Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
ye agree thereto, within my own jurisdiction." The earls agreed to this,
as to everything else that the king proposed. Thorkel came forward, and
surrendered to the king's judgment of the case, and the Thing concluded.
King Olaf awarded as great a penalty for Earl Einar's murder as for
three lendermen; but as Einar himself was the cause of the act, one
third of the mulct fell to the ground. Thereafter Earl Thorfin asked the
king's leave to depart, and as soon as he obtained it made ready for sea
with all speed. It happened one day, when all was ready for the
voyage, the earl sat in his ship drinking; and Thorkel Amundason came
unexpectedly to him, laid his head upon the earl's knee, and bade him
do with him what he pleased. The earl asked why he did so. "We are, you
know, reconciled men, according to the king's decision; so stand up,
Thorkel."
Thorkel replied, "The agreement which the king made as between me and
Bruse stands good; but what regards the agreement with thee thou alone
must determine. Although the king made conditions for my property and
safe residence in Orkney, yet I know so well thy disposition that there
is no going to the islands for me, unless I go there in peace with thee,
Earl Thorfin; and therefore I am willing to promise never to return to
Orkney, whatever the king may desire."
The earl remained silent; and first, after a long pause, he said, "If
thou wilt rather, Thorkel, that I shall judge between us than trust to
the king's judgment, then let the beginning of our reconciliation be,
that you go with me to the Orkney Islands, live with me, and never leave
me but with my will, and be bound to defend my land, and execute all
that I want done, as long as we both are in life."
Thorkel replies, "This shall be entirely at thy pleasure, earl, as well
as everything else in my power." Then Thorkel went on, and solemnly
ratified this agreement. The earl said he would talk afterwards about
the mulct of money, but took Thorkel's oath upon the conditions. Thorkel
immediately made ready to accompany the earl on his voyage. The earl set
off as soon as all was ready, and never again were King Olaf and Thorfin
together.
108. EARL BRUSE'S DEPARTURE.
Earl Bruse remained behind, and took his time to get ready. Before his
departure the king sent for him, and said, "It appears to me, earl, that
in thee I have a man on the west side of the sea on whose fidelity I
can depend; therefore I intend to give thee the two parts of the
country which thou formerly hadst to rule over; for I will not that
thou shouldst be a less powerful man after entering into my service than
before: but I will secure thy fidelity by keeping thy son Ragnvald with
me. I see well enough that with two parts of the country and my
help, thou wilt be able to defend what is thy own against thy brother
Thorfin." Bruse was thankful for getting two thirds instead of one third
of the country, and soon after he set out, and came about autumn to
Orkney; but Ragnvald, Bruse's son, remained behind in the East with King
Olaf. Ragnvald was one of the handsomest men that could be seen,--his
hair long, and yellow as silk; and he soon grew up, stout and tall,
and he was a very able and superb man, both of great understanding and
polite manners. He was long with King Olaf. Otter Svarte speaks of these
affairs in the poem he composed about King Olaf:--
"From Shetland, far off in the cold North Sea,
Come chiefs who desire to be subject to thee:
No king so well known for his will, and his might,
To defend his own people from scaith or unright.
These isles of the West midst the ocean's wild roar,
Scarcely heard the voice of their sovereign before;
Our bravest of sovereigns before could scarce bring
These islesmen so proud to acknowledge their king."
109. OF THE EARLS THORFIN AND BRUSE.
The brothers Thorfin and Bruse came west to Orkney; and Bruse took the
two parts of the country under his rule, and Thorfin the third part.
Thorfin was usually in Caithness and elsewhere in Scotland; but placed
men of his own over the islands. It was left to Bruse alone to defend
the islands, which at that time were severely scourged by vikings; for
the Northmen and Danes went much on viking cruises in the west sea,
and frequently touched at Orkney on the way to or from the west, and
plundered, and took provisions and cattle from the coast. Bruse often
complained of his brother Thorfin, that he made no equipment of war for
the defence of Orkney and Shetland, yet levied his share of the scat and
duties. Then Thorfin offered to him to exchange, and that Bruse should
have one third and Thorfin two thirds of the land, but should undertake
the defence of the land, for the whole. Although this exchange did not
take place immediately, it is related in the saga of the earls that it
was agreed upon at last; and that Thorfin had two parts and Bruse
only one, when Canute the Great subdued Norway and King Olaf fled
the country. Earl Thorfin Sigurdson has been the ablest earl of these
islands, and has had the greatest dominion of all the Orkney earls; for
he had under him Orkney, Shetland, and the Hebudes, besides very great
possessions in Scotland and Ireland. Arnor, the earls' skald, tells of
his possessions:--
"From Thurso-skerry to Dublin,
All people hold with good Thorfin--
All people love his sway,
And the generous chief obey."
Thorfin was a very great warrior. He came to the earldom at five years
of age, ruled more than sixty years, and died in his bed about the
last days of Harald Sigurdson. But Bruse died in the days of Canute the
Great, a short time after the fall of Saint Olaf.
110. OF HAREK OF THJOTTA.
Having now gone through this second story, we shall return to that which
we left,--at King Olaf Haraldson having concluded peace with King Olaf
the Swedish king, and having the same summer gone north to Throndhjem
(1019). He had then been king in Norway five years (A.D. 1015-1019). In
harvest time he prepared to take his winter residence at Nidaros, and
he remained all winter there (A.D. 1020). Thorkel the Fosterer, Amunde's
son, as before related, was all that winter with him. King Olaf inquired
very carefully how it stood with Christianity throughout the land, and
learnt that it was not observed at all to the north of Halogaland,
and was far from being observed as it should be in Naumudal, and the
interior of Throndhjem. There was a man by name Harek, a son of Eyvind
Skaldaspiller, who dwelt in an island called Thjotta in Halogaland.
Eyvind had not been a rich man, but was of high family and high mind. In
Thjotta, at first, there dwelt many small bondes; but Harek began with
buying a farm not very large and lived on it, and in a few years he had
got all the bondes that were there before out of the way; so that he had
the whole island, and built a large head-mansion. He soon became very
rich; for he was a very prudent man, and very successful. He had long
been greatly respected by the chiefs; and being related to the kings
of Norway, had been raised by them to high dignities. Harek's father's
mother Gunhild was a daughter of Earl Halfdan, and Ingebjorg, Harald
Harfager's daughter. At the time the circumstance happened which we are
going to relate he was somewhat advanced in years. Harek was the most
respected man in Halogaland, and for a long time had the Lapland trade,
and did the king's business in Lapland; sometimes alone, sometimes with
others joined to him. He had not himself been to wait on King Olaf,
but messages had passed between them, and all was on the most friendly
footing. This winter (A.D. 1020) that Olaf was in Nidaros, messengers
passed between the king and Harek of Thjotta. Then the king made it
known that he intended going north to Halogaland, and as far north as
the land's end; but the people of Halogaland expected no good from this
expedition.
111. OF THE PEOPLE OF HALOGALAND.
Olaf rigged out five ships in spring (A.D. 1020), and had with him about
300 men. When he was ready for sea he set northwards along the land; and
when he came to Naumudal district he summoned the bondes to a Thing, and
at every Thing was accepted as king. He also made the laws to be
read there as elsewhere, by which the people are commanded to observe
Christianity; and he threatened every man with loss of life, and
limbs, and property who would not subject himself to Christian law. He
inflicted severe punishments on many men, great as well as small, and
left no district until the people had consented to adopt the holy faith.
The most of the men of power and of the great bondes made feasts for
the king, and so he proceeded all the way north to Halogaland. Harek
of Thjotta also made a feast for the king, at which there was a great
multitude of guests, and the feast was very splendid. Harek was made
lenderman, and got the same privileges he had enjoyed under the former
chiefs of the country.
112. OF ASMUND GRANKELSON.
There was a man called Grankel, or Granketil, who was a rich bonde, and
at this time rather advanced in age. In his youth he had been on
viking cruises, and had been a powerful fighter; for he possessed great
readiness in all sorts of bodily exercises. His son Asmund was equal
to his father in all these, and in some, indeed, he excelled him. There
were many who said that with respect to comeliness, strength, and bodily
expertness, he might be considered the third remarkably distinguished
for these that Norway had ever produced. The first was Hakon Athelstan's
foster-son; the second, Olaf Trygvason. Grankel invited King Olaf to a
feast, which was very magnificent; and at parting Grankel presented
the king with many honourable gifts and tokens of friendship. The king
invited Asmund, with many persuasions, to follow him; and as Asmund
could not decline the honours offered him, he got ready to travel with
the king, became his man, and stood in high favour with him. The king
remained in Halogaland the greater part of the summer, went to all the
Things, and baptized all the people. Thorer Hund dwelt at that time in
the island Bjarkey. He was the most powerful man in the North, and also
became one of Olaf's lendermen. Many sons of great bondes resolved also
to follow King Olaf from Halogaland. Towards the end of summer King Olaf
left the North, and sailed back to Throndhjem, and landed at Nidaros,
where he passed the winter (A.D. 1021). It was then that Thorkel the
Fosterer came from the West from Orkney, after killing Einar Rangmumd,
as before related. This autumn corn was dear in Throndhjem, after a long
course of good seasons, and the farther north the dearer was the corn;
but there was corn enough in the East country, and in the Uplands, and
it was of great help to the people of Throndhjem that many had old corn
remaining beside them.
113. OF THE SACRIFICES OF THE THRONDHJEM PEOPLE.
In autumn the news was brought to King Olaf that the bondes had had a
great feast on the first winter-day's eve, at which there was a numerous
attendance and much drinking; and it was told the king that all the
remembrance-cups to the Asas, or old gods, were blessed according to
the old heathen forms; and it was added, that cattle and horses had been
slain, and the altars sprinkled with their blood, and the sacrifices
accompanied with the prayer that was made to obtain good seasons. It was
also reported that all men saw clearly that the gods were offended at
the Halogaland people turning Christian. Now when the king heard this
news he sent men into the Throndhjem country, and ordered several
bondes, whose names he gave, to appear before him. There was a man
called Olver of Eggja, so called after his farm on which he lived. He