Prepared by these adventures, he gets Guthorm to join him (how or why the peace between him and Swipdag was broken, we know not), and they attack their father’s slayer, but are defeated, though Woden sunk Asmund Swipdag’s son’s ship, Grio, at Hlessey, and Wainhead and Hardgrip his daughter fought for Hadding.

Hadding wanders off to the East with his foster-sister and mistress and Hardgrip, who is slain protecting him against an angry ghost raised from the Underworld by her spells.  However, helped by Heimdal and Woden (who at this time was an exile), Hadding’s ultimate success is assured.

When Woden came back to power, Swipdag, whose violence and pride grew horribly upon him, was exiled, possibly by some device of his foes, and took upon him, whether by will or doom, a sea-monster’s shape.  His faithful wife follows him over land and sea, but is not able to save him.  He is met by Hadding and, after a fierce fight, slain.  Swipdag’s wife cursed the conqueror, and he was obliged to institute an annual sacrifice to Frey (her brother) at Upsale, who annuls the curse.  Loke, in seal’s guise, tried to steal the necklace of Freya at the Reef of Treasures, where Swipdag was slain, but Haimdal, also in sealskin, fought him, and recovered it for the gods.

Other myths having reference to the goddesses appear in Saxo.  There is the story of “Heimdall and Sol”, which Dr. Rydberg has recognised in the tale of Alf and Alfhild.  The same tale of how the god won the sun for his wife appears in the mediaeval German King Ruther (in which title Dr. Ryuberg sees Hrutr, a name of the ram-headed god).

The story of “Othar” (Od) and “Syritha” (Sigrid) is obviously that of Freya and her lover.  She has been stolen by the giants, owing to the wiles of her waiting-maid, Loke’s helper, the evil witch Angrbode.  Od seeks her, finds her, slays the evil giant who keeps her in the cave; but she is still bewitched, her hair knotted into a hard, horny mass, her eyes void of brightness.  Unable to gain recognition he lets her go, and she is made by a giantess to herd her flocks.  Again found by Od, and again refusing to recognise him, she is let go again.  But this time she flies to the world of men, and takes service with Od’s mother and father.  Here, after a trial of her love, she and Od are reconciled.  Sywald (Sigwald), her father, weds Od’s sister.

The tale of the vengeance of Balder is more clearly given by the Dane, and with a comic force that recalls the Aristophanic fun of Loka-senna.  It appears that the story had a sequel which only Saxo gives.  Woden had the giantess Angrbode, who stole Freya, punished.  Frey, whose mother-in-law she was, took up her quarrel, and accusing Woden of sorcery and dressing up like a woman to betray Wrind, got him banished.  While in exile Wuldor takes Woden’s place and name, and Woden lives on earth, part of the time at least, with Scathe Thiasse’s daughter, who had parted from Niord.