THE TWELVE lil-.'K* /.'/,' K8. TJ'.I 



their equal. The king used to answer, that is hard to tell as 

 you are such valiant men, and as you have won renown in 

 bloody battles against several people in the southern and 

 northern half of the world. He gives this answer more from 

 his good-will than unmanliness, for he kno\vs their temper and 

 they win great victories and much property for him. They 

 then walk up to every man in the hall and put the sam'e 

 question, and no one answers that he is their equal. Bodvar 

 said : ' Few good warriors are here with Hrolf, as they are all 

 cowed by the Berserks.' No more was said. Next yule-eve 

 Bodvar had been one year with Hrolf, and when they sat at 

 table the door of the hall was thrown open, and in came twelve 

 Berserks, all over grey with iron (coat of mail), which looked 

 like broken ice. Bodvar asked Hjalti in a low voice if he 

 dared try himself against one of them. ' Yes,' said Hjalti, ' not 

 against one, but against all of them, for I cannot get frightened 

 though there is an overwhelming strength against me, and not 

 one of them shall scare me.' The Berserks first walked up the 

 hall, and saw that the champions of Hrolf had increased in 

 number since they left. They looked carefully at the new 

 men, and thought that one of them was no small man, and it 

 is told that the one who walked foremost was a little startled. 

 They went as they used before King Hrolf, and asked him the 

 customary question ; he answered what he thought fit, as he 

 was wont. They walked up to every man in the hall, and last 

 up to the comrades (Bodvar and Hjalti) ; the foremost one 

 then asked Bodvar if he thought himself his equal. Bodvar 

 said he thought himself not equal, but superior to him in any- 

 thing they might try ; that foul son of a mare should not treat 

 him like a sow. He jumped up at the Berserk who was in full 

 war dress, and threw him down so strongly that he came near 

 breaking his bones ; Hjalti did the same, so that a great 

 tumult arose in the hall, and the king saw that a great loss 

 was likely to take place if his men were to be killed. He nisi i < < 1 

 from his high seat to Bodvar, and asked him to take it all in 

 a quiet and friendly manner. Bodvar said the Berserk should 

 lose his life unless he acknowledged himself to be a lesser 

 man than he. The king said that would be easily done, and 

 allowed the Berserks to rise to their feet. Hjalti did the same 

 after the king's order. Every man sat down in his seat, and 

 the Berserks likewise in theirs with grief in their mind. The 

 king spoke long to them, and told them that now they might 

 see that no one was so great, strong, or renowned but that he 

 might find his equal, and said: 'I forbid you to cause any 

 trouble in my hall, and if you do not obey that you will forfeit 

 your lives ; be as fierce as you can when I fight my enemies, 



