Part 6 (1/2)

King Adils said, 'Concerning you, champions of King Hrolf, there is no exaggeration in what is said about your valour. Of course, you think yourselves better than anyone else, but there is no lie in what is said about your stamina. Now build up the fires,' said King Adils, 'because I cannot discern clearly which one of you is the king. They will not flee from the fire, even if they are rather warmed by it.'

So it was done as Adils instructed. He wanted in this way to learn for certain where King Hrolf was, a.s.suming that Hrolf would not be able to tolerate the heat as well as his champions. To Adils it seemed that it would be easier to get hold of Hrolf, when he knew for certain where he was. Truly King Adils wanted King Hrolf dead.

Bodvar realized this fact, as did several of the others, and they could only shelter the king partly from the heat. They did this as well as they could, but not so much that he would be revealed. As the fire burned at its fiercest, King Hrolf concentrated on reminding himself that he had sworn to flee neither fire nor iron. He realized that King Adils intended to make this situation a trial: he and his champions would either burn there or fail to fulfil their solemn vow. Now they saw that King Adils had moved his throne all the way back to the outer wall of the hall, as his men also did.

More fuel was constantly being piled on the fire. King Hrolf and his men saw that the fire would reach them unless something was done. Their clothes had already been scorched when they threw their s.h.i.+elds into the fire. Together Bodvar and Svipdag said: 10. Let's feed the fires In Adils' stronghold Next, each of them seized one of the men who were feeding the flames. Bodvar and Svipdag each pitched his man into the fire and said, 'Enjoy the fire's warmth in return for your pains and labour, because we are completely baked. Now it is your turn to bake because of your diligence in building a fire for us.'

Hjalti at his end seized a third man and threw him into the flames; then they did the same to all the men who kept working the fires. n.o.body was saved, and they all burned to ashes because no one dared to approach the fire.

Then, King Hrolf said: 11. He flees no fire who jumps over it.

Next Hrolf and all his champions, intending to seize Adils, jumped over the fire. When King Adils saw what they were doing, he saved himself by running to the tree that stood in the hall. The tree was hollow, and so he used his magic and sorcery to escape from the hall.

Next King Adils entered Queen Yrsa's room, intending to speak with her. She received him coldly and said many harsh things to him, 'You first had my husband King Helgi killed and you behaved deceitfully toward him, keeping his property from its rightful owner. And now you wish to kill my son. You are the cruellest and the most terrible of men. I will make every effort to see that King Hrolf gets the property and that you suffer a fitting disgrace.'

King Adils answered: 'Matters are such that neither of us here will trust the other. From now on, I will not come into your sight.' With this their talk ended.

Queen Yrsa went to meet King Hrolf and greeted him heartily. He welcomed her greeting. She arranged for a man to serve Hrolf and provided gracious hospitality to his company. When the servingman came before King Hrolf, he said, 'This man's face is thin and angular like a ladder carved from a pole*and this man is your king?'67 King Hrolf said, 'You have given me the name kraki and it will stick to me; but what gift will you give me to confirm the name-fastening?'

The man, who was named Vogg, answered, 'I have nothing to give, because I am a man without property.'

King Hrolf said, 'He who has must give.' He pulled a gold ring off his own arm and gave it to the man.

Vogg said, 'Of all the men who give, you are the most fortunate, and that is the best of treasures.'

But the king found that Vogg attached too much value to the gift and said, 'Vogg rejoices in little.'

Vogg, putting one foot up on the bench, said, 'I swear this oath: I will avenge you, if I live longer and if you are killed by men.'

The king said, 'You mean well, though there are others more likely to undertake this project than you.'

They understood that this man would be faithful and true in the small ways in which he could contribute. They thought, however, that Vogg was destined only for minor accomplishments because he was a man of little account. From then on they concealed nothing from him. Now they wanted to sleep, and they believed that they could rest without fear in the rooms chosen for them by the queen.

Bodvar said, 'Things have been nicely prepared for us here and the queen wishes us well, but King Adils wishes us as much harm as he can cause. I would be greatly surprised if events conclude as they are now.'

Vogg told them that King Adils was so devoted a heathen sacrificer 'that his like can not be found. He sacrifices to a boar, and I scarcely understand that such a monster can exist. Be on your guard, because King Adils is putting all his energy into looking for a way to destroy you.'

'I think the possibility more likely,' said Bodvar, 'that he will remember having to leave the hall this evening because of us.'

'You should keep in mind,' said Vogg, 'that he will prove to be cunning and savage.'

After this conversation they fell asleep, but a noise from outside awoke them. The noise was so loud that it echoed everywhere, and the house in which they were sleeping shook and swayed as if it was on soft ground. Vogg began to speak, 'Now the boar has been set in motion, sent by King Adils to take revenge on you. It is such a great troll that no one can stand against it.'

King Hrolf had with him a great hound named Gram;68 it was outstandingly brave and strong. The troll burst into the house. It had the likeness of a boar,69 and hideous sounds came from its trollish nature. Bodvar set the hound against the boar, and the dog attacked without hesitation. A fierce struggle followed. Bodvar aided the hound, hewing at the boar, but his sword would not cut into the beast's back. The hound Gram was so strong that it was able to tear the ears off the boar, taking with them all the flesh from the cheeks. All at once the boar withdrew, disappearing downward from the place where it had been standing.

Next King Adils arrived outside the house with a large following of armed men. They immediately set fire to the house and, inside, King Hrolf and his champions realized that yet again there would be no shortage of fuel.

Bodvar said, 'A sad death's day if we are to be burned inside here. I would rather choose to fall before weapons on a level plain. If this burning is allowed to happen, it will be an unfortunate ending for King Hrolf's champions. I see no better plan than to hurl ourselves against the planks of the wall and in this way manage to break out of the house if only that is possible.'

This task proved to be difficult, for the house was strongly built. 'Each one of us,' said Bodvar, 'will have his man before him when we come out, but, as previously, they will quickly lose courage.'

'It is an excellent plan,' said King Hrolf, 'and it will serve us well.'

29. Queen Yrsa Gives King Hrolf His Inheritance and More Hrolf and his champions put the plan to work, throwing themselves against the wallboards with such force and determination that the wall broke apart and the men escaped. The area outside the hall within the fortress was packed with men in coats of mail, and a brutal battle began. King Hrolf and his champions pushed fiercely forward, thinning the ranks of King Adils' men. Faced with the strength of the champions' blows, none of King Adils' men proved to be an opponent so proud or so stubborn that he did not crumble. In the midst of the hard fighting, King Hrolf's hawk came flying out of the fortress. It settled on the king's shoulder, and from there, filled with pride, it acted as though a.s.sisting in a glorious victory.

Bodvar said, 'The hawk is behaving as if it has performed a great feat.' Adils' man, whose task it was to watch over the hawks raced up to the loft where they were kept. He thought it strange that King Hrolf's hawk had managed to get free, but then he found all of King Adils' hawks had been killed.

The battle ended with Hrolf and his men killing many of the enemy; nothing could stand against them. King Adils had disappeared, and no one had any idea what had become of him. Those of King Adils' men who were still standing asked for mercy, and it was granted.

Afterwards Hrolf's company went to King Adils' hall. Entering boldly, Bodvar asked King Hrolf on which bench he wanted to sit. King Hrolf answered, 'We will seat ourselves on the king's dais itself, and I will sit in the high seat.'

King Adils did not return to the hall. He felt that he had suffered grievously, having achieved little despite all his schemes. Hrolf and his men sat for a while in peace and quiet.

Then Hjalti the Magnanimous said, 'Would it not be wise for someone to go to the stables to check our horses to see if they require attention?' A man was sent off, but soon he returned, reporting that the horses had been shamefully abused. As recounted earlier, they had been maimed. King Hrolf showed little response beyond saying that in dealings with King Adils everything went one way.

Now Queen Yrsa came into the hall and went before King Hrolf, greeting him in a refined and elegant manner. He received her greeting well. She said, 'You have not been welcomed, kinsman, as you should have been, or as I wanted you to be. Nor ought you, my son, to remain here any longer in so inhospitable a place, because right now large numbers of troops are a.s.sembling throughout the land of the Swedes. King Adils intends to kill all of you. He has wanted to do so for a long time, had he only been able; but at this very moment your good luck has more power than his sorcery. Here is a silver horn, which I give to you. In it are kept all of King Adils' best rings, including the one called Sviagris, the one he values most of all.'70 So, too, she gave him a huge store of gold as well as of silver. The treasure was so large that one person could hardly conceive of its value.

Vogg was present and for his faithful service received a reward in gold from King Hrolf. The queen had twelve horses brought forward. All were reddish in colour except one, which was as white as snow and was for King Hrolf to ride. These horses were the ones that had proven themselves to be the best of King Adils' mounts; all were equipped with full armour. The queen also supplied Hrolf and his men with s.h.i.+elds, helmets, war equipment and the best clothes that could be found, because the fire had ruined their weapons and their clothes. With generosity, she gave them everything they needed.

King Hrolf said, 'Have you given me all the property which is mine by rights and which my father owned?'

She replied, 'In many ways, it is more than I was ent.i.tled to give you, but you and your men have here won much fame. Prepare yourselves now as best you can so that you are not vulnerable, because you will be tested again.'

After that they mounted their horses. King Hrolf spoke affectionately to his mother, and they parted with tenderness.

30. King Adils Is Conquered by Gold and King Hrolf Angers Hrani King Hrolf and his champions rode down from Uppsala, pa.s.sing through the region called the Fyris Plains. The king saw a gold ring glowing on the road in front of him; it rattled with a loud sound as they rode over it. 'It bellows so loudly,' said King Hrolf, 'because it dislikes being alone.'

He slid off one of his own gold rings and tossed it to the one on the road, saying, 'It shall not happen that I stoop for gold, even if it is lying on the road. Let none of my men be so rash as to pick it up, for it has been cast here in order to delay our journey.'

They promised him that they would not touch the ring. Then, from all directions, they heard the sound of war trumpets and saw a huge force coming after them. The pursuing army was rus.h.i.+ng forward furiously, each man forcing his horse to its fullest. King Hrolf and his champions, however, continued riding at the same pace.

Bodvar said, 'These men pursue us hard. I, for one, certainly want some of them to reach their goal, and they themselves are surely eager to find us.'

The king said, 'Take little notice. They will delay themselves.'

Then Hrolf reached out to Beygad, who rode next to him, holding in his hand the horn with the gold. The king took the horn from Beygad and threw the gold all over the road. He rode the length of the Fyris Plains sowing gold so that in the end the paths gleamed like gold. When the pursuers saw the gold glistening on the road, most of them jumped off their horses. A contest started and the best at the game was the one quickest to pick up the gold. They grabbed and brawled, and in the end, the strongest won.

The pursuit was slowed and, when King Adils realized the change in pace, he came close to losing his reason. He rebuked his men with hard words, telling them that they picked up the lesser items while letting the more valuable prize slip away. 'The foul shame will be heard in every land that we were unable to stop twelve men from escaping, despite a force as large as the one I have here pulled together from all districts of the Swedish kingdom.'71 Enraged, King Adils raced ahead of everyone, with a large crowd of his men following him. When Hrolf saw Adils galloping up to him, he took the ring Sviagris and threw it down on the road. When he saw the ring, King Adils said, 'The one who gave King Hrolf this treasure has been more faithful to him than to me. Nonetheless, it is I who will now enjoy it and not King Hrolf.' Adils, wanting above all else to retrieve it, reached out with the shaft of his spear to the spot where the ring lay. He bent down over his horse and guided his spear through the hole of the ring.

Seeing what Adils was doing, Hrolf turned his horse around and said, 'I have made the greatest of the Swedes stoop like a swine.' Then, just as King Adils was pulling the spear shaft with the ring on it back toward him, King Hrolf galloped up and sliced off both his b.u.t.tocks right down to the bone. He did this with the sword Skofnung, the best sword ever carried in the northern lands.

King Hrolf then told King Adils to endure this shame for a time. 'Now you know where Hrolf Kraki is, the one whom you have sought for so long.'

King Adils, suffering a great loss of blood, grew faint. He was forced to turn back, all the worse for the encounter. Meanwhile, King Hrolf recovered the ring Sviagris. There the two kings parted, and it is not told whether they ever met again. Meanwhile, Hrolf's company killed all of King Adils' men who, exposing themselves to the most danger, had ridden out in front. These warriors did not need to wait long for King Hrolf and his champions, since none of the champions thought himself too good not to offer them their services. Among the champions, no one squabbled over who should act once the opportunity arose.

King Hrolf and his men now went on their way. They rode almost the whole day and, as night fell, they found a farm. The farmer came to the door, and who was it but farmer Hrani. He offered them full hospitality, declaring that their journey had not turned out much differently from what he had predicted. The king confirmed this remark, adding that Hrani was a man not blinded by the smoke of deception.

'Here, I want to give you these weapons,' said the farmer.

The king replied, 'These are hideous weapons, farmer.' There was a s.h.i.+eld, a sword and a coat of mail, but King Hrolf refused to accept the equipment. Hrani's mood quickly changed. He nearly lost his temper, thinking that he had been shown dishonour.