The Hervarar Saga ok Heiðreks on Nornagest

Stories And Ballads > Part I > The TháTtr Of Nornagest

• attestation: Guest's father was Thorth the Contentious, a Dane who lived at Groening in Denmark

  "My father's name was Thorth. He was a Dane and was called 'The Contentious,' and lived at a place called Groening in Denmark."

• attestation: Guest had been prime-signed but not baptised and could play the harp and tell stories

  "Guest said that he had been prime-signed but not baptised."

• attestation: Guest arrived in the third year of King Olaf's reign, long before Emperor Otto's time

  "it was a long time before the Emperor Otto burnt the Dane-work and forced King Harold Gormsson and Earl Haakon the Heathen to become Christians."

• attestation: The elf's remark about the bolt was because Guest had crossed himself but was still a heathen

  "The reason for the elf's remark about the bolt was that Guest had crossed himself, that evening like other men, but was in reality still a heathen."

• attestation: Guest was unimpressed by the ring, implying he had seen finer gold

  "He was not much impressed with the treasure, and made no remarks about it"

• attestation: Guest wagered with the King's men about having seen finer gold than the ring Hnituth

  "Will you agree to wager with us that you have seen gold as good as this, and prove it? We will stake four marks in current coin against your knife and belt"

• attestation: Guest played the harp rendering The Harping of Gunnar and the ancient Wiles of Guthrun

  "Guest took his harp and played it well till far into the evening, so that it was a joy to all who heard him. What he rendered best was The Harping of Gunnar; and last of all he played the ancient Wiles of Guthrun"

• attestation: Guest produced a piece of gold from a pouch, which was a piece of Grani's saddle girth buckle

  "he felt in a pouch which he had with him, and took out of it a fob"

• attestation: Guest insisted the wager stand despite the King's advice to drop it

  "My wish is," replied Guest, "that the whole agreement should stand.""

• attestation: Guest traveled south to the land of the Franks to see Prince Sigurth son of Sigmund

  "I went south into the land of the Franks. I wanted to see for myself what sort of a prince Sigurth the son of Sigmund was"

• attestation: Nornagest was present during Sigurth's campaign and was known to King Hjalprek from Denmark

  "I was present too, and they called me Nornagest. King Hjalprek had got to know me when he was in Denmark with Sigmund"

• attestation: Guest showed a lock from Grani's tail that was seven ells long as proof of the horse's great size

  "Then Guest showed the lock and it was seven ells long."

• attestation: Guest was briefly with the sons of Lothbrok during a southern expedition near the Alps when they destroyed Vifilsborg

  "I was only with them for a short time; I joined them when they were making an expedition to the south in the neighbourhood of the Alps, and when they destroyed Vifilsborg."

• attestation: Guest was with Harold the Fairhaired at the Battle of Hafrsfjord

  "Were you ever with the sons of Lothbrok?"

• attestation: Guest was named Norna-gest because of the Norns' visit at his birth at Groening

  "Now I must tell you why I am called Norna-gest."

• attestation: The first two Norns prophesied that the boy would be a great favourite of Fortune

  "they foretold that I should be a favourite of Fortune, and a greater man than any of my kindred or forbears"

• attestation: The youngest Norn ordained that the boy should live no longer than a candle beside him burned

  "'For I ordain that the boy shall live no longer than that candle burns which is alight beside him.'"

• attestation: The eldest spae-wife extinguished the candle and gave it to the mother to preserve until the last day

  "Then the eldest spae-wife took the candle and extinguished it and bade my mother take charge of it and not light it until the last day of my life."

• attestation: Guest came to King Olaf because he wanted to be baptised, carrying the life-candle with him

  "When I was full-grown, my mother gave me the candle to take charge of: I have it with me now."

• attestation: Guest was raised at Groening, where his father was a wealthy man who kept house in great style

  "I was brought up at my father's home at a place called Groening. My father was a wealthy man and kept house in great style."

• attestation: Two candles were burning above the infant when the Norns came to prophesy

  "I was lying in my cradle when the time came for them to prophesy about me, and two candles were burning above me."