Hersveinn

*"We'll miss you..."
"Cleaning the shit house."*
―Hersveinn and Hjalti to Björnulfr[src]
**Hersveinn** Battle Hard is the brother of Hjalti Battle Hasty and a friend of Thórir the Proud.

## Biography

### Sparring

Hersveinn and his brother Hjalti spar with Thórir at Freysdalur. They easily disarm and overpower him, which causes him to throw a temper tantrum. They accompany Thórir as he and his father Fjölnir inspect a newly-delivered shipment of slaves and laugh when Thórir comments on the stench of one of the slaves, Björnulfr.

### The Chieftain's Feast

Hersveinn and Hjalti accompany Thórir to the Chieftain's Feast. They watch a game of knattleikr, in which five of Fjölnir's slaves face five of Hákon Iron-Beard's slaves. Eventually, only Björnulfr and a very large, strong, brutish man called Thórfinnr Tooth-Gnasher remain. As they attack each other, Thórir's younger brother Gunnar runs out onto the field and takes the ball, sending everyone into a panic. Thórfinnr attacks Gunnar and is about to kill him when Björnulfr tackles him to the ground and headbutts him to death. To everyone's relief, Gunnar regains consciousness.

During the evening, the brothers flank Thórir as he tells Björnulfr of the privileges he will receive in reward for saving Gunnar's life in the game of knattleikr. Thórir puts Björnulfr in his place by telling him that despite these rewards, they will never make him a free man, as the stench of a low-born slave cannot escape him. The brothers leave with Thórir as he returns to the festivities, but not before mockingly telling Björnulfr that they will miss him while he cleans the shit house.

### Death

*"Fear not, you're the first of many."*
―Björnulfr to Hersveinn and Hjalti[src]

The following night, Hersveinn and Hjalti leave the longhouse and stagger drunkenly to the outhouse. Once they enter it, Björnulfr follows them in and tells them to fear not, as they are the first of many. He unsheathes his sword and slaughters them as they beg for their lives.

### Post-Mortem

*"O, I will find who did this. I will find them...And I will tear out their eyes...And I will tear out their tongues. They will all sup in Hel! Look, Father, look what has been done to my brave friends! Lack-beard, Christian Monsters! Monsters! Monsters! Did you do this? Answer me! Answer Me!"*
―Thórir[src]

Björnulfr mutilates the corpses of Hersveinn and Hjalti and nails them to the barn in the shape of Sleipnir. The display is discovered the next morning, horrifying all who see it. Thórir, consumed with grief and anger, swears bloody revenge on whoever is responsible and accuses the Christian slaves. He begins attacking them, but is restrained by Hallgrímr Half-Troll and Finnr the Nose-Stub. Fjölnir and Gudrún order him to regain his calm and his father promises that his friends will be avenged. The tearful Thórir is then led away by Hallgrímr.

Finnr wonders if Thórir is right, stating that the Christians' god is a corpse nailed to a tree. Fjölnir dismisses the idea, arguing that Hersveinn and Hjalti never harmed the slaves. The temple priestess, Áshildur Hofgythja, examines the corpses and determines that their wounds were left by otherworldly means and that a sacrifice must be performed by sate the bloodlust of the "spirit".

## Personality

*"They were good boys. By Freyr, we will avenge them."*
―Fjölnir to Thórir[src]
Hersveinn is inseperable from his brother Hjalti. According to Fjölnir, they have never harmed any of the slaves. They are loyal friends to Thórir, joining him in his mocking of Amleth, though he is greatly frustrated when they beat him at sparring. He is devastated when they are killed, sweaing bloody revenge on whoever is responsible and being driven to tears.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Eggers, Robert; Sjón, *The Northman*, Focus Features, USA, April 22, 2022