Many many years ago there lived
a king and queen who had one only son, called Sigurd. When the little boy
was only ten years old the queen, his mother, fell ill and died, and the king,
who loved her dearly, built a splendid monument to his wife's memory, and
day after day he sat by it and bewailed his sad loss.
One morning, as he sat by the
grave, he noticed a richly dressed lady close to him. He asked her name and
she answered that it was Ingiborg, and seemed surprised to see the king there
all alone. Then he told her how he had lost his queen, and how he came daily
to weep at her grave. In return, the lady informed him that she had lately
lost her husband, and suggested that they might both find it a comfort if
they made friends.
This pleased the king so much
that he invited her to his palace, where they saw each other often; and after
a time he married her.
After the wedding was over he
soon regained his good spirits, and used to ride out hunting as in old
days; but Sigurd, who was very fond of his stepmother, always stayed at home
with her.
One evening Ingiborg said to
Sigurd: 'To-morrow your father is going out hunting, and you must go with
him.' But Sigurd said he would much rather stay at home, and the next
day when the king rode off Sigurd refused to accompany him. The stepmother
was very angry, but he would not listen, and at last she assured him that
he would be sorry for his disobedience, and that in future he had better do
as he was told.
After the hunting party had started
she hid Sigurd under her bed, and bade him be sure to lie there till she called
him.
Sigurd lay very still for a long
while, and was just thinking it was no good staying there any more, when he
felt the floor shake under him as if there were an earthquake, and peeping
out he saw a great giantess wading along ankle deep through the ground and
ploughing it up as she walked.
'Good morning, Sister Ingiborg,'
cried she as she entered the room, 'is Prince Sigurd at home?'
'No,' said Ingiborg; 'he rode
off to the forest with his father this morning.' And she laid the table
for her sister and set food before her. After they had both done eating the
giantess said: 'Thank you, sister, for your good dinner--the best lamb, the
best can of beer and the best drink I have ever had; but--is not Prince Sigurd
at home?'
Ingiborg again said 'No'; and
the giantess took leave of her and went away. When she was quite out of sight
Ingiborg told Sigurd to come out of his hiding-place.
The king returned home at night,
but his wife told him nothing of what had happened, and the next morning she
again begged the prince to go out hunting with his father. Sigurd, however,
replied as before, that he would much rather stay at home.
So once more the king rode off
alone. This time Ingiborg hid Sigurd under the table, and scolded him well
for not doing as she bade him. For some time he lay quite still, and then
suddenly the floor began to shake, and a giantess came along wading half way
to her knees through the ground.
As she entered the house she
asked, as the first one had done: 'Well, Sister Ingiborg, is Prince Sigurd
at home?'
'No,' answered Ingiborg,' he
rode off hunting with his father this morning'; and going to the cupboard
she laid the table for her sister. When they had finished their meal
the giantess rose and said: 'Thank you for all these nice dishes, and for
the best lamb, the best can of beer and the nicest drink I have ever had;
but--is Prince Sigurd really not at home?'
'No, certainly not!' replied
Ingiborg; and with that they took leave of each other.
When she was well out of sight
Sigurd crept from under the table, and his stepmother declared that it was
most important that he should not stay at home next day; but he said he did
not see what harm could come of it, and he did not mean to go out hunting,
and the next morning, when the king prepared to start, Ingiborg implored Sigurd
to accompany his father. But it was all no use, he was quite obstinate and
would not listen to a word she said. 'You will have to hide me again,' said
he, so no sooner had the king gone than Ingiborg hid Sigurd between the wall
and the panelling, and by-and-by there was heard once more a sound like an
earthquake, as a great giantess, wading knee deep through the ground, came
in at the door.
'Good day, Sister Ingiborg!'
she cried, in a voice like thunder; 'is Prince Sigurd at home?'
'Oh, no,' answered Ingiborg,
'he is enjoying himself out there in the forest. I expect it will be quite
dark before he comes back again.'
'That's a lie!' shouted the giantess.
And they squabbled about it till they were tired, after which Ingiborg laid
the table; and when the giantess had done eating she said: 'Well, I must thank
you for all these good things, and for the best lamb, the best can of beer
and the best drink I have had for a long time; but--are you quite sure Prince
Sigurd is not at home?'
'Quite,' said Ingiborg. 'I've
told you already that he rode off with his father this morning to hunt in
the forest.'
At this the giantess roared out
with a terrible voice: 'If he is near enough to hear my words, I lay this
spell on him: Let him be half scorched and half withered; and may he have
neither rest nor peace till he finds me.' And with these words she stalked
off.
For a moment Ingiborg stood as
if turned to stone, then she fetched Sigurd from his hiding-place, and, to
her horror, there he was, half scorched and half withered.
'Now you see what has happened
through your own obstinacy,' said she; 'but we must lose no time, for your
father will soon be coming home.'
Going quickly into the next room
she opened a chest and took out a ball of string and three gold rings, and
gave them to Sigurd, saying: 'If you throw this ball on the ground it will
roll along till it reaches some high cliffs. There you will see a giantess
looking out over the rocks. She will call down to you and say: "Ah, this is
just what I wanted! Here is Prince Sigurd. He shall go into the pot
to-night"; but don't be frightened by her. She will draw you up with a long
boat-hook, and you must greet
her from me, and give her the smallest ring as a present. This will please
her, and she will ask you to wrestle with her. When you are exhausted, she
will offer you a horn to drink out of, and though she does not know it, the
wine will make you so strong that you will easily be able to conquer her.
After that she will let you stay there all night. The same thing will happen
with my two other sisters. But, above all, remember this: should my little
dog come to you and lay his paws on you, with tears running down his face,
then hurry home, for my life will be in danger. Now, good-bye, and don't forget
your stepmother.'
Then Ingiborg dropped the ball
on the ground, and Sigurd bade her farewell.
That same evening the ball stopped
rolling at the foot of some high rocks, and on glancing up, Sigurd saw the
giantess looking out at the top.
'Ah, just what I wanted!' she
cried out when she saw him; 'here is Prince Sigurd. He shall go into the pot
to-night. Come up, my friend, and wrestle with me.'
With these words she reached
out a long boat hook and hauled him up the cliff. At first Sigurd was rather
frightened, but he remembered what Ingiborg had said, and gave the giantess
her sister's message and the ring.
The giantess was delighted, and
challenged him to wrestle with her. Sigurd was fond of all games, and
began to wrestle with joy; but he was no match for the giantess, and as she
noticed that he was getting faint she gave him a horn to drink out of, which
was very foolish on her part, as it made Sigurd so strong that he soon overthrew
her.
'You may stay here to-night,'
said she; and he was glad of the rest.
Next morning Sigurd threw down
the ball again and away it rolled for some time, till it stopped at the foot
of another high rock. Then he looked up and saw another giantess, even bigger
and uglier than the first one, who called out to him: 'Ah, this is just what
I wanted! Here is Prince Sigurd. He shall go into the pot to-night. Come up
quickly and wrestle with me.' And she lost no time in hauling him up.
The prince gave her his stepmother's
message and the second largest ring. The giantess was greatly pleased when
she saw the ring, and at once challenged Sigurd to wrestle with her.
They struggled for a long time,
till at last Sigurd grew faint; so she handed him a horn to drink from, and
when he had drunk he became so strong that he threw her down with one hand.
On the third morning Sigurd once
more laid down his ball, and it rolled far away, till at last it stopped under
a very high rock indeed, over the top of which the most hideous giantess that
ever was seen looked down.
When she saw who was there she
cried out: 'Ah, this is just what I wanted! Here comes Prince Sigurd. Into
the pot he goes this very night. Come up here, my friend, and wrestle with
me.' And she hauled him up just as her sisters had done.
Sigurd then gave her his stepmother's
message and the last and largest ring. The sight of the red gold delighted
the giantess, and she challenged Sigurd to a wrestling match. This time the
fight was fierce and long, but when at length Sigurd's strength was failing
the giantess gave him something to drink, and after he had drunk it he soon
brought her to her knees. 'You have beaten me,' she gasped, so now, listen
to me. 'Not far from here is a lake. Go there; you will find a little girl
playing with a boat. Try to make friends with her, and give her this little
gold ring. You are stronger than ever you were, and I wish you good luck.'
With these words they took leave
of each other, and Sigurd wandered on till he reached the lake, where he found
the little girl playing with a boat, just as he had been told. He went up
to her and asked what her name was.
She was called Helga, she answered,
and she lived near by.
So Sigurd gave her the little
gold ring, and proposed that they should have a game. The little girl was
delighted, for she had no brothers or sisters, and they played together all
the rest of the day.
When evening came Sigurd asked
leave to go home with her, but Helga at first forbade him, as no stranger
had ever managed to enter their house without being found out by her father,
who was a very fierce giant.
However, Sigurd persisted, and
at length she gave way; but when they came near the door she held her glove
over him and Sigurd was at once transformed into a bundle of wool. Helga tucked
the bundle under her arm and threw it on the bed in her room.
Almost at the same moment her
father rushed in and hunted round in every corner, crying out: 'This place
smells of men. What's that you threw on the bed, Helga?'
'A bundle of wool,' said she.
'Oh, well, perhaps it was that
I smelt,' said the old man, and troubled himself no more.
The following day Helga went
out to play and took the bundle of wool with her under her arm. When she reached
the lake she held her glove over it again and Sigurd resumed his own shape.
They played the whole day, and
Sigurd taught Helga all sorts of games she had never even heard of. As they
walked home in the evening she said: 'We shall be able to play better still
to-morrow, for my father will have to go to the town, so we can stay at home.'
When they were near the house
Helga again held her glove over Sigurd, and once more he was turned into a
bundle of wool, and she carried him in without his being seen.
Very early next morning Helga's
father went to the town, and as soon as he was well out of the way the girl
held up her glove and Sigurd was himself again. Then she took him all over
the house to amuse him, and opened every room, for her father had given her
the keys before he left; but when they came to the last room Sigurd noticed
one key on the bunch which had not been used and asked which room it belonged
to.'
Helga grew red and did not answer.
'I suppose you don't mind my
seeing the room which it opens?' asked Sigurd, and as he spoke he saw a heavy
iron door and begged Helga to unlock it for him. But she told him she dared
not do so, at least if she did open the door it must only be a very tiny chink;
and Sigurd declared that would do quite well.
The door was so heavy, that it
took Helga some time to open it, and Sigurd grew so impatient that he pushed
it wide open and walked in. There he saw a splendid horse, all ready saddled,
and just above it hung a richly ornamented sword on the handle of which was
engraved these words: 'He who rides this horse and wears this sword will find
happiness.'
At the sight of the horse Sigurd
was so filled with wonder that he was not able to speak, but at last he gasped
out: 'Oh, do let me mount him and ride him round the house! Just once; I promise
not to ask any more.'
'Ride him round the house! '
cried Helga, growing pale at the mere idea. 'Ride Gullfaxi! Why father would
never, never forgive me, if I let you do that.'
'But it can't do him any harm,'
argued Sigurd; 'you don't know how careful I will be. I have ridden all sorts
of horses at home, and have never fallen off not once. Oh, Helga, do!'
'Well, perhaps, if you come back
directly,' replied Helga, doubtfully; 'but you must be very quick, or father
will find out!'
But, instead of mounting Gullfaxi,
as she expected, Sigurd stood still.
'And the sword,' he said, looking
fondly up to the place where it hung. 'My father is a king, but he has not
got any sword so beautiful as that. Why, the jewels in the scabbard are more
splendid than the big ruby in his crown! Has it got a name? Some
swords have, you know.'
'It is called "Gunnfjoder," the
"Battle Plume,"' answered Helga, 'and "Gullfaxi" means "Golden Mane." I don't
suppose, if you are to get on the horse at all, it would matter your taking
the sword too. And if you take the sword you will have to carry the stick
and the stone and the twig as well.'
'They are easily carried,' said
Sigurd, gazing at them with scorn; 'what wretched dried-up things! Why
in the world do you keep them?'
'Bather says that he would rather
lose Gullfaxi than lose them,' replied Helga, 'for if the man who rides the
horse is pursued he has only to throw the twig behind him and it will turn
into a forest, so thick that even a bird could hardly fly through. But if
his enemy happens to know magic, and can throw down the forest, the man has
only to strike the stone with the stick, and hailstones as large as pigeons'
eggs will rain down from the sky and will kill every one for twenty miles
round.'
Having said all this she allowed
Sigurd to ride 'just once' round the house, taking the sword and other things
with him. But when he had ridden round, instead of dismounting, he suddenly
turned the horse's head and galloped away.
Soon after this Helga's father
came home and found his daughter in tears. He asked what was the matter, and
when he heard all that had happened, he rushed off as fast as he could to
pursue Sigurd.
Now, as Sigurd happened to look
behind him he saw the giant coming after him with great strides, and in all
haste he threw the twig behind him. Immediately such a thick wood sprang up
at once between him and his enemy that the giant was obliged to run home for
an axe with which to cut his way through.
The next time Sigurd glanced
round, the giant was so near that he almost touched Gullfaxi's tail. In an
agony of fear Sigurd turned quickly in his saddle and hit the stone with the
stick. No sooner had he done this than a terrible hailstorm burst behind,
and the giant was killed on the spot.
But had Sigurd struck the stone
without turning round, the hail would have driven right into his face and
killed him instead.
After the giant was dead Sigurd
rode on towards his own home, and on the way he suddenly met his stepmother's
little dog, running to meet him, with tears pouring down its face. He galloped
on as hard as he could, and on arriving found nine men-servants in the act
of tying Queen Ingiborg to a post in the courtyard of the palace, where they
intended to burn her.
Wild with anger Prince Sigurd
sprang from his horse and, sword in hand, fell on the men and killed them
all. Then he released his stepmother, and went in with her to see his father.
The king lay in bed sick with
sorrow, and neither eating nor drinking, for he thought that his son had been
killed by the queen. He could hardly believe his own eyes for joy when
he saw the prince, and Sigurd told him all his adventures.
After that Prince Sigurd rode
back to fetch Helga, and a great feast was made which lasted three days; and
every one said no bride was ever seen so beautiful as Helga, and they lived
happily for many, many years, and everybody loved them.
Source : "The Crimson Fairy Book", Edited by Andrew Lang. Lang's Source : "Islandische Mahrchen"