Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
under oath never to return. Of the lendermen and bondes who had actually
taken part in the traitorous design, some he drove out of the country,
some he mutilated, and with others he made peace. Ottar Black tells of
this:--
"The giver of rings of gold,
The army leader bold,
In vengeance springs
On the Hedemark kings.
Olaf the bold and great,
Repays their foul deceit--
In full repays
Their treacherous ways.
He drives with steel-clad hand
The small kings from the land,--
Greater by far
In deed of war.
The king who dwelt most north
Tongueless must wander forth:
All fly away
In great dismay.
King Olaf now rules o'er
What five kings ruled before.
To Eid's old bound
Extends his ground.
No kings in days of yore
E'er won so much before:
That this is so
All Norsemen know."
King Olaf took possession of the land these five kings had possessed,
and took hostages from the lendermen and bondes in it. He took money
instead of guest-quarters from the country north of the valley district,
and from Hedemark; and then returned to Raumarike, and so west to
Hadaland. This winter (A.D. 1018) his stepfather Sigurd Syr died; and
King Olaf went to Ringerike, where his mother Asta made a great feast
for him. Olaf alone bore the title of king now in Norway.
75. KING OLAF'S HALF-BROTHERS.
It is told that when King Olaf was on his visit to his mother Asta,
she brought out her children, and showed them to him. The king took his
brother Guthorm on the one knee, and his brother Halfdan on the other.
The king looked at Guthorm, made a wry face, and pretended to be angry
at them: at which the boys were afraid. Then Asta brought her youngest
son, called Harald, who was three years old, to him. The king made a wry
face at him also; but he looked the king in the face without regarding
it. The king took the boy by the hair, and plucked it; but the boy
seized the king's whiskers, and gave them a tug. "Then," said the king,
"thou wilt be revengeful, my friend, some day." The following day the
king was walking with his mother about the farm, and they came to
a playground, where Asta's sons, Guthorm and Halfdan, were amusing
themselves. They were building great houses and barns in their play, and
were supposing them full of cattle and sheep; and close beside them, in
a clay pool, Harald was busy with chips of wood, sailing them, in
his sport along the edge. The king asked him what these were; and he
answered, these were his ships of war. The king laughed, and said, "The
time may come, friend, when thou wilt command ships."
Then the king called to him Halfdan and Guthorm; and first he asked
Guthorm, "What wouldst thou like best to have?"
"Corn land," replied he.
"And how great wouldst thou like thy corn land to be?"
"I would have the whole ness that goes out into the lake sown with corn
every summer." On that ness there are ten farms.
The king replies, "There would be a great deal of corn there." And,
turning to Halfdan, he asked, "And what wouldst thou like best to have?"
"Cows," he replied.
"How many wouldst thou like to have?"
"When they went to the lake to be watered I would have so many, that
they stood as tight round the lake as they could stand."
"That would be a great housekeeping," said the king; "and therein ye
take after your father."
Then the king says to Harald, "And what wouldst thou like best to have?"
"House-servants."
"And how many wouldst thou have?"
"Oh! so many I would like to have as would eat up my brother Halfdan's
cows at a single meal."
The king laughed, and said to Asta, "Here, mother, thou art bringing up
a king." And more is not related of them on this occasion.
76. THE DIVISION OF THE COUNTRY.
In Svithjod it was the old custom, as long as heathenism prevailed, that
the chief sacrifice took place in Goe month at Upsala. Then sacrifice
was offered for peace, and victory to the king; and thither came people
from all parts of Svithjod. All the Things of the Swedes, also, were
held there, and markets, and meetings for buying, which continued for
a week: and after Christianity was introduced into Svithjod, the Things
and fairs were held there as before. After Christianity had taken
root in Svithjod, and the kings would no longer dwell in Upsala, the
market-time was moved to Candlemas, and it has since continued so, and
it lasts only three days. There is then the Swedish Thing also, and
people from all quarters come there. Svithjod is divided into many
parts. One part is West Gautland, Vermaland, and the Marks, with what
belongs to them; and this part of the kingdom is so large, that the
bishop who is set over it has 1100 churches under him. The other part is
East Gautland, where there is also a bishop's seat, to which the islands
of Gotland and Eyland belong; and forming all together a still greater
bishopric. In Svithjod itself there is a part of the country called
Sudermanland, where there is also a bishopric. Then comes Westmanland,
or Fiathrundaland, which is also a bishopric. The third portion of
Svithjod proper is called Tiundaland; the fourth Attandaland; the
fifth Sialand, and what belongs to it lies eastward along the coast.
Tiundaland is the best and most inhabited part of Svithjod, under which
the other kingdoms stand. There Upsala is situated, the seat of the king
and archbishop; and from it Upsala-audr, or the domain of the Swedish
kings, takes its name. Each of these divisions of the country has its
Lag-thing, and its own laws in many parts. Over each is a lagman, who
rules principally in affairs of the bondes: for that becomes law which
he, by his speech, determines them to make law: and if king, earl, or
bishop goes through the country, and holds a Thing with the bondes, the
lagmen reply on account of the bondes, and they all follow their lagmen;
so that even the most powerful men scarcely dare to come to their
Al-thing without regarding the bondes' and lagmen's law. And in all
matters in which the laws differ from each other, Upsala-law is the
directing law; and the other lagmen are under the lagman who dwells in
Tiundaland.
77. OF THE LAGMAN THORGNY.
In Tiundaland there was a lagman who was called Thorgny, whose father
was called Thorgny Thorgnyson. His forefathers had for a long course of
years, and during many kings' times, been lagmen of Tiundaland. At this
time Thorgny was old, and had a great court about him. He was considered
one of the wisest men in Sweden, and was Earl Ragnvald's relation and
foster-father.
78. MEETING OF RAGNVALD AND INGEGERD.
Now we must go back in our story to the time when the men whom the
king's daughter Ingegerd and Hjalte had sent from the east came to Earl
Ragnvald. They relate their errand to the earl and his wife Ingebjorg,
and tell how the king's daughter had oft spoken to the Swedish king
about a peace between him and King Olaf the Thick, and that she was a
great friend of King Olaf; but that the Swedish king flew into a passion
every time she named Olaf, so that she had no hopes of any peace. The
Earl told Bjorn the news he had received from the east; but Bjorn gave
the same reply, that he would not turn back until he had met the Swedish
king, and said the earl had promised to go with him. Now the winter was
passing fast, and immediately after Yule the earl made himself ready
to travel with sixty men, among whom where the marshal Bjorn and his
companions. The earl proceeded eastward all the way to Svithjod; but
when he came a little way into the country he sent his men before him
to Upsala with a message to Ingegerd the king's daughter to come out
to meet him at Ullaraker, where she had a large farm. When the king's
daughter got the earl's message she made herself ready immediately to
travel with a large attendance, and Hjalte accompanied her. But before
he took his departure he went to King Olaf, and said, "Continue always
to be the most fortunate of monarchs! Such splendour as I have seen
about thee I have in truth never witnessed elsewhere, and wheresoever I
come it shall not be concealed. Now, king, may I entreat thy favour and
friendship in time to come?"
The king replies, "Why art thou in so great a haste, and where art thou
going?"
Hjalte replies, "I am to ride out to Ullaraker with Ingegerd thy
daughter."
The king says, "Farewell, then: a man thou art of understanding and
politeness, and well suited to live with people of rank."
Thereupon Hjalte withdrew.
The king's daughter Ingegerd rode to her farm in Ullaraker, and ordered
a great feast to be prepared for the earl. When the earl arrived he was
welcomed with gladness, and he remained there several days. The earl and
the king's daughter talked much, and of many things, but most about the
Swedish and Norwegian kings; and she told the earl that in her opinion
there was no hope of peace between them.
Then said the earl, "How wouldst thou like it, my cousin, if Olaf king
of Norway were to pay his addresses to thee? It appears to us that it
would contribute most towards a settled peace if there was relationship
established between the kings; but I would not support such a matter if
it were against thy inclination."
She replies, "My father disposes of my hand; but among all my other
relations thou art he whose advice I would rather follow in weighty
affairs. Dost thou think it would be advisable?" The earl recommended
it to her strongly, and reckoned up many excellent achievements of King
Olaf's. He told her, in particular, about what had lately been done;
that King Olaf in an hours time one morning had taken five kings
prisoners, deprived them all of their governments, and laid their
kingdoms and properties under his own power. Much they talked about the
business, and in all their conversations they perfectly agreed with each
other. When the earl was ready he took leave, and proceeded on his way,
taking Hjalte with him.
79. RAGNVALD AND THORGNY.
Earl Ragnvald came towards evening one day to the house of Lagman
Thorgny. It was a great and stately mansion, and many people stood
outside, who received the earl kindly, and took care of the horses
and baggage. The earl went into the room, where there was a number of
people. In the high-seat sat an old man; and never had Bjorn or his
companions seen a man so stout. His beard was so long that it lay upon
his knee, and was spread over his whole breast; and the man, moreover,
was handsome and stately in appearance. The earl went forward and
saluted him. Thorgny received him joyfully and kindly, and bade him go
to the seat he was accustomed to take. The earl seated himself on the
other side, opposite Thorgny. They remained there some days before the
earl disclosed his errand, and then he asked Thorgny to go with him into
the conversing room. Bjorn and his followers went there with the earl.
Then the earl began, and told how Olaf king of Norway had sent these men
hither to conclude a peaceful agreement. He showed at great length what
injury it was of to the West Gautland people, that there was hostility
between their country and Norway. He further related that Olaf the king
of Norway had sent ambassadors, who were here present, and to whom he
had promised he would attend them to the Swedish king; but he added,
"The Swedish king takes the matter so grievously, that he has uttered
menaces against those who entertain it. Now so it is, my foster-father,
that I do not trust to myself in this matter; but am come on a visit to
thee to get good counsel and help from thee in the matter."
Now when the earl had done speaking Thorgny sat silent for a while,