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He tried to recall the fugitives, and began to clamour that they were wrongfully afraid of a living man. And when Erik saw him, he marvelled most at the aspect of his bloody face: the blood flowing forth and spurting over it. For Aswid had come to life in the nights, and in his continual struggles had wrenched off his left ear; and there was to be seen the horrid sight of a raw and unhealed scar.
None of the Swedish kings before him was called by the name of Erik, but the title passed from him to the rest. At the same time Alf was king in Hethmark, and he had a son Asmund. Biorn ruled in the province of Wik, and had a son Aswid. Asmund was engaged on an unsuccessful hunt, and while he was proceeding either to stalk the game with dogs or to catch it in nets, a mist happened to come on.
So the Norwegians, casting away all hope of self-defence, and losing all confidence in their power to revolt, began to flee for the most part to Halogaland. The maiden Stikla also withdrew from her country to save her chastity, proferring the occupations of war to those of wedlock. Meanwhile Aswid died of an illness, and was consigned with his horse and dog to a cavern in the earth.
Besides all this, I have fought with the dead, enduring the heavy burden and grievous peril of the wrestle; Aswid rose again and fell on me with rending nails, by hellish might renewing ghastly warfare after he was ashes. "Why stand ye aghast, who see me colourless? Surely every live man fades among the dead.
"Yea, verily," said Sigurd; "but how came she hither?" Aswid answered, "Short space there was betwixt the coming hither of the twain of you." Says Sigurd, "Yea, but a few days agone I knew her for the best of the world's women." Alswid said, "Give not all thine heed to one woman, being such a man as thou art; ill life to sit lamenting for what we may not have."
And Asmund, because of his oath of friendship, had the courage to be buried with him, food being put in for him to eat. Now just at this time Erik, who had crossed the uplands with his army, happened to draw near the barrow of Aswid; and the Swedes, thinking that treasures were in it, broke the hill open with mattocks, and saw disclosed a cave deeper than they had thought.
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