se fell on him at his unwariest, when there were few
with him to withstand them, and brought so many against him, that they
prevailed against him, and there fell Sigi and all his folk with him.
But Rerir, his son, was not in this trouble, and he brought together so
mighty a strength of his friends and the great men of the land, that
he got to himself both the lands and kingdom of Sigi his father; and so
now, when he deems that the feet under him stand firm in his rule, then
he calls to mind that which he had against his mother's brothers, who
had slain his father. So the king gathers together a mighty army, and
therewith falls on his kinsmen, deeming that if he made their kinship
of small account, yet none the less they had first wrought evil against
him. So he wrought his will herein, in that he departed not from strife
before he had slain all his father's banesmen, though dreadful the deed
seemed in every wise. So now he gets land, lordship, and fee, and is
become a mightier man than his father before him.

Much wealth won in war gat Rerir to himself, and wedded a wife withal,
such as he deemed meet for him, and long they lived together, but had
no child to take the heritage after them; and ill-content they both were
with that, and prayed the Gods with heart and soul that they might get
them a child. And so it is said that Odin hears their prayer, and Freyia
no less hearkens wherewith they prayed unto her: so she, never lacking
for all good counsel, calls to her her casket-bearing may, (1) the
daughter of Hrimnir the giant, and sets an apple in her hand, and bids
her bring it to the king. She took the apple, and did on her the gear of
a crow, and went flying till she came whereas the king sat on a mound,
and there she let the apple fall into the lap of the king; but he took
the apple, and deemed he knew whereto it would avail; so he goes home
from the mound to his own folk, and came to the queen, and some deal of
that apple she ate.

So, as the tale tells, the queen soon knew that she big with child, but
a long time wore or ever she might give birth to the child: so it befell
that the king must needs go to the wars, after the custom of kings, that
he may keep his own land in peace: and in this journey it came to pass
that Rerir fell sick and got his death, being minded to go home to Odin,
a thing much desired of many folk in those days.

Now no otherwise it goes with the queen's sickness than heretofore, nor
may she