Read Online Six Sagas of Adventure by Ben Waggoner (trans) - Free Book Online

friendship completely. As a new beginning, King Hring invited Hrolf Gautreksson to be fostered with him. Since King Gautrek accepted gladly, King Hring prepared to travel home with Hrolf, and he was sent off with worthy gifts. Both kings felt that matters had turned out well. Now the kings parted in love and joy, and they held to their friendship for as long as they lived.
    Hrolf went to Denmark with King Hring, who fostered him in the noblest fashion. The king found the greatest master in the Northern lands for him, who taught him all the skills that brave and bold men were eager to learn at that time. Hrolf and Ingjald came to be the best of friends, and they swore brotherhood with each other. They grew up in Denmark, and Hrolf became the most outstanding man, superior to others in both strength and size.
    Ketil grew up in Gautland with his father, and he was the shortest and most vigorous of men. Yet he was not much like King Gautrek in temperament, because of his boisterousness and energy.

    CHAPTER IV

    A king named Eirek ruled over Sweden. He had a wise and well-mannered queen. They had one child, a daughter named Thornbjorg. She was lovelier and wiser than any woman that anyone knew. She grew up at home with her own father and mother. Men have said of this maiden that she was more skilled than any woman that people had ever heard of, at any skill that a woman might turn her hand to. Besides that, she practiced jousting and fencing with sword and shield. She knew these skills just as well as knights who know how to wield their weapons well and skillfully.
    King Eirek wasn’t pleased that she was behaving like a man, and he asked her to stay in her bower like other princesses. She replied, “Since you have no more than one lifetime to rule the kingdom, and I am your only child and will inherit everything, I may well need to defend this kingdom from kings or princes, if I lose you. I would most likely find it bad to be married to one of them against my will, if that were to happen, and so I want to learn some knightly ways. Then I think it’s more likely that I will be able to hold this kingdom with the strength and loyalty of good followers. So I ask you, father, to give me some of your kingdom to rule in trust while you are alive, and I will try my hand at ruling and overseeing such people as are given into my power. There’s also this to consider: if any men ask for my hand in marriage and I refuse to consent, it’s more likely that your kingdom will be left in peace from their tyranny if I respond to them, instead of you.”
    The king considered the maiden’s words, and he found her overbearing and haughty. He thought there was a good chance that he and his kingdom would get into trouble from her arrogance and ambition. He decided to give her a third of his kingdom in stewardship, and he granted her a royal seat along with that, called Ullarakr. [5] In addition, he gave her fierce and bold men as followers, who were compliant and obedient to her will.
    When she had received all of this from her father, she went to Ullarakr. At once she summoned a great assembly and had herself raised to kingship over the third of Sweden which King Eirek had agreed to let her rule in stewardship. She also gave herself the name Thorberg. No man was so bold as to call her a maiden or a woman—whoever did that would have to suffer harsh punishment. Then King Thorberg dubbed knights and appointed retainers and gave them pay, in the same way as her father King Eirek in Uppsala. Sweden maintained this arrangement for several years.

    CHAPTER V

    Now we turn to how King Gautrek of Gautland fell ill. He called his queen to speak with her, together with other powerful men, and he said to them: “Word has gone out that I have fallen ill, and since age weighs heavily on me, I probably won’t ever suffer any more illnesses. I want to thank all of you men, with praise for the service and fellowship that you have offered me. As you know, I