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RELIGION. THE NORNIR AND VALKYRIAS. 



Sometimes the Valkyrias came to earth and remained 

 among men. 



" Nidud was a king in Sweden. He had two sons and one 

 daughter, whose name was Bodvild. There were three brothers, 

 sons of the Finna-king, one Slagfinn, the other Egil, and the 

 third Volimd ; they ran on snow-shoes, and hunted wild beasts. 

 They came to the Ultdal, where there is a lake called Ulfsjar 

 (Wolfs lake), and there made themselves a house. Early one 

 morning thev found at the shore of the lake three women 



O / 



who were spinning flax, near them lay their swan-skins ; they 

 were Valkyrias. Two of them were daughters of King Hlodver 

 (Louis), Hladgunn Svanhyit (Svan-white), and Hervor Alvitr 

 (All- wise) ; and the third Olriin, daughter of Kjar of Valland. 

 The brothers took them to their house. Egil got Olriin ; 

 Slagfinn, Swan-white ; and Volund, All-wise. There they 

 dwelt for seven winters ; after which the women went to visit 

 battle-fields, and did not return. Then Egil went on snow- 

 shoes to look for Olriin, and Slagfinn for Svan-white, while 

 Volund remained in Ulfdal. He was the most skilled smith 

 that is spoken of in ancient Sagas. King Nidud had him 

 captured, as is told in the song " (Volundar Kvida). 



Helga Kvida gives an account of how Sigrun, a Valkyria, 

 betrothed herself to Helgi, and of how she comes with other 

 Valkyrias to protect him. Their appearance is thus de- 

 scribed : 



Then gleams flashed 



From Logafjoll, 1 



And from those gleams 



Came lightning; 



The high ones 2 rode helmet-clad 



Down on the Himinvangar ; 



Their brynjas were 



Blood-bespattered, 



And from their spears 



Sprang rays of light. 



Early (in the day) asked 



From the wolf-lair 



The doyling (the king) about this 



The southern disir 3 



If they would home 



With Inklings 4 



That night go ; 



There had been clang of bowstrings. 



But from the horse 



The daughter of Hogni (Sigrun) 



Hushed the clatter of shields ; 



She said to the king, 



I think we have 



Other work to do 



Than drink beer 



With the ring-breaker (Helgi) 



1 Fire-mountain. Here the text is cor- 

 rupted, but I follow Bugge in the sug- 

 gestion that this is a place-name, the 

 battle 1 taking place on the plain beneath 

 the Logafjoll, from which the Valkyrias 

 come down to take the slain. 



The Valkyrias. 



3 Valkyrias are here called disir, guar- 

 dian spirits, and seem to come from the 

 South, the ancient home of the Asar. 



4 Chiefs. Helgi invited them to come 

 home with him and his chiefs that night, 

 and they would not. 



