Six Sagas of Adventure (22 page)

The morning after the battle of the kings, he came to the town. King Hrolf of Ireland had been drinking for a long time that night. Then he and all his men went to sleep. In the morning, when the men intended to go outside, such a huge troll was blocking the doorway that no one thought he’d ever seen such a huge troll. It was fully armored and had an iron shield so large that it completely covered the hall doors. This troll was so fierce and terrifying that no one dared to try to go out, and the beast caused such great terror that he robbed the king of all his wits along with his strength and guile, so that no one was more terrified than he. Men found this dreadful; it was the worst disaster for them to have to bear with such a monstrosity. The troll acted as if it would charge into the hall at them at any moment. The king ordered that no one should be so rash as to face that troll, and he said that he expected that it would go away after a while. The men stayed there all day, disturbed by the troll, and it wasn’t much fun for them.
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CHAPTER XXXIII

Princess Ingibjorg’s chambermaid had gone to the hall that day, and when she came near the hall, she saw that great troll. She rushed back to the bower, shrieking and flailing wildly. The princess asked why she was acting so foolishly. She said that a troll had come to the doors of the hall—“there’s nothing that could be like it.”

The princess said, “Are you sure that it was a troll, and not a large man?”

She answered, “There can’t be any troll like it. It howled so fiercely, as if it would not spare anyone who came at it.”

The princess said, “It can’t be a troll, even if it howls trollishly. I think it might be fierce in mind and think it must come here to seek vengeance. Now I’ll send you to the hall. You shall take food with you and offer it to the troll. Maybe it won’t be so fierce, and will yield to people instead.”

The maid said, “Now you’re saying something horrible—that I, a little maiden, must go to this troll which no one dares to face, when your father the king, as great a champion as he is, doesn’t dare to go outside, and neither do any of his men, and they’d rather suffer till death. You must be bewitched by this monster who goes about in broad daylight in the middle of summer, since you want to give it food, and it wants to kill the king, your father.”

But though she said such things, she didn’t dare to go against the princess’s will. She carried a plate in the palm of one hand, and a great horn in the other hand. When she came close enough that she thought it could hear, she shouted, “Eat your food, troll!”

It turned towards her. She was terribly frightened. She rushed back to the bower with a terrified shriek. She spilled the food out of the dish and splashed the drink out of the horn and said that it was unbelievable that she should be sent into the troll’s clutches. “What have I done, that you want to kill me?”

The princess said that she didn’t want her to suffer harm or death because of her plans. “You won’t come to any harm. My heart tells me that this can’t be a troll. Now you shall go a second time.”

The maiden went, although she wasn’t willing. When she came so close that she could see the troll clearly, she said, “Will you take food, you big troll?”

He turned towards her and glowered at her. She ran away and told the princess that she had now seen clearly that it was a male troll.

The princess said, “How did the troll look to you? Did it try to say anything to you?”

She answered, “I’ve never seen a troll before, but it didn’t look wicked, so much as huge. It’s scrawny and thin, as if it’s been starving for a long time. I’m amazed that it’s not eating the dead men that lie all around the town. It may be, my lady, that it’s a mongrel and not a purebred troll. Now I’m not as afraid as I was.”

The princess said, “How is the troll dressed?”

She answered, “It has such a big shaggy cape that I could see neither hands nor feet. It had a shield of iron, so big that it completely spanned the hall doors. It had a terrible spear, and was stabbing it into the hall, next to the shield.”

The princess said, “Now I will tell you what to do. You shall go and offer it the food, and say that King Hrolf Gautreksson is alive, and find out what effect this has.”

She went much more bravely than before. When she came to him, she held out the dish and said, “Eat your food, troll, Hrolf Gautreksson is alive.”

He looked at her happily. He reached out and took the dish, ate and drank. She saw that he was very eager for the food, but he didn’t gobble it like a slave. When he was fed, she went away. The night was ending, and she told the princess what had happened, and how when he took the dish, “under his cloak there was a red sleeve, and a thick gold ring on it.”
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Now the night passed. The men couldn’t get out of the hall, and everyone was quite out of his wits because of this giant. In the morning, the maiden came back with food and brought it to him, and when he reached out for the dish, he took the maiden by the hand and set her on his knee. She screamed out loud. He told her not to be afraid—“but tell me where King Hrolf Gautreksson is, and who has saved his life.”

She answered, telling him everything that had happened on their expedition, and how matters stood. He said, “Tell the princess that I will come there tonight to meet her. I want us to discuss something.”

Then he turned the maiden loose. She rushed back to the bower and told the princess that the troll had managed to touch her, and said that he had told her many things—“and he intends to meet you tonight.”

The princess said that would be fine. She said that she had no need to fear him if he was alone.

That night, he came to the bower. It’s said that the princess showed no sign of fear, even when she saw the troll. At once they began to talk. She asked what his plans were. He said that all he wanted to do was to burn the king inside the hall with all his household. “But since King Hrolf Gautreksson is alive, and you have helped him, I will do as you advise.”

She answered, “I’d much prefer some other alternative to having my father smothered indoors, like a red fox in a crevice or a white fox in its burrow. I have dreamed that he will be attacked soon. What I think is that more mighty men will come to King Hrolf Gautreksson, and he won’t have long to wait.”

Thorir said, “I am most eager to find King Hrolf, my sworn brother.”

She said that she could easily take him to speak with Hrolf and his men, but said that they couldn’t get out, unless they had a multitude of men.

They went to the pit at once. When Thorir saw the slab which was shutting them in, he heaved it up with his great strength and threw it many fathoms out into the field. Then he let down a rope and hauled them all up. There was a very happy reunion, and each thought the other had been pulled out of Hel. They all went to the bower and drank there, glad and cheerful.

King Hrolf asked what plans they should make. Asmund said that this was an easy decision—“the first thing is to set fire to the hall and burn the king inside, with his men.”

The princess came up and said, “I want to ask this of you, King Hrolf: that you grant my father a truce, even if you have him in your power.”

The king said that he would certainly agree to what she wanted, on account of the bravery and courtesy that she had shown him. He said that she deserved to have her favor granted.

CHAPTER XXXIV

Now it’s time to tell about the journey of the kings: Ketil, Ingjald, and Queen Thornbjorg. They set sail with their forces and had sixty ships, all large and well crewed. Their journey went quickly, and they landed in Ireland on the same night that King Hrolf was taken out of that hellish dungeon into which he had been placed, intended for an ignoble death by King Hrolf of Ireland. But King Hrolf didn’t dare to go outside, and neither did any of his men, because of the huge troll.

When Ketil and the others arrived, they saw a great fleet of ships, and recognized many of the ships that King Hrolf Gautreksson had owned. There was no one aboard the ships. This grieved them terribly, for they realized what must have happened there. They traveled to the hall in a furious uproar, and soon they saw the signs of what had happened. Many a man was distressed.

Queen Thornbjorg asked what plans they should adopt. Ketil said, “We must go ahead with my plans. I’ll set fire to every building, house and village, and I’ll burn up everything before us.”

The queen said, “That’s not what I advise. There must be just enough men left here that we’ll have enough forces to deal with them. King Hrolf and his men must have left matters like that, before he lost his life. But it may have happened that they’ve set up some sort of refuge here, which we don’t want to damage any more than we’d want to harm ourselves. And I see that the town hasn’t been cleared of the dead men who have fallen in this battle.”

Ketil said that he would attack. At once a fire was kindled and carried everywhere.

CHAPTER XXXV

It’s said about King Hrolf and his men that they were sitting down to drink, glad and cheerful. Outside they heard a great uproar and clash of weapons, and suddenly the bower where they were sitting was set on fire. It so happened that the queen herself was leading those men, with her son Gautrek.

King Hrolf then said, “Thorir my comrade, I should have known that your shield would be little defense against the king’s men. They must have come out with their forces. Let them know our weapons now, before we are overcome.”

They leaped up and armed themselves. Then the princess spoke: “King Hrolf, before you go out, make sure that those aren’t the men of the Irish king, but rather your friends and kinsmen. And keep well all your oaths to us.”

They took a stump and threw it at the bower door, and at once it broke apart and they came out. King Hrolf immediately recognized Gauts and Swedes. One man stood before him, fully armed and most warlike. He took off his helmet and stood back, and King Hrolf recognized that it was Queen Thornbjorg.

The king said, “It’s hard enough to trust women like you, and now you want to burn me indoors like a fox in its burrow.”

She answered, “You might appreciate this better if you wanted to, King Hrolf, because we didn’t do this out of ill will. Now we all have victories to boast, since you’re all unhurt—our worthiest men. Let’s start doing what’s most urgent for everyone.”

King Hrolf ordered the fires to be put out as quickly as possible. News traveled quickly through the ranks that King Hrolf was well and unharmed, and Asmund as well, and that Thorir Ironshield had come. There was a great rejoicing of all the chieftains and warriors. It took only a short time to put out the fires, which had been kindled in only a few places. When the Irish king noticed that enemies had arrived and the troll wasn’t at the hall doors, he and his men rushed out and defended the hall bravely. King Ketil was there to meet the attack with both fire and steel. There was some killing before Hrolf Gautreksson came out and ordered the fires to be quenched. Ketil went about it with vigor and strength and had King Hrolf of Ireland captured. But they killed everyone who tried to protect him.

When these deeds were done, King Hrolf Gautreksson said, “It’s come to this, my namesake: for a few nights you had my life in your hands, and you had planned a rather harsh death for me, had our situation not improved. Now matters have changed, so that I have you and all your affairs in my power. You will have to abide by our judgment. Will you now grant Asmund, my sworn brother, son of the King of Scotland, kinship with you, and win life for yourself and peace and freedom for your men?”

King Hrolf of Ireland said that he would agree. King Ketil Gautreksson and the other warriors found it incredible that King Hrolf of Ireland would not lose his life at once, since he had done such harm to their men. They had lost many good warriors and men of great worth. But King Hrolf Gautreksson said that he would do all he could on behalf of the princess, and said that she had done well for him and his comrades. He said that King Hrolf of Ireland was of no worth, and that he was a wicked and arrogant king, and he said that it was thanks to his sworn brother Thorir Ironshield that he had done no harm by working his magic, as he usually did, but rather had received shame and harm, as was fitting.

After that, the Irish king bestowed much gold and silver and all sorts of treasures on his daughter, because they wanted to leave Ireland as soon as possible, and they didn’t want to grant the Irish king the honor of holding the wedding for his own daughter. They treated him most disgracefully; although he kept his life, they took his goods and gave him no thanks. Then they sailed away from Ireland with all the ships they could get away with, and quite a lot of wealth. Now there was great joy among their men. They had rescued their king and the rulers whom they loved most dearly, and won a beautiful and wise woman like Ingibjorg, along with the men whom she most wanted to have with her. They set sail for England.

King Ælle welcomed King Hrolf Gautreksson most warmly, and recompensed him well for the loss of life which he had suffered. After that they sent their entire force home, and appointed three chieftains to lead it. One was Aki, who was Danish; the second was Bjorn from Gautland, and the third was named Brynjolf, of Swedish descent. They were all the mightiest of men, and they were to hold the guardianship and rulership of the kingdoms, until the kings should come home.

The kings kept twelve ships, fully crewed. They stayed in England for a long time. Grim Thorkelsson married Gyda, the sister of Thor who was mentioned earlier, on the advice of King Hrolf. He wanted to go with King Hrolf and never be parted from him. King Ælle asked King Hrolf for Thorir Ironshield to stay behind in England to defend and strengthen his kingdom. Thorir was willing, and King Hrolf granted that to King Ælle. Thorir married Sigrid, the same chambermaid who had served Princess Ingibjorg. She was the daughter of a mighty man in Ireland and seemed to be the best match. Thorir now became the most powerful man in England, and was always the greatest champion and brave man. But we can’t tell much about his journey to Ireland, and about whether he had kept his oath or not. Men often survive for a long time on many things that can’t quite be called food, such as many herbs and roots. Thorir and King Hrolf Gautreksson parted with good cheer, and he is out of this saga.

CHAPTER XXXVI

After that, King Hrolf prepared to leave England. King Hrolf and King Ælle parted the best of friends, and King Hrolf sailed to Scotland. When King Olaf heard of the coming of King Hrolf and his son Asmund and all the sworn brothers, he prepared a splendid feast in their honor and invited King Hrolf with all his men. The king himself went out to meet them and welcomed them splendidly, with the greatest cheer. And on the advice of King Hrolf, King Ingjald brought forth his suit and asked for King Olaf’s daughter’s hand in marriage, and with Asmund’s support, the suit easily won the king’s consent. The most splendid of feasts was laid on, and they celebrated the marriage of Ingjald to Margret, the daughter of King Olaf of Scotland, and of Asmund to Ingibjorg, the daughter of the King of Ireland. At the end of the feast, King Hrolf quartered his men in Scotland, but the kings sat in honor and state next to King Olaf, and they were all quite content.

That winter, King Olaf of Scotland died. He was very old, and had been the most excellent of rulers. Asmund assumed the kingship of Scotland and became a good and beloved ruler.

At the height of summer, the kings prepared their ships. Asmund stayed behind. He invited Gautrek, King Hrolf’s son, to stay with him, and Gautrek accepted with the consent of his father. Gautrek lived for a long time afterwards with King Asmund, and he got a ship from him, set out on raids and became the most famous man. We have also heard that he invaded Ireland with support from King Asmund and won the kingdom of King Hrolf of Ireland. Asmund thought that he would rule there, since Ingibjorg was the only child of the Irish king. King Asmund and Gautrek won this kingdom thanks to their friendship and sworn brotherhood with King Hrolf.