Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1979, Side 76

84
The Case of »Hernilds kvæði«
When Hermundur visits his cousin to say goodbye, she has
no kind word for him, reproaching him instead for getting
himself exiled. Outlawed and quite literally driven from the
bosom of his family, he leaves the country. The second part
of the ballad deals with the identification and punishment of
the real villain in the family — Hermundur’s uncle, King Atli.
Although the ballad man is often silent about the motives of
his characters, we may suppose that it is now King Atli who
commits the disloyal act. Even though he sees that Halga is
thinking of Hermundur, he has set himself against their marri-
age because of Hermundur’s past obstreperous behavior:
73 Kongurin so til orða tekur,
væl kan orSum stilla:
»Má hin Halga hugsa taS
at syrgja Hermund illa!
74 HevSi hann Hermundur sinnaS seg
og greitt hans hug frá sans,
eingin maSur á Sakslandi
var javnlíki hans.
75 HevSi hann Hermundur sinnaS seg
og greitt hans hugin frá,
fullvæl var hann borin til taS,
mína dóttur at fá.«12
Hermundur is true to Halga and puts an end to her un-
wanted marriage by slaying her new husband in the bridal bed.
Again, King Atli is harsh with his young nephew, throwing
him into a dungeon and starving him. Halga effects a shift in
family loyalty by writing a threatening letter to Hermundur’s
father, who responds by sending his other son to help Her-
mundur against Atli. The two brothers kill their uncle. Her-
mundur marries his slain uncle’s daughter and HeiSrikur her
slain husband’s sister.
In »Hernilds kvæSi« the ballad man has moved the trouble
outside the family group — the conflict here is between two