"Hervarakviða", or "The Waking of Angantyr"

A maiden young

in Munarvag

with the setting of the sun

meets a man at herding.

Who is all alone

come into this island?

Get you now

to your night-lodgings!

I will not leave

for my night-lodgings,

because I know

none of the islanders;

say you, hurry,

before you go from here:

where are Hjorvardh’s

howes known to be?

Ask you not of this;

wise are you not,

friend of pirates,

you are wanting of way;

let us fare fast,

as our legs might lead us,

all is outside

menacing to men!

A treasure we offer to you

in reward for your talk;

a friend of warriors will not be

easy to dissuade:

never will move me

so magnificent things,

fair rings,

that I fare not.

Foolish seems to me,

he who here fares

a man all alone

the dread darkness;

fire is all adrift,

the graves are opened,

burn both earth and fen;

let us fare forth fast.

Let us not be frightened

with such phantasms,

though across all the island

the fires burn;

let us not ourselves

the departed dead

so shamefully shake;

we should with them speak.

Was then the herdsman

hastened to the forest

most quickly from the matter

of this maiden;

and hard-turned

the heart and the breast

for such sake

swelled of Hervor.

Wake thou, Angantyr,

wakes thee Hervor,

only daughter

engendered of you and Tofa;

sell thou to me from the grave

the sharpened sword,

that which for Svafrlami

slaked the dwarves.

Hervardh, Hjorvardh,

Hrani, Angantyr!

I rouse you all

under root of tree,

with helm and with mail,

with sharpened sword,

with shield and with rim,

with reddened spear.

Overmuch are you become

sons of Arngrim

reckless relations

to dally with the dust,

when no soul shall

among the sons of Eyfura

with me speak

in Munarvag.

So may you all

be inwardly riven

as you in the ant

mounds waste away,

save that you release the sword,

that which Dvalinn slaked;

unfit it is to draugs

a dear weapon to conceal.

Hervor daughter,

why damn you so

with foul oaths?

‘Twill fare for you at ill!

Listless are you become

and lost of wit,

wild of will,

that you wake men dead.

Buried me not my father

nor my family other;

they held Tyrfing

two, who lived;

yet came the wielder

one alone at last.

Say thou one truth to me,

so let thee the gods

hale in the tomb

if you have not

Tyrfing with thee;

shameful it is to turn

thy inheritance, Angantyr,

from your only daughter.

Sunken is the hell gate,

the graves are opened.

All is in fire

the island earth to see;

terrible it is outward

all about to look;

hurry, maiden, if you shall

to thy ships.

Burn not so

Bales in the night,

that I with these fires

of thine falter;

shakes not the maiden’s

mind or heart,

though she a draug might see

stand in the doors.

Say I to thee, Hervor,

hear thou yet more,

wise daughter,

that which is to be;

Will this Tyrfing,

if trust you may,

your bloodline, maiden,

all blacken.

You will a son beget,

he who will after

Tyrfing bear

and with true might.

Him they will Heidhrek

the people hight,

he shall be most nobly born

under the sun’s enclosure.

I enchant so

the champions dead,

that you shall

all lie

dead with the draugs

decaying in the grave;

give to me, Angantyr,

out of the grave

the smithwork of the dwarves,

it serves you not to conceal.

I will not say thee, maiden young,

to men pleasing,

when you among the graves

move in the night

with a graven spear

and with a blade of the Goths,

with helm and with mail

before the doors of the hall.

A man I seemed

most human as for that,

before I thy hall

to seek resolved;

give thou to me from out the grave,

that which mars the mail,

treacherous to shields

the bane of Hjalmar.

Under my shoulders lies

Hjalmar’s bane,

all is he from without

in fire swept;

I know of no maiden

over all the earth

who would dare that sword

to take in hand.

I will dare

and in hand take

the sharpened sword,

if I to hold it may;

fear I not

fire burning,

at once the flames flicker,

as I look them over.

Foolish are thou, Hervor,

able of thought,

when you by your eyes

into the fire rush;

still will I sell to you

the sword out of the grave,

maiden so young,

I may not deny it to you.

Well have you done,

son of Vikings,

that you have sold to me

the sword out of the grave;

better I seem now,

prince, to fare

than if I Norway

all might take.

Know you not,

wretched you are of speech,

false-minded woman,

why you should rejoice;

for this Tyrfing will,

if trust thou may,

your bloodline, maiden,

all blemish.

I will go

to the steeds of the waves;

now is the helm’s maiden

in good spirits;

little reck I that,

son of princes,

how my sons

after fare.

You shall have

and enjoy long,

take you by the sheath

Hjalmar’s bane,

take you not by its edges,

poison is in both;

that is a man’s fate-giver

worse than disease.

Fare well, daughter,

readily would I have given you

twelve men’s lives,

if believe thou might,

life and endurance,

all of it noble,

that which the sons of Arngrim

left of themselves.

May you dwell all,

the road beckons me,

hale in the hollow,

from here will I swiftly;

most strongly do I think now

at home to be,

because me all around

the fires burn.

Reading from the Sagas volume I: Hrafnkels saga chapter 9

Hrafnkell reið heim ok sagði tíðendi þessi. Hann etr mat, ok eftir þat safnar hann mönnum at sér, svá at hann fær sjau tigi manna, ok ríðr við þetta vestr yfir heiði ok kemr á óvart til Aðalbóls, tekr Sám í rekkju ok leiðir hann út.
   Hrafnkell mælti þá: "Nú er svá komit kosti þínum, Sámr, at þér myndi ólíkligt þykkja fyrir stundu, at ek á nú vald á lífi þínu. Skal ek nú eigi vera þér verri drengr en þú vart mér. Mun ek bjóða þér tvá kosti, at vera drepinn, hinn er annarr, at ek skal einn skera ok skapa okkar í milli."
   Sámr kvaðst heldr kjósa at lifa, en kvaðst þó hyggja, at hvárrtveggi myndi harðr.
   Hrafnkell kvað hann þat ætla mega, -- "því at vér eigum þér þat at launa, ok skylda ek hálfu betr við þik gera, ef þess væri vert. Þú skalt fara burt af Aðalbóli ofan til Leikskála, ok sezt þar í bú þitt. Skaltu hafa með þér auðæfi þau, sem Eyvindr hefir átt. Þú skalt ekki heðan fleira hafa í fémunum útan þat, er þú hefir hingat haft. Þat skaltu allt í burtu hafa. Ek vil taka við goðorði mínu, svá ok við búi ok staðfestu. Sé ek, at mikill ávöxtr hefir á orðit á gózi mínu, ok skaltu ekki þess njóta. Fyrir Eyvind, bróður þinn, skulu engar bætr koma fyrir því, at þú mæltir herfiliga eftir inn fyrra frænda þinn, ok hafið þér ærnar bætr þó eftir Einar, frænda yðvarn, þar er þú hefir haft ríki ok fé sex vetr. En eigi þykkir mér meira vert dráp Eyvindar ok manna hans en meiðsl við mik ok mína menn. Þú gerðir mik sveitarrækan, en ek læt mér líka, at þú sitir á Leikskálum, ok mun þat duga, ef þú ofsar þér eigi til vansa. Minn undirmaðr skaltu vera, meðan vit lifum báðir. Máttu ok til þess ætla, at þú munt því verr fara, sem vit eigumst fleira illt við."
   Sámr ferr nú brott með lið sitt ofan til Leikskála ok sezt þar í bú sitt.

Reading from the Sagas volume I: Hrafnkels saga chapter 10

Nú skipar Hrafnkell á Aðalbóli búi sínum mönnum. Þóri, son sinn, setr hann á Hrafnkelsstaði, hefir nú goðorð yfir öllum sveitum. Ásbjörn var með föður sínum, því at hann var yngri.
   Sámr sat á Leikskálum þenna vetr. Hann var hljóðr ok fáskiptinn. Fundu margir þat, at hann unði lítt við sinn hlut.
   En um vetrinn, er daga lengði, fór Sámr við annan mann ok hafði þrjá hesta yfir brú ok þaðan yfir Möðrudalsheiði ok svá yfir Jökulsá uppi á fjalli, svá til Mývatns, þaðan yfir Fljótsheiði ok Ljósavatnsskarð ok létti eigi fyrr en hann kom vestr í Þorskafjörð. Er þar tekit vel við honum. Þá var Þorkell nýkominn út ór för. Hann hafði verit útan fjóra vetr.
   Sámr var þar viku ok hvíldi sik. Síðan segir hann þeim viðskipti þeira Hrafnkels ok beiðir þá bræðr ásjá ok liðsinnis enn sem fyrr.
   Þorgeirr hafði meir svör fyrir þeim bræðrum í þat sinni, kvaðst fjarri sitja. "Er langt á milli vár. Þóttumst vér allvel í hendr þér búa, áðr vér gengum frá, svá at þér hefði hægt verit at halda. Hefir þat farit eftir því, sem ek ætlaða, þá er þú gaft Hrafnkeli líf, at þess mundir þú mest iðrast. Fýstum vit þik, at þú skyldir Hrafnkel af lífi taka, en þú vildir ráða. Er þat nú auðsét, hverr vizkumunr ykkarr hefir orðit, er hann lét þik sitja í friði ok leitaði þar fyrst á, er hann gat þann af ráðit, er honum þótti þér vera meiri maðr. Megum vit ekki hafa at þessu gæfuleysi þitt. Er okkr ok ekki svá mikil fýst at deila við Hrafnkel, at vit nennim at leggja þar við virðing okkra oftar. En bjóða viljum vit þér hingat með skuldalið þitt allt undir okkarn áraburð, ef þér þykkir hér skapraunarminna en í nánd Hrafnkeli."
   Sámr kveðst ekki því nenna, segist vilja heim aftr ok bað þá skipta hestum við sik. Var þat þegar til reiðu. Þeir bræðr vildu gefa Sámi góðar gjafar, en hann vildi engar þiggja ok sagði þá vera litla í skapi. Reið Sámr heim við svá búit ok bjó þar til elli. Fekk hann aldri uppreist móti Hrafnkeli, meðan hann lifði.
   En Hrafnkell sat í búi sínu ok helt virðingu sinni. Hann varð sóttdauðr, ok er haugr hans í Hrafnkelsdal út frá Aðalbóli. Var lagit í haug hjá honum mikit fé, herklæði hans öll ok spjót hans it góða.
   Synir hans tóku við mannaforráði. Þórir bjó á Hrafnkelsstöðum, en Ásbjörn á Aðalbóli. Báðir áttu þeir goðorðit saman ok þóttu miklir menn fyrir sér.



Ok lýkr þar frá Hrafnkeli at segja.