Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
Edward, but did not return to Valland to fulfill the marriage agreement.
Edward was king over England for twenty-three years and died on a bed
of sickness in London on the 5th of January, and was buried in Paul's
church. Englishmen call him a saint.
80. HARALD GODWINSON MADE KING OF ENGLAND.
The sons of Earl Godwin were the most powerful men in England. Toste was
made chief of the English king's army, and was his land-defence man when
the king began to grow old; and he was also placed above all the other
earls. His brother Harald was always with the court itself, and
nearest to the king in all service, and had the charge of the king's
treasure-chamber. It is said that when the king was approaching his last
hour, Harald and a few others were with him. Harald first leans down
over the king, and then said, "I take you all to witness that the king
has now given me the kingdom, and all the realm of England:" and then
the king was taken dead out of the bed. The same day there was a meeting
of the chiefs, at which there was some talk of choosing a king; and then
Harald brought forward his witnesses that King Edward had given him the
kingdom on his dying day. The meeting ended by choosing Harald as king,
and he was consecrated and crowned the 13th day of Yule, in Paul's
church. Then all the chiefs and all the people submitted to him. Now
when his brother, Earl Toste, heard of this he took it very ill, as he
thought himself quite as well entitled to be king. "I want," said he,
"that the principal men of the country choose him whom they think best
fitted for it." And sharp words passed between the brothers. King Harald
says he will not give up his kingly dignity, for he is seated on the
throne which kings sat upon, and is anointed and consecrated a king.
On his side also was the strength of the people, for he had the king's
whole treasure.
81. EARL TOSTE'S EXPEDITION TO DENMARK.
Now when King Harald perceived that his brother Toste wanted to have
him deprived of the kingdom he did not trust him; for Toste was a clever
man, and a great warrior, and was in friendship with the principal men
of the country. He therefore took the command of the army from Toste,
and also all the power he had beyond that of the other earls of the
country. Earl Toste, again, would not submit to be his own brother's
serving man; therefore he went with his people over the sea to Flanders,
and stayed there awhile, then went to Friesland, and from thence to
Denmark to his relation King Svein. Earl Ulf, King Svein's father, and
Gyda, Earl Toste's mother, were brother's and sister's children. The
earl now asked King Svein for support and help of men; and King Svein
invited him to stay with him, with the promise that he should get so
large an earldom in Denmark that he would be an important chief.
The earl replies, "My inclination is to go back to my estate in England;
but if I cannot get help from you for that purpose, I will agree to help
you with all the power I can command in England, if you will go there
with the Danish army, and win the country, as Canute, your mother's
brother, did."
The king replied, "So much smaller a man am I than Canute the Great,
that I can with difficulty defend my own Danish dominions against the
Northmen. King Canute, on the other hand, got the Danish kingdom in
heritage, took England by slash and blow, and sometimes was near losing
his life in the contest; and Norway he took without slash or blow. Now
it suits me much better to be guided by my own slender ability than to
imitate my relation, King Canute's, lucky hits."
Then Earl Toste said, "The result of my errand here is less fortunate
than I expected of thee who art so gallant a man, seeing that thy
relative is in so great need. It may be that I will seek friendly help
where it could less be expected; and that I may find a chief who is less
afraid, king, than thou art of a great enterprise."
Then the king and the earl parted, not just the best friends.
82. EARL TOSTE'S EXPEDITION TO NORWAY.
Earl Toste turned away then and went to Norway, where he presented
himself to King Harald, who was at that time in Viken. When they met the
earl explained his errand to the king. He told him all his proceedings
since he left England, and asked his aid to recover his dominions in
England.
The king replied that the Northmen had no great desire for a campaign in
England, and to have English chiefs over them there. "People say," added
he, "that the English are not to be trusted."
The earl replied, "Is it true what I have heard people tell in England,
that thy relative, King Magnus, sent men to King Edward with the message
that King Magnus had right to England as well as to Denmark, and had got
that heritage after Hardacanute, in consequence of a regular agreement?"
The king replied, "How came it that he did not get it, if he had a right
to it?"
"Why," replied the earl, "hast thou not Denmark, as King Magnus, thy
predecessor, had it?"
The king replies, "The Danes have nothing to brag of over us Northmen;
for many a place have we laid in ashes to thy relations."
Then said the earl, "If thou wilt not tell me, I will tell thee. Magnus
subdued Denmark, because all the chiefs of the country helped him;
and thou hast not done it, because all the people of the country were
against thee. Therefore, also, King Magnus did not strive for England,
because all the nation would have Edward for king. Wilt thou take
England now? I will bring the matter so far that most of the principal
men in England shall be thy friends, and assist thee; for nothing is
wanting to place me at the side of my brother Harald but the king's
name. All men allow that there never was such a warrior in the northern
lands as thou art; and it appears to me extraordinary that thou hast
been fighting for fifteen years for Denmark, and wilt not take England
that lies open to thee."
King Harald weighed carefully the earl's words, and perceived at once
that there was truth in much of what he said; and he himself had also a
great desire to acquire dominions. Then King Harald and the earl talked
long and frequently together; and at last he took the resolution to
proceed in summer to England, and conquer the country. King Harald sent
a message-token through all Norway and ordered out a levy of one-half
of all the men in Norway able to carry arms. When this became generally
known, there were many guesses about what might be the end of this
expedition. Some reckoned up King Harald's great achievements, and
thought he was also the man who could accomplish this. Others, again,
said that England was difficult to attack; that it was very full of
people; and the men-at-arms, who were called Thingmen, were so brave,
that one of them was better than two of Harald's best men. Then said Ulf
the marshal:--
"I am still ready gold to gain;
But truly it would be in vain,
And the king's marshal in the hall
Might leave his good post once for all,
If two of us in any strife
Must for one Thingman fly for life,
My lovely Norse maid, in my youth
We thought the opposite the truth."
Ulf the marshal died that spring (A.D. 1066). King Harald stood over
his grave, and said, as he was leaving it, "There lies now the truest of
men, and the most devoted to his king."
Earl Toste sailed in spring west to Flanders, to meet the people who had
left England with him, and others besides who had gathered to him both
out of England and Flanders.
83. GYRD'S DREAMS.
King Harald's fleet assembled at the Solunds. When King Harald was ready
to leave Nidaros he went to King Olaf's shrine, unlocked it, clipped his
hair and nails, and locked the shrine again, and threw the keys into the
Nid. Some say he threw them overboard outside of Agdanes; and since then
the shrine of Saint Olaf, the king, has never been opened. Thirty-five
years had passed since he was slain; and he lived thirty-five years
here on earth (A.D. 1080-1066). King Harald sailed with his ships he
had about him to the south to meet his people, and a great fleet was
collected; so that, according to the people's reckoning, King Harald had
nearly 200 ships beside provision-ships and small craft.
While they lay at the Solunds a man called Gyrd, on board the king's
ship, had a dream. He thought he was standing in the king's ship and saw
a great witch-wife standing on the island, with a fork in one hand and a
trough in the other. He thought also that he saw over all the fleet, and
that a fowl was sitting upon every ship's stern, and that these fowls
were all ravens or ernes; and the witch-wife sang this song:--
"From the east I'll 'tice the king,
To the west the king I'll bring;
Many a noble bone will be
Ravens o'er Giuke's ship are fitting,
Eyeing the prey they think most fitting.
Upon the stem I'll sail with them!
Upon the stem I'll sail with them!"
84. THORD'S DREAM.
There was also a man called Thord, in a ship which lay not far from the
king's. He dreamt one night that he saw King Harald's fleet coming to
land, and he knew the land to be England. He saw a great battle-array on
the land; and he thought both sides began to fight, and had many banners
flapping in the air. And before the army of the people of the country
was riding a huge witch-wife upon a wolf; and the wolf had a man's
carcass in his mouth, and the blood was dropping from his jaws; and when
he had eaten up one body she threw another into his mouth, and so one
after another, and he swallowed them all. And she sang thus:--
"Skade's eagle eyes
The king's ill luck espies:
Though glancing shields
Hide the green fields,
The king's ill luck she spies.
To bode the doom of this great king,
The flesh of bleeding men I fling
To hairy jaw and hungry maw!
To hairy jaw and hungry maw!"
85. KING HARALD'S DREAM.
King Harald also dreamt one night that he was in Nidaros, and met his
brother, King Olaf, who sang to him these verses:--
"In many a fight
My name was bright;
Men weep, and tell
How Olaf fell.
Thy death is near;
Thy corpse, I fear,
The crow will feed,
The witch-wife's steed."
Many other dreams and forebodings were then told of, and most of them
gloomy. Before King Harald left Throndhjem, he let his son Magnus be
proclaimed king and set him as king over Norway while he was absent.
Thora, the daughter of Thorberg, also remained behind; but he took with
him Queen Ellisif and her two daughters, Maria and Ingegerd. Olaf, King
Harald's son, also accompanied his father abroad.
86. BATTLE AT SCARBOROUGH.
When King Harald was clear for sea, and the wind became favourable, he
sailed out into the ocean; and he himself landed in Shetland, but a part
of his fleet in the Orkney Islands. King Harald stopped but a short time
in Shetland before sailing to Orkney, from whence he took with him
a great armed force, and the earls Paul and Erlend, the sons of
Earl Thorfin; but he left behind him here the Queen Ellisif, and her
daughters Maria and Ingegerd. Then he sailed, leaving Scotland and
England westward of him, and landed at a place called Klifland. There
he went on shore and plundered, and brought the country in subjection
to him without opposition. Then he brought up at Skardaburg, and fought
with the people of the place. He went up a hill which is there, and made
a great pile upon it, which he set on fire; and when the pile was in
clear flame, his men took large forks and pitched the burning wood down
into the town, so that one house caught fire after the other, and the
town surrendered. The Northmen killed many people there and took all the