First she came upon three strollers (vadlarar[156]), then two, then one, and the last asked her whether she would pass the night with him (vera qvöldar vujv) or die. He cut off her head, and wherever her blood ran a light kindled; where her head fell a spring welled forth: where her body lay a church was [afterwards] built. The rover came to Torkild's house, and the father asked if he had seen Katrine. He said she had been at Mary kirk the day before, and asked for a lodging, feigning to be sick. This was readily granted. He went to bed, and Aasa, the other sister, waited upon him. He offered her a silken sark to sleep with him. Aasa asked to see the sark first, and found on it her sister's mark. The fellow went on to offer her a blue cloak and gold crown successively, and on both of these she saw her sister's mark. Aasa bade him good-night, went to her father, and told him that the man they had housed had killed his daughter. Torkild ordered his swains to light a pile in the wood: early the next morning they burned the murderer on it. #Icelandic.# Five Icelandic versions, and the first stanza of two more, are given in Íslenzk Fornkvæði, I, 108 ff, No 15, 'Vallara kvæði.' The story is nearly the same as in the Färöe ballad. Two of Thorkell's daughters sleep till after the sun is up (#B#, #C#). They wash and dress; they set out for church (#C#). On the heath they encounter a strolling man, #A#; a tall, large man, #C#, #E#; a horseman or knight, #D#. He greets them: "Why will ye not speak? Are ye come of elves, or of kings themselves?" #A# [Are ye come of earls, or of beggar-churls? #B#]. They answer, We are not come of elves, nor of kings themselves; we are Thorkell's daughters, and serve Mary kirk. He asks, Will ye choose to lose your life, or shall I rather take you to wife? The choice, they say, is hard: they would rather die. He kills them and buries them. At night he goes to Thorkell's house, where Asa is alone. He knocks to be let in; Asa refuses; he draws the latch with his deft fingers (#A#, #C#, #D#). He offers Asa a silken sark to sleep with him [and a blue cloak to say nothing, #A#]. She asked to see the sark, and knew her sisters' work, begged him to wait a moment, went to her father, and told him that the murderer of his daughters was there. Thorkell dashed his harp to the floor [and kicked over the table, #D#, #E#]. The murderer in the morning was hanged like a dog, #A#, #B#. [Thorkell tore at his hair and cut him down with an elder-stock, #C#; they fought three days, and on the fourth the villain was hanged in a strap, #E#, the knight was hanging like a dog, #D#]. A miraculous light burned over the place where the maids had been buried, #A# 16, #C# 27, #D# 24, #E# 12. When their bodies were taken into the church, the bells rang of themselves, #D#. #Norwegian# versions of this ballad have been obtained from tradition, but none as yet have been published.