Six Sagas of Adventure (37 page)

The king and all his men felt that this was good advice. The mound was raised, and King Hreggvid was laid inside. Ingigerd was the last to leave of the mound. She secretly had a second set of armor brought there and laid it in her father’s lap. The mound was closed and fenced off as Grim Aegir directed. Then the kingdom was divided according to their arrangements, and everything done that was said before. The princess couldn’t find anyone who dared to challenge Sorkvir. The king sent many men to the mound, and not one came back.

Grim Aegir ruled Ermland.
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That is a royal estate in Russia, and all those who served under him were unhappy with their lot. He and Thord the Bald Man of Hlesey always had great struggles with the men from the towns of Jotunheim, beyond Aluborg.
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How they fought each other, with spells and magic and huge battles, would take many stories to tell. Both were the worse for it, and neither was the better. Sorkvir and Brynjolf set out raiding in the summers, and took charge of the defense of King Eirek’s lands. Princess Ingigerd stayed in a safe castle
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in her kingdom, with her picked men, and was quite heartsick over her lot.

CHAPTER IV

At the time when these matters that we have told of were taking place, Sturlaug the Hard-Working ruled Ringerike in Norway. He married Asa the Fair, the daughter of Jarl Eirek. They had many well-bred sons. One was named Rognvald, another was Fradmar, a third was Eirek, and the fourth was named Hrolf. He was named after Hrolf Nose, Sturlaug’s sworn brother, who died in the temple in Ireland
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when Sturlaug sought to get the aurochs horn there.

Sturlaug’s son Hrolf was the largest of men in both girth and height, and so heavy that no horse could carry him for a whole day. For that reason he was always walking. He was the most handsome of men in appearance. He wasn’t sociable, and he wasn’t much for merriment and amusement, except that he found it most enjoyable to practice archery or jousting. He was so heavy and strong that no one could knock him out of the saddle, but he was awkward with weapons and never carried them. He was both harmless and useless to most people. Hrolf wasn’t like his brothers, and there was never any warmth between them.

One day, Sturlaug and Hrolf were talking, as they often did. Sturlaug said, “It looks to me as though your destiny will be a pitiful one. The way you behave is more like a woman than a man. So I think it’s best for you to get married and settle down on a farm and become a cottager in some remote valley where no one will find you, and live out your life for as long as it’s fated to last.”

Hrolf said, “I won’t settle down and I won’t get married, because I don’t need women. And I can clearly see that you’re trying to lay the blame so that you can quit having to feed me. So I’ll go away, and not come back until I have won just as large a kingdom as you have now—or else am lying dead. I believe that your holdings are a peasant’s estate, and there’s little to share with us brothers. Neither you nor they will have the benefit of me from now on.”

Sturlaug said, “I can give you both a ship and good traveling companions, if you will set yourself some quest that might bring you fame or honor.”

Hrolf said, “I don’t care to drag men after me until they’re missing your sons. I won’t get involved with battles, because I can’t stand the sight of blood. And I don’t want to crowd into a little boat with so many people that they make it sink and we all drown.”

Sturlaug said, “I won’t provide you with anything, because I can tell that you’re both stupid and stubborn.” That said, they parted in disagreement.

Hrolf went to his mother Asa and said, “Mother, I want you to show me the cloaks that your foster-mother Vefreyja made for my father, so long ago.”

She did so, opening up a large chest, and said, “Here you can see the cloaks. They haven’t aged much.”

Hrolf picked up all the cloaks. They were made with sleeves, a hood, and a mask in front of the face. They were both wide and long. No iron could cut them, and poison could not damage them. Hrolf took the two largest and said, “I don’t have very much of my father’s estate, but I have these cloaks.”

Asa said, “You mustn’t go away so quickly, son, without weapons or companions.”

Hrolf went away without a word, and a few days later he left, so that no one knew what became of him. Neither his father nor his mother nor any of his kin wished him well. No one knew which way he went. It’s not said that Sturlaug took any notice of Hrolf’s departure. Some time passed, while Sturlaug stayed quietly in his kingdom.

CHAPTER V

Now the saga turns to Thorgnyr. He held the rulership of Jutland in Denmark and had his seat there, but he claimed tribute from more kingdoms. He was a strong ruler and had good men with him. He was very old when this story takes place. His queen was dead, but their two children survived her. Stefnir was the name of his son, and Thora was his daughter. Both of them were handsome and well-mannered. The jarl’s son Stefnir was physically strong and the most accomplished at sports, and was gentle and mild-mannered every day. Thora was the most skillful woman. A bower had been built for her, and she stayed there with her ladies in waiting.

There was a man named Bjorn. He was the jarl’s counsellor and dearest friend, wise and kindly and knowledgeable about matters of warfare. Ingibjorg was his wife’s name. She was courteous and accomplished, and Bjorn loved her very much. He had a farm a short distance from the fortress, though he stayed most often with the jarl.

Jarl Thorgnyr had loved his queen very much, and her burial mound was near the fortress. The jarl often sat there in good weather, or whenever he held councils or games. The jarl was usually at his leisure, ruling a peaceable kingdom.

CHAPTER VI

Now we must return to Hrolf leaving Ringerike, as we mentioned before. He had no weapons but an oaken club. He wore the cloak Vefreyja’s Gift, and carried the other cloak. The roads were unknown to him. He traveled more often through mountains and forests than through settlements. He headed east into the Eidskog Forest,
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intending to go up to Sweden. He couldn’t find the way, and he wandered far and lived outdoors for a long time.

Late one spring evening, he found a strongly-built hut in the forest. The door was hanging open. He set his club against the wall and went inside the hut. There was a bed for one man, and seats next to it. There were some furs, but few other things of value. Hrolf lit a fire. When the sun had set, a very tall man came inside the hut, wearing a dark cloak and a rust-colored hood. He was swarthy, with a thick beard. He wore a sword at his belt but walked holding a spear. He said, “Who is this thief? Where did you come from?”

Hrolf said, “There’s no need for you to speak so harshly. I don’t feel like concealing my name. I’m called Hrolf. I’ve come from Ringerike.”

The hut-dweller said, “No one who comes from there should escape unharmed. But get away from the fires and sit up in the chair and rest.”

Hrolf did so, and when he had sat down, the hut-dweller said, “Now I won’t conceal my name. I am called Atli Otryggson
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, from Ringerike by birth. I recognize you clearly. You are the son of Sturlaug the Hard-Working. Now you’ll pay for that, for your father made me an outlaw when I killed one of his retainers.”

He seized the spear with both hands and stabbed Hrolf’s chest so hard that the spearhead crumpled, but it didn’t pierce the cloak. Hrolf wanted to stand up, but couldn’t because he was pressed into the seat. Atli said, “You’re not going to show your sorcery now. I’ll take your club and bash you into Hel
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with it.”

He rushed out of the hut. Hrolf realized that he was in a bad way, and he smashed against the walls until the plank he was sitting against came loose, just as Atli came with the club. Hrolf rushed underneath Atli, who threw away the club, and they began grappling with each other, wrestling powerfully. Hrolf went at it with all his might, but Atli fought with full force until he fell backwards. Hrolf pinned him with his knee in the stomach and gripped his neck and windpipe with both hands, so that he couldn’t speak a word. Atli struggled mightily, but Hrolf held his grip until Atli was dead.

In the hut, Hrolf found a large purse of money and took it with him. He took the sword and spear, but left the club behind. Hrolf got Atli out of his mantle, because he thought it would be lighter for traveling than his cloak, and he carried both cloaks. He burned Atli’s body and spent the rest of the night there. In the morning he went on his way and traveled through the forest for many more days.

One day, he came out into a clearing and saw eleven fully armed men. One of them was best equipped, and Hrolf thought he must be their leader. When they saw Hrolf, this man said, “Here comes Atli the Evil. All of you, stand up and kill him as quickly as possible. Let’s pay him back for his robbing and murdering.”

Hrolf didn’t get to say anything on his behalf, and they attacked him fiercely, slashing and stabbing. Hrolf turned on them manfully, by turns hewing or striking with the spear. He dealt them heavy blows, because his spear was the best weapon, but Hrolf suffered some wounds on his hands and feet. They fought for a long time, and in the end Hrolf killed them all. By then he was exhausted and had many minor wounds. He bound his wounds and threw away the mantle, because he didn’t want to get the same treatment again. He suspected that these men must have come from Varmland
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and gone out to hunt wild animals, or else to pursue Atli.

Then he went on his way, and nothing is said about his journey until he entered Gotaland along the Gota River. He saw a ship floating alongside the bank—a great longship, completely tented over between the bow and the stern. The gangplank extended onto land, and at the end of the gangplank was a fire where men were cooking food. Hrolf took down his cloak’s hood and went up to the men by the fire and greeted them. They accepted his greeting and asked him his name and where he had come from. He said that his name was Stigandi
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and that he had come from Varmland. Hrolf asked who owned the ship and whom they served. They said that he was named Jolgeir, descended from a family from Sylgisdal in Sweden.

Hrolf said, “It must be good to serve such a man.”

They said that whoever served him was worse off, “because he is a sorcerous berserk, and iron doesn’t bite him. He is ferocious and the hardest man to deal with. There are eighty of us on the ship. We all serve him unwillingly because he has killed our chieftain, who owned the ship, and forced us to swear oaths of loyalty. He accomplished all this with deceit and sorcery. Now he intends to go raiding in the Eastern realms.”

Hrolf said that they had entertained him well. He walked right out onto the ship and came before Jolgeir and greeted him. Jolgeir was sitting on the ship’s afterdeck, looking most unsightly to Hrolf. He accepted his greeting and asked him his name and his reason for coming.

Hrolf said, “I’m called Stigandi, and my reason for coming is to take service with good men. I’m not averse to working hard at what’s needed, but I’m no warrior. I have heard good things about you, that you are a great chieftain who doesn’t refuse food to men who need it.”

Jolgeir said, “You’ve heard truly that I don’t withhold food—but I don’t like you, because I believe you’re a wicked man. But you can come with us, if you like.” Hrolf thanked him, and that was the end of their conversation.

They went raiding all through the summer. Hrolf dealt out silver from his purse with both hands, and everyone liked him except for Jolgeir, because Hrolf was both lazy and sleepy, and he didn’t know how to do anything on the ship
.
He was never in battles, nor in any difficult trials. Jolgeir’s raids went badly, and he usually robbed farmers and merchants,
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but they raided most often in Courland
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and gained a lot of money.

On one occasion, Jolgeir assigned Stigandi to stand watch on their ship. The ship was tied up along the shore, and the gangplank was out. The weather was bad, with storms and rain. They went to sleep on the ship, but Hrolf stayed on land at the end of the gangplank. The night passed, and as morning approached, Hrolf began to grow sleepy, and he wrapped the cloak Vefreyja’s Gift around himself.

When Jolgeir awoke, he armed himself and went onto land with a sword in his hand. He saw Hrolf lying down, fast asleep and snoring by the coals
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Jolgeir was furious. He drew his sword and swung it down at Hrolf’s belly with both hands. That would have been the death of him if the cloak had not saved him. Hrolf awoke in a fright and leaped up, but Jolgeir tried to strike another blow at his head. Hrolf ducked under it. Jolgeir came at him, and a fierce wrestling bout broke out. He rushed at Hrolf in a frenzy, but Hrolf let himself be carried towards the ocean, until they both fell over a cliff and into the sea. Each pulled the other into the water, and they were down for a long time. Many a time they plunged down deep. No one wanted to intervene, even though they all liked Hrolf better than Jolgeir. The fight ended when they came back up towards the shore. Hrolf got his feet under him, and the sea bed dropped off steeply in front of him. The water came up to Hrolf’s waist, but Jolgeir couldn’t touch bottom. Hrolf seized him by the shoulders and shoved him down into the water and held him under until he had drowned him.

Hrolf walked out onto land, completely exhausted. Jolgeir’s men all thanked him for this deed and said that he was an excellent man to have beaten such a berserk. Hrolf said, “You may want to take me as chieftain over you now, in place of Jolgeir. I won’t treat you any worse. Now I want to let you know you who I am, because my name is Hrolf, and Sturlaug the Hard-Working is my father, the ruler of Ringerike in Norway.”

They all welcomed him and said that he was no commoner, since he might be the mightiest champion. Then they held a council and decided to follow Hrolf, and took him as their ship’s captain. Hrolf didn’t withhold the money that Jolgeir had gathered, and he paid them well for their service. They soon came to like him very much. They fought many battles, and Hrolf always won victory.

When autumn began, they sailed out of the east. Hrolf said that they would set course for Denmark. They came late in the autumn to Jutland, not far from Jarl Thorgnyr’s fortress. They laid up in a hidden bay, anchored their ship and put up awnings. Hrolf told his men to wait there until he came back—“but I will go down from the ship by myself to see what’s happening.”

CHAPTER VII

It’s said that one day in Jutland, as Thorgnyr was sitting at his feasting table, the hall doors opened and a man entered the hall. He was both tall and stout, wearing a long shaggy cape and holding a huge spear in his hand. Everyone in the hall was amazed at his great size. He came before the jarl and greeted him worthily. The jarl accepted his greeting and asked what sort of man he was. He said, “Hrolf is my name, and my father’s name is Sturlaug, who rules Ringerike. I have come here because I want to know your customs, because I’ve been told that you are a great chieftain.”

The jarl said, “I know all about your family and lineage, and I am quite willing for you to be made welcome in my kingdom and receive everything you ask for which is seemly for me to give.
How many men do you wish to have serving you each day?”