no-one dared violate
his decision.

There was a man called Hergrim who was a giant dwelling in the rocks.
He carried off from Ymisland Ama the daughter of Ymir, and afterwards
married her. Their son Thorgrim Halftroll took from Joetunheimar Oegn
Alfasprengi, and afterwards married her. Their son was called Grim.
She had been betrothed to Starkath Aludreng, who had eight hands; but
she was carried off while he was away to the north of Elivagar. When
he came home he slew Hergrim in single combat; but Oegn ran herself
through with a sword rather than marry Starkath. After that Starkath
carried off Alfhild the daughter of King Alf from Alfheimar, but he
was afterwards slain by Thor.

Then Alfhild went to her kinsfolk, and Grim was with her there till
he went raiding and became a great warrior. He married Bauggerth the
daughter of Starkath Aludreng and set up his dwelling on an island
off Halogaland called Bolm. He was called Ey-grim Bolm. His son by
Bauggerth was called Arngrim the Berserk, who afterwards lived in Bolm
and was a very famous man.

II. There was a King called Sigrlami who was said to be a son of
Othin. His son Svafrlami succeeded to the kingdom after his father and
was a very great warrior. One day as the King rode a-hunting he got
separated from his men, and at sunset he came upon a big stone and
two dwarfs beside it. The King banned them with his graven sword from
entering the stone. The dwarfs begged him to spare their lives.

The King said: "What are your names?"

One of them said his name was Dvalin and the other Dulin.

The King said: "As you are the most cunning of all dwarfs you must
make me a sword, the best you can. The hilt and the grip must be of
gold, and it must cut iron as easily as if it were cloth and never
rust; and it must bring victory to whoever uses it in battle and
single combat."

They agreed to this, and the King rode away home.

And when the appointed day came, the King rode to the stone. The
dwarfs were outside, and they handed to the King a sword which was
very beautiful.

But as Dvalin was standing in the doorway of the stone he said:

"Your sword, Svafrlami, will be the death of a man every time it
is drawn; and moreover it will be the instrument of three pieces of
villainy; and to you yourself also it shall bring death."

Then the King struck at the dwarfs with the sword. But they sprang
into the stone, and the sword came down on it--sinking so deep that
both the