Halfdan’s sons were Ro and Helge.  Ro is said to have been the founder of Roskild, which was later increased in population and enhanced in power by Sweyn, who was famous for the surname Forkbeard.  Ro was short and spare, while Helge was rather tall of stature.  Dividing the realm with his brother, Helge was allotted the domain of the sea; and attacking Skalk, the King of Sklavia, with his naval force, he slew him.  Having reduced Sklavia into a province, he scoured the various arms of the sea in a wandering voyage.  Savage of temper as Helge was, his cruelty was not greater than his lust.  For he was so immoderately prone to love, that it was doubtful whether the heat of his tyranny or of his concupiscence was the greater.  In Thorey he ravished the maiden Thora, who bore a daughter, to whom she afterwards gave the name of Urse.  Then he conquered in battle, before the town of Stad, the son of Syrik, King of Saxony, Hunding, whom he challenged, attacked, and slew in duel.  For this he was called Hunding’s-Bane, and by that name gained glory of his victory.  He took Jutland out of the power of the Saxons, and entrusted its management to his generals, Heske, Eyr, and Ler.  In Saxony he enacted that the slaughter of a freedman and of a noble should be visited with the same punishment; as though he wished it to be clearly known that all the households of the Teutons were held in equal slavery, and that the freedom of all was tainted and savoured equally of dishonour.

Then Helge went freebooting to Thorey.  But Thora had not ceased to bewail her lost virginity, and planned a shameful device in abominable vengeance for her rape.  For she deliberately sent down to the beach her daughter, who was of marriageable age, and prompted her father to deflower her.  And though she yielded her body to the treacherous lures of delight, yet she must not be thought to have abjured her integrity of soul, inasmuch as her fault had a ready excuse by virtue of her ignorance.  Insensate mother, who allowed the forfeiture of her child’s chastity in order to avenge her own; caring nought for the purity of her own blood, so she might stain with incest the man who had cost her her own maidenhood at first!  Infamous-hearted woman, who, to punish her defiler, measured out as it were a second defilement to herself, whereas she clearly by the selfsame act rather swelled than lessened the transgression!  Surely, by the very act wherewith she thought to reach her revenge, she accumulated guilt; she added a sin in trying to remove a crime:  she played the stepdame to her own offspring, not sparing her daughter abomination in order to atone for her own disgrace.  Doubtless her soul was brimming over with shamelessness, since she swerved so far from shamefastness, as without a blush to seek solace for her wrong in her daughter’s infamy.  A great crime, with but one atonement; namely, that the guilt of this intercourse was wiped away by a fortunate progeny, its fruits being as delightful as its repute was evil.