Egil’s Saga by E. R. Eddison Page B

flight, and followed them long, and slew every man that he could catch.
    And now he turned back with the men of his company and fared thither where the battle had been, and there came upon Thorolf his brother, dead. He took up his corpse and washed it; and then did with it like as it was fit to do. Dug they there a grave, and set Thorolf therein with all his weapons and his clothes. After that, Egil clasped a gold ring 1 on either arm of him before he parted with him. And now piled they stones over him, and sprinkled earth. Then quoth Egil a stave: 2
    He that ne’er quail’d for terrors,
    The earl-man’s bane, went forth there:
    High-hearted, in the Thunder-God’s
    Huge clash fell Thorolf.
    Earth greens beside the Wina,
    For me, but this remaineth:
    To hide—(Hell’s sorrow is that!)—
    Grief for my noble brother.
    And again he quoth: 3
    West, with pil’d slain I loaded
    Field before the banners.
    ’Twas biting sleet I storm’d there
    ’Gainst Adils with my blue Nadder.
    With th’ Englanders young Olaf
    Thunder-crash of steel rais’d.
    Hring (so ravens starv’d not)
    Out-stay’d the Thing of Weapons.
    And now fared Egil with his company to find King Athelstane, and went straightway before the King where he sate a-drinking. There was great noise and cheer there. And when the King saw that Egil was come in, then spake he that room should be made for them on the lower bench, and spake, that Egil should sit there in the high-seat over against the King.
    Evil 4 sat him down there, and shot down his shield before his feet. He had helm on head, and laid his sword across his knees, and whiles he drew it halfway, and whiles he slammed it back into the scabbard. He sat upright, but his head was much bent. Egil was great of face, broad of forehead, with great eye-brows: the nose not long, but marvellous thick: that place wide and long where the moustachios grow: the chin wonderfully broad, and so all about the jaw: thick-necked and great-shouldered beyond the measure of other men: hard-looking and grim-like whensoever he was wroth. He was of goodly growth and taller than any man else: his hair wolf-grey and close of growth, and become early bald.
    Now while he sat as is afore-writ, he kept a-twitching now one now another of his eye-brows down toward the cheek, and the other up toward the hair-roots. Egil was black-eyed and his eyebrows joined in the middle. 5 Nought would he drink, though drink were borne to him, but twitched his eye-brows, now one now the other, down and up.
    King Athelstane sat in the high seat. He laid his sword too across his knees: and when they had sat so for a while, then drew the King his sword from its scabbard and took a gold ring from his arm, great and good, and drew it over the sword’s point: stood up and went upon the floor and reached it over the fire to Egil. Egil stood up and drew his sword and went upon the floor. He stuck the sword in the bend of the ring and drew it to him: went back to his place. The King sat him down in his high-seat. But when Egil sat him down, he drew the ring on to his arm, and then went his eye-brows into their right line. Laid he down then sword and helm, and took the beast’s horn that was borne to him, and drank it off. Then quoth he: 6
    The byrny’s god hath granted
    Gleaming thong of paw-tongs
    To hang for me on hawk-trod
    Hanging-tree of Vingi.
    On spear-storm fish’s gallows
    The snare of red gold mount I:
    The feeder of the battle-fowl
    To fresh lauds aredes me.
    Thenceforth Egil drank his share, and spake with other men.
    After that, the King let bear in two chests. Two men bare each. They were both full of silver. The King spake: “These chests, Egil, shalt thou have; and if thou come to Iceland, thou shalt bring this fee to thy father: as atonement for a son I send it him. But some of the fee shalt thou share with the kinsmen of thee and Thorolf, them that thou thinkest noblest. But thou shalt take here atonement for thy brother at mine hand, land