Svepparinga saga

Translator's Foreword
The chronology of events within the Saga of the Swepians has been of some controversy in relation to the exact timing of Níkanðor's settlement, however it can be bracketed as being shortly after the siege of The Last Bastion due to its likely mention within the saga as a recent event, and reversely as being prior to the acquisition of the writings by myself on the 28th of November. It is sometimes not always clear in the original text whether the author is speaking literally or using poetic metaphor, in such cases the passage is marked with a question mark within round brackets, thus: (?). This translation does not preserve the rhythm of those sections of the text that are in verse. The translation provided has been attempted to be as close to the original as possible within the bounds of the English language. Where it was found necessary to show the original term used by the author, it is placed in square brackets after its English translation, thus: [...].

= Svepparinga saga =

Níkanðor, who was called House-Builder [Húsamiður], was son of Ásmundur, son of Barði, and was born in the lands of Olavur Magnisonn during his reign. During the reign of Hróðvar Olavursonn he was in the company of the woodsman Bjarnar Dórsonn who he was with for some time. When Níkanðor desired to leave and build a home, he asked Bjarnar for timber and tools to the value of 20 heads of cattle. There was a dispute between the two regarding the age of some of the cattle and the two came to blows and the sharp Nikanðor injured Bjarnar, who later died in his home. The brother of Bjarnar, Hálmar, set a legal challenge against the short-sighted Níkanðor of manslaughter and, being guilty, he was removed from the lands of Hróðvar Olavursonn northwards into Sørligste [Syðst].

Níkanðor traveled through the lands of Sørligste and was there for a long time on his journey through wooded lands and hills before reaching the sea. The land was a wind-swept peninsula and so he made a journey east to get timber, where he cut down as many trees as stars in the sky (?) to build a ship to sail on. He remained on this task for a duration and did not go to the nearest structures, for fear of further banishment. When he finished his construction he launched his ship and sailed north-west with the prevailing winds for three days before making port at a town wherein he stayed for some days. Here he discovered from the local hearsay that a great fortress in the north in a land over the sea had fallen in bloody battle, and the house-building Níkanðor was dismayed by the prospects of settling a land ravaged by battle. In the morning he set sail again after restocking his water and food stores and bedding from the gifts of a nobleman with a feathered hat from the north who was called Invingar.

During his second voyage he was pushed by the currents northward into an ice field, where he called out for guidance from the sea, and so the icy winds expelled him from the icebergs. After this he traveled with the rising son behind him and passed many island with structures built on them and was set upon near the shore of the largest one by many revenants [afturgangur] who climbed over the gunwales of his ship to attack him. The sharp Níkanðor fought them back with a carpentry axe for some hours, but was forced to flee into the open sea out of sight of shore before another group of the wights [draugur] arrived. He drifted for a night on the open sea before finding his bearing when the sun rose in the east, which he put behind him as he clipped his sails for a headwind.

During the days, Níkanðor uses the path of the sun to keep his course true and straight, but during the nights, in storms and winds, his ship, even with the sails in irons, was thrown across the seas and became a wood-pigeon at the mercy of a hawk. So each morning the unrelenting Níkanðor reset his course east until, on the fourth day, he sighted land in the western sky set black on the horizon by the setting sun, but as the sky became black he lost it and was thrown again into a wicked-stream (?) [Vondustraum]. The following morning, after setting his bearing, he inspected his stores and observed he had used all his supplies and the sea-aged Níkanðor knew he would soon be dead if he did not reach land.

For the whole day, Níkanðor set his eyes only upon the west in hopes of sighting the foreseen land of the day before, and again in the waning hours of sunlight he saw the shape of land set against the sun before sinking over the horizon. In dismay, the long suffering Níkanðor wept and in his misery he had foregone adjusting the sails, and so as another wicked storm emerged from the night's sea his ship was further thrown than it had ever been before it's keel was caught by the waters and flipped the ship on it's underside, with Níkanðor holding desperately to it, realizing his foolishness. But immediately the waters were made calm, as all around him the maddened Níkanðor saw in the moonlight the shimmering of water as it rolled off the smooth body of a great sea-worm [sjóormur] that had spun itself around his ship and blocked for the moment the ravages of the sea.

The tall and long-toothed sea-worm looked down at Níkanðor and said to him "you like many others have spent countless days in the coils of my wicked-stream, but unlike the others you have yet to wither away and so have not fallen prey to my hunger. why do you sail into my house so well-supplied when there is nothing to seek in these open waters but my own gaping maw?". Having ceased his weeping, the quick-thoughted Níkanðor supplicated on his knees to the worm and replied "oh, mighty sea-storm, you are what I have been seeking, because I have heard tales of your greatness and I did not believe them, but these many days of torment from your indomitable currents has proven to me your awesome terror, o mighty man-slayer" and his response pleased the great worm greatly, who with terrible malice said "now your own mortal foolishness has lead to your demise, for my hunger is great and few travelers are as arrogant as you to challenge my wrath. What pity should I show to you?". Níkanðor, clever in his words, pleaded "do not show me mercy, for I have brought my own undoing, but instead allow me to become your thrall. I am called house-maker, and I will build a settlement on the edge of your realm where I can raise cattle and sheep for your hunger's satisfaction". The sea-worm, who's lust for domination was greater even than his hunger, feigned consideration before agreeing; "so it shall be, and neither you nor your sons nor your son's sons shall be made freedmen for as long as I live". The creature unwinded itself from Níkanðor's ship and rightened it before sending a huge wave that sent the ship and it's sailor as fast as an arrow (?) westward, and the impact of the speed caused Níkanðor to hit his head on the deck and to sleep.

When he awoke, the sun was halfway through it's arc towards it's highest point, and, standing up, Níkanðor saw clearly in the bright sun the land he had sighted in the west those two days prior and was filled with much joy before remembering the terrible bargain he had struck the night before. In both desperation and fear, he set his sails and went towards his promised land. He made landfall on the land and found it was a bountiful place of cattle and tall and nutritious mushrooms that he ate upon as soon as he set his foot down on the land, because they grew all the way down to the waterfront. He cried out with joy towards the skies "truly I have been blessed with a land of milk and honey".

After having satisfied his hunger, he went to the highest hill he could see and discovered that he had landed on an island, fenced by the sea, though rich in nourishment, yet devoid of trees and wood except for the old ruins of a previous settlement. The resourceful Níkanðor though used the beams and spars of his ship and the ruins of the old houses to create a shelter and used sod to carpet it's roof to keep the heat inside such that he had for the first time for a long time a comfortable rest. When night came however he was filled with dread, for he feared a return of the revenants that had harassed him before, and so emerged from his shelter to keep watch for them. On the north side of the island, he saw, in the swamps off the coast, a great many wights, and he was frozen with fear, but he observed that though they saw him and hungered for his meat, they would not come to his island, and indeed this was the case all the way round, for the island was protected from evil by the mushrooms that permeated its soil, and this brought the weary Níkanðor much confidence.

The following day, the quick-thoughted Níkanðor reassembled his ship and herded the cattle of the island until he separated a steer from the rest of them and bound its horns with rope to bring it with him. He waited until nightfall, and come night he could see a terrible storm on the edge of the sky, and he knew that it was the terrible sea-worm. He loaded the steer onto his ship and sailed out into the sea until he could just barely sight the island, where he stopped and called "Oh master, I have come with tribute for you, the first of many that shall come from me and my sons to be given to you, our rightful lord". From the waves, red with satisfaction, emerged the worm, who devoured the steer in a single bite, but as he did so he pulled back in disgust and anguish, for even the cattle of the island were intermingled with the mushrooms that protected it from evil, and the worm was wounded by their terrible taste. The sharp Níkanðor, seeing that his scheme had worked, turned and sailed back towards the island whilst the sea-worm roared in pain and foamed the sea like a great river, but soon he had recovered and was furious, so chased Níkanðor to kill him for his deception. The able Níkanðor caught the wind in his sails and speeded back towards land with the worm close behind him before his ship was beached upon its shores and he disembarked and ran on foot into a steep valley, where the worm, emerging from the water, slithered in persuit. But the mushrooms carpeting the ground were like poisoned arrows to the worm, who realized in terror that he would die if he did not flee back to the water, and so turned and ran, but the sharp Níkanðor saw and with his knife leaped onto the tail of the beast and drove his blade into its side and dug his heels into the soil to stop it. The terror wailed and thrashed but it's weakened body could not resist, so the beast shrieked again before falling down dead on the shore.

There, Níkanðor cut out the heart and liver and kidneys of the worm and burned them such that it was dead forever, and the rest of the body was taken by the mushrooms (?) and used as nourishment. Free of his contract, Níkanðor sailed north through the swamps and sighted a wooded shore, where he felled trees and returned with timber to build a farm in the valley where he raised wheat and cattle for himself, and lived in peace on the island and had nothing to be fearful of after.