erst had had, and cheered on his men to the fight, but his army was far
the fewest.

Now was that battle fierce and fell, and though Sigmund were old, yet
most hardily he fought, and was ever the foremost of his men; no shield
or byrny might hold against him, and he went ever through the ranks
of his foemen on that day, and no man might see how things would fare
between them; many an arrow and many a spear was aloft in air that day,
and so his spae-wrights wrought for him that he got no wound, and none
can tell over the tale of those who fell before him, and both his arms
were red with blood, even to the shoulders.

But now whenas the battle had dured a while, there came a man into
the fight clad in a blue cloak, and with a slouched hat on his head,
one-eyed he was, (1) and bare a bill in his hand; and he came against
Sigmund the King, and have up his bill against him, and as Sigmund smote
fiercely with the sword it fell upon the bill and burst asunder in the
midst: thenceforth the slaughter and dismay turned to his side, for the
good-hap of King Sigmund had departed from him, and his men fell fast
about him; naught did the king spare himself, but the rather cheered on
his men; but even as the saw says, "No might 'gainst many", so was it
now proven; and in this fight fell Sigmund the King, and King Eylimi,
his father-in-law, in the fore-front of their battle, and therewith the
more part of their folk.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Odin coming to change the ownership of the sword he had
given Sigmund. See Chapter 3.

CHAPTER XII. Of the Shards of the Sword Gram, and how Hjordis went to
King Alf.

Now King Lyngi made for the king's abode, and was minded to take the
king's daughter there, but failed herein, for there he found neither
wife nor wealth: so he fared through all the realm, and gave his men
rule thereover, and now deemed that he had slain all the kin of the
Volsungs, and that he need dread them no more from henceforth.

Now Hjordis went amidst the slain that night of the battle, and came
whereas lay King Sigmund, and asked if he might be healed; but he
answered--

"Many a man lives after hope has grown little; but my good-hap has
departed from me, nor will I suffer myself to be healed, nor wills Odin
that I should ever draw sword again, since this my sword and his is
broken; lo now, I have waged war while it was his will."

"Naught ill would I deem matters," said she, "if thou mightest be healed
an