Icelandic Saga - Ragnar's saga (chap, 4&5) lyrics

Ragnar Lodbrok Saga: Chapters 4 & 5 Chris Van Dyke Translation Chapter 4 It became known at Ragnar's ship that there was a Thing to be held shortly. Then Ragnar went from his ships with nearly all his men to the Thing. And when they came there, they stood somewhat away from other men, since Ragnar saw that many more men had come than customary. Then the earl stood up and asked for their silence and spoke first he asked those men who had responded well to his summons to accept his thanks; then he spoke of what had occurred; then he spoke about what he had sworn regarding the man who would k** the snake.Then afterwards he said, “The snake is now dead, and the man who did this famous deed left the spear standing in the wound. And if anyone who came here to the Thing he who has the shaft which held the spearhead and which was borne away and thus may prove his claim, then I shall fulfill that which I have sworn, whoever he is, of either great or lowly rank.” And when he ended his speech, he had the spear-head brought before each man who was at the Thing, and commanded him who would claim the deed, or who had the spear-shaft which fitted the spearhead, to speak. It was so done. None was found to be the one who had the shaft. When the spearhead came to where Ragnar was and was shown to him, then he acknowledged that it was his; each fitted the other, the spear and shaft. Then men then thought that they knew that he must have k**ed the snake, and he became very famous in all the northern lands on account of this deed, and he then asked for Thora, the earl's daughter, and the earl received this offer gladly. Then she was given to him, and it happened that they had the largest feast with the best provisions in the kingdom. At this feast Ragnar was married. And when the feast was over, Ragnar went to his kingdom and ruled over it and he loved Thora greatly. They had two sons: the elder was called Eirek, and the younger was called Agnar. They grew large and were handsome in appearance. They were very strong and were taller than the other men who were around. They knew all the kinds of idrottir. It happened one time that Thora fell ill, and she died from this illness. To Ragnar this seemed so grave that he would not rule his kingdom, and gave other men the ruling of his lands along with his sons. And then he took to performing his same deeds as he had before; he set out on a raiding expedition, and wherever he went he gained victory. Chapter 5 It was during the summer that he turned his ships to Noreg, because he had many kinsmen and friends there and he wanted to visit them. He came in his ships during the evening into a little harbor; there was a farm a short distance from there which was called Spangarheid, and they lay there in the harbor that night. And when morning came, the cooks went to land to bake bread. They saw that a farm that was not far off, and it seemed to them that it would suit them better to go to the house and be there and do their work there. And when they came to this one little farm, they found someone to speak to-it was a poor woman, and they asked whether she was a housewife and what she was called. She said that she was a housewife, “and you will not lack my name. I am called Grima, but who are you?” They said that they were the liege-men of Ragnar Lodrok, and they wanted to carry out their work, “and we want that you work with us.” The poor woman answered that her hands were very stiff. “But in the past I have been able to do my own work very well; but I have myself a daughter, who can work with you and who will come home soon and is called Kraka. But it has now come about that I scarcely have control over her.” And Kraka had gone out with the animals in the morning and had seen that many large ships had come to land, and then she went and washed herself. But the poor woman had forbidden her to do that, because she did not want men to see her beauty, because she was the most beautiful of all women, and her hair was so long that it went down to the ground, and as beautiful as the most beautiful silk. And then Kraka came home. The cooks had started a fire, and Kraka saw that men had come there, whom she had not seen before. She looked at them and they at her. And then they asked Grima: “Is this your daughter we see, this beautiful maiden?” “It is not a lie,” said Grima. “That is my daughter you see.” “You two must be very unlike,” they said, “since you are so monstrous. We have not seen a girl as beautiful, and we see that she in no way has your looks, because you are most hideous.” Grima said, “You can't notice it in me now. My appearance is now changed from how it was.” Then they agreed that she would work with them. She asked: “What shall I do?” They said they wanted her to roll out the bread, and they would afterwards bake it. And she then went to work, and she worked well. But they all kept looking at her constantly, so they did not mind their work and the bread was burned. And when they had finished their work they went back to the ships. And there, when they brought out the meal, everyone said that they had never been given anything so terrible, and the cooks deserved to be punished for it. Then Ragnar asked why they had done the cooking thus. They said that they had seen a woman so beautiful that they did not mind their work, and they thought that there was not a more beautiful woman in the entire world. And when they had said so much of her beauty, then Ragnar spoke and said that he thought that there could not be one equal to the beauty which Thora had possessed. They said she was no uglier. Then Ragnar spoke: “Now I must send men there, who know how to look well. If it is thus as you have said, then your heedlessness will be forgiven of you. But if the woman is in any way uglier than you said, then you shall take a great punishment upon yourselves.” And then he sent his men to find this beautiful maiden, but the headwind was so strong that they could not leave that day, and Ragnar spoke with his messengers: “If this young maiden seems to you as beautiful as has been told, tell her to come to meet with me as I want to speak to her; I want her to be mine. I want her to be neither dressed nor undressed, neither fed nor unfed, and moreover she must not be all alone, but nevertheless no man may accompany her.” Then they traveled until they came to the house, and they looked closely at Kraka, and it seemed to them they saw such a beautiful woman that they thought they had never before seen one as beautiful. And then they told her the words of their lord, Ragnar, and thus how she should be prepared. Kraka thought about that, how the king had spoken and how she should prepare herself, but Grima thought that it could not be done, and said that she thought such a king would not be wise. Kraka said: “He must have spoken thus because it can be done if we have the sk** to discover what he was thinking. However, I know that I cannot go with you today, but I will come early in the morning to your ship.” Then they went away and told Ragnar what had happened, and that she would come to the meeting. And she was at home that night. And in the early morning, Kraka told the poor man that she would go to meet with Ragnar. “But I want to alter my dress somewhat: you have a trout-net, and I want to wrap that around me, and I shall let my hair hang down over it, and I will thus be bare in no place. And I will taste of one leek-that is little food, but it will be known that I have eaten. And I will have your dog accompany me-—I will thus not go all alone, even though no man accompanies me.” And when the poor woman heard her plan, she thought that she had great cunning. And when Kraka had made herself ready, she went on her way, until she came to the ship, and she was fair to see, as her hair was bright and looked like gold. And then Ragnar called to her and asked who she was and whom she wanted to find. She answered and spoke this verse: I have not dared to violate your bidding, Ragnar, when you bade me come to your meeting, nor have I broken the king's order. No man is with myself, my flesh is not clearly revealed, I have quite fully a following, but I come all alone. Then he sent men to meet her, and had them accompany her to his ship. But she said she did not wish to go, unless a promise of peace might be given to her and her companion. Then she was led to the king's ship, and when she came to the foredeck he reached towards her and the dog bit him on the hand. His men leapt at it and struck the dog and tied a bowstring around its neck and it died from this-no better did those men hold with the promise of peace for her! Then Ragnar set her on the deck near himself, and spoke with her, and she answered him well and he was pleased and happy with her. He spoke this verse: If the precious lady was merciful to the ward of the father land, she might take me to stay in her arms. She said: if you will honor our treaty, king, you shall let me go hence, spotless, to my home, though the helmsman has pain.