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Prose Edda - Anderson Trans.
Extracts From Skaldskaparmal
Hogne and Hild
A king by name Hogne had a daughter by name Hild. Her a king, by name Hedin,
son of Hjarrande, made a prisoner of war, while King Hogne had fared to
the trysting of the kings. But when he learned that there had been harrying
in his kingdom, and that his daughter had been taken away, he rode with
his army in search of Hedin, and learned that he had sailed northward along
the coast. When King Hogne came to Norway, he found out that Hedin had sailed
westward into the sea. Then Hogne sailed after him to the Orkneys. And when
he came to the island called Ha, then Hedin was there before him with his
host. Then Hild went to meet her father, and offered him as a reconciliation
from Hedin a necklace; but if he was not willing to accept this, she said
that Hedin was prepared for a battle, and Hogne might expect no clemency
from him. Hogne answered his daughter harshly. When she returned to Hedin,
she told him that Hogne would not be reconciled, and bade him busk himself
for the battle. And so both parties did; they landed on the island and marshaled
their hosts. Then Hedin called to Hogne, his father-in-law, offering him
a reconciliation and much gold as a ransom. Hogne answered: Too late do
you offer to make peace with me, for now I have drawn the sword Dainsleif,
which was smithied by the dwarfs, and must be the death of a man whenever
it is drawn; its blows never miss the mark, and the wounds made by it never
heal. Said Hedin: You boast the sword, but not the victory. That I call
a good sword that is always faithful to its master. Then they began the
battle which is called the Hjadninga-vig (the slaying of the Hedinians);
they fought the whole day, and in the evening the kings fared back to their
ships. But in the night Hild went to the battlefield, and waked up with
sorcery all the dead that had fallen. The next day the kings went to the
battlefield and fought, and so did also they who had fallen the day before.
Thus the battle continued from day to day; and all they who fell, and all
the swords that lay on the field of battle, and all the shields, became
stone. But as soon as day dawned all the dead arose again and fought, and
all the weapons became new again, and in songs it is said that the Hjadnings
will so continue until Ragnarok.
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