Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
undertakings, for some obeyed his will out of the friendliest zeal, and
others out of dread.
93. BAPTISM OF LEIF EIRIKSON.
Leif, a son of Eirik the Red, who first settled in Greenland, came this
summer (A.D. 999) from Greenland to Norway; and as he met King Olaf he
adopted Christianity, and passed the winter (A.D. 1000) with the king.
94. FALL OF KING GUDROD.
Gudrod, a son of Eirik Bloodaxe and Gunhild, had been ravaging in the
west countries ever since he fled from Norway before the Earl Hakon. But
the summer before mentioned (A.D. 999), where King Olaf Trygvason had
ruled four years over Norway, Gudrod came to the country, and had many
ships of war with him. He had sailed from England; and when he thought
himself near to the Norway coast, he steered south along the land, to
the quarter where it was least likely King Olaf would be. Gudrod sailed
in this way south to Viken; and as soon as he came to the land he began
to plunder, to subject the people to him, and to demand that they should
accept of him as king. Now as the country people saw that a great army
was come upon them, they desired peace and terms. They offered King
Gudrod to send a Thing-message over all the country, and to accept of
him at the Thing as king, rather than suffer from his army; but
they desired delay until a fixed day, while the token of the Thing's
assembling was going round through the land. The king demanded
maintenance during the time this delay lasted. The bondes preferred
entertaining the king as a guest, by turns, as long as he required it;
and the king accepted of the proposal to go about with some of his men
as a guest from place to place in the land, while others of his men
remained to guard the ships. When King Olaf's relations, Hyrning and
Thorgeir, heard of this, they gathered men, fitted out ships, and went
northwards to Viken. They came in the night with their men to a place at
which King Gudrod was living as a guest, and attacked him with fire and
weapons; and there King Gudrod fell, and most of his followers. Of those
who were with his ships some were killed, some slipped away and fled to
great distances; and now were all the sons of Eirik and Gunhild dead.
95. BUILDING OF THE SHIP LONG SERPENT.
The winter after, King Olaf came from Halogaland (A.D. 1000), he had a
great vessel built at Hladhamrar, which was larger than any ship in the
country, and of which the beam-knees are still to be seen. The length of
keel that rested upon the grass was seventy-four ells. Thorberg Skafhog
was the man's name who was the master-builder of the ship; but there
were many others besides,--some to fell wood, some to shape it, some to
make nails, some to carry timber; and all that was used was of the best.
The ship was both long and broad and high-sided, and strongly timbered.
While they were planking the ship, it happened that Thorberg had to go
home to his farm upon some urgent business; and as he remained there a
long time, the ship was planked up on both sides when he came back. In
the evening the king went out, and Thorberg with him, to see how the
vessel looked, and everybody said that never was seen so large and so
beautiful a ship of war. Then the king returned to the town. Early next
morning the king returns again to the ship, and Thorberg with him. The
carpenters were there before them, but all were standing idle with their
arms across. The king asked, "what was the matter?" They said the ship
was destroyed; for somebody had gone from, stem to stern, and cut one
deep notch after the other down the one side of the planking. When the
king came nearer he saw it was so, and said, with an oath, "The man
shall die who has thus destroyed the vessel out of envy, if he can be
discovered, and I shall bestow a great reward on whoever finds him out."
"I can tell you, king," said Thorberg, "who has done this piece of
work."--
"I don't think," replies the king, "that any one is so likely to find it
out as thou art."
Thorberg says, "I will tell you, king, who did it. I did it myself."
The king says, "Thou must restore it all to the same condition as
before, or thy life shall pay for it."
Then Thorberg went and chipped the planks until the deep notches were
all smoothed and made even with the rest; and the king and all present
declared that the ship was much handsomer on the side of the hull which
Thorberg, had chipped, and bade him shape the other side in the same
way; and gave him great thanks for the improvement. Afterwards Thorberg
was the master builder of the ship until she was entirely finished.
The ship was a dragon, built after the one the king had captured
in Halogaland; but this ship was far larger, and more carefully put
together in all her parts. The king called this ship Serpent the Long,
and the other Serpent the Short. The long Serpent had thirty-four
benches for rowers. The head and the arched tail were both gilt, and the
bulwarks were as high as in sea-going ships. This ship was the best and
most costly ship ever made in Norway.
96. EARL EIRIK, THE SON OF HAKON.
Earl Eirik, the son of Earl Hakon, and his brothers, with many other
valiant men their relations, had left the country after Earl Hakon's
fall. Earl Eirik went eastwards to Svithjod, to Olaf, the Swedish king,
and he and his people were well received. King Olaf gave the earl peace
and freedom in the land, and great fiefs; so that he could support
himself and his men well. Thord Kolbeinson speaks of this in the verses
before given. Many people who fled from the country on account of King
Olaf Trygvason came out of Norway to Earl Eirik; and the earl resolved
to fit out ships and go a-cruising, in order to get property for himself
and his people. First he steered to Gotland, and lay there long in
summer watching for merchant vessels sailing towards the land, or for
vikings. Sometimes he landed and ravaged all round upon the sea-coasts.
So it is told in the "Banda-drapa":--
"Eirik, as we have lately heard,
Has waked the song of shield and sword--
Has waked the slumbering storm of shields
Upon the vikings' water-fields:
From Gotland's lonely shore has gone
Far up the land, and battles won:
And o'er the sea his name is spread,
To friends a shield, to foes a dread."
Afterwards Earl Eirik sailed south to Vindland, and at Stauren found
some viking ships, and gave them battle. Eirik gained the victory, and
slew the vikings. So it is told in the "Banda-drapa":--
"Earl Eirik, he who stoutly wields
The battle-axe in storm of shields,
With his long ships surprised the foe
At Stauren, and their strength laid low
Many a corpse floats round the shore;
The strand with dead is studded o'er:
The raven tears their sea-bleached skins--
The land thrives well when Eirik wins."
97. EIRIK'S FORAY ON THE BALTIC COASTS.
Earl Eirik sailed back to Sweden in autumn, and staid there all winter
(A.D. 997); but in the spring fitted out his war force again, and sailed
up the Baltic. When he came to Valdemar's dominions he began to plunder
and kill the inhabitants, and burn the dwellings everywhere as he
came along, and to lay waste the country. He came to Aldeigiuburg, and
besieged it until he took the castle; and he killed many people, broke
down and burned the castle, and then carried destruction all around far
and wide in Gardarike. So it is told in the "Banda-drapa":--
"The generous earl, brave and bold,
Who scatters his bright shining gold,
Eirik with fire-scattering hand,
Wasted the Russian monarch's land,--
With arrow-shower, and storm of war,
Wasted the land of Valdemar.
Aldeiga burns, and Eirik's might
Scours through all Russia by its light."
Earl Eirik was five years in all on this foray; and when he returned
from Gardarike he ravaged all Adalsysla and Eysysla, and took there four
viking ships from the Danes and killed every man on board. So it is told
in the "Banda-drapa":--
"Among the isles flies round the word,
That Eirik's blood-devouring sword
Has flashed like fire in the sound,
And wasted all the land around.
And Eirik too, the bold in fight,
Has broken down the robber-might
Of four great vikings, and has slain
All of the crew--nor spared one Dane.
In Gautland he has seized the town,
In Syssels harried up and down;
And all the people in dismay
Fled to the forests far away.
By land or sea, in field or wave,
What can withstand this earl brave?
All fly before his fiery hand--
God save the earl, and keep the land."
When Eirik had been a year in Sweden he went over to Denmark (A.D. 996)
to King Svein Tjuguskeg, the Danish king, and courted his daughter Gyda.
The proposal was accepted, and Earl Eirik married Gyda; and a year after
(A.D. 997) they had a son, who was called Hakon. Earl Eirik was in
the winter in Denmark, or sometimes in Sweden; but in summer he went
a-cruising.
98. KING SVEIN'S MARRIAGE.
The Danish king, Svein Tjuguskeg, was married to Gunhild, a daughter
of Burizleif, king of the Vinds. But in the times we have just been
speaking of it happened that Queen Gunhild fell sick and died. Soon
after King Svein married Sigrid the Haughty, a daughter of Skoglartoste,
and mother of the Swedish king Olaf; and by means of this relationship
there was great friendship between the kings and Earl Eirik, Hakon's
son.
99. KING BURIZLEIF'S MARRIAGE.
Burizleif, the king of the Vinds, complained to his relation Earl
Sigvalde, that the agreement was broken which Sigvalde had made between
King Svein and King Burizleif, by which Burizleif was to get in marriage
Thyre, Harald's daughter, a sister of King Svein: but that marriage had
not proceeded, for Thyre had given positive no to the proposal to marry
her to an old and heathen king. "Now," said King Burizleif to Earl
Sigvalde, "I must have the promise fulfilled." And he told Earl Sigvalde
to go to Denmark, and bring him Thyre as his queen. Earl Sigvalde loses
no time, but goes to King Svein of Denmark, explains to him the case;
and brings it so far by his persuasion, that the king delivered his
sister Thyre into his hands. With her went some female attendants, and
her foster-father, by name Ozur Agason, a man of great power, and some
other people. In the agreement between the king and the earl, it was
settled that Thyre should have in property the possessions which Queen
Gunhild had enjoyed in Vindland, besides other great properties as
bride-gifts. Thyre wept sorely, and went very unwillingly. When the
earl came to Vindland, Burizleif held his wedding with Queen Thyre,
and received her in marriage; bus as long as she was among heathens she
would neither eat nor drink with them, and this lasted for seven days.
100. OLAF GETS THYRE IN MARRIAGE.
It happened one night that Queen Thyre and Ozur ran away in the dark,
and into the woods, and, to be short in our story, came at last to
Denmark. But here Thyre did not dare to remain, knowing that if her
brother King Svein heard of her, he would send her back directly to
Vindland. She went on, therefore, secretly to Norway, and never stayed
her journey until she fell in with King Olaf, by whom she was kindly
received. Thyre related to the king her sorrows, and entreated
his advice in her need, and protection in his kingdom. Thyre was a
well-spoken woman, and the king had pleasure in her conversation. He saw
she was a handsome woman, and it came into his mind that she would be a
good match; so he turns the conversation that way, and asks if she will
marry him. Now, as she saw that her situation was such that she could