Brodir's Saga
Chapter 24
"The Death of Mael One-Eyed"
King Mael One-Eyed, facing the crises in his homelands, yet loath to leave the siege of Ospak, who he wished to slay personally, decided to break his Christian bonds and search for a cunning woman to read his portents. With no more than a few of his huscarls [1], Mael One-Eyed rode to the home of a cunning woman, an old crone whose name was Feenat. She lived in a hovel on the farm of one Alaster of White Hill, who had a beautiful daughter named Ailis, the most reknowned beauty in her quarter [2].
King Mael and his huscarls reached the farm in the evening, where they talked with Alaster. When the King made his purpose known unto Alaster, the farmer agreed to lead the King to the hut of the cunning woman. He would then leave the King to conference with Feenat until the next day dawned.
Before he took the King to the cunning woman, Alaster instructed his daughter to give bread and beer to the huscarls. After the two departed, Ailis did so, setting out the board for the men of King Mael One-Eyed.
Alaster lead King Mael through a dark wood to the hovel of Feenat. There, Alaster stepped aside, spreading out his bedroll, and allowed the King to approach the hut by himself. King Mael rapped on the door three times, as he was instructed, and it was opened to him. [3]
Meanwhile, back at the farmstead, the huscarls of King Mael began to grow restless. One of them began to make advances upon Ailis, who reproved him, being an honorable maid. The huscarls began to goad Ailis with trinkets and baubles, trying to win her favor. Ailis steadfastly reproved them. The huscarls began to grow violent in their advances, forcing Ailis to retreat to a shed of the farmstead, where she barricaded herself.
When morning dawned, Alaster awoke to see King Mael wandering from Feenat's hovel with a pale and dazed expression. Alaster talked with him, and gave him some porridge, which somehwat improved the King's countenance. They then returned to the farmstead, where they say the huscarls besieging the maid Ailis in the shed.
The King and Alaster stopped the siege, allowing Ailis to emerge from the shed. She related what had happened the night before; the huscarls disputed her claim, saying that she was a lying wench who had been goading them. The King sided with his huscarls, and offered to pay the dowry for Ailis, in exchange for her marrying one of the huscarls. Alaster, loath to disbelieve his daughter, refused the King.
This enraged the King, who ordered his huscarls to remove Ailis forcibly. Alaster resisted, grabbing a strudy cudgel he wore on his belt, and proceeded to defend Ailis bravely. However, though he knocked down two of the huscarls, he was overwhelmed and killed.
Ailis, in rage and anguish, grasped one of the swords of King Mael One-Eyed's huscarls, and threw herself against them. The remaining two huscarls fell in an instant; King Mael defended himself with his hammer until he tripped backwards over a root. Ailis then beheaded him with a single stroke.
Taking the head and hammer of King Mael One-Eyed, and placing them in a bag, Ailis fled to the fort where Ospak and his men were encamped. There, she related to Ospak the story of what had happened at the farmstead. Ospak laughed, and did not believe her until she produced the hammer and the head of King Mael. Ospak then called for meat and drink, and feted Ailis as any other conquering warrior. From that day forth, Ailis was referred to as "Ailis Sword-Maiden".
The head of King Mael was placed upon the top of Ospak's banner, and his hammer was sent back to Brodir, along with the tale of Ailis Sword-Maiden's victory.
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[1]- Here the author of the Saga gives away his culture as Scandanavian; he refers to the guards of an Irish king as huscarls, an almost exclusivly Germanic term.
[2]- Quarters here refer to a much later administrative dividing of Ireland, which had not yet happened at the time of the Saga's setting, giving evidence that the author of the Saga used various sources.
[3]- No edition of the Saga has included what the witch said to King Mael One-Eyed, though some other manuscripts (such as the Song of Brian the Young and the fragmentary Ospak Saga) say that the witch asked the King why a dead man would seek her guidance.
