Hagbard & Signy: The Viking Romeo & Juliet

Hagbard & Signy. A relatively unknown couple. I didn't even know about them until a few days ago when I stumbled upon them while on Wikipedia. Their story is as dramatic as Romeo and Juliet, so get ready:

Hagbard and his brothers were going through villages in Scandinaiva, then inhabitated by Vikings. They began fighting against Signy's brothers, because their fathers were enemies. After a while of fighting, they decided to make peace with oneanother. While they went to leave, Hagbard followed Signy's brothers and went to see Signy. Signy vowed eternal love for him, though she was secretly much more interested in his brother, Haki, who was more famous. A while after a German nobleman proposed to Signy, and it became apparent she was in interested in Hagbard. The nobleman began stirring up trouble and a battle erupted between Hagbard and his brothers and Signy's brothers. His brothers were slaughtered, and Hagbard was obliged to kill Signy's brothers and the nobleman.

In order to see Signy after the battle, Hagbard dressed up like a woman and claimed to be one of Haki's shieldmaidens. Because he was dressed as a shieldmaiden, he was required to stay with Signy's handmaidens. While they washed his feet, legs, and hands, they asked why his legs were so hairy and his hands so callous. He cleverly made up an excuse and when the handmaidens asked Signy if it was true, Signy knew it was Hagbard and said it was. Later, Signy and Hagbard met and vowed eternal love and faithfulness to oneanother.

However, the handmaidens decieved Hagbard and Sigar, Signy's father, sent his men to arrest him. Hagbard fought bravely and killed many of the men, but he was still defeated and brought to the Thing, the Viking's assembly. Some of the people said he should be killed, while others said he should be spared. Finally, Hagbard was sentenced to death. When Signy heard she told her maidens she would follow the men she loved in life to his death. She told them to light her chamber on fire as soon as the execution started. Hagbard asked the executioner to hang his coat first, to get an impression of what he would look like when he himself hanged. When the coat was hung, the maidens believed Hagbard was being hanged and lit the house on fire. When Hagbard saw the house on fire, he was overjoyed that his beloved had been faithful to the end, exclaimed his happiness, just as he was hanged.