Helgakvitha Hundingsbana I


  (Here begins the lay of Helgi Hundingbane and h.
  (Hothbrodd?) The lay of the Volsungs.”)

  1. In olden days, 	when eagles screamed,
  And holy streams	from heaven’s crags fell,
  Was Helgi then,	the hero-hearted,
  Borghild’s son,	in Bralund born.

  2. ‘Twas night in the dwelling,	and Norns there came,
  Who shaped the life	of the lofty one;
  They bade him most famed	of fighters all
  And best of princes	ever to be.

  3. Mightily wove they 	the web of fate,
  While Bralund’s towns	were trembling all;
  And there the golden	threads they wove,
  And in the moon’s hall	fast they made them.

  4. East and west		the ends they hid,
  In the middle the hero	should have his land;
  And Neri’s kinswoman	northward cast
  A chain, and bade it	firm ever to be.

  5. Once sorrow had 	the Ylfings’ son,
  And grief the bride	who the loved one had borne.

  (Ed. note - The Ylfings’ and the Volsungs are not
  however the same family)

  6. Quoth raven to raven,		on treetop resting,
  Seeking for food,	“There is something I know,

  7. “In mail-coat stands	the son of Sigmund,
  A half-day old;	now day is here;
  His eyes flash sharp	as the hero’s are,
  He is friend of the wolves;	full glad are we.”

  8. The warrior throng	a ruler thought him,
  Good times, they said,	mankind should see;
  The king himself	from battle-press came,
  To give the prince	a leek full proud.

  9. Helgi he named him,	and Hringstathir gave him,
  Solfjoll, Snaefjoll, 	and Sigarsvoll,
  Hringstoth, Hotun,	and Himinvangar,
  And a blood-snake bedecked	to Sinfjotli’s brother.

  10. Mighty he grew	in the midst of his friends,
  The fair-born elm,	in fortune’s glow;
  To his comrades gold		he gladly gave,
  The hero spared not	the blood-flecked hoard.

  11. Short time for war	the chieftain waited,
  When fifteen winters	old he was;
  Hunding he slew, 	the hardy wight
  Who long had ruled	o’er lands and men.

  12. Of Sigmund’s son	then next they sought
  Hoard and rings,	the sons of Hunding;
  They bade the prince	requital pay
  For booty stolen	and father slain.

  13. The prince let not	their prayers avail,
  Nor gold for their dead	did the kinsmen get;
  Waiting, he said, 	was a mighty storm
  Of lances gray		and Othin’s grimness.

  14. The warriors forth	to the battle went,
  The field they chose	at Logafjoll;
  Frothi’s peace		midst foes they broke,
  Through the isle went hungrily	Vithrir’s hounds.

  15. The king then sat,	when he had slain
  Eyjolf and Alf,	‘neath the eagle-stone;
  Hjorvarth and Hovarth,	Hunding’s sons,
  The kin of the spear-wielder,	all had he killed.

  16. Then glittered light	from Logafjoll,
  And from the light	the flashes leaped;
  -lacuna-
  -lacuna-

  17. -lacuna- (He saw there mighty    maidens riding,)
  High under helms	on heaven’s field;
  Their byrnies all	with blood were red,
  And from their spears	the sparks flew forth.
  Early then	in wolf-wood asked
  The mighty king	of the southern maid,
  If with the hero	home would she
  Come that night;	the weapons clashed.

  18. Down from her horse	sprang Hogni’s daughter,-
  The shields were still,-	and spake to the hero;
  “Other tasks	are ours, methinks,
  Than drinking beer	with the breaker of rings.

  19. “My father has pledged	his daughter fair
  As bride to Granmar’s 	son so grim;
  But, Helgi, I	once Hothbrodd called
  As fine a king 		as the son of a cat.

  20. “Yet the hero will come	a few nights hence,
  -lacuna- (And home will carry	Hogni’s daughter,)
  Unless thou dost bid him	the battle-ground seek,
  Or takest the maid	from the warrior mighty.”

  Helgi spake:
  21. “Fear him not,		though Isung he felled,
  First must our courage 	keen be tried,
  Before unwilling	thou fare with the knave;
  Weapons will clash,	if to death I come not.”

  22. Messengers sent	the mighty one then,
  By land and by sea,	a host to seek,
  Store of wealth	of the water’s gleam,
  And men to summon,	and sons of men.

  23. “Bid them straightway	seek the ships,
  And off Brandey	ready to be!”
  There the chief waited	till thither were come
  Men by hundreds	from Hethinsey.

  24. Soon off Stafnsnes	stood the ships,
  Fair they glided	and gay with gold;
  Then Helgi spake	to Hjorleif asking:
  “Hast thou counted	the gallant host?”

  25. The young king answered 	the other then;
  “Long were it to tell	from Tronueyr
  The long-stemmed ships	with warriors laden
  That come from without	into Orvasund.

  26. -lacuna- (not indicated)
  “There are hundreds twelve	of trusty men,
  But in Hotun lied	the host of the king,
  Greater by half;	I have hope of battle.”

  27. The ship’s-tents soon	the chieftain struck,
  And waked the throng	of warriors all;
  (The heroes the red	of dawn beheld;)
  And on the masts	the gallant men
  Made fast the sails	in Varinsfjord.

  28. There was the beat of oars	and clash of iron,
  Shield smote shield	as the ships’-folk rowed;
  Swiftly went	the warrior-laden
  Fleet of the ruler	forth from the land.

  29. So did it sound,	when together the sisters
  Of Kolga struck	with the keels full long,
  As if cliffs were broken	with beating surf,
  -lacuna- (V. Now there was a great storm....)

  30. Helgi bade higher	hoist the sails,
  Nor did the ships’-folk	shun the waves,
  Though dreadfully	did Aegir’s daughters
  Seek the steeds	of the sea to sink.

  31. But from above	did Sigrun brave
  Aid the men	and all their faring;
  Mightily came		from the claws of Ran
  The leader’s sea-beast	of Gnipalund.

  32. At evening there	in Unavagar
  Floated the fleet	bedecked full fair;
  But they who saw	from Svarin’s hill,
  Bitter at heart		the host beheld.

  33. Then Gothmund asked,	goodly of birth,
  -lacuna-
  “Who is the monarch	who guides the host,
  And to the land	the warriors leads?”
  Sinfjotli answered,	and up on an oar
  Raised a shield all red	with golden rim;
  A sea-sentry was he,	skilled to speak,
  And in words with princes	well to strive.

  34. “Say tonight	when you feed the swine,
  And send you bitches	to seek their swill,
  That out of the East	have Ylfings come,
  Greedy for battle,	to Gnipalund.

  35. “There will Hothbrodd	Helgi find,
  In the midst of the fleet,	and flight he scorns;
  Often has he	the eagles gorged,
  Whilst thou at the quern	wert slave-girls kissing.”

  Gothmund spake:
  36. “Hero, the ancient	sayings heed,
  And bring not lied	to the nobly born,
  -lacuna-
  -lacuna- (both in doubt)

  37. “Thou has eaten	the entrails of wolves,
  And of thy brothers	the slayer been;
  Oft wounds to suck	thy cold mouth sought,
  And loathed in rocky	dens didst lurk.”

  Sinfjotli spake:
  38. “A witch in Varin’s 	isle thou wast,
  A woman false,	and lies didst fashion;
  Of the mail-clad heroes	thou wouldst have
  No other, thou saidst,		save Sinfjotli only.

  39. “A Valkyrie wast thou,	loathly witch,
  Evil and base,		in Allfather’s home;
  The warriors all	must ever fight,
  Woman subtle,	for sake of thee.

  40. “-lacuna-
  -lacuna-
  Nine did we	in Sogunes
  Of wolf-cubs have;	I their father was.”

  Gothmund spake:
  41. “Thou didst not father	Fenrir’s-wolves,
  Though older thou art	than all I know;
  For they gelded thee		in Gnipalund,
  The giant-women 	at Thorsnes once.

  42. “Under houses the stepson	of Siggeir lay,
  Fain of the wolf’s cry	out in the woods;
  Evil came then	all to thy hands,
  When thy brothers’	breasts thou didst redden,
  Fame didst thou win	for foulest deeds.

  43. “In Bravoll was thou	Grani’s bride,
  Golden-bitted		and ready to gallop;
  I rode thee many	a mile, and down
  Didst sink, thou giantess,	under the saddle.”

  Sinfjotli spake:
  44. “A brainless fellow	didst seem to be,
  When once for Gollnir	goats didst milk,
  And another time	when as Imth’s daughter
  In rags thou wentest;	wilt longer wrangle?”

  Gothmund spake:
  45. “Sooner would I	at Frekastein
  Feed the ravens	with flesh of thine
  Than send your bitches	to seek their swill,
  Or feed the swine;	may the fiends take you!”

  Helgi spake:
  46. “Better, Sinfjotli,	thee ‘twould beseem
  Battle to give	and eagles to gladden,
  Than vain and empty	words to utter,
  Though ring-breakers oft	in speech to wrangle.

  47. “Good I find not	the sons of Granmar,
  But for heroes ‘tis seemly	the truth to speak;
  At Moinsheimar	proved the men
  That hearts for the wielding	of swords they had.”

  48. Mightily then	they made to run
  Sviputh and Sveggjuth  	to Solheimar;
  (By dewy dales	and chasms dark,
  Mist’s horse shook	where the men went by;)
  The king they found	at his courtyard gate,
  And told him the foeman	fierce was come.

  49. Forth stood Hothbrodd,	helmed for battle,
  Watched the riding	of his warriors;
  -lacuna-
  “Why are the Hniflungs	white with fear?”

  Gothmund spake:
  50. “Swift keels lie	hard by the land,
  (Mast-ring harts	and mighty yards,
  Wealth of shields	and well-planed oars;)
  The king’s fair host,	the Ylfings haughty;
  Fifteen bands	to land have fared,
  But out in Sogn	are seven thousand.

  51. “At anchor lying	off Gnipalund
  Are fire-beasts black,	all fitted with gold;
  There wait most	of the foeman’s men,
  Nor will Helgi long	the battle delay.”

  Hothbrodd spake:
  52. “Bid the horses run	to the Reginthing,
  Melnir and Mylnir	to Myrkwood now,
  (And Sporvitnir	to Sparinsheith;)
  Let no man seek	henceforth to sit
  Who the flame of wounds	knows well to wield.

  53. “Summon Hogni,	the sons of Hring,
  Atli and Yngvi	and Alf the Old;
  Glad they are	of battle ever;
  Against the Volsungs		let us go.”

  54. Swift as a storm	there smote together
  The flashing blades	at Frekastein;
  Ever was Helgi,	Hunding’s slayer,
  First in the throng	where warriors fought;
  (Fierce in battle,	slow to fly,
  Hard the heart		of the hero was.)

  55. From heaven there came	the maidens helmed,-
  The weapon-clang grew,-	who watched o’er the king;
  Spake Sigrun fair,-	the wound-givers flew,
  And the horse of the giantess	raven’s-food had:-

  56. “Hail to thee, hero! 	full happy with men,
  Offspring of Yngvi,	shalt ever live,
  For thou the fearless	foe hast slain
  Who to many the dread	of death had brought.

  57. “Warrior, well		for thyself has won
  Red rings bright	and the noble bride;
  Both now, warrior,	thine shall be,
  Hogni’s daughter	and Hringstathir,
  Wealth and triumph;	the battle wanes.”




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