The Book of Were-Wolves by Sabine Baring-Gould (best desktop ebook reader .txt) 📕

Freyja and Frigg had their falcon dresses in

which they visited different regions of the earth, and Loki is said to

have borrowed these, and to have then appeared so precisely like a

falcon, that he would have escaped detection, but for the malicious

twinkle of his eyes. In the Vælundar kviða is the following passage:—

 

I. I.

 

Meyjar flugu sunnan From the south flew the maidens

Myrkvið igögnum Athwart the gloom,

Alvitr unga Alvit the young,

Orlög drýgja; To fix destinies;

þær á savarströnd They on the sea-strand

Settusk at hvilask, Sat them to rest,

Dró sir suðrnar These damsels of the south

Dýrt lín spunnu. Fair linen spun.

 

II. II.

 

Ein nam þeirra One of them took

Egil at verja Egil to press,

Fögr mær fíra Fair maid, in her

Faðmi ljósum; Dazzling arms.

Önnur var Svanhvít, Another was Svanhwit,

Svanfjaðrar dró; Who wore swan feathers;

En in þriðja And the third,

þeirra systir Their sister,

Var i hvítan Pressed the white

Háls Völundar. Neck of Vlund.

 

The introduction of Smund tells us that these charming young ladies

were caught when they had laid their swan-skins beside them on the

shore, and were consequently not in a condition to fly.

 

In like manner were wolves’ dresses used. The following curious

passage is from the wild Saga of the Völsungs:—

 

“It is now to be told that Sigmund thought Sinfjötli too young to help

him in his revenge, and he wished first to test his powers; so during

the summer they plunged deep into the wood and slew men for their

goods, and Sigmund saw that he was quite of the Völsung stock… .

Now it fell out that as they went through the forest, collecting

monies, that they lighted on a house in which were two men sleeping,

with great gold rings an them; they had dealings with witchcraft, for

wolfskins hung up in the house above them; it was the tenth day on

which they might come out of their second state. They were kings’

sons. Sigmund and Sinfjötli got into the habits, and could not get out

of them again, and the nature of the original beasts came over them,

and they howled as wolves—they learned “both of them to howl. Now

they went into the forest, and each took his own course; they made the

agreement together that they should try their strength against as many

as seven men, but not more, and. that he who was ware of strife should

utter his wolf’s howl.

 

“‘Do not fail in this,’ said Sigmund, ‘for you are young and daring,

and men would be glad to chase you.’ Now each went his own course; and

after that they had parted Sigmund found men, so he howled; and when

Sinfjötli heard that, he ran up and slew them all-then they separated.

And Sinfjötli had not been long in the wood before he met with. eleven

men; he fell upon them and slew them every one. Then he was tired, so

he flung himself under an oak to rest. Up came Sigmund and said, ‘Why

did you not call out?’ Sinfjötli replied, ‘What was the need of asking

your help to kill eleven men?’

 

“Sigmund flew at him and rent him so that he fell, for he had bitten

through his throat. That day they could not leave their wolf-forms.

Sigmund laid him on his back and bare him home to the hall, and sat

beside him, and said, ‘Deuce take the wolf-forms!”’—Völsung Saga, c.

8.

 

There is another curious story of a werewolf in the same Saga, which

I must relate.

 

“Now he did as she requested, and hewed down a great piece of timber,

and cast it across the feet of those ten brothers seated in a row, in

the forest; and there they sat all that day and on till night. And at

midnight there came an old she-wolf out of the forest to them, as they

sat in the stocks, and she was both huge and grimly. Now she fell upon

one of them, and bit him to death, and after she had eaten him all up,

she went away. And next morning Signy sent a trusty man to her

brothers, to know how it had fared with them. When he returned he told

her of the death of one, and that grieved her much, for she feared it

might fare thus with them all, and she would be unable to assist them.

 

“In short, nine nights following came the same she-wolf at midnight,

and devoured them one after another till all were dead, except

Sigmund, and he was left alone. So when the tenth night came, Signy

sent her trusty man to Sigmund, her brother, with honey in his hand,

and said that he was to smear it over the face of Sigmund, and to fill

his mouth with it. Now he went to Sigmund, and did as he was bid,

after which he returned home. And during the night came the same

she-wolf, as was her wont, and reckoned to devour him, like his

brothers.

 

“Now she snuffed at him, where the honey was smeared, and began to

lick his face with her tongue, and presently thrust her tongue into

his mouth. He bore it ill, and bit into the tongue of the she-wolf;

she sprang up and tried to break loose, setting her feet against the

stock, so as to snap it asunder: but he held firm, and ripped the

tongue out by the roots, so that it was the death of the wolf. It is

the opinion of some men that this beast was the mother of King

Siggeir, and that she had taken this form upon her through devilry and

witchcraft.”—(c. 5.)

 

There is another story bearing on the subject in the Hrolfs Saga

Kraka, which is pretty; it is as follows:—

 

“In the north of Norway, in upland-dales, reigned a king called Hring;

and he had a son named Björn. Now it fell out that the queen died,

much lamented by the king, and by all. The people advised him to marry

again, and so be sent men south to get him a wife. A gale and fierce

storm fell upon them, so that they had to turn the helm, and run

before the wind, and so they came north to Finnmark, where they spent

the winter. One day they went inland, and came to a house in which sat

two beautiful women, who greeted them well, and inquired whence they

had come. They replied by giving an account of their journey and their

errand, and then asked the women who they were, and why they were

alone, and far from the haunts of men, although they were so comely

and engaging. The elder replied—that her name was Ingibjorg, and that

her daughter was called Hvit, and that she was the Finn king’s

sweetheart. The messengers decided that they would return home, if

Hvit would come with them and marry King Hring. She agreed, and they

took her with them and met the king who was pleased with her, and had

his wedding feast made, and said that he cared not though she was not

rich. But the king was very old, and that the queen soon found out.

 

“There was a Carle who had a farm not far from the king’s dwelling; he

had a wife, and a daughter, who was but a child, and her name was

Bera; she was very young and lovely. Björn the king’s son, and Bera

the Carle’s daughter, were wont, as children, to play together, and

they loved each other well. The Carle was well to do, he had been out

harrying in his young days, and he was a doughty champion. Björn and

Bera loved each other more and more, and they were often together.

 

Time passed, and nothing worth relating occurred; but Björn, the

king’s son, waxed strong and tall; and he was well skilled in all

manly exercises.

 

“King Hring was often absent for long, harrying foreign shores, and

Hvit remained at home and governed the land. She was not liked of the

people. She was always very pleasant with Björn, but he cared little

for her. It fell out once that the King Hring went abroad, and he

spake with his queen that Björn should remain at home with her, to

assist in the government, for he thought it advisable, the queen being

haughty and inflated with pride.

 

“The king told his son Björn that he was to remain at home, and rule

the land with the queen; Björn replied that he disliked the plan, and

that he had no love for the queen; but the king was inflexible, and

left the land with a great following. Björn walked home after his

conversation with the king, and went up to his place, ill-pleased and

red as blood. The queen came to speak with him, and to cheer him; and

spake friendly with him, but he bade her be of. She obeyed him that

time. She often came to talk with him, and said how much pleasanter it

was for them to be together, than to have an old fellow like Hring in

the house.

 

“Björn resented this speech, and struck her a box in the ear, and bade

her depart, and he spurned her from him. She replied that this was

ill-done to drive and thrust her away: and ‘You think it better,

Björn, to sweetheart a Carle’s daughter, than to have my love and

favour, a fine piece of condescension and a disgrace it is to you!

But, before long, something will stand in the way of your fancy, and

your folly.’ Then she struck at him with a wolfskin glove, and said,

that he should become a rabid and grim wild bear; and ‘You shall eat

nothing but your father’s sheep, which you shall slay for your food,

and never shall you leave this state.’

 

After that, Björn disappeared, and none knew what had become of him;

and men sought but found him not, as was to be expected. We must now

relate how that the king’s sheep were slaughtered, half a score at a

time, and it was all the work of a grey bear, both huge and grimly.

 

“One evening it chanced that the Carle’s daughter saw this savage bear

coming towards her, looking tenderly at her, and she fancied that she

recognized the eyes of Björn, the king’s son, so she made a slight

attempt to escape; then the beast retreated, but she followed it, till

she came to a cave. Now when she entered the cave there stood before

her a man, who greeted Bera, the Carle’s daughter; and she recognized

him, for he was Björn, Hring’s son. Overjoyed were they to meet. So

they were together in the cave awhile, for she would not part from him

when she had the chance of being with him; but he said that this was

not proper that she should be there by him, for by day he was a beast,

and by night a man.

 

“Hring returned from his harrying, and he was told the news, of what

had taken place during his absence; how that Björn, his son, had

vanished, and also, how that a monstrous beast was up the country, and

was destroying his flocks. The queen urged the king to have the beast

slain, but he delayed awhile.

 

“One night, as Bera and Björn were together, he said to

her:—‘Methinks to-morrow will be the day of my death, for they will

come out to hunt me down. But for myself I care not, for it is little

pleasure to live with this charm upon me, and my only comfort is that

we are together; but now