THE SCENE: Spare an ounce of sympathy for Heym the Small, who in the passage below is raised to the highest honor, and then thrown to the deepest disgrace, all within the span of a few minutes.
THE TEXT: One day, Prince Didrik was sitting at the table with his father and many more good men. Heym the Small was serving him, and he had a golden bowl in his hands. Didrik took his sword, Nagelring, and gave it to Heym, and told him to have it for his service. “This sword Nagelring could go to no-one better than you. It has been greatly tested since I last rode from Bern.”
Heym thanked his lord very much, and so did all the good men who were sitting with him. All except Wideke Welandsson. He said this: “Now Nagelring has come down badly. A capable man ought to have it.”
And he said to Heym: “I would just as readily have a woman’s help as yours, for you were bad to me. We were fighting 2 against 5, and you stood by and watched, and would not help us. When I see you rewarded for this, it will not be forgotten.”
Didrik answered: “It was very shameful that you didn’t help your stablemate when he was in trouble. You deserve to be hanged in front of Bern. Get out my sight and never let me see you again.”
Then Heym became angry. He went away out of the door, took his horse and weapons, and rode away to a forest that was called Falster. There was a forest robber there who was called Ingram. He stayed with him for a long time.
– The Saga of Didrik of Bern, 15th Century AD
