It may be that he has great strength and has no fear.’ The Berserks at once got very angry and thought that he asserted himself too much. Svipdag rode before the King, and saluted him well in a skilful manner. Adils asked who he was, and he told him. The King soon recognized him, and every one thought he was a great and high-born champion. The games were continued; Svipdag sat on a fallen tree and looked on. The Berserks eyed him angrily, and said to the King that they wanted to try him; the King answered: ‘I think that he has no little strength, but I should like you to try whether he is such a man as he considers himself.’ “When men gathered into the hall the Berserks walked towards Svipdag and asked him if he was a champion, as he made so much of himself: he answered that he was as great a one as any of them. At these words their anger and eagerness (to fight) increased. But the King told them to be quiet that night; they began to frown, and howled loudly, and said to Svipdag: ‘Darest thou fight us? Then thou wilt need more than mere big words and boasting. We will try how much there is in thee.’ Svipdag answered: ‘I will consent to fight one at a time and will see if more can be done.’ The King was well pleased that they should do this. Queen Yrsa said: ‘This man shall be welcome here.’ The Berserks answered her: ‘We knew before that thou didst want to send us all to Hel, but we are too big to be killed by words alone or ill-will.’ “In the morning began a hard _holmganga_, and there was no lack of heavy blows; the new-comer knew how to use his sword with great strength and the Berserks gave way. Svipdag killed one, and another wanted to avenge him but suffered the same fate, and Svipdag did not stop before he had slain four; then Adils said, ‘Great loss hast thou caused to me, and now thou shalt pay for it,’ and he asked men to rise and kill him. The Queen got men and wanted to help him, and said that the King could see that there was much more skill in him alone than in all the Berserks. The Queen made peace between them, and every one considered Svipdag to be a man of great prowess. Now he sat on the lower bench opposite the King, by the wish of Queen Yrsa. He looked round and thought he had not done harm enough to the Berserks, and wished to urge them to fight, and thought it likely that if they saw him alone they would attack him; it was as he thought, for they began at once to fight. The King came when they had been fighting for a while and parted them. Afterwards the King outlawed the remaining Berserks as they could not all together fight a single man, saying he had not before known that they were great only in boasting. They had to go, but threatened to make warfare in the realm of King Adils. The King replied that he did not care for their threats.