Thus the state of the Danes was governed with the aid of regents until the time when the king should be a man.
The wife of Koll was Gotwar, who used to paralyse the most eloquent and fluent men by her glib and extraordinary insolence; for she was potent in wrangling, and full of resource in all kinds of disputation.

Words were her weapons; and she not only trusted in questions, but was armed with stubborn answers.

No man could subdue this woman, who could not fight, but who found darts in her tongue instead.

Some she would argue down with a flood of impudent words, while others she seemed to entangle in the meshes of her quibbles, and strangle in the noose of her sophistries; so nimble a wit had the woman.

Moreover, she was very strong, either in making or cancelling a bargain, and the sting of her tongue was the secret of her power in both.