Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
Magnus the Blind's body to Oslo, and buried it in Halvard's church,
beside King Sigurd his father. Lodin Saupprud was transported to
Tunsberg; but the others of the slain were buried on the spot.
13. EYSTEIN HARALDSON COMES TO NORWAY.
When the kings Sigurd and Inge had ruled over Norway about six years,
Eystein, who was a son of Harald Gille, came in spring from Scotland
(A.D. 1142). Arne Sturla, Thorleif Brynjolfson, and Kolbein Hruga had
sailed westward over the sea after Eystein, accompanied him to Norway,
and sailed immediately with him to Throndhjem. The Throndhjem people
received him well; and at the Eyra-thing of Ascension-day he was chosen
king, so that he should have the third part of Norway with his brothers
Sigurd and Inge. They were at this time in the east part of the country;
and men went between the kings who brought about a peace, and that
Eystein should have a third part of the kingdom. People believed what he
said of his paternal descent, because King Harald himself had testified
to it, and he did not resort to the ordeal of iron. King Eystein's
mother was called Bjadok, and she followed him to Norway. Magnus was the
name of King Harald Gille's fourth son, who was fostered by Kyrpingaorm.
He also was chosen king, and got a fourth part of the country; but
Magnus was deformed in his feet, lived but a short time, and died in his
bed. Einar Skulason speaks of them:--
"The generous Eystein money gave;
Sigurd in fight was quick and brave;
Inge loved well the war-alarm;
Magnus to save his land from harm.
No country boasts a nobler race
The battle-field, or Thing, to grace.
Four brothers of such high pretence
The sun ne'er shone upon at once."
14. MURDER OF OTTAR BIRTING.
After King Harald Gille's death Queen Ingerid married Ottar Birting,
who was a lendermen and a great chief, and of a Throndhjem family, who
strengthened King Inge's government much while he was in his childhood.
King Sigurd was not very friendly to Ottar; because, as he thought,
Ottar always took King Inge's side. Ottar Birting was killed north in
the merchant town (Nidaros), in an assault upon him in the twilight as
he was going to the evening song. When he heard the whistling of the
blow he held up his cloak with his hands against it; thinking, no doubt,
it was a snowball thrown at him, as young boys do in the streets. Ottar
fell by the stroke; but his son, Alf Hrode, who just at the same moment
was coming into the churchyard, saw his father's fall, and saw that the
man who had killed him ran east about the church. Alf ran after him, and
killed him at the corner of the choir; and people said that he had good
luck in avenging his father, and afterwards was much more respected than
he had been before.
15. BEGINNING OF KING EYSTEIN.
King Eystein Haraldson was in the interior of the Throndhjem district
when he heard of Ottar's murder, and summoned to him the bonde-army,
with which he proceeded to the town; and he had many men. Ottar's
relations and other friends accused King Sigurd, who was in the town,
of having instigated this deed; and the bondes were much enraged against
him. But the king offered to clear himself by the ordeal of iron, and
thereby to establish the truth of his denial; and accordingly a peace
was made. King Sigurd went to the south end of the country, and the
ordeal was never afterwards heard of.
16. BEGINNING OF ORM THE KING-BROTHER.
Queen Ingerid had a son to Ivar Sneis, and he was called Orm, and got
the surname of King-brother. He was a handsome man in appearance, and
became a great chief, as shall be told hereafter. Ingerid afterwards
married Arne of Stodreim, who was from this called King's-mate; and
their children were Inge, Nikolas, Philip of Herdla, and Margaret, who
was first married to Bjorn Buk, and afterwards to Simon Karason.
17. JOURNEY OF ERLING SKAKKE AND EARL RAGNVALD.
Kyrpingaorm and Ragnhild, a daughter of Sveinke Steinarson, had a son
called Erling. Kyrpingaorm was a son of Svein Sveinson, who was a son of
Erling of Gerd. Otto's mother was Ragna, a daughter of Earl Orm Eilifson
and Sigrid, a daughter of Earl Fin Arnason. The mother of Earl Orm
was Ragnhild, a daughter of Earl Hakon the Great. Erling was a man of
understanding, and a great friend of King Inge, by whose assistance and
counsel Erling obtained in marriage Christina, a daughter of King Sigurd
the Crusader and Queen Malmfrid. Erling possessed a farm at Studla in
South Hordaland. Erling left the country; and with him went Eindride
Unge and several lendermen, who had chosen men with them. They intended
to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and went across the West sea to
Orkney. There Earl Ragnvald and Bishop William joined them; and they had
in all fifteen ships from Orkney, with which they first sailed to the
South Hebrides, from thence west to Valland, and then the same way King
Sigurd the Crusader had sailed to Norvasund; and they plundered all
around in the heathen part of Spain. Soon after they had sailed
through the Norvasund, Eindride Unge and his followers, with six ships,
separated from them; and then each was for himself. Earl Ragnvald
and Erling Skakke fell in with a large ship of burden at sea called a
dromund, and gave battle to it with nine ships. At last they laid their
cutters close under the dromund; but the heathens threw both weapons and
stones, and pots full of pitch and boiling oil. Erling laid his ship so
close under the dromund, that the missiles of the heathens fell without
his ship. Then Erling and his men cut a hole in the dromund, some
working below and some above the water-mark; and so they boarded
the vessel through it. So says Thorbjorn Skakkaskald, in his poem on
Erling:--
"The axes of the Northmen bold
A door into the huge ships' hold
Hewed through her high and curved side,
As snug beneath her bulge they ride.
Their spears bring down the astonished foe,
Who cannot see from whence the blow.
The eagle's prey, they, man by man,
Fall by the Northmen's daring plan."
Audunraude, Erling's forecastle-man, was the first man who got into the
dromund. Then they carried her, killing an immense number of people;
making an extraordinarily valuable booty, and gaining a famous victory.
Earl Ragnvald and Erling Skakke came to Palestine in the course of their
expedition, and all the way to the river Jordan. From thence they
went first to Constantinople, where they left their ships, travelled
northwards by land, and arrived in safety in Norway, where their journey
was highly praised. Erling Skakke appeared now a much greater man than
before, both on account of his journey and of his marriage; besides he
was a prudent sensible man, rich, of great family, eloquent, and devoted
to King Inge by the strictest friendship more than to the other royal
brothers.
18. BIRTH OF HAKON HERDEBREID.
King Sigurd went to a feast east in Viken along with his court, and rode
past a house belonging to a great bonde called Simon. While the king was
riding past the house, he heard within such beautiful singing that he
was quite enchanted with it, and rode up to the house, and saw a lovely
girl standing at the handmill and grinding. The king got off his horse,
and went to the girl and courted her. When the king went away, the bonde
Simon came to know what the object of the king's visit had been. The
girl was called Thora, and she was Simon the bonde's servant-girl. Simon
took good care of her afterwards, and the girl brought forth a male
child (A.D. 1047), who was called Hakon, and was considered King
Sigurd's son. Hakon was brought up by Simon Thorbergson and his wife
Gunhild. Their own sons also, Onund and Andreas, were brought up with
Hakon, and were so dear to him that death only could have parted them.
19. EYSTEIN AND THE PEASANTS OF HISING ISLE.
While King Eystein Haraldson was in Viken, he fell into disputes with
the bondes of Reine and the inhabitants of Hising Isle, who assembled
to oppose him; but he gave them battle at a place called Leikberg, and
afterwards burnt and destroyed all around in Hising; so that the
bondes submitted to his will, paid great fines to the king, and he took
hostages from them. So says Einar Skulason:--
"The Viken men
Won't strive again,
With words or blows,
The king to oppose.
None safety found
On Viken's ground,
Till all, afraid,
Pledge and scat paid."
And further:--
"The king came near;
He who is dear
To all good men
Came down the glen,
By Leikberg hill.
They who do ill,
The Reine folk, fly
Or quarter cry."
20. WAR EXPEDITION OF KING HARALDSON.
Soon after King Eystein began his journey out of the country over sea to
the West (A.D. 1153), and sailed first to Caithness. Here he heard that
Earl Harald Maddad's son was in Thursa, to which he sailed directly
in three small boats. The earl had a ship of thirty banks of oars, and
nearly eighty men in her. But they were not prepared to make resistance,
so that King Eystein was able to board the ship with his men; and he
took the earl prisoner, and carried him to his own ship, but the earl
ransomed himself with three marks of gold: and thus they parted. Einar
Skulason tells of it thus:--
"Earl Harald in his stout ship lay
On the bright sand in Thursa bay;
With fourscore men he had no fear,
Nor thought the Norse king was so near,
He who provides the eagle's meals
In three small boats along-shore steals;
And Maddad's son must ransom pay
For his bad outlook that fair day."
From thence King Eystein sailed south along the east side of Scotland,
and brought up at a merchant-town in Scotland called Aberdeen, where he
killed many people, and plundered the town. So says Einar Skulason:--
"At Aberdeen, too, I am told,
Fell many by our Norsemen bold;
Peace was disturbed, and blue swords broke
With many a hard and bloody stroke."
The next battle was at Hartlepool in the south, with a party of
horsemen. The king put them to flight, and seized some ships there. So
says Einar:--
"At Hartlepool, in rank and row,
The king's court-men attack the foe.
The king's sharp sword in blood was red,
Blood dropped from every Norse spear-head.
Ravens rejoice o'er the warm food
Of English slain, each where he stood;
And in the ships their thirst was quenched:
The decks were in the foe's blood drenched."
Then he went southwards to England, and had his third battle at Whitby,
and gained the victory, and burnt the town. So says Einar:--
"The ring of swords, the clash of shields,
Were loud in Whitby's peaceful fields;
For here the king stirred up the strife.--
Man against man, for death or life.
O'er roof and tower, rose on high
The red wrath-fire in the sky;
House after house the red fiend burns;
By blackened walls the poor man mourns."
Thereafter he plundered wide around in England, where Stephen was
then the king. After this King Eystein fought with some cavalry at
Skarpasker. So says Einar:--
"At Skarpasker the English horse
Retire before the Norse king's force:
The arrow-shower like snow-drift flew,
And the shield-covered foemen slew."
He fought next at Pilavik, and gained the victory. So says Einar:--
"At Pilavik the wild wolf feeds,
Well furnished by the king's brave deeds
He poured upon the grass-green plain
A red shower from the Perthmen slain.
On westwards in the sea he urges,
With fire and sword the country purges:
Langtown he burns; the country rang,