Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
when they came to the house they attacked the king, and Herse Klyp, it
is said, ran him through with his sword and killed him; but instantly
Klyp was killed on the spot by Erling Gamle (A.D. 965).
ENDNOTES: (1) Volubrjotr.--Literally "the one who breaks the vala", that
is, breaks the skulls of witches.
15. GRJOTGARD'S FALL.
King Harald Grafeld and his brother King Gudrod gathered together a
great army in the east country, with which they set out northwards to
Throndhjem (A.D. 968). When Earl Hakon heard of it he collected men,
and set out to More, where he plundered. There his father's brother,
Grjotgard, had the command and defence of the country on account of
Gunhild's sons, and he assembled an army by order of the kings.
Earl Hakon advanced to meet him, and gave him battle; and there fell
Grjotgard and two other earls, and many a man besides. So says Einar
Skalaglam:--
"The helm-crown'd Hakon, brave as stout,
Again has put his foes to rout.
The bowl runs o'er with Odin's mead, (1)
That fires the skald when mighty deed
Has to be sung. Earl Hakon's sword,
In single combat, as I've heard,
Three sons of earls from this one fray
To dwell with Odin drove away." (2)
Thereafter Earl Hakon went out to sea, and sailed outside the coast,
and came to Denmark. He went to the Danish King, Harald Gormson, and was
well received by him, and staid with him all winter (A.D. 969). At that
time there was also with the Danish king a man called Harald, a son of
Knut Gormson, and a brother's son of King Harald. He was lately come
home from a long viking cruise, on which he had gathered great riches,
and therefore he was called Gold Harald. He thought he had a good chance
of coming to the Danish kingdom.
ENDNOTES: (1) Odin's mead, called Bodn, was the blood or mead the sons
of Brage, the god of poets, drank to inspire them.--L.
(2) To dwell with Odin,--viz. slew them.--L.
16. KING ERLING'S FALL.
King Harald Grafeld and his brothers proceeded northwards to Throndhjem,
where they met no opposition. They levied the scat-duties, and all other
revenues, and laid heavy penalties upon the bondes; for the kings had
for a long time received but little income from Throndhjem, because Earl
Hakon was there with many troops, and was at variance with these kings.
In autumn (A.D. 968) King Harald went south with the greater part of
the men-at-arms, but King Erlin remained behind with his men. He raised
great contributions from the bondes, and pressed severely on them; at
which the bondes murmured greatly, and submitted to their losses with
impatience. In winter they gathered together in a great force to go
against King Erling, just as he was at a feast; and they gave battle to
him, and he with the most of his men fell (A.D. 969).
17. THE SEASONS IN NORWAY AT THIS TIME.
While Gunhild's sons reigned in Norway the seasons were always bad, and
the longer they reigned the worse were the crops; and the bondes laid
the blame on them. They were very greedy, and used the bondes harshly.
It came at length to be so bad that fish, as well as corn, were wanting.
In Halogaland there was the greatest famine and distress; for scarcely
any corn grew, and even snow was lying, and the cattle were bound in
the byres (1) all over the country until midsummer. Eyvind Skaldaspiller
describes it in his poem, as he came outside of his house and found a
thick snowdrift at that season:--
"Tis midsummer, yet deep snows rest
On Odin's mother's frozen breast:
Like Laplanders, our cattle-kind
In stall or stable we must bind."
ENDNOTES: (1) Byres = gards or farms.
18. THE ICELANDERS AND EYVIND THE SKALD.
Eyvind composed a poem about the people of Iceland, for which they
rewarded him by each bonde giving him three silver pennies, of full
weight and white in the fracture. And when the silver was brought
together at the Althing, the people resolved to have it purified, and
made into a row of clasps; and after the workmanship of the silver was
paid, the row of clasps was valued at fifty marks. This they sent to
Eyvind; but Eyvind was obliged to separate the clasps from each other,
and sell them to buy food for his household. But the same spring a shoal
of herrings set in upon the fishing ground beyond the coast-side, and
Eyvind manned a ship's boat with his house servants and cottars, and
rowed to where the herrings were come, and sang:--
"Now let the steed of ocean bound
O'er the North Sea with dashing sound:
Let nimble tern and screaming gull
Fly round and round--our net is full.
Fain would I know if Fortune sends
A like provision to my friends.
Welcome provision 'tis, I wot,
That the whale drives to our cook's pot."
So entirely were his movable goods exhausted, that he was obliged to
sell his arrows to buy herrings, or other meat for his table:--
"Our arms and ornaments of gold
To buy us food we gladly sold:
The arrows of the bow gave we
For the bright arrows of the sea." (1)
ENDNOTES: (1) Herrings, from their swift darting along, are called the
arrows of the sea.
KING OLAF TRYGVASON'S SAGA.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
Hitherto the narrative has been more or less fragmentary. With Olaf
Trygvason's Saga reliable history begins, and the narration is full and
connected. The story of Hakon the earl is incorporated in this saga.
Accounts of Olaf Trygvason may be found in Od the Monk's legendary saga,
in parts of "Agrip", "Historia Norvegiae", and in Thjodrek. Icelandic
works on this epoch are:
"Egla", "Eyrbyggja", "Finboga", "Floamanna", "Faereyinga", "Hallfredar
Saga", "Havardar Saga", "Are's Islendinga-bok", "Kristni Saga",
"Laxdaela", "Ljosvetninga", "Njala", "Orkneyinga", "Viga Glums Saga",
and "Viga Styrs Saga".
The skalds quoted are: Glum Geirason, Eyvind Finson, Skaldaspiller,
Einar Skalaglam, Tind Halkelson, Eyjolf Dadaskald, Hallarstein,
Halfred Vandraedaskald, Haldor Ukristne, Skule Thorsteinson, and Thord
Kolbeinson.
1. OLAF TRYGVASON'S BIRTH.
King Trygve Olafson had married a wife who was called Astrid. She was a
daughter of Eirik Bjodaskalle, a great man, who dwelt at Oprustader. But
after Trygve's death (A.D. 963) Astrid fled, and privately took with her
all the loose property she could. Her foster-father, Thorolf Lusarskeg,
followed her, and never left her; and others of her faithful followers
spied about to discover her enemies, and where they were. Astrid was
pregnant with a child of King Trygve, and she went to a lake, and
concealed herself in a holm or small island in it with a few men. Here
her child was born, and it was a boy; and water was poured over it, and
it was called Olaf after the grandfather. Astrid remained all summer
here in concealment; but when the nights became dark, and the day began
to shorten and the weather to be cold, she was obliged to take to the
land, along with Thorolf and a few other men. They did not seek for
houses unless in the night-time, when they came to them secretly;
and they spoke to nobody. One evening, towards dark, they came to
Oprustader, where Astrid's father Eirik dwelt, and privately sent a man
to Eirik to tell him; and Eirik took them to an out-house, and spread a
table for them with the best of food. When Astrid had been here a short
time her travelling attendants left her, and none remained, behind with
her but two servant girls, her child Olaf, Thorolf Lusarskeg, and his
son Thorgils, who was six years old; and they remained all winter (A.D.
964).
2. OF GUNHILD S SONS.
After Trygve Olafson's murder, Harald Grafeld and his brother Gudrod
went to the farm which he owned; but Astrid was gone, and they could
learn no tidings of her. A loose report came to their ears that she was
pregnant to King Trygve; but they soon went away northwards, as before
related. As soon as they met their mother Gunhild they told her all that
had taken place. She inquired particularly about Astrid, and they told
her the report they had heard; but as Gunhild's sons the same harvest
and winter after had bickerings with Earl Hakon, as before related, they
did not seek after Astrid and her son that winter.
3. ASTRID'S JOURNEY.
The spring after (A.D. 964) Gunhild sent spies to the Uplands, and all
the way down to Viken, to spy what they could about Astrid; and her men
came back, and could only tell her that Astrid must be with her father
Eirik, and it was probable was bringing up her infant, the son of
Trygve. Then Gunhild, without delay, sent off men well furnished with
arms and horses, and in all a troop of thirty; and as their leader she
sent a particular friend of her own, a powerful man called Hakon. Her
orders were to go to Oprustader, to Eirik, and take King Trygve's son
from thence, and bring the child to her; and with these orders the men
went out. Now when they were come to the neighbourhood of Oprustader,
some of Eirik's friends observed the troop of travellers, and about the
close of the day brought him word of their approach. Eirik immediately,
in the night, made preparation for Astrid's flight, gave her good
guides, and send her away eastward to Svithjod, to his good friend Hakon
Gamle, who was a powerful man there. Long before day they departed,
and towards evening they reached a domain called Skaun. Here they saw
a large mansion, towards which they went, and begged a night's lodging.
For the sake of concealment they were clad in mean clothing. There
dwelt here a bonde called Bjorn Eiterkveisa, who was very rich, but very
inhospitable. He drove them away; and therefore, towards dark, they went
to another domain close by that was called Vidar. Thorstein was the name
of the bonde; and he gave them lodging, and took good care of them,
so that they slept well, and were well entertained. Early that morning
Gunhild's men had come to Oprustader, and inquired for Astrid and her
son. As Eirik told them she was not there, they searched the whole
house, and remained till late in the day before they got any news of
Astrid. Then they rode after her the way she had taken, and late
at night they came to Bjorn Eiterkveisa in Skaun, and took up their
quarters there. Hakon asked Bjorn if he knew anything about Astrid, and
he said some people had been there in the evening wanting lodgings;
"but I drove them away, and I suppose they have gone to some of the
neighbouring houses." Thorstein's labourer was coming from the forest,
having left his work at nightfall, and called in at Bjorn's house
because it was in his way; and finding there were guests come to the
house, and learning their business, he comes to Thorstein and tells him
of it. As about a third part of the night was still remaining, Thorstein
wakens his guests and orders them in an angry voice to go about their
business; but as soon as they were out of the house upon the road,
Thorstein tells them that Gunhild's messengers were at Bjorn's house,
and are upon the trace of them. They entreat of him to help them, and
he gave them a guide and some provisions. He conducted them through a
forest to a lake, in which there was an islet overgrown with reeds. They
waded out to the islet, and hid themselves among the reeds. Early in the
morning Hakon rode away from Bjorn's into the township, and wherever he
came he asked after Astrid; and when he came to Thorstein's he asked if
she had been there. He said that some people had been there; but as soon
as it was daylight they had set off again, eastwards, to the forest.
Hakon made Thorstein go along with them, as he knew all the roads and
hiding-places. Thorstein went with them; but when they were come into
the woods, he led them right across the way Astrid had taken. They went