Saxo Bless Harald Wartooth

9.20. Even before the girl had finished her reply, Halfdan had run
his sword through the bridegroom. Not satisfied with annihilating
only one, he proceeded to massacre the majority of the guests. As the
Saxons were staggering back drunkenly to make a counter-attack,
Halfdan’s attendants arrived on the scene and cut them down. These
deeds won him Gyrith.

10. i. When he realized she was prone to infertility and since he had a
consuming desire to father a child, he went to Uppsala to try to secure
her fruitfulness; the oracle advised him, if he wished to raise
offspring, that he must first offer solemn propitiation to his brother’s
ghost, and once he had obeyed its words of wisdom, he obtained his
heart’s desire. Gyrith bore hirn a son, whom he named Harald.

10. 2. For his sake Halfdan attempted to restore the Danish kingdom,
which had been mangled by the outrages of its chieftains, to its ancient
form of rule; while waging war in Zealand, however, he launched an
attack on Vesti, a champion of outstanding repute, and was himself
killed. Gyrith saw what happened; she had assumed male attire and was
laking part in the battle through devotion to her son; though he fought
zealously his comrades fled, and she took it upon herself to carry him
away on her shoulders to a nearby copse. Weariness stopped most of
the enemy giving chase, but, as he hung over her, one of them planted
an arrow in his buttock. Harald consequently reckoned his mother’s aid
had brought him more embarrassment than assistance.

10. 3. Because he was of amazing beauty and outstanding size and
since he surpassed his contemporaries in strength and height, he had
enjoyed such fondness from Odin, whose oracle appears to have been
responsible for his birth, that no blade could impair his unscathed
condition. Thus weapons injurious to others were rendered futile and
could cause him no hurt. This benefit did not go unrecompensed; he
is said to have promised Odin all those souls which his sword had cast
out of men’s bodies. As a memorial he had engravers carve his father’s
accomplishments on his tomb, a rock in Blekinge, which I have
already mentioned.


- Gesta Danorum, Book VII