Three Northern Love Stories and Other Tales
The wedding of Ketilrid
A little after Thorgrim sent three of his men from home, and they were away three weeks, and when they came home none knew what their errand had been.
Now this befell one day at Foss, that thither came thirty men. Holmkel asked their leader to name himself; and he said he was called Thord, and had his abode in the Eastfirths, and that his errand thither was the wooing of Ketilrid. The goodman put the matter before his daughter, and she was asked thereof, and she said it was as far as might be from her mind, for she deemed the man old, and she said she had no heart to be wedded at all.
Thorbiorg was exceeding eager that the bargain should be struck, and the end of it was, that Holmkel betrothed her to Thord, whether she were lieve or loth; and she went away with Thord at once, and the wedding was to be in the Eastfirths. So they made no stay till they got home, and Ketilrid took the rule of all things there; yet men never saw her glad.
But Thord wedded her not; they both lay in one bed, but in such wise that there was a curtain between them.
So wore away a long space.
Thorlief was ill content that Ketilrid was wedded; but thought it not easy to do aught, whereas she was a long way off.
Thord did well to Ketilrid in all wise, but no gain that seemed to Ketilrid, because of the love she had for Viglund: for ever she bare about the flame of desire in her breast for his sake.
Viglund comes out to Iceland again
On a day were folk called to head-washing, but Viglund answered thereto: “Nay, I will have nought of this head-washing, nor have since we parted, Ketilrid and I.” Then he sang a stave:----
“The linen-oak bath-lovely
Laid last on me the lather:
So nought have I to hurry
Unto another head-bath.
And me no more shall any
Gold glittering of the maidens
Henceforth, in all my life-days,
In ashen bath bewash me.”
Nor would Viglund let himself be bathed.
So there they abode in peace that winter; but in summer they made ready for Iceland, each company in their own ship; so they sailed into the sea, and parted company at sea; and Ketil's sons made White-water, and went to quarters at Ingialdsknoll, and told Thorgrim of the peace made twixt him and Ketil, and also that his sons were soon to be looked for: and Thorgrim was glad at all these things. But Viglund and his brother sailed on till they saw Snowfell-Jokul; then sang Viglund a stave:----
“Behold the hill whereunder
My bond of love high-hearted,
My well-beloved one sitteth:
Lo Love's eyes turn I to her.
Sweet, sing I of the gold-brent,
The proud by proud that sitteth.
O hill-side among hill-sides,
Beloved, if any have been!”
And again he sang:---
“Leek-bearer, bright the looking
Over the heaths sun-litten,
The sun sinks slow thereunder:
How sore I long to be there!
Lovesome she makes the mountains;
Sweet, therefore must I hush me:
The goodliest goddess have I
To greet, who sits thereunder.”
And therewith there came a wind down from the ness so great, that they drave out into the sea; and a west wind fell on them, and the weather became exceeding stormy, and men must ever stand a-baling. And on a day, as Viglund sat on the bulk amid weather of the roughest, he sang:---
“Ketilrid her carle bade
Quail not mid swift sailing,
Though the beat of billows
Overboar the foredeck.
Still her word is with me,
Be we wight now, Trusty!
Stormy heart of sorrow
I have for Ketilrid.”
“A mighty matter, forsooth,” said Trusty, “whenas thou must needs name her first and last in thy singing.”
“Yea, kinsman, thinkest thou so?” said Viglund.
So they were out at sea many days, and at last amid great danger and pain made Gautwick in the Eastfirths.
Then said Viglund, “Whereas we have a feud on us, methinks it were well, brother, that thou shouldst call thyself Raven, and I should call myself Erne.”
So the goodman from the stead of Gautwick came to the ship; and the shipmen gave him good welcome, and bade him take what he would of the lading. The goodman said he had a young wife. “She,” quoth he, “shall come to the ship and take of your lading what she will.” So the goodman rode home now, and the mistress came thither the next morning; and she knew Viglund as soon as she saw him, but made little of it; but Viglund was much astonished when he knew her.
So she took what she would of the lading, for all things were at her will.
The bonder had bidden the ship-masters home, and when they came thither, the master and mistress went to meet them: then stumbled the goodman, for he was stiff with eld: then the mistress said, somewhat under her breath, “An evil mate is an old man.”
“It was so slippery, though,” said the master.
So they were brought in with all honour; but Viglund deemed that Ketilrid knew him not. But she sang:----
“The fight-grove of Van's fire,
The fair, I knew at even---
Marvel that he would meet me!
I knew gold-master Trusty.
The ship of gold all slender
To such an one is wedded,
That ne'er another older
In all the world one findeth.”
So they abode there that winter, and Viglund was exceeding heavy-hearted, but Trusty as blithe as might be, and the goodman exceeding blithe, who served them with all kindness.
But it is told that Ketilrid had a veil ever before her face, for she would not that Viglund should know her, and that Viglund also for his part was not all so sure that it was she.
Guesting at Gautwick
“Nought shall I say thee lie now:
Ne'er saw I eyen sweeter
Since when we twain were sundered,
O sweet one of the worm-lair.
This craven carle her clippeth;
Shall I not carve from off him
His head? all grief go with him!---
Grief from the gold one gat I.”
Now Ketilrid never had a veil before her face from that time forward that she wotted that Viglund knew her.
So Trusty said, “The last thing to be done I deem is to do the goodman any harm, as well as he has done to us; a luckless deed it will be to slay her husband sackless: let it be far from thee!” And he sang:---
“Never, burnt-rings breaker,
Shall ye be brought together.
If felon's deed thou doest
On Fafnir's-land's good dealer.
Not ever, nor in all things,
Availeth shielded onset;
Aright must we arede us,
O brother wise in trials.”
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