Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
booty they could lay hold of. There was nothing left for the Englishmen
now, if they would preserve their lives, but to submit to King Harald;
and thus he subdued the country wherever he came. Then the king
proceeded south along the land, and brought up at Hellornes, where there
came a force that had been assembled to oppose him, with which he had a
battle, and gained the victory.
87. OF HARALD'S ORDER OF BATTLE.
Thereafter the king sailed to the Humber, and up along the river, and
then he landed. Up in Jorvik were two earls, Earl Morukare, and his
brother, Earl Valthiof, and they had an immense army. While the army
of the earls was coming down from the upper part of the country, King
Harald lay in the Usa. King Harald now went on the land, and drew up his
men. The one arm of this line stood at the outer edge of the river, the
other turned up towards the land along a ditch; and there was also a
morass, deep, broad, and full of water. The earls let their army proceed
slowly down along the river, with all their troops in line. The king's
banner was next the river, where the line was thickest. It was thinnest
at the ditch, where also the weakest of the men were. When the earls
advanced downwards along the ditch, the arm of the Northmen's line which
was at the ditch gave way; and the Englishmen followed, thinking the
Northmen would fly. The banner of Earl Morukare advanced then bravely.
88. THE BATTLE AT THE HUMBER.
When King Harald saw that the English array had come to the ditch
against him, he ordered the charge to be sounded, and urged on his men.
He ordered the banner which was called the Land-ravager to be carried
before him, and made so severe an assault that all had to give way
before it; and there was a great loss among the men of the earls, and
they soon broke into flight, some running up the river, some down, and
the most leaping into the ditch, which was so filled with dead that the
Norsemen could go dry-foot over the fen. There Earl Morukare fell. So
says Stein Herdison:--
"The gallant Harald drove along,
Flying but fighting, the whole throng.
At last, confused, they could not fight,
And the whole body took to flight.
Up from the river's silent stream
At once rose desperate splash and scream;
But they who stood like men this fray
Round Morukare's body lay."
This song was composed by Stein Herdison about Olaf, son of King Harald;
and he speaks of Olaf being in this battle with King Harald, his father.
These things are also spoken of in the song called "Harald's Stave":--
"Earl Valthiof's men
Lay in the fen,
By sword down hewed,
So thickly strewed,
That Norsemen say
They paved a way
Across the fen
For the brave Norsemen."
Earl Valthiof, and the people who escaped, fled up to the castle of
York; and there the greatest loss of men had been. This battle took
place upon the Wednesday next Mathias' day (A.D. 1066).
89. OF EARL TOSTE.
Earl Toste had come from Flanders to King Harald as soon as he arrived
in England, and the earl was present at all these battles. It happened,
as he had foretold the king at their first meeting, that in England
many people would flock to them, as being friends and relations of Earl
Toste, and thus the king's forces were much strengthened. After the
battle now told of, all people in the nearest districts submitted to
Harald, but some fled. Then the king advanced to take the castle, and
laid his army at Stanforda-bryggiur (Stamford Bridge); and as King
Harald had gained so great a victory against so great chiefs and so
great an army, the people were dismayed, and doubted if they could
make any opposition. The men of the castle therefore determined, in a
council, to send a message to King Harald, and deliver up the castle
into his power. All this was soon settled; so that on Sunday the king
proceeded with the whole army to the castle, and appointed a Thing of
the people without the castle, at which the people of the castle were
to be present. At this Thing all the people accepted the condition of
submitting to Harald, and gave him, as hostages, the children of the
most considerable persons; for Earl Toste was well acquainted with all
the people of that town. In the evening the king returned down to his
ships, after this victory achieved with his own force, and was very
merry. A Thing was appointed within the castle early on Monday morning,
and then King Harald was to name officers to rule over the town, to give
out laws, and bestow fiefs. The same evening, after sunset, King Harald
Godwinson came from the south to the castle with a numerous army, and
rode into the city with the good-will and consent of the people of the
castle. All the gates and walls were beset so that the Northmen could
receive no intelligence, and the army remained all night in the town.
90. OF KING HARALD'S LANDING.
On Monday, when King Harald Sigurdson had taken breakfast, he ordered
the trumpets to sound for going on shore. The army accordingly got
ready, and he divided the men into the parties who should go, and who
should stay behind. In every division he allowed two men to land, and
one to remain behind. Earl Toste and his retinue prepared to land with
King Harald; and, for watching the ships, remained behind the king's son
Olaf; the earls of Orkney, Paul and Erlend; and also Eystein Orre, a son
of Thorberg Arnason, who was the most able and best beloved by the king
of all the lendermen, and to whom the king had promised his daughter
Maria. The weather was uncommonly fine, and it was hot sunshine. The men
therefore laid aside their armour, and went on the land only with their
shields, helmets and spears, and girt with swords; and many had also
arrows and bows, and all were very merry. Now as they came near the
castle a great army seemed coming against them, and they saw a cloud
of dust as from horses' feet, and under it shining shields and bright
armour. The king halted his people, and called to him Earl Toste, and
asked him what army this could be. The earl replied that he thought it
most likely to be a hostle army, but possibly it might be some of his
relations who were seeking for mercy and friendship, in order to obtain
certain peace and safety from the king. Then the king said, "We must all
halt, to discover what kind of a force this is." They did so; and the
nearer this force came the greater it appeared, and their shining arms
were to the sight like glancing ice.
91. OF EARL TOSTE'S COUNSEL.
Then said King Harald, "Let us now fall upon some good sensible counsel;
for it is not to be concealed that this is an hostile army and the king
himself without doubt is here."
Then said the earl, "The first counsel is to turn about as fast as we
can to our ships to get our men and our weapons, and then we will make a
defence according to our ability; or otherwise let our ships defend us,
for there these horsemen have no power over us."
Then King Harald said, "I have another counsel. Put three of our best
horses under three of our briskest lads and let them ride with all speed
to tell our people to come quickly to our relief. The Englishmen shall
have a hard fray of it before we give ourselves up for lost."
The earl said the king must order in this, as in all things, as he
thought best; adding, at the same time, it was by no means his wish to
fly. Then King Harald ordered his banner Land-ravager to be set up; and
Frirek was the name of him who bore the banner.
92. OF KING HARALD'S ARMY.
Then King Harald arranged his army, and made the line of battle long,
but not deep. He bent both wings of it back, so that they met together;
and formed a wide ring equally thick all round, shield to shield, both
in the front and rear ranks. The king himself and his retinue were
within the circle; and there was the banner, and a body of chosen men.
Earl Toste, with his retinue, was at another place, and had a different
banner. The army was arranged in this way, because the king knew that
horsemen were accustomed to ride forwards with great vigour, but to
turn back immediately. Now the king ordered that his own and the earl's
attendants should ride forwards where it was most required. "And our
bowmen," said he, "shall be near to us; and they who stand in the
first rank shall set the spear-shaft on the ground, and the spear-point
against the horseman's breast, if he rides at them; and those who
stand in the second rank shall set the spear-point against the horse's
breast."
93. OF KING HARALD GODWINSON.
King Harald Godwinson had come with an immense army, both of cavalry and
infantry. Now King Harald Sigurdson rode around his array, to see
how every part was drawn up. He was upon a black horse, and the horse
stumbled under him, so that the king fell off. He got up in haste and
said, "A fall is lucky for a traveller."
The English king Harald said to the Northmen who were with him, "Do ye
know the stout man who fell from his horse, with the blue kirtle and the
beautiful helmet?"
"That is the king himself." said they.
The English king said, "A great man, and of stately appearance is he;
but I think his luck has left him."
94. OF THE TROOP OF THE NOBILITY.
Twenty horsemen rode forward from the Thing-men's troops against the
Northmen's array; and all of them, and likewise their horses, were
clothed in armour.
One of the horsemen said, "Is Earl Toste in this army?"
The earl answered, "It is not to be denied that ye will find him here."
The horseman says, "Thy brother, King Harald, sends thee salutation,
with the message that thou shalt have the whole of Northumberland; and
rather than thou shouldst not submit to him, he will give thee the third
part of his kingdom to rule over along with himself."
The earl replies, "This is something different from the enmity and scorn
he offered last winter; and if this had been offered then it would have
saved many a man's life who now is dead, and it would have been better
for the kingdom of England. But if I accept of this offer, what will he
give King Harald Sigurdson for his trouble?"
The horseman replied, "He has also spoken of this; and will give him
seven feet of English ground, or as much more as he may be taller than
other men."
"Then," said the earl, "go now and tell King Harald to get ready for
battle; for never shall the Northmen say with truth that Earl Toste left
King Harald Sigurdson to join his enemy's troops, when he came to fight
west here in England. We shall rather all take the resolution to die
with honour, or to gain England by a victory."
Then the horseman rode back.
King Harald Sigurdson said to the earl, "Who was the man who spoke so
well?"
The earl replied, "That was King Harald Godwinson."
Then, said King Harald Sigurdson, "That was by far too long concealed
from me; for they had come so near to our army, that this Harald should
never have carried back the tidings of our men's slaughter."
Then said the earl, "It was certainly imprudent for such chiefs, and it
may be as you say; but I saw he was going to offer me peace and a great
dominion, and that, on the other hand, I would be his murderer if I
betrayed him; and I would rather he should be my murderer than I his, if
one of two be to die."
King Harald Sigurdson observed to his men, "That was but a little man,
yet he sat firmly in his stirrups."
It is said that Harald made these verses at this time:--
"Advance! advance!
No helmets glance,
But blue swords play
In our array.
Advance! advance!
No mail-coats glance,
But hearts are here
That ne'er knew fear."
His coat of mail was called Emma; and it was so long that it reached