e you know the destiny
Of gods and men, declare this unto me.--
Which are the omens that should most delight
When swords are swinging and a man must fight?

Hnikar replied:

Many propitious signs, if men could know,
Appear when swords are swinging to and fro.
I hold a warrior has a trusty guide
When a dark raven hovers at his side.

I hold it too for a propitious sign
If men to make a journey should design,
And, coming out of doors, see close at hand
Two gallant warriors in the pathway stand.

And if you hear beneath the rowan tree
A howling wolf, the sound spells luck to thee,
And luck shall helmed warriors bring to thee,
If thou such warriors art the first to see.

Facing the sinking and late shining light
Of the Moon's sister, warriors should not fight.
Victory is theirs who, eager for the fray,
Can clearly see to order their array.

I hold it no occasion for delight
When a man stumbles as he goes to fight;
For guileful spirits dog him on his way
With mischief-bearing looks throughout the fray

A man of wisdom, as each day goes past,
Washes, and combs his hair, and breaks his fast.
He knows not where by evening he may be.--
Stumbling is bad luck, boding ill to thee.

And after that we sailed southwards along the coast of Holstein and to
the east of Friesland, and there we landed. The sons of Hunding heard
at once of our expedition and gathered an army; and they soon had a
larger force than we had, and when we encountered them there was a
great battle. Lyngvi was the most valiant of the brothers in every
onset, though they all fought bravely. Sigurth's attack was so
fierce that everyone shrank before him, when they saw that they were
threatened by the sword Gram. There was no need to reproach Sigurth
with lack of courage. And when he and Lyngvi met, they exchanged many
blows and fought with the greatest valour. Then there was a lull in
the battle, for people turned to watch the single combat. For a long
time neither of them was able to inflict a wound on the other, so
skilled in arms were they.

Then Lyngvi's brothers made a fierce attack and slew many of our men,
while others took to flight. Then Hamund, Sigurth's brother, rushed to
meet them, and I joined him, and then there was another encounter.

The end of the affair between Sigurth and Lyngvi was that Sigurth made
him prisoner and had him fettered. And when Sigurth joined us, matters
very