{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_56810/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_56810","id":"gutenberg_56810","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/56810","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Historical Novels","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Historical fiction","Vikings -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"Produced by readbueno, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This\nfile was produced from images generously made available\nby The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n                            IVAR THE VIKING\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                            IVAR THE VIKING\n\n\n\n\n                           A ROMANTIC HISTORY\n                   BASED UPON AUTHENTIC FACTS OF THE\n                       THIRD AND FOURTH CENTURIES\n\n\n\n\n                                   BY\n\n                            PAUL DU CHAILLU\n\n      AUTHOR OF \u201cTHE VIKING AGE,\u201d \u201cTHE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN,\u201d\n           \u201cEXPLORATIONS IN EQUATORIAL AFRICA,\u201d \u201cA JOURNEY TO\n                          ASHANGO LAND,\u201d ETC.\n\n\n\n\n                                 LONDON\n\n                   JOHN MURRAY      ALBEMARLE STREET\n\n                                  1893\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                          TO GEORGE W. CHILDS\n\n\nMy Dear Childs: Years of our unbroken friendship, going back more than a\n    quarter of a century, have passed away, and the recollection of all\n    your kindnesses during that time comes vividly before my mind. Many\n    a time your home in Philadelphia, at the sea-side, or at Wootton has\n    been my home, and many of the happy days of my life have been spent\n    with you and your kind wife. Three years ago I lay on a sick-bed at\n    your house, and all that tender nursing, the skill of the physician,\n    and loving hands could do that winter was done for me, and for all\n    that I am indebted to you and to Mrs. Childs. Now a twenty miles\u2019\n    walk day after day does not fatigue me. \u201cIvar the Viking\u201d was partly\n    written, after my recovery, under the shade trees of Wootton and in\n    the midst of the perfume of its flowers. To you, my dear old friend,\n    I dedicate the book as a token of the esteem and high regard I have\n    for your noble character, and in grateful remembrance of all you\n    have done for me.\n\n                   PAUL DU CHAILLU.\n\n            NEW YORK, September, 1893.\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              INTRODUCTION\n\n\nTHE story of \u201cIVAR THE VIKING\u201d depicts the actual life of Norse chiefs\nwho ruled at the period therein described, and also gives the customs,\nreligion, life, and mode of thinking which prevailed among the people.\nMy object in writing this story is to give a view, in a popular way, of\nthe life of these early ancestors of the English-speaking peoples, whose\nseat of power was on the islands situated in the basin of the Baltic and\nthe countries known to-day as Scandinavia.\n\nThe reader of this volume will gain a correct idea of the civilization\nof the Norsemen of that period, the men who came to the gates of Rome,\nand settled in Britain, Gaul, Germania, on the shores of the\nMediterranean, and other countries.\n\nI begin the story of my hero with his birth, accompanied by the\ncharacteristic ceremonies attending it; then I tell of his fostering,\nhis education, his coming of age, of the precepts of wisdom he is\ntaught, of his foster-brothers, of the sacred ceremony of\nfoster-brotherhood, of his warlike expeditions and commercial voyages,\nof the death and funeral of his father, of his accession to rule, and\nother similarly typical Viking events.\n\nI speak in the narrative of the dwellings of the people; how they lived;\nof their \u201cbys,\u201d or burgs; of the different grades making up society; of\ntheir feasts; of their temples; of their worship, religious ceremonies,\nand sacrifices; of funerals; of Amazons; of athletic games; of women and\nmaidens; of love; of duels and sports; of dress; of men and women; of\nmarriages. In a word, the book is a life-like picture of the period. The\ntime which I have chosen is the epoch when the Norsemen were most surely\nand swiftly sapping the power of Rome, and engaged in colonization on\nthe largest scale.\n\nThere is not an object, a jewel, either Norse, Roman, or Greek, or a\ncoin mentioned, that has not been found in the present Scandinavia, and\nis not seen to-day in its museums, and often in great numbers.\n\nThe descriptions of customs interwoven in the narrative are derived from\nauthentic records, the sagas, the evidence of graves, and of antiquities\nin general. These are more fully, scientifically, and technically\ndescribed in my work published three years ago, \u201cThe Viking Age.\u201d\n\nThe descriptions of dresses of the women have been most carefully drawn\nfrom the sagas, and from the handles of three keys seen in \u201cThe Viking\nAge,\u201d where three women in full dress are represented. The materials and\njewels with which I have adorned them are those found in their graves.\nThe attire of the men is from the garments, weapons, and ornaments of\nthat early period, found in graves and bogs, and from descriptions in\nthe sagas.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\n\u201cThe Viking Age\u201d had hardly been published in England, when a storm of\nprotests and adverse criticisms arose from many quarters of that\nconservative country; for it is there that the old belief in the Angle\nand Anglo-Saxon descent of the modern English-speaking peoples is most\nrooted, having indeed become a religion with many Englishmen.\n\nI fully expected opposition to the new views I propounded. Had not my\nformer accounts of African travels been received with incredulity? Did\nnot the people laugh when I told that I had seen a race of pigmies and\nbeen in their villages? Did they not doubt my descriptions of the great\nequatorial forest, of gorillas, cannibals, etc.? I was before the time.\nI was too young; and these circumstances were against me. But then, as\nin the case of \u201cThe Viking Age,\u201d I found warm supporters and defenders\nin England itself.\n\nI knew that it was bold on my part to attack the Saxon idol which had\nbeen worshipped so long among Englishmen, and to try to destroy the\nfaith in which they and their fathers had believed. Was the glorious\nAnglo-Saxon name which the people had been shouting for so long, even in\nAmerica, to be overthrown? What, then, would become of the sturdy\nqualities claimed as inherited from the so-called Anglo-Saxon race? The\nqualities are there, only the name of Anglo-Saxon ought to be changed to\nthat of Norse.\n\nNothing but absolute conviction made me take this bold step. I had never\nbeen satisfied with the assertions of historians, and could see no\nevidence in their writings for the conclusions at which they had arrived\nin regard to the name Anglo-Saxon and as to who were the conquerors and\nsettlers of Britain.\n\nWhen I travelled in the Norselands, to the northern part of which I gave\nthe name of \u201cThe Land of the Midnight Sun,\u201d a name which has been\ngenerally adopted since, I became convinced that the conquerors of\nBritain were Norse; for while visiting their museums, which contained\nthe Norse antiquities, I saw that these objects were the same as those\ncalled in England by antiquarians, Angle, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Roman, and\nin France, Frankish. These facts set me thinking, and ultimately\nproduced \u201cThe Viking Age.\u201d\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nAs soon as I brought before the public the evidence I had collected,\nmany voices rose and exclaimed: \u201cWoe to him who tries to dispel our\nbelief and destroy our faith!\u201d The world is full of such examples in the\ntreatment of new ideas. How could I escape hostility when I proclaimed\nthat the antiquities called in England by arch\u00e6ologists and others, and\nclassified in the museums as Angle, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Roman, are Norse,\nconsequently that the ancestors of the English-speaking people are from\nthe basin of the Baltic and present Scandinavia, and that it is only\nthere that one sees the antiquities of a most warlike and sea-faring\nrace of the period of the so-called _Saxon_ maritime expeditions?\n\nMany apply the name of Anglo-Saxon to the people who settled in Britain,\nwithout knowing why, except that they had been taught to believe it from\ntheir school and college days, or because the majority believe so. I\nmaintain that the earlier England, popularly placed at the southern part\nof the peninsula of Jutland, is mythical; that such antiquities pointed\nout as Angle are not found there; that the word \u201ceng\u201d (Swedish \u00e4ng) is a\ncommon appellation all over Scandinavia; that \u201cengland,\u201d or \u201c\u00e4ng land,\u201d\nto this day, is the name given to flat, grassy land by the Norse people,\nas it was in earlier times. The probability is, that the Norsemen,\nseeing the flat shores of Britain on the North Sea, called it \u201cEngland,\u201d\nor Land of Meadows; and the people, in the course of time, were called\nmeadow-men, as we say mountaineers, in speaking of people inhabiting\nmountainous regions.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nSome of my critics took up the question of language. The reason they\ngave for not agreeing with me was, that the English had the definite\narticle \u201cthe,\u201d and the Icelandic saga-writings did not possess it; this\nwas, according to them, the most positive proof that the earlier English\npeople were not Norse. One might as well have argued that the French\nlanguage was not derived in great part from the Latin, as it has the\ndefinite article, and the Latin had not. Who can ever tell when the\ndefinite article was dropped or added in those languages?\n\nI never expected that the appearance of \u201cThe Viking Age\u201d would convert\nto my views men who had spent their lives in trying to prove, or in\nmaintaining the belief in, the Anglo-Saxon myth, and who believed in the\ndiffuse, contradictory, and often incomprehensible writings of Bede and\nNennius, or in the earlier English chronicles, the authorship of which\ncannot be traced. But I have often wondered why no one has compared\nthoroughly the Norse arch\u00e6ology of that period with that of Britain,\nwhich is claimed as that of the Angle, Anglo-Saxon, as being the early\nsettlers of Britain; and the only reason I could discover that anyone\nhad for calling these antiquities by those names was because of blind\nconfidence that these settlers were what the historians claimed them to\nbe.\n\nThose who cling to the Anglo-Saxon belief point to here and there a few\ngraves in the ancient Friesland, similar to those found in England, as a\nproof that the earlier settlers of Britain did not come from the Baltic.\nAs if it were possible that none of these Norsemen, who used to visit\nFriesland as far back as before the time of Tacitus, could have failed\nto die there during several centuries! They forget, also, that the\nRomans never mentioned the people of that country as sea-faring. On the\ncontrary, the maritime tribes that harassed them \u201cwere living on the\nmost northern shores of the sea\u2014in the ocean itself.\u201d The antiquities\nleft by these sea-faring tribes are those that must give us light on the\nsubject.\n\nOne might just as well assert one thousand years from now that the\npeople of English descent of the present time living at the Cape of Good\nHope were the ones that held sway over India, because they were nearer\nthan England to India, or that the solitary graves or little English\ncemeteries found between England and India were those of the people who\ngoverned India. A little more research would prove to them that the\ngreat seat of power was in England. We learn from arch\u00e6ology where\nEgypt, Greece, Rome, and many other fallen empires held their sway. So\nwe may know, from the traces left, where the Norsemen held theirs also,\nand that nowhere did they hold it more firmly than in Britain.\n\nThe controversy, to me, seems very plain. I have maintained in \u201cThe\nViking Age,\u201d and shall continue to do so, until I am shown to be\nmistaken, that: It is in the basin of the Baltic, and in the Norselands,\nthat we see incontestable proofs as to who were the sea-faring people\nwhom the Romans called first Sueones and then Saxons, as shown by the\ntens of thousands of graves of that period still existing; that these\ngraves and their antiquities are the same, and of the same type, as\nthose of a similar period in England; that in these Norse graves a great\nmany Roman coins of gold and silver, and many Roman and Greek objects\nare found, showing that these sea-faring people had intercourse with\nRome, Greece, and the Mediterranean. Nay, do not the coins antedating\nthe Roman Empire, when patrician families of Rome coined their own\nmoney, tell the tale of how early Norsemen went into the Mediterranean?\nAre not Norse graves often seen on its shores, by the side of the graves\nof the Etruscans?\n\nI also maintain that neither at the mouth of the Elbe, nor anywhere else\nout of the Norselands, do we see the remains of a dense, warlike, and\nmaritime population\u2014a population which has left traces in the number of\nits graves far greater than has Rome itself.\n\nHow could the host miscalled Saxon by the later Romans, which overran\nEurope, till the downfall of the empire, for four centuries, avoid\nleaving such traces? Their population must have been very dense in order\nto allow them to send forth such vast fleets to fight and conquer the\nRomans. How is it that the Saxons, whom we know as Saxons, were not a\nsea-faring people in the time of Charlemagne, as we know they were not?\nSimply because they never had been. How is it that in Charlemagne\u2019s\ntime, on the other hand, the Sueones who must have been the Saxons of\nthe later Romans were dreaded by him as powerful at sea, just as they\nare described by Tacitus?\n\nHave not the races which have disappeared in America or elsewhere left\ntraces, and must we make an exception of the so-called Saxons of the\nRomans? This would be against the evidence of everything before us.\n\nIt is by comparing the graves and antiquities of the Norselands with\nthose of England that we have the proof that the early settlers of\nBritain were Norsemen. The scene in this volume, of Ivar going to visit\nhis kinsmen on the banks of the River Cam, in England, has been\ndescribed, because there is a cemetery there whose antiquities show its\nNorse origin, and the Roman coins buried with them, of Trajanus, 98-117\nA.D.; of Hadrianus, 117-138; Faustina, wife of Antoninus Pius, 138-161;\nMarcus Aurelius, 161-180; of Maximianus, 286-305, show how early Norse\nsettlements began.\n\nWhat are the objects found in that cemetery, and described in the\nbeautiful work of the Honorable R. C. Neville, \u201cSaxon Obsequies,\nIllustrated by Ornaments and Weapons Discovered in a Cemetery near\nLittle Wilbraham, Cambridgeshire,\u201d printed in 1852? Swords, axes, umbos,\ncinerary urns with burned bones, wooden buckets with bronze hoops,\nbronze tweezers, spear and arrow heads of iron, ear picks, iron knives,\niron shears, brooches, beads of glass, and other material fired by\ncremation.\n\nI will quote the words of Mr. Neville himself: \u201cThat so large a number\nof urns containing human remains should have been discovered in\nconjunction with skeletons, affords a remarkably satisfactory\nconfirmation of the coexistence of these two modes of burial. My\nexperience enables me to state with confidence that the urns now\ndiscovered differ entirely from any [Roman] I had before encountered,\nand resemble closely those usually met with in Anglo-Saxon\nburying-grounds, etc.\u201d\n\nIf the reader opens \u201cThe Viking Age,\u201d and looks over its thirteen\nhundred and sixty illustrations, he will see the same objects as those\ndescribed and illustrated by Mr. Neville, and the same descriptions of\ngraves.\n\nIt is time that the views of antiquarians and historians of the old\nschool should be entirely set aside or remodelled; and that the old\nEngland, placed popularly as existing in the southern part of the\npeninsula of Jutland, and comprising a territory of a few square miles,\nbe considered a myth that had no reality, except in the brain of its\ninventors. When I say that the antiquities found in England are the same\nand of the same type as those found in the Norselands, I call this a\nfact and not a theory; and when I say also that these are not found in\nthe Saxon lands, I call this a fact and not a theory. When I say that\nthe antiquities found in England are not found in the so-called earlier\nEngland of the historian, I call this a fact and not a theory; and if I\nam wrong it can be easily disproved.\n\nBut let me add, that after the appearance of \u201cThe Viking Age,\u201d everybody\nwas far from being against me in England. I found there many adherents\nto my views, and some even went so far as to write to me, that after the\npublication of the work, and upon seeing its illustrations, they did not\nbelieve that Stonehenge was Druidical, but was simply of Norse origin,\nfor there were many graves containing Viking remains in the country\nround about.\n\nThe Roman records are correct. No countries but the islands of the\nBaltic and Scandinavia correspond to their description. It is there that\nwe find a great number of Roman objects. Coins are there found from the\ntime of the foundation of the empire\u2014those of Augustus 29 B.C. to 14\nA.D., of Tiberius 14-37, Claudius 41-54; then in increased number those\nof Nero 54-68, Vitellius 69, Vespasian 69-79, of Titus 79-81; in still\ngreater number those of Trajan 98-117, Antoninus Pius 138-161, of\nFaustina the elder, wife of Antoninus Pius, of Marcus Aurelius 161-180,\nof Faustina his wife, of Commodus 180-192; then in decreasing quantities\nthe coins of the subsequent emperors. By the side of these coins and\nother Roman objects are Norse objects, and these Norse objects are, as I\nhave said, similar to those found in the England of a corresponding\nperiod. The mode of burial is also identical in both countries. These\nfacts tell plainly who were the people who settled in Britain before and\nafter the time of Ivar the Viking and of the Roman occupation.\n\nWhile the controversy was going on in England, knowing the receptive and\nimpartial mind of Mr. Gladstone, and having been several times the\nrecipient, in years past, of his kind hospitality, and remembering the\ninterest he had taken in my African travels, I took the liberty of\naddressing to him a request for his opinion in regard to the position I\nhad taken. Mr. Gladstone, who was then in Oxford for the purpose of\ndelivering a lecture on Homer, replied the same day. I append his\nletter:\n\n    DEAR MR. DU CHAILLU:\n\n    You have done me great honor by appealing to me, but I fear your\n    appeal is to a person prepossessed and ignorant.\n\n    My prepossessions are on your side. But I have not yet been able,\n    although very desirous, to examine the argument on your side as it\n    deserves, nor that of your adversaries.\n\n    I am a man of _Scotch_ blood only, half Highland, and half Lowland,\n    near the Border. A branch of my family settled in Scandinavia, in\n    the first half, I think, of the seventeenth century.\n\n    When I have been in Norway, or Denmark, or among Scandinavians, I\n    have felt something like a cry of nature from within, asserting\n    (credibly or otherwise) my nearness to them. In Norway I have never\n    felt as if in a foreign country; and this, I have learned, is a very\n    common experience with British travellers.\n\n    The love of freedom in combination with settled order, which we hope\n    is characteristic of this country, is, I apprehend, markedly\n    characteristic of Norway and of Denmark. I have not spoken of\n    Sweden, simply because I have not been there.\n\n    The ethnography of northern and insular Scotland, down even to the\n    Isle of Man, and the history, seem to show a very broad and durable\n    connection.\n\n    Still I cannot call these more than feeble generalities. I earnestly\n    hope, when I am a little more free, that I may be able to get some\n    real hold of the subject.\n\n    I think a good deal of the argument suggested by our fishing\n    population, and by the _curious_ persistency with which, in some\n    districts, Scandinavian terminations have been preserved.\n\n              Yours faithfully,\n\n                   W. E. GLADSTONE.\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                                CONTENTS\n\n\n                                -------\n\n\n               CHAP.                                  PAGE\n\n                   I HJORVARD AND GOTLAND                1\n\n                  II THE VIKING LAND, AND THE           11\n                       VIKINGS\n\n                 III HJORVARD CONSULTS THE ORACLE       18\n\n                  IV IVAR\u2019S BIRTH AND LIFE FORECAST     25\n\n                   V THE FOSTERING OF IVAR              31\n\n                  VI IVAR ATTAINS HIS MAJORITY          47\n\n                 VII IVAR\u2019S FIRST EXPEDITION            54\n\n                VIII THE YULE SACRIFICE                 80\n\n                  IX IVAR\u2019S DEFEAT OF THE ROMANS        91\n\n                   X IVAR\u2019S VISIT TO BRITAIN            99\n\n                  XI THE DAUGHTERS OF RAN              108\n\n                 XII ROMANTIC ADVENTURES OF SIGURD     116\n\n                XIII A VOYAGE TO THE CASPIAN           130\n\n                 XIV HAKI\u2019S BURNING JOURNEY TO         139\n                       VALHALLA\n\n                  XV DEATH AND BURNING OF HJORVARD     147\n\n                 XVI HELGI AND THE VALKYRIAS           158\n\n                XVII THE INHERITANCE FEAST OF          167\n                       HJORVARD\n\n               XVIII IVAR SPURNS STARKAD\u2019S             176\n                       INDEMNITY\n\n                 XIX THE SLAYING OF STARKAD            182\n\n                  XX THE SESSION OF THE THING          197\n\n                 XXI IVAR\u2019S VISIT TO YNGVI             202\n\n                XXII YNGVI\u2019S POETS AND CHAMPIONS       214\n\n               XXIII YNGVI\u2019S THREE BEAUTIFUL           221\n                       DAUGHTERS\n\n                XXIV THE GUESTS OF THE HERSIR OF       229\n                       SVITHJOD\n\n                 XXV BEGINNING OF THE ATHLETIC         234\n                       GAMES\n\n                XXVI GREAT FEATS OF IVAR AND           241\n                       HJALMAR\n\n               XXVII THE FOSTER-BROTHERS FALL IN       260\n                       LOVE\n\n              XXVIII BETROTHAL OF IVAR AND RANDALIN    268\n\n                XXIX IVAR\u2019S DUEL WITH KETIL            275\n\n                 XXX DEATH OF HJALMAR AND ASTRID       287\n\n                XXXI THE WEDDING OF IVAR AND           298\n                       RANDALIN\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n[Illustration: Letter, page 1]\n\n\n[Illustration: Letter, page 2]\n\n\n[Illustration: Letter, page 3]\n\n\n[Illustration: Letter, page 4]\n\n\n\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                            IVAR THE VIKING\n\n\n                               CHAPTER I\n\n                          HJORVARD AND GOTLAND\n\n\nTHE mariner sailing in the Baltic, as he skirts the shores of Gotland,\nsees on a promontory of that island several large cairns and mounds\noverlooking the sea, and the country that surrounds them. This\npromontory was the burial place of a family of great Vikings and rulers\nwho held sway over the whole island a few centuries before and after our\nera. Among the most conspicuous cairns two are pointed out to the\nstranger, those of Hjorvard and his son Ivar, the hero of the present\nnarrative.\n\nThe events of which I am going to speak to you relate to them, and to\nwhat happened during their lives, towards the latter end of the third\nand the beginning of the fourth century, between the years A.D. 270 and\n320, or about sixteen hundred years ago.\n\nHjorvard, \u201cthe wide spreading,\u201d so called on account of the widely\nextended maritime expeditions he had undertaken, was one of the most\nrenowned Vikings of his time. In all his expeditions he had been\nsuccessful and always victorious in his battles. The Roman fleets had\nnever dared to attack him as he sailed with his numerous ships along the\ncoasts of their wide empire to make war upon the different countries\nover which they held dominion.\n\nHjorvard\u2019s ancestors, by the side of whom he now lies buried, had been\ngreat warriors and sea-faring men like himself. They had sailed from the\nBaltic to the Caspian Sea, by the present Gulf of Finland, and also\nwestward, along the coast of Friesland, Gaul, Britain, and as far south\nas the Mediterranean. The ships used by them in their river expeditions\nor along the coast during the summer months were unlike those of the\nRomans, and were much admired by them. Even in the first century the\nRomans feared these men of the north on account of the great fleets they\npossessed, and placed them as living on the most northern shores of the\nsea, in the very ocean itself. They called them Sueones; and all they\nknew of their country was what these Sueones told them about it, for the\nBaltic was an unknown sea to the Romans.\n\nHjorvard was of high lineage, for he was descended from Odin, and he\nbelonged to that branch of the family of Odin called Ynglingar, which\nruled over Svithjod, a realm that embraced a great part of the present\nSweden.\n\nSigrlin, his wife, was a very handsome woman, and possessed all the\naccomplishments belonging to women of her high rank. She was also of\nOdin\u2019s kin; was a direct descendant of Skj\u00f6ld (the Norse word for\nshield), one of the sons of Odin, from whom the Skj\u00f6ldungar are\ndescended. The Skj\u00f6ldungar ruled over that part of the land which to-day\nis called Denmark, but which was then called Gotland. Her father was\ncalled Halfdan, and resided at Hleidra, not far from where Copenhagen\nstands to-day, and was one of the great rulers of the north.\n\nNot far from the cairns and mounds just mentioned was Dampstadir, the\nhead \u201cby,\u201d or burg, the residence of Hjorvard and of the rulers of\nGotland. From this place a long panorama of coast and land could be\nseen, and the eye lost itself in the dim horizon of the sea. There\nHjorvard lived in great splendor. The buildings which made up Dampstadir\nwere among the finest of the northern lands; they were of different\nsizes and varied architecture, and, like all the structures of those\ndays in the north, were entirely of wood. They were roofed with\nshingles, heavily tarred, their dark color contrasting pleasantly with\nthat of the log walls of the houses.\n\nAll the numerous buildings formed a vast quadrangle, enclosing a large\nplot of grass called \u201ctun,\u201d or town. From the centre of the square the\nsight was extremely beautiful and picturesque, for there were not two\nbuildings of the same appearance or size. Some were finer than others,\nof course, but all were quaint; from their roofs and sides, gargoyles,\nrepresenting heads of horses or dragons and other wild beasts, stuck out\nboldly into the air from every side, or looked, with heads inclined\ndownward, towards the ground. There were a few houses with towers,\ncalled lofts; in these towers were a number of sleeping-rooms, and from\ntheir tops, in time of war, a sharp lookout was kept for the enemy\u2019s\nvessels. Many buildings were also used as store-houses.\n\nBefore the doors of many houses were porches, ornamented with carvings,\nwhile others had belfries and dark piazzas with ladder-like stairs\nleading to them, their weather-beaten walls of hard logs seeming to defy\nthe ravages of time, for many of them, at that time even, dated\ncenturies back. Some were specially for the use of the women members of\nthe family of Hjorvard and for their household, for it was customary for\nwomen to have their \u201cskemmas,\u201d or bowers, all to themselves. There they\nreceived their friends and spent their time in sewing and embroidering.\nThere were several festive halls for every-day use. During the winter\nlong fires ran along the centre of these, the smoke escaping through\nopenings in the roof, which openings could be closed when necessary.\nAlong the walls ran long benches, and tables were set in front of them.\nThe light came in through windows; instead of glass, the transparent\nmembrane enclosing the new-born calf was stretched over what were called\nthe light-holes.\n\nThe every-day life of Hjorvard was very simple. At the principal, or day\nmeal, Sigrlin sat on the left hand of her husband, the seats next to\nthis, on both sides, being the most dignified for men and women, while\nthe farthest ones, near the door, were the least so. The most high-born,\noldest, and wisest man\u2014for it was the custom for rulers to have wise men\nwith them who knew the ancient examples and customs of their\nforefathers\u2014sat on the northern high seat, called the lower high seat,\nopposite that of Hjorvard, on whose right hand were women, the men being\non his left. It was also the custom for chiefs to carry the ale over the\nfire, and drink to the man opposite the high seat, and it was thought to\nbe a great honor to be toasted by the host.\n\nThe most imposing and striking of all the structures along that enormous\nsquare was the great banqueting hall; of all the buildings, this was the\none in which the chiefs and rulers took the greatest pride, for it was\nthere that they received their most honored guests and gave their most\nsplendid feasts. The banqueting hall at Dampstadir was ranked the sixth\nfor beauty and grandeur in the land of the Vikings, and was very old.\nTwo superb doors at the two ends led into the interior. The door-ways,\nor jambs, of these were of solid oak, about two and a half feet wide,\nand several inches thick; these were adorned with beautiful carvings,\nrepresenting scenes belonging to the religious history of the race, and\nvarying greatly in depth, so as to give a fine artistic effect of light\nand shade. The doors themselves were of solid oak also, and were\nornamented with intricate designs made with flat iron bands, of\nexquisite beauty, and perfect gems of art. A massive gold knocker\nadorned each door. By one door the women entered, by the other the men.\n\nThe inside of this banqueting hall was a sight not to be soon forgotten.\nThe first artists and wood-carvers of the North had been employed, and\nhad shown wonderful skill in the elaboration and grouping of their\ndesigns\u2014the scenes represented including many of the deeds and\nexpeditions of Hjorvard\u2019s ancestors. The carvings were considered so\nbeautiful that even the finest tapestry was not hung over them, and the\nwood itself had become richly dark during the centuries that had elapsed\nsince the hall had been built. All along the walls hung shields of\nvariegated designs and bright colors, ornamented with gold and silver,\noverlapping each other, and, of course, adding much to the gorgeousness\nof the spectacle.\n\nAs was customary, this hall had been built east and west, the long walls\nrunning north and south; along the latter were the benches for the\nguests, and just in the middle of them were the two high seats, facing\neach other. The most important bench ran along the northern walls, and\nthere the great high seat, the more honored of the two, stood facing the\nsun. It was for the master of the house; and to be placed on the high\nseat opposite was the greatest honor that could be shown to any guest,\nconsequently this seat was always assigned to the most prominent men.\nThe nearer the places on the benches assigned to any one were to the\nhigh seat, the greater the honor; the places farther away, near the\ndoor, being the lowest. These two high seats were beautifully carved,\nwith arms on both sides, and two pillars which were both painted and\nornamented with carving representing historical subjects.\n\nThe weapons of Hjorvard hung above his high seat\u2014his \u201csax,\u201d or\nsingle-edged sword, his best double-edged sword, also his shield, his\n\u201cbrynja,\u201d or chain-armor, and helmet of gold. His double-edged sword,\ncalled \u201cHrotti,\u201d was a magnificent weapon. The hilt was all ornamented\nwith gold, and so was the scabbard; the blade was of most exquisite\ndamascened workmanship. This sword was in its sheath, which was wrapped\nwith bands called \u201cpeace bands\u201d\u2014for there was profound peace over the\nland at the time we are speaking of\u2014and no one but Hjorvard could\nunloose them, for these were holy, and it was only when war had been\ndeclared that it could be done.\n\nMementos of the expeditions of Hjorvard and of his forefathers were\nscattered here and there, treasured as heirlooms. Along the walls hung\nseveral Roman swords with Latin inscriptions upon them, which had been\nin the family for two hundred years. There were Roman statuettes, bronze\nvessels, and various other bronze objects, and a collection of Roman\ncoins of every emperor from the time of Augustus, the first Roman\nemperor, to the time of Hjorvard. Among the gems of art were lovely\nGrecian cups, bowls, and drinking horns of glass, some of the glass cups\nand bowls adorned with charming paintings representing rural scenes,\nwith wild beasts, lions, bulls, birds of variegated colors, and even men\nboxing with boxing gloves, all looking as fresh as the day they were\npainted.\n\nAt the foot of Dampstadir was a beautiful land-locked bay where the\nships of Hjorvard lay at anchor, while on its shores were numerous\nsheds, under which stood many of the ships which were thus protected\nfrom the weather; there were also building yards, where busy carpenters\nwere always at work constructing or repairing vessels.\n\nThe finest ships to be seen there were the \u201cdrekis,\u201d or dragon-ships.\nThese were the largest and most formidable of all warships, and derived\ntheir names from the fact that their prows and sterns were ornamented\nwith the head or tail of one or more dragons. Some were covered with\nsheets of solid gold, which gave a superb appearance to the ships,\nespecially when the sun shone upon their sides. Many of these drekis\ncould carry a crew of from five hundred to seven hundred men.\n\nBesides the dragon-ships there were other war-vessels called \u201cskeids,\u201d\n\u201csnekkjas,\u201d \u201cskutas,\u201d \u201cbuzas,\u201d \u201ckarfi,\u201d \u201cask,\u201d and also many provision\nships which followed the fleets on their expeditions. The skeid was a\nformidable war-vessel, almost equal in power to the dragon-ships, a very\nfast sailer, which carried two hundred and forty men or more. The\nsnekkja was a smaller ship of the same general description. The skutta\nwas a smaller craft still, which could be man\u0153uvred very quickly. It was\ngenerally used for boarding other ships, the upper part of its gunwale\nbeing so built that warriors could more easily leap upon other vessels.\nAll these vessels, small or large, had only one mast.\n\nAmong these ships could be seen some of the old-fashioned type which has\nbeen described by Tacitus, with no mast, and entirely propelled by oars;\nthey were very sharp pointed at both ends, much like the whale-boats of\nto-day, about eighty feet long, and in the widest part ten or eleven\nfeet broad, with fifteen or sixteen benches about three feet apart.\nThese boats were propelled by thirty or thirty-two oars, varying\nsomewhat in length, and of an average of about twelve feet. Two men, and\nsometimes three, pulled each oar, and a man with a shield protected the\noarsmen on each outer side. The thole-pins were fastened to the gunwales\nwith \u201cbast\u201d ropes, and were adorned with graceful carved designs, no two\nbeing alike. On the side, at the stern, was the rudder, resembling a\nlarge, broad oar. They were so shaped that they could be rowed in either\ndirection. At the time of which we are speaking, this model of naval\narchitecture was fast going out of fashion, and sailing vessels\nexclusively were coming into general use. All the vessels were of oak,\n\u201cclinch-built;\u201d that is, the planks overlapped each other, and were made\nfast together by large iron bolts.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe island of Gotland, over which Hjorvard ruled, had a very dense\npopulation, and was, on account of its size and geographical position, a\ngreat emporium of commerce, and with its war and trading ships occupied\nat this time about the same position as the England of our days. Its\ninhabitants were wealthy, and traded extensively, as their fathers had\ndone, with provinces of Rome, with Greece, and the countries round the\nCaspian, the Black, and the Mediterranean Seas. From such distant lands\nas these they brought superb bronze vessels, exquisite glass vases,\nvelvets and silks, beautiful objects of leather, embroidered gold and\nsilver textile material for dress, and many other costly objects which\nthe rich prized very highly, as well as wine.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER II\n\n                    THE VIKING LAND, AND THE VIKINGS\n\n\nAT the period of which I write, the land of the Vikings embraced the\nislands of the Baltic and those of the small and the great \u201cBelt\u201d\nleading into that sea, the country known to-day as Scandinavia, which\nembraces the large peninsula of Sweden and Norway, and the small\npeninsula of Jutland. The whole land was virtually surrounded by sea.\nGreat fortifications had been built on the southern peninsula of Jutland\nbetween the two fjords which enter it from opposite sides, so that no\nincursion could take place from the land to the south.\n\nThe large islands, especially, were seats of great maritime power and\nwealth. All the tribes were of a common origin and kindred; they had the\nsame customs and religion, practised the same burial rites,\nintermarried, and spoke the same language which was called the Norranean\ntongue.\n\nThese Vikings, as we have seen, were quite isolated from Central and\nWestern Europe, and formed a world of their own, having much intercourse\nwith the country forming the present Russia. Between them and Rome stood\nthe inaccessible swamps and forests of Germania, inhabited by wild and\nbarbaric tribes. Great, indeed, was the contrast that existed between\nthe Vikings and the tribes of Germania. All these tribes called\nthemselves Norsemen, or Northmen; they were intensely warlike, and had\nbeen sea-faring people from immemorial time. The deeds done on the sea\nin by-gone ages could only be seen or remembered by graves made\nvenerable by the centuries that had passed over them, or by the large\ntracings deeply engraved upon the rocks, seen to this day, representing\nsea-fights, raids, and invasions. Like the hieroglyphics of Egypt, they\nwere the mementos of a great past, forever forgotten.\n\nThe Norsemen of our period used only weapons of iron; those of bronze\nhad been given up centuries before, but they were proud of that former\ncivilization, and boasted that at that remote time no one excelled their\nancestors in the art of manufacturing arms of bronze\u2014a boast that has\nnot been made vain to this day.\n\nLong even before the time of Hjorvard the country was unable to support\nits population, and the people had in consequence become more and more\naggressive towards the inhabitants of countries to the west of them as\nyears passed away. Through their voyages during the preceding\ngenerations and during their own times, they had become thoroughly\nacquainted with the countries and rivers of Friesland, Gaul, Britain,\nand other countries, and had been seeking new homes there. Their fleets\nswarmed over every sea, and no country was exempt from their attacks.\nYear after year, an innumerable, irresistible, and apparently\ninexhaustible host, they poured over Western Europe, and had become\ncomplete masters of the sea. Fleet after fleet returned home laden with\nRoman spoils of all kinds.\n\nThese expeditions were undertaken by chiefs living in very different\nregions of the country, and the people flocked with their ships from\nevery part of the land, to enroll themselves under their standards, when\nthey announced that they were ready to make war on the Roman world. The\never victorious Norsemen called themselves the chosen people of the\ngods, the loved ones of Odin, and considering themselves the chosen,\nthey never tried to convert other nations; like the Jews of old, they\ndespised every other religion. Wherever they obtained a foothold, they\nheld the land and people under an iron sway. Death had no terror for\nthem; Valhalla, where Odin dwelt, was to be their future abode. They\nbelieved also in Frey, Njord, Thor, Freya, and in other gods and\ngoddesses.\n\nThere were many conditions of men in the great Viking\u2019s land; different\ngrades of society built up the social structure. The whole country was\ndivided into \u201cherads,\u201d forming separate realms; some had a much larger\ntract of territory than others, and were more powerful. Most of the\nestates composing them were inherited by laws of primogeniture or\nentail. Over each herad ruled a Hersir, which was the highest hereditary\ndignity in the land. The title of Drott, \u201cLord,\u201d or High Priest, which\nhad come down from Odin\u2019s time, had disappeared and given place to that\nof Hersir; the name of king was yet unknown. Each herad had a\nhead-temple where the yearly sacrifices for all the people were made.\n\nThe Hersir was the head of the community. He was the leader in war, and\nthe administrator of justice. He was the high priest in regard to\nworship, and as such took care of the temple, and superintended the\nsacrifices and other religious ceremonies. He held the farms and estates\nbelonging to the temple in trust, received a temple tax from every man\nfor its maintenance and that of the sacrifices. He presided over the\ngeneral assembly of the herad, called Thing, which took place several\ntimes during the year. Through his position he acquired great wealth,\nand owned many landed estates at home and in the countries he or his\nforefathers had subjugated. He distributed among his warriors and scalds\ncostly things and much gold. He stirred up war, reddened the fields of\nbattle, overthrew his enemies, in order to rule over more lands and\npersonal property.\n\nThe Hersir\u2019s wife was generally of Odin\u2019s kin, and their children were\nwrapped in silk and the finest of linen; their descendants were the\nhighest in the land.\n\nTheir sons broke horses, bent shields, smoothed shafts, shook ashen\nspears, rowed and sailed ships, were believed to be able to write magic\nrunes to save the lives of men; to blunt the edges of weapons and calm\nthe sea by spells; to understand the language of birds; to quench fire,\nread minds, allay sorrows, and to have the strength and energy of eight\nmen. Their chief occupation was to go to war and fell the enemy. Their\nhair was fair, their cheeks bright and healthy, and their eyes as keen\nas those of a young snake.\n\nThe Hersir\u2019s daughters were slender-fingered, their hands and arms were\nsoft, their hearts lighter and their necks whiter than pure snow. They\nwere fair and gentle, endowed with all the accomplishments belonging to\nhigh-born women; when they married they were clad in white bridal linen,\naccording to the custom of high-born people, and walked under a bridal\nveil.\n\nNext in rank to the Hersir were the Haulds, the highest class of\ndwellers in the land. They lived on the estates that had descended to\nthem for generations. As a body of men, they were the power of the land,\nand no Hersir could ever rule without their consent.\n\nTheir sons, as they grew up, learned how to handle the shield, bend the\nelm, or make bows, shaft the arrow, throw the spear, ride horses, set on\nthe hounds, brandish the sword, practise swimming, to write runes, play\nchess, wrestle, and be foremost in all athletic games. They had the same\neducation as the Hersir\u2019s children; their daughters were dressed in\nwhite, also, when they married.\n\nAfter the Hauld came another class of land owners, the Bondi, whose\nestates were also entailed. These people throve well on the land, broke\noxen, made ploughs, timbered houses, made barns and carts, and drove the\nplough. Their daughters carried keys hanging at their side, and helped\ntheir mothers. When they married, they too were allowed to wear white,\nlike the daughters of Hersirs and Haulds, to set up a household, and\nsleep under linen bed-clothes; they divided wealth with their husbands.\n\nThere was another class of freemen who rented lands, for they had no\nestate. The doors of the houses of these were always ajar; there was a\nfire in the middle of the floor; a lumpy loaf, heavy and thick,\nhand-mixed, was on the trencher; broth in a bowl, and veal, considered\nthe choicest of dainties, were often seen on the table.\n\nA poorer class of freemen existed. Their doors were also always ajar;\nhusband and wife were always busy with their work; his beard was\ntrimmed, his hair lay on his forehead, his shirt was tight. His wife\ntwirled a distaff, stretched out her arms, and made cloth. She wore a\nhead-dress on her head, to show that she was no longer a maiden; a\nkerchief on her neck, and brooches fastening the folds of the dress on\nthe shoulders.\n\nThen came the slave, distinct from all, dressed always in thick, white\nwoollen stuff, with his hair cropped close, in contrast to the long hair\nworn by the freeman. Such was his badge of servitude. He was always of\nforeign birth or origin. He had been captured in war, or bought at a\nmarket-place or at a fair in distant lands, and generations of slavery\nhad degraded him; nevertheless he also throve well in the land, but the\nwrinkled skin and crooked knuckles, the thick fingers, the ugly face,\nthe bent back, the long heels, told the tale of his slavery and of that\nof his forefathers. His life was passed in trying to learn how much he\ncould endure and bear; his time was employed in binding bark or bast, in\nmaking loads, and in carrying these the live-long day. His wife came\nhome in the evening, weary of standing up all day. Scars were on the\nsoles of her feet, her arms were sunburnt, her appearance told of her\nbondage. After she had come in, she sat down on the middle of the\nhousehold bench, and her son sat at her side. Husband and wife lived\nhappily with their children; when these grew up, they laid the fences,\ntended swine, herded goats, cut wood, or dug peat. Such were the classes\nthat made up the population of that great and powerful Viking land.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER III\n\n                      HJORVARD CONSULTS THE ORACLE\n\n\nTHERE was no nobler or bolder heart than that of Hjorvard. He had begun\nhis life of warfare when fifteen years old. Many in the land said that\nthe renown he had gained was the result of folly and hardihood; others\nthought that he enjoyed his life in doing deeds of honor. He had won\nfame, and travelled through nine different countries.\n\nLike all the great Hersirs, he had with him twelve champions who formed\nhis body-guard, and had come from every part of the Northern lands; some\nfrom the shores of present Norway, others from the islands of the\nBaltic, and two from Svithjod. The bravest men wanted to serve him, for\nhe was lucky in war, a genial and convivial leader, and most generous\nwith his gold.\n\nAll the champions of Hjorvard were berserks, and to be considered the\nforemost champion was the ambition of every warrior. To attain this\nproud position was no easy task among so many men in the land who were\nequally brave and perfectly reckless of their lives, and who were\nthoroughly skilled in the handling of weapons, and all kinds of athletic\ngames. After such a reputation had been acquired, the champion had\neither to challenge or be challenged by those who were envious of him,\nor thought themselves more than his equal; and these contests, or trials\nof strength and skill, generally took place before a large assembly of\npeople. The champions of Hjorvard in time of peace often went round the\ncountry and challenged men specially famous for their prowess.\n\nBerserks despised chain-armor and all weapons of defence such as shields\nand helmets. They often even fought without clothing, and could lash\nthemselves into such a state of frenzy that they lost all control over\nthemselves. Often this fury, or berserk rage, came upon them without\ncause and seized them suddenly, when they would bite their weapons,\ngnash their teeth, wrestle with trees and rocks, and become reckless of\nevery danger. When in sight of their foes they rushed to the attack with\nan indescribable fury, and when in conflict with other berserks the\nfight was deadly. When the berserk fury seized them at home, they would\ngo out, through fear of fighting with their friends, and wrestle with\nrocks and trees.\n\nHjorvard had made very stringent rules for his champions and warriors.\nNo man could come under his standard who feared death or uttered words\nof fright when in danger, or groaned when he received the worst wounds\nin battle. Nor could these wounds themselves be dressed until the day\nafter they had been received. No man was allowed to have a sword longer\nthan two feet. The swords and saxes of Hjorvard\u2019s men were heavier than\nthose of others, so that when they struck a blow it might be most\ntelling.\n\nIt was always the custom of Hjorvard to lie with his ships before\npromontories so that these might be seen by every one. On none of his\nvessels were tents put up to protect him or his men from the weather.\nThey never reefed a sail during a storm, and he had never more than one\nhundred and twenty champions on board of his own ship.\n\nHe had the honor of chivalry; he bade his warriors not to break men\u2019s\nspirit by putting them in fetters, nor to do any harm to any man\u2019s wife,\nand ordered that every maid should be bought with dowry and with the\nconsent of her father, and that women and their children should not be\ncaptured.\n\nVictory always followed him, so that great champions and berserks of the\nland flocked to his standards when he undertook a warlike expedition.\nLed by him, they felt sure of victory in advance. No man less than\neighteen years old or more than fifty could follow him in warfare. All\nhis warriors had to have strength enough to lift a large stone that\nstood near his residence. The chiefs who resided in Gotland owed him\nallegiance, and all were his kinsmen, and all those under him had, by\nlaw, to furnish him a certain number of ships and warriors when needed.\n\nDuring his life he had subdued several chiefs on the southern shores of\nthe Baltic, and those paid him tribute willingly, for he was not\ngrasping, and used his power with moderation; but all had to submit once\nto the humiliating ceremony of letting him put his foot on their necks\nin acknowledgment of being his vassals.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThough Hjorvard and Sigrlin had been married a certain number of years,\nno child had been born to them, so the Hersir of Gotland made up his\nmind to go to Svithjod, the most powerful realm of the Viking lands, and\nto Upsalir, the most sacred of all the places of the north, to consult\nthe gods and see if he could learn the decrees of fate.\n\nHjorvard assembled a large fleet, and after bidding farewell to Sigrlin,\nwho accompanied him to his ship, he sailed directly for the fjord at the\nhead of which is Lake Malar. The wind was good, and the second day they\ncame in sight of land. Here fortified towers and catapults in sight of\neach other guarded the narrow arm of the sea on both sides, whence a\nstorm of missiles could be thrown on the vessels of an invading host,\nand in war times chains were laid across there, preventing the sudden\nascent of ships. As the moon shone brightly that night, they continued\ntheir voyage. Borne on by a strong and favorable breeze, in due course\nof time they came to the narrowest part pf the fjord, called to-day\nWaxholm. The men shouted as they sailed past the fortifications, viewing\nwhich, they said to each other, \u201cNo wonder that Upsalir is impregnable.\u201d\nBut the white peace shields were at the mastheads, for there had been\npeace between Gotland and Svithjod for many a year.\n\nAs the fleet approached Lake Malar the wind became very light, and the\ncrews had to take to their oars. Three men were on each; these pulled\nthe oars so hard that their bodies seemed at times to be bent in two.\nFarther on, they came to the head of the fjord, and sailed amidst the\nseveral islands which are in the river, and upon which to-day a great\npart of Stockholm is built. That place was also fortified; numerous\ncatapults defended the channels between the islands. Then they entered\nthe lake, a large sheet of water about seventy miles long, dotted with\nfourteen hundred islands, whose banks were covered with superb forests\nof oak of gigantic size, and after a pleasant journey reached Upsalir.\nHjorvard was received with much honor by Yngvi, his kinsman, the ruler\nof Svithjod, who descended from Odin in direct line, and there was great\nfeasting during his stay.\n\nMany of the dwellings and buildings of Upsalir dated from the time of\nFrey, the successor of Odin. The temple itself was believed to have been\nbuilt by Frey. It was of the greatest magnificence and size, and the\nmost sacred building in the Norselands. From its fantastic and\noverlapping roof, gargoyles stretched forth in every direction, or\nlooked down upon the sacred grounds of the temple, and the worshippers\nthat came to sacrifice. A gallery ran around the temple, supported by\npillars. The temple was built of enormous red fir trees, and its walls\nhad withstood the blasts of centuries. The walls, ceilings, and pillars\ninside were entirely sheathed with red gold, likewise the altar upon\nwhich the holy fire was always burning. The Hersir of Svithjod alone\ncould remain seated during the religious ceremony attending the\nsacrifice. All the others had to stand until they partook of the flesh\nof the sacrificed animals.\n\nThe door of the temple was round-arched, and a masterpiece of carving,\nrepresenting Odin offering a sacrifice. On each of its pillars stood a\nbeautiful carved cat. The door itself was ornamented with iron work,\nwith a solid knocker of gold in the centre. Not far from the door\noutside was the holy spring in which the men sacrificed to Odin were\nthrown. For a long distance the lands surrounding the temple were\nsacred. No temple could vie with the temple at Upsalir, none received\nmore yearly taxes and offerings for its sacrifices and maintenance;\nlarge estates belonged to it, and its revenues were very great. People\ncame from every part of the Viking lands to assist in its sacrifices,\nwhich were the largest in the North, and on important occasions chiefs\nmet there from all their realms to sacrifice to the gods and learn the\ndecrees of fate.\n\nAfter his arrival Hjorvard made a great sacrifice. Black oxen and the\nfinest horses had been fattened for this special occasion. The walls of\nthe temple, inside and outside, were reddened with the blood of the\nsacrificed animals, and the Hersirs and all the people who were present\nwere also sprinkled with the blood. The gods were invoked, and then the\nholy chips that had been dipped in the sacrificed blood were thrown into\nthe air. The answer came that Sigrlin would bear a son in about a year;\nthen with great joy he sailed for Dampstadir to announce to his wife\nwhat the chips had foretold.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nAfter his return he remained at home, waiting for the event which had\nbeen predicted by the casting of the sacrificing chips. He spent his\ntime surveying his large estates, and watched over very carefully the\nbuilding of a great number of ships; he often superintended the work in\nthe fields, for he was a good husbandman; and to amuse himself, he made\nseveral fine damascened swords. He paid special attention to the\nfisheries and seal catching, for these were splendid schools for future\nseamen; or he played chess\u2014the squares of his chess-board were of gold\nor of silver\u2014or hunted with his hawks.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER IV\n\n                     IVAR\u2019S BIRTH AND LIFE FORECAST\n\n\nABOUT fourteen months after the return of Hjorvard from Upsalir, towards\nthe year 275, a great event took place at Dampstadir, which filled the\nhearts of Hjorvard and Sigrlin with joy. The sacrifice which Hjorvard\nhad made to the gods in Upsalir to stop the sterility of his wife had\nbeen accepted, and Sigrlin gave birth to a son. While this happened,\nHjorvard was in the great banqueting hall, entertaining some of his\nkinsmen who had come to see him, and was then listening to a poet who\nwas singing the heroic deeds of the ancestors of the race. Messengers\nwere sent to him to apprise him of his good fortune.\n\nPresent at the birth of the child were Oddrun, the married sister of\nHjorvard, and several other high-born women, and others who lived at or\nnear Dampstadir, and also the female servants; for it was the law of the\nland that women had to be witnesses of the birth of a child, and none of\nthose who were present could leave the place until they had seen the\nbabe on the breast of his mother. According to custom, the infant was\nlaid on the floor to wait for the arrival of his father.\n\nAfter Hjorvard had entered the room, the new-born child was put into his\nlap, and he covered him with the folds of one of the corners of his\ncloak; doing this he acknowledged the legitimacy of his offspring. Then\nhe looked at his child intently, to judge of his appearance,\nproportions, luck, and temper. After a thoughtful examination, and\nsatisfying himself that the new-born offspring was well-shaped, he\ndecided that he should live and not be exposed. This custom was similar\nto that of the Spartans\u2014the father was the only judge to decide if the\nnew-born babe was to live or not.\n\nThen took place the most important and sacred ceremony of \u201cname\nfastening,\u201d equivalent to baptism, or pouring or sprinkling water upon\nthe child, a holy custom which had come down from the remotest time, and\nwas lost in the mist of ages. A vessel filled with water was brought in,\nand Hjorvard poured water upon the child, and said in a loud voice, so\nthat the people should hear him: \u201cIvar shall the boy be named after his\ngrandfather; he will of Odin\u2019s family the foremost man be called; he\nwill fight many battles, and be much like his mother, and be called his\nfather\u2019s son, for he will wage war from early age, and wander far and\nwide.\u201d After this ceremony, the life of Ivar, like that of all other\nmen, was sacred; his father had not the power to expose him or to take\nhis life, and if he did it would be murder.\n\nHjorvard gave first, as a \u201cname fastening,\u201d a sprig of garlic as a\nsymbol that as the garlic stood high among the grass, so would little\nIvar stand among men. Then he placed by his side a double-edged sword\nand a sax, a coat of mail, a shield and a helmet of silver; these had\nbeen made specially beforehand, in case the expected new-born infant\nshould be a boy, and hence came the common saying that high-born infants\nwere born with weapons. He also gave him two large landed estates, one\ncalled Ringstadir and the other Hightun. Every animal born on Hjorvard\u2019s\nnumerous farms on the day of the birth of little Ivar was to belong to\nhim, with the increase thereof, according to ancient custom.\n\nThe champions and warriors of Hjorvard said that good years were in\nstore for them, as little Ivar would become in time a mighty warrior\nwho, like his father and forefathers, would lead them to victory, as he\nhad the piercing, snake-like eyes of the Ynglingars.\n\nDuring the night which followed the ceremony of name fastening, the\nutmost silence reigned in the house where little Ivar and his mother\nslept. No one spoke; the utmost darkness prevailed there, for no lights\nwere burning. The three Nornir, Urd \u201cthe Past,\u201d Verdandi \u201cthe Present,\u201d\nand Skuld \u201cthe Future,\u201d were expected to come, and forecast the life of\nIvar that night.\n\nThese three genii shaped, or foreordained, the life of every human being\nat his birth; their decrees were final, and the gods had no power to\nundo what they predestined. They carved on wood tablets the laws for the\nchildren of men. According to the belief of the Norsemen, they were an\ninseparable triad, or trinity, who, though independent of each other,\nruled as one the destinies of man. They were the representatives of all\nlife\u2014the past, the present, and the future.\n\nUrd was most majestic in appearance; her long, flowing hair was as white\nas the purest snow. The wisdom of the past lighted up her beautiful\ncountenance. Her dreamy eyes looked back on the countless ages of the\npast. She remembered all that had happened since the time of\nGinnungagap, or Great Void, before the worlds had been created, and\nbeheld the successive changes that were taking place. From that time\nchange was constant; no ripple of the sea was as it was an instant\nbefore, for every moment witnessed new transformations. Nothing is as it\nwas, and nothing will be as it has been. And Urd\u2019s contented mind told\nher that all that happened in the immensity and evolution of time was\nfor the best.\n\nVerdandi looked fondly upon Urd, for the present could not exist without\nthe past. She was most beautiful; her long, golden chestnut hair, dyed\nby countless years in the rays of the sun, typified the ripening of\nlife, of time, of seasons. Her face reflected the beauty and the\nloveliness of the world in which Ivar\u2019s father and mother lived. She saw\nwhat was constantly happening in the world\u2014the storms, the wars, the\njoys, the pestilences. Once in a while an expression of sadness passed\nover her countenance, for the woes and sorrows that befell men were\nbrought upon them by themselves, and not by the Nornir.\n\nSkuld was resplendent in beauty and freshness. Butterflies always\nsurrounded her, for she typified immortality. She held in one of her\nhands the thread of life of every human being. Her garment shone like a\nsilvery cloud; from her long, flowing hair sprang rays of light, more\nbrilliant than those of the sun, sending their radiance all over the\nworld. With unbounded joy she looked into the future and into\nimmortality. Hope she gave to all the children of men, and hid from\ntheir sight the breakers ahead, which wreck so many lives. With one hand\nshe was ready to snap asunder the thread of life, which measured the\nnumber of days or hours allotted by the Nornir to every human being that\ncame into the world.\n\nThe three Nornir lived in a large hall under the great ash tree,\n\u201cYggdrasil,\u201d where the gods give their judgments every day. The ash is\nthe largest and best of trees; it stands ever green; its branches spread\nall over the world, and reach up over the heaven; three roots of the\ntree hold it up, and spread very widely. Under one of the roots is the\nwell in which wisdom and intellect are hidden.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nTowards midnight, when every one was profoundly asleep, and deep silence\nreigned in the house, Urd, Verdandi, and Skuld, according to the belief\nof the Norse people, came to forecast the fate of little Ivar. They bade\nhim become the most valiant of chiefs, and the best of rulers. They\nunravelled the golden threads of fate they held, and fastened them in\nthe midst of the heavens; in the east and in the west they hid their\nends, and foretold that Ivar should hold land between them; but Skuld\nflung one thread on northern roads, and bade it to hold forever. This\nfore-shadowed that he would never conquer any country north of Gotland.\nAnd it came to pass that the great dream of his life to extend his\ndominions north was never realized. They bade that he should understand\nthe language of birds; and then they departed from the house to forecast\nother lives that were coming into the world.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER V\n\n                         THE FOSTERING OF IVAR\n\n\nIVAR throve well, to the delight of his father and mother, and there was\ngreat joy in the family when he cut his first tooth. His father,\naccording to ancient custom, gave him on that occasion a gift called a\n\u201ctooth-fee.\u201d The gift was a knife in a gold sheath attached to a leather\nbelt, sewn and embroidered with gold thread. The buckle was a beautiful\nwork of solid gold. He gave him, also, with this, a large farm not far\nfrom Dampstadir, which was to become his residence when he became a man.\nAs time went on, Ivar grew to be a beautiful child; he was fair, and had\nblue eyes resembling the people of his kin; like all boys of his age he\nloved to play, and nothing delighted him more than to put in the water a\ntoy boat with a sail, and watch its going to sea.\n\nWhen he had attained his sixth year, his parents began to think about\nsending him to be fostered, as it was the custom of the land for boys of\nprominent and leading men not to be reared at home, for fear they should\nbecome effeminate. They were sent to some distinguished friend, known\nfor his bravery, tact, wisdom, and accomplishments, so that the fostered\nchild could have all the education his rank in life should require.\n\nHjorvard and Sigrlin had had many anxious thoughts in regard to the\neducation of little Ivar, for they wanted him to become wise, and the\nmost accomplished of warriors. Their love for him was unbounded, and it\nrequired great strength of character for both to be willing to part from\nhim for several years; but they felt that their greatest duty was the\nwelfare of their son. Their thoughts had centred upon a noble man as the\nfoster-father of Ivar, of the name of Gudbrand, a Hersir, who no longer\nundertook to lead expeditions into far-off countries. He ruled over the\nisland of Engel, which is still called so to this day, and which is\nsituated in the Cattegat, not far from the beautiful promontory of\nKullen, and close to the present southern Swedish shore. For him both\nhusband and wife had the greatest friendship, esteem, and admiration. No\nbetter man could be found to educate a boy in all the accomplishments\nwhich were necessary for the high-born to possess in those days.\n\nGudbrand and Hjorvard were foster-brothers, and had gone on many warlike\nexpeditions together; many a Roman, Gallic, and British head had fallen\nunder their saxes and swords; they had shared and escaped many dangers,\nand had received dangerous wounds together, and the love one bore\ntowards the other was very great.\n\nGudbrand was not as powerful a Hersir as Hjorvard, and did not possess\nas many estates and as much gold; but he was closely related to many of\nthe chiefs who ruled over the large peninsula comprising the present\nSweden and Norway. He was also of Odin\u2019s kin.\n\nHjorvard and Sigrlin, having made up their minds that Gudbrand should\nfoster Ivar, concluded to send messengers to him to invite him to come\nand make them a visit, but without telling the reason why. They had told\nno one of their intentions in regard to the man whom they wanted to\nfoster Ivar. The vessels were made ready to carry the messengers, when\nan unforeseen event prevented their departure. On the morning of the day\nappointed for their sailing, a fleet of fifteen sail was signalled from\none of the towers as being seen very far off on the horizon. They were\nso far away that they could not be observed from the shore. Finally they\nwere sighted by those on the beach, and gradually they became more and\nmore distinct as they approached the land, and there was not the\nslightest doubt that they were steering for Dampstadir; the white peace\nshields were clearly discerned at the mastheads, also the color of each\nship was clearly seen. The sight was beautiful as the vessels came\nnearer and nearer the land. The shields of the warriors lay side by\nside, covering each other partly, outside, along the gunwales, and their\nvariegated colors, especially yellow, red, and black, presented a\npicturesque sight. The striped, colored sails added no little to the\nbeauty of the sight. Ahead of all was a dragon-ship; at its masthead a\nstandard embroidered with gold, with an eagle in the centre, by which\nthe people recognized at once the dragon-ship of Gudbrand.\n\nHjorvard and Sigrlin, who were watching from the highest tower, were\ngreatly rejoiced at the sight. They considered the arrival, at such an\nopportune moment, of Gudbrand, whom they wanted to see so much, as a\ngood omen for the future of their son. Hjorvard walked towards the shore\nto meet his foster-brother, and took a rowboat to go on board and\nwelcome him as soon as his ship had cast anchor.\n\nGudbrand was received with hearty demonstrations of joy and with great\nhonor by Hjorvard, who had not seen his foster-brother for more than two\nyears. He was led to the great hall, and seated on the high seat\nopposite to that of Hjorvard, and all the commanders, or \u201cstyrmen,\u201d as\nthey were called, of Gudbrand\u2019s ships, and his champions were there\nalso, and seated according to their rank. There was deep drinking that\nday; a great feast took place; the ale and the mead were passed freely,\nand served in silver and golden horns, and there was much merriment\nuntil the early hours of the morning, after which all retired to their\nseparate houses. Gudbrand was given the finest house, intended for\nhigh-born guests, for his residence while in Dampstadir.\n\nThe following day, as Gudbrand was quietly talking with the champions of\nHjorvard in the banqueting hall, and was intensely interested in\nlistening to one of them who was describing a great wrestling contest\nthat had taken place a few days before, Hjorvard entered unnoticed, with\nIvar in his arms; and as Gudbrand saluted him, he put little Ivar on his\nknees, before he was aware of it. It was an ancient custom that the man\nupon whose knee a child had been thus \u201cknee-seated,\u201d as this ceremony\nwas called, was bound to become his fosterer until he became of age. A\nshout of assent arose from Hjorvard\u2019s champions as an approval of the\nchoice of their chief, for whom every one was ready to sacrifice his\nlife. No wonder they approved the choice, for Gudbrand was well known\nfor his wisdom, skill in athletic games, and many other accomplishments.\n\nHjorvard could have shown no greater proof of friendship, esteem, and\nregard to Gudbrand than by what he had just done.\n\nGudbrand promised his companion-in-arms and foster-brother that he would\nbring up little Ivar to the best of his abilities, and then added, with\na thoughtful voice: \u201cHjorvard, thou knowest well the ancient saying: \u2018An\nearly sown field shall no man trust, nor his son too soon, for the\nweather rules the fields, and wits guide the son; each of these is\nuncertain.\u2019 Thou knowest well, also,\u201d he continued, \u201cthat the Nornir\nrule unevenly the fates of men. To a few they predestine a happy and\ncontented life; to many, a short or a long one; to some, but little\nproperty or praise. Many they have fated to sorrows or to be unlucky; to\none man they give great wealth and a miser\u2019s heart; to a poor man a most\ngenerous disposition. It seems to me that he who has the miser\u2019s heart\nought to have been poor, and the one that has a giving heart to have\nbeen rich. But such are the decrees of the Nornir, and no one can\nunderstand or escape them. Fame and poverty are often given to the poet,\nbut his name will endure forever; his mound will always be green in the\nmemory of man, like the deeds of great heroes.\u201d\n\nThere was great feasting in Dampstadir during the remainder of\nGudbrand\u2019s stay. Many a warrior drank more than he ought to have done,\nas was the custom in those times; but hospitality was most unbounded,\nand chiefs did not want to have the reputation of being miserly.\n\nMany evenings were spent in listening to the songs of poets who recited\nthe great deeds of war of Hjorvard\u2019s and Gudbrand\u2019s ancestors, and also\nthose that had been accomplished by the two Hersirs. Gudbrand had among\nthe champions who had come with him a man of the name of Ulf, who was a\ngreat poet, or scald, and only spoke in verse, and answered also in that\nmanner. His fame was very great, but in despite of offers of great pay\nby powerful chiefs, he remained with Gudbrand, for he loved him dearly,\nand to him the land of Engel was the most beautiful spot he had ever\nseen.\n\nOne evening, after Gudbrand and all the champions had retired, Hjorvard\nremained all alone with Ulf, who composed on the spot a magnificent song\non the deeds of Hjorvard\u2019s father, and it took a great part of the night\nto recite it. Hjorvard thanked him, and the next day spoke to his\nintendant, who had charge of all his treasures, and after telling him of\nUlf\u2019s wonderful gift, asked him how he should reward the scald.\n\n\u201cShall I give him two trading ships?\u201d said he.\n\n\u201cThat is too much, I think,\u201d was the treasurer\u2019s reply.\n\n\u201cOther chiefs give costly things\u2014good swords or good gold bracelets\u2014as\nrewards for a song made for them,\u201d Hjorvard answered, \u201cbut the ruler of\nGotland is above and much richer than many Hersirs.\u201d\n\nSo he concluded to present Ulf with a fine trading ship, a new scarlet\ncloak, a gold-ornamented sword, and a heavy bracelet of gold, and\ninvited him to come and stay a whole year with him. Ulf thanked\nHjorvard, and said that he would come in two years, on his return from a\nvisit to his kinsmen in Britain.\n\nAfter a sojourn of over three weeks, Gudbrand talked of returning to\nEngel. Sigrlin tried with all her power of persuasion to make him stay\nlonger, and pleaded that Ivar\u2019s outfit was not ready, though she had\nbeen busy with her maids, sewing and making garments for him; and\nsucceeded in inducing him to remain another week. She was loth to see\nthe day of Gudbrand\u2019s departure; the thought of parting with her darling\nlittle son broke her heart.\n\nAt last the last day came, when Ivar was to leave his mother and father,\nand go and learn how to become an accomplished man and warrior. Sigrlin\ndid not sleep that last night. Ivar slept unconscious in her arms the\nwhole of the night; she fondled him, and half fancying she was bidding\nhim farewell then, often pressed him so tightly against her heart that\ntwo or three times during the night she awoke him. No wonder that her\nmother\u2019s heart grieved, for it was not a separation of a day from her\nchild. He was not to be away from her for a month, but for long years.\n\nWhen she got up in the morning the rosy hues of her cheek had\ndisappeared. She dreaded to look at the sun and to see it rising higher\nand higher, for that betokened that noon, the hour of departure, was\ngetting nearer and nearer; but Sigrlin was proud, and if it had not been\nfor her unusual pallor, no one would have guessed the sorrow and anxiety\nwhich she was secretly suffering.\n\nWhen the morning meal was over, the bustle which took place told that\npreparations were being made for the departure of Gudbrand. Men were\ngoing to their ships, and bidding good-by to their old or new friends.\nMany parting bumpers were drunk. Hjorvard had given a great number of\ncostly presents of gold to Gudbrand and to many of his warriors. Finally\nall the men had gone on board of their respective ships, and only the\nvessel of Gudbrand remained near the shore. At last the sight of the\nsun, to the great sorrow of Sigrlin, showed that it was noon. The time\nhad arrived for her to show her courage and hide her emotion, and she\nmust appear cheerful despite her anguish.\n\nThe horns for departure were sounded, for everything was ready on board\nthe ships, the sails were unfurled, and the anchors were raised. Father,\nmother, and all the household, and many people, including the poor\nslaves, who in despite of their servitude loved their master and\nmistress, accompanied Gudbrand and Ivar to the shore; the little fellow\nwalked between his parents, chatted merrily as he went along, each one\nholding one of his hands, and looking down fondly upon him. Finally they\nreached the gangway, and after wishing each other often good-by, they\nparted with expressions of great love and friendship. Sigrlin remained\non the headland near Dampstadir until the ships had disappeared below\nthe horizon, and then with a deep sigh she retraced her steps homewards,\nand while alone in her bower the flood-gates of her mother\u2019s heart gave\nway, and she wept long.\n\nThe wind was fair, and after an eventless sail of three days, Gudbrand\u2019s\nfleet reached Hrafnista, the burg and residence of Gudbrand on Engel.\nSigrid, Gudbrand\u2019s wife, was enthusiastically delighted when she saw her\nhusband with little Ivar to foster, and no wonder; for he was such a\ndear little fellow, and so handsome besides. Sigrid prepared a nice room\nclose to hers for him, for her first thought was to try to make him as\ncomfortable as when he was at home. She and her husband intended to\nbring him up with the greatest care and affection, for they felt the\ngreat responsibility that had been thrown upon them. For a few days Ivar\nwas homesick. He missed his mother and father very much, and also his\nplaymates; everything was new to him in Hrafnista, but gradually he\nbecame reconciled to his new home, and began to love more and more his\nfoster-parents.\n\nGudbrand and Sigrid had a son named Hjalmar, who was a year older than\nIvar. Father and mother determined that Hjalmar should be educated at\nhome also, so that the two boys might become foster-brothers, as was the\ncustom of the time for children that were brought up together. A close\nfriendship sprang up between the two lads, and as they grew up they\nbecame inseparable, and in any dispute that one had with other boys, the\nother was sure to take the part of his foster-brother. At times other\nchildren of their age were invited to join them in their play, and\noccasionally contests of strength and skill took place among these young\nlads for the championship in each of their games, during which they were\napplauded and cheered by those of their elders who were present.\n\nThe education of the two boys began in earnest as they grew older, and\nboth made steady progress. They were taught gymnastic exercises, games\nof ball, wrestling, running, jumping, swimming. They also learned how to\nrow, to steer, and to furl or to reef a sail, and became excellent\nriders on horseback, as well as sailors. They were even taught the\npractical side of shipbuilding, and were often to be seen working very\nhard in the shipyards. The greatest attention was paid to their physical\ntraining, which was considered of the highest importance, for skill and\nagility were absolutely necessary to a warrior; without them he could\nnot obtain victory over his foe, or escape danger, besides which, these\nexercises made them strong and healthy.\n\nAs time went along, the love between Ivar and his foster-parents\nincreased greatly. As he became older he grew in strength and manliness,\neach following year showing great improvement of mind and body. Both\nlads had been taught how to write runic characters, and also had learned\nthe meaning of mystic runes\u2014a knowledge that was only acquired by the\nsons of high-born men\u2014so that when necessary they might send messages\nthat could only be deciphered by those for whom they were intended. They\ncould write beautifully on birch bark, which was made almost as thin as\npapyrus for that purpose, or they could engrave runic letters upon wood,\nstone, and jewels of gold and silver, and inlay mystic letters in the\nblades of weapons. The art of writing was so ancient in the North that\nthe people believed that it had been taught to them by Odin; but at the\nperiod we are speaking of, the Romans, Greeks, and Norsemen were the\nonly people who knew how to read and write in Europe.\n\nIvar and Hjalmar as they grew older became great athletes, and excelled\nin skill and dexterity all the lads of their age. They could swim like\nseals, people said, clad with their armor, and carried then their\nweapons on their backs. They could throw a spear as well with the left\nas with the right hand; they could handle a sword, an axe, or a shield\nin the same manner; and, in a word, could shoot and strike with both\nhands equally well. They could handle the sword, or sax, with such\nrapidity of movement that the blade could not be seen in the air, and\nonly its hissing be heard. They could shoot with the bow with an\nunerring eye, and hit a checker on the head of a man without wounding\nhis scalp; they could throw a stone with a sling with fatal accuracy,\nand woe to the man for whom the stone was intended. Ivar could leap\nalmost equally well forward or backward, and had even greater dexterity\nthan his foster-brother, and no young man of his age could compete with\nhim in any of the athletic games.\n\nBoth foster-brothers were constantly trained in naval exercises,\nespecially when a great number of vessels had come together. They were\nalso taught foreign languages, for it was absolutely necessary for\nVikings to understand the language of the countries with which they\ntraded or upon which they made war, for, as we have said, their\ncommercial or warlike expeditions extended far and wide. They could\nwrite impromptu poetry, but poetry being a gift of the gods, only its\nrules and metres were taught to them, for to be a scald one had to be\nborn a scald. They had also learned how to play chess, which was a game\nmuch in vogue among the Norsemen.\n\nGudbrand filled the minds of the lads with the love of fame by\nrecounting to them the great expeditions he had undertaken conjointly\nwith Hjorvard, or sang to them the valorous deeds recorded by the scalds\nof the old warriors who had gone to Valhalla, so that when the time came\nthey both might emulate their examples.\n\nAs Ivar grew older he became deeply inquisitive concerning divers\nsubjects in regard to which he began to take great interest. One early\nmorning he saw Gudbrand seated, as was often his wont, upon the mound of\nhis father, contemplating the sea, and going up to him on a sudden\nimpulse he said: \u201cFoster-father, tell me how things were in the\nbeginning, and about the creation.\u201d\n\nGudbrand answered: \u201cThou knowest well that our worship is the true one;\nwe belong to Odin, and are loved by him and by the gods. Before the\ncreation the universe was a gaping void called Ginnungagap, and nothing\nexisted. On each side of this gaping void there were two\nworlds\u2014Niflheim, the world of cold; and Muspelheim, the world of heat,\nin the south. The part of the gaping void turning towards the north was\nfilled with weight of ice and rime, and the opposite side with drizzle\nand gusts of wind. The southern part of Ginnungagap became less heavy,\nfrom the sparks and glowing substances which came flying from\nMuspelheim; and just as the cold and all things come from Niflheim, the\nthings near Muspelheim were hot and shining. Ginnungagap was as warm as\nwindless air, so that when the rime and the breath of the heat met, the\nrime melted into drops. From Elivagar, the stream flowing from the well\nHvergelmir, in Niflheim, spurted drops of poison, which froze and grew\ninto a Jotun, who was called Ymir, but the Hrimthursar call him\nOrgelmir, and the kin of the Hrimthursar have sprung from him. When Ymir\nlived, in early ages, there were neither sands nor sea, nor cool waves,\nno earth, no grass, and no heavens above. There was only Ginnungagap.\nNumberless years before the earth was shaped was Bergelmir born.\nTrudgelmir was his father, and Orgelmir his grandfather.\u201d\n\n\u201cOn what did Ymir live, or by what?\u201d asked Ivar.\n\nGudbrand replied: \u201cIt happened that when the hoar frost fell in drops,\nthe cow Audhumla grew out of it; four rivers of milk ran from her teats,\nand she fed Ymir. Audhumla for food licked the rime stones, covered with\nsalt and rime, and the first day she licked them a man\u2019s hair came out\nof them; the second day a man\u2019s head; the third day a whole man was\nthere. He was called Buri, and was handsome in looks, large and mighty.\nHe had Bor for son, who got Besla, daughter of the Jotun, or Hrimthurs\nBolthorn, for a wife, and she had three sons, Odin, Vili, and Ve. From\nthem the Asar, or the kin of Odin, are descended. It is said that the\nsons of Bor, Odin, Vili, and Ve slew Ymir, and that so much blood flowed\nfrom his wounds that he drowned the whole race of the Hrimthursar,\nexcept Bergelmir and his wife, who escaped in a flour bin, and from them\nis descended a new race of Hrimthursar.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow was the world created?\u201d asked Ivar.\n\n\u201cFrom Ymir\u2019s flesh the earth was shaped, and from his blood the sea; the\nmountains from his bones; from his hair the trees, and the sky from his\nskull. From his brow the gods made Midgard for the sons of men, and from\nhis brain the gloomy clouds created. A triad of Asar found on the ground\nAsk and Embla; they had no breath and no mind, neither blood nor motion\nnor proper complexion. Odin gave the breath, H\u0153nir gave the mind, Lodur\ngave the blood and befitting hues, and from them mankind is descended.\u201d\n\nOnce in a while Ivar\u2019s father would stop at Hrafnista when he passed\nbefore Engel with his fleet, bound for some expedition against the Roman\nprovinces, or on his return from them; then there was great joy in the\nhousehold, and it was with pride that he saw the great progress his son\nwas making in all manly exercises and mental training. His mother came\nto see him about once in two years, and how proud she was of her son\nneed not be told.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER VI\n\n                       IVAR ATTAINS HIS MAJORITY\n\n\nON the last day of the sixth week (the Norse week having but five days)\nof the month corresponding to our September, Ivar reached his fifteenth\nyear, and by law became of age. The morning of that day Gudbrand\npresented him with a beautiful ship called the Elidi; it had on board\nweapons for a crew of two hundred and forty men. The golden standard\nwhich was hoisted at the masthead had been embroidered by his\nfoster-mother, and was called The Victorious, that victory might be sure\nto follow it wherever it floated. Many spells and incantations had been\nrepeated over it when it was made. The length of the Elidi was one\nhundred and eighty feet; it had twenty-five benches for rowers. The\npoetical name given to the craft was the Stallion of the Surf. Hjalmar\nalso received a beautiful ship as a present, which also had weapons on\nboard for a crew of two hundred and forty men. This vessel was called\nthe Trani, and went under the poetical name of the Deer of the Surf.\n\nThe following day Gudbrand with his son and foster-son sailed for the\nmainland, and after landing they pulled their boat ashore beyond the\nreach of the waves, and then entered a great forest of oaks. Gudbrand\nhad come for a special purpose with the two lads. After building a camp\nhe left them the following morning, and started out with his dogs. He\ndid not return in the evening; the second day also passed, and still he\ndid not return. On the third day, towards noon, Ivar and Hjalmar heard\nthe barking of the dogs, and soon after two wolves ran quickly by them,\nand a short time afterwards Gudbrand made his appearance with a large\nwolf he had just killed with two arrows. He had gone on that hunt for\nthe purpose of killing a wolf, for he believed firmly that Ivar and\nHjalmar after drinking of its blood and eating of its heart would become\nbraver than they were before, and would partake of the fierceness of the\nwolf while in battle, and that also they would be able to understand the\nlanguage of birds.\n\nAfter Gudbrand had rested, he opened the wolf\u2019s carcass, and made the\ntwo lads drink a mouthful of its blood; then he took out its heart, and\ngoing to the fire roasted it on a spit, and when the blood dripped from\nit, he thought it was cooked enough, and dividing it in two, he gave\neach a part. After they had done eating and drinking of the wolf\u2019s heart\nand blood, Gudbrand said: \u201cNow I expect you never to flee from danger or\nweapons; be brave like your kinsmen of old.\u201d After this they returned to\nEngel.\n\nGudbrand and Sigrid loved Ivar quite as much as their own son, and\nresolved to make both equal heirs in their property; but this act could\nonly be done publicly, and by performing a ceremony which was called\n\u201cTaking another into one\u2019s inheritance,\u201d and it had to be done with the\napproval and consent of the direct heir or heirs, and according to forms\nof law which were very ancient and precise on the subject.\n\nA day was named by Gudbrand for taking Ivar into his family, so that\nwitnesses might be present, and also those who would otherwise be\nthemselves entitled to his inheritance. Ale from three measures of grain\nhad been brewed, and a bull three winters old had been killed, and the\nskin was flayed from its right hind leg above the hoof, and from that\nskin a shoe was made. Then in presence of Hjalmar, his son, who was his\ndirect heir, Gudbrand asked Ivar, his foster-son, to step into the shoe.\nAfter Ivar had done this, he asked his own son to do likewise, which\nHjalmar did with great willingness. After this ceremony, which was of\ngreat antiquity, Ivar was led into the embrace of his foster-father and\nmother.\n\nThen Gudbrand said, in presence of witnesses: \u201cI lead this man, Ivar\nHjorvardson, to my property, and make him conjoint heir with my son\nHjalmar; and this I do with the consent of my kinsmen, who are heirs to\nmy estate.\u201d After which he reminded Ivar that he must announce publicly,\nevery twentieth year, that he was conjoint heir with Hjalmar Gudbrandson\nuntil he should get his inheritance. Ivar replied that he hoped that his\nfoster-father, who had raised him so tenderly and lovingly, with his\nfoster-mother, would live long to enjoy his property, and thanked him\nfor his great kindness and the fatherly care he had bestowed upon him.\n\nA short time after Ivar had been made co-heir with Hjalmar, the two\nfoster-brothers resolved to equip the Elidi and the Trani with a peace\ncrew of one hundred and twenty men for each vessel. No one coming to\nserve on board could be less than eighteen years old or more than fifty.\nThey were to have the same laws that Hjorvard had. It was the first time\nthat both were to command, or to use the phraseology of the Norsemen, in\nwhich the commanders were called \u201cstyrmen,\u201d to steer their own ships. It\nwas quite an event in their lives, to which they had been looking\nforward with great delight.\n\nAll the chiefs of the Viking lands had been at peace with each other for\na long time, but incessant expeditions took place, one after another,\nagainst the Roman empire, and the ships returned home with many spoils\nand slaves.\n\nIt was the intention of the foster-brothers to go first to Dampstadir,\nfor Ivar wanted very much to see his mother and father, and to show them\nhow much he had grown and improved. Both were yet too young to look like\nthorough warriors, for their moustaches had not made their appearance,\nand it was the custom of warriors to wear them. After a visit to\nDampstadir, they intended to visit some of their kinsmen, who ruled over\ndifferent realms.\n\nBefore leaving Hrafnista, Gudbrand said to them: \u201cHave you taken costly\npresents with you?\u201d And when the two youths replied \u201cNo,\u201d he continued:\n\u201cYou must take some; for I never yet met a man so open-handed or free\nwith his food that he would not take a gift, nor one so lavish with his\nproperty, that rewards were to him unwelcome.\u201d Then he added: \u201cWith\nweapons and clothes, such as are most sightly to one\u2019s self, shall\nfriends gladden each other. Givers and receivers are the longest friends\nif they give with good hearts and good wishes.\u201d After saying this he\nwent to one of his store-rooms and brought to them several\ngold-ornamented swords and saxes inlaid with gold, several costly\nforeign cloaks, beautiful brooches of gold, some superb arm-rings, or\nbracelets, and lovely necklaces, all also of gold. \u201cThese objects,\u201d said\nhe to them, \u201cyou must give to the high-born men and women you shall\nvisit. The necklaces will be for their wives and daughters.\u201d\n\nThe day before sailing, Gudbrand called Ivar and Hjalmar, and bade them\nto sit by him, and saying, \u201cI have called you to give you some advice\nwhich I think may prove useful to you, and which I hope you will heed,\u201d\nhe spoke as follows: \u201cWhen you come to a meal among strangers, be silent\nor talk little, listen and look on. Speak usefully or not at all; no man\nwill then blame you for ill-breeding. Never mock at a guest or wayfarer.\nRemember that no man is so good that a fault follows him not, nor so bad\nthat he is good for nothing. Never laugh at a hoary wise man, for often\nit is good and wise what old men say: \u2018Skilled words come often out of a\nshrivelled skin.\u2019 Remember that love is the door that is open to all\nthat are in need. Give and be generous; if not, every kind of evil will\nbe wished to you.\u201d\n\nThat same evening Gudbrand sent for his son Hjalmar, and said to him:\n\u201cWhat gladdens me is, that no man will have thy head at his feet,\nalthough thou wilt have narrow escapes. Here is a sword, kinsman\nHjalmar, which I wish to give thee; its name is Dragvandil, and victory\nhas always followed it. My father took it from the slain Bj\u00f6rn\nBlue-tooth. I have another remarkable weapon, a mighty spear which I\ntook from Harek, but I know it is not manageable by any one who has not\nreached his full strength.\u201d\n\nThe day before their ships were ready to sail, the foster-brothers made\na great sacrifice to Frey, who ruled over wealth and the seasons. When\nready to start, both Sigrid and Gudbrand followed them to their ships,\nand bade them an affectionate farewell. After a pleasant passage they\nreached Dampstadir, where they were received with great joy by Hjorvard\nand Sigrlin. The mother looked with the utmost pride upon her son, who\nwas the embodiment of manliness, and Hjalmar was treated in as kindly\nmanner as his foster-brother, for they loved him dearly also.\n\nEvery thing was very quiet in Gotland; the harvest was taking place, and\npeople were busy in the fields. The champions of Hjorvard were absent,\nand had gone with a large number of ships to make war in Gaul and\nBritain, and were expected to return soon. The two youths spent a great\ndeal of their time in the practice of athletic games, and every morning\nthey were seen in the fields where these took place. Ivar visited his\nkinsmen and the friends living on the island, and also occupied himself\nin learning still more of the art of shipbuilding, for he wished the\nNorsemen to say that his ships were the finest in the land. He liked\ngood horses and bred them. Two of his stallions, called Slonjvir, \u201cthe\nflying one,\u201d and Hviting, were known among all the lovers of horses, and\nhe drove a beautiful, four-wheeled, wagon-shaped carriage, adorned with\nhandsome bronze-gilt ornaments, the harness of the horses being\nornamented with gold.\n\nOccupied in these exercises and diversions, Ivar and his foster-brother\nremained three years in Dampstadir.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VII\n\n                        IVAR\u2019S FIRST EXPEDITION\n\n\nWHILE in Dampstadir Ivar attained his eighteenth year, and had reached\nthat age when all young men went upon warlike expeditions when the\nopportunity was offered them, and great warriors and powerful chiefs\nwould have no one younger than this age on board of their ships. Some\ndays after his eighteenth birthday, Hjorvard, who was seated on the\nmound of his father, sent for Ivar, and after he had arrived he said to\nhim: \u201cFrom thy grandfather\u2019s mound, upon which we are, and whose deeds\nof valor are known all over the northern lands, and are recited by the\npoets, and will continue to be until the end of time, thou seest\nsurrounding us the graves of many of thy kinsmen who have also gone to\nValhalla. Each of them died valiantly. Among them I want to teach thee\nthe same precepts of wisdom which my father counselled me to follow when\nI was about thy age. I have found them useful during my life, and they\nwill also be of good service to thee if thou heedest them.\u201d\n\nAfter a pause he continued: \u201cKinsman, listen to me. It has been the\ncustom from immemorial time that sons of chiefs should go to war and\nacquire wealth and honor, and that personal property should not be\ninherited, nor son get it after his father, but that it should be placed\non the pyre and in the mound with themselves. Though their sons get the\nland and estates, they cannot hold their rank and dignity, unless they\nplace themselves and their men in danger and go to war, earning thus\nproperty and honors one after another, and thus following in the\nfootsteps of their kinsmen.\n\n\u201cSeek fame and renown in good deeds, for these never die, and will be\nremembered by the sons of men until the end of time. Many a man, since\nOdin created the world, has spent his life in getting wealth, and, to\nobtain it, has become miserly. Their hearts only delight in the sight of\ngold. But not one of these is remembered by mankind; their names and\ntheir wealth have passed away, but the names of great scalds, and of the\nmen who have accomplished great deeds, will live forever, though the\nNornir have shaped their lives so that they be poor, and die in poverty.\nSo, my son, be lavish with thy wealth and with the tributes that will be\npaid to thee by those thou hast conquered. Be rich in good deeds.\nLiberal and valiant men live best, but the unwise fear everything. A\nmore faithful friend will a man never get than sound good sense.\n\n\u201cAfter a man has been wounded and lies helpless under thy blow on the\nground, I need not tell thee, for thy manhood tells it to thee, not to\ninflict another wound on him, for then it is murder. If thou diest in\nthe fight, it is because Odin has chosen thee to go to him. If thou art\nvictorious, it is because he has given thee victory; both alternatives\nare good. Gladsheim is the home of the glad; there the gleaming\nValhalla, or the \u2018Hall of the Slain,\u2019 stands, and Odin chooses, every\nday, men slain by weapons. That hall is easily recognized by those who\ncome there, for it is roofed with shafts, and thatched with shields; the\nbenches are covered with chain-armor; it has five hundred and forty\ndoors; and eight hundred \u2018einherjar,\u2019 for so are called the chosen, pass\nthrough it at once. A wolf hangs over the main entrance of Valhalla. Try\nto be more welcome there than any chief that has reddened the sax and\ncarried far and wide the bloody blade; enter Valhalla bespattered with\nblood. Odin gives victory to his sons, wealth to some, eloquence and\nwisdom to a few, songs to poets, luck in love to many, chosen weapons to\nthose he loves, and fair winds to mariners. It is time for thee to go to\nwar, and thus become worthy of thy ancestors and be their equal in fame.\n\n\u201cIf thou obtainest renown, be not vain and boastful, for fame is given\nto thee by the people, and why shouldst thou be proud towards the giver?\nA quiet demeanor never hurts a man, while people laugh at those who are\npuffed up in their own pride. Many a man is made a fool by success. The\nhigh-born and famous should never be proud.\u201d\n\nAfter saying this, Hjorvard presented Ivar with the sword Angrvadil. It\nwas a superb damascened weapon, with a hilt ornamented with gold. Its\nscabbard was almost covered with gold. It was celebrated all over the\nNorth on account of its quality, and was called by the poets, \u201cOdin\u2019s\nflame,\u201d the \u201cgleam of battle,\u201d the \u201cinjurer of shields,\u201d the \u201cleader of\nvictory.\u201d\n\nWhen Ivar had inspected and admired it, his father continued: \u201cAngrvadil\nhas been with our kin for generations, and it is as good to-day as in\nthe days of yore. Thy grandfather and myself have gone into sixty\nbattles with it, and it has gained the victory each time, and it has\nnever been dulled. Never let Angrvadil go out of our family, for\nmisfortune will overtake our kin if it does not remain in the possession\nof our kinsmen. It will help thee also in duels; courage is in its\nblade, terror in its point, and luck in its hilt. This sword is\ninfallible,\u201d added Hjorvard, pointing to the mystic letters of gold\ninlaid on the blade near the hilt. \u201cIt is death to the one who is\nwounded by it. Hrotti, my own sword, thou wilt use after my death.\u201d\n\nIvar thanked his father, and said that his gift pleased him better than\nif it had been gold in abundance, or large estates, and added he did not\nknow what the Nornir had fated him, but that he hoped to die in the\nmidst of victory. He thanked his father, too, for the good counsel he\nhad always given him, and above all for the great love he had shown\ntowards him; and, with great warmth of feeling, added that he would try\nto emulate him in all his actions, and hoped that none of his kinsmen in\nValhalla would ever be ashamed of him.\n\nAfter leaving his father he went to his mother, and said to her: \u201cI want\nthee, mother, to show me the cloaks which Heid, the sybil, made for my\nfather a long time ago.\u201d\n\nSigrlin opened a large chest and answered: \u201cHere they are, and they are\nalmost as good as new.\u201d\n\nIvar took them up. They were with sleeves, and a hood at the top, with a\ncovering for the face; they were wide and long; it was believed that no\niron could cut them, and that weapons could not damage them, for they\nhad been made with cunning, witchcraft, and incantations. Ivar took the\ntwo which were the largest. Then he went to Hringstadir to see the halls\nand estate which his father had given him the day that he had \u201cfastened\u201d\nthe name of Ivar upon him.\n\nIvar remembered all that his father had said to him, and was anxious to\nobtain renown and wealth, and so he and his foster-brother went one\nmorning to Hjorvard and said: \u201cNow tell us, father, of the Viking whom\nthou knowest to be the bravest and strongest.\u201d\n\nHjorvard replied: \u201cYou are young men, yet you seem to think that no man\ncan withstand you. But I will tell you of two Vikings of whom I know.\nThey are called Sigurd and Sigmund; they are skilled in many things, and\nvery great warriors.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many ships have they?\u201d asked Ivar.\n\n\u201cThey have thirty ships,\u201d replied Hjorvard, \u201cand one hundred and twenty\nmen on each ship.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhere have they land?\u201d inquired Hjalmar.\n\n\u201cIn the southern part of Svithjod,\u201d replied Hjorvard. \u201cThey are on land\nin winter, and lie on board their warships in summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will go and try to find where they are, and fight them,\u201d cried both\nfoster-brothers at the same time. \u201cAnd we will see who are the foremost\nVikings and champions in the land.\u201d\n\nThe day after this conversation the champions of Hjorvard returned with\na great deal of booty they had won in the countries subject to Rome, and\nHjorvard asked some of them to join his son and Hjalmar. \u201cFor,\u201d said he,\n\u201cthey are still inexperienced in the art of war.\u201d\n\nThe foster-brothers at once set to work to make their fleet ready, which\ndid not take long, for the vessels had been subjected to a thorough\noverhauling during the winter. The Elidi had been fitted up very\nsplendidly, and Ivar placed on board his body-guard and berserks; the\nprow defenders were most carefully selected, for they were to defend his\nstandard. The whole of the crew were berserks, who surpassed others in\nstrength and bravery. Picked men were also stationed at the stern, and\nthe number on board was two hundred and forty. Ivar\u2019s foster-brother\nHjalmar had also a picked crew, among them skilful archers and sling\nmen, who had not their equal in the land. The standard of Ivar, which\nhis foster-mother had made for him, floated on board of the Elidi, and\nHjalmar\u2019s on board the Trani.\n\nTwo days before the sailing of the fleet of the foster-brothers, Ivar\ncame to his father, and said to him: \u201cTell me, father, some of the omens\nthat thou thinkest might be useful to men who go to wage war.\u201d\n\nHjorvard answered: \u201cMany warnings are useful if men know them and heed\nthem. The following of the black raven is good for a warrior, for it\nmeans victory. No man should fight against the late shining sun, sister\nof the moon. There is danger for thee if thou stumblest or fallest from\nthy horse when thou rushest into fight, for faithless family spirits\nstand on either side of thee. If thou walkest out, and art prepared for\na journey, and meet on the path men ready to praise thee, and hear\nwolves under ash trees, good luck wilt thou get if thou seest the wolves\nahead of thee. Those are a few of the omens that should be a warning to\nthee. I want also to give thee some other advice,\u201d he continued. \u201cWisdom\nand weapons are not easy to get for the chief that would be the foremost\namong men. The sons of men need often eyes of foresight in the fight.\nEarly should he rise who wishes to acquire wealth. Seldom does a sleepy\nwolf get a thigh bone, or a sleepy man victory. Courage is better than\nthe power of swords where the angry must fight. I have seen bold men win\nvictory with a blunt sword. It is better for the bold than for the\ncoward to be in the battle\u2014the game of the Valkyrias. Silent and\nthoughtful, and bold in battle, should a Hersir\u2019s son be. The unwise man\nthinks he will live forever if he shuns fight, but old age gives him no\npeace, though spears may spare him.\u201d After this they separated.\n\nWhen the foster-brothers were ready to sail, Hjorvard walked down with\nthem to their ships, and bade them farewell lovingly. They sailed away\nfrom Dampstadir with a fair wind, and with their sails set, but after a\nwhile it became calm, and the vessels had to be propelled by oars. As\nthey were losing sight of land, a crow flew over the ships with loud\ncaws. Ivar looked at it.\n\nHjalmar said to his foster-brother, \u201cDoes it mean anything to thee?\u201d\n\n\u201cIt does,\u201d answered Ivar.\n\nAnother crow flew over the ship, cawing also. Hjalmar forgot to row, and\nhis oar got loose in his hand.\n\nIvar said: \u201cThou art very attentive to the crow; what does it say?\u201d\n\n\u201cI do not know, for I have some difficulty in understanding them.\u201d\n\nAnother crow passed over the boat, cawing louder than the two others,\nand flying nearer the ships. Then Ivar observed: \u201cThis signifies much to\nus. I understand that we will be victorious in our expeditions against\nthe Vikings, for, as my father said to me, the following of the raven is\na good omen.\u201d\n\nFinally they sighted the coast of Svithjod, and came to a long and\nsomewhat high promontory and they cast anchor there. Afterwards they put\ntents upon their ships for the night. The lamps were lighted, and the\nmen, to pass away the time before they went to sleep, played chess; the\nchess-board used on board of vessels had a hole in each square, and each\npiece a peg to make it fast, so that the rolling of the ship could not\nupset the game. When tired, they put themselves into their leather bags\nand went to sleep.\n\nThe following morning Ivar went ashore to see if he could discover aught\nor hear any news, but he saw no houses or people. After walking a while\nacross the promontory, he observed thirty ships lying at anchor and war\ntents near the beach. The crew was ashore and engaged in practising\nathletic games; some were wrestling, others were running and jumping,\nand many were performing warlike exercises with swords and spears, and\nshooting at targets with arrows.\n\nSigmund and Sigurd steered these ships, that is, were their commanders;\nand these two men were the very Vikings whom Hjorvard had mentioned to\nIvar and his foster-brother.\n\nIvar immediately returned to his ships, and told the great news to\nHjalmar and his men.\n\n\u201cWhat shall we do next?\u201d thereupon asked Hjalmar.\n\n\u201cWe will divide our men and our ships,\u201d Ivar answered, \u201cinto two equal\nsquadrons. Thou, Hjalmar, shalt with half the ships pass the cape and\nraise a battle cry against those who are on shore, and hoist the red\nshield. I will land from this side with two-thirds of my crew, go along\nthe forest, and with them raise another battle cry. Then perhaps they\nmay be startled by our appearance, and conclude to retire into the\nforest, and nothing further happen.\u201d\n\nHjalmar rounded the cape with his ships, and Ivar landed with his men,\nand the plan suggested by Ivar was carried out. Sigmund and Sigurd and\ntheir men, however, were not in the least startled when they heard the\nbattle cry of Hjalmar at sea, and another battle cry on land. They\nstopped their games while the shout lasted, and then continued as\nbefore. Hjalmar then went ashore to meet Ivar, and after they met, Ivar\nsaid: \u201cI know not for certain whether these men are afraid or not, for\nthey do not seem to mind our war cry.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat will you have us do?\u201d inquired Hjalmar.\n\n\u201cThat is soon told,\u201d replied Ivar; \u201cwe will not steal upon them; we will\nstay this night at the cape and remain there until morning.\u201d\n\nWhen morning came, the foster-brothers landed with all their men, and\nmarched towards Sigurd and Sigmund, who had all their men armed and in\nreadiness for a conflict.\n\nWhen Sigurd and Sigmund saw Hjalmar and Ivar coming towards them, they\nwent to meet them. Sigurd was high-born and a very great Viking; he had\ntravelled far and wide, and seen countries that were unknown to most\npeople; he was short of stature, and had attained the meridian of life;\ngray hair was beginning to show itself; he was the oldest of the four\nchiefs.\n\nSigmund was also high-born, younger than Sigurd, but older than Ivar and\nHjalmar. Sigurd asked, when they met, who was their leader. Ivar\nanswered: \u201cThere is more than one chief here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is thy name?\u201d asked Sigmund.\n\n\u201cMy name is Ivar, son of Hjorvard of Dampstadir; and my foster-brother\nis Hjalmar, son of Gudbrand of Engel.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat is your errand here?\u201d said Sigurd.\n\nIvar answered: \u201cI wish to know which of us is the more powerful.\u201d\n\n\u201cHow many ships have you?\u201d asked Sigurd.\n\n\u201cWe have twenty ships,\u201d said Ivar. \u201cAnd how many have you?\u201d\n\n\u201cWe have thirty ships,\u201d answered Sigurd.\n\n\u201cThat is great odds against us,\u201d said Ivar.\n\n\u201cTen ships\u2019 crews shall not take part in the battle,\u201d replied Sigurd,\n\u201cand man shall fight against man.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is fair,\u201d answered Ivar, \u201cand it is the law of valiant men.\u201d\n\nBoth sides arrayed their men and made themselves ready for the conflict,\nwhich was speedily begun, and continued all day. Towards night the peace\nshield was raised, and Sigurd asked Ivar, \u201cWhat thinkest thou of this\nday\u2019s conflict?\u201d\n\nIvar answered, \u201cI am well pleased.\u201d\n\n\u201cWilt thou play the game again?\u201d asked Sigurd.\n\n\u201cThat is my intention,\u201d replied Ivar, \u201cfor I never found better and\nhardier champions. We will begin the battle again at full daylight.\u201d\n\nThe men then went to their war booths and dressed their wounds.\n\nThe next morning both sides arrayed their men for the battle, and fought\nall day. When it began to grow dark, the peace shield was again raised.\nSigurd asked Ivar how the fighting pleased him on that day.\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d was the answer.\n\n\u201cWilt thou, then,\u201d said Sigurd, \u201ctry this game the third day?\u201d\n\nIvar then replied, \u201cThen we will finish the fight.\u201d\n\nHearing this, Sigurd, who was a man of great common sense, said to Ivar:\n\u201cMay we expect much booty on your ships if we gain the victory?\u201d\n\n\u201cFar from it,\u201d Ivar replied; \u201cwe have taken none this summer.\u201d\n\n\u201cI think,\u201d said Sigurd, \u201cI have nowhere met more foolish men than here,\nfor we only fight out of pride and rivalry.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat wilt thou do, then?\u201d inquired Ivar.\n\n\u201cLet us become foster-brothers,\u201d replied Sigurd, \u201cfor we are of equal\nvalor.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell said,\u201d answered Ivar and Hjalmar; \u201cfor we think it right that we\nshould bind our friendship, and swear one another foster-brotherhood. It\nwill be a great boon for us all, as we four will become the greatest\nwarriors and Vikings of the land.\u201d\n\nThe following morning, preparations were made to carry out the proposal\nof the preceding afternoon, that Ivar and Hjalmar should become\nfoster-brothers with Sigmund and Sigurd.\n\nIt was a common custom, which had come down from the remotest times,\nformally and solemnly to form ties of friendship between men by swearing\none another foster-brotherhood. This relation was of a most sacred and\nbinding character; those who made the compact pledged themselves to be\nunselfish and true to each other for life, and to share the same\ndangers.\n\nThese four Vikings first cut three long slices of turf in a\nsemi-circular shape, the ends of which were fastened into the ground,\nand the loops raised so high that those who were to swear\nfoster-brotherhood could go under them. Under these loops, they placed a\nspear inlaid with mystic signs, of such a height that a man could reach\nwith his hand the nail fastening the socket of the spear-point to the\nhandle.\n\nThe warriors on both sides had assembled to witness the ceremony. It was\na beautiful summer day; the sun shone brilliantly, nature was smiling,\nbirds were singing in the groves, butterflies and bees were flitting\nfrom wild flower to wild flower; no one could ever dream of the fierce\nconflict of the preceding days.\n\nIn the midst of profound silence, Sigurd advanced towards Ivar and the\nthree other Vikings, and said to them: \u201cYou are aware that from\nimmemorial time, it has been the custom of valiant men, who make this\nagreement of foster-brotherhood between themselves, that the one that\nlives the longest should avenge the others, if they are slain with\nweapons or otherwise.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d answered Ivar, Hjalmar, and Sigmund.\n\nThen they prepared themselves for the oath of foster-brotherhood, which\nwas sacredly binding, although not taken on the temple ring as oaths\ngenerally were. Sigurd, Hjalmar, Sigmund, and Ivar then passed under the\nloop, and drew blood from the hollow of their hands, and let it run\ntogether into the mould which had been cut under the loop of the turf,\nand mixed together the earth and the blood; thereupon they all fell on\ntheir knees, and took oaths to ratify their agreement, and called upon\nOdin, Frey, Njord, and the other gods as witnesses; and then they all\nclasped hands, according to ancient custom, as a seal to their oaths.\n\nThe four foster-brothers agreed that they would never rob traders and\nBondi or other men, except when they must make a raid on land for their\nmen in case of need, in which case they were to pay full value for what\nthey took. Never were they to rob women, though they should find them\ntemptingly rich, nor should women be brought on board their ships\nagainst their will; and should a woman show that this had been done\nagainst her will, the man of the crew found guilty of such a crime\nagainst this law should lose his life for it, whether he were powerful\nor not.\n\nIt was also agreed that they should possess in common the booty they\nmight get on Viking expeditions, and that whichever lived the longest\nshould have a mound raised over the others after the battle or\notherwise, and place therein as much property as seemed to him most\nbefitting their rank.\n\nAnd be it told now, that to their death they loved each other dearly,\nand never violated in the slightest manner the duties that were imposed\nupon them by their compact of foster-brotherhood.\n\nThe first thing the four foster-brothers concluded to do in concert,\nafter consultation, was to visit Gudmund, Sigurd\u2019s father, who was a\npowerful Hersir, and ruled over the large island, called to-day Oland,\nnear the coast of the present Sweden, and to apprise him of their new\nrelationship. They set sail, and after a short and pleasant voyage,\ntheir ships cast anchor in a bay where to-day the quiet little town of\nBorgholm stands. At that time Gudmund\u2019s burg stood there, and near by\nare still seen many graves and mounds of that period.\n\nThe foster-brothers were received with great kindness, and there was\ngreat drinking and feasting. Ivar was seated in the second high seat\nduring their visit. After a stay of a week, they made their ships ready,\nintending to sail southward and visit Gudbrand to apprise him also of\ntheir new relationship. When the time came for them to depart, Gudmund\nfollowed them to the ships, and as they were ready to embark, presented\nSigurd with three arrows which had a famous name, and were called Gusi\u2019s\nFollowers. The feathers were gilded, and they were ornamented with gold.\n\n\u201cThese arrows,\u201d said Gudmund, \u201cKetil H\u0153ng, thy great-great-grandfather,\ntook from Gusi, who ruled over the Fins; they hit and bite everything\nthey are aimed at, and were forged in the days of old by Dvergars.\u201d\n\nSigurd thanked his father, saying: \u201cNo gifts have I which I prize more\nhighly,\u201d after which they sailed away. Soon they came to a beautiful\nbay, on the shore of which were seen very many very ancient cairns, near\nwhere to-day the little sleepy town of Cimbrisham is to be seen. These\ngraves were filled with beautiful bronze weapons and many gold objects.\n\nThey landed and found the place in great commotion, for a trial by\nordeal was to take place. A bond-woman named Hjerka had told Vemund, the\nHersir who ruled there, that she had seen Gunvor, his wife, and a man of\nthe herad walk together. Vemund was no longer merry after he heard this,\nfor he loved his wife dearly, but he wished to be sure that what the\nbond-woman had said was true, before he took steps to avenge himself.\nBut he had not thus far succeeded, and no one was ever seen with his\nwife. Nevertheless his jealousy preyed upon him, and one day as he was\nspeaking to her, his sadness was so marked in his countenance that she\nasked the reason why. Then he told her that he thought she loved\nanother.\n\nUpon hearing this, she was struck speechless with indignation. Her eyes\nflashed fire, her pure heart revolted against such an accusation or\ninsinuation, her face turned pale and flushed alternately; then a sudden\nlook of despair, of intense pain and sorrow, followed her looks of\nanger. Was it possible that her husband could believe such a tale?\n\nThen she said to him: \u201cI will take oaths before thee and many men, upon\nthe white holy stone, that I have not acted with anyone as thou seemest\nto believe. Send for Halfdan, the ruler of Zeeland, that he may\nconsecrate the boiling caldron.\u201d\n\nThe foster-brothers were just in time to witness the trial. Halfdan was\nsent for, and in the presence of hundreds of witnesses who had come to\nsee the ordeal, he consecrated with the sign of the hammer of Thor the\ncaldron before the water was boiling, and the holy white stone used for\nsuch an ordeal.\n\nThen Gunvor said with a loud voice, heard through the hall by those\npresent, \u201cI cannot call on my brothers to avenge such an accusation with\nthe sword, for they are all dead. Look now, men, I am truthful. See how\nthe water boils. Let Herkja go to the cauldron, she who attributes\ntreachery to me.\u201d\n\nHerkja put her hand into the cauldron to take the sacred stone, and no\none could witness a more pitiful sight than those who beheld how the\nhands of Herkja were scalded. When the people saw this, they said that\nHerkja was guilty of false accusation and perjury, and they led the maid\ninto a foul mire, where she met her death.\n\nThe following day, Knut, an uncle of Sigurd, who had become very old,\nfelt that his last days were approaching; and as there was universal\npeace, he could not fall on the battle-field, and so go valiantly to\nValhalla, as all warriors did who died fighting the foe. He determined,\nnevertheless, that he would not die in his bed, for he did not wish to\ngo to Hel. It was the belief of the Norsemen, that those who had not\nfallen by weapons went to Hel. Hel was one of nine worlds that composed\nthe universe, but in that Hel there was no punishment. So he called his\nfamily together, and divided among them his gold and silver and other\nvaluable things, and then told them that he was going to throw himself\nfrom a high cliff, for all who did this were believed to go to Valhalla.\nHis family followed him cheerfully, and as he was on the brink of the\nprecipice whence not infrequently men threw themselves down, they bade\nhim a happy journey to Valhalla, and he took forthwith the fatal plunge.\nA large mound was raised over him, and all the people extolled his\ncourageous deed.\n\nAfter witnessing the ordeal, and the death of Knut, the four\nfoster-brothers continued their voyage, skirting the shores of the\npeninsula, passing several beautiful burgs and estates. Several days\nafterwards, they cast anchor at the mouth of a river almost opposite the\nisland of Engel, for they did not stop at Hrafnista, as Gudbrand and\nSigrlin had gone on a visit north, to friends who lived on the shores of\nthe present Christiania fjord.\n\nThere ruled a valiant Hersir, named Gautrek the Old, who in his day had\nbeen a foremost Viking, but on account of his age had given up warfare.\nHe had nine sons by Alvig the Wise, daughter of Eyvind of Holmgard. They\nwere called Thengil, R\u00e6sir, Gram, Gylfi, Hilmir, Jofur, Tyggi, Skuli,\nHarri. These nine brothers became so famous in warfare, that in all\nsongs their names are used as names of rank. All fell in battle, having\nnever married.\n\nA great feast was prepared for Ivar, his foster-brothers and his men.\nGautrek had a beautiful daughter of the name of Svanhild, and after the\nguests had been seated, she entered the hall with several maidens, and\nadvanced to the high seat which Ivar occupied, opposite to that of her\nfather; she handed to him a drinking horn of gold, filled up with mead,\nand said: \u201cHail to thee, Ivar, son of Hjorvard! Hail to you all, ye\nwarriors that have come with him!\u201d Then she seated herself by her\nfather.\n\nThere was great feasting and drinking during the time they remained with\nGautrek, and after a stay of three days, which was the accustomed time\nfor a visit of that kind, Ivar left the place with his fleet, and\ncontinued to sail northward. A short summer gale sprang up; during the\ntime it lasted, the Elidi was ahead of all the other ships, for she was\nvery swift, and but few vessels were her equal in speed in the whole\nnorthern land. The fleet got shelter behind the numerous islands that\nline the coast, and made ready to enter the stream which is now known as\nthe Hams river, upon which the town of Hamstad is situated, in the\nprovince called to-day by the name of Halland. The peace shields were\nhoisted at the mastheads, and shields were placed all along the\ngunwales, and the dragons of red gold shone resplendently in the light\nof the sun.\n\nArnfid Hersir ruled over the country. When the ships cast anchor, he was\nseated on the mound of his father, which overlooked the river and the\nsea. It was his custom to sit there and hunt with his hawks; these\nbrought him from time to time a hare, black cock, or a partridge. He\nrecognized the Elidi by its pennant, and knew that its commander was\nIvar, the son of Hjorvard \u201cthe wide spreading,\u201d one of his companions in\narms and foster-brother. The ships often disappeared from his sight on\naccount of the bends in the river, which were covered with forests, but\nfinally they cast anchor below the burg or residence of Arnfid.\n\nArnfid sent messengers to invite Ivar and his foster-brothers and their\nmen to come ashore, as the Gotlanders had never ravaged his realm. The\ninvitation was accepted.\n\nIvar thereupon addressed his friends and followers in this wise: \u201cLet us\nbeware of drinking too much. A man carries on the road no better burden\nthan sound wit and common sense. Wisdom is needed by him who travels\nwidely. No provisions on a journey weigh a man to the ground more than\ntoo much ale. The ale of the sons of men is not so good as men say it\nis, for the more a man drinks the less wit he has. The spirit that\nhovers over ale-bouts is called the \u2018heron of oblivion;\u2019 it steals away\nmen\u2019s senses. The ale is best when every man gets his reason back.\nStrife and ale have caused grief of mind to many men; death to some,\ncurses to others. Many are the evils of mankind. Thou shalt not quarrel\nwith drunken men. Many an one\u2019s wits wine steals. Nevertheless, a man\nmay not send away the cup, but drink moderately.\u201d\n\nIvar and his men dressed themselves in their best and went ashore, when\nthey were immediately led to the banqueting hall, where a great feast\nwas prepared in the honor of Ivar and of his foster-brothers and their\nfollowing. Arnfid was seated in his high seat and welcomed his guests;\nhe bade Ivar to sit in the high seat opposite his.\n\nArnfid had a daughter celebrated for her beauty and accomplishments; her\nname was Ingegerd, and before the feast had begun, she came to the hall\nwith several handsome maidens who were visiting her. They were\nbeautifully attired. Ingegerd herself wore a red dress of thick woollen\nmaterial, lavishly embroidered with gold. The material had been brought\nto her by her father on his return from a voyage to the Caspian. The\ntrain, several feet in length, swept gracefully on the floor. Her hair\nwas braided and fell over her shoulders gracefully, as was the custom\nwith young maidens. A beautiful gold band encircled her forehead. Round\nher snowy neck hung a necklace of delicate gold beads. Her tall and\nslender form was made to appear still more graceful by a belt of gold of\nexquisite workmanship that encircled her waist. Her arms were adorned by\ntwo delicate spiral gold bracelets, and on one of the fingers of her\nright hand was a spiral ring ending in snakes\u2019 heads, that had belonged\nto her mother.\n\nBefore the meal was served, Arnfid announced that seats were about to be\nallotted; that men and women might drink together as many as could, and\nthat men without companions should drink by themselves. So they placed\nlots in a cloth, each with the name of a guest written upon it. Arnfid\nwas to pick them out. The lot fell that Ivar should drink with Ingegerd\nand sit next to her that evening.\n\nWhen ready to sit down, Ingegerd sang haughtily to Ivar: \u201cWhat wilt thou\ndo, lad, in my seat? For seldom, if ever, hast thou given a wolf warm\nflesh, nor hast thou seen the raven croak over the battle-field; neither\nhast thou been where swords meet and where Valkyrias soar over the\nfallen.\u201d\n\nThese words meant that Ivar had never been in battle, so that neither\nwolf nor raven nor Valkyrias had followed him; and if this was so, he\nwas not worthy to sit by her side.\n\nIvar looked at her beautiful and proud face, and sang: \u201cI have handled\nthe bloody blade, the ravens have followed my track; I have made warfare\nand been the champion in many games of strength and skill. Be not so\nproud, maiden; like thyself, I am of Odin\u2019s kin. The son of Hjorvard\nfollows in the footsteps of his father.\u201d\n\nWhen Ingegerd heard these words she smiled, looking at him, and seated\nherself by his side, and they drank together and were merry. Many a\nmaiden was seated by the side of brave and mighty champions that day\u2014men\nwho had seen many lands. There was nothing in the world which these\nNorse women appreciated more than personal bravery, and none but the\nvery bravest could aspire to the hand of those of high lineage. Wine,\nale, beer, and mead were served in drinking cups of glass from Greece,\nor in silver cups of great beauty, with _repouss\u00e9_ work of gold,\nrepresenting panther chasing deer, and horses running away. These also\nhad come from the Black Sea, where the Greeks had colonies.\n\nThe food was served in silver dishes containing roast pork, veal, birds,\nand fish. Two sorts of bread were on the table\u2014one kind soft and made of\nrye; the other flat, almost as thin as wafers, the same kind as is\nserved in Norway to-day.\n\nWhen the men had begun to be somewhat too merry for the presence of\nwomen, Ingegerd and the maidens who had come with her to the feast rose\nand left the hall, bidding all good-night. But that night Ingegerd\nherself could not sleep. Her thoughts were always reverting to Ivar,\nand, without knowing it, she loved him; or, perhaps, her feeling was\ninfatuation rather than love.\n\nTherefore, the next day she prepared the drink of oblivion for Ivar, to\ncause him to forget the girl he loved\u2014in case he did love another\u2014and\nsent her maid-servant to invite him to her bower. She had prepared the\ndraught with many incantations and according to a mystic formula. It was\nof ice-cold sea water, sacrificed blood, a long ling fish, an unripened\nwheat ear, sacrificed intestine of beast, herbs of every forest, burned\nacorns, the soot of the hearth, a boiled swine liver, to which were\nadded all kinds of mystic runic letters painted red. After Ivar had come\nshe bade him drink, which he did, but whether it was an efficacious\npotion or not could not be proven, as he had no sweetheart to forget.\n\nOn the third day the foster-brothers made ready to leave. Arnfid wanted\nthem to stay longer, but Ivar said to him: \u201cOne should take leave in\ngood time. The guest should not remain too long; the loved one often\nbecomes loathed by staying over many days.\u201d\n\nSo they parted in great friendship. Arnfid gave Ivar a handsome sword,\nwith hilt and scabbard ornamented with gold; also an axe inlaid with\ngold, of very fine workmanship, and costly presents to his\nfoster-brothers and men. Ivar gave also costly presents to Arnfid and\nhis men.\n\nIngegerd, from her bower, with a heavy heart, watched the ships sailing\naway, and wondered if she would ever see Ivar again. But, as is often\nthe case among the sons and daughters of men, Ivar and Ingegerd were\nnever to meet again. The Nornir had parted them that day for life, and\nwere to prevent them from continuing the courtship that was written in\nrunic letters of gold upon the heart of Ingegerd. The memory of the\nhours passed between Ivar and her was all that was to be left. It was\nbut a dream, but how lovely and short was that dream! Love had germed\nand grown up in three days, but it was doomed to perish, though that\nepisode of their lives was never to be forgotten. Yet Ingegerd married,\nand many a time during her life her thoughts wandered back to the days\nwe have just spoken of. She thought it was wrong to think of them, but\nwe have no command over our thoughts; they will come unawares in spite\nof our will, and the memory of the past will cling to us until death.\nHow wise it is that no one can read our thoughts! For if it were\notherwise, how many happy homes might be made unhappy indeed!\n\nThe foster-brothers, after leaving Arnfid, stopped at Engelholm,\nGudbrand and Sigrid having returned. There was great joy in Hrafnista on\ntheir arrival. Hjalmar was to remain at home that winter.\n\nIvar sailed to Dampstadir with Sigurd and Sigmund, for he wanted his\nfather to know his two new foster-brothers. They were to spend the\nwinter with him, and all were to meet again the following spring.\n\nHjorvard and Sigrid were on the shore to meet their son. They had heard\nof his two new foster-brothers, for Ivar had written them about the\nfight they had had, and what had followed, and gave them a hearty\nwelcome to Dampstadir.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER VIII\n\n                           THE YULE SACRIFICE\n\n\nHJORVARD was zealous in the discharge of his ecclesiastical functions,\nand very observant of all the sacrificial rites. The chief temple of\nGotland was at Dampstadir, and every man on the island paid a temple tax\nto him, for the support of the temple and sacrifice. The sacred building\nwas situated not far from the burg, between it and the mounds where\nHjorvard\u2019s ancestors lay buried. It was much like many others in the\nViking lands, the same general laws being in force in regard to all of\nthem. It was two hundred and fifty feet in length, and one hundred and\ntwenty-five feet wide; its wooden walls of massive fir trees had\nwithstood the blasts of centuries. It had numerous and fantastic\ngargoyles, a long piazza round it, and the interior was divided into two\nparts, the inmost part being the most holy.\n\nThe lands, the groves, and springs within the precincts of the temple\nwere considered most sacred. No one was allowed to enter the temple with\nweapons, neither those who had committed an offence punishable by law.\nNo quarrels or acts of violence were permitted within its walls. Any one\ncommitting any breach of the peace, damaging the temple, or coming armed\nwithin its walls, was declared a wolf in the sanctuary, an outlaw who\nmight be slain by anyone.\n\nInside the main entrance door stood the golden high seats upon which\nHjorvard sat as Hersir and High Priest. The timber of the temple, and\neven the mould under the sacred building, were also considered holy. The\nwalls inside were richly ornamented with gold and silver, and hung with\ntapestry. The door was adorned with a gold knocker.\n\nIn the innermost part of the temple stood the altar, which was\nconstructed with great skill. Upon the altar a fire was constantly kept\nburning night and day; this fire was called the \u201choly fire.\u201d Upon it\nalso stood a large ring, or bracelet, of gold, on which men took their\noaths. The large bowl of copper, in which the blood of the sacrificed\nanimals was put, was there also; and the vessel, as well as the blood\nfrom the sacrificed animal, was called holy. Near the entrance outside\nwas the holy or sacrificing spring, in which men that were sacrificed\nwere thrown.\n\nThere were three principal sacrifices a year all over the Viking lands,\nat which the people assembled in the chief temple.\n\nThe Winter sacrifice, which took place in the month of Goi, now called\nOctober, was to welcome the winter, and on this occasion there were\ngreat feasts and much drinking. The second sacrifice, Midwinter, or\nYule, sacrifice, was held in the middle of winter, in the month Thor, to\ninsure a good year and peace. This was the great sacrifice to Frey. The\nthird was the Victory sacrifice, in honor of Odin, for luck and victory;\nit took place in the beginning of spring, in the middle of April, before\nmen began to go on Viking expeditions.\n\nIvar had returned to Dampstadir after the sacrifice to celebrate the\nadvent of winter had taken place. All the Vikings of the Baltic who had\nnot wintered in foreign lands had come back, for a frozen sea would have\nprevented their vessels from reaching their destination if they had been\nlate, although the shores of Zeeland and Fyen and the coast of Norway\nwere free from ice during the whole year, with rare exceptions.\n\nYule was near at hand, and the midwinter sacrifice, the most important\nof all, was to be on a very great scale at Dampstadir. More animals than\nusual were to be sacrificed. Black oxen, horses, boars, and falcons had\nbeen specially fattened.\n\nVast numbers of people had flocked daily to Dampstadir, and had brought\nwith them their provisions, also the ale and beer they needed for this\nfestival. The day before Yule, everyone who was to be present at the\nsacrifice had arrived.\n\nYule eve, Hjorvard and the large assembly led in procession, as was\ncustomary, the atonement boar which had been consecrated to Frey. The\nanimal was very large and handsome, and was so fine that it seemed as if\nevery bristle on it was of gold. According to the sacred rites, the boar\nwas led forward, and those who were to make vows placed one hand upon\nthe head of the sacred animal, and the other upon its bristles. Among\nthe great chiefs who were to make vows were Hersir Hamund the Valiant,\nthe berserk Hromund the Bold, Ingald the Black-eyed, Ivar, and many\nother chiefs and high-born men.\n\nThe first evening the sacrificing ceremonies began, the animals were\nslaughtered in silence, and their blood was collected in the sacrificing\nbowl that had been taken from the altar, and after being filled was put\nback, and then consecrated by Hjorvard making the sign of the hammer of\nThor over it; after which, the altar and the walls of the temple inside\nand outside, were reddened with the sacrificed blood, and then the\npeople were also sprinkled with the blood, with the sacred twigs used\nspecially for the purpose of sanctification.\n\nAfter the sprinkling of the people had taken place, the flesh of the\nslaughtered animal was put in large sacrificial kettles, and these were\nhung over the holy fires which ran all along the middle of the temple.\nThen Hjorvard, as High Priest, consecrated the food with the sign of the\nhammer of Thor. When the food was ready, the horns were filled with ale,\nthen carried round the fires, and were also consecrated. After these\nceremonies, the people who had been standing up seated themselves along\nthe walls of the temple, and then ate of the sacrificial meat of oxen\nand horses.\n\nAs customary, the horn, or toast, to Odin was drunk first, for victory\nand also for the continuation of the power of Hjorvard; then the horn to\nThor, for those who trusted in their own strength and power; then the\nhorns to Njord and Frey, for good years and peace. This was followed by\nthe toast to Bragi, the god of poetry. Over this horn, according to\ncustom, vows were made, and these vows had to be made good during the\nyear that followed. This was the most important toast, for men had to\nkeep their word or die in the attempt to accomplish their vows. Many\nalso drank well-filled horns to those of their dead kinsmen who had been\ngreat men, and these were called memorial horns.\n\nAfter this, Hjorvard arose and made a vow that he would drive from the\nsea every Roman vessel that was to be seen along the coast of Gaul,\nBritain, Frisia, or die in the undertaking.\n\nHromund the Bold rose and said: \u201cSlight is thy vow, indeed, Hjorvard,\nfor it requires but little strength and will to drive the Romans from\nthe sea. Make a stronger vow, which will show thy daring and bravery;\nthen I will follow thee and make my own.\u201d\n\nHjorvard answered, \u201cHromund, thou art right. I vow that I will make war\nin Gaul and Britain, and come back with great booty; and, furthermore, I\nwill sacrifice the prisoners I make, and redden with their blood the\naltar of the gods. I take also the oath, that if any vessels of the\nRomans ever try to come to our land, as they never have tried yet, not\none of their men shall return back alive to tell of our country.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is a stronger vow than the first, foster-brother,\u201d said Hromund\nthe Hersir, \u201cbut there is little fear that they will ever come to our\nland, for they dread our people and our ships; their warships flee at\nthe approach of our fleets, but I like the vows thou hast made to attack\nthem in their strongholds of Gaul and Britain.\u201d\n\nThen he himself arose and said: \u201cI vow that I will follow thee,\nHjorvard, in thy expeditions against the Romans, with all my ships and\nwarriors; return if thou returnest, or die a warrior\u2019s death if thou\nhast been fated to go to Valhalla in thy undertaking; for as\nfoster-brothers we have sworn to avenge each other.\u201d\n\nThen Hamund the Valiant arose and said: \u201cI vow that I will follow you,\nHjorvard, and Hromund the Bold, with all my ships and warriors, and\ndevastate with you the provinces of the Roman Empire, and go into the\nMediterranean. We will show the Romans that they cannot withstand the\npower of the Norsemen any more on the land than on the sea.\u201d\n\nThen Ingald the Black-eyed rose and said: \u201cI take the oath that I will\nfollow you all, and that my standard will float on the shores of\nBritain, and that I will make upon that island a settlement that the\npower of the Roman will not dare to attack, or I will perish in the\nattempt.\u201d\n\nIvar rose and vowed that he would follow his father in that expedition,\nor die in the undertaking. Many men made vows that night.\n\nAfter these vows, the memorial toasts to dead kinsmen took place. The\nscene was solemn and impressive, for many of those that were to be\nremembered had been living a few years back, and others had died\ncenturies before, in a halo of glory. All had helped to make the land of\nthe Vikings what it was, the most feared of all lands. After the\ndeparted kinsmen had been remembered, those present rose and vowed to\nfollow in their footsteps.\n\nThose who could not come to the temple held sacrifices at home. The\nfeast among the people lasted thirteen days, and many spent half of the\nYule at each other\u2019s farms.\n\nThe following April, after the sacrifice to Odin for victory had taken\nplace, all over the Northern lands warriors were getting their ships\nready for the general and powerful expeditions that were soon to proceed\nagainst the provinces of the Roman Empire; even the shores of the\nMediterranean were also to be attacked.\n\nMany of the Vikings intended also to re\u00ebnforce by their numbers the\ncolonies that had been made by their kinsmen in Britain, Gaul, and\nFriesland, and other countries, and to settle there.\n\nHjorvard and all the other powerful chiefs who had taken oaths at the\npreceding Yule sacrifice at Dampstadir had not forgotten them; they were\nmaking most extensive preparations for war and conquest. Hjorvard was\nchiefly the cause of the great upheaval. A warlike message had gone to\nevery inhabited place of the land, and every youth wanted to be among\nthose who were going.\n\nEvery man who was bound by law to furnish a war-ship or more had been\nsummoned to do so by all the Hersirs. Hjorvard gathered a fleet of\nseveral hundred vessels. The greatest enthusiasm prevailed among those\nwho were to follow him. Many doughty champions of the North had come to\njoin his standard, for they knew that victory would follow him. They\ncame from the shores of the present Norway, of the Cattegat, the islands\nof the Baltic, and the southern shores of that sea. They all knew that\nthey were the chosen of the gods, and were to be victorious.\n\nWeapon Things, or meetings, had taken place everywhere. At these all the\nfreemen were obliged to come and show sword, spear, an axe, a shield,\nall in perfect order. Each Bondi had to be ready at the place where the\nwar arrow had summoned him, and had to show one bow and two dozen arrows\nfor every bench of the ship or ships he was obliged to furnish.\n\nHjalmar arrived at Dampstadir from Engel with one hundred ships; the\nfleets of several of his kinsmen joined him the next day with two\nhundred ships more. Among these were the berserk Sigvaldi, who came with\ntwenty ships; Tryggvy with fifteen, Trividil with nine. Starkard came\nwith a single skeid manned only with berserks who had constantly the\nberserk fury upon them. Helsing came with three ships, with a crew\ncomposed in great part of skilful archers and slingmen, or\nstone-throwers. These men came north of the present Christiania fjord.\nSigmund and Sigurd also arrived, to the great joy of Ivar and Hjalmar,\nwith fifty fine vessels each. Every one of these had a crew of two\nhundred and twenty men. The sea before Dampstadir seemed to be like a\nforest of masts.\n\nThere was nothing in the world which the Vikings thought more of than\ntheir ships. Upon them they lavished their wealth and skill. They all\nvied with each other as to who should have the finest craft. Hjorvard\u2019s\ndragon-ship was the most powerful of all the warships assembled before\nDampstadir, and his pennant, which floated at its masthead, was\nembroidered with gold, and in the centre was the representation of Hugin\nand Munin, the ravens of Odin.\n\nOn the eve of their departure, Ivar and Hjalmar went to a sibyl called\nHelge, who, by rubbing with her hands the bodies of men who were setting\nout for war, could find out the vulnerable spot that would be wounded\nunless she protected it by her incantations. The foster-brothers\nthemselves wore charmed chain-armor, which no weapons could penetrate.\nDuring the absence of Hjorvard, Sigrlin was to rule over the estates.\n\nThe horns for the departure sounded; the ships soon afterwards were on\ntheir way south, and in a short time were out of sight of the shores of\nGotland. New accessions of ships were constantly made on the way, and\nafter a sail of two days the fleet reached Hleidra, the head burg of\nHalfdan, the powerful ruler of Zeeland. This burg was situated on the\narm of the sea which is known to-day under the name of the Roskilde\nfjord.\n\nThere they met an equally powerful fleet, which Halfdan had summoned.\nThe vessels were so numerous that the sound between the present Helsinor\nand Helsingborg on the Swedish coast was but a forest of masts, and the\nsea could not be seen.\n\nHalfdan received Hjorvard, his kinsman, and the high-born men who had\ncome with him, with great honor. There was great feasting and drinking\nfor several days.\n\nHere the ships were joined by a most imposing fleet of more than one\nthousand sail from Svithjod, manned by most valiant men. Then fleet\nafter fleet arrived; some came from the beautiful and powerful island of\nFunen, from the present island of Bornholm\u2014in a word, from every island\nof the Baltic and Cattegat, and also many vessels from the peninsula of\nJutland. At the Lime fjord, a large arm of the sea on the northern part\nof Jutland, the fleets of all the Hersirs of the present Norway, and\nthose living on the Cattegat, were waiting for the coming of the fleets\nof the Baltic. When all the vessels reached the Lime fjord, they found\nthere a fleet of over two thousand craft assembled. The vessels\ncomposing the expedition were of all sizes, from the great dragon-ships\nto the small skutas; many of these latter were intended for shallow\nwater. There were also a very great number of provision ships, and\nothers to carry horses. Horses were always used by the Vikings to\nreconnoitre the land after they had landed.\n\nAt a council of all the commanders, it was agreed that this great number\nof vessels would divide into several fleets, and those into several\nsquadrons, and that the Roman Empire should be attacked in many places;\nalso that several squadrons should sail for the Mediterranean, and a\ntime and special places were fixed for vessels to meet before the coming\nof winter.\n\nAfter the plan of campaign had been settled, the horns were sounded to\norder the departure of the fleets. They divided themselves as had been\narranged, the red shields were hoisted on the mastheads, and a mighty\nshout of war rose from every ship, far and wide, spreading like the\nthunder along the sky, or the sound of a mighty torrent breaking\neverything that existed. It bade defiance to the Roman world and empire.\n\nIt was no easy matter for each fleet to depart in the midst of this\ngreat forest of masts, but the good seamanship of the Vikings mastered\nthe difficulties, and but few casualties took place.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER IX\n\n                      IVAR\u2019S DEFEAT OF THE ROMANS\n\n\nIF one could have been on the most northern extremity of the peninsula\nof Jutland after the departure of the fleets, he would have seen for\nseveral days ship after ship ploughing the sea, rounding Cape Skagen,\nand then disappearing below the horizon. Some of these were going\nsouthward, others westward.\n\nSome were to make warfare in Friesland, others in Gaul and Britain and\nthe Mediterranean. Some were going to Scotland, whence they were to pour\ntheir host upon Britain.\n\nLess than two months afterwards, a wail of sorrow and anguish burst in\nevery Roman province bathed by the sea. Couriers went to Rome from every\none of these to ask for help, but Rome was powerless to help them, for\nthe Norsemen were masters of the sea, and could land armies wherever\nthey pleased. \u201cThe country that owns the sea owns might,\u201d they used to\nsay. The whole Roman Empire was in dread and fear of these Vikings, who\nwere continually coming in countless hordes; their number seemed\ninexhaustible as they poured from the basin of the Baltic and the shores\nof Norway, year after year, and had done so for two centuries. This last\ninvasion of the provinces of Rome was one of the most, if not the most,\nformidable that had ever taken place. Fire and sword were carried\neverywhere by the Norsemen.\n\nHjorvard had gone to make war in Britain, while his son Ivar, with his\nthree foster-brothers and a large force, had landed on the northern\nshores of Gaul, where the present Boulogne now stands. There the Romans\nhad built strong fortifications, but many a time their centurions had\nseen with dismay the Viking fleets pass before them, ascend the Seine,\nand take possession of many islands.\n\nBefore landing, every warrior washed, and combed his hair, and took a\ngood meal, in order to be strong for the day\u2019s fight, and was dressed in\nhis best war clothes, so that if he was fated to die he might enter\nValhalla as befitted his rank. The red shields had been hoisted as a\ntoken of war.\n\nAfter Ivar had landed his forces and sent men on horseback to\nreconnoitre, Decius and Curtius, the centurions who commanded the\nstronghold at Bononia (the modern Boulogne), seeing that the Viking\nforce was much smaller than their own, resolved to attack them, and an\noverpowering Roman force left their stronghold with the hope of\nannihilating the Norsemen who had dared to land before their eyes.\n\nWhen Ivar saw this, he said to his men, \u201cOften the more numerous host\ndoes not gain the victory if there are fearless men against it. Many a\nblunt sword has won the victory in battle. As we are the weakest in\nnumber, let us arrange our host in the wedge shape that was taught to\nour forefathers by Odin himself; and we will have, besides, another body\nof men to attack the Romans or protect us, as may be necessary.\u201d\n\nWhen Decius saw this strategy carried out, he marvelled greatly; for the\nRomans thought this peculiar war formation, which they called _cuneus_,\nwas only known to them. He had heard from different Roman commanders\nthat the Vikings had this knowledge, but he had not believed them; and\nthough a moment before, he had boastingly told his soldiers that Rome\nwould soon hear of their victory, he became uneasy as he saw the\nglittering shields and helmets of the Vikings in their battle array, and\nthe body of archers and horsemen with shining swords, who were ready to\ngo wherever sent.\n\nHe then ordered his men to be placed in wedge-shaped formation. When\nIvar and his men saw this, they in their turn wondered how it was that\nthe Romans knew this formation, and Hjalmar exclaimed: \u201cThey must have\nlearned this from our people; how could it be otherwise?\u201d\n\nBefore the battle, Ivar issued his orders, saying, \u201cOur horsemen will\nremain on the lookout, and be ready to support us or to attack the\nenemy; our archers will pour a continuous hail of arrows upon the\nRomans, and our slingmen will do likewise with stones. The shield-burg\nshould be at the apex of the triangle, and must be guarded by the most\nskilful warriors; for if it is broken or opened, especially in the\nbeginning of the battle, it will be most fatal to victory. The two other\npoints of the triangle must also be very strongly guarded. It is\nimperative that great care be taken that our locked formation be not\nbroken or even opened; for disorder in our midst would follow, and might\nlead to great disaster.\u201d\n\nThe foster-brothers agreed that as Ivar was the foremost champion among\nthem, he should be at the apex of the triangle with their most valiant\nmen, for this part of the triangle was always the weakest spot of the\nformation.\n\nThen Ivar said: \u201cLet my standard \u2018Victory\u2019 be moved forward, and let\nAlrek, my standard-bearer, be surrounded by berserks. My scalds must\nstand in the midst of the shield-burg, and so placed as to be able to\nsee the conflict, and praise the deed of the combatants, or of those who\nfall in the battle.\u201d\n\nWhen Alrek heard this he said: \u201cI have feared for some time past, during\nthe years that this long peace has lasted, that I should die of old age\non my bench, and I wished rather to fall in battle, if it had thus been\nfated me by the Nornir.\u201d\n\nSigmund and Sigurd, with their two standards and their valiant men, were\nat the two other points of the array. Hjalmar and a large body of men\nwere in front of the standards of Ivar to protect the apex of the\ntriangle, or to attack the Roman host if need be, if these did not come\nforward.\n\nThe war-horns were sounded on the Norsemen\u2019s side, and the archers and\nslingmen advanced towards the Romans, and poured a storm of missiles\ninto them which made many of their host bite the dust; then a general\nattack took place, and after a fierce conflict of spears and swords, and\ndesperate efforts of the Romans to protect themselves with their\nshields, their formation was broken after much slaughter, and they fled\nin every direction before the victors. Curtius, one of the centurions,\nwas killed; but Decius and a number of his men escaped under the cover\nof their fortifications. From their walls the Roman centurion looked\nupon his fallen soldiers and the victorious Norsemen, and exclaimed in a\nvoice full of despair: \u201cRome, what has become of thy might, that thou\ncanst not conquer those men of the sea? They defy thy power, and laugh\nat thy legions sent against them! To-day they are here, to-morrow\nelsewhere. No province is free from their attacks. Even if a country is\npowerful with its legions on land, it cannot hold sway over the world\nunless mighty at sea also.\u201d\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nSigmund and Hjalmar had been wounded, but not a word of pain escaped\ntheir lips when they received their wounds, neither did they shrink when\nthese were dressed, for the foster-brothers had made a vow that they,\nlike the champions of Hjorvard, would not wince or utter cries of pain\nwhen wounded or when their wounds were dressed.\n\nAfter the battle, the slain Norsemen were buried with their weapons, and\ntheir mounds were reddened with the blood of the Roman prisoners who\nwere sacrificed to Odin for the victory. After the booty had been\ncarried, according to ancient custom, round a pole that had been raised,\nand divided into four parts, it was distributed among the men, and many\nRoman and Gallic captives were taken to their ships to be sent home.\n\nWhile the events just recorded were taking place, the numerous fleets\nand squadrons of the Norsemen had not been idle; their colonies had been\nre\u00ebnforced by great accessions, and those who had been engaged in\nwarfare had collected a large booty, including a large number of Roman\ncoins, for they knew their full value for barter; besides, many of these\nwere to be melted to be used afterwards in different ways, such as\nplates, cups, dishes, etc.\n\nIt had been agreed by some Viking chiefs, while the fleets were at the\nLime fjord, that their ships should meet those of Ivar and his three\nfoster-brothers at the mouth of the River Somme, in Valland\u2014for that\npart of Northern Gaul was thus called by the Norsemen\u2014and in the autumn\nthey met at the appointed time.\n\nAfter a council of war among the commanders, it was decided that they\nshould spend the winter in the Mediterranean. Before undertaking this\nexpedition they made a great sacrifice to Odin, and then sailed away.\nThey had hardly passed the Straits of Gibraltar when they attacked the\ncountries bordering the shores of the Mediterranean. They spread terror\nas far as the coasts of Greece, took Syracuse by assault, and caused\ngreat slaughter there.\n\nOn their return, after they had reached the northern part of the coast\nof Portugal, the fleets divided into several powerful squadrons again,\nunder different leaders, and renewed their attacks upon the seaboard\nparts of Britain, Gaul, and Friesland. Others sailed for home, loaded\nwith Roman and Greek spoils, and with a large number of Roman coins of\ngold and silver. They had, besides, many slaves, among whom were many\nfrom Britain, Gaul, Friesland, and the Mediterranean. Among them were\nmany handsome young women.\n\nHjorvard, while his son was in the Mediterranean, had attacked the\ncountry lying west of Valland, which is to-day called Brittany, had\ndefeated the Romans in several encounters, and made many prisoners. All\nhad fulfilled the vows of the preceding last Yule. Hromund the Bold had\nfought by his side; Ingald the Black-eyed had done likewise; but he\nconcluded to make a settlement in Britain, on the banks of the Thames,\nand one of the sons of Hamund the Valiant remained with Ingald.\n\nAfter his victories, Hjorvard sent a very fast sailing vessel to Ivar,\nwho had won great glory in his expeditions, to tell him that he intended\nto return to Dampstadir.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER X\n\n                        IVAR\u2019S VISIT TO BRITAIN\n\n\nIVAR himself had concluded that instead of returning to Gotland, he\nwould go and visit his kinsmen whose forefathers had settled in Britain\nin the first century. Accordingly, he left the River Loire, and sailed\neastward, along the shores of Gaul, visited some of the Gotlanders who\nhad settled peacefully near the sea and on the banks of some of its\nrivers, and asked them if they wanted help of men and ships. The Romans\nhad left them in peaceful possession of their lands, however, thinking\nit more prudent to let them alone than to incur their enmity and that of\ntheir kinsmen, who they knew were relentless in their hatred.\n\nAfter passing the mouth of the Thames, upon whose banks were several\nsettlements, the largest ones being where the present Greenwich and\nChatham stand, they continued their voyage, sailing along the eastern\ncoast of Britain, which was as flat as it is to-day, and came to the\ncoast of the shire of Norfolk (inhabited by the folk of the north), and\ncast anchor in an estuary, or bay, to-day called the Wash.\n\nThe object of Ivar\u2019s visit in this part of Britain was to see his\nkinsman, Grammar Hersir, a foster-brother of his father, who ruled over\na large herad, whose boundary came to the Wash. Nearly two hundred years\nbefore, a great-great-uncle of Ivar had married the daughter of one of\nthe Hersirs of Norway. This great-great-uncle was young and adventurous,\nand had settled somewhat inland of the bay, in the country which is\nto-day called Cambridgeshire; a great many people from the coast of\nNorway followed him, and the emigration was chiefly from there.\n\nIn those early days, that part of Britain was thinly settled by the\naborigines. A great part of the \u201clittoral\u201d along the North Sea was flat\nand swampy, and the country was covered with oak forests, and on account\nof this was good for shipbuilding; for that very reason this settlement\nhad been made. The poor aborigines had received these new-comers kindly,\nand the extended forest shut them up from the Romans, who had conquered\npart of the island. On the sea side, the settlers felt secure, as they\nand the Norsemen were masters on the sea.\n\nGrammar\u2019s by, or burg, stood near the shores of the river now called\nCam, somewhat near the present hamlet of Wilbraham. The pioneers and the\nfirst Norse settlers had chosen this peculiar spot so high up the river,\nthat they might feel safe from the sudden attacks of enemies. Sometimes\nfeuds broke out among the Norse families in Britain and their kinsmen on\nthe Baltic; these would come and claim the inheritance of those that\nwere dead, and war followed. The river-shore here and there was\nfortified; high towers had been built where high-born men had their\nestates; from their top a good lookout was kept up, and chains were laid\nacross the river, when they feared hostile incursions, to prevent their\nships from ascending the stream.\n\nThe following day after their arrival, the ships having the lightest\ndraught, specially built for use in shallow water, were picked out, and\nthen Ivar and his foster-brothers started for Grammar\u2019s by. They had to\ntake to the oars, as the wind was very light, and the current was\nagainst them. Each craft had fifteen and sixteen benches, and was\nconsequently rowed by thirty or thirty-two oars, three men on each oar,\nwhile the other men stood at the prow and stern. The peace shields had\nbeen hoisted. When night came, they let down their anchors and raised\ntheir tents. Early the following morning they started, and continued the\nascent of the stream; they had to row all the way. Here and there, they\nsaw a settlement of the Norsemen, with cultivated land round them, and\ntheir ships lying at the wharves near by.\n\nFinally they came in sight of Grammar\u2019s residence, and of the temple\noverlooking the river, where the worship of Odin, Frey, Njord, Thor, and\nother gods took place. The structures were similar to those of home, all\nof wood, and the new-comers might have fancied they were in their own\ncountry across the sea.\n\nWhen Grammar, whose, young kinsman\u2019s fame had reached him, heard of\nIvar\u2019s arrival, he sent messengers on board of his ship, and invited him\nto come and stay with him, with all his men.\n\nIvar, his foster-brothers, and all the high-born men of his fleet, after\nlanding, went to the banqueting hall, and were received with great\nhonor. Ivar was bid by Grammar to sit on the high seat opposite him, and\nhis men were seated according to their rank. On each side of Ivar were\nthe high-born men of Grammar, and on that of the latter were those of\nIvar; Hjalmar being seated on the right of Grammar, and Sigmund on his\nleft; then Sigurd came next, and the others drew lots for seats, for\nmany were of equal birth.\n\nThe hall was a fine specimen of Northern architecture, and was somewhat\nsimilar to that of Gudbrand at Hrafnista on Engel. The carvings\nrepresented the landing of a body of men on shore in war attire, coming\nto take possession of land in Britain. Tapestry hung along the walls,\nand a long row of fine shields above the seats encircled the hall.\n\nGrammar was a noble-looking man, and, according to the custom of Hersirs\nwho had come of mature age, he wore a long, flowing beard, which was of\na beautiful silver-gray. He was tall and majestic in bearing, and had\nthe deep blue eyes of his kin. His chin and mouth showed great decision\nof character, but his benignant smile and soft eye told of the\nkindliness of his heart. He ruled his land according to the ancient\ncustoms of the Norselands. The land had been divided and was owned as in\nthe Viking\u2019s lands generally. He was a great sacrificer, and loved Frey\nmore than all the other gods, and sacrificed often to him.\n\nHe was a widower, his wife, a daughter of the Hersir of the island of\nFyen, in the Cattegat, having died several years before. He had several\nbeautiful daughters. The eldest was named Hildigunn, a combination of\nthe names of two Valkyrias, Hild and Gunn, the custom of joining two\nnames being not uncommon with the Norsemen. The others were named\nBrynhild, Sigrun, and Hervor.\n\nGrammar expressed his great pleasure in seeing his young kinsman, and\ntold him that he had fought by the side of his grandfather and father,\nand, pointing to a sword hanging over his high seat, with peace bands\nfastened around it, he said: \u201cThis sword is called \u2018Stone-biter\u2019 on\naccount of the sharpness and quality of its blade, and was given to me,\nIvar, by thy grandfather when I had just begun warfare as a young lad,\nand was on board of his own ship. It is a most excellent weapon, and\nvictory has always followed it. It is an heirloom in our family.\u201d\n\nThen he inquired how Hjorvard and the folks were in dear Gotland, in\nEngel, and in old Norway, and added that he hoped to go and see once\nmore the land of his ancestors before he should go on his burning\njourney to Valhalla and lie under his mound.\n\nIvar told him of the great deeds that had taken place since all the\nfleets had scattered, and what he had himself accomplished in foreign\nlands.\n\n\u201cWell done,\u201d said Grammar; \u201cI can see that thou art a Yngling, and\nworthy of thy kinsmen who are dead.\u201d\n\nThen Ivar presented to him two magnificent velvet cloaks from Greece; a\nsuperb coat of mail of exquisite workmanship, made by a smith from\nGotland; several brooches to fasten his cloaks with; helmets, saxes, and\nswords of fine workmanship; a beautiful necklace of gold for Hildigunn,\nand bracelets for his other daughters. Ivar noticed that the dress of\nthe women and men, the weapons and ornaments, were of the same style as\nthose worn by the people in the Viking lands. Like the emigrants of our\ndays, they had brought their customs, religion, and fashions with them.\n\nA few jewels which had come with the people who had first landed at\nWilbraham were still kept as family heirlooms, though most of them had\nbeen buried with the dead. These were \u201cfibul\u00e6,\u201d or brooches, of\ncruciform and circular shape, mosaic and glass beads, which were worn by\nthe people in the first and second centuries.\n\nNot far from Grammar\u2019s residence and temple, and overlooking the river,\nwas the graveyard of the first Norse settlers who had come to that part\nof Britain. There were graves where the bodies had not been burned; in\nothers the burned bones were preserved in cinerary urns, or in wooden\nbuckets with bronze trappings. Weapons, jewels, ornaments of bronze,\ntweezers with ear-pickers, iron spears, iron shears, knives, glass and\nmosaic beads, had been put on the pyre and fired or destroyed by its\nfire. Coins of Trajan, 96-98 A.D.; Hadrian, 117-138 A.D.; Aurelius,\n160-180 A.D.; Maximus, 286-305 A.D., told the age of the graveyard,\nwhich was a very exact counterpart of the burial places of the mother\ncountry.\n\nOne day, while a great feast was taking place, Hildigunn and her sisters\ncame into the hall. She was tall and slender; her hair was flaxen,\nfalling gracefully over her shoulders, far below her waist; her eyes\nwere of a deep, soft blue, which contrasted charmingly with her\ndelicate, rosy complexion. She walked toward Ivar and said to him: \u201cHail\nto thee, my kinsman, we also are of Odin\u2019s kin. Hail you all Ynglingar\nand Skoldungar and high-born men who are with us here to-day.\u201d\n\nThen, sipping some ale from the horn she held in her hand, she handed it\nto Ivar. He took the horn and her hand at the same time, and said to her\nthat she must sit by him.\n\n\u201cIt is not the custom of Vikings to drink in pair with women,\u201d replied\nHildigunn.\n\nIvar answered that it was, and that he would rather change the Viking\nlaws if it was the case, so that he could drink with her. Then she sat\ndown by his side, and spoke of many things with him during the evening.\nThe poets of Grammar recited the songs which told of the great deeds\naccomplished by him with Hjorvard, or by their ancestors.\n\nDays passed pleasantly for Ivar and his foster-brothers at Grammar\u2019s by,\nfor many maidens had come around from the surrounding estates to welcome\nthe Vikings, and their presence made life so much pleasanter for all.\n\nEvery evening these maidens and warriors met in the great banqueting\nhall. These fair Viking daughters, in whose veins the blood of the\nNorsemen flowed, listened to the scalds who had come with Ivar and\nrecited the great deeds of valor the Vikings had accomplished in the\nexpeditions from which they had just returned, and heard with wonder of\nthe hair-breadth escapes of Ivar, and of many of his companions.\n\nNo Viking could tell himself of his brave feats, for it was thought\nunbecoming to do so; but they could tell of the countries they had seen,\nand of the people they had met in far-off lands, and when they did, the\nmaidens listened to them with wonder and admiration, and their eyes were\nfixed upon those who told of their strange adventures, and their cheeks\nflushed with animation.\n\nFinally, the admiration turned into love, without their knowing it; but\nthere could be no mistake, for during the day, while in the skemma, they\ncould not help thinking all the time of the one they admired the most.\nThey wished for the evening entertainment to come, so that they might\ncome into the hall.\n\nThe Vikings themselves, especially Ivar and his foster-brothers, wished\nlikewise for the day to pass quickly.\n\nOne evening, as the brothers were by themselves, and thought of the\nbeautiful girls they had met, and were talking of love in a general way,\nIvar said:\n\n\u201cWhat men call love springs from the mind, for the mind is the seat and\nsource of all our thoughts; the heart does not think, and cannot love;\nit palpitates quicker, it is true, with love, but it is only the\nreflection of the mind. There is a beginning in love, as in everything\nelse that the gods have created\u2014like the flower, it must be born first,\ngrow, bud, and bloom. The bud is the beginning of love, and when love is\nyoung it is fickle.\n\n\u201cTrust not love too soon when it is young, for fickle is the mind of man\ntowards woman, and if one searches well, he will find that many a good\nmaiden is fickle to man, for their hearts were shaped like a whirling\nwheel, and fickleness was laid in their breasts.\u201d\n\nThe day of parting came at last. The life shaped by the Nornir had to\ncontinue; the future was hidden from sight, but what stories of the\nbudding of love could be told, for many a blushing maiden had lost her\nheart with a brave warrior, and many a Viking had lost his also.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XI\n\n                          THE DAUGHTERS OF RAN\n\n\nIT was late in the summer when Ivar and Hjalmar, who had decided to\ncross the North Sea on the Elidi, and their Viking fleet left the coast\nof Britain for the Baltic. All on board of the ships wondered if \u00c6gir\nand Ran, the god and goddess of the sea and their daughters, would show\nthemselves in ugly mood on their way home. The people believed that\nthose who were drowned at sea went to Ran, those who died by weapons\nwent to Valhalla, and those who died of natural death in their beds or\nchairs went to Hel. The sea-faring people worshipped \u00c6gir, for he\ngoverned the sea and wind. Ran, his wife, received well all shipwrecked\npeople in her hall at the bottom of the sea, and had a net with which\nshe caught men who came out to sea; drowned men were sure to be welcomed\nby her. The Wind and the Fire are the brothers of \u00c6gir. The Wind is so\nstrong that he moves large oceans, and stirs up his brother the Fire.\n\n\u00c6gir and Ran have nine beautiful daughters, who live in the sea, and the\nwaves are named after them. These daughters often go three together, and\nthe winds awake them from their sleep. They are not partial to men, and\nare always seen in storms. All had names emblematic of the waves. They\nare called Himingl\u0153fa, the Heaven Glittering; Dufa, the Dove;\nBlodughadda, the Bloody-haired; Hefring, the Hurling, or Heaving; Ud,\nthe Loving; Hr\u00f6nn, the Towering; Bylgja, the Billowing, or Swelling;\nBara, the Lashing; Kolga, the Cooling.\n\n\u00c6gir and Ran were not to let Ivar\u2019s fleet go home quietly. The ships\nwere hardly out of sight of land when the sky became dark and\nthreatening, the clouds hung low and moved with great rapidity, the wind\nkept increasing in violence, the waves rose higher and higher, and the\nNorth Sea was like a sheet of white foam. The sails were reefed on board\nof several vessels, but Ivar had, like his father, made a vow that he\nwould never reef a sail. The Elidi rose over the waves as if she were a\nsea-gull, and was so easily steered that the people believed and\ndeclared that she understood the human voice. From the southwest, the\nwind shifted suddenly to the northwest, and alternate gusts of wind and\nrain followed each other in quick succession.\n\n\u201cIt is good,\u201d suddenly exclaimed Hjalmar, \u201cthat no man knows his fate\nbeforehand; his mind is thus free from anxiety and sorrow.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe day was fine this morning,\u201d answered Ivar, \u201cbut after all, a day\nshould be praised at night, a woman after she is buried, a sword after\nit is tried, ice when it has been crossed over, and a voyage after it is\nended.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are wise sayings,\u201d replied Hjalmar; and as the Elidi and the\nother ships were ploughing their way fast through the waves, Ivar said\nto Hjalmar: \u201cTell me, foster-brother, tell me of those sea-maidens who\nwander over the sea and pass their lives in doing harm to many men.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose maidens are the daughters of \u00c6gir and Ran,\u201d replied Hjalmar;\n\u201cthey are evil-minded and slay men; they are seldom gentle to us\nsea-faring people, and the wind arouses them from their sleep, and they\nlook angrily at the ships sailing over the sea. It is they that are\nthose mountainous waves which we see.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho are the maidens,\u201d asked Ivar again, \u201cwho walk over the reefs, and\njourney along the fjords and shores? These white-hooded women have a\nhard bed, and make little stir in calm weather.\u201d\n\nHjalmar replied: \u201cThese are billows and waves, daughters of Ran; they\nlay themselves on skerries; their beds are the rocks, and the calm sea\nstirs them not; but lo, when the wind blows hard, it rouses their anger,\nand they send the men that are on the deep to Ran, their mother.\u201d\n\n\u201cI fear, foster-brother,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cby the look of the sky, that we\nare going to meet \u00c6gir and Ran and their daughters erelong in their\nangry mood.\u201d\n\nThe wind kept increasing. \u201cThe brother of \u00c6gir, who stirs the ocean,\u201d\nsaid the foster-brother, \u201cwishes to see what kind of men are on board of\nthe Elidi and other ships, and if Ivar and his foster-brothers are\nfearless men; for, as thou seest, the sea is becoming mountain high.\u201d\n\nThen Hjalmar, who was looking at the wake made by the ship, said to\nIvar: \u201cWho are those white-helmeted maidens that I seem to see yonder?\nThey are dressed in white, have frowning looks, their breasts heave with\npassion, and they are coming fast toward the Elidi.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose are three of the daughters of \u00c6gir and Ran, and by their size and\nfierceness must be Hr\u00f6nn, Bylgja, and Hefring; let us beware of them,\nfor there is anger in their looks; they are coming rapidly toward us,\nand I think they mean us harm.\u201d\n\nIvar had hardly uttered these words, when there dashed a wave so\nstrongly against the Elidi that it carried away the gunwales. It was\nHr\u00f6nn, they fancied, that had come against the ship. Then another wave\nfollowed Hr\u00f6nn; it carried away part of the bows of the Elidi. It was\nBylgja. Right after Bylgja, in the wink of an eye, came another wave\nthat swamped the deck of the ship, and flung four men overboard, who\nwere all lost.\n\nThen Hjalmar said: \u201cIt is Hefring, who has carried those four men to\nRan, and Hr\u0153svelg (the wind) is flapping his wings with great force at\nheaven\u2019s end so that the tempest may blow still harder.\u201d \u201cIt is likely,\u201d\nsaid Ivar, \u201cthat some more of our men will visit Ran, for the storm is\nincreasing; we shall not be thought fit to come to her hall and in her\npresence unless we prepare ourselves well for her welcome.\u201d Then he cut\nasunder several large arm-rings of gold, and divided them among his men;\n\u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cI think it right that every man should carry some gold\nwith him, and appear before Ran as befits the rank of every high-born\nman. We have cut the red rings which the rich father of Hjorvard owned,\nbefore \u00c6gir slays us\u2014gold shall be seen on the guests in the middle of\nthe hall of Ran if we need night quarters there.\u201d Then in a musing voice\nhe added: \u201cRan is handling us roughly, and has taken many of my kin to\nherself. Verily the land of \u00c6gir\u2019s daughter is not always safe.\u201d\n\nIt had become very cold, and Ivar said: \u201cFire and the sight of the sun\nare the best things among the sons of men, also their good health and a\nblameless life, if they can keep them. It is better to be merry than to\nbe down-hearted, whatever may come to hand. Glad and cheerful should\nevery man be until he meets his death.\u201d\n\nThe fleet was behaving splendidly in the tempest; the ships rode over\nthe waves as if they had been birds of storms.\n\nThe dragon-ships of Sigmund and Sigurd came within hailing distance of\nthe Elidi, and Ivar shouted to them: \u201cFoster-brothers, have the\ndaughters of Ran treated you roughly?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d shouted each in turn. \u201cSeveral of our men have gone to the hall\nof Ran, and we have prepared ourselves for this journey, for we are\nfearless men.\u201d\n\nThe wind shifted, and the ships were driven toward the dangerous coast\nof Norway, and came in sight of the shores of a large island with great\nweird cliffs hanging over the sea. The storm seemed then to be at its\nheight, the vessels had to run before the wind, every sail had been\nunreefed to allow them to make their utmost speed, so that they might\nnot be swamped by the huge seas that advanced toward them from behind.\n\u201cWitchcraft moves the storm,\u201d cried Hjalmar, \u201cand we had better sail\nunder the lee of the island for protection, for we cannot contend with\n\u00c6gir, nor Ran, and their daughters.\u201d\n\nThe Elidi and the other vessels came to the leeward of the island, where\nit was comparatively calm, and there the Vikings waited for better\nweather. During the night the storm abated and the wind became fair. On\nthe morrow they sailed away and had good weather for a time, but the\nwind became stronger and stronger after they were far out to sea, and\nthey were once more in the midst of a great storm; the daughters of Ran\nonce again were roused, and the waves became very high and threatening.\nThen a snow-storm arose, and the snow fell so thickly that the men in\nthe stern and the prow of the ships could not see each other, and the\nwaves broke over the ships and filled them with water, so the men had to\nbale for their lives.\n\n\u201cHe who travels widely, steadily,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cmust meet good and evil.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is certain, foster-brother,\u201d answered Hjalmar. \u201cNow is the time\nfor brave men to be tried, and show that they do not fear death.\u201d\n\nThe great waves continued to dash against the Elidi, and Ivar burst\nforth into a chant, singing: \u201cWe, the renowned warriors of chiefs, have\ncome on the deep, and land is out of sight, and I see all the men that\ndefend the Elidi baling the ship.\u201d\n\nThe snow fell so fast and thick that they could not discern anything;\nthe night came, and those who were not on the watch put themselves in\ntheir leather bags to sleep, and thus protect themselves against wet and\ncold. Ivar and Hjalmar steered the Elidi alternately. Toward morning\nthey thought they saw nine Valkyrias, helmet-clad and with shining\nspears, riding in the air, over their ships, and then the storm ceased.\n\n\u201cThey have come to protect us and hush the storm; the decree of the\nNornir in regard to our death is not yet to be fulfilled,\u201d said Ivar.\n\nSoon after, they saw land, but as it was all covered with snow they\ncould not make out the place, as it is very difficult for mariners to do\nwhen snow covers the ground.\n\nThen the fleet hove to for a while, and afterward sailed cautiously\nalong the coast, keeping out of the way of the breakers and islands\nwhich rose only to the level of the sea; they came to the mouth of a\nfjord, and then recognized the land, and saw that they had been driven\nout of their course. Continuing their voyage southward until they came\nto Engel, they were received by Gudbrand and Sigrid with great\ndemonstrations of joy; after a short stay they separated, each going his\nown way, Hjalmar remaining at home during the winter.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XII\n\n                     ROMANTIC ADVENTURES OF SIGURD\n\n\nSIGURD, with his own dragon-ship, sailed northward, and landed on a\nlarge island where there were many inhabitants. He wished to visit a\nfoster-sister of his, called Ingebjorg, whom he loved dearly, and who\nreceived him with many demonstrations of joy. He was very proud of her,\nfor she was extremely beautiful, had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, and\nwas gifted with all the accomplishments that belonged to high-born\nwomen, as well as possessed of a gentle and lovable character.\n\nIn the evening he betook himself to a large hall, where there was an\nelaborate entertainment, and there were many guests present. He was\nenthusiastically received, for many had heard of him. A very skilful\nperformer was playing on the harp, and Sigurd enjoyed it greatly, so\nlong was it since he had heard aught but the clangor of battle, and the\nroar of the winds and waves. Near him sat three charming maidens, fair\nto look upon, with whom he talked much. Their names were Thordis,\nRagnild, and Thorana.\n\nThordis was beautiful, and had charming little ways of her own. She was\nnoticeably dignified in manner, had a graceful figure, was dressed\ncoquettishly, and possessed an exquisite pair of almond-shaped bluish\neyes which seemed the incarnation of love. She was every inch a Hersir\u2019s\ndaughter, and was a great favorite among the Vikings, to whom her\nliberal ways and kind heart, as well as her beauty and accomplishments,\nmade her extremely attractive.\n\nRagnild was twenty years old, tall and slender; her hair was fair and\nsilky, her complexion as delicate as that of the apple blossom. The blue\ndress she wore that evening was in delightful contrast to her fair skin\nand hair. Her big blue eyes were like nests filled with little Cupids\nready to send their arrows right and left into the hearts of those who\ncame within their range.\n\nThorana, the shortest of the three, was twenty-two years of age, and\npossessed a very graceful figure, with a pair of small eyes full of\nmischief. Her head was adorned with thick chestnut hair of rich color,\nwith streaks as of burnished gold here and there. She was full of life,\nhad great individuality, and, in general, had very much her own way, as\nshe was an only daughter. All three maidens loved the society of scalds\nand warriors.\n\nThe mothers of these three girls were handsome women, and all had\nbrought up their daughters with tender love and care, and taught them\nall the accomplishments which were required of maidens of high birth.\n\nThordis had lost her father, and she and her mother mourned his death\ngreatly. She had a brother, a most charming and handsome fellow, whom\nSigurd liked at once.\n\nA very few days after this entertainment, Thordis, Thorana, Ragnild, and\nSigurd had become fast friends, and called themselves cousins. They saw\neach other every day, and met often in the banqueting hall in the\nevening. One day Sigurd received a message from a friend, written in\nmystic runes, in which Thordis, whose home was elsewhere, was casually\nmentioned as visiting on the island, and the message also said that she\nheld large estates in her own right. This latter part of the message did\nnot please Sigurd, for he liked Thordis for her own sake and her\ncharming ways.\n\nOne day, when Thordis was seated by the side of her mother, Sigurd\nappeared, and, after saluting them in his usual way, he said, with a\nlaughing expression: \u201cCousin Thordis, I have received a message, written\nin mystic runes, in which your name is mentioned. It is sad news to me,\nindeed. I wish I had never received it.\u201d\n\nAt these words, Thordis\u2019s big, beautiful eyes became twice as large as\nthey were before, and, with an inquiring and startled look, she said:\n\u201cCousin Sigurd, I insist on knowing what your friend has written, and\nwho he is.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo,\u201d said Sigurd, \u201cyou will never know who he is.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen what did he say?\u201d asked Thordis. \u201cI insist upon knowing.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf you wish to know,\u201d replied Sigurd, \u201cI will tell you that. He wrote\nthat you were a lovely maiden, but that you possessed great wealth in\nyour own right; and this last part was sad news, indeed, to me. I wish I\nhad never received the message. I never cared or knew if you were rich,\nand I like you for your own charming ways and for yourself, and\u2014\u2014\u201d\n\n\u201cWell,\u201d replied Thordis, with apparently a feeling of great relief,\n\u201cyour friend has deceived you;\u201d to which assertion her mother nodded\nassent.\n\n\u201cCertainly not in the first part of the message, where he says you are a\ncharming girl,\u201d said Sigurd.\n\n\u201cThere, also, he made a mistake,\u201d she replied, laughing. \u201cBut never\nmind, Cousin Sigurd.\u201d\n\nThe following day, Ragnild, Thordis, and her brother, with Sigurd, drove\nup to Eagle Mountain from which a beautiful view of the sea, of the\nburg, and of the island could be seen.\n\nEvery day that passed away bound the friendship of these three maidens\nwith Sigurd stronger than before.\n\nAlas! a day came when Ragnild\u2019s mother, who was also a visitor on the\nisland, received a runic message from home, that they must return. Poor\nRagnild did not like it. She wanted to stay, for it was so pleasant on\nthe island. Sigurd was at least no better pleased, nor were Thordis and\nThorana, and it was with great regret that they parted; they followed\nher to the ship, but not before they promised to meet again in the\nwinter. Ragnild was very much missed by them in all the entertainments\nthat followed, and Sigurd thought often afterwards of lovely Ragnild.\n\nOne day Sigurd proposed to Thordis and Thorana a moonlight drive, as the\nweather was beautiful, and at that time, the beginning of September, the\nmoon was very brilliant. It was agreed that two other friends were to\ngo. They were pleasant men, full of life and jollity.\n\nIt was a beautiful night; not a cloud was seen in the sky. The full\nmoon, queen of the night, shone in all her glory; the stars glittered\nand twinkled brilliantly in the deep azure of the firmament.\n\nWaiting in front of the \u201cskemma,\u201d or bower, of Thordis and Thorana stood\na splendid four-wheeled carriage, wagon-like in shape, drawn by two of\nthe fleetest horses known in the country. The horses were very restive.\nThey champed the bit, pawed the ground, and snorted incessantly. Two men\nheld the fiery steeds firmly by the bridle, and it took all their might,\nand in despite of this they could hardly prevent them from getting away\nfrom them.\n\nSigurd and his two companions were anxiously waiting for the coming of\nthe two Vikings\u2019 daughters. Thorana and Thordis at last made their\nappearance, clad in their warm, graceful evening cloaks. Their faces\nwere radiant with expectation, for both had been looking forward to that\ndrive by moonlight and the sail on Eagle Lake, and were anticipating\ngreat delight. Accompanying them was a middle-aged friend, a woman who\nwas to act, as we say in our modern way, as a chaperon. She was very\nskilled in embroidery, and had great talent in representing on canvas\nall kinds of scenery, views of the sea or landscape, either weird or\ncharming.\n\nThey had hardly entered the carriage, and had had no time to be seated,\nwhen the horses, becoming apparently unmanageable, dashed forward, and,\nas they rounded the corner of the way leading to the high road, the\nvehicle seemed fairly to bend like a bow, and was on the point of being\noverturned. Fortunately the great skill of the driver was equal to the\nemergency. Then the carriage fairly flew over the ground, an\nirresistible power seeming to impel the fiery steeds forward in their\nfurious speed.\n\nThe excitement was very great among all. Sigurd exclaimed that even\nSleipnir, the eight-footed horse of Odin, could not go faster, neither\ncould clouds, pushed before the tempest, fly forward more quickly. The\nmoonlight imparted a weird appearance to the landscape, the strange\nshadows of the trees seemed to play all round them, and the shadows of\nthe rocks and of the hills appeared and disappeared, one after another,\nin quick succession, like phantoms or ghosts.\n\nHere and there they entered a part of the road densely wooded and where\nthe rays of the moon could not penetrate; then came a less dense part of\nthe forest, where tall, conical-shaped pines extended their phantom-like\nshadows out upon the road and over themselves; then groves of aspens\ncame in sight, with their leaves quivering and frolicking as so many\nmerry maids. The heaven was their banqueting hall, the stars their\nlights, and the murmur of the wind the music.\n\nAll were speechless and spell-bound at the speed of the coursers and the\nunearthly beauty of all that passed swiftly before them, but once in a\nwhile an exclamation of delight or of wonderment escaped from the lips\nof Thordis and Thorana.\n\nSigurd, who had been silent for some time, suddenly seemed to see far\noff in the sky nine Valkyrias riding in the air on fiery white steeds.\nSkuld, the Norn personifying the future, was preceding them, and Sigurd\nwondered why Skuld was with them, and what her appearance forebode. She\naccompanied them evidently to see that the decrees of the Nornir, who\nhad shaped the lives of each of them at their birth, should be fulfilled\nat the particular time. What were those decrees no human being knew.\nThen Sigurd said to himself, \u201cIt was well ordered that no one should\nknow his fate beforehand.\u201d He did not know that they had fated him to be\nin love with Thorana or Thordis. Suddenly the Valkyrias and Skuld\nappeared to vanish from his gaze.\n\nAs the carriage sped along, the horses ran faster than before; it seemed\nhardly possible that the axles could stand the strain put upon them.\nSuch was the rattling, that every part of the vehicle seemed on the\npoint of coming to pieces. All shouted that they did not mind, that the\nwild fun would be still greater than ever. In a word, the excitement had\nrendered every one perfectly reckless of danger. \u201cWhy should the\ndaughters of Viking heroes be afraid?\u201d exclaimed Thordis; and Thorana\nshouted at the top of her voice: \u201cIt is good that our mothers are not\nwith us; my mother would have died of fright or faint, and then we\nshould have missed all our sport.\u201d\n\nGlimpses of Eagle Lake were finally seen through the foliage of the\ntrees, and soon afterwards they stopped before a solitary cabin near its\nshores, their horses fairly covered with foam.\n\nEvery one declared that never had he driven so fast, or seen such superb\ndriving, or been so excited in his life. In a few moments two boats were\nseen gliding out upon the waters of Eagle Lake, which was nestled in the\nmidst of wooded hills, while yonder was Eagle Mountain towering above\nall. In one boat were Sigurd and Thorana; in the other, were Thordis and\nher two friends. Sigurd wished that Thordis had been also in his boat.\n\nThe scene was most enchanting; not a ripple was seen on the crystal-like\nwater, which the moon had transformed into a mirror, in which the stars\ncoquettishly looked at themselves, while images of the hills and trees\nwere reflected along the shores.\n\n\u201cO mother Earth,\u201d said Sigurd to himself as he contemplated that\nnever-to-be-forgotten night. \u201cHow beautiful thou art, when the moon\nrules over thee instead of the sun! The moon gives us the night, the sun\nthe day. Some say that the nights were created for the sons of men to\nsleep, but if it is so, why should the nights be so beautiful to behold,\nwhen the moon shines, and the stars tremble and glitter in the blue of\nthe sky? Do not the nightingales sing their songs of love at night when\nthe moon is their sun? Love was born of the night; the nights of the\nmoon are the lover\u2019s days, for the moon shines upon them, and kisses\nthem with her radiant and soft light.\u201d\n\nThorana insisted on rowing herself. Her graceful figure bent forward and\nbackward at each stroke of the oars, her cousin Sigurd silently admiring\nher all the time. Their companion enlivened the time by his bright\nconversation and the recital of his numerous adventures, for he had been\nin many distant countries, and his anecdotes were full of wit. The weird\necho repeated their words in the deep silence of that night, which was\nonly disturbed at intervals by the falling of the oars upon the water.\n\nThe two boats for a while drew wide apart, and their occupants amused\nthemselves by listening to the echo. Once Sigurd thought he saw Hugin\nand Munin, the ravens of Odin, flying above his head on their way to\nValhalla, to tell the Ruler of Hosts all that was happening in the\nworld.\n\nThen again, appeared to him the nine Valkyrias with Skuld, who had\nfollowed them all the way; their spears glittered in the moonlight.\nSkuld\u2019s hair sent rays of light out over the night. For a while she\nhovered over their boat, and then threw down upon the earth a superb\nball of fire, a shooting star; then with the Valkyrias she disappeared\nin the direction of the Well of Urd. Every day the Nornir take the holy\nwater from the well, and, mixing it with the clay that lies round it,\npour it over the ash tree, Yggdrasil, that the branches may not dry up\nor decay.\n\nWhen the two boats came close together again, Sigurd saw two shadows\nreflected in the water, more beautiful to him than those of stars and of\nall that had been reflected in the water since Odin had made the world.\nThey were the shadows of Thorana and of Thordis. Their beautiful faces,\ntheir graceful forms, their long hair, were like an apparition from the\ndeep. It was as if the two beautiful daughters of \u00c6gir and Ran, Dufa\n\u201cthe dove,\u201d and Ud the \u201cloving,\u201d had come to see the men who were in the\nboats.\n\nSigurd remained spell-bound before the sight, when, by a motion of the\nboat, the shadow disappeared, never to reappear on the beautiful waters\nof Eagle Lake, and in a short time they found themselves once more on\nthe shore.\n\nSigurd mentioned to no one that he had beheld Valkyrias with Skuld, and\nthe beautiful shadows of Thorana and Thordis, but all these visions had\nmade a deep impression on his mind, and he remained thoughtful all the\nway home. The following day he made a sacrifice to the goddess Var, who,\nas we have said, listens to the vows of love men make; but no one ever\nheard of that vow. But we may safely say that the drive that beautiful\nnight and the row on Eagle Lake was never forgotten by any of those who\nwere there, as long as they lived.\n\nA few days after the events we have just mentioned, Thorana and Thordis\nmade ready to go to their respective homes. The last evening of their\nstay saw the same party together in the hall where they met first.\nNothing save death could have prevented Sigurd from being present. The\nfollowing morning all met on board of the ship that was to take his two\nlovely cousins away from the island. A host of friends came to bid them\ngood-by, all apparently happy, for none had yet realized how they would\nmiss each other, and the good time they had all had, and that regrets\nwere soon to follow, and all wondered if all of them would meet again.\n\nThey parted with many expressions of love and friendship, and the\nfollowing day a messenger came and handed to Sigurd a message written in\nmystic runes. It was from his cousins, who had written it on their way\nhome. These magic words were: \u201cWith best love, from your broken-hearted\ncousins!\u201d and a flush of joy overspread his face when he read this\nloving message. He immediately sent a messenger to them with another\nmessage, telling of his lonely feelings.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nSigurd felt utterly wretched after the departure of his two cousins,\nthough they were to meet again. A feeling of intense loneliness came\nover him; all that was bright and cheerful in the island had gone; the\nwind moaned; the waves, as they struck the shores, seemed to sing\nmournfully in his ears, \u201cThy three cousins are gone, the rocky cliffs\nwill see them no more.\u201d He even dreaded to pass the skemma where they\nhad stayed. No maiden could cheer him, for in his eyes none were so\nlovely and accomplished as Thorana, Ragnild, and Thordis.\n\nHe whiled away the time by writing on birch bark a saga, in which he\nrecounted all that had happened on the island. Finally he concluded to\ndepart, and after sailing a few days he came to a burg where a\nfoster-brother by the name of Thorkel and he had been brought up\ntogether. But Thorkel had been dead for several years. Sigurd wanted to\nsee his grave, and, after landing and telling his errand to the people,\nhe went towards the mound where Thorkel and his wife lay silently side\nby side. They had been married but a short time ere Skuld snapped\nasunder the thread that measured the days of their lives. He ascended\nthe mound and murmured to himself, \u201cHere Thorkel and his wife lie. The\nthinking minds that guided and moved their actions during their lives\nhave left them. Helpless, motionless, and without life they sleep.\u201d\n\nLooking up, he saw a butterfly of brilliant colors, with wings of gold\nand rainbow tints, full of life, going merrily from one flower to\nanother, drinking of their nectar.\n\nWhilst watching his joyous course, Sigurd exclaimed musingly: \u201cAll life\nis ephemeral! Man and woman, like this butterfly and the flower, are but\nthe creatures of a day in the immensity of time and in the world which\nthe gods have made. What a beautiful life is that of the butterfly! He\nlives in the air; his life is that of love and immortality. He spends\nhis days in caressing and kissing flowers, and becomes intoxicated with\ntheir sweetness. Like love, he feeds on love. As soon as he has\nfulfilled his destiny, and filled brimful the cup of love and drunk it,\nhe dies as a brilliant meteor that burst into life for an instant, like\nthe twinkling of a star that never returns. Thus the flower is born to\nshow her tempting beauty, her sweetness, and intoxicating nectar to the\nbutterfly. The flower was created for the butterfly, and the butterfly\nfor the flower; so were man and woman created for one another, and to\nlove each other, and, like love, their minds are immortal. Short is the\nlife of the butterfly and of the flower, but their existence in the\nimmensity of time is apparently not shorter than that of man. If the\nlives of the butterfly and the flower are ephemeral, so also is the life\nof man. In the immensity of time since the \u2018Great Void,\u2019 the lives of\nall created things appear to the gods of the same duration. Man is born,\nushered into the present, and then into the future, and thenceforth\nbelongs to the past. We are tossed,\u201d said Sigurd, \u201con the sea of life,\nlike a rudderless ship, and we sail from day to day towards the unknown\ncalled by us the future, not knowing where we are going, nor how the\nNornir have shaped our lives; always hoping and hoping for something we\nhave not been able to grasp.\u201d\n\nIn this reflective mood of mind, Sigurd left the mound, under which lay\ntwo hearts which had been bound together by love during their lives, and\nreturned to his ship, wondering what were the number of days the Nornir\nhad decreed at his birth he should live, and also if he would ever find\na woman that he would love so much as to be impelled to ask her to\nbecome his wife.\n\nThen he sailed for Dampstadir, and there met Ivar and his two\nfoster-brothers waiting for him.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIII\n\n                        A VOYAGE TO THE CASPIAN\n\n\nTHE following spring, Ivar and his foster-brothers made preparations to\ngo to the Caspian Sea, by the Volga. They had sent word to several of\ntheir young kinsmen, asking them if they would join them in their\nvoyage. The proposal had been accepted with eagerness by them all, for\nmost of those to whom the invitation had been sent had never gone so far\nsouth, and they longed to see the lands of which they had heard so much,\nor from which so many costly things came; but two or three among those\ninvited had been there before to trade, and had made on their return\ngreat profits on their goods, and they wished to try their luck again.\n\nIt was not a small undertaking to make a voyage to the Caspian, for it\nwas tedious, and took a long time. Ivar chose three vessels of very\nlight draught, that could sail easily on the rivers of the present\nRussia, leading to that sea. Special vessels were built for such\nvoyages, and the models of these craft were beautiful, and could not\neven to-day be improved upon for that sort of navigation. One vessel,\nvery much like those of Ivar, was found at Tune, in Norway, and can be\nseen at Christiania to-day.\n\nProvisions were collected, among which was a great deal of hard bread,\nvery much like that used to-day in Scandinavia. Various articles\nnecessary for barter were also collected, such as scales and weights; a\ngreat quantity of gold spiral rods of certain size and weight, which\nwere to be cut into smaller or larger pieces if necessary, and then\nweighed, for the Norsemen had no coins, and these rings or pieces were\nthe medium of exchange. Their scale of value was according to weight.\nTheir intercourse with Rome, however, had made them acquainted with\nRoman coins of gold and silver, and they knew exactly their worth, and\noften brought them home and kept them until they visited again the Roman\nprovince. They also had a measure called an ell, two feet in length, to\nmeasure the beautiful fabrics they intended to buy, and also a measure\nfor wine, for they were to bring back wines with them.\n\nA man named Ulf was to go with them. He was familiar with the navigation\nof the Dnieper, the Don, and the Volga, and had sailed several times\nfrom the Baltic to the Black Sea. He had lived chiefly upon the River\nDon, where he had a large trading establishment. He was a great trader\nand sea-farer, whose business was to go on trading voyages to various\ncountries. Sometimes he went by sea, at other times by land. He was an\nold friend of Hjorvard, who often ordered him to buy goods for him, and\nhad been very often to Gotland. Ulf was just the man for such an\nexpedition, and the foster-brothers and their friends congratulated\nthemselves on his going with them.\n\nIn the beginning of June, as soon as the ice allowed them to sail, they\nleft Dampstadir, and sailed through the Gulf of Finland; thence, after a\ndifficult navigation through lakes and rivers, and some hard rowing,\nthey reached the great River Volga, and, descending the stream, they\ncame to a place called Novgrad, a great mart, where a fair was held once\na year in summer. Novgrad was in the great realm of Holmgard, and they\nfound there many friends, for the people were of the same kindred. Many\nVikings had married the daughters of the Holmgard people, and much\nintercourse took place between them and the Norsemen. Both peoples had\nin common the same religious belief.\n\nDuring the fair, many kinds of people were to be seen there with their\nwares. They came from the Caucasus, from the Ural Mountains, from the\nshores of the Caspian, from Turkestan, even from China, and many other\nlands. Slaves were also sold at Novgrad in the market-places. Peace\nreigned at the Novgrad fair, as it did at all the fairs of the Norsemen,\nor at the temple or assemblies of the people. No strife or shedding of\nblood was allowed to take place, and no one was molested. Ivar and his\nfriends bought nothing at Novgrad, intending to come back and do so on\ntheir return. From Novgrad they sailed down the Volga, using their oars\nwhen there was no wind. They stopped here and there at several places,\nand were well received everywhere.\n\nWhile on board, every one of the crew had to be cook, for it was then\nthe custom of traders not to have cooks, all the messmates drawing lots\nto see which of them should do the cooking each day. All shipmates also\nhad to drink together, and a tub with a lid over it stood near the mast\nfor this purpose.\n\nWhen finally they reached the Caspian without any serious mishaps, there\nwas great rejoicing on board. Ulf was the recipient of many praises for\nhis skilful pilotage. But the most difficult part of the journey was not\nyet accomplished\u2014that of crossing the Caspian to the Persian shores, and\nthe ascent of the Oxus River remained to be done. Before undertaking the\nsecond part of the voyage, the ships were drawn ashore, scraped,\nrepaired, and painted, for their bottoms had become foul. During those\ndays the Vikings spent much of their time practising athletic games when\nthey were ashore, for on no account were these exercises to be\nneglected.\n\nWhen the ships were ready, they crossed the Caspian without encountering\none of those storms that make the water of that shallow sea, so full of\nshoals, dangerous to mariners; and after landing they wondered much at\nthe people they saw, for they differed greatly from the Vikings. They\nworshipped the sun and fire; some wore large turbans like the Turks of\nto-day, were very industrious, and many led a nomadic life with their\nherds. Their women were beautiful, and the men were courteous and\nhospitable. The Vikings bought a good deal of beautiful velvet, which\nthey called pell, and much rich cloth embroidered with gold and silver,\nbrocades, and also superb linen tablecloths and napkins.\n\nThey ascended afterward the River Oxus, the ascent of which was very\ntedious. The current was strong and against them, but no one tried to\nmolest them, and every one was anxious to barter with them. There they\nbought silk goods and velvets, and spent the beginning of the winter on\nthe river, and the later winter months on the Caspian, whence they\nsailed and rowed up the Volga before the melting of the snow and ice in\nthe north; and by the time these had melted, and swelled the stream and\nmade the current very rapid, they were far up. Here they waited until\nthe river should have fallen to its usual size, remaining all the time\non board of their ships, spending their days in playing chess or\ngambling with dice, for almost all the Vikings were great gamblers.\nTheir voyage northward was far more tedious than that southward. It was\nnecessary to place three men at each oar on account of the current, and\nthe end of September found them once more in the Baltic, with their\nships loaded with precious merchandise.\n\nHjorvard and the Gotlanders were delighted to see Ivar and all his\ncompanions back. Not a single death had occurred during the voyage. Ulf\nhad had an eye to business, and a good part of the cargo belonged to\nhim. Ivar presented his father with several casks of wine and many\nprecious objects, and to his mother he gave costly woollen, velvets, and\nsilk stuff.\n\nThe fame of Ivar had spread far and wide all over the land. Scalds in\nthe halls of Hersirs recounted his brilliant warlike exploits. He was\nvery mature for his age, and gifted with great tact. People said he\nwould be exactly like his father. He had reached the age when parents\nthink about looking for a wife for their sons.\n\nOne morning, accordingly, Hjorvard called Ivar and said to him: \u201cListen\nto what I am going to tell thee. We have been told Frey had seated\nhimself on Hlidskjalf, the high seat from which Odin could see over all\nworlds. When he looked to the north he saw on an estate, or farm, a\nlarge and fine house towards which a woman was walking. When she lifted\nher arms to open the door, a light shone from them on the sea, and the\nair and all the worlds were brightened by her. This woman, as thou\nknowest, was Gerd, the daughter of Gymir by his wife Orboda, and was the\nmost beautiful of all women. Frey\u2019s great boldness in sitting down on\nthe holy seat was thus punished, for he went away full of sorrow, having\nfallen deeply in love with her. When he returned home he did not speak,\nnor could he sleep or drink, and no one dared to question him. Then\nNjord called Skirnir, the page of Frey, and told him to go to him and\nask Frey with whom he was so angry that he would not speak to anyone.\nSkirnir obeyed, though unwillingly, and when he came to Frey he asked\nhim why he was so sad and did not speak to anyone. Frey answered that he\nhad seen a beautiful woman, and for her sake he was full of grief. \u2018Now\nthou shalt go,\u2019 he said, \u2018and ask her in marriage for me, and bring her\nhome hither, whether her father be willing or not. I will reward thee\nwell for the deed.\u2019\n\n\u201cSkirnir replied that he would go and deliver this message if Frey gave\nhim his sword. This sword was so powerful that it fought of itself. Frey\ngave it to him, and then Skirnir departed and asked the woman of Gymir\nin marriage for Frey, and Gerd promised him that she would come after\nthree nights, and keep her wedding with Frey.\n\n\u201cWhen Skirnir had told Frey of the result of his journey, Frey sang:\n\u2018Long is one night, long is another. How can I endure three? Often a\nmonth to me seemed shorter than one-half this forthcoming wedding\nnight.\u2019\u201d\n\nHjorvard having thus told the story of Frey, said: \u201cIvar, my son, when I\nlook from Dampstadir over the sea, I see yonder, towards the west, where\nwe often behold so many grand sunsets, a beautiful maiden, nay, three\nbeautiful ones, walking in the green paths leading to Upsalir. These\nthree maidens are the daughters of Yngvi, the Hersir of Svithjod, and,\nas thou knowest, their beauty and accomplishments are known all over our\nnorthern lands. Thou hast come to that age when it is time for thee to\nfind a wife, and I have thought of a match for thee, kinsman, if thou\nwilt follow my advice, and nothing would please me more than to have\nthee marry one of Yngvi\u2019s daughters. Thou mightest visit many countries\nand find no maidens more accomplished than they are, and it would be of\ngood advantage to our family and to Gotland if thou didst marry one of\nthem, and bring our kinship still closer than it was before with the\nHersir of Svithjod.\u201d\n\nIvar replied that he knew how much his father had his welfare at heart,\nbut said: \u201cThou must not forget, father, that the daughters of Yngvi\nhave the highest pedigree in all the Northern lands, and the realm of\nGotland may not be large enough for their ambition. It may be possible\nthat these daughters may wish to wed men having greater possessions than\nmyself. I think it would be prudent, before thou and our kinsmen propose\nthe match, that I obtain greater renown than I have.\u201d\n\n\u201cThere is no difficulty, my son, about thy pedigree, for we are all of\nOdin\u2019s kin, and you would be equally matched.\u201d\n\nThe conversation ended there for the present, Ivar leaving the matter of\nhis marriage in his father\u2019s hands, though he thought much of what\nHjorvard had said, and of his earnest wish to have him happily and\nhonorably married. He knew, too, that Yngvi and Hjorvard were great\nfriends, and visited one another, and gave feasts to each other, and\nthat a connection by marriage between the two families would be very\nadvantageous and agreeable to his parents.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIV\n\n                   HAKI\u2019S BURNING JOURNEY TO VALHALLA\n\n\nON their return from the Caspian, the four foster-brothers had found the\ncountry very much disturbed; several Vikings from abroad, with a great\nnumber of ships, had been plundering here and there among the people.\nPeace had deserted the land, and great distress from these incursions\nprevailed everywhere. Among the greatest plunderers were two famous\nbrothers of the name of Haki and Hagbard; they were great Vikings, and\nhad a large host and a great number of powerful and swift ships. These\nhad gray sails, and were painted of such a color that their vessels\ncould not be seen far away. Haki and Hagbard had no lands; they lived on\ntheir ships, and never slept under a roof, nor did they ever drink at\nthe fire-side; their men had no homes, and had left their country,\npreferring a life of adventure and warfare with two such famous chiefs.\nThey attacked people ashore everywhere, and plundered them, and\nafterwards returned with their booty to their ships; they wintered in\nthe rivers, and defied the power of Rome, and of all the Hersirs in the\nland. When their ships were old, they bought new ones or captured\nothers. They had at last become tired of Western countries, had returned\nto the Norseland, and had been outlawed by all the Things, or\nassemblies, of the people of every realm.\n\nHaki had with him twelve champions, among whom were Starkad the old, and\nUlf the valiant. All his men were berserks, who were often seized by the\nberserk fury. Starkad and Ulf were old men, who had been through many a\nbloody fight, and had served under Haki\u2019s father, who had never himself\nslept under a roof. They all had taken an oath at a great sacrifice that\nthey would never die in a bed; neither would they ever throw themselves\nfrom a rock in order to go to Odin and Valhalla, but that they would all\ndie by weapons in battle. Haki himself was one of the greatest of\nchampions, and so agile as well as powerful, that he was a most\ndangerous enemy to deal with.\n\nOne day Haki went with his host against Thorkel, a great Hersir, without\nwarning, for he ruthlessly disregarded the laws of war, so that Thorkel\nhad hardly time to collect his warriors. The latter had also twelve\nchampions, among whom were the brothers Svidpad and Geigad, both\nfar-famed in the North. A fierce battle took place, and Valhalla was\ndestined to receive many men that day. When the battle was at its\nheight, Svidpad and Geigad made a furious assault on Haki\u2019s men, and\nmany of them never saw the light again. All of Haki\u2019s champions were\nbadly wounded, and could fight no more, being too weak on account of\nloss of blood. Then he went forward and broke the shield-burg of Thorkel\nand slew him, as well as his standard-bearer, and also Svidpad and\nGeigad. He conquered the land and took possession of it, and became the\nruler of the herad of Thorkel. He stayed at home during the winter, and\nruled the land he had conquered, after which his champions sailed away\nto southern lands, on Viking expeditions, and earned much wealth for\nthemselves.\n\nAmong other great Vikings who never slept under a roof or drank by the\nfire-side, and who disturbed the land and had been outlawed, were the\nbrothers Eirick and Jorund. After a great battle in which they had slain\nthe Hersir of Gautaland, they thought themselves far greater men than\nbefore, and wished to try their strength against Haki and Hagbard, and\navenge the disgrace put upon Thorkel, their kinsman; so, when they heard\nthat Haki had allowed his champions to go away, they collected a large\nhost. When it was known that they had come to reconquer the land for\ntheir kinsmen, the people from all the country round flocked to their\nstandards in large numbers, and a great host marched against Haki. A\nmighty battle soon took place. For a long time victory was undecided,\nchampion fighting against champion. Finally, Haki rushed forward, and\nfought with such irresistible force, that he slew all near him, among\nthem Eirick, and cut down the standard-bearers of the brothers,\nwhereupon Jorund fled to his ships with his men.\n\nBut Haki had received such severe wounds that he foresaw that his\nremaining days would be few. He had made ready a vessel which he prized\nvery highly on account of its swiftness, beauty, and war power. He had\nit loaded with the bodies of high-born warriors that had fallen in\nbattle, together with their weapons, and had a large pyre of tarred wood\nmade on the ship. Then he bade his followers farewell, and told them\nthat he was going to Odin, and ordered men to carry him, in full war\ndress, with chain-armor, helmet, sword, and shield, on board of his\nship. Then he bade them to build a large pyre near the prow, and to lay\nhim upon it.\n\nAfter they had done so, he had the rudder adjusted and the sail hoisted\nand set, and much gold and many weapons placed on board. Then the tarred\nwood was kindled. The wind blew from the shore seaward; the burning ship\nsailed away, and the warriors bade Haki and his men a happy journey to\nValhalla. Farther and farther the funeral pyre of Haki and his men went\non its way. The flames rose higher and higher towards the sky; the sail\nburned, and at last the mast, looking like a tower of fire, fell upon\nthe deck. The people believed that the higher the flames rose, the\ngreater would be the welcome in Valhalla. Then the lurid glare of the\nflames became less and less brilliant, and, on a sudden, the ship went\ndown into the deep. But Haki and his warriors had sailed to Valhalla,\nand the people said that this great deed of Haki would live forever in\nthe memory of man, and would be sung by the scalds to the end of time.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nDuring this time, Ivar and his foster-brothers had gathered a large host\nand made his vessels ready, for he intended to make war on the Viking\nraiders who infested the sea and brought trouble and insecurity upon the\nland. As they were being launched, Hjalmar\u2019s ship struck one man as it\ncame down the rollers, and killed him. This accident happened once in a\ngreat while at the launching of ships\u2014an operation that was always\nattended with danger, the more so if it were not carefully done. Such an\naccident was called \u201croller-reddening,\u201d and was considered a very bad\nomen, therefore the intended expedition was abandoned. Ivar and his\nfoster-brothers thought that some faithless family spirits wished them\nevil, and had abandoned their watch over them.\n\nThe next day, when Ivar and Hjalmar were walking together, Ivar thought\nhe saw a pet goat of his, which had been always in the habit of coming\ninto the courtyard. No one was allowed to drive him away. Suddenly he\nsaid: \u201cThis is strange!\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat dost thou see that seems strange to thee?\u201d asked Hjalmar.\n\n\u201cIt seems to me,\u201d Ivar answered, \u201cthat the goat which lies in this\nhollow place is covered with blood.\u201d\n\nHjalmar, astonished, answered him that there was no goat there, nor\nanything else.\n\n\u201cWhat is it, then?\u201d inquired Ivar.\n\n\u201cI am afraid,\u201d Hjalmar returned, \u201cthat thou must be a death-fated man,\nand that thou hast seen the spirit that follows and protects thee,\nwarning thee of danger; and if not thyself, some of thy kinsmen may,\nperhaps, be fated to die. Guard thyself well, foster-brother. I will\nalso watch carefully over thee, so will Sigurd and Sigmund.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat will not serve,\u201d cried Ivar, \u201cif death is fated to me, for no man\ncan change his fate; but I will fall bravely.\u201d\n\nThese two successive omens made a deep impression upon Ivar; the ships\nwere dragged ashore, and put under the sheds, and it was announced that\nno expeditions were to take place that year.\n\nThen Ivar made a special sacrifice to Frey, for he loved Frey more than\nall the other gods, and often sacrificed to him, and that day he offered\nup four black oxen, and two of his most valuable horses. The following\nday, Hjalmar said to Ivar: \u201cLet us find out the decrees that fate has in\nstore for us, for I do not like the \u2018roller-reddening\u2019 that has taken\nplace at the launching of our ships, or the vision of the bloody goat.\nLet us consult the oracles, as well as sacrifice to Frey. I still fear\nsome impending misfortune is going to happen to some of us, and that\nsome great sorrow will overtake us. Let us make ready and beware of\ntreachery. Perhaps we may meet a witch full of evil on the way; then it\nis better to walk on than to lodge in her house, though the night may be\nstormy. Often wicked women sit near the road, who blunt both swords and\nsense. Let us never go out of doors without our weapons, for it is hard\nto know, when out on the roads, if a man may need his spear. The sons of\nmen need eyes of foresight.\u201d\n\nThey made, therefore, another sacrifice, and dipped the sacrificial\nchips into the blood of the sacrificed animal, that was kept in the\nsacred copper bowl which stood on the altar of the temple. The\nsacrificing chips were thrown into the air, and the answer was that Ivar\nwould not die, but must remain at home that year, and that a kinsman\nvery dear to him would be killed in battle. So Ivar stayed quietly at\nhome.\n\nThe following summer Ivar made the Elidi ready and sailed for Norway;\nbut on the voyage, while in the Cattegat, he was obliged to stay on an\nisland on account of head winds. There they threw the sacrificial chips\nagain to get fair winds, and, as they fell, they indicated that Odin was\nto receive one man out of their host before a fair wind would come. They\nthen sailed toward the coast and cast anchor, and there they landed. Not\nfar from their place of landing was a great sacrificing ring, in the\nmidst of which lay a huge stone, or altar. The people were in the habit\nof coming there from the surrounding country to make human sacrifice and\nto break the backs of men given to Odin on that altar. Agnar was the\nname of the man whom the oracles, speaking through the sacrificial\nchips, had designated, and upon the altar his back was broken, and he\nwas given to Odin, and they reddened the altar with his blood. After\nthis the men returned to their ships and sailed away with a fair wind.\nThis sacrificing ring where Agnar was given to Odin is seen to this day\nnear Blomholm in the province of Bohuslan, where a large ring composed\nof eleven stones is still standing, with a sacrificial boulder in the\ncentre.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XV\n\n                     DEATH AND BURNING OF HJORVARD\n\n\nTHE warning of so many bad omens proved to be true. During a terrific\nsea-battle, in which many ships were engaged, between Hjorvard and\nStarkad, a powerful Hersir with whom he had long had a feud on account\nof a disputed inheritance, Hjorvard received his death-wound. During\nthis fierce conflict, weapons buried themselves in bloody wounds, and\nsank deep into men\u2019s bodies; rivers of blood gushed out on the armor;\nthe whirlwinds of the Valkyrias, as the poetical Norsemen called\nbattles, were abroad among men; arrows and spears played round the\nshields in the midst of the \u201ctempest of Odin.\u201d Many swords were broken,\nmany shields were rent asunder, many suits of chain-armor were cut to\npieces, and many of the host took their journey to Valhalla.\n\nSuddenly Hjorvard thought he saw during the battle a Valkyria, the\nmighty Skogul, leaning on her spear-shaft, and heard her say: \u201cNow the\nelect of Odin are coming; a great host will enter Valhalla to-day before\nnight.\u201d Then looking up he thought he saw Valkyrias on horseback, in\nfront of Skogul and Gondul, bearing themselves nobly, helmeted, with\nshields, with their hair floating in the air behind their backs, and\nwith spears from which rays of light sprung.\n\nThen Hjorvard exclaimed, \u201cGondul and Skogul, Odin has sent to choose\namong chiefs who of the Ynglingar kin should to him go, and in Valhalla\ndwell.\u201d It seemed to him that the Valkyrias hovered over him. He was\nthen clad with helmet and chain-armor, and standing under his war\nstandard; the oars had dropped, the battle was then raging most\nfiercely, the spears hissed, the arrows quivered, flames of fire came\nfrom the swords. Hjorvard urged the Gotlanders and his champions to the\nfight; the \u201cplay of the Valkyrias\u201d was waxing hotter and hotter.\nHjorvard\u2019s sword cut into the \u201ccloth of Odin,\u201d for such was the name\nwhich Norsemen gave to chain-armor, as if it were water, and reddened\nthe ships with the blood of men.\n\nSuddenly Hjorvard beheld, as in a vision, Skuld the Norn at the head of\nthe Valkyrias, and about to sever the thread of his own life. He was\nright. Odin guided a spear towards him, and Hjorvard received his\ndeath-wound. The following morning he lay on the deck of his ship amidst\nmany dead champions. In his delirium he murmured, \u201cWhy hast thou decided\nthe battle as thou didst, mighty Skogul? We surely deserved victory from\nthe gods.\u201d And Skogul seemed to answer: \u201cWe have caused thee to keep the\nfield, and thy foes to flee. We shall now ride to Valhalla to tell Odin\nthat Hjorvard the Wide-spreading, and his fallen host, are coming;\u201d and\nin his dying ears seemed to sound the voice of Odin saying: \u201cHermod and\nBragi, go forth to meet Hjorvard, the valiant Hersir of Gotland, for he\nis coming this way to the hall; he is bespattered with blood, and has a\nmighty host following him.\u201d And as he dreamed of entering the portals of\nValhalla he heard again the voice of Odin saying: \u201cWelcome, Hjorvard!\nThou shalt have peace with \u2018the chosen,\u2019 and cheer from the Asars; thou\nfighter of men, and wise ruler, who didst take care of the sacrifices\nand temples, thou hast more than many a chief, in many a land, reddened\nthe sword, and carried forward the bloody blade. Twice welcome,\nHjorvard! My maids, the Valkyrias, will carry wine to thee, and wait\nupon thee, and carry ale to those who have come with thee.\u201d\n\nHjorvard awoke partially, however, from his dying swoon, and lived long\nenough to be brought home in his ship; and before expiring he said to\nSigrlin: \u201cWife, let my burning journey be worthy of our kinsmen; let a\nwide and high mound be raised over me; let the mortuary chamber be\nroomy; surround the mound with tents, shields, weapons of all kinds, for\nit is good to have them for every-day fight in Valhalla; let foreign\nlinen, silk, and costly garments, and riding gear go with me. Place me\non the pyre in full war dress, clad with my gold helmet, my costliest\nchain-armor, and gird me with one of my best swords. Let many horses be\nkilled and follow me, also my hawks, so that I may enter Valhalla as it\nbefits a great chief and a Ynglingar; and throw gold and silver on the\npyre, and throw also many weapons, so that the shining golden doors of\nValhalla be not shut against me and my warriors that have fallen. Thus\nour journey will not be poor, for the wealth that we have earned during\nour life and not given away will go with us. Place by me also the sharp\nsword that lay between thee and me before we were wedded, while I\ncourted thee, for thy person was holy, and that sword defended thee and\nguarded thy honor.\u201d\n\nHe had hardly uttered these words when he expired, and, according to\nholy custom, his eyes and mouth were closed and his nostrils pinched,\nhis body and head carefully washed, and his hair combed.\n\nThe people said that Odin himself had steered the ship of Hjorvard\nduring the battle.\n\nIvar was not in the fleet when the fight which caused his father\u2019s death\ntook place, nor was he at home, but two days after his father\u2019s demise\nhe returned to Dampstadir. He had left his ships on the other side of\nthe island on account of contrary winds, and crossed the country on\nhorseback. On his arrival he went immediately to the great hall, as it\nwas his custom when he returned from an expedition, to drink with his\nmen. He little dreamed then of the sad news that awaited him, for no one\non the way had been willing to tell him of his father\u2019s death. He had\nhardly seated himself on the high seat opposite to that of his father,\nwhen his eye caught sight of what he had not noticed at first on his\nentrance. He saw the walls covered with black and gray hangings. This\nhad been done by his mother, for it was the custom upon occasions of\nthis kind and importance to drape the great hall in mourning, and the\nhangings told of the great sorrow and loss which Gotland had sustained.\nBy this Ivar then knew that the death of a great kinsman had taken\nplace, and his face at once betrayed an expression of profound anxiety.\n\nShortly afterwards his mother came in, and seated herself by his side.\nIvar looked intently at her, and after noticing the pallor of her face,\nsaid to her: \u201cThou must have ordered, mother, the hall to be thus\ndraped; tell me for what purpose and for whom are those tokens of\nmourning?\u201d\n\nSigrlin answered: \u201cMy husband, the Hersir of Gotland, is no more.\nHjorvard, thy father, is dead, but fell gloriously in the midst of\nvictory.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe tokens that forebode the death of a kinsman have then proved true,\u201d\nsaid Ivar, with a deep sigh; \u201cthe sacrificial chips foretold this.\u201d Then\nhe added sorrowfully, and with a voice full of emotion: \u201cA death-fated\nman cannot be saved. All is dangerous to the death-fated. A man who is\nnot death-fated cannot receive his death-wound, he will escape in some\nway or other; but every one must die the day he is death-fated. The\ndecrees which the Nornir made the day of my father\u2019s birth had to be\nfulfilled.\u201d\n\nSigrlin was inconsolable at the death of her husband, but she did not\nweep, nor wring her hands, nor wail, as women often do. Very wise men\ncame forward, who tried to console her heavy heart, but they did not\nsucceed, for though unable to weep, her sorrow was great, and her heart\nbroken.\n\nThe high-born brides of powerful chiefs and warriors sat gold-adorned by\nher side, trying to soothe her sorrow; each of them related her woes,\nthe bitterest sorrow she had suffered. The sister of Gjuki said: \u201cNo\nwoman on earth lacks love more than I. I have suffered the loss of two\nhusbands, of three daughters, of eight brothers, and of four sisters,\nand yet I live.\u201d Still Sigrlin could not weep.\n\nThen said Herborg: \u201cI have a harder sorrow to tell. My seven sons and my\nhusband fell among the slain in the southern lands. The brother of \u00c6gir,\nthe Wind, and the nine daughters of Ran, played with my father and\nmother, and with my four brothers on the deep; they were dashed against\nthe gunwale of their ship, and they were killed. I myself had to wash,\nto dress, to handle, and to bury their bodies. All that I suffered in a\nsingle year, and no man gave me help. The same year I became a\nbond-woman. I had to dress and to tie the shoes of a Hersir\u2019s wife every\nmorning. She threatened me because of jealousy, and struck me with hard\nblows; nowhere found I a better housemaster, nor anywhere a worse\nhousewife.\u201d\n\nStill Sigrlin could not weep.\n\nThen Gullrond spoke thus to them: \u201cLittle comfort can you give by\nspeaking as you have done to Sigrlin, wise though you are.\u201d Thereupon\nshe bade them uncover the body of Hjorvard, when she drew the sheet from\nit, and threw it on the ground at the feet of Sigrlin, saying to her:\n\u201cLook on thy beloved husband; put thy mouth to his now silent lips, as\nthou wert wont when thou didst embrace him.\u201d\n\nSigrlin looked at her dead husband, and she saw the wound on his breast,\nthe lips that could not speak, the ears that could not hear, the eyes\nthat could not see, and the hands that could not caress; the cheeks were\npale, and the mind and life had gone. At the sight, she sank down upon\nthe pillow where the dead Hjorvard\u2019s head rested. Flushed were her\ncheeks, and a tear fell upon her tresses, then upon her knees; and from\nthose springs called the eyes, rivers of sorrow flowed copiously, and\nshe was comforted.\n\nFive days after the death of Hjorvard, his funeral, or his burning\njourney to Valhalla, took place, for it was the law of the land that men\nshould be laid under mound not later than the fifth day after their\ndemise. The people believed that Odin had enacted the same laws in the\nnorthern lands as formerly prevailed among the Asar. Thus he ordered\nthat all dead men should be burned, and that on the pyre should be\nplaced their property, promising that with the same amount of wealth\nshould they come to Valhalla as was burned with them; also that they\nshould enjoy what they themselves buried in the ground, and that their\nashes should be thrown into the sea or buried in the earth; that over\ngreat men, mounds should be raised as memorials, and over men that had\nespecially distinguished themselves for manliness, memorial stones\nshould be erected.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nIt had been agreed by Ivar and his kinsmen that Hjorvard\u2019s burning\njourney should be on board a ship, and that the ship should not be sent\nto sea, but burned ashore. A fine Skuta of fifteen benches, beautifully\nornamented, was chosen for the pyre, their powerful war ships never\nbeing used on such occasions. The Skuta was propped to stand up as if it\nwere in the water; the prow looked towards the sea, as if ready to be\nlaunched for an expedition. A large quantity of tarred wood surrounded\nit, and in the prow of the ship the resting place of Hjorvard had been\nerected. When all the preparations were ready, Hjorvard\u2019s body was\ncarried upon the bed on which he lay; he was dressed in full war\ncostume, clad with helmet and chain-armor, with sword by his right side\nand shield on his breast; spears were laid by his left hand, and at his\nfeet lay his golden spurs.\n\nIvar then brought forward his own saddle-horse, magnificently harnessed\nand equipped. Then followed a superb and profusely decorated\nfour-wheeled carriage, with a single seat standing high in the middle,\nand twelve horses; the horses and falcons were slaughtered, and the\ncarriage broken and thrown upon the pyre. Then Ivar, just as the torch\nwas applied, bade Hjorvard his kinsman to sail, ride, or drive to\nValhalla, as he liked best; and all his champions, warriors, and\nmultitudes of people bade him a happy journey, and expressed the hope\nthat he would welcome them there, at the proper time, when the decrees\nof the Nornir should be fulfilled in regard to them. So that his journey\nto Valhalla might be worthy of him, they threw into the pyre many costly\nthings, weapons and quantities of gold and silver. The loose property\nwhich Hjorvard had won or got during his life, and that had remained in\nhis possession, was also thrown into the funeral pile. All the weapons\nthat were to follow him to Valhalla were, according to ancient customs,\nrendered useless. Swords and spear-heads were bent, and their edges\nindented; shafts were broken, shields were rent asunder, and\nshield-bosses cut. Roman and Greek objects were partly destroyed, and\nwith Roman coins were also thrown into the ship. Solemn and grand was\nthe spectacle, and lurid the glare. Gradually the flames became less and\nless high, the noise of the cracking wood became fainter and fainter,\nand finally nothing was seen but the burning embers.\n\nThen the charred bones of Hjorvard were gathered in the midst of solemn\nsilence. The ashes were scattered to the wind and fell into the sea. The\nburned bones were put in a beautiful Roman bronze vessel, and with them\nRoman coins of Diocletian\u2019s time, the spear-point that had caused his\ndeath-wound, also a few draughtsmen belonging to his chess-board, and\ntwo dice. Twelve shield-bosses, with their convex side downward, were\nmade a lid for the vase, and lay over the bones; a bent sword was placed\nover the cinerary urn, which was put in the mortuary chamber that had\nbeen prepared; and a large cairn, which took several days to build, was\nraised over Hjorvard\u2019s remains; and a large memorial stone, with runic\ninscription, put on the top. Thus went to Valhalla Hjorvard, the Hersir\nof Gotland.\n\n\u201cIt is wise,\u201d said Ivar to his foster-brother Hjalmar as they were\nmournfully conversing upon the sad ceremonies of the past few days,\n\u201cthat Odin has ordered that the wealth of a man, his gold and silver and\nhis movable property, should go on his burning journey with him. This\nthought makes him generous during his life, and he gives away lavishly\nthe wealth that he acquires, thus preventing his heart from being\nhardened towards those who are in need. So Hersirs and prominent men\nshould not be miserly. The wealth that is thus given during one\u2019s life\nis given back to them in Valhalla.\u201d\n\nThen after a pause he added musingly: \u201cfoster-brother, I have often\nthought of Helgi, my first cousin, the son of Halfdan, and that if he\nhad lived he would have been the Hersir of Gotland, instead of my\nfather. Then I should not now be ruler over the sacrifices. How strange\nare the decrees of the Nornir!\u201d\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XVI\n\n                        HELGI AND THE VALKYRIAS\n\n\nIVAR had spoken of Helgi because he had often heard his father mention\nhis brother, but he has not been referred to in this narrative before,\nfor he had been dead many years. Halfdan had married Thurid, a beautiful\ndaughter of the Hersir of Zeeland, and loved her passionately. She died\nabout a year after their marriage, in giving birth to a son. Halfdan was\nso grieved at the death of his wife, that he ordered the child who was\nthe cause of such great misfortune to him to be exposed. The infant was\nlaid in a cradle, and a piece of pork was put in his mouth; the cradle\nwas taken to a wood at some distance from Dampstadir, and put near the\nroot of a tree, in such a manner that the infant should be protected\nagainst the wind and the bad weather, and thus die easily. No name had\nbeen fastened upon him, as water had not been poured upon him.\n\nA short time after the child had been exposed, an uncle of Hjorvard was\npassing through the forest. He heard the cries of the little one, and\nfollowing the direction of the noise, he was profoundly touched at the\nsight, and took compassion upon the babe, and brought him up secretly on\nhis estate, his sister taking great care of him, and both loving him\ntenderly.\n\nHalfdan never married again, for his love for Thurid was far too great,\nand in his eyes no woman could equal her. His memory and love for her\nnever faded from his mind to his death, and the last word he uttered was\nher name.\n\nAs the child grew older he became a very handsome boy, but he had not\nthe power of talking, and his uncle mourned that the Nornir had fated\nhim to be dumb, and began to think that perhaps it would have been\nbetter to have left him exposed. But one day, as the boy was seated on a\nmound, he saw afar off gleams of light flashing in the sky, coming\ntoward him, and imagined that he beheld nine Valkyrias riding in the\nair, over the sea, clad with helmet and chain-armor, and with glittering\nspears in their hands. One of them was the foremost, and as she rode\nabove him, she fastened a name upon him and sang: \u201cHelgi shall thy name\nbe; thou wilt rule over great wealth on the plains of Rodalsvellir, in\nfar-off lands.\u201d Immediately Helgi began to speak.\n\nAfter Helgi had grown up, he went on warlike expeditions in foreign\nlands, and never returned to his birthplace and to his kinsmen; but no\none wondered at this, for in those days warriors often conquered far-off\nrealms and settled there, and never came back, or else perished, and no\ntidings of them reached home.\n\nAfter the death of Helgi\u2019s father, men were sent into every land in\nsearch of Helgi, to tell him to come and get his inheritance; but no\ntidings were heard from him, and Hjorvard took the rule over Gotland,\nafter the inheritance feast of Halfdan his brother had taken place.\n\nAs time went on and years passed away, great tidings were told of Helgi\nin the Norseland, and his life began to be sung by the scalds. The\npeople said and believed that the Valkyria that had given him his name\nwas called Bodvild, and that Skuld had given him the power of speech, as\nthe Nornir had only fated him to be speechless during part of his\nboyhood; that Bodvild was the daughter of a Hersir called Hogni, who\nruled over a large realm in southern lands, not far from the Black Sea;\nand that Bodvild at times was a Valkyria, and when tired of that life\ncame among men and became as other women; then again she would disappear\nand be a Valkyria.\n\nThey believed that Bodvild was Svafa re-born. Svafa had been the\ndaughter of one of the great rulers of the North in ancient times, and\nled the life Bodvild was supposed to lead. It was the belief among the\npeople that sometimes the thinking mind of a person came again to dwell\namong men and women; that it was only the body that was unlike.\n\nThe story told of Helgi that had come to Gotland was as follows: Orvar\nwas a powerful ruler who lived at Svaringshaug. He had many sons; among\nthem were Gunnar, Gudmund, Starkad, and Hogni. Hodbrod had gone to an\nappointed meeting of Hersirs, and there he betrothed himself to Bodvild,\nwith the consent of Hogni, her father, but without her knowledge, for\nshe was not at home. It often happened that fathers betrothed their\ndaughters without their consent and knowledge, when these owned no\nentailed lands in their own rights.\n\nWhen Bodvild heard that she had been betrothed by her father without her\nconsent, she grieved deeply, for she loved Helgi, and had made her mind\nto marry him. Then she went with Valkyrias, for she had taken their\nshape, and rode over land and sea in search of Helgi, to tell him the\nsad tidings of her fate. One day Bodvild saw Helgi; he was then at the\nLoga Mountains, and there had fought against the sons of Hunding, a\npowerful Hersir who ruled over a large realm. In that battle he slew\nAlf, Eyjolf, and Hervard; he was very weary of the fight, and sat down\nat a place called Eaglestone. When Bodvild came to him, she threw her\narms round his neck and kissed him, and told him of her errand.\n\nHelgi was \u201cunder helmet,\u201d and was then naturally thinking of war, for he\nhad many foes, but his thoughts turned towards the fair maiden who was\nby his side. She said that she loved him with all her mind, for she had\nheard of his great deeds, and told him how she had been betrothed to\nHodbrod by her father. \u201cBut another chief I wanted to have, and that\nchief is thyself. I fear the anger of my kinsmen, for I have broken the\nmarriage which my father had made his mind for me to have; but Hogni\u2019s\ndaughter wants the love of Helgi, and of no one else.\u201d\n\nHelgi answered: \u201cDo not care for the wrath of thy father, nor the ill\nwill of thy kinsmen. Thou wilt, young maiden, live with me; thy kinsmen\nI do not fear. I will marry thee.\u201d Then she betrothed herself to Helgi,\nand on that account war was declared by Hogni, her father, and by all\nher kinsmen, against Helgi. Hodbrod, who was a widower, joined them with\nhis sons.\n\nHelgi gathered a large fleet and sailed towards Frekastein, the place\nappointed for the battle. They had hardly lost sight of land when a\ngreat tempest arose; it thundered, lightning darted and fell among the\nships; it seemed as if the fleet were to founder in the midst of the\nsea, for the ships had become unmanageable, and the men made\npreparations to meet Ran. \u00c6gir and his brother the Wind were in an ugly\nmood. The daughters of Ran were all round the ships and showered upon\nthem blow after blow.\n\nWhen lo! Helgi thought he saw three times nine Valkyrias riding in the\nair, and hovering over the ships, and said to his men: \u201cBehold the\nmaidens of Odin! How beautiful they are as they look down upon us from\ntheir magnificent coursers!\u201d Among them and foremost was Skuld, the\nyoungest of the Nornir; then came Bodvild, helmet-clad, with her long\nhair flowing in the air, as her steed speeded along. Suddenly the storm\nabated, and Helgi believed that Bodvild had come to shelter him. The\nfleet continued its course, and sailed along the shore and came to\nFrekastein. In the background rose the Loga Mountains.\n\nGudmund, one of the sons of Orvar, and a land-defender whose name was\nEgil had been watching silently the ships of Helgi. Suddenly Gudmund\nshouted: \u201cWho is the chief that steers the ship that has a\ngold-embroidered battle standard hoisted on the prow? Those in the van\nseem not to be peace-like people. The redness of war is thrown upon\nthem; the red shield stands high at the top of the mast.\u201d\n\nEgil the land-defender answered: \u201cHere can Gudmund know Helgi, the hater\nof flight, standing in the midst of the fleet; he holds the birth-land\nof thy kin, the Fj\u00f6rsungs\u2019 heritage which he has taken from them.\u201d\n\nGudmund rode home with the news of war. Then all the sons of Orvar\ngathered together a host. Many great chiefs repaired to their standards;\nthere was Hogni, the father of Bodvild, and his sons Bragi and Dag, and\nalso Hodbrod.\n\nThe hostile hosts met at the appointed field of battle that had been\n\u201chazelled,\u201d or marked out with stakes. A great battle took place; there\nwas immense din of weapons, clashing of swords and of spears, many\nhelmets were rent asunder, many shields were broken, and a great host\ndeparted for Valhalla. Gleams flashed from the Loga Mountains, and\nValkyrias riding helmet covered and mail clad hovered over the\nbattle-field. Their chain-armor was blood-bespattered, and from their\nspears rays of light sprang. It was getting towards the end of the day\nwhen from her horse, Bodvild, the daughter of Hogni, hushed the clatter\nof shields, and immediately a truce took place.\n\nHelgi invited the Valkyrias to come to a feast that night with him; his\nchiefs were to be there, but Bodvild said: \u201cI think we have other work\nto do than to drink with thee to-night; we have to carry the elect to\nValhalla,\u201d and they disappeared.\n\nThe next day the battle continued, and Helgi was victorious. In that\nbattle all the sons of Orvar fell, and all the chiefs except Dag, son of\nHogni, whose life was spared, for loth was Helgi to destroy the life of\nthe brother of Bodvild.\n\nBodvild went about among the slain, and found Hodbrod near death\u2019s door,\nand when she saw him she sang: \u201cBodvild, the daughter of Hogni, will not\nfall into thy arms, Hodbrod, and will never be betrothed to thee or\nmarry thee. Gone is the life of Hodbrod, Adil\u2019s son; the wolves will\ntear to pieces many corpses to-day, and the ravens will have food.\u201d\n\nAfterwards she met Helgi, mortally wounded, who, as he saw her, said:\n\u201cAll is not given to thee, fair maiden, everything is not in thy power;\nthe Nornir have great might over the fates of men. This morning fell at\nFrekastein, Hodbrod, Hogni and all the sons of Orvar, and I was their\nslayer, for I fought one after the other. But, in my turn, I fear I have\nnot long to live.\u201d\n\nAnd in truth, Dag met Helgi at Fjorturland the next day, and thrust his\nspear through him, and Helgi fell there dead. Then Dag rode to the Seva\nMountains and told Bodvild the tidings thus: \u201cLoth I am, sister, to tell\nthee, for very unwilling I am to make thee weep. This morning fell at\nFjorturland, the land he had conquered, the man who stood with his foot\non the neck of many chiefs who had to pay him tribute.\u201d\n\nBodvild was wild with grief when she heard the sorrowful news. Then\nbeside herself with passion, and with eyes flashing fire, she cursed\nDag, her brother, and cried: \u201cBy the clear water of the River Leiptir,\nwhich runs by Fjorturland, and in the sea, the ship shall not move that\ncarries thee, though a fair wind blow. The horse shall not run which is\nto run with thee, though thou hast to escape from thy foes. The sword\nshall not bite which thou drawest, except when it sings about thy own\nhead. If thou wert an outlaw, hiding in the forest, and hadst not food\nunless thou tearedst corpses, then, and not before all these curses be\nfulfilled, will the death of Helgi be avenged.\u201d\n\nTo which Dag answered: \u201cMad art thou, sister, and out of thy mind, as\nthou invokest curses on thy brother. Odin alone causes all strife\nbetween kinsmen.\u201d\n\nThen Dag offered indemnity, or \u201cweregild,\u201d to his sister\u2014a temple and\nlarge estates, half of his lands, and a large amount of gold; but she\nrefused to be indemnified for Helgi\u2019s death. She was short-lived, and\ndied early from grief for her lover; and as Helgi was dead, the rule\nover Gotland had come into the hands of Hjorvard.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XVII\n\n                   THE INHERITANCE FEAST OF HJORVARD\n\n\nAFTER the death of his father, Ivar did not become the Hersir of Gotland\nbefore the Thing, or assembly, of the people had ratified his\nhersirship; for though it was hereditary, no one could rule without the\nconsent of the Thingmen, who could, when occasion became necessary,\ndeprive a man of his dignity and of his hersirship, for the Hersir had\nto obey the laws as well as the humblest man of the land, and the\ngreatest power of the land was the Thing.\n\nBefore assuming the dignity of Hersir, and consequently that of High\nPriest of Gotland, Ivar made a sacrifice before the people, and\naccording to ancient custom, he killed a ram, reddening his hands in its\nblood, and then declared the godship of Hjorvard to be his; after this\nceremony he was to rule over the sacrifices at Dampstadir.\n\nHe remained at home waiting till the \u201carvel,\u201d or inheritance feast, of\nhis father had taken place, for he could not get his inheritance before\nthat time. According to ancient custom, the inheritance feast had to be\nmade during the year in which the person died for whom the inheritance\nfeast was made, and the man who gave it could not occupy the high seat\nof him from whom he inherited until the \u201carvel\u201d was drunk. Hjorvard,\nbeing of Odin\u2019s family and a powerful Hersir, the feast was to be of\ngreat splendor. Ivar and his kinsmen decided that it should take place\nten months after Hjorvard\u2019s burning journey. Ivar sent ships and\nmessengers all over the Viking lands to bid high-born men and kinsmen to\ncome and make the feast with him, and arrange that all possible honor\nshould be paid to Hjorvard, his father.\n\nAccording to ancient laws, the high seat of Hjorvard was to remain\nvacant until the \u201carvel\u201d should take place. When warriors gathered into\nthe hall, the empty high seat of the departed Hersir and great Viking\nchief reminded them of their absent friend, who had so many times drunk\nwith them, and with whom they had gone to war and won victory and\nwealth. In the evenings the scalds, who had been with him in all his\nfights, recited before the assembled guests the great deeds he had\naccomplished, and which they had seen as they looked upon the contending\nfoemen from the shield-burg, or wall of shields, that surrounded them\nand the standards. They told of many fatal combats between champion and\nchampion, or between ship and ship that had grappled each other, and how\nHjorvard had twice, during his life, cleared of warriors the decks of\ntwo ships.\n\nThings followed the even tenor of their way in Dampstadir. Sigrlin\ncontinued to superintend the estate, as she had done in her husband\u2019s\ntime when he was on Viking expeditions. Ivar helped her, and saw that\nthe ships were kept in perfect order and well tarred and painted, and\nthat new ones were built. The slaves, dressed in their white woollen\ncoarse stuff, with short cropped hair, were busy with the different\ntasks assigned to them, and the free servants attended to their work.\n\nIvar himself superintended the cultivation of the lands, for he was a\ngood husbandman, and sometimes was seen forging a sword, or\nsuperintending the construction of a ship. As a pastime, he often played\nchess with the old land defenders of his father, or went hawking, but\nabove all, he loved to sit on Hjorvard\u2019s mound; from there he\ncontemplated the sea. The paths which every ship had made, ploughing its\nway, were unseen, and for this reason one of the figurative names given\nto the sea by the Norsemen was the Unseen Path.\n\nOne day, as Ivar was seated with Hjalmar on the mound of Hjovard, and\nwas in one of his meditative moods, he said: \u201cAfter all, Hjalmar, a man\nis not utterly unhappy, even though he be in ill health; some are happy\nin sons or in daughters, some in kinsmen, some in much wealth, some in\ngood deeds, and some in friends. To his friend a man should be a friend,\nto him and to his friend, but no man should be the friend of his enemy\u2019s\nfriend. If thou hast a friend whom thou trustest well, and if thou wilt\nget good from him, thou must blend thoughts with him, and go often and\nmeet him. Be never the first to forsake the company of thy friends;\nsorrow eats the heart of him who cannot tell all his mind to one. I was\nyoung once, I travelled, and missed my way. When I met another man I\nthought myself wealthy. Man is the delight of man. The fir tree withers\nthat stands on a fenced field; neither bark nor foliage shelters it.\nThus is a man whom no one loves. Why should he live long? Brand is\nkindled from brand, till it is burned out. Fire is kindled from fire. A\nman gets knowledge by talking with man. It is long out of one\u2019s way to\ngo to one you do not like, though he lives near by; but to a good friend\nthere are short paths, though he be far off. I came much too early to\nmany places, and too late to some; the ale was drunk, or it was\nunbrewed. An unwelcome man seldom finds the ale ready.\u201d\n\nThen he added: \u201cA homestead is best, though it be small; for a man is at\nhome there, though he have but two goats and a straw-thatched house. We\ncontemplate many a humble dwelling from here; in many of these happiness\nand joy are to be found\u2014more so, almost always, than in the halls of the\nwealthy. The fire and the sight of the sun are the best things among the\nsons of men; then his good health and a blameless life, if he can keep\nthem.\u201d\n\nIvar had taken great pains that nothing should be wanting to make the\n\u201carvel\u201d of his father more famous than any one that had taken place in\nthe Norseland within the memory of man. He had had two large festive\nhalls built for a great number of guests who were coming. Nothing had\nbeen spared to give wide-spread fame to the arvel, which was to last two\nweeks.\n\nSeveral great Hersirs had sent word to him that they were coming to make\nthe arvel with him, and so arrange that as much honor as possible should\nbe paid to Hjorvard, his father. The Hersirs of Svithjod, Gardariki,\nHolmgard, Fyen, and Zeeland were to be among the guests.\n\nA fortnight before the time that had been decided for the arvel, the\npeople who lived the farthest began to arrive, for they wanted to make\nsure that no contrary winds or other obstacle should cause their\nabsence. The day appointed for the beginning of the feast, every guest\nwas present.\n\nIt was according to ancient custom that when an \u201carvel\u201d was held after\nthe death of Hersirs and high-born men, he who gave it and was to\nreceive the inheritance should sit on the step in front of the high seat\nof the deceased until the horn, called Bragi\u2019s horn, was brought in,\nwhen he had to rise, take the horn, make a vow, and drain it to the\nbottom. After this he was to be led to the high seat of his deceased\nkinsman, and was then the owner of the inheritance.\n\nBefore taking his inheritance, in presence of all the assembled guests,\nIvar seated himself on the steps leading to the high seat of Hjorvard,\nhis father. On the first evening many horns were filled and drunk to the\nmemory of the departed kinsman. The second night the horns to Odin,\nNjord, and Frey were drunk, after which the horn to Bragi was filled,\nand over it vows were made. The scene was very impressive. Vow after vow\nwas sworn by prominent men to accomplish some great deeds that would be\nknown all over the northern lands.\n\nThen Ivar rose and made the vow that, within two years, he would avenge\nthe death of his father, or die in the attempt, closing with \u201cSo help\nme, Odin, Njord, and Frey.\u201d After this oath, his kinsmen led him into\nthe high seat of Hjorvard, his father, and thenceforth he was entitled\nto his father\u2019s inheritance.\n\nAfter the feast was over, Ivar gave costly gifts to all the prominent\nmen who had come to help him by their presence, and minor ones to those\nless prominent who had come with them, and all departed with many\nprotestations of friendship, declaring that it was the greatest\ninheritance feast they had ever seen.\n\nA short time after Ivar had given his inheritance feast, another death\nin the family took place. As he was drinking with his men, a messenger\ncame to him with the news that Ingimund, one of his uncles, living in\nthe eastern part of the island, on the shore of a bay to-day called\nTangvide, had died suddenly in his high seat. The death of Ingimund\ncaused great sorrow among all the people, for he was much beloved, and\nmany went to him for advice, for he had an excellent knowledge of the\nlaws. The sorrow about his death was the greater, because he had not\nthrown himself down from some high cliff, from whence he would have gone\nto Valhalla, as he had never been fated by the Nornir to die on the\nbattle-field and by weapons. He had intended to do so, and had often\nsaid that he did not want to die in bed, for it was the custom for\nwarriors overtaken by old age to die by throwing themselves from cliffs,\nand going to Odin, thus showing that they were not afraid of death.\n\nIvar and many of the people of Dampstadir made ready to go to the\nfuneral of Ingimund. When they reached his home, a large mortuary\nchamber of solid timber was made, and a cairn thrown over it, leaving\nthe entrance to the chamber free.\n\nGreat preparations were made for the journey of Ingimund to Hel, the\nworld of the dead who had not died in arms, or sought Valhalla of\nthemselves. After Ivar\u2019s arrival, the sons of Ingimund came to him and\nsaid: \u201cThou art the head of our kinsmen, and thou knowest that it is the\ncustom from immemorial time when a man does not die by weapons to make\nhim ready for his journey to Hel. We ask of thee to put the Hel-shoes on\nthe feet of our dead father, for, as thou knowest, the ancient faith\nthat has come down to us tells us that such shoes should go to Hel with\nthe man that takes that journey. Therefore we will dress Ingimund\nsplendidly, for when a man dresses well when he goes out of our world,\nand is a long time in dressing, he is said to prepare himself for Hel.\u201d\n\nIvar answered: \u201cI will put and tie the Hel-shoes on Ingimund\u2019s feet, as\nyou ask me.\u201d\n\nThe shoes were put on. After he had tied them, Ivar said: \u201cI know not\nhow to tie Hel-shoes if these are unfastened on the journey to Hel.\u201d\n\nThen he asked the people to see if they were well tied. After looking at\nthem, those that were present said: \u201cWell done, Ivar; these shoes cannot\npossibly be untied, and the journey of Ingimund to Hel will be without\nmishap.\u201d\n\nThe body of Ingimund was dressed superbly. He was clad in his war\napparel: he had on his gold chain-armor, and wore his helmet; his\nornamented shield was laid on his breast, and his sword by his side; his\nrings and bracelets of gold were on his hands and arms, and thus he was\nlaid on a bed in the mortuary chamber. At his feet and at his head were\nput several beautiful Roman and Greek bronze vases; some exquisitely\nbeautiful Grecian cups of glass, ornamented with fine paintings; a\nSamian vase; a Roman sieve of bronze; a pair of tweezers of gold; a fine\nbone-comb, and other objects, among which were several coins of\nDiocletian, who was Roman emperor at the time. Then, as the chamber was\nclosed, all present wished Ingimund a happy journey to Hel; and to this\nday the stranger sees, as he sails along the eastern shores of Gotland,\namong the large cairns that overlook the sea, that of Ingimund.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XVIII\n\n                    IVAR SPURNS STARKAD\u2019S INDEMNITY\n\n\nSTARKAD, who had given the mortal wound to Hjorvard, feared Ivar\u2019s\nenmity, and that of his kinsmen and foster-brothers, and wished to pay\n\u201cweregild,\u201d or indemnity, for his death. He had heard of the vow of\nIvar, and knew that sooner or later he would avenge the death of his\nfather, for there was a saying, that there was a wolf\u2019s mind in a son.\nAccordingly, he sent a man called Nidud, a great warrior, to Dampstadir,\nto offer Ivar indemnity.\n\nWhen Nidud came to the banqueting hall, the men were seated on the\nbenches round the fires, drinking their beloved beer, mead, and ale. On\nhis arrival all became silent, for the warriors knew that great news was\nto be told. Ivar bade Nidud to sit on the second high seat, and it was\nnot long before the silence was interrupted by the rising of Nidud, who,\nin a chilling voice, said: \u201cStarkad has sent me here to thee, Ivar, with\ncostly presents, and I have ridden through the length of Gotland to bid\nthee, and also thy foster-brothers, to his hall, and to the benches\nfacing the tables. Come all, with your eagle-beaked helmets, to get\nhonor and large gifts, helmets and shields, swords and saxes,\nchain-armor, horses, and costly garments, gold and silver, and large\nestates. Thou, Ivar, will get indemnity for thy father\u2019s death, and be\nreconciled to Starkad.\u201d\n\nIvar wondered if Starkad had a wolf\u2019s mind, and meant, cunningly and\ntreacherously, to attack him with an overwhelming host if he came with\nbut few men. He answered: \u201cI and my foster-brothers own seven halls full\nof swords; their hilts are of gold, and their scabbards are ornamented\nalso with gold. Our swords and saxes are the sharpest, our \u2018brynjas\u2019 are\nthe whitest and brightest, our arrows are the fleetest, our spears the\nsurest, our horses the best; we have no lack of gold and silver, for our\ntreasures are among the greatest in the northern lands.\u201d\n\nNidud replied: \u201cHere is the message and invitation in writing which\nStarkad sends thee, Ivar. It is written in mystic runes;\u201d and he handed\na stick on which the invitation had been written.\n\nThen Ivar read the message, and turning his head to his foster-brothers\nsaid to them in a low voice: \u201cI shall not accept his invitation and the\nindemnity he offers to me.\u201d\n\n\u201cI wonder at his offer,\u201d replied Hjalmar. \u201cHe has seldom done this\nbefore, for he is of a miserly mind. Let us confer together alone.\u201d So\nIvar told Nidud they would give him an answer the next day; and, bidding\nhis champions to entertain Nidud and his men until he came back, left\nthe hall with his foster-brother.\n\n\u201cI am surprised at the costly things Starkad has sent thee,\u201d said\nSigurd. \u201cBut among them I noticed a ring with a wolf\u2019s hair attached to\nit. I think some one warns thee and us that he has a wolf\u2019s mind towards\nus, and means treachery.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt must be some woman who loves us,\u201d replied Ivar. \u201cWhom do we know\namong women in Starkad\u2019s realm? Let us try and recall.\u201d\n\nAfter a silence which lasted some time, during which the two\nfoster-brothers remained plunged in thought, Hjalmar said: \u201cHerborg the\nLovely must have tied this wolf\u2019s hair there,\u201d pointing to the ring.\n\u201cShe is his sister, and thinks well of us all.\u201d\n\n\u201cI am sure she loves thee, Hjalmar,\u201d said Ivar.\n\n\u201cI think not,\u201d replied his foster-brother; \u201cbut I believe she likes us\nvery much, and has for us the greatest friendship. It is just like a\nwoman\u2014kind-hearted, noble in friendship, and true to the end of life.\u201d\n\nThen they looked carefully at the \u201ckelfi,\u201d or stick, upon which runic\nmessages were carved or written, when suddenly they discovered that some\nof the letters had been changed with a great deal of skill. Then they\ninspected most minutely every letter, and found that with the invitation\nthere was also a warning for Ivar not to come, or if he came, to bring\nmany warriors and champions with him.\n\nIn the meantime, Nidud, and the men who had come with him, and the\nchampions of Ivar drank merrily, Nidud praising highly the gifts the\nchampions were to receive when they came to visit Starkad.\n\nSigrlin was not long in hearing of the invitation of Starkad, and the\nfollowing morning she came to Ivar just as he was making ready to go to\nthe banqueting hall, and said to him: \u201cIvar, I had a dream last night\nwhich I am going to tell thee. It is a warning of the gods, and thou\nmust not go.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat was the dream, mother?\u201d Ivar inquired.\n\n\u201cIt seemed to me thy sheets burned in fire, and that a mighty flame\nburst through thy house.\u201d\n\n\u201cHere lie linen clothes, for which thou carest little; they will soon\nburn,\u201d answered Ivar. \u201cThis is where thou didst see sheets burning.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d Sigrlin continued, \u201cI thought a white bear had come in here. He\nbroke through the walls; he shook his paws so that we were frightened;\nhe caught many of us in his grasp, so that we were helpless, and there\nwas a great struggle amongst us to be free from him.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cis a storm that will arise, and soon become violent,\nand thy white bear will prove a rain-storm from the east.\u201d\n\n\u201cI thought an eagle flew in here,\u201d persisted Sigrlin, \u201cthrough the\nlength of the house; it bespattered us with blood. That forebode, I\nthought, a heavy fight. It was the shape of Starkad.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe kill cattle speedily when we see blood; it often means oxen when we\ndream of eagles,\u201d replied Ivar, reassuringly.\n\n\u201cI fancied I saw a gallows made for thee, and that thou wert going to\nhang thereon. I thought I buried thee alive. I saw also a bloody sword\ndrawn out of thy body; a spear, I thought, had pierced thy side; wolves\nhowled at both its ends. It is sad to tell of such a dream to such a son\nas thou art; but thou art all I have in the world, and I think our own\nDisirs, or family spirits, warn us of danger, Ivar.\u201d\n\n\u201cThey were dogs that ran, instead of wolves; they were barking loudly.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt seemed to me that a river ran through the length of the house,\nroaring in anger, rushing over the benches, bruising the feet of thy\nfoster-brothers; the water spared nothing. This forebode something, I am\nsure. It seemed to me, also, that dead women came hither this night;\nthey bade thee to come quickly to them and their benches. This must\nforebode something. I say again, that I fear that the guardian spirits\nof our family have abandoned thee, and that they are to be faithless to\nus.\u201d\n\n\u201cMother, be not afraid,\u201d returned Ivar, earnestly. \u201cDreams are not\nalways warnings from the gods, though I must say that what thou tellest\nme is strange; but thou knowest well that no one can escape his fate,\nand what the Nornir have decreed must take place.\u201d\n\nThen they separated, and Ivar went to the hall, his mother following him\nsoon afterwards, and found there the messengers waiting for his answer\nto the invitation of Starkad.\n\nThe hall was filled with guests, and the ale was passed round. A hush\nfell upon the throng as Ivar entered, and in the midst of expectant\nattention, anxious looks, and profound silence, he said, with a voice\nloud, but full of emotion: \u201cNidud, and you men who have come with him,\ngo and tell Starkad, your lord, that I have vowed at the arvel of my\nfather, in presence of my kinsmen and kinswomen, and of the high-born of\nthe land, and of the men of great renown who came from Gaul, Britain,\nand the remotest countries where Norsemen have settled, that I would\nwithin two years avenge the death of Hjorvard, my father, or perish in\nthe attempt. Tell him, also, that my foster-brothers and my kinsmen will\navenge his death and mine if I fall. Tell Starkad that there is no\nweregild large enough to indemnify me for the death of my father, and\nthat when he slew him, he slew one of the bravest and most high-minded\nof men. Tell him that the time of revenge is soon coming.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell answered, my son,\u201d shouted Sigrlin at the top of her voice; \u201cthe\nkinsmen of Hjorvard are not all dead yet, and Starkad will find it out.\u201d\n\nThese utterances were received with loud assent on the part of Ivar\u2019s\nfollowers present, and with mortification and chagrin by the messengers\nof Starkad, who immediately took their departure.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XIX\n\n                         THE SLAYING OF STARKAD\n\n\nAFTER the departure of the messengers of Starkad, Ivar summoned a Thing,\nat which it was resolved that war should be declared against Starkad the\nfollowing spring. Then Ivar sent word of his intention far and wide, to\nall his kinsmen, and called on all his tributary chiefs to be ready to\njoin him in the expedition. The war arrows were forwarded by messengers,\nwho carried them on fully-manned ships, by night and by day, or on the\nhigh roads. The law was, that if a man neglected to carry the arrow he\nbecame an outlaw; if the messenger came to where a woman lived alone,\nshe was bound to procure ships, food, and men, if she could, if not the\narrow was to be carried onward; if a man remained seated quietly after\nhe had received the arrow, and paid no attention to it, he was outlawed.\n\nMessengers, who were the highest-born men of the land, were sent to\nStarkad to tell him that Ivar and a large host would advance against him\nthe following spring, and to choose, as he was the challenged man,\naccording to ancient custom, the battle-field where the conflict should\ntake place, and to \u201cenhazel,\u201d or stake out with hazel poles, the field.\n\nStarkad sent word back that he had chosen a battle-field near his burg,\nwhich was in the southern part of the peninsula of Jutland. Then Starkad\nhimself sent out the war arrow, and summoned men from all his realm, and\nall the chiefs who paid him tribute. Every male from fifteen years of\nage was under obligation to come, and every horse three years old was to\nbe drafted.\n\nOn both sides the time was thenceforward employed in making\npreparations, and in the spring Ivar set sail with a very large fleet\nfor the place appointed as the field of battle. On the day of his\ndeparture from Dampstadir he said: \u201cThe dark ravens have awakened early\nthis morning; thus of yore screamed the hawks of Gun the Valkyria before\nchiefs were death-fated; then the birds of Odin, Hugin and Munin, came\nto tell him of the fray, so that he should make Valhalla ready.\u201d\n\nMany champions came to join the standards of Starkad. Among the foremost\nwas Atli the Valiant, who had come with a great host\u2014Svein, Gnepi the\nOld, Gard, Brand, Teit, Hjalti, Storkud. In his body-guard were the\nchampions Borgar, Barri and Toki. Ubi the Frisian was one of the\nforemost and most renowned of warriors, and many others who were\ndestined to perform great deeds of valor on the battle-field came also.\n\nThe Hersirs who had also come with a great host were Tryggvy and Alrek,\nboth very skilled with their swords, and Stein, and Styr the Strong.\n\nAmong the Amazons who had come to Starkad were Heid and Visma, each of\nwhom had come with a numerous host. Visma carried the standard of\nStarkad. With her were the champions Kari and Milva. Many Vends, a\npeople living on the southeastern shores of the Baltic, were in her\nfollowing. They were easily recognized, for they had long swords and\nelongated, narrow shields. She herself was a superb woman of twenty-five\nsummers, with long, fair hair floating from under her golden helmet,\nreaching far below her waist, and resting on the back of her horse. Her\nsword was of the best and sharpest. She had accustomed herself from her\nchildhood so well to the use of shield and sword and chain-armor, that\nshe was one of the foremost in horsemanship and in the handling of\nweapons, and the champions who could successfully compete with her were\nvery few. She always rode a magnificent white charger.\n\nHeid had also come with many renowned champions. She was twenty-eight\nyears old, above medium height, full chested, her limbs of splendid\nproportions. Her hair was of the color of ripened wheat, and glossy,\nand, like Visma\u2019s, fell far below her waist. She rode a superb black\nsteed, and when under helmet and chain-armor, and with shield and sword,\nwas the perfect ideal of a shield-maiden.\n\nMany great chiefs had joined Ivar\u2019s standard. He had gathered men from\nmany realms\u2014from all over Svithjod, Gotland, from the shores of the\nCattegat, from Gautaland, from many herads of the present Norway, and\neven men of Norse ancestry from Britain and Gaul.\n\nOf the foremost champions of Ivar were Hersir Ali the Brave, and Storkud\nthe Old, who had travelled far and wide, and had fought under many\nHersirs during their lives; Rognvald the Tall; Ragnar, who was the\ngreatest of all his champions, and who was always foremost at the point\nof the wedge; Thrond and Thorir; Helgi the White; Half; Erling the\nSnake-eyed; Holmstein, and Einar.\n\nThe great champions of Svithjod were Aki, Eyvind and Egil.\n\nThe Hersirs who had come with hosts of their own were Hrani, Svein the\nReaper, Soknarsoti, Hrolf the Woman-loving, Dag the Stout, Gerdar the\nGlad, Glum the Fearless, Saxi the Plunderer, and many other champions\nwho were eager to show their prowess.\n\nAmong the shield-maidens, or Amazons, was Vejborg. A great host and many\nchiefs and champions followed her. Vejborg was the personification of a\nfury; she was extremely beautiful, had an exquisite figure, light blue\neyes, flaxen hair. Her eyes when under the excitement of battle seemed\nto throw fire, and she looked superb under helmet and chain-armor. Her\nhorse was of a dark chestnut color.\n\nGreat, indeed, was the assemblage of warriors on both sides. On the side\nof Ivar were thirty-three \u201cFylkings,\u201d or legions, and five thousand men\nwere in each Fylking.\n\nOn the side of Starkad were twenty-six Fylkings, with a less number of\nmen than Ivar had in each Fylking.\n\nWhen they had reached the neighborhood of the chosen battle-field, they\npitched their war tents and slept during the night.\n\nThe host of Starkad lay likewise in their tents, not far off, while\nStarkad went alone to consult his mother, who was a woman of great\nexperience and wisdom. He told her that there would be not less than two\nto one against him.\n\nShe replied: \u201cI would have reared thee in my wool chest if I had been\ncertain that thou wouldst live forever. Better is it to die with honor\nthan to live in shame. Take this standard, which I have made with my\nbest skill, and which I believe will be victorious for those before whom\nit is carried.\u201d\n\nThe standard, covered with exquisite handiwork, was in the shape of a\nraven, and when the wind blew on it, it seemed as if the raven spread\nhis wings. Starkad became very angry at his mother\u2019s words, and left her\nand did not take her standard.\n\nThe belligerents arranged their hosts in battle array, and much thought\nand skill were required. Part of the host on each side was arranged in\nwedge shape.\n\nBruni was considered very wise, and arranged the host of Starkad. On the\napex of the wedge, or array, he put the shield-maiden Heid with her\nstandard. With her were one hundred champions who were all berserks.\nThey formed the shield-burg; among these were the scalds Eivind and\nAmund. On one of the other points of the wedge he put Visma with her\nstandard and powerful following; on the other wing was Toki. The\nstandards were carried in front of him. There were many great champions\nwith him; among them were Alfar and Alfarin, sons of Gandalf the Hersir,\nwho had been in the body-guard of Starkad\u2019s father.\n\nHerlief was considered the wisest in the host of Ivar, and Ivar bade him\narrange his host in battle order, and to assign to each man the standard\nunder which he was to fight.\n\nAt the apex of the wedge he placed the shield-maiden Vejborg with one\nhundred berserks, who guarded her standard and formed the shield-burg,\nand among these were the most valiant men of the land.\n\nIn front of the standards of the host of Ivar stood Adils the Gay, from\nUpsalir; he was not in the Fylkings. With him were the champions\nSigvaldi, who had come with eleven ships; Tryggvy and Tvividil, each of\nwhom had come with twelve dragon-ships; L\u0153sir, who had only one skeid, a\nmost beautiful and formidable craft, entirely manned by berserks; Eirik,\nfrom Helsing, who had come with a large dragon-ship, manned also by\nberserks. Besides these great champions, there were others of equal\nvalor. Among them were Thorkel the Stubborn, Thorlief the Overbearing,\nHadd the Hard.\n\nWhen all the preparations for the conflict were ready, Ivar sent Herlief\nto see how Starkad had drawn up his host, and how many men he had, and\nto stake the battle-field with him. Herlief reported that Starkad also\nhad drawn up most of his men in wedge shape.\n\nStarkad, in his turn, sent Bruni to see how Ivar had arranged his men.\n\nWhen the hosts were ready for battle, Visma said to her champions: \u201cMake\nyour weapons ready, and thou, Eivind, ride to the host of Ivar the\nGotlander, and challenge him to battle.\u201d\n\nEivind did so, and, according to the custom, sent an arrow over the\nhost, and shouted to them: \u201cOdin owns you all.\u201d\n\nThen Ivar sent Alrek towards the host of Starkad, and he threw a spear\ninto the host, and shouted also: \u201cOdin owns you all.\u201d\n\nBoth sides had the war-horn sounded and the red shields raised, and gave\ntheir war-cries. Then Ivar said: \u201cIf Odin does not want to grant me\nvictory, as he has always done before, may he let me fall in the battle\nwith all my host, and all the men who fall on this battle-field I give\nto Odin.\u201d\n\nThe arrays met, and the battle from the first raged fiercely. Soon the\nchampion Ubi the Frisian advanced in front of the host of Ivar, and\nattacked the apex of the array of Vejborg, and first of all the champion\nRognvald. The single combat ended by Rognvald\u2019s fall, and then Ubi\nrushed at Tryggvy and gave him his death-wound. When the sons of Alrek\nsaw Ubi\u2019s furious rush into the host, they sought him out, but he slew\nthem both, and then every one retreated before him.\n\nMeantime Hjalti, a champion of Starkad, attacked Ivar, and the contest\nlasted long, but finally Ivar with a blow of his sword gave him his\ndeath-wound. Then the champion Gnepi the Old met Ivar, and they fiercely\nattacked each other; but at last Gnepi too fell, pierced with many\nwounds, but displaying great courage to the end.\n\nThen Ivar seeing the havoc made by Ubi, and fearful that his host would\nbecome demoralized by such an onslaught, said to Sigmund, his\nfoster-brother, \u201cThou hadst better ride to Vejborg and tell her how\nmatters stand.\u201d Vejborg, when apprised of the great danger that menaced\nIvar, made a terrible onset on Starkad\u2019s host. First she attacked the\nchampion Barri, dealing him blow after blow, and so quickly that he\ncould only protect himself with his shield, and this only for a time,\nfor one of her lightning strokes soon cleft his shield, and giving him a\nwound that disabled him, she left him. Then Styr the Strong met her.\nThey attacked each other with great fierceness, but the throng of\nwarriors was so great that they were separated against their will.\nFinally, after slaying Toki and several other champions whose hard fate\nplaced them in her path, and after exhibiting the greatest valor, she\nfell herself under the sword of the champion Hjalti. After her fall,\ngreat events happened in a short time, first one array, then another,\ngetting the upper hand. Hundreds of men on either side were doomed never\nto return home, and great was the host which was to enter Valhalla.\n\nWhen the evening came, the white shields were raised and the truce\nproclaimed. The combatants went to their tents and dressed their wounds.\n\nEarly the following morning the conflict was renewed. After the battle\nhad raged fiercely for a season, Ivar attacked the apex of the array of\nStarkad. His father\u2019s sword Hrotti shone like fire, and he cut down the\nhost of Starkad like saplings. Neither helmet, chain-armor, nor shield\ncould withstand his blows. He went through the host with his\nfoster-brothers, and slew all those who were in his way. The\nshield-maiden Heid, seeing the appalling death of men in the array of\nStarkad, rushed towards Ivar. Many men engaged in single combat stopped\nby common accord to see the conflict. Her fiery steed, white with froth,\nseemed to enjoy the fray. Heid\u2019s hair was loose and dishevelled, and\nswung to and fro, following the motion of her body; her eyes seemed to\nsend out flashes of fire; lightning seemed to spring from her sword as\nit struck that of Ivar. Never in his life had Ivar been so hard pressed,\nbut finally the pressure of other combatants separated them.\n\nUbi the Frisian advanced before the host of Ivar, and all retraced their\nsteps before him, so deadly were his blows. When the archers recognized\nhim, they said, \u201cWe will not shoot elsewhere, but let us all aim our\narrows at this man for a while, for we will never get the victory until\nhe is dead.\u201d The most skilled archers began to shoot at Ubi, and he fell\nat last, but not before twenty-five arrows had been sent into his body,\nand not before he had slain six champions, severely wounded eleven\nothers, and killed sixteen Sviar and Gotlanders, that stood in front of\nthe ranks.\n\nAfter the death of Ubi, the host of Ivar made a fierce attack on the\nhost of Starkad, and nothing could resist them. When Starkad saw this\ngreat slaughter of his men, he urged his host not to let one man\novercome all, such valiant and proud men as they were. He shouted,\n\u201cWhere is Storkud, who until now has always borne the shield of\nvictory?\u201d\n\nStorkud, who was near, answered: \u201cWe will try to gain a victory; though\nwhere Ivar is, a man may be fully tried.\u201d\n\nHe rushed to the front, towards Ivar; a fierce fight ensued, and Storkud\nfell. Great, indeed, was the slaughter of men.\n\nWhen Heid the shield-maiden saw so many valiant men fall, she rushed\nforward, and however valiant and skilful a man was in the handling of\nhis sword, he was almost sure to meet his death while fighting against\nher.\n\nIvar entreated his men to take her alive, but she would not be taken,\nand fell fighting furiously. As she fell, Ivar sang: \u201cSunk to the ground\nis Heid the shield-maiden. The Sviar have slain her, and with her many\nof her champions. She was more at home in the fight than talking with a\nwooer, or going to the bridal bench with bridesmaids.\u201d\n\nWhen Starkad looked over the wing Heid commanded, and saw how it had\ndiminished, he sang: \u201cMany were we when we drank the mead; now we are\nfewer, when we should be more. I do not see one among my men who can\ncarry a shield and meet Ivar\u2019s host; nevertheless I will carry a shield\nwith what is left of my men, and go and fight the Gotlanders and their\nfollowers.\u201d\n\nThen he advanced towards the host of Ivar, and at last the decisive\nconflict took place. Both sides fought with the greatest fury. The field\nof battle where the swords met appeared like a lurid sheet of fire, and\nafter the most heroic struggle Starkad fell with his standard.\n\nWhen Ivar saw that the standard of Starkad had fallen, he knew that he\nwas dead; he had the horns blown, the peace shield raised, and shouted\nan order that the battle stop. When the host of Starkad became aware\nthat he had been slain, the combat ceased, and Ivar offered truce to\nthem all, which was accepted. Several chiefs became his vassals, and\npromised to pay him tribute every year, and send men to his standards\nwhen needed, Ivar putting his foot on their necks as a sign that he had\nbecome their ruler.\n\nAfter the battle a search was made for Starkad, and his body was found\nunder a heap of slain. He was buried with his sword Tyrfing, and a mound\nwas raised over him.\n\nIvar took the ships belonging to Starkad, had them dragged ashore, and\nbuilt on their decks great pyres. Upon these he placed the bodies of his\nchampions that had fallen, and he and those who were present threw into\nthe burning flames gold and silver and costly weapons to do them honor.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nHervor was the only daughter of Starkad by Helga, daughter of Agnar the\nberserk. When her father fell she was only ten years old. When Helga\ngave birth to Hervor, most people thought she ought to be exposed, and\nsaid that she would not have the character of a woman if she was like\nthe kinsmen of her father, who all had been men of bad repute. She\nconstantly practised riding on horseback, shooting with bows, the\nhandling of swords and shields, and all kinds of athletic games. When\nshe had grown up she became a shield-maiden, and loved to be under\nhelmet and chain-armor far better than being occupied in sewing or\nembroidering. From the age of fifteen she was wont to say that the kin\nof Starkad had not all perished, and she thought to avenge her father\u2019s\ndeath. She was tall and strong, and of fair complexion; her long, silky\nhair was of the color of red gold, and the people said that it was like\nthe hair of Sif, the wife of the god Thor.\n\nWhen Hervor was twenty, she longed to have Tyrfing, the sword of her\nfather, which had been laid in his mound with him. Tyrfing was sharper\nthan any other sword, and when it was drawn from its scabbard, rays of\nlight sprang from its blade; it was a most famous sword, and had been in\nthe possession of the family of Starkad and kept as an heirloom for many\ngenerations.\n\nOne spring Hervor left her home all alone, dressed as a man, and engaged\nherself on board of a Viking ship, whose commander and crew had no other\nhome than their vessel. Afterwards they sailed and plundered in many\nplaces, until at last their leader died, and the men appointed Hervor to\nrule over them.\n\nThey sailed for the place where her father and his fallen warriors had\nbeen buried, and reached it towards evening, and anchored their ship in\na bay, and remained on board that day. After sunset they saw large fires\nmoving to and fro over the mounds, for the island was a great burial\nplace. These fires were will-o\u2019-the-wisps, but the people believed they\nwere supernatural fires. The crew were full of dread, and said that they\nnever would go ashore in the evening.\n\nThe following day, late in the afternoon, Hervor landed. At sunset the\ncrew thought they heard hollow noises on the island. After a diligent\nsearch, Hervor recognized the mound of her father, for it stood high\namong others, also from the inscription on the memorial stone. As she\ncame near it, she sang: \u201cAwake, Starkad! Hervor, thy daughter, wants to\nrouse thee. Yield to me the sharp sword Tyrfing, which the Dvergar\nforged in the days of yore for Vikar, thy kinsman.\u201d Then she said in a\nlouder voice: \u201cEinar, Hrani, Hervard, and all warriors that were slain\nwith my father, I awaken you all from beneath the mounds under which you\nrest\u2014you who are clad in helmet and chain-armor, and with shields, sharp\nswords, and reddened spears. Much have you increased the mould under\nwhich you lie. I call you all to let me have the sharp sword Tyrfing.\u201d\n\nThen she opened the mound of her father, and, entering the mortuary\nchamber, she took Tyrfing, and sailed home. After this her sole object\nin life was to avenge the death of Starkad. The following year she\nassembled a great host, and made war against Ivar, but perished in the\nbattle, after performing prodigies of prowess and valor.\n\nShortly after the events just spoken of, Ivar and all the high-born men\nof Gotland received from Yngvi, the Hersir of Svithjod, an invitation to\nattend and participate in the great athletic games, \u201cidrottir,\u201d that\nwere to take place the following spring for the championship of the\nNorselands; for, like the Spartans, the Norsemen thought highly of all\ngames and exercises that give strength and suppleness to the body.\n\nIvar sent back word by the messengers that he was coming, and that he\nand the Gotlanders would compete in the different games with those who\nstrove for the championship, also to try to wrest it from those who held\nit. Then he sent word all over the island, instructing his people to\npractise the games with great zeal and energy.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                               CHAPTER XX\n\n                        THE SESSION OF THE THING\n\n\nAFTER the departure of the messengers of the Hersir of Svithjod, as was\nusual at that time of the year, a great Thing, or assembly of the\npeople, took place. As the date drew near, Ivar sent the Thing arrow to\nall the Thingmen over the island, to call them to the Thing place to\npunish those who had violated the laws, and to settle other matters and\ncontroversies.\n\nAccordingly the Thingmen journeyed to Dampstadir, either on horseback or\nin ships, each Hauld or Bondi taking with him a large retinue of\nfollowers, according to his wealth and rank. The person of every\nThingman was holy. If any one attempted to disturb them on their way to\nor from the Thing, he was declared an outlaw.\n\nThe multitude came without their weapons, for on the Thing plain perfect\npeace must reign, and any one breaking it by insults or otherwise was\naccounted without the pale of the law. It was the same as if he had\nviolated the temple peace. He was regarded as a wolf in the sanctuary,\nan outlaw, or \u201cnithing,\u201d in all holy or inhabited places, until he had\nmade reparation for his crime.\n\nThe Thing plain where the people met was not far from the temple, and\nwas so holy that it could not be sullied by bloodshed arising from\nblood-feud or any impurity. The Thing, from the time it was opened until\nit was dissolved, was under the protection of the gods.\n\nIn the centre of the Thing plain was the court, a large circle which was\nsurrounded by hazel poles supporting ropes. These ropes were called\n\u201cvebonds,\u201d or sacred bands. Inside the circle sat those who were to\njudge the case brought before the Thing. No judge when once within these\nholy precincts was allowed to leave, neither could an outsider enter\nthem.\n\nBefore the opening of the Thing, according to ancient custom, Ivar\nsacrificed a large bull in the temple, in the presence of the people,\nand filled the sacred bowl that stood on the altar with its blood.\nAfterwards he took the oath ring which stood upon the altar, and over\nwhich men were to take their oaths, and dipped and reddened it with the\nconsecrated blood, and then put it on his arm; and then he, with the\nHersirs and Thingmen, made their way to the Thing plain, and took their\nplaces in the court, which stood upon an eminence, from which all who\nwere assembled could see them and all that took place within the sacred\nprecincts.\n\nIvar then made known the boundaries of the Thing, reciting in a loud\nvoice the following formulary: \u201cWith laws shall our land be built, and\nnot be laid waste by lawlessness; but he who will not allow others the\nbenefit of the laws shall not enjoy them himself.\u201d\n\nA murmur of assent greeted the last words of the sentence, for the\nNorsemen were, above all, a law-abiding people. And as obligatory, he\nrecited the declaration of peace by first saying, \u201cI establish peace\namong all men here.\u201d\n\nThen every Thingman that was to judge, or any man who had to perform\nlegal duties, took an oath upon the ring, and said: \u201cI call those\npresent to witness that I take oath on the ring, according to law, to\ndefend or prosecute this case; and give the evidence, verdict, or\njudgment which I know to be the most true and right and lawful; so help\nme Frey, Njord, and Odin.\u201d\n\nThe first case brought before the Thing was that of a Hauld who had\nwounded a man in a fit of anger.\n\n\u201cThou knowest well,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cthat the higher a man is in station,\nthe greater is the indemnity to be paid by him for breaking the law; he\nwho is of high birth ought to set the example. The judgment of the court\nis, that thou shalt pay for the wound thou hast inflicted six rings of\ngold, each ring weighing twelve aurar, which is six times the amount a\nfreeman should pay for the same offence, or half more than a Bondi.\u201d\n\nA man was next brought up for stealing while on a trading voyage. This\nclass of thieves were called \u201cgauntlet-thieves.\u201d All the crew of the\nvessel was present. \u201cThou knowest the law,\u201d said Ivar. \u201cIt is, that thy\nhead shall be shaved and tarred, and eider-down or feathers put upon it.\nThen the crew shall make a road for thee and stand on both sides, and\nthou shalt run to the woods if thou canst. Every one shall throw a stick\nor a stone after thee, and whoever does not throw shall pay a fine of\nnine ortugar.\u201d\n\nThe thief was tarred and feathered; a road was made for him between the\nsailors; he ran as fast as he could, but he had hardly reached the end\nof the road that had been made for him when he fell exhausted, badly\nwounded.\n\nA Bondi came before the court, and declared that he had killed two\nrobbers who tried to defend themselves. \u201cWell hast thou done, for these\nmen were unholy, and thou hast no indemnity to pay for their lives,\u201d was\nthe verdict.\n\nThen a man was brought up who had committed burglary and had been caught\nwith arms upon him. \u201cThou knowest the laws,\u201d said Ivar again; \u201cthou art\nan outlaw and shalt die. Men like thyself the land does not want.\u201d\n\nA case was next brought up in which a man was supposed to have committed\nmurder. One of the champions of Hjorvard, named Asgrim, had been slain,\nand the people who were there were unable to tell who was the slayer;\nbut it was suspected that a man by the name of Asmund had done the deed,\nthough he denied the accusation vehemently. It had been decided at a\npreceding Thing, by the kinsmen of Asgrim, that Asmund should take an\noath at the following autumn Thing, which was the one now taking place.\n\nThen Ivar took from his arm the oath ring, and, in presence of the\nThingmen and of the multitude, Asmund named two witnesses, as was\nrequired by law, saying: \u201cI choose Thorvald and Olaf as witness that I\ntake an oath upon the temple ring that I did not redden point and edge\nof any sword where Asgrim was slain. I know this oath to be most true,\nso help me Odin, Frey, and Njord.\u201d\n\nA man was brought up that had been caught stealing food; he proved that\nhe had stolen to sustain life, and that he had gone to several\nhouseholds to try to get work, but could not get it. Witnesses came\nforward to testify that he had come to their houses in search of work,\nbut they had none to give him. \u201cGo thy way,\u201d said Ivar; \u201cfor though the\nlaw is that no man shall steal from another, nevertheless it also\ndeclares that the man who gets no work to live by, and steals food to\nsave his life, shall not be punished.\u201d\n\nOne man was brought before the Thing who had been caught stealing for\nthe third time. \u201cThou art irredeemable,\u201d said Ivar. \u201cThieving is born in\nthee, and the law of the land is that a man caught three times stealing\nmust be hanged; for thou art a born thief, and must pay the penalty of\nthe law; for the land cannot be burdened with men like thee.\u201d\n\nOn the fourth day a very important case regarding an inheritance came\nbefore the court. There was a bitter feeling between the parties. Angry\nwords followed each other; the litigants in the heat of passion lost\ntheir heads, and, to the utter astonishment of every one, had weapons\nhidden under their cloaks, and suddenly the Thing ground was covered\nwith blood. A great uproar arose; the multitude was horror-stricken;\nsuch a thing had never happened before at Dampstadir. The men who had\ncommitted this great offence were outlawed, and had to flee for their\nlives.\n\nIvar declared that the plain was desecrated by the blood of hate, and\nconsequently no holier than any other ground, and that no Thing could\never take place there again.\n\nThen Ivar with the Thingmen chose another Thing field, after which they\nmade preparations to sail for Upsalir.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXI\n\n                         IVAR\u2019S VISIT TO YNGVI\n\n\nSIGRLIN was extremely desirous that Ivar should appear at the games and\nbefore the daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod as befitted his rank and\nwealth. For several months she had been preparing his outfit. Ivar\nhimself wanted to have his best apparel and weapons, for men who went to\nthe games or to the Thing wore their finest garments and arms. When\neverything was ready, and before they were packed, his mother called him\nand asked him to look at his outfit.\n\nFirst she showed him the cloaks, or rather mantles; these were made of\nwoven stuffs that had come from the Caspian, and were very costly. They\nwere worn over the shoulders, and only by men of high birth; they were\nsimilar in shape to the _paludamentum_, or military cloak of the Romans,\nor the _chlamys_ of the Greeks; they were a mark of dignity and honor,\nand were fastened with most costly brooches. They were of variegated\nhues\u2014green, red, blue, scarlet, and purple\u2014and bordered with a wide\nbraid of different colors, or with a kind of lace; these mantles were\nthe handsomest and most costly part of Ivar\u2019s outfit. The Norsemen took\ngreat pride in them. There were also rain and dust cloaks.\n\nThe silk and linen underwear, such as vests, undershirts, drawers; silk,\nlinen, and woollen shirts, were like ours, but without collars attached\nto them. Those of wool were of varied patterns and colors. Kirtles were\nalso plentiful; they were longer than the shirts, were of silk, linen,\nand wool. These were put over the shirts, and worn next to the\nchain-armor, and extended somewhat below it. There were also many pairs\nof trousers; these were of wool, almost tight-fitting, socks and legs in\none piece.\n\nIvar thanked his mother for all the care she had taken in selecting his\noutfit, which could not be more elaborate and costly. He himself chose\nthe weapons he was to take with him, for there was nothing of which the\nVikings were more proud than their arms. His were unrivalled for beauty\nand quality. The chain-armor suits, or \u201cbrynjas,\u201d were marvels of\nworkmanship, and one of them was of gold; the blades of his swords and\nsaxes were all beautifully damascened, and their hilts were\ngold-ornamented, and their scabbards also ornamented with gold; his\nshields were gold-rimmed, and adorned with superb designs, representing\nwarlike deeds of great Vikings.\n\nThere was a rich assortment of leather belts, with buckles of gold,\ninlaid with precious stones. Some of these buckles were enamelled in\nred, green, blue, and black. The Norsemen excelled in the art of\nenamelling. A large collection of brooches for fastening his mantles\nwere in a special box.\n\nHis toilet-box contained combs, ear-picks, and tweezers of gold.\n\nBut the gems in jewellery were the fastenings of his chain-armor. These\nwere of bronze, covered with a sheet of gold of exquisite _repouss\u00e9_\nwork.\n\nOne of the fastenings had a rosette in the centre, surrounded by nine\nheads, but the other circle was of a richness of design in which the\nartist had displayed his greatest skill and taste. In that were four\nrosettes at equal distance from each other; between each of these was a\nfigure of a man in a sitting posture, which perhaps represented \u00c6gir,\nthe god of the sea. Each figure was surrounded by fishes, ducks of\ndifferent sizes, etc.\n\nHis riding accoutrements could not be excelled for beauty: the stirrups\nwere of silver, inlaid with gold; the spurs were of solid gold,\nornamented with exquisite filigree work; the bridle was a gilt-bronze\nchain.\n\nAll those who were to go with him were also to dress with great\nmagnificence, and their riding gear and weapons were to vie with those\nof the richest men of the land.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe fleet of dragon-ships which took Ivar and his retinue to Svithjod\nwere the finest ships of Gotland, and no handsomer ones could be seen in\nthe Viking lands. Their red-burnished gold dragons glowed as fire when\nthe sun shone upon them, and some of them were so much ornamented that\ntheir entire hulls seemed to be of gold. They carried handsome striped\nsails of different colors, red and blue stripes predominating. Their\npennants and standards were gold-embroidered. The shields that were to\nhang outside, along the gunwales, had gold rims, and were painted in\nyellow and black, or red and white, so that their effect, as they lay\nside by side, overlapping each other, was very striking.\n\nFifteen provision ships followed the fleet. Two of these carried some\nsuperb horses which Ivar intended as a present for the Hersir of\nSvithjod, for Gotland was celebrated for its breed of horses. Among the\nhorses were thoroughbred stallions of dark chestnut color. Ivar was to\npresent him, also, with a new dragon-ship sheeted with thin gold above\nthe water-line.\n\nHjalmar, Sigurd, and Sigmund had joined Ivar, each with a handsome\nskeid.\n\nAfter an uneventful voyage, the fleet sighted the shores of Svithjod,\nand soon afterwards arrived opposite the fjord leading to Lake Malar.\nThe fastest vessels let down their sails, cast anchor, and waited for\nthose lagging behind; and when they had come in sight of each other, the\nshields were hung outside of the gunwales of every vessel. The peace\nshields were hoisted, and the standards of the different Vikings were\nseen floating gracefully on the breeze. The fleet remained at anchor for\nthe night, and next morning the horns were sounded for the anchors to be\nraised and to move forward. The wind was fair and fresh, and as the\nships sailed they passed by many small hamlets nestling in nooks along\nthe picturesque shore. Slaves in their white garments were seen tilling\nthe soil, or cutting down trees that were to be used in the construction\nof houses or vessels. The harvest had taken place, and rye, barley, and\noats were still stacked in the field. Everything was peaceful, but\nbehind these hills and these forests lived the Sviar, or the Sueones of\nthe Romans and their kindred, the bravest and most daring people the\nRoman Empire had ever come in contact with.\n\nThe fjord leading towards Lake Malar had, in those days, about the same\nappearance as to-day. Their granite walls protected them against the\ndaughters of \u00c6gir and Ran. Island after island lined the coast and the\nentrance of the fjord, and the shores were clad in many places with\nwoods and forests of gigantic oak and pine, and some which witnessed the\nscenes I describe are still to be seen here and there. When evening\ncame, the horns sounded for the vessels to cast anchor for the night.\n\nThe following morning, at dawn of day, the ships were again under way.\nThe voyage drew towards its end, Lake Malar was entered, the old town of\nSigtuna came in sight, and soon afterwards they cast anchor for the last\ntime.\n\nThen Ivar, two of his uncles, his three foster-brothers, and the men of\nhigh birth who had followed him, left their ships and landed. All were\nsplendidly attired. Ivar wore over his shoulders a superb red cloak, and\nhis followers likewise. These cloaks were so long that their swords\ncould not be seen under them. They mounted their horses, which had been\nsent ashore. They rode slowly along, with their hawks resting on their\nshoulders or on their wrists. Ivar\u2019s hawk was called Habrok, and was\nvery famous on account of its skill in catching large birds and hares.\n\nEvery man in that retinue looked every inch a warrior; their mustaches,\nwhich only high-born men could wear, gave them a martial appearance;\ntheir hair hung gracefully on their necks from under their shining,\nbright helmets. Ivar wore a golden helmet.\n\nThe watchmen in the towers at Upsalir had seen Ivar and his following\ncoming, and told Yngvi of their approach, saying to him: \u201cThere glitter\nin the sunshine, helmets, splendid shields and chain-armor, axes and\nspears. The men look very valiant. Those must be some of thy guests, and\nfrom their bearing they are high born.\u201d\n\nThe people watched them as they rode towards Upsalir. When they arrived\nin front of the gate they stopped, and after it was opened they entered\nthe large square, or town, and went to the great banqueting hall,\ndismounted near the door, and then went in.\n\nYngvi was seated on his high seat, and received Ivar and his kinsmen and\nwarriors with great courtesy, and bade him be seated, as a mark of\nhonor, in the second high seat. Yngvi was of medium height; he wore a\nlong, flowing, white beard, for he was of that age when Hersirs wore\nbeards, instead of a moustache; he had deep blue eyes and a benevolent\ncountenance, and was clad in a long, flowing robe of great beauty,\nembroidered all over with gold. He looked at Ivar intently for a while.\nWhat were his thoughts nobody could tell; but probably he was trying to\nread the character of the son of Hjorvard, his kinsman. He, perhaps,\nalso thought that one of his daughters would make a good match by\nmarrying the son of Hjorvard.\n\nIvar was tall and strong; his physique, under the constant training of\nathletic games, was superb. His features were regular, his cheeks rather\nprominent; his nose was aquiline, his eyes of a most beautiful deep\nblue, and, when looking at you, seemed to search your innermost\nthoughts; and his long hair was fair and silky.\n\nIn the evening there was great feasting and drinking, but the daughters\nof the Hersir of Svithjod did not make their appearance.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nWonderful, indeed, was Upsalir, and it was not strange that its fame\nextended far and wide, for it was the most beautiful burg in all the\nnorthern lands. The buildings and houses that faced the immense\nquadrangle which they surrounded made an extraordinary sight; there were\nhouses with wooden walls that had stood the storms of centuries, some of\nwhich, it was believed, had been built by Frey himself. What\nimmense-sized oaks and fir trees had been used in the construction of\nthese buildings! The timbers had become so hardened on account of the\nresin having been absorbed by the fibres of the wood, that they seemed\nindestructible. Gold and silver had not been spared in the inside\nornamentation of many of these structures; the best architects and\nartists of those days had been employed in their construction,\nornamentation, and carvings. Many of these houses looked very weird and\nfantastic, and were of the same style of architecture as those of\nDampstadir, but of an earlier date.\n\nAmong those structures stood one finer than all the others; this was the\ngreat banqueting hall, famed all over the Norselands on account of its\nsplendor, size, and peculiar outside ornamentation of gargoyles. The two\ndoors leading into the interior were marvellous specimens of carving.\nThe door-jambs represented the different ceremonies attending the\nfuneral of Baldr, according to Norse belief, and a heavy gold knocker\nadorned each door.\n\nThe hall itself was superb; the walls were adorned with carvings, and\nrepresented a sacrifice made to Odin, and many other religious subjects.\nShields hung all along the walls, and these were all adorned with gold,\nand with beautiful designs, many telling of the great deeds of the\nheroes of the race. They had been collected by each successive ruler of\nSvithjod, or had been given to them as presents by the most renowned\nsmiths of the day. Tapestries hung where there was no carving, and these\nhad been chiefly embroidered by the daughters and wives of the Hersirs\nwho had ruled over Upsalir. Here was a tapestry representing ships\ngliding over the water with their gold-ornamented dragons; another\nrepresented a body of men dressed in war costume, ready to land. Many\nwere hunting scenes with dogs or hawks.\n\nThe collection of Grecian glass gathered by different rulers, such as\nbowls, cups, beakers, and drinking horns, was exquisite. There were\ngoblets with Greek inscriptions upon them; a beautiful bowl of glass, of\nsapphire color, was partly encircled with a delicate open silver work,\nshowing the color of the glass behind. All these objects illustrated the\ngreat taste and refinement of those who had collected them, and told of\nthe high civilization of those times in the North. There were numbers of\nRoman and Greek bronze vessels of most graceful forms, showing the Roman\nand Greek art at its best in that particular branch of industry. Some of\nthese vessels were fluted on the sides, and the fastenings of the\nhandles represented winged women\u2019s heads, lions, or other graceful\nfigures. Upon one of these vases was a Latin inscription in letters of\nsilver. Roman and Greek statuettes of bronze, of men and women, were\nscattered here and there.\n\nBut the objects which Yngvi prized more than any others were a\ncollection of Roman coins anterior to Augustus, of the time of the\nrepublic; these had been coined by patrician families, and showed that\nthe Sviar made voyages to the Mediterranean, and incursions along its\nshores, long before our era. As Yngvi showed them to Ivar, he said:\n\u201cMany of our kinsmen have been buried on the Mediterranean, for in the\ntime of the Etruscan they traded there, and their graves are seen to\nthis day in that country, and can be easily recognized, for they are\nexactly like those found in the Norselands.\u201d\n\nAmong the valuable objects from the North were two large and superb\ndrinking horns, made of bands of gold, with figures in _repouss\u00e9_ work,\nhaving strange mythical representations, among which were three-headed\nmen, shields, swords, horned men, men on horseback, stars, pigs, snakes,\nfishes, deer, and other animals. Each of these horns weighed between\nseven and eight pounds. There were other vessels of silver, with\nbeautiful _repouss\u00e9_ work in gold near the rim, representing deer,\nbirds, and animals, which were of Greek or Roman origin.\n\nIn this hall the most sumptuous entertainments were given, but only on\ngreat occasions, or when mighty chiefs came on a visit, or when a\nwedding took place. Then the scalds recited in the evening, by the light\nof heavy wax candles, the deeds of the forefathers and the great\nwarriors of the race, or the old and wise taught wisdom to those who\nwere around them. The high seats were of gold. Above the high seat of\nYngvi hung his sword, with the peace bands round it; under it were his\nhelmet and shield.\n\nNot far from Upsalir were the \u201cidrottir\u201d grounds, or athletic fields, a\nplace famed all over the North. The name idrottir was applied to all\nbodily and mental exercises. Men practised there all kinds of games and\ngymnastic exercises.\n\nThe most important championship games took place in the spring, before\nmen left upon Viking expeditions, and in the autumn when they had\nreturned home. Old and young were equally eager for these contests. When\na ship was at anchor near the shore, the crew always landed to play\ngames; no opportunity was ever lost when the occasion allowed them to\npractise. To gain the championship of the herad was considered a great\nhonor, but a still greater one was to gain that of several herads, when\nmany men were pitted against each other. But the contest that was to\ntake place for the championship of all the Norselands was on a far\ngreater scale, and was to be a memorable occasion in the lives of those\nwho were to become contestants.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXII\n\n                      YNGVI\u2019S POETS AND CHAMPIONS\n\n\nYNGVI had gathered round him the greatest champions of the Northern\nlands. When a warrior had achieved great fame and had obtained the\nchampionship in any game of strength or dexterity, or was a great\nberserk, and gained the victory over some celebrated warrior, he made\nhis way to Upsalir, for the Hersir of Svithjod was convivial, liberal,\nand lavish of his gold to his men. No one had ever repented of serving\nhim, or of following him in battle. Some of the store-houses where his\nwealth was kept were literally filled with gold and silver, fine swords\nand beautiful weapons, costly garments and cloaks, and other things,\nwhich were to be given away to those who served him faithfully or who\ncame to visit him; for it was the custom never to let the guest depart\nempty-handed. The best gold-smiths of the land were constantly working\nfor him.\n\nYngvi, as was customary with great Hersirs, kept always twelve\nchampions. Every one of these was a famous berserk; and the Hersir of\nSvithjod prided himself on the fact that his champions were the\nstrongest, most agile and skilful warriors in the land, though once in a\nwhile a new man would come and show that no one can be best in\neverything.\n\nIt was the custom of the berserks, when they were in Upsalir and came to\nthe hall, first to go and salute Yngvi; then to walk up to every\nstranger, and ask him if he thought himself their equal; and if any one\ndared to say that he was, then their anger and eagerness to fight\nincreased.\n\nThey began to frown and shout, loudly saying to the man: \u201cDarest thou to\nfight us? Then thou wilt need more than big words or boasting. We will\ntry how much there is in thee.\u201d\n\nBut if Yngvi interposed, saying: \u201cThese men are my guests, and have come\nto see me,\u201d then there was no fighting. Most of them, in time of peace,\nwent about the country and challenged men to fight duels if they would\nnot do their will, or went on expeditions in far-off countries to gather\nwealth.\n\nIt was their custom, when they were only with their own men, and found\nthe berserk fury coming over them, to go away and wrestle with trees or\nrocks, as I have already said, otherwise they would have slain their\nfriends in their frenzy, for when they were in that state they lost\ntheir reason; but in every-day\u2019s life they were not so bad to have\nintercourse with if they were not offended, though they were most\noverbearing if their pride or renown were at stake. All of Yngvi\u2019s\nberserks had drunk of the blood of wolves and eaten of their hearts in\norder to become fearless, and they had succeeded very well in that\nrespect, for they were feared and dreaded everywhere; but now and then\nthey found a man to be their equal, and they had to admit him to\nfellowship with them.\n\nThey had made a vow never to flee from fire; and it was told of them\nthat one day when they were visiting in the country with Yngvi, the\ncheer was so good and the drinks were so strong that they fell fast\nasleep, and then fire was set to the hall by some enemy.\n\nOne of the champions woke first, and seeing the hall nearly full of\nsmoke, called out: \u201cNow it will suffocate our hawks,\u201d and then again lay\ndown to sleep.\n\nThen another saw the hall burning, and said: \u201cWax will now drop from our\nsaxes,\u201d and then lay down again.\n\nBut when Yngvi awoke, he rose and roused the warriors, and told them to\narm themselves. They then rushed at the walls with such force that the\njoints of the timbers broke, and then the berserk rage came at once upon\nthem; but those who had set fire to the house had fled, and there was no\nenemy to fight, so they wrestled with trees and rocks while their\nberserk fury lasted.\n\nYngvi thought a great deal of his berserks, and allowed them a great\ndeal of latitude, for he knew that in life one must overlook many things\nin order to be happy, and he knew their disposition. They, in return,\nloved him dearly, and everyone was ready to lose his life for him at his\nbidding; but rulers who had good champions were very shy of risking\ntheir lives unnecessarily. One of his favorite champions was Svipdag,\nand the way he had come to him was this: His father, the Bondi Svip,\nlived far away from other men; he was wealthy, and had been one of the\ngreatest of champions, and was not at all what he looked like, as he\nknew many things and was very wise. He had three sons, Svipdag, Geigad,\nand Hvitserk, who was the oldest; they were all well-skilled, strong,\nand fine-looking men.\n\nWhen Svipdag was eighteen winters old, he said one day to his father:\n\u201cOur life here in the mountains, in far-off valleys, and unsettled\nplaces, where men never visit nor receive visits, is dull; it would be\nbetter to go to Yngvi and follow him and his champions, if he will\nreceive us.\u201d\n\nSvip, who wanted to persuade him from doing so, answered: \u201cI do not\nthink this advisable, for his men are jealous and strong.\u201d\n\nSvipdag answered: \u201cA man must risk something if he wishes to get fame;\nhe cannot know, before he tries, when luck will come to him.\u201d\n\nHis father finally gave him a large axe, and said to his son: \u201cBe not\ngreedy, do not boast, for that gives a bad reputation; but defend\nthyself if attacked, for a great man should boast little, and behave\nwell in difficulties.\u201d\n\nHe also gave him good war accoutrements and a good horse.\n\nThen Svipdag rode, and at night came to Upsalir; he saw that games were\ntaking place outside the hall; Yngvi sat on a large gold chair, and his\nberserks were near him. When Svipdag came, the gate of the burg was\nshut, for it was then customary to ask leave to ride in; Svipdag did not\ntake that trouble, and forced open the gate, and rode into the town.\n\nThen Yngvi said: \u201cThis man comes here recklessly, as this has never been\ndone before. It may be that he has great strength and has no fear.\u201d\n\nThe berserks at once got very angry, and thought that he asserted\nhimself too much. Svipdag rode before Yngvi, and saluted him well, in a\nskilful manner. Yngvi asked who he was, and he answered: \u201cI am the son\nof the Bondi Svip.\u201d\n\nThen Yngvi soon recognized him, and every one thought he was a great and\nhigh-born champion. The games were continued; Svipdag sat and looked on.\nThe berserks eyed him angrily, and said to Yngvi that they wanted to try\nhim; and Yngvi answered: \u201cI think that he has no little strength, but I\nshould like you to try whether he is such a man as he considers\nhimself.\u201d\n\nWhen every one came into the hall, after the games were over, the\nberserks walked toward Svipdag, and asked him if he was a champion, as\nhe made so much of himself. He answered that he was as great a champion\nas any of them. At these words their anger and their eagerness to fight\nincreased, but Yngvi told them to be quiet that evening; they began to\nfrown, and howled loudly, and said to Svipdag: \u201cDarest thou to fight us?\nThen wilt thou need more than thy boasting. We will try how much there\nis in thee.\u201d\n\nSvipdag answered; \u201cI will consent to fight one at a time, and will see\nif more can be done.\u201d\n\nIn the morning a great duel began, and there was no lack of heavy blows.\nThe new-comer knew how to use his sword with great strength and skill,\nand the berserks gave way. Svipdag killed one, and then another wanted\nto avenge him. Yngvi stopped the fight, and made peace between them, and\nthen he made them swear foster-brotherhood, after which he said to\nSvipdag: \u201cGreat loss hast thou caused me by killing one of my berserks,\nbut I see that thou canst more than fill his place, and henceforth thou\nwill be one of my body-guard.\u201d\n\nBut of all his body-guard and men Yngvi valued his scalds the most; they\nwere placed on the second high seat when no strangers were entertained,\nso that he could see them. One of them was Odun, the Satirist, so named\nbecause he only recited and composed satirical songs; he was the oldest\nbard, and had been the scald of Yngvi\u2019s father. But his greatest scald\nwas Haldor, who was not quick of speech when he spoke in prose, but\npoetry was very easy to him, and he always answered in verse, and songs\nflowed from him as fast as he could think. All the scalds of Yngvi were\nalso famous warriors, and while he went into warfare they were always in\nhis shield-burg, looking on and singing the praises of the most valiant\none.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXIII\n\n                   Yngvi\u2019s Three Beautiful Daughters\n\n\nTHE three daughters of Yngvi were renowned all over the Northern lands\nfor their accomplishments and their beauty; the eldest was named Astrid,\nthe second Randalin, and the youngest Gunnhild. Randalin, \u201cRan\u2019s dale,\u201d\nhad been named after Ran, the goddess of the sea; Gunnhild after the two\nValkyrias, Gunn and Hild. It was the custom in those days to make one\nname of two. Astrid was twenty-two, Randalin twenty, and Gunnhild\nnineteen years of age.\n\nAstrid was so fair that wise men of the country said that she was the\nmost beautiful maiden in all the Northern lands. Her hair was so long\nand thick that she could cover her whole body with it; it was as fine as\nsilk, and of the color of amber with a tinge of gold. She was somewhat\ntall, being above the average height, and had a graceful and slender\nfigure; on her shoulders rested an extremely handsome head; her features\nwere perfect, her nose was Grecian in shape, like those of her\nancestors, and her eyes were soft and dreamy, deep blue, contrasting\ncharmingly with her clear and fresh complexion; the bloom of her cheeks\nhad that exquisite, soft pink tinge which diffused itself into her white\nskin, as delicate as apple blossoms floating on milk, or the hues of the\nmost lovely carnation; her teeth were so even that they seemed a row of\npearls set between two lovely cherry lips; her hands were slender, not\ntoo small, and her feet were in perfect proportion to her size, with a\nhigh instep; both foot and hand showed the characteristic elegance of\ngenerations of wealth and cultivation. Her walk was dignified for a girl\nof her age, and to add to all her charms, she had a sweet and soft\nvoice, without which no woman is perfect.\n\nRandalin was of medium height, somewhat stouter than Astrid, with a\nwell-knit body, due to constant exercise, for she was fond of riding and\nwalking. She had the features of her father, and was very much like him\nin many ways. Her eyes were also blue, but her cheeks were ruddier than\nthose of her eldest sister. She was very accomplished and learned, and\nhad been taught to speak Greek by one of her bondwomen who had been\ncaptured in Greece. She loved the society of the wise and of scalds, and\nadmired, above all, valor in men. Good looks to her were nothing without\ncourage, accomplishments, and good manners.\n\nGunnhild, the youngest daughter, was of the same height as her eldest\nsister. She had thick chestnut hair with darker streaks here and there.\nShe had blue eyes, which people said were exactly like those of her\nmother. Her nose was straight, her mouth small, and when she talked or\nsmiled, showed two rows of beautiful small teeth; her complexion browned\neasily in the sun during the summer months, and her pink cheeks looked\nthe more beautiful through the darkened skin. She was by far the most\ncoquettish of all the sisters, and extremely lively and witty, and loved\nto see men, young and old, captive at her feet. She had the faculty of\nmaking the last man that she spoke to believe that he was the favorite;\nbut though much courted, she did not know what love was, and could not\nhave loved, even if she had tried.\n\nThese three sisters had very aristocratic manners. They seemed to have\nbeen born to rule, and appeared in every way descended from high\nlineage, and were every inch daughters of Hersirs. They were so\nbeautiful that the people believed that the Nornir had, at their birth,\nfated them to be the fairest among the fair daughters of earth, and had\nalso gifted them with all the loveliness, charms, and accomplishments\nwhich make women attractive to men, and lead the bravest, highest, and\nthe most intellectual, captive at their feet, and their willing slaves.\nTheir presence at the games always incited the players to greater feats;\nthe scalds became more inspired, and every guest tried his best to be\nforemost in their good graces.\n\nMany a great warrior, sons of powerful Hersirs, and foremost in all\nkinds of athletic games, had undertaken daring and dangerous expeditions\nin the Roman Empire and elsewhere, and had challenged the greatest\nchampions of the land to combat, and performed acts of great valor and\nprowess, in order that their deeds might be sung by the scalds before\nthe daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod, for they were considered the\ngreatest prizes in the Viking lands, and no one but those of Odin\u2019s kin\ncould ever aspire to become their husbands. No chief\u2019s son had yet been\nso bold as to ask one of them in marriage, for they all feared that they\nhad not accomplished deeds of valor great enough to permit them to hope\nto win their hearts, for there was nothing in the world which the\nVikings admired more than charming women; towards all they were the soul\nof chivalry.\n\nThese three sisters lived in their skemma, or bower. There they sewed,\nembroidered, and did other handiwork, attended by their free servants or\nbondwomen; and there they received their friends.\n\nEach of them owned several bondwomen, to whom they were much attached,\nand who were regarded as part of the family. These had been captured,\nwith their parents, when young; two of them came from Britain, two from\nthe northern shores of Gaul, and two had come from the Mediterranean.\nOne of the latter was the daughter of a citizen of Rome, and the other\nwas a Greek.\n\nAstrid had superintended the household of her father since her mother\u2019s\ndeath, two years before. She attended to the brewing of ale, and vied\nwith other women of high lineage who should brew the best ale; and she\nprided herself upon weaving the finest of linen and spinning the best\nspun wool for clothes.\n\nFor some reason, the sisters had not made their appearance in the hall\nsince the arrival of Ivar, and there was great curiosity to see them\namong those who had never been to Upsalir; and every day many eyes were\nturned towards their bower, trying to get glimpses of their fair forms.\nMen dressed in their best, groomed their moustaches, and parted their\nlong hanging hair carefully, and were most particular in their toilets\nwhen they went out, so that they should not be seen at disadvantage if\nperchance they were to meet the three sisters.\n\nThe skemma in which the three daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod lived\nwas an extremely handsome house, with others attached to it. The lower\nfloor was accessible through a beautiful, pointed porch ornamented with\nfine carving; the door led to the large every-day room, which contained\nseveral looms and spinning-wheels. It was used for meals also, and along\nthe walls were shelves where beautiful dishes, drinking horns, cups, and\ntable ware were displayed to advantage. There were, besides, other large\nrooms on that floor, one of which was the sewing and embroidering room.\nThe upper story was accessible through stairs leading to the verandas\nabove, from which one had access to the bedrooms.\n\nAstrid had a bedroom to herself, while Randalin and Gunnhild slept in\nanother room. Their beds were built along the walls, and between them\nwas a large closet of the same depth as the width of the beds; heavy\nhome-made woollen curtains of bright color were hung to hide the beds,\nand were very ornamental. Two steps led into each bed. Tables, carved\nchairs, cupboards, movable closets with elaborate carvings, made up the\nfurniture of these bedrooms.\n\nSeveral smaller rooms on this floor were entirely devoted to the\nwardrobe of the three sisters, and contained several large wooden,\npainted chests to store many different articles in.\n\nOne room contained their dresses. Here hung their \u201csl\u0153durs,\u201d or festive\ngowns, with their long trains; these were worn only at great feasts.\nMany of them were of brocade or costly woollens, and gold- and\nsilver-embroidered. These festive dresses were made very wide, and the\nsleeves reached to the wrists. When worn, the waist was generally\nadorned by a beautiful belt of gold, from which a bag, often\ngold-embroidered, was suspended for rings or other precious ornaments.\n\nOpposite these hung their kirtles, or every-day dresses, which were much\nshorter than the festive ones, and were generally of linen or wool, and\nof varied patterns.\n\nThe mantles were of many kinds. The finest ones were called \u201cskikkja\u201d\nand \u201cmottul.\u201d These, like the cloaks of the men, could only be worn by\nwomen of high birth. They were without sleeves, usually fastened at the\nneck by a beautiful and costly brooch, or valuable hooks. They were of\ndifferent colors\u2014red, brown, purple, blue\u2014and ornamented with wide braid\nor with lace on their edges. There were other cloaks, used for winter,\nlined with different varieties of fur. In a smaller room was their linen\nand silk underwear.\n\nExquisite small boxes, with hinges of gold, were for their jewels; some\nof these boxes were of box-wood, and beautifully carved, and contained\nlong hair-pins, to fasten the hair when arranged in a large knot on the\nback of the head. Some of these pins were of gold, others of silver,\nornamented with gold tops of various designs; there were also diadems of\ngold, some with the ends ending in snake-heads, on which the names of\nthe owners were written in runic letters; numerous necklaces of gold,\nsome of gold rods, ornamented with crescents. Gold Roman coins, with\nloops attached, were fastened to gold chains to be worn round the neck.\nThere were also other pendants of gold of exquisite filigree work. The\nbracelets were many, and of various patterns, some so graceful that even\nto-day no jeweler could excel them. Many of these were spiral in shape.\nTwo of these bracelets on account of their beauty were called \u201csviagris\u201d\nand \u201chnitud,\u201d and no goldsmith had been able to rival them. They had\nbeen heirlooms in the family for generations. The collection of gold and\nmosaic beads was something extraordinary. The mosaics were lovely and of\nmost skilled workmanship. Besides these were crystal balls of wonderful\nclearness, with Greek inscriptions upon them, and amber beads. Gold\nbuttons for sleeves, and hooks of varied patterns, were together in a\nlarge bowl.\n\nThe brooches were most remarkable; some of them were very old, and had\nbeen in the family for generations. Among these were cruciform fibul\u00e6 of\nbronze, ending with heads of horses, or other animals; circular ones,\nand others in the shape of the \u201cSvastica,\u201d a peculiar cross, a sign seen\namong the relics of Troy, and to-day on the foot of the image of Buddha,\nin India. Many others were circular, of bronze, covered over with a\nsheet of _repouss\u00e9_ work of gold, upon which were lovely designs. There\nwere other brooches entirely of gold, or silver gilt, and of various\npatterns.\n\nBut the finest of all the jewels were the gold \u201cbracteates.\u201d These were\nworn hanging on the breast. They were round in shape, and varied very\nmuch in size, from one inch in diameter to seven and eight inches, and\nwere of the purest gold, very thin, and remarkable for the originality\nand peculiarity of their designs.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXIV\n\n                  THE GUESTS OF THE HERSIR OF SVITHJOD\n\n\nTHE daughters of the Hersir of Svithjod had many of their young\nkinswomen visiting them at this time. They had arrived during the summer\nmonths, having been invited to be present at the games. Among those were\nThora, daughter of one of the great Hersirs who ruled over one of the\nlargest herads in Gardariki; Alfhild, daughter of one of the Hersirs of\nHolmgard, which realm, together with Gardariki, comprised a great part\nof what is now known as European Russia.\n\nHildigunn was the daughter of a powerful Hersir of the island of Funen,\nalmost the equal of the Hersir of Zeeland in power. Randgrid, Geirlaug,\nIngegerd, and Sigrid, were also daughters of great Hersirs.\n\nOne of the prettiest and most intelligent of their kinswomen was Thorny.\nShe had attained her eighteenth year the preceding spring. Her large\nhazel eyes were full of poetry and fire, and when she looked at one it\nseemed as if she read the inmost thoughts of one\u2019s mind. Her broad\nforehead showed intellect, and her head was adorned with a mass of light\nbrown hair. When she smiled she showed a bewitching set of pearly teeth.\nShe was full of life, and was not ashamed to say that she preferred\nmen\u2019s society to that of women.\n\nThe third evening, when the men of highest lineage had assembled in the\ngreat banqueting hall and were seated in their respective seats, Astrid,\nher two younger sisters, and all their feminine guests entered the hall.\nA murmur of admiration greeted them, and no wonder; for it had never\nhappened within the recollection of the oldest men that so many\nhigh-born and beautiful maidens, daughters of chiefs who ruled over\npowerful realms, and who were of Odin\u2019s kin, had been in Upsalir at the\nsame time. It was certainly the greatest gathering of men and women\nwithin the recollection of anyone. The flower of womanhood was there,\nand all that was chivalrous and brave in the land had come also.\n\nEach maiden had in her hand a drinking horn of gold, filled either with\nmead, ale, or wine, and she offered it to the guests. Afterwards, lots\nwere drawn by the warriors to decide where they were to sit, and\nfortunate were the men who had drawn the lots which permitted them to be\nby the side of maidens. Ivar had as a seat companion Randalin; Hjalmar,\nAstrid; Sigurd, Svanhild; Sigmund, Solveig. They talked much to each\nother during the evening, and were delighted at their good fortune; and\nall hoped to have the same chance again, so pleased were they with each\nother.\n\nIt happened thereafter that almost always the four foster-brothers had\nas companions the same maidens, which attracted everyone\u2019s notice; and,\nas they enjoyed so much each other\u2019s society, many began to think that\nmore than one wedding would take place within a year among them.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe day before the games took place Astrid had a dream, in which her\nDisir appeared to her. Every family in these Norselands had, like the\nEtruscans and Romans, their guardian spirits. Their belief and worship\nof them corresponded somewhat to that of the Lares and Penates of the\nRomans. The Disir were supposed to watch over every individual member of\nthe family. These were thought to be the representatives of the\ndeparted, and when there was danger ahead often made their appearance in\ndreams to warn them in time. They always appeared in the shape of women.\n\nAstrid had dreamt that, as she was standing outside of her house, and\nwhile looking over the sea, she saw a woman walking over the waves and\ndirecting her steps towards her house. She was so very tall that she\nseemed as high as the highest mountains. Astrid went to meet her, and\ninvited her to come to her home.\n\nAfter the guest had seated herself, she said: \u201cThou, Astrid, and thy two\nsisters, must be most careful at the games not to fall in love with the\nsons of a great berserk who are coming to Upsalir.\u201d\n\nThen she saw twelve eagles tearing the flesh of men. Then the tall woman\ntold her to receive Ivar and his foster-brothers well; after saying this\nshe rose, and as she was ready to depart she said: \u201cI will continue to\nprotect thee and thy family. Now we will separate for some time. Fare\nthee well.\u201d\n\nThereupon Astrid awoke. She was very much concerned in regard to this\ndream, and went to Thorhalla, a woman who was reputed very wise in the\ninterpretation of dreams. When she came to her door, she said: \u201cI should\nlike thee to explain a dream which I have dreamt.\u201d\n\nThorhalla said: \u201cI will not hear thy dream. Go away as quickly as thou\ncanst to the house of Bryngerd; she will explain it to thee.\u201d\n\nAstrid wondered why Thorhalla would not explain her dream, but she did\nas she was bidden; and, after walking quite a while, she came to the\nhouse of Bryngerd, and told her dream to her.\n\nBryngerd listened very attentively, and said to her: \u201cThis forebodes\ngreat events. The woman thou hast seen is thy Disir, and has come to\nforewarn thee of danger. The twelve eagles mean the twelve sons of the\nberserk Hervard, and many valiant men will fall on thy account.\u201d\n\nOn her return home, Astrid told of her dream to her father and to her\nsisters, and made preparations for a sacrifice to her Disir, or guardian\ngenius. The sisters had a special hall near their skemma, with a stone\naltar in the room, for sacrificing to their Disirs. Two beautiful black\noxen and a very handsome favorite horse were to be sacrificed.\n\nIvar and his foster-brothers, unaware of the preparations for a\nsacrifice that were being made by the three sisters, wended their way\ntowards their bower, just as they were beginning to sacrifice, and were\nready to redden the altar with blood. As they approached the house, the\nbondmaid who was watching saw them, and went into the hall to warn her\nmistresses that some one was coming.\n\nOn hearing this, Astrid, full of alarm, came out of the door, and as she\nsaw Ivar and his foster-brothers she exclaimed: \u201cDo not come here, for\nthis place is holy! We are making a sacrifice to our Disirs. Do you not\nfear the anger of Odin, that you dare to come to us?\u201d\n\nIvar replied: \u201cWe are not afraid to incur the anger of Odin, fair\nmaidens of Svithjod. We would brave it for your sake, but we will not\ncome within the holy precincts when you are making a sacrifice.\u201d\n\nAfter saying this, the foster-brothers went off in another direction.\n\nAstrid returned to the room, and with her sisters reddened the altar\nwith the blood of the sacrificed animals, and asked their Disirs to\ncontinue to watch over them.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXV\n\n                    BEGINNING OF THE ATHLETIC GAMES\n\n\nTHE day when the \u201cidrottir,\u201d or athletic games, began had come. All the\nwarriors and champions who intended to take part in these contests had\narrived either by land or by water. For several days before, wherever\nthe eye turned, men were seen training and preparing themselves for the\ngames, and tents were scattered in every direction. The fairest women\nand maidens of all the Viking realms were in Upsalir; they also had come\nto witness the games. Many of them were of great beauty, and daughters\nof Haulds and Bondi who owned vast tracts of land, and rivalled in power\nsome of the Hersirs. There was also a vast multitude of commoner people\nwho always collected on such occasions. These brought their tents and\nprovisions with them, and put up at any place they could find. At dawn\nof day, when the games began, a great crowd had already collected on the\nidrottir fields.\n\nAmong the daughters of Hersirs and high-born men who were present were\nSigny, Ragnild, Helga, Hjordis, Sigrid, Ingebjorg, Thora, Sigrun,\nGudrun, Herborg, Bryngerd, Randgrid, Kara, Thorhalla, Bergthora,\nGrimhild, Brynhild, Gudrod, Asta, Hildirid, Thorgerd, Thordis, Ingigerd,\nThurid, Hungerd, Hallgerd, Hildigunn, Asgerd, Ulfhild, Gyda, Thyri,\nOlrun, Svanhild, Hrefna.\n\nWomen were always one of the most interesting features at the games.\nThey came to applaud and cheer the contestants, and to urge the men to\ntheir utmost. No wonder that there was a saying, that at the games many\nlost their hearts, and that numerous engagements and weddings were sure\nto take place during the year that followed.\n\nAt sight of them, Ivar and every other man was filled with ambition. \u201cI\nmust become a champion,\u201d was the thought of every one, \u201cso that these\nfair creatures may admire me.\u201d It was no wonder that so many handsome\ngirls and women had sent such a thrill of admiration through the vast\nmultitude, for before them stood the representative of all that was\nbeautiful, graceful, and accomplished in the Norselands.\n\nA parterre of exquisite flowers could not have presented a more lovely\nview. They were clad in their most becoming day or walking dress, which\ncame to just above the ankles. Their foreheads were adorned with diadems\nof gold, and their necks and arms with necklaces and bracelets of gold.\nTheir waists were surrounded with belts of gold of variegated patterns\nand exquisite workmanship, showing the taste and skill of the goldsmith.\nEvery one wore her mantle; these hung gracefully over their shoulders,\nand were of different colors, red, purple, blue, brown, and white\npredominating. All were more or less embroidered with silver and gold,\nand made fast by artistic brooches of gold.\n\n\u201cWhat a beautiful sight!\u201d Sigmund exclaimed. \u201cLook, foster-brothers, at\ntheir thick and glossy hair!\u201d All the tints of blonde type were here\nrepresented, from the lightest flaxen, amber, and burnished gold, to the\ndark auburn and chestnut.\n\nSigurd, pointing out to Ivar a maiden who had superb hair, said: \u201cSee\nhow luxuriously her hair of gold glows against the azure of the sky.\nLook at her eyes; they are as the deep blue of the sea we meet when we\nare far away from the land.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook at this one,\u201d said Ivar, pointing to him one of the loveliest\nmaidens in this bevy of beauty. \u201cSee her hair hanging on her back, and\nswaying in the breeze; it is the color of a field of wheat moving in the\nwind, and gilded by the rays of the sun.\u201d\n\n\u201cLook at this other one,\u201d said again Hjalmar; \u201cher hair is as black as\nthat of the raven. Her eyes seem to send forth flashes of fire. Some of\nthe kin from which she is descended must have come from the land of the\nHuns; I think she must be from Gardariki.\u201d She was unique among all,\nwith her raven hair, and much admired on that account, for the fair hues\ngenerally predominated over the dark.\n\nSigurd said: \u201cFoster-brothers, have you ever seen such eyes as those\nthat are here together? They are like a bunch of arrows in a quiver,\nready to be shot at us poor mortals, and to make us feel the pangs of\nlove. Some of them are dreamy, some are twinkling with mischief, some\nare piercing, some are so loving, a few are so fiery, that one feels\nthat it is better not to excite the ire of the maiden who possesses\nthem. Look at their color\u2014from the deep blue to the amethyst and\ngreenish tourmaline. Look at the hazel ones; there are but a few of\nthem, but oh, how lovely and poetical! They seem at times to send forth\nflashes of genius, then to return again gently to their dreamy mood.\nWell may the eyes be called the mirror of our thoughts, for they tell of\nour love, sorrow, or anger.\u201d\n\nAmong the great Vikings who had come to compete for the championship\nwere Haki, Starkad, Ingvald, Sigurd, Bodvar, Hervard, Ingimund, Heidrek,\nThorolf, Hallvard, Asmund, Agnar, Ragnar, Hodbrod, Gunnar, Volsung,\nThorvald, Siggier, Thordis, Einar, Bj\u00f6rn, Ulf, Sigmund, Ogmund, Vemund,\nThormod, Gautrek, Thorbrand, Indridi, Gauti, Vikar, Fridthjolf, Hrolf,\nHjalmter, Halfdan, Eirek the Red, Alrek, Ottar, Visbur, Refil, Adils,\nIngald, Havar, Randver, Hogni, Arnvid, Grammar, Kolbak, Jorund, Arnkel,\nSkeggi, Hromund, Hord, Gisli, Thorkel, Egil, Ketil, Ingolf, Leif,\nErling, Glum, Ogvald, Viga.\n\nThese men, and many others present, were the embodiment of all that was\nchivalrous and brave in the Norselands. Many of them had passed a great\npart of their lives at sea or in foreign lands, conquering and fighting,\ncarrying their victorious standards before them everywhere. Their ruddy\nfaces told that they were the sons of the sea, who had fought many a\ntime, with great skill, the daughters of \u00c6gir and Ran. What tales many\ncould tell of the terrific gales they had encountered with their ships\nwhile on their expeditions, voyaging on either the North Sea, the\nAtlantic Ocean, or the Mediterranean, and almost every one could say\nthat some of their kinsmen had gone to the hall of Ran on their way to\nor from home! Fear was unknown to them all.\n\nWhat superb specimens of manhood they were! The finest the world could\nshow! Spartan-like in appearance, for all the weak at their birth had\nnot been allowed to live. What splendid proportions their bodies had!\nWhat strong chests and powerful frames! What muscles! For from their\nchildhood these men had been trained, and practised athletic games, and\nall had lived much in the open air. Many were tall, but there were also\nmany of medium height. A few were short. These were often the hardiest\nand most agile, and could stand hardships much better than their taller\nfriends. Most of them were fair, but some few had dark hair and beards.\n\nYngvi, with his three beautiful daughters, a bevy of young maidens, and\nwives of Hersirs and Haulds, and other guests, when they arrived on the\nfield took their places on an elevated spot, from which they could\nsurvey the games.\n\nAstrid was dressed in a red, ornamented kirtle, and over it a scarlet\ncloak, ornamented with lace. Her long, fair hair reached down far below\nher waist. Randalin wore a blue woven mantle, and under it a scarlet\ndress, with a gold belt. Her hair reached down to her waist on both\nsides, and she tucked its tresses under her belt. Gunnhild wore a\nkirtle, a dress fitting the waist very lightly, and short, and over her\ndress a close-fitting blue jacket.\n\nAmong the distinguished women were Drifa, the wife of the Hersir of the\nisland of Zeeland. She came, followed by three of her bondmaids. She had\na red dress, narrow below, long and tight at the waist, with long\nsleeves, and wore a band of gold cloth round her forehead; her hair was\nlong and fine. Over her shoulders hung a white, gold-embroidered cloak.\nHallgerd, a beautiful woman, widow of the former Hersir of the island of\nFyen, who was very much sought for on account of her wealth, was dressed\nmost tastefully, and her belt of gold showed her graceful form to\nadvantage.\n\nYngvi, the Hersirs, and many prominent men and scalds, stood by\nthemselves, near them, and were to be the umpires. As soon as Ivar and\nhis foster-brothers had arrived on the fields, they went to salute the\ndaughters of the Hersir of Svithjod and all the fair maidens who were\ntheir guests. A shower of smiles and bows from them told how the\ncompliment was appreciated, for many blushed.\n\nIvar and his foster-brothers saluted Yngvi and the other Hersirs. Yngvi\nasked Ivar if he was a man of many athletic games.\n\nIvar replied: \u201cMy foster-father thought I knew many things well; but I\nhave not shown my skill to others, and I think thou wilt find it slight\nwhen compared to that of some men.\u201d\n\nIvar replied in this way, for he remembered the advice which his father\nhad given him, that a man with a thinking mind should not boast, but\nrather be heedful in his mood, and beware, because the tongue is the\nhead\u2019s bane.\n\nThen all prepared themselves for the contests that were to\nbegin\u2014wrestling, jumping, leaping, running, different games of ball,\nswimming, and warlike exercises with spears, swords, bows and arrows.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXVI\n\n                    GREAT FEATS OF IVAR AND HJALMAR\n\n\nTHE contests began with wrestling, which was one of the most popular of\nthe games. The simplest form of this sport was for the wrestlers to take\nhold of each other\u2019s arms or waists, as best they could, and by the\nstrength of their arms endeavor to throw each other off their feet.\n\nThe Sviars and the Gotlanders were pitted against each other; the former\nhad kept the championship for several years, and Ivar and other\nGotlanders intended to wrest it from them if they could. The competitors\ndivided themselves by lot into two parties, each of which was drawn up\nin a row, headed by its leader. These were to pair off their men to\nwrestle in the arena, between the two rows, one after the other. Ivar\u2019s\nside was the weaker, having two men less, so two men were taken off from\nthe Sviars\u2019 side.\n\nBefore beginning, every man threw off his outer garment in order to be\nmore free and agile, and kept only a slight covering. The beholder could\nsee at a glance what early gymnastic and athletic training did for the\nbody; broad chests, strong and muscular limbs were the chief\ncharacteristics of every man.\n\nThe crowd watched with intense eagerness the preliminaries of the\ncontest. Twenty-two men on each side were to take part. The contest was\nquite even; here a man on the Sviar side fell, then one on the Gotlander\nside. At times the wrestling was very severe between combatants, and the\nspectators watched with great interest the expansion or contraction of\nthe muscles of the rivals.\n\nThe fourth man before the last on the Sviar side had been victorious,\nand had thrown the last three men but one of the Gotlanders, and Ivar\nwas the only wrestler left. So he and his antagonist wrestled for a long\ntime, until at last the Sviar fell. Then Ivar had to wrestle with the\nthree others, and threw them one after the other, when a great cheer,\nlike the sound of distant thunder, greeted his victory, and his\nfoster-brothers came to congratulate him with great joy.\n\nAfter this, Ivar and his foster-brothers went to the day meal, and on\nthe way to the hall Sigmund saw among the bevy of young women one that\nlooked at him intently. She was fair of face, and beautiful to look at;\nshe wore a red dress, ornamented all over with lace. Her hair was flaxen\nand glossy, and fell over her shoulders. Sigmund asked who she was, and\nabout her family, and was told that she was the sister of Thorir, a\nHersir who ruled a large herad, and that her name was Thora \u201cHladh\u00f6nd,\u201d\nwhich means lace hand. To Sigmund she was the most beautiful woman on\nthe grounds. Then he went to speak to her and found that they had met\nbefore at a midwinter sacrifice. After their meal they rested a while,\nand then went back to the games, and looked on.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe second day the contest was to be a more difficult form of wrestling,\nwhich consisted in grappling and attacking according to certain rules,\nby systematic turnings and grip movements with arms and legs, each\nseeking to bring the other to the ground. Ivar did not wish to be\nrecognized, as he had been the successful champion the day before, and\nthe weather being chilly he had put on a cloak with a hood which partly\nhid his face.\n\nAmong those who took part in the game was a man of very powerful frame,\nof the name of Thorbj\u00f6rn. He would walk and look round the crowd, and\nany one he wanted to take part in the game he seized by the hand and\npulled forward into the field; and one after another these fell before\nhim, to the great amusement of the crowd. When almost all had wrestled,\nexcept the strongest, the people began to ask themselves who should\ncontend against Thorbj\u00f6rn. Thorbj\u00f6rn himself was looking round, puffed\nup with pride, thinking no one could be stronger than he, and challenged\nthe champions who had fought against each other the preceding day.\nNoticing among them a man of large size, whose face he could not clearly\nsee on account of a hood he wore, he came towards him and took hold of\nhis hand. At first he pulled hard, and then with all his strength, but\nthe man sat still and could not be moved. Then Thorbj\u00f6rn said in an\nangry voice: \u201cNo one ever sat so firm before me as thou dost. Who art\nthou?\u201d Then pulling his hood down, so that his face could be seen, he\nexclaimed: \u201cIvar Hjorvardson!\u201d and added, \u201cIf thou wilt take part in\nthis contest with me, thou art a welcome guest.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have ceased to wrestle,\u201d answered Ivar, whose feats of the day before\nThorbj\u00f6rn had not witnessed, \u201cbut there was a time when I enjoyed\nwrestling greatly.\u201d\n\nSoon after, the contest between the two began. Thorbj\u00f6rn rushed at Ivar,\nwho stood firm, without flinching, and then stretched his arms around\nthe back of Thorbj\u00f6rn, caught hold of his breeches, lifted him off his\nfeet over his head, and threw him behind him, so that Thorbj\u00f6rn\u2019s\nshoulders struck the ground with a heavy thud. This was a magnificent\nexhibition of strength, and it was hailed by the crowd with great\nacclamations.\n\nThen one of Thorbj\u00f6rn\u2019s brothers, called Angul, challenged Ivar, who\nsaid: \u201cLet me rest a little while, and then I will be ready for thee.\u201d\n\nThis new challenger was also of great strength, and each had the better\nof the other by turns. They fell twice together on their knees. They\ngrasped each other so tightly that both became blue from the pressure,\nbut finally Angul fell.\n\nIvar had shown that he was so strong that the people were eager to see\ntwo champions attack him at the same time. This was against the rules,\nbut was allowed if any contestant was willing to encounter such odds.\nIvar said he thought he could do so in the afternoon, after a brief\nrest.\n\nIn the afternoon two champions who were thought the strongest wrestlers\nattacked him at the same time; they wrestled valiantly, but could not\nthrow Ivar, and after awhile both men fell. All the people were greatly\ndelighted at this spectacle. When the wrestlers stopped they thanked\nthem for their exhibition, and it was the opinion of all that Ivar\u2019s two\nopponents together were not as strong as he, so Ivar was proclaimed the\nchampion in wrestling.\n\nThat evening the scalds sang before an admiring crowd the deeds of great\nwarriors, and every one present was dressed in his best attire.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe games of ball were by far the most popular of all; they were to last\ntwo days, for there were so many competitors. There were three kinds of\nball games, called Knattleik, Soppleik, and Skofuleik, respectively.\nThis last game was a winter one, and was played on the ice, week after\nweek, by the people of a single herad, and was a source of great\namusement. All these games were considered more or less dangerous, as\nthe balls were of wood or of scraped horn enclosed in leather, and were\nsent back with tremendous force by the bat.\n\nHord, a great ball-player from the island of Zeeland, had sent a\nchallenge to the men of Gotland to compete for the championship. Men of\nequal strength were chosen on both sides, so that the chances might be\neven.\n\nThe game was played in this way: A man threw the ball into the air, and\nthen struck it with a bat, sending it a long distance; another caught it\nwith his hands, and sent it back, but this the opposite side sought to\nprevent by shoving him aside, or by throwing him down, or striking the\nball away from him. If the ball went beyond the bounds, or fell on the\nground, the man who had knocked it had to go and fetch it.\n\nHjalmar was a great ball-player, and wherever he had competed for the\nchampionship in ball games he had been victorious. It was generally\nconceded that he was the best player in Engel. Hord was considered the\nbest ball-player in Zeeland; he was very popular and a very strong man.\nThe contest began very eagerly; both sides had ten men each, and were\nvery jealous of each other, and the game became very rough. The\nGotlanders won the victory, but four men of Zeeland and three men of\nGotland had been badly hurt in the contest.\n\nOther games of ball were taking place in different parts of the field at\nthe same time.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe fourth day the crowd seemed greater than ever, and many other men\nwanted to play. Among these were two unknown men, who came to Yngvi,\nand, after saluting him, said their names were Hrafn and Krak, and they\nhailed from the island of Bornholm; they boasted that no one could play\nbetter than they did. After hearing their boasting, many invited them to\nplay; they said that they were rather rough-handed players, but that\nthey could not help it, for they were strong men. The champions of Yngvi\nsaid that they did not mind that, and would take care of themselves,\nwhatever might happen. The two brothers went to the games, and generally\nhad the ball; they played very savagely, as they had said, and pushed\nmen and knocked them down roughly, so that when the evening came many\nwere bruised or maimed.\n\nThe following morning Sigurd prevailed upon Sigmund to play with him\nagainst them. Hrafn and Krak were already in the fields, challenging.\nHrafn took the ball and Krak the bat, and they played as they were wont.\n\nWhen they had played for a while, Sigurd got hold of the ball from\nHrafn, and then snatched the bat from Krak, and sent it to Sigmund. They\nkept the ball for a long time, and Hrafn and Krak could not get hold of\nit; so Sigurd and Sigmund were victorious, and they kept the\nchampionship to the end of the games, at which Yngvi, Astrid, her\nsisters, and a bevy of maidens were constantly present.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe running games were of two kinds: men running against fast horses, or\nagainst each other. In this game there were many competitors. The\nfleetest horses in Upsalir, or rather in Svithjod, had been picked out\nfor the contest. Men who competed were dressed in tights only. Hjalmar,\nwho was one of the fleetest men known, was to run against the fleetest\nhorse. When the signal to start came, he started with the horse, and\nthough the animal kept abreast of him nearly all the time, he finally\nreached the starting point somewhat ahead. One of the spectators was so\nsurprised at Hjalmar\u2019s feat that he said to him: \u201cDidst thou not hold\nthe strap of the saddle-girth, and let the horse pull thee along?\u201d\n\n\u201cNot in the least,\u201d replied Ivar, hotly indignant at the distrust\nexpressed of his foster-brother.\n\nYngvi had a very fast horse, which was next entered against Hjalmar. The\ntwo started together, and Hjalmar ran ahead of the horse the whole way.\nWhen the race was finished, Hjalmar said: \u201cDid I this time take hold of\nthe saddle-girth?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think thou didst start first,\u201d replied the umpire.\n\nThe horse was allowed to breathe a while, then his rider pricked him\nwith his spurs, and he sprang off anew. This time Hjalmar stood still\nuntil the umpire shouted: \u201cRun now.\u201d Then Hjalmar himself started, and\nsoon outran the horse, and kept far in front of it all the way to the\nstarting point of the course, which he reached long in advance. The vast\nmultitude loudly applauded Hjalmar; and as he passed in front of the\ndaughters of Yngvi and the bevy of young women, they too cheered him,\nand he bowed gallantly to them. Astrid had been watching him since the\ngames had begun, and admired him much, and as he passed by her she\nshouted, \u201cWell done, Hjalmar Gudbrandson of Engel.\u201d She had hardly said\nthese words, when her face became crimson, and she wished she had been\nable to restrain herself.\n\nThen all the men that had run faster than the horses came and competed\nfor the championship. Hjalmar ran so fast that his feet did not seem to\ntouch the ground. He distanced all his competitors, and was proclaimed\nthe champion runner, to the great joy of Astrid, who already loved him,\nthough she was, maiden-like, only half conscious of the fact.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe two following days were to be devoted to warlike exercises, and the\nnext morning Yngvi asked Ivar: \u201cArt thou skilful in warlike exercise?\u201d\n\nIvar replied in his usual modest way: \u201cMy foster-father and my\nfoster-mother thought so, but I have not shown my skill to others, and I\nthink thou wilt find it slight compared with that of many men. I have\nnow won several championships since the games have begun, but I do not\nthink I shall be the foremost in warlike games, for it would be strange\nif my luck was to continue. Nevertheless I will strive for the\nchampionship, and do my best.\u201d\n\nThen Ulf, a great Viking, who was said to be the best shot with the bow\nand arrow in all Norway, came up to Ivar and said to him: \u201cLet us try\nour skill. Thou art younger than I, but I hear thou art very skilful\nwith the bow.\u201d\n\nUpon this, Ulf took a spear, and put its point into the ground; then he\nplaced an arrow on the string, and shot into the air; the arrow turned\nitself in its course, came down with its point in the end of the\nspear-shaft, and stood there upright. Ivar next took an arrow and shot.\nIt went very high, then the arrow-point came down into the shaft of the\narrow of Ulf, that had stuck on the shaft of the spear. Then Ulf took a\nspear, and threw it so powerfully and so far, and nevertheless so\nstraight, that all wondered. But Ivar threw still farther than all, so\nthat his spear socket lay on the point of Ulf\u2019s spear. Ulf took the\nspear again, and shot another time, and the spear went beyond that of\nIvar\u2019s.\n\n\u201cI will not throw any more, for I see it is useless,\u201d said Ivar.\n\n\u201cThrow,\u201d said Ulf, \u201cand farther if thou canst.\u201d\n\nIvar threw, and this time far ahead. After this, Ulf placed an arrow on\nthe bow-string, and took a knife and stuck it into an oak. He then shot\ninto the back of the knife-handle, so that the arrow stuck fast. Ivar\nnext took up his arrows, while Ulf stood near him and said: \u201cWith gold\nare thy arrows wound round, and a very ambitious man art thou.\u201d\n\n\u201cI did not cause these arrows to be made; they were given to me, and I\nhave not taken any ornaments off them,\u201d returned Ivar, shooting, and\nhitting the knife-handle, and splitting it, the arrow-point sticking in\nthe upper point of the blade.\n\n\u201cNow we will shoot farther,\u201d said Ulf. Then he laid an arrow on the\nstring, and drew the bow so as to almost bend its tips together. The\narrow flew very far, and stopped in a very slender bough at which he had\naimed. Every one thought this a most excellent shot; but Ivar shot still\na little farther, and, besides, his arrow pierced a nut that had been\nput up as a target. All present wondered at this.\n\n\u201cNow the nut shall be taken and placed on the head of Bj\u00f6rn,\u201d said Ulf,\n\u201cand there thou shalt try if thou canst hit it, if thou art willing to\ndo so. Thou shalt not shoot from a shorter distance than before. Bj\u00f6rn\nis my slave, and for his boldness and willingness I will give him his\nfreedom after the trial, if his life is spared.\u201d\n\nBj\u00f6rn was delighted and willing to risk his life for his freedom, for\nwhere is the man that does not love to be free?\n\n\u201cWilt thou stand still and not shrink, if I shoot at the nut?\u201d asked\nIvar.\n\n\u201cCertainly,\u201d said Bj\u00f6rn, who had witnessed the skill of Ivar, and\ntherefore had great confidence in his aim.\n\n\u201cThen Ulf shall stand at thy side,\u201d replied Ivar, \u201cand see if I hit the\nnut.\u201d\n\nUlf assented, and Ivar made ready and took aim. The arrow flew swiftly,\nand skipped over the crown of Bj\u00f6rn\u2019s head and under the nut, and Bj\u00f6rn\nwas not wounded. The nut rolled backward from his head, but the arrow\nwent much farther.\n\nWhen Yngvi asked if the shot had hit the nut, Ulf replied: \u201cBetter than\nhit; for he shot under the nut, and it rolled down, and he harmed not\nBj\u00f6rn.\u201d\n\nThis extraordinary feat of Ivar was greatly applauded, and by none more\nthan by Randalin. Bj\u00f6rn the slave was made free.\n\nAfter this, Ivar took his sword, and handled it equally well with the\nright and the left hand, and moved it so swiftly that it seemed as if\nthere were three swords in the air at a time. Then he threw his sword\nhigh up, caught it with his left hand, having the shield in his right\nhand, and dealt a terrific blow upon a shield which a man held for the\npurpose, before the people could see what he was about to do. The\nenthusiasm of Randalin was unbounded when she saw the great skill of\nIvar.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThen came the leaping games. Many leaped as well backward as forward,\nmore than their height, in full war apparel, and the championship was\nundecided when Ivar came forward in full war dress, with helmet,\nchain-armor, sword, and shield, and leaped far above his height, which\nwas nearly six feet, and then leaped backward quite as high as he had\ndone forward. This feat was cheered tumultuously, and all agreed that to\nIvar should be awarded the championship.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nOn the last day of the games, the twelve sons of the powerful and famous\nberserk Hervard appeared on the scene of the contest for the\nchampionship in swimming. Thorgrim was the eldest; the second, Gisli;\nthe third, Bui; the fourth, Seming; the fifth, Hadding; the sixth,\nThorolf; the seventh, Brani; the eighth, Angantyr; the ninth, Ketil; the\ntenth, Grim; the eleventh, Barri; the twelfth, Asbj\u00f6rn. All these\nbrothers were equal in strength and skill, with the exception of\nThorgrim, who was much the strongest; they were all great berserks, and\nhad inherited all the warlike qualities of their father and kin, and\nmost of them had also the same temper. They had all gone into battle\nbefore they were fifteen years old, and since had ravaged far and wide,\nand had met no equal in strength and courage. They had won great renown,\nfor never did they engage in battle without gaining the victory. These\ntwelve brothers always went together in one ship, with no other champion\non board, but often they had a great following of ships and men. Their\nfather, who had been a very great warrior, had given them many excellent\nswords, which he had taken in war. Thorgrim had the sword Mistletoe,\nGisli the sword Thegn, Bui the sword Rangvid, and all the other brothers\nhad swords equally good and celebrated among Vikings; besides these,\nthey had other excellent dueling swords. They went on warlike\nexpeditions during the summer, but during the winter they remained at\nhome with their father.\n\nIt happened that the preceding Yule all these brothers were at home, and\non the evening that the men were to make vows over the horn of Bragi,\nthey came into the hall of their father, and after many vows had been\nmade, they made theirs. Bui made the vow that he would marry Astrid, the\neldest daughter of Yngvi, the Hersir of Svithjod, and never allow any\none to possess her in case her father or herself should refuse him. His\neleven brothers vowed that they would stand by him.\n\nThey had come to take part in the games, and to win championships, after\nwhich they intended to ask for the hand of Astrid, at the feast which\nwas always given at the conclusion of the games.\n\nThe brothers had noticed with no little jealousy that Astrid and Hjalmar\nseemed to love each other, but no one knew of their errand, for they had\nkept it secret. They had resolved to try to drown Hjalmar in the\nswimming contests.\n\nYngvi and all high-born women and men of the land were present when the\nswimming began. Among the most remarkable swimmers was a man of the name\nof Olvir, who went to Ivar and said to him: \u201cWhat thinkest thou of our\nhaving a swimming match?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think well of it,\u201d replied Ivar, \u201cfor I am told that thou and I are\nabout equal as swimmers.\u201d\n\nIvar and Olvir swam off, and played a long time with each other,\nalternately dragging each other down, and finally they were so long\nunder water that the spectators did not expect them ever to come up\nagain. But at last Olvir rose and swam ashore. He went up and rested\nhimself, but did not dress. No one knew or dared to ask what had become\nof Ivar. But after a still longer time, he too appeared above the\nsurface. He had caught a very large seal, and sat on its back. He clung\nto it with both hands by its bristles, and thus steered it, and when he\ncame near the shore let it go.\n\n\u201cWhy didst not thou kill the seal with the knife thou didst carry in thy\nbelt?\u201d asked many people.\n\n\u201cBecause,\u201d answered Ivar, \u201cif I had done so, Olvir, or those who\nwitnessed our contest, would have said that I had found it dead.\u201d\n\nThough Olvir had been the first to come ashore, while Ivar had taken\ntime to capture the seal, it was decided by the umpires that the best\nswimmer of the two was Ivar, to the great satisfaction of all the\nmaidens and women that were present, and of all his male friends as\nwell; but none was as pleased as Randalin.\n\nThen came the contest in swimming clad in full war dress. Not many dared\nto try this contest. Hjalmar took his helmet, chain-armor, and sword,\nwrapped them in his cloak, making a bundle of them, which he tied on his\nback. Then he broke off his spear handle and threw it far off into the\nwater, and swam towards the broken handle. He caught it, then swam\nfarther, to an island far away. No one swam as far as he, so he won the\nchampionship that morning, to the great delight of Astrid.\n\nAfter the day\u2019s meal and the drinking hour were over, Thorgrim, the\neldest son of Hervard, called his brothers, and they went down to the\nshore; and Thorgrim said to Gisli: \u201cI trust to thee to drown Hjalmar\nwhile competing with him to-day.\u201d\n\nGisli answered that it would be difficult to do so, and then Thorgrim\nasked Bui to undertake it. Bui replied that he was doubtful of success,\nbut consented to try. Then Bui went to challenge Hjalmar, and Hjalmar\naccepted, saying to himself: \u201cNow I need not spare myself, as I should\nlike better to contend with him than with any other of these berserks.\u201d\n\nBui asked if they should try a long swimming match.\n\n\u201cWe may do so,\u201d replied Hjalmar, \u201cas thou mayest have the better of it\nin the other modes of swimming.\u201d\n\nWhen they had been swimming for a long time, Bui seemed anxious to go\nback, but Hjalmar kept on. Bui swam somewhat more slowly, and asked,\nshortly after: \u201cArt thou to swim longer?\u201d\n\n\u201cI think thou wilt be able to swim alone towards the shore,\u201d replied\nHjalmar. \u201cI will swim farther.\u201d\n\n\u201cVery well,\u201d said Bui, \u201cI will risk going back;\u201d and he turned, but had\nnot gone far before he became exhausted. Hjalmar swam to him, and asked\nhow it went with him, but Bui\u2019s pride prevented him from acknowledging\nhis weakness, and he told him he might go his way.\n\nHjalmar replied: \u201cI think thou deservest that we both go together, for I\ndo not want thee to be drowned. Lay thy hands on my back, and thus\nsupport thyself;\u201d and in this way they came to land.\n\nBui walked up the bank, but had become quite exhausted. Hjalmar sat down\nupon a boulder at the mark of high water. Thorgrim asked his brother how\nhe felt. Bui answered, \u201cI should not be able to tell if Hjalmar had not\nbeen a good and generous man.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow Ketil,\u201d said Thorgrim, unmoved by hearing of this chivalrous\nconduct, \u201cthou shalt try to drown Hjalmar.\u201d\n\n\u201cI will not try,\u201d answered his brother, \u201cfor it seems to me that Bui,\nwho has tried the swimming, has won little glory, and that all the fame\nof the contest has gone to Hjalmar.\u201d\n\nThen Thorgrim himself challenged Hjalmar, and threw off his clothes.\nHjalmar rose from his stone, and went into the water with Thorgrim, and\nas soon as they met, Thorgrim thrust him down into the deep. No one on\nshore could see what they were doing, for they were both far under\nwater, though the sea boiled above them. After a while it became quiet,\nand Thorgrim swam ashore.\n\nIvar and his two other foster-brothers began to feel very anxious, as\nHjalmar was not seen any more. They thought Thorgrim had drowned him,\nand they swore to avenge him. Astrid fainted on her seat, and there was\ngreat sorrow among the women, maidens, and men that had seen the\ncontest, and many friends mourned the death of Hjalmar, who they thought\nhad surely gone to the hall of Ran without being prepared to appear\nthere as befitted his rank.\n\nThere was little merriment over the beer in the hall that evening. Yngvi\nwas overcome with anger, for if Thorgrim had drowned Hjalmar by hurting\nhim, it was murder; but Thorgrim declared that if Hjalmar was drowned,\nit was from exhaustion, and he was ready to take his oath on the temple\nring that he was innocent of any foul deed. Lights were kindled, and the\nsecond high seat reserved for Hjalmar was empty. Suddenly the door of\nthe hall opened. Hjalmar entered, greeted by great shouts of joy, and,\nadvancing towards the seat of Thorgrim, he placed on his knee the knife\nThorgrim had worn in his belt when swimming; then everybody knew that\nThorgrim had carried a knife, which Hjalmar had taken from him, and yet\nhad spared his life.\n\nHjalmar had swum under water for a while, and landed the other side of a\nsmall island, where nobody could see him from the shore. After a time,\nhearing the good news of Hjalmar\u2019s safety, Astrid entered the hall,\nfollowed by her sisters and girl friends, with a golden horn in her\nhand. She paused before Hjalmar and said: \u201cHail to thee, noble Hjalmar!\nthrice hail to thee on account of the danger thou hast escaped!\u201d and\nthen seated herself by his side, and with a frowning look eyed the\ntwelve sons of Hervard. These were more angry than ever against Hjalmar,\nand bore him no good will, but nothing could be seen of this in their\ncountenances.\n\nThe hall became full of clatter and cheer; the beer was drunk freely.\nAll felt happy that Hjalmar had not lost his life; the only unhappy ones\nwere the twelve brothers, who, nevertheless, tried to appear merry.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXVII\n\n                    THE FOSTER-BROTHERS FALL IN LOVE\n\n\nTHE meeting of so many people at the games played havoc with the hearts\nof many a maiden and many a warrior who had come to Upsalir. Tales of\nlove had been whispered in the ears of many trusting and confiding\nViking daughters, and many had sworn to love each other until death.\nVikings who lived far away, or in distant lands, had promised to come\nwith their ships and visit the fair ones who had inspired them with\nadmiration and love. Of course, they were coming to see their fathers\nand mothers, or their kinsmen, with whom they had become friends. These\nbrave warriors and doughty champions deluded themselves, as men often do\non such occasions, with the idea that the people would not understand\nthat their object in coming was to see the daughters, instead of their\nfathers, mothers, or kinsmen. It is true that some men had become fast\nfriends, and had sworn foster-brotherhood to each other during the\ngames.\n\nThe time was near at hand when the lovers were to part; sleepless nights\ntold of the anguish many felt at the thought of going away; and no\nwonder, for how many had felt love budding for the first time. What\ndelightful days had just been passed! What new friends many had made!\nHow many old friendships had been renewed! How many beloved faces had\nbeen seen again, after years of separation! How many slumbering loves\nhad awakened!\n\nBut the games were also to leave many heart-burnings. There had been\nbroken friendships between men or women who had been fast friends\nbefore; for, if there is one thing in the world that the friendship of\ntwo men cannot support, even if they are brothers, it is for both to\nlove the same woman; and it is the same with two women, even if they are\nsisters, who love the same man. Envy and hatred are sure to follow, for\nlove cannot be shared. Many had also taken an oath beforehand that they\nwould marry such or such a girl, or challenge their successful rival to\nmortal combat; and many a duel was to take place on that account, for it\nhad happened that the maidens they admired had not always reciprocated\ntheir feelings, and, indeed, loved some one else better.\n\nOne evening the foster-brothers did not go to the hall, and were\ntogether in their house, and for quite a while had not uttered a single\nword, when suddenly the silence was broken by Sigurd, who said to Ivar:\n\u201cFoster-brother, thou seemest to be in a meditative mood. What dost thou\nthink on?\u201d\n\n\u201cI was thinking,\u201d replied Ivar, \u201cof love.\u201d And he continued: \u201cLove was\nborn in the beginning of all things, and came with the world. Atoms\nkissed atoms, and were made one. The pollen of a flower wanders in the\nair, over sea and land, to kiss another flower, and say \u2018I love thee.\u2019\nThe sea kisses the shore; the moon and the stars kiss the night; the\nbreezes, the water and the land; the sun, the earth; the dawn, the day;\nthe twilight, the night; the heat, the cold; the dew, the flowers, the\nmeadows, and the woods; the rain kisses all life. Men and women were\nborn out of love, and both wander in the world until they meet their\nmates, for love is part of their own being. Life without love might as\nwell never have existed.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d exclaimed Hjalmar, \u201cto us men, woman is the incarnation of love,\nof all that is sweet and beautiful in life. To us she is the most\nsublime conception of the creative power of the gods.\u201d He was thinking\nof Astrid when he uttered these sentiments. \u201cWe forget Odin for the\nwoman we love; for her we would give our last drop of blood. We would\ndie before her eyes that she might see our manliness and bravery, and\nlearn that we are worthy of her love.\u201d\n\nThen, with great animation, he exclaimed: \u201cO Love, embrace me with thy\ngiant\u2019s strength, and stay with me until my life ebbs away! Bring thy\nvivifying breath close to my lips, until thou becomest part of my own\nbeing, for I care not to live without thee. When Mother Earth, who has\nfed me and loved me so tenderly, folds me within her embrace, and hides\nfrom me forever the light of the sun and of this beautiful world which I\nhave loved so much, O Love, envelop me with thy immortality!\u201d\n\n\u201cThou must surely be in love,\u201d exclaimed the three foster-brothers, \u201cto\nutter the sentiments thou hast just expressed.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe fact is,\u201d said Sigurd, \u201cthat love is lurking in the heart of you\nall, my foster-brothers.\u201d\n\n\u201cThat is true,\u201d they shouted with one voice, and began to exchange\nconfidences.\n\nIvar spoke first, and declared that he loved Randalin, Yngvi\u2019s second\ndaughter, to distraction. \u201cWhen she speaks,\u201d he added, \u201cher voice sounds\nto me as the softest tones of the harp; from her lips come the scented\nperfume of the roses of the Caspian, or of the flowers of our own land.\u201d\n\nThen, in a fit of enthusiasm, he said, with great earnestness:\n\u201cFoster-brothers, I tell you that honey is sour compared with the\nsweetness of Randalin.\u201d A merry laugh of approbation greeted Ivar\u2019s last\nsentence.\n\nThen Hjalmar said: \u201cFoster-brothers, I love Astrid, the eldest daughter\nof the Hersir of Svithjod, and the goddess Sjofn has turned her mind and\nmine to mutual love, and I have taken an oath that no one shall marry\nher unless I fall by his hand.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe will stand by thee, Hjalmar!\u201d shouted again all the foster-brothers.\n\nSigmund declared that he loved Solveig the Fair, so called on account of\nher beauty. Solveig was very retiring and bashful, but her dignified\nmanner and charms had not escaped Sigmund. She was the daughter of Bj\u00f6rn\nHersir, who ruled over a large herad, and resided at Gaular, close by\nthe temple. The foster-brothers had met her there at an autumn sacrifice\nat which they were present, and at that time Sigmund fell in love with\nher; and now that they had met again at Upsalir, he was more desperately\nin love than ever.\n\n\u201cI knew,\u201d said Ivar, addressing himself to Hjalmar, \u201cthat thou wast in\nlove with Astrid, and that she loved thee, for in a hundred ways that\npassed unnoticed to others, I saw that she showed her preference for\nthee over all her other suitors. The ancient saying proves true,\u201d he\nadded: \u201c\u2018The eyes cannot hide it if a woman loves a man, or if a man\nloves a woman.\u2019\u201d\n\nHjalmar replied: \u201cIvar, I can say the same thing of thee. We, thy three\nfoster-brothers, saw how much thou and Randalin were in love with each\nother. As for thee, Sigmund,\u201d said he, laughing, \u201cthis saying proves\ntrue in regard to thee: Many a man acts strangely when in love, but\nblame not man for that, blame love instead.\u201d\n\n\u201cDear Sigurd,\u201d said all the foster-brothers at once, \u201cthou hast said\nnothing to us yet about the maiden thou lovest; and thou art our elder,\nand we know that no one has a greater admiration and regard for women\nthan thou hast, nor loves their society more than thou dost.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have wandered, as you know, more than any of you,\u201d returned Sigurd,\n\u201cin our and many other lands, and have not yet seen the maiden of my\ndestiny. I have never met her whom I wanted to marry. Once or twice in\nmy life, if nothing had happened to prevent me from meeting again the\nmaiden I had begun to love, I should have probably been married to-day;\nbut the Nornir have not shaped my life thus far for me to be\npassionately in love. We must wait for time and for their decrees.\u201d\n\nAfter hearing his words, the foster-brothers said: \u201cSigurd, marry; for\nthou art the only one left of thy kin. And it is not wise for a man to\ndie and leave no scion to inherit his virtues and his fame.\u201d\n\nAfter this talk, each foster-brother went his own way, and Ivar, without\ntaking notice of it, walked unconsciously towards the bower of Randalin,\nand saw her coming towards him on her way to the house of her father. A\nthrill of joy ran through him as he perceived her. She turned pale and\nred alternately at seeing him; she was ready to sink to the ground. An\nindescribable feeling told her that Ivar was about to propose to her.\nThe bond-woman that followed her fell back, and Ivar and she walked on\ntogether.\n\nAfter a little pause, Ivar said to her: \u201cThou knowest, Randalin, that\nthe goddess Var listens to the oaths of men, and to the private\nengagements which men and women make between themselves in regard to\nlove, and punishes those who break them. I want her to hear me to-day,\nand to listen to what thou hast to say to me.\u201d Then, looking at her\nintently, he continued: \u201cRememberest thou, fairest of maidens, the day\nwhen we met for the first time?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the daughter of Yngvi. \u201cI remember it as if it were\nto-day.\u201d\n\n\u201cCanst thou recollect,\u201d continued Ivar, \u201chow we looked at each other as\nsoon as we met, and how our eyes seemed to melt into each other\u2019s? At\nthat time an indescribable feeling seized me; thou didst seem to\nentrance me. I felt as I never felt before in my life. I loved thee, and\nI thought that thou also didst love me; and when thou didst continue thy\nway, my eyes were riveted upon thy fair form, and I remember that before\nthou didst disappear thou didst turn thy head once more towards me, as\nif some magic impulse compelled thee to do so, and told thee that I was\nstill spell-bound at thy sight. We gave to each other a farewell look,\nas if to say, \u2018Yes, we will meet again.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cI remember all that well,\u201d said Randalin, for her honest heart could\nnot deny it.\n\n\u201cSince then,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cI have thought of thee by day, and often\ndreamt of thee by night; and now I feel that before I return to\nDampstadir I must tell thee of my love, and ask thee if thou wilt give\nme thy heart and marry me. If thou sayest no, life then will have no\nmore charm for me; the clatter of weapons on the field of battle will no\nmore sound pleasantly in my ears; ambition for renowned deeds will never\nstir me more; I feel that without thee I could not live.\u201d\n\nRandalin\u2019s feelings, as she heard the burning words from Ivar\u2019s lips,\nwere such that she could not speak. Taking his hands, and looking with\nher beautiful blue eyes into his face, she said: \u201cIvar, thy wife I will\nbe, and no other man shall ever possess me.\u201d\n\nIn the evening the foster-brothers met, as was their custom, to talk\nmatters over before they went to the banqueting hall to drink with the\nhigh-born men and champions of the land. All agreed that they should ask\nthe parents of the young girls for their consent to the different\nmarriages, for the laws regarding marriage were very strict, and there\nwas nothing in the world in which Vikings were more particular, or more\nrevengeful, if the honor of one of their kinswomen was attacked.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                             CHAPTER XXVIII\n\n                     BETROTHAL OF IVAR AND RANDALIN\n\n\nTHE next morning Ivar went to see two of his uncles, Randvir, a brother\nof his mother, and Visbur, a brother of his father, who had come to\nUpsalir with him, and said to them: \u201cKinsmen, I desire you to ask for me\nin marriage Randalin, the second daughter of Yngvi, the Hersir of\nSvithjod.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell done, Ivar,\u201d said his two uncles with one voice. \u201cThou art wise in\nthy choice, for Randalin is beautiful, and most accomplished in all that\npertains to woman, and will be a wife worthy of thee; she is one of the\ngreatest matches in the Northern lands, and we hope sincerely that both\nher father and herself will consent to your union.\u201d\n\n\u201cI have told Randalin how much I loved her, and she has said that no one\nshall ever marry her but me,\u201d replied Ivar.\n\nThe same afternoon the two uncles of Ivar went to Yngvi, and said to\nhim: \u201cKinsman, we have to talk to thee on a very important matter,\u201d and\nthen explained their errand. Visbur was the spokesman, and said: \u201cWe are\nallied to thee by blood and kinship, and we wish furthermore to cement\nmore closely our friendship, so we have come to ask the hand of thy\nsecond daughter, Randalin, for Ivar. Thy daughter is high-born, and of\nall the pedigrees of the Upsalir families, hers is the highest, for she\nis descended in direct line from the gods themselves. We wish, if it is\nthy pleasure, that Ivar should be thy son-in-law.\u201d\n\nAfter a pause, in order to allow Yngvi to reflect upon his proposals,\nVisbur continued: \u201cIvar is valiant, has been in many battles, has\ntravelled far and wide, and is, we think, very wise for his age. More\nthan all this, Ivar loves thy daughter Randalin, and we think it will be\na happy union for both our families, and will cement the friendship that\nexists between Gotland and Svithjod.\u201d\n\nYngvi received their request favorably, and replied: \u201cI know that there\nwill be no disparity in the match, for both Ivar and Randalin are of\nOdin\u2019s kin; Ivar is a renowned warrior, and rules over one of the\npowerful realms of the North. There is no obstacle to their marriage,\nfor though they are related by blood, it is only in the fifth degree,\nand this is the degree in which marriage is allowed between kinsmen and\nkinswomen. This is one of our wisest laws, which has been adhered to by\nus Norsemen from the most ancient times; by this we prevent the\ndegeneration of our race.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d continued Yngvi, \u201cRandalin is wise, and I will not betroth her to\nany one without her consent. Besides, she is of age, according to law,\nsince she is over fifteen; and as she owns entailed lands in her own\nright, she can betroth herself to whom she likes, though it would be\nvery unwise for her to do so without my consent. But before I speak to\nher on the subject, we must find that we are of one mind in regard to\nthe conditions of the marriage concerning property. You are aware that\nRandalin has, even to-day, a great deal of property in her own right,\nand that she owns a third of her mother\u2019s inheritance, which includes\nmany large landed estates, and that in the course of time a great deal\nof wealth is to come to her. Marriage is a civil contract, owing to the\nrelation which man and wife hold towards each other in regard to\nproperty. Let us see what will be \u2018the dowry,\u2019 or \u2018home following,\u2019 and\nthe \u2018counter dowry\u2019; if we agree on these points, I see not what should\nprevent the marriage if Randalin is willing. Her brothers are waging war\nin the Mediterranean, and they will be delighted to hear of their\nsister\u2019s marriage with their comrade and remote kinsman, Ivar\nHjorvardson.\u201d\n\nThen he added: \u201cAccording to the laws of our land, a woman has to be\nprovided with a dowry, otherwise her children are not \u2018inheritance\nborn,\u2019 and no marriage is valid without dowry; and that dowry, and the\ncounter dowry which we give her, belong to her for life, and afterwards\nto her children, or to whomsoever she wills them, and her husband must\nnot touch them. If she dies childless, her estates go back to her\nkinsmen, but the dowry is then returned to her husband; and she is\nentitled to a third of the property, both personal and real, earned by\nher husband during their married life.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou speakest fairly,\u201d said the uncles. \u201cIvar will give as dowry to\nRandalin the estates of Bjolstad, of Lis, of Hof, and five hundred marks\nof gold.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis dowry is acceptable to me,\u201d answered the Hersir of Svithjod.\n\n\u201cWhat counter dowry wilt thou give to Randalin?\u201d inquired the uncles of\nIvar.\n\n\u201cI will give her,\u201d replied Yngvi, \u201cthe large estate of Rodelsvellir and\nfive hundred marks of gold.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is generous on thy part,\u201d said Visbur and Randvir. \u201cWe will not\ndiscuss the trousseau which Ivar ought to give Randalin, for we know him\nto be most generous, and proud of his rank and dignity, and that he\nwishes Randalin to have such an outfit as becometh the daughter of the\nHersir of Svithjod.\u201d\n\nRandalin was sent for, and Yngvi said to her: \u201cI have a marriage to\npropose to thee, my daughter, which I think will suit thee well. I did\nnot wish to betroth thee without thy consent. What thinkest thou of\nmarrying Ivar Hjorvardson, the Hersir of Gotland? No better union\ncouldst thou form in all the Northern lands.\u201d\n\nRandalin replied: \u201cFather, no one could better please me, and the\ngoddess Var has listened to the vows made between us, for Ivar and I\nlove each other.\u201d\n\nThen Ivar was summoned to the conference, and Yngvi addressed him thus:\n\u201cI would not give my daughter to thee, Ivar, if I did not like thee; and\nI would rather have thee than any of the other men in our Northern lands\nmarry Randalin, for I consider thee the foremost in mind, courage, and\ndaring.\u201d Ivar thanked Yngvi for his kind words and for his consent to\nhis marriage with Randalin.\n\nAfter all the conditions were agreed to, each side called six men of\nhigh rank, and the agreement of the marriage was recited before them, as\nthe law required, and they stood as witnesses of the contract.\n\nIt was agreed that the betrothal should not be for more than twelve\nmonths, unless unforeseen circumstances occurred.\n\nYngvi then said to Randalin: \u201cI betroth thee according to law, as thy\nfather and guardian. It is a complete betrothal.\u201d\n\nThen Ivar advanced toward Yngvi, who declared Ivar betrothed to\nRandalin, his daughter, and then they named witnesses to their\nbetrothal.\n\nRandalin next came forward and said: \u201cThou, Ivar, in presence of these\nwitnesses, hast betrothed thyself to me lawfully; give me the counter\ndowry, and clasp my hand as the fulfilment and performance of the whole\nagreement, which a little while ago was recited before us without fraud\nor trick. This will be a complete and lawful match.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccording to law,\u201d said Ivar, \u201cwe name witnesses, Randalin, that thou\nhast betrothed thyself to me, Ivar Hjorvardson, lawfully. I give thee\nthe counter dowry, with handshaking to seal the agreement, as the\nfulfilment and performance of the whole contract, which was but just now\nrecited between us.\u201d\n\nThen, laughingly, one of the uncles of Ivar said to him: \u201cThou knowest,\nIvar, that the breaking of a betrothal by either party is punished, and\nwhichever party breaks it forfeits the dowry promised.\u201d\n\n\u201cNo fear of this,\u201d exclaimed Ivar and Randalin at the same time, as they\nstood side by side.\n\nThen said Yngvi, addressing Ivar, \u201cRandalin has no faults or blemishes\non her person. If thou findest faults or blemishes in her which I have\nnot told thee of, it is because I do not know them. Her mother, as thou\nknowest, is dead, and she is the one that could tell. Randalin herself\nsays she has no blemish. If she has, thou canst refuse to marry her; and\nif thou canst prove that I knew it, thou mayest claim the dowry\naccording to law.\u201d\n\nThey all separated, very happy, and when Yngvi was alone with his\ndaughter, after the kinsmen of Ivar had departed, he said to her:\n\u201cDaughter, thou thinkest that Ivar is perfection. A short time after\nthou art married to him, thou wilt find that he has faults, and thou\nwilt perhaps regret that thou didst not marry Thorstein, who, like Ivar,\nloved thee, and who aspired silently to thy hand; but I assure thee that\nif thou hadst married Thorstein, thou wouldst also find fault in him,\nfor there is no man, no matter how good and brave he is, that is without\na fault. So be satisfied, though thou mayst find some fault in Ivar, and\nthough the ideal thou hadst of thy lover before thou hadst known him\nwell and lived with him is broken. Many dreams of youth vanish in life.\nThe Nornir are wise, and none of us knows his fate beforehand.\u201d\n\nThe following morning Ivar, accompanied by several of the highest-born\nmen of Gotland, and followed by the kinsmen of Hjalmar, went to Yngvi\nand explained their errand, which was to ask Astrid in marriage for\nHjalmar.\n\nThe Hersir of Svithjod listened to them, and said: \u201cIt was my intention\nto betroth my daughter to another man, for I did not know that Hjalmar\nand Astrid loved each other. I think much of Hjalmar, for he is valiant,\nand is one of my land defenders, and I think the marriage a good one, as\nhis family is also descended from Odin.\u201d\n\nThe conditions of the marriage and the length of the betrothal were then\nagreed upon before witnesses. Sigmund was also betrothed in the same\nway, and for the same length of time, to Solveig, leaving Sigurd the\nonly one of the four foster-brothers with free heart and hand.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXIX\n\n                         IVAR\u2019S DUEL WITH KETIL\n\n\nTWO days after the termination of the games, a great feast was given by\nYngvi to all his kinsmen, and all the high-born men and women who had\ncome to Upsalir to witness the contests. The three large festive halls\nwere filled with guests, and many lots were drawn among warriors for\nseats, there were so many men of equal rank and dignity. At this feast\nthe announcement of the betrothal of Ivar and Randalin, and of Hjalmar\nand Astrid, was made by Yngvi, their father; and that of Solveig to\nSigmund, by Bj\u00f6rn, her father.\n\nAll the Hersirs and many of the high-born men and women were invited to\nthe wedding of Ivar and Randalin, which was to take place first.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nWhen Bui heard that Astrid had been betrothed to Hjalmar, he remembered\nthe vow he had made the preceding Yule. Accordingly, when the feast was\nat its height, and while Astrid was seated by the side of her father,\nBui entered the hall and advanced to Yngvi\u2019s side, told the vow he had\nmade the preceding Yule in regard to Astrid, and explained that his\nerrand to Upsalir was to ask her in marriage. In a loud voice, and\nlooking defiantly towards Hjalmar, he said that he requested an answer\non the instant. A profound silence had succeeded the chatter of voices,\nand all waited to hear the reply of the Hersir of Svithjod; but, before\nhe could answer, Hjalmar stepped forward, and said: \u201cMy mind has always\nbeen bent upon marrying Astrid. Remember, my lord, how I have defended\nyour realm and increased your possessions in far-off lands. You have\nbetrothed your daughter Astrid to me, and I know not why this man should\ncome to ask her hand, when he knows that she is betrothed to me. I also\nhave made a vow upon the altar ring that I will marry Astrid, and allow\nno one else to possess her. Besides,\u201d he added, hotly, \u201cI think the land\nwill be better off if it gets rid of these twelve brothers.\u201d\n\nThe Hersir of Svithjod, after hearing these two men, turned towards\nAstrid, and said to her: \u201cWhat sayest thou?\u201d\n\nAstrid replied: \u201cI am betrothed to Hjalmar, and I love him. I love\nHjalmar, and I will never marry any one else but him, for he is good and\nbrave. I have heard but evil reports of Bui and all his brothers.\nBesides, our Fylkja has appeared to me in a dream, and told me to beware\nof the twelve sons of Hervard.\u201d\n\nWhen Bui had heard her words, he challenged Hjalmar to a duel, and said,\nin presence of all the guests, that he would be called a \u201cnithing\u201d by\nevery man, if he married Astrid without accepting the challenge. As it\nwas considered cowardly not to accept a challenge, Hjalmar said\nscornfully, that he was quite ready to accept his defiance; and the time\nof the duel was appointed, and the island of Samsey was fixed on as the\nspot where it was to take place.\n\nThis challenge had hardly been given, when a great Hersir and mighty\nchampion named Ketil rose up before Yngvi, and said: \u201cI have just\narrived at Upsalir, and the games are ended; contrary winds have\nfollowed me all the way, so I have not been able to take part in the\ncontests. I am much disappointed, for I wanted to win several\nchampionships, and have trials of strength and agility with Ivar, before\nthe eyes of Randalin, thy daughter. I have made a vow that I will marry\nRandalin, and that no one else shall marry her before stepping over my\ndead body. Whoever is wooing her must fight a duel with me. I challenge\nIvar to a duel, to take place at Arhaug on the first day of Yule,\u201d and\nhe shouted so loud that everybody in the hall heard him: \u201cThou, Ivar,\nshalt be every man\u2019s nithing, if thou comest not to the duel!\u201d Ivar at\nonce accepted the challenge as Hjalmar had done.\n\nAt Arhaug, Ketil and his men sacrificed. He practised witchcraft much,\nand the people believed that no weapons could pierce his chain-armor or\nhurt him. He only made sacrifices to the sun and to his guardian\nspirits, for he did not believe in Odin nor in the other gods.\n\nAfter the feast was over, Ivar and his foster-brothers left Svithjod,\ntogether with all who had come to the games, all having received\nvaluable gifts.\n\nThe sons of Hervard had gone, immediately after the challenge of Bui to\nHjalmar, not in the best of moods, on account of the failure of their\nmission in regard to Astrid. They went home and told their father of the\nresult of their errand and of the challenge of Bui to Hjalmar.\n\nHervard answered: \u201cNever have I been so anxious about you before now.\nNowhere do I know of men equally brave and so skilled in the handling of\nweapons as Ivar and his foster-brothers Hjalmar, Sigurd, and Sigmund.\u201d\n\nThey talked no more of the matter that evening, but the anxious brow of\nHervard told of his anxiety in regard to the duel, and how much he\nfeared for the lives of his sons.\n\nAfter the departure of Hjalmar, Astrid became very sad. Her sumptuous\nhome seemed to have no charm for her, and she could think of nothing but\nthe duel which was to take place between Hjalmar and Bui. One evening as\nher father was all alone, he saw her come into the hall with a face so\npale that he called her to his side. She responded with a smile, trying\nto hide her feelings, for she did not wish him to notice how sad she\nwas.\n\n\u201cCome sit by me, daughter,\u201d said he, in a tender and sympathetic voice.\n\nAfter seating herself by her father\u2019s side, Astrid laid her head on his\nbreast and remained silent, hiding her face in the folds of her cloak.\nYngvi took her hands in his; they were hot and feverish, and, as he\npetted her, he asked her, not knowing what was the trouble, if the\nmarriage that had been arranged between her and Hjalmar was not to her\nliking, and if she regretted her betrothal. Sobs were the only answer he\ngot; but when she had relieved her overburdened breast in copious tears,\nand had recovered sufficiently, she replied: \u201cFather, I am pleased, and\nI would marry no one but Hjalmar; but, I do not know why, I think I\nshall never see him again alive.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy so?\u201d said Yngvi.\n\n\u201cI had a dream before the games,\u201d replied Astrid, \u201cin which our Fylkja\nappeared and forewarned me of Hjalmar\u2019s danger, and told me that the\ntwelve eagles I saw in a preceding dream were the twelve sons of\nHervard, and that these would cause me great sorrow; and afterwards she\ncalled me towards her, and said: \u2018Follow me.\u2019 I think this forebode the\ndeath of Hjalmar and, perhaps, mine. The decrees of the Nornir must be\nfulfilled, and none of us know what they are.\u201d\n\nYngvi did his best to cheer his daughter, and tried to persuade her that\nher dream was not deserving of so sinister an interpretation, but it was\ndifficult to comfort her. Randalin, too, was anxious about the result of\nthe duel between Ivar and Ketil.\n\nNevertheless there was no way of preventing these duels, and the time\nfor that between Ivar and Ketil soon arrived. Ivar made ready two ships,\nand asked many doughty champions to follow him. He had sent word to\nSvithjod, to men of high renown to meet him at Arhaug to witness the\nduel, so they might tell on their return to Upsalir of his victory, or\nthat he died with honor and valor. He sailed for Arhaug, the appointed\nplace, and arrived there three days before the time with his\nfoster-brothers. On his arrival, Bodmod, the son of Ketil, invited him\nto his hall, and there he and his men were entertained with great\nsplendor. In the course of conversation, Ivar mentioned the name of\nOdin. At the mention of Odin, Bodmod became angry and sang: \u201cOdin I have\nnever worshipped, though I have lived long. I know that the head of Ivar\nwill fall sooner than mine or that of my father.\u201d\n\nBut Ivar sang in answer: \u201cI love Odin and all the gods, and sacrifice to\nthem, and I know that Odin loves me.\u201d\n\nOn the day appointed for the duel, Ivar and his foster-brothers took a\nboat, and rowed to a small island where the conflict was to take place.\nKetil was there already, waiting for Ivar.\n\nA great crowd had assembled on the shore of the mainland to witness the\ncontest, or ordeal, between these two famous champions, for the people\nbelieved that the judgments of the gods were decided in this way.\n\n\u201cWhat kind of duel dost thou wish us to have,\u201d asked Ketil of Ivar, \u201cthe\nHolmganga or the Einvigi? Thou art the challenged man, and thou hast the\nright to choose which of the two thou wilt have.\u201d\n\nIvar answered: \u201cI choose the Holmganga, for there is more honor and fame\nin this than in the other; and when I left Gotland for Upsalir, to\nparticipate in the games, it was to win more fame than I had before.\nThere are two alternatives before me: the one, to get bravely the\nvictory in fighting against thee; the other, to fall with valor; and\nthat is better than to live with shame and dishonor.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said Ketil, \u201cwhy dost thou choose the Holmganga instead of the\nEinvigi? Thou art young and inexperienced, and in the Holmganga there\nare difficult rules, but none in the Einvigi.\u201d\n\nIvar answered: \u201cI shall not fight better in the Einvigi, and I will risk\nthe Holmganga, and in all be on equal footing with thee. Though much\nyounger than thyself, and of less experience, I am not afraid of the\nHolmganga rules. I have handled the sword many a time, though I have\nnever done so in a duel. My foster-father taught me well its use, and\nthe rules of dueling also.\u201d\n\nThen the laws of the Holmganga were recited by Sigurd, this being\nobligatory before a duel took place.\n\n\u201cThis is,\u201d said he, \u201cthe Holmganga law: The cloak must be ten feet from\none end to the other, with loops in the corners, and in these pegs must\nbe put down. The one who makes the preparations must go towards the\npegs, hold his ear-lobes, and, bending over, stand with his feet apart,\nseeing the sky between them. Three squares, each one foot wide, must be\nmarked around the cloak. Outside the squares must be placed four poles,\ncalled hazel poles. The place is called a hazelled field when it is\nprepared thus. Each man must have three shields, and when these are made\nuseless he must stand upon the cloak, and thereafter defend himself with\nhis weapons. He who has been challenged is to strike first. If one is\nwounded so that the blood falls upon the cloak, he is not obliged to\nfight any longer. If either steps with one of his feet outside the\nboundary, it is held that he has retreated; and if he steps outside with\nboth feet, he is held to have fled, and is accounted vanquished.\n\n\u201cHave you, Ketil and Ivar, taken heed of the Holmganga law which I have\njust recited to you?\u201d asked Sigurd in conclusion.\n\n\u201cThou hast recited well and correctly the laws of the Holmganga,\nSigurd,\u201d replied Ivar.\n\nAs customary in the Holmganga, one man held the shield before each of\nthe combatants. The one who received most wounds was to pay an indemnity\nfor being released from the fight, for it was the law of the Holmganga\nthat if he who challenged another man, in order to get something, gained\nthe victory, he should have the prize for which he had challenged; if he\nwas defeated, he should release himself with as much property as had\nbeen agreed upon; if he fell, he should forfeit all his property, and he\nwho killed him was to take all the inheritance.\n\nIt was the custom of duelists not to draw their swords on the place of\nthe Holmganga, but let the sword hang on the arm, so that it should be\nready at once, when wanted. At the outset Ketil said to Ivar: \u201cIt seems\nto me that the sword that thou carriest is longer than the laws of the\nHolmganga allow.\u201d\n\n\u201cThou canst measure my sword,\u201d replied Ivar, \u201cand thou wilt find that it\nis of the proper length, and according to the regulation.\u201d\n\nThen Ivar said to Hjalmar: \u201cFoster-brother, thou must hold the shield\nbefore me.\u201d\n\nHjalmar replied: \u201cI have done that for no one before, my beloved\nfoster-brother. Rather ask me to go into Holmganga against Ketil, for I\nam afraid thou riskest too much. I do not want to part from thee, and\nhope the Nornir have fated us to die the same day.\u201d\n\nIvar thanked his foster-brother, but said that what he asked could not\nbe granted.\n\nHjalmar answered: \u201cIn case of thy death, none of us would go back unless\nthou art avenged, for we foster-brothers have sworn to avenge each\nother\u2019s death.\u201d\n\nThen he advanced towards Ivar, and took the three shields that he was to\nhold before him, and handed two of them to Sigurd and Sigmund; then he\nsaid to Ivar: \u201cFoster-brother, let us hope that victory will be thine;\nbut thou hast to fight against one of the greatest champions of our\nland, a man very skilled in the handling of the sword and of the sax.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow it is better to stand by one\u2019s word, and not to be the first to ask\nfor peace,\u201d Ketil said.\n\n\u201cThou art right,\u201d replied Ivar. Then he sang: \u201cLovely maid of Svithjod,\nto-day I fight for thee; I will come to thee victorious, Randalin;\nto-day Ketil will die.\u201d\n\nKetil began to shout fiercely, and the berserk frenzy came upon him. He\nbit the rim of his shield, and looked like a wild beast; foam came from\nhis mouth, but after a while he became himself again.\n\nIvar and Ketil, after shaking hands, went inside the boundaries of the\ndueling place, and placed themselves on the squares that were marked on\nthe cloak.\n\nFirst Ivar sang: \u201cThou, Ketil, wilt to-day lodge with Odin.\u201d\n\nAnd Ketil sang back: \u201cI do not put my trust in Odin, but before night\nthou, Ivar, wilt be among the dead.\u201d\n\nHjalmar held the shield of Ivar, and Bodmod that of Ketil, his father.\nIvar had the sword Hrotti, and when it struck Ketil\u2019s shield, it was as\nif lightning came from it. Ketil, seeing the sparks, said: \u201cI should not\nhave fought against thee if I had known that thou hadst Hrotti with\nthee. It is most likely, as my father said, that we brothers are to be\nshort-lived, except the one of us who is named after him.\u201d\n\nHeedless of this complaint, Ivar struck at Ketil\u2019s shield, and dealt\nblow after blow so quickly, that Ketil could not strike him, having to\nshelter himself behind his shield-bearer; then Ivar drew back to get\nroom to wield his sword and aim a blow at Ketil, but Ketil was too quick\nfor him, and Ivar\u2019s shield was cut asunder. New shields were provided,\nand these were equally cut to pieces. Each side had now spoiled two\nshields, both combatants had only one shield left, and the fight was to\nbe decisive.\n\nThen followed the fiercest of combats. Ketil sang: \u201cThere is courage in\nKetil. My sword Hviting is sharp; it will belie the word of Odin. I tell\nthee, Ivar, it is unsafe to trust him; use thy arms and hands well\nbefore we part, for soon thou art to fall.\u201d\n\nIvar replied: \u201cSoon, Ketil, wilt thou fall to the ground.\u201d\n\nHere Ketil drew back with a swift motion, to wield his sword more\neasily, and deal a death blow at Ivar. But Ivar sprang towards him just\nat this instant, and struck him a blow which almost cleft his shoulder\nin two, and he staggered outside the mark, and fell mortally wounded.\n\nThereupon Ketil died, having fought and fallen valiantly. According to\nancient custom, a large bull was led forward, and sacrificed by Ivar as\nthe victor.\n\nIvar then went back to Dampstadir, and the Sviar to Upsalir to tell\nRandalin of the great victory of Ivar, who on account of this deed\nobtained still greater renown than before.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXX\n\n                      DEATH OF HJALMAR AND ASTRID\n\n\nA SHORT time after his return from Arhaug, and his memorable duel with\nKetil, Ivar made preparations to leave Dampstadir with his three\nfoster-brothers for Samsey, in order to be there at the time appointed\nfor the duel between Hjalmar and Bui. Before sailing, Hjalmar made a\nsolemn sacrifice to Odin for victory. They sailed with two small ships\nof the kind called \u201cask\u201d to the island, and after an uneventful voyage\narrived there, and cast anchor in a bay called Munarvog.\n\nThe sons of Hervard likewise made their preparations. The night before\nthey sailed, Thorgrim had a dream which he told his father.\n\n\u201cIt seemed to me,\u201d said he, \u201cthat we brothers were in Samsey, and found\nmany birds there, and killed them all. Then we went to the other side of\nthe island, and two eagles flew against us. I had a hard fight against\none of them, and at last both of us sat down, and were badly wounded.\nThe other eagle fought against my brothers, and overcame them all.\u201d\n\nWhen Hervard heard this, he became more concerned than ever in regard to\nthe lives of his sons, for in this dream he saw a warning of their\ndeath. He said to them: \u201cThis dream needs no unravelling, for it is\nplain enough. I am sure it concerns you, and I fear that the men who\nfell mean yourselves.\u201d\n\nThe sons replied that they did not fear that, for they had always\nobtained the victory before.\n\n\u201cAll men go the day they have been fated to die,\u201d rejoined Hervard, and\nthey spoke no more on the subject that day.\n\nThe next morning the twelve brothers went to their ship, and their\nfather followed them to the shore, and gave good armor and weapons to\nthem all. \u201cI think,\u201d said he, \u201cyou have need of the best weapons now,\nfor you are to fight against most valiant champions,\u201d after which he\nbade them farewell, and they departed. They reached Samsey, and landed\nat a bay called Unavog, on the other side of the island from where\nHjalmar and his men were.\n\nAfter the sons of Hervard had landed, the berserk fury came over them\nall, and they wrestled with trees, large rocks, and boulders, as they\nwere wont when this madness seized them. After a time they became quiet\nagain and rested, for they had become weak, as was always the case after\nthe berserk fury.\n\nThe next morning they walked all over the island to see if they could\ndiscover traces of Hjalmar and his foster-brothers\u2019 arrival. After\ncrossing to the other coast, they saw two ships, and knew that they must\nbelong to Hjalmar. Then they drew their swords, bit the edges of their\nshields, and the berserk fury came over them all again. They boarded the\nships in an onset of irresistible rage, six of them attacking each ship\nin the centre. So brave were the men on them that no one fled from his\nplace, or spoke a word of fear, or changed color. Six of the brothers\nwent forward to the bow, and the other six towards the stern, and slew\nevery man they encountered. After this they went ashore, howling and\nshouting.\n\nHjalmar and the foster-brothers had gone ashore also, and walked over\nthe island to see if Bui and his brothers had come. When they reached a\nhillock from which they could see their own ships, they saw men coming\nout of them with bloody weapons and swords, and recognized the sons of\nHervard.\n\nWhen Hjalmar perceived them, he said to his foster-brothers: \u201cOur men\nare slain; and they were so brave and so skilful in the handling of\nweapons, that it seems to me most likely that we shall all lodge with\nOdin in Valhalla to-night.\u201d\n\nThis was the only word of fear that Hjalmar had ever spoken in his life,\nand his foster-brothers wondered why he had done so. Had he a\npresentiment that his Disir would prove faithless to him?\n\nWhen Ivar heard this, he said to Hjalmar: \u201cCourage often is better than\na sharp sword, and many a dull sword has won the victory. We will be\nvictorious over the sons of Hervard, though they have slain all the\nbrave men who were on board of our ships.\u201d\n\n\u201cNever have we fled from our foes,\u201d said Sigurd. \u201cLet us rather fall\nunder their weapons, and die with honor, for this is better than to live\nwith shame; and we will fight the berserks one after another.\u201d\n\nThen Hjalmar sang: \u201cWe will not lodge with Odin to-night. I must wed\nAstrid before I die, and ere evening comes all these men who come to\nfight against us will be dead, and we four foster-brothers shall live.\u201d\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe sons of the berserk Hervard and the four foster-brothers met. The\nduel was to be the Einvigi; they could advance or retreat as they\npleased, and no shield was held before the combatants. Bui was armed\nwith the sword called \u201cRangvid,\u201d and Hjalmar, \u201cDragvandil,\u201d the sword\nwhich his father had given him when he became of age. As they met in the\narena, Bui said: \u201cIf either of us escapes, he shall not take the other\u2019s\nweapons. I desire to have Rangvid in my mound, if I die; Hjalmar shall\nhave his shirt and his weapons. He who lives shall raise a mound over\nthe other.\u201d\n\nThen the combat began in earnest, and was fought with the greatest\nviolence. Both struck hard and often.\n\nWhen Ivar and Sigurd and Sigmund had looked on for a while, they went to\na place some distance away, and made ready for the fight with the other\neleven sons of Hervard. Ivar said to the berserks: \u201cWe will fight\naccording to the custom of warriors, and not that of thralls. One of\nyou, and no more, shall fight me at a time, if your courage fails not.\u201d\n\nThey consented, and then Seming came forward, and Ivar went against him.\nHrotti, the sword which Ivar had chosen, and which belonged to his\nfather, was so good that it cut steel as if it were cloth. It was not\nlong before Seming sank dead to the ground. Olvir then came forward to\nmeet Ivar, and after a short fight he too fell dead. At this the rage of\nthe berserks was overpowering, for they had always been victorious\nbefore. Then Gisli came forward. He was, next to Thorgrim, the strongest\nand most skilful of the eleven brothers. He attacked Ivar so fiercely,\nthat the latter at first could do no more than defend himself. They\nfought for a long time, during which the victory seemed doubtful. All\ntheir armor was cut off, but the charmed shirt which Randalin had made\nfor Ivar protected his body, so he was not hurt. Finally Gisli fell,\nafter receiving many wounds. Then Thorgrim fought against Ivar. The\nfight was very severe, and lasted long. Finally Thorgrim lost so much\nblood, that he fell down suddenly, and at once died. One brother rose\nafter the other, but Ivar slew them all. He was completely exhausted,\nbut he had refused the help of Sigurd and Sigmund, for he thought he\ncould gain the victory over Hervard\u2019s sons more easily than they could,\nand he did not wish to risk their lives.\n\nAfter this the foster-brothers repaired to the spot where they had left\nBui and Hjalmar fighting, and they saw that Bui had fallen, and lay\nmotionless on the ground, and that Hjalmar sat with his back resting\nagainst a rock, and was as pale as a corpse.\n\nIvar approached him and sang: \u201cWhat ails thee, Hjalmar? Thou hast\nchanged color. I see that deep wounds weaken thee. Thy helmet is cut,\nand thy chain-armor is pierced near thy heart. Thy life, alas! is soon\nto finish, and ere long thou art going to Valhalla.\u201d\n\nIn reply, and in a faint voice, Hjalmar sang: \u201cI have sixteen wounds and\nrent chain-armor. It is dark before my eyes; I cannot see to walk. The\nsword of Bui has touched my heart, the sharp point hardened in poison. I\nowned five burgs, but I never enjoyed them, as thou knowest well that I\ncared not for occupation on land. Soon I shall lie deprived of life, its\nthread sundered by the sword in Samsey. I would I could have married\nAstrid before going to Odin, but the Nornir decreed at my birth that\nthis should not take place. I left the young Astrid on that fated day,\ndestined never to see her again. How well it is for man not to know his\nfate beforehand. For sorrow would have followed me, and instead I\nthought only of victory.\u201d\n\nThen he called Ivar to his side and said: \u201cDraw from my hand, my\nfoster-brother, the red-gold ring, and take it to Astrid. I know that it\nwill be to her a lasting sorrow that I do not come back to Upsalir.\u201d\n\nThen, after another pause, he continued: \u201cThe women on land will not\nhear that I sheltered myself from blows. The wise maidens in Upsalir\nwill not laugh because I succumbed in the fight, as well as my\nadversary, whom I slew first.\u201d\n\nThen raising himself, he continued: \u201cSeest thou, Ivar, from a high tree\na raven flying from the east? An eagle follows; that is the last eagle\nto which I give prey, and it will taste my blood. It is my wish that\nthou carry my helmet and chain-armor into Yngvi\u2019s hall. The heart of the\ndaughter of the Hersir of Svithjod will be moved deeply when she sees my\nchain-armor cut upon the breast. I behold the daughters of Yngvi in\nUpsalir. How beautiful they look! Hjalmar will not look again upon them,\nneither will he cheer with ale and speeches the warriors who sit in\nYngvi\u2019s hall.\u201d\n\nThen came another pause, for Hjalmar was suffering intensely from his\nwounds, but he had made a vow never to shriek from pain. Finally he said\nto his foster-brothers: \u201cTwo of you must go and hew a stone coffin for\nme, while another shall sit by my side, and write upon wooden tablets\nthat song which I will compose about my deeds in life.\u201d\n\nThen he began to dictate the song, and Sigmund carved it, and the nearer\nthe poem drew to its end, the more the life of Hjalmar ebbed away. Then\ncame a deep silence, his voice had ceased. He was dead!\n\nThen Ivar said solemnly: \u201cIt will be told far and wide that few nobler\nand more famous men have ever lived than Hjalmar Gudbrandson of Engel.\u201d\n\nAfter the words of Ivar, the foster-brothers looked at each other\nwithout saying a word, but all felt the great and irreparable loss they\nhad sustained. They placed the berserks in a heap, near the sea, and\npiled boughs upon them. They put with them their weapons and clothing,\ndivesting them of nothing. They covered the pile with turf, and cast\nearth over it, thus raising a great mound. They then went out to their\nships, took ashore every one who had fallen, and there threw up another\nmound over them.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nAfter the burial of the berserks, the three foster-brothers carried the\nbody of Hjalmar on one of their ships, and sailed to Svithjod. They\nlanded not far from Upsalir. Ivar carried Hjalmar on his back, followed\nby Sigurd and Sigmund, and then laid down their beloved dead\nfoster-brother at the door of the great hall, chanting, as they walked\nthere, the praises and great deeds of valor of Hjalmar.\n\nAfter entering the hall, they marched towards the high seat where Yngvi\nwas seated, and then put down on the floor and in front of him Hjalmar\u2019s\npierced armor, his sword, helmet, and sundered shield. These tokens\ntold, without words, of the death of Hjalmar the Brave.\n\nIvar and his two foster-brothers then went to the bower of Astrid. She\nwas seated on a chair, and was embroidering a cloak for Hjalmar, and\nthinking of him. Then Ivar sang again the great and valorous deeds\nHjalmar had accomplished during his life, and said: \u201cI have to tell\nthee, Astrid, a sad tale;\u201d and he gave her the ring which she had given\nto Hjalmar before they parted, and told of the greetings sent her by him\nbefore he expired.\n\nAstrid took the ring, looked at it, and knew that Hjalmar was dead. She\nuttered not a word; her face changed color and turned very pale. She\nsank back lifeless into her chair. She did not stir for so long that her\nattendants became alarmed. Bending over her, they saw that she was dead.\n\n\u201cNothing better has occurred for a long time,\u201d said Ivar. \u201cLet us,\nfoster-brothers, welcome the event, though it causes great sorrow to the\nHersir of Svithjod.\u201d\n\nThen he took Astrid in his arms, and carried her to the door of the\nhall, and laid her in the arms of the dead Hjalmar, and then went to\ntell Yngvi of the death of his daughter.\n\nWhen Yngvi came out, he saw, with profound grief, the sad scene before\nhim, and he mourned greatly the deaths of his daughter Astrid and of\nHjalmar.\n\nA large mortuary chamber was built for Hjalmar and Astrid; a bed of down\nwas laid on the floor, and upon it was put a pillow for them to rest\ntheir heads upon. They were not to be burned, for there were many since\nthe death of Frey who did not wish to have a burning journey to the\nworld they were going to. Hjalmar was dressed in his finest war clothes,\nclad in his pierced armor, his shield placed on his breast, and his\nsword by his side. Astrid was laid by him in the white bridal dress\nintended for her wedding, decked with costly jewels. Then a high mound\nwas built over them.\n\nHjalmar the Brave, and Astrid the Fair, lay silently, side by side, in\nthe embrace of death. Their grave stands to-day by the granite shores of\nthe Baltic, looking silently out upon the ships that sail to and fro on\nthat sea they loved so much; the wind and the murmur of the waves sing a\ncontinuous requiem over them. Every year when June returns, its soft and\nfragrant breezes, passing over fields, meadows, and pine forests, blow\nover them. Butterflies and bees, rejoicing in the sunshine that brings\nnew life, flit over the flowers growing upon their graves, and birds\nsing their love-songs by their side, just as in the days of old Hjalmar\nand Astrid sang theirs.\n\nWe are born, we grow, we love, we die. Love is the best of gifts that\nhas been given to us; then friendship, the foster-brother of love.\nAstrid has gone to live with the virgin goddess Gefjon, upon whom all\nthose who die maidens wait. Hjalmar went to Valhalla, and from there he\nsees his beloved every day.\n\nIvar, Sigurd, and Sigmund mourned greatly the death of Hjalmar, and\nthere have never been within the memory of man four men more attached to\none another. For a long while they felt their irreparable loss, but time\nassuaged their sorrows as the years passed away; but the remembrance of\nthe noble qualities of Hjalmar came to cheer them, and at every\nsacrifice and feast, when they drank to the memory of departed kinsmen,\nthe name of Hjalmar the Brave was always remembered by them. The people\nto this day love to tell the story of Hjalmar and Astrid.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n                              CHAPTER XXXI\n\n                    THE WEDDING OF IVAR AND RANDALIN\n\n\nABOUT a year after the sad events just recorded, the day of the union of\nIvar and Randalin approached. Great preparations were made in Upsalir\nfor their wedding. The most costly tapestries that had been embroidered\nby the successive wives and daughters of the Hersirs of Svithjod had\nbeen taken out from the store-rooms where they had been sacredly kept,\nfor these were only used for adorning the walls of the halls at\nweddings. Many of them represented romantic episodes in the courtship of\nthe maidens who had embroidered them. Likewise the bridal bench\nornamented with gold and silver and with rich carvings was brought out.\nHow many beautiful daughters of the Hersirs of Svithjod had been seated\nupon those benches since Upsalir had been founded! What an array of\nillustrious maidens could be named! What a history could be told to us\nof the race descended from them! What a diversity of character and\ntemper these women possessed! But, in despite of that splendor of life,\nmany a young heart had been disappointed, for their union had not proved\nas congenial and as happy as they expected. Many of the girlish visions\nand dreams which belong to youth had not been fulfilled as they had\nhoped. The Nornir had woven a thick mist before their eyes to hide the\nfuture. Many had found that station, fame, wealth, and power did not\ngive happiness, and had often envied the merry laughter that came from\nthe house of the humble, and even from the cabin of the slave.\n\nFor two weeks preceding the wedding, the guests began to arrive in great\nnumbers. The Hersirs of Gardariki, Holmgard, Fyen, Zeeland, and from the\nherads of Norway, were received with great honor; large houses, well\nfurnished, were given to each high-born guest, and the servants took\ncare that they should lack nothing. Ivar arrived with a large number of\nmen of high birth four days before the wedding.\n\nThe day of the wedding came at last. After the guests had all assembled\nin the great hall, Randalin, under snowy bridal linen, entered by the\nwoman\u2019s door, followed by her bridesmaids. Her beautiful features were\nseen but dimly through the gauzy drapery, fastened with great skill,\nwith a jewel of exquisite beauty, upon her head. On her neck could be\nseen through the transparent linen a necklace of gold beads, upon which\nthe artist had lavished his greatest skill; from her belt of gold hung a\nbunch of keys, showing that she was to rule the household of Ivar. With\na slow and majestic step she advanced towards the bridal bench, then\nseated herself in the midst of her ten bridesmaids. These were Alfhild,\ndaughter of one of the Hersirs of Holmgard; Thora, daughter of one of\nthe Hersirs of Gardariki; Hildegerd, daughter of the Hersir of the\nisland of Funen; Svanhild, niece of the Hersir of the island of Zeeland;\nRandgrid, daughter of the Hersir who ruled on the southern side of the\npresent Christiania fjord; Geirlaug, whose father ruled over a large\nisland in Friesland; Hildigunn, the daughter of Grammar of Britain;\nIngegerd, Sigrid, and Thorhalla, cousins of the bride, and daughters of\nvery powerful Haulds, who had the blood of Odin in their veins.\n\nEach bridesmaid seated herself according to the order of precedence.\nAlfhild was on the right of the bride, and Thora on the left, and then\ncame Hildigunn and Svanhild, and the others followed. Great care had\nbeen taken to seat them according to their rank, for women were most\nparticular in that respect, and were very jealous of their privileges,\nand when not properly seated often considered it a personal affront.\n\nThe bridegroom entered next, followed by his groomsmen. These were\nSigurd and Sigmund, his two foster-brothers; Thorbrand, the brother of\nAlfhild; Thord, the brother of Thora; Geir, the brother of Hildigunn;\nSkeggi, the brother of Svanhild; Ingolf, the cousin of Geirbaug; Ali the\nBold, and Hunding, Hroar, and Bard, who were powerful Vikings.\n\nIvar seated himself on the high seat opposite that of Yngvi. On his left\nsat Sigurd, and on his right, Sigmund; then came Thorbrand and Thord,\nand the rest seated themselves according to their rank. By one accord,\nthey had given the precedence to Sigurd and Sigmund; not that they were\nthe highest, but because they knew the love that existed between Ivar\nand his two foster-brothers, who had shared so many dangers together. On\nthe side of Yngvi were the highest Hersirs of the land, and great number\nof lots were drawn on that day by men of equal rank for seats of honor.\n\nThe scene was one of great splendor. The women were magnificently\ndressed, and vied with each other in the richness of their gowns and in\nthe beauty of their jewels. After entering the hall, they took off their\nfestal mantles, embroidered with gold, and displayed their lovely\ntoilets.\n\nThey all wore the \u201csl\u0153dur,\u201d or festal dress, with long trains sweeping\nthe ground. These were made of the costliest material that could be\nprocured on the Caspian or from Greece, and embroidered with gold and\nsilver. The bodices of the dresses in many instances did not reach so\nhigh as to cover their shoulders; and that part was covered by a guimpe\nof pale blue or snowy white silk, and showed dimly, to great advantage,\ntheir milk-white skin. Some wore a wide, loose, unattached collar,\nalmost hiding the neck, richly embroidered with gold. The married women\nwore graceful head-dresses. The shoe-cloths were also richly\nembroidered, reaching nearly as high as the knee.\n\nThey wore their hair in different styles; some had it twisted in a large\ntopknot, which was made fast with long hair-pins of gold and silver,\nwith heads of exquisite workmanship; others had their hair pushed back,\nand tied in a short, loose knot, made fast with a ribbon of gold; a\ndiadem of gold adorned the forehead of almost every woman. They wore\nnecklaces of gold beads or mosaic, or of gold Roman coins, separated\nfrom each other by elongated beads of gold. On their arms were graceful\ngold bracelets, most of them spiral in shape, and upon their fingers\nwere many rings. Belts of gold contrasted with their dresses, and showed\nto advantage the waists they encircled. From these hung leather or\nvelvet bags embroidered with gold.\n\nThe groomsmen of Ivar were dressed in their most costly garments, and\nall wore their cloaks of dignity and rank. All the male guests were\nlikewise in costly attire.\n\nThen Yngvi, as high priest of the temple, consecrated the bride, and\nwedded Randalin to Ivar, by making over them the sign of the hammer of\nThor, and invoked the goddess Var, who had listened to their vows. After\nthis Randalin was holy, as a wife, in the sight of every man.\n\nThis ceremony ended, the bridegroom advanced towards Randalin, and\npresented her the \u201clin-fee,\u201d or trousseau, in which were included\nbeautiful bracelets, necklaces, and diadems of gold. There were several\nmantles of different colors, and various head-dresses, gloves, shoes,\nunderwear of silk and linen, and night-dresses with long sleeves, of the\nfinest linen the land could produce. Some were of silk, the material for\nwhich had been brought by Ivar from the shores of the Caspian.\n\nThen the gifts called the bridal bench gifts followed. These were called\nbench gifts because each guest presented a gift to the bride while she\nwas seated on the bridal bench. Guest after guest lay before Randalin\nthe beautiful presents that he or she had brought for her.\n\nA great-aunt, from the island of Fyen, gave her with her bench gift a\ngold coin of Tiberius, who was Roman emperor 14-37 A.D., which had come\ninto the possession of her ancestors during the life of that emperor.\n\nAnother aunt sent her, among her presents, a gold coin of Claudius,\n41-54 A.D., that had been in the possession of her kinsmen since that\ntime.\n\nAmong the many gifts of Sigrlin, Ivar\u2019s mother, was a gold coin of\nTitus, 79-81 A.D., which had been got by the ancestors of Hjorvard in\nthe Mediterranean at the time Titus took Jerusalem.\n\nA cousin gave her a gold coin of Decius, 249-251 A.D.; another, a gold\ncoin of Aurelian, 270-275 A.D.\n\nAn uncle of Randalin, from southern Svithjod, gave her a gold coin of\nProbus, 276-282 A.D., which his son had given to him.\n\nThere were many exquisite jewels, necklaces made of rods of gold;\ndiadems of gold, with Randalin\u2019s name in runic letters upon them; spiral\nbracelets of gold; belts of gold and of silver; beautiful hair-pins of\ngold and silver, with ornamented tops highly finished; necklaces of\nmosaic beads of great beauty, and gold beads; and bracteates with gold\nchains of beautiful workmanship.\n\nGurid, an aunt of Randalin, sent her, by her son, a woman\u2019s headgear,\ncarefully put in a bag of velvet all embroidered with gold.\n\nSigurd gave her a large quantity of Grecian fabrics, and many jewels of\ngold. Sigmund likewise gave the rarest glassware that could be procured\nin Greece, or on the island of Cyprus. Gudbrand, the father of Hjalmar,\nhad brought her many dishes of gold and silver. Sigrid, his wife, sent\nher beautiful tapestries which she had embroidered herself.\n\nThora gave a beautiful piece of tapestry which Astrid had embroidered\nbefore her death, representing Ivar playing at the ball games that had\ntaken place the year before, while she was in Upsalir. In the background\nwere Yngvi and the women who were looking on.\n\nGunnhild, her youngest sister, gave her a gold embroidered bag.\n\nYngvi gave his daughter as a bench gift a dower of gold and silver, and\nmany costly objects, and also two landed estates, one in the present\nCourland, and the other in Venden in the present Pomerania. The presents\nwhich Randalin received that day represented a large fortune in gold and\nsilver.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nImmediately after all the bench gifts had been presented, great\npreparations were made for the wedding feast which took place soon\nafterwards. The Hersir of Svithjod had spared no expense. New vats for\nbeer and ale had been made, and an extraordinary quantity of ale and\nbeer had been brewed, and wine was not lacking. The tables were set with\ngreat magnificence.\n\nThe three halls had a gala appearance. The tables in front of the seat\nwere covered with beautiful embroidered tablecloths, and were adorned\nwith the most costly Grecian and Cypriote glasses. The dishes containing\nthe viands were of gold and silver. The drinking horns, or vases, were\nof many kinds, some of solid gold, others of silver ornamented with\ngold, and Grecian cups of cut glass were very abundant. At night, light\nwas furnished by big wax candles.\n\nThe great Hersirs that were present agreed to sit in turn on the high\nseats, to the great relief of Yngvi, who feared a contest for\nprecedence. The viands spread on the tables were beef, roast veal, pig,\nvenison, birds, and fish. All these were served in gold plates, and all\nthe plates set before the guests were of silver.\n\nSpecial servants, called \u201cfillers,\u201d saw that the horns were always full,\nand carried them round. The throng was so great that slaves had to be\ncalled in, who wore clean, new, white \u201cvadmal,\u201d or woolen, and all had\ntheir hair newly close-cropped.\n\nAmong the female slaves some were of great beauty, and had been brought\nfrom Britain, Gaul, Greece and Rome. They also filled the horns, and\ncarried them round.\n\nThere was great drinking and much merriment, and also invocation of the\ngods. The wedding lasted six weeks, which corresponds to a period of a\nmonth with us. Scalds recited poetry every day before admiring\naudiences; and, as at the games, this feast was to be the cause of other\nweddings in the near future, for during it many men and women had fallen\nin love with one another.\n\nNo man ever heard of a greater feast. When it ended, all the guests\ndeparted with costly gifts.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe time when Randalin was to leave Upsalir, to part from all that had\nbeen dear to her in her girlhood, had arrived. A new epoch of her life\nhad dawned upon her without her being aware of it. Her girlhood\u2019s\ncareless joys had departed forever. All had been so bright in her youth,\nthat she fancied it would continue to the end of her life. She possessed\nIvar, and happiness was assured to her forever.\n\nSkuld had carefully concealed from her gaze the future. Little did she\ndream of the stormy billows of life ahead, of the sorrows that befall\nevery mortal man and woman. Ivar was all to her, and for him she was\nwilling to sacrifice even her life. Love was her own. O Skuld, how kind\nthou art to hide from man the decrees of the Nornir, who have shaped our\nlives from our birth! We came into the world through no will of our own,\nand we know not in the beginning of the day what fate will bring forth\nbefore night.\n\nRandalin\u2019s eyes, full of hope, were looking into the future. Hope and\nthe Future, those twin sisters, were brighter in her eyes than the rays\nof the sun. Ivar belonged to her, and Love owned them both.\n\n                  *       *       *       *       *\n\nThe dragon-ship that carried Ivar and Randalin to Dampstadir, carried\nthe sweetest, the loveliest of wives, and the manliest and wisest of\nhusbands.\n\n\n\n\n                                LONDON:\n   PRINTED FROM AMERICAN PLATES BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,\n                     DUKE STREET, STAMFORD STREET.\n\n------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\n\n\n\n \u25cf Transcriber\u2019s Notes:\n    \u25cb Missing or obscured punctuation was corrected.\n    \u25cb Unbalanced quotation marks were left as the author intended.\n    \u25cb Typographical errors were silently corrected.\n    \u25cb Spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only when a\n      predominant form was found in this book.\n    \u25cb Text in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_); text in\n      bold by \u201cequal\u201d signs (=bold=).","title":"Ivar the Viking: A romantic history based upon authentic facts of the third and fourth centuries","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":76438}