ACT I
The gable beams are low; only the entrance end of thebuilding, set at an angle, on the left, is visible. Inthe distance rises a snow-capped volcano, its slopes—inthe nearer background—pied with the young leaves andblossoms of early spring; against these, jutting frombehind the temple, a gallows-tree. On the right, atback, a solitary pine of great age sways solemn boughsover half the scene, the centre of which is occupied bya vast monolith, or boulder, tapering upward to a jaggedend. The face of this stone, graved deeply with runes,is (on its lower half) dark carmine and smooth as ivory;from behind it blue smoke is rising; before it stands analtar of stone, on which is set a silver bowl.In front of this altar standsIngimund,the templepriest, clad in a sleeveless leathern smock tothe knees; his arms are reddened with sacrifice; fromhis throat—beneath his long, grey hair—hangs an imageof Odin; on his right wrist a ring of plain gold; inhis left hand a spear. On either side of him an altarpriest holds a bunch of sprinkling twigs. From thetemple four other priests are bearing a slaughteredbullock to the fire behind the rune-stone. Massed inthe right foreground areEgiland his men; on theleft,Arfiand his men. Egil, noble of stature, standsmoodily filing the grooves of a crossbow; Arfi, bentand dwarfed, sits with his ear close to a harp,which he thrums softly.From the right background, beneath the pine, enters,singing, a procession of the folk, escorting an arkon wheels, drawn by oxen, whose flanks are wreathedwith flowers, and whose horns are adorned with gold.Following the ark, which passes on into the temple,horses and sheep are led to the sacrifice. These, asthey pass before him, Ingimund marks with the sign of aspear, while the altar priests sprinkle them with bloodfrom the silver bowl.At the entrance of the temple standThordisand herVirgins,who take from the beasts their garlandsand hang them on the doors and outer walls. Themen and women of the throng, chanting to a barbariccadence, lift up their arms and faces to the sky.THE FOLKWanderer of earth and air,Walker on the giant flood,Odin! Asa Odin!Pilgrim of the storm!Lyer in the Sybil’s lair,Reader of the runes of blood,Thou who hearkenest all prayer—World-spirit and worm,Odin! Asa Odin!Hear us, Allfather![Distant thunder.]FRIDAThordis, he hears.THE VIRGINSHe hears!THE FOLKHe hears!YORUL[To Rolf.]BeholdThe dwarf, where he sits shrivelled by his harp.Ho, Arfi! hear’st thou Odin? Hast invitedThe trolls, thy cousins, to the bridal?WULDORSilence!He listens to the stars behind the storm.YORULThe tree-frogs, Wuldor. He, thy master, isTheir father.WULDORSo thy master is their uncle.YORULMy master shall be bridegroom, never fear!Hath Arfi slain his boar?WULDORHath Egil sungThe slaying of his boar?YORULHath Arfi leashedThe wild stag by the horns and led him home?WULDORHath Egil read the runes on Odin’s stone?YORULWeaklings and women ye!WULDORThou liest, Yorul.YORUL[Strikes Wuldor.]Ho, Egil, here!WULDOR[Retaliating.]Ho, Arfi![The followers, from either side, spring forward and fightfiercely. Ingimund strikes among them with his spear.]INGIMUNDFools of anger!This ground is Odin’s; he alone may judgeWhich of your masters shall betroth his priestess.Back! and await his sign.—Come, Thordis.FRIDA[Parting with Thordis by the temple.]JoyAnd love be thine, dear lady.[Leaving her maidens, Thordis comes quietly from the templeand stands before the rune-stone and Ingimund, who, withhis spear, beckons also Egil and Arfi. As these joinThordis, the altar priests, with a heavy chain of gold,enclose the four in a circular space, while the folkchant as before.]THE FOLKSave us, Lord, from lovers’ hate,Shelter us from brothers’ feud!Odin! Asa Odin!Only thou art wise.Choose unto this maid a mateHallowed by thy sanctitude,Send thine omen while we wait,Making sacrifice.Odin! Asa Odin!Save us, Allfather![Thunder; storm gathers and the scene grows darker, asbigger clouds of smoke roll upward from behind therune-stone.]INGIMUND[Removing the gold circlet from his wrist.]Here,Your right hands here—all three—on Odin’s ring.[To Egil, then Arfi.]Press deeper in the sand thy foot, now thine.[To the Priests.]Fill up the footprints with the sacred blood.Brother in brother’s footstep, hark your oath—Your oath to abide by Asa Odin’s will.[As Egil and Arfi grasp the ring, lightning begins to playover the scene, and thunder deepens the voices of thepeople.]THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!INGIMUND[Lifting his face and spear toward the sky, intones.]By thy runes forever writOn Allwaker’s ear and Allswift’s hoof,On Sleipni’s teeth and the sledge-bands,On the Wolf’s claw and the eagle’s beak,On the bloody wings and the bridge’s end!—THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!INGIMUNDBy thy runes forever writOn Brage’s tongue and the bear’s paw,On the midwife’s palm and the amber god,On Norna’s nail and the owl’s neb,On wine and wort and the Sibyl’s seat!—THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send thy portent, O Allfather!FRIDALook! look! himself doth come.THE FOLKFly! fly! Oh, fly!FRIDAHimself doth come, and with him all the gods![Amid supernatural darkness and thunder-peal, Ingimund,Thordis, Egil, and Arfi are struck to the earth, and allthe people flee, except Yorul and Frida, who crouchbeside the temple.]THE FOLK[In the distance.]Bow down! bow down![Pause; the passing of the storm; silence.]FRIDA[Rising.]Yorul!—You do not speak.Yorul!YORULO Frida, hush!FRIDAAnd did you see them?Four were they all together, and they passedLike fire, and four returned, in robes of flame,But paler.YORULMay be so; I saw them not.FRIDATwo others stood on Odin’s stone, and oneLaughed loud, and whirled a whip of blazing brass,And one thrust through his beard a smoking hammer.YORULMay be; may be. What did you say? Speak not![Embracing her.]O heart of mine, thou beatest yet. We live.The sun—how still it is! What’s that?FRIDAA birdSinging under the temple’s eaves.YORULAnd allAre fled. What be those four that lie so still?[Together they approach the bodies.]FRIDAAlas! O lady dear!YORULDead! they are dead.Egil, my master! Odin’s voice hath slain him.Cursed be Odin!FRIDAYorul—take them back,Those words! Their sacrilege shall work us woe.YORULWhat matter? He is dead.FRIDAOh, do not think it!Perhaps they sleep. Look how their brows still wearHigh thoughts. I think they dream. Go! fetch a leech.YORULA leech for death?FRIDAGo quickly, Yorul!YORULWell![Going out.]A leech here for the dead! A leech, ho![Exit.]FRIDA[Alone with the four bodies, stands beforethe rune-stone.]Odin!Have pity on the dead; let them awake![Slowly the bodies rise and look upon her;she crouches before them.]Ah me! Your eyes! They burn. O turn awayYour bright eternal eyes![She falls unconscious. Egil, who has risen with thegold altar chain wound about him, gnaws it.]EGILDeath! Freedom! freedom![Enter Yorul and aLeech,followed by the folk.]THE LEECHWho calls for leechcraft here?YORUL[Stands bewildered.]A miracle!THORDIS[Bends over Frida.]The child is stricken.ARFILet me lift her, Thordis.YORULA miracle! O Frida, speak to me!THE LEECH[To the folk.]Stand off! Give air!WULDOR[To the folk.]Hath Yorul then deceived us?ROLFBehold, they live!FRIDA[Rising, faintly.]Thanks; lead me to the temple.INGIMUNDWhat hath befallen?WULDORHail, Ingimund! The portentOf Odin hath befallen.INGIMUNDSaw ye, or what?[Wuldor and the folk whisper among themselves.Yorul supports Frida toward the temple.]YORULBut how? What chanced?FRIDATheir eyes! their burning eyes!Oh, I have seen their souls: they are not theirs.Four bright ones came, four pale ones went away.YORULClean reft of wit!FRIDAOh, shut me in the dark![Taking Frida from Yorul, the temple virgins leadher into the temple.]INGIMUND[To Wuldor.]Saw ye, I say, or what?WULDORAsk Yorul, father.INGIMUNDSpeak thou! What hath befallen?YORUL[Returning dazed from the temple.]Odin is wise;Ye that were dead are risen from the dead,And Frida, my betrothèd, is reft of reason.—She said it would be, for I cursed him.—Egil!Master and lord, welcome to life![Egil, who, with fixed gaze, has been eyeing Thordis,starts wildly, paces back and forth, dragging thealtar chain as he moves.]EGILA verdict!A verdict, priest and earls! Thordis is mine.EGIL’S MENThordis for Egil!ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!INGIMUNDPeace!Heaven’s omen still is dark, and Odin’s signAmbiguous. Not one, but four of us,His hand hath stricken. Wherefore thus I readHis riddle: Thordis shall herself decide.THORDISFather, not I!INGIMUNDThis ancient feud must end.These two have sworn to abide by Odin’s will;His will it is that thou make choice of them.Hearken their pleas, and choose.THORDISTo one must IGive pain?INGIMUNDTo one give joy. Speak, Arfi.ARFILady,That those who love are blind I pray be soThat, loving, so you may behold me not—What thing I seem, but only hear my voice—What truth I am. Thordis, even now I dreamedA dream more high and awful than the cloudsAnd breathless peaks afire of poesie:We stood together on the morning’s brink;Crater and frozen cliff and snowy scarHung, avalanche on avalanche, below,Below them still,—the world! You spoke to me;Sweeter than measures of imagined songBefore the harp is struck, your voice! “Listen!” you said;And echoing from scar and crater roseThe clanging of a chain. You clung to me;You clung to me and spoke not.—I have done.INGIMUNDEgil![Springing forward, Egil seizes Thordis’s hand,which he raises to his lips.]EGILI love—I love thee![He bites her hand. Screaming, she draws away fromhim and clings to the dwarf.]THORDISArfi!ARFI[Facing Egil.]Brother!WULDORBlood! He hath bit her hand. Ho, sacrilege!EGILThe maid is mine.ARFIThe maid is Odin’s.ROLF[Seizing Yorul’s arm, points at Egil.]See!His eyes grow small and blaze!YORULHe is possessed;Some god afflicts him.[With a gesture of fury, Egil rushes upon Arfi.]EGILMine!INGIMUND[Stays him.]The maid is Arfi’s,For she herself hath chosen him.ARFI[Quietly.]A clout,To stanch the blood.WULDOR[As Arfi binds her hand, gazes on Thordis,whose eyes have closed.]O fair beyond this world!EGIL[Clutching the air, in passion for coherence.]A rape! a rape! Thordis for Egil!YORUL[Drawing.]ThordisFor Egil, here!ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!EGIL’S MENEgil!INGIMUNDBeware! Put back your weapons all, on painOf Odin’s wrath.THE FOLK[Murmur.]Remember Odin’s wrath.EGILEgil recks not for Odin’s wrath nor will.Who fights for Thordis?INGIMUNDThis is blasphemy.EGILWho fights with Egil for the maiden?YORULI,And all of us.EGIL’S MENTill death.INGIMUNDEnough, mine earls!The patience of the lord of peace hath end.Egil, thy words and deed have violatedThe sacred place of Odin. Thou art banned!The lord hath put thee from his high place. Go!I cast thee forth, and all who follow thee.THE FOLK[Falling back.]Accurst! accurst!EGIL[Stands alone in a great circle.]Behold they cast him forth!Egil is banned! Who fights with Egil now?YORULI, master!ONE OF EGIL’S MENFly! he is accurst.[The men hesitate; then all—except twelve, includingYorul, who step into the circle—depart fearfully.]THE TWELVEHail, Egil![The folk cry out; some go from the scene, othersinto the temple.]EGIL[Seizing up with both hands the silver bowl.]Hail, liegemen! Twelve and one, we are enoughTo vow ourselves to vengeance ’gainst the world.A pledge, here! Ho, a pledge to groom and bride!Drink pledge with me, in Odin’s altar blood.Thordis and vengeance! Hail!THE TWELVEThordis and vengeance![Egil drinks from the silver bowl.]
The gable beams are low; only the entrance end of thebuilding, set at an angle, on the left, is visible. Inthe distance rises a snow-capped volcano, its slopes—inthe nearer background—pied with the young leaves andblossoms of early spring; against these, jutting frombehind the temple, a gallows-tree. On the right, atback, a solitary pine of great age sways solemn boughsover half the scene, the centre of which is occupied bya vast monolith, or boulder, tapering upward to a jaggedend. The face of this stone, graved deeply with runes,is (on its lower half) dark carmine and smooth as ivory;from behind it blue smoke is rising; before it stands analtar of stone, on which is set a silver bowl.In front of this altar standsIngimund,the templepriest, clad in a sleeveless leathern smock tothe knees; his arms are reddened with sacrifice; fromhis throat—beneath his long, grey hair—hangs an imageof Odin; on his right wrist a ring of plain gold; inhis left hand a spear. On either side of him an altarpriest holds a bunch of sprinkling twigs. From thetemple four other priests are bearing a slaughteredbullock to the fire behind the rune-stone. Massed inthe right foreground areEgiland his men; on theleft,Arfiand his men. Egil, noble of stature, standsmoodily filing the grooves of a crossbow; Arfi, bentand dwarfed, sits with his ear close to a harp,which he thrums softly.From the right background, beneath the pine, enters,singing, a procession of the folk, escorting an arkon wheels, drawn by oxen, whose flanks are wreathedwith flowers, and whose horns are adorned with gold.Following the ark, which passes on into the temple,horses and sheep are led to the sacrifice. These, asthey pass before him, Ingimund marks with the sign of aspear, while the altar priests sprinkle them with bloodfrom the silver bowl.At the entrance of the temple standThordisand herVirgins,who take from the beasts their garlandsand hang them on the doors and outer walls. Themen and women of the throng, chanting to a barbariccadence, lift up their arms and faces to the sky.THE FOLKWanderer of earth and air,Walker on the giant flood,Odin! Asa Odin!Pilgrim of the storm!Lyer in the Sybil’s lair,Reader of the runes of blood,Thou who hearkenest all prayer—World-spirit and worm,Odin! Asa Odin!Hear us, Allfather![Distant thunder.]FRIDAThordis, he hears.THE VIRGINSHe hears!THE FOLKHe hears!YORUL[To Rolf.]BeholdThe dwarf, where he sits shrivelled by his harp.Ho, Arfi! hear’st thou Odin? Hast invitedThe trolls, thy cousins, to the bridal?WULDORSilence!He listens to the stars behind the storm.YORULThe tree-frogs, Wuldor. He, thy master, isTheir father.WULDORSo thy master is their uncle.YORULMy master shall be bridegroom, never fear!Hath Arfi slain his boar?WULDORHath Egil sungThe slaying of his boar?YORULHath Arfi leashedThe wild stag by the horns and led him home?WULDORHath Egil read the runes on Odin’s stone?YORULWeaklings and women ye!WULDORThou liest, Yorul.YORUL[Strikes Wuldor.]Ho, Egil, here!WULDOR[Retaliating.]Ho, Arfi![The followers, from either side, spring forward and fightfiercely. Ingimund strikes among them with his spear.]INGIMUNDFools of anger!This ground is Odin’s; he alone may judgeWhich of your masters shall betroth his priestess.Back! and await his sign.—Come, Thordis.FRIDA[Parting with Thordis by the temple.]JoyAnd love be thine, dear lady.[Leaving her maidens, Thordis comes quietly from the templeand stands before the rune-stone and Ingimund, who, withhis spear, beckons also Egil and Arfi. As these joinThordis, the altar priests, with a heavy chain of gold,enclose the four in a circular space, while the folkchant as before.]THE FOLKSave us, Lord, from lovers’ hate,Shelter us from brothers’ feud!Odin! Asa Odin!Only thou art wise.Choose unto this maid a mateHallowed by thy sanctitude,Send thine omen while we wait,Making sacrifice.Odin! Asa Odin!Save us, Allfather![Thunder; storm gathers and the scene grows darker, asbigger clouds of smoke roll upward from behind therune-stone.]INGIMUND[Removing the gold circlet from his wrist.]Here,Your right hands here—all three—on Odin’s ring.[To Egil, then Arfi.]Press deeper in the sand thy foot, now thine.[To the Priests.]Fill up the footprints with the sacred blood.Brother in brother’s footstep, hark your oath—Your oath to abide by Asa Odin’s will.[As Egil and Arfi grasp the ring, lightning begins to playover the scene, and thunder deepens the voices of thepeople.]THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!INGIMUND[Lifting his face and spear toward the sky, intones.]By thy runes forever writOn Allwaker’s ear and Allswift’s hoof,On Sleipni’s teeth and the sledge-bands,On the Wolf’s claw and the eagle’s beak,On the bloody wings and the bridge’s end!—THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!INGIMUNDBy thy runes forever writOn Brage’s tongue and the bear’s paw,On the midwife’s palm and the amber god,On Norna’s nail and the owl’s neb,On wine and wort and the Sibyl’s seat!—THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send thy portent, O Allfather!FRIDALook! look! himself doth come.THE FOLKFly! fly! Oh, fly!FRIDAHimself doth come, and with him all the gods![Amid supernatural darkness and thunder-peal, Ingimund,Thordis, Egil, and Arfi are struck to the earth, and allthe people flee, except Yorul and Frida, who crouchbeside the temple.]THE FOLK[In the distance.]Bow down! bow down![Pause; the passing of the storm; silence.]FRIDA[Rising.]Yorul!—You do not speak.Yorul!YORULO Frida, hush!FRIDAAnd did you see them?Four were they all together, and they passedLike fire, and four returned, in robes of flame,But paler.YORULMay be so; I saw them not.FRIDATwo others stood on Odin’s stone, and oneLaughed loud, and whirled a whip of blazing brass,And one thrust through his beard a smoking hammer.YORULMay be; may be. What did you say? Speak not![Embracing her.]O heart of mine, thou beatest yet. We live.The sun—how still it is! What’s that?FRIDAA birdSinging under the temple’s eaves.YORULAnd allAre fled. What be those four that lie so still?[Together they approach the bodies.]FRIDAAlas! O lady dear!YORULDead! they are dead.Egil, my master! Odin’s voice hath slain him.Cursed be Odin!FRIDAYorul—take them back,Those words! Their sacrilege shall work us woe.YORULWhat matter? He is dead.FRIDAOh, do not think it!Perhaps they sleep. Look how their brows still wearHigh thoughts. I think they dream. Go! fetch a leech.YORULA leech for death?FRIDAGo quickly, Yorul!YORULWell![Going out.]A leech here for the dead! A leech, ho![Exit.]FRIDA[Alone with the four bodies, stands beforethe rune-stone.]Odin!Have pity on the dead; let them awake![Slowly the bodies rise and look upon her;she crouches before them.]Ah me! Your eyes! They burn. O turn awayYour bright eternal eyes![She falls unconscious. Egil, who has risen with thegold altar chain wound about him, gnaws it.]EGILDeath! Freedom! freedom![Enter Yorul and aLeech,followed by the folk.]THE LEECHWho calls for leechcraft here?YORUL[Stands bewildered.]A miracle!THORDIS[Bends over Frida.]The child is stricken.ARFILet me lift her, Thordis.YORULA miracle! O Frida, speak to me!THE LEECH[To the folk.]Stand off! Give air!WULDOR[To the folk.]Hath Yorul then deceived us?ROLFBehold, they live!FRIDA[Rising, faintly.]Thanks; lead me to the temple.INGIMUNDWhat hath befallen?WULDORHail, Ingimund! The portentOf Odin hath befallen.INGIMUNDSaw ye, or what?[Wuldor and the folk whisper among themselves.Yorul supports Frida toward the temple.]YORULBut how? What chanced?FRIDATheir eyes! their burning eyes!Oh, I have seen their souls: they are not theirs.Four bright ones came, four pale ones went away.YORULClean reft of wit!FRIDAOh, shut me in the dark![Taking Frida from Yorul, the temple virgins leadher into the temple.]INGIMUND[To Wuldor.]Saw ye, I say, or what?WULDORAsk Yorul, father.INGIMUNDSpeak thou! What hath befallen?YORUL[Returning dazed from the temple.]Odin is wise;Ye that were dead are risen from the dead,And Frida, my betrothèd, is reft of reason.—She said it would be, for I cursed him.—Egil!Master and lord, welcome to life![Egil, who, with fixed gaze, has been eyeing Thordis,starts wildly, paces back and forth, dragging thealtar chain as he moves.]EGILA verdict!A verdict, priest and earls! Thordis is mine.EGIL’S MENThordis for Egil!ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!INGIMUNDPeace!Heaven’s omen still is dark, and Odin’s signAmbiguous. Not one, but four of us,His hand hath stricken. Wherefore thus I readHis riddle: Thordis shall herself decide.THORDISFather, not I!INGIMUNDThis ancient feud must end.These two have sworn to abide by Odin’s will;His will it is that thou make choice of them.Hearken their pleas, and choose.THORDISTo one must IGive pain?INGIMUNDTo one give joy. Speak, Arfi.ARFILady,That those who love are blind I pray be soThat, loving, so you may behold me not—What thing I seem, but only hear my voice—What truth I am. Thordis, even now I dreamedA dream more high and awful than the cloudsAnd breathless peaks afire of poesie:We stood together on the morning’s brink;Crater and frozen cliff and snowy scarHung, avalanche on avalanche, below,Below them still,—the world! You spoke to me;Sweeter than measures of imagined songBefore the harp is struck, your voice! “Listen!” you said;And echoing from scar and crater roseThe clanging of a chain. You clung to me;You clung to me and spoke not.—I have done.INGIMUNDEgil![Springing forward, Egil seizes Thordis’s hand,which he raises to his lips.]EGILI love—I love thee![He bites her hand. Screaming, she draws away fromhim and clings to the dwarf.]THORDISArfi!ARFI[Facing Egil.]Brother!WULDORBlood! He hath bit her hand. Ho, sacrilege!EGILThe maid is mine.ARFIThe maid is Odin’s.ROLF[Seizing Yorul’s arm, points at Egil.]See!His eyes grow small and blaze!YORULHe is possessed;Some god afflicts him.[With a gesture of fury, Egil rushes upon Arfi.]EGILMine!INGIMUND[Stays him.]The maid is Arfi’s,For she herself hath chosen him.ARFI[Quietly.]A clout,To stanch the blood.WULDOR[As Arfi binds her hand, gazes on Thordis,whose eyes have closed.]O fair beyond this world!EGIL[Clutching the air, in passion for coherence.]A rape! a rape! Thordis for Egil!YORUL[Drawing.]ThordisFor Egil, here!ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!EGIL’S MENEgil!INGIMUNDBeware! Put back your weapons all, on painOf Odin’s wrath.THE FOLK[Murmur.]Remember Odin’s wrath.EGILEgil recks not for Odin’s wrath nor will.Who fights for Thordis?INGIMUNDThis is blasphemy.EGILWho fights with Egil for the maiden?YORULI,And all of us.EGIL’S MENTill death.INGIMUNDEnough, mine earls!The patience of the lord of peace hath end.Egil, thy words and deed have violatedThe sacred place of Odin. Thou art banned!The lord hath put thee from his high place. Go!I cast thee forth, and all who follow thee.THE FOLK[Falling back.]Accurst! accurst!EGIL[Stands alone in a great circle.]Behold they cast him forth!Egil is banned! Who fights with Egil now?YORULI, master!ONE OF EGIL’S MENFly! he is accurst.[The men hesitate; then all—except twelve, includingYorul, who step into the circle—depart fearfully.]THE TWELVEHail, Egil![The folk cry out; some go from the scene, othersinto the temple.]EGIL[Seizing up with both hands the silver bowl.]Hail, liegemen! Twelve and one, we are enoughTo vow ourselves to vengeance ’gainst the world.A pledge, here! Ho, a pledge to groom and bride!Drink pledge with me, in Odin’s altar blood.Thordis and vengeance! Hail!THE TWELVEThordis and vengeance![Egil drinks from the silver bowl.]
The gable beams are low; only the entrance end of thebuilding, set at an angle, on the left, is visible. Inthe distance rises a snow-capped volcano, its slopes—inthe nearer background—pied with the young leaves andblossoms of early spring; against these, jutting frombehind the temple, a gallows-tree. On the right, atback, a solitary pine of great age sways solemn boughsover half the scene, the centre of which is occupied bya vast monolith, or boulder, tapering upward to a jaggedend. The face of this stone, graved deeply with runes,is (on its lower half) dark carmine and smooth as ivory;from behind it blue smoke is rising; before it stands analtar of stone, on which is set a silver bowl.
In front of this altar standsIngimund,the templepriest, clad in a sleeveless leathern smock tothe knees; his arms are reddened with sacrifice; fromhis throat—beneath his long, grey hair—hangs an imageof Odin; on his right wrist a ring of plain gold; inhis left hand a spear. On either side of him an altarpriest holds a bunch of sprinkling twigs. From thetemple four other priests are bearing a slaughteredbullock to the fire behind the rune-stone. Massed inthe right foreground areEgiland his men; on theleft,Arfiand his men. Egil, noble of stature, standsmoodily filing the grooves of a crossbow; Arfi, bentand dwarfed, sits with his ear close to a harp,which he thrums softly.
From the right background, beneath the pine, enters,singing, a procession of the folk, escorting an arkon wheels, drawn by oxen, whose flanks are wreathedwith flowers, and whose horns are adorned with gold.Following the ark, which passes on into the temple,horses and sheep are led to the sacrifice. These, asthey pass before him, Ingimund marks with the sign of aspear, while the altar priests sprinkle them with bloodfrom the silver bowl.
At the entrance of the temple standThordisand herVirgins,who take from the beasts their garlandsand hang them on the doors and outer walls. Themen and women of the throng, chanting to a barbariccadence, lift up their arms and faces to the sky.
THE FOLKWanderer of earth and air,Walker on the giant flood,Odin! Asa Odin!Pilgrim of the storm!
Lyer in the Sybil’s lair,Reader of the runes of blood,Thou who hearkenest all prayer—World-spirit and worm,Odin! Asa Odin!Hear us, Allfather!
[Distant thunder.]
FRIDAThordis, he hears.
THE VIRGINSHe hears!
THE FOLKHe hears!
YORUL[To Rolf.]BeholdThe dwarf, where he sits shrivelled by his harp.Ho, Arfi! hear’st thou Odin? Hast invitedThe trolls, thy cousins, to the bridal?
WULDORSilence!He listens to the stars behind the storm.
YORULThe tree-frogs, Wuldor. He, thy master, isTheir father.
WULDORSo thy master is their uncle.
YORULMy master shall be bridegroom, never fear!Hath Arfi slain his boar?
WULDORHath Egil sungThe slaying of his boar?
YORULHath Arfi leashedThe wild stag by the horns and led him home?
WULDORHath Egil read the runes on Odin’s stone?
YORULWeaklings and women ye!
WULDORThou liest, Yorul.
YORUL[Strikes Wuldor.]
Ho, Egil, here!
WULDOR[Retaliating.]Ho, Arfi!
[The followers, from either side, spring forward and fightfiercely. Ingimund strikes among them with his spear.]
INGIMUNDFools of anger!This ground is Odin’s; he alone may judgeWhich of your masters shall betroth his priestess.Back! and await his sign.—Come, Thordis.
FRIDA[Parting with Thordis by the temple.]JoyAnd love be thine, dear lady.
[Leaving her maidens, Thordis comes quietly from the templeand stands before the rune-stone and Ingimund, who, withhis spear, beckons also Egil and Arfi. As these joinThordis, the altar priests, with a heavy chain of gold,enclose the four in a circular space, while the folkchant as before.]
THE FOLKSave us, Lord, from lovers’ hate,Shelter us from brothers’ feud!Odin! Asa Odin!Only thou art wise.
Choose unto this maid a mateHallowed by thy sanctitude,Send thine omen while we wait,Making sacrifice.Odin! Asa Odin!Save us, Allfather!
[Thunder; storm gathers and the scene grows darker, asbigger clouds of smoke roll upward from behind therune-stone.]
INGIMUND[Removing the gold circlet from his wrist.]Here,Your right hands here—all three—on Odin’s ring.[To Egil, then Arfi.]Press deeper in the sand thy foot, now thine.[To the Priests.]Fill up the footprints with the sacred blood.Brother in brother’s footstep, hark your oath—Your oath to abide by Asa Odin’s will.
[As Egil and Arfi grasp the ring, lightning begins to playover the scene, and thunder deepens the voices of thepeople.]
THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!
INGIMUND[Lifting his face and spear toward the sky, intones.]By thy runes forever writOn Allwaker’s ear and Allswift’s hoof,On Sleipni’s teeth and the sledge-bands,On the Wolf’s claw and the eagle’s beak,On the bloody wings and the bridge’s end!—
THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send upon thy folk a portent!
INGIMUNDBy thy runes forever writOn Brage’s tongue and the bear’s paw,On the midwife’s palm and the amber god,On Norna’s nail and the owl’s neb,On wine and wort and the Sibyl’s seat!—
THE FOLKOdin! Odin! Asa Odin!Send thy portent, O Allfather!
FRIDALook! look! himself doth come.
THE FOLKFly! fly! Oh, fly!
FRIDAHimself doth come, and with him all the gods!
[Amid supernatural darkness and thunder-peal, Ingimund,Thordis, Egil, and Arfi are struck to the earth, and allthe people flee, except Yorul and Frida, who crouchbeside the temple.]
THE FOLK[In the distance.]Bow down! bow down![Pause; the passing of the storm; silence.]
FRIDA[Rising.]Yorul!—You do not speak.Yorul!
YORULO Frida, hush!
FRIDAAnd did you see them?Four were they all together, and they passedLike fire, and four returned, in robes of flame,But paler.
YORULMay be so; I saw them not.
FRIDATwo others stood on Odin’s stone, and oneLaughed loud, and whirled a whip of blazing brass,And one thrust through his beard a smoking hammer.
YORULMay be; may be. What did you say? Speak not![Embracing her.]O heart of mine, thou beatest yet. We live.The sun—how still it is! What’s that?
FRIDAA birdSinging under the temple’s eaves.
YORULAnd allAre fled. What be those four that lie so still?
[Together they approach the bodies.]
FRIDAAlas! O lady dear!
YORULDead! they are dead.Egil, my master! Odin’s voice hath slain him.Cursed be Odin!
FRIDAYorul—take them back,Those words! Their sacrilege shall work us woe.
YORULWhat matter? He is dead.
FRIDAOh, do not think it!Perhaps they sleep. Look how their brows still wearHigh thoughts. I think they dream. Go! fetch a leech.
YORULA leech for death?
FRIDAGo quickly, Yorul!
YORULWell![Going out.]A leech here for the dead! A leech, ho![Exit.]
FRIDA[Alone with the four bodies, stands beforethe rune-stone.]Odin!Have pity on the dead; let them awake![Slowly the bodies rise and look upon her;she crouches before them.]Ah me! Your eyes! They burn. O turn awayYour bright eternal eyes!
[She falls unconscious. Egil, who has risen with thegold altar chain wound about him, gnaws it.]
EGILDeath! Freedom! freedom!
[Enter Yorul and aLeech,followed by the folk.]
THE LEECHWho calls for leechcraft here?
YORUL[Stands bewildered.]A miracle!
THORDIS[Bends over Frida.]The child is stricken.
ARFILet me lift her, Thordis.
YORULA miracle! O Frida, speak to me!
THE LEECH[To the folk.]Stand off! Give air!
WULDOR[To the folk.]Hath Yorul then deceived us?
ROLFBehold, they live!
FRIDA[Rising, faintly.]Thanks; lead me to the temple.
INGIMUNDWhat hath befallen?
WULDORHail, Ingimund! The portentOf Odin hath befallen.
INGIMUNDSaw ye, or what?
[Wuldor and the folk whisper among themselves.Yorul supports Frida toward the temple.]
YORULBut how? What chanced?
FRIDATheir eyes! their burning eyes!Oh, I have seen their souls: they are not theirs.Four bright ones came, four pale ones went away.
YORULClean reft of wit!
FRIDAOh, shut me in the dark!
[Taking Frida from Yorul, the temple virgins leadher into the temple.]
INGIMUND[To Wuldor.]Saw ye, I say, or what?
WULDORAsk Yorul, father.
INGIMUNDSpeak thou! What hath befallen?
YORUL[Returning dazed from the temple.]Odin is wise;Ye that were dead are risen from the dead,And Frida, my betrothèd, is reft of reason.—She said it would be, for I cursed him.—Egil!Master and lord, welcome to life!
[Egil, who, with fixed gaze, has been eyeing Thordis,starts wildly, paces back and forth, dragging thealtar chain as he moves.]
EGILA verdict!A verdict, priest and earls! Thordis is mine.
EGIL’S MENThordis for Egil!
ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!
INGIMUNDPeace!Heaven’s omen still is dark, and Odin’s signAmbiguous. Not one, but four of us,His hand hath stricken. Wherefore thus I readHis riddle: Thordis shall herself decide.
THORDISFather, not I!
INGIMUNDThis ancient feud must end.These two have sworn to abide by Odin’s will;His will it is that thou make choice of them.Hearken their pleas, and choose.
THORDISTo one must IGive pain?
INGIMUNDTo one give joy. Speak, Arfi.
ARFILady,That those who love are blind I pray be soThat, loving, so you may behold me not—What thing I seem, but only hear my voice—What truth I am. Thordis, even now I dreamedA dream more high and awful than the cloudsAnd breathless peaks afire of poesie:We stood together on the morning’s brink;Crater and frozen cliff and snowy scarHung, avalanche on avalanche, below,Below them still,—the world! You spoke to me;Sweeter than measures of imagined songBefore the harp is struck, your voice! “Listen!” you said;And echoing from scar and crater roseThe clanging of a chain. You clung to me;You clung to me and spoke not.—I have done.
INGIMUNDEgil!
[Springing forward, Egil seizes Thordis’s hand,which he raises to his lips.]
EGILI love—I love thee!
[He bites her hand. Screaming, she draws away fromhim and clings to the dwarf.]
THORDISArfi!
ARFI[Facing Egil.]Brother!
WULDORBlood! He hath bit her hand. Ho, sacrilege!
EGILThe maid is mine.
ARFIThe maid is Odin’s.
ROLF[Seizing Yorul’s arm, points at Egil.]See!His eyes grow small and blaze!
YORULHe is possessed;Some god afflicts him.
[With a gesture of fury, Egil rushes upon Arfi.]
EGILMine!
INGIMUND[Stays him.]The maid is Arfi’s,For she herself hath chosen him.
ARFI[Quietly.]A clout,To stanch the blood.
WULDOR[As Arfi binds her hand, gazes on Thordis,whose eyes have closed.]O fair beyond this world!
EGIL[Clutching the air, in passion for coherence.]A rape! a rape! Thordis for Egil!
YORUL[Drawing.]ThordisFor Egil, here!
ARFI’S MENThordis for Arfi!
EGIL’S MENEgil!
INGIMUNDBeware! Put back your weapons all, on painOf Odin’s wrath.
THE FOLK[Murmur.]Remember Odin’s wrath.
EGILEgil recks not for Odin’s wrath nor will.Who fights for Thordis?
INGIMUNDThis is blasphemy.
EGILWho fights with Egil for the maiden?
YORULI,And all of us.
EGIL’S MENTill death.
INGIMUNDEnough, mine earls!The patience of the lord of peace hath end.Egil, thy words and deed have violatedThe sacred place of Odin. Thou art banned!The lord hath put thee from his high place. Go!I cast thee forth, and all who follow thee.
THE FOLK[Falling back.]Accurst! accurst!
EGIL[Stands alone in a great circle.]Behold they cast him forth!Egil is banned! Who fights with Egil now?
YORULI, master!
ONE OF EGIL’S MENFly! he is accurst.
[The men hesitate; then all—except twelve, includingYorul, who step into the circle—depart fearfully.]
THE TWELVEHail, Egil!
[The folk cry out; some go from the scene, othersinto the temple.]
EGIL[Seizing up with both hands the silver bowl.]Hail, liegemen! Twelve and one, we are enoughTo vow ourselves to vengeance ’gainst the world.A pledge, here! Ho, a pledge to groom and bride!Drink pledge with me, in Odin’s altar blood.Thordis and vengeance! Hail!
THE TWELVEThordis and vengeance!
[Egil drinks from the silver bowl.]
The room is roughly built of logs, long cross-beamsoverhead. From these (in the right corner, back) hangsuspended the bodies and skins of antelope, bear, andwild game; and beneath these—piled upon a bench againstthe wall—a heap of furs and hides. Centre, back, adoor. Left, in the earthen floor, a hearth with ashes;above it, a hole in the roof. Beyond this hearth, left,sitting at the open window,Frida,alone. Shelooks out dreamily toward the forest, from which hornsecho and answer. Suddenly she starts up, gazes intently,gives a low cry, and, dodging down as she passes thewindow, springs across to the heap of hides, among whichshe conceals herself. After a pause, the door opens;Egilenters, panting—evidently pursued. Hisbrow is bleeding, and he limps. Turning to bar thedoor, he lets fall a bloodied wolf’s skin. Immediatelyhe snatches it up caressingly; gazes around, listensenraged to the horns, limps swiftly to the hearth,hesitates; then, as a sudden horn-blast resounds closeby, falls on his knees, digs ferociously in the asheswith his two hands like an animal, thrusts the wolf’sskin in the cavity, and covers it over with the ashes,carefully replacing the charred brands on top. Swiftly,then, binding up his bleeding brow and thigh, he unbarsthe door, seizes a whip from a corner, and springsstealthily out of the window. At the same moment, horsesare heard to gallop up to the lodge; the door burstsopen;YorulandRolfappear on the sill.YORULHe came this way. Look here, Rolf, in the sand—And here: are not these paw-prints?ROLFMay be so.I saw him last back yonder in the forest.YORULI saw him slinking hither across the open.Look, here again; here’s blood.ROLFWhat! was he wounded?YORULDid not you see?ROLFYou know I did not; tell me.YORULTwice; once across the eye, once in the shank.’Twas Ingimund struck both wounds.ROLFIngimund!YORULYes, when we left you, Egil rode ahead,I and the others after. We had riddenA half-mile, when I heard our master shout:“Here comes our brother with his bride ahunting.”And sure, there burst into our narrow glenHorse, hound, and horn, the whole bright cavalcade;And Thordis rode ahead, and Arfi next,Last, Ingimund. We reined our horses back—ROLFNot to pollute the lady with the sightOf your accursed faces, eh?YORULSay ratherTo keep our scanty numbers hid.ROLFWell—well?YORULWell, I had hardly reined back in the woodAnd Thordis passed me by—Man, it was awful!Under the very hoofs of the dwarf’s horse—Out of the earth, it seemed—there sprang a wolfAnd bit the stallion’s loin. The horse rolled over—A wolf—a giant wolf!ROLFWhat then?YORULI sayIt stood as high as that, Rolf, yet I swearIf it were not a wolf, yet what—ROLFWhat happened?YORULThere rang a great shout and the riders allLeapt to the ground where, in the midst of them,Tangled together with the kicking steed,Rolled the huge wolf and Arfi; him the beastHeld by the gorge between his grinning jaws,Throttling him like a whelp. But Ingimund—ROLFHel have him! Did he save the dwarf?YORULHe draggedThe wolf away, and struck him with his spearTwice, as I told you. But the beast escaped.ROLFAnd Arfi lives?YORULI know not. I made afterThe wolf, and met you as I tracked him here.ROLFBut what said Egil?YORULI was too amazedTo look for him.ROLFThere winds his horn in the wood,And yonder he comes riding with the others.Come; we’ll go meet them.[Exit.][As Yorul is following Rolf, Frida steps forward.]FRIDA[Speaks low.]Yorul!YORULHervoice! Frida! Frida!FRIDAKeep me!YORULStand farther off. O girl, what brings you here?How found you out this solitary place?FRIDAI left my mistress’ side at dawn, and searchedAll day the forest.YORULLittle Frida, thou!FRIDACome with me!YORULStand away! You have forgotI am accurst. This place is Egil’s lodge,And all who dwell here banned and castaway.FRIDAWhere you are must I fear to be?YORULYes, Frida,For Ingimund has cursed me with my master.FRIDALeave him.YORULWhom?FRIDALeave him, Yorul.YORULLeave whom, child?FRIDAEgil, your master.YORUL[In amazement.]Frida!FRIDAHush![She goes to the hearth.]YORUL[In scorn.]DesertMy lord! His liegeman, I a traitor!FRIDALook.[She brushes back the ashes, revealing the beast’s head.]YORULThe wolf! By heaven, dead! What—youkilled him?FRIDANo.YORULAnd flayed, the very brute! Here are the marksOf Ingimund, his spear. Saw you the beastAlive?FRIDAYes.YORULHere?FRIDAI watched it limping here,Wounded, from out the forest.YORULHa! I said so.Here to the very door-sill?FRIDAYes; it pushedThe door ajar.YORULBut—FRIDAEgil entered.YORULEgil!FRIDAHis brow was bleeding and he limped. He buriedThat thing beneath the ashes, and sprang forthOut at the window.YORULBuried this?FRIDAAs dogsBury their secrets, claw and nozzle.—Yorul!YORULYousaw?FRIDAI saw. O Yorul, ’tis a werewolf.YORUL[Drops the hide and steps back.]Ah! do not name it!FRIDALeave him. Come away!YORULBleeding—his brow, you said?FRIDAYes; come away!YORULSo be it.FRIDAGracious Odin! he will come.YORULSince that wild day he bit your mistress’ handIt hath misgiven me the gods torment him.Once, for seven days, ceaseless he paced this hall,Spoke not, nor ate, but ground and ground his teeth;And in the night, once, when I watched him sleeping,His eyelids lay rolled back and filled with fire.FRIDAThat day the storm burst over Odin’s stoneAnd I beheld those mighty four in flame—Oh, since then, Yorul, they have changed, my mistressEven as your master, save that she has grownLovelier than herself, and seems to bearAbout with her the loadstone of desire,For the poor hinds and churls that wait upon herServe her with souls enamoured. If I thoughtYou would believe my vision, I could tell—But come, Yorul. Yorul! you will not come?YORULNever! Stop, Frida; do not name the thingHe is. It matters not to me; for meHe is my lord, my master; that is all.FRIDABut if—YORULIf he were that eternal beastWhom Odin chains until the dawn of doom,Fenris, the wolf—FRIDANo, say not that!YORULI sayStill it should matter not; I am his liegeman,His vassal, and his bondslave. I will serve him.[Enter, with his followers, Egil, cracking his whip.]EGILThe wolf! Where is your wolf?ROLFWe tracked him here.EGILLies! lies! He lurks yet in the forest.ERIC[Pointing at Yorul, who holds up the skin.]Look!THE MENThe wolf!EGIL[Leaping upon Yorul, flings him to the ground.]Traitor!YORULHold, master—FRIDA[Coming forward.]Save him!ROLFThou!Thou, maiden, here?FRIDAOh, help him!ERIC[With the others’ help, separates the two.]Egil! off!EGILA ferret, ho! a ferret, earls; hath scentAnd sight and hearing—what, for rats? No, no,For wolves!ROLF[Aside to Eric.]The madness!YORULMaster, ’tis the wolf.I killed him.EGILKilled him? Thou?[Craftily.]What wolf?YORULThe beastThat bit the dwarf.EGILDead; so ’tis dead. Let see![Taking the pelt from Yorul, he drops it on the hearth.]It should, methinks, be buried too.Thykill?YORULMine, Egil.EGIL[With his foot, covering the pelt with the ashes.]Killed and flayed. Huzza, mine earls,For Yorul and his kill.THE MEN[Gather round Yorul.]Huzza!EGIL’Tis buried.[Aside.]He knows, he knows; I will avenge me.[Looks keenly at Rolf.]Well,What art thou gazing on?ROLFOn nothing.EGILLiest,Liest; art gazing on my brow. What, what?’Tis bandaged, ah! What then? What then, I say?ERICWhy, he is wounded.EGILTraitors! traitors all!Aha, by Loki, but you lie. I fell—You lie! My horse was diked. I fell and gashed me,My brow, my thigh. Why not my brow and thigh?May not a huntsman fall from ’s saddle? Liars!I limp, but not for that. Iwilllimp![Suddenly changing.]Hark![He springs to the window.]YORULWhat dost thou hear?EGILThey smell the blood. They comeTo dig it up. Their nozzles scour the gorse.Yorul! Yorul!YORUL[To whom Egil clings.]’Tis nothing.EGILThey have foundThe scent. You cannot make them lose it, Yorul.You loop and loop for miles, plunge in the lake,Swim over, double through the thickets, springAll-feet from rock to rock in the ravine,Crouch in the fern and listen: still you hear themBelling behind you, all their big chests panting,Their red tongues lolled, the great hot breathing,—bloodhounds!Bloodhounds!ROLF[At the window.]By Odin, see, yonder the dogsOf Ingimund; he hath them in the leash;Behind him, on a litter, they are bringingArfi, the dwarf.EGILYorul! Keep back the hounds!Mercy! Thou art no kin of theirs. They haveNo feud of blood with thee. Keep back the hounds!Mercy!ERIC[Aside to men.]Still madder!ROLFThey are twoscore men,And we a handful; shall we fight?EGILFight, madmen?Have ye not heard the hounds? Keep back the hounds.Go forth and bind their leashes to the trees.Bind them, and guard them, every slave of you!Go! Go!ROLFWhat! fear their dogs?ERICYorul, his eyes—They burn!YORULBe patient, master!EGILTreachery!You’ve lured ’em on. They come to dig it out;They smell the wounds. Ye have betrayed me.YORULMen,Come forth and let us bind the hounds.EGIL[Swinging his whip.]Slaves! cowards!Traitors! the lash shall teach you.[Striking Rolf.]Bind the hounds!ROLFThis goes too far.YORUL[Imploring.]Come!EGILMercy! Ah! their fangs!Their fangs! Devils, go forth and bind the hounds.[Follows the men, lashing them.]ERICBy Loki!YORUL[Aside.]Humour him.[The men go forth, whipped wildly byEgil,who sinks exhausted by the closed door.]EGILKeep back the hounds—Their fangs!YORUL[Outside.]Fear nothing; we will bind them.FRIDA[Starts for the door.]Yorul![Egil,rolling in her way, gazes at her,and rises, panting; she draws back.]EGILThou art the maid of Yorul.FRIDAI am his.EGILWho hid the wolf—he knows.FRIDAHe knows.EGILHis maiden!Shalt make a fair revenge.FRIDAAh! Save me, Yorul![She faints.]EGILYorul, a dear revenge![Lifting her in his arms, he bears her off, left.]A lair! a lair![A pause; sunset glows through the window; the outerdoor is partly opened by Rolf, who calls in.]ROLFO Egil! Ingimund demands to enterAnd rest here for the night. Thy brother’s woundGrows worse; they doubt his life. Shall we resist them,Or welcome? They are armed.—Egil!—Not here?[Exit, closing the door. Another pause; the roomgrows dimmer; Egil slowly reënters, left.]EGILNow will I sleep.—The time is strangely sweet,Blank, and untroubled. Soon it will be starlight.My limbs are filled with peace, mine ears with soundsOf brooks and breezy leafage murmurous,Mine eyes with slumber. Well, I will lie downAnd sleep.[As Egil goes to the hearth, enterIngimund,Thordis,Wuldor,and a number of Arfi’smen, carrying a litter, on which liesArfi;these accompanied by Yorul, Rolf, Eric,and Egil’s men.]INGIMUNDSlow; bear him softly, Wuldor. LetThe others stay without, and place our menMost carefully on guard. For this one night,Yorul, thy master’s bann shall be suspended.The need is great.THORDIS[By the litter.]Father, he hath grown paler.INGIMUNDHere set him down.EGIL[Gazing at Thordis.]Dreaming!THORDISGently! his side.WULDORLady, what more to do?ARFI’S MEN[Some kneel, some kiss her robe; all give to her theireyes and hearts unconsciously.]What more?THORDISBring water.YORUL[Aside.]Master, the hounds are tethered. Where is Frida?EGILDreaming! still dreaming!YORULFrida?EGILWake me not.THORDISArfi! O gentle earl, look up! Let notYour ears be as the turf to our great sorrow.Arfi! I love you; live!YORUL[To Rolf.]Hast thou seen Frida?ROLFNo.[Exit Yorul, left; Egil approaches Arfi’s litter.]EGILWill he die?INGIMUNDThe virus of the wolfCorrupts his blood; yet he may live.EGILMay live.WULDORO God! I could take heart to bear this woeBut that the damnèd beast that bit my masterStill breathes.INGIMUNDI wounded him.WULDORYet he escaped us.ROLFYou, Wuldor, but not us. The wolf is dead;Behold his skin![Reënter Yorul. He staggers forward.]INGIMUNDWho killed him?ERICEgil’s manYorul.INGIMUNDHail, Yorul! This deed shall atoneFor much of thy defiance and thy master’s.Well done!YORUL[Wildly.]A lie! a lie! the wolf still lives.ALLLives?YORULThere!EGIL[Crouching back.]Ai! anarch!YORUL[Grappling Egil, tears off his bandages.]Look! Look, Ingimund!The wounds: you struck them with your hunting-spear.INGIMUNDForehead and thigh!YORULHe sprang on Arfi’s horse,And bit his brother’s throat—his murderer.There lies his changeling skin. He buried itHere in the ashes.THE MEN[Falling away.]Werewolf! Werewolf!INGIMUNDEarl,Thou art accused of sin unnameable.Speak: art thou guilty?EGIL[Glares about him in fear and rage.]Ai! Ai! anarch!INGIMUNDDemon!YORULAh, Frida! Master—Frida!ROLFWhat of her?Not dead?YORULNo, no; would God she were, and I!Frida![Exit, left.]INGIMUNDDestroy the wolf.THORDIS[To Wuldor, who is about to attack Egil with a spear.]Stop, earl! Your master;He has heard all.ARFI[Raises his body painfully on the litter.]My brother—Egil—spare him.WULDORBut ’tis a werewolf!INGIMUNDHe has sought your life.ARFIThe life he sought to take I give to him.My strength is little; if you love me, spare him.WULDOR’Tis madness!THORDISNay, ’tis mercy, but to youReason is vengeance. Father, look; he sinksAgain. Will you deny the prayer of him—[Lowering her voice.]Perchance who dies.ARFI[Faintly.]Egil!INGIMUNDEgil shall live;So much I grant thee, Arfi, but no more.Henceforth thy brother shall be cast in chains,Until the demon-beast that plagues his bodyIs exorcised and tamed.—Lay on the chains.[As the men approach with fetters, Egil seizes a chain fromone, and, springing fearfully to Thordis’s side, therecrouches and lifts it to her.]EGILNot those—but thou![Thordis puts the chain upon Egil.]
The room is roughly built of logs, long cross-beamsoverhead. From these (in the right corner, back) hangsuspended the bodies and skins of antelope, bear, andwild game; and beneath these—piled upon a bench againstthe wall—a heap of furs and hides. Centre, back, adoor. Left, in the earthen floor, a hearth with ashes;above it, a hole in the roof. Beyond this hearth, left,sitting at the open window,Frida,alone. Shelooks out dreamily toward the forest, from which hornsecho and answer. Suddenly she starts up, gazes intently,gives a low cry, and, dodging down as she passes thewindow, springs across to the heap of hides, among whichshe conceals herself. After a pause, the door opens;Egilenters, panting—evidently pursued. Hisbrow is bleeding, and he limps. Turning to bar thedoor, he lets fall a bloodied wolf’s skin. Immediatelyhe snatches it up caressingly; gazes around, listensenraged to the horns, limps swiftly to the hearth,hesitates; then, as a sudden horn-blast resounds closeby, falls on his knees, digs ferociously in the asheswith his two hands like an animal, thrusts the wolf’sskin in the cavity, and covers it over with the ashes,carefully replacing the charred brands on top. Swiftly,then, binding up his bleeding brow and thigh, he unbarsthe door, seizes a whip from a corner, and springsstealthily out of the window. At the same moment, horsesare heard to gallop up to the lodge; the door burstsopen;YorulandRolfappear on the sill.YORULHe came this way. Look here, Rolf, in the sand—And here: are not these paw-prints?ROLFMay be so.I saw him last back yonder in the forest.YORULI saw him slinking hither across the open.Look, here again; here’s blood.ROLFWhat! was he wounded?YORULDid not you see?ROLFYou know I did not; tell me.YORULTwice; once across the eye, once in the shank.’Twas Ingimund struck both wounds.ROLFIngimund!YORULYes, when we left you, Egil rode ahead,I and the others after. We had riddenA half-mile, when I heard our master shout:“Here comes our brother with his bride ahunting.”And sure, there burst into our narrow glenHorse, hound, and horn, the whole bright cavalcade;And Thordis rode ahead, and Arfi next,Last, Ingimund. We reined our horses back—ROLFNot to pollute the lady with the sightOf your accursed faces, eh?YORULSay ratherTo keep our scanty numbers hid.ROLFWell—well?YORULWell, I had hardly reined back in the woodAnd Thordis passed me by—Man, it was awful!Under the very hoofs of the dwarf’s horse—Out of the earth, it seemed—there sprang a wolfAnd bit the stallion’s loin. The horse rolled over—A wolf—a giant wolf!ROLFWhat then?YORULI sayIt stood as high as that, Rolf, yet I swearIf it were not a wolf, yet what—ROLFWhat happened?YORULThere rang a great shout and the riders allLeapt to the ground where, in the midst of them,Tangled together with the kicking steed,Rolled the huge wolf and Arfi; him the beastHeld by the gorge between his grinning jaws,Throttling him like a whelp. But Ingimund—ROLFHel have him! Did he save the dwarf?YORULHe draggedThe wolf away, and struck him with his spearTwice, as I told you. But the beast escaped.ROLFAnd Arfi lives?YORULI know not. I made afterThe wolf, and met you as I tracked him here.ROLFBut what said Egil?YORULI was too amazedTo look for him.ROLFThere winds his horn in the wood,And yonder he comes riding with the others.Come; we’ll go meet them.[Exit.][As Yorul is following Rolf, Frida steps forward.]FRIDA[Speaks low.]Yorul!YORULHervoice! Frida! Frida!FRIDAKeep me!YORULStand farther off. O girl, what brings you here?How found you out this solitary place?FRIDAI left my mistress’ side at dawn, and searchedAll day the forest.YORULLittle Frida, thou!FRIDACome with me!YORULStand away! You have forgotI am accurst. This place is Egil’s lodge,And all who dwell here banned and castaway.FRIDAWhere you are must I fear to be?YORULYes, Frida,For Ingimund has cursed me with my master.FRIDALeave him.YORULWhom?FRIDALeave him, Yorul.YORULLeave whom, child?FRIDAEgil, your master.YORUL[In amazement.]Frida!FRIDAHush![She goes to the hearth.]YORUL[In scorn.]DesertMy lord! His liegeman, I a traitor!FRIDALook.[She brushes back the ashes, revealing the beast’s head.]YORULThe wolf! By heaven, dead! What—youkilled him?FRIDANo.YORULAnd flayed, the very brute! Here are the marksOf Ingimund, his spear. Saw you the beastAlive?FRIDAYes.YORULHere?FRIDAI watched it limping here,Wounded, from out the forest.YORULHa! I said so.Here to the very door-sill?FRIDAYes; it pushedThe door ajar.YORULBut—FRIDAEgil entered.YORULEgil!FRIDAHis brow was bleeding and he limped. He buriedThat thing beneath the ashes, and sprang forthOut at the window.YORULBuried this?FRIDAAs dogsBury their secrets, claw and nozzle.—Yorul!YORULYousaw?FRIDAI saw. O Yorul, ’tis a werewolf.YORUL[Drops the hide and steps back.]Ah! do not name it!FRIDALeave him. Come away!YORULBleeding—his brow, you said?FRIDAYes; come away!YORULSo be it.FRIDAGracious Odin! he will come.YORULSince that wild day he bit your mistress’ handIt hath misgiven me the gods torment him.Once, for seven days, ceaseless he paced this hall,Spoke not, nor ate, but ground and ground his teeth;And in the night, once, when I watched him sleeping,His eyelids lay rolled back and filled with fire.FRIDAThat day the storm burst over Odin’s stoneAnd I beheld those mighty four in flame—Oh, since then, Yorul, they have changed, my mistressEven as your master, save that she has grownLovelier than herself, and seems to bearAbout with her the loadstone of desire,For the poor hinds and churls that wait upon herServe her with souls enamoured. If I thoughtYou would believe my vision, I could tell—But come, Yorul. Yorul! you will not come?YORULNever! Stop, Frida; do not name the thingHe is. It matters not to me; for meHe is my lord, my master; that is all.FRIDABut if—YORULIf he were that eternal beastWhom Odin chains until the dawn of doom,Fenris, the wolf—FRIDANo, say not that!YORULI sayStill it should matter not; I am his liegeman,His vassal, and his bondslave. I will serve him.[Enter, with his followers, Egil, cracking his whip.]EGILThe wolf! Where is your wolf?ROLFWe tracked him here.EGILLies! lies! He lurks yet in the forest.ERIC[Pointing at Yorul, who holds up the skin.]Look!THE MENThe wolf!EGIL[Leaping upon Yorul, flings him to the ground.]Traitor!YORULHold, master—FRIDA[Coming forward.]Save him!ROLFThou!Thou, maiden, here?FRIDAOh, help him!ERIC[With the others’ help, separates the two.]Egil! off!EGILA ferret, ho! a ferret, earls; hath scentAnd sight and hearing—what, for rats? No, no,For wolves!ROLF[Aside to Eric.]The madness!YORULMaster, ’tis the wolf.I killed him.EGILKilled him? Thou?[Craftily.]What wolf?YORULThe beastThat bit the dwarf.EGILDead; so ’tis dead. Let see![Taking the pelt from Yorul, he drops it on the hearth.]It should, methinks, be buried too.Thykill?YORULMine, Egil.EGIL[With his foot, covering the pelt with the ashes.]Killed and flayed. Huzza, mine earls,For Yorul and his kill.THE MEN[Gather round Yorul.]Huzza!EGIL’Tis buried.[Aside.]He knows, he knows; I will avenge me.[Looks keenly at Rolf.]Well,What art thou gazing on?ROLFOn nothing.EGILLiest,Liest; art gazing on my brow. What, what?’Tis bandaged, ah! What then? What then, I say?ERICWhy, he is wounded.EGILTraitors! traitors all!Aha, by Loki, but you lie. I fell—You lie! My horse was diked. I fell and gashed me,My brow, my thigh. Why not my brow and thigh?May not a huntsman fall from ’s saddle? Liars!I limp, but not for that. Iwilllimp![Suddenly changing.]Hark![He springs to the window.]YORULWhat dost thou hear?EGILThey smell the blood. They comeTo dig it up. Their nozzles scour the gorse.Yorul! Yorul!YORUL[To whom Egil clings.]’Tis nothing.EGILThey have foundThe scent. You cannot make them lose it, Yorul.You loop and loop for miles, plunge in the lake,Swim over, double through the thickets, springAll-feet from rock to rock in the ravine,Crouch in the fern and listen: still you hear themBelling behind you, all their big chests panting,Their red tongues lolled, the great hot breathing,—bloodhounds!Bloodhounds!ROLF[At the window.]By Odin, see, yonder the dogsOf Ingimund; he hath them in the leash;Behind him, on a litter, they are bringingArfi, the dwarf.EGILYorul! Keep back the hounds!Mercy! Thou art no kin of theirs. They haveNo feud of blood with thee. Keep back the hounds!Mercy!ERIC[Aside to men.]Still madder!ROLFThey are twoscore men,And we a handful; shall we fight?EGILFight, madmen?Have ye not heard the hounds? Keep back the hounds.Go forth and bind their leashes to the trees.Bind them, and guard them, every slave of you!Go! Go!ROLFWhat! fear their dogs?ERICYorul, his eyes—They burn!YORULBe patient, master!EGILTreachery!You’ve lured ’em on. They come to dig it out;They smell the wounds. Ye have betrayed me.YORULMen,Come forth and let us bind the hounds.EGIL[Swinging his whip.]Slaves! cowards!Traitors! the lash shall teach you.[Striking Rolf.]Bind the hounds!ROLFThis goes too far.YORUL[Imploring.]Come!EGILMercy! Ah! their fangs!Their fangs! Devils, go forth and bind the hounds.[Follows the men, lashing them.]ERICBy Loki!YORUL[Aside.]Humour him.[The men go forth, whipped wildly byEgil,who sinks exhausted by the closed door.]EGILKeep back the hounds—Their fangs!YORUL[Outside.]Fear nothing; we will bind them.FRIDA[Starts for the door.]Yorul![Egil,rolling in her way, gazes at her,and rises, panting; she draws back.]EGILThou art the maid of Yorul.FRIDAI am his.EGILWho hid the wolf—he knows.FRIDAHe knows.EGILHis maiden!Shalt make a fair revenge.FRIDAAh! Save me, Yorul![She faints.]EGILYorul, a dear revenge![Lifting her in his arms, he bears her off, left.]A lair! a lair![A pause; sunset glows through the window; the outerdoor is partly opened by Rolf, who calls in.]ROLFO Egil! Ingimund demands to enterAnd rest here for the night. Thy brother’s woundGrows worse; they doubt his life. Shall we resist them,Or welcome? They are armed.—Egil!—Not here?[Exit, closing the door. Another pause; the roomgrows dimmer; Egil slowly reënters, left.]EGILNow will I sleep.—The time is strangely sweet,Blank, and untroubled. Soon it will be starlight.My limbs are filled with peace, mine ears with soundsOf brooks and breezy leafage murmurous,Mine eyes with slumber. Well, I will lie downAnd sleep.[As Egil goes to the hearth, enterIngimund,Thordis,Wuldor,and a number of Arfi’smen, carrying a litter, on which liesArfi;these accompanied by Yorul, Rolf, Eric,and Egil’s men.]INGIMUNDSlow; bear him softly, Wuldor. LetThe others stay without, and place our menMost carefully on guard. For this one night,Yorul, thy master’s bann shall be suspended.The need is great.THORDIS[By the litter.]Father, he hath grown paler.INGIMUNDHere set him down.EGIL[Gazing at Thordis.]Dreaming!THORDISGently! his side.WULDORLady, what more to do?ARFI’S MEN[Some kneel, some kiss her robe; all give to her theireyes and hearts unconsciously.]What more?THORDISBring water.YORUL[Aside.]Master, the hounds are tethered. Where is Frida?EGILDreaming! still dreaming!YORULFrida?EGILWake me not.THORDISArfi! O gentle earl, look up! Let notYour ears be as the turf to our great sorrow.Arfi! I love you; live!YORUL[To Rolf.]Hast thou seen Frida?ROLFNo.[Exit Yorul, left; Egil approaches Arfi’s litter.]EGILWill he die?INGIMUNDThe virus of the wolfCorrupts his blood; yet he may live.EGILMay live.WULDORO God! I could take heart to bear this woeBut that the damnèd beast that bit my masterStill breathes.INGIMUNDI wounded him.WULDORYet he escaped us.ROLFYou, Wuldor, but not us. The wolf is dead;Behold his skin![Reënter Yorul. He staggers forward.]INGIMUNDWho killed him?ERICEgil’s manYorul.INGIMUNDHail, Yorul! This deed shall atoneFor much of thy defiance and thy master’s.Well done!YORUL[Wildly.]A lie! a lie! the wolf still lives.ALLLives?YORULThere!EGIL[Crouching back.]Ai! anarch!YORUL[Grappling Egil, tears off his bandages.]Look! Look, Ingimund!The wounds: you struck them with your hunting-spear.INGIMUNDForehead and thigh!YORULHe sprang on Arfi’s horse,And bit his brother’s throat—his murderer.There lies his changeling skin. He buried itHere in the ashes.THE MEN[Falling away.]Werewolf! Werewolf!INGIMUNDEarl,Thou art accused of sin unnameable.Speak: art thou guilty?EGIL[Glares about him in fear and rage.]Ai! Ai! anarch!INGIMUNDDemon!YORULAh, Frida! Master—Frida!ROLFWhat of her?Not dead?YORULNo, no; would God she were, and I!Frida![Exit, left.]INGIMUNDDestroy the wolf.THORDIS[To Wuldor, who is about to attack Egil with a spear.]Stop, earl! Your master;He has heard all.ARFI[Raises his body painfully on the litter.]My brother—Egil—spare him.WULDORBut ’tis a werewolf!INGIMUNDHe has sought your life.ARFIThe life he sought to take I give to him.My strength is little; if you love me, spare him.WULDOR’Tis madness!THORDISNay, ’tis mercy, but to youReason is vengeance. Father, look; he sinksAgain. Will you deny the prayer of him—[Lowering her voice.]Perchance who dies.ARFI[Faintly.]Egil!INGIMUNDEgil shall live;So much I grant thee, Arfi, but no more.Henceforth thy brother shall be cast in chains,Until the demon-beast that plagues his bodyIs exorcised and tamed.—Lay on the chains.[As the men approach with fetters, Egil seizes a chain fromone, and, springing fearfully to Thordis’s side, therecrouches and lifts it to her.]EGILNot those—but thou![Thordis puts the chain upon Egil.]
The room is roughly built of logs, long cross-beamsoverhead. From these (in the right corner, back) hangsuspended the bodies and skins of antelope, bear, andwild game; and beneath these—piled upon a bench againstthe wall—a heap of furs and hides. Centre, back, adoor. Left, in the earthen floor, a hearth with ashes;above it, a hole in the roof. Beyond this hearth, left,sitting at the open window,Frida,alone. Shelooks out dreamily toward the forest, from which hornsecho and answer. Suddenly she starts up, gazes intently,gives a low cry, and, dodging down as she passes thewindow, springs across to the heap of hides, among whichshe conceals herself. After a pause, the door opens;Egilenters, panting—evidently pursued. Hisbrow is bleeding, and he limps. Turning to bar thedoor, he lets fall a bloodied wolf’s skin. Immediatelyhe snatches it up caressingly; gazes around, listensenraged to the horns, limps swiftly to the hearth,hesitates; then, as a sudden horn-blast resounds closeby, falls on his knees, digs ferociously in the asheswith his two hands like an animal, thrusts the wolf’sskin in the cavity, and covers it over with the ashes,carefully replacing the charred brands on top. Swiftly,then, binding up his bleeding brow and thigh, he unbarsthe door, seizes a whip from a corner, and springsstealthily out of the window. At the same moment, horsesare heard to gallop up to the lodge; the door burstsopen;YorulandRolfappear on the sill.
YORULHe came this way. Look here, Rolf, in the sand—And here: are not these paw-prints?
ROLFMay be so.I saw him last back yonder in the forest.
YORULI saw him slinking hither across the open.Look, here again; here’s blood.
ROLFWhat! was he wounded?
YORULDid not you see?
ROLFYou know I did not; tell me.
YORULTwice; once across the eye, once in the shank.’Twas Ingimund struck both wounds.
ROLFIngimund!
YORULYes, when we left you, Egil rode ahead,I and the others after. We had riddenA half-mile, when I heard our master shout:“Here comes our brother with his bride ahunting.”And sure, there burst into our narrow glenHorse, hound, and horn, the whole bright cavalcade;And Thordis rode ahead, and Arfi next,Last, Ingimund. We reined our horses back—
ROLFNot to pollute the lady with the sightOf your accursed faces, eh?
YORULSay ratherTo keep our scanty numbers hid.
ROLFWell—well?
YORULWell, I had hardly reined back in the woodAnd Thordis passed me by—Man, it was awful!Under the very hoofs of the dwarf’s horse—Out of the earth, it seemed—there sprang a wolfAnd bit the stallion’s loin. The horse rolled over—A wolf—a giant wolf!
ROLFWhat then?
YORULI sayIt stood as high as that, Rolf, yet I swearIf it were not a wolf, yet what—
ROLFWhat happened?
YORULThere rang a great shout and the riders allLeapt to the ground where, in the midst of them,Tangled together with the kicking steed,Rolled the huge wolf and Arfi; him the beastHeld by the gorge between his grinning jaws,Throttling him like a whelp. But Ingimund—
ROLFHel have him! Did he save the dwarf?
YORULHe draggedThe wolf away, and struck him with his spearTwice, as I told you. But the beast escaped.
ROLFAnd Arfi lives?
YORULI know not. I made afterThe wolf, and met you as I tracked him here.
ROLFBut what said Egil?
YORULI was too amazedTo look for him.
ROLFThere winds his horn in the wood,And yonder he comes riding with the others.Come; we’ll go meet them.[Exit.][As Yorul is following Rolf, Frida steps forward.]
FRIDA[Speaks low.]Yorul!
YORULHervoice! Frida! Frida!
FRIDAKeep me!
YORULStand farther off. O girl, what brings you here?How found you out this solitary place?
FRIDAI left my mistress’ side at dawn, and searchedAll day the forest.
YORULLittle Frida, thou!
FRIDACome with me!
YORULStand away! You have forgotI am accurst. This place is Egil’s lodge,And all who dwell here banned and castaway.
FRIDAWhere you are must I fear to be?
YORULYes, Frida,For Ingimund has cursed me with my master.
FRIDALeave him.
YORULWhom?
FRIDALeave him, Yorul.
YORULLeave whom, child?
FRIDAEgil, your master.
YORUL[In amazement.]Frida!
FRIDAHush![She goes to the hearth.]
YORUL[In scorn.]DesertMy lord! His liegeman, I a traitor!
FRIDALook.[She brushes back the ashes, revealing the beast’s head.]
YORULThe wolf! By heaven, dead! What—youkilled him?
FRIDANo.
YORULAnd flayed, the very brute! Here are the marksOf Ingimund, his spear. Saw you the beastAlive?
FRIDAYes.
YORULHere?
FRIDAI watched it limping here,Wounded, from out the forest.
YORULHa! I said so.Here to the very door-sill?
FRIDAYes; it pushedThe door ajar.
YORULBut—
FRIDAEgil entered.
YORULEgil!
FRIDAHis brow was bleeding and he limped. He buriedThat thing beneath the ashes, and sprang forthOut at the window.
YORULBuried this?
FRIDAAs dogsBury their secrets, claw and nozzle.—Yorul!
YORULYousaw?
FRIDAI saw. O Yorul, ’tis a werewolf.
YORUL[Drops the hide and steps back.]Ah! do not name it!
FRIDALeave him. Come away!
YORULBleeding—his brow, you said?
FRIDAYes; come away!
YORULSo be it.
FRIDAGracious Odin! he will come.
YORULSince that wild day he bit your mistress’ handIt hath misgiven me the gods torment him.Once, for seven days, ceaseless he paced this hall,Spoke not, nor ate, but ground and ground his teeth;And in the night, once, when I watched him sleeping,His eyelids lay rolled back and filled with fire.
FRIDAThat day the storm burst over Odin’s stoneAnd I beheld those mighty four in flame—Oh, since then, Yorul, they have changed, my mistressEven as your master, save that she has grownLovelier than herself, and seems to bearAbout with her the loadstone of desire,For the poor hinds and churls that wait upon herServe her with souls enamoured. If I thoughtYou would believe my vision, I could tell—But come, Yorul. Yorul! you will not come?
YORULNever! Stop, Frida; do not name the thingHe is. It matters not to me; for meHe is my lord, my master; that is all.
FRIDABut if—
YORULIf he were that eternal beastWhom Odin chains until the dawn of doom,Fenris, the wolf—
FRIDANo, say not that!
YORULI sayStill it should matter not; I am his liegeman,His vassal, and his bondslave. I will serve him.
[Enter, with his followers, Egil, cracking his whip.]
EGILThe wolf! Where is your wolf?
ROLFWe tracked him here.
EGILLies! lies! He lurks yet in the forest.
ERIC[Pointing at Yorul, who holds up the skin.]Look!
THE MENThe wolf!
EGIL[Leaping upon Yorul, flings him to the ground.]Traitor!
YORULHold, master—
FRIDA[Coming forward.]Save him!
ROLFThou!Thou, maiden, here?
FRIDAOh, help him!
ERIC[With the others’ help, separates the two.]Egil! off!
EGILA ferret, ho! a ferret, earls; hath scentAnd sight and hearing—what, for rats? No, no,For wolves!
ROLF[Aside to Eric.]The madness!
YORULMaster, ’tis the wolf.I killed him.
EGILKilled him? Thou?[Craftily.]What wolf?
YORULThe beastThat bit the dwarf.
EGILDead; so ’tis dead. Let see![Taking the pelt from Yorul, he drops it on the hearth.]It should, methinks, be buried too.Thykill?
YORULMine, Egil.
EGIL[With his foot, covering the pelt with the ashes.]Killed and flayed. Huzza, mine earls,For Yorul and his kill.
THE MEN[Gather round Yorul.]Huzza!
EGIL’Tis buried.[Aside.]He knows, he knows; I will avenge me.[Looks keenly at Rolf.]Well,What art thou gazing on?
ROLFOn nothing.
EGILLiest,Liest; art gazing on my brow. What, what?’Tis bandaged, ah! What then? What then, I say?
ERICWhy, he is wounded.
EGILTraitors! traitors all!Aha, by Loki, but you lie. I fell—You lie! My horse was diked. I fell and gashed me,My brow, my thigh. Why not my brow and thigh?May not a huntsman fall from ’s saddle? Liars!I limp, but not for that. Iwilllimp![Suddenly changing.]Hark![He springs to the window.]
YORULWhat dost thou hear?
EGILThey smell the blood. They comeTo dig it up. Their nozzles scour the gorse.Yorul! Yorul!
YORUL[To whom Egil clings.]’Tis nothing.
EGILThey have foundThe scent. You cannot make them lose it, Yorul.You loop and loop for miles, plunge in the lake,Swim over, double through the thickets, springAll-feet from rock to rock in the ravine,Crouch in the fern and listen: still you hear themBelling behind you, all their big chests panting,Their red tongues lolled, the great hot breathing,—bloodhounds!Bloodhounds!
ROLF[At the window.]By Odin, see, yonder the dogsOf Ingimund; he hath them in the leash;Behind him, on a litter, they are bringingArfi, the dwarf.
EGILYorul! Keep back the hounds!Mercy! Thou art no kin of theirs. They haveNo feud of blood with thee. Keep back the hounds!Mercy!
ERIC[Aside to men.]Still madder!
ROLFThey are twoscore men,And we a handful; shall we fight?
EGILFight, madmen?Have ye not heard the hounds? Keep back the hounds.Go forth and bind their leashes to the trees.Bind them, and guard them, every slave of you!Go! Go!
ROLFWhat! fear their dogs?
ERICYorul, his eyes—They burn!
YORULBe patient, master!
EGILTreachery!You’ve lured ’em on. They come to dig it out;They smell the wounds. Ye have betrayed me.
YORULMen,Come forth and let us bind the hounds.
EGIL[Swinging his whip.]Slaves! cowards!Traitors! the lash shall teach you.[Striking Rolf.]Bind the hounds!
ROLFThis goes too far.
YORUL[Imploring.]Come!
EGILMercy! Ah! their fangs!Their fangs! Devils, go forth and bind the hounds.[Follows the men, lashing them.]
ERICBy Loki!
YORUL[Aside.]Humour him.
[The men go forth, whipped wildly byEgil,who sinks exhausted by the closed door.]
EGILKeep back the hounds—Their fangs!
YORUL[Outside.]Fear nothing; we will bind them.
FRIDA[Starts for the door.]Yorul!
[Egil,rolling in her way, gazes at her,and rises, panting; she draws back.]
EGILThou art the maid of Yorul.
FRIDAI am his.
EGILWho hid the wolf—he knows.
FRIDAHe knows.
EGILHis maiden!Shalt make a fair revenge.
FRIDAAh! Save me, Yorul![She faints.]
EGILYorul, a dear revenge![Lifting her in his arms, he bears her off, left.]A lair! a lair!
[A pause; sunset glows through the window; the outerdoor is partly opened by Rolf, who calls in.]
ROLFO Egil! Ingimund demands to enterAnd rest here for the night. Thy brother’s woundGrows worse; they doubt his life. Shall we resist them,Or welcome? They are armed.—Egil!—Not here?
[Exit, closing the door. Another pause; the roomgrows dimmer; Egil slowly reënters, left.]
EGILNow will I sleep.—The time is strangely sweet,Blank, and untroubled. Soon it will be starlight.My limbs are filled with peace, mine ears with soundsOf brooks and breezy leafage murmurous,Mine eyes with slumber. Well, I will lie downAnd sleep.
[As Egil goes to the hearth, enterIngimund,Thordis,Wuldor,and a number of Arfi’smen, carrying a litter, on which liesArfi;these accompanied by Yorul, Rolf, Eric,and Egil’s men.]
INGIMUNDSlow; bear him softly, Wuldor. LetThe others stay without, and place our menMost carefully on guard. For this one night,Yorul, thy master’s bann shall be suspended.The need is great.
THORDIS[By the litter.]Father, he hath grown paler.
INGIMUNDHere set him down.
EGIL[Gazing at Thordis.]Dreaming!
THORDISGently! his side.
WULDORLady, what more to do?
ARFI’S MEN[Some kneel, some kiss her robe; all give to her theireyes and hearts unconsciously.]What more?
THORDISBring water.
YORUL[Aside.]Master, the hounds are tethered. Where is Frida?
EGILDreaming! still dreaming!
YORULFrida?
EGILWake me not.
THORDISArfi! O gentle earl, look up! Let notYour ears be as the turf to our great sorrow.Arfi! I love you; live!
YORUL[To Rolf.]Hast thou seen Frida?
ROLFNo.[Exit Yorul, left; Egil approaches Arfi’s litter.]
EGILWill he die?
INGIMUNDThe virus of the wolfCorrupts his blood; yet he may live.
EGILMay live.
WULDORO God! I could take heart to bear this woeBut that the damnèd beast that bit my masterStill breathes.
INGIMUNDI wounded him.
WULDORYet he escaped us.
ROLFYou, Wuldor, but not us. The wolf is dead;Behold his skin![Reënter Yorul. He staggers forward.]
INGIMUNDWho killed him?
ERICEgil’s manYorul.
INGIMUNDHail, Yorul! This deed shall atoneFor much of thy defiance and thy master’s.Well done!
YORUL[Wildly.]A lie! a lie! the wolf still lives.
ALLLives?
YORULThere!
EGIL[Crouching back.]Ai! anarch!
YORUL[Grappling Egil, tears off his bandages.]Look! Look, Ingimund!The wounds: you struck them with your hunting-spear.
INGIMUNDForehead and thigh!
YORULHe sprang on Arfi’s horse,And bit his brother’s throat—his murderer.There lies his changeling skin. He buried itHere in the ashes.
THE MEN[Falling away.]Werewolf! Werewolf!
INGIMUNDEarl,Thou art accused of sin unnameable.Speak: art thou guilty?
EGIL[Glares about him in fear and rage.]Ai! Ai! anarch!
INGIMUNDDemon!
YORULAh, Frida! Master—Frida!
ROLFWhat of her?Not dead?
YORULNo, no; would God she were, and I!Frida![Exit, left.]
INGIMUNDDestroy the wolf.
THORDIS[To Wuldor, who is about to attack Egil with a spear.]Stop, earl! Your master;He has heard all.
ARFI[Raises his body painfully on the litter.]My brother—Egil—spare him.
WULDORBut ’tis a werewolf!
INGIMUNDHe has sought your life.
ARFIThe life he sought to take I give to him.My strength is little; if you love me, spare him.
WULDOR’Tis madness!
THORDISNay, ’tis mercy, but to youReason is vengeance. Father, look; he sinksAgain. Will you deny the prayer of him—[Lowering her voice.]Perchance who dies.
ARFI[Faintly.]Egil!
INGIMUNDEgil shall live;So much I grant thee, Arfi, but no more.Henceforth thy brother shall be cast in chains,Until the demon-beast that plagues his bodyIs exorcised and tamed.—Lay on the chains.
[As the men approach with fetters, Egil seizes a chain fromone, and, springing fearfully to Thordis’s side, therecrouches and lifts it to her.]
EGILNot those—but thou!
[Thordis puts the chain upon Egil.]