brothers of his wife; for these fell on him at his unwariest,
when there were few with him to withstand them, and brought so
many against him, that they prevailed against him, and there fell
Sigi and all his folk with him. But Rerir, his son, was not in
this trouble, and he brought together so mighty a strength of his
friends and the great men of the land, that he got to himself
both the lands and kingdom of Sigi his father; and so now, when
he deems that the feet under him stand firm in his rule, then he
calls to mind that which he had against his mother's brothers,
who had slain his father. So the king gathers together a mighty
army, and therewith falls on his kinsmen, deeming that if he made
their kinship of small account, yet none the less they had first
wrought evil against him. So he wrought his will herein, in that
he departed not from strife before he had slain all his father's
banesmen, though dreadful the deed seemed in every wise. So now
he gets land, lordship, and fee, and is become a mightier man
than his father before him.

Much wealth won in war gat Rerir to himself, and wedded a wife
withal, such as he deemed meet for him, and long they lived
together, but had no child to take the heritage after them; and
ill-content they both were with that, and prayed the Gods with
heart and soul that they might get them a child. And so it is
said that Odin hears their prayer, and Freyia no less hearkens
wherewith they prayed unto her: so she, never lacking for all
good counsel, calls to her her casket-bearing may, (1) the
daughter of Hrimnir the giant, and sets an apple in her hand, and
bids her bring it to the king. She took the apple, and did on
her the gear of a crow, and went flying till she came whereas the
king sat on a mound, and there she let the apple fall into the