One evening Ingiborg said to Sigurd: “To-morrow your father is going
out hunting, and you must go with him.” But Sigurd said he would much
rather stay at home, and the next day when the king rode off Sigurd
refused to accompany him. The stepmother was very angry, but he would
not listen, and at last she assured him that he would be sorry for his
disobedience, and that in future he had better do as he was told.
After the hunting party had started she hid Sigurd under her bed, and
bade him be sure to lie there till she called him.
Sigurd lay very still for a long while, and was just thinking it was no
good staying there any more, when he felt the floor shake under him as
if there were an earthquake, and peeping out he saw a great giantess
wading along ankle deep through the ground and ploughing it up as she
walked.
“Good morning, Sister Ingiborg,” cried she as she entered the room, “is
Prince Sigurd at home?”
“No,” said Ingiborg; “he rode off to the forest with his father this
morning.” And she laid the table for her sister and set food before
her. After they had both done eating the giantess said: “Thank you,
sister, for your good dinner—the best lamb, the best can of beer and
the best drink I have ever had; but—is not Prince Sigurd at home?”
Ingiborg again said “No”; and the giantess took leave of her and went
away. When she was quite out of sight Ingiborg told Sigurd to come out
of his hiding-place.
The king returned home at night, but his wife told him nothing of what
had happened, and the next morning she again begged the prince to go
out hunting with his father. Sigurd, however, replied as before, that
he would much rather stay at home.
So once more the king rode off alone. This time Ingiborg hid Sigurd
under the table, and scolded him well for not doing as she bade him.
For some time he lay quite still, and then suddenly the floor began to
shake, and a giantess came along wading half way to her knees through
the ground.
As she entered the house she asked, as the first one had done: “Well,
Sister Ingiborg, is Prince Sigurd at home?”
“No,” answered Ingiborg,” he rode off hunting with his father this
morning”; and going to the cupboard she laid the table for her sister.
When they had finished their meal the giantess rose and said: “Thank
you for all these nice dishes, and for the best lamb, the best can of
beer and the nicest drink I have ever had; but—is Prince Sigurd really
not at home?”
“No, certainly not!” replied Ingiborg; and with that they took leave of
each other.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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