Part 2 (2/2)

Next, going toward the queen's hall, he met one of her slaves. He asked the man for news of the country. The thrall said the times were peaceful and good and asked the stranger who he was. Helgi let on that he was a poor beggar.

'All the same,' Helgi said, 'I have found a huge treasure in the forest, and it seems advisable for me to show you where it is.' They went to the woods and he showed the slave the treasure. The slave was much impressed by the value of the treasure, believing that good fortune had struck.

'How greedy is the queen?' asked the beggar.

'She is the greediest of women,' replied the slave.

'Then this treasure will please her,' said the beggar. 'Though I found it, she will think she owns it because it is on her land. Good fortune must not now be turned to bad, so I will not hide this wealth. The queen can decide on my share as she wishes; deciding what will suit me best. But will she take the trouble to come here to get the treasure?'

'I am sure that she will,' answered the slave, 'if it is done secretly.'

'Here,' said the beggar, 'is a necklace and a ring. These I will give to you if you succeed in persuading her to go alone into the woods. On the other hand, I will devise a plan if she becomes angry with you.'

After discussing the matter, they arrived at a bargain. The slave went home and told the queen that he had found a huge cache of treasure in the woods, 'enough,' he said, 'to guarantee the happiness of many men.' He asked her to come with him quickly to retrieve the wealth.

She replied, 'If what you say is true, this story will make your fortune; if not, it will bring death to you. But, since I have discovered you in the past to be reliable, I will trust in what you say.'

Then she showed just how greedy she was. So that no one else would know, she arranged that the two of them would go alone in the dead of night.

But when they came into the forest, Helgi was there waiting. He grabbed hold of the queen and told her that their meeting was an ideal opportunity to avenge his disgrace.

The queen admitted that she had behaved badly toward him; 'But now, I want to make it all up to you, and you shall wed me honourably.'

'No,' he said, 'you will not have that choice. You will come with me to the s.h.i.+ps and remain there for as long as it pleases me. For my own pride's sake I must take some vengeance on you after the ugly and shameful way you toyed with me.'

'For now,' she said, 'you are the one who will decide.' The king then slept with the queen for many nights.

Then the queen returned home. As just told, Helgi wreaked his vengeance on her, and now she became profoundly unhappy with her lot. King Helgi continued on his voyage, bringing war to others and acquiring fame.

The Girl Yrsa

After some time, Queen Olof gave birth to a child. It was a girl. The queen treated the child with complete neglect. She had a dog named Yrsa; she called the little girl after it, so that the child came to be named Yrsa.20 She was a beautiful child, but when she was twelve years old she was sent to tend the herd. The girl was told only that she was the daughter of a poor farmer and his elderly wife. The deceit was possible because the queen had concealed her condition so well that only a few people knew that she had given birth.

So matters continued until the girl was thirteen. Then King Helgi returned to Olof's lands and, curious to know what had happened there, he put on beggar's clothes. He saw a large herd in a forest tended by a young woman. She was so beautiful that he thought he had never seen a more lovely woman. He asked her name and inquired about her family and kins.h.i.+p. She answered, 'I am the daughter of a poor man and am called Yrsa.'

'Your eyes are not those of a servant,' he said, and suddenly feelings of love welled up in him. He said it would be proper for a beggar to marry her, because she was a poor man's daughter.

Although she asked him not to do this; he took her with him back to the s.h.i.+ps and sailed home to his kingdom.

When Queen Olof learned what had happened, she behaved deceitfully. In public she pretended to have no knowledge of the situation. In her private thoughts, however, she calculated that these events would bring grief and dishonour to King Helgi and that neither success nor joy would come of them. King Helgi married Yrsa and loved her very much.

The Ring

A ring owned by King Helgi was a widely famed treasure. Both brothers wanted it, and so too did their sister Signy. King Hroar once paid a visit to the kingdom of his brother King Helgi, who prepared a magnificent feast in Hroar's honour.

King Hroar said, 'Between us, you are the greater man. I have settled in Northumberland and therefore am now willing to grant you my share of the kingdom that we own jointly. I will make this agreement if you will share with me some of our treasured possessions. I want the ring, the one that is the best treasure in your possession and that both of us would like to own.'

'Brother,' said Helgi, 'after such a speech, nothing else is fitting but that you should have the ring.'

King Hroar returned home to his kingdom and remained there in peace.

8. Jarl Hrok Claims King Hroar's Ring Next came the news that Jarl Saevil had died and that his son Hrok had then a.s.sumed rule. Hrok was a cruel and exceptionally greedy man.

His mother often described the ring owned by her brothers. 'To my mind, it would be proper,' she said, 'if they remembered us with a grant of some form of wealth. We supported them when they were taking vengeance for our father, yet they have not rewarded us for our help either in respect to your father or in respect to me.'

Hrok agreed: 'What you say is plain as day; the situation is disgraceful. I will go to them and find out what they are willing to do in order to satisfy our honour.' Hrok then set off to meet King Helgi. He demanded a third of the Danish kingdom or the great ring. He did not know that Hroar had the ring in his possession.

King Helgi said, 'You make bold demands and act with arrogance. We won the kingdom with our courage, staking our lives on the outcome. We acted with the support of your father and of my foster father Regin. Other good men also aided us. We will certainly reward you because of our kins.h.i.+p; that is, if you are willing to consent to our proposal. This kingdom has, however, cost me so much that I am by no means willing to lose it. Furthermore, King Hroar has now a.s.sumed owners.h.i.+p of the ring, and I doubt that it will be available to you.'

Hrok left very dissatisfied. Next he sought out King Hroar, who received him with honour. Hrok stayed with Hroar for a time. Once, while sailing down the coast, they put in at a fjord. Hrok said, 'It seems to me, kinsman, that it would be worthy of your honour if you placed the great ring under my control. By doing so you will dignify our kins.h.i.+p.'

The king responded, 'I have given so much to get this ring that I will by no means part with it.'

Hrok said, 'Then you must allow me to look at it, as I am very curious to know whether the ring is as much of a treasure as is claimed.'

'That is a small thing to do for you,' said Hroar, 'and I will certainly let you look at it.' He then produced the ring for Hrok to see.

For a while Hrok studied the ring, declaring finally that there was no possibility of exaggeration when describing it. 'I have never seen a comparable treasure, and the reason you esteem the ring so highly is obvious. The best solution, it seems to me, is that neither of us, or, for that matter, anyone else should enjoy it.' He then threw the ring as far out as he could into the sea.

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 a.s.sembled 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 t.i.tle 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.

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