Ragnar Lodbrok Saga: Chapter 18
Chris Van Dyke Translation
Chapter 18
After that, Hvitserk, and Bjorn journeyed home to their kingdom along with Sigurd, but Ivar stayed behind and ruled England. From then on they kept their troops together less, and harried in various lands. And Randalin, their mother, became an old woman. And Hvitserk, her son, had gone raiding on his own in the Eastern Ways, but great powers came to meet him, that he could not raise his shield against, and he was seized. And he then chose his manner of d**h: that a pyre should be made of the heads of men, and there he would burn and thus give up his life. And when Randalin heard that, she spoke a verse:
One son which I had
endured d**h in Eastern Ways;
he was called Hvitserk,
who was never eager to ee
He was heated on heads
hewed from those chosen at battle
brave prince chose that
d**h before he fell
Then she spoke another:
The tree of the people
had himself destroyed
with countless heads under the king;
fingers of fire sang out his fate.
What better bed should
a battle-striker lay himself upon?
The high all-ruling chieftain
chose to fall with renown.
A great family-line has come from Sigurd Snake in Eyes. His daughter was called Ragnhild, the mother of Harald of the Fairhair, the first to rule over all of Noreg alone.
And Ivar ruled over England until his dying day, when he became d**hly sick. And when he lay with that k**ing-illness, he said that he should be moved to that place which was most exposed to raiding, and he said that he expected that any who would land there would not gain victory. And when he breathed his last, it was done as he had said, and he was then laid in a how.* And many men say that when King Harold Sigurdarson arrived in England he arrived where Ivar was, and he fell on that expedition. And when Willium the ba*tard came to land, he went to and broke open Ivar's how and saw Ivar unrotten. Then he had a great fire made and had Ivar burned in the fire, and after that he battled across the land and had victory.
And from Bjorn Jarnsid have come many men. From him has come a great family: Thord, who farmed at Hofoa in Hofoastrond, was a great leader at the pings.
And then when the sons of Ragnar had all given up their lives, their troops who had a**isted them were dispersed far and wide, and all of them who had been with the sons of Ragnar thought that there was no worth in other princes. There were two men who traveled widely across the land to discover if they could find any prince whom they thought it would not be disgraceful for them to serve, but they did not travel together.