Gestumblindi Disguise

There was a man called Gestumblindi, powerful and a great enemy of King Heidrek. The king sent him word that he should come and settle things with him, if he wanted to keep his life. Gestumblindi was not a very wise man, and because he knows that he would be incapable of exchanging words with the king, and because he also knows that he doesn’t stand much chance submitting to the judgement of the wise-men—as they have plenty against him—he follows the course of sacrificing to Odin for help and asks him to look into his case and promises him many presents.

Late one evening there’s a knock at the door and Gestumblindi goes to the threshold and sees that a man has come. He asks the man his name and the stranger calls himself Gestumblindi and said that they should swap clothes—and so they do. The master goes away and hides and the stranger comes in and everyone thinks that he’s Gestumblindi, and the night passes.

Next day, this Gestumblindi makes his way to meet the king. And he greeted the king warmly. The king was silent.

“Lord,” he says, “I’ve come here to settle with you.”

Then the king answers, “Will you take the verdict of my wise men?”

He says, “Is there no other way out?”

The king replied, “There is another, if you think you’re up to asking riddles.”

Gestumblindi says, “I won’t be much good at that. But then the other choice is also tough.”

“Would you rather,” says the king, “accept the verdict of my wise men?”

“I think,” says Gestumblindi, “I’d rather ask riddles.”

“Fair enough,” says the king.

[...]

Then Gestumblindi said:

“Then tell me this
one last thing if you can,
if you are
of all kings the wisest:
what did Odin say
in Baldr’s ear
before he was raised on the pyre?”

King Heidrek says, “Only you know that, monster.”

And then Heidrek draws Tyrfing and slashes at him, and Odin changed into the form of a hawk and flew out through a window of the hall. But the king hacked after him and cut off his tail-feathers, and that’s why to this day the hawk has a stubby tail. But the sword fell on a retainer, who died instantly.

Odin said, “For that, King Heidrek, because you lunged at me and wanted to kill me, the lowest thralls shall be your slayers.”

After that they part.


- The Saga of Hervor & King Heidrek the Wise (Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks), Chapter 11