Ragnar Lodbrok Saga: Chapters 6, 7 & 8
Chris Van Dyke Translation
Chapter 6
The he said that he liked her well and that he though for certain that she should come with him. But she said it could not be thus. Then he said he wanted her to stay there during the night on the ship. She said that would not happen before he had come home from the journey as he had planned,—“and it may be, that the matter will seem different to you.” Then Ragnar called for his treasurer and told him take that shirt, which Thora had owned and which was all embroidered with gold, and bring it to him. Then Ragnar offered it to Kraka in this manner:
Will you receive this shirt
Which Thora Hjort had?
Marked with silver, this cloth
becomes you very well.
Her white hands worked
this garment; she was dear
to the king of heroes
until her d**h.
Kraka spoke in reply:
I dare not accept the shirt
Which Thora Hjort had,
Marked with silver; wretched cloth
is more fitting for me.
I am called Kraka,
for in soot-black clothes
I have driven the goats
along the stony paths near the waves
“And I will certainly not take this shirt,” she said. “I will not be arrayed in fine clothes while I am with the poor man. It may be that you would consider me fairer if I were adorned more fairly, but I will now go home. And then you may send men after me, if the matter is the same in your mind and you want me to go with you.” Ragnar said that he would not change his mind, and she went home. And they went, as they had intended, as soon as they had wind, and he set about his errand after the fashion he had intended. And when he came back he came into the same harbor as he had before when Kraka had come to him. And that same evening he sent men to find her and speak Ragnar's words—that she then prepare to depart for good. But she said that she could not leave before the morning. Kraka rose up early and went to the bed of the poor man and woman and asked whether they were awake. They said they were awake and asked what she wanted. She said that she wished to leave and be there no longer.
“And I know that you k**ed Heimir, my foster-father, and I have no one to reward with more ill than you. But I have been with you a long time, and for this reason I will not let evil be done to you; but I will now declare that each day will be worse for you than the one that came before it, but the last will be the worst of all—and now I will depart.” Then she went and proceeded to the ship, and there she was well received. They were given good weather. Then in the same evening, when men prepared their beds, Ragnar said that he wanted Kraka and him to sleep together. She said it could not be thus, “and I want you to drink a wedding feast for me, when you come to your kingdom; for that seems more fitting to my honor and to you and our offspring, if we have any.”
He granted her request, and they traveled well. Ragnar then came home to his land, and a glorious feast was prepared for his return; then there was joyful drinking for both his return and his wedding. And the first evening, when they came to one bed, Ragnar wished to consummate their marriage, but she asked to avoid that, because she said that some evil might afterwards be born out of it if her advice was ignored. Ragnar said that could not be true, and he said that the poor man and women were not prophetic. He asked how long it should be so. Then she said:
Three nights shall thus pa**,
apart in the evening, although
settled together in one hall,
before our sacrifice to the holy gods;
thus shall this denial
prevent a lasting harm to my son—
he whom you are hasty to beget
will have no bones.
And although she said that, Ragnar gave it no heed, and followed his own advice.
Chapter 7
A little while pa**ed, and their marriage was good, and full of love. Then Kraka knew herself to be pregnant, and it progressed until she gave birth to a boy-child, and the boy was sprinkled with water and given a name and called Ivar. The boy was boneless and there was cartilage where his bones should have been, but when he was young, he grew so strong that none was his match. He was of all men most handsome in appearance and so wise that none was known who was a wiser councilor than he. It happened that more children were granted them. Another son they called Bjorn, the third Hvitserk, the fourth Rognvald. They were all great men, very valiant, and as soon as they could learn them, they became well versed in all the iorottir. And wherever they went, Ivar had himself borne on staves, as he could not walk, and he had advice for them in whatever they did.
Eirek and Agnar, Ragnar's sons, were such great men themselves that their like could hardly be found, and they went in their war-ships every summer and were renowned for their harrying. And then it happened one day that Ivar asked his brothers, Hvitserk and Bjorn, how long might pa** by while they sat at home rather than having their renown increased. And they said that they would act on his advice in that as in other things.
Ivar said, “Now I want us to ask to have ships prepared for us, and troops enough to man them, and then I want us to gain gold and glory for ourselves, if it is possible.” And when they had decided upon that plan amongst themselves, they told Ragnar that they wanted him to get them ships and veteran troops who were experienced in the seizing of treasure, and well prepared for anything. And he gave this to them as they asked. And then, when their troops were prepared, they traveled from that land. And wherever they fought with men, they got the best of them and got for them selves both many troops and much treasure. And then Ivar said that he wanted them to continue on until a more powerful force was before them, and thus they might test their prowess. And then they asked where he knew to find such a force. And then he named a place, which was called Hvitabaer, where pagan sacrifices were held—“and many have sought to win it, but have not been victorious,” and Ragnar had come there but had to fall back without having achieved his goal.
“Are the forces there so great,” they asked, “and so hardy, or are there other difficulties?” Ivar said both that the thronging troops were great and the place of sacrifice was powerful, so all that had gone against it had not been victorious. And then they said that he should advise whether they should set a course for there or not. And he said that he desired greatly to discover what might be the greater: their own hardiness, or the magical powers of the people there.
Chapter 8
They set a course for that place, and when they came to that land they prepared to disembark. And they thought it necessary
that some of the troops keep guard over the ships. And Rognvald, their brother, was so young that they thought him to be unready for such great peril as there would likely be, and they had him guard the ships with some of the troops. And after they went from the ships, Ivar said that the garrison had two cattle, which were young geldings, and men turned and fled before them, as they could not stand their bellowing and their troll-like form.
Then Ivar said: “Bear yourselves as best you can, although you feel some fear, because nothing will harm you.” Then they departed with their troops. And when they drew near the fortress, it happened that they who lived in that place became aware of them, and they loosed the cattle that they had great faith in. And when the geldings were let loose, they leapt forward fiercely and roared terribly. Then Ivar saw them from where he was borne upon a shield, and he told his men to bring his bow, and it was done. Then he shot at the evil geldings, so that they both received their d**hs, and then the battle that the men had most feared was ended.
Then Rognvald began to speak back at the ships, and he said to the troops that those men were fortunate who should have such entertainment as his brothers had. “And there is no other reason that I should remain behind except that they wished to have all the glory. But now we shall all go ashore.” And then they did so. And when they came upon the troops, Rognvald went fiercely into the fray, and it happened thus that he fell. And the brothers came to the fortress, and they took to the fray anew. It happened then that the men of the fortress took to flight, and the brothers pursued the fleeing host. And when they returned afterwards to the fortress, Bjorn spoke this verse:
We fell with a cry
upon Gnifafiro, our swords
biting fiercer than theirs,
I may truly say.
Each who wished to could become
a k**er of men out before Hvitabaer;
let young men
spare not their swords!
Then when they came back to the fort, they took all the treasure and burned what houses were in the fortress, and broke down all the battlements. And then they sailed their ships thence.