1858
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GUNNAR (as if waking up).
Is it a ghastly dream that maddens me! Thou – thou bringest Egil home!
ØRNULF.
As thou seest; but in truth he has been near his death.
Transl. by William Archer.
| Vikings
at Helgeland
1858
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- click for larger image - GUNNAR (as if waking up). ØRNULF. Transl. by William Archer.
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In Helgeland we find Gunnar living with his quarrelsome wife Hjørdis. She was brought up in Iceland by Ørnulf of the Fjords, where Gunnar won her after being given credit for the slaying of a bear. When both Ørnulf and Sigurd the Strong disembark at Helgeland, the stage is set for the uncovering of old secrets and tragic consequences. Hjørdis has already set up a conflict between Gunnar and Kåre Bonde, and Kåre Bonde has kidnapped their son. Preparations are made for a social gathering intended to resolve old conflicts and create peace, but Hjørdis is not satisfied. She convinces Gunnar that Ørnulf and Kåre Bonde are planning to kill their son, and succeeds in making Gunnar kill Ørnulf's son Thorolf. When Ørnulf returns after having actually saved little Egil's life, he has lost all his own sons. Dagny, Sigurd's wife who was brought up as a sister of Hjørdis, now reveals that it was in fact Sigurd who killed the white bear; it was a gesture to help Gunnar get the woman he loved. Hjørdis feels she has been made a laughing stock and swears revenge on Sigurd, that she always has loved. She kills him, but with his dying words Sigurd declares himself a Christian. They will never meet again. Hjørdis takes her own life, and the survivors of the drama see her riding across the heavens to Valhalla. | |