Free Six Sagas of Adventure by Ben Waggoner (trans)

as I did then, and there’s no need to delay.”
    The king said, “Have you heard anything about this maiden?”
    Ketil answered, “Nothing at all, except for what I’ve already told you.”
    The king said, “I’ve heard that she is both wise and beautiful—and, as I’ve been told, that she is so haughty and proud that she wants no man to address her as a woman. She has been raised to kingship over a third of Sweden. Her seat is at Ullarakr, where she maintains a household like other kings. I’ve also heard it said that several kings have asked for her hand in marriage. Some she has had killed; some she has shamed in some way; some she has blinded, castrated, or had their hands or feet cut off; and she’s received them all with ridicule and disgrace. This is how she wants to discourage people from courting her. I can also see that this journey could turn out either way. If we manage to arrange this marriage, the journey will increase our fame—but otherwise, we’ll get shame and disgrace and be laughingstocks forever.”
    Ketil said, “Many men aren’t enough for you, even if they’ve been brought together for you in full. It’s completely ridiculous that you hardly have the confidence to propose to a woman. I think that the more arrogance she assumes, the more her ferocity will collapse once the time comes to put an end to it.”
    King Hrolf said, “Now that you’re questioning my courage about this journey, I’ll send you to Denmark to find my sworn brother Ingjald. I want him to make this journey with me.”
    Their conversation ended. Ketil went on his way to Denmark. Ingjald lost no time and traveled to meet King Hrolf. The king welcomed him warmly and told him his plan. Ingjald thought it was a good one, and said that with the king’s luck, they could expect their mission to turn out all right in the end.
    King Hrolf told Ketil his brother to stay at home and guard the kingdom. Ketil said, “It’s your decision, lord, but I’m astonished that you’re calling me worthless, since I’m not fit to join your retinue.”
    The king said, “Don’t think of yourself that way, brother, because you shall make the journey if we need you in a difficult situation. But first, we will put forth this proposal calmly and patiently, if we’re given the chance.” But Ketil was most unwilling, and predicted that it would go badly.
    King Hrolf set out on his journey, riding away from home with sixty men. Those men had been carefully picked, both for their courage and for their showy trappings of clothes and weapons. They rode away, as the road took them, and didn’t stop their travels until they came to Uppsala.

    CHAPTER VII

    Now the story turns to King Eirek. He had a wise and beautiful queen, who set great store by dreams. Her name was Ingigerd.
    One night, the queen awoke in her bed. She said to King Eirek, “I must have been thrashing around in my sleep.”
“You were,” said the king, “but what did you dream?”
    She answered, “I was standing outside and looking around, and suddenly I could look out over all Sweden and much farther. I looked towards Gautland, and I could see so clearly that I saw a huge pack of wolves running from there, and I thought they were heading towards Sweden. A huge lion was running ahead of the wolves. After it came a white bear with red cheeks. Both beasts seemed peaceful, with their hackles down. They howled, but not fiercely—but that seemed odd, given how quickly the animals were coming here, and how clearly I thought I saw them. There didn’t look to be more than sixty. I realized that they must be intending to come here to Uppsala. I thought that I called out to you to tell you about it, and at that moment I awoke.”
    The king said, “My lady, what do you suppose this means?”
    She answered, “When I saw the wolves, those were men’s fetches. [8] Since the lion ran ahead, that is a king’s fetch, and he must be their ruler. A white bear was running next to