Six Sagas of Adventure (36 page)

THE SAGA OF HROLF THE WALKER

Göngu-Hrólfs saga

FOREWORD

Men have composed many tales for entertainment, some according to ancient lays
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or the knowledge of learned men, and sometimes according to old books, which originally were set down briefly, but were later filled out with words, because most events are quicker in the telling. Men are never equally well informed, because it often happens that what’s seen and heard by one isn’t seen and heard by another, even though they’re present at the same event. And it’s also in the nature of many foolish men to believe only what they see with their own eyes or hear with their own ears. They find that what came of the schemes of wise men, or the mighty strength or surpassing skill of great men, is far beyond their own natures—and this is no less the case concerning trickery, or wizardry and mighty magic, when they conjured up eternal misfortune or loss of life for some, and for others, worldly reputation, riches, and honors. Sometimes they stirred up the elements and sometimes calmed them down—men such as Odin was, and the others who learned spellcraft or healing from him. There are even cases where certain bodies have been able to move through the inspiration of an unclean spirit, such as Eyvind Split-Cheek in the saga of Olaf Tryggvason, or Einar Cormorant, or Frey whom Gunnar Half-and Half killed in Sweden.
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Now neither this, nor anything else, can be made to suit everyone’s tastes, since there’s no need to place more trust in such things than seems fitting. The best and wisest thing is to listen while it’s being told, and be cheerful rather than grieved, because it’s always the case that men don’t think of other, sinful things while they are enjoying the entertainment. And it doesn’t sit well for bystanders to criticize, even if the words go unwisely or clumsily, since few things which are as trivial as this are done perfectly.
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CHAPTER I

This story begins with a king named Hreggvid who ruled over the realm of Novgorod, which some men call Russia. He was tall and strong, the handsomest man and the boldest fighter, courageous and a great warrior, wise and shrewd, most generous to his friends, but severe and stern to his enemies. In most respects he was well gifted. He had been married to a queen of noble descent, but she isn’t named and doesn’t come into this saga. He had one child with his queen, a daughter by the name of Ingigerd. She was the loveliest and most refined of all the women there were in all Russia, and even beyond. She excelled everyone in wisdom and eloquence. She knew all the skills that suited a woman and  which ladies of quality plied near and far. She had hair so long that it might well conceal all her body, and it was as fair as gold or straw.
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The king loved his daughter very much. She had a home all her own, inside the town. It was a splendid dwelling, built strongly and soundly, and beautifully wrought with gold and gemstones. She stayed in this house every day, along with the other maidens who served her.

King Hreggvid was quite elderly at that time. It is said that when the king was young, he had frequently set out raiding, and he had conquered the region around the Don River, which flows through Russia.
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From there, he had raided various realms in the East, and so acquired rare treasures. (This river is the third or the fourth largest in the world. Yngvar the Far-Traveler searched for the source of this river, as is told in his saga.
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) King Hreggvid was on that journey for seven years all told, and men thought he was dead—but then he returned to Russia and settled down quietly. He had acquired a horse who could understand human speech. His name was Dulcifal. He was as swift as a bird, as agile as a lion, and as huge as a wolf. There was no horse like him in size and strength. If his rider was destined for defeat, he wouldn’t let himself be caught—but if he was fated to win victory, then he carried him as his own master.
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He had a suit of armor, and there was none other like it, for the helmet was all set with gemstones and was so hard that it was invincible. His entire mailcoat was forged from three layers of the hardest steel, as bright as silver. The shield was so broad and thick that iron couldn’t bite into it. The lance that went with it was stiff and tough, and rang like a bell if it were knocked against the shield—but if defeat were certain, it gave no sound.
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The sword was never checked in its stroke, and was enchanted to bite steel and stone as easily as soft flesh. It was made of iron from the fjord called Ger, which can neither rust nor break. Dulcifal was related to the dromedaries, a type of horse.
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King Hreggvid had never suffered defeat since he got the horse and these weapons. His kingdom was constantly being invaded, and he and his men were always fighting huge battles.

The king had many counsellors and picked men with him. One of them was named Sigurd, called Wool-Yarn.
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He was the grandson of Halfdan Red-Cloak who was the son of Burned-Kari. He was quite fearless, well-liked by all the people, and elderly. He had stayed with the king for a long time and served him well in many dangers.

CHAPTER II

There was a king named Eirek, a sea-king and a Gastriklander by birth. Gastrikland is ruled by the King of Sweden. Its inhabitants are strong and resemble giants; they are fierce and unruly, and gifted in sorcery. King Eirek was a tall and powerful man, with a dark complexion and a very gaunt appearance. He sailed out in winter and summer with a fleet of ships, raiding in various lands. He was the greatest fighter and very warlike. He had a beautiful sister named Gyda, and she was always with him.

Eirek had many berserks and champions in his forces, and four of them are named. There were two brothers; one was named Sorkvir and the other was Brynjolf. Big and strong they were, unruly and skilled in sorcery, and so full of spells that they could blunt blades in battle.
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Sorkvir was the stronger of the two, and an excellent jouster. The third man was a kinsman of the king named Thord and called the Bald Man of Hlesey, a big strong man. His family came from Hlesey
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in Denmark, and he had grown up there. His foster-brother was named Grim, called Aegir. This man was strong and wicked in every way. No one knew his origins or his family, because Groa the seeress had found him washed up in the beachwrack on Hlesey. She was Thord’s mother, and she had fostered Grim and raised him and taught him all sorcery, so that no one in the Northlands was his equal, because he was unlike all other men by nature. Some men believe that Grim’s mother must have been some sea-hag, because he could travel through both the sea and lakes if he wanted, and for that reason he was called Aegir.
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He ate raw meat and drank blood from men and livestock alike. And he often turned into the likeness of various animals, shapeshifting so quickly that the eye could hardly follow it. His breath was so hot that men found that it burned even if they were wearing armor. He could also spew either venom or flames at men, and in this way he killed both men and horses, and thus no one could withstand him. King Eirek had great confidence in him, and in all of these men. They never held back from doing wicked deeds.

CHAPTER III

At that time, King Eirek invaded King Hreggvid’s kingdom with his host. They killed men, burned buildings, and stole livestock. When the people of the kingdom found out about the invasion, they went to find King Hreggvid and told him what had happened. When he heard the news, he had the war-arrow
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carved, and summoned all fighting men to join him. But he only raised a small force, because the invaders were coming on swiftly, and most people had dark forebodings about what was to come.

On the morning of the battle, King Hreggvid clad himself in his full armor. He clasped a gold necklace around his neck; it was a splendid treasure. Then he girded himself with his good sword. He took the lance and struck the shield, and it made no sound. The stallion Dulcifal also wouldn’t let himself be caught. Many men chased him, and in the end he was brought into a high-walled pen. The king came to him and wanted to take him, but as soon as the stallion saw the king, he leaped out over the gates and ran off into the forest. Everyone felt this was a dreadful portent and thought that defeat was certain, and they made no effort to search for him. King Hreggvid took a different horse, shield and lance for himself, but he gave his daughter his own shield and lance for safekeeping. Then he and all his host prepared for battle.

King Eirek drew up all his host and ordered every man to work as a warrior should, and not to hold back any sort of strength which he might bring to bear. Grim Aegir said, “My lord, each of us is obliged to do the best he can. But if we beat King Hreggvid, we want to settle here, and I want to have a land to rule and the title of jarl. Your kinsman Thord shall come with me and shall take precedence over me, but Sorkvir and Brynjolf shall go with you and defend the land for you.” The king agreed to Grim’s proposal and said that it would be done.

Now both sides formed their ranks and advanced towards each other. King Eirek led one wing of his battle lines, and Grim led the other. The odds were much in their favor, as they had four warriors for each one of the local men. King Hreggvid arrayed his forces against King Eirek, and Sigurd Wool-Yarn faced Grim Aegir. Then the fiercest fighting broke out, with strikes and blows, arrows fired and stones flung. Every man on either side advanced with shouts and cheers. King Eirek’s berserks advanced ahead of the ranks and mowed down King Hreggvid’s men like brushwood, and they fell one across another. Sigurd Wool-Yarn saw that, and he struck left and right until he encountered Thord the Bald Man of Hlesey. He struck at him, but Thord blocked the blow with his bald head and the sword didn’t cut.
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After that, Thord struck Sigurd his death-blow, and he fell, winning great glory.

King Hreggvid saw that, and he was grieved at Sigurd’s fall. He spurred his horse and fiercely rode forward, slashing and stabbing men and horses right and left, so that everyone shrank back before him. The sword cut as if it were slicing water. The scabbard was all wrought with gold wherever that seemed to improve it, and on the pommel of the sword’s hilt there were loose life-stones, which drew poison and burning out of wounds if they were shaved into them.
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He charged towards King Eirek’s banner, so furiously that he had both arms bloody to the shoulders. At times he killed two or three men at one blow, until Grim Aegir and Thord came against him. They both struck at him at the same time, but the king defended himself so well that he wasn’t wounded. At that moment, Grim blew with such powerful sorcery that the king’s horse stumbled. The king jumped off the horse’s back, still striking to left and right. He piled up a ring of bodies around himself so high that it came up to his belt. He struck with both hands at Grim Aegir, but Grim blew at him so that his sword flew out of his hands. Then the king seized an axe and struck Thord on his bald head with the blunt end of the axehead, so that he lay unconscious for a long time. At once the king lifted himself up and leaped over the heap of slain. King Eirek came up against him and struck at Hreggvid with his sword, so that the blade broke in two but didn’t cut the armor. At that instant, Grim Aegir stabbed him with a sword from beneath, under the mailcoat, piercing him through. The king fell there, with great courage and great glory, and it seems that there has hardly been a more famed man in Russia than King Hreggvid. All his surviving men fled, though most of his men had fallen. Many in King Eirek’s forces had also fallen. The peace-shield was held up, and those who wanted to save their lives were granted a truce, but the rest, who didn’t want to serve King Eirek, were killed. And now the battle was over.

After that the dead were stripped of plunder, and the king went into the town with his retinue, and they had all manner of merriment, with drink and musical instruments. So passed the night. In the morning, the king called to Grim Aegir and his fellows that they should find the princess, and they did. When they entered her quarters, she greeted King Eirek, yet she was weeping and woeful. King Eirek cheered her up and said that they would compensate her for the loss of her men, and for the harm she had suffered—“and you shall receive any boon from me that you wish to request and that is seemly for us to offer, if then you will come to terms with us and do as we wish.”

Princess Ingigerd said, “He may not rightly bear the title of king who does not keep his promise to a young maiden. I will come to terms with you and do your will, if you will keep your word and offer me the favor that I ask of you. But I would rather do away with myself quickly than marry some man unwillingly, and then no one would enjoy me.”

The king’s heart was filled with great love for her. He said, “May he who does not keep his word to you become a worthless wretch. Choose this very moment, and I shall grant it.”

“My first request,” said the princess, “is that a burial mound be raised for my father, large and well built inside, with a high plank fence around the mound. The mound shall stand a long way from here, in the wilderness. I shall bear gold and fine treasures into the mound next to him. He shall be dressed in his full armor and girded with his sword. He is to sit on a chair, with his fallen champions arranged on both sides of him. None of your men are to catch the horse Dulcifal; he must run as he wishes. For three years, I and those whom I shall appoint to stay with me will rule over a quarter of the kingdom. Those who belong to my household must all be left in peace and tranquility. Every year, I shall get a man to joust with you, or with Sorkvir your champion. Should I not find one of my men so excellent that he can knock Sorkvir from the back of his horse, you shall marry me and rule the entire kingdom. But if Sorkvir is beaten, you both shall go away with all your retinue and never enter Russia again, and I shall claim the realm and the rulership after my father, as is rightful.”

Grim Aegir said, “This request can hardly be granted, because it comes from deep insight and long forethought. I don’t think you’ll stand for being kept waiting so long for an answer from any woman, my lord. But you may trust Sorkvir well that he will cause you no harm, along with my counsels and cleverness.”

The king replied, “I didn’t think that you would ask for this, princess. Yet I must keep my word to you, because I trust Sorkvir well. You will not find a more excellent man than him.” They bound their agreement with oaths and ended their discussion.

Grim Aegir said, “A plan has come to mind that will help us. We must cast a spell and work sorcery
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so that no one can beat Sorkvir, neither in jousting nor in single combat, unless that man has all of King Hreggvid’s armor and weapons. But the mound must be built so strongly, with walls and bricks, that it can never be opened by any human being. You’ll want to keep all your word to the princess. You should keep sending men after the armor, and promise your sister Gyda to the man who manages to get it. Then the armor and weapons will be in your grasp—or else the men won’t come back alive.”