Three Northern Love Stories and Other Tales
Frithiof made an outlaw
So they blew the gathering for the king's men, and when they came out to the hall they saw that it was afire; so King Halfdan went thereto with some of the folk, but King Helgi followed after Frithiof and his men, who were by then gotten a-shipboard and were lying on their oars.
Now King Helgi and his men find that all the ships are scuttled, and they have to turn back to shore, and have lost some men: then waxed King Helgi so wroth that he grew mad, and he bent his bow, and laid an arrow on the string, and drew at Frithiof so mightily that the bow brake asunder in the midst.
But when Frithiof saw that, then he gat him to the two bow oards of Ellidi, and laid so hard on them that they both brake, and with that he sang a stave:---
"Young Ingibiorg
Kissed I aforetime,
Kissed Beli's daughter
In Baldur's Meadow.
So shall the oars
Of Ellidi
Break both together
As Helgi's bow breaks."
Then the land-wind ran down the firth and they hoisted sail and sailed; but Frithiof bade them look to it that they might have no long abiding there. And so withal they sailed out of the Sognfirth, and Frithiof sang:----
"Sail we away from Sogn,
E'en as we sailed aforetime,
When flared the fire all over
The house that was my father's.
Now is the bale a-burning
Amidst of Baldur's Meadow:
But wend I as a wild-wolf,
Well wot I they have sworn it."
"What shall we turn to now, foster-brother?" said Biorn.
"I may not abide here in Norway," said Frithiof: "I will learn the ways of warriors, and sail a-warring."
So they searched the isles and out-skerries the summer long, and gathered thereby riches and renown; but in autumn-tide they made for the Orkneys, and Angantyr gave them good welcome, and they abode there through the winter-tide.
But when Frithiof was gone from Norway the kings held a Thing, whereat was Frithiof made an outlaw throughout their realm: they took his lands to them, moreover, and King Halfdan took up his abode at Foreness, and built up again all Baldur's Meadow, though it was long ere the fire was slaked there. This misliked King Helgi most, that the gods were all burned up, and great was the cost or ever Baldur's Meadow was built anew fully equal to its first estate.
So King Helgi abode still at Sowstrand.
Frithiof fareth to see King Ring and Ingibiorg
But when Frithiof had been three winters a-warring he sailed west, and made the Wick; then he said that he would go a-land: "But ye shall fare a-warring without me this winter; for I begin to weary of warfare, and would fain go to the Uplands, and get speech of King Ring: but hither shall ye come to meet me in the summer, and I will be here the first day of summer."
Biorn said: "This counsel is naught wise, though thou must needs rule; rather would I that we fare north to Sogn, and slay both those kings, Helgi and Halfdan."
"It is all naught," said Frithiof; "I must needs go see King Ring and Ingibiorg."
Says Biorn: "Loth am I hereto that thou shouldst risk thyself alone in his hands; for this Ring is a wise man and of great kin, though he be somewhat old."
But Frithiof said he would have his own way: "And thou, Biorn, shalt be captian of our company meanwhile."
So they did as he bade, and Frithiof fared to the Uplands in the autumn, for he desired sore to look upon the love of King Ring and Ingibiorg. But or ever he came there he did on him, over his clothes, a great cloak all shaggy; two staves he had in his hand, and a mask over his face, and he made as if he were exceeding old.
So he met certain herdsmen, and, going heavily, he asked them: "Whence are ye?" They answered and said: "We are of Streitaland, whereas the king dwelleth."
Quoth the carle: "Is King Ring a mighty king, then?"
They answered: "Thou lookest to us old enough to have cunning to know what manner of man is King Ring in all wise."
The carle said that he had heeded salt-boiling more than the ways of kings; and therewith he goes up to the king's house.
So when the day was well worn he came into the hall, blinking about as a dotard, and took an outward place, pulling his hood over him to hide his visage.
Then spake King Ring to Ingibiorg: "There is come into the hall a man far bigger than other men."
The queen answered: "That is no such great tidings here."
But the king spake to a serving-man who stood before the board and said: "Go thou, and ask yon cowled man who he is, whence he cometh, and of what kin he is."
So the lad ran down the hall to the new-comer and said: "What art thou called, thou man? Where wert thou last night? Of what kin art thou?"
Said the cowled man: "Quick come thy questions, good fellow! but hast thou skill to understand if I shall tell thee hereof?"
"Yea certes," said the lad.
"Well," said the cowl-bearer, "Thief is my name, with Wolf was I last night, and in Griefham was I reared."
Then ran the lad back to the king, and told him the answer of the new-comer.
"Well told, lad," said the king; "but for that land of Grief-ham, I know it well: it may well be that the man is of no light heart, and yet a wise man shall he be, and of great worth I account him."
Said the queen: "A marvellous fashion of thine that thou must needs talk so freely with every carle that cometh hither! Yea, what is the worth of him, then?"
"That wottest thou no clearer than I," said the king; "but I see that he thinketh more than he talketh, and is peering all about him."
Therewith the king sent a man after him, and so the cowl-bearer went up before the king, going somewhat bent, and greeted him in a low voice. Then said the king: "What art thou called, thou big man?"
And the cowl-bearer answered and sang:----
"Peace-thief they called me
On the prow with the Vikings;
But War-thief whenas
I set widows a-weeping;
Spear-thief when I
Sent forth the barbed shafts;
Battle-thief when I
Burst forth on the king;
Hel-thief when I
Tossed up the small babies:
Isle-thief when I
In the outer isles harried;
Slains-thief when I
Sat aloft over men:
Yet since have I drifted
With salt-boiling carls,
Needy of help
Ere hither I came."
Said the king: "Thou hast gotten thy name of Thief from many a matter, then; but where wert thou last night, and what is thy home?"
The cowl-bearer said: "In Grief-ham I grew up; but heart drave me hither, and home have I nowhere."
The king said: "Maybe indeed that thou hast been nourished in Grief-ham a certain while; yet also maybe that thou wert born in a place of peace. But in the wild-wood must thou have lain last night, for no goodman dwelleth anigh named Wolf; but whereas thou sayest thou hast no home, so is it, that thou belike deemest thy home nought, because of thy heart that drave thee hither."
Then spake Ingibiorg: "Go, Thief, get thee to some other harbour, or in to the guest-hall."
"Nay," said the king, "I am old enow to know how to marshal guests; so do off thy cowl, newcomer, and sit down on my other hand."
"Yea, old, and over old," said the queen, "when thou settest staff-carles by thy side."
"Nay, lord it beseemeth not," said Thief; "better it were as the queen sayeth. I have been more used to boiling salt than sitting beside lords."
"Do thou my will," said the king, "for I will rule this time."
So Thief cast his cowl from him, and was clad thereunder in a dark blue kirtle; on his arm, moreover, was the goodly gold ring, and a thick silver belt was round about him, with a great purse on it, and therein silver pennies glittering; a sword was girt to his side, and he had a great fur hood on his head, for his eyes were bleared, and his face all wrinkled.
"Ah! now we fare better, say I," quoth the king; "but do thou, queen, give him a goodly mantle, well shapen for him."
"Thou shalt rule, my lord," said the queen; "but in small account do I hold this Thief of thine."
So then he gat a good mantle over him, and sat down in the high-seat beside the king.
The queen waxed red as blood when she saw the goodly ring, yet would she give him never a word; but the king was exceeding blithe with him and said: "A goodly ring hast thou on thine arm there; thou must have boiled salt long enough to get it."
Says he, "That is all the heritage of my father."
"Ah!" says the king, "maybe thou hast more than that; well, few salt-boiling carles are thy peers, I deem, unless eld is deep in mine eyes now."
So Thief was there through the winter amid good entertainment, and well accounted of by all men: he was bounteous of his wealth, and joyous with all men: the queen held but little converse with him; but the king and he were ever blithe together.
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