The Ynglinga Saga
Ynglingasaga
By Snorri Sturlason (c. 1179 - 1241).
1. OF THE SITUATION OF COUNTRIES.
It is said that the earth's circle which the
human race inhabits is torn across into many bights, so that
great seas run into the land from the out-ocean. Thus it is
known that a great sea goes in at Narvesund (1), and up to
the land of Jerusalem. From the same sea a long sea-bight
stretches towards the north-east, and is called the Black
Sea, and divides the three parts of the earth; of which the
eastern part is called Asia, and the western is called by
some Europa, by some Enea. Northward of the Black Sea lies
Swithiod the Great, or the Cold. The Great Swithiod is
reckoned by some as not less than the Great Serkland (2);
others compare it to the Great Blueland (3). The northern
part of Swithiod lies uninhabited on account of frost and
cold, as likewise the southern parts of Blueland are waste
from the burning of the sun. In Swithiod are many great
domains, and many races of men, and many kinds of languages.
There are giants, and there are dwarfs, and there are also
blue men, and there are any kinds of stranger creatures.
There are huge wild beasts, and dreadful dragons. On the
south side of the mountains which lie outside of all
inhabited lands runs a river through Swithiod, which is
properly called by the name of Tanais, but was formerly
called Tanaquisl, or Vanaquisl, and which falls into the
Black Sea. The country of the people on the Vanaquisl was
called Vanaland, or Vanaheim; and the river separates the
three parts of the world, of which the eastermost part is
called Asia, and the westermost Europe.
ENDNOTES:
(1) The Straits of Gibraltar.
(2) Northern Africa.
(3) Saharan and sub-Saharan Africa.
2. OF THE PEOPLE OF ASIA.
The country east of the Tanaquisl in Asia was
called Asaland, or Asaheim, and the chief city in that land
was called Asgaard. In that city was a chief called Odin,
and it was a great place for sacrifice. It was the custom
there that twelve temple priests should both direct the
sacrifices, and also judge the people. They were called
Diar, or Drotner, and all the people served and obeyed them.
Odin was a great and very far-travelled warrior, who
conquered many kingdoms, and so successful was he that in
every battle the victory was on his side. It was the belief
of his people that victory belonged to him in every battle.
It was his custom when he sent his men into battle, or on
any expedition, that he first laid his hand upon their
heads, and called down a blessing upon them; and then they
believed their undertaking would be successful. His people
also were accustomed, whenever they fell into danger by land
or sea, to call upon his name; and they thought that always
they got comfort and aid by it, for where he was they
thought help was near. Often he went away so far that he
passed many seasons on his journeys.
3. OF ODIN'S BROTHERS.
Odin had two brothers, the one called Ve, the
other Vilje, and they governed the kingdom when he was
absent. It happened once when Odin had gone to a great
distance, and had been so long away that the people Of Asia
doubted if he would ever return home, that his two brothers
took it upon themselves to divide his estate; but both of
them took his wife Frigg to themselves. Odin soon after
returned home, and took his wife back.
4. OF ODIN'S WAR WITH THE PEOPLE OF VANALAND.
Odin went out with a great army against the
Vanaland people; but they were well prepared, and defended
their land; so that victory was changeable, and they ravaged
the lands of each other, and did great damage. They tired of
this at last, and on both sides appointed a meeting for
establishing peace, made a truce, and exchanged hostages.
The Vanaland people sent their best men, Njord the Rich, and
his son Frey. The people of Asaland sent a man called Hone,
whom they thought well suited to be a chief, as he was a
stout and very handsome man; and with him they sent a man of
great understanding called Mime. On the other side, the
Vanaland people sent the wisest man in their community, who
was called Kvase. Now, when Hone came to Vanaheim he was
immediately made a chief, and Mime came to him with good
counsel on all occasions. But when Hone stood in the Things
or other meetings, if Mime was not near him, and any
difficult matter was laid before him, he always answered in
one way -- "Now let others give their advice"; so that the
Vanaland people got a suspicion that the Asaland people had
deceived them in the exchange of men. They took Mime,
therefore, and beheaded him, and sent his head to the
Asaland people. Odin took the head, smeared it with herbs so
that it should not rot, and sang incantations over it.
Thereby he gave it the power that it spoke to him, and
discovered to him many secrets. Odin placed Njord and Frey
as priests of the sacrifices, and they became Diar of the
Asaland people. Njord's daughter Freya was priestess of the
sacrifices, and first taught the Asaland people the magic
art, as it was in use and fashion among the Vanaland people.
While Njord was with the Vanaland people he had taken his
own sister in marriage, for that was allowed by their law;
and their children were Frey and Freya. But among the
Asaland people it was forbidden to intermarry with such near
relations.
5. ODIN DIVIDES HIS KINGDOM: ALSO CONCERNING
GEFION.
There goes a great mountain barrier from
north-east to south- west, which divides the Greater
Swithiod from other kingdoms. South of this mountain ridge
it is not far to Turkland, where Odin had great possessions.
In those times the Roman chiefs went wide around in the
world, subduing to themselves all people; and on this
account many chiefs fled from their domains. But Odin having
foreknowledge, and magic-sight, knew that his posterity
would come to settle and dwell in the northern half of the
world. He therefore set his brothers Ve and Vilje over
Asgaard; and he himself, with all the gods and a great many
other people, wandered out, first westward to Gardarike, and
then south to Saxland. He had many sons; and after having
subdued an extensive kingdom in Saxland, he set his sons to
rule the country. He himself went northwards to the sea, and
took up his abode in an island which is called Odins in
Fyen. Then he sent Gefion across the sound to the north to
discover new countries; and she came to King Gylve, who gave
her a ploughgate of land. Then she went to Jotunheim, and
bore four sons to a giant, and transformed them into a yoke
of oxen. She yoked them to a plough, and broke out the land
into the ocean right opposite to Odins. This land was called
Sealand, and there she afterwards settled and dwelt. Skjold,
a son of Odin, married her, and they dwelt at Leidre. Where
the ploughed land was is a lake or sea called Laage. In the
Swedish land the fjords of Laage correspond to the nesses in
Sealand. Brage the Old sings thus of it: --
"Gefion from Gylve drove away,
To add new land to Denmark's sway --
Blythe Gefion ploughing in the smoke
That steamed up from her oxen-yoke:
Four heads, eight forehead stars had they,
Bright gleaming, as she ploughed away;
Dragging new lands from the deep main
To join them to the sweet isle's plain.
Now when Odin
heard that things were in a prosperous condition in the land
to the east beside Gylve; he went thither, and Gylve made a
peace with him, for Gylve thought he had no strength to
oppose the people of Asaland. Odin and Gylve had many tricks
and enchantments against each other; but the Asaland people
had always the superiority. Odin took up his residence at
the Maelare lake, at the place now called Old Sigtun. There
he erected a large temple, where there were sacrifices
according to the customs of the Asaland people. He
appropriated to himself the whole of that district, and
called it Sigtun. To the temple priests he gave also
domains. Njord dwelt in Noatun, Frey in Upsal, Heimdal in
the Himinbergs, Thor in Thrudvang, Balder in Breidablik; to
all of them he gave good estates.
6. OF ODIN'S
ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
When Odin of
Asaland came to the north, and the Diar with him, they
introduced and taught to others the arts which the people
long afterwards have practised. Odin was the cleverest of
all, and from him all the others learned their arts and
accomplishments; and he knew them first, and knew many more
than other people. But now, to tell why he is held in such
high respect, we must mention various causes that
contributed to it. When sitting among his friends his
countenance was so beautiful and dignified, that the spirits
of all were exhilarated by it, but when he was in war he
appeared dreadful to his foes. This arose from his being
able to change his skin and form in any way he liked.
Another cause was, that he conversed so cleverly and
smoothly, that all who heard believed him. He spoke
everything in rhyme, such as now composed, which we call
scald-craft. He and his temple priests were called
song-smiths, for from them came that art of song into the
northern countries. Odin could make his enemies in battle
blind, or deaf, or terror-struck, and their weapons so blunt
that they could no more but than a willow wand; on the other
hand, his men rushed forwards without armour, were as mad as
dogs or wolves, bit their shields, and were strong as bears
or wild bulls, and killed people at a blow, but neither fire
nor iron told upon themselves. These were called Berserker.
7. OF ODIN'S
FEATS.
Odin could
transform his shape: his body would lie as if dead, or
asleep; but then he would be in shape of a fish, or worm, or
bird, or beast, and be off in a twinkling to distant lands
upon his own or other people's business. With words alone he
could quench fire, still the ocean in tempest, and turn the
wind to any quarter he pleased. Odin had a ship which was
called Skidbladnir, in which he sailed over wide seas, and
which he could roll up like a cloth. Odin carried with him
Mime's head, which told him all the news of other countries.
Sometimes even he called the dead out of the earth, or set
himself beside the burial-mounds; whence he was called the
ghost-sovereign, and lord of the mounds. He had two ravens,
to whom he had taught the speech of man; and they flew far
and wide through the land, and brought him the news. In all
such things he was pre-eminently wise. He taught all these
arts in Runes, and songs which are called incantations, and
therefore the Asaland people are called incantation-smiths.
Odin understood also the art in which the greatest power is
lodged, and which he himself practised; namely, what is
called magic. By means of this he could know beforehand the
predestined fate of men, or their not yet completed lot; and
also bring on the death, ill-luck, or bad health of people,
and take the strength or wit from one person and give it to
another. But after such witchcraft followed such weakness
and anxiety, that it was not thought respectable for men to
practise it; and therefore the priestesses were brought up
in this art. Odin knew finely where all missing cattle were
concealed under the earth, and understood the songs by which
the earth, the hills, the stones, and mounds were opened to
him; and he bound those who dwell in them by the power of
his word, and went in and took what he pleased. From these
arts he became very celebrated. His enemies dreaded him; his
friends put their trust in him, and relied on his power and
on himself. He taught the most of his arts to his priests of
the sacrifices, and they came nearest to himself in all
wisdom and witch-knowledge. Many others, however, occupied
themselves much with it; and from that time witchcraft
spread far and wide, and continued long. People sacrificed
to Odin and the twelve chiefs from Asaland, and called them
their gods, and believed in them long after. From Odin's
name came the name Audun, which people gave to his sons; and
from Thor's name comes Thore, also Thorarinn; and also it is
sometimes compounded with other names, as Steenthor, or
Havthor, or even altered in other ways.
8. ODIN'S
LAWGIVING.
Odin
established the same law in his land that had been in force
in Asaland. Thus he established by law that all dead men
should be burned, and their belongings laid with them upon
the pile, and the ashes be cast into the sea or buried in
the earth. Thus, said he, every one will come to Valhalla
with the riches he had with him upon the pile; and he would
also enjoy whatever he himself had buried in the earth. For
men of consequence a mound should be raised to their memory,
and for all other warriors who had been distinguished for
manhood a standing stone; which custom remained long after
Odin's time. On winter day there should be blood-sacrifice
for a good year, and in the middle of winter for a good
crop; and the third sacrifice should be on summer day, for
victory in battle. Over all Swithiod the people paid Odin a
scatt or tax -- so much on each head; but he had to defend
the country from enemy or disturbance, and pay the expense
of the sacrifice feasts for a good year.
9. OF NJORD'S
MARRIAGE.
Njord took a
wife called Skade; but she would not live with him and
married afterwards Odin, and had many sons by him, of whom
one was called Saeming; and about him Eyvind Skaldaspiller
sings thus:
"To Asa's son Queen Skade bore
Saeming, who dyed his shield in gore, --
The giant-queen of rock and snow,
Who loves to dwell on earth below,
The iron pine-tree's daughter, she
Sprung from the rocks that rib the sea,
To Odin bore full many a son,
Heroes of many a battle won."
To Saeming Earl
Hakon the Great reckoned back his pedigree. This Swithiod
they called Mannheim, but the Great Swithiod they called
Godheim; and of Godheim great wonders and novelties were
related.
10. OF ODIN'S
DEATH.
Odin died in
his bed in Swithiod; and when he was near his death he made
himself be marked with the point of a spear, and said he was
going to Godheim, and would give a welcome there to all his
friends, and all brave warriors should be dedicated to him;
and the Swedes believed that he was gone to the ancient
Asgaard, and would live there eternally. Then began the
belief in Odin, and the calling upon him. The Swedes
believed that he often showed to them before any great
battle. To some he gave victory; others he invited to
himself; and they reckoned both of these to be fortunate.
Odin was burnt, and at his pile there was great splendour.
It was their faith that the higher the smoke arose in the
air, the higher he would be raised whose pile it was; and
the richer he would be, the more property that was consumed
with him.
11. OF NJORD.
Njord of Noatun
was then the sole sovereign of the Swedes; and he continued
the sacrifices, and was called the drot or sovereign by the
Swedes, and he received scatt and gifts from them. In his
days were peace and plenty, and such good years, in all
respects, that the Swedes believed Njord ruled over the
growth of seasons and the prosperity of the people. In his
time all the diar or gods died, and blood-sacrifices were
made for them. Njord died on a bed of sickness, and before
he died made himself be marked for Odin with the
spear-point. The Swedes burned him, and all wept over his
grave-mound.
11. FREY'S
DEATH.
Frey took the
kingdom after Njord, and was called drot by the Swedes, and
they paid taxes to him. He was, like his father, fortunate
in friends and in good seasons. Frey built a great temple at
Upsal, made it his chief seat, and gave it all his taxes,
his land, and goods. Then began the Upsal domains, which
have remained ever since. Then began in his days the Frode-
peace; and then there were good seasons, in all the land,
which the Swedes ascribed to Frey, so that he was more
worshipped than the other gods, as the people became much
richer in his days by reason of the peace and good seasons.
His wife was called Gerd, daughter of Gymis, and their son
was called Fjolne. Frey was called by another name, Yngve;
and this name Yngve was considered long after in his race as
a name of honour, so that his descendants have since been
called Ynglinger. Frey fell into a sickness; and as his
illness took the upper hand, his men took the plan of
letting few approach him. In the meantime they raised a
great mound, in which they placed a door with three holes in
it. Now when Frey died they bore him secretly into the
mound, but told the Swedes he was alive; and they kept watch
over him for three years. They brought all the taxes into
the mound, and through the one hole they put in the gold,
through the other the silver, and through the third the
copper money that was paid. Peace and good seasons
continued.
13. OF FREYA
AND HER DAUGHTERS.
Freya alone
remained of the gods, and she became on this account so
celebrated that all women of distinction were called by her
name, whence they now have the title Frue; so that every
woman is called frue, or mistress over her property, and the
wife is called the house-frue. Freya continued the
blood-sacrifices. Freya had also many other names. Her
husband was called Oder, and her daughters Hnoss and
Gerseme. They were so very beautiful, that afterwards the
most precious jewels were called by their names.
When it became
known to the Swedes that Frey was dead, and yet peace and
good seasons continued, they believed that it must be so as
long as Frey remained in Sweden; and therefore they would
not burn his remains, but called him the god of this world,
and afterwards offered continually blood-sacrifices to him,
principally for peace and good seasons.
14. OF KING
FJOLNE'S DEATH.
Fjolne, Yngve
Frey's son, ruled thereafter over the Swedes and the Upsal
domains. He was powerful, and lucky in seasons and in
holding the peace. Fredfrode ruled then in Leidre, and
between them there was great friendship and visiting. Once
when Fjolne went to Frode in Sealand, a great feast was
prepared for him, and invitations to it were sent all over
the country. Frode had a large house, in which there was a
great vessel many ells high, and put together of great
pieces of timber; and this vessel stood in a lower room.
Above it was a loft, in the floor of which was an opening
through which liquor was poured into this vessel. The vessel
was full of mead, which was excessively strong. In the
evening Fjolne, with his attendants, was taken into the
adjoining loft to sleep. In the night he went out to the
gallery to seek a certain place, and he was very sleepy and
exceedingly drunk. As he came back to his room he went along
the gallery to the door of another left, went into it, and
his foot slipping, he fell into the vessel of mead and was
drowned. So says Thjodolf of Kvine:
"In Frode's hall the fearful word,
The death-foreboding sound was heard:
The cry of fey denouncing doom,
Was heard at night in Frode's home.
And when brave Frode came, he found
Swithiod's dark chief, Fjolne, drowned.
In Frode's mansion drowned was he,
Drowned in a waveless, windless sea."
15. OF SWEGDE.
Swegde took the
kingdom after his father, and he made a solemn vow to seek
Godheim and Odin. He went with twelve men through the world,
and came to Turkland, and the Great Svithiod, where he found
many of his connections. He was five years on this journey;
and when he returned home to Sweden he remained there for
some time. He had got a wife in Vanheim, who was called
Vana, and their son was Vanlande. Swegde went out afterwards
to seek again for Godheim, and came to a mansion on the east
side of Swithiod called Stein, where there was a stone as
big as a large house. In the evening after sunset, as Swegde
was going from the drinking-table to his sleeping-room, he
cast his eye upon the stone, and saw that a dwarf was
sitting under it. Swegde and his man were very drunk, and
they ran towards the stone. The dwarf stood in the door, and
called to Swegde, and told him to come in, and he should see
Odin. Swegde ran into the stone, which instantly closed
behind him, and Swegde never came back. Thiodolf of Kvine
tells of this:
"By Diurnir's elfin race,
Who haunt the cliffs and shun day's face,
The valiant Swegde was deceived,
The elf's false words the king believed.
The dauntless hero rushing on,
Passed through the yawning mouth of stone:
It yawned -- it shut -- the hero fell,
In Saekmime's hall, where giants dwell."
16. OF
VANLANDE, SWEGDE'S SON.
Vanlande,
Swegde's son, succeeded his father, and ruled over the Upsal
domain. He was a great warrior, and went far around in
different lands. Once he took up his winter abode in Finland
with Snae the Old, and got his daughter Driva in marriage;
but in spring he set out leaving Driva behind, and although
he had promised to return within three years he did not come
back for ten. Then Driva sent a message to the witch Huld;
and sent Visbur, her son by Vanlande, to Sweden. Driva
bribed the witch- wife Huld, either that she should bewitch
Vanlande to return to Finland, or kill him. When this
witch-work was going on Vanlande was at Upsal, and a great
desire came over him to go to Finland; but his friends and
counsellors advised him against it, and said the witchcraft
of the Finn people showed itself in this desire of his to go
there. He then became very drowsy, and laid himself down to
sleep; but when he had slept but a little while he cried
out, saying that the Mara was treading upon him. His men
hastened to him to help him; but when they took hold of his
head she trod on his legs, and when they laid hold of his
legs she pressed upon his head; and it was his death. The
Swedes took his body and burnt it at a river called Skytaa,
where a standing stone was raised over him. Thus says
Thjodolf: --
"And Vanlande, in a fatal hour,
Was dragg'd by Grimhild's daughter's power,
The witch-wife's, to the dwelling-place
Where men meet Odin face to face.
Trampled to death, to Skytaa's shore
The corpse his faithful followers bore;
And there they burnt, with heavy hearts,
The good chief killed by witchcraft's arts.
17. OF VISBUR,
VANLANDE'S SON.
Visbur
succeeded his father Vanlande. He married the daughter of
Aude the Rich, and gave her as her bride-gift three large
farms, and a gold ornament. They had two sons, Gisle and
Ond; but Visbur left her and took another wife, whereupon
she went home to her father with her two sons. Visbur had a
son who was called Domald, and his stepmother used
witchcraft to give him ill-luck. Now, when Visbur's sons
were the one twelve and the other thirteen years of age,
they went to their father's place, and desired to have their
mother's dower; but he would not deliver it to them. Then
they said that the gold ornament should be the death of the
best man in all his race, and they returned home. Then they
began again with enchantments and witchcraft, to try if they
could destroy their father. The sorceress Huld said that by
witchcraft she could bring it about by this means, that a
murderer of his own kin should never be wanting in the
Yngling race; and they agreed to have it so. Thereafter they
collected men, came unexpectedly in the night on Visbur, and
burned him in his house. So sings Thjodolf:
"Have the fire-dogs' fierce tongues yelling
Lapt Visbur's blood on his own hearth?
Have the flames consumed the dwelling
Of the here's soul on earth?
Madly ye acted, who set free
The forest foe, red fire, night thief,
Fell brother of the raging sea,
Against your father and your chief."
18. OF DOMALD,
VISBUR'S SON.
Domald took the
heritage after his father Visbur, and ruled over the land.
As in his time there was great famine and distress, the
Swedes made great offerings of sacrifice at Upsal. The first
autumn they sacrificed oxen, but the succeeding season was
not improved thereby. The following autumn they sacrificed
men, but the succeeding year was rather worse. The third
autumn, when the offer of sacrifices should begin, a great
multitude of Swedes came to Upsal; and now the chiefs held
consultations with each other, and all agreed that the times
of scarcity were on account of their king Domald, and they
resolved to offer him for good seasons, and to assault and
kill him, and sprinkle the stalle of the gods with his
blood. And they did so. Thjodolf tells of this:
"It has happened oft ere now,
That foeman's weapon has laid low
The crowned head, where battle plain,
Was miry red with the blood-rain.
But Domald dies by bloody arms,
Raised not by foes in war's alarms --
Raised by his Swedish liegemen's hand,
To bring good seasons to the land."
19. OF DOMAR,
DOMALD'S SON.
Domald's son,
called Domar, next ruled over the land. He reigned long, and
in his days were good seasons and peace. Nothing is told of
him but that he died in his bed in Upsal, and was
transported to the Fyrisvold, where his body was burned on
the river bank, and where his standing stone still remains.
So says Thjodolf:
"I have asked wise men to tell
Where Domar rests, and they knew well.
Domar, on Fyrie's wide-spread ground,
Was burned, and laid on Yngve's mound."
20. OF DYGVE,
DOMAR'S SON.
Dygve was the
name of his son, who succeeded him in ruling the land; and
about him nothing is said but that he died in his bed.
Thjodolf tells of it thus:
"Dygve the Brave, the mighty king,
It is no hidden secret thing,
Has gone to meet a royal mate,
Riding upon the horse of Fate.
For Loke's daughter in her house
Of Yngve's race would have a spouse;
Therefore the fell-one snatched away
Brave Dygve from the light of day."
Dygve's mother
was Drott, a daughter of King Danp, the son of Rig, who was
first called "king" in the Danish tongue. His descendants
always afterwards considered the title of king the title of
highest dignity. Dygve was the first of his family to be
called king, for his predecessors had been called
"Drottnar", and their wives "Drottningar", and their court
"Drott". Each of their race was called Yngve, or Yngune, and
the whole race together Ynglinger. The Queen Drott was a
sister of King Dan Mikillati, from whom Denmark a took its
name.
21. OF DAG THE
WISE.
King Dygve's
son, called Dag, succeeded to him, and was so wise a man
that he understood the language of birds. He had a sparrow
which told him much news, and flew to different countries.
Once the sparrow flew to Reidgotaland, to a farm called
Varva, where he flew into the peasant's corn-field and took
his grain. The peasant came up, took a stone, and killed the
sparrow. King Dag was ill-pleased that the sparrow did not
come home; and as he, in a sacrifice of expiation, inquired
after the sparrow, he got the answer that it was killed at
Varva. Thereupon he ordered a great army, and went to
Gotland; and when he came to Varva he landed with his men
and plundered, and the people fled away before him. King Dag
returned in the evening to his ships, after having killed
many people and taken many prisoners. As they were going
across a river at a place called Skjotan's [the Weapon's]
Ford, a labouring thrall came running to the river-side, and
threw a hay- fork into their troop. It struck the king on
the head, so that he fell instantly from his horse and died.
In those times the chief who ravaged a country was called
Gram, and the men-at-arms under him Gramer. Thjodolf sings
of it thus: --
"What news is this that the king's men,
Flying eastward through the glen,
Report? That Dag the Brave, whose name
Is sounded far and wide by Fame --
That Dag, who knew so well to wield
The battle-axe in bloody field,
Where brave men meet, no more will head
The brave -- that mighty Dag is dead!
"Varva was wasted with the sword,
And vengeance taken for the bird --
The little bird that used to bring
News to the ear of the great king.
Varva was ravaged, and the strife
Was ended, when the monarch's life
Was ended too -- the great Dag fell
By the hay-fork of a base thrall!"
22. OF AGNE,
DAG'S SON.
Agne was the
name of Dag's son, who was king after him -- a powerful and
celebrated man, expert, and exercised in all feats. It
happened one summer that King Agne went with his army to
Finland, and landed and marauded. The Finland people
gathered a large army, and proceeded to the strife under a
chief called Froste. There was a great battle, in which King
Agne gained the victory, and Froste fell there with a great
many of his people. King Agne proceeded with armed hand
through Finland, subdued it, and made enormous booty. He
took Froste's daughter Skjalv, and her brother Loge, and
carried them along with him. When he sailed from the east he
came to land at Stoksund, and put up his tent on the flat
side of the river, where then there was a wood. King Agne
had at the time the gold ornament which had belonged to
Visbur. He now married Skjalv, and she begged him to make
burial feast in honour of her father. He invited a great
many guests, and made a great feast. He had become very
celebrated by his expedition, and there was a great drinking
match. Now when King Agne had got drank, Skjalv bade him
take care of his gold ornament which he had about his neck;
therefore he took hold of the ornament, and bound it fast
about his neck before he went to sleep. The land-tent stood
at the wood side, and a high tree over the tent protected it
against the heat of the sun. Now when King Agne was asleep,
Skjalv took a noose, and fastened it under the ornament.
Thereupon her men threw down the tent-poles, cast the loop
of the noose up in the branches of the tree, and hauled upon
it, so that the king was hanged close under the branches and
died; and Skjalv with her men ran down to their ships, and
rowed away. King Agne was buried upon the spot, which was
afterwards called Agnefet; and it lies on the east side of
the Tauren, and west of Stoksund. Thjodolf speaks of it
thus: --
"How do ye like the high-souled maid,
Who, with the grim Fate-goddess' aid,
Avenged her sire? -- made Swithiod's king
Through air in golden halter swing?
How do ye like her, Agne's men?
Think ye that any chief again
Will court the fate your chief befell,
To ride on wooden horse to hell?"
23. OF ALRIC
AND ERIC.
The sons of
Agne were called Alric and Eric, and were kings together
after him. They were powerful men, great warriors, and
expert at all feats of arms. It was their custom to ride and
break in horses both to walk and to gallop, which nobody
understood so well as they; and they vied with each other
who could ride best, and keep the best horses. It happened
one day that both the brothers rode out together alone, and
at a distance from their followers, with their best horses,
and rode on to a field; but never came back. The people at
last went out to look after them, and they were both found
dead with their heads crushed. As they had no weapons,
except it might be their horses' bridles, people believed
that they had killed each other with these. So says
Thjodolf:
"Alric fell, by Eric slain,
Eric's life-blood dyed the plain,
Brother fell by brother's hand;
And they tell it in the land,
That they worked the wicked deed
With the sharp bits that guide the steed.
Shall it be said of Frey's brave sons,
The kingly race, the noble ones,
That they have fought in deadly battle
With the head-gear of their cattle?"
24. OF YNGVE
AND ALF.
Alric's sons,
Yngve and Ali, then succeeded to the kingly power in Sweden.
Yngve was a great warrior, always victorious; handsome,
expert in all exercises, strong and very sharp in battle,
generous and full of mirth; so that he was both renowned and
beloved. Alf was a silent, harsh, unfriendly man, and sat at
home in the land, and never went out on war expeditions. His
mother was called Dageid, a daughter of King Dag the Great,
from whom the Dagling family is descended. King Alf had a
wife named Bera, who was the most agreeable of women, very
brisk and gay. One autumn Yngve, Alric's son, had arrived at
Upsal from a viking cruise by which he was become very
celebrated. He often sat long in the evening at the
drinking-table; but Alf went willingly to bed very early.
Queen Bera sat often till late in the evening, and she and
Yngve conversed together for their amusement; but Alf soon
told her that she should not sit up so late in the evening,
but should go first to bed, so as not to waken him. She
replied, that happy would be the woman who had Yngve instead
of Alf for her husband; and as she often repeated the same,
he became very angry. One evening Alf went into the hall,
where Yngve and Bera sat on the high seat speaking to each
other. Yngve had a short sword upon his knees, and the
guests were so drunk that they did not observe the king
coming in. King Alf went straight to the high seat, drew a
sword from under his cloak, and pierced his brother Yngve
through and through. Yngve leaped up, drew his short sword,
and gave Alf his death-wound; so that both fell dead on the
floor. Alf and Yngve were buried under mounds in Fyrisvold.
Thus tells Thjodolf of it:
"I tell you of a horrid thing,
A deed of dreadful note I sing --
How by false Bera, wicked queen,
The murderous brother-hands were seen
Each raised against a brother's life;
How wretched Alf with bloody knife
Gored Yngve's heart, and Yngve's blade
Alf on the bloody threshold laid.
Can men resist Fate's iron laws?
They slew each other without cause."
25. OF HUGLEIK.
Hugleik was the
name of King Alf's son, who succeeded the two brothers in
the kingdom of the Swedes, the sons of Yngve being still
children. King Hugleik was no warrior, but sat quietly at
home in his country. He was very rich, but had still more
the reputation of being very greedy. He had at his court all
sorts of players, who played on harps, fiddles, and viols;
and had with him magicians, and all sorts of witches. Hake
and Hagbard were two brothers, very celebrated as sea-kings,
who had a great force of men-at-arms. Sometimes they cruised
in company, sometimes each for himself, and many warriors
followed them both. King Hake came with his troops to Sweden
against King Hugleik, who, on his side, collected a great
army to oppose him. Two brothers came to his assistance,
Svipdag and Geigad, both very celebrated men, and powerful
combatants. King Hake had about him twelve champions, and
among them Starkad the Old; and King Hake himself was a
murderous combatant. They met on Fyrisvold, and there was a
great battle, in which King Hugleik's army was soon
defeated. Then the combatants, Svipdag and Geigad, pressed
forward manfully; but Hake's champions went six against one,
and they were both taken prisoners. Then King Hake
penetrated within the shield-circle around King Hugleik, and
killed him and two of his sons within it. After this the
Swedes fled; and King Hake subdued the country, and became
king of Sweden. He then sat quietly at home for three years,
but during that time his combatants went abroad on viking
expeditions, and gathered property for themselves.
26. KING
GUDLOG'S DEATH.
Jorund and
Eric, the sons of Yngve Alricsson, lay all this time in
their warships, and were great warriors. One summer they
marauded in Denmark, where they met a King Gudlog from
Halogaland, and had a battle with him, which ended in their
clearing Gudlog's ship and taking him prisoner. They carried
him to the land at Stromones, and hanged him there, and
afterwards his men raised a mound over him. So says Eyvind
Skaldaspiller:
"By the fierce East-kings' cruel pride,
Gudlog must on the wild horse ride --
The wildest horse you e'er did see:
'Tis Sigur's steed -- the gallows tree.
At Stromones the tree did grow,
Where Gudlog's corpse waves on the bough.
A high stone stands on Stromo's heath,
To tell the gallant hero's death."
27. OF KING
HAKE.
The brothers
Eric and Jorund became more celebrated by this deed, and
appeared to be much greater men than before. When they heard
that King Hake in Sweden had sent from him his champions,
they steered towards Sweden, and gathered together a strong
force. As soon as the Swedes heard that the Yngling brothers
were come to them, they flocked to them in multitudes. The
brothers proceeded up the Maelare lake, and advanced towards
Upsal against King Hake, who came out against them on the
Fyrisvoid with far fewer people. There was a great battle,
in which King Hake went forward so bravely that he killed
all who were nearest to him, and at last killed King Eric,
and cut down the banner of the two brothers. King Jorund
with all his men fled to their ships. King Hake had been so
grievously wounded that he saw his days could not be long;
so he ordered a warship which he had to be loaded with his
dead men and their weapons, and to be taken out to the sea;
the tiller to be shipped, and the sails hoisted. Then he set
fire to some tar-wood, and ordered a pile to be made over it
in the ship. Hake was almost if not quite dead, when he was
laid upon this pile of his. The wind was blowing off the
land -- the ship flew, burning in clear flame, out between
the islets, and into the ocean. Great was the fame of this
deed in after times.
28. JORUND,
YNGVE'S SON.
Jorund, King
Yngve's son, remained king at Upsal. He ruled the country;
but was often in summer out on war expeditions. One summer
he went with his forces to Denmark; and having plundered all
around in Jutland, he went into Lymfjord in autumn, and
marauded there also. While he was thus lying in Oddesund
with his people, King Gylog of Halogaland, a son of King
Gudlog, of whom mention is made before, came up with a great
force, and gave battle to Jorund. When the country people
saw this they swarmed from all parts towards the battle, in
great ships and small; and Jorund was overpowered by the
multitude, and his ships cleared of their men. He sprang
overboard, but was made prisoner and carried to the land.
Gylog ordered a gallows to be erected, led Jorund to it, and
had him hanged there. So ended his life. Thjodolf talks of
this event thus:
"Jorund has travelled far and wide,
But the same horse he must bestride
On which he made brave Gudlog ride.
He too must for a necklace wear
Hagbert's fell noose in middle air.
The army leader thus must ride
On Horva's horse, at Lymfjord's side."
29. OF KING ON,
JORUND'S SON.
On or Ane was
the name of Jorund's son, who became king of the Swedes
after his father. He was a wise man, who made great
sacrifices to the gods; but being no warrior, he lived
quietly at home. In the time when the kings we have been
speaking of were in Upsal, Denmark had been ruled over by
Dan Mikellati, who lived to a very great age; then by his
son, Frode Mikellati, or the Peace-loving, who was succeeded
by his sons Halfdan and Fridleif, who were great warriors.
Halfdan was older than his brother, and above him in all
things. He went with his army against King On to Sweden, and
was always victorious. At last King On fled to Wester
Gotland when he had been king in Upsal about twenty-five
years, and was in Gotland twenty-five years, while Halfdan
remained king in Upsal. King Halfdan died in his bed at
Upsal, and was buried there in a mound; and King On returned
to Upsal when he was sixty years of age. He made a great
sacrifice, and in it offered up his son to Odin. On got an
answer from Odin, that he should live sixty years longer;
and he was afterwards king in Upsal for twenty-five years.
Now came Ole the Bold, a son of King Fridleif, with his army
to Sweden, against King On, and they had several battles
with each other; but Ole was always the victor. Then On fled
a second time to Gotland; and for twenty-five years Ole
reigned in Upsal, until he was killed by Starkad the Old.
After Ole's fall, On returned to Upsal, and ruled the
kingdom for twenty-five years. Then he made a great
sacrifice again for long life, in which he sacrificed his
second son, and received the answer from Odin, that he
should live as long as he gave him one of his sons every
tenth year, and also that he should name one of the
districts of his country after the number of sons he should
offer to Odin. When he had sacrificed the seventh of his
sons he continued to live; but so that he could not walk,
but was carried on a chair. Then he sacrificed his eighth
son, and lived thereafter ten years, lying in his bed. Now
he sacrificed his ninth son, and lived ten years more; but
so that he drank out of a horn like a weaned infant. He had
now only one son remaining, whom he also wanted to
sacrifice, and to give Odin Upsal and the domains thereunto
belonging, under the name of the Ten Lands, but the Swedes
would not allow it; so there was no sacrifice, and King On
died, and was buried in a mound at Upsal. Since that time it
is called On's sickness when a man dies, without pain, of
extreme old age. Thjodolf tell of this:
"In Upsal's town the cruel king
Slaughtered his sons at Odin's shrine --
Slaughtered his sons with cruel knife,
To get from Odin length of life.
He lived until he had to turn
His toothless mouth to the deer's horn;
And he who shed his children's blood
Sucked through the ox's horn his food.
At length fell Death has tracked him down,
Slowly, but sure, in Upsal's town."
30. OF EGIL AND
TUNNE.
Egil was the
name of On the Old's son, who succeeded as king in Sweden
after his father's death. He was no warrior, but sat quietly
at home. Tunne was the name of a slave who had been the
counsellor and treasurer of On the Old; and when On died
Tunne took much treasure and buried it in the earth. Now
when Egil became king he put Tunne among the other slaves,
which he took very ill and ran away with others of the
slaves. They dug up the treasures which Tunne had concealed,
and he gave them to his men, and was made their chief.
Afterwards many malefactors flocked to him; and they lay out
in the woods, but sometimes fell upon the domains, pillaging
and killing the people. When King Egil heard this he went
out with his forces to pursue them; but one night when he
had taken up his night quarters, Tunne came there with his
men, fell on the king's men unexpectedly, and killed many of
them. As soon as King Egil perceived the tumult, he prepared
for defence, and set up his banner; but many people deserted
him, because Tunne and his men attacked them so boldly, and
King Egil saw that nothing was left but to fly. Tunne
pursued the fugitives into the forest, and then returned to
the inhabited land, ravaging and plundering without
resistance. All the goods that fell into Tunne's hands he
gave to his people, and thus became popular and strong in
men. King Egil assembledúan army again, and hastened to give
battle to Tunne. But Tunne was again victorious, and King
Egil fled with the loss of many people. Egil and Tunne had
eight battles with each other, and Tunne always gained the
victory. Then King Egil fled out of the country, and went to
Sealand in Denmark, to Frode the Bold, and promised him a
scatt from the Swedes to obtain help. Frode gave him an
army, and also his champions, with which force King Egil
repaired to Sweden. When Tunne heard this he came out to
meet him; and there was a great battle, in which Tunne fell,
and King Egil recovered his kingdom, and the Danes returned
home. King Egil sent King Frode great and good presents
every year, but he paid no scatt to the Danes; but
notwithstanding, the friendship between Egil and Frode
continued without interruption. After Tunne's fall, Egil
ruled the kingdom for three years. It happened in Sweden
that an old bull, which was destined for sacrifice, was fed
so high that he became dangerous to people; and when they
were going to lay hold of him he escaped into the woods,
became furious, and was long in the forest committing great
damage to the country. King Egil was a great hunter, and
often rode into the forest to chase wild animals. Once he
rode out with his men to hunt in the forest. The king had
traced an animal a long while, and followed it in the
forest, separated from all his men. He observed at last that
it was the bull, and rode up to it to kill it. The bull
turned round suddenly, and the king struck him with his
spear; but it tore itself out of the wound. The bull now
struck his horn in the side of the horse, so that he
instantly fell flat on the earth with the king. The king
sprang up, and was drawing his sword, when the bull struck
his horns right into the king's breast. The king's men then
came up and killed the bull. The king lived but a short
time, and was buried in a mound at Upsal. Thjodolf sings of
it thus: --
"The fair-haired son of Odin's race,
Who fled before fierce Tunne's face,
Has perished by the demon-beast
Who roams the forests of the East.
The hero's breast met the full brunt
Of the wild bull's shaggy front;
The hero's heart's asunder torn
By the fell Jotun's spear-like horn."
31. OF KING
OTTAR.
Ottar was the
name of King Egil's son who succeeded to the domains and
kingdom after him. He did not continue friendly with King
Frode, and therefore King Frode sent messengers to King
Ottar to demand the scatt which Egil had promised him. Ottar
replied, that the Swedes had never paid scatt to the Danes,
neither would he; and the messengers had to depart with this
answer. Frode was a great warrior, and he came one summer
with his army to Sweden, and landed and ravaged the country.
He killed many people, took some prisoners, burned all
around in the inhabited parts, made a great booty, and made
great devastation. The next summer King Frode made an
expedition to the eastward; and when King Ottar heard that
Frode was not at home in his own country, he went on board
his own ships, sailed over to Denmark, and ravaged there
without opposition. As he heard that a great many people
were collected at Sealand, he proceeds westward to the
Sound, and sails north about to Jutland; lands at Lymfjord;
plunders the Vend district; burns, and lays waste, and makes
desolate the country he goes over with his army. Vatt and
Faste were the names of the earls whom Frode had appointed
to defend the country in Denmark while he was abroad. When
the earls heard that the Swedish king was laying Denmark
waste, they collected an army, hastened on board their
ships, and sailed by the south side to Lymfjord. They came
unexpectedly upon Ottar, and the battle began immediately.
The Swedes gave them a good reception, and many people fell
on both sides; but as soon as men fell in the Danish army
other men hastened from the country to fill their places,
and also all the vessels in the neighbourhood joined them.
The battle ended with the fall of Ottar and the greater part
of his people. The Danes took his body, carried it to the
land, laid it upon a mound of earth, and let the wild beasts
and ravens tear it to pieces. Thereafter they made a figure
of a crow out of wood, sent it to Sweden, and sent word with
it that their king, Ottar, was no better than it; and from
this he was called Ottar Vendelcrow. Thjodolf tells so of
it: --
"By Danish arms the hero bold,
Ottar the Brave, lies stiff and cold.
To Vendel's plain the corpse was borne;
By eagles' claws the corpse is torn,
Spattered by ravens' bloody feet,
The wild bird's prey, the wild wolf's meat.
The Swedes have vowed revenge to take
On Frode's earls, for Ottar's sake;
Like dogs to kill them in their land,
In their own homes, by Swedish hand."
32. OF KING
ADILS' MARRIAGE.
Adils was the
name of King Ottar's son and successor. He was a long time
king, became very rich, and went also for several summers on
viking expeditions. On one of these he came to Saxland with
his troops. There a king was reigning called Geirthjof, and
his wife was called Alof the Great; but nothing is told of
their children. The king was not at home, and Adils and his
men ran up to the king's house and plundered it, while
others drove a herd of cattle down to the strand. The herd
was attended by slave-people, churls, and girls, and they
took all of them together. Among them was a remarkably
beautiful girl called Yrsa. Adils returned home with this
plunder. Yrsa was not one of the slave girls, and it was
soon observed that she was intelligent, spoke well, and in
all respects was well behaved. All people thought well of
her, and particularly the king; and at last it came to this
that the king celebrated his wedding with her, and Yrsa
became queen of Sweden, and was considered an excellent
woman.
33. OF KING
ADILS' DEATH.
King Halfdan's
son Helge ruled at that time over Leidre. He came to Sweden
with so great an army, that King Adils saw no other way than
to fly at once. King Helge landed with his army, plundered,
and made a great booty. He took Queen Yrsa prisoner, carried
her with him to Leidre, took her to wife, and had a son by
her called Rolf Krake. When Rolf was three years old, Queen
Alof came to Denmark, and told Queen Yrsa that her husband,
King Helge, was her own father, and that she, Alof, was her
mother. Thereupon Yrsa went back to Sweden to King Adils,
and was queen there as long as she lived. King Helge fell in
a war expedition; and Rolf Krake, who was then eight years
old, was taken to be king in Leidre. King Adils had many
disputes with a king called Ole of the Uplands; and these
kings had a battle on the ice of the Venner lake, in which
King Ole fell, and King Adils won the battle. There is a
long account of this battle in the "Skjoldunga Saga", and
also about Rolf Krake's coming to Adils, and sowing gold
upon the Fyrisvold. King Adils was a great lover of good
horses, and had the best horses of these times. One of his
horses was called Slongve, and another Raven. This horse he
had taken from Ole on his death, and bred from him a horse,
also called Raven, which the king sent in a present to King
Godgest in Halogaland. When Godgest mounted the horse he was
not able to manage him, and fell off and was killed. This
accident happened at Omd in Halogaland. King Adils was at a
Disa sacrifice; and as he rode around the Disa hall his
horse' Raven stumbled and fell, and the king was thrown
forward upon his head, and his skull was split, and his
brains dashed out against a stone. Adils died at Upsal, and
was buried there in a mound. The Swedes called him a great
king. Thjodolf speaks thus of him: --
"Witch-demons, I have heard men say,
Have taken Adils' life away.
The son of kings of Frey's great race,
First in the fray, the fight, the chase,
Fell from his steed -- his clotted brains
Lie mixed with mire on Upsal's plains.
Such death (grim Fate has willed it so)
Has struck down Ole's deadly foe."
34. ROLF
KRAKE'S DEATH.
Eystein, King
Adils' son, ruled next over Sweden, and in his lifetime Rolf
Krake of Leidre fell. In those days many kings, both Danes
and Northmen, ravaged the Swedish dominions; for there were
many sea-kings who ruled over many people, but had no lands,
and he might well be called a sea-king who never slept
beneath sooty roof-timbers.
35. OF EYSTEIN
AND THE JUTLAND KING SOLVE.
There was a
sea-king called Solve, a son of Hogne of Njardo, who at that
time plundered in the Baltic, but had his dominion in
Jutland. He came with his forces to Sweden, just as King
Eystein was at a feast in a district called Lofond. Solve
came unexpectedly in the night on Eystein, surrounded the
house in which the king was, and burned him and all his
court. Then Solve went to Sigtun, and desired that the
Swedes should receive him, and give him the title of king;
but they collected an army, and tried to defend the country
against him, on which there was a great battle, that lasted,
according to report, eleven days. There King Solve was
victorious, and was afterwards king of the Swedish dominions
for a long time, until at last the Swedes betrayed him, and
he was killed. Thjodolf tells of it thus: --
"For a long time none could tell
How Eystein died -- but now I know
That at Lofond the hero fell;
The branch of Odin was laid low,
Was burnt by Solve's Jutland men.
The raging tree-devourer fire
Rushed on the monarch in its ire;
First fell the castle timbers, then
The roof-beams -- Eystein's funeral pyre."
36. OF YNGVAR'S
FALL.
Yngvar, who was
King Eystein's son, then became king of Sweden. He was a
great warrior, and often lay out with his warships; for the
Swedish dominions were much ravaged then by Danes and
East-country men. King Yngvar made a peace with the Danes;
but betook himself to ravaging the East country in return.
One summer he went with his forces to Estland, and plundered
at a place called Stein. The men of Estland came down from
the interior with a great army, and there was a battle; but
the army of the country was so brave that the Swedes could
not withstand them, and King Yngvar fell, and his people
fled. He was buried close to the seashore under a mound in
Estland; and after this defeat the Swedes returned home.
Thjodolf sings of it thus: --
"Certain it is the Estland foe
The fair-haired Swedish king laid low.
On Estland's strand, o'er Swedish graves,
The East Sea sings her song of waves;
King Yngvar's dirge is ocean's roar
Resounding on the rock-ribbed shore."
37. OF ONUND
THE LAND-CLEARER.
Onund was the
name of Yngvar's son who succeeded him. In his days there
was peace in Sweden, and he became rich in valuable goods.
King Onund went with his army to Estland to avenge his
father, and landed and ravaged the country round far and
wide, and returned with a great booty in autumn to Sweden.
In his time there were fruitful seasons in Sweden, so that
he was one of the most popular of kings. Sweden is a great
forest land, and there are such great uninhabited forests in
it that it is a journey of many days to cross them. Onund
bestowed great diligence and expense on opening the woods
and cultivating the cleared land. He made roads through the
desert forests; and thus cleared land is found all through
the forest country, and great districts are settled. In this
way extensive tracts of land were brought into cultivation,
for there were country people enough to cultivate the land.
Onund had roads made through all Sweden, both through
forests and morasses, and also over mountains; and he was
therefore called Onund Roadmaker. He had a house built for
himself in every district of Sweden, and went over the whole
country in guest-quarters.
38. OF INGJALD
THE BAD.
Onund had a son
called Ingjald, and at that time Yngvar was king of the
district of Fjadryndaland. Yngvar had two sons by his wife
-- the one called Alf, the other Agnar -- who were about the
same age as Ingjald. Onund's district-kings were at that
time spread widely over Sweden, and Svipdag the Blind ruled
over Tiundaland, in which Upsal is situated, and where all
the Swedish Things are held. There also were held the
mid-winter sacrifices, at which many kings attended. One
year at midwinter there was a great assembly of people at
Upsal, and King Yngvar had also come there with his sons.
Alf, King Yngvar's son, and Ingjald, King Onund's son, were
there -- both about six years old. They amused themselves
with child's play, in which each should be leading on his
army. In their play Ingjald found himself not so strong as
Alf, and was so vexed that he almost cried. His
foster-brother Gautvid came up, led him to his foster-father
Svipdag the Blind, and told him how ill it appeared that he
was weaker and less manly than Alf, King Yngvar's son.
Svipdag replied that it was a great shame. The day after
Svipdag took the heart of a wolf, roasted it on the tongs,
and gave it to the king's son Ingjald to eat, and from that
time he became a most ferocious person, and of the worst
disposition. When Ingjald was grown up, Onund applied for
him to King Algaut for his daughter Gauthild. Algaut was a
son of Gautrek the Mild, and grandson of Gaut; and from them
Gotland (Gautland) took its name. King Algaut thought his
daughter would be well married if she got King Onund's son,
and if he had his father's disposition; so the girl was sent
to Sweden, and King Ingjald celebrated his wedding with her
in due time.
39. OF KING
ONUND'S DEATH.
King Onund one
autumn, travelling between his mansion-houses, came over a
road called Himmenheath, where there are some narrow
mountain valleys, with high mountains on both sides. There
was heavy rain at the time, and before there had been snow
on the mountains. A landslip of clay and stones came down
upon King Onund and his people, and there he met his death,
and many with him. So says Thjodolf, namely:
"We all have heard how Jonkur's sons,
Whom weapons could not touch, with stones
Were stoned to death in open day,
King Onund died in the same way.
Or else perhaps the wood-grown land,
Which long had felt his conquering hand,
Uprose at length in deadly strife,
And pressed out Onund's hated life."
40. THE BURNING
IN UPSAL.
Then Ingjald,
King Onund's son, came to the kingdom. The Upsal kings were
the highest in Sweden among the many district-kings who had
been since the time that Odin was chief. The kings who
resided at Upsal had been the supreme chiefs over the whole
Swedish dominions until the death of Agne, when, as before
related, the kingdom came to be divided between brothers.
After that time the dominions and kingly powers were spread
among the branches of the family as these increased; but
some kings cleared great tracts of forest-land, and settled
them, and thereby increased their domains. Now when Ingjald
took the dominions and the kingdom of his father, there
were, as before said, many district-kings. King Ingjald
ordered a great feast to be prepared in Upsal, and intended
at that feast to enter on his heritage after King Onund his
father. He had a large hall made ready for the occasion --
one not less, nor less sumptuous, than that of Upsal; and
this hall was called the Seven Kings Hall, and in it were
seven high seats for kings. Then King Ingjald sent men all
through Sweden, and invited to his feast kings, earls, and
other men of consequence. To this heirship-feast came King
Algaut, his father-in-law; Yngvar king of Fjadryndaland,
with his two sons, Alf and Agnar; King Sporsnjall of Nerike;
King Sighvat of Aattundaland: but Granmar king of
Sodermanland did not come. Six kings were placed in the
seats in the new hall; but one of the high seats which
Ingjald had prepared was empty. All the persons who had come
got places in the new hall; but to his own court, and the
rest of his people, he had appointed places at Upsal. It was
the custom at that time that he who gave an heirship-feast
after kings or earls, and entered upon the heritage, should
sit upon the footstool in front of the high seat, until the
full bowl, which was called the Brage-beaker, was brought
in. Then he should stand up, take the Brage-beaker, make
solemn vows to be afterwards fulfilled, and thereupon empty
the beaker. Then he should ascend the high seat which his
father had occupied; and thus he came to the full heritage
after his father. Now it was done so on this occasion. When
the full Brage-beaker came in, King Ingjald stood up,
grasped a large bull's horn, and made a solemn vow to
enlarge his dominions by one half, towards all the four
corners of the world, or die; and thereupon pointed with the
horn to the four quarters. Now when the guests had become
drunk towards evening King Ingjald told Svipdag's sons,
Gautvid and Hylvid, to arm themselves and their men, as had
before been settled; and accordingly they went out, and came
up to the new hall, and set fire to it. The hall was soon in
a blaze, and the six kings, with all their people, were
burned in it. Those who tried to come out were killed. Then
King Ingjald laid all the dominions these kings had
possessed under himself, and took scatt from them.
41. OF
HJORVARD'S MARRIAGE.
When King
Granmar heard the news of this treachery, he thought the
same lot awaited him if he did not take care. The same
summer King Hjorvard, who was called Ylfing, came with his
fleet to Sweden, and went into a fjord called Myrkva-fjord.
When King Granmar heard this he sent a messenger to him to
invite him and all his men to a feast. He accepted it
willingly; for he had never committed waste in King
Granmar's dominions. When he came to the feast he was gladly
welcomed. In the evening, when the full bowls went round, as
was the custom of kings when they were at home, or in the
feasts they ordered to be made, they sat and drank together,
a man and woman with each other in pairs, and the rest of
the company sat and drank all together. But it was the law
among the vikings that all who were at the entertainment
should drink together in one company all round. King
Hjorvard's high seat was placed right opposite to King
Granmar's high seat, and on the same bench sat all his men.
King Granmar told his daughter Hildigunn, who was a
remarkably beautiful girl, to make ready to carry ale to the
vikings. Thereupon she took a silver goblet, filled it,
bowed before King Hjorvard, and said, "Success to all
Ylfinger: this cup to the memory of Rolf Krake" -- drank out
the half, and handed the cup to King Hjorvard. He took the
cup, and took her hand, and said she must sit beside him.
She says that is not viking fashion to drink two and two
with women. Hjorvard replies that it were better for him to
make a change, and leave the viking law, and drink in
company with her. Then Hildigunn sat down beside him, and
both drank together, and spoke a great deal with each other
during the evening. The next day, when King Granmar and
Hjorvard met, Hjorvard spoke of his courtship, and asked to
have Hildigunn in marriage. King Granmar laid this proposal
before his wife Hilda, and before people of consequence,
saying they would have great help and trust in Hjorvard; and
all approved of it highly, and thought it very advisable.
And the end was, that Hildigunn was promised to Hjorvard,
and the wedding followed soon after; and King Hjorvard
stayed with King Granmar, who had no sons, to help him to
defend his dominions.
42. WAR BETWEEN
INGJALD AND GRANMAR AND HJORVARD.
The same autumn
King Ingjald collected a war-force, with which he intended
to fall upon Granmar and Hjorvard; but when they heard it
they also collected a force, and Hogne, who ruled over East
Gotland, together with his son Hildur, came to their
assistance. Hogne was father of Hilda, who was married to
King Granmar. King Ingjald landed with his army, which was
by far the most numerous. A battle began, which was very
sharp; but after it had lasted a short time, the chiefs who
ruled over Fjadryndaland, West Gotland, Nerike, and
Aattundaland, took to flight with all the men from those
countries, and hastened to their ships. This placed King
Ingjald in great danger, and he received many wounds, but
escaped by flight to his ships. Svipdag the Blind, Ingjald's
foster-father, together with his sons, Gautvid and Hylvid,
fell. Ingjald returned to Upsal, very ill-satisfied with his
expedition; and he thought the army levied from those
countries he had acquired by conquest had been unfaithful to
him. There was great hostility afterwards between King
Ingjald and King Granmar, and his son-in-law King Hjorvard;
and after this had continued a long time the friends of both
parties brought about a reconciliation. The king appointed a
meeting, and concluded a peace. This peace was to endure as
long as the three kings lived, and this was confirmed by
oath and promises of fidelity. The spring after, King
Granmar went to Upsal to make offering, as usual, for a
steady peace. Then the foreboding turned out for him so that
it did not promise him long life, and he returned to his
dominions.
43. DEATH OF
THE KINGS GRANMAR AND HJORVARD.
The autumn
after, King Granmar and his son-in-law Hjorvard went to a
feast at one of their farms in the island Sile. When they
were at the entertainment, King Ingjald came there in the
night with his troops, surrounded the house, and burnt them
in it, with all their men. Then he took to himself all the
country these kings had possessed, and placed chiefs over
it. King Hogne and his son Hildur often made inroads on
horseback into the Swedish dominions, and killed King
Ingjald's men, whom he had placed over the kingdom which had
belonged to their relation Granmar. This strife between King
Ingjald and King Hogne continued for a long time; but King
Hogne defended his kingdom against King Ingjald to his dying
day. King Ingjald had two children by his wife -- the eldest
called Aasa, the other Olaf. Gauthild, the wife of Ingjald,
sent the boy to his foster-father Bove, in West Gotland,
where he was brought up along with Saxe, Bove's son, who had
the surname of Flette. It was a common saying that King
Ingjald had killed twelve kings, and deceived them all under
pretence of peace; therefore he was called Ingjald the
Evil-adviser. He was king over the greater part of Sweden.
He married his daughter Aasa to Gudrod king of Scania; and
she was like her father in disposition. Aasa brought it
about that Gudrod killed his brother Halfdan, father of Ivar
Vidfavne; and also she brought about the death of her
husband Gudrod, and then fled to her father; and she thus
got the name also of Aasa the Evil-adviser.
44. OF
INGJALD'S DEATH.
Ivar Vidfavne
came to Scania after the fall of his uncle Gudrod, and
collected an army in all haste, and moved with it into
Sweden. Aasa had gone to her father before. King Ingjald was
at a feast in Raening, when he heard that King Ivar's army
was in the neighbourhood. Ingjald thought he had not
strength to go into battle against Ivar, and he saw well
that if he betook himself to flight his enemies would swarm
around him from all corners. He and Aasa took a resolution
which has become celebrated. They drank until all their
people were dead drunk, and then put fire to the hall; and
it was consumed, with all who were in it, including
themselves, King Ingjald, and Aasa. Thus says Thjodolf:
"With fiery feet devouring flame
Has hunted down a royal game
At Raening, where King Ingjald gave
To all his men one glowing grave.
On his own hearth the fire he raised,
A deed his foemen even praised;
By his own hand he perished so,
And life for freedom did forego."
45. OF IVAR.
Ivar Vidfavne
subdued the whole of Sweden. He brought in subjection to
himself all the Danish dominions, a great deal of Saxland,
all the East Country, and a fifth part of England. From his
race the kings of Sweden and Denmark who have had the
supreme authority in those countries, are descended. After
Ingjald the Evil-adviser the Upsal dominion fell from the
Yngling race notwithstanding the length of time they could
reckon up the series of their forefathers.
46. OF OLAF THE
TREE-FELLER.
When Olaf, King
Ingjald's son, heard of his father's end, he went with the
men who chose to follow him to Nerike; for all the Swedish
community rose with one accord to drive out Ingjald's family
and all his friends. Now, when the Swedes got intelligence
of him he could not remain there, but went on westwards,
through the forest, to a river which comes from the north
and falls into the Venner lake, and is called Klar river.
There they sat themselves down, turned to and cleared the
woods, burnt, and then settled there. Soon there were great
districts; which altogether were called Vermeland; and a
good living was to be made there. Now when it was told of
Olaf, in Sweden, that he was clearing the forests, they
laughed at his proceedings, and called him the Tree-feller.
Olaf got a wife called Solva, or Solveig, a daughter of
Halfdan Guldtand, westward in Soleyar. Halfdan was a son of
Solve Solvarson, who was a son of Solve the Old, who first
settled on these islands. Olaf Tree-feller's mother was
called Gauthild, and her mother was Alov, daughter of Olaf
the Sharp-sighted, king in Nerike. Olaf and Solva had two
sons: Ingjald and Halfdan. Halfdan was brought up in
Soleyar, in the house of his mother's brother Solve, and was
called Halfdan Hvitbein.
47. OLAF THE
TREE-FELLER'S DEATH.
There were a
great many people who fled the country from Sweden, on
account of King Ivar; and when they heard that King Olaf had
got good lands in Vermeland, so great a number came there to
him that the land could not support them. Then there came
dear times and famine, which they ascribed to their king; as
the Swedes used always to reckon good or bad crops for or
against their kings. The Swedes took it amiss that Olaf was
sparing in his sacrifices, and believed the dear times must
proceed from this cause. The Swedes therefore gathered
together troops, made an expedition against King Olaf,
surrounded his house and burnt him in it, giving him to Odin
as a sacrifice for good crops. This happened at the Venner
lake. Thus tells Thjodolf of it: --
"The temple wolf, by the lake shores,
The corpse of Olaf now devours.
The clearer of the forests died
At Odin's shrine by the lake side.
The glowing flames stripped to the skin
The royal robes from the Swedes' king.
Thus Olaf, famed in days of yore,
Vanished from earth at Venner's shore."
48. HALFDAN
HVITBEIN MADE KING.
Those of the Swedes who had more understanding found that the dear times proceeded from there being a greater number of people on the land than it could support, and that the king could not be blamed for this. They took the resolution, therefore, to cross the Eida forest with all their men, and came quite unexpectedly into Soleyar, where they put to death King Solve, and took Halfdan Hvitbein prisoner, and made him their chief, and gave him the title of king. Thereupon he subdued Soleyar, and proceeding with his army into Raumarike, plundered there, and laid that district also in subjection by force of arms.
49. OF HALFDAN HVITBEIN.
Halfdan Hvitbein became a great king. He was married to Aasa, a daughter of Eystein the Severe, who was king of the Upland people, and ruled over Hedemark. Halfdan and Aasa had two sons, Eystein and Gudrod. Halfdan subdued a great part of Hedemark, Toten, Hadeland, and much of Westfold. He lived to be an old man, and died in his bed at Toten, from whence his body was transported to Westfold, and was buried under a mound at a place called Skaereid, at Skiringsale. So says Thjodolf: --
"Halfdan, esteemed by friends and foes,
Receives at last life's deep repose:
The aged man at last, though late,
Yielded in Toten to stern fate.
At Skiringsale hangs o'er his grave
A rock, that seems to mourn the brave Halfdan,
to chiefs and people dear,
Received from all a silent tear."
50. OF INGJALD, BROTHER OF HALFDAN.
Ingjald, Halfdan's brother, was king of Vermeland; but after his death King Halfdan took possession of Vermeland, raised scatt from it, and placed earls over it as long as he lived.
51. OF KING EYSTEIN'S DEATH.
Eystein, Halfdan Hvitbein's son, became king after in Raumarike and Westfold. He was married to Hild, a daughter of Eric Agnarsson, who was king in Westfold. Agnar, Eric's father, was a son of Sigtryg, king in the Vend district. King Eric had no son, and died while King Halfdan Hvitbein was still in life. The father and son, Halfdan and Eystein, then took possession of the whole of Westfold, which Eystein ruled over as long as he lived. At that time there lived at Varna a king called Skjold, who was a great warlock. King Eystein went with some ships of war to Varna, plundered there, and carried away all he could find of clothes or other valuables, and of peasants' stock, and killed cattle on the strand for provision, and then went off. King Skjold came to the strand with his army, just as Eystein was at such a distance over the fjord that King Skjold could only see his sails. Then he took his cloak, waved it, and blew into it. King Eystein was sitting at the helm as they sailed in past Jarls, and another ship was sailing at the side of his, when there came a stroke of a wave, by which the boom of the other ship struck the king and threw him overboard, which proved his death. His men fished up his body, and it was carried into Borre, where a mound was thrown up over it, out towards the sea at Raden, near Vodle. So says Thjodolf:
"King Eystein sat upon the poop
Of his good ship: with sudden swoop
The swinging boom dashed him to hell,
And fathoms deep the hero fell
Beneath the brine. The fury whirl
Of Loke, Tempest's brother's girl,
Grim Hel, clutched his soul away;
And now where Vodle's ocean bay
Receives the ice-cold stream, the grave
Of Eystein stands -- the good, the brave!"
52. OF HALFDAN THE MILD.
Halfdan was the name of King Eystein's son who succeeded him. He was called Halfdan the Mild, but the Bad Entertainer; that is to say, he was reported to be generous, and to give his men as much gold as other kings gave of silver, but he starved them in their diet. He was a great warrior, who had been long on viking cruises, and had collected great property. He was married to Liv, a daughter of King Dag of Westmare. Holtar, in Westfold, was his chief house; and he died there on the bed of sickness, and was buried at Borre under a mound. So says Thjodolf: --
"By Hel's summons, a great king
Was called away to Odin's Thing:
King Halfdan, he who dwelt of late
At Holtar, must obey grim Fate.
At Borre, in the royal mound,
They laid the hero in the ground."
53. OF GUDROD THE HUNTER.
Gudrod, Halfdan's son, succeeded. He was called Gudrod the Magnificent, and also Gudrod the Hunter. He was married to Alfhild, a daughter of King Alfarin of Alfheim, and got with her half the district of Vingulmark. Their son Olaf was afterwards called Geirstad-Alf. Alfheim, at that time, was the name of the land between the Glommen and Gotha rivers. Now when Alfhild died, King Gudrod sent his men west to Agder to the king who ruled there, and who was called Harald Redbeard. They were to make proposals to his daughter Aasa upon the king's account; but Harald declined the match, and the ambassadors returned to the king, and told him the result of their errand. Soon after King Gudrod hove down his ships into the water, and proceeded with a great force in them to Agder. He immediately landed, and came altogether unexpectedly at night to King Harald's house. When Harald was aware that an army was at hand, he went out with the men he had about him, and there was a great battle, although he wanted men so much. King Harald and his son Gyrd fell, and King Gudrod took a great booty. He carried away with him Aasa, King Harald's daughter, and had a wedding with her. They had a son by their marriage called Halfdan; and the autumn that Halfdan was a year old Gudrod went upon a round of feasts. He lay with his ship in Stiflesund, where they had been drinking hard, so that the king was very tipsy. In the evening, about dark, the king left the ship; and when he had got to the end of the gangway from the ship to the shore, a man ran against him, thrust a spear through him, and killed him. The man was instantly put to death, and in the morning when it was light the man was discovered to be Aasa's page-boy: nor did she conceal that it was done by her orders. Thus tells Thjodolf of it:
"Gudrod is gone to his long rest,
Despite of all his haughty pride --
A traitor's spear has pierced his side:
For Aasa cherished in her breast
Revenge; and as, by wine opprest,
The hero staggered from his ship,
The cruel queen her thrall let slip
To do the deed of which I sing:
And now the far-descended king,
At Stiflesund, in the old bed
Of the old Gudrod race, lies dead."
54. OF KING OLAF'S DEATH.
Olaf came to the kingdom after his father. He was a great warrior, and an able man; and was besides remarkably handsome, very strong and large of growth. He had Westfold; for King Alfgeir took all Vingulmark to himself, and placed his son Gandalf over it. Both father and son made war on Raumarike, and subdued the greater part of that land and district. Hogne was the name of a son of the Upland king, Eystein the Great, who subdued for himself the whole of Hedemark, Toten, and Hadeland. Then Vermeland fell off from Gudrod's sons, and turned itself, with its payment of scatt, to the Swedish king. Olaf was about twenty years old when Gudrod died; and as his brother Halfdan now had the kingdom with him, they divided it between them; so that Olaf got the eastern and Halfdan the southern part. King Olaf had his main residence at Geirstad. There he died of a disease in his foot, and was laid under a mound at Geirstad. So sings Thjodolf:
"Long while this branch of Odin's stem
Was the stout prop of Norway's realm;
Long while King Olaf with just pride
Ruled over Westfold far and wide.
At length by cruel gout oppressed,
The good King Olaf sank to rest:
His body now lies under ground,
Buried at Geirstad, in the mound."
55. OF ROGNVALD THE MOUNTAIN-HIGH.
Rognvald was the name of Olaf's son who was king of Westfold after his father. He was called "Mountain-high," and Thjodolf of Hvina composed for him the "Ynglinga-tal", in which he says:
"Under the heaven's blue dome, a name
I never knew more true to fame
Than Rognvald bore; whose skilful hand
Could tame the scorners of the land, --
Rognvald, who knew so well to guide
The wild sea-horses through the tide:
The "Mountain-high" was the proud name
By which the king was known to fame."