Egil’s Saga (24 page)

That man saith, “That is little pains for me, to run this errand”.

He went in into the hall and spake loud and clear: “A man is come here, out before the doors,” saith he, “great as a troll; and that one bade me go in and ask whether thou wouldst without-door or within, to talk with Egil Skallagrimson”.

Arinbiorn saith, “Go and bid him bide without, and he will not need to bide long”.

He did as Arinbiorn spake: went out and said as was spoken unto him. Arinbiorn bade take up the tables. Thereafter went he out and all his housecarles with him. And when Arinbiorn saw Egil he hailed him and asked why was he come thither.

Egil saith in few words, the plainest he might, of his journey; “And now shalt thou see to it, what rede I shall take, if thou wilt give aught of help to me”.

“Hast thou met any men in the burg”, saith Arinbiorn, “who will have known thee, before thou camest here into the garth?”

“Not one,” saith Egil.

“Take men their weapons, then,” saith Arinbiorn.

They did so, and when they were weaponed, and all the housecarles of Arinbiorn, then went he into the King’s garth. But when they came to the hall, then clapped Arinbiorn on the door and bade open, and saith who was there. The door-keepers straightway opened the gates.

The King sate at table. Arinbiorn bade go in then twelve men; named for this Egil and ten men besides: “Now shalt thou, Egil, bring unto King Eric thine head, and take him by the foot, but I will plead thy suit”.

So now go they in. Arinbiorn went before the King and greeted him. The King welcomed him, and asked what he would. Arinbiorn spake: “I have followed hither that man that is come a long way to seek to you at home and be set at one with you. That is great honour unto you, Lord, when your unfriends fare of their own free will from other lands, and think they cannot bear your wrath, though you be nowhere anigh. Let thyself now be lordly in thy dealings with this man. Let him get of thee good peace-making, for that he hath made thine honour so great as now may be seen: fared over many mains and difficult ways from home from his own dwelling. There was no need bare him on this journey, save only good will to you”.

Then looked the King about him, and he saw over the heads of men, where Egil stood. And he glared with his eyes upon him, and spake: “Why wast thou so bold, Egil, that thou durst fare to find out me? On such wise last time wentest thou hence, that there was no hope of thy life from me”.

Then went Egil to the table and took the King by the foot. Quoth he then:
⁵

Iva’s firth-trampling stallion

Long surging ways hath borne me

To seek to him that sitteth

In sway o’er land of England.

Now hath the wound-sheen’s shaker

(Too stout of heart) sought hither,

Unto the very rope-core

Of Harald’s hard-spun line.

King Eric said, “No need have I to tell up the guilts at thine hands, and yet are they so many and so big, that any single one may well be sufficient that thou come never from hence with life. Thou hast no other thing to hope for, but that here thou shalt surely die. Thou mightest have known that before, that thou wouldst get no peace-making from me”.

Then quoth Egil:
^*

Gunnhild spake: “Why shall’s not straightway slay Egil? Or mindest thou not now, King, what Egil hath done? slain friends of thine and kinsmen, and more than that, thy son; and scorned thine own self? Or where did ever men wot of such doings to a King-man?”

Arinbiorn saith: “If Egil hath spoke ill against the King, then may he boot that by words of praise, such as may stand up for all ages”.

Gunnhild spake: “We will not harken to his praise. Let thou, King, lead Egil out and hew him. I will not harken to his words, and not look upon him”.

Then spake Arinbiorn: “The King will not let himself be egged on to all thy dastard’s work. He will not let slay Egil at night, because night-slayings are murthers”.
⁶

The King saith, “So shall it be, Arinbiorn, as thou biddest, that Egil shall live this night. Have thou him home with thee, and bring me him in the morning”.

Arinbiorn thanked the King for his words: “We hope, Lord, that from this belike will Egil’s matter be settled a better way. And albeit Egil hath in great matters made himself guilty in your sight, yet look you at that, that he hath had mighty losses through your kindred. King Harald thy father took the life of a famous man, Thorolf, his father’s brother, because of the slander of wicked men, but for no cause. And you, King, did break the law for Egil for the sake of Bergonund; yea, and more than that, you would have had Egil a dead man, and did slay men of his, and robbed him of all his fee, and more than that, you did make him outlaw and drive him from the land; and Egil is not a man to be mocked and teased.
⁷
But in every matter that a man must judge, needs must he look to what beareth on it. I will now”, saith Arinbiorn, “have Egil with me for the night at home in my garth”.

So it was now. And when they came into the garth, then go those two into a certain little loft and talk over this matter. Saith Arinbiorn as thus: “All wrathful was the King now; and yet methought rather his frame of mind was softened somewhat, before the end. And now will luck settle it, what must come of it. I know that Gunnhild will set all her mind to it, to spill thy matter for thee. Now will I give thee this rede, that thou wake this night and work a praise-song upon King Eric: methinks that were well, if that were to be a drapa of twenty staves, and thou mightst say it forth in the morning, when we two come before the King. So did Bragi,
⁸
of my kindred, when he stood before the wrath of Biorn the Swede-King, that he wrought a drapa of twenty staves upon him in one night and received therefor his head. Now might it be that we might bear luck here with the King, so that that should bring thee into peace with the King”.

Egil saith, “I shall try this rede, since ’tis thy will. But this have I never prepared me for, to work a praise upon King Eric”.

Arinbiorn bade him try. And now he went away to his own men. Sat they a-drinking until middle night. Then went Arinbiorn to the sleeping-house and his following, and before he did off his clothes, went he up into the loft to Egil and asked him how it sped of the song.

Egil saith that he had gotten nothing wrought: “Hath here sat a swallow by the window and twittered all the night, so that I have never bided in peace for it”.

With that, went Arinbiorn away and out by those doors where a man might go up onto the house, and sat him down by that window in the loft that the fowl had before sat by. He saw where some shape-changer
⁹
fared the other way from the house. Arinbiorn sat there by the window all night until it dawned. And after Arinbiorn had come there, then wrought Egil all the drapa, and had so gotten it by heart that he might say it forth in the morning when he met Arinbiorn.

They held themselves in readiness against the time should come for them to meet the King.

*
This stave is lost. E.R.E.

CHAPTER LX. HOW EGIL QUOTH HIS DRAPA THAT IS NAMED
HEAD-RANSOM
IN KING ERIC’S HALL IN YORK.

K
ING ERIC went to table according to his wont, and there was then great throng of men with him. And when Arinbiorn was ware of that, then went he with all his following all weaponed into the King’s garth then when the King sate at table. Arinbiorn craved leave to go into the hall: that, too, was allowed him as of right. They go in, he and Egil, and the half of their following: the other half stood without before the doors.

Arinbiorn greeted the King, and the King gave him good welcome. Arinbiorn spake: “Now is here come Egil. He hath not sought to run away in the night. Now will we know, Lord, what his lot shall be. I hope for good from you. That have I done (as worthy was) that I have spared nothing for this, so to do and to speak as that your honour might so be greater than afore. I have left, too, all my possessions and kinsfolk and friends that I had in Norway, and followed you, but all your landed men fell off from you. And that is right and seemly, seeing that thou hast in many a thing done unto me exceeding well”.

Then spake Gunnhild: “Give over, Arinbiorn, and talk not so long of this. Much hast thou done well unto King Eric, and he hath to the full rewarded that. There lieth on thee a much greater duty to King Eric than to Egil. This is not to be asked by thee, that Egil should fare unpunished hence from before the face of King Eric, such things as he hath been guilty of”.

Then saith Arinbiorn, “If thou, King, and Gunnhild have fast resolved on this, that Egil shall here get no peace-making, then is that the manly part to give him truce and safe-conduct for a week’s space, to get him gone; he hath, when all’s said, of his own free will fared hither to see you, and had hope for himself of peace therefor. And then let your dealings together fare even as they must, from thenceforth”.

Gunnhild spake: “I can see in this, Arinbiorn, that thou art more careful of Egil than of King Eric. If Egil shall ride hence for a week away in peace, then will he be come to King Athelstane by that time. But King Eric needs not now to hide this from himself, that all kings are now become men of greater might and mastery than he. But a short while since would that not have been thought likely, that King Eric should not have the will nor the marrow for this, to avenge his griefs on every man, such-like as Egil is”.

Arinbiorn saith, “No man would call Eric the greater man, though he should slay one bonder’s son, an outlander, that hath walked into his power. But if he will fain grow great by that, then shall I do this for him, that these tidings shall be thought somewhat worth the telling; because we two, Egil and I, will now hold together, so that at one and the same time must we both be met with. Thou mayst then, King, buy dear the life of Egil, when we be all laid on the field, I and my following. I might have looked for some other thing from you, than that thou wouldst have the will to lay me to earth rather than let me receive the life of one man at mine asking”.

Then saith the King, “Exceeding great masterfulness layest thou on this, Arinbiorn, to give Egil aid. Loth must I be to do thee scathe, if it must come to this, if thou wilt rather lay down thy life than he were slain. Yet enough and to spare be my causes against Egil, whatsoever I may let do unto him”.

And when the King had spoken these words, then went Egil before him and began his song, and quoth it high, and had a hearing forthwith:
¹

West over sea

Bear I with me

God’s wish-strand’s spray;

Such is my way.

Launch’d I mine oak

When the ice broke;

Loaded I her

With praise-plunder.

Guest came I to Prince.

Of praise-song methinks:

I bear Odin’s drink

To England’s brink.

The great Lord’s ways

Surely I praise:

Skald silence prays

Praise-song to upraise.

Lord, harken to’t

(Well beseems that),

What song I’ve wrought,

If there’s silence got.

Most men heard say

How the King made fray;

But Odin saw

Where the slain men lay.

Wax’d rattle of swords

With clank of wards;

Stour wax’d round Lord:

Lord ranged for’rd.

Heard was the croon

Of the iron-storm’s tune:

Sword-river’s moan,

Where the spate swirl’d down.

No jot waver’d

The web dart-broider’d,

Where the King’s merry

Spear-fields serry.

In bloody shallows

’Neath banners wallows

Seal’s plain, and thunder

Gives tongue from under.

On the shore the folk sink

’Neath javelins’ clink.

Loud fame gat

Eric from that.

More can I tell ye

If harken will ye:

There’s more worth hearing

Of that war-faring.

Waxéd wounds

With war-lords’ stounds:

Breaking of blades

’Gainst blue shield-braids.

Brands were slashing

And helms a-flashing:

Wound-graver goes through—

(That’s sword-point shows through).

Fall’n ’fore the slice

Of the sword-belt’s ice

Odin’s oaks lay

In the iron-play.

’Twas points’ crash

And edges’ gnash.

Loud fame gat

Eric from that
.

King’s sword wax’d red:

Ravens gath’réd.

Spears sought men’s hearts:

Flew bloody darts.

Fed night-hags’ horses

Scots’ scourge on corses:

Hell’s feet slubber

The eagles’ supper.

Flew battle-cranes

Down carrion lanes:

Of blood’s no drouth

In the wound-mew’s mouth.

Wolf slits wounds:

Sword-billow sounds,

Plashing red

’Gainst raven’s head.

Came battle’s lees

On Gialf’s horses.

Eric by sea

Bade wolves feast free
.

The Sword-God wakes

Our Lady of Sakes,

And on skerry of Hake’s

The bulwark breaks.

Spear-points batter

And sword-points shatter;

Bow-strings singing

Bear arrows winging.

Bit flying blade there:

Peace was bewray’d there:

Elm-bow did strain there:

Wolf was fain there:

Folk-shepherd out-fac’d

Death that lays waste:

While the yew-bow sang

To edges’ clang.

War-lord bent yew:

The wound-bees flew.

Eric by sea

Bade wolves feast free
.

Yet would I fain

To men make plain

The hero’s ways

(I must speed my praise).

War-lord flings gold,

And lands doth hold

The Bird of the North:

Most praise he’s worth.

Wrist-glow he breaketh

Who gem-gifts maketh: