Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
The spring after, Skopte Ogmundson made ready to travel out of the
country. They had five long-ships all well equipped. His sons, Ogmund,
Fin, and Thord, accompanied him on this journey. It was very late before
they were ready, and in autumn they went over to Flanders, and wintered
there. Early in spring they sailed westward to Valland, and stayed there
all summer. Then they sailed further, and through Norvasund; and came
in autumn to Rome, where Skopte died. All, both father and sons, died
on this journey. Thord, who died in Sicily, lived the longest. It is a
common saying among the people that Skopte was the first Northman who
sailed through Norvasund; and this voyage was much celebrated.
23. MIRACLE OF KING OLAF THE SAINT AT A FIRE.
It happened once in the merchant town (Nidaros) where King Olaf reposes,
that there broke out a fire in the town which spread around. Then
Olaf's shrine was taken out of the church, and set up opposite the fire.
Thereupon came a crazy foolish man, struck the shrine, threatened the
holy saint, and said all must be consumed by the flames, both churches
and other houses, if he did not save them by his prayers. Now the
burning of the church did cease, by the help of Almighty God; but the
insane man got sore eyes on the following night, and he lay there until
King Olaf entreated God Almighty to be merciful to him; after which he
recovered in the same church.
24. MIRACLE OF KING OLAF ON A LAME WOMAN.
It happened once in the merchant town that a woman was brought to the
place where the holy King Olaf reposes. She was so miserably shaped,
that she was altogether crumpled up; so that both her feet lay in a
circle against her loins. But as she was diligent in her prayers, often
weeping and making vows to King Olaf, he cured her great infirmities; so
that feet, legs, and other limbs straightened, and every limb and part
came to the right use for which they were made. Before she could not
creep there, and now she went away active and brisk to her family and
home.
25. WAR IN IRELAND.
When King Magnus had been nine years king of Norway (A.D. 1094-1102), he
equipped himself to go out of the country with a great force. He sailed
out into the West sea with the finest men who could be got in Norway.
All the powerful men of the country followed him; such as Sigurd
Hranason, Vidkun Jonson, Dag Eilifson, Serk of Sogn, Eyvind Olboge, the
king's marshal Ulf Hranason, brother of Sigurd, and many other great
men. With all this armament the king sailed west to the Orkney Islands,
from whence he took with him Earl Erlend's sons, Magnus and Erling,
and then sailed to the southern Hebudes. But as he lay under the Scotch
land, Magnus Erlendson ran away in the night from the king's ship, swam
to the shore, escaped into the woods, and came at last to the Scotch
king's court. King Magnus sailed to Ireland with his fleet, and
plundered there. King Myrkjartan came to his assistance, and they
conquered a great part of the country, both Dublin and Dyflinnarskire
(Dublin shire). King Magnus was in winter (A.D. 1102) up in Connaught
with King Myrkjartan, but set men to defend the country he had taken.
Towards spring both kings went westward with their army all the way
to Ulster, where they had many battles, subdued the country, and had
conquered the greatest part of Ulster when Myrkjartan returned home to
Connaught.
26. KING MAGNUS'S FORAY ON THE LAND.
King Magnus rigged his ships, and intended returning to Norway, but set
his men to defend the country of Dublin. He lay at Ulster ready for
sea with his whole fleet. As they thought they needed cattle for
ship-provision, King Magnus sent a message to King Myrkjartan, telling
him to send some cattle for slaughter; and appointed the day before
Bartholomew's day as the day they should arrive, if the messengers
reached him in safety; but the cattle had not made their appearance the
evening before Bartholomew's mass. On the mass-day itself, when the sun
rose in the sky, King Magnus went on shore himself with the greater part
of his men, to look after his people, and to carry off cattle from the
coast. The weather was calm, the sun shone, and the road lay through
mires and mosses, and there were paths cut through; but there was
brushwood on each side of the road. When they came somewhat farther,
they reached a height from which they had a wide view. They saw from
it a great dust rising up the country, as of horsemen, and they said
to each other, "That must be the Irish army;" but others said, "It was
their own men returning with the cattle." They halted there; and Eyvind
Olboge said, "How, sire, do you intend to direct the march? The men
think we are advancing imprudently. You know the Irish are treacherous;
think, therefore, of a good counsel for your men." Then the king said,
"Let us draw up our men, and be ready, if there be treachery." This was
done, and the king and Eyvind went before the line. King Magnus had a
helmet on his head; a red shield, in which was inlaid a gilded lion;
and was girt with the sword of Legbit, of which the hilt was of tooth
(ivory), and handgrip wound about with gold thread; and the sword was
extremely sharp. In his hand he had a short spear, and a red silk short
cloak, over his coat, on which, both before and behind, was embroidered
a lion in yellow silk; and all men acknowledged that they never had
seen a brisker, statelier man. Eyvind had also a red silk cloak like the
king's; and he also was a stout, handsome, warlike man.
27. FALL OF KING MAGNUS.
When the dust-cloud approached nearer they knew their own men, who were
driving the cattle. The Irish king had been faithful to the promises he
had given the king, and had sent them. Thereupon they all turned towards
the ships, and it was mid-day. When they came to the mires they went
but slowly over the boggy places; and then the Irish started up on every
side against them from every bushy point of land, and the battle began
instantly. The Northmen were going divided in various heaps, so that
many of them fell.
Then said Eyvind to the king, "Unfortunate is this march to our people,
and we must instantly hit upon some good plan."
The king answered, "Call all the men together with the war-horns under
the banner, and the men who are here shall make a rampart with their
shields, and thus we will retreat backwards out of the mires; and we
will clear ourselves fast enough when we get upon firm ground."
The Irish shot boldly; and although they fell in crowds, there came
always two in the place of one. Now when the king had come to the
nearest ditch there was a very difficult crossing, and few places were
passable; so that many Northmen fell there. Then the king called to his
lenderman Thorgrim Skinhufa, who was an Upland man, and ordered him to
go over the ditch with his division. "We shall defend you," said he, "in
the meantime, so that no harm shall come to you. Go out then to those
holms, and shoot at them from thence; for ye are good bowmen."
When Thorgrim and his men came over the ditch they cast their shields
behind their backs, and set off to the ships.
When the king saw this, he said, "Thou art deserting thy king in an
unmanly way. I was foolish in making thee a lenderman, and driving
Sigurd Hund out of the country; for never would he have behaved so."
King Magnus received a wound, being pierced by a spear through both
thighs above the knees. The king laid hold of the shaft between his
legs, broke the spear in two, and said, "Thus we break spear-shafts,
my lads; let us go briskly on. Nothing hurts me." A little after King
Magnus was struck in the neck with an Irish axe, and this was his
death-wound. Then those who were behind fled. Vidkun Jonson instantly
killed the man who had given the king his death-wound, and fled, after
having received three wounds; but brought the king's banner and the
sword Legbit to the ships. Vidkun was the last man who fled; the other
next to him was Sigurd Hranason, and the third before him, Dag Eilifson.
There fell with King Magnus, Eyvind Olboge, Ulf Hranason, and many other
great people. Many of the Northmen fell, but many more of the Irish.
The Northmen who escaped sailed away immediately in autumn. Erling, Earl
Erlend's'son, fell with King Magnus in Ireland; but the men who fled
from Ireland came to the Orkney Islands. Now when King Sigurd heard that
his father had fallen, he set off immediately, leaving the Irish king's
daughter behind, and proceeded in autumn with the whole fleet directly
to Norway.
28. OF KING MAGNUS AND VIDKUN JONSON.
King Magnus was ten years king of Norway (A.D. 1094-1105), and in his
days there was good peace kept within the country; but the people were
sorely oppressed with levies. King Magnus was beloved by his men, but
the bondes thought him harsh. The words have been transmitted from him
that he said when his friends observed that he proceeded incautiously
when he was on his expeditions abroad,--"The kings are made for honour,
not for long life." King Magnus was nearly thirty years of age when he
fell. Vidkun did not fly until he had killed the man who gave the king
his mortal wound, and for this cause King Magnus's sons had him in the
most affectionate regard.
SAGA OF SIGURD THE CRUSADER AND HIS BROTHERS EYSTEIN AND OLAF.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
"Agrip", "Fagrskinna", and "Morkinskinna" more or less complete the
story of the sons of Magnus. They contain some things omitted by Snorre,
while, on the other hand, some facts related by Snorre are not found in
the above sources.
Thjodrek the Monk tells of Sigurd that he made a Journey to Jerusalem,
conquered many heathen cities, and among them Sidon; that he captured
a cave defended by robbers, received presents from Baldwin, returned to
Norway in Eystein's lifetime, and became insane, as a result, as some
say, of a poisonous drink.
The three brothers became kings in the year A.D. 1103. Olaf died 1115,
Eystein 1122 or 1123, Sigurd 1130.
Skalds quoted in this saga are: Thorarin Stutfeld, Einar Skulason,
Haldor Skvaldre, and Arne Fjoruskeif.
1. BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF KING MAGNUS'S SONS.
After King Magnus Barefoot's fall, his sons, Eystein, Sigurd, and Olaf,
took the kingdom of Norway. Eystein got the northern, and Sigurd the
southern part of the country. King Olaf was then four or five years old,
and the third part of the country which he had was under the management
of his two brothers. King Sigurd was chosen king when he was thirteen or
fourteen years old, and Eystein was a year older. King Sigurd left
west of the sea the Irish king's daughter. When King Magnus's sons were
chosen kings, the men who had followed Skopte Ogmundson returned home.
Some had been to Jerusalem, some to Constantinople; and there they had
made themselves renowned, and they had many kinds of novelties to talk
about. By these extraordinary tidings many men in Norway were incited to
the same expedition; and it was also told that the Northmen who liked to
go into the military service at Constantinople found many opportunities
of getting property. Then these Northmen desired much that one of the
two kings, either Eystein or Sigurd, should go as commander of the troop
which was preparing for this expedition. The kings agreed to this, and
carried on the equipment at their common expense. Many great men, both
of the lendermen and bondes, took part in this enterprise; and when all
was ready for the journey it was determined that Sigurd should go,
and Eystein in the meantime, should rule the kingdom upon their joint
account.
2. OF THE EARLS OF ORKNEY.
A year or two after King Magnus Barefoot's fall, Hakon, a son of Earl
Paul, came from Orkney. The kings gave him the earldom and government