. I
have also to thank many friends in St Andrews and Cambridge for
help which they have kindly given to me in various ways, including
Professor Lawson, Dr Maitland Anderson and the staffs of the two
University Libraries, and Mr B. Dickins. Especially I wish to thank
Professor Chadwick to whom I am indebted for constant help and advice
throughout the book.

N. K.

_2 November, 1920._

Table of Contents

PART I

SAGAS
PAGE
General Introduction 3
The Thattr of Nornagest 11
The Thattr of Soerli 38
The Saga of Hromund Greipsson 58
The Saga of Hervoer and Heithrek 79
Appendix to Part I (The Combat at Samso
and Hjalmar's Death Song) 144

PART II

BALLADS

General Introduction 153
Griplur I 171
The Faroese Ballad of Nornagest 176
The Faroese Ballad of Hjalmar and Angantyr 182
The Danish Ballad of Angelfyr and Helmer 186
The Faroese Ballad of Arngrim's Sons 193
The Faroese Riddle Ballad (Gatu Rima) 212
The Shetland Ballad of Hildina 217

Notes 220
List of editions and translations 254

TO MY SISTER

PART I

SAGAS

THE SAGAS

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

The following stories are taken from the _Fornaldarsoegur Northrlanda_,
or 'Stories of Ancient Times relating to the countries of the
North'--a collection of Sagas edited by Rafn in 1829-30 and re-edited
by Valdimar Asmundarson in 1886-1891. The stories contained in this
collection deal almost exclusively with times anterior to Harold the
Fairhaired (c. 860-930) and the colonisation of Iceland, and stop
therefore where the better known stories relating to Iceland and the
historical kings of Norway begin. Some of them relate to persons and
events of the ninth century, while others are concerned with times
as remote as the fourth or fifth centuries. Their historical value is
naturally far inferior to that of the _Islendinga Soegur_, or 'Stories
of Icelanders' and the _Konunga Soegur_, or 'Stories of the Kings.'

From the literary point of view also the 'Stories of Ancient Times'
are generally much inferior to the others. The 'Stories of Icelanders'
are derived