SCENE I: Outside a tribal temple.
_The gable beams are low; only the entrance end of the building, set at an angle, on the left, is visible. In the distance rises a snow-capped volcano, its slopes—in the nearer background—pied with the young leaves and blossoms of early spring; against these, jutting from behind the temple, a gallows-tree. On the right, at back, a solitary pine of great age sways solemn boughs over half the scene, the centre of which is occupied by a vast monolith, or boulder, tapering upward to a jagged end. The face of this stone, graved deeply with runes, is (on its lower half) dark carmine and smooth as ivory; from behind it blue smoke is rising; before it stands an altar of stone, on which is set a silver bowl._
_In front of this altar stands_ INGIMUND, _the temple priest, clad in a sleeveless leathern smock to the knees; his arms are reddened with sacrifice; from his throat—beneath his long, grey hair—hangs an image of Odin; on his right wrist a ring of plain gold; in his left hand a spear. On either side of him an altar priest holds a bunch of sprinkling twigs. From the temple four other priests are bearing a slaughtered bullock to the fire behind the rune-stone. Massed in the right foreground are_ EGIL _and his men; on the left_, ARFI _and his men. Egil, noble of stature, stands moodily filing the grooves of a crossbow; Arfi, bent and dwarfed, sits with his ear close to a harp, which he thrums softly._
_From the right background, beneath the pine, enters, singing, a procession of the folk, escorting an ark on wheels, drawn by oxen, whose flanks are wreathed with flowers, and whose horns are adorned with gold. Following the ark, which passes on into the temple, horses and sheep are led to the sacrifice. These, as they pass before him, Ingimund marks with the sign of a spear, while the altar priests sprinkle them with blood from the silver bowl._
_At the entrance of the temple stand_ THORDIS _and her_ VIRGINS, _who take from the beasts their garlands and hang them on the doors and outer walls. The men and women of the throng, chanting to a barbaric cadence, lift up their arms and faces to the sky._
THE FOLK Wanderer of earth and air, Walker on the giant flood, Odin! Asa Odin! Pilgrim of the storm!
Lyer in the Sybil’s lair, Reader of the runes of blood, Thou who hearkenest all prayer— World-spirit and worm, Odin! Asa Odin! Hear us, Allfather!
[_Distant thunder._]
FRIDA Thordis, he hears.
THE VIRGINS He hears!
THE FOLK He hears!
YORUL [_To Rolf._] Behold The dwarf, where he sits shrivelled by his harp. Ho, Arfi! hear’st thou Odin? Hast invited The trolls, thy cousins, to the bridal?
WULDOR Silence! He listens to the stars behind the storm.
YORUL The tree-frogs, Wuldor. He, thy master, is Their father.
WULDOR So thy master is their uncle.
YORUL My master shall be bridegroom, never fear! Hath Arfi slain his boar?
WULDOR Hath Egil sung The slaying of his boar?
YORUL Hath Arfi leashed The wild stag by the horns and led him home?
WULDOR Hath Egil read the runes on Odin’s stone?
YORUL Weaklings and women ye!
WULDOR Thou liest, Yorul.
YORUL [_Strikes Wuldor._]
Ho, Egil, here!
WULDOR [_Retaliating._] Ho, Arfi!
[_The followers, from either side, spring forward and fight fiercely. Ingimund strikes among them with his spear._]
INGIMUND Fools of anger! This ground is Odin’s; he alone may judge Which of your masters shall betroth his priestess. Back! and await his sign.—Come, Thordis.
FRIDA [_Parting with Thordis by the temple._] Joy And love be thine, dear lady.
[_Leaving her maidens, Thordis comes quietly from the temple and stands before the rune-stone and Ingimund, who, with his spear, beckons also Egil and Arfi. As these join Thordis, the altar priests, with a heavy chain of gold, enclose the four in a circular space, while the folk chant as before._]
THE FOLK Save us, Lord, from lovers’ hate, Shelter us from brothers’ feud! Odin! Asa Odin! Only thou art wise.
Choose unto this maid a mate Hallowed by thy sanctitude, Send thine omen while we wait, Making sacrifice. Odin! Asa Odin! Save us, Allfather!
[_Thunder; storm gathers and the scene grows darker, as bigger clouds of smoke roll upward from behind the rune-stone._]
INGIMUND [_Removing the gold circlet from his wrist._] Here, Your right hands here—all three—on Odin’s ring. [_To Egil, then Arfi._] Press deeper in the sand thy foot, now thine. [_To the Priests._] Fill up the footprints with the sacred blood. Brother in brother’s footstep, hark your oath— Your oath to abide by Asa Odin’s will.
[_As Egil and Arfi grasp the ring, lightning begins to play over the scene, and thunder deepens the voices of the people._]
THE FOLK Odin! Odin! Asa Odin! Send upon thy folk a portent!
INGIMUND [_Lifting his face and spear toward the sky, intones._] By thy runes forever writ On Allwaker’s ear and Allswift’s hoof, On Sleipni’s teeth and the sledge-bands, On the Wolf’s claw and the eagle’s beak, On the bloody wings and the bridge’s end!—
THE FOLK Odin! Odin! Asa Odin! Send upon thy folk a portent!
INGIMUND By thy runes forever writ On Brage’s tongue and the bear’s paw, On the midwife’s palm and the amber god, On Norna’s nail and the owl’s neb, On wine and wort and the Sibyl’s seat!—
THE FOLK Odin! Odin! Asa Odin! Send thy portent, O Allfather!
FRIDA Look! look! himself doth come.
THE FOLK Fly! fly! Oh, fly!
FRIDA Himself doth come, and with him all the gods!
[_Amid supernatural darkness and thunder-peal, Ingimund, Thordis, Egil, and Arfi are struck to the earth, and all the people flee, except Yorul and Frida, who crouch beside the temple._]
THE FOLK [_In the distance._] Bow down! bow down! [_Pause; the passing of the storm; silence._]
FRIDA [_Rising._] Yorul!—You do not speak. Yorul!
YORUL O Frida, hush!
FRIDA And did you see them? Four were they all together, and they passed Like fire, and four returned, in robes of flame, But paler.
YORUL May be so; I saw them not.
FRIDA Two others stood on Odin’s stone, and one Laughed loud, and whirled a whip of blazing brass, And one thrust through his beard a smoking hammer.
YORUL May be; may be. What did you say? Speak not! [_Embracing her._] O heart of mine, thou beatest yet. We live. The sun—how still it is! What’s that?
FRIDA A bird Singing under the temple’s eaves.
YORUL And all Are fled. What be those four that lie so still?
[_Together they approach the bodies._]
FRIDA Alas! O lady dear!
YORUL Dead! they are dead. Egil, my master! Odin’s voice hath slain him. Cursed be Odin!
FRIDA Yorul—take them back, Those words! Their sacrilege shall work us woe.
YORUL What matter? He is dead.
FRIDA Oh, do not think it! Perhaps they sleep. Look how their brows still wear High thoughts. I think they dream. Go! fetch a leech.
YORUL A leech for death?
FRIDA Go quickly, Yorul!
YORUL Well! [_Going out._] A leech here for the dead! A leech, ho! [_Exit._]
FRIDA [_Alone with the four bodies, stands before the rune-stone._] Odin! Have pity on the dead; let them awake! [_Slowly the bodies rise and look upon her; she crouches before them._] Ah me! Your eyes! They burn. O turn away Your bright eternal eyes!
[_She falls unconscious. Egil, who has risen with the gold altar chain wound about him, gnaws it._]
EGIL Death! Freedom! freedom!
[_Enter Yorul and a_ LEECH, _followed by the folk_.]
THE LEECH Who calls for leechcraft here?
YORUL [_Stands bewildered._] A miracle!
THORDIS [_Bends over Frida._] The child is stricken.
ARFI Let me lift her, Thordis.
YORUL A miracle! O Frida, speak to me!
THE LEECH [_To the folk._] Stand off! Give air!
WULDOR [_To the folk._] Hath Yorul then deceived us?
ROLF Behold, they live!
FRIDA [_Rising, faintly._] Thanks; lead me to the temple.
INGIMUND What hath befallen?
WULDOR Hail, Ingimund! The portent Of Odin hath befallen.
INGIMUND Saw ye, or what?
[_Wuldor and the folk whisper among themselves. Yorul supports Frida toward the temple._]
YORUL But how? What chanced?
FRIDA Their eyes! their burning eyes! Oh, I have seen their souls: they are not theirs. Four bright ones came, four pale ones went away.
YORUL Clean reft of wit!
FRIDA Oh, shut me in the dark!
[_Taking Frida from Yorul, the temple virgins lead her into the temple._]
INGIMUND [_To Wuldor._] Saw ye, I say, or what?
WULDOR Ask Yorul, father.
INGIMUND Speak thou! What hath befallen?
YORUL [_Returning dazed from the temple._] Odin is wise; Ye that were dead are risen from the dead, And Frida, my betrothèd, is reft of reason.— She said it would be, for I cursed him.—Egil! Master and lord, welcome to life!
[_Egil, who, with fixed gaze, has been eyeing Thordis, starts wildly, paces back and forth, dragging the altar chain as he moves._]
EGIL A verdict! A verdict, priest and earls! Thordis is mine.
EGIL’S MEN Thordis for Egil!
ARFI’S MEN Thordis for Arfi!
INGIMUND Peace! Heaven’s omen still is dark, and Odin’s sign Ambiguous. Not one, but four of us, His hand hath stricken. Wherefore thus I read His riddle: Thordis shall herself decide.
THORDIS Father, not I!
INGIMUND This ancient feud must end. These two have sworn to abide by Odin’s will; His will it is that thou make choice of them. Hearken their pleas, and choose.
THORDIS To one must I Give pain?
INGIMUND To one give joy. Speak, Arfi.
ARFI Lady, That those who love are blind I pray be so That, loving, so you may behold me not— What thing I seem, but only hear my voice— What truth I am. Thordis, even now I dreamed A dream more high and awful than the clouds And breathless peaks afire of poesie: We stood together on the morning’s brink; Crater and frozen cliff and snowy scar Hung, avalanche on avalanche, below, Below them still,—the world! You spoke to me; Sweeter than measures of imagined song Before the harp is struck, your voice! “Listen!” you said; And echoing from scar and crater rose The clanging of a chain. You clung to me; You clung to me and spoke not.—I have done.
INGIMUND Egil!
[_Springing forward, Egil seizes Thordis’s hand, which he raises to his lips._]
EGIL I love—I love thee!
[_He bites her hand. Screaming, she draws away from him and clings to the dwarf._]
THORDIS Arfi!
ARFI [_Facing Egil._] Brother!
WULDOR Blood! He hath bit her hand. Ho, sacrilege!
EGIL The maid is mine.
ARFI The maid is Odin’s.
ROLF [_Seizing Yorul’s arm, points at Egil._] See! His eyes grow small and blaze!
YORUL He is possessed; Some god afflicts him.
[_With a gesture of fury, Egil rushes upon Arfi._]
EGIL Mine!
INGIMUND [_Stays him._] The maid is Arfi’s, For she herself hath chosen him.
ARFI [_Quietly._] A clout, To stanch the blood.
WULDOR [_As Arfi binds her hand, gazes on Thordis, whose eyes have closed._] O fair beyond this world!
EGIL [_Clutching the air, in passion for coherence._] A rape! a rape! Thordis for Egil!
YORUL [_Drawing._] Thordis For Egil, here!
ARFI’S MEN Thordis for Arfi!
EGIL’S MEN Egil!
INGIMUND Beware! Put back your weapons all, on pain Of Odin’s wrath.
THE FOLK [_Murmur._] Remember Odin’s wrath.
EGIL Egil recks not for Odin’s wrath nor will. Who fights for Thordis?
INGIMUND This is blasphemy.
EGIL Who fights with Egil for the maiden?
YORUL I, And all of us.
EGIL’S MEN Till death.
INGIMUND Enough, mine earls! The patience of the lord of peace hath end. Egil, thy words and deed have violated The sacred place of Odin. Thou art banned! The lord hath put thee from his high place. Go! I cast thee forth, and all who follow thee.
THE FOLK [_Falling back._] Accurst! accurst!
EGIL [_Stands alone in a great circle._] Behold they cast him forth! Egil is banned! Who fights with Egil now?
YORUL I, master!
ONE OF EGIL’S MEN Fly! he is accurst.
[_The men hesitate; then all—except twelve, including Yorul, who step into the circle—depart fearfully._]
THE TWELVE Hail, Egil!
[_The folk cry out; some go from the scene, others into the temple._]
EGIL [_Seizing up with both hands the silver bowl._] Hail, liegemen! Twelve and one, we are enough To vow ourselves to vengeance ’gainst the world. A pledge, here! Ho, a pledge to groom and bride! Drink pledge with me, in Odin’s altar blood. Thordis and vengeance! Hail!
THE TWELVE Thordis and vengeance!
[_Egil drinks from the silver bowl._]