His father gave him the best ship in the harbor, and with Ceud and Mith-Ceud, Ciad, on the morrow, set out on his quest.
They sailed for two days and two nights without meeting any adventure; and on the third day they saw a speck on the sea, far off. Very soon they saw it was a ship coming towards them. As they came nearer to it they found that it was very large, and when they came very near they saw that in the ship was one person, a great giant, greater than any giant in Norway.
When the strange ship came up beside them, the giant asked Ciad who he was and what right he had to sail these waters.
Ciad said: “My name I’m not ashamed of. I am Ciad, the son of the King of Norway, a hero. Who are you, and by what right do you question me?”
He said: “I am the Giant of the Great Seas, and I allow no ship upon these waters.”
Said Ciad: “If that is your law I am sorry for you, for it’s going to be broken this day.”
The giant raised his spear, and Ciad, without waiting, leaped aboard the giant’s ship with his spear in his hand and with his shield before him.
Ciad and the Giant of the Great Seas fell to, and fought as two men never fought before. Their fight was so loud and so fierce and so terrible that the seals came from the North Seas and the whales came from the deeps of the ocean, and the little red fishes came up from the sea-meadows and gathered around the ships to watch the fight. The giant was brave and a great fighter, without doubt; his strength and skill were wonderful; but the courageous spirit of Ciad was greater than the giant’s strength and skill. When the sun was two hours above the Eastern waters they had begun the fight, and when it was going down into the Western waters the fight was not ended. But it was very nearly so, for the giant was weakening, and soon he would have been beaten, but he gave three calls, and a blue mist came down from the skies and wrapped his ship round.
When the mist cleared away, the giant and the ship were gone, and Ciad was struggling in the water.
Ceud and Mith-Ceud took him aboard and found he was so badly abused and so weak from fighting and loss of blood, that there was nothing for it but to return home; so home they went.