// IGNARS SONS. 453 



Tlie pigs would grunt And stick to me cruelly ; 



If they knew the hog's suffering ; They have sucked me ; 



The gnawing hurts me ; Soon shall I be a corpse; 



The snakes thrust in their snouts 1 will die among them.' 



"He died, and was taken away. Ella saw that it wa> 

 Ragnar. But Ella pondered bow he should succeed in retain- 

 ing his realm, and wondered how the sons of Ragnar would 

 receive the news of their father's death. He had a ship made 

 ready, and appointed a wise and hardy man to command it ; he 

 manned the ship well, and told the men that he sent them to 

 Ivar and his brothers to tell them of the fall of their father ; 

 most of them had little mind to go. Ella said : ' Notice 

 carefully how each of the brothers receives this news ; then go 

 your way when you get a fair wind.' He had them so well 

 equipped that they needed nothing ; their journey was pros- 

 perous. 



" The messengers (of Ella) came with their men to the burg, 

 where the sons of Ragnar were enjoying a feast, and went into 

 the hall where they drank, and to the high-seat, in which Ivar 

 (the eldest of Ragnar's sons) sat. Sigurd (snake-eye) and 

 Hvitserk the bold sat playing chess, while Bjorn jarnsida (iron- 

 side) was sharpening a spear-shaft on the floor. When the 

 messengers came up to Ivar they greeted him respectfully ; 

 he answered their greeting, and asked whence they were and 

 what tidings they had to tell. Their leader said they were 

 Enskir rnenn (English men), and that Ella had sent them 

 with the tidings of the fall of their father Ragnar. Hvitserk 

 and Sigurd immediately dropped the chessboard, and listened 

 attentively to this news. Bjorn stood on the floor of the hall, 

 leaning on his spear-shaft. Ivar inquired of them minutely 

 how his death had occurred. They told all that had taken 

 place after he came to England till he lost his life. When .it 

 was told that Ragnar had said ' the pigs would grunt,' Bjorn 

 moved his hands on the spear-shaft, and grasped it so firmly 

 that the print of his fingers could be seen on it afterwards ; 

 when the messengers had finished, Bjorn shook his spear so 

 that it brake in two. Hvitserk had in his hand a chess- 

 piece which he had taken, and squeezed it so hard that blood 

 started out from under each of his nails ; and Sigurd had a 

 knife in his hand and was trimming his nails at the time, and 

 listened so attentively that he felt nothing until the knife had 

 cut him to the bone, and did not move. Ivar inquired about 

 everything as minutely as he could, while his face became 

 red, blue and pale by turns, and his features were so distorted 

 that all his skin became swollen on account of the anger in his 

 breast. Hvitserk began to speak, and said they could most 



