1223
Óðinn alone knows who they are and from whence they came. Some call them Tartars and others say Taurmen, and yet more claim they are related to the Kangar, come again out from the Etrian desert between East and North.
We have written of them here for the sake of the memory of the Kings of the Rus and of the misfortune which came to them. For we have heard that the Tartar have captured many countries, slaughtered a quantity of the godless Vallanar peoples, and scattered others, for even Khagan Köten, who was the greatest among all Pale Ones, could not stand before them.
The Taurmen passed through the whole Vallanar country and came close to Garðaríki by the White Tower. Then it was that Mistileifr the Old was Grand Prince in Kœnugarðr, Mistileifr the Bold was King in Holmgarðr, Mistileifr the Brilliant in Svartrgarðr, and Markgreff Danr in Valdemarr.
And the Pale Ones ran into the Garðariki, bringing many gifts: hross and úlfaldar, visundur and girls; and they gave gifts of these to the Grand Prince, saying thus: “Our land they have taken away today; and yours will be taken tomorrow,” and Köten appealed to his son-in-law, and Mistileifr the Old began to appeal to the princes of Great Svíþjóð, his brethren, saying thus: “If we, brothers, do not help these, then they will certainly surrender to them, then the strength of those will be greater.” And thus having deliberated much among themselves, they were convinced: “It would be better for us to meet them on a foreign land than on ours.” They made themselves ready for the journey because of both the greeting and the appeal of the Vallanar. From Kœnugarðr, they moved in the moon of Einmánuður and they began to organize their forces, each his own province, and they went, having collected the whole Garðarland against the Tartars. They came to the river Nipr, to the island of Varangian. And all Vallanarland came there to them, and Pallteskjar came and Smaleskjar, and other lands. All these hosts crossed the Nipr—so the covered water was a bridge of boats. The Vindr Marchers went along the Nister and entered the sea. And they entered the Nipr River, and drove up to the rapids, and became near the Khortitsa River.
Then the Tartars, having learned that the Garðar were coming against them, sent envoys to the Grand Prince: “Behold, we hear that you are coming against us, having listened to the Vallanar; but we have not occupied your land, nor your towns, nor your villages, nor is it against you we have come. But we have come sent by God against our serfs, and our horse-herds, the pagan Pale Ones, and do you take peace with us. If they escape to you, drive them off thence, and take to yourselves their goods. For we have heard that to you also they have done much harm; and it is for that reason also we are fighting them.”
But the Rus did not listen to this but killed all the envoys and themselves went against them, and took stand on the Nipr, this side of the Oleshye Sands. And the Tartars sent to them envoys a second time, saying thus: “Since you have listened to the Pale Ones, and have killed all our envoys, and are coming against us, come then, but we have not touched you, let God judge all.” And they let go free their envoys.
When news came to the state that the Tartars had come to look at the Rus boats, Markgreff Danr, having heard it and sat down on a horse, rushed to look at the unseen army, and the crowns who were with him, and many other princes, were driven to look at an unprecedented weapon. But those came, and warriors told them to the princes, “They have arrows.” And others said: “They are just ordinary people, the worst of the Khangar.”
And when they arrived back, they told Mistileifr the Old about everything. And the young princes said: “Mistileifr! Do not stand! Let us go against them!”
And so all the princes crossed over. They passed the Nipr on the day of Týrsdagr. And other princes came, and they too went in the Wide Fields. And the Tartars shot the Rus regiments, but the Rus arrows defeated them, and chased them out of the field, and took their cattle, and fled the herds, so that all the troops gained full livestock.
They went after them for nine days, and passed over the Kalka river, with the Vallanar forward as outposts. There the Tartar stopped and themselves took up position and shot them, Blakkrmen and Bleikrmen alike.
And then Mistileifr the Brilliant came together with them, wishing to fight, but the Pale Ones ran away, having accomplished nothing, and in their flight they trampled the prince’s men, for they had not had time to form into order against them; and they were all thrown into confusion, and there was a terrible and savage slaughter. The Svartrgarðar’s body was left to the mercy of prairie scavengers.
The other Mistileifrs sat in a state without knowing this, because the Bright One did not say anything to them either—because of envy, because the great disagreement was their boundaries.
When the armies collided with each other, Danr went ahead, and Viggo of the Væringjar. They hit the Tartar regiments, and Viggo was shot down from his horse, and Danr himself was wounded in his chest. But because of youth and courage and his great strength, he did not hear the wounds that were on his body—Danr was at the age of eighteen, and he fought hard, beating the Tartars. Helgi of Smaleskja, seeing this and having thought that Danr was shot down, also rushed among them, because he was a strong man.
Danr, seeing that more and more enemies fought in the battle, the shooters shot them hard, turned his horse back to flight—because opponents rushed to him. And finally when he fled, he would drink water, and drinking, he felt a sore in his flesh that in the battle he did not notice because of the strength and courage of his age.
And Mistileifr, Grand Prince of Kœnugarðr, seeing this evil, never moved at all from his position; for he had taken stand on a hill above the river Kalka, and the place was stony, and there he set up a stockade of posts about him and fought with them from out of this stockade for three days.
And there were men in armour with the Taurmen and these warriors, having kissed the oath ring to Mistileifr the Old not to kill him, but to let them go on ransom, lied; they delivered him bound to the Tartars, and they took the stockade and slaughtered the people, and there they fell dead. And having taken the nobles they suffocated them having put them under boards, and themselves took seat on the top to have dinner. And thus the nobles ended their lives choking.
And pursuing the other princes to the Nipr they killed six more. Then Mistileifr the Bold, having previously escaped across the Nipr, cut loose the boats from the bank so the Tartars should not go after them, and himself barely escaped.
Of the rest of the troops every tenth returned to his home; some the cowardly Pale Ones killed for their horses, and others for their clothes. And thus, for our sins Óðinn put misunderstanding into us, and a countless number of people perished, and there was lamentation and weeping and grief throughout towns and villages. This evil happened in the month of Harpa. And the Tartars turned back from the river Nipr, and we know not whence they came, nor where they hid themselves again; Óðinn knows whence he fetched them against us for our sins.