IXG HAKOX'K L \TllA\('i: TO VALHALLA. 



425 



land, ami a mound thrown up over it. Before he fell eight 

 sons of Harald (fair-hair) had been slain in fight, as Eyvind has 

 told, and he has said that the king went to Valhalla, for it 

 was the belief of the heathen that all who died of wounds 

 were taken to Valhalla." * 



Gondul and Skogul 2 

 Gautatyr 3 sent 

 To choose among kings 

 Who of Yngvi's kin 4 

 Should to Odin go 

 In Valhalla to dwell. 



They found the brother of Bjorn 5 



Putting on his mail-coat, 



The well-endowed king 



Stood under the war-banner. 



The battle-oars drooped, 6 



The spear trembled, 



And then the battle began. 



He called to the Halogalanders 

 And the Bogalauders ; 

 The only slayer of jarls 7 

 Walked into the fight ; 

 The generous one had 

 A good host of Northmen ; 

 The frightener of Eydanir 

 Stood early under a helmet. 8 



The chief of the host 



Ere he began the fight 



Stripped himself of his war-dress, 



Flung his mail-coat on the plain. 



He played with the sons of men ; 9 



He had to defend his land ; 



The merry king 10 



Stood under a gold helmet. 



Thus did the sword 

 In the king's hand 

 Cut the cloth of Vafad u 

 As if it cut water. 

 The spears cracked, 

 The shields were broken. 

 The clashing swords rattled 

 Upon the heads of men. 



The shields and heads 



Of Northmen were trodden 



By the hard feet 



Of the warriors' hilts. 12 



There was fray on the island, 



And the kings reddened 



The shining shield-burgh 



"With the blood of men. 



The wound-fires 13 burned 



In bloody wounds. 



The halberds sunk 



Into men's bodies ; 



The wound-drops gushed H 



On the cape of swords ; 1S 



The flood of arrows (blood) swelled 



On the shore of Stord. 



The gales of Skogul (fights) 

 Were mingled together 

 Under the reddened sky of shields' ; 

 The clouds (arrows) played about the 

 shields. 



1 Fagrskinna. 

 Two Valkyrjas. 



3 Gautatyr = the god of the Gautar = 

 Odin. 



4 Yngvi's kin = the Ynglings de- 

 scended from Odin. 



5 The brother of Bjorn, who was one 

 of Harald Fairhair's sons, is Hakon. 



6 Battle-oars = sword-blades ; a fine 

 simile. 



7 Hakon. 



8 We s,ee from the last line of stanza 4 



that Hakon wore a gold helmet. It is- 

 also said in the prose that he was con- 

 spicuous by it in the battle. 



9 Battle is often called play or game ; 

 cf. the synonyms for battle. 



10 Gram. 



11 Vafad = Odin ; Odin's cloth = armour. 



12 The hard feet of the hilt = sword- 

 blades. 



13 Weapons. 



14 Wound-drop = blood. 



15 Cape of swords = armour. 



