The Childhood of King Erik Menved Part 74

"G.o.d strengthen and cheer you, my dear sir drost!" exclaimed the kindly voice of young Sir Aage Jonsen, interrupting his reverie. "I have been looking for you," he continued, "for I know you are not happy; and yet this is a day of rejoicing such as has hardly ever been seen in Denmark. The n.o.ble Queen Agnes is now happy, and our young king dances blithely with his affianced bride. There is no longer a traitor in the country, and Denmark's throne again stands firm. We have peace and happy times in prospect, sir drost."

"For which I thank Him who has succoured us," replied Drost Peter. "His hand has wonderfully averted the danger, and blessed the crown of the Waldemars on the head of our youthful king. I, too, ought to be happy today; but, my dear Aage, there are sorrows of which thou knowest not yet."

"I have, nevertheless, already known great ones," replied his grave pupil; "and I guess that which now oppresses you--the n.o.ble Jomfru Inge--"

"She, alas, is unhappy, Aage, and will not be consoled while her father lies in Kallundborg."

"Our young king is all too stern, in rejecting every pet.i.tion on his behalf," sighed Aage. "I have, however, heard a rumour, dear sir drost--whether well or ill founded, I know not--which yet may prove worthy of your investigation. It is said that Sir Lave Little has promised his daughter's hand to the knight who procures his pardon from the king; and that you, knowing this, either cannot or will not fulfil the conditions."

Drost Peter was startled. "He barters, then, his daughter's happiness for his own freedom," he exclaimed, in a tone of contempt. "At that I am not astonished. But what says Inge? Will she submit to be a sacrifice for her father's sins?"

"Know you not that she has so resolved?" asked Aage anxiously; "and are you not aware that the rich Sir Thord, from Kongsh.e.l.le, is here, with four s.h.i.+ps laden with treasure, which he intends offering to the king as the ransom of Sir Lave Little? I myself saw him but now in the riddersal, where he was waiting until the king left the dance, to confer alone with him in his closet, and--"

"Just Heaven!" exclaimed Drost Peter, "this shall not be! I will myself entreat him for Sir Lave's freedom: he cannot--he must not refuse me!"

"Hasten, then, sir drost. Sir Thord is perhaps already with the king.

Alas, I thought you knew of this, but would or could not--Haste, haste!"

Pale and agitated, the drost hurried to the riddersal, where his eye ran through the rows of dancers. The triumphant Count Gerhard, with his fair and majestic bride--the young King Berger, with Princess Merete--and Skirmen, in his new knight's suit, with the lively Aase Hennersdaughter, tripped gaily down the hall; while, among the ladies of the Princess Ingeborg, he quickly descried Jomfru Inge, who sat, pale and motionless, gazing with a calm, fixed look on all before her.

The drost perceived not the king, and his eyes began to swim; but, accosting a bustling chamberlain, he asked him, falteringly--"Where is the king?"

"In his closet," was the answer.

"With whom?"

"Sir Thord, from Kongsh.e.l.le."

He turned, and darted from the riddersal.

Count Gerhard and King Berger led their ladies from the dance, as King Erik re-entered gravely, accompanied by Drost Peter, the expression of whose features indicated the greatest anxiety. The king advanced to the Princess Ingeborg, who was seated by his mother's side, and, at his signal, the dancing ceased, the music was hushed, and the attention of all forcibly arrested.

"n.o.ble Princess Ingeborg," said the young king, aloud and solemnly, "inform Drost Peter Hessel that King Erik of Denmark can never forget what he promised his dead father; but that Denmark's future queen gives him the right to declare Sir Lave Little's pardon and freedom."

"Thanks, thanks, Erik!" exclaimed the little princess, springing up joyfully: "thou hast kept thy word, and enabled me to make my dear Inge happy." Then, turning to Drost Peter, she repeated to him the king's words, and led the astonished Inge into his arms.

Great was the joy of the faithful pair, in which all present seemed to partic.i.p.ate. At a signal from the king, the music again commenced; and, when the damsels began to sing--

"On Rypen streets the dance goes light-- The castle it is won!

There dance the knights so gaily dight-- For Erik the king so young!"

the hearts of Drost Peter and Jomfru Inge glowed with that same warm feeling of love for king and fatherland which first knit their souls together. They joined the giddy maze; and, whilst the damsels entwined the king and the dancers with a single long garland of flowers, Jomfru Inge, in her true knight's arms, sang with animation--

"So boldly dance we thus, I ween, With true hearts under scarlet sheen-- The kingdom it is won!

"Never saw I a rosy dance So gaily trode, and eyes so glance-- For Erik the king so young!"

THE END OF KING ERIK MENVED.

APPENDIX.

THE SWORD TIRFING.

The account of Hervor, the bold skioldmo, and of the sword Tirfing, mentioned at page 270, is to be found in the _Harvarar Saga_, or the story of Hervor. It was the translator's intention to have given this saga entire, to serve at once as a specimen of the character of the ancient literature of Scandinavia, and as a picture of the mind and manners of an extremely remote and barbarous age. Doubting, however, whether the saga, in all its integrity, would possess any great interest to the present matter-of-fact age, he has limited himself to such an abstract of it as will give a tolerable idea of its nature and contents.

In its present form, the saga is supposed to have been compiled in the thirteenth century, though parts of it may date as high as the tenth.

Many of the persons mentioned are entirely fabulous, and several of the places have no existence. The only gleam of historical truth it contains, is probably in that portion which relates the battle of Angantyr and his brothers, on Samsoe, against Hialmar and Oddur, a similar account being given by Saxo of the twelve sons of Arngrim the Berserk. But to enter upon any critical investigation of this nature, would be obviously out of place on the present occasion.

The style of the original is rude and homely, and has evidently been cast in heathen mould. The quality most admired is courage; the greatest baseness, cowardice. The man of strength, courage, and sagacity is ever lord of the ascendant--chief of a band of vikings, or king of kingdoms--always a leader. In this and other sagas, we always find much romance and much heroism; but it must be acknowledged that both the romance and the heroism wear the cold hues of paganism, and want those warm tones of colour which render the old Christendom tales of chivalry so attractive.

The Turks and Asiatics came from the east, and occupied the north country. Their leader's name was Odin, who had many mighty sons. One of them, Sigurlami, possessed Gardarike (Russia), and fell in battle with the giant Thia.s.se. His son and successor, Swafurlami, once, while hunting, met with two dwarfs, whom he threatened to kill unless they made him a sword of the finest qualities. They brought him Tirfing, but informed him that it would kill its man every time it was drawn, that it would be the instrument of three of the most dastardly actions, and that it would, also, be his own bane.

With the aid of Tirfing, Swafurlami revenged his father's death on Thia.s.se, but was slain with his own sword by Arngrim the Berserk. This Arngrim was step-son to the giant Starkother, who had eight arms, and who was killed by Thor, for having abducted Arngrim's mother from her husband during his temporary absence. Tirfing now became the property of Arngrim, who bequeathed it to Angantyr, the eldest of his twelve warlike sons. Hiorvard, one of the brothers, made love to Ingeborg, the daughter of Inge, King of Sweden; but his rival, Hialmar the Brave, challenged him to a holmgang[48] on Samsoe. After Angantyr had wedded Jarl Biartmar's daughter, he sailed with his brothers to the place appointed. There, when the berserk phrensy came over them, they killed all Hialmar's men; but afterwards, when the latter and his foster-brother Oddur met them at the holmgang, they were all killed, after giving Hialmar a mortal wound.

Tirfing was now deposited in Angantyr's cairn or barrow. After his death, his widow gave birth to a daughter, who was called Hervor. From her childhood she proved herself of a belligerent and bloodthirsty temper; and having heard of her father's cairn on Samsoe, she dressed herself in man's clothes, and sallied forth in the company of vikings (pirates). One night she went alone to the cairns, where the country-people never ventured for fear of spectres, awoke with incantations[49] her father's ghost, and conjured him to give her Tirfing; which she obtained, but accompanied with the prediction that it would be the bane of her race. Under the name of Herward, she now visited King G.o.dmund of Jotunheim (the giants' country), and a.s.sisted the king to play at chess; but when one of his courtiers took Tirfing in his hand to admire it, she killed him with it, left the king's court, and, after spending some years as a viking, returned at length to her foster-father's castle. There she busied herself in womanly occupations, and was so beautiful that her fame extended to the court of King G.o.dmund, whose son, the famous Haufud, wooed her and became her husband.

Hervor had two sons, Angantyr, who resembled his father, and Heidrek, who did every one evil. On one occasion their father gave an entertainment, to which he did not invite Heidrek, who was brought up from home, with an old warrior, and, in consequence, he came to the king's court to spoil the mirth of the company. When he had succeeded in provoking a quarrel between two of the guests, until one killed the other, he laughed, and said, that the feast was never better than when the red liquor ran on the tablecloth. The upright Haufud ordered that he should be banished from the country, but gave him eight good counsels:--never to aid him who had defrauded his master; never to trust him who had defrauded his friend; never to let his wife visit her kin often, however much she might entreat him; never to tarry late with his mistress, nor to entrust her with his secrets; never to ride his best horse when he would make speed; never to bring up the child of a greater man, nor be ready to accept of his invitations; and never to have many thralls along with him as prisoners of war. If he gave heed to these instructions, he would be happy. Hervor gave him the sword Tirfing, to which his brother added a purse of gold, and accompanied him part of his way. Heidrek was most pleased with the sword; but when he drew it from its sheath to look at it, the berserk phrensy came upon him, and he slew Angantyr.

Heidrek repented the evil he had done, and lived for a s.p.a.ce of time in the woods; but still wis.h.i.+ng to be celebrated like his race, he repaired to the coast, where, in defiance of his father's advice, he first redeemed one who had defrauded his master, and then one who had murdered his friend. Thereupon he became the chief of a crew of vikings, was victorious, and soon became greatly renowned. By his bravery he set free Harald, King of Ridgothland, and received his daughter Helge in marriage, with half his kingdom. In a year of scarcity, the wise men declared that the n.o.blest child in the land must be offered in sacrifice. Heidrek promised to give his son, on condition that every man in the country should swear obedience to him; but, raising a great army, he captured King Harek, and sacrificed him and his men to Odin. This was the second base deed he had performed with the aid of Tirfing. Helge hanged herself in the hall of the Disar (G.o.ddesses). In a victorious expedition south to Hunaland (the country of the Huns), Heidrek took captive King Humle's daughter, Sifka; but after she had been for some time his mistress, he sent her home to her father, and she gave birth to a son, who was called Hlod.

Some time after, Heidrek married the beautiful Olofa, daughter of Ake, King of Saxland. Being absent on a voyage, he permitted her to go home to visit her parents; but when, one evening, he wished to take her by surprise there, he found her in the arms of a flaxen-haired thrall.

Heidrek contented himself with declaring the matter before a Ting, drove the thrall out of the country, and retained his wife's rich dowry. Thereafter he offered to bring up the son of King Hrollaug of Gardarike (Russia), and some time afterwards accepted his invitation to a sumptuous banquet. One day, when hunting with his foster-son, he begged the latter to hide himself, and thereupon returned, late in the evening, to his mistress Sifka, and confided to her that he had killed his foster-son. Sifka could not keep the secret, and Hrollaug caused Heidrek to be bound, along with the two niddings whom he had formerly redeemed. But Heidrek was set at liberty by his own people, whom he had placed in ambush; and after much bloodshed, Hrollaug at length learned that his son was safe and sound with Heidrek, and was reconciled to him, and gave him his daughter to wife.

Heidrek now ceased to make war, gave good laws, and was the best of chiefs. Twelve wise men were appointed to judge all important disputes, and to guard the hog of Freyr (the G.o.d of the sun), the divinity to whom, in particular, he sacrificed. Every one who offended against him was either to be judged by the twelve, or to propose to him a riddle that he could not solve. A herse (ruler of a province), named Gest of Ridgothland (probably Smaland), who had highly offended against Heidrek, was terrified at both ordeals, and implored Odin to aid him.

Odin showed himself before him, and proposed to go to the king in his stead. Odin proposed many riddles, having relation to natural objects, all of which Heidrek guessed; but when at last he asked him--"What said Odin in Balder's ear before he was laid on the pile?" Heidrek knew that it was Odin himself, and, having rebuked him, would have cut him down with his sword Tirfing, had not Odin transformed himself into a falcon, and flown away so swiftly that he only lost his train; which is the reason that the falcon ever since has worn so short a tail. In his flight Odin informed him, that, as a punishment for having broken his compact, he should be slain by his meanest thrall. Shortly after, when he had ridden out on his best horse, he was murdered in his sleep by some Scottish thralls.

His eldest son, Angautyr, avenged his death, and recovered Tirfing; but when his step-brother Hlod demanded half of his inheritance, a hard battle was fought between the two brothers. On Dunhede Mark many thousands contended against each other; the valley was filled with dead bodies, and the wounded were drowned in the streams of blood that flowed. Hlod and all his Huns fell, and Angautyr long continued King of Ridgothland.

The remainder of the saga is occupied with a variety of narratives, of comparatively little interest. What ultimately became of the fatal sword Tirfing is not mentioned; and we are left to infer, that, according to the prediction, it caused the extinction of the entire race of Hervor.

Many are the wonderful tales of swords in these old northern romances.

They were generally manufactured by the _dveryar_, or dwarfs, who were celebrated for their skill as smiths and jewellers. The sword sometimes owed its excellence as much to magic as to the temper and finish it had acquired at the hands of the workman. On Tirfing, certain runes or magic characters were engraved--a custom which was observed in the manufacture of swords for many ages. The sword of the celebrated Gustavus Adolphus was covered with a number of hieroglyphs and astrological characters, which have been the theme of many learned dissertations. The story of the sword Mimung, made by Velint (the prototype of Wieland the blacksmith), is a fair specimen of this cla.s.s of marvels.