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Viking Tales of the North

Fridthjof's Saga

Canto XIII

Page 1

Balder’s Pyre.

Midnights sun, all blood-red bright,
Far-off hills, o’erbended;
It was not day, it was not night,
Between them ‘twas suspended.

II.

Badler’s pyre, of the sun a mark,
        Holy hearth red staineth;
Yet, soon dies its last faint spark,
        Darkly then Hoder reigneth.

III.

Ancient priests around the temple-wall
        Stood, and the pile-brands shifted;
Silver-bearded and pale, they all
        Flint-knives in hard hands lifted.

IV.

Helge, crown’d, standeth them beside,
        Help ‘mid the circle proff’ring.
Hark! then clatter, at midnight’s tide,
        Arms in the grove of off’ring.

V.

“Bjorn, the door hold close, man — so!
        Pris’ners they’ll all obey me;
Out or in whoe’er would go,
        Cleave his skull I pray thee!”

VI.

Pale waxeth Helge, — that voice too well
        Knows he, and what presaging.
Froth trod Fridthjof, and dark words fell
        Storm-like in autumn raging.

VII.

“Here’s the tribute, prince, thy breath
        Order’d from western waters;
Take it, then for life or death
        Fight we at Balder’s altars!

VIII.

“Back shield-covered, my bosom bare,
        Nought shall unfair be reckon’d.
First, as king, strike thou! (1) Beware,
        Mind, for I strike the second.

IX.

“Yonder door! — nay, gaze, fool, here!
        Caught in his hole the fox is;
Think of Framness, and Ing’borg dear,
        Fam’d that for golden locks is!”

X.

So his hero-accents rang;
        Th’ purse from his belt then freely
Drew he, and careless enough it flang
        Right at the son of Bele.

XI.

Blood from his mouth gush’d out straightway,
        Streaming blackly splendent;
There by his altar swooning lay
        The asa’s high descendant.

ENDNOTES:

1. The challenged party had a right to strike first. — See “The Saga of Thorstein, Viking’s Son,” ch. IV, p.10. (chapter IV of the web version as well) Back

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