Then Guest laid himself down and asked them to anoint him with oil. The King ordered it to be done, and when it was finished there was very little of the candle left unburnt. Then it became clear that Guest was drawing near to his end, and his spirit passed just as the torch flickered out; and they all marvelled at his passing. The King also set great store by his stories and held that the account which he had given of his life was perfectly true. INTRODUCTION TO THE TH¡TTR OF S÷RLI This story, like the last, is taken from the long _Saga of Olaf Tryggvason_ contained in the _FlateyjarbÛk_, Vol. I, pp. 275-283. Its connection, however, with the story of that King is of the slightest. According to the opinion of Finnur JÛnsson[1] the story in its present form dates from the first half of the fourteenth century. This story, like the _Th·ttr of Nornagest_, shows evidence of a definite structural plan and falls into three distinct parts. In the first two chapters the scene is laid among the gods, and the story is set in motion by the forging of a necklace for the goddess Freyja by some dwarfs. This is stolen by Loki and given to Othin, who refuses to restore it to Freyja till she promises to bring about a perpetual battle between two mighty kings. Then in chs. III and IV we have an account of the adventures of a Viking prince named Sˆrli, from whom the story takes its (somewhat inappropriate) title[2]. Sˆrli comes into contact (first as an enemy, later as a friend) with another prince called Hˆgni, and this leads up to the main theme--the friendship and subsequent quarrel of Hethin and Hˆgni, in whose tragic fate Freyja's promise is fulfilled. The perpetual battle between these two heroes is finally ended by one of Olaf Tryggvason's men, and it is through this that the story comes to be introduced into his Saga. The story of Hethin and Hˆgni was a favourite one in the North. It is told in _Sk·ldskaparm·l_, ch. 49 and in Saxo Grammaticus' _Danish History_, Book V (Elton, pp. 195-198). The earliest Norse reference to it is to be found in Bragi's _Ragnarsdr·pa_, str. 3-7. The story must also have been well known in the Orkneys, since we find the following verses in the _H·ttalykill_ by Jarl Rˆgnvald (1136-58) and an Icelandic skald Hall who flourished 1140-48[3]. Who planned to carry off Hild? Who fight all day long? Who will be reconciled at last? Who incited the kings? Hethin planned to carry off Hild; The Hjathningar are always fighting; They will be reconciled at last; Hild incited the host. Who reddens the keen blades? Who chops meat for the wolf? Who makes showers of helmets? Who stirred up strife? Harold reddened the keen blades; The host chops meat for the wolf; Hˆgni makes the shower of helmets; Hjarrandi stirred up strife!