Sagan af Friðþjófi
The Saga of
Friðþjófr (Frith-thief) is
very special since it is quite known because of its whale-riding shape-changers
(no! : shape-jumpers or shape-dashers) witches. Some
even believe that they changed themselves into whales, which is wrong as you
shall see. It has two versions, a long and a short which carry exactly the same
name and only the short version is web-accessible in Old Norse, only the long
one is translated into English. I used Ben Waggoner’s recent translation of
both versions (together with two related sagas – it is largely worth the few
bucks it costs!) and Susan Granquist digged out of the internet a Google pdf
version of the Old Norse long version.
I transcribed
some ON parts of this long version, and translated it. When I did not see any
reason to criticize Waggonner’s scholarly canonical
translation, I just copied it. Buy Waggoner’s version and you will see how much
the choice of words can modify our understanding of the religious undercurrents
of the story.
It happens
that the same plot of two brothers opposing their sister’s love by magical means, and marrying her to a
powerful man, has been used in the more classical Víglundar
saga. There, the magical part is only hinted at but I’ll give it to you.
Friðþjófr
Saga ‘obviously’ belongs to a little spoken-of ‘transition Christian’ type. I
mean by that that it does not explicitly eulogize Christianity and deprecates
Heathenry. It simply shows how brutish have been the relationships among people
in Heathen times and that it was possible to offend a Heathen God with no
punishment. Friðþjófr is ‘fast’ in desecrating a
temple of Baldr, interrupting a blót to the Dísir,
putting (though not voluntarily) their temple to fire. Nevertheless, he will
show a typical (for these times) Christian mild and hypocritical behavior, and
he will become wealthy in a typical protestant good behavior, and finally get
his reward by marrying his love without a fight.
Here is
first a summary of what these sagas teach us about Heathen religion and magic.
The full
translation with the ON original is also given below.
[In
between [], my commentaries, (in between ( ) a few remarks on the meaning of
the words.]
ON RELIGION
Sagan af Friðþjófi inum
frœkna (long version)
[The hero is named Friðþjófr,
his lovely lady is Ingibjörg, his main opponents are
two brothers, the worse one is named Helgi. Chapter one describes the sanctuary dedicated to Baldr and the Dísir.]
There the
shore went somewhat above the western fjord. There was a large village. This
village was called Baldr’s pasture [I kept the proper
meaning hagi
which is not a meadow but precisely a pasture, a closed field for livestock]. There was a truce-place (a ‘sanctuary’)
and a large temple and around a large wooden fence. There was a large quantity
of *gods* [goð in Old Norse], though Baldr
was the most ‘held’ (supported).
There were
so much greedy zealousness from Heathen people that there should happen no hurt
(or ‘evil doing’), nor to **cattle** [fé in Old Norse] nor to humans. No dealings should here take place with women.
[* Note on goð : the
word *goð*, a plural, now masculine but anciently
neuter, means ‘God’ or ‘Gods’ (before Christianism),
it does not mean ‘idol’ as translated by Waggoner. It indeed must mean ‘idols’
for a Christian, but the text speaks as if the Heathen Gods had been here.]
[** Note on
fé : Cleasby-V. gives the only
meaning of ‘cattle’ for ‘fé’ but etymology leads to
accept also ‘property, money’ (de Vries).]
Helgi Belason (son of Beli, the former king)
early achieved to be a great ‘man of the blót’ (a worshipper). None of them
brothers was ‘friendbliss’ (happy with friends).
[Chapter 4 presents
an example of Friðþjófr’s lack of faith in the Gods.
He meets his sweet-heart in the Gods dedicated village where this is forbidden–
note however that the detail of forbidding such “dealings” might have been a Christian addition.
His lack of faith will be more obvious in the following.]
(Fridhthjof said, let us go) “to Baldr’s
pasture and amuse self with Ingibjörg.”
We will
risk it, I more care for Ingibjörg
favor than for Baldr (being) angry.
[Chapter 5 speaks of Baldr as being a ‘free
farmer’.]
… he said
to the king’s daughter: “You have given us a fine and fair welcome, and *farmer
Baldr* has not been bothered by us. But as soon as
you find that the kings (her brothers) have come home, spread out your fine
cloths on the hall of the Dísir, because it is the highest in the enclosure. We
will see that from our estate.”
[Chapter 9 shows
both Friðþjófr’s boldness toward
the Gods and a relatively detailed description of the way they have been
honored.]
… Þá spyrja þeir þat,
at konnungar væri í Baldrshaga at dísablóti. …
Siðan gekk Friðþjófr inn
ok sá, at fátt fólk var í
dísarsalnum. Váru konungar at *dísablóti*
ok sátu at drykkju. Eldr var á gólfinu,
ok sátu konur þeirra við eldinn ok **bókuðu goðin**, en sumar smurðu ok þerðu með dúkum.
… (he sees) konu Helga, er hon bakaði Baldr
við eldinn … (he clutches her) Fell
þá þat goðit
út á eldinn, sem hon hafði
bakat. Lýstr nú eldinum í
bæði goðin, en váru áðr smurð,
svá at logaði húsit.
… There they heard that the kings were at Balder’s pasture at *honoring the Dísir by a blót* [dísablót in Old Norse] …
Then Friðþjófr went inside and saw that some people were in the
hall of the Dísir. The kings were at honoring the Dísir by a blót and sat
drinking. A fire was on the floor and their wives sat by the fire, and with the
fire they **adorned [bókuðu in the text]** the God, and some anointed and
wiped (them) with clothes (the fabric). … (he sees) Helgi’s
wife who baked (= warmed) Baldr by the fire … [Friðþjófr clutches her] Fell then the God on the fire, the
one she was ‘baking’. Now stroke the fire at both Gods but they were beforehand
anointed thus the house took flame.
[*Note on
the dísablót. You can see that
the blót is here reduced to its sumbl
component. Its spiritual component is not alluded to.]
[**Note on
‘bókuðu’. Waggoner translates
bókuðu’ by “were warming,” using the context as
if it were equivalent to bakaðu (and, as found before,
‘goðin’, again
translated by “the idols”). The word bókuðu is obviously a third person plural, preterit of verb
‘bóka’. This
verb means either ‘to swear on the book’ or ‘to embroider’. The first meaning looks
so much like a Christian one that I prefer ‘to adorn’: the wives were adorning
the God, it seems by smearing an oily mixture on him (Baldr).]
[As opposing to Chapter
9, Chapter 10 insists a on that that ‘wicked’ Helgi is a Baldr’s devotee.]
What worse
pained king Helgi was that the Gods had been burned.
It was very costly to rebuild Baldr’s pasture as it
was before.
Friðþjófi Saga
ins frœkna (short version)
[The heroes have the
same names as in the long version – though not exactly the same social role. This
short version provides the same information as the long one, though less
detailed.]
… since there
is a large temple and blót honoring the Gods and a wooden fence around the
temple, and should there come together no women and men.
The king’s daughter
[Ingibjörg] said: Fast move you forward, Friðþjófr, you who wants to bring a host of fourteen in Baldr’s pasture.” He answered: “I don’t care of Baldr not
of your blót. Equally good to me is your speech-exchange here or at home.”
[Chapter 4 recalls
that the kings were blót, now seemingly to Baldr.]
He the asked them where the kings were, and he was told that they were
in Baldr’s pasture and were performing a blót to
their god.
It contains no religious detail.
ON MAGIC
Sagan af Friðþjófi inum
frœkna (long)
[The hero is named Friðþjófr, his lovely lady is Ingibjörg,
his main opponents are two brothers, the worse one is
named Helgi. Friðþjófr’s ship
is named Elliði. Magic starts at the end of chapter 5 and Chapter 6 expands
this description.]
Then they
(the brothers) they sent out for two seiðwomen, Heidi
and Hamglámu, and gave them property to send such a
fierce weather at Friðþjólfr and his men that they
should all be lost in sea. They worked seiðr and
brought themselves on a platform and together with galdrar (songs/howling) and
(actions of) sorcery …
[In Chapter 6, a
storm breaks out while Friðþjófr is sailing.]
Then Friðþjófr climbed up the mast and said to his fellows when
he came back down: “I saw a most wondrous sight. Big whales swim in rings
around the ship, and I suspect that we must be approaching some land, and they
want to prevent our landing.
“I see two
women on the back of the whales, and they must have caused this non-friendly-
storm with their worst seiðr
and galdrar.
Now we must check which is greater my hamingja or else their troll-shape (= their ‘trollness’). You must steer as straight as possible and I
shall thrash these un-witnesses with a cudgel.” And he said a vísa:
I see troll-women
two on the waves;
them Helgi had
here sent.
Them shall slice
asunder by the middle
Ellidi keel,
as out of the sea we glide.
It is said,
that they have added words (charms) to the ship Elliði
in such a way that she took knowledge at understanding human’s word … Friðþjófr grasped a
pole and leaped in the prow and spoke a vísa:
Hail Elliði!
Leaps on the wave
Breaks in the troll-women
Tusks and brow
Jaw-bones
In the difficult women,
Foot or both
In these demons!
At once, he
struck with the pole at one of the *shape-(she)jumpers
[hamhleypunni]*, and Elliði’s
keel stroke the back of another and both (were) back-broken.
[*Note on
the hamhleypunni
[= hamr-hleypunni].
The
usual way to speak of a shape-changer uses the verb verbe skipa (to divide,
to change) while the verb here used hleypa (to jump, to dash forward, to send). The witches do
not perform here a change of shape (or of skin : hamr means ‘skin, shape’) but as making their skin or shape
jump somewhere else. Anyhow, the context says they are riding the whales ‘in
their own skin since Friðþjófr recognizes two women.]
[Chapter 8 draws a
link between ‘ordinary reality’ and what happens during chapter 6.]
The
brothers had the farm at Framess completely burned.
But as they were at their seiðr, they fell off the seiðr-platform, and both (were) back-broken.
[**Note on ‘bókuðu’. Waggoner translates bókuðu’ by “were warming,” using the context
as if it were equivalent to bakaðu (and, as found
before ‘goðin’,
again translated by “the idols”). The word bókuðu is obviously a third
person plural, preterit of verb ‘bóka’. This verb means either ‘to swear on the book’ or ‘to
embroider’. The first meaning looks so much like a Christian one that I prefer
‘to adorn’: the wives were adorning the God, it seems by smearing an oily
mixture on him (Baldr).]
Friðþjófi Saga
ins frœkna (short)
[The heroes have the
same names as in the long version – but not exactly the same social role. This
short version provides the same information as the long one, though less
detailed. Chapter 3 provide
other details ont he way the witches work their
magic.]
They [the brothers] then burned the farm at Framness. After that they bought ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous) women so that they would call down a furious
gale on Friðþjófr and his men.
…
Then Friðþjófr travelled up the mast and to the top and said: “I
now see a very strange sight. A whale swims in rings around us, and should be a
land near us, and it wishes to prevent us to land: two women I see on the back
of the whales, blocking our course. Now we will find which might be better, my
good luck or their ‘trollness’, and we will steer
right at them.”
[Follows the same stanza
as in the longuer version: “Sé ek tröllkonur etc”]
At once he
encouraged his men, and it happened that, by his valor, they broke spine and
legs
of these
riders shape-(she)jumpers. At once, the sea calmed
down … [The
text no longer speaks of
Friðþjófr’s own magic.]
[Chaptee 4 reports the witches’
failure.]
Now there is to say that king Hringr [Ingibjörg’s bridgegroom] came to the feast and went at his wedding feast, and it has been
reported that these ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous)
women had fallen of their seiðrplatforms.
[Now the hero is Víglundr, his lovely lady is Ketilríð, his main opponents
are two brothers and their mother who is a friend of the witch Kjölvör. Magic takes place in chapter 12.]
A woman
living at Hraunskarðr was named Kjölvör.
She was very ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous) and
totally fallen to evil, she was non-friendly for everyone.
Them,
mother and sons all together, Þorbjörg, Jökull and Einar bought Kjölvör and gave her a hundred pieces of silver to destroy
the brothers Víglundr and Trausti by any
means that would please her …
It happened
in the autumn that both of his shipmen were sick by the galdr of Kjölvör …
Kjölvör
knew all this and climbed up on the house and waved her hood in easterly
direction and all at once the weather turned bad.
Víglundr … rowed so
vigorously that they reached land … [The text no longer alludes to Friðþjófr’s own magic.]
ORIGINAL ON TEXT AND
TRANSLATIONS
Sagan af Friðþjófi inum
frœkna (long version)
Chap 1.
Þar gekk strönd nökkur fyrir
verstan fjörðin. Þa
var bœr stórr.
Sá bœr var kallaðr
í Baldrshaga. Þa var griðastaðr
ok hof mikit ok skíðgarðr mikill um. Þa váru mörg goð,
þó var af
Baldr mest haldit. Þar var svá mikit
vandlæti gert af heiðnum monnum,
at þar skyldi engu grand gera, hvártki fé né
monnum. Engi viðskipti skyldu
við konur eiga þar.
There the
shore went somewhat above the western fjord. There was a large village. This
village was called Baldr’s pasture. There was a
truce-place (a ‘sanctuary’) and a large temple and around a large wooden fence.
There was a large quantity of
gods, though Baldr was the most ‘held’
(supported).
There were
so much greedy zealousness from Heathen people that there should happen no hurt
(or ‘evil doing’), nor to cattle nor to humans. No dealings should here take
place with women.
Helgi Belason gerðiz snemma blótmaðr
mikill. Ekki váru
þeir brœðr vinsælir.
Helgi Belason (son of Beli, the former
king) early achieved to be a great ‘man of the blót’ (a worshipper). None of
them brothers were ‘friendbliss’ (happy with
friends).
Chap 4.
… “Til Baldrshaga ok skemta sér við Ingibjörgu.” …
Þat skal nú á hætta, enda virði
ek meria hylli Ingibjargar en reði Baldrs”
(Fridhthjof said, let us go) “to Baldr’s
pasture and amuse self with Ingibjörg”
We will
risk it, I more care for Ingibjörg
favor than for Baldr’s angry.
Chap 5.
… mælti hann [Friðþjófr] við konungsdóttur: “Vel
hafi þér oss veitt ok fagrliga.
Hefir Baldr bóndi ekki
við oss ýfz. En near þér vituð
konunga heim komna, þá breiðið
blæjur yðrar á dísarsalinn, því hann er hæstr
hér á garðinum. Munum vér sjá þeta
af bœ várum.”
… he said
to the king’s daughter: “You have given us a fine and fair welcome, and farmer Baldr has not been bothered by us. But as soon as you find
that the kings (her brothers) have come home, spread out your fine cloths on
the hall of the Dísir, because it is the highest in the enclosure. We will see
that from our estate.”
Siðan sendu þeir eptir seiðkonum tveim, Heidi ok Hamglámu, ok gáfu þeim fé
til, at þær sendi veðr svá
stórt at Friðþjólfi ok mönnun hans, at þeir týndiz allir
í hafi. Þær
efldu seiðin ok fœrðuz á hjallinn með göldrum of gerningum.
Then they
(the brothers) they sent out for two seiðwomen, Heidi
ok Hamglámu, and gave them property to send such a
fierce weather at Friðþjólfr and his men that they
should all be lost in sea. They worked seiðr and
brought themselves on a platform and together with ‘galdrar
(songs/howling) and (actions of) sorcery …
At once, he
struck with the pole at one of the shape-(she)jumpers,
and Elliði’s keel stroke the back of another and both
(were) back-broken.
Chap. 6
Þá fór Friðþjófr í tré upp
ok sagði félögum sínum, er hann
kom ofan : “Ek leit mjök undarliga
syn. Stórhveli lagðiz í hring um skipit,
ok er mér grunr, ar vér
komnir nærri landi einhverju, ok mun hann vilja
banna oss landit …
Then Friðþjófr climbed up the mast and said to his fellows when
he came back down: “I saw a most wondrous sight. Big whales swim in rings
around the ship, and I suspect that we must be approaching some land, and they
want to prevent our landing.
Konur sé ek II á baki hvalnum, ok munu þær valda
þessum úfriðarstormi með sínum versta
seið ok göldrum. Nú skulu vér
til reyna, hvárt meira má
hamingja vár eða trollskapr þeirra. Ok skulu þit stýra at sem
beinast, en ek skal með lurkum
lemja þessa úvætti.” Ok kvað vísu:
Women I see
2 on the back of the whales, and they must have caused this non-friendly- storm
with their worst seiðr and galdrar.
Now we must check which is greater my hamingja or
else their troll-shape (= their ‘trollness’). You
must steer as straight as possible and I shall thrash these un-witnesses with a
cudgel.” And he said a vísa:
Sé ek trollkonur
tvær á baru
;
þær hefir Helgi
hingat sendar.
Þeim skal sníða
sundr í miðju
hrygg Elliði,
áðr af hafi
skríðr.
I see
troll-women
two on the
waves;
them Helgi had
here sent.
Them
shall slice
asunder by
the middle
Ellidi
keel,
as out of
the sea we glide.
Svá er sagt, at þau atkvæði hafi
fylgt skipinu Elliða, at þat hefði kunnat at skilja mannz mál
… Friðþjófr greip fork einn ok hljóp í
framstafninn ok kvað vísu:
It is said,
that they have added words (charms) to the ship Elliði
in such a way that she took knowledge at understanding human’s word … Friðþjófr grasped a
pole and leaped in the prow and spoke a visa:
Heill Elliði!
Hlaup á báru!
brjóttu í trollkonum
tennr ok enni,
kinnr ok kjálka
í konu vándri,
fót eða báða
í flagði þessu!
Siðan hann forkinum at annari hamhleypunni, en barð Elliða kom
á htygg annari ok brotnaði hryggrinn í báðum.
Hail Elliði!
Leaps on
the wave
Breaks in
the troll-women
Tusks and
brow
Jaw-bones
In the
difficult women,
Foot or
both
In these
demons!
At once, he
struck with the pole at one of the shape-(she)jumpers,
and Elliði’s keel stroke the back of another and both
(were) back-broken.
Chap. 8.
Létu tteir brœðr brenna allan
bœinn á Framnesi. En er þær váru at seiðnum, duttu þær ofan
af seiðhjallinum, ok brotnaði hryggrinn í báðum.
The
brothers had the farm at Framess completely burned.
But as they were at their seiðr, they fell off the seiðr-platform, and both (were) back-broken.
Chap. 9
… Þá spyrja þeir þat,
at konnungar væri í Baldrshaga at dísablóti. …
Siðan gekk Friðþjófr inn
ok sá, at fátt fólk var í
dísarsalnum. Váru konungar at *dísablóti*
ok sátu at drykkju. Eldr var á gólfinu,
ok sátu konur þeirra við eldinn ok **bókuðu goðin**, en sumar smurðu ok þerðu með dúkum.
… (he sees) konu Helga, er hon bakaði Baldr
við eldinn … (he clutches her) Fell
þá þat goðit
út á eldinn, sem hon hafði
bakat. Lýstr nú eldinum í
bæði goðin, en váru áðr smurð,
svá at logaði húsit.
… There they heard that the kings were at Balder’s pasture at honoring the Dísir by a blót …
Then Friðþjófr went inside and saw that some people were in the
hall of the Dísir. The kings were at honoring the Dísir by a blót and sat
drinking. A fire was on the floor and their wives sat by the fire with the fire
and they adorned the God, and some anointed and wiped with clothes (the
fabric). … (he sees) Helgi’s wife who baked (=
warmed) Baldr by the fire … (he clutches her) Fell
then the God on the fire, the one she was ‘baking’. Now stroke the fire at both
Gods but they were beforehand anointed thus the house took flame.
Chap. 10
Þat fell Helga konnungi verst,
at goðin váru upp brend. Varð
mikill kostnaðr, áðr Baldrshagi varð upp byggrðr
til fulls jafnt ok áðr.
What worse
pained king Helgi was that the Gods had been burned.
It was very costly to rebuild Baldr’s pasture as it
was before.
Friðþjófi Saga
ins frœkna (short)
Chap. 2
… því at þar var hof
mikit ok goðablót ok skíðgarðr um hofit, ok skyldi þar ekki
saman koma konur ok karlar.
… since there is a large temple and blót honouring the Gods and a wooden fence around the temple,
and should there come together no women and men.
Konungsdóttir [Ingibjörg]
mælti: "Fast sækir þú, Friðþjófr, er þú vilt
halda hér fjórtánmenning í Baldrshaga." Hann [Friðþjófr] svarar: "Ekki hirði ek um Baldr eða
blót yður. Jafngóðir eru mér þínir málsendar hér sem heima."
The king’s daughter [Ingibjörg] said: Fast move you forward, Friðþjófr, you who wants to bring a host of fourteen in Baldr’s pasture.” He answered: “I don’t care of Baldr not
of your blót. Equally good to me is your speech-exchange here or at home.”
Chap 3.
Síðan brenndu þeir bæinn á Framnesi. Eptir þat keyptu þeir at fjölkunnigum konum, at þær gerði
æðiveðr at þeim Friðþjófi ok mönnum hans.
They [the brothers] then burned the farm at Framness. After that they bought ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous) women so that they would call down a furious
gale on Friðþjófr and his men.
Síðan fór Friðþjófr upp í tré
ok kom ofan aptr ok mælti: "Sá ek nú
mjök kynliga sýn. Hvalr einn
liggr í hring
um skip várt, ok vér eigum landa ván
nær oss, ok get ek hann vilji
banna oss landit, . Tvær konur
sá ek á baki
hvalnum gera oss fararbann. Nú munu vér
til hætta, hvárt meira má
gifta vár eða trölldómr þeira,
ok stýrum at þeim." Ok
þá kvað hann vísu:
Then Friðþjófr travelled up the mast and to the top and said: “I
now see a very strange sight. A whale swims in rings around us, and should be a
land near us, and it wishes to prevent us to land: two women I see on the back
of the whales, blocking our course. Now we will find which might be better, my
good luck or their ‘trollness’, and we will steer
right at them.”
(same
stanza as in the longuer version:)
“Sé ek tröllkonur etc.”
Síðan eggjaði hann fast sína menn, ok kóm
svá at með frækleik hans, at þeir brutu hrygg
ok leggi í hvárritveggi hamhleypunni. Síðan kyrrði sjóinn
…
At once he
encouraged his men, and it happened that, by his valor, they broke spine and
legs
of these
riders shape-(she)jumpers. At once, the sea calmed
down …
Chap. 4
Nú er
at segja frá því, at Hringr konungr kom til
veizlunnar ok gekk at brúðhlaupi sínu, en þat hafði orðit
til tíðenda, at inar fjölkunnigu konur höfðu fallit
ofan at seiðhjalli sínum.
Now there is to say that
king Hringr [Ingibjörg’s bridgegroom] came to the feast and went at his wedding feast, and it has been
reported that these ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous)
women had fallen of their seiðrplatforms.
Hann spurði
þá at, hvar konungarnir váru, en honum var sagt,
at þeir væri í Baldrshaga ok
blótuðu goð sín.
He the asked them where the
kings were, and he was told that they were in Baldr’s
pasture and were performing a blót to their god.
Chap. 12
Kjölvör hét kona er bjó
í Hraunskarði. Hún var fjölkunnig mjög og að öllu illa
fallin, harðla óvinsæl við alþýðu manna …
Þau mæðgin öll saman, Þorbjörg, Jökull og Einar, keyptu að Kjölvöru
og gáfu henni til hundrað silfurs
að hún skyldi
fyrirkoma þeim bræðrum Víglundi og Trausta með einhverjum
gerningum eftir því sem hún
sæi ráð …
A woman
living at Hraunskarðr was named Kjölvör.
She was very ‘very-knowledgeable’ (sorcerous) and
totally fallen to evil, she was non-friendly for everyone.
Them,
mother and sons all together, Þorbjörg, Jökull and Einar bought Kjölvör and gave her a hundred pieces of silver to destroy
the brothers Víglundr and Trausti by any means
that would please her …
Það bar til að liðsmenn hans
báðir sýktust um haustið af göldrum
Kjölvarar … Allt vissi Kjölvör þetta
og fór upp á hús og veifði kofra
sínum í austurætt
og þykknaði skjótt veðrið.
It happened
in the autumn that both of his shipmen were sick by the galdr of Kjölvör …
Kjölvör
knew all this and climbed up on the house and waved her hood in easterly
direction and all at once the weather turned bad.
Víglundr … rær svo sterklega að hann
nær landi …
Víglundr … rowed so
vigorously that they reached land …