Hero-Myths & Legends of the British Race
came into the room. He knelt down to make obeisance to her, and kissed
her hand, saying, "Sweet be thy life and soft thy slumbers, fair
Princess Rymenhild! Well may it be with thy gentle ladies of honour! I
am here at thy command, lady, for Sir Athelbrus the steward, bade me
come to speak with thee. Tell me thy will, and I will fulfil all thy
desires." She arose from her seat, and, bending towards him as he
knelt, took him by the hand and lifted him up, saying, "Arise and sit
beside me, Childe Horn, and we will drink this cup of wine together."
In great astonishment the youth did as the princess bade, and sat
beside her, and soon, to his utter amazement, Rymenhild avowed her
love for him, and offered him her hand. "Have pity on me, Horn, and
plight me thy troth, for in very truth I love thee, and have loved
thee long, and if thou wilt I will be thy wife."
Horn Refuses the Princess
Now Horn was in evil case, for he saw full well in what danger he
would place the princess, Sir Athelbrus, and himself if he accepted
the proffer of her love. He knew the reason of the steward's warning,
and tried to think what he might say to satisfy the princess and yet
not be disloyal to the king. At last he replied: "Christ save and keep
thee, my lady Rymenhild, and give thee joy of thy husband, whosoever
he may be! I am too lowly born to be worthy of such a wife; I am a
mere foundling, living on thy father's bounty. It is not in the course
of nature that such as I should wed a king's daughter, for there can
be no equal match between a princess and a landless squire."
Rymenhild was so disheartened and ashamed at this reply to her loving
appeal that her colour changed, she turned deadly pale, began to sigh,
flung her arms out wildly, and fell down in a swoon. Childe Horn
lifted her up, full of pity for her deep distress, and began to
comfort her and try to revive her. As he held her in his arms he
kissed her often, and said:
"'Lady, dear love, take comfort and be strong!
For I will yield me wholly to thy guidance
If thou wilt compass one great thing for me.
Plead with King Ailmar that he dub me knight,
That I may prove me worthy of thy love.
Soon shall my knighthood be no idle dream,
And I will strive to do thy will, dear heart.'"
Now at these words Rymenhild awoke from her swoon, and made him repeat
his promise. She said: "Ah! Horn, that shall speedily be done. Ere the
week is past thou shalt be Sir Horn, for my father loves thee, and
will grant the dignity most willingly to one so dear to him. Go now
quickly to Sir Athelbrus, give him as a token of my gratitude this
golden goblet and this ring; pray him that he persuade the king to dub
thee knight. I will repay him with rich rewards for his gentle
courtesy to me. May Christ help him to speed thee in thy desires!"
Horn then took leave of Rymenhild with great affection, and found
Athelbrus, to whom he delivered the gifts and the princess's message,
which the steward received with due reverence.
Horn Becomes a Knight
This plan seemed to Athelbrus very good, for it raised Horn to be a
member of the noble Order of Knights, and would give him other chances
of distinguishing himself. Accordingly he went to the king as he sat
over the evening meal, and spoke thus: "Sir King, hear my words, for I
have counsel for thee. To-morrow is the festival of thy birth, and the
whole realm of Westernesse must rejoice in its master's joy. Wear thou
thy crown in solemn state, and I think it were nought amiss if thou
shouldst knight young Horn, who will become a worthy defender of thy
throne." "That were well done," said King Ailmar. "The youth pleases
me, and I will knight him with my own sword. Afterwards he shall
knight his twelve comrades the same day."
The next day the ceremony of knighting was performed with all
solemnity, and at its close a great banquet was prepared and all men
made merry. But Princess Rymenhild was somewhat sad. She could not
descend to the hall and take her customary place, for this was a feast
for knights alone, and she would not be without her betrothed one
moment longer, so she sent a messenger to fetch Sir Horn to her bower.
Horn and Athulf Go to Rymenhild
Now that Horn was a newly dubbed knight he would not allow the
slightest shadow of dishonour to cloud his conduct; accordingly, when
he obeyed Rymenhild's summons he was accompanied by Athulf. "Welcome,
Sir Horn and Sir Athulf," she cried, holding out her hands in
greeting. "Love, now that thou hast thy will, keep thy plighted word
and make me thy wife; release me from my anxiety and do as thou hast
said."
"'Dear Rymenhild, hold thou thyself at peace,'
Quoth young Sir Horn; 'I will perform my vow.
But first I must ride forth to prove my might;
Must conquer hardships, and my own worse self,
Ere I can hope to woo and wed my bride.
We are but new-fledged knights of one day's growth,
And yet we know the custom of our state
Is first to fight and win a hero's name,
Then afterwards to win a lady's heart.
This day will I do bravely for thy love
And show my valour and my deep devotion
In prowess 'gainst the foes of this thy land.
If I come back in peace, I claim my wife.'"
Rymenhild protested no longer, for she saw that where honour was
concerned Horn was inflexible. "My true knight," said she, "I must in
sooth believe thee, and I feel that I may. Take this ring engraved
with my name, wrought by the most skilled worker of our court, and
wear it always, for it has magic virtues. The gems are of such saving
power that thou shalt fear no strokes in battle, nor ever be cast down
if thou gaze on this ring and think of thy love. Athulf, too, shall
have a similar ring. And now, Horn, I commend thee to God, and may
Christ give thee good success and bring thee back in safety!"
Horn's First Exploit
After taking an affectionate farewell of Rymenhild, Horn went down to
the hall, and, seeing all the other new-made knights going in to the
banquet, he slipped quietly away and betook himself to the stables.
There he armed himself secretly and mounted his white charger, which
pranced and reared joyfully as he rode away; and Horn began to sing
for joy of heart, for he had won his chief desire, and was happy in
the love of the king's daughter. As he rode by the shore he saw a
stranger ship drawn up on the beach, and recognised the banner and
accoutrements of her Saracen crew, for he had never forgotten the
heathens who had slain his father. "What brings you here?" he asked
angrily, and as fearlessly as King Murry had done, and received the
same answer: "We will conquer this land and slay the inhabitants."
Then Horn's anger rose, he gripped his sword, and rushed boldly at the
heathens, and slew many of them, striking off a head at each blow. The
onslaught was so sudden that the Saracens were taken by surprise at
first, but then they rallied and surrounded Horn, so that matters
began to look dangerous for him. Then he remembered the betrothal
ring, and looked on it, thinking earnestly of Rymenhild, his dear
love, and such courage came to him that he was able to defeat the
pagans and slay their leader. The others, sorely wounded--for none
escaped unhurt--hurried on board ship and put to sea, and Horn,
bearing the Saracen leader's head on his sword's point, rode back to
the royal palace. Here he related to King Ailmar this first exploit of
his knighthood, and presented the head of the foe to the king, who
rejoiced greatly at Horn's valour and success.
Rymenhild's Dream
The next day the king and all the court rode out hunting, but Horn
made an excuse to stay behind with the princess, and the false and
wily Fikenhild was also left at home, and he crept secretly to
Rymenhild's bower to spy on her. She was sitting weeping bitterly when
Sir Horn entered. He was amazed. "Love, for mercy's sake, why weepest
thou so sorely?" he asked; and she replied: "I have had a mournful
dream. I dreamt that I was casting a net and had caught a great fish,
which began to burst the net. I greatly fear that I shall lose my
chosen fish." Then she looked sadly at Horn. But the young knight was
in a cheery mood, and replied: "May Christ and St. Stephen turn thy
dream to good! If I am thy fish, I will never deceive thee nor do
aught to displease thee, and hereto I plight thee my troth. But I
would rather interpret thy dream otherwise. This great fish which
burst thy net is some one who wishes us ill, and will do us harm
soon." Yet in spite of Horn's brave words it was a sad betrothal, for
Rymenhild wept bitterly, and her lover could not stop her tears.
Fikenhild's False Accusation
Fikenhild had listened to all their conversation with growing envy
and anger, and now he stole away silently, and met King Ailmar
returning from the chase.
"'King Ailmar,' said the false one, 'see, I bring
A needed warning, that thou guard thyself,
For Horn will take thy life; I heard him vow
To slay thee, or by sword or fire, this night.
If thou demand what cause of hate he has,
Know that the villain wooes thine only child,
Fair Rymenhild, and hopes to wear thy crown.
E'en now he tarries in the maiden's bower,
As he has often done, and talks with her
With guileful tongue, and cunning show of love.
Unless thou banish him thou art not safe
In life or honour, for he knows no law.'"
The king at first refused to believe the envious knight's report, but,
going to Rymenhild's bower, he found apparent confirmation, for Horn
was comforting the princess, and promising to wed her when he should
have done worthy feats of arms. The king's wrath knew no bounds, and
with words of harsh reproach he banished Horn at once, on pain of
death. The young knight armed himself quickly and returned to bid
farewell to his betrothed.
Horn's Banishment
"Dear heart," said he, "now thy dream has come true, and thy fish must
needs break the net and be gone. The enemy whom I foreboded has
wrought us woe. Farewell, mine own dear Rymenhild; I may no longer
stay, but must wander in alien lands. If I do not return at the end of
seven years take thyself a husband and tarry no longer for me. And now
take me in your arms and kiss me, dear love, ere I go!" So they kissed
each other and bade farewell, and Horn called to him his comrade
Athulf, saying, "True and faithful friend, guard well my dear love.
Thou hast never forsaken me; now do thou keep Rymenhild for me." Then
he rode away, and, reaching the haven, hired a good ship and sailed
for Ireland, where he took service with King Thurston, under the name
of Cuthbert. In Ireland he became sworn brother to the king's two
sons, Harold and Berild, for they loved him from the first moment they
saw him, and were in no way jealous of his beauty and valour.
Horn Slays the Giant Emir
When Christmas came, and King Thurston sat at the banquet with all his
lords, at noontide a giant strode into the hall, bearing a message of
defiance. He came from the Saracens, and challenged any three Irish
knights to fight one Saracen champion. If the Irish won the pagans
would withdraw from Ireland; if the Irish chiefs were slain the
Saracens would hold the land. The combat was to be decided the next
day at dawn. King Thurston accepted the challenge, and named Harold,
Berild, and Cuthbert (as Horn was called) as the Christian champions,
because they were the best warriors in Ireland; but Horn begged
permission to speak, and said: "Sir King, it is not right that one man
should fight against three, and one heathen hound think to resist
three Christian warriors. I will fight and conquer him alone, for I