Stories and Ballads of the Far Past Part 28

17. It was Alff in Odderskier, And an oak he uprooted; He struck with the oak Young Angelfyr, Till he lay on the earth stone dead.

18. Now both these warriors are lying dead, And dead lie they in their grave; And the King he is ready to give his daughter To the man whom he himself will have.

INTRODUCTION TO THE FAROESE BALLAD OF ARNGRIM'S SONS

The _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_ was first taken down by Svabo towards the close of the eighteenth century. He never published it, but his MS. (III. 9) is preserved in the Royal Library at Copenhagen. In 1848 V. U. Hammershaimb took the ballad down again from oral recitation on Sand and published it in the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_, 1849-1851 (Copenhagen, 1852). He had, however, consulted Svabo's version, for he says in the prefatory note to the ballad:

It is entirely confused in Svabo's version in the Royal Library. I have therefore kept to the version which I got on Sand, which in the main points agrees with the Saga. Only in the conclusion and two other pa.s.sages have I followed Svabo's version.

By 1855, however, it would seem that his view had changed. In his prefatory note to the _Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_, published in _Nordiske Oldskrifter_, vols. 18-19, Part II (Copenhagen, 1855), he writes:

The version given by Svabo is at variance with the Saga and has many internal discrepancies arising mainly from the fact that Hjalmar and Angantyr are here taken to be brothers, as in the Danish ballad. In the _Antiquarisk Tidsskrift_ for 1849-1851 I published another version which I took down in Sand in 1848, and in which I made some use of Svabo's version. My version corresponds exactly with the _Harvarar Saga_, but it is open to suspicion from the fact that it here forms the second part (_thattr_) of _Hjalmar's Kvaei_, of which the first part (_The Thattr of orvar-Oddr_) is clearly of later origin; as is shown not only by the language, but also by the fact that the whole falls in with Suhm's story,--"The three friends, Hjalmar, Asbjorn and orvarodd,"

etc. Many verses of _Arngrim's Sons_ presuppose a first _tattur_ to the ballad, for example that in which the sick Asbjorn complains that he cannot follow his companion to the fight on Sams[1]. That the language in the second part is purer and older than in the first part is easily explained from the fact that the people of Sand have utilised the older Faroese version which was taken down by Svabo. They only needed to transpose the verses and to make a very few changes to get the whole readjusted according to the Saga or Suhm's story. The verses which the Sand version has in common with Svabo's could therefore be used for purposes of comparison.

There are thus weighty reasons for giving preference to Svabo's version, in spite of all its imperfections.

Of the first part of _Hjalmar's Kvaei_ I have unfortunately been unable to obtain a copy, though it is no doubt accessible at Copenhagen, as it is mentioned as number 60 ('_Hjalmar's Kvaei_, 2 taettir: _a_, orvaroddur, _b_, Arngrim's Sinir') in a list of Faroese ballads taken down in the Faroes by Hammershaimb for the archaeological archives of the Royal Old Norse Text Society[2].

Hammershaimb says[3], however, that the first part "deals with Hjalmar's youth, the counsel given him by his father when he leaves home, how he is taken into the retinue (_hir_) of the Swedish King, how he distinguishes himself by his bravery against the vikings, and how he and Asbjorn and orvarodd swear to be foster-brothers."

The translation which follows is made from Hammershaimb's second edition of the ballad, published in _Nordiske Oldskrifter_, vols. 18 and 19, Part II[4]--which is in fact Svabo's text; but the refrain of his first version has been adopted.

It will be noticed that the ballad differs in many points from the _Saga of Hervor and Heithrek_. In the first place, according to the ballad, it is Arngrim and not Angantyr who is buried with the sword Tyrfing[5]. Secondly, Hervik (the Hervor of the Saga) is described as a daughter of Arngrim and a sister of Angantyr. Hjalmar also is a brother of Hervik and of Angantyr according to the ballad, and actually accompanies Hervik on her quest of the sword Tyrfing, which according to the ballad took place _before_ the fight on Sams.

Finally, Arngrim is said to have been killed by orvarodd, and Hervik accordingly kills orvarodd in retaliation. Another 'Young Odd' appears later as Hjalmar's companion in the true place of orvarodd.

Thus we see that, as commonly happens in popular poetry, complex situations have become simplified, and, where simplification has not taken place, the people and events have become confused[6]. Both in the shorter Faroese ballad of _Hjalmar and Angantyr_, and in the Danish ballad of _Angelfyr and Helmer the_ _Warrior_, the simplification has proceeded even farther, and a still more striking instance of rigorous simplification is to be found in the _Ballad of Nornagest_.

No _Rimur_ dealing with Arngrim's Sons have been published, and I have not been able to ascertain whether any exist, though a pa.s.sing mention is made of them in verse 74 of the satirical poem _Skitharima_[7], probably composed in the fifteenth century by Einar or Sigurur Fostri. _A priori_ it would seem probable that the ballads are derived from compositions of this kind rather than from the Saga direct.

But it would be unwise to hazard even a guess as to the balance of probability without detailed knowledge of the relative circulation, distribution and popularity of the Sagas and the Rimur respectively.

The air to which the following ballad is sung on the Faroes has been transcribed and printed by Thuren in _Folkesangen paa Faererne_, pp.

132, 133.

[Footnote 1: Cf. also the introduction of orvar-Odd in v.

29 of Hammershaimb's version (_Antiq. Tidss._, 1849-51, pp.

61-74); also vv. 28, 33, 58.]

[Footnote 2: Cf. _Antiq. Tidss._, 1849-1851, p. 28.]

[Footnote 3: _Ib._, p. 58.]

[Footnote 4: Copenhagen, 1855.]

[Footnote 5: So Svabo's version; the Sand version of Hammershaimb's first edition, however, preserves Angantyr here.]

[Footnote 6: A still more striking instance of the latter development will be found in the _Gatu Rima_ (see p. 213 f.

below) especially v. 22.]

[Footnote 7: _Carmina Scaldica_ (_a selection of Norwegian and Icelandic Scaldic poetry_) by Finnur Jonsson, Copenhagen, 1913.]

_The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_

[Ill.u.s.tration] [Music: dotted-quarter note = 116 SANDOY.]

[Lyric: Arngrimur eigir eina borg, hon stendur a hogum fjalli, : ellivu eigir hann synir saer og tolvti er riddarin snjalli.

(Refrain) Nu fellur ri man yvir tann]

breia fjor; har liggur ein bon- di deyur i dokkari jord! Nu fellur ri- man. ]

_Variations of Refrain of The Ballad of Arngrim's Sons_

(1) I SRVAGI.

[Music]

(2)

[Music]

(3) KVALB.

[Music]

(4)

[Music]

THE BALLAD OF ARNGRIM'S SONS.

1. High on a lofty mountain Does Arngrim his castle hold; He has eleven n.o.ble sons, And his twelfth is a champion bold.

Refrain: _n.o.ble men are sailing now from Norway, And a fair breeze bears them o'er the wave._

2. He has eleven n.o.ble sons, Each skilled to wield his brand; And mightiest of all is Angantyr Who comes from Bjarnaland.

3. He has eleven n.o.ble sons, Beneath oak-trees live they; And Angantyr lives with them there And a warrior bold is he.

4. Arngrim and the Earl's lady, Children so fine had they-- Their daughter was named Hervik, Who governed land and fee.

5. This maiden was named Hervik, 'Fore all men I declare, She tilted in the tourney When the lads were playing there.

6. She tilted in the tourney Among the lads so strong.

Then blood was up and blood was shed Ere she had played her long.