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1.
There was a king named Fornjot, he ruled over those lands which are
called inland and Kvenland; that is to the east of that bight of the sea
which goes northward to meet Gandvik; that we call the Helsingbight.
Fornjot had three sons; one was named Hler, whom we call Ægir, the
second Logi, the third Kari; he was the father of Frost, the father of
Snow the old, his son's name was Thorri; he (Thorri) had two sons, one
was named Norr and the other Gorr; his daughter's name was Goi. Thorri
was a great sacrificer, he had a sacrifice every year at midwinter; that
they called Thorri's sacrifice; from that the month took its name. One
winter there were these tidings at Thorri's sacrifice, that Goi was lost
and gone, and they set out to search for her, but she was not found. And
when that month passed away Thorri made them take to sacrifice, and
sacrifice for this, that they might know surely where Goi was hidden
away. That they called Goi's sacrifice, but for all that they could hear
nothing of her. Four winters after those brothers vowed a vow that they
would search for her; and so share the search between them, that Norr
should search on land, but Gorr should search the outscars and islands,
and he went on board ship. Each of those brothers had many men with him.
Gorr held on with his ships out along the sea-bight, and so into
Alland's sea; after that he views the Swedish scars far and wide, and
all the isles that lie in the East salt sea; after that to the Goth-land
scars, and thence to Denmark, and views there all the isles; he found
there his kinsmen, they who were come from Hler the old out of Hler's
isle, and he held on then still with his voyage and hears nothing of his
sister. But Norr his brother bided till snow lay on the heaths, and it
was good going on snow-shoon.After that he fared
forth from Kvenland and inside the sea-bight, and they came thither
where those men were who are called Lapps, that is at the back of
Finmark. But the Lapps wished to forbid them a passage, and there arose
a battle; and that might and magic followed Norr and his men; that their
foes became as swine[1]
as soon as they heard the war-cry and saw weapons drawn, and the Lapps
betook themselves to flight. But Norr fared thence west on the Keels and
was long out, so that they knew nothing of men, and shot beasts and
birds for meat for themselves; they fared on till they came where the
waters turned to the westward from the fells. Then they fared along with
the waters, and came to a sea; there before them was a firth as big as
it were a sea-bight; there were mickle tilths, and great dales came down
to the firth. There was a gathering of folk against them, and they
straightway made ready to battle with Norr, and their quarrel fared as
was to be looked for. All that folk either fell or fled, but Norr and
his men overcame them as weeds over cornfields. Norr fared round all the
firth and laid it under him, and made himself king over those districts
that lay there inside the firth. Norr tarried there the summer over till
it snowed upon the heaths; then he shaped his course up along the dale
which goes south from the firth; that firth is now called Drontheim.
Some of his men he lets fare the coast way round Mæren ; he laid under
him all whithersoever lie came. And when he comes south over the fell
that lay to the south of the dalebight, he went on still south along the
dales, until he came to a great water which they called Mjosen. Then he
turns west again on to the fell, because it had been told him that his
men had come off worsted before that king whose name was Sokni. Then
they came into that district which they called Valders. Thence they
fared to the sea, and came into a long firth and a narrow, which is now
called Sogn; there was their meeting with Sokni, and they had there a
mickle battle, because their witchcraft had no hold on Sokni. Norr went
hard forward, and he and Sokni came to hand- strokes. There fell Sokni
and many of his folk. |