Færeyinga Saga
Part 3
[10] The summer the two brothers, Breste and Beine, were slain, there was a change of kings in Norway. Harold Grayfell was slain off the land and Earl Hacon came in his stead, and at first he was tributary Earl to King Harold Gormsson, and held the realm of him. And with this the rule of the sons of Gundhild was clean ended; some were slain and some were driven out of the land.
Now of Sigmund and Thore it must be told that they stayed two winters in the Wick after Raven let them go free, and by that time all the money that Raven had given them was spent. Sigmund was then twelve winters old and Thore fourteen. They heard of Earl Hacon's getting the kingdom, and it seemed to them the best thing to go and see him if they could win thither, for they thought they would most likely get some good by it, inasmuch as their fathers had served him. So they went out of the Wick into Upland, and then away east over Heath-mark, and north on to the Dover-fells; and by the time they got there it was winter, and they met with snowstorms and bad weather. Then they went up on the fells with little counsel, and fared wild and badly, and lay out many days without food. At last Thore lay down, and begged Sigmund to save his own life and seek down off the fell. Sigmund told him they would get down both together or neither of them. And so unlike were they in strength, that Sigmund took up Thore on his back and walked on farther still. And now they were both sore weary. But one evening they came to a little dale off the fell, and they went down it, and at last they smelt a smell of smoke, and close by they found a house. They went in, and found a room wherein two women were sitting; one was of middle age, but the other was a young girl; both were fair of face. They received the boys kindly, and took off their clothes and brought them dry clothes instead, and quickly gave them food to eat, and afterwards sent them to sleep, treating them kindly, and telling them that they must not be in the way when the goodman came home, "for," said they, "he is quick of temper." But Sigmund woke as a man came in; great of growth he was, and clad in a reindeer hide, and he was carrying a reindeer on his back. He drew his nostrils up and frowned, and asked what was come thither. The goodwife said that there were two boys come, "little boys, cold, and almost tired to death." He answered her, "Thou art taking the best way to let folks know where we are by taking folk into our house, and so I have often told thee." "I could not bear," said the goodwife, "that two such pretty boys should die here beside our house." The yeoman let the matter pass, and they went to meat and afterward to sleep. There were two beds in the sleeping-room---the yeoman and the goodwife lay in one, and the yeoman's daughter in the other. But they made a place for the boys somewhere in the house. In the morning the yeoman was early afoot and he spoke to the two boys: "Since the women wish it, I am content for you to stay here today, if it please you." They said they would gladly stay.
Sigmund stays with Wolf.
[11] All that day the yeoman was abroad, and at even he came home and was very merry with Sigmund and Thore. And next morning he came to the boys and spake: "It was fate that you should take your way to my house, and now I think it best for you to dwell here all the winter, if it seems best to you. The women feel kindly toward you, and you have travelled out of your way, and it is far hence every way to any dwelling." Sigmund and Thore thanked the yeoman for his offer, and said that they would gladly stay there. The yeoman said that they must pay good heed to the goodwife and her daughter, and lay hands to anything they wanted done. "But," said he, "I must abroad every day to get food for us, if it may hap."
So the two boys stayed there, and they were well cared for, and the two women were kind to them, and they deemed themselves in luck. But ever the yeoman would be abroad all day. The house was good and strong and well kept. The yeoman named Wolf, his wife Ragnhild, and their daughter Thurið. She was the fairest of women to look on and high of heart. There was good love between Sigmund and Thurið, and they would be often talking together, but the goodman and goodwife said nothing to this. And now the winter passed by, and the first day of summertide was come. Then Wolf the yeoman fell into talk with Sigmund, and spake: "It has so happened that ye two have stayed here the winter with me; now, if nothing please you better than to stay here, ye shall stay here, and grow up to manhood here. And indeed it may be that our lots are cast together for the time to come also. But there is one thing I will warn you against; go not into the wood that lies north of the homestead." They agreed to this, and thanked yeoman Wolf for his offer and accepted it gladly.
Sigmund kills the Wild Beast.
[12] There was a tarn that lay hard by the homestead, and thither the yeoman used to go and teach them swimming: then they would fall to butt-shooting, and were trained in shooting. And Sigmund soon became skilled in all the feats that Wolf could do, so that he became a very skillful man in all feats. Thore became skilful also, though he never got to be Sigmund's match. Wolf was a big man and strong, and the brothers could see that he was a very skilful man at all feats. They had now been there three winters, and Sigmund was fifteen and Thore seventeen winters old. Sigmund was now a man full grown of body, and Thore also, but Sigmund was ever the foremost in all things, although he was the younger by two winters.
Now it came to pass one day in the summer that Sigmund fell to talking with Thore. "What would happen," said he, "though we were to go into the woods that lies north of the homestead?" Thore answered, "I have no mind to try." "It is not so with me," says Sigmund, "and thither I am minded to go." "Thou must needs have thy way," said Thore, "but we are breaking the bidding of our foster-father." So they went on their way. Now Sigmund had a wood-axe in his hand. They got into the wood and came to a fair ride, and when they had been there but a short while, they heard a great breaking in the wood, and soon they saw a bear, mighty great and grim to look on; a great wood-bear it was, wolf-grey of hue. They sprang back at once into the path by which they had come thither, but the path was small and narrow, so that Thore ran first, and Sigmund behind him. The beast ran after them down the path, and the path was all too narrow for it, and it broke the oaks before it. Now Sigmund turned swiftly aside out of the path into the midst of the trees, and waited there till the beast came up even with him. Then he hewed at the beast right between the ears with both his hands, so that the axe stuck into its head, and the beast fell forward and died there without any struggle. And when Thore was aware of it he spake out, "This valiant deed was to be thy lot, kinsman, not mine, and it seems most like to me that I shall be thy after-boat in many things." Then said Sigmund, "Let us try and get the beast raised up." And they did so, and got it upright, and bound it to a tree, so that it could not fall, and stuck a peg in its mouth, so that the beast should seem to be gaping with its mouth. Then they went home. And when they got home, there was Wolf, their foster-father, at the house in the garth before it, and was going off to seek them. He frowned on them, and asked them where they had been. Sigmund answered, "Ill has happened, foster-father mine; we have broken thy bidding, and the bear has chased us." Wolf answered him, "This was to be looked for, that things would turn out so; yet I wish the beast had not followed you, for this beast is of such a kind that I have no great wish to meddle with it; however we will try it now," said he. Then Wolf turned into the house, and took a spear into his hand, and then ran into the wood, and Sigmund and Thore with him; and now he catches sight of the bear, and runs up to it and drives his spear at it, and with that the bear falls down. And Wolf saw that the bear was dead before, and said, "Do you mock me? Which of you has slain the beast?" Thore answered him, "I cannot take it on myself, foster-father," said he; "Sigmund slew the bear." "It is the greatest of valiant deeds," said Wolf, "and many another valiant deed shall surely follow this first deed of thine, Sigmund." After this they went home, and Wolf had even a greater liking for Sigmund than he had before.
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