The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki (Penguin Classics)

by Jesse L. Byock

  King Hroar said, ‘You are a thoroughly odious man.’ He then ordered Hrok’s foot chopped off and sent him back to his kingdom. Hrok soon recovered his health, and even the stump of his leg healed. Then he assembled troops with the intention of avenging his shameful injury. He gathered a large force and arrived with stealth in Northumberland. At the time King Hroar was feasting with only a few followers, and Hrok attacked at once. A hard-fought battle ensued, but the sides were uneven and King Hroar was killed.

  Hrok finished his conquest of the kingdom and had himself given the title of king. Next he asked to marry Ogn, the daughter of King Nordri and the wife of his uncle, King Hroar. King Nordri thus found himself thrust into a grim dilemma, especially because he was then an old man and hardly fit for fighting. He told his daughter Ogn how matters stood, stating that, despite his age, he would not refuse to give battle, if that was her wish.

  She answered with deep sorrow, ‘Of course this union is against my will. I see, however, that your life hangs in the balance, and so I will not reject him. But some delay must be arranged, for I am carrying a child, and this is the matter that must be attended to first. King Hroar is the father.’

  The request was put to Hrok. He was willing to grant a delay if by doing so he could more easily secure both the kingdom and the marriage. It seemed to Hrok that he had greatly advanced himself on this journey, having brought about the downfall of so famous and powerful a king.

  Seizing the opportunity, Ogn sent messengers to King Helgi with instructions to tell him that she would not get into a bed with Hrok, that is, if the choice were hers and she were not being forced: ‘The reason is that I am carrying King Hroar’s child.’ The messengers set off and repeated her words just as they had been told.

  King Helgi responded that it ‘was wisely said on her part, because I will avenge my brother Hroar.’ Hrok, however, suspected nothing.

  9. Vengeance and King Hroar’s Son Agnar

  Queen Ogn next gave birth to a son named Agnar, who from early on was big and full of promise. When King Helgi heard this news, he gathered his forces and set out to fight Hrok. The battle that followed ended with Hrok’s capture.

  King Helgi said to Hrok: ‘You are a thoroughly vile chieftain, but I will not kill you. Instead, it will shame you more to live with pain and torment.’ Then he had Hrok’s legs and arms broken and sent him back to his kingdom. Hrok was utterly ruined.

  When Agnar, Hroar’s son, was twelve years old, men thought they had never seen any man his equal. He was foremost in all accomplishments and he became a great warrior. He became so famous that, when old tales are told, he is widely held to be the greatest of champions, past or present.

  Agnar inquired about the location of the fjord into which Hrok had thrown the ring. Many people had searched for the ring, using all kinds of methods, but the ring was never found.

  Agnar sailed his ship into the fjord, saying that it ‘would be a great feat to snare the ring, if only someone knew the bearings’. After being told where the ring had been thrown into the sea, Agnar got ready and dived into the deep. He surfaced, but without the ring. He went down under for a second time, but again did not find the ring. After saying that ‘it has been sought after carelessly’, he went down a third time and came up with the ring.

  Agnar gained widespread fame from this exploit; his reputation now exceeded his father’s.21

  King Helgi stayed at home in his kingdom during the winters, but in the summers he went out raiding. He became a famous man, more renowned than his father. He and Yrsa loved each other deeply. They had one son. He was named Hrolf, the one who later became a most worthy man.22

  10. King Helgi and Queen Yrsa

  Queen Olof learned that King Helgi and Yrsa loved each other dearly and were content with their marriage. The news displeased her, and she set out to pay them a visit. When she reached their lands, she sent word to Queen Yrsa, and the women met. Yrsa invited Olof to accompany her home to the hall. Queen Olof replied that she did not wish to do so. She explained that she had no honour to repay to King Helgi.

  Yrsa said, ‘You behaved shamefully to me when I was with you. Do you have anything to tell me about my family? Who are they? I suspect that I am not the daughter of a serving man and a common woman, as I was told.’ In reply, Olof said: ‘It is likely that I can tell you something about your parentage. My main reason for coming here was to tell you what I know about it. But are you well content with your marriage?’

  ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘and well I might be, because I am married to the most noble and most famous of kings.’

  ‘Your contentment may not be as secure as you think,’ said Olof, ‘for he is your father, and you are my daughter.’

  Yrsa said, ‘I have, I am sure, the worst and cruellest of mothers. What you are telling me is so monstrous that it will never be forgotten.’

  ‘You have suffered,’ Olof said, ‘from Helgi’s actions and my anger. Now I invite you to come home with me. You will receive honour and esteem, and I will behave toward you as best I can in every respect.’

  Yrsa answered, ‘I have no idea what that will bring, but I do know that I cannot stay here, aware as I am of the shame that darkens this place.’ She then went to King Helgi, telling him how oppressive her situation now was.

  The king said, ‘You have a cruel enough mother, but I want things to continue as they are now.’ But she argued that things could not continue as they were and that, from now on, they must no longer live together.

  Yrsa then went with Queen Olof and stayed in Saxland for a time. King Helgi suffered so deeply because of his wife’s departure that, grievously unhappy, he took to his bed.

  No match was thought better than one with Yrsa, but kings were slow in asking for her hand. The main reason was the possibility that King Helgi would in the end come after her, enraged that she had married another man.

  11. The Elfin Woman and the Birth of Skuld

  There was a king named Adils; he was powerful and greedy.23 From his stronghold at Uppsala, he ruled over Sweden. King Adils heard of Yrsa and prepared his ships, setting out to ask for an audience with Olof and Yrsa. Olof prepared a feast in honour of King Adils, regaling him with all manner of refinement and courtesy. King Adils asked for Queen Yrsa’s hand in marriage.

  Olof said, ‘You must have heard about her situation. If she agrees to marry you, I will not oppose your request.’ So Adils presented his suit to Yrsa. She responded, telling him that his chance of success was not good, ‘because you are an unpopular king’.

  Nevertheless the suit went forward. Yrsa was uncommitted either way, and it mattered little whether she said more or less concerning the proposal. But finally she accompanied King Adils when he sailed off. King Helgi was not notified, because Adils thought himself the more prominent of the two kings. King Helgi did not even know what had happened until after the couple arrived in Sweden, where King Adils had a splendid wedding feast prepared for Yrsa. It was news of this celebration that finally reached Helgi, who became twice as unhappy as before. King Helgi slept alone in a small detached building. So matters continued for a while. Olof is now out of the saga.

  It is said that one Yule evening King Helgi was in bed.24 The weather outside was foul, yet someone came to the door, tapping weakly on it. It occurred to Helgi that it was unkingly for him to allow any person, however wretched, to remain outside when he could help. So the king got up and opened the door. He saw someone or something, poor and tattered, standing outside.

  After saying, ‘You have done well, King,’ it came into the room.

  The king said, ‘Take some straw and a bearskin for yourself so that you will not freeze.’

  The visitor said, ‘Let me into your bed, Sire. I want to sleep next to you, for my life is at stake.’

  The king replied, ‘You repel me, but if it is as you say, then lie down here along the side of the bed. Keep your clothes on, and I will not come to any harm.’

  She did as the king asked,
and he turned away from her. A light was burning in the house, and after a time, he glanced over his shoulder at her. What he saw was a sleeping woman so fair that he thought he had never seen anyone so beautiful. She was dressed in a silken gown. Quickly and tenderly, he turned toward her.

  She said, ‘Now I will leave. You have released me from a terrible bondage, which was my stepmother’s curse. I have visited many kings, but none of them accepted me because of my looks. I do not want to stay here any longer.’

  ‘No,’ said the king, ‘there is no possibility that you may leave so soon. We will not part that way. I will arrange a quick wedding for us, because you please me well.’

  She said, ‘You are the one to make the decision, my lord.’ And so that night they slept together.

  In the morning she spoke to him, saying, ‘We have slept together because of your lust, and you will know that we will have a child. Do now as I tell you, King. Visit our child next winter at this same time down at your ships’ landing. Unless you do so, you will pay for it.’ After this, she went away.

  The king was now somewhat happier than before.

  Time passed and Helgi forgot, giving no thought to the warning. But after three winters, there is this to tell: At midnight three people came riding up to the same house in which the king was sleeping. They brought a girl-child with them and put her down outside the house.

  Then the woman, who was holding the child, said, ‘You must know, King, that your kinsmen will pay for your ignoring my request. Nevertheless, you will reap a benefit from having released me from the curse. Be aware that the girl is named Skuld, and she is our daughter.’* Then the people rode away.

  Skuld’s mother was an elfin woman,25 and the king never again saw or heard of her. Skuld grew up with the king; from an early age she showed a vicious temperament.

  It is said that King Helgi prepared to set out on a voyage to forget his sorrow. Hrolf, his son, stayed behind. King Helgi raided far and wide, performing great deeds.

  12. King Adils and King Helgi Meet

  Meanwhile, King Adils remained at Uppsala. He had twelve berserkers, who defended his land against all dangers and attack.26 King Helgi prepared his voyage to Uppsala to retrieve Yrsa. When King Adils learned that Helgi had landed, he asked the queen how she wished to have King Helgi received.

  Queen Yrsa answered, ‘You will decide that for yourself, but you know from before that there is no man whom, because of our relationship, I am more bound to support.’

  King Adils thought it fitting to invite Helgi to a feast, but he had no intention for the meeting to occur without treachery. Accepting the invitation, King Helgi travelled to the feast with one hundred men, leaving most of his followers with the ships.

  King Adils received Helgi with open arms. Queen Yrsa, hoping to reconcile the two kings, showed all honour toward King Helgi. For his part, Helgi was so pleased to see the queen that he let everything else slip by him, for he wanted to make use of all the available time to talk with her. And so they sat down to the feast.

  Then King Adils’ berserkers returned home. As soon as they had landed, King Adils met them secretly. He ordered the berserkers to hide in the woods between the fortress and King Helgi’s ships. From there the berserkers were to ambush King Helgi when he returned to his ships. ‘I will send reinforcements to help you. My troops will attack them in the rear, and in this way Helgi and his men will be caught in the claws of a trap. My intention is to attack Helgi so that he cannot escape. I can see that he is so much in love with the queen that I dare not risk whatever he is planning.’

  As King Helgi sat at the feast, the treachery was carefully concealed from both him and the queen. Queen Yrsa asked King Adils to give Helgi splendid gifts at their parting. Adils complied by giving Helgi gold as well as treasured articles, intending, in fact, to enjoy them himself.

  When King Helgi then set out, King Adils and the queen accompanied him on his way, and the queen and the kings parted on seemingly friendly terms. Not long after King Adils had turned back, King Helgi and his men became aware of an impending attack, and soon a battle started. King Helgi pushed forward, fighting valiantly, but he and his men faced overwhelming odds. Having suffered great wounds, King Helgi fell there after gaining renown. Some of King Adils’ forces had attacked from the rear, and Helgi and his men had found themselves caught as though between hammer and anvil.

  Queen Yrsa learned about these events only after King Helgi had fallen and the battle ended. With King Helgi fell all the followers who had accompanied him to the feast. The rest of Helgi’s men fled home to Denmark.

  Here ends the tale of King Helgi.

  13. King Adils’ Pride and Queen Yrsa’s Displeasure

  King Adils became boastful and arrogant about his victory. It seemed to him that he had greatly distinguished himself, having overcome a king as important and famous as Helgi. But Queen Yrsa said, ‘It is hardly fitting to boast so much, even if you have tricked that man to whom I owed the greatest obligation, and the one I loved the most. For the same reason I will never be loyal to you if you fight his kinsmen. I plan to put your berserkers to death as soon as I can, that is, if I find someone manly enough to do so, both for my sake and as proof of his own worth.’

  King Adils asked her not to threaten him or his berserkers, ‘because it will not help you. But I do want to compensate you for the death of your father. If you will accept it, I will give you magnificent gifts, including both riches and valuable possessions.’

  The queen, appeased by this offer, accepted redress from the king. Nevertheless from then on she was of an uneasy temper, often watching for a chance to harm or to disgrace the berserkers. After the fall of King Helgi, the queen never exhibited joy or good humour. Now, more than before, disagreements arose in the hall. If she could find a way to avoid it, the queen chose not to submit to King Adils’ will.

  King Adils believed that he had made himself exceedingly famous, and now all those who served among his followers and his champions thought themselves masterly men. King Adils remained at home in his kingdom, convinced that no one would raise a shield in opposition to his authority or dare to test the strength of his berserkers.

  King Adils was a devoted sacrificer and a man full of sorcery.27

  14. Svipdag and the Berserkers

  A farmer was named Svip. He lived in Sweden, far away from other men. He was wealthy and had been a great champion. At times Svip was not all that he seemed to be, for he was deeply learned in many arts, including magic. Svip had three sons, who are named here. One was called Svipdag,28 another Beygad and the third, the eldest, was called Hvitserk.29 They were all imposing men, strong and handsome.

  One day, when Svipdag was eighteen years old, he said to his father, ‘Our life up here in the mountains is dismal. We live in remote valleys and unpopulated regions; we never visit other people, nor do others come to see us. We would be more enterprising if we went to King Adils and joined his company of followers and champions, if he would accept us.’

  Svip replied, ‘Your suggestion seems ill-advised to me. King Adils is a cruel man and, although he can act in a pleasing manner, he is not trustworthy. His men, although impressive, are filled with envy. Yet this king is certainly a powerful and famous man.’

  Svipdag answered, ‘Men must try, if they are to advance. Without effort, no one learns which way luck will turn. I do not want to stay here any longer, whatever else lies in my future.’

  And when it was clear that Svipdag was determined to leave, his father gave him a great axe, a handsome and dangerous weapon. Svip then counselled his son, ‘Do not envy others and avoid arrogance, for such conduct diminishes one’s fame. Defend yourself if you are attacked. It is becoming to be humble, yet at the same time you must make a bold showing if put to a test.’30 He outfitted Svipdag with fine armour, giving him also other gear and a good horse.

  Svipdag rode off. Arriving one evening at King Adils’ stronghold, he saw the men taking part in games in front of t
he hall.31 The king was sitting nearby on a large golden chair with his berserkers close beside him.

  When Svipdag arrived at the stockade, he found the gate to the fortress locked. It was the custom to ask permission before riding in, but Svipdag paid no heed to this procedure. He broke down the gate and rode into the courtyard.

  The king said, ‘This man proceeds with less concern for proper conduct than has ever been attempted here before. He may be a powerful individual who does not mind being put to the test.’

  The berserkers immediately began to scowl, for to them Svipdag seemed to have behaved arrogantly. Svipdag rode up to the king and greeted him well, for he knew how to do so skilfully.

  When the king asked the newcomer who he was, Svipdag gave his own name and then named his father. The king recognized him at once, and everybody believed him to be a great warrior, a man of exceptional talent.

  Meanwhile the game continued. Svipdag sat on a log and watched the contest. The berserkers looked menacingly at him and told the king that they wanted to test him.

  The king answered, ‘I think that he is no weakling, still it seems to me a good idea to test him to see whether he is as much a man as he thinks he is.’

  Men now crowded into the hall. The berserkers went up to Svipdag, asking him whether he was a champion, as he behaved so arrogantly. Svipdag answered that he was the equal of any one of them, a reply that increased their anger and heightened their desire to fight. Yet, the king told them to remain quiet for the evening.

  The berserkers, however, grimaced and bellowed. They said to Svipdag, ‘Do you dare to fight us? If so, you will need more than big words and a scornful manner. We will test whatever strength is in you.’

  Svipdag answered, ‘I agree to fight, but with only one man at a time. In this way, we will see how many others among you want to take their turn.’