Now the tale tells that Helgi in his warring
met a king hight Hunding, a mighty king, and lord of many men and many
lands; they fell to battle together, and Helgi went forth mightily, and
such was the end of that fight that Helgi had the victory, but King Hunding
fell and many of his men with him; but Helgi is deemed to have grown greatly
in fame because he had slain so mighty a king.
Then the sons of Hunding draw together a great army
to avenge their father. Hard was the fight betwixt them; but Helgi goes
through the folk of those brothers unto their banner, and there slays
these sons of Hunding, Alf and Eyolf, Herward and Hagbard, and wins
there a great victory.
Now as Helgi fared from the fight he met a many women
right fair and worthy to look on, who rode in exceeding noble array;
but one far excelled them all; then Helgi asked them the name of that
their lady and queen, and she named herself Sigrun, and said she was
daughter of King Hogni.
Then said Helgi, "Fare home with us: good welcome shall
ye have!"
Then said the king's daughter, "Other work lies before
us than to drink with thee."
"Yea, and what work, king's daughter?" said Helgi.
She answers, "King Hogni has promised me to Hodbrod,
the son of King Granmar, but I have vowed a vow that I will have him
to my husband no more than if he were a crow's son and not a king's;
and yet will the thing come to pass, but and if thou standest in the
way thereof and goest against him with an army, and takest me away withal;
for verily with no king would I rather bide on bolster than with thee."
"Be of good cheer, king's daughter," says he, "for certes
he and I shall try the matter, or ever thou be given to him; yea, we
shall behold which may prevail against the other; and hereto I pledge
my life."
Thereafter, Helgi sent men with money in their hand
to summon his folk to him, and all his power is called together to Red-Berg:
and there Helgi abode till such time as a great company came to him
from Hedinsey; and therewithal came mighty power from Norvi Sound aboard
great and fair ships. Then King Helgi called to him the captain of his
ships, who was hight Leif, and asked him if he had told over the tale
of his army.
"A thing not easy to tell, lord," says he, "on the ships
that came out of Norvi Sound are twelve thousand men, and otherwhere
are half as many again."
Then bade King Helgi turn into the firth, called Varin's
firth, and they did so: but now there fell on them so fierce a storm
and so huge a sea, that the beat of the waves on board and bow was to
hearken to like as the clashing together of high hills broken.
But Helgi bade men fear naught, nor take in any sail,
but rather hoist every rag higher than heretofore; but little did they
miss of foundering or ever they made land; then came Sigrun, daughter
of King Hogni, down on to the beach with a great army, and turned them
away thence to a good haven called Gnipalund; but the landsmen see what
has befallen and come down to the sea-shore. The brother of King Hodbrod,
lord of a land called Swarin's Cairn, cried out to them, and asked them
who was captain over that mighty army. Then up stands Sinfjotli, with
a helm on his head, bright shining as glass, and a byrny as white as
snow; a spear in his hand, and thereon a banner of renown, and a gold-
rimmed shield hanging before him; and well he knew with what words to
speak to kings --
"Go thou and say, when thou hast made an end of feeding
thy swine and thy dogs, and when thou beholdest thy wife again, that
here are come the Volsungs, and in this company may King Helgi be found,
if Hodbrod be fain of finding him, for his game and his joy it is to
fight and win fame, while thou art kissing the handmaids by the fire-side."
Then answered Granmar, "In nowise knowest thou how to
speak seemly things, and to tell of matters remembered from of old,
whereas thou layest lies on chiefs and lords; most like it is that thou
must have long been nourished with wolf-meat abroad in the wild-woods,
and has slain thy brethren; and a marvel it is to behold that thou darest
to join thyself to the company of good men and true, thou, who hast
sucked the blood of many a cold corpse."
Sinfjotli answered, "Dim belike is grown thy memory
now, of how thou wert a witch-wife on Varinsey, and wouldst fain have
a man to thee, and chose me to that same office of all the world; and
how thereafter thou wert a Valkyria (1) in Asgarth, and it well- nigh
came to this, that for thy sweet sake should all men fight; and nine
wolf whelps I begat on thy body in Lowness, and was the father to them
all."
Granmar answers, "Great skill of lying hast thou; yet
belike the father of naught at all mayst thou be, since thou wert gelded
by the giant's daughters of Thrasness; and lo thou art the stepson of
King Siggeir, and were wont to lie abroad in wilds and woods with the
kin of wolves; and unlucky was the hand wherewith thou slewest thy brethren
making for thyself an exceeding evil name."
Said Sinfjotli, "Mindest thou not then, when thou were
stallion Grani's mare, and how I rode thee an amble on Bravoli, and
that afterwards thou wert giant Golnir's goat herd?"
Granmar says, "Rather would I feed fowls with the flesh
of thee than wrangle any longer with thee."
Then spake King Helgi, "Better were it for ye, and a
more manly deed, to fight, rather than to speak such things as it is
a shame even to hearken to; Granmar's sons are no friends of me and
of mine, yet are they hardy men none the less."
So Granmar rode away to meet King Hodbrod, at a stead
called Sunfells, and the horses of the twain were named Sveipud and
Sveggjud. The brothers met in the castle-porch, and Granmar told Hodbrod
of the war-news. King Hodbrod was clad in a byrny, and had his helm
on his head; he asked --
"What men are anigh, why look ye so wrathful?"
Granmar says, "Here are come the Volsungs, and twelve
thousand men of them are afloat off the coast, and seven thousand are
at the island called Sok, but at the stead called Grindur is the greatest
company of all, and now I deem withal that Helgi and his fellowship
have good will to give battle."
Then said the king, "Let us send a message through all
our realm, and go against them, neither let any who is fain of fight
sit idle at home; let us send word to the sons of Ring, and to King
Hogni, and to Alf the Old, for they are mighty warriors."
So the hosts met at Wolfstone, and fierce fight befell
there; Helgi rushed forth through the host of his foes, and many a man
fell there; at last folk saw a great company of shield-maidens, like
burning flames to look on, and there was come Sigrun, the king's daughter.
Then King Helgi fell on King Hodbrod, and smote him, and slew him even
under his very banner; and Sigrun cried out --
"Have thou thanks for thy so manly deed! Now shall we
share the land between us, and a day of great good hap this is to me,
and for this deed shalt thou get honour and renown, in that thou hast
felled to earth so mighty a king."
So Helgi took to him that realm and dwelt there long,
when he had wedded Sigrun, and became a king of great honour and renown,
though he has naught more to do with this story.