Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
and then took up the word. "Ye have curious dispositions who are so
ambitious of honour and renown, and yet have no prudence or counsel in
you when you get into any mischief. Why did you not consider, before
you gave your promise to this adventure, that you had no power to stand
against King Olaf? In my opinion it is not a less honourable condition
to be in the number of bondes and have one's words free, and be able
to say what one will, even if the king be present. But I must go to the
Upsala Thing, and give thee such help that without fear thou canst speak
before the king what thou findest good."
The earl thanked him for the promise, remained with Thorgny, and rode
with him to the Upsala Thing. There was a great assemblage of people at
the Thing, and King Olaf was there with his court.
80. OF THE UPSALA THING.
The first day the Thing sat, King Olaf was seated on a stool, and his
court stood in a circle around him. Right opposite to him sat Earl
Ragnvald and Thorgny in the Thing upon one stool, and before them the
earl's court and Thorgny's house-people. Behind their stool stood the
bonde community, all in a circle around them. Some stood upon hillocks
and heights, in order to hear the better. Now when the king's messages,
which are usually handled in the Things, were produced and settled, the
marshal Bjorn rose beside the earl's stool, and said aloud, "King Olaf
sends me here with the message that he will offer to the Swedish king
peace, and the frontiers that in old times were fixed between Norway and
Svithjod." He spoke so loud that the Swedish king could distinctly hear
him; but at first, when he heard King Olaf's name spoken, he thought the
speaker had some message or business of his own to execute; but when he
heard of peace, and the frontiers between Norway and Svithjod, he saw
from what root it came, and sprang up, and called out that the man
should be silent, for that such speeches were useless. Thereupon Bjorn
sat down; and when the noise had ceased Earl Ragnvald stood up and made
a speech.
He spoke of Olaf the Thick's message, and proposal of peace to Olaf the
Swedish king; and that all the West Gautland people sent their entreaty
to Olaf that he would make peace with the king of Norway. He recounted
all the evils the West Gautlanders were suffering under; that they must
go without all the things from Norway which were necessary in their
households; and, on the other hand, were exposed to attack and hostility
whenever the king of Norway gathered an army and made an inroad on them.
The earl added, that Olaf the Norway king had sent men hither with the
intent to obtain Ingegerd the king's daughter in marriage.
When the earl had done speaking Olaf the Swedish king stood up and
replied, and was altogether against listening to any proposals of peace,
and made many and heavy reproaches against the earl for his impudence
in entering into a peaceful truce with the thick fellow, and making up
a peaceful friendship with him, and which in truth he considered treason
against himself. He added, that it would be well deserved if Earl
Ragnvald were driven out of the kingdom. The earl had, in his opinion,
the influence of his wife Ingebjorg to thank for what might happen; and
it was the most imprudent fancy he could have fallen upon to take up
with such a wife. The king spoke long and bitterly, turning his speech
always against Olaf the Thick. When he sat down not a sound was to be
heard at first.
81. THORGNY'S SPEECH.
Then Thorgny stood up; and when he arose all the bondes stood up who
had before been sitting, and rushed together from all parts to listen to
what Lagman Thorgny would say. At first there was a great din of people
and weapons; but when the noise was settled into silent listening,
Thorguy made his speech. "The disposition of Swedish kings is different
now from what it has been formerly. My grandfather Thorgny could well
remember the Upsala king Eirik Eymundson, and used to say of him that
when he was in his best years he went out every summer on expeditions
to different countries, and conquered for himself Finland, Kirjalaland,
Courland, Esthonia, and the eastern countries all around; and at the
present day the earth-bulwarks, ramparts, and other great works which he
made are to be seen. And, more over, he was not so proud that he would
not listen to people who had anything to say to him. My father, again,
was a long time with King Bjorn, and was well acquainted with his ways
and manners. In Bjorn's lifetime his kingdom stood in great power, and
no kind of want was felt, and he was gay and sociable with his friends.
I also remember King Eirik the Victorious, and was with him on many
a war-expedition. He enlarged the Swedish dominion, and defended it
manfully; and it was also easy and agreeable to communicate our opinions
to him. But the king we have now got allows no man to presume to talk
with him, unless it be what he desires to hear. On this alone he applies
all his power, while he allows his scat-lands in other countries to
go from him through laziness and weakness. He wants to have the Norway
kingdom laid under him, which no Swedish king before him ever desired,
and therewith brings war and distress on many a man. Now it is our will,
we bondes, that thou King Olaf make peace with the Norway king, Olaf
the Thick, and marry thy daughter Ingegerd to him. Wilt thou, however,
reconquer the kingdoms in the east countries which thy relations and
forefathers had there, we will all for that purpose follow thee to the
war. But if thou wilt not do as we desire, we will now attack thee,
and put thee to death; for we will no longer suffer law and peace to be
disturbed. So our forefathers went to work when they drowned five
kings in a morass at the Mula-thing, and they were filled with the same
insupportable pride thou hast shown towards us. Now tell us, in all
haste, what resolution thou wilt take." Then the whole public approved,
with clash of arms and shouts, the lagman's speech.
The king stands up and says he will let things go according to the
desire of the bondes. "All Swedish kings," he said, "have done so, and
have allowed the bondes to rule in all according to their will." The
murmur among the bondes then came to an end, and the chiefs, the
king, the earl, and Thorgny talked together, and concluded a truce and
reconciliation, on the part of the Swedish king, according to the terms
which the king of Norway had proposed by his ambassadors; and it was
resolved at the Thing that Ingegerd, the king's daughter, should be
married to Olaf Haraldson. The king left it to the earl to make the
contract feast, and gave him full powers to conclude this marriage
affair; and after this was settled at the Thing, they separated. When
the earl returned homewards, he and the king's daughter Ingegerd had a
meeting, at which they talked between themselves over this matter. She
sent Olaf a long cloak of fine linen richly embroidered with gold, and
with silk points. The earl returned to Gautland, and Bjorn with him; and
after staying with him a short time, Bjorn and his company returned to
Norway. When he came to King Olaf he told him the result of his errand,
and the king returned him many thanks for his conduct, and said
Bjorn had had great success in bringing his errand to so favourabie a
conclusion against such animosity.
82. OF KING HROREK'S TREACHERY.
On the approach of spring (A.D. 1018) King Olaf went down to the coast,
had his ships rigged out, summoned troops to him, and proceeded in
spring out from Viken to the Naze, and so north to Hordaland. He then
sent messages to all the lendermen, selected the most considerable men
in each district, and made the most splendid preparations to meet his
bride. The wedding-feast was to be in autumn, at the Gaut river, on the
frontiers of the two countries. King Olaf had with him the blind king
Hrorek. When his wound was healed, the king gave him two men to serve
him, let him sit in the high-seat by his side, and kept him in meat and
clothes in no respect Norse than he had kept himself before. Hrorek was
taciturn, and answered short and cross when any one spoke to him. It was
his custom to make his footboy, when he went out in the daytime, lead
him away from people, and then to beat the lad until he ran away. He
would then complain to King Olaf that the lad would not serve him. The
king changed his servants, but it was as before; no servant would hold
it out with King Hrorek. Then the king appointed a man called Svein
to wait upon and serve King Hrorek. He was Hrorek's relation, and
had formerly been in his service. Hrorek continued with his habits of
moroseness, and of solitary walks; but when he and Svein were alone
together, he was merry and talkative. He used to bring up many things
which had happened in former days when he was king. He alluded, too,
to the man who had, in his former days, torn him from his kingdom and
happiness, and made him live on alms. "It is hardest of all," says he,
"that thou and my other relations, who ought to be men of bravery, are
so degenerated that thou wilt not avenge the shame and disgrace brought
upon our race." Such discourse he often brought out. Svein said, they
had too great a power to deal with, while they themselves had but little
means. Hrorek said, "Why should we live longer as mutilated men with
disgrace? I, a blind man, may conquer them as well as they conquered
me when I was asleep. Come then, let us kill this thick Olaf. He is not
afraid for himself at present. I will lay the plan, and would not
spare my hands if I could use them, but that I cannot by reason of my
blindness; therefore thou must use the weapons against him, and as soon
as Olaf is killed I can see well enough that his power must come into
the hands of his enemies, and it may well be that I shall be king, and
thou shalt be my earl." So much persuasion he used that Svein at last
agreed to join in the deed. The plan was so laid that when the king was
ready to go to vespers, Svein stood on the threshold with a drawn dagger
under his cloak. Now when the king came out of the room, it so happened
that he walked quicker than Svein expected; and when he looked the king
in the face he grew pale, and then white as a corpse, and his hand sank
down. The king observed his terror and said, "What is this, Svein? Wilt
thou betray me?" Svein threw down his cloak and dagger, and fell at the
king's feet, saying, "All is in Gods hands and thine, king!" The king
ordered his men to seize Svein, and he was put in irons. The king
ordered Hrorek's seat to be moved to another bench. He gave Svein his
life, and he left the country. The king appointed a different lodging
for Hrorek to sleep in from that in which he slept himself, and in which
many of his court-people slept. He set two of his court-men, who had
been long with him, and whose fidelity he had proof of, to attend Hrorek
day and night; but it is not said whether they were people of high
birth or not. King Hrorek's mood was very different at different times.
Sometimes he would sit silent for days together, so that no man could
get a word out of him; and sometimes he was so merry and gay, that
people found a joke in every word he said. Sometimes his words were very
bitter. He was sometimes in a mood that he would drink them all under
the benches, and made all his neighbours drunk; but in general he drank
but little. King Olaf gave him plenty of pocket-money. When he went to
his lodgings he would often, before going to bed, have some stoups of
mead brought in, which he gave to all the men in the house to drink, so
that he was much liked.
83. OF LITTLE FIN.
There was a man from the Uplands called Fin the Little, and some said of