Chapter 4 - Jotmund's Betrayal

Hodulfr went up to Jotmund’s hall with half of his warriors. There was a multitude of people there. The banquet was bountiful and the mead so strong that Hodulfr and his men were soon asleep. Jarl Jotmundr and his men set fire to the hall.

Hodulfr woke up, and he saw that the hall was nearly full of smoke, and he saw that the hall was burning. He got up and roused the men and hurried them to arm themselves. They charged at the wall, so that the clasps on the corner-beams came loose. That way they got out. But outside stood Jarl Jotmundr and all his men, and it was a great force. The battle raged on. Then the rest of the Heroes joint the fight, those who’d stayed at the camp. There fell a great many of Hodulf’s heroes. The battle dragged on till nightfall, before Innstein fell. It is said that Innsteinn uttered a passionate kvad¹ as he fell:

Hrafn the white has fallen
by the feet of our leader,
defending to the last
his liege-lord staunchly.
With Ýmir we have
one bone to pick–
that he snatched victory
from such a king.


I’ve been at Ymir's path
eighteen summers,
a bold boss I served,
stained shaft with blood.
Another lord
I’ll never find
more gallant in war,
nor will I grow old.


So here Innsteinn
sinks to the ground,
lays himself down
by his leader’s head.
In latter times at the telling of sagas,
they’ll hear of how
Stridsgodi Hodulfr died laughing.”

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1. a ballad, song, poem