Short stories, Swedish -- Translations into English; Sweden -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
They then proceeded to the King's Hall, and there was great harmony and
friendship between them. When they went to table Storräde laughed and
talked the whole time the Bishop was saying grace, and the King laughed
and talked also, because he saw that it pleased Storräde. When the meal
was finished, and they all folded their hands to listen to the Bishop's
prayer, Storräde began to tell the King about her riches. She continued
doing this as long as the prayer lasted, and the King listened to
Storräde, and not to the Bishop.
The King placed Storräde in the seat of honour, whilst he sat at her
feet; and Storräde told him how she had caused two minor kings to be
burnt to death for having had the presumption to woo her. The King was
glad at hearing this, and thought that all minor kings who had the
audacity to woo a woman like Storräde should share the same fate.
When the bells rang for Evensong, the King rose to go to the Marie
Church to pray, as was his wont. But then Storräde called for her bard,
and he sang the lay of Brynhild Budles-dotter, who caused Sigurd
Fofnersbane to be slain; and King Olaf did not go to church, but instead
sat and looked into Storräde's radiant eyes, under the thick, black,
arched eyebrows; and he understood that Storräde was Brynhild, and that
she would kill him if ever he forsook her. He also thought that she was
no doubt a woman who would be willing to burn on the pile with him. And
whilst the priests were saying Mass and praying in the Marie Church at
Kungahälla, King Olaf sat thinking that he would ride to Valhalla with
Sigrid Storräde before him on the horse.
That night the ferryman who conveyed people over the Göta River was
busier than he had ever been before. Time after time he was called to
the other side, but when he crossed over there was never anybody to be
seen. But all the same he heard steps around him, and the boat was so
full that it was nearly sinking. He rowed the whole night backwards and
forwards, and did not know what it could all mean. But in the morning
the whole shore was full of small footprints, and in the footprints the
ferryman found small withered leaves, which on closer examination proved
to be pure gold, and he understood they were the Brownies and Dwarfs who
had fled from Norway when it became a Christian country, and who had now
come back again. And the giant who lived in the Fortin mountain right to
the east of Kungahälla threw one big stone after the other at the Marie
Church the whole night through; and had not the giant been so strong
that all the stones went too far and fell down at Hisingen, on the other
side of the river, a great disaster would assuredly have happened.
Every morning King Olaf was in the habit of going to Mass, but the day
Storräde was at Kungahälla he thought he had not the time. As soon as he
arose, he at once wanted to go down to the harbour, where her ship lay,
in order to ask her if she would drink the wedding-cup with him before
eventide.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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