Mondul rushed up and stuck a thick stick into Grim’s mouth so that it stuck fast. Then Mondul said, “If Grim had been able to talk longer, he would have cursed you and most of the others so badly that you would have rotted into pieces and become nothing but dust.[76] You must kill him quickly and run your sword through his chest. But don’t dismember him, because everything that is cut from him will turn into poison. And no one must come before his eyes as he dies, because that’s deadly.”
Hrolf took Hreggvid’s Gift and ran Grim through the chest, so that the sword stuck out from his back. The dwarf took a shield and laid it in front of Grim’s face. And as unlikely as it might seem, it’s said that the shield crumbled and melted like snow in a fire and turned completely to dust. Thus Grim laid down his life, with savage death-struggles and wild thrashings of his arms, and Hrolf lay on top of him until he was dead. Hrolf was on the brink of fainting from his struggles with Grim Aegir.
The tall masked man turned back to the battlefield once he had chased the fleeing host for a while. He came to where Stefnir and Brynjolf were lying, as we mentioned before. He wanted to help Stefnir, and he loosened Brynjolf’s hand from him, but he wasn’t able to do that until he had broken every one of his fingers. Then they bashed him into Hel with clubs. Stefnir had become so stiff from his grappling bout that he could hardly walk by himself with the other men.
Now this huge battle was over, and there had been such a huge slaughter that men had scarcely heard of the like. Headless bodies lay so thickly all over the field that it wasn’t possible to walk on the ground, on account of the great slaughter. Most of King Eirek’s men had fallen. Hrolf and Stefnir had lost all their men except for eight hundred survivors, most of them wounded. There was no shortage of weapons or treasures which the dead had owned. Hrolf and Stefnir went to their tents. Mondul the dwarf bandaged men’s wounds, and they all praised his wisdom and helpfulness. Mondul said that if Grim had caught him when he plunged down into the earth, that would have been the death of him. “I benefited from the fact that my friends were more numerous than his,” he said. The masked man went to his ships in the evening with his men, and they pitched their tents. Both sides now rested, and most felt it was high time to rest. King Eirek’s men who had escaped fled to the fort and stayed there.
CHAPTER XXXIV
That night, as the men were sleeping, Hrolf and Stefnir went to the camp of the men from the ships. They were all asleep in their own armor. Hrolf took the knife and the belt that Hreggvid had given him, and tied them to the masked man’s spear shaft. He said, “I give this treasure to the leader of this host, and with it I thank him for his brave service and assistance. I think I am obliged to do him all the good that I can offer him and that he will accept from me.”
No one answered. They went to their own tents and slept through the night.
Early in the morning, Hrolf went to the fortress with his men. The masked man also came there with his own men. Hrolf held a parley with the men in the fortress and agreed to grant them a truce, if they would surrender the fortress. They accepted his offer. Hrolf and all his men entered the fort and summoned the household. Hrolf announced that they had come on behalf of Princess Ingigerd, to win back her kingdom from her enemies, and that she was in Denmark, safe and ready to travel. The people of the land were overjoyed at this news and felt willing to serve under her authority.
Now Hrolf went to the hall and sat down to feasting with great cheer. The unknown man then took off his mask. Hrolf and Stefnir recognized that it was Hrafn, who had once stayed in Jutland, and to whom Hrolf had given the clothing. He told them about events in Denmark, the fall of Jarl Thorgnyr and what he had accomplished there. Hrolf and Stefnir were saddened at this news, and they thanked him very much for his aid.
Hrafn said that he had thought they must have been too late, reaching them only the day before. “My help was a fitting exchange for the gift of life and the clothes that you gave me a long time ago. But my brother Krak fell yesterday before Grim Aegir, and I feel that is the worst loss, though I have to accept it for now.”
Now they ended their conversation. They stayed there that night and were well treated.
The next morning, Hrolf had the battlefield cleared and divided the plunder with his men. Three huge burial mounds were raised there. Hrolf laid his father Sturlaug in one, along with Hrafn’s brother Krak, and all the greatest champions who had fallen in their ranks. King Eirek, Brynjolf and Thord and their best men were laid in the second mound. In the third, where it seemed least likely that a ship would land, Grim Aegir was laid facing the sea, and the fallen commoners were buried there.
Hrolf appointed governors over all the kingdom until the princess could come. The dwarf took his leave of Hrolf, and he thanked him for his help and gave him whatever he wanted. King Eirek’s sister Gyda vanished from Russia, and some people think that Mondul must have carried her off.[77]
After that, Hrolf and his men prepared to return home. They set out from Russia and didn’t stop until they came to Denmark, landing at Aarhus. Thorgnyr had fortified that place the most. Bjorn and all the inhabitants came to meet them with a great welcome. The maidens were glad that they had come back. Ingigerd thanked them for their exploits. Bjorn had protected the ladies in an underground house ever since the jarl fell. Ingigerd now said firmly that she would marry no man but Hrolf Sturlaugsson, because he had paid the greatest price to avenge her father—“now he has lost his own father and brother and other friends and kinsmen, and placed himself in the greatest dangers.”
No one spoke out against it. Bjorn prepared a worthy feast for them, and they drank the inheritance-ale for Jarl Thorgnyr.
CHAPTER XXXV
One day at the feast, Hrafn stood up and asked for a hearing and said, “I want to thank you, Hrolf and Stefnir, for the honor and the good turns that you have done me, both now and when I was here before. I want to reveal my name and my lineage to you. There was a king named Edgar who ruled over a kingdom in England and who had his royal seat in the town named Winchester. He had two sons and one daughter. His older son was named Harald, and the younger was named Sigurd. Alfhild was the name of his daughter. I am that same Harald, but my brother Sigurd fell in Russia, as you saw. Our mother’s kin live here in Denmark. But when I was fifteen years old and my brother was thirteen, my father was betrayed by his kinsman Heinrek, a great champion and an unruly man. He had himself raised to the kingship and has held the kingdom ever since, and we two brothers escaped with difficulty. We got Alfhild to safety in the fortress called Brentford,[78] and she has been there ever since. We two brothers traveled in disguise through various lands, giving our names as Krak and Hrafn. We have gotten these men and ships by serving alongside various chieftains, along with the support of our kinfolk. Heinrek has much support from Scotland, because he married the daughter of Jarl Melans of Moray, and he is a great friend of the High King, who is named Duncan. Duncansby is named for him because he had that place fortified.[79] Now I want to ask you, Hrolf and Stefnir, to grant me aid and support in avenging my father and winning back my inheritance.”
Hrolf said, “I shall grant you all the strength and support that I can. I shall not part from you until you have won back your kingdom and driven away your sorrow—or else I shall lay down my life.”
Stefnir said the same. Harald thanked them for their words and their goodwill.
After the feast, they prepared themselves for the journey and chose all the bravest men that they could get. They left Bjorn the Counsellor and other mighty men to look after the land. Before they left, Harald put forth his suit and asked for the hand of Stefnir’s sister Thora. Hrolf supported his case, as did many other honored men. In the end, Harald was betrothed to her, and she had to stay there betrothed until they came back.
After that, they sailed from Jutland in thirty ships, all well equipped. They didn’t break their journey until they had saile
d westward to England, to the island called Lindsey.[80] They laid up there in an anchorage and stayed there for several days and waited for a favorable wind, because they didn’t want to raid there.
CHAPTER XXXVI
It’s said that a man named Annis was with King Heinrek. He was old, but he knew both the newest and the most ancient wickedness and sorcery. He had fostered Heinrek and had always been his adviser.
A month in advance, Annis had told the king that Harald and Hrolf would arrive with a great host, and what they meant to do. Annis spoke of the great valor of Hrolf and Stefnir and said that Heinrek would need some counsel. “My advice is to send word to Scotland for your father-in-law Jarl Melans to come to aid you. You should also send a message to King Duncan asking him to send you help. As soon as Hrolf comes to this land, you should send a man to him to mark out the battlefield with hazel stakes[81] and summon them to battle. Under the provisions of Viking law, they cannot raid.[82] You must set the battlefield by Ashingdon, north of the Danes’ forest.[83] The lay of the land there is worst for a fleeing host. Leave half of your forces in the forest until they can attack from behind and take them on the flank. Then we shall surround them and let none escape alive.”
The king found this a good plan, and he went ahead with it as Annis had said. Jarl Melans came from Scotland with a large force. There was also the fine force that King Duncan sent to King Heinrek. Leading the force were two berserks, one named Amon and the other named Hjalmar, outstanding in strength and hardiness. Heinrek now had an overwhelming host. His messengers came to Lindsey and told Hrolf and his men that a field was marked with hazel stakes and prepared for battle next to Ashingdon. Some found it ill-advised to land such a small force on the mainland, since there was a great multitude facing them. They sailed for the place called Sherston,[84] and there they left their ships behind and prepared to go ashore. They didn’t break their journey until they came to Ashingdon. King Heinrek and Jarl Melans were there ahead of time with an overwhelming force, and in the forest were Amon and Hjalmar with a great force. Hrolf was not aware of this.
Now the armies were arranged in formation. King Heinrek deployed three ranks. He himself was in the center, and Jarl Melans was on one side. On his other side was the count named Engilbert, the greatest champion. With him was a man named Raudam, both tall and strong, the most fearless of men. Banners were borne before them all. Annis was not in the battle. Harald wanted to deploy facing King Heinrek, and Stefnir facing Jarl Melans. Hrolf drew up his forces facing Raudam and Engilbert.
There was a blast on trumpets, and both sides pressed the attack with battle-cries and shouts of encouragement. First a storm of arrows broke out, and then the fiercest fight at close quarters, as both sides charged forward. At first the Scots and Englishmen were very fierce, but the Danes met them well and sharply. Engilbert and Raudam encountered Hrolf at the beginning, as the ranks were closing up, and they both attacked him at the same time, but he defended himself well and bravely. He was in his armor, and wearing Vefreyja’s Gift on the outside. Raudam and Englibert were both agile and strong, and Hrolf never landed a blow on them, but he chopped off all their armor. Hrolf grew weary, but no weapon landed on him, on account of his protection. He was terribly exhausted. He was forced to throw away his sword, and he rushed headlong under Count Engilbert, heaving the count up over his head and flinging him down on his head, breaking his neck. At that moment Raudam struck Hrolf in the back with both hands, shattering his sword below the hilt. He wanted to own the treasure Hreggvid’s Gift. Hrolf leaped at him and let him feel the difference in their strength, and pinned him under himself and forced his knee down onto his breast, so hard that his ribs were smashed in. Raudam and Engilbert laid down their lives. They seemed the boldest of men.
Now Hrolf took up Hreggvid’s Gift and struck right and left. The Scots found it a most keen edge, and they recoiled from it. Hrolf could not pursue them at the time, but he killed everyone that stood before him. The Danes suddenly realized that their weapons wouldn’t bite. Although they struck doggedly, as if there was no armor before them, it was as if they were striking with cudgels—except for Hreggvid’s Gift, which cut as if it were plunging into water. That had not been able to be blunted except by Grim Aegir, as men had seen. Now more Danes fell than Englishmen.
Just then they heard a trumpet blast and a battle cry. The berserks charged out of the forest in full force and attacked Hrolf’s men on the flank. They made a fierce attack, and the Danes fell in heaps. Hrolf ordered his men to turn to face them and stand back to back, and he advancedagainst the berserks with his own banner. Now the battle was at its fiercest.
Stefnir traded blows with Jarl Melans, and that was a difficult encounter, because he was a great champion and Stefnir’s sword didn’t bite. Amon and Hjalmar now came against Hrolf. They both struck at him, but he held his shield before him and bore up bravely. Hrolf swept his sword at Hjalmar and hit him on the thigh, above the hip, cutting his leg off. He died shortly afterwards. Then Annis came forward, holding a shield as big as a door before him, but carrying a little knife in the other hand. He stabbed Hrolf’s standard-bearer in the midriff, running him through, and the banner fell to the earth. As soon as Annis had advanced, the Danes’ weapons bit. Now everyone fought as best he could. Many fell on both sides, yet more fell on the Danes’ side.
Hrolf wanted to avenge his standard-bearer, and he struck at Annis. The blow went down to the center of the shield, cleaving it down to the handle. The sword stuck fast, but Annis held his shield so strongly that it never quaked. Hrolf wanted to let the sword slip, but this was impossible, because both his hands were stuck to the hilt. Annis ordered the Scots to punish Hrolf—“because the wolf’s been caught in a trap.” They did so: a great many of them crowded around Hrolf. Others struck or beat him. He was pelted with stones and hewed with axes and bashed with cudgels. Hrolf grimaced horribly and struggled fiercely with hard kicks. He still couldn’t get free.
Now we must tell how Stefnir fought with Jarl Melans. His sword began to bite. He struck the jarl on the helmet with all his strength. That blow was so great that it cleaved the helmet and head and all his armored body completely through, so that the sword stuck fast in the earth. They had fought for a long time.
Stefnir was amazed that he couldn’t see Hrolf’s banner, nor Hrolf himself. He searched for him until he saw the fix he was in: they were trying to cut his feet out from under him. He rushed to help him and attacked Annis by surprise, striking the rim of his helmet with his sword and splitting it, along with his entire face and both arms at the elbow-joints. He butchered Annis crudely. Hrolf got free, and it wasn’t a good idea to stand in front of him. He turned on Amon and swung his sword at him with both hands. The sword landed on his shield and split it in two, and the point of the sword sliced his chest and belly so that his intestines fell out, and Amon fell dead to the ground. Hrolf was so enraged that he spared no one. He struck boldly wherever he could reach quickly with his drawn sword, and three or four men fell before each of his strokes. The slaughter could best be compared to chips flying furiously from a stump that men are making into charcoal. Stefnir did the same. The Englishmen now fell so quickly that they amounted to many hundreds.
King Heinrek and Harald had encountered each other early in the battle and had been fighting all day. They were both wounded and weary, but Harald was getting the worst of it. Hrolf saw their encounter. By then he had gone through King Heinrek’s ranks and back again four times. He charged the king and struck him from behind, so that he fell dead to the ground in two pieces. When the Scots and Englishmen saw that their king had fallen, everyone fled who had feet to run with. The other side pursued the fleeing host, killing everyone they caught and offering no quarter. Hrolf pursued the host for a long time. Whoever he caught with his sword had no need for a truce, and a multitude of the fleeing warriors fell.
Then the Danes turned back and stripped the dea
d, taking a great plunder. Annis was captured in the battle. Hrolf had him torn to pieces by cattle, and thus his life ended. Hrolf was badly wounded on his arms and legs, and he was bruised and sore from mighty blows all over his body, although they hadn’t cut.
Harald and his men went to the town of Winchester, which surrendered to them. All the inhabitants gladly submitted to Harald. Now he was raised to kingship over all the kingdom which his father had had. He thanked Hrolf and Stefnir for their support and valor, as was right.
The Scots who escaped went to find Duncan and told him of their misfortune and losses. They said that Hrolf was more like a troll than a man, on account of his strength and size. Duncan wasn’t at all pleased with the losses he had suffered, but he had to put up with them.
CHAPTER XXXVII
Hrolf and Steinir now stayed quietly with Harald until the winter was over. Harald had his sister Alfhild fetched from the fort of Brentford, and she went with a goodly retinue and following, as befitted her. Harald and his sister were glad to see each other. She was the loveliest young maiden, skilled in the arts that were seemly for a king’s child. Stefnir soon fell in love with her and went to speak with her, and he found her both wise and well-mannered. Stefnir proposed marriage to her, and she responded favorably but turned to her brother. Harald readily gave his consent, because Stefnir’s great bravery and valor were well known to him. In the end, Stefnir betrothed himself to Alfhild, and Harald provided her with a dowry of gold and fine treasures.
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