Read The Guests of Odin for Free Online Page A

foster.
    At this time, Frodi’s kingdom included the lands of the Danes, which he had taken from the Skjoldung king Halfdan, although his young sons Hroar and Helgi had escaped and were in hiding. Frodi had many foes among the Danes and since they could not defeat him in war, they decided to challenge him to a duel. Starkad, who had just returned from his voyages, heard of this and he told the challengers that it was not fitting for men of lowlier station to duel with a king.
    The Danes went to a champion named Hami and offered him his own weight in gold if he would fight for them. When Hami found that the champion he had to confront was the ancient Starkad, he sneered at his foe and beat him to the ground with one blow of his fist. But then Starkad rose, drew his sword, and split Hami in half with one blow.
    After this, Frodi lorded it over the Danes until the brothers Hroar and Helgi came to his hall one night and burned it around his head. Thus they regained their kingdom.
    Ingjald succeeded Frodi, but he had none of the qualities of his father, giving himself up to feasting and drunkenness, showing no interest in warfare. Starkad was so disgusted by this he left the kingdom and sought service with the king of the Swedes. But when Starkad heard that Ingjald’s sister Helga was being courted by a goldsmith, he hurried back to the kingdom and drove the goldsmith away, after castrating him.
    Shortly after, a man named Helgi came and asked for Helga’s hand, and Ingjald agreed to the match on the condition that Helgi fight any rival suitor in single combat. Helgi met a challenge from a berserk named Angantyr, and offered to fight the man and his eight brothers. But on sober reflection and advice from Helga, Helgi went to Starkad.
    “Help me, Starkad,” he said .
    “For Helga’s sake, I will,” Starkad agreed, and told Helgi, “Return to Ingjald’s court. I will follow soon after.”
    Twelve days after Helgi left, Starkad followed, and yet they entered Ingjald’s hall at the same time.
    During the wedding, Angantyr and his brothers poured scorn on the aged Starkad, who stood on guard outside Helga and Helgi’s bower when the couple went to bed. Early the next morning, Helgi rose and dressed himself, but since daybreak had not yet come he went back to sleep. Starkad had not the heart to wake him, so he went to meet the champions on his own.
    He sat down on the hill that had been chosen for the battle and waited in the wind and snow. When Angantyr and his brother came, they found Starkad up to his neck in the snow. He leapt up at their approach, and they asked him, “Will you fight us singly or together?”
    He chose the latter and slew them all, despite taking seventeen serious wounds , from one of which his entrails hung out.
    Weak from the fight , he leant against a rock. A man went past and offered Starkad help, but the old warrior spurned him since he was one of the king’s bailiffs and lived by other men’s sorrows. Another man passed and also offered to help the warrior, but again Starkad refused, since the man had married a thrall and was in service to her master in order to free her. A woman passed, and offered help, but Starkad refused because she was a bondwoman who should have been at home caring for her baby. At last, a farmer passed driving a cart, and Starkad accepted his aid, and allowed him to bind his wounds.
    When Starkad returned to Ingjald’s hall, he burst into the bridal chamber. Seeing this, Helgi dealt Starkad a strong blow to his head. At this, Starkad was satisfied that, despite his failure to face Angantyr and his brother, Helgi was a fit match for Helga since he would face Starkad himself. He departed for Sweden again.
    Shortly afterwards, Ingjald was betrothed to Freyvar, daughter of Hroar, king of the Danes, and peace seemed assured between the two kingdoms. When Starkad heard that Ingjald was at peace with the slayers of his father, he went to Ingjald’s wedding feast in disguise.