Stories and Ballads of the Far Past: Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and NotesChadwick, Nora K. (Nora Kershaw)
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Stories and Ballads of the Far Past: Translated from the Norse (Icelandic and Faroese) with Introductions and Notes
Chadwick, Nora K. (Nora Kershaw)
Folk songs, Scandinavian; Old Norse literature -- Translations into English; Sagas
And they did so. Then the people demanded that he should give up his
son and get them a better harvest. Heithrek then talked with his
men after the force had been divided, and demanded fresh oaths of
allegiance from them. These they gave, swearing to follow him whether
at home or abroad, for whatever purpose he wished.
Then said he: "It appears to me that Othin will have been well
compensated for one boy if he gets in place of him King Harold and his
son and all his host!"
He then bade his men raise his standard and make an attack on King
Harold and slay him and all his host, declaring that he was giving
this host to Othin instead of his own son. He caused the altars to be
reddened with the blood of King Harold and his son Halfdan, while the
Queen took her own life in the temple of the DÌs.
Heithrek was now accepted as King throughout the realm. He made love
to Sifka the daughter of Humli, a prince from the land of the Huns.
Their son was called Hlˆth. He was brought up with his mother's
father.
VIII. King Heithrek went out raiding and marched against the land of
the Saxons with a great host. The King of the Saxons sent men to
meet him and they made peace with one another, and the King invited
Heithrek to a banquet. Heithrek accepted the invitation. The result of
this banquet was that Heithrek sought the hand of the King's daughter
and married her, receiving much property and land as her dowry; and
with that King Heithrek went home to his kingdom. She often used to
ask to go to visit her father, and Heithrek was indulgent to her in
this matter. Her stepson Angantyr used to go with her.
On one occasion when Heithrek was returning from a raid, he lay in
hiding off the land of the Saxons. He landed during the night and
entered the building in which his wife was sleeping. He had only one
companion with him. All the sentries were asleep. He found a handsome
man asleep beside his wife. He took his son Angantyr and carried him
away with him, and returned to his ship, having first cut off a lock
of the man's hair.
Next morning he lay to in the King's berth, and all the people went to
greet him; and a feast was prepared in his honour. A little later he
had a meeting called and asked if anything was known of his son. The
Queen alleged that he had died suddenly. He asked her to guide him to
his tomb, and when she said that that would only increase his grief,
he replied that he did not mind that. A search was made accordingly,
and a dog was found wrapped in a shroud. Heithrek remarked that his
son had not changed for the better. Then the King caused the man
whom he had found asleep to be brought forward, and he proved to be a
bondman. Thereupon Heithrek put away his wife, and then went home to
his kingdom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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