rise:
better that the slave should perish than the master. Let thy servant
do for thee what the tongs do for the smith, who by the aid of his iron
tool guards his hand from scorching, and saves his fingers from burning.
Learn thou also, by using thy men, to spare and take thought for
thyself."

So spake Erik, and Gotar, who had hitherto held him a man of no parts,
now marvelled that he had graced his answer with sentences so choice
and weighty, and gave him the name of Shrewd-spoken, thinking that his
admirable wisdom deserved some title. For the young man's reputation
had been kept in the shade by the exceeding brilliancy of his brother
Roller. Erik begged that some substantial gift should be added to the
name, declaring that the bestowal of the title ought to be graced by
a present besides. The king gave him a ship, and the oarsmen called it
"Skroter." Now Erik and Roller were the sons of Ragnar, the champion,
and children of one father by different mothers; Roller's mother and
Erik's stepmother was named Kraka.

And so, by leave of Gotar, the task of making a raid on the Danes
fell to one Hrafn. He was encountered by Odd, who had at that time the
greatest prestige among the Danes as a rover, for he was such a skilled
magician that he could range over the sea without a ship, and could
often raise tempests by his spells, and wreck the vessels of the enemy.
Accordingly, that he might not have to condescend to pit his sea-forces
against the rovers, he used to ruffle the waters by enchantment, and
cause them to shipwreck his foes. To traders this man was ruthless,
but to tillers of the soil he was merciful, for he thought less of
merchandise than of the plough-handle, but rated the clean business
of the country higher than the toil for filthy lucre. When he began to
fight with the Northmen he so dulled the sight of the enemy by the power
of his spells that they thought the drawn swords of the Danes cast their
beams from afar off, and sparkled as if aflame. Moreover, their vision
was so blunted that they could not so much as look upon the sword
when it was drawn from the sheath: the dazzle was too much for their
eyesight, which could not endure the glittering mirage. So Hrafn and
many of his men were slain, and only six vessels slipped back to Norway
to teach the king that it was not so easy to crush the Danes. The
survivors also spread the news that Frode trusted only in the help of
his champions, and reigned against th