nced by him, has followed _H_ very
closely in his edition of the Saga[7] till it breaks off, and after
that the paper MSS. (_h_) most closely related to it. He does not
appear to have used _R_, and therefore omits the details of the fight
on Samso and _Hjalmar's Death Song_. Asmundarson's version has been
followed closely in the translation given below, but one or two
interesting passages omitted by _H_ have been translated separately
(see Appendix on pp. 144-150) from the text printed from _R_ in
Wimmer's _Oldnordisk Laesebog_[8] and from some short excerpts from _h_
printed at the close of Petersen's edition of the Saga.

For a full bibliography of the texts, translations, and literature
dealing with this saga the reader is referred to _Islandica_, Vol. V,
pp. 22-26.

In this saga we have what appears to be the history of a certain
family for more than four generations. From the point of view of
construction, the story can hardly be regarded as a success. Yet it
contains scenes at least equal to any others which can be found among
sagas of this kind. It also embodies a considerable amount of poetry
which is not found elsewhere. Some of this is of high merit, and one
piece, dealing with the battle between the Huns and the Goths, is
evidently of great antiquity.

The Saga opens in a purely mythical milieu--with Guthmund in
Glasisvellir, to whom we have already had reference in the story
of Nornagest. Next we have a typical story of the Viking Age--the
adventures of the sons of Arngrim and their fight on Samso. This
story is known to us from other sources, the earliest being the poem
_Hyndluljoth_ (str. 24), which according to Finnur Jonsson[9] cannot
be later in date than the latter part of the tenth century, though
Mogk[10] is inclined to doubt this. Other references occur in the
_Saga of Oervar-Odd_, Saxo's _Danish History_, the later ballads
translated below, etc.

We then pass on to the account of Hervoer, the daughter of Angantyr
(which is only found here and in the ballads), and the striking poem
in which she is represented as visiting her father's grave-mound to
obtain his sword.

The next and longest section contains the life of Hervoer's son
Heithrek, which is peculiar to this saga and which in its earlier
part likewise seems to be a story of the Viking Age. Towards the end,
however, it gradually dawns upon us that there has been an unconscious
change of scene, and that Heithrek instead of being a Viking