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The Complete Fornaldarsögur Norðurlanda Legendary Sagas of the Northland in English Transla on
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Translations of this saga are typically made from a composite form of three variant texts. The saga exists in three basic versions: R, and H, and U. Version R, thought to be closest to the original, is found in a late 14th or early 15th-century vellum manuscript [GkS 2845 4to], but the final page is missing. The H manuscript, found in Hauksbók, utilizes a version similar to R, although it is generally closer to U. Version U is known from several late paper manuscripts, especially a paper copy in Uppsala (R:715), AM 203 fol. Below, I have only provided the Old Norse text from the vellum manuscripts, R and H. For more details, see " Notes on Translation " below, as well as the translator's site. Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks The Saga of Hervor & King [R] Heidrek the Wise -and- Saga Heiðreks konúngs ens vitra [H] Translated by Around 1250 © 2005 Peter Tunstall
1. KAPÍTULI 1. Sigrlami and the Dwarves
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 1: There was a man called Sigrlami SIGRLAMI hét konungr, er réð fyrir who ruled over Gardariki. That is Garðaríki. Hans dóttir var Eyfura, er Russia. His daughter was Eyfura allra meyja var fríðust. who was the fairest of all girls.
Saga Heiðreks konúngs ens vitra ch. 2: One day as the king rode out .... Ok einn dag, er konúngr reið á hunting, he lost sight of his men. He veiðar, ok hann varðeinn sinna rode deep into the forest in pursuit manna, sá hann einn stein mikinn við of a hart but when the sun sank the sólsetr, ok þar hjá dverga tvá; following day, he still hadn’t caught konúngr vígði þá utan steins með it. He’d ridden so far into the forest,
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málasaxi; þeir beiddu jörlausnar. he hardly knew where he was. He saw a tall stone in the sunset, and by it two dwarves. He drew his knife over them, binding them outside the Konúngr mælti: Hvat heiti þér? stone by the power of graven iron. They begged for their lives. Annar nefndist Dvalinn, en annar Dulinn. The king asked, “What are your names?” Konúngr mælti: Af því at þið eruð allra dverga hagastir, þá skulu þið One was called Dvalin, the other gera mér sverð, sem bezt kunni þið; Dulin. hjöltin ok meðalka linn skal vera af gulli; þat skal svá bíta járn, sem The king said, “Since you two are klæði, ok aldri ryðr á festast; því skal the most skilled out of all the fylgja sigr í orrustum ok einvígjum, dwarves, you shall make me a hverjum er berr; sword, the best that you can. The guard and boss shall be of gold, and þetta játta þeir. Konúngr ríðr heim. the grip too. It will bite iron like En er stefnudagr kemr, þá ríðr cloth and never rust. It will bring konúngr til steinsins ; eru þá dvergar victory in battles and single úti, ok fengu konúngi sverðit, ok var combats for all who bear it.” ið fríðasta. En er Dvalinn stóð í steindurum, þá mælti hann; They agree to this. The king rides home. And when it comes to the sverð þitt, Svafrlami; verðr manns appointed day, he rides to the stone. bani hvert sinn, er brugðit er, ok með The dwarves were outside. They því skulu unnin vera 3 níðingsverk, hand him the sword and it was þat skal ok vera þinn bani. indeed splendid. But as Dvalin stood in the doorway of the stone, he said: Þá hjó konúngr sverðinu til dverganna, lupu þeir í steininn; “May your sword, Sigrlami, be a höggit kom ok í steininn, ok fal báða man’s bane each time it is drawn eggsteina, þvíat dyrnar lukust aptr á and may three vile deeds be done steininn. with that sword. It will also be [1] Konúngr kallaði sverðit Tyr ing, ok death to your kin.” barr hann jamnan síðan í orrustum
ok einvígjum, ok hafði jamnan sigr. Then the king swung his sword at Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 1 the dwarves. They sprang into the Þessi konungr hafði eignazt sverð þat rock. The sword stuck right into the af dvergum, er Tyr ingr hét ok allra stone so that both edges were lost var bitrast, ok hvert sinn, er því var from sight, for the door closed brugðit, þá lýsti af svá sem af behind them in the stone. sólargeisla. Aldri mátti hann svá hafa
beran, at eigi yrði hann manns bani,
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ok með vörmu blóði skyldi hann jafnan slíðra. En ekki var þat kvikt, Sigrlami kept that sword and called hvárki menn né kvikvendi, er lifa it Tyr ing. It was the sharpest of mætti til annars dags, ef sár fekk af swords and each time it was drawn honum, hvárt sem var meira eða it shone like a sunbeam. Never could minna. Aldri hafði hann brugðizt í it be bared without killing a man, höggi eða staðar numit, fyrr en hann and with warm blood it would kom í jörð, ok sá maðr, er hann bar í always be sheathed. And nothing, orrostu, mundi sigr fá, ef honum var not human nor animal, could live a vegit. Þetta sverð er frægt í öllum day if they got a wound from it, no fornsögum. matter how great or small. It never failed to strike, nor did it stop till it hit the earth, and any man who bore it in battle would have victory if he used it. The king bore it in battles and single combats and had victory every time. That sword is famous in all the old sagas.
2. KAPÍTULI 2. Of Arngrim and his Sons
Saga Heiðreks konúngs ens vitra ch. 2: There was a man called Arngrim. He Arngrímr var þá í víking í austrveg um was a famous viking. He journeyed Bjarmland.; hann herjaði í ríki Sigrlama east to Gardariki and stayed a while konúngs, ok átti orrustu við hann, ok with King Sigrlami and became the áttust þeir vápnaskipti við, ok hjó general of his army, to get both konúngr til hans; Arngrímr kom fyri sik lands and subjects, for the king was skildinum, ok tók af skjaldarsporðinn, ok nam sverðit í jörðu staðar. Þá hjó now old. Arngrim became such a Arngrímr af konúngi höndina, ok féll þá great chief now, the king gave him niðr Tyr ingr; Arngrímr þreif sverðit his daughter in marriage and Tyr ing, ok hjó með konúnginn fyrst, ok appointed him to the highest síðan marga aðra; position in his realm. He gave him the sword Tyr ing. Then the king tók hann herfáng mikit, ok lutti settled down and nothing more is brott með sér Eyfuru, konúngsdóttur, told of him. ok lutti hann hana heim til bús síns í Arngrim went north with his wife Bólm; hann átti með henni tólf syni: Eyfura to his family estate and Angantýr var elds2, þá Hervaðr, þá settled on the island of Bolm. They Hjörvarðr, Sæmingr ok Rani, Brami, had twelve sons. The oldest and Barri, Reifnir, Tindr ok Búi, ok tvá most famous was Angantyr, the Haddingjar, ok unnu þeir báðir eins second Hjorvard, the third Hervard, verk, þvíat þeir voru tvíburar ok the fourth Hrani, then Brami, Barri, yngstir; en Angantýr vann tveggja Reifnir, Tind, Saeming and Bui and verk, hann var ok höfði hærri, enn
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aðrir menn; allir voru þeir berserkir, the two Haddings, who had between ok umfram aðra menn at a li ok them only as much strength as one áræði; en þóat þeir færi færi í hernað, of the others, because they were þá voru þeir aldri leiri á skipi, enn twins, and because they were the tólf bræðr. Þeir fóru víða um lönd at youngest. But Angantyr had the herja, ok voru mjök sigrsælir, ok urðu strength of two. They were all of inir frægustu. them berserks, such strong and great ighters that they would never travel except as a band of twelve. And they were never in a battle they didn’t win. Because of this they became famous in all the lands and there wasn’t a king who did not give them what they wanted.
3. Heitstrenging 3. Hjorvard’s Oathtaking
Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 2: It was Yule Eve, the time for men to Þat var tíðenda eitthvert sinn make solemn vows at the ceremony jólaaptan, at menn skyldu heit of the bragarfull, or chief’s cup, as is strengja at bragarfulli, sem siðr er til. the custom. Then Arngrim’s sons Þá strengdu heit Arngríms synir. made vows. Hjorvard took this oath, Hjörvarðr strengdi þess heit, at hann that he would have the daughter of skyldi eiga dóttur Ingjalds Ingjald king of the Swedes, the girl Svíakonungs, þá mey, er fræg var um who was famed through all lands öll lönd at fegrð ok atgervi, eða enga for beauty and skill, or else he konu ella. would have no other woman. That same spring, the twelve Þat sama vár gera þeir bræðr ferð brothers make their way and they sína tólf ok koma til Uppsala ok come to Uppsala and walk before ganga fyrir konungs borð, ok þar sat the kings table, and there sat his dóttir hans hjá honum. Þá segir daughter beside him. Then Hjorvard Hjörvarðr erendi sitt konungi ok tells his errand to the king and his heitstrenging, en allir hlýddu, þeir er oath, and everyone in the hall inni váru. Hjörvarðr biðr konung listened. Hjorvard asks the king to segja skjótt, hvert erendi hann skal say quickly what answer he will þangat eiga. Konungr hugsar þetta give. The king thinks about this mál ok veit, hversu miklir þeir bræðr matter, and he knows how powerful váru fyrir sér ok af ágætu kyni the brothers were and of what komnir. reputed kin. Í því bili stígr fram y ir konungs There were two men staying with borðit sá maðr, er hét Hjálmarr inn King Ingjald at this time, as his hugumstóri, ok mælti til konungs: champions and land-wards: Hjalmar "Herra konungr, minnizt þér nú, hvé the Great-Heart and Odd the mikinn sóma ek he i yðr veitt, síðan Traveller who was called er ek kom í þetta land, ok hversu Arrow-Odd. And when Hjalmar
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margar orrostur ek átta at vinna ríki heard what the berserks said, he undir yðr, ok he i ek yðr látit heimila stepped up before the table and mína þjónustu. Nú bið ek yðr, at þér spoke to the king: “Lord king, does veitið mér til sæmdar ok ge ið mér your majesty remember now what dóttur yðra, er minn hugr he ir great honour I have brought you jafnan á leikit. Ok er þat makligra, at since I came to your kingdom and þér veitið mér þessa bæn heldr en how many battles I fought to win berserkjunum, þeim er illt eitt hafa lands for you, and have I not always gert bæði í yðru ríkir ok margra put my service at your disposal? annarra konunga." Now I ask you that you do me the Nú hugsar konungr hálfu meir ok honour of giving me your daughter þykkir nú þetta mikit vandamál, er to whom my thoughts have always þessir tveir höfðingjar keppast svá turned. And it is more appropriate mjök um dóttur hans. that you grant this boon to me than Konungr segir á þessa leið: to the berserks who have wrought Hvártveggi sjá er svá mikill maðr ok ill both in your realm and in many vel ættborinn, at hvárigum vill hann other kingdoms.” synja mægða, ok biðr hana kjósa, Now the king thinks all the more, hvárn hún vill eiga. Hún segir svá, at and it seems a very tricky problem, þat er jafnt, ef faðir hennar vill gifta these two leaders competing so hana, þá vill hún þann eiga, er henni much over his daughter. er kunnr at góðu, en eigi hinn, er hún The king speaks thus and says that he ir sögur einar frá ok allar illar sem each of them is such a great man frá Arngríms sonum. Hjörvarðr býðr and so nobly born that he will Hjálmari á hólm suðr í Sámsey ok refuse them both his daughter. And biðr hann verða hvers manns níðing, he asks her to choose which one she ef hann gengr fyrr at eiga frúna en wants to have. She says that is fair: if þetta einvígi er reynt. Hjálmarr kveðr her father wishes to give her in sik ekki skulu dvelja. Fara nú marriage, then she wants the one Arngríms synir heim ok segja feðr she knows to be good, and not one sínum sitt erendi, en Arngrímr kveðst she has only heard stories of, and all aldri fyrr hafa óttazt um ferð þeira. of them bad, as with Arngrim’s sons. Hjorvard challenges Hjalmar to Þessu næst fara þeir bræðr til come south to the island of Samsey Bjarmars jarls, ok gerir hann í móti and curses him as a coward þeim veizlu mikla. Ok nú vill despised by all if he goes irst and Angantýr fá dóttur jarls, er Sváfa hét, weds the lady before the duel is ok var nú drukkit brúðlaup þeira. Ok decided. Hjalmar says he won’t nú segir Angantýr jarli draum sinn: delay. Now Arngrim’s sons go home Honum þótti þeir bræðr staddir í and tell their father how it went. Sámsey, ok fundu þar fugla marga ok And Arngrim says he’s never feared drápu alla. Þá sneru þeir annan veg á for them on any of their expeditions eyna, ok lugu í móti þeim ernir tveir, before now. ok þóttist hann ganga í móti öðrum, Immediately afterwards, the ok áttu þeir hart viðskipti, ok settust brothers travel to Jarl Bjarmar and niðr báðir, áðr létti. En annarr örninn he welcomes them with a great átti við bræðr hans ellefu, ok þótti
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honum örninn efri verða. feast. And now Angantyr wishes to wed the jarl’s daughter, who was Jarl segir, at þann draum þurfti ekki called Svafa, and they celebrated at ráða ok þar væri honum sýnt fall their wedding feast. And now rikra manna. Angantyr tells the jarl his dream: “It seemed to me,” he said, “that we brothers stood on Samsey and found many birds and killed them all. Then I dreamt we turned along a different way on the island and there lew towards us two eagles, and it seemed I went against one, and we had tough dealings together, and we both put each other on the loor before we stopped. And the other eagle fought with my eleven brothers, and it seemed to me the eagle got the better of them.” The jarl says that there is no need to analyse that dream, for there he was shown the fall of mighty men.
4. KAPÍTULI 4. Battle on Samsey
Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 3: En er þeir bræðr koma heim, búast þeir til hólmstefnu, ok leiðir faðir But when the brothers come home, þeira þá til skips ok gaf þá sverðit they prepare themselves for the Tyr ing Angantý. duelling place, and their father "Hygg ek," segir hann, "at nú muni leads them to the ship and then gave þörf vera góðra vápna." Hann biðr þá the sword Tyr ing to Angantyr. nú vel fara; eptir þat skiljast þeir. “I think,” he says, “that there will be Ok er þeir bræðr koma í Sámsey, sjá a need of good weapons.” þeir, hvar tvau skip liggja í höfn þeiri, He bids them farewell. After that, er Munarvágr hét. Þau skip hétu they leave. askar. Þeir þóttust vita, at Hjálmarr And when the brothers come to mundi þessi skip eiga ok Oddr inn Samsey, they see two ships lying in víðförli, er kallaðr var Örvar-Oddr. Þá the cove which is called Munway. brugðu Arngríms synir sverðum ok Those ships were the kind called bitu í skjaldarrendr, ok kom á þá ‘ashes’. They thought these ships berserksgangr. Þeir gengu þá sex út á must belong to Hjalmar and Odd. hvárn askinn. En þar váru svá góðir Then Arngrim’s sons drew their drengir innan borðs, at allir tóku sín swords and bit on their shield-rims, vápn, ok engi lýði ór sínu rúmi, ok and the berserk-state came on engi mælti æðruorð. En berserkirnir them. Then six of them went out gengu með öðru borði fram, en öðru onto each of the ashes. And there
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aptr ok drápu þá alla. Síðan gengu were such good warriors on board þeir á land upp grenjandi. there that they all took up their weapons, and no one led from his Hjálmarr ok Oddr höfðu gengit upp á post, and no one uttered a word of eyna at vita, ef berserkirnir væri fear. And the berserks went up one komnir. Ok er þeir gengu ór side and down the other and killed skóginum til skipa sinna, þá gengu them all. Then they walked up onto berserkir út af skipum þeira með the land roaring. blóðgum vápnum ok brugðnum Hjalmar and Odd had gone up onto sverðum, ok var þá genginn af þeim the island to see if the berserks had berserksgangrinn. En þá verða þeir come. And as they walked out of the máttminni en þess á milli sem eptir woods to their ships, the berserks nokkurs kyns sóttir. Þá kvað Oddr: came out of the ships with bloodied weapons, and then the "Þá var mér berserk-state went off them. And ótti einu sinni, they became weaker then that at er þeir grenjandi other times, as after some kind of gengu af öskum sickness. And Odd intoned: (ok emjandi í ey stigu) “One time only tírarlausir, I was frightened, váru tólf saman." when from warships they walked roaring Þá mælti Hjálmarr til Odds: "Sér þú (and loud yowling nú, at fallnir eru menn okkrir allir, ok to the island climbed) sýnist mér nú líkast, at vér munum twelve together, allir Óðin gista í kveld í Valhöllu." gloryless.” Ok þat eitt segja menn, at Hjálmarr ha i mælt æðruorð. Oddr svarar: "Þat Then Hjalmar said to Odd, “Do you mundi mitt ráð vera, at vit lýðim see there that all our men have undan á skóg, ok munu vit ekki mega fallen, and it appears to me most tveir berjast við þá tólf, er drepit hafa likely now that we will all be Odin’s tólf ina fræknustu menn, er váru í guests in Valhall tonight.” Svíaríki." And that, men say, is the only word Þá mælti Hjálmarr: "Flýjum vit aldri of fear that Hjalmar spoke. undan óvinum okkrum ok þolum Odd answers, “My advice would be heldr vápn þeira; fara vil ek at berjast this: that we get away from here to við berserki." the wood, because the two of us will Oddr svaraði: "En ek nenni eigi at not be able to ight those twelve gista Óðin í kveld, ok skulu þessir who have killed the bravest men allir dauðir berserkir, áðr kveld sé, en who were in Sweden.” vit tveir lifa." Then said Hjalmar, “We will never Þetta viðrmæli þeira sanna þessar lee from our enemies but rather vísur, er Hjálmarr kvað: endure their weapons. I will go to ight a berserk.” "Fara halir hraustir Odd answered, “Well, I’m not in the af herskipum,
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tólf menn saman mood to lodge with Odin tonight, so tírarlausir; they will all be dead berserks before vit munum evening, and us two will live.” í aptan Óðin gista That conversation of theirs is tveir fóstbræðr, proved by this these lines which en þeir tólf lifa." Hjalmar chanted:
Oddr segir: “Bold fellows fare forth off warships, "Því mun orði twelve together, andsvör veita: gloryless; Þeir munu í aptan we foster brothers Óðin gista must feast with Odin, tólf berserkir, this very evening en vit tveir lifa." while those twelve live.”
Þeir Hjálmarr sá, at Angantýr hafði Odd says: Tyr ing í hendi, því at lýsti af sem
sólargeisla. Hjálmarr mælti: "Hvárt “To that an answer viltu eiga við Angantý einn eða við I can give you: bræðr hans ellefu?" Oddr segir: "Ek This evening it’s they vil berjast við Angantý. Hann mun who’ll eat with Odin, gefa stór högg með Tyr ingi, en ek those twelve berserks, trúi betr skyrtu minni en brynju and the two of us live.” þinni til hlífðar."
Hjálmarr mælti: "Hvar kómu vit þess Then Hjalmar saw that Angantyr til orrostu, at þú gengir fram fyrir had Tyr ing in his hand because it mik? Því viltu berjast við Angantý, at shone like a sunbeam. Hjalmar þér þykkir þat meira þrekvirki. Nú spoke: “Which do you want to ight: em ek höfuðsmaðr þessar Angantyr on his own, or his eleven hólmgöngu; hét ek öðru brothers?” konungsdóttur í Svíþjóðu en láta þik Odd says, “I want to ight with eða annan ganga í þetta einvígi fyrir Angantyr. He will give hard knocks mik, ok skal ek berjast við Angantý," with Tyr ing, but I believe my shirt -- ok brá þá sverðinu ok gekk fram í is better protection than your móti Angantý, ok vísaði hvárr öðrum byrnie.” til Valhallar. Snúast þeir í móti, Hjálmarr ok Angantýr, ok láta Hjalmar spoke: “Wherever did we skammt stórra höggva á milli. come to a battle, where you go forward in front of me? That’s why Oddr kallar á berserki ok kvað: you want to ight with Angantyr, because you think that will get you "Einn skal við einn eiga, more glory. Well, I’m the leader of nema sé deigr, this duelling expedition. In Sweden I hvatra drengja, promised the king’s daughter I’d not eða hugr bili." let you or anyone else go into this
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duel in front of me. So I should ight Þá gekk fram Hjörvarðr, ok áttust Angantyr.” And he drew his sword þeir Oddr við hart vápnaskipti. En then and stepped up towards silkiskyrta Odds var svá traust, at Angantyr, and they dedicated each ekki vápn festi á, en hann hafði sverð other to Valhall. And they didn’t svá gott, at svá beit brynju sem klæði. leave long between each heavy Ok fá högg hafði hann veitt Hjörvarði, stroke. áðr hann fell dauðr. Þá gekk til Odd called to the berserks and said: Hervarðr ok fór sömu leið, þá Hrani, þá hverr at öðrum, en Oddr veitti “One on one, lads, þeim svá harða atsókn, at alla felldi unless you’re scared; hann þá ellefu bræðr. En frá leik þeira single combat, Hjálmars er þat at segja, at Hjálmarr or where’s your courage?” fekk sextán sár, en Angantýr fell dauðr. Then Hjorvard went forward and he and Odd had a hard exchange of Oddr gekk þar til, er Hjálmarr var, ok blows. And Odd’s silk shirt was so kvað: reliable that no weapon could get a grip on it, and he had a sword so "Hvat er þér, Hjálmarr? good it bit mail like cloth. And he He ir þú lit brugðit. hadn’t dealt many cuts before Þik kveð ek mæða margar undir; Hjorvard fell dead. Then Hervard hjálmr er þinn höggvinn, stepped up and went the same way, en á hlið brynja, then Hrani, then one after the other, nú kveð ek jörvi of farit þínu." and Odd dealt them such a ierce Hjálmar kvað: onslaught that he laid low all eleven brothers. And of Hjalmar’s match "Sár he i ek sextán, it’s to be told that Hjalmar took slitna brynju, sixteen wounds, and Angantyr fell svart er mér fyr sjónum, dead. séka ek ganga; Odd went up to where Hjalmar was, hneit mér við hjarta hjörr Angantýs, and said: hvass blóðre ill, herðr í eitri." “What’s up, Hjalmar? Your hue’s altered. I say many wounds Ok enn kvað hann: do weary you. Your helm is hewn, and the hauberk on your side; "Áttak at fullu I say your life imm tún saman, has left you now.” en ek því aldri unda ráði; Hjalmar sang: nú verð ek “I’ve sixteen wounds, liggja lífs andvani, a slit byrnie; sverði undaðr, there’s clouds before my eyes— í Sámseyju.
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can’t see. It entered my heart, Drekka í höllu Angantyr’s sword, húskarlar fell bloodspike, mjöð menjum forged in poison.” göfgir at míns föður; And he sang again: mæðir marga “I owned ive mungát ira, farms in all en mik eggja but that was never spor í eyju þjá. enough for me. Now I must lie, of life deprived, Hvarf ek frá sword-maimed, hvítri hlaðs on Samsey Isle. beðgunni á Agna it utanverðri; Housecarls do sup saga mun sannast, in the hall on mead, sú er hún with gems fêted, sagði mér, at father’s place. at aptr koma Many men is the ale eigi mundak. making weary, but me, sword-tracks [2] on Samsey torment. Drag þú mér af hendi I left the fair hring inn rauða, valkyrie of cloaks [3] færðu inni on Agna it ungu Ingibjörgu; to the ocean side; sá mun henni it’ll turn out true, hugfastr tregi, what she told to me, er ek eigi kem that never after til Uppsala. would I be back.
Hvarf ek frá Take the red-gold fögrum ljóða söngvi ring off my hand ótrauðr gamans and bring it to young austr við Sóta; Ingibjorg; för skundaðak that grief will ix ok fórk í lið hinzta fast in her mind, sinni frá hollvinum. that I’ll not come to Uppsala . Hrafn lýgr austan af hám meiði, f Away I turned lýgr honum from womens’ song, eptir örn í sinni; and eager for joy,
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þeim gef ek erni I eastward fared; efstum bráðir, on I hastened, sá mun á blóði teamed up with Soti, bergja mínu." left dear friends one inal time. Eptir þat deyr Hjálmarr. Oddr segir þessi tíðendi heim í Svíþjóð, en Raven lies from the east konungsdóttir má eigi lifa eptir hann from his lofty tree; ok ræðr sér sjálf bana. after him eagle Angantýr ok bræðr hans váru lagðir í in escort lies . haug í Sámsey með öllum vápnum To that last eagle sínum. I leave my lesh. He’ll banquet upon on the blood of me.”
After that Hjalmar dies. Odd brings these tidings home to Sweden and the king’s daughter could not live after him and took her own life. Angantyr and his brothers were laid in a mound on Samsey with all their weapons.
5. Fædd Hervör 5. Hervor Got the Sword Tyr ing
Bjarmar’s daughter was with child. Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 4 That was an exceptionally fair lass. She was sprinkled with water [4] Dóttir Bjarmars var með barni; þat and given a name and called Hervor, var mær einkar fögr. Sú var vatni but it was the opinion of most that ausin ok nafn ge it ok kölluð Hervör. she should be left outside, [5] and they said she wouldn’t be too ladylike if she took after her father’s kin.
Hún fæddist upp með jarli ok var sterk sem karlar, ok þegar hún mátti She was brought up with the Jarl sér nokkut, tamdist hún meir við skot and was as strong as the boys. And ok skjöld ok sverð en við sauma eða as soon as she could do anything for borða. Hún gerði ok optar illt en gott, herself, she trained more with shot ok er henni var þat bannat, hljóp hún and shield and sword than sewing á skóga ok drap menn til jár sér. Ok or embroidery. She did more bad er jarl spyrr til þessa stigamanns, fór than good too. And when these hann þangat með liði sínu ok tók things were forbidden to her, she Hervöru ok hafði heim með sér, ok ran into the woods and killed men
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dvaldist hún þá heima um stund. for their money. And when the Jarl hears of this highwayman, he went Þat var eitt sinn, er Hervör var úti there with his troops and caught stödd því nær, er þrælar nokkurir Hervor and brought her home, and váru, ok gerði hún þeim illt sem then she stayed at home for a bit. öðrum. It happened one time that Hervor was stood outside, near where some Þá mælti í þrællinn: "Þú, Hervör, vilt thralls were, and she was having a illt eitt gera, ok ills er at þér ván, ok go at them, just as she treated því bannar jarl öllum mönnum at everyone. segja þér þitt faðerni, at honum Then one of the thralls interrupted þykkir skömm, at þú vitir þat, því at her, saying, “You, Hervor, all you inn versti þræll lagðist með dóttur want to do is evil, but evil’s only to hans, ok ertu þeira barn." be expected of you. And the Jarl has forbidden anyone to tell you about Hervör varð við þessi orð æfar reið ok your parents because he thinks it gengr þegar fyrir jarl ok kvað: shameful for you to know about "Áka ek várri that, because the lowest thrall lay vegsemd hrósa, with his daughter and you are their þótt hún Fróðmars child.” fengi hylli; On hearing this, Hervor became föður hugðumst ek furious and went straight before the fræknan eiga, Jarl and exclaimed: nú er sagðr fyr mér svína hirðir." “I needn’t boast of noble kin Jarl kvað: though mother found Frodmar’s favour; "Logit er margt at þér a great lineage lítil of efni, I liked to believe, frækn með irðum but here I’m told: var faðir þinn taliðr; a herder of swine.” stendr Angantýs ausinn moldu The Jarl declared: salr í Sámsey sunnanverðri." “You’ve heard a great lie, little of substance; Hún kvað: noble among men your father was known. "Nú fýsir mik, Strewn all with soil fóstri, at vitja stands Angantyr’s fram genginna hall on Samsey, frænda minna; south side of the island.” auð mundu þeir eiga nógan, She said: þann skal ek öðlast, “Now, foster father, nema ek áðr förumst.
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I fain a visit Skal skjótliga would pay upon um skör búa departed kin. blæju líni, I’ll warrant they owned áðr braut fari; wealth in plenty; mikit býr í því, unless I perish er á morgin skal I’d like to get it. skera bæði mér skyrtu ok ólpu." From my hair with haste headdress must go; Síðan mælti Hervör við móður sína let’s off with the linen ok kvað: before I leave. Much depends, "Bú þú mik at öllu upon my rising, sem þú bezt kunnir, on cloak and shirt sannfróð kona, being cut for me.” sem þú son mundir; satt eitt mun mér í svefn bera, Then Hervor spoke with her mother fæ ek ekki hér and said: yndi it næsta." “Prepare me now
with proper care, Síðan bjóst hún í brott ein saman ok truly wise woman, tók sér karlmanns gervi ok vápn ok as you would a son; sótti þar til, er víkingar nokkurir a certain truth váru, ok fór með þeim um hríð ok in sleep to me comes: nefndist Hervarðr. no joy will I have here at all soon.” Litlu síðar tók þessi Hervarðr forræði liðsins, ok er þeir kómu til Sámseyjar, Then she got ready to leave alone þá beiddist Hervarðr at fara upp á with the gear and weapons of a man eyna ok sagði, at þar mundi vera and made her way to where some féván í haugi. En allir liðsmenn mæla vikings were and sailed with them í móti ok segja, at svá miklar for a while and called herself meinvættir gangi þar öll dægr, at þar Hervard. er verra um daga en víða um nætr A little later, the captain died and annars staðar. Þat fæst um síðir, at this ‘Hervard’ took command of the kastat var akkerum, en Hervarðr sté í crew. And when they came to the bát ok reri til lands ok lendi í island of Samsey, ‘Hervard’ told Munarvági í þann tíma, er sól settist, them to stop there so he could go up ok hitti þar mann þann, er hjörð helt. onto the island and said there’d be a good chance of treasure in the Hervararkviða 1 : mound. But all the crewmen speak against it and say that such evil 1. things walk there night and day that Hitt hefr mær ung
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í Munarvági it’s worse there in the daytime than við sólar setr most places are at night. In the end, segg at hjörðu. they agree to drop anchor, and ‘Hervard’ climbed into the boat and Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 4 rowed ashore and landed in Munway just as the sun was setting. Hann kvað: And he met a man there watching his herd. "Hverr er ýta
í ey kominn?
Gakk þú sýsliga The young maiden gistingar til." met at sunset in Munway Cove "Munka ek ganga a man herding. gistingar til,
þvít ek engi kann
eyjarskeggja; He said: segðu elligar,
áðr vit skiljum: “Of human kind, Hvar eru Hjörvarðs who’s come to the island? haugar kenndir?" Hie you hastily Hann kvað: home to your lodging!”
"Spyrjattu at því, She said: spakr ertu eigi, vinr víkinga, “Home to my lodging ertu vanfarinn; I’ll hie me not, förum fráliga, as I know none sem okkr fætr toga; of the island folk; allt er úti so inform me fast ámátt irum." before you go: where are Hjorvard’s Hervararkviða 4 : Howes [6] meant to be?”
Hervör kvað: He said:
4. “Don’t ask me that, "Men bjóðum þér you don’t seem wise, máls at gjöldum; prince of pirates, mun-a drengja vin your plight is dire; dælt at letja: let’s lee as fast fær engi mér as our feet can carry us; svá fríðar hnossir, it’s all too much fagra bauga, for men out here.” at ek fara eigi."
Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 4 She said:
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Hún kvað: “Here’s a prize necklace in payment for talk; "Hirðum eigi at fælast I doubt you’ll divert við fnösun slíka, the vikings’ boss.” þótt um alla ey eldar brenni; He said: látum okkr eigi “None can hand me lítit hræða such hansom gems, rekka slíka, such good treasures ræðumst leira við." that I go not my way.”
Hann kvað:
"Heimskr þykki mér, sá er heðan ferr, She said: maðr einn saman myrkvar grímur; “Let’s not deign to fear hyrr er á sveimun, such izzing and sizzling [7] haugar opnast, though the whole island brenn fold ok fen, heave with ire; förum harðara." let’s not take fright at fallen heroes Hervararkviða 7: quite so quickly, come let us talk.” 7. Var þá féhirðir He said: ljótr til skógar “Silly would seem mjök frá máli someone to me meyjar þessar; who heads on alone en harðsnúinn from here by night; hugr í brjósti ire is blazing, um sakar slíkar barrows open, svellr Hervöru. ield burns and fen— let’s go faster.” Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 4
Enda tók hann þá hlaup heim til
bæjar, ok skildi þar með þeim. Nú sér
hún því næst út á eyna, hvar Hotfoot to the holt haugaeldrinn brenn, ok gengr hún the herdsman was off then, þangat til ok hræðist ekki, þótt allir led far away haugar væri á götu hennar. Hún óð from the words of this girl, fram í þessa elda sem í myrkva, þar but Hervor’s heart til er hún kom at haugi berserkjanna. hard-knit in her breast Þá kvað hún: swells boldly now "Vaki þú, Angantýr, about such matters.
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vekr þik Hervör, eingadóttir ykkr Sváfu; And so he took off home to his seldu ór haugi village, and they parted company hvassan mæki, there. And at that she sees where þann er Sigurlama the grave- ire is burning over on the slógu dvergar. edge of the island, and she goes up there and is not afraid though all Hervarðr, Hjörvarðr, the mounds were in her path and Hrani, Angantýr, the dead standing outside. She vek ek yðr alla waded through the lame as if und viðar rótum, through fog till she came to the hjálmi ok með brynju, barrow of the berserks. hvössu sverði, Then she called: rönd ok með reiði, roðnum geiri. “Awake, Angantyr! Hervor wakes you, Mjök eru orðnir only daughter Arngríms synir of you and Svafa; megir meingjarnir from your crypt give me at moldarauka, that keenest blade, er engi gerir the sword dwarves struck sona Eyfuru for King Sigrlami. við mik mæla í Munarvági. Hervard, Hjorvard, Hrani, Angantyr, Hervarðr, Hjörvarðr, under forest roots Hrani, Angantýr, I rouse you all, svá sé yðr öllum with buckler, with byrnie, innan ri ja bright helm and harness, sem þér í maura a good sharp glaive, mornið haugi, and gold-reddened spear. nema sverð selið, þat er sló Dvalinn; So much for you samir eigi draugum sons of Arngrim, dýrt vápn bera." mean men to the mould adding, Þá kvað Angantýr: when Eyfura’s boy won’t even talk "Hervör dóttir, to me tonight hvat kallar svá, in Munway Bay . full feiknstafa? Ferr þú þér at illu; Hervard, Hjorvard, ær ertu orðin Hrani, Angantyr, ok örviti, be racked in your ribs vill hyggjandi, as if rotting vekr upp dauða menn.
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deep in an anthill, Grófat mik faðir if you don’t hand over né frændr aðrir; Dvalin’s sword; þeir höfðu Tyr ing it does not suit tveir, er lifðu, dead men to grip varð þó eigandi a good weapon.” einn um síðir." Then said Angantyr:
“Hervor, daughter, Hún kvað: what drives you to call so? Brimful of bale-runes, "Segir þú eigi satt, you’re bound for grief. svá láti áss þik You’re out of your mind, heilan í haugi sitja, mad have you gone, sem þú ha ir eigi lost your wits now, Tyr ing með þér; waking up dead men. trauðr ertu
arf at veita A father did not eingabarni." dig my grave, no parent buried me, nor other kinsmen; Þá opnaðist haugrinn, ok var sem they had Tyr ing, eldr ok logi væri allr haugrinn. Þá the two who lived, kvað Angantýr: though the owner was but one in the end.” "Hnígin er helgrind, haugar opnast, She said: allr er í eldi eybarmr at sjá; “It’s a lie what you say— atalt er úti may the god only let you um at lítast, sit hale in your howe skyntu, mær, ef þú mátt, if you have not got it til skipa þinna." laid in there with you; reluctant you are Hún svarar: heirlooms to share with your only child.” "Brennið eigi svá bál á nóttum, Then the mound opened and it was at ek við elda as though the whole barrow was yðra hræðumst; ire and lame. And Angantyr said: skelfr eigi meyju muntún hugar, “Hellgate gapes þótt hún draug sjái and graves open, fyr durum standa." all is ire on the island’s rim; Þá kvað Angantýr:
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it’s grim outside "Segi ek þér, Hervör, to gaze around; hlýð þú til enn, shift yourself, girl, vísa dóttir, if you can, to your ships.” þat er verða mun: Sjá mun Tyr ingr, She answers: ef þú trúa mættir, ætt þinni, mær, “You can’t burn allri spilla. any bon ires by night, no lames laring Muntu son geta, to frighten me; þann er síðan mun your daughter’s mind Tyr ing hafa does not tremble ok trúa magni; though dead men there þann munu Heiðrek in the door she see.” heita lýðar, sá mun ríkstr alinn Then said Angantyr: und röðuls tjaldi." “I say to you, Hervor, Hervararkviða 19: have a listen, wise daughter, now Hervör kvað: to what will be: 19. this sword Tyr ing "Ek vígi svá (try to believe it) virða dauða, will, girl, your offspring at ér skuluð all destroy. allir liggja dauðir með draugum A lad you’ll bear í dys fúnir; who later shall own sel mér, Angantýr, the sword Tyr ing út ór haugi and trust his own strength; dverga smíði; people will call dugir-a þér at leyna." the boy Heidrek, he’ll grow mightiest Angantýr kvað: under heaven’s tent.”
20. "Kveðk-at þik, mær ung, She declared: mönnum líka, er þú um hauga “I cast this curse hvarfar á nóttum on killed warriors, gröfnum geiri that you entombed ok með Gota málmi, shall all lie there hjálmi ok með brynju undead with dead fyrir hallar dyrr." in the dank rotten; give me, Angantyr, Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 4
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from out of your mound Þá kvað Hervör: (it won’t help you to hide it) the dwarves’ handiwork.” "Maðr þóttumst ek mennskr til þessa, áðr ek sali yðra sækja hafðak; He says: seldu mér ór haugi þann, er hatar brynjur, “I say you aren’t, girl, hlífum hættan like other humans, Hjálmars bana." to walk among howes up here by night Þá kvað Angantýr: with graven spear "Liggr mér und herðum and with Gothic steel, Hjálmars bani, with helm and harness allr er hann utan at the door to my hall.” eldi sveipinn; mey veit ek enga fyr mold ofan, Then said Hervor: at hjör þann þori í hönd bera." “I did think I was human, at home with the living, Hervör kvað: till down I came to your dead men’s hall; "Ek mun hirða so hand me from your howe ok í hönd nema what hates armour, hvassan mæki, the hazard of shields, ef ek hafa mættak; Hjalmar’s bane.” uggi ek eigi eld brennanda, Then said Angantyr: þegar loga lægir, er ek lít y ir." “Hjalmar’s bane lies below my shoulders; Þá kvað Angantýr: the blade is wrapped right round in lame; "Heimsk ertu, Hervör, one girl only hugar eigandi, on earth up there er þú at augum I guess would dare í eld hrapar; take that glaive in hand.” heldr vil ek selja þér sverð ór haugi, Hervor said: mær in unga, mák þér eigi synja." “I’ll take care of and take in my hand edge-sharp the blade, Hervör kvað: could I but have it;
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"Vel gerðir þú, I’m not afraid víkinga niðr, of ire burning; er þú seldir mér the lame’s soon out sverð ór haugi; that I look over.” betr þykkjumst nú, Then said Angantyr: bragningr, hafa en ek Noregi “You’re foolish, Hervor, næðak öllum." but full of daring, to rush into ire Angantýr kvað: with your eyes open; rather, young girl, "Veizt eigi þú, I think I’ll give you vesöl ertu máls, the cleaver from my cairn, feiknfull kona, I can’t refuse.” hví þú fagna skalt; Hervor said: Sjá mun Tyr ingr, ef þú trúa mættir, “You did well, ætt þinni, mær, warrior kinsman, allri spilla." when from your grave you gave the sword; Hún segir: I’d rather have that, "Ek mun ganga regal lord, til gjálfrmara, than all Norway nú er hilmis mær beneath my sway.” í hugum góðum; lítt rækik þat, Angantyr said: lofðunga niðr, hvé synir mínir “Wicked woman, síðan deila." what would you know? No need for glee Hann kvað: or glad words now; this blade Tyr ing "Þú skalt eiga (you’d better believe) ok una lengi, will, girl, your offspring hafðu á huldu all destroy.” Hjálmars bana; takattu á eggjum, She says: eitr er í báðum, sá er manns “I will go mjötuðr to my ocean-steeds; meini verri. now the chief’s daughter is cheery enough; Far vel, dóttir, what do I care, ljótt gæfak þér cousin of nobles, tólf manna jör,
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ef þú trúa mættir, how later my sons a l ok eljun, will settle this thing.” allt it góða, þat er synir Arngríms He says: at sik leifðu." “You shall own Hún kvað: and long enjoy, but keep covered, "Búi þér allir, what killed Hjalmar; brott fýsir mik, press not the edges— heilir í haugi, there’s poison in both— heðan vil ek skjótla; a man’s doom, that, helzt þóttumst nú more dire than plague. heima í millim, er mik umhver is Fare well, daughter, eldar brunnu." freely I’d have lent you the lives of twelve men, Síðan gekk hún til skipa. Ok er lýsti, could you believe, sá hún, at skipin váru brottu; höfðu strength and stoutness, víkingar hræðzt dunur ok elda í all the sturdy vigour eynni. Fær hún sér far þaðan, ok ekki that Arngrim’s lads getit um hennar ferð, fyrr en hún left when they died.” kemr á Glasisvöllu til Guðmundar, ok
var hún þar um vetrinn ok nefndist She said: enn Hervarðr.
“Now rest you all (I’m raring to go) hale men in your mound; for a moment there I almost thought I trod between the worlds when all about me ires burned.”
Then she went to the ships. But when it got light, she saw that the ships were gone. The vikings had taken fright at the thunders and ires on the island. She gets herself passage from there but nothing is known of her journey till she comes to Godmund in Glasisvellir, and she stayed there over winter and still called herself Hervard.
Chapter 6. 6. Of The Brothers Angantyr and Heidrek
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Saga Heiðreks konúngs ens vitra, ch. 1 1. Hér hefr upp sögu Heiðreks konúngs ens vitra It is said that in days of yore there was a country up north in Finnmark Svá er sagt, at í fyrndinni var kallat called Jotunheim, and to the south, Jötunheimar norðr í Finnmörk, en between there and Halogaland, lay Ymisland fyri sunnan ok millim Ymisland. Giants were widespread Hálogalands; þar bygðu þá risar víða, in the northern part of the world en sumir voru hálfrisar; var þá mikit then. Some were half-giants. A great sambland þjóðanna, þvíat risar fengu blending of peoples came about at kvenna af Ymislandi. Guðmundr hét this time: giants married women konúngr í Jötunheimum; hann var from the world of men and some blótmaðr mikill; bær hans hét á gave their daughters to men. Grund, en héraðit á Glasisvöllum; Godmund was the name of a king in hann var vitr ok ríkr; hann ok menn Jotunheim. His home was called hans lifðu marga mannsaldra, ok því Grund and his land Glasisvellir. He trúa menn, at í hans ríki sé was a great worshiper of the old Ódáins-akr, en hverr, er þar kemr, gods. He was a wise and powerful hverfr af sótt ok elli, ok má eigi deyja. man and so old—and all his men Eptir dauða Guðmundar blótuðu too—that they each lived many menn hann, ok kölluðu hann goð sitt; times the normal span. And because of this, heathens believe that it must be in his realm that The Deathless Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 5: Acre is to be found, that place to 5. Frá Angantý ok Heiðreki bræðrum which anyone who comes is so healed that sickness and old age Einn dag, er Guðmundr lék skákta l vanish from them and they cannot ok hans ta l var mjök svá farit, þá die. It is said that after Godmund’s spurði hann, ef nokkurr kynni honum death, folk worshipped him with ráð til at leggja. Þá gekk til Hervarðr sacri ices and called him their god. ok lagði litla stund til, áðr One day, as Godmund was playing Guðmundar var vænna. Þá tók maðr chess and was on the verge of upp Tyr ing ok brá; þat sá Hervarðr losing, he asked if anyone could help ok þreif af honum sverðit ok drap him. Then ‘Hervard’ went up and hann ok gekk út síðan. Menn vildu advised for a little while until things hlaupa eptir honum. were looking better for Godmund. Then a man picked up Tyr ing and Þá mælti Guðmundr: "Verið kvirrir, drew it. ‘Hervard’ saw that and ekki mun svá mikil hefnd í snatched the sword off him and manninum sem þér ætlið, því at þér killed him, then went out. The men vitið ekki, hverr hann er; mun þessi wanted to run after him. kvenmaðr yðr dýrkeyptr, áðr þér fáið But Godmund said, “Settle down, hans líf." there won’t be as much vengeance in that one as you think, because Síðan var Hervör langa stund í you don’t know who it is. This hernaði ok varð mjök sigrsæl. Ok er woman will cost you dear before
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henni leiddist þat, fór hún heim til you take her life.” jarls, móðurföður síns; fór hún þá Then Hervor spent a long time in fram sem aðrar meyjar, at vandist við warfare and raiding, and had great borða ok hannyrðir. success. And when she tired of that, she returned home to the jarl, her Þetta spyrr Höfundr, sonr mother’s father. From then on, she Guðmundar, ok ferr hann ok biðr went along like other girls, weaving Hervarar ok fær ok lytr heim. and doing embroidery. Höfundr var manna vitrastr ok svá Hofund, the son of Godmund, hears réttdæmr, at hann hallaði aldri about her and he comes and asks réttum dómi, hvárt sem í hlut áttu for Hervor’s hand in marriage and innlenskir eða útlenskir, ok af hans that is agreed and he takes her nafni skyldi sá höfundr heita í hverju home. Hofund was the wisest of ríki, er mál manna dæmdi. men for wits and foresight. He was set as judge over all the lands that Þau Hervör áttu tvá syni. Hét annarr lay around, so just and fair that he Angantýr, en annarr Heiðrekr. Báðir never gave a wrong verdict nor váru þeir miklir menn ok sterkir, showed any favouritism, neither at vitrir ok vænir. Angantýr var líkr feðr home nor abroad. And after him is sínum at skaplyndi ok vildi hverjum named the ‘hofund’, or judge, who manni gott. Höfundr unni honum everywhere judges the law-suits of mikit ok þar með öll alþýða. Ok svá men. None dared, or needed, to margt gott sem hann gerði, þá gerði break his ruling. Heiðrekr enn leira illt. Hervör unni Hervor and Hofund had two sons. honum mikit. Fóstri Heiðreks hét One was called Angantyr and the Gizurr. other Heidrek. They were both big men and strong, clever and Ok einn tíma, er Höfundr gerði veislu, promising. Angantyr was like his var öllum höfðingjum til boðit í hans father in temperament and wished ríki utan Heiðreki. Honum líkaði þat everyone well. Hofund loved him a illa ok fór allt at einu ok kveðst lot and so did all the people. But as skyldu gera þeim nokkut illt. Ok er much good as he did, Heidrek did hann kom í höllina, stóð Angantýr more ill. Hervor loved him a lot. upp móti honum ok bað hann sitja Heidrek’s foster father was called hjá sér. Heiðrekr var ekki kátr ok sat Gizur. lengi við drykkju um kveldit. En er And once when Hofund had a feast, Angantýr, bróðir hans, gekk út, þá all the chiefs in his land were talaði Heiðrekr við þá menn, er invited except Heidrek. He didn’t honum váru næstir, ok kom hann svá much like that and went all the sinni ræðu, at þeir urðu rangsáttir, ok same and said he should do them mælti hvárr illt við annan. Þá kom some harm. And when he came into Angantýr aptr ok bað þá þegja. Ok the hall, Angantyr stood up to greet enn í annat sinn, er Angantýr var út him and told him to sit at his side. genginn, þá minnti Heiðrekr þá á, Heidrek was not happy and sat long hvat þeir höfðu við mælst, ok kom þá into the evening drinking. And svá, at annarr sló annan með hnefa. when his brother Angantyr went
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Þá kom Angantýr til ok bað þá sátta out, Heidrek talked to the men who vera til morgins. Enn þriðja sinn, er were next to him and he wound Angantýr gekk í brott, þá spurði them up with his words so that they Heiðrekr þann, er höggit hafði fengit, got into quarrels and all said bad hvárt hann þyrði eigi at hefna sín. Svá things about each other. Then kom hann þá sinni fortölu, at inn Angantyr came back and told them lostni hljóp upp ok drap sessunaut to be quiet. And again, another time, sinn, ok þá kom Angantýr at. En er when Angantyr had gone out, Höfundr varð þessa varr, bað hann Heidrek reminded them about what Heiðrek burt ganga ok gera eigi leira they had said to each other and, in illt í þat sinn. the end, one punched another. Then Angantyr came and told them to call Síðan gekk Heiðrekr út ok Angantýr, it quits till morning. But the third bróðir hans, ok í garðinn ok skildust time when Angantyr went away, þar. Þá er Heiðrekr hafði litla hríð Heidrek asked the one who’d got hit gengit frá bænum, þá hugsaði hann, whether he dared to avenge himself. at hann hafði þar of lítit illt gert, snýr He talked on like this so that þá aptr til hallarinnar ok tók upp eventually the one who’d been hit stein einn mikinn ok kastaði þangat, jumped up and killed his fellow sem hann heyrði menn nokkura guest, and then Angantyr arrived. talast við í myrkrinu. Hann fann, at And when Hofund became aware of steinninn mundi eigi manninn misst all this, he ordered Heidrek to go hafa, ok gekk til ok fann mann away and make no more trouble dauðan ok kenndi Angantý, bróður that night. sinn. After that, Heidrek went out with his brother Angantyr into the yard and they parted there. When Heidrek had gone a little way from the house, he thought to himself that he hadn’t done much harm
there. He turned back towards the hall and picked up a big stone and threw it in the direction where he could hear some people talking in the darkness. He realised that the stone must have hit someone, and went there and found a man dead Heiðrekr gekk þá í höllina fyrir föður and recognised Angantyr, his sinn ok segir honum þetta.Höfundr brother. He ran straight to the kveðr hann skulu verða í brottu ok forest. koma aldri honum í augsýn ok kvað hitt makligra, at hann væri drepinn Hofund held a funeral feast for his eða hengdr. Þá mælti Hervör son and all grieved at Angantyr’s drottning ok segir, at Heiðrekr he ir death. Heidrek regretted his deed illa til gert, enda er mikil hefndin, ef and lived long in the woods shooting hann skal aldri koma í ríki föður síns beasts and birds for his food. But ok fara svá eignalauss í brott. En orð when he pondered his case, it
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Höfundar stóðust svá mikils, at þat occurred to him that if he was never gekk fram, sem hann dæmdi, ok engi seen again, then nothing good var svá djarfr, at móti þyrði at mæla would ever be said of him. It came eða Heiðreki friðar at biðja. into his head that he could still be a Drottning bað þá Höfund ráða honum famous man with great deeds to his nokkur heilræði at skilnaði þeira. name like those of his forebears. He Höfundr kveðst fá ráð mundu honum went home. kenna ok kveðst hyggja, at honum mundi illa í hald koma. "En þó, er þú Heidrek went then into the hall, in biðr þessa, drottning, þat ræð ek front of his father, and tells him honum it fyrsta ráð, at hann hjálpi everything. Hofund declares that he aldri þeim manni, er drepit he ir should be off and never come into lánardrottin sinn. Þat ræð ek honum his sight and said that it would be annat, at hann ge i þeim manni aldri more itting if he was struck dead or fríun, er myrðan he ir félaga sinn; þat hanged. Then Queen Hervor spoke it þriðja, at hann láti eigi opt konu and she says that Heidrek deserves sína vitja frænda sinna, þótt hún to suffer but still it would be a harsh beiði þess; þat it jórða, at hann sé punishment if he could never come eigi síð úti staddr hjá frillu sinni; þat into his father’s kingdom but must it immta, at hann ríði eigi inum besta go away with nothing to his name. hesti sínum, ef hann þarf mjök at But Hofund’s word carried such skynda; þat it sétta, at hann fóstri weight that it was done as he aldri göfugra manns barn en hann er commanded and no one was so bold sjálfr. En meiri ván þykkir mér, at þú as to speak up against him or to beg munir þetta eigi hafa." mercy for Heidrek. The queen asked Hofund to grant him some sound Heiðrekr sagði, at hann hefði við illan advice at their parting. hug ráðit, ok kvað sér mundu óskylt Hofund agrees to give him a few at hafa. Gengr þá Heiðrekr út ór words of advice but says he doubts höllinni. Móðir hans stendr þá upp ok it would be any good to Heidrek, gengr út með honum ok fylgir honum “And yet, since you ask this thing, ór garðinum ok mælti: "Nú he ir þú queen, the irst advice I advise him svá fyrir þér búit, sonr minn, at þú with is this: that he never help a munt ekki aptr ætla; þá he i ek lítil man who has killed his own liege föng á at hjálpa þér. Mörk gulls er hér lord. With this advice I advise him ok eitt sverð, er ek vil gefa þér, en þat second: that he never save the man heitir Tyr ingr ok he ir átt Angantýr who has murdered his own friend. berserkr, móðurfaðir þinn. Engi maðr This third: that he mustn’t let his er svá ófróðr, at eigi ha i heyrt hans wife visit her family often, even if getit. Ok ef þú kemr þar, er menn she asks. This fourth: that he never skiptast höggum, láttu þér hugkvæmt be out late with his concubine. This vera, hversu Tyr ingr he ir opt ifth: that he never ride his best sigrsæll verit." horse, if he has much need of speed. This sixth: that he never foster a Nú biðr hún hann vel fara, ok skiljast nobler man’s child. And it seems to síðan. me most likely you won’t follow that.”
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Heidrek said that he had advised out of ill will and that he was not obliged to follow it. Then Heidrek goes out of the hall. His mother stands up and goes out with him and follows him out of the yard and said, “You’ve done it now, my son. The way you’ve ixed things, you can’t expect to be back—so there’s not much I can do to help you. Here is a mark of gold and a sword which I want to give you. It is called Tyr ing and it belonged to Angantyr the berserk, your grandfather. No one is so ignorant they haven’t heard tell of him. And if you come to where men trade blows, just remember how Tyr ing has often been victorious.” Now she bids him farewell and with that they part.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 6: 7. Heidrek Got a Home in 6. Heiðrekr fekk staðfestu í Reidgotaland Reiðgotalandi
En er Heiðrekr he ir skamma hríð farit, þá hittir hann menn nokkura ok And when Heidrek has gone a little einn bundinn. Spyrjast þeir tíðenda, while, he meets some men with one ok spyrr Heiðrekr, hvat þessi maðr tied up. They ask each other the hefði gert, er svá var við búit. Þeir news and Heidrek asks what this segja, at hann he ir svikit man had done to be bound like that. lánardrottin sinn. Heiðrekr spyrr, ef They say that he’s betrayed his lord. þeir vili taka fé fyrir hann, en þeir Heidrek asks if they’ll take money játa því. Hann fær þeim hálfa mörk for him and they say yes. He gives gulls, en þeir láta hann lausan. them half a mark of gold and they Sá býðr Heiðreki sína þjónustu, en let him loose. hann segir: "Hví muntu mér heldr The man offers Heidrek his service trúr, ókunnum manni, en þú sveikt but Heidrek says, “Why would you lánardrottin þinn, ok far þú brott frá be true to me, a stranger, when you mér." betrayed your own liege lord? Get Litlu síðar hittir Heiðrekr enn lost.” nokkura menn ok einn bundinn. A little later, Heidrek met some Hann spyrr, hvat sá he ir rangt gert. more men with one tied up. He asks Þeir segja hann hafa myrðan félaga what this one’s done wrong. They sinn. Hann spyrr, ef þeir vildi fé fyrir say he’s murdered his friend. He hann. Þeir játa því. Hann gaf þeim asks if they want gold for him. They
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aðra hálfa mörk gulls. Sá býðr say yes. He gave them the other half Heiðreki sína þjónustu, en hann mark of gold. The man offers neitar. Heidrek his service and Heidrek Síðan ferr Heiðrekr langar leiðar ok refuses. kemr þar, er hét Reiðgotaland. Þar Then Heidrek goes a long way and réð fyrir konungr sá, er Haraldr hét, comes to the place called gamall mjök, ok hafði átt mikit ríki til Reidgotaland. There King Harald forráða. Hann átti engan son. En með held sway, very old, and had því minnkaðist hans ríki, at jarlar dominion over a great empire. He nokkurir fóru á hendr honum með had no son. And his kingdom was her, en hann hafði barist við þá ok diminishing because certain jarls fengit jafnan ósigr. En nú höfðu þeir marched against him with an army sætst með því móti, at konungr galt and he’d fought with them but þeim skatt á hverjum tólf mánuðum. always lost. And now they’d made Heiðrekr nam þar staðar ok dvaldist peace on such terms that the king með konungi um vetrinn. paid them tribute every twelve Svá bar at eitt sinn, at til konungs months. Heidrek stopped there and kom mikit lausafé. Þá spyrr Heiðrekr, stayed with the king over winter. hvárt þat væri skattar konungs. It so happened one time that a great Konungr segir, at þat veit annan veg amount of goods came to the king. við: "Skal ek þetta fé gjalda í skatt." Then Heidrek asks if it’s the king’s Heiðrekr segir, at þat væri ósæmiligt, taxes. at konungr sá, er svá hefði haft mikit ríki, gyldi skatt vándum jörlum; væri The king says it’s something quite meira snjallræði at halda orrostu í different: “I must pay this wealth as mót þeim. Konungr segir, at hann tribute.” hefði þess freistat ok farit ósigr. Heidrek says it is not right for a king Heiðrekr mælti: "Svá munda ek yðr who’s had such a great empire to mega helst launa gott y irlæti at vera pay tax to criminal jarls—it would höfuðsmaðr þessar farar, ok þat be more resolute to stand in battle hugða ek, ef ek hefða liðskost, at mér against them. The king says he’d mundi ekki mikit þykkja at berjast tried that and lost. einn við tignari menn en þessir eru." Heidrek declared, “I would be better Konungr segir: "Ek mun fá þér able to repay your good hospitality liðskost, ef þú vilt berjast við jarla, ok if I was captain of this expedition. mun þat vera þín gæfuför, ef þú ferr And, I was thinking, if I had an army góða för; mest ván ok, at þú innir then it would seem no big deal to sjálfan þik fyrir, ef þú mælir þér dul." me to ight with nobler men than Eptir þat lætr konungr safna her these are.” miklum, ok var þat lið búit til The king says, “I’ll give you an army, herferðar. Þar var Heiðrekr höfðingi if you want to ight the jarls. And fyrir liðinu, fóru síðan á hendr jörlum you’ll certainly have it made, if you þessum, herja þegar ok ræna, er þeir do well on this expedition. It’s most koma í ríki þeira. En er jarlar spyrja likely though that you’ll ind out þetta, þá fóru þeir í mót þeim með your own mistake, if you’re fooling mikinn her, ok er þeir innast, þá varð yourself.” After that the king had a great army
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orrosta mikil. Var Heiðrekr þá í assembled and the force was öndverðri fylking ok hafði Tyr ing í prepared for war. With Heidrek hægri hendi, en við því sverði stóð chief over the army, they went then ekki, hvárki hjálmr né brynja, ok against these jarls, harrying and drap hann þá alla, er honum váru plundering as soon as they come næstir. Ok þá hljóp hann fram ór into their land. And when the jarls fylkingu ok hjó til beggja handa, ok hear that, they marched against svá fór hann langt í herinn, at hann them with a great army and when drap báða jarla, ok síðan lýði sumt they met there was a big battle. lið, en mestr hluti var drepinn. Heidrek was there in the vanguard Heiðrekr fór þá y ir ríkit ok skattaði and had Tyr ing in his right hand allt landit undir Harald konung, sem and nothing withstood that sword, fyrr hafði verit, ferr heim við svá búit neither helm nor byrnie, and he með ógrynni jár ok mikinn sigr. killed there all who stood near him. Haraldr konungr lætr þá ganga í mót And then he charged forwards out honum með mikilli sæmd ok býðr in front of his own ranks and hewed honum með sér at vera ok hafa svá on both sides, and he drove so far mikit ríki sem hann beiðist sjálfr. into the enemy ranks that he slew both jarls, and after that some of Þá bað Heiðrekr dóttur Haralds their troops led but most were konungs, er Helga hét, ok hún var killed. Heidrek then went through honum gift. Tók þá Heiðrekr til the jarls’ territory and brought the forráða hálft ríki Haralds konungs. whole land under the rule of King Heiðrekr gat son við konu sinni. Sá Harald, as it had been before, hét Angantýr. Haraldr konungr gat demanding tribute and going home son í elli sinni, ok er sá ekki nefndr. when this had been done, with countless treasures and a great victory. King Harald has him met with great honour and bids Heidrek stay with him and have for himself as much land and power as he wanted. Then Heidrek asked for King Harald’s daughter, who was called Helga, and she was given in marriage to him. Heidrek then took command of half King Harald’s kingdom. Heidrek had a son with his wife. He was called Angantyr. King Harald had a son in his old age but he is not named.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 7 8. Heidrek Took the Whole Kingdom 7. Heiðrekr náði öllu ríkinu
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Í þann tíma kom hallæri mikit á Reiðgotaland, svá at til landauðnar At that time a great famine fell upon þótti horfa. Þá váru gervir hlutir af Reidgotaland so that it seemed to be vísendamönnum ok felldr blótspánn turning into a wasteland. Now lots til, en svá gekk frétt, at aldri mundi ár were cast by soothsayers, and the koma fyrr á Reiðgotaland en þeim sacri ice chip was thrown, and in sveini væri blótat, er æðstr væri á this way they learnt that prosperity landinu. Haraldr konungr segir, at would never come to Reidgotaland sonr Heiðreks væri æðstr, en until the most noble boy in the land Heiðrekr segir, at sonr Haralds was sacri iced. King Harald says that konungs væri æðstr. En ór þessu Heidrek’s son is positioned highest, mátti engi leysa fyrr en þangat væri and Heidrek says that Harald’s son farit, er allar órlausnir váru trúar, til is noblest. And this could not be Höfundar konungs. Heiðrekr er inn resolved except by going off to the fyrsti maðr til þessar ferðar tekinn ok man whose solutions could all be margir aðrir ágætir menn. Sem trusted: King Hofund. Heiðrekr kom á fund föður síns, þá Heidrek is chosen as the leader of var honum þar vel fagnat. Hann sagði this mission and with him go many öll erendi sín föður sínum ok beiðir other respected men. As Heidrek dóms af honum. En Höfundr segir came to meet his father, he was well svá, at Heiðreks sonr var ágætastr á received. He explained the whole því landi. matter to his father and asks him to Heiðrekr segir: "Svá líst mér sem þú judge. And Hofund says this: that dæmir minn son til dráps, eða hvat Heidrek’s son was the highest in dæmir þú mér þá fyrir sonarskaða that land. minn?" Heidrek says, “It looks to me like Þá mælti Höfundr konungr: "Þú skalt you’re sentencing my son to death, beiðast, at inn jórði hverr maðr sé á so what are you going to award me þínu valdi, sá er við blótit er staddr, in compensation for my loss?” ella muntu son þinn eigi láta til blóts. Then said King Hofund, “You must Mun þá eigi þurfa at kenna þér ráð request that every fourth man be síðan, hvat þú skalt at hafast." under your command, of those Nú er Heiðrekr kom heim í present at the sacri ice, or else you Reiðgotaland, þá var þings kvatt. will not let your own son be Heiðrekr tekr svá til orðs: "Þat var sacri iced. You don’t need telling atkvæði Höfundar konungs, föður what to do then.” míns, at minn sonr sé ágætastr á So when Heidrek came home to þessu landi, ok er hann til blóts Reidgotaland, a council was called. kosinn. En þar í mót vil ek eiga forráð Heidrek begins like this: “It was the á inum jórða hverjum manni, er decision of my father King Hofund kominn er til þings þessa ok vil ek that my son is best in the land, and þér lo ið mér þetta." he is chosen for the sacri ice. And in Nú var svá gert. Síðan heimtast þeir í exchange for this, I want to have lið hans. Eptir þat lét hann blása authority over every fourth man saman liðinu ok setr upp merki, who’s come to this council, and I veitir nú atgöngu Haraldi konungi, ok want you to grant me this.” And so it was done—they were
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verðr þar mikill bardagi, ok fellr þar transferred to his forces. After that Haraldr konungr ok margt lið hans. he had his troops mustered and Heiðrekr leggr nú undir sik allt ríki raises a standard and attacks King þat, er átt hafði Haraldr konungr, ok Harald. And a great battle takes gerðist þar konungr y ir. Heiðrekr place there. And King Harald falls kveðst nú gjalda fyrir son sinn þetta there along with many of his men. lið allt, er drepit var, ok gaf hann nú Heidrek now takes over all the land þennan val Óðni. which King Harald owned and made Kona hans var svá reið eptir fall föður himself king over it. Heidrek says síns, at hún hengdi sik sjálf í dísarsal. that all these soldiers who were Þat var eitt sumar, at Heíðrekr killed would make good enough konungr fór með her sinn suðr í sacri ice in place of his son, and now Húnaland ok barðist við konung he gave the dead to Odin. þann, er Humli hét, ok fekk sigr ok His wife was so angry after the fall tók þar dóttur hans, er Si ka hét, ok of her father that she hanged hafði heim með sér. En at öðru sumri herself in the temple of the goddess. sendi hann hana heim, ok var hún þá One summer King Heidrek went með barni, ok var sá sveinn kallaðr south with his army to Hunland and Hlöðr ok var allra manna fríðastr fought with a king called Humli and sýnum, ok fóstraði hann Humli, was victorious there and took his móðurfaðir hans. daughter, who was called Si ka, and brought her home with him. And the next summer he sent her back, and she was then with child, and the boy was called Hlod and he was a ine-looking lad and Humli fostered him, his mother’s father.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 8 8. Frá svikum drottningar 9. Of the Queen’s Treachery
Á einu sumri fór Heiðrekr konungr One summer King Heidrek travelled með her sinn til Saxlands. En er with his army to Saxland. And when Saxakonungr spyrr þat, þá býðr hann the king of the Saxons heard of that, honum til veislu ok biðr hann taka af he invited him to a feast and asked löndum sínum slíkt er hann vill, ok him to take whatever he wanted þat þiggr Heiðrekr konungr. Þar sá from his lands, and King Heidrek hann dóttur hans, fríða ok fagra at agreed to that. Then he saw his áliti, ok þessar meyjar biðr Heiðrekr, daughter, wise and fair of feature, ok hún var honum gift. Var þá aukin and Heidrek asked for this girl and veislan, ok síðan fór hann heim með she was given to him in marriage. konu sína ok tók með henni ógrynni The feast was extended and jár. Heiðrekr konungr gerðist nú afterwards he went home with his hermaðr mikill ok eykr á marga vega wife and took with her countless mjök sitt ríki. Kona hans beiðist opt treasures. King Heidrek now
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at fara til föður síns, ok þat lét hann became a great warrior and adds eptir henni, ok fór með henni much to his kingdom in many Angantýr, stjúpsonr hennar. directions. His wife often asked to Eitt sumar, er Heiðrekr konungr var í go to her father and he let her, and hernaði, þá kemr hann til Saxlands í with her went her stepson Angantyr. ríki mágs síns. Hann leggr skipum One summer, when King Heidrek sínum í leynivág nokkurn ok gengr á was raiding, he comes to Saxland, to land ok einn maðr með honum, ok his father-in-law’s kingdom. He puts koma um nótt á konungsbæinn ok into some hidden creek with his venda at skemmu þeiri, er kona hans ships and goes ashore with one var vön at sofa í, ok urðu man, and they come at night to the varðhaldsmenn ekki varir við kvámu royal halls and they head for the þeira. Hann gengr í skemmuna ok sér, building where the queen normally at maðr hvíldi hjá henni ok hafði hár slept, and the guards did not notice fagrt á höfði. Sá maðr, er með their arrival. He goes in the room konungi var, segir, at hann var and sees that a man was sleeping hefnisamr um minni sakar. beside her, and he had fair hair on Hann svarar: "Eigi mun ek þat gera his head. The man who was with the nú. " king says that he’d taken revenge Konungr tók sveininn Angantý, er lá í for lesser cause. annarri sæng, ok hann skar lepp He answers, “I will not do that now.” mikinn ór hári þess manns, er hvíldi í The king took the boy Angantyr, faðmi konu hans, ok hafði who lay in the next bed, and he cut a hvárttveggja með sér, hárleppinn ok big lock out of the hair of this man sveininn, gekk síðan til skipa sinna. who lay in the arms of his wife, and Um morguninn leggr konungr í lægit, carried them both off with him, the ok gengr í móti honum allt fólkit, ok hair and the boy. He went then to his var þar veisla búin. Heiðrekr lætr þá ships. In the morning, the king þings kveðja, ok þá váru honum sögð comes into the harbour and all the mikil tíðendi, at Angantýr, sonr hans, people go to meet him and a feast var bráðdauðr orðinn. was prepared. Heidrek has a council Heiðrekr konungr mælti: "Sýni mér called and then grave tidings were líkit." told to him, that his son Angantyr Drottning segir þat auka mundu had died suddenly. harm hans. Honum var þó þangat Heidrek said, “Show me the body.” fylgt. Þar var dúkr, vafðr saman ok The queen says it would only hundr innan í. worsen his grief. Nevertheless, he Heiðrekr konungr mælti: "Illa he ir was taken to the place. There was a sonr minn nú skipast, ef hann er cloth there, all wrapped up, and a orðinn at hundi." dog inside it. Síðan lét konungr leiða sveininn á King Heidrek said, “There’s a bad þingit ok sagði, at hann hefði reynt change come over my boy now, if mikil svik at drottningu, ok tjáði allan he’s turned into a dog...” atburð, biðr þangat stefna öllum After that, the king had the boy mönnum, er sækja mætti þingit. brought to the council and said he Ok er mjök var alþýða komin, þá had evidence of great treachery on
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mælti konungr: "Eigi er enn the part of the queen and explained gullkárinn kominn." everything that had happened, Þá var enn leitat, ok fannst maðr í ordering all men who could attend steikara húsi ok band um höfuð. the council to be summoned thither. Margir undruðust, hví hann skyldi til And when most of the population þings, þræll einn vándr. had come, the king declared, “The En er hann kom til þings, þá mælti golden haired man hasn’t come yet.” Heiðrekr konungr: "Hér megu þér nú Then another search was made, and þann sjá, er konungsdóttir vill eiga a man was found in the kitchen with heldr en mik." a band round his head. Many Hann tók nú leppinn ok bar við hárit, wondered why he had to come to ok átti þat saman at fara. "En þú, the council, some miserable thrall. konungr," segir Heiðrekr, "he ir oss And when he came to the council, gott gert jafnan, ok skal af því ríki King Heidrek said, “Here you can þitt standa í friði fyrir oss, en dóttur see who the princess wants instead þína vil ek eigi lengr eiga." of me.” Heiðrekr fór nú heim í ríki sitt ok Now he took the lock and held it to sonr hans. the hair and they matched. “But you, King,” says Heidrek, “have Á einu sumri sendir Heiðrekr always been good to us and so your konungr menn í Garðaríki þess land will remain at peace with us, erendis at bjóða syni Garðakonungs but I don’t want to have your heim til fóstrs ok vill nú reyna at daughter any more.” brjóta öll heilræði föður síns. Heidrek went home now to his Sendimenn koma á fund kingdom with his son. Garðakonungs ok segja honum One summer King Heidrek sends erendit ok vináttumál. Garðakonungr men to Gardariki with this mission: kvað þess enga ván, at hann fengi to invite home the son of the Garda þeim manni í hendr son sinn, er King so that he could foster him, for kenndr er mörgum illum hlutum. now he wants to break all his father’s sound counsels, to test Þá mælti drottning: "Mæl þú eigi svá, them. The messengers go to meet herra; heyrt ha i þér, hvé mikill maðr the Garda King and explain the hann er ok sigrsæll, ok er meiri viska errand with words of friendship. at taka vel hans sóma, ella stendr eigi The king said there wasn’t much þitt ríki í friði." chance of that, of him giving his son Konungr mælti: Þú munt mikit á into the hands of that man who was þessu vinna." known to be guilty of many bad things. Nú er sveinninn seldr í hendr Then the queen said, “Don’t speak sendimönnum, ok fara þeir heim. like that, lord. Have you not heard Heiðrekr konungr tekr vel við how great a man he is, and how sveininum ok veitir honum góða victorious? And it’s wiser to get into uppfæðslu ok ann mikit. his favour or your kingdom will not stay at peace.” Si ka Humladóttir var þá í annat sinn The king said, “We will let ourselves
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með konungi, en honum var það be swayed by you in this.” ráðit, at hann skyldi engan hlut henni Now the boy is given into the hands segja, þann er leyna skyldi. of the messengers and they journey home. King Heidrek received the boy well and gave him a good upbringing and loved him a lot. Si ka, Humli’s daughter, was back again with the king, but he had been advised not to tell her anything which was best kept secret.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 9 10. Heidrek Married the Garda 9. Heiðrekr fekk dóttur King’s Daughter Garðakonungs
Eitt sumar sendir Garðakonungr Heiðreki orð, at hann kæmi austr One summer the king of Gardariki þangat at þiggja veislu ok vináttuboð sends word to Heidrek, asking him at honum. Heiðrekr býst nú með to accept his friendly invitation and miklu jölmenni ok konungssonr með come east to Gardariki for a honum ok Si ka. Heiðrekr kom nú banquet. Heidrek gets ready with a austr í Garðaríki ok tók þar ágæta great multitude of followers, and veislu. the Garda King’s son was with him, Einn dag þessarar veislu fóru and Si ka. Heidrek now came east to konungar á skóg ok margt lið með Gardariki and had a magni icent þeim at beita hundum ok haukum. En feast. er þeir höfðu lausum slegit One day during this feast, the kings hundunum, fara sér hverir um went into the forest with a great skóginn. Þá urðu þeir tveir saman company and hunted with hounds fóstrar. and hawks. And when they’d loosed Þá mælti Heiðrekr við konungsson: the hounds, they each went by "Hlýð þú boði mínu, fóstri. Hér er bær themselves through the woods. skammt í frá. Farðu þangat ok fel þik Then Heidrek and his foster son ok þigg til hring þenna. Vertu þá heim met. búinn, er ek læt sækja þik." And Heidrek spoke to the prince: Sveinninn kveðst ófúss þessarar “Listen to my instructions, foster ferðar, en gerði þó sem konungr son. There’s a farm not far from beiddi. Heiðrekr kom heim um here. Go there and hide yourself and kveldit ok var ókátr ok sat skamma you’ll get this ring. Be ready to come stund við drykkju. home when I send for you.” En er hann kom í sæng, mælti Si ka: The boy says he isn’t keen about this "Hví eru þér ókátir, herra, hvat er yðr, idea, but he did as the king asked. eru þér sjúkir, segið mér." Heidrek came home at evening and Konungr segir: "Vandi er mér at segja was unhappy and sat a short while þetta, því at þar liggr við líf mitt, ef drinking. eigi er leynt." And when he came to bed, Si ka Hún kveðst leyna mundu ok gerist asked him, “Why is your majesty
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blíð við hann ok fór eptir ástsamliga: unhappy? What’s the matter, lord? Þá segir hann henni: "Vit Are you sick, tell me?” konungssonr várum staddir tveir hjá The king says, “It’s hard for me to eik einni. Þá beiddist fóstri minn say this because my life is at stake if eplis, er ofarliga var á trénu. Síðan the secret isn’t kept.” She says she’d brá ek Tyr ingi, ok hjó ek ofan eplit, keep the secret, and she fondly ok var þat fyrr gert en ek gætta til, ished for the answer. hvat á lá, at manns bani skyldi verða, The king says, “I was stood with the ef brugðit væri, en vit tveir til. Síðan prince beside some apple tree. Then drap ek sveininn." my foster son asked me for an apple Um daginn eptir við drykkju spyrr that was high up on the tree. So I drottning Garðakonungs Si ku, hví drew Tyr ing and slashed up at the Heiðrekr væri svá ókátr. apple, but that was done before I Hún segir: "ærit er til, hann he ir remembered what curse lay on it, drepit son konungs ok þinn," segir that it must kill if it is drawn, and síðan allan atburð. only the two of us there... Then I Drottning segir: "Þat eru mikil killed the boy.” tíðendi, ok látum eigi upp komast." The next day, during drinks, the Gekk þá drottning í burt þegar ór Garda King’s queen asks Si ka why höllinni með harmi miklum. Heidrek was so glum. She says, Konungr innr þetta ok kallar Si ku “There’s cause enough for that. He’s til sín ok mælti: "Hvat ræddust þit killed the son of the Garda King. drottning við, er henni fekk svá Your son.” Then she tells the whole mikils?" incident. "Herra," segir hún, "mikit er til gert, The queen says, “That is serious Heiðrekr he ir drepit son ykkarn, ok news but we will not let it come meiri ván, at eptir vilja hans færi, ok out.” The queen went away er hann dauða verðr." immediately out of the hall with Garðakonungr biðr taka Heiðrek ok great grief. jötra, - "ok er nú orðit eptir því, er ek The king notices that and calls Si ka gat til." to him and asked, “What were you En Heiðrekr konungr var þar orðinn and the queen talking about when svá vinsæll, at þetta vildi engi gera. she got so upset?” Þá stóðu tveir menn í höllinni ok “Lord,” says she, “There’s every kváðu eigi skyldu þar við nema, ok reason to be upset. Heidrek has lögðu þeir jötur á hann. En þá menn killed your son, most likely on hafði Heiðrekr leyst frá dauða báða. purpose, and he deserves death.” Þá sendi Heiðrekr menn leyniliga The Garda King orders Heidrek to eptir konungssyni. En Garðakonungr be taken and fettered, saying, “And lætr þá blása saman fólki sínu ok now it’s turned out just as I segir þeim, at hann vill láta Heiðrek suspected.” festa á gálga. Ok í því kemr But King Heidrek had become so konungssonr hlaupandi at föður popular there that no one would do sínum ok biðr hann eigi þat it. Then two men stood up in the níðingsverk fyrir ætlast at drepa inn hall and announced that the matter ágætasta menn ok sinn fóstrföður. would not end there, and they put
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Heiðrekr er nú leystr, ok nú býst hann shackles on him. These were the þegar til heimferðar. Þá mælti two men Heidrek had released from drottning: "Herra, lát eigi Heiðrek svá death. í brott fara, at þit séð ósáttir. Eigi gegnir ríki þínu þat. Bjóð honum Then Heidrek sent men secretly to heldr gull eða silfr." fetch the king’s son. And the Garda Konungr gerir svá, lætr bera fé mikit King has his musters his men and til Heiðreks konungs ok kveðst vilja says to them that he wants Heidrek gefa honum ok eiga enn við hann on the gallows. But at that moment, vingan. the prince comes running to his Heiðrekr segir: "Ekki skortir mik fé." father and begged him not to carry Garðakonungr segir drottningu. Hún out the wretched deed he was about mælti: "Bjóð honum þá ríki ok eigur to do, to kill the noblest of men, his stórar ok jölmenni." foster father. Konungr gerir svá. Heiðrekr konungr Heidrek is now set free and gets segir: "ærnar á ek eigur ok ready to go home at once. jölmenni." Then the queen spoke: “Lord, do not let Heidrek get away like this while Garðakonungr segir enn drottningu. the two of you have not made up. It Hún mælti: "Bjóð honum þat þá, sem does not be it your position. Rather, hann mun þiggja, en þat er dóttir offer him gold or silver.” þín." The king does so. He has great riches brought to King Heidrek and Konungr segir: "Þat hugða ek, at mik says he wishes to give him this and mundi eigi þat henda, en þó skaltu have his friendship again. ráða." Heidrek says, “I am not short of treasure.” Þá fór Garðakonungr á fund Heiðreks The Garda King tells the queen. She konungs ok mælti: "Heldr en vit said, “Offer him land and large skiljum ósáttir, vil ek, at þú fáir properties and a host of followers.” dóttur minnar með svá miklum sóma The king does so. sem þú kýss sjálfr." King Heidrek says, “I have plenty of properties and followers.” Heiðrekr þiggr nú þetta blíðliga, ok The Garda King tells the queen. fór nú dóttir Garðakonungs heim She says, “Then offer him what he með honum. Nú er Heiðrekr konungr will accept, and that’s your heim kominn ok vill nú lytja Si ku í daughter.” brott ok lætr taka hest sinn inn besta, The king says, “I never thought this ok var þat síð um kveld. Nú koma þau would happen to me, but still I’ll at á einni. Þá þyngist hún fyrir follow your advice.” Then the Garda honum, svá at hestrinn sprakk, en King went to see King Heidrek and konungr gekk af fram. Þá skyldi hann declared, “Rather than have us part bera hana y ir ána. Þá gerast engi with bad feelings, I want you to take föng á öðru en hann steypir henni af my daughter together with as much öxl sér ok brýtr í sundr hrygg hennar dowry as you choose for yourself.” ok skilr svá við hana, at hana rekr Heidrek happily accepts that, and the Garda King’s daughter went
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dauða eptir ánni. home with him. King Heidrek is at home now and he wants to carry Heiðrekr konungr lætr þá efna til Si ka away and takes his best horse, veislu mikillar ok gengr at eiga and it was late in the evening. They dóttur Garðakonungs. Dóttir þeira come to a river. Here she becomes hét Hervör. Hún var skjaldmær ok too heavy for the horse, so that it fæddist upp í Englandi með Fróðmari collapsed and died, and the king left jarli. it and walked on. Then he had to carry her over the river. Then they Heiðrekr konungr sest nú um kyrrt come to a point where the current is ok gerist höfðingi mikill ok spekingr so rough that they have no choice at viti. Heiðrekr konungr lét ala gölt but for Heidrek to throw her off his mikinn. Hann var svá mikill sem shoulder and her back breaks and öldungar þeir, er stærstir váru, ok svá he is separated from her so that she fagr, at hvert hár þótti ór gulli vera. drifts downstream dead. Konungrinn leggr hönd sína á höfuð After this Heidrek has a great feast geltinum, en aðra á burst ok sverr prepared and goes to wed the Garda þess, at aldri he ir maðr svá mikit af King’s daughter. Their daughter was gert við hann, at eigi skuli hann hafa called Hervor. She was a shield- réttan dóm spekinga hans, en þeir maiden and was raised in England tólf skulu gæta galtarins, eða ella skal with Jarl Frodmar, or some say with hann bera upp gátur þær, er hann a man called Ormar. [8] gæti eigi ráðit. Heiðrekr konungr King Heidrek settles down now and gerist ok nú inn vinsælasti. becomes a great chieftain and a wise sage. King Heidrek had a great boar reared. It was as big as the biggest of the full grown bulls and so fair that every hair on it seemed to be of gold. The king lays his hand on the head of the boar and his other hand on its bristles and swears this: that there is no one, however much wrong they may have done him, who won’t get a fair trial from his twelve wise men, and those twelve must look after the boar. Or else the accused must come up with riddles which the king could not guess. And King Heidrek now gets to be very popular.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 10 10. Gátur Gestumblinda 11. The Riddles of Gestumblindi
Maðr hét Gestumblindi, ríkr ok mikill There was a man called
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óvinr Heiðreks konungs. Konungr Gestumblindi, powerful and a great sendi honum orð, at hann kæmi á enemy of King Heidrek. The king fund hans at sættast við hann, ef sent him word that he should come hann vill halda lí inu. Gestumblindi and settle things with him, if he var ekki spekingr mikill, ok fyrir þá wanted to keep his life. sök, at hann veit sik vanfæran til at Gestumblindi was not a very wise skipta orðum við konunginn, hann man, and because he knows that he veit ok, at þungt mun vera at hlíta would be incapable of exchanging dómi spekinganna, því at sakir eru words with the king, and because nógar, þat ráð tekur Gestumblindi, at he also knows that he doesn’t stand hann blótar Óðin til fulltings sér ok much chance submitting to the biðr hann líta á sitt mál ok heitr judgement of the wise-men—as honum miklum gæðum. they have plenty against him—he follows the course of sacri icing to Eitt kveld er þar drepit á dyrr síðla, Odin for help and asks him to look ok gengr Gestumblindi til hurðar ok into his case and promises him sér mann kominn. Hann spyrr þann many presents. at nafni, en hann nefndist Late one evening there’s a knock at Gestumblindi ok mælti, at þeir skyldu the door and Gestumblindi goes to klæðum skipta, ok svá gera þeir. the threshold and sees that a man Bóndi ferr nú í brott ok felr sik, en has come. He asks the man his name komandinn gengr inn, ok þykkjast and the stranger calls himself allir þar kenna Gestumblinda, ok líðr Gestumblindi and said that they af nóttin. should swap clothes—and so they do. The master goes away and hides Um daginn eptir gerir sjá and the stranger comes in and Gestumblindi för sína á fund everyone thinks that he’s konungs, ok hann kvaddi vel Gestumblindi, and the night passes. konunginn. Konungr þagði. Next day, this Gestumblindi makes "Herra," segir hann, "því kom ek his way to meet the king. And he hingat, at ek vil við yðr sættast." greeted the king warmly. The king was silent. Þá svarar konungr: "Viltu þola dóm “Lord,” he says, “I’ve come here to spekinga minna?" settle with you.” Then the king answers, “Will you Hann segir: "Er ekki leiri take the verdict of my wise men?” undanlausnir?" He says, “Is there no other way out?” The king replied, “There is another, Konungr mælti: "Vera skulu leiri, ef if you think you’re up to asking þú þykkist til færr at bera upp gátur." riddles.” Gestumblindi says, “I won’t be much Gestumblindi segir: "Lítt mun ek til good at that. But then the other þess færr, enda mun harðr á annat choice is also tough.” borð þykkja." “Would you rather,” says the king, “accept the verdict of my wise "Viltu," segir konungr, "heldr þola men?”
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dóm spekinga minna?" “I think,” says Gestumblindi, “I’d "Þat kýs ek," segir hann, "at bera fyrr rather ask riddles.” upp gáturnar." “Fair enough,” says the king. Then Gestumblindi said: "Þat er rétt ok vel fallit," segir konungr. “I want to have Þá mælti Gestumblindi: what I had yesterday— work out what that was: "Hafa vildak the mind-whacker, þat er ek hafða í gær, the word-thwarter vittu, hvat þat var: and word up-raiser. Lýða lemill, King Heidrek, orða te ill guess my riddle.” ok orða upphe ill. Heiðrekr konungr, The king says, “Good riddle, hyggðu at gátu." Gestumblindi—I’ve got it. Bring him ale. That smites many wits, and many are more gabby when the ale takes hold. And some it ties their Konungr segir: "Góð er gáta þín, tongues so they don’t get a word Gestumblindi, getit er þessar. Færi out.” honum mungát. Þat lemr margra vit, ok margir eru þá margmálgari, er Then said Gestumblindi: mungát ferr á, en sumum vefst
tungan, svá at ekki verðr at orði." “From home I went, from home I made my way; I saw a road of roads Þá mælti Gestumblindi: and a road under them and a road over them "Heiman ek fór, and a road on all sides. heiman ek för gerða, King Heidrek, sá ek á veg vega; guess my riddle.” var þeim vegr undir ok vegr y ir The king says, “Good riddle, ok vegr á alla vega. Gestumblindi—I’ve got it. You went Heiðrekr konungr on a bridge across a river, and the hyggðu at gátu." road of the river was below you and birds lew over your head and on either side, and that was their road.” "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit er þessar. Þar fórtu y ir árbrú, ok var Then said Gestumblindi: árvegr undir þér, en fuglar lugu y ir höfði þér ok hjá þér tveim megin, ok “What is that drink var þat þeira vegr." I drank yesterday? It wasn’t wine or water; not ale either
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nor any food Þá mælti Gestumblindi: yet I left released from thirst. Heidrek King, "Hvat er þat drykki, think on that.” er ek drakk í gær, var-at þat vín né vatn “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve né in heldr mungát got it. You lay in the shade and dew né matar ekki, had fallen on the grass, and so your ok gekk ek þorstalauss þaðan? thirst was cooled and quenched. Heiðrekr konungr, But if you’re the Gestumblindi I hyggðu at gátu." thought you were, then you’re smarter than I imagined, because
I’ve heard that your words lacked "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit wisdom, but now they’re getting er þessar. Þar lagðist þú í forsælu, er more shrewd.” dögg var fallin á grasi, ok kældir svá “I’ll probably run out soon,” says varir þínar ok stöðvaðir svá þorsta Gestumblindi, “but still I’d like you þinn." to listen to another.”
Then said Gestumblindi:
“Who is that shrill one who rides a hard road, Þá mælti Gestumblindi: has fared that way before? He kisses hard "Hverr er sá inn hvelli, who has two mouths er gengr harðar götur and goes only on gold. ok he ir hann þær fyrr of farit, Heidrek King, mjök fast kyssir, think on that.” sá er he ir munna tvá ok á gulli einu gengr? “Good riddle Gestumblindi—I’ve got Heiðrekr konungr, it. It’s a hammer which is used for hyggðu at gátu." working gold. It shouts out loud when it hits the hard anvil, and that "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit is its road.” er þessar. Þat er hamarr sá, er hafðr Then said Gestumblindi: er at gullsmíð; hann kveðr hátt við, er hann kemr á harðan steðja, ok þat er “What is that wonder hans gata." I saw outside Þá mælti Gestumblindi: before the Doors of Day? Two lifeless ones, "Hvat er þat undra, lacking breath; er ek úti sá they boiled the leek of wounds. fyr Dellings durum; King Heidrek, ókvikvir tveir guess my riddle.” andalausir sáralauk suðu? “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve
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Heiðrekr konungr, got it. It’s bellows. They have no hyggðu at gátu." wind unless it’s blown into them. And they’re as dead as any other manmade object, but by means of them may be made a sword or any "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit other thing. But these are crafty er þessar. Þat eru smiðbelgir; þeir riddles for a man like you to be hafa engan vind, nema þeim sé blásit, asking. You’re not much of a one ok eru þeir dauðir sem annat smíði, with words.” en fyrir þeim má líkt smíða sverð sem Then said Gestumblindi: annat." “What is that wonder Þá mælti Gestumblindi: I saw outside "Hvat er þat undra, before the Doors of Day? er ek úti sá Eight feet it has fyr Dellings durum; and four eyes fætr he ir átta, and knees above its belly. en jögur augu King Heidrek, ok berr ofar kné en kvið? guess my riddle.” Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu." The king said, “For one thing, your hood hangs low, and, for another, "Þat er köngurváfur." you do certainly see more down there from under it than most other men, pondering as you do every phantom of the earth. It’s a spider.” Þá mælti Gestumblindi:
"Hvat er þat undra, Then said Gestumblindi: er ek úti sá fyr Dellings durum; “What is that wonder höfði sínu vísar I saw outside á helvega, before the Doors of Day? en fótum til sólar snýr? Its head directed Heiðrekr konungr, down to hell hyggðu at gátu." but sunward face its feet. King Heidrek, guess my riddle.”
"Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit "Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve er þessar. Þat er laukr. Höfuð hans er got it. It’s a leek. Its head is stuck in fast í jörðu, en hann kvíslar, er hann the earth and it sprouts up as it vex upp." grows.” Þá mælti Gestumblindi: Then said Gestumblindi: "Hvat er þat undra, “What is that wonder
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er ek úti sá I saw outside fyr Dellings durum; before the Doors of Day? horni harðara, Harder than horn, hrafni svartara, blacker than raven, skildi hvítara, whiter than egg-white, skapti réttara? straighter than shaft of spear. Heiðrekr konungr, King Heidrek, hyggðu at gátu." guess my riddle.”
Heiðrekr mælti: "Smækkast nú Heidrek said, “Your riddles are gáturnar, Gestumblindi, hvat þarf going downhill a bit now, lengr y ir þessu at sitja? Þat er Gestumblindi. What’s the point in hrafntinna, ok skein á hana sitting any longer at this? It’s sólargeisli." obsidian, and the shine on it a sunbeam. And don’t you know any other way to pose riddles than to have the same beginning for each,
seeing as how you seem to know so Þá mælti Gestumblindi: much?” Gestumblindi said, “He who has a "Báru brúðir little knife must look for the bleikhaddaðar joint—and likewise if one’s not too ambáttir tvær knowledgeable. I’d like to ask öl til skemmu; another. var-at þat höndum hor it né hamri at klappat, “White-haired women, þó var fyrir eyjar utan servants two, örðigr sá, er gerði. bore ale-tub to the larder. Heiðrekr konungr, No hand turned it hyggðu at gátu." nor hammer beat it. But there outside the islands, "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit the upright one who made it. er þessar. Þar fara svanbrúðir til King Heidrek, hreiðrs síns ok verpa eggjum; skurm guess my riddle.” á eggi er eigi höndum gert né hamri klappat, en svanr er fyrir eyjar utan “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve örðigr, sá er þær gátu eggin við." got it. There go swans to their nest to lay eggs. The shell of an egg is not Þá mælti Gestumblindi: turned by hands or shaped by hammers, and a swan is upright "Hverjar eru þær rýgjar outside the islands. Swan is the á regin jalli, answer, along with egg.” elr við kván kona, þar til er mög of getr, Then said Gestumblindi: ok eigu-t þær varðir vera? Heiðrekr konungr, “Who are those troll-wives hyggðu at gátu."
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on the great mountain? "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit Woman begets with woman, er þessar. Þat eru hvannir tvær ok a girl with a girl, hvannarkálfr á milli þeira." till she gets a son but those wives have no husbands. King Heidrek, guess my riddle.”
Þá mælti Gestumblindi: “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve got it. It’s two angelicas and a little "Fara ek sá angelica stalk between them. But I foldar moldbúa, wonder greatly at your wisdom and á sat naðr á nái; way with words.” blindr reið blindum Gestumblindi said, “I’m about out of brimreiðar til, riddles now, but everyone’s greedy þá jór var andar vanr. for life.” Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu." Then said Gestumblindi:
“I saw earth’s ground-dwellers go; "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit corpse sat on corpse. er þessar. Þar fanntu hest dauðan á The blind rode the blind ísjaka ok orm dauðan á hestinum, ok to the briny sea. rak þat allt saman eptir ánni." That steed was short of breath. Heidrek King, think on that.”
“Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve Þá mælti Gestumblindi: got it. You found a dead horse on a glacier and a dead snake on the "Hverir eru þeir þegnar, horse, and all that drifts down the er ríða þingi at river.” Then the king said, “Who sáttir allir saman; knows but that wiser men have a lýða sína hand in this. But what kind of a man senda þeir lönd y ir you are, that I don’t know.” at byggja bólstaði? Gestumblindi answers, “I am just as Heiðrekr konungr, you see me, but I’d gladly accept my hyggðu at gátu." life from you and be free of this effort?”
The king says, “You’ll ask riddles till "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit you’re inished, or I fail to get them.” er þessar. Þat er Ítrekr ok Andaðr, er Then said Gestumblindi: þeir sitja at ta li sínu." “Who are those thanes who ride to the thing ,[9]
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sixteen guys together? Þá mælti Gestumblindi: Across the land they send their men "Hverjar eru þær brúðir, to seek a home for themselves. er sinn drottin King Heidrek, vápnlausan vega; guess my riddle.” inar jarpari hlífa um alla daga, “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve en inar fegri fara? got it. That’s Itrek, who is also called Heiðrekr konungr, Odin, and the giant Andad, sitting hyggðu at gátu." playing ta l.” "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit er þessar. Þat er hnetta l; inar dekkri “It’s going to get hard for me now, verja hnefann, en hvítar sækja." most likely,” says Gestumblindi, “and I don’t know what lies ahead.”
Þá mælti Gestumblindi: Then said Gestumblindi:
"Hverr er sá inn eini, “What wives are they: er sefr í ösgrúa their weaponless lord ok af grjóti einu gerr; they smite down and slay? föður né móður All day long á sá inn fagrgjarni, the darker defend þar mun hann sinn aldr ala? but the fairer ones go forward. Heiðrekr konungr, King Heidrek, hyggðu at gátu." guess my riddle.”
"Þat er eldr fólginn á arni, ok tekr ór “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve tinnu." got it. It’s a game of hnetta l. The darker pieces defend the king, and Þá mælti Gestumblindi: the white ones attack.”
"Hverr er sá inn mikli, Then said Gestumblindi: er líðr mold y ir, svelgr hann vötn ok við; “Who is that single one glygg hann óast, who sleeps in the hearth en gumna eigi and stems from stone alone? ok yrkir á sól til saka? No father or mother Heiðrekr konungr, has Fain-to-Shine; hyggðu at gátu." in that place he’ll pass his life. King Heidrek, guess my riddle.”
"Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit “That is ire hidden in the hearth. It er þessar. Þat er myrkvi; hann líðr comes from lint.” y ir jörðina, svá at ekki sér fyrir
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honum ok eigi sól, en hann er af, Then Gestumblindi said: þegar vind gerir á." “Who is that great one Þá mælti Gestumblindi: who grasps the earth, swallowing wood and water? "Hvat er þat dýra, Bad weather he dreads, er drepr fé manna wind, but no man, ok er járni kringt utan; and picks a ight with the sun. horn he ir átta, King Heidrek, en höfuð ekki, guess my riddle.” ok fylgja því margir mjök? Heiðrekr konungr, “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve hyggðu at gátu." got it. That’s fog. It grasps the earth so that no one sees in front of "Þat er húnn í hnetta li." themselves and there’s no sun; but Þá mælti Gestumblindi: it’s off as soon as the wind gets up. But these are crafty riddles and "Hvat er þat dýra, puzzles you’re posing, whoever you er Dönum hlí ir, are.” berr blóðugt bak, en bergr irum, Then Gestumblindi said: geirum mætir, gefr líf sumum, “What beast is that leggr við lófa that butchers wealth, lík sitt guma? is circled outside with iron? Heiðrekr konungr, Eight horns it has hyggðu at gátu." but a head never and much hazard hangs upon it. "Þat er skjöldr; hann verðr opt King Heidrek blóðugr í bardögum ok hlí ir vel þeim guess my riddle.” mönnum, er skjald imir eru." “That’s the die in hnetta l, also Þá mælti Gestumblindi: called the cub. Its horns are its corners.” [10] "Hverjar eru þær leikur, Then said Gestumblindi: er líða lönd y ir at forvitni föður, “What beast is that, hvítan skjöld defends ighters; þær of vetr bera, it bears a bloody back, en svartan of sumar?" but men it saves, meets spears, gives life to some, and lays its self "Þat eru rjúpur; þær eru hvítar um inside a soldier’s palm? vetr, en svartar um sumar." King Heidrek Þá mælti Gestumblindi: guess my riddle.”
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"Hverjar eru þær snótir, er ganga syrgjandi “It’s a shield. That is often bloody in at forvitni föður; battles and defends well those men mörgum mönnum who know how to use it.” hafa þær at meini orðit, við þat munu þær aldr ala? Then said Gestumblindi: Heiðrekr konungr, hyggðu at gátu." “What sisters at play pass over countries "Þat eru Hlés brúðir, er svá heita." through a father’s wish to be wise? A white shield Þá mælti Gestumblindi: in winter they bear and a sable one in the summer. "Hverjar eru þær meyjar, King Heidrek, er ganga margar saman guess my riddle.” at forvitni föður; hadda bleika “They’re ptarmigans. They are white hafa þær, inar hvítfölduðu, in winter and black in summer.” ok eigu-t þær varðir vera?" Then said Gestumblindi:
"Þat eru bylgjur, er svá heita." “Who are the women Þá mælti Gestumblindi: who wistful go through a father’s wish to be wise? "Hverjar eru þær ekkjur, To many a man er ganga allar saman mischief they’ve done; at forvitni föður; that’s how they’ll live their lives. sjaldan blíðar King Heidrek, eru þær við seggja lið guess my riddle.” ok eigu þær í vindi vaka? Heiðrekr konungr, “Those are Hler’s wives, as we say: hyggðu at gátu." waves.”
"Þat eru ægis ekkjur, svá heita öldur." Then Gestumblindi said:
Þá mælti Gestumblindi: “Who are those maidens who go many together "Mjök var forðum through a father’s wish to be wise? nösgás vaxin, White hair have they, barngjörn sú er bar the white-bonnet ladies, bútimbr saman; but those wives have no husbands.” hlífðu henni hálms bitskálmir, “Those are billows, as before.” þó lá drykkjar drynhraun y ir." Then said Gestumblindi:
"Þar hafði önd búit hreiðr sitt í milli “Which are the widows nautskjálka, ok lá haussinn ofan y ir." who walk all together
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through a father’s wish to be wise? Þá mælti Gestumblindi: They’re seldom kind to the sons of men "Hverr er sá inn mikli, and must keep awake in the wind.” er mörgu ræðr ok hor ir til heljar hálfr; “That’s Aegir’s widows, a name for höldum bergr waves.” ok við jörð sakast, ef hann he ir sér vel traustan Then said Gestumblindi: vin? Heiðrekr konungr, “Up long ago hyggðu at gátu." a nose-goose had grown; eager for offspring "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit was she who gathered er þessar. Þat er akkeri með góðum house-timber together. streng; ef leinn hans er í grunni, þá They defended her, bergr þat." bite-swords of straw, Þá mælti Gestumblindi: though drink’s bellow- basalt lay over her.” "Hverjar eru þær brúðir, er ganga í brimskerjum “There a duck has built its nest in ok eiga eptir irði för; the middle of an ox’s jawbone, and harðan beð hafa þær the skull rests above.” inar hvítfölduðu konur Then said Gestumblindi: ok leika í logni fátt." “Who is that great one "Þat eru bárur, en beðir þeira eru that governs much sker ok urðir, en þær verða lítt sénar í and hoves to the hellward side; logni." men he defends and ights with earth (Out of Sequence) if he’s found a trusty friend?”
Þá mælti Gestumblindi: “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve "Fjórir hanga, got it. It’s an anchor with a good jórir ganga, rope. If its luke is in the sea loor tveir veg vísa, then it offers protection.” tveir hundum varða, Then said Gestumblindi: einn eptir drallar ok jafnan heldr saurugr. “Who are those wives Heiðrekr konungr, who walk in the skerries hyggðu at gátu." and take a trip down the irth? Their bed is hard, "Góð er gáta þín, Gestumblindi, getit the white-bonnet women. er þessar. Þat er kýr." They can’t play much in calm. King Heidrek,
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guess my riddle.”
“Those are breakers; their bed is skerry and rocks. And they’re not seen much in calm weather. But
your delivery’s gone all to pieces; maybe you’d like to endure the judgement of my wise men?” Gestumblindi says, “I’m reluctant to face that although I suspect it can’t be far off.
“Four hang, four sprang, (Out of sequence) two point the way, two ward off dogs, one dangles after and always rather dirty.
King Heidrek, Þá mælti Gestumblindi: guess my riddle.”
"Sat ek á segli, “Good riddle, Gestumblindi—I’ve sá ek dauða menn got it. It’s a cow. That has four feet blóðugt hold bera and four udders, two horns and two í börk viðar." eyes, and the tail dangles after.”
"Þar sastu á vegg ok sátt val bera æði Gestumblindi said: í hamra." “What inhabits high fells? What falls in deep dales? What lives without breath? What is never silent? King Heidrek,
Guess my riddle.”
“Good riddle Gestumblindi. A raven always lives on high fells, and dew always falls in a deep dale; ish live without breath, and a rushing waterfall is never silent.” Gestumblindi said:
“What is that wonder I saw outside
before the Doors of Day? White they whirl,
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strike stone, and bury themselves black in the sand. King Heidrek, guess my riddle.”
“Good riddle. Now they’re getting easier. That’s hail and rain, since hail strikes the street, and raindrops sink in sand and go into the earth.” Gestumblindi said:
“A black boar I saw in muck wallow, and not a bristle grew on its back. King Heidrek, guess my riddle.”
“Good riddle. It’s a dung-beetle. But it’s come to something when dung-beetles are the subject of great men’s questions.” (Out of sequence) Gestumblindi answers, “Bad things are best put off, and many men play Þá mælti Gestumblindi: for more time; after all, some people do miss things. I see now too that no "Sá ek á sumri stone should be left unturned. sólbjörgum á, bað ek vel lifa “I sat on a sail; vilgi teiti, I saw dead men drukku jarlar bear a blood-hole öl þegjandi, into the bark of a tree.” en æpanda ölker stóð. “There you sat on a wall and saw a Heiðrekr konungr, hawk carry an eider-duck into hyggðu at gátu." crags.” [11]
"Þar drukku grísir gylti, en hún hrein við." Gestumblindi said:
“What is that wonder
that whines on high? The elm-lathe howls; they’re hard, chief. Heidrek King,
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think on that.”
“Good riddle. It’s an arrow,” says the king. Gestumblindi said:
“What is it that makes for men a light but lame engulfs it and wargs ight over it always?”
“Good riddle. It’s the sun. She lights up every land and shines over all men, and Skalli and Hatti are called wargs. Those are wolves, one going Þá mælti Gestumblindi: before the sun, the other after.” Gestumblindi said: "Hvat er þat undra, er ek úti sá “A stallion I saw stand, fyrir Dellings durum; it struck a mare, tíu he ir tungur, tossed tail and beat tuttugu augu, buttock under belly; jóra tigu fóta, out it must draw fram líðr sú vættr? and waggle a good long while. Heiðrekr konungr, Heidrek King, hyggðu at gátu." think on that.”
Then the king replied, “My retainers Konungr mælti þá: "Ef þú ert sá should answer this riddle.” They Gestumblindi, sem ek hugða, þá ertu made many guesses and not very vitrari en ek ætlaða. En frá gyltinni pretty ones. Then, when he saw they segir þú nú úti í garðinum." weren’t going to get it, the king said, “You call that horse a web of linen, Þá lét konungr drepa gyltina, ok hafði while the reed of the loom is his hún níu grísi, sem Gestumblindi mare; and up and down the web sagði. Nú grunar konung, hverr shall shake.” maðrinn mun vera. Then said Gestumblindi: Þá mælti Gestumblindi: “In summer I saw them "Hverir eru þeir tveir, in the sunset er tíu hafa fætr, (when I said goodbye augu þrjú they were barely drunk), ok einn hala? jarls sipping Heiðrekr konungr, ale in silence, hyggðu at gátu." but there howling the horn just stood.”
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"Þat er þá, er Óðinn ríðr Sleipni." “Piglets drank from a sow there and she squealed at that. Good riddle, Þá mælti Gestumblindi: but I don’t know what sort of man you are, to make so much of such a "Segðu þat þá hinst, small matter.” And now the king ef þú ert hverjum konungi secretly orders them to bolt the vitrari: doors of the hall. Hvat mælti Óðinn í eyra Baldri, Gestumblindi said: áðr hann væri á bál ha iðr?" “Maidens I saw
much like soil Heiðrekr konungr segir: "Þat veistu boulders were beds to them, einn, rög vættr." sable and swarthy in sunny weather Ok þá bregðr Heiðrekr Tyr ingi ok but lighter the less is seen. höggr til hans, en Óðinn brást þá í King Heidrek, valslíki ok ló á brott. En konungr hjó Guess my riddle.” eptir ok af honum véli iðrit aptan, ok því er valr svá vélistuttr ávallt síðan. “Good riddle. Those are embers faded on the hearth.” Óðinn mælti þá: "Fyrir þat, Heiðrekr konungr, er þú rétt til mín ok vildir Then said Gestumblindi: drepa mik saklausan, skulu þér inir verstu þrælar at bana verða." “What is that wonder I saw outside Eptir þat skilr með þeim. before the Doors of Day? Ten tongues it has, twenty eyes, forty feet; forward marches the monster. Heidrek King, think on that.”
The king said then, “If you are the Gestumblindi I thought, then you are indeed wiser than I imagined. It’s the sow you’re talking about now out in the yard.” Then the king had the sow slaughtered, and she had nine piglets inside as Gestumblindi had said. Now the king suspects who man this must be.
Then Gestumblindi said:
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“Who are those two who have ten feet, three eyes and one tail? Heidrek King, think on that.”
“Good riddle—now you’re making an effort, coming up with ancient marvels for me: that’s Odin riding Sleipnir.” Then Gestumblindi said:
“Then tell me this one last thing if you can, if you are of all kings the wisest: what did Odin say in Baldr’s ear before he was raised on the pyre?”
King Heidrek says, “Only you know that, monster.”
And then Heidrek draws Tyr ing and slashes at him, and Odin changed into the form of a hawk and lew out through a window of the hall. But the king hacked after him and cut off his tail-feathers, and that’s why to this day the hawk has a stubby tail. But the sword fell on a retainer, who died instantly.
Odin said, “For that, King Heidrek, because you lunged at me and wanted to kill me, the lowest thralls shall be your slayers.” After that they part.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 11 12. Of the Killing of Heidrek and 11. Frá drápi Heiðreks ok ar heimtu Hlod’s Inheritance Hlöðs
Þat er sagt, at Heiðrekr konungr átti It’s told that King Heidrek had
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þræla nokkura, þá er hann hafði tekit certain thralls that he’d captured on í vestrvíking. Þeir váru níu saman. viking trips in the west. There were Þeir váru af stórum ættum ok kunnu nine altogether. They came from illa ófrelsi sínu. Þat var á einni nótt, great families and didn’t think much þá er Heiðrekr konungr lá í to their captivity. One night when svefnstofu sinni ok fátt manna hjá Heidrek was lying in his bedroom, honum, þá tóku þrælarnir sér vápn and few men with him, the thralls ok gengu fyrir konungs herbergi ok got hold of weapons and went to the drápu fyrst útvörðuna. Því næst king’s lodging and irst killed the gengu þeir at ok brutu upp konungs sentries. Next they went on and herbergit ok drápu þar Heiðrek broke into the king’s lodging and konung ok alla þá, er inni váru. Þeir slew King Heidrek and all who were tóku sverðit Tyr ing ok allt fé þat, er inside there. They took the sword inni var, ok höfðu á brott með sér, ok Tyr ing and all the treasure that was engi vissi fyrst, hverir þetta höfðu inside and carried it off with them. gert eða hvert hefnda skyldi leita. And at irst no one knew who had done this or where vengeance Þá lét Angantýr, sonr Heiðreks should be sought. konungs, kveðja þings, ok á því þingi Then Angantyr, Heidrek’s son, had a var hann til konungs tekinn y ir öll council called, and at the council he þau ríki, er Heiðrekr konungr hafði was declared king over all the lands átt. Á þessu þingi strengdi hann heit, that King Heidrek had owned. At at aldri skyldi hann fyrr setjast í this council, he made a solemn vow hásæti föður síns en hann hefði hefnt that he would never sit on his hans. father’s throne till he’d avenged him. Litlu eptir þingit hverfr Angantýr á Not long after the council, Angantyr brott einn saman ok ferr víða at leita slips away by himself and journeys þessa manna. Eitt kveld gengr hann far and wide in search of these men. ofan til sjávar með á þeiri, er Grafá One evening, following that river hét. Þar sá hann þrjá menn á iskibát, which is called the River Grave, he ok því næst sá hann, at maðr dró isk comes down to a lake. There he saw ok kallar, at annarr skyldi fá honum three men in a ishing boat, and agnsaxit at höfða iskinn, en sá kveðst suddenly he saw a man pulling in a eigi laust mega láta. ish and calling to one of the others to get him the bait-knife to behead Hinn mælti: "Taktu sverðit undan the ish, but the other said he höfða jölinni ok fá mér," en sá tók ok couldn’t spare it. brá ok sneið höfuð af iskinum, ok þá So the irst one said, “Get the sword kvað hann vísu: from under the head-board and give it here. And he took it and drew it and cut the head off the ish, and "Þess galt hún gedda then he chanted a verse: fyr Grafár ósi, er Heiðrekr var veginn “The price was paid und Harvaða jöllum." by the pike at Grave River,
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when Heidrek was slain Angantýr kenndi þegar Tyr ing. Gekk under Harveth Fells.” hann þá brott í skóg ok dvaldist þar, til þess er myrkt var. En þessir Angantyr recognised Tyr ing at iskimenn reru at landi ok fara til once. He went off into the forest and tjalds þess, er þeir áttu, ok lögðust til stayed there till it was dark. And svefns. En nær miðri nótt kom those ishermen rowed to land and Angantýr þar ok felldi á þá tjaldit ok they go to their tent and lay down to drap þá alla níu þræla, en tók sverðit sleep. And near midnight Angantyr Tyr ing, ok var þat þá til marks, at came and knocked down the tent so hann hafði hefnt föður síns. Ferr it fell on them, and then he killed all Angantýr nú heim. nine thralls and took the sword Því næst lætr Angantýr gera veislu Tyr ing, and this was proof that he’d mikla á Danparstöðum á þeim bæ, er avenged his father. Now Angantyr Árheimar heita, at erfa föður sinn. Þá goes home. réðu þessir konungar löndum, er hér segir: Next, Angantyr has a great feast prepared on the Banks of Danp, at a place called Arheimar, to honour his Ár kváðu Humla father. Húnum ráða, These were the kings who ruled the Gizur Gautum, lands then, as it is told: Gotum Angantý, Valdar Dönum, Of old, they say, Humli en Völum Kjár, over Huns did rule, Alrekr inn frækni Gizur the Gauts, enskri þjóðu. the Goths Angantyr, Valdar the Danes, Hlöðr, sonr Heiðreks konungs, the Romans Kjar, fæddist upp með Humla konungi, Alrek the Valiant móðurföður sínum, ok var allra the English people. manna fríðastr sýnum ok drengiligastr. En þat var fornt mál King Heidrek’s son Hlod was þann tíma, at maðr væri borinn með brought up with King Humli his vápnum eða hestum. En þat var til mother’s father. He was of all men þess haft, at þat var mælt um þau the inest in appearance and the vápn, er þá váru ger þann tíma, at most manly. And it was an old maðrinn var fæddr, svá ok fé, saying of that time that a man kykvendi, yxn eða hestar, ef þat var would be ‘born with weapons’ or þá fætt, ok var þat allt fært saman til ‘with horses’. This is because virðingar tignum mönnum, sem hér weapons which were made at the segir um Hlöð Heiðreksson: same time as a prince was born were said to be ‘born’ with him. So Hlöðr var þar borinn also with cattle, beasts, oxen or í Húnalandi horses which were born then. And saxi ok með sverði, they were all used in the honouring síðri brynju, of men of great birth, as is told here
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hjálmi hringreifðum, of Hlod Heidreksson: hvössum mæki, mari vel tömum There Hlod was born á mörk inni helgu. in Hunland realm with brand and bodkin Nú spyrr Hlöðr fráfall föður síns ok and long byrnie, þat með, at Angantýr, bróðir hans, var helm ring-welded til konungs tekinn y ir allt þat ríki, and whetted sword sem faðir þeira háfði átt. Nú vilja þeir and horse well tamed Humli konungr ok Hlöðr, at hann fari in the holy forest. at kre ja arfs Angantý, bróður sinn, fyrst með góðum orðum, sem hér Now Hlod learnt of the death of his segir: father, and at the same time that his brother Angantyr had been made Hlöðr reið austan, king over all that realm which his Heiðreks ar i, father had owned. Now King Humli kom hann at garði, and Hlod were agreed that Hlod þar er Gotar byggja, should go and claim his birthright á Árheima from Angantyr his brother, irst arfs at kveðja, with fair words, as it says here: þar drakk Angantýr er i Heiðreks. Hlod rode from the east, Heidrek’s heir; Nú kom Hlöðr í Árheima með miklu he came to the gates liði, sem hér segir: of the Goths’ fortress, Segg fann hann úti to Arheimar fyr sal hávum heirlooms to claim; ok síðförlan there Angantyr held síðan kvaddi: Heidrek’s wake. "Inn gakktu, seggr, í sal hávan, Now Hlod came to Arheimar with a bið mér Angantý great army, as it says here: andspjöll bera." A lone man he found before the lofty hall late outside, Sá gekk inn fyrir konungsborð ok then said to him, kvaddi Angantý konung vel ok mælti “Go thou in, my man, síðan: to this lofty hall, tell Angantyr: come talk with me.” "Hér er Hlöðr kominn, Heiðreks ar þegi, The man went in and up to the bróðir þinn king’s table, greeted Angantyr well inn böðskái; and then said: mikill er sá maðr ungr á mars baki,
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vill nú, þjóðann, “Hlod has come here, við þik tala." Heidrek’s heir, your brother armed as if for war; big is that youth En er konungr heyrði þetta, þá on horse’s back, varpaði hann kní inum á borðit, en wants now, my lord, sté undan borðinu ok steypti y ir sik a word with you.” brynju ok hvítan skjöld í hönd, en sverðit Tyr ing í aðra hönd. Þá gerðist When the king heard that, he threw gnýr mikill í höllinni, sem hér segir: his knife on the table and got up from the table and lung on his
byrnie. He took a white shield in one Rymr var í ranni, hand and the sword Tyr ing in the risu með góðum, other hand. Then there was a great vildi hverr heyra, din in the hall, as it says here: hvat Hlöðr mælti
ok þat, er Angantýr Uproar in the hall, andsvör veitti. they rose with the chief; Þá mælti Angantýr: "Vel þú kominn, each strained to hear Hlöðr bróðir, gakk inn með oss til what Hlod would say drykkju, ok drekkum mjöð eptir and what answer föður okkarn fyrst til sama ok öllum Angantyr gave. oss til vegs með öllum várum sóma." Then said Angantyr, “Welcome Hlod, Hlöðr segir: "Til annars fóru vér my brother. Come in and drink with hingat en at kýla vömb vára." Þá kvað us, and let us irst drink mead to our Hlöðr: father, as is itting, and to the honour of us all with respect for "Hafa vil ek hálft allt, each of us.” þat er Heiðrekr átti, Hlod says, “It wasn’t to ill our guts al ok af oddi, that we came here.” Then spoke einum skatti, Hlod: kú ok af kál i, kver þjótandi; “A half share I’ll have þý ok af þræli of what Heidrek owned: ok þeira barni. of awl and spear-tip, of unsplit treasure, Hrís þat it mæra, of cow and of calf er Myrkviðir heita, and clanking mill, gröf þá ina helgu, of slave and servant, er stendr á götu þjóðar; send their children. stein þann inn mæra, er stendr á stöðum Danpar, That famed forest, hálfar herváðir, folk call the Mirkwoods, þær er Heiðrekr átti, that holy grave
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lönd ok lýða which stands in Gothland realm, ok ljósa bauga." that famed boulder which stands on the Banks of Danp, Þá segir Angantýr: "Eigi ertu til half the war-gear, lands þessa kominn með lögum, ok that Heidrek owned, rangt viltu bjóða." Þá kvað Angantýr: land and people and lustrous rings.” "Bresta mun fyrr, bróðir. in blikhvíta lind Then says Angantyr, “You have not ok kaldr geirr come legally to this land, and your koma við annan proposal is not a just one.” ok margr gumi í gras hníga “First will burst, brother, en ek mun Humlung bright white shield hálfan láta and cold spear eða Tyr ing clash with spear í tvau deila." and many a man will meet the grass Ok enn kvað Angantýr: before a half "Ek mun bjóða þér to Hun’s son I give, bjartar vigrar, or Tyr ing ever fé ok jölð meiðma, in two sunder.” sem þik fremst tíðir; tólf hundruð gef ek þér manna, And again Angantyr spoke: tólf hundruð gef ek þér mara, tólf hundruð gef ek þér skálka, “Accept, I bid you, þeira er skjöld bera. the bright lances, money and many riches, Manni gef ek hverjum what you wish the most; margt at þiggja, twelve hundred men I give you, annat æðra twelve hundred steeds I give you, en hann á ráði; twelve hundred servants I give you, mey gef ek hverjum bearing shields. manni at þiggja, mey spenni ek hverri Much to every meyju at hálsi. man I offer, something else better Mun ek um þik sitjanda than ere he had; silfri mæla, to every man en ganganda þik a maid I give, gulli steypa, and on every lass svát á vega alla I clasp a necklace. velti baugar; þriðjung Goðþjóðar, There where you sit því skaltu einn ráða." I shall cover you in silver; upon you as you walk
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I shall pour down gold; so rings will roll to right and left, for you alone shall be lord over one third of the Gothic nation.”
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 12 13. Hlod and Humli Gathered their 12. Liðsafnaðr Hlöðs ok Humla Forces
Gizurr Grýtingaliði, fóstri Heiðreks Gizur Grytingalidi, foster father of konungs, var þá með Angantý King Heidrek, was with King konungi ok var þá ofrgamall. Ok er Angantyr and was then very old. hann heyrði boð Angantýs, þótti And when he heard Angantyr’s honum hann of mikit bjóða ok kvað words, it seemed to him a bit much þá: to offer, and he intoned:
"Þetta er þiggjanda “That’s ine enough þýjar barni, for a thrall’s son, barni þýjar, bairn of slaves þótt sé borinn konungr; though born a king; þá hornungr a bastard sat á haugi sat, outside on the mound, [12] er öðlingr while the prince parted ar i skipti." patrimony.”
Hlöðr reiddist nú mjök, er hann var Hlod was enraged now because if he þýbarn ok hornungr kallaðr, ef hann accepted his brother’s offer he þægi boð bróður síns, ok sneri hann would be called a bastard and the þá þegar í brott með alla sína menn, son of a thrall, and he promptly til þess er hann kom heim í Húnaland turned and rode away with all his til Humla konungs, frænda síns, ok men till he came home to Hunland sagði honum, at Angantýr, bróðir to his kinsman King Humli and told hans, hefði eigi unnt honum him that his brother Angantyr had helmingaskiptis. not granted him a half share.
Humli spyrr nú allt tal þeira; varð Humli asks about their whole hann þá reiðr mjök, ef Hlöðr, conversation. He lew into a rage at dóttursonr hans, skyldi ambáttarsonr the thought of Hlod, his daughter’s heita, ok kvað þá: son, being called the son of a servant. And he spoke thus: "Sitja skulum í vetr ok sælliga lifa, “At our ease we’ll wait drekka ok dæma the winter out, dýrar veigar; swap words and swig kenna Húnum
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hervápn búa, some worthy brews; þau er fræknliga teach Huns to fashion skulum fram bera." ighting tackle which valiantly Ok enn kvað hann: to war we’ll bear.”
"Vel skulum þér, Hlöðr, And again he spoke: herlið búa ok framliga “Well shall we summon fylki týja war-bands for you, Hlod, með tólf vetra mengi and back you up ok tvævetrum fola, boldly with soldiers, svá skal Húna with twelve-winter force her of samna." and two-winter foal, so shall the host
of the Huns gather.” Þenna vetr sátu þeir Humli ok Hlöðr um kyrrt. Um várit drógu þeir her That winter Humli and Hlod sat saman svá mikinn, at aleyða var eptir tight. In the spring they gathered an vígra manna í Húnalandi. Allir menn army so immense that all Hunland fóru tólf vetra ok ellri, þeir er was emptied of able men. All men herfærir váru at vápnum, ok hestar who could wield weapons went, þeira allir fóru tvævetrir ok ellri. Varð from twelve years upwards, and all svá mikill jöldi manna þeira, at horses from two. The multitude of þúsundum mátti telja, en eigi færi en their men grew so great, it could be þúsundir í fylkingar. En höfðingi var counted in regiments, and no fewer settr y ir þúsund hverja, en merki y ir than regiments in the brigades. And fylking hverja, en imm þúsundir í a leader was set over each regiment, hverri fylking, þeira er þrettán and a standard over every brigade, hundruð váru í hverri, en hvert and ive regiments in each brigade, hundrað fernir jórir tigir, en þessar each comprising thirteen fylkingar váru þrjár ok þrír tigir. squadrons. And each squadron numbered four times forty. And of Sem þessi herr kom saman, riðu þeir these brigades there were thirty- skóg þann, er Myrkviðr heitir, er skilr three. [13] Húnaland ok Gotaland. En sem þeir When this army had assembled, kómu af skóginum, þá váru byggðir they rode through that forest called stórar ok vellir sléttir, ok á völlunum Mirkwood which separates Hunland stóð borg ein fögr. En þar réð fyrir and Gothland. And when they came Hervör, systir Angantýs konungs, ok out of the forest, there before them Ormarr, fóstri hennar; varu þau sett were large settlements and lat þar til landgæslu fyrir her Húna, ok plains, and on the plains stood a höfðu þau þar mikit lið. ine-looking fortress. And in command there were Angantyr’s sister Hervor and Ormar her foster father—they’d been posted there as
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a guard against the host of the Huns, and they had there a great army.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 13 14. The Fall of Hervor and the 13. Fall Hervarar ok liðsafnaðr Gathering of Angantyr’s Army Angantýs
Þat var einn morgun í sólarupprás, at One morning at sunrise, Hervor Hervör stóð upp á kastala einum y ir stood on a tower over the fortress borgarhliði. Hún sá jóreyki stóra suðr gate. She saw a great cloud of dust til skógarins, svá at löngum fal sólina. to the south near the forest, so that Því næst sá hún glóa undir for a long time the sun was hidden. jóreyknum, sem á gull eitt liti, fagra Then she saw something shining skjöldu ok gulli lagða, gyllta hjálma under the dust-cloud, and it seemed ok hvítar brynjur. Sá hún þá, at þetta to her that she looked on gold: fair var herr Húna ok mikill jöldi. shields chased with gold, gilded helms and white byrnies. She saw Hervör gekk ofan skyndiliga ok kallar then that this was the Hunnish army lúðrsvein ok bað blása saman lið. Ok and a very great host it was. síðan mælti Hervör: "Takið vápn yður Hervor rushed down and called the ok búist til orrostu, en þú, Ormarr, ríð trumpeter and ordered him to í mót Húnum ok bjóð þeim orrostu sound the alarm and assemble the fyrir borgarhliði inu syðra. army. And then Hervor said, “Take your weapons and prepare for Ormarr kvað: battle. And you, Ormar, ride to the Huns and challenge them to battle "Skal ek víst ríða before the south gate.” ok rönd bera, Gota þjóðum Ormar spoke: gunni heyja." “Sure I’ll gallop Þá reið Ormarr af borginni ok í mót grasping shield hernum. Hann kallaði hátt ok bað þá and give battle ríða til borgarinnar, - "ok úti fyrir for the Gothic peoples.” borgarhliðinu suðr á völlunum þar býð ek yðr til orrostu; bíði þeir þar Then Ormar rode from the fortress annarra, er fyrr koma." towards the army. He called in a Nú reið Ormarr aptr til borgarinnar, loud voice and bade them ride to ok var þá Hervör albúin ok allr herr. the fortress, “And out before the Riðu þau nú út af borginni með south gate upon the plain, there I hernum móti Húnum, ok hófst þar challenge you to battle. Whoever allmikil orrosta. En með því at Húnar comes irst will wait for the other.” hafa lið miklu meira, sneri Now Ormar rode back to the mannfallinu í lið þeira Hervarar, ok fortress and found Hervor armed um síðir fell Hervör ok mikit lið and all the army ready. Now they umhver is hana. En er Ormarr sá fall rode out of the fortress with their
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hennar, lýði hann ok allir þeir, er lí it army against the Huns, and there þágu. Ormarr reið dag ok nótt, sem began a mighty battle. And as the mest mátti hann, á fund Angantýs Huns have a much bigger force, the konungs í Árheima. Húnar taka nú at slaughter turned to the Gothic side. herja um landit víða ok brenna. And at last Hervor fell, and many Goths around her. And when Ormar Og sem Ormarr kom fyrir Angantý saw her fall, he led along with all konung, þá kvað hann: who survived. Ormar rode day and night as fast as he could to King "Sunnan em ek kominn Angantyr in Arheimar. The Huns at segja spjöll þessi: now take to harrying the land, sviðin er öll mörk pillaging and burning far and wide. ok Myrkviðar heiðr, dri in öll Goðþjóð And when Ormar came before King gumna blóði." Angantyr he said:
Ok enn kvað hann: “From the south I’ve come "Mey veit ek Heiðreks, to say this news: systur þína, burnt’s Mirkwood Heath svigna til jarðar; and the whole forest, hafa Húnar Goth-folk all blotched hana fellda with blood of men.” ok marga aðra yðra þegna. And again he spoke: Léttari gerðist hún at böð en við biðil ræða “Down, I hear, eða í bekk at fara is Heidrek’s lass; at brúðar gangi." heard your sister, the Huns felled her— Angantýr konungr, þá er hann heyrði and of your people þetta, brá hann grönum ok varð seint plenty more. til orða ok mælti þetta um síðir: More cheery in battle "Óbróðurliga than chatting with suitors vartu leikin, or taking the bench in ágæta systir." at a bridal feast.”
Ok síðan leit hann y ir hirðina, ok var When King Angantyr heard this, he ekki margt liðs með honum. Hann grinned and was slow to speak, but kvað þá: at last he said:
"Mjök váru vér margir, “Unbrotherly er vér mjöð drukkum, the bloody game nú eru vér færi, they played with you, er vér leiri skyldum. excellent sister.” Sék eigi mann í mínu liði,
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þótt ek biðja And then he looked at his ok baugum kaupa, household troop, and there weren’t er muni ríða many with him. He said then: ok rönd bera ok þeira Húna “Many more of us herlið inna." drank mead together but now in need Gizurr gamli sagði: our number’s less.
"Ek mun þik einkis No man I see eyris kre ja in my army né skjallanda (although I ask skarfs ór gulli; and offer rings) þó mun ek ríða who’ll ride boldly ok rönd bera, and bear a shield Húna þjóðum or hasten the Hunnish herstaf bjóða." host to ind.”
Þat váru lög Heiðreks konungs, ef Gizur the Old said: herr var í landi, en landskonungr
haslaði völl ok lagði orrostustað, þá “Not one ounce skyldu víkingar ekki herja, áðr I’ll ask of silver orrosta væri reynd. Gizurr nor for jingling herklæddist með góðum hervápnum jangling gold, ok hljóp á hest sinn, sem ungr væri. yet boldly I’ll ride Þá mælti hann til konungs: and bear a shield, "Hvar skal ek Húnum bring now to Huns hervíg kenna?" the battle-stave.”
Angantýr kvað: It was a law of King Heidrek’s that if an invading army was in a country, "Kenndu at Dylgju and the king of the land marked out ok á Dúnheiði, a ield with hazel twigs, so setting ok á þeim öllum the place for battle, [14] then the Jassar jöllum; raiders shouldn’t harry till the þar opt Gotar battle was decided. Gizur armed gunni háðu himself with good weapons and ok fagran sigr leapt on his horse as if he was a frægir vágu." young man. Then he said to the king: Nú reið Gizurr í brott ok þar til, er hann kom í her Húna. Hann reið eigi “Where shall I point nær en svá, at hann mátti tala við þá. the Hunnish people?” Þá kallar hann hári röddu ok kvað: Angantyr said: "Felmtr er yðru fylki, feigr er yðarr vísir,
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gnæfar yðr gunnfáni, “Point them to Dylgja gramr er yðr Óðinn." and to Dun Heath direct them and mark out all Ok enn: the Mounts of Jass; there Goths often "Býð ek yðr at Dylgju have given battle ok á Dúnheiði and ine victory orrostu undir they, famous, gained.” Jassar jöllum; hræ sé yðr Now Gizur rode off till he came to at hái hverjum, the army of the Huns. He rode no ok láti svá Óðinn lein ljúga, nearer than he needed to talk to sem ek fyrir mæli." them. Then he calls out in a loud voice and said:
Þá er Hlöðr hafði heyrt orð Gizurar, þá kvað hann: “There’s fear on your forces, fey are your generals; "Taki þér Gizur the battle-banner Grýtingaliða, above you looms; mann Angantýs, wrath with you is Odin.” kominn af Árheimum." And also: Humli konungr sagði: “I offer you at Dylgja "Eigi skulum and on Dun Heath I offer árum spilla, a ight under þeim er of fara the Jassar Fells. einir saman." A corpse be to you on every horse. May Odin let the javelin ly just as I decree.” Gizurr mælti: "Eigi gera Húnar oss felmtraða né hornbogar yðrir." When Hlod had heard Gizur’s words he said: Gizurr drap þá hest sinn með sporum
ok reið á fund Angantýs konungs ok “Grab hold of Gizur gekk fyrir hann ok kvaddi hann vel. Grytingalidi, Konungr spyrr, hvárt hann hefði Angantyr’s man, fundit konunga. from Arheimar.” Gizurr mælti: "Talaða ek við þá, ok stefnda ek þeim á vígvöll á Dúnheiði í King Humli said: Dylgjudölum." “Messenger men Angantýr spyrr, hvat mikit lið Húnar we must not slay, hafa. wreak wrong on those
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who ride alone.” Gizurr mælti: "Mikit er þeira mengi: Gizur said, “Huns don’t scare us, nor Sex ein eru your horn-bows.” seggja fylki, í fylki hverju Gizur spurred his horse and rode till imm þúsundir, he came to King Angantyr and went í þúsund hverri before him and greeted him well. þrettán hundruð, Angantyr asks whether he had í hundraði hverju found the kings. halir jórtaldir." Gizur said, “I spoke with them and Angantýr spyrr nú til Húna hers. Þá summoned them to battle on Dun sendi hann alla vegu menn frá sér ok Heath in the Dylgja Dales.” stefndi hverjum manni til sín, er honum vildi lið veita ok vápnum Angantyr asks how big an army the mætti valda. Fór hann þá á Dúnheiði Huns have. með lið sitt, ok var þat allmikill herr. Gizur said, “Great is their host: Kom þá á móti honum herr Húna, ok
höfðu þeir lið hálfu meira. “Six brigades of soldiers they have, in each brigade ive regiments, in each regiment thirteen squadrons, in each squadron quadrupled men.” [15]
So Angantyr hears about the host of the Huns. Then he sent messengers in all directions and summoned to him every man who wished to support him and could bear arms. He went to Dun Heath then with his troops, and that was an immense army. Then the army of the Huns came to meet him, and their host was twice as big.
Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, ch. 14 15. The Battle of Dun Heath 14. Orrosta á Dúnheiði
The next day they began their battle At öðrum degi hófu þeir sína orrostu and fought all that day and went at ok börðust allan þann dag ok fóru at evening to their camps. They fought kveldi í herbúðir sínar. Þeir börðust thus for eight days, with the leaders
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svá átta daga, at höfðingjar váru enn unharmed, but none knew the heilir, en engi vissi manntal, hvat number of those who fell. But day margt fell. En bæði dag ok nótt dreif and night more troops thronged to lið til Angantýs af öllum vegum, ok þá Angantyr’s camp from all directions, kom svá, at hann hafði eigi færa fólk so that he had no less men than he en í fyrstu. Varð nú orrostan enn had at the start. Now the battle ákafari. Váru Húnar alláka ir ok sá þá grew yet more bitter. The Huns sinn kost, at sú ein var lífs ván, ef þeir became all the more desperate as sigruðust, ok illt mundi Gota griða at they saw their position: that their biðja. Gotar vörðu frelsi sitt ok only hope of life was to win, and fóstrjörð fyrir Húnum, stóðu því fast, that they wouldn’t get much mercy ok eggjaði hverr annan. Þá er á leið from the Goths. The Goths were daginn, gerðu Gotar atgöngu svá defending their freedom and harða, at fylkingar Húna svignuðu fatherland against the Huns, and so fyrir. Ok er Angantýr sá þat, gekk stood fast and encouraged each hann fram ór skjaldborginni ok í other. Then, as the day wore on, the öndverða fylking ok hafði í hendi Goths made an attack so hard that Tyr ing ok hjó þá bæði menn ok the Hun ranks broke before them. hesta. Raufst þá skjaldborg fyrir And when Angantyr saw that, he Húna konungum, ok skiptust þeir charged forward out of the bræðr höggum við. Þá fell Hlöðr ok shield-wall and into the forefront of Humli konungr, ok þá brast lótti á the enemy host and had in his hand Húnum, en Gotar drápu þá ok felldu Tyr ing and struck down both men svá mikinn val, at ár stemmdust ok and horses. Then the shield-wall fellu ór vegum, en dalir váru fullir af collapsed around the Hunnish hestum ok dauðum mönnum ok kings, and the brothers traded blóði. blows. There fell Hlod and King Humli, and a rout broke out among Angantýr konungr gekk þá at kanna the Huns, but the Goths killed them valinn ok fann Hlöð, bróður sinn. Þá and they felled so many that the kvað hann: rivers were dammed and burst their banks, and the dales were full of "Bauð ek þér, bróðir, horses and dead men and blood. basmir óskerðar, King Angantyr went then to search fé ok jölð meiðma, the dead and found Hlod, his sem þik fremst tíddi; brother. Then he said: nú he ir þú hvárki hildar at gjöldum “I offered you, brother, ljósa bauga every treasure, né land ekki." money and many riches, what you wished the most; Ok enn: but now for war "Bölvat er okkr, bróðir, you’ve no reward, bani em ek þinn orðinn, no lustrous rings þat mun æ uppi, nor land either.” illr er dómr norna."
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And further:
“Cursed are we, brother, your killer I’ve become, it will never be forgotten— grim is the doom of norns.”
Appendix A: Starkad
Here is part of the Prologue from the U-version of Hervor's Saga (see Notes on Translation). The story of Starkad comes right after the description of Gudmund, which can be found at the start of Chapter 6 of this translation. The H-version of Hervor's Saga, preserved in the Hauksbók manuscript, contains an abridged form of this prologue:
There was a man called Arngrim. He was a giant and a rock-dweller. He took Ama, Ymir's daughter from Ymisland, and made her his wife. Their son was Hergrim, who was called Half-Troll. He was sometimes with mountain- giants, and sometimes with men. He had the strength of a giant. He was all-knowing in the arcane arts and a great berserk. He went to Jotunheim and took Ogn El burst home with him, and made her his wife. Their son was called Grim. Before this, she had been promised to Starkad Ala-Warrior.
Now this man Starkad lived by the Alufoss Fall. He was descended from that race of giants called thurses, and was like them in strength and nature. He had eight arms. Storkvid was the name of his father. Ogn El burst was Starkad's betrothed, and Hergrim took her from him while Starkad was away, having gone north over the Elia Creeks, but when he came back, he challenged Hergrim to an island duel, to ight for the woman. They fought by Efsta Foss at Eid. Starkad had eight arms and wielded four swords at once. He had the victory there, and Hergrim fell. Ogn was watching their duel, and when Hergrim had fallen, Ogn stabbed herself with the sword. She did not want to marry Starkad. Starkad now seized all the wealth that Hergrim had owned and took his son, Grim, away with him too. He grew up with Starkad. Grim grew both big and strong, as he got older.
Alf was the king who ruled Al heim. Al hild was his daughter. Al heim was between Gaut-Elfar and Raum-Elfar. One autumn a great disablot, or sacri ice to the goddesses, was made by King Alf, and Al hild went to the sacri ices. She was fairer than any woman, and all the folk in Al heim were more beautiful to see than other people at that time. But in the night, as she reddened the altar, Starkad Ala-Warrior took Al hild away and brought her home with him. King Alf called on Thor then, to search after Al hild, whereupon Thor killed Starkad, and let Al hild go home to her father, and
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with her Grim, the son of Hergrim. And when Grim was twelve years old, he went raiding and became the greatest of warriors, and he married Bauggerd, the daughter of Al hild and Starkad. Grim made a home for himself on the island of Bolm in Halogaland, and was afterwards called Ey-Grim "Island-Grim" Bolm. Their son was Arngrim Berserk, who later lived on Bolm and was the most excellent of warriors.
NOTES:
[1] See Note on Translation. [2] eggja spor , a kenning (poetic circumlocution) for ‘wounds’. [3] hlaðs beðgunnr , a kenning for ‘woman’. Literally: ‘the embroidered border’s bed-valkyrie’, probably to be analysed as ‘the valkyrie of the bed of embroidery (i.e. of the cloak)’. [4] A heathen custom similar to baptism. [5] In pre-Christian times, poor families might leave a baby out to die if they felt unable to look after it. [6] haugar ‘grave mounds’. [7] According to folk belief, fire over grave mounds was as a sign of buried treasure. [8] See Note on Translation. [9] þing . A Norse legal assembly, a meeting, but also poetically ‘battle’. [10] The Norse horn means both. [11] This riddle relies on a type of cryptic wordplay called ironically ofljóst ‘too clear’, in which the word is replaced by a synonym of a homonym (that is, by one that means the same as one that sounds the same), e.g. in the first line, segl means ‘sail’, but another Norse word for ‘sail’ veggr also means ‘wall’. Similarly, dauðir menn ‘dead men’ describes valr ‘the slain’; valr also signifies ‘hawk’. Interpretations of the last two lines are speculative. An editorial amendment, ‘blood-hole’ in line three, would suggest a play on æðr ‘vein, artery, eider-duck’—but there is no consensus about the final line, for which a variety of readings exist in the different manuscripts. [12] Sitting on mounds is what herdsmen did, and this is may the implication. But it was also a symbolic practice of kings to sit on the grave mounds of their ancestors—in the Book of Flatey version of Saint Olaf’s Saga, the twelve year old Bjorn sits on his father’s grave mound when he first claims the kingship—so alternatively, Gizur might be suggesting that Hlod is getting ideas above his station. [13] The words translated as ‘regiment’ and ‘squadron’ are also the Norse words for ‘thousand’ and ‘hundred’ respectively, but used here in a specialised sense for military units. [14] To ‘hazel someone a field’ meant to challenge them to pitched battle (as in Egil’s Saga, ch. 52). Four poles of hazel wood marked the corners of the ground where the battle was to be fought. A similar practice was used for duels between single combatants (see Kormak’s Saga, ch. 10). [15] The numbers here do not tally with those given earlier in the prose. sex ein could mean ‘some six’ or ‘only six’, though the context might speak against the latter. Kershaw: “six in all”. Hollander translates the first line ‘sixteen’ ( sextán ). Kershaw and Hollander
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both make the last line 160 men (40 x 4, presumably because the ‘hundreds’ (squadrons) were earlier said to contain 40 men each), but Turville-Petre writes that í hundraði hverju halir fjórtaldir (literally: “in each ‘hundred’, men counted four times”) appears to mean (his emphasis) “every hundred consisted of 120 x 4”. The Old Norse hundrað was used both for 120 and 100, though the larger figure is more likely in a traditional, non-ecclesiastical context.
Notes on Translation :
The Manuscripts
Hervor's Saga exists in three distinct versions, known as R, H and U. Of these, R is thought to be closest to the hypothetical 13th century original, but lacks an ending. It also has a gap covering the end of Chapter 5 (of the present translation) and the beginning of Chapter 6, and breaks off towards the end of Chapter 12. With its unfussy vigour and mnemonic repetitions, R comes closest to resembling an oral tale. H and U share some signi icant revisions to the story in contrast to R, notably the discursive introductory chapter, certain rationalisations of behaviour, and a more active role for the cursed sword Tyr ing. The narrative of U is generally fuller, with most incidental detail. H omits Hjalmar's Death Song but has several extra riddles not found in the other versions. The R version comes from the early 15th century vellum Gl.kgl.sml. 2845, 4to, of the Royal Library in Copenhagen. U is preserved in the corrupt paper manuscript U (R:715 of the University Library, Uppsala, mid 17th century), and a part also appears in AM 203 fol. of the University Library, Copenhagen, written by Sı́ra Jón Erlendsson of Villingaholt (died 1672). The H text is known from the Hauksbók, AM 544, 4to, written by Haukr Erlendsson (died 1334). From the answer to the second riddle, the ending is missing, but two 17th century copies, AM 281, 4to (h1) and AM 597b, 4to (h2), preserve this version to the end of the riddles. In addition, a large number of paper manuscripts derived from the above attests to the saga's continuing popularity.
Which Versions I Have Used
The present translation is based mainly on R, for which I've used G Turville- Petre's edition of Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks , published by the Viking Society for Northern Research (Text Series: Number 2). This follows R "as far as it goes", illing in the irst gap from H, while the end of the saga, including the Epilogue, is taken from U, with some readings from 203. In a few places I've supplemented this with additional material from the H and U versions. For the former I used Finnur & Eirı́kur Jónsson's 1892-96 edition of Hauksbók (Vol. 2, pp. 350-369), and for the latter, Hervarar saga ok Heidrekskongs, ed. Stefán Björnsson, 1785, based on the U-type 17th century paper manuscript AM 345 4to. Both are available online at Saganet . Digitised texts of R and H can be found here (titled respectively: Hervarar saga ok
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Heiðreks, and Saga Heiðreks konungs ins vitra). Petersen 's edition, Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks konungs, útge in af NM Petersen, Copenhagen 1847, looks like a composite with the beginning according to H, but including the fuller account of the duel on Samsey as in R, after which it goes back to H while that lasts. The divergences in my translation from the Turville-Petre edition are as follows:
* The opening to my Chapter 6, introducing Godmund, is actually the very beginning of U and H. I made an amalgam of these. * The irst mention of Arrow-Odd in Sweden is from U; in R he's not introduced till the duel. Heidrek's life in the woods is from H, as is the people's desire to expose the baby in Chapter 5; so too the names of the six berserks from Brami to Bui inclusive (only six names are given in R), and the detail regarding the relative weakness of the Haddings. I stuck to R however for the order of the irst four. * Extra riddles have been included from H, together with much additional repartee between Gestumblindi and the king, and the detail of the by-stander inadvertantly slain. The order of riddles varies between versions, and in a few cases I've altered it further to accommodate asides from both R and H. In the process, one or two asides in my translation have been shifted to follow a different riddle. From H too come some verses in The Waking of Angantyr which are missing from R. The accidental killing of the retainer is from U. * R seems to contradict itself regarding the name of the 2nd Hervor's foster father. For continuity, I added to Chapter 10 a mention of Ormar from H, thus: "...with Jarl Frodmar, or some say with a man called Ormar." (H only names Ormar here.) The words "or some say" are my own. * The story of the king and the dwarves in Chapter 1 is from H, with nods to U. (This incident is only alluded to in R.) However, including the dwarves presents a dilemma, since their curse demands the death of the king by his own sword. Now, in R Arngrim stays peacefully with King Sigrlami. In H & U, Arngrim never stays with the king (who is called Svavrlami there) but only attacks him, kills him in battle and steals his daughter. At irst I tried combining the two versions: having Arngrim stay with Sigrlami, then betray him--but it wasn't working. So instead I've left the story of Arngrim just as in R, but shifted the curse from the king to his "kin" (that is, his descendents). Though arguably not out of keeping with legendary saga conventions--compare the elf-woman's delayed-action curse on Helgi's offspring in The Saga of Hrolf Kraki, and moreover Angantyr's own warnings to Hervor that this sword will bring doom to future generations--you might want to note: "kin" in place of "you [king]" is a wanton change to original text.
For the story of Starkad as told in U, see Appendix B.
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SCHOLARSHIP & COMMENTARY
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Medieval Scandinavia: An "The first edition of the Hervarar saga Encyclopedia, 1993: (version U) was made by Olaus Verelius: Hervarar saga på Gammal Götska (Uppsala 1672). In 1873, Sophus Bugge edited the R-version (according to him, version II) with the combined H and U versions (his version 1), but Heimzel (1887) proclaimed that Bugge's versions I and II should rather be regarded as two independent stories. This view was challenged by Ivan Sarovol's'kyj (1906-07), who argued that both H and R go back to the one and the same lost version of the saga, while U represents the contaminated version. "In a series of four articles (1913-27), A. LeRoy Andrews resurrected version U, arguing that both U and R represent in their general makeup the original saga, while H was the producr of the later scribe. "Jón Helgason (1924) distinguished two versions of the saga. His Heiðreks saga contains a diplomatic edition of R, with H printed under it (pp. 1-88) and U following (pp. 89-161). According to Christopher Tolkien (1960), R is the closest witness of the original called A (composed ca. 1250), while U and H descend from the next version of the saga (X, ca. 1300); H, however, is nothing but a careless abridgement of X."
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