Six Sagas of Adventure (24 page)

T
HE SAGA OF BOSI AND HERRAUD

Bósa saga ok Herrauðs

FOREWORD

This saga does not originate from the nonsense that jokers make up for fun and games, full of useless twaddle. Instead, it proves its own truth by means of correct genealogies and ancient sayings that people often take from the matters that are described in this tale.
[1]

CHAPTER I

There was a king named Hring who ruled over East Gautland. He was the son of King Gauti, the son of Odin who was a king in Sweden and who had come from Asia, from whom the most famous royal lineages in the Northlands are descended.
[2]
This King Hring was the half-brother of Gautrek the Generous on his father’s side, and his mother’s lineage was noble.

King Hring married Sylgja, the daughter of Jarl Saefari of Smaland, a beautiful and mild-mannered woman. Her brothers were Dagfari and Nattfari,
[3]
retainers of King Harald Wartooth, who at that time ruled Denmark and the greater part of the Northlands.
[4]
They had one son who was named Herraud. He was tall and handsome, strong and so accomplished at skills that few men could equal him. He was popular with everyone, but he didn’t have much love from his own father, and the reason was that his father had another son by a concubine, whom he loved more. This son was named Sjod.
[5]
The king had sired him in his youth, and by now he was fully grown to manhood. The king gave him an important position: he was the king’s counsellor and collected his taxes, levies and land-rents, and he was in charge of all revenues and outlays. Most people found him greedy when collecting payments, but tight-fisted when paying others. But he was loyal to the king and always had his best interests in mind. An expression based on his name came into use: someone who earns the most profit for someone else, and best takes care of it, is called
Sjóð-felldr
, meaning lucrative. Sjod collected little sacks, which ever since then have been called money-purses, to keep the silver that was collected as taxes to the king. The money that he took above what was owed, he put into small purses and called that profit. He diverted this for his own expenses, but without affecting the taxes. Sjod wasn’t popular with the people, but the king loved him very much and let him have his way in everything.

CHAPTER II

There was a man named Thvari, called Brynthvari.
[6]
He lived a short distance from the king’s royal seat. In his early years he had been a great raider, and while he was on a raid, he met a shield-maiden named Brynhild, the daughter of King Agnar of Noatun.
[7]
They fought, and Brynhild suffered wounds until she was disabled. Thvari claimed her for his own, along with a rich share of plunder. He had her healed, but ever since then, she was bent and crippled. For that reason she was called Brynhild the Crooked. Thvari held a wedding feast and married her, and she sat on the bridal bench in her helmet and chainmail. All the same, they loved each other well.

Thvari gave up raiding and settled down on a farm. He had two sons. The elder son was named Smid; he wasn’t a very tall man, but he was the most handsome of men and well-versed in all skills, so clever that he could turn his hand to anything.
[8]
Their other son was named Bosi. He was tall and strong, with a dark complexion, not very handsome, and like his mother in mind and body. He was cheerful and joking, and persevered at whatever he started, and he wasn’t very gentle with the people he had to deal with. His mother loved him very much, and he was nicknamed after her and called Crooked Bosi. He also knew a lot of tricks, using both words and actions, so the name fit him.

Busla was the name of an old woman. She had been old man Thvari’s concubine and had fostered his sons. She knew much magic. Smid was quite a follower of hers, and learned many things from her. She offered to teach Bosi spells, but Bosi said that he didn’t want it written in his saga that he’d achieved anything underhandedly that should be attributed to his manliness.

The king’s son Herraud and the farmer’s son Bosi were nearly the same age, and they were close friends. Bosi was always at the king’s estate, and they made a pact of fellowship. Sjod objected to Herraud giving Bosi his own clothes because Bosi’s were always torn. Bosi was considered a rough player if he was playing games with them, but no one dared to object on account of Herraud, for he always stuck up for Bosi.

Sjod asked the king’s retainers to knock Bosi out of the games.

CHAPTER III

On one occasion the king’s retainers held a ball game,
[9]
and the men were playing vigorously. They went up against Bosi, but he countered them fiercely and dislocated the arm of one of the king’s men. The next day he broke another man’s leg. On the third day, two men came against him, and many were shoving him. He put out one man’s eye with the ball, and knocked the other one down and broke his neck. The men rushed for their weapons and wanted to kill Bosi, but Herraud stood by him with the men that he could get. They were on the verge of fighting when the king arrived. On the advice of Sjod, the king declared Bosi an outlaw, but Herraud got him away so that he wasn’t captured.

A little later, Herraud asked his father to give him warships and brave men to go with him, because he said that he wanted to leave the country and win more fame, if that was his destiny. The king brought the matter before Sjod, who said that he thought the treasuries would be drained before Herraud was outfitted for the journey as he wanted. The king said that they had to try, and it had to be as the king willed. Herraud was readied for his journey at great expense. He took painstaking care over everything, and he and Sjod didn’t agree on much. He left with five ships, most of them old. He had bold men with him, and plenty of gold and silver money. He sailed away from Gautland and headed south to Denmark.

One day, in a gale, a man was standing on a cliff and asking for passage. Herraud said that he wasn’t going to turn around to pick him up, but passage was available if he could reach the ship. The man leaped from the cliff and landed on the tiller just in front of the rudder, and that was a leap fifteen ells long.
[10]
The men recognized that it was Bosi. Herraud welcomed him warmly and said that he was to be the steersman on his ship. They sailed to Saxony and raided wherever they went, gaining plenty of wealth. They traveled in this way for five years.

CHAPTER IV

Now the story returns to Gautland. While Herraud was away, Sjod looked after his father’s treasuries. All the chests and trunks were empty, and he often repeated the same words: “I remember when this treasury looked completely different,” he said.

Sjod prepared to leave to collect the king’s taxes and land-rents, and most of his demands for payment were greedy. He came to old man Thvari and requested a levy for war, as he did at other places. Thvari said that he was too old to go to war, and that he wouldn’t pay the levy. Sjod said that he had to pay a larger levy than other men, and said that he was the cause of Herraud leaving the country, and demanded compensation for the men that Bosi had injured. Thvari said that a man who went to the games had to look out for himself, and he wouldn’t throw away his money for such a thing. A quarrel broke out between them. Sjod broke down Thvari’s storehouse and took away two chests of gold, along with much more wealth in the form of weapons and clothing. With that done, they parted. Sjod went home with a great store of wealth, and he told the king about his journey. The king said it was wrong of him to rob old man Thvari, and said that he thought that would turn out badly for him. Sjod said that he couldn’t be blamed for that.

Now it is time to tell how Herraud and Bosi were preparing to sail home from their raiding. They had heard that Sjod had robbed old man Thvari. Herraud intended to intercede for Bosi and make peace between him and the king. They were struck by such a strong wind that their ships were separated, and all the ships that Herraud had brough from home were lost, but he escaped to the Elfar Skerries
[11]
with two ships.

Bosi was driven to Wendland
[12]
in one ship. There was Sjod with two ships, anchored in front of him. He had just come from the Eastern realms and had bought costly treasures for the king. When Bosi found out about that, he ordered his men to arm themselves, and he set out to meet Sjod and asked how he would compensate him for robbing Thvari. Sjod said that he was foolhardy for daring to say such a thing, since he had been outlawed by the king, and he told him to be happy that he wasn’t missing any more. Both sides went for their weapons, and a fight broke out. In the end, Bosi killed Sjod. He granted a truce to the survivors, but claimed the ship and everything on it.

When Bosi got a favorable wind, he sailed around Gautland and found his sworn brother Herraud and told him the news. Herraud told him that that wouldn’t improve his popularity with the king. “But why did you come to find me, since you’ve struck down such a close kinsman of mine?”

“I knew it was no use avoiding you, if you wanted to retaliate,” said Bosi. “But I thought I could trust someone like you completely.”

“I might say that Sjod was no great loss, even though he was my kinsman,” said Herraud. “I will go meet my father and try to reconcile you.”

Bosi said that he didn’t expect much relief from the king, but Herraud said that not trying wouldn’t do any good.

Herraud went to meet his father and came before him and greeted him worthily. His father received him, because he had already heard of Bosi’s fight with Sjod. Herraud said to his father, “There’s a need to see about compensation for you, from my comrade Bosi, because he’s committed a great mishap. He’s killed your son Sjod, and although there may be some cause for that, we want to offer a settlement and as much money as you choose for yourself, and along with that, our support and favor and whatever service you want to demand of him.”

The king answered angrily, “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Herraud, supporting that evil man. Many would think it better for you to help avenge your brother and our dishonor.”

Herraud replied, “Sjod was no great loss. And I don’t know whether he was my brother or not, even though you loved him very much. I don’t believe that you respect me much, since you don’t want the settlement I’m asking you to accept. But I think that I’m offering a better man in place of Sjod, considering the service that he did.”

The king said, very angry, “All your pleading for Bosi is making matters much worse. As soon as I manage to capture him, he shall hang far higher than anyone has ever seen. No thief has ever been hanged so high.”

Herraud answered, very angry, “Many will say that you don’t know how to accept honor done to you. Now since you aren’t willing to respect me, you may assume that Bosi and I will share the same fate, and I will defend him as myself, for as long as my life and my courage last. Many will say that it’s a rather steep price to pay for one concubine’s son, if you give us up for him.”

Then Herraud turned away in a rage. He didn’t stop until he had met Bosi and told him how he and his father had parted.

CHAPTER V

King Hring had a trumpet blown to summon his forces, and went to find the sworn brothers. Fighting broke out between them at once, and the king had two or three times as many men. Herraud and Bosi advanced bravely and killed many men, but all the same they were overwhelmed and captured, clapped in fetters and thrown in a dungeon. The king was so enraged that he wanted to have them killed right then, but Herraud was so popular that everyone dissuaded him. First, the booty was divided up, and the dead were buried.

The next day, many men held an assembly with the king, so that he might reach a settlement with Herraud. Herraud was led before the king. The king offered him a truce, and many men agreed, but Herraud said that he wouldn’t accept a truce unless Bosi could be guaranteed safety for both life and limb. The king said there was no hope of that. Herraud said that he would kill the man who caused Bosi’s death, and not spare the king any more than others. The king said that it wouldn’t be wrong for the one who was asking for trouble to get it. The king was so furious that no one could get in a word with him, and he ordered Herraud to be led back into the dungeon, and for them both to be killed in the morning, because the king would have nothing else. Most felt that the matter had turned hopeless.

That evening, the old crone Busla came to speak with Thvari. She asked whether he meant to offer money for his son. He said that he didn’t want to throw his money away, and he said that he knew that he’d never be able to buy life for a man who was doomed to die. He asked what could have become of her magic if she couldn’t offer Bosi some help. She said that she wouldn’t go around like a beggar, like him.

That same evening, Busla came into the chamber where the king was asleep, and began the prayer which ever since has been called Busla’s Prayer and become widely famous. There are many wicked words in it, which Christians have no reason to speak. Still, this is the beginning of it:

Here lies King Hring,

helmsman of Gauts,

the most mulish

man of them all.

You plan to slaughter

your son yourself;

such a heinous deed

will be heard, far and wide.

Hark to Busla’s prayer,

and hear it sung,

soon it shall echo

through all the world,

harmful to all

who hear its words,

most fearsome to them,

as I will foretell.

May wights go wandering,

may weird go awry,

may cliffs be quaking,

may the country go mad,

may the weather worsen,

may weird go awry—

unless you, King Hring,

grant Herraud peace,

and offer shelter

to my son Bosi.

I shall torment

and trouble your breast

so that vipers will gnaw

and devour your heart,

your ears be stopped

and stricken deaf,

your eyes askew

and your sight befuddled,

unless you offer shelter

to my son Bosi,

and give up your hatred

of Herraud.

If you hoist sails,

may the hawsers break,

and may the rudder