440 SOME EXPEDITIONS AND DEEDS OF GREAT VIKINGS. 



his death wound. When the sons of Alrek saw his appalling 

 rush into the host, they went against him ; but he was so hardy 

 and skilled that he slew them both ; then he killed Yngvi ; and 

 rushed so furiously into the ranks that every one fled before 

 him ; he slew all who were foremost in the snout, except those 

 who were fighting other champions. 



" When Hring saw this he urged the host not to let one 

 man overcome all, such proud men as there were. He shouted : 

 ' Where is Storkud, who till now always has borne the highest 

 shield (gained victory) ? ' Storkud answered : ' We have 

 enough to do, lord, but we will try to gain a victory if we can, 

 though where Ubbi is, a man may be fully tried.' At the 

 urging of the king he rushed to the front against Ubbi, and 

 there was a great fight between them with heavy blows, as each 

 of them was fearless. After a while Storkud gave him a large 

 wound, and himself received six, all of them severe, and he 

 thought he had rarely been so hard pushed by a single man. As 

 the arrays were dense they were torn from each other, and so their 

 hand-to-hand fight ended. Then Ubbi slew the champion Agnar, 

 and cleared a path in front of himself, dealing blows on both 

 hands ; his arms were bloody up to his shoulders ; thereupon 

 he attacked the Thelemarkians. When they saw him they 

 said : e Now we need not go elsewhere, but let us shoot arrows 

 at this man for awhile, and little as everybody thinks of us let 

 us do the more, and show that we are valiant men.' The most 

 skilled of the Thelemarkians began to shoot at him, namely 

 Hadd the Hard, and Hroald Toe ; these men were such excellent 

 archers that they shot twenty-four arrows into his breast ; 

 this much was needed to destroy his life. These men slew 

 him, but not before he had slain six champions and severely 

 wounded eleven others, and killed sixteen Swedes and Goths 

 who stood in the front of the ranks. Vebjorg, shieldmaiden, 

 made hard onsets on the Swedes and Goths ; she attacked the 

 champion Soknarsoti ; she had accustomed herself so well to 

 the use of helmet, coat of mail and sword, that she was one of 

 the foremost in chivalry, 1 as Storkud the Old says ; she dealt the 

 champion heavy blows and attacked him for a long while, and 

 with a blow at his cheek cut through his jaw and chin. He put 

 his beard into his mouth and bit it, thus holding up his chin. She 

 performed many great feats. A little after Thorkel the Stubborn, 

 a champion of Hring, met her, and they fiercely attacked each 

 other ; finally she fell with many wounds and great courage. 



" Great events happened here in a short time ; and first one, 

 then the other array got the better ; many a man from both 



1 Riddaraskap equestrian exercises. 



