Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
Loptson, who was then eleven years old, was in their house to be
fostered and educated. The priest Lopt Saemundson, Jon's father, was
also in the town at that time. The priest Andres and Solveig had
a daughter by name Helga, who was Einar's wife. It happened now in
Konungahella, the next Sunday night after Easter week, that there was
a great noise in the streets through the whole town as if the king was
going through with all his court-men. The dogs were so affected that
nobody could hold them, but they slipped loose; and when they came out
they ran mad, biting all that came in their way, people and cattle.
All who were bitten by them till the blood came turned raging mad; and
pregnant women were taken in labour prematurely, and became mad. From
Easter to Ascension-day, these portentous circumstances took place
almost every night. People were dreadfully alarmed at these wonders; and
many made themselves ready to remove, sold their houses, and went out
to the country districts, or to other towns. The most intelligent men
looked upon it as something extremely remarkable; were in dread of it;
and said, as it proved to be, that it was an omen of important events
which had not yet taken place. And the priest Andres, on Whit Sunday,
made a long and excellent speech, and turned the conclusion of it to
the distressing situation of the townspeople; telling them to muster
courage, and not lay waste their excellent town by deserting it, but
rather to take the utmost care in all things, and use the greatest
foresight against all dangers, as of fire or the enemy, and to pray to
God to have mercy on them.
ENDNOTES: (1) The Catholic priests appear to have had wives at that time
in Norway, and celibacy to have been confined to the monks.
--L.
10. THE RISE OF WAR IN KONUNGAHELLA.
Thirteen loaded merchant ships made ready to leave the town, intending
to proceed to Bergen; but eleven of them were lost, men and goods, and
all that was in them; the twelfth was lost also, but the people were
saved, although the cargo went to the bottom. At that time the priest
Lopt went north to Bergen, with all that belonged to him, and arrived
safely. The merchant vessels were lost on Saint Lawrence eve (August
10). The Danish king Eirik and the Archbishop Assur, both sent notice to
Konungahella to keep watch on their town; and said the Vindland people
had a great force on foot with which they made war far around on
Christian people, and usually gained the victory. But the townspeople
attended very little to this warning, were indifferent, and forgot more
and more the dreadful omens the longer it was since they happened. On
the holy Saint Lawrence day, while the words of high mass were spoken,
came to the Vindland king Rettibur to Konungahella with 550 Vindland
cutters, and in each cutter were forty-four men and two horses. The
king's sister's son Dunimiz, and Unibur, a chief who ruled over many
people, were with him. These two chiefs rowed at once, with a part of
their troops, up the east arm of the Gaut river past Hising Isle, and
thus came down to the town; but a part of the fleet lay in the western
arm, and came so to the town. They made fast their ships at the piles,
and landed their horses, and rode over the height of Bratsas, and from
thence up around the town. Einar, a relation of priest Andres, brought
these tidings up to the Castle church; for there the whole inhabitants
of the town were gathered to hear high mass. Einar came just as the
priest Andres was holding his discourse; and he told the people that
an army was sailing up against the town with a great number of ships of
war, and that some people were riding over Bratsas. Many said it must be
the Danish king Eirik, and from him they might expect peace. The people
ran down into the town to their properties, armed themselves, and went
down upon the piers, whence they immediately saw there was an enemy
and an immense army. Nine East-country trading vessels belonging to the
merchants were afloat in the river at the piers. The Vindland people
first directed their course toward these and fought with the merchants,
who armed themselves, and defended themselves long, well, and manfully.
There was a hard battle, and resistance, before the merchant vessels
were cleared of their men; and in this conflict the Vindland people
lost 150 of their ships, with all the men on board. When the battle was
sharpest the townsmen stood upon the piers, and shot at the heathens.
But when the fight slackened the burgesses fled up to the town, and from
thence into the castle; and the men took with them all their valuable
articles, and such goods as they could carry. Solveig and her daughters,
with two other women, went on shore when the Vindlanders took possession
of the merchant vessels. Now the Vindlanders landed, and mustered their
men, and discovered their loss. Some of them went up into the town, some
on board the merchant ships, and took all the goods they pleased;
and then they set fire to the town, and burnt it and the ships. They
hastened then with all their army to assault the castle.
11. THE SECOND BATTLE.
King Rettibur made an offer to those who were in the castle that they
should go out, and he would give them their lives, weapons, clothes,
silver, and gold; but all exclaimed against it, and went out on the
fortification; some shot, some threw stones, some sharp stakes. It was
a great battle, in which many fell on both sides, but by far the most
of the Vindlanders. Solveig came up to a large farm called Solbjorg, and
brought the news. A message war-token was there split, and sent out to
Skurbagar, where there happened to be a joint ale-drinking feast, and
many men were assembled. A bonde called Olver Miklimun (Mickle Mouth)
was there, who immediately sprang up, took helmet and shield, and a
great axe in his hand, and said, "Stand up, brave lads, and take your
weapons. Let us go help the townspeople; for it would appear shameful
to every man who heard of it, if we sit here sipping our ale, while good
men in the town are losing their lives by our neglect."
Many made an objection, and said they would only be losing their own
lives, without being of any assistance to the townspeople.
Then said Olver, "Although all of you should hold back, I will go alone;
and one or two heathens, at any rate, shall fall before I fall."
He ran down to the town, and a few men after him to see what he would
do, and also whether they could assist him in any way. When he came
near the castle, and the heathens saw him, they sent out eight men fully
armed against him; and when they met, the heathen men ran and surrounded
him on all sides. Olver lifted his axe, and struck behind him with
the extreme point of it, hitting the neck of the man who was coming up
behind him, so that his throat and jawbone were cut through, and he fell
dead backwards. Then he heaved his axe forwards, and struck the next man
in the head, and clove him down to the shoulders. He then fought with
the others, and killed two of them; but was much wounded himself. The
four who remained took to flight, but Olver ran after them. There was
a ditch before them, and two of the heathens jumped into it, and Olver
killed them both; but he stuck fast himself in the ditch, so that two of
the eight heathens escaped. The men who had followed Olver took him
up, and brought him back to Skurbagar, where his wounds were bound and
healed; and it was the talk of the people, that no single man had ever
made such a bloody onset. Two lendermen, Sigurd Gyrdson, a brother of
Philip, and Sigard, came with 600 men to Skurbagar; on which Sigurd
turned back with 400 men. He was but little respected afterwards, and
soon died. Sigard, on the other hand, proceeded with 200 men towards the
town; and they gave battle to the heathens, and were all slain. While
the Vindlanders were storming the castle, their king and his chiefs were
out of the battle. At one place there was a man among the Vindlanders
shooting with a bow, and killing a man for every arrow; and two men
stood before him, and covered him with their shields. Then Saemund
Husfreyja said to his son Asmund, that they should both shoot together
at this bowman. "But I will shoot at the man who holds the shield before
him." He did so, and he knocked the shield down a little before the man;
and in the same instant Asmund shot between the shields, and the arrow
hit the bowman in the forehead, so that it came out at his neck, and he
fell down dead. When the Vindlanders saw it they howled like dogs, or
like wolves. Then King Rettibur called to them that he would give them
safety and life, but they refused terms. The heathens again made a
hard assault. One of the heathens in particular fought so bravely, and
ventured so near, that he came quite up to the castle-gate, and pierced
the man who stood outside the gate with his sword; and although they
used both arrows and stones against him, and he had neither shield nor
helmet, nothing could touch him, for he was so skilled in witchcraft
that weapon could not wound him. Then priest Andres took consecrated
fire; blew upon it; cut tinder in pieces, and laid it on the fire; and
then laid the tinder on the arrow-point, and gave it to Asmund. He shot
this arrow at the warlock; and the shaft hit so well that it did its
business, and the man of witchcraft fell dead. Then the heathens crowded
together as before, howling and whining dreadfully; and all gathered
about their king, on which the Christians believed that they were
holding a council about retreating. The interpreters, who understood
the Vindland tongue, heard the chief Unibur make the following speech:
"These people are brave, and it is difficult to make anything of them;
and even if we took all the goods in their town, we might willingly give
as much more that we had never come here, so great has been our loss of
men and chiefs. Early in the day, when we began to assault the castle,
they defended themselves first with arrows and spears; then they fought
against us with stones; and now with sticks and staves, as against dogs.
I see from this that they are in want of weapons and means of defense;
so we shall make one more hard assault, and try their strength." It
was as he said, that they now fought with stakes; because, in the first
assault, they had imprudently used up all their missile weapons and
stones; and now when the Christians saw the number of their stakes
diminishing, they clave each stake in two. The heathens now made a very
hot attack, and rested themselves between whiles, and on both sides they
were exhausted. During a rest the Vindland king Rettibur again offered
terms, and that they should retain the weapons, clothes, and silver they
could carry out of the castle. Saemund Husfreyja had fallen, and the men
who remained gave the counsel to deliver up the castle and themselves
into the power of the heathens; but it was a foolish counsel; for the
heathens did not keep their promises, but took all people, men, women,
and children, and killed all of them who were wounded or young, or could
not easily be carried with them. They took all the goods that were in
the castle; went into the Cross church, and plundered it of all its
ornaments. The priest Andres gave King Rettibur a silver-mounted gilt
sceptre, and to his sister's son Dunimiz he gave a gold ring. They
supposed from this that he was a man of great importance in the town,
and held him in higher respect than the others. They took away with them
the holy cross, and also the tables which stood before the altar, which
Sigurd had got made in the Greek country, and had brought home himself.
These they took, and laid flat down on the steps before the altar. Then
the heathens went out of the church. Rettibur said, "This house has