Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
he had been wounded or sick. His tongue was entire; both his eyes were
in their places, and were clear-sighted; his broken legs and every other
wound were healed, or were free from pain; and, in short, he had got
perfect health. But as a proof that his eyes had been punched out, there
remained a white scar on each eyelid, in order that this dear king's
excellence might be manifest on the man who had been so dreadfully
misused.
26. KING INGE AND SIGURD HOLD A THING.
King Eystein and King Sigurd had quarrelled, because King Sigurd had
killed King Eystein's court-man Harald, the Viken man, who owned a house
in Bergen, and also the priest Jon Tapard, a son of Bjarne Sigurdson.
On account of this affair, a conference to settle it was appointed in
winter in the Uplands. The two sat together in the conference for a long
time, and so much was known of their conference that all three brothers
were to meet the following summer in Bergen. It was added, that their
conference was to the effect that King Inge should have two or three
farms, and as much income as would keep thirty men beside him, as he had
not health to be a king. When King Inge and Gregorius heard this report,
they came to Bergen with many followers. King Sigurd arrived there a
little later, and was not nearly so strong in men. Sigurd and Inge had
then been nineteen years kings of Norway (A.D. 1155). King Eystein came
later still from the south than the other two from the north. Then King
Inge ordered the Thing to be called together on the holm by the sound
of trumpet; and Sigurd and Inge came to it with a great many people.
Gregorius had two long-ships, and at the least ninety men, whom he kept
in provisions. He kept his house-men better than other lendermen; for he
never took part in any entertainment where each guest brings his liquor,
without having all his house-men to drink with him. He went now to the
Thing in a gold-mounted helmet, and all his men had helmets on. Then
King Inge stood up, and told the assembly what he had heard; how his
brothers were going to use him, and depose him from his kingdom; and
asked for their assistance. The assembled people made a good return to
his speech, and declared they would follow him.
27. OF GREGORIUS DAGSON.
Then King Sigurd stood up and said it was a false accusation that King
Inge had made against him and his brother, and insisted that Gregorius
had invented it; and insinuated that it would not be long, if he had
his will, before they should meet so that the golden helmet should be
doffed; and ended his speech by hinting that they could not both live.
Gregorius replied, that Sigurd need not long so much for this, as he
was ready now, if it must be so. A few days after, one of Gregorius's
house-men was killed out upon the street, and it was Sigurd's house-men
who killed him. Gregorius would then have fallen upon King Sigurd and
his people; but King Inge, and many others, kept him back. But one
evening, just as Queen Ingerid, King Inge's mother, was coming from
vespers, she came past where Sigurd Skrudhyrna, a courtman of King Inge,
lay murdered. He was then an old man, and had served many kings. King
Sigurd's courtmen, Halyard Gunnarson, and Sigurd, a son of Eystein
Trafale, had killed him; and people suspected it was done by order of
King Sigurd. She went immediately to King Inge, and told him he would
be a little king if he took no concern, but allowed his court-men to be
killed, the one after the other, like swine. The king was angry at her
speech; and while they were scolding about it, came Gregorius in helmet
and armour, and told the king not to be angry, for she was only saying
the truth. "And I am now," says he, "come to thy assistance, if thou
wilt attack King Sigurd; and here we are, above 100 men in helmets and
armour, and with them we will attack where others think the attack may
be worst." But the most dissuaded from this course, thinking that Sigurd
would pay the mulct for the slaughter done. Now when Gregorius saw
that there would be no assault, he accosted King Inge thus: "Thou wilt
frighten thy men from thee in this way; for first they lately killed my
house-man, and now thy court-man, and afterwards they will chase me,
or some other of thy lendermen whom thou wouldst feel the loss of, when
they see that thou art indifferent about such things; and at last, after
thy friends are killed, they will take the royal dignity from thee.
Whatever thy other lendermen may do, I will not stay here longer to be
slaughtered like an ox; but Sigurd the king and I have a business to
settle with each other to-night, in whatever way it may turn out. It is
true that there is but little help in thee on account of thy ill health,
but I should think thy will should not be less to hold thy hand over thy
friends, and I am now quite ready to go from hence to meet Sigurd, and
my banner is flying in the yard."
Then King Inge stood up, and called for his arms, and ordered every man
who wished to follow him to get ready, declaring it was of no use to try
to dissuade him; for he had long enough avoided this, but now steel must
determine between them.
28. OF KING SIGURD'S FALL.
King Sigurd sat and drank in Sigrid Saeta's house ready for battle,
although people thought it would not come to an assault at all. Then
came King Inge with his men down the road from the smithy shops,
against the house. Arne, the king's brother-in-law, came out from the
Sand-bridge, Aslak Erlendson from his own house, and Gregorius from the
street where all thought the assault would be worst. King Sigurd and
his men made many shots from the holes in the loft, broke down the
fireplaces, and threw stones on them. Gregorius and his men cut down the
gates of the yard; and there in the port fell Einar, a son of Laxapaul,
who was of Sigurd's people, together with Halvard Gunnarson, who was
shot in a loft, and nobody lamented his death. They hewed down the
houses, and many of King Sigurd's men left him, and surrendered for
quarter. Then King Sigurd went up into a loft, and desired to be heard.
He had a gilt shield, by which they knew him, but they would not listen
to him, and shot arrows at him as thick as snow in a snow-shower, so
that he could not stay there. As his men had now left him, and the
houses were being hewn down, he went out from thence, and with him his
court-man Thord Husfreyja from Viken. They wanted to come where King
Inge was to be found, and Sigurd called to his brother King Inge, and
begged him to grant him life and safety; but both Thord and Sigurd
were instantly killed, and Thord fell with great glory. King Sigurd
was interred in the old Christ church out on the holm. King Inge gave
Gregorius the ship King Sigurd had owned. There fell many of King
Sigurd's and King Inge's men, although I only name a few; but of
Gregorius's men there fell four; and also some who belonged to no party,
but were shot on the piers, or out in the ships. It was fought on a
Friday, and fourteen days before Saint John the Baptist's day (June 10,
1155). Two or three days after King Eystein came from the eastward with
thirty ships, and had along with him his brother's son Hakon, a son of
King Sigurd. Eystein did not come up to the town, but lay in Floruvagar,
and good men went between to get a reconciliation made. But Gregorius
wanted that they should go out against him, thinking there never would
be a better opportunity; and offered to be himself the leader. "For
thou, king, shalt not go, for we have no want of men." But many
dissuaded from this course, and it came to nothing. King Eystein
returned back to Viken, and King Inge to Throndhjem, and they were in a
sort reconciled; but they did not meet each other.
29. OF GREGORIUS DAGSON.
Somewhat later than King Eystein, Gregorius Dagson also set out to the
eastward and came to his farm Bratsberg in Hofund; but King Eystein was
up in the fjord at Oslo, and had his ships drawn above two miles over
the frozen sea, for there was much ice at that time in Viken. King
Eystein went up to Hofund to take Gregorius; but he got news of what was
on foot, and escaped to Thelemark with ninety men, from thence over the
mountains, and came down in Hardanger; and at last to Studla in Etne, to
Erling Skakke's farm. Erling himself had gone north to Bergen; but
his wife Kristin, a daughter of King Sigurd, was at home, and offered
Gregorius all the assistance he wanted; and he was hospitably received.
He got a long-ship there which belonged to Erling, and everything else
he required. Gregorius thanked her kindly, and allowed that she had
behaved nobly, and as might have been expected of her. Gregorius then
proceeded to Bergen, where he met Erling, who thought also that his wife
had done well.
30. RECONCILIATION OF EYSTEIN AND INGE.
Then Gregorius went north to Throndhjem, and came there before Yule.
King Inge was rejoiced at his safety, and told him to use his property
as freely as his own, King Eystein having burnt Gregorius's house, and
slaughtered his stock of cattle. The ship-docks which King Eystein the
Elder had constructed in the merchant town of Nidaros, and which had
been exceedingly expensive, were also burnt this winter, together with
some good vessels belonging to King Inge. This deed was ascribed to King
Eystein and Philip Gyrdson, King Sigurd's foster-brother, and occasioned
much displeasure and hatred. The following summer King Inge went south
with a very numerous body of men; and King Eystein came northwards,
gathering men also. They met in the east (A.D. 1156) at the Seleys,
near to the Naze; but King Inge was by far the strongest in men. It was
nearly coming to a battle; but at last they were reconciled on these
conditions, that King Eystein should be bound to pay forty-five marks of
gold, of which King Inge should have thirty marks, because King Eystein
had occasioned the burning of the docks and ships; and, besides,
that Philip, and all who had been accomplices in the deed, should be
outlawed. Also that the men should be banished the country, against whom
it could be proved that they gave blow or wound to King Sigurd; for King
Eystein accused King Inge of protecting these men; and that Gregorius
should have fifteen marks of gold for the value of his property burnt by
King Eystein. King Eystein was ill pleased with these terms, and looked
upon the treaty as one forced upon him. From that meeting King Inge went
eastward to Viken, and King Eystein north to Throndhjem; and they had no
intercourse with each other, nor were the messages which passed between
them very friendly, and on both sides they killed each other's friends.
King Eystein, besides, did not pay the money; and the one accused the
other of not fulfilling what was promised. King Inge and Gregorius
enticed many people from King Eystein; among others, Bard Standale
Brynjolfson, Simon Skalp, a son of Halkel Huk, Halder Brynjolfson, Jon
Halkelson, and many other lendermen.
31. OF EYSTEIN AND INGE.
Two years after King Sigurd's fall (A.D. 1157) both kings assembled
armaments; namely, King Inge in the east of the country, where he
collected eighty ships; and King Eystein in the north, where he had
forty-five, and among these the Great Dragon, which King Eystein
Magnuson had built after the Long Serpent; and they had on both sides
many and excellent troops. King Inge lay with his ships south at Moster
Isle, and King Eystein a little to the north in Graeningasund.
King Eystein sent the young Aslak Jonson, and Arne Sturla, a son of
Snaebjorn, with one ship to meet King Inge; but when the king's men knew
them, they assaulted them, killed many of their people, and took all
that was in the ship belonging to them. Aslak and Arne and a few more