Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Part 19

These were all given to high-born men as an honour to them, as is here related about Hloth the son of Heithrek:

In the land of the Huns was Holth born In a holy forest glade, With ring-bedizened helmet, With dagger and keen-edged blade, With byrnie and with broadsword, And n.o.ble prancing steed.

Then Hloth learnt of the death of his father, and also that his brother Angantyr had been made King over all the territory which their father had held. Then King Humli and Hloth resolved that Hloth should go and request his brother Angantyr to allow him a share of his father's property, and that he should try first by fair words--as is said here:

Hloth, the heir of Heithrek, Came riding from the East, To where Angantyr was holding King Heithrek's funeral feast.

He came to his court in Arheimar Where the Gothic people dwell, Demanding his share of the heritage left By the King when he journeyed to h.e.l.l.

Hloth now arrived in Arheimar with a great host as it says here:

He found a warrior hastening Towards the lofty hall; And unto this late traveller Did Hloth his greeting call: O man, make haste to enter This hall that towers so high!

Bid Angantyr speed, For great is the need We hold a colloquy.

The men entered and went up to Angantyr's table and saluted the King, saying:

Hloth, thy warlike brother, King Heithrek's valiant heir, Has sent me hither to thee, And bidden me declare That he wishes to hold converse; And though he be young indeed, Yet he looks a mighty champion, Seated high upon his steed.

And when the King heard that, he flung down his knife upon the table and arose from the feast; and he put on his corslet and took a white shield in one hand and the sword Tyrfing in the other. Then a great din arose in the hall, as is said in the poem:

Then a murmur arose from the warriors, And all in the hall drew near, As the warder reported the message of Hloth: --Everyone lent an ear; And the men all awaited with quivering breath The message of Angantyr.

Then Angantyr said: "Hail, brother! You are welcome! Come in and drink with us, and let us first drink mead in memory of our father, to the honour and glory of us all with full ceremony."

Hloth said: "We are come hither for a different purpose than to fill our stomachs."

Then Hloth cried:

Of all the possessions of Heithrek The half do I now demand; --His spear and blade and treasures, His cattle and his land, His handmaids and his bondmen, And the children to them born, And the murmuring mill that the bondwomen turn As they wearily grind the corn.

And half of the far-famed Myrkvith, And half of the holy grave Far off mid the Gothic peoples,-- These also will I have.-- Half of the n.o.ble pillar That stands on Danaper's sh.o.r.e; And of Heithrek's castles, land and folk, And half of his golden store!

Cried Angantyr:

The white-shining shield shall be cloven, brother, And spear on spear shall ring; And many a helmet be lowered, brother, In battle for this thing, Ere I give thee half my heritage, Or half of the sword Tyrfing.

But Angantyr added:

I will offer thee wealth in plenty, And all thy heart's desire In store of costly treasure, And rings of golden fire; Twelve hundred squires will I give thee, Twelve hundred prancing steeds; Twelve hundred men To attend on them And arm them for mighty deeds.

And every man whom I give thee Shall receive a richer store Of rings and costly treasures Than ever he had before.-- To every man a maiden!

To every maid a ring!

I will clasp a necklace round her throat, A necklace fit for a king!

I will case thee all in silver As thou sittest on thy throne; And a third of the Gothic peoples Shall be thine to rule alone; With gold shalt thou be covered As thou farest through the land.-- Thou shalt dazzle the sight As thou walk'st in the light Like the flame of a fiery brand.

XIII. Gizur, a liegeman from the Grytingar, King Heithrek's foster-father, was with King Angantyr. He was a very old man at that time. And when he heard King Angantyr's suggestion, he thought that he was offering too much and said:

King Angantyr is generous, And royal his offering!

For thy mother was merely a bondmaid Though thou hadst for thy father a King.

And though thou art only an outcast, Yet a seat of honour was thine, When the Prince was dividing his treasure and land, And his portion to each did a.s.sign.

Hloth grew very angry at being called an outcast and the child of a bondwoman, if he accepted his brother's offer; so he departed at once with all his men and returned home to King Humli, his mother's father, in the land of the Huns. And he told Humli that Angantyr his brother had not granted him an equal share. King Humli enquired as to all that had pa.s.sed between them, and was very angry that Hloth, the son of his daughter, should be called the son of a bondmaid, and he cried:

We will stay in our homes for the winter, And as princes are wont when they dine, We will hold high converse together, Quaffing the costly wine.

We will call on the Hunnish people To arm them with spear and with shield.-- They shall march to the fight Right royally dight, And conquer their foes in the field.

Then he added:

We will summon a mighty host, Hloth, And shield on shield will clang, As the warriors arm them from twelve years old, And the wild colts gallop along.

And the Huns shall ma.s.s Ere the winter pa.s.s, And a.s.semble a countless throng.

That winter, King Humli and Hloth remained quiet, but the following spring they collected such a large army that the land of the Huns was swept bare of fighting men. All those of twelve years old and upwards, who were fit for military service and could carry arms, joined the army, and all the horses of two years old and upwards. The host was now so big that thousands and nothing less than thousands could be counted in the legions. And a commander was set over every 'thousand,'

and a standard was set up over every legion. And there were five 'thousand' in each legion, each 'thousand' containing thirteen 'hundreds,' and each 'hundred' four times forty men; and these legions were thirty three in number.

When these troops had a.s.sembled, they rode through the forest which was called Myrkvith, and which separated the land of the Huns from that of the Goths. And when they emerged from the forest, they came upon a thickly inhabited country with level fields; and on these plains there was a fine fortress. It was under the command of Hervor, the sister of Angantyr and Hloth, and Ormar, her foster-father was with her. They had been appointed to defend the land against the Hunnish host, and they had a large army there.

XIV. It happened one morning at sunrise that as Hervor was standing on the summit of a tower over the gate of the fortress, she looked southwards towards the forest, and saw clouds of dust arising from a great body of horse, by which the sun was hidden for a long time. Next she saw a gleam beneath the dust, as though she were gazing on a ma.s.s of gold--fair shields overlaid with gold, gilded helmets and white corslets. Then she perceived that it was the Hunnish host coming on in vast numbers. She descended hastily and called her trumpeter, and bade him sound the a.s.sembly.

Then said Hervor: "Take your weapons and arm for battle; and do thou, Ormar, ride against the Huns and offer them battle before the Southern Gate."

Ormar replied: "I will certainly take my shield and ride with the companies of the Goths. I will challenge the Huns and offer them battle before the Southern Gate."

Then Ormar rode out of the fortress against the Huns. He called loudly bidding them ride up to the fort, saying:

"Outside the gate of the fortress, in the plains to the south--there will I offer you battle. Let those who arrive first await their foes!"

Then Ormar rode back to the fortress, and found Hervor and all her host armed and ready. They rode forthwith out of the fort with all their host against the Huns, and a great battle began between them.

But the Hunnish host was far superior in numbers, so that Hervor's troops began to suffer heavy losses; and in the end Hervor fell, and a great part of her army round about her. And when Ormar saw her fall, he fled with all those who still survived. Ormar rode day and night as fast as he could to King Angantyr in Arheimar. The Huns then proceeded to ravage and burn throughout the land.

And when Ormar came into the presence of King Angantyr, he cried:

From the south have I journeyed hither To bear these tidings to thee:-- The whole of the forest of Myrkvith Is burnt up utterly; And the land of the Goths is drenched with blood As our warriors fall and die.

Then he continued:

All of thy n.o.blest warriors On the field are lying dead.

King Heithrek's daughter fell by the sword; She drooped and bowed her head.

Thy sister Hervor is now no more.-- By the Huns was her life-blood shed.

O prouder and lighter the maiden's step As she wielded spear and sword Than if she were sped to her trysting place, Or her seat at the bridal-board!

When King Angantyr heard that, he drew back his lips, and it was some time before he spoke. Then he said:

"In no brotherly wise hast thou been treated, my n.o.ble sister!"

Then he surveyed his retinue, and his band of men was but small; then he cried:

The Gothic warriors were many, As they sat and drank the mead; But now when many are called for, The array is poor indeed!

Not a man in the host will adventure-- Though I offer a rich reward-- To take his shield, And ride to the field, To seek out the Hunnish horde.