The Guests of Odin Read online

  The Guests of Odin

  Viking Gods and Heroes

  Gavin Chappell

  Copyright © 2013 Gavin Chappell

  Copyright © 2013 Thor’s Stone Press

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher and author, except where permitted by law.

  ISBN: 1483969304

  ISBN-13: 978-1483969305

  Introduction

  This book is the result of years of studying Norse mythology. One thing I noticed from very early on - even before I had read the primary sources like the Eddas, the sagas, and medieval Danish historian Saxo Grammaticus’ Gesta Danorum - was that in comparison with modern retellings of the Greek myths, accounts of Norse mythology were very sparse in their treatment of the heroes of legend, concentrating almost entirely on the gods. Sometimes there would be the story of Sigurd, occasionally Beowulf would appear. Retellings of the Greek myths, however, would include accounts of Theseus, Perseus, Odysseus, Heracles, Bellerophon.

  Now and then, I encountered brief, enigmatic references to other Norse legendary heroes: Fridthjof, Hrolf Kraki, Harald Wartooth. These glimpses of entire cycles of tales about bloodthirsty warriors with bizarre names and even stranger epithets whetted my appetite. I wanted more. I started searching. When I went to university, ostensibly to study English literature, I found books I had only met references to before; the Eddas, the sagas, Saxo Grammaticus. That was when I first met the internet, a fairly new phenomenon in the mid-nineties, and there I found the original Old Icelandic versions of the sagas of legendary heroes, the Fornaldar Sogur. I studied Old English as part of my degree, and slowly, haltingly, I taught myself Old Icelandic to translate these sagas. I had my translations published on www.northvegr.org. I even had them patronised by academics (Translating the Sagas by John Kennedy), and one website that appended not recommended to their links to my translations. Such is life. I never wanted an academic career anyway. Other people had started translating them – to be fair, a few had been translated already, but they were scattered far and wide, in hard to find books. In the end, between my own attempts at translation, and my collection of obscure academic tomes, I read the entire corpus.

  So, at long last, here is what I’d always wanted to see: a popular retelling of Norse mythology that concentrates on the stories of the heroes, (or at least some of them), culled from the sagas, the Eddas, and the writings of Saxo Grammaticus – thirteen of the Guests of Odin, the chosen slain who feast in the hall of Valhalla. I just hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed bringing them to light.

  I’d just like to say a thank you to those who’ve helped me on my way, in some form or another, in particular: Doctor Margaret Lockerbie-Cameron, Peter Tunstall, George L Hardman, Svanbjorna, and William P Reaves of www.germanicmythology.com

  Gavin Chappell, West Kirby, Wirral, 4 October 2012

  CONTENTS

  Fridthjof the Bold

  Pg 1

  The Cursed Sword

  Pg 14

  Starkad the Old

  Pg 31

  Hagbard and Haki

  Pg 50

  Amlodi

  Pg 56

  Bane of Champions

  Pg 73

  The Trollwife’s Fosterling

  Pg 78

  The Eternal Battle

  Pg 95

  Hrolf Kraki

  Pg 112

  Harald Wartooth

  Pg 137

  Warrior and Valkyrie

  Pg 146

  The Broken Sword

  Pg 152

  Sigurd the Volsung

  Pg 165

  Fridthjof the Bold

  When Fridthjof was growing up on the shores of the mighty Sogn Fjord, in Norway, he was so revered that everyone prayed for his welfare. His foster father was a man named Hilding, who also fostered Ingibjorg the Fair, daughter of Beli, king of the petty kingdom of Sogn, and two strong lads named Bjorn and Asmund. King Beli was getting old, and he was losing much of his property. Fridthjof’s father Thorstein ruled over a third of the kingdom, and every three years he invited Beli to a banquet. Beli, however, feasted Thorstein every two years. Beli had a son named Helgi, and another called Halfdan, who were both devout worshippers of the gods. They were not very popular, however, but Fridthjof was thought without equal. He was so strong that he could row the great magical longship Ellidi with two oars, while other men were two to an oar. The king’s sons soon grew jealous of his popularity.

  Beli grew ill and died. On his deathbed, he called his sons to him and told them; “Maintain the friendship that has existed between my kindred and Thorstein’s family, and raise a burial mound for me.”

  Not long after, Thorstein also took sick and died, but before his death, he told his son Fridthjof: “Yield to the sons of Beli, and bury me in a mound on the fjord shore opposite where Beli was laid to rest.”

  Thorstein died. Fridthjof buried him accordingly, and took over his property and wealth, including the farm at Framness, the longship Ellidi and the most precious golden ring in Norway.

  Now Fridthjof became a famous man, and he valued his foster brother Bjorn over all others, while Asmund served both of them. Fridthjof was so generous that it was said that he was no less honourable than the kings were, except that he was not of royal blood. This angered the kings, this, and the fact that Fridthjof and their sister Ingibjorg had fallen in love. When they came to a banquet at Framness, where Fridthjof entertained them splendidly, they saw that he spoke often with their sister, who admired the gold ring he had inherited from his father. The king’s sons went home, their envy of Fridthjof undiminished.

  Soon after, Fridthjof was seen to look sad. His foster-brother Bjorn asked him, “What is wrong?”

  Fridthjof said, “I intend to woo Ingibjorg, since although I am lower in rank than the brothers I am no lower in personal worth.”

  They went to the kings and found them sitting on their father’s burial mound. Fridthjof greeted them courteously and asked for Ingibjorg’s hand in marriage. The kings refused, saying that Fridthjof lacked dignity. Fridthjof accepted this, but told them, “You need not expect my assistance in future.” Then he went home.

  A king named Hring ruled over the nearby kingdom of Ringeriki. By this point, he was growing old. When he heard that Fridthjof and Beli’s sons had quarrelled, he saw this as an opportunity to show that even in his old age he was not a weak man. He sent messengers to Beli’s sons demanding they pay him tribute, or else prepare to face his army.

  When Helgi and Halfdan heard King Hring’s words, they said, “We would rather fight than pay tribute, though we deem it shameful to fight a man so old and decrepit.”

  They gathered an army, but since they saw that their numbers would be small, they sent Fridthjof’s foster-father Hilding to Fridthjof to ask him for aid.

  When Hilding reached Fridthjof, he found him in the hall, playing chess with Bjorn. Hilding gave his message and Fridthjof made no reply, but told Bjorn, “I see an opening that cannot be mended. I will attack the red piece, to see if it could be saved.”

  Hilding said, “If you do not join the kings, you can expect rough treatment in future.”

  Bjorn said, “Fridthjof, you have two choices, and two moves by which you can escape.”

  Fridthjof replied, “I think I will attack the king first, but a double game is hard to play.”

  Hilding returned to the kings and told them what had happened. The kings asked him the meaning of Fridthjof’s words.

  Hilding said, “I think the red piece meant Ingibjorg, and that they should protect
her; that when Bjorn said Fridthjof had two choices, and Fridthjof said he would attack the king, he meant he would march against King Hring.”

  Now the kings made ready for battle, but before they did so, they took Princess Ingibjorg, accompanied by eight maidens, and placed her in the protection of the Temple of Balder, a place of peace where no man or beast could be harmed, and where no men and women should sleep together. They thought that even Fridthjof would not be so rash as to meet her there. Then they went south to Jadar, and encountered King Hring at Sokn-sound.

  Now the kings were gone, Fridthjof put on his robes of state, put on his good gold ring, and went with Bjorn to the shore where they launched the longship Ellidi. Bjorn asked where they were going, and Fridthjof said, “We will go to the Temple of Balder to amuse ourselves with Ingibjorg.”

  Bjorn said, “It is unwise to anger the gods.”

  Fridthjof said, “I rate Ingibjorg higher than Balder.”

  They came to the temple and found Ingibjorg with her maidens.

  Ingibjorg asked, “Why do you defy my brothers, and risk the wrath of the gods?”

  Fridthjof said, “I would risk even that for your love.”

  Then Ingibjorg welcomed them. They sat together and drank, making merry. Ingibjorg saw the ring on Fridthjof’s finger, and greatly admired it. Fridthjof gave her the ring on the condition that she never part with it, except to return it to him should she no longer desire it. With that, they plighted their troth. They spent many nights together, and each day Fridthjof came to the temple to see her.

  Meanwhile, the brothers came to terms with King Hring, whose forces greatly outnumbered them, agreeing to give him a third of their lands and their sister’s hand in marriage. But they were unhappy with these terms, and returned home in anger.

  When Fridthjof thought Helgi and Halfdan likely to return, he said to Ingibjorg, “You have treated me well, nor has Balder been angry with us. But when the kings return, hang out the sheets on the hall of the goddesses, so I can see it from my home.”

  The next day he saw the sheets on the hall of the goddesses, and he knew that the kings had returned. Bjorn advised him to gather his forces, and Fridthjof did so.

  When word of this came to the kings, they sent Hilding to Fridthjof to ask if he was willing to make atonement by going to collect tribute from their subjects in the Orkneys, or else face exile. Hilding explained to Fridthjof that the kings needed money now, since they had offered Ingibjorg in marriage to King Hring. Fridthjof agreed to the expedition, on the assurance that all his possessions were to be left alone in his absence. Before he went, his men asked him if he would not beg for peace with King Helgi, Fridthjof vowed that this he would never do. He boarded the longship Ellidi and they sailed from Sogn Fjord. As soon as he was gone, the kings descended on Framness and ransacked and burned Fridthjof’s farm. Then they paid two witches, Heid and Hamglom, to bring down a storm and wreck Fridthjof’s ship.

  The moment Fridthjof sailed from Sogn Fjord, a storm hit them, but Ellidi sailed smoothly across the waters. They were driven to the Solunds, where the storm reached its height. They intended to land there, but then the wind dropped and they sailed on. Almost at once, the storm broke out again, snow showered down on them, and the waves washed over their bows. Fridthjof knew that Helgi had sent the wind. Fridthjof and Bjorn remembered their pleasant days in the Temple of Balder, and agreed they would rather be there than bailing out Ellidi, but they faced the growing storm with courage. When he thought that some of them would be going to Ran, the giantess who welcomes the drowned into her underwater hall, Fridthjof cut up Ingibjorg’s ring and distributed it among his men.

  They came out into an unknown sea. Fridthjof climbed the mast to search the waters around them. It seemed to him they were nearing land, but then he saw a whale swimming towards them, and upon its back were two witches. Fridthjof ran to the prow and struck at one witch, urging the ship, which understood his speech, to attack the other. It struck the second witch with its prow, and both witches had their backs broken, while the whale swam away. The weather grew calm, and the men began to bail out the boat. Then Fridthjof rowed them towards land, and they discovered they had reached the Orkneys. Here they landed, and Fridthjof bore his own men ashore.

  Angantyr was earl of the Orkneys. One of his men, Hallvard, was keeping watch when he saw Fridthjof land. He spoke of this and Angantyr heard, and asked for news.

  Hallvard said, “Men have landed and they are very tired but one of them carried the rest ashore.”

  Angantyr guessed that this must be Fridthjof. There were some berserks present, led by one Atli, who said, “I have heard that Fridthjof swore never to be the first to beg for peace.”

  He and his fellows went down to the strand to challenge this visitor but Angantyr sent Hallvard to demand peace between them. When Fridthjof heard the berserk’s challenge and Angantyr’s command, he said he would accept peace or war. They stayed the winter with Angantyr and he honoured them greatly, taking a keen interest in their voyages. He heard how King Helgi had treated Fridthjof, and knew that Fridthjof came to levy tribute. He said he would not pay Helgi tribute but he would gladly give Fridthjof anything he asked for.

  Back in Norway, the kings had been astounded when the two witches fell from the scaffolds from which they sent out their spirit forms, and broke their backs. That autumn, King Hring came to Sogn to marry Ingibjorg. When he saw Fridthjof’s ring on her finger, he asked where it had come from.

  She said, “It belonged to my father.”

  Hring said, “I know it is Fridthjof’s. You shall not take it back to my kingdom – there you will not want for gold.”

  Ingibjorg gave the ring to Helgi’s wife, asking her to give it to Fridthjof when he returned. Then they went to King Hring’s kingdom.

  That spring, Fridthjof left Angantyr and the Orkneys on friendly terms. Hallvard accompanied Fridthjof but when they reached Norway, they learnt that Fridthjof’s farm had been torched, and when he reached Framness, Fridthjof consulted with his men as to what should be done. They advised him to look after himself and he resolved to hand over the tribute. They rowed over to Syrstrand where they learnt that the kings were at the Temple of Balder, sacrificing to the goddesses. Fridthjof went there with Bjorn, after he told the other men to destroy any ships or boats they found in the area.

  Fridthjof left Bjorn outside the hall of the goddesses and entered alone. He saw few people present, but the kings were there sacrificing and they sat drinking. The king’s wives were warming the gods at a fire in the middle while other women anointed them and wiped them down. Fridthjof went to Helgi and flung the purse containing the tribute in his face. Helgi fainted and Halfdan seized him before he fell into the fire.

  As Fridthjof walked out, he saw the ring on the finger of Helgi’s wife. He tried to take it but it was stuck on her finger so he dragged her across the floor towards the door and then the image of Balder fell in the fire. Halfdan’s wife caught hold of Helgi’s wife and the god she had been warming also fell in the fire. The fire spread and soon the temple was burning. Fridthjof took the ring from Helgi’s wife’s hand and left.

  Bjorn asked him, “What happened?” Fridthjof told him, before flinging a blazing brand onto the roof of the temple and returned to the ships.

  When King Helgi returned to his senses, he ordered his men to follow Fridthjof and kill him and everyone with him. The king’s men were called and they saw the hall in flames. Halfdan and his men worked to extinguish the fire but Helgi and his followers pursued Fridthjof and his men who had already embarked. When Helgi and his men tried to follow, they discovered that all the ships had been staved in and they had to row ashore again. Some men were drowned. Helgi went mad with rage, put an arrow to his bow, and pulled the bow so much that it snapped. The wind began to blow, Fridthjof’s men set sail, and they rowed from the fjord.

  Fridthjof resolved to take up the life of a Viking. He explored islands and skerries that summer, fighting with oth
er Vikings and gaining plunder and fame. In autumn, they sailed to the Orkneys where Angantyr welcomed them. Meanwhile, the kings of Sogn declared Fridthjof and outlaw and confiscated his possessions. Halfdan settled at Framness and rebuilt the farm that they had burnt. They also rebuilt the Temple of Balder at great cost. Helgi remained at Syrstrand.

  Fridthjof won many sea battles against other Vikings, but he never plundered merchants. He gathered a large army and became very rich. After three years spent in this way, Fridthjof sailed up Oslo Fjord. He announced his intention to go ashore and leave the rest to continue their warfare.

  “I want to go into the uplands and find King Hring and Ingibjorg. I will return to this spot on the first day of summer.”

  Bjorn did not think the plan wise. “I think it would be better to go to Sogn and kill Helgi and Halfdan.”

  Regardless, Fridthjof went into the uplands disguised as an old man, and came to Hring’s kingdom of Ringeriki. He met some herders who lived at Hring’s dwelling and asked them if he was a strong king. He went up to the king’s hall and sat near the door. Hring noticed this old man and mentioned him to Ingibjorg. He sent a servant to ask the old man his name, where he came from and who were his kin. Questioned, Fridthjof answered with riddling puns on his real name.

  Ingibjorg disapproved of the elderly visitor, but Hring welcomed him and told him to sit at his side. The king told the queen, “Give Fridthjof a more becoming cloak!” The queen did so unwillingly. She blushed when she saw the ring Fridthjof wore. Hring also noticed it and complimented him upon his possession.