Denmark -- History -- To 1241; Folklore -- Scandinavia
Arngrim had twelve sons by Eyfura, whose names I here subjoin: Brand,
Biarbe, Brodd, Hiarrande; Tand, Tyrfing, two Haddings; Hiortuar,
Hiartuar, Hrane, Anganty. These followed the business of sea-roving from
their youth up; and they chanced to sail all in one ship to the island
Samso, where they found lying off the coast two ships belonging to
Hialmar and Arvarodd (Arrow-Odd) the rovers. These ships they attacked
and cleared of rowers; but, not knowing whether they had cut down the
captains, they fitted the bodies of the slain to their several thwarts,
and found that those whom they sought were missing. At this they were
sad, knowing that the victory they had won was not worth a straw, and
that their safety would run much greater risk in the battle that was to
come. In fact, Hialmar and Arvarodd, whose ships had been damaged by
a storm, which had torn off their rudders, went into a wood to hew
another; and, going round the trunk with their axes, pared down the
shapeless timber until the huge stock assumed the form of a marine
implement. This they shouldered, and were bearing it down to the beach,
ignorant of the disaster of their friends, when the sons of Eyfura,
reeking with the fresh blood of the slain, attacked them, so that they
two had to fight many; the contest was not even equal, for it was a
band of twelve against two. But the victory did not go according to the
numbers. For all the sons of Eyfura were killed; Hialmar was slain
by them, but Arvarodd gained the honours of victory, being the only
survivor left by fate out of all that band of comrades. He, with an
incredible effort, poised the still shapeless hulk of the rudder, and
drove it so strongly against the bodies of his foes that, with a single
thrust of it, he battered and crushed all twelve. And, so, though they
were rid of the general storm of war, the band of rovers did not yet
quit the ocean.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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