Skáldskaparmál - 01.01.1997, Page 142

140
The Valkyries in the Heroic Literature
If his death was the culmination point of a ritual pattern, his marriage must have
been part of the same pattern, too. We will return to this aspect and the delicate
problem it poses later on in the final part of this article.
2. Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar. The same problem as in the case of the second Lay
of Helgi Hundingsbani presents itself here. The text consists of a mixture of poetry
and prose and the poedcal fragments might well originally have belonged to
different poems. It has always been presumed that they at least treated the same
story; yet it takes quite a lot of ingeniousness and reconstruction to fill up the
gaps. This complicated story is very difficult to explain, but we will concentrate
on the part which features the valkyrie.
King Hjörvarðr has a beautiful son, who is unable to speak, however, and to
whom “no name will attach itself” (Edda, p. 142). The valkyrie Sváva gives him
the name of Helgi together with an invaluable sword (presumably as a nafnfesting
gift). He immediately demonstrates his ability to speak in a very eloquent way,
and he and Sváva fall in love with each other.
The betrothal takes place after Helgi has taken blood revenge for his maternal
grandfather, thus proving himself a man of honour. Then he kills the giant Hati.
But what sinister part does his half-brother Héðinn fulfil in the story?
During the feast of Yule Héðinn makes a solemn vow to marry his brother’s
bride, the valkyrie. He is compelled to do so through the curse of a giantess
(probably identical with the giant Hati’s daughter Hrímgerðr), to whom he has
refused companionship. When he comes to his senses again, he bitterly regrets
his rashness, but his vow cannot be undone. Helgi, after hearing of it, generously
agrees to this changing of roles, which he interprets as meaning death for himself.
Without wavering he goes to fulfil an assignment of a duel, from which he now
realizes that he will not return.
While Helgi lies dying on the battlefield, he sends for Sváva and asks her to
accept his brother in his stead. This she refuses. But when Héðinn promises her
to take blood revenge for Helgi, she does not seem absolutely unwilling to have
him, should he be able to prove himself as brave as Helgi. At this point the poem
comes to an end.
Also this valkyrie has supernatural traits, as may be gathered from the fact that
she comes to Helgi through the air in the beginning, and from the gift of the
miraculous sword. Through this sword she is associated with fighting and the
battlefield. A connection with Óðinn is not evident, but may perhaps be derived
from the fact that she gives a “sacred” name to the boy, and thus makes him a
king.
Helgi’s dedication makes it seem probable that the story has something to do
with kingship. According to my interpretation in a previous article,47 the giant’s
daughter wants to have compensation for the killing of her father and she asks
^ Kroesen (1984).