and did not look kindly at his unwelcome guest, and he drew his short sword and said:
“The swords clang;
this one sheds its sheath.
The hand remembers
the work of killing.”
And then he sat down on a stump and was very savage-looking and he acted evil. And then Thórir said:
“But I myself,
in other places far off,
have let my axe
clang just as loud.”
And then Thórir hid himself no longer, and his brother Moose-Fróđi recognized him and asked him to take an equal share in everything he had acquired, because there was no shortage of wealth. Thórir did not want it. He stayed there for a while and then went away. Moose-Fróđi directed him to Götaland and told him that the king there had recently died and asked him to go rule there. He told him of many other things, and said, “It is the law of Götaland that a great meeting {99} is made and all the men of Götaland come there. A great chair is set up at the meeting, which two men can sit in comfortably, and the man who can fill the whole seat on his own is taken for king. And I believe that you would fill that space without a problem.” After this they parted, and each spoke kindly to the other.
Now Thórir went his way until he came to the home of a certain jarl in Götaland, and the jarl greeted him well. Thórir spent the night there. Every man who saw Thórir said that he might well become king of Götaland on account of his size, and they said few men of his kind would be found there.
And when the meeting time came, it went just as Moose-Fróđi had told him before. A particular chieftain was there to decide the matter truthfully. Many men sat down in this seat, but the chieftain said it suited none of them. Thórir went to the seat last, and immediately sat down in the chair. The chieftain said, “The seat is most befitting for you, and you will be appointed to this rulership.” Then the men of Götaland gave Thórir the title of king and he was called King Thórir Dog-foot, and there are many sagas about him. He was popular and he waged many battles and he usually won the victory. Now he remained for a while in his kingdom.
Chapter 30
Bođvar was at home with his mother, who loved him very much. He was the most able of all men, and the handsomest as well, but he was not talkative with other men. One time he asked his mother who his father was. She told him about his death, the whole story of the event, and how he was cursed to an evil fate by his stepmother. Bođvar said, “I must repay this witch for her evil.”
Then Bera told him that she had been forced by the queen to eat the bear’s meat, “And now you can see it in your brothers, Thórir and Moose-Fróđi.”
Bođvar said, “I don’t regard Moose-Fróđi as any less obligated to avenge our father on this witch-hussy than he is to kill innocent men for their money and do evil deeds, and I thought it was strange {100} that when Thórir went away, he did nothing to pay back this hag for us. The best thing for me to do, is pay her back for our trouble.”
Bera said, “Be careful about this, so that she cannot affect you with her magic and harm you.”
Bođvar said he would do so. After this, Bera and Bođvar went to see the king and now on Bođvar’s advice Bera told the king everything, and how Bjorn’s life had ended, and showed him the ring that she had taken from under the shoulder of the bear and which once Bjorn, his son, had owned. The king replied that he certainly did recognize the ring, and “I have come close to suspecting that all of this dark magic that’s happened here was the work of Queen Hvít, but because of my love for her I have let all remain quiet.”
Bođvar said, “Make her leave this place, otherwise we will avenge this on her.”
The king said he wanted to pay Bođvar some money in compensation, whatever he himself wanted, if he would remain calm toward Hvít. He offered Bođvar lands to rule and the title of jarl, and the title of king after his own death if nothing was done to harm Queen Hvít.
Bođvar said that he had no wish to be a king, but would rather stay with the king and serve him. And then Bođvar said, “King Hring, you are such a prisoner of this monster that you barely have kept your wits about you nor even ruled righteously, and she will not live here after this.”
Bođvar was so furious that the king did not dare to discuss this further with him. Now Bođvar went to Queen Hvít’s little detached house and he had a certain bag with him. King Hring and Bera went after him. And when Bođvar came inside the house, he turned to Queen Hvít and put the shrunken leather bag over her head and strangled her neck from below. Then he began giving her powerful blows to the face and he beat her to death with various tortures and then dragged her body through all the streets. Many, or most, within the king’s hall thought that this was not worse than half-deserved, but the king took it very badly and could think of nothing to do.
In this way Queen Hvít lost her wretched life. Bođvar was eighteen years old when this was done.
A little while later, King Hring became ill and died. After this Bođvar took over the kingdom and was content with it only a short {101} time. Then he summoned a meeting with his people and he spoke there of his intention to depart. And he married his mother to a man named Valsleit, who had previously been a jarl, and Bođvar sat at their wedding feast, before he rode away.
Chapter 31
After this Bođvar rode away alone, and he had with him neither much gold nor silver nor other possessions, except that he was well furnished with weapons and clothes.
First he rode his good horse to the cave, according to the directions of his mother. The sword came loose when he took hold of the hilt, and this was a sword that could never be drawn unless it were to be the death of a man. It was a sword that must not be laid under a man’s head nor propped up by its hilt. It could be sharpened only three times in its life, and it had this further difficulty, that it would refuse to be drawn at times. All of the brothers had wanted this mighty treasure. Bođvar made a belt out of birch for carrying the sword.
Bođvar went to visit his brother Moose-Fróđi. There is nothing to tell of his journey before he came one day in the afternoon to a large cabin where Moose-Fróđi was master of the house. Bođvar led his horse inside the stable, and felt that he had everything he needed right here in this cabin. Moose-Fróđi came home in the evening and his eyes looked around evilly. Bođvar showed no reaction to this, and he did not rise from his seat.
The two men’s horses were also getting along badly, and each tried to drive the other out of the stable. Then Moose-Fróđi said, “It’s a truly brave man who dares to sit down here without my permission.” Bođvar pulled his hood down and said nothing. Moose-Fróđi stood up and drew his short sword and stood smacking it in his palm, and then he did this a second time. Bođvar did not react. The third time, Moose-Fróđi drew the short sword and advanced toward him, thinking that this man who had come had no ability to fear, but he thought he would subdue him in wrestling. Now Bođvar saw that he was coming into danger, and he waited no longer and stood up and ran straight {102} at Moose-Fróđi and gripped him below the shoulders. Moose-Fróđi was a stronger grappler, and the two wrestled with many locks and holds, and then Bođvar’s hood fell from his face and Moose-Fróđi recognized him and said, “Welcome, kinsman, and I think we’ve wrestled long enough.”
“No one’s gotten hurt,” replied Bođvar.
Moose-Fróđi said, “Kinsman, you should be more careful about wrestling with me, if we try it again, because you’ll notice a difference in strength if we grapple a second time and we use our full powers.” Moose-Fróđi offered to let Bođvar stay there with him and keep half of everything for himself. Bođvar did not want this, and he thought it was wrong to kill men for their possessions.
Now he went away, but Moose-Fróđi went on the road along with him and told him that he had given many men mercy if they were small, and Bođvar cheered up when he heard this and told his brother that he did well, “And you really ought to let most of them go in peace, even if you think they’re a little bit of trouble.”
Moose-Fróđi said, “Everything is destined to go badly for me, but for you there is one destiny and that is to go and meet King Hrólf, because all the best warriors want to be with him on account of the fact that his greatness, energy, and behavior are much better than all other kings’.” Then Moose-Fróđi shoved Bođvar, and he said, “You aren’t as strong as you ought to be, kinsman.” Then Moose-Fróđi cut himself in the calf and asked Bođvar to drink, and Bođvar did so. Then Moose-Fróđi shoved him a second time, and this time Bođvar stood still in his tracks. “Now you’re really strong, kinsman,” said Moose-Fróđi, “and I expect you’ll find the drink’s done you good, and you will be better than everyone else in strength and energy and in all kinds of toughness and manliness, and I grant this to you happily.” After this Moose-Fróđi kicked a rock that was next to him with his hoof, and he said, “I will come every day to this hoofprint and see what is in it. There will be earth, if you die of sickness, water if you die at sea, and blood if you die in combat, and I will avenge you because I love you the most of all men.”
{103} Chapter 32
Now they parted, and Bođvar traveled until he came to Götaland, where King Thórir Dog-foot was not at home. Bođvar and Thórir looked so alike that no man could tell one from the other, and the men of Götaland assumed that Thórir had come home.
Bođvar was shown to “his” throne, and in all respects he was served just as if he had been the king and placed in bed alongside the queen, because Thórir was now married. Bođvar did not wish to lie under her blanket, and she thought this was strange because she believed this was truly her husband, but Bođvar told her everything about how the situation was. She did not allow anyone to see any sign of it on her face. And in this way they spent each night speaking with each other, until Thórir came home, and then men realized who this man was. There was a joyful reunion of the two brothers, and Thórir said he would have trusted no other man to sleep so near to his queen. Thórir offered to let Bođvar stay there and take half of his movable property as his own, but Bođvar said he did not want that. Then Thórir offered to go with him if he wanted, or to get him a following of men. Bođvar did not want this either. Then Bođvar rode away, and Thórir went with him down the road for a while, and the two brothers parted in friendship and yet with a certain secret. And nothing is told of Bođvar’s journey before he came to Denmark and was a short way from Lejre.
Chapter 33
One day there was a severe downpour, and Bođvar became very wet. The horse became exhausted and began to falter under him when he rode a great deal, and became very soggy and worn out. Deep darkness began to descend, and a harder rain during the night. And Bođvar noticed nothing until his horse struck his front hooves on something in front of him.
Bođvar dismounted and looked, and saw that there must be some house there, and then he found the door, which he knocked on. A man came outside, and Bođvar asked him for lodging during that {104} night. The man of the house said that he wouldn’t turn him away in the middle of the night even though he was a stranger. He thought this visitor seemed like a hulking man, from what he could see of him.
Bođvar stayed there that night in good hospitality. He asked many questions about King Hrólf’s great deeds and those of his champions, and whether it might be a long trip to there.
“No,” said the farmer, “It’s a very short journey there. Do you intend to go there?”
“Yes,” said Bođvar. “That is my intention.”
The farmer told him that would be very suitable, “Because I see that you are a big, strong man, and they all think of themselves as real tough guys.”
And when they spoke of King Hrólf and his champions, the farmer’s wife began to weep in a loud voice. “Why do you weep, old woman?” asked Bođvar.
She said, “My husband and I had one son, who was named Hott. And when he went to town one day to amuse himself, the king’s men made fun of him and he reacted unhappily. Then they took him and put him in a pile of cast-off bones, and it is their habit during mealtimes to throw every bone at him, once they have finished eating all the meat off it. Sometimes he gets hurt badly from this, if a bone hits him, and I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead. And I want to ask this favor from you in return for my hospitality, that you throw only small bones and not big ones at him, if he isn’t already dead.”
Bođvar said, “I will do as you ask, and I don’t think it’s manly to beat people with bones or to hate children or small people.”
“Then you do well,” said the woman, “because your hand looks strong to me, and I know that he couldn’t withstand your blows if you didn’t restrain yourself.”
