Six Sagas of Adventure (31 page)

CHAPTER XII

In the morning they got up early and went to the island and sat down on a log. Framar said, “What would you like, for us to test each other first, or for our men to fight?”

Sturlaug said, “I think it would be a good idea to be entertained by my men.”

Hrolf Nose stood up and said, “I’ll go up against you, black man.”
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Hrolf quickly prepared himself for wrestling. At once they attacked each other and wrestled with powerful grips, and their combat was both fierce and long. They were badly mismatched in strength, because the black man could carry Hrolf in his grip wherever he wanted. The berserker wanted to throw Hrolf down, but he always got his feet under himself. This black man was as large as a giant, as broad as a bull and as black as Hel. He had such large claws that they were more like vulture’s talons than human nails. Now he carried Hrolf towards the log, and the black man wanted to throw Hrolf down onto his own club, but Hrolf put his feet down so hard that they fell away from each other. The black man landed on his back, and there was a stone underneath him, and his back broke. Hrolf quickly leaped to his feet and seized his club and quickly bashed him down into Hel. Hrolf was all bruised and bloody, and his flesh was torn from his bones. Sturlaug thanked him very much for his ferocity.

Next there was a man with Framar who was named Thord, a tall man and a strong one, from Sweden in the east. Hrafn the Tall went up against him, and they had a single combat with mighty blows, but in the end Hrafn fell before Thord.

Now Jokul went forward and said, “Who will stand up to me?”

A man named Frosti stood up and said, “Wouldn’t it be fitting for me to take you on, since frost hardens a glacier?”
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They fought for a long time until Jokul fell before Frosti. Sturlaug felt that it was a great grief to lose his sworn brother, but it had been stipulated that no one could help anyone else.

There was a certain Finn
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with Framar, and it was arranged that he would face Svipud. They attacked each other and fought so fiercely and quickly that the eye couldn’t follow them, and neither one wounded the other. But when men looked their way a second time, they had vanished, and there were two hounds who bit each other furiously. And when everyone least expected it, the hounds vanished, but men heard some sort of commotion up above, and they looked up and saw that two eagles were flying at each other in the air. They tore off each other’s feathers with their claws and beaks, so that blood was falling to earth. In the end, one of them fell down dead on the ground, and the other flew away, and no one knew which one that was.
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CHAPTER XIII

Framar said, “Now it’s time for the two of us to test each other.”

“I’m ready for it,” said Sturlaug.

Now they spread a cloak under their feet. Sturlaug drew Vefreyja’s Gift, and when Framar saw that, he said, “How did Vefreyja’s Gift come to you?”

Sturlaug said, “It’s none of your business where it came from.”

Framar said, “I would not have challenged you if I had known that. Still, I have never had fear in my breast.”

Framar pronounced the law of combat, and Sturlaug had to strike first. He struck Framar right on his helmet and cut off the part that he hit, and his stroke went on into his shield and split it all the way down to the pointed end,
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so that the sword sank into the earth. The point cut through Framar’s mailcoat into his chest, and it also gashed his forehead and scratched the bone. Blood ran into his eyes so that he couldn’t see, and the wound swelled up terribly.

Then Framar struck at Sturlaug and split his shield completely in two. Then Sturlaug struck at Framar a second time, and it went the same way as the first stroke, and Framar was out of the fight. He sat down and said, “You have the greatest enemy in your hands, because your sword is full of venom and evil. Cut off my head as soon as possible, because I don’t want to live in torment.”

Sturlaug said, “Will you accept your life from me?”

Framar said, “I would find it good to accept my life from you, but my life has now been destroyed.”

They carried him off the island and into his tent, and there was little hope for him. And at that moment, they heard a great rumbling noise outside, and when they came out, there was Vefreyja in a wagon. She asked how it had gone for them. They answered that Framar was on the point of death.

The old woman said, “Carry him out here. It doesn’t matter where he dies.” It was done as she ordered.

Sturlaug said, “Will you let more men go with you?”

“I won’t,” said the old woman. “I am quite capable of doing this by myself.”

The old woman drove off with Framar, and the others stayed behind. The night passed, and in the morning, Sturlaug got ready for his journey. Frosti came to Sturlaug and said, “I would willingly go on the journey with you and your sworn brothers.”

Sturlaug said, “I suppose that I would be compensated for Jokul if you took his place,” and Frosti became Sturlaug’s sworn brother. At once they rode away and didn’t stop until they came to Vefreyja. When they arrived, there were Svipud and Framar, both completely healthy. They stayed there for the night and were well received.

In the morning, Vefreyja spoke up: “My dear Sturlaug, I want you and Framar to swear brotherhood, for he is the boldest man in every respect.”

Sturlaug answered, “It’s your decision, old woman. That will benefit me the most.” Now Sturlaug and Framar swore brotherhood with each other. Each one had to avenge the other, as if they were brothers by birth.

CHAPTER XIV

After that they rode off, until they were approaching the estate of Jarl Hring. They thought that something strange was going on: the hall was completely surrounded by men. King Harald had come there with four hundred men, intending to burn Jarl Hring and his daughter Asa the Fair inside the hall. They saw that flames were licking over everything, and that King Harald was burning all the estate. Then Sturlaug and his men saw people coming up out of the ground in a certain clearing, and when they headed over there, they realized that Jarl Hring had escaped with all his household, and Asa the Fair was there with him. There was a happy reunion for them all.

After that, they all rode to meet the king, where he was at the burning. They were fully armed and their horses were wearing chainmail. Sturlaug said, “It’s better for us to meet here than at sea, king. But things have
gone badly for you, because you’re both cowardly
and treacherous.”

The king replied, “I’ll pay no attention to your wicked words, but I must say to you, Sturlaug, that you shall never stay in this land unafraid, unless you bring me the aurochs horn that I once lost. I’ll give you a name along with the quest. You shall be called Sturlaug the Hard-Working. That name will stick to you, because from now on, hard work will always be the fate of you and your sworn brothers, as long as you all live, if you come back from this journey—which won’t happen.”

Sturlaug said, “Where shall I look for it?”

The king said, “Figure it out yourself.”

Sturlaug said, “It’s unworthy of me to go on your quest. But I’ll stake my life on any task that you think is heavy to set before me.”

The king didn’t attempt to attack them, since he felt that the band of sworn brothers were tough opponents, both in strength and in armor. Neither one
wished the other farewell, and they parted leaving matters as they stood. Sturlaug and all his men rode north to Namdalen together and stayed there through the winter.

CHAPTER XV

One day, Asa came to speak with Sturlaug, and she said, “Has a quest been laid on you?”

“It’s true,” he said. “What advice can you give me on where I should search for this horn?”

Asa said, “Find my foster-mother Vefreyja, and take her advice.”

On the next day, they prepared to leave home and rode to Vefreyja. She was outside and welcomed them well, and they stayed there for the night. In the morning, Sturlaug said to Vefreyja, “What can you tell me of this horn, which is called an aurochs horn?”

The old woman said, “I cannot tell anything about it, and I won’t.”

Sturlaug said, “Do you know anyone who is able to tell me about it? For I’m eager to know.”

Vefreyja said, “There is a woman named Jarngerd; she is my sister. Go to her and find out what she has to say.”

They rode away now and didn’t stop their journeying until they came to where Jarngerd had her home. They spent the night there. Sturlaug asked Jarngerd whether she could tell him about the aurochs horn. She said, “I cannot tell you, but I know a woman who will know.”

Sturlaug asked who that was. “Snaelaug is my sister’s name. She is married to King Hrolf of the Hundings. But it isn’t safe for you to go there, because this journey will turn out to be a serious matter when you return.”

Thus informed, the sworn brothers rode home.

CHAPTER XVI

The next thing to tell is how, a little later, Sturlaug and all his sworn brothers prepared for their journey. They had a hundred men and one ship. Sturlaug talked with Jarl Hring and also his own father, and asked them to look after Asa’s affairs and all the property that he left behind while he was away.

Now they sailed north, along the coast of Halogaland and Finnmark and Vatnsnes and into Austrvik.
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They dropped the anchors and tied up there, and settled in for the night. Then they drew lots for standing watch. Aki was chosen to stand watch for the first third of the night, Framar for the second, and Sturlaug for the last third.

When all the men were asleep on the ship except for Aki, he took a boat and rowed along the coast out to the cape. He heard someone walking up on the beach. Aki spoke up and said “Who am I addressing here, a man or a woman?”

He heard a reply: “Of course it’s a woman.”

“What’s your name, sweetheart?” said Aki.

“My name is Torfa,” she said, “but who is in the boat?”

“His name is Aki,” he said.

“It can’t be Aki, the son of Jarngerd, who has come here?” she said.

“The very same,” he said.

“Won’t you make a deal with me, my dear Aki?” she said.

“What’s the deal?” he said.

“For you to take me to that island, a short distance off the coast. My father has died there, leaving a lot of money. We are three sisters and we have to divide the inheritance between us. I want to come out ahead of them. I will give you a day and a night of favorable winds when it will be most useful.”

“So be it,” said Aki.

She stepped into the boat, and he rowed out into the channel. When he had rowed a short distance, she spoke up: “Now I can easily wade to land. Fare well and good luck to you, and I will keep my agreement with you in full.” Now she hitched up her tunic of skins and stepped overboard. Aki rowed back to the ship and woke up Framar, and lay down and quickly fell asleep.

Framar stepped into the boat and rowed out along the cape. He heard someone walking on the beach at low tide. Framar said, “Is that a man or a woman on land?”

He heard an answer: “There’s no question it’s a woman.”

“What are you called, rich and lovely lady?” he said.

“My name is Hild,” she said, “and what is your name, my boy?”

“My name is Framar,” he said.

“That can’t be Framar, the brother of Kol the Crooked, who has come here?” she said.

“That’s the man,” he said.

“You two aren’t much alike,” she said. “I want to make a deal with you.”

“What kind of deal?” said Framar.

She said, “You must carry me to the island here, nearest to the land. There my father has died and left much wealth, and we three sisters are claiming our inheritance, and I will be cut off if I come too late.”

Framar said, “Will you give me a day and a night of favorable winds, then?”

“I will,” she said.

Now she got in the boat, and the boat seemed to sink down quite a lot when she came aboard. She said, “Do you want me to row with you?”

“There’s no need,” said Framar.

But when they’d gone a third of the way, she spoke up: “You don’t need to carry me out any longer. Now there are just channels all the way to the shore. I can manage to wade them just fine.”

She stepped overboard, and so she waded to the island. Framar went back to the ship and woke up Sturlaug. He quickly jumped to his feet, and Framar lay down to sleep.

Sturlaug stepped into the boat and rowed out along the cape. And when he came north around the cape, he heard something walking along the beach, and he saw that fire flew out from the gravel underneath this being. It had a thrusting-spear in hand. It seemed to him that it was no common weapon that the monstrosity carried.

Sturlaug asked, “What am I hailing here, a woman or a man?”

She said, “Can’t you tell what you’re looking at? It’s a woman. What’s your name?”

“I am called Sturlaug,” he said.

“Where have you come from and what do you want, Sturlaug the Hard-Working?” she said. “I’m called Hornnefja.
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What about the men with you? Is a certain Hrolf Nose with you? I’ve been told that he is a fine man, and swifter than any animal.”