The Gesta Danorum (Books I-IX) on Grep

The Danish History, > Book Five.

• attestation: The eldest Grep attempted to court Gunwar, the king's sister

  "the eldest of those who shared the name of Grep, wishing to regulate and steady his promiscuous wantonness, ventured to seek a haven for his vagrant amours in the love of the king's sister"

• attestation: Grep committed adultery with Queen Hanund

  "Grep was contented with no humble loves; he broke out so outrageously that he was guilty of intercourse with the queen, and proved as false to the king as he was violent to all other men"

• attestation: Grep punished anyone who mentioned his adultery, making it dangerous to accuse him

  "Grep, by always punishing all who alluded in the least to this circumstance, had made it dangerous to accuse him"

• attestation: Grep obtained the right to judge Gunwar's suitors and killed them all, displaying their heads in her chamber

  "he first gathered all the wooers of Gunwar together on the pretence of a banquet, and then lined the customary room of the princess with their heads"

• attestation: Grep imposed a requirement that anyone seeking audience with the king must bring tribute

  "he decided that any opportunity of an interview with the king must be paid for, and gave out that no one should have any conversation with him who brought no presents"

• attestation: Grep challenged Erik to a flyting, opening with insults about his lineage and purpose

  "Grep heard of his coming, he hastened down to the sea, intending to assail with chosen and pointed phrases the man whom he had heard was better-spoken than all other folk"

• attestation: Grep inadvertently admitted to his affair with the queen during the verbal contest

  "I did not, as thou thinkest, beguile the queen, but I was the guardian of her tender estate. She increased my fortunes, and her favour first brought me gifts and strength"

• comparison: Erik's rhetoric was characterized by proverbial wisdom while Grep's was notable for stubbornness and impudence

  "Grep's eloquence was not so much excellent as impudent, for he surpassed all in stubbornness of speech"

• attestation: Grep threatened Erik with death for his reckless words during their exchange

  "Shameless boy, owl astray from the path, night-owl in the darkness, thou shalt pay for thy reckless words"

• attestation: Grep was defeated in the flyting by Erik and rode away in shame

  "At this Grep, shorn of his glibness of rejoinder, set spurs to his horse and rode away"

• attestation: Grep attempted to raise soldiers for a military attack on Erik after losing the verbal contest

  "he filled the palace with uproarious and vehement clamour; and shouting that he had been worsted in words, roused all his soldiers to fight"

• attestation: Grep resorted to sorcery, mounting a sacrificed horse's head on a pole to frighten Erik

  "he first put on a pole the severed head of a horse that had been sacrificed to the gods, and setting sticks beneath displayed the jaws grinning agape"

• attestation: Erik publicly exposed Grep's adultery with Queen Hanund through the flyting confession

  "He was smitten with shame for the adultery wherewith he was taxed; for since he could bring no defence, he confessed that he had committed it with thy wife"

• attestation: Grep attempted to kill Erik with a spear but Roller intervened and killed Grep first

  "Grep sprang up and ran forward to transfix Erik with a spear, wishing to buy off his own death by slaying the accuser. But Roller fell on him with drawn sword, and dealt him first the doom he had himself purposed"

• attestation: Grep's brothers challenged Erik and ten of his champions to combat

  "the brethren of Grep began to spring up and clamour and swear that they would either bring avengers upon the whole fleet of Erik, or would fight him and ten champions with him"