Old English
Translations
The Voyages of Óht-here and Wulf-stán
in Scandinavia and the Baltic
| English Translation | Old English Text |
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| Ohthere said to King Alfred (his lord) that he dwelt northmost of all his Norsemen. He said that he lived on the land northwards along the West Sea. He declared, however, that the country extends very far north from there; yet it is all waste, except that Lapps camp piecemeal in occasional spots, living by hunting in winter and in summer fishing by the sea. He said that he (at one time) wanted to explore how far north the land might go, and whether any man lives north beyond the wasteland. Thereupon he journeyed due north along the land: him letting all the way wasted land stay across the starboard, and leaving the wide sea along the larboard for three days. Then he was as far north as the whale-hunters farthest go. He then set forth even farther northward, got as far as he might sail within the second three days. Afterwards there the land bent east, or the sea curved into the land, he not knowing which; he knew though that he awaited wind westerly and slightly northbound, following which he sailed yonder east along the land as far as he might get sailing for four days. Then he needed to await a right northwind, owing that the land curved southwards there, or the sea bent into the land, he not knowing which. Next he sailed from that place straight south along the land, so far as he might get sailing for five days. At that point then a great river laid up into the land. They turned then up into the water, on account that they dared not sail forth past the river on account of risking hostility upon another land's border, owing that the land was wholly settled along the other half of the river. He had not found settled land before—none—since he from his own home had wandered; but across the starboard was the whole way of desolate earth, except for fishers and fowlers and hunters, and those were all Lapps. And for him the ocean was ever along the larboard. In that place the Beormas had vigorously cultivated their land entirely; however, they dared not go there. Yet the Terfinns' land was wholly desolate except where lodged hunters or fishers or fowlers. The Beormas then told him many stories about both their own land and the lands around and outside where they were. He, however, knew not what was actually beyond; he had not seen it himself. Seemed to him the Lapps and the Beormas spoke nearly the same language. In addition to the land's scouting, he mainly fared to that side for the horse-whales because they very much had costly bone within their tusks. (They brought some of these tusks to the king.) And their hide will be very good for shiprope. This whale will be much smaller than other whales: he will not be longer than seven ells long. Yet in his own country is the best whalehunting: those will be forty-eight ells long, and the greatest fifty ells long. Of those he said that he, when one hunter of six, slew sixty over two days. He was a very plenteous man in those things that are among their wealth—that is, in wild animals. When he sought the king, he had thereyet six-hundred tame animals unsold. The wild animals they named reindeer. There were six decoy-reindeer; those are extremely dear among the Finns because they catch the wild reindeer with them. He was among the fore- most men in the land. Yet he lacked more than twenty cows and twenty sheep and twenty swine. And he plowed the little that he plowed with horses. Yet their wealth there is mostly tribute that the Finns yield to them. The tribute is of deers' vellum, and of birds' feathers, and whale's bone, and of ship-rope that is worked from whale's and seal's hides. Each man yields his share according to his rank. The highest born shall yield fifteen martenskins, and five reindeer skins, and one she-bear's pelt, and ten hampers of feathers, and a kirtle of bear or otter skin, and two ship-ropes. Each rope can be sixty ells long; one may be wrought from walrus-hide and the other from seal-hide. |
Óht-here sægde his hláforde, Ælf-rǽde cyninge, þæt hé eallra Norþ-manna norþ-mǽst búde. Hé cwæþ þæt hé búde on þǽm lande norþ-weardum wiþ þá West-sǽ. Hé sægde þéah þæt þæt land sīe swīðe lang norþ þanan, ac hit is eall wéste, bútan on féawum stówum styčče-mǽlum wīciaþ Finnas, on huntoðe on wintre and on sumore on fiscoðe be þǽre sǽ. Hé sægde þæt hé æt sumum čierre wolde fandian hú lange þæt land norþ-rihte láge, oþþe hwæðer ǽnig mann be norðan þǽm wéstene búde. Þá fór hé norþ-rihte be þǽm lande: lét him eallne weg þæt wéste land on þæt stéor-bord and þá wīd-sǽ on þæt bæc-bord þrīe dagas. Þá wæs hé swá feorr norþ swá hwæl-huntan fierrest faraþ. Þá fór hé þá-gīet norþ-rihte swá feorr swá hé meahte on þǽm óðrum þrim dagum ge-siglan. Þá béag þæt land þǽr éast-rihte, oþþe séo sǽ inn on þæt land— hé niste hwæðer—bútan hé wiste þæt hé þǽr bád westan-windes and hwón norðan, and siglde þá éast be lande swá hé meahte on féower dagum ge-siglan. Þá scolde hé þǽr bīdan riht-norðan-windes, for-þǽm þǽt land béag þǽr súþ-rihte, oþþe séo sǽ inn on þæt land—hé niste hwæðer. Þá siglde hé þanan súþ-rihte be lande swá swá hé meahte on fif dagum ge-siglan. Þá læg þǽr án mičel éa upp inn on þæt land. Þá čierdon hīe upp inn on þá éa, for-þǽm hīe ne dorston forþ be þǽre éa siglan for un-friðe, for-þǽm þæt land wæs eall ge-bún on óðre healfe þǽre éa. Ne métte hé ǽr nán ge-bún land siþþan hé fram his ágnum háme fór; ac him wæs eallne weg wéste land on þæt stéor-bord, bútan fiscerum and fugolerum and huntum, and þæt wǽron eall Finnas. And him wæs á wīd-sǽ on þæt bæc-bord. Þá Beormas hæfdon swīðe wel ge-búd hira land, ac hīe ne dorstan þǽr-on cuman. Ac þára Ter-Finnas land wæs eall wéste, bútan þǽr huntan ge-wīcodon, oþþe fisceras, oþþe fugoleras. Fela spella him sægdon þá Beormas ǽgðer ge of hira ágnum lands ge of þǽm landum þe ymb hīe útan wǽron, ac hé niste hwæt þæs soðes wæs, for-þǽm hé hit self ne ge-seah. Þá Finnas, him þúhte, and þá Beormas sprǽcon néah án ge-þéode. Swiðost hé fór þider, to éacan landes scéawunge, for þǽm hors-hwælum, for-þǽm hīe habbaþ swīðe æðele bán on hira toðum. Þá téþ hīe bróhton sume þǽm cyninge. And hira hýd biþ swīðe gód to scip-rápum. Sé hwæl biþ mičele læssa þonne óþre hwalas: ne biþ hé lengra þonne seofon elna lang. Ac on his ágnum lande is se betsta hwæl-huntoþ: þá beoþ eahta and féowertiges elna lange, and þá mǽston fiftiges elna lange; þára hé sægde þæt hé siexa sum of-slóge siextig on twǽm dagum. Hé wæs swīðe spédig mann on þǽm ǽhtum þe hire spéda on béoþ, þæt is, on wildrum. Hé hæfde þá-gīet, þá hé þone cyning sóhte, tamra déora un-be-bohtra siex hund. Þá déor hīe hátaþ hránas. Þára wæron siex stæl-hránas; þá béoþ swīðe dīere mid Finnum, for-þǽm hīe fóþ wildan hránas mid. Hé wæs mid þǽm fyrstum mannum on þǽm lande. Næfde he þéah má þonne twéntig hrīðera, and twéntig scéapa, and twéntig swīna. And þæt lýtel þæt hé erede, hé erede mid horsan. Ac hira ár is mǽst on þæm gafole þe þá Finnas him gieldaþ. Þæt gafol biþ on déora fellum, and on fugola feðerum, and hwæles báne, and on þæm scip-rápum þe béoþ of hwæles hýde ge-worht and of séoles. Ǽg- hwelč gielt by his ge-byrdum. Se byrdesta sceal gieldan fīftīene mearðes fell, and fīf hranes, and án biren fell, and tīen ambra feðra, and birenne cyrtel oþþe yterenne, and twégen scip-rápas; ǽgðer sīe siextig elna lang, óðer sīe of hwæles hýde ge-worht, óðer of séoles. |
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