The name of the Old Norse (Icelandic) hero - Fridhjofr (Fridhjofr) consists of two parts: fridh - peace, peace and thjofr - thief, that is, means "Thief of the world." The main source of the poem is the Old Norse saga about Fridtjof the Bold, which developed at the end of the XIII or the beginning of the XIV century. It tells of events, largely legendary, that took place in Norway IX century. Each of the 24 songs of the poem is written in its own special size, organically associated with the emotional tone of the song.

The good, wise bond (landowner) Hilding raised the daughter of the king (leader, king) Ingeborg and Fritjof, son of the bond of Thorsten. (At that time, the rich and noble Scandinavians gave up their children to relatives or friends who were lower in social origin.) Ingeborg was beautiful, as Freya - the goddess of beauty and love. Even in childhood, Fridtjof and Ingeborg fell in love. He enthusiastically does everything for her - he takes the chicks out of the nest, transfers them through turbulent currents, brings the first forest berries. “... The days have passed since childhood” <...> “he goes hunting already, / Daring, agile and strong, / To the neighbors' surprise / To grab a sword without a bear”, then comes “with a shaggy booty” to earn a friendly “look” maiden". Fridtjof compares his beloved not only with Freya, but also with the goddess of eternal youth, Iduna, and with the patroness of the family hearth Frigga, the wife of Odin - the oldest of the gods, the ruler of the world, and with Nanna, the wife of the god of spring, the most beautiful of the gods. The hero mentally swears fidelity to his beloved. He knows that he can die, like Nanna, from grief, to remain in the kingdom of Hel, the kingdom of the dead. Ingeborg also thinks about Fritjof all the time. But their teacher, Hilding, knowing that Ingeborg is the daughter of the cantus Bele, whose glorious family dates back to Alfader (Odin), to the “father of everything”, cannot become the hero’s wife, because “the son of the bond is not even sovereign”. But at the warning of their kind teacher, Fridtjof only laughed. He is sure: “There is no slavery in a freeborn”, “Only power is notable.” The hero is ready to step into the battle with Thor himself - the thunder god. “To the one who tears us apart is woe!” - firmly declares Fridtjof.

Kung Bele, sensing the approach of death, called his sons - the sullen and strict Helge and the "face of the handsome" Halvdan. Kung instructs his sons on how to rule the country. He says: "But the unreasonable king oppresses his land, / And the ruler is weak, since the people are weak" <...> "And in truth the glory of the throne and the land are happiness." He calls on his sons to raise his sword only against enemies, to take care of his sister Ingeborg, to always live in friendship with Fridtjof, as they lived with his father, the glorious, truthful and sincere Torsten. Almost a hundred-year-old bond believed: “One should not go to the gods alone; “We, Bele, have gone all our lives along one path, I would like to share death with you.” Friends asked to bury them nearby. Their will was fulfilled. "By the decision of the people Helge and Haldwan began to jointly / rule the country, / and Fridtjof, the only son and heir, / occupied, without sharing, the family estate of Framnes." Together with the estate, Fridtjof inherited a precious sword, a golden wrist, which the master skillfully adorned with a ruby ​​“luxurious and large”, “it was famous everywhere and was the first to be known in the North”. And Fridtjof inherited the "marvelous ship" Ellida ", which, according to legend, the god of the sea Egir gave his grandfather in gratitude" for hospitality ". "This and many other things were inherited by Fridtjof treasures, / It is unlikely that the heir lived richer in the North in those days." "King's blood did not flow in him, but he was a king in spirit, / Combining in himself the nobility with the kindhearted."

Fridtjof missed Ingeborg, and he decided to go to the kings. He told the brothers that he wanted to marry Ingeborg, that "with a golden curl / Your wise father would combine me." But Helge "with an evil sneer" said: "Son of a bond, are you on the way with your sister?" Helge offended Fridtjof by inviting him to become his servant. The brave Fridtjof pulled out a sword, he could have killed Helge, but he cherished the memory of Bel, so he only "cut off" Helge’s shield from his shoulder.

In the North, he wisely ruled the kung ring country. The country flourished, there "golden fields shone in the sun", "And the country nourished love for Ring." The Old Ring, although he knew that he had already "waned away, and for a long time," decided to marry Ingeborg. He ordered to collect “more wrists, earrings” and go to the young men to marry to Bele's daughter. But Helge and Halvdan refused the messengers. And then the Ring ordered to “mark with a sword” for the insult. And war came to Helge’s house, he hid his sister in Balder’s temple, where she sat alone, “faithful to love, / In tears, like in dewdrops of a lily”. Knowing which Fridtjof was a brave and courageous warrior, Helge sent the old Hilding to him. But the proud Fridtjof did not forget the insult inflicted on him and refused to help the king-brothers with a sword.

Fridtjof began to visit his beautiful Ingeborg at night in the temple of Balder, although he knew very well that in this temple a man has no right to meet a woman. Ingeborg was afraid that God would punish them for these secret dates. Fridtjof reassured his beloved: “Whoever loves honors him more faithfully! / He will descend to us, having honored / His favor with us! ” But night passed quickly, and it was necessary to leave.

Fridtjof came to the thing (meeting of free farmers), extended Helge's hand as a sign of reconciliation, because it’s not the time to quarrel, the enemy is on the doorstep. Fridtjof is ready to fight, but on condition: he marries Ingeborg. Everyone gathered began to ask Helga to marry her sister for a bond, he is worthy of it. Kung said that Fridtjof met with Ingeborg in Balder's temple. Fridtjof did not dare to lie. He confirmed the words of Helge. The crowd, still so recently favorably disposed towards Fridtjof, "turned white." According to the law of their ancestors, the hero was to be "exiled or punished by death," but Helge invited him to go to Angantir, who had previously paid tribute, and after the death of Bele ceased. Angantir as the legendary evil dragon Fafnir guards his gold, but Fridtjof must prove to everyone that he knows not only "virgins in the temple to spin."

Fridtjof offers Ingeborg to leave on his “Ellida” south, to Greece, about the beauty of which his father told him, there they will live peacefully and happily. But Ingeborg refuses, her inheritance to be “the submissive victim of her brother”, she does not want to steal “from the Skalds songs” the heroic name of Fridtjof, they must submit to Norma (Fate) in order to “save her dignity”. They part, but Ingeborg swears that he will never forget his beloved. Fridtjof gives Ingeborg his wrist, asks him not to forget, he will be back soon, he will get Helge and gold, and then he will ask not the kung, but the people to allow him to marry her. And Fridtjof goes on the "Ellida" to Angantir. His ship proved that it was really built by the gods and stronger than all the evil forces that Helge put upon them. The tormented Fridtjof’s team went ashore, Angantir immediately recognized his friend’s son, since "in the whole land is midnight / He is the only one." But the warrior Utley decided to check if Fridtjof was really not afraid of the battle "and pacifies the steel." Fridtjof fought bravely and with his courage won the hearts of all. Angantir met his friend's son affably. And when he learned about the misfortunes of Fridtjof, he bestowed on him royally. Winter has passed in the world and feasts. In the spring, Fridtjof returned home, but instead of the house - the ashes. The good old Hilding told what happened during this time. As soon as Fridtjof left, Ring's huge army attacked the country. “For a short time we had a dispute with fate, - / Kung Helge fled, and the battle froze.” Retreating, he ordered the burning of Fridtjof's family estate. And Ingeborg became Ring's wife. The evil Helge tore off "your virgin from the ring." Hilding furiously wanted to kill Helge, but the good Ingeborg with tears in her eyes asked her not to touch her brother. He, of course, acted cruelly with her, but "Alfader (God) will judge us,"

Fridtjof was saddened and angry, He decides to deal with Helge himself and with his faithful twin sister Vyorn goes to the temple of Balder, where "the sacred fire burned all night" - the "image of the sun." Fridtjof burst into the temple. With contempt, he threw a tight wallet into Helge's face. Fridtjof, seeing his wrist on the hand of the god, "jerked - in anger the good god / Collapsed into the sacred fire." The temple caught fire. In vain Fridtjof tried to extinguish him, there was "a wild and mighty bonfire / Balder, a bright god!" "The grove has been turned into ashes, / the Temple has been devastated with ash."

For the burning of the temple, Fridtjof was expelled from the country. The exile had no choice but to sail on the Ellida on the seas. He and his twin brother Björn precisely followed the charter of the Vikings, the lords of the seas: “If you meet a merchant’s ship, be his defense, / But you must pay tribute from the merchant.” They bravely fought with other Vikings, sailed to the beautiful coast of Greece, but Fridtjof missed his homeland - the North, and most importantly - Ingeborg. He returned to his homeland and decided for the last time to meet his beloved, now Ring's wife. Fridtjof did not reveal his name, but soon the kung recognized him. At first he thought that Fridtjof, who is “terrible to people / and gods,” would come “raising his sword, covered with a shield.” But he won the heart of the old Ring by behaving very nobly, came “wrapped in rags, with a miserable staff”, and decided to forgive him, moreover, feeling that he would soon “hide” in the mound, “where there is silence”, bequeathed: "Take it, take the princess then you are yours." Ring asks only to take care of his son. After the death of the kung, the people on the ting wanted to elect Fritjof as their kung and see him next to Ingeborg. But an honest, noble Fridtjof replied that so far he could not agree to this, since he had burned down the temple of God and "still the bright god is angry / and full of insults." He must first rebuild the temple. Fridtjof rebuilds the beautiful temple of Balder, in this magnificent temple both "human vengeance and malice quietly melted." But the priest believed that it was not enough to build a temple, it was necessary to reconcile with enemies, "and then you will be reconciled with the light god." Helge died because he dared, fighting the Finns, enter the sacred temple of Yumala - the supreme deity of the Finns. Kung Halvdan, the priest demands, “give a hand”, “you Asam sacrifice your enmity ... / Refuse, - in vain the temple / You built”. Fridtjof obeyed the priest "and, separated for a long time, his hands again / merged in a strong reap, like the foundations of mountains." And the curse was removed from Fridtjof, and Ingeborg gave the hand over the altar of "days of childhood to a friend and soul to the chosen one."