Viking Tales of the North
Saga of Fridthjof the Bold
But when Fridthjof and his men had gotten out of the Sogn-Fjord there fell upon them a violent storm and a great tempest, and the sea rolled heavily. The ship sped on swiftly, for it glided smoothly over the waters, and had an excellent form for breasting the sea. Sang Fridthjof then:
My tarred horse of the sea
I let swim out of Sogn,
While the maids were drinking mead
In the midst of Baldershage.
The tempest now increases,
Farewell, my brides, I bid you,
Who have a mind to love us,
Though Ellide should be filled.
Said Bjorn: It would be well if you could find something else to do than to sing about the maids of Baldershage. Made answer Fridthjof: My songs will not give out so soon, though. Then they were driven northward to the sounds near the islands called the Solunds. And now the storm had reached its highest pitch. Sang then Fridthjof:
High now the sea is swelling;
The waves and clouds unite,
Old spells are the causes
That call forth the breakers;
With Æger shall I not
Content in the tempest.
Let the ice-clad Solunds
Shelter our people!
Then they stood toward the islands that are called the Solunds, and intended to stop there; and now the storm suddenly abated. Then they took another course, and turned their prow away from the islands, having fair prospects for the voyage, for they had favorable wind for awhile; but the fair wind soon freshened into a gale. Sand Fridthjof then:
In former days
At Framness
I rowed to meet
My Ingeborg.
Now I shall sail
In the tempest cold,
Making the horse of the wave
Smoothly speed on.
And Then they had sped before the wind far into the sea the waters began to be violently agitated again, and a gale blew up, accompanied by so great a snow-storm that the stem could not be seen from the stern, but the seas rushed over the ship so that the water had to be baled out constantly. Said Fridthjof then:
The waves are hid from sight,
For witch-wrought is the weather.
Heroes we of a well-famed band
Far out on the sea have come.
Stand we now all–
Disappeared have the Solunds–
Eighteen men a-bailing
And Ellide sustaining.
Said Bjorn: Varied will be his fortunes who fares far. That is certainly so, says Fridthjof, and sings:
Helge it is who causes
The rime-maned waves to swell,
This is not like kissing
The bride so fair in Baldershage;
Otherwise quite does love me
Ingeborg than the king.
I know no greater happiness
Than her wishes to fulfill.
Said Bjorn: Maybe she is looking to something higher for you than your present position, and this is not unpleasant to know. Says Fridthjof: Now is the time to test good companions, though it would be more agreeable to be in Baldershage. They busked themselves bravely for valiant men had gathered there, and the ship was the best that ever had bee in the Northlands. Said Fridthjof then this stave:
The waves are hid from sight,
Far west in the sea we are come.
Seems to ocean to me
Like embers all blazing;
Hows are tossed up
By the swan-feathered billows.
On the rising ridges
Now Ellide rides.
Now huge seas were shipped, so that all had to be baling out water. Said Fridthjof:
Much must there now be drunk
To me by the maid’s fair lips
East, where the sheets lay bleaching,
If it shall make me sink
‘Neath the swan-feathered waves.
Said Bjorn: Do you think the maids of Sogn will shed many tears for you when you are dead? Made answer Fridthjof: That certainly comes into my mind. Then a huge sea broke over the bow of the ship. So that streams of water rushed in; but this saved them, that the ship was so excellent and the crew so hardy. Sang Bjorn then a stave:
It seems not that a widow
To you does drink,
Nor that the ring-keeper fair
Bids you draw near to her.
Salt are our eyes,
Soaked in the brine;
Our strong arms are failing,
Our eyelids are sore.
Answered Asmund: it does not matter though you do try your arms somewhat, for you did not pity us when we rubbed our eyes every morning when you rose so early to go to Baldershage. Said Fridthjof: Well, why do you not make a stave, Asmund? That shall not be said Asmund, but still he sang this stave:
Tight was the tug round the mast,
When the seas broke over the ship:
I alone ‘gainst eight men
Within board had to work.
Better to the maiden’s bower
Than to be baling out Ellide
Mid the roaring waves.
Said Fridthjof, laughing: You do not speak of your help in lower terms than it deserves, nevertheless you now showed something of the thrall-blood in you, when you were willing to be a table-waiter. The storm still kept increasing, so that the breakers that roared round the ship seemed to the men who were on board more like huge peaks and mountains than like waves. Said Fridthjof then:
On cushioned seat I sat
In Baldershage,
Singing the songs I knew
For the king’s fair daughter.
Now am I really
To Ran’s bed going.
And another shall own
My Ingeborg.
Said Bjorn: Great fear is now before us, foster-brother, and your words betoken anxiety, and that is too bad for such a brave fellow as you are. Says Fridthjof: There is neither fear nor anxiety, though ditties are made of our pleasure voyages, but it may be that they are spoken of oftener than need be, but most men would think themselves nearer to death than life if they were in our place; and still I will answer you with a stave:
That did I get to my gain;
With the maidens eight
Of Ingeborg did I, not you,
Succeed in negotiations.
At Baldershage we laid
Bright rings together;
Nor far away was then
The warder (1) of Halfdan’s land.
Said Bjorn: Such things as are already done, foster-brother, we must be content with. Now the seas dashed over the ship so violently that the bulwarks and both the sheets were broken, and four men were washed overboard and all were lost. Sand Fridthjof then:
Broken are both the sheets
Mid the ocean’s great waves;
four swains did sink
In the sea so deep.
Said Fridthjof: Reasonable it now seems to me that some of our men will go to Ran; but in my opinion we will not be considered fit to be sent thither unless we may come there busked like men, and it therefore seems good to me that every one of us have some gold on him. The he cut the ring, Ingeborg’s gift, asunder, distributed the pieces among his men, and sang this stave:
Before we are lost by Æger,
Asunder shall be hewed the ring,
By the wealthy father of Halfdan owned.
Red as it is,
Gold shall glitter on the guests,
If of guesting we have need,
That will be fitting
For men of might
In the midst of Ran’s halls.
Said Bjorn then: Now it is not to be looked for with any certainty that we come there, although it is not unlikely. At this moment Fridthjof and his men observed that the ship was gliding over the waves very rapidly, but before them was a wholly unknown sea, and it was growing dark on all sides, so that no one could see the stem or stern form the middle of the ship, and the darkness was accompanied by sea-spray, storm, frost, snow and piercing cold. Then Fridthjof climbed the mast, and when he came down again said he to his companions: A wondrous sight I have seen: a large whale was swimming round the ship, and I have no doubt we must have come near to some land, and that this whale intends to keep us from reaching it. King Helge, I think, does not deal kindly with us, and he has undoubtedly sent us anything but a friendly messenger. I saw two women on the back of the whale, and they methinks, cause this fearful tempest by witchcraft and sorcery of the worst sort. Now lest us try whether our good luck of their witchcraft is more powerful, and you shall steer ashore as straightly as possible, but I shall smite these monsters with beams. Sang he then this stave:
Witches two
On the wave I see.
Has them hither
Helge sent.
Their backs shall Ellide
Cut in twain
E’er she her voyage
Completed has.
It is said that the ship Ellide had by enchantment gotten the power of understanding human speech. Said Bjorn then: Now men can see the disposition of the brothers toward us. Then Bjorn took the command of the ship; but Fridthjof seized a forked beam, ran to the prow and sang this stave:
Hail, Ellide!
Leap on the wave!
Break of the witches
The teeth and brow!
The cheeks and jaw-bones
Of the cursed woman,
One foot or both
Of this horrible witch!
Then he shot a fork at one of the ham-leapers (skin-changers), but the beak of Ellide struck the back of the other, and the backs of both were broken; but the whale dove down and swam away, and they saw him no more. Now the weather grew calmer, but the ship was water logged, and then Fridthjof called to his men requesting them to bale the ship dry. Bjorn said that this work was not needed. Whereto made answer Fridthjof: Have a care, foster-brother, and do not fall into despair; it has, you know, heretofore been the custom of brave men to give aid as long as possible, no matter what the result may be. Fridthjof sang this stave:
My brave men! You need not
Have fear of death.
Exult with joy,
My thanes!
For this my dreams
Full well do know,
That I shall own
My Ingeborg.
Having then baled the ship dry, and being near land, a rainy wind still blew against them. Then Fridthjof took two oars, seated himself in the foremost part of the prow and rowed rather vigorously. Thereupon the weather cleared off, and now they saw the had gotten out of the sound of Effia, and there they landed. The crew were very much exhausted, but so stout was Fridthjof that he bore eight men over the fore-shore; Bjorn bore two, but Asmund one. Sang Fridthjof then:
Up to the hearth
Myself did bear
My brave men, exhausted
By the raging snow-storm.
Now on the sand
The sail I have brought;
With the might of the sea
It’s not easy to deal.
ENDNOTES:
1. Balder; i.e they were betrothed in the presence of Balder. [Back]
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