But when King Angantýr heard this, he threw down his trencher on the board and rose and clad himself in his byrnie.
He took his white shield in hand, and grasped the sword Tyrfing with the other. Then there arose much din in the hall;
as is here said:
6. Rose outcry in hall; with the atheling stood up,
(the Gothic king, his goodly warriors:16)
they all fain would hear what Hloth did say,
and eke what answer Angantýr made.
Angantýr said:
7. “Hail to thee, Hloth, King Heithrek’s son
and my own brother! On bench sit thou!
In his hall let us drink Heithrek’s arvel
[the father of us, the first of mankind]
in wine or in mead— whiche’er worthiest seemeth.”17
Hloth said:
8. “Not hither came we from Hunnish lands
to share with you your wine and mead—
&
9. “The half will I have of what Heithrek owned,
of awl18 and of edge, of all the treasure,
of cow and of call, of quern harsh-grinding,
of thrall and of bond-maid, and those born of them,
10. “the mighty forest which is Murkwood19 hight,
the hallowed grave20 which in Gothland stands,
the shining stone which in Danpstead21 stands,
half of the war-weeds which Heithrek owned,
of lands and lieges and of lustrous arm-rings.”
[16. The gap supplied after the suggestion of Heusler-Ranisch.
17. This stanza and the following half-stanza are found only in one seventeenth century MS. However, it expresses the substance rather better than the Prose.
18. Thus the text. Possibly, the awl is taken as representative of peaceful pursuits. “Edge,” pars pro toto for “sword.”
19. This great forest is mentioned also in the Lay of Atli, 8, and in the Plaint of Oddrún, 23, as separating the land of the Niflungs from that of the Huns.
20. Bugge (Norrœne Skrifter, etc., 362) suggests that the “hallowed grave” refers to a burial place where the departed Gothic kings were interred; and the
“shining stone,” to a boulder in the high place of assembly of the Goths on which the newly chosen kings were acclaimed by the people.
21. I.e., “Stead by the Dniepr” (Latin Danaper), probably. It is mentioned also in Rígsthula, 49.]
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6. Rymr varð í ranni, risu með góðum;
vildi hverr heyra, hvat Hlöðr mælti
ok þat, er Angantýr andsvör veitti.
Þá mælti Angantýr:
7. "Heill kom þú, Hlöðr, Heiðreks arfi,
bróðir minn, gakk á bekk sitja;
drekkum Heiðreks hollar veigar
feðr okkrum fyrstum manna,
vín eða mjöð, hvárts þér vildra þykkir."
Þá kvað Hlöðr:
8. "Til annars vér en öl at drekka
hingat fórum [af Húna landi]
þigg-a-k, þjóðann, þínar veigar.
9. Hafa vil ek halft allt, þat er Heiðrekr átti,
al ok af oddi, einum skatti,
kú ok af kalfi, kvern þjótandi,
þý ok af þræli ok þeira barni;
10. Hrís þat it mæra, er Myrkvið heita,
gröf þá ina helgu, er stendr á Goðþjóðu,
stein þann inn fagra, er stendr á stöðum Danpar,
halfar herborgir, þær er Heiðrekr átti,
lönd ok lýða ok ljósa bauga."
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