Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
from me any treasonable design that may come to your knowledge against
me, then will I agree to a peace with you brothers."
Then Fin returned to his forces, and told the conditions which the king
had proposed to them. Now they held a council upon it, and Thorberg, for
his part, said he would accept the terms offered. "I have no wish,"
says he, "to fly from my property, and seek foreign masters; but, on the
contrary, will always consider it an honour to follow King Olaf, and
be where he is." Then says Kalf, "I will make no oath to King Olaf, but
will be with him always, so long as I retain my fiefs and dignities, and
so long as the king will be my friend; and my opinion is that we should
all do the same." Fin says, "we will venture to let King Olaf himself
determine in this matter." Arne Arnason says, "I was resolved to follow
thee, brother Thorberg, even if thou hadst given battle to King Olaf,
and I shall certainly not leave thee for listening to better counsel;
so I intend to follow thee and Fin, and accept the conditions ye have
taken."
Thereupon the brothers Thorberg, Fin, and Arne, went on board a vessel,
rowed into the fjord, and waited upon the king. The agreement went
accordingly into fulfillment, so that the brothers gave their oaths
to the king. Then Thorberg endeavored to make peace for Stein with the
king; but the king replied that Stein might for him depart in safety,
and go where he pleased, but "in my house he can never be again." Then
Thorberg and his brothers went back to their men. Kalf went to Eggja,
and Fin to the king; and Thorberg, with the other men, went south to
their homes. Stein went with Erling's sons; but early in the spring
(A.D. 1027) he went west to England into the service of Canute the
Great, and was long with him, and was treated with great distinction.
149. FIN ARNASON'S EXPEDITION TO HALOGALAND.
Now when Fin Arnason had been a short time with King Olaf, the king
called him to a conference, along with some other persons he usually
held consultation with; and in this conference the king spoke to this
effect:--"The decision remains fixed in my mind that in spring I should
raise the whole country to a levy both of men and ships, and then
proceed, with all the force I can muster, against King Canute the Great:
for I know for certain that he does not intend to treat as a jest the
claim he has awakened upon my kingdom. Now I let thee know my will, Fin
Arnason, that thou proceed on my errand to Halogaland, and raise the
people there to an expedition, men and ships, and summon that force
to meet me at Agdanes." Then the king named other men whom he sent to
Throndhjem, and some southwards in the country, and he commanded that
this order should be circulated through the whole land. Of Fin's voyage
we have to relate that he had with him a ship with about thirty men,
and when he was ready for sea he prosecuted his journey until he came
to Halogaland. There he summoned the bondes to a Thing, laid before them
his errand, and craved a levy. The bondes in that district had large
vessels, suited to a levy expedition, and they obeyed the king's
message, and rigged their ships. Now when Fin came farther north in
Halogaland he held a Thing again, and sent some of his men from him to
crave a levy where he thought it necessary. He sent also men to Bjarkey
Island to Thorer Hund, and there, as elsewhere, craved the quota to the
levy. When the message came to Thorer he made himself ready, and manned
with his house-servants the same vessel he had sailed with on his cruise
to Bjarmaland, and which he equipped at his own expense. Fin summoned
all the people of Halogaland who were to the north to meet at Vagar.
There came a great fleet together in spring, and they waited there until
Fin returned from the North. Thorer Hund had also come there. When Fin
arrived he ordered the signal to sound for all the people of the levy to
attend a House-Thing; and at it all the men produced their weapons, and
also the fighting men from each ship-district were mustered. When that
was all finished Fin said, "I have also to bring thee a salutation,
Thorer Hund, from King Olaf, and to ask thee what thou wilt offer him
for the murder of his court-man Karle, or for the robbery in taking the
king's goods north in Lengjuvik. I have the king's orders to settle that
business, and I wait thy answer to it."
Thorer looked about him, and saw standing on both sides many fully armed
men, among whom were Gunstein and others of Karle's kindred. Then said
Thorer, "My proposal is soon made. I will refer altogether to the king's
pleasure the matter he thinks he has against me."
Fin replies, "Thou must put up with a less honour; for thou must refer
the matter altogether to my decision, if any agreement is to take
place."
Thorer replies, "And even then I think it will stand well with my case,
and therefore I will not decline referring it to thee."
Thereupon Thorer came forward, and confirmed what he said by giving his
hand upon it; and Fin repeated first all the words he should say.
Fin now pronounced his decision upon the agreement,--that Thorer should
pay to the king ten marks of gold, and to Gunstein and the other kindred
ten marks, and for the robbery and loss of goods ten marks more; and all
which should be paid immediately.
Thorer says, "This is a heavy money mulct."
"Without it," replies Fin, "there will be no agreement."
Thorer says, there must time be allowed to gather so much in loan from
his followers; but Fin told him to pay immediately on the spot; and
besides, Thorer should lay down the great ornament which he took
from Karle when he was dead. Thorer asserted that he had not got the
ornament. Then Gunstein pressed forward, and said that Karle had the
ornament around his neck when they parted, but it was gone when they
took up his corpse. Thorer said he had not observed any ornament; but if
there was any such thing, it must be lying at home in Bjarkey. Then Fin
put the point of his spear to Thorer's breast, and said that he must
instantly produce the ornament; on which Thorer took the ornament from
his neck and gave it to Fin. Thereafter Thorer turned away, and went on
board his ship. Fin, with many other men, followed him, went through
the whole vessel, and took up the hatches. At the mast they saw two very
large casks; and Fin asked, "What are these puncheons?"
Thorer replies, "It is my liquor."
Fin says, "Why don't you give us something to drink then, comrade, since
you have so much liquor?"
Thorer ordered his men to run off a bowlfull from the puncheons, from
which Fin and his people got liquor of the best quality. Now Fin ordered
Thorer to pay the mulcts. Thorer went backwards and forwards through the
ship, speaking now to the one, now to the other, and Fin calling out
to produce the pence. Thorer begged him to go to the shore, and said he
would bring the money there, and Fin with his men went on shore. Then
Thorer came and paid silver; of which, from one purse, there were
weighed ten marks. Thereafter Thorer brought many knotted nightcaps; and
in some was one mark, in others half a mark, and in others some small
money. "This is money my friends and other good people have lent me,"
said he; "for I think all my travelling money is gone." Then Thorer went
back again to his ship, and returned, and paid the silver by little
and little; and this lasted so long that the day was drawing towards
evening. When the Thing had closed the people had gone to their vessels,
and made ready to depart; and as fast as they were ready they hoisted
sail and set out, so that most of them were under sail. When Fin saw
that they were most of them under sail, he ordered his men to get ready
too; but as yet little more than a third part of the mulct had been
paid. Then Fin said, "This goes on very slowly, Thorer, with the
payment. I see it costs thee a great deal to pay money. I shall now let
it stand for the present, and what remains thou shalt pay to the king
himself." Fin then got up and went away.
Thorer replies, "I am well enough pleased, Fin, to part now; but the
good will is not wanting to pay this debt, so that both thou and the
king shall say it is not unpaid."
Then Fin went on board his ship, and followed the rest of his fleet.
Thorer was late before he was ready to come out of the harbour. When
the sails were hoisted he steered out over Westfjord, and went to sea,
keeping south along the land so far off that the hill-tops were half
sunk, and soon the land altogether was sunk from view by the sea.
Thorer held this course until he got into the English sea, and landed
in England. He betook himself to King Canute forthwith, and was well
received by him. It then came out that Thorer had with him a great deal
of property; and, with other things, all the money he and Karle had
taken in Bjarmaland. In the great liquor-casks there were sides within
the outer sides, and the liquor was between them. The rest of the casks
were filled with furs, and beaver and sable skins. Thorer was then with
King Canute. Fin came with his forces to King Olaf, and related to
him how all had gone upon his voyage, and told at the same time his
suspicion that Thorer had left the country, and gone west to England to
King Canute. "And there I fear he will cause as much trouble."
The king replies, "I believe that Thorer must be our enemy, and it
appears to me always better to have him at a distance than near."
150. DISPUTE BETWEEN HAREK AND ASMUND.
Asmund Grankelson had been this winter (A.D. 1027) in Halogaland in his
sheriffdom, and was at home with his father Grankel. There lies a rock
out in the sea, on which there is both seal and bird catching, and a
fishing ground, and egg-gathering; and from old times it had been an
appendage to the farm which Grankel owned, but now Harek of Thjotta laid
claim to it. It had gone so far, that some years he had taken by force
all the gain of this rock; but Asmund and his father thought that they
might expect the king's help in all cases in which the right was upon
their side. Both father and son went therefore in spring to Harek, and
brought him a message and tokens from King Olaf that he should drop his
claim. Harek answered Asmund crossly, because he had gone to the king
with such insinuations--"for the just right is upon my side. Thou
shouldst learn moderation, Asmund, although thou hast so much confidence
in the king's favour. It has succeeded with thee to kill some chiefs,
and leave their slaughter unpaid for by any mulct; and also to plunder
us, although we thought ourselves at least equal to all of equal birth,
and thou art far from being my equal in family."
Asmund replies, "Many have experienced from thee, Harek, that thou art
of great connections, and too great power; and many in consequence have
suffered loss in their property through thee. But it is likely that now
thou must turn thyself elsewhere, and not against us with thy violence,
and not go altogether against law, as thou art now doing." Then they
separated.
Harek sent ten or twelve of his house-servants with a large rowing boat,
with which they rowed to the rock, took all that was to be got upon it,
and loaded their boat. But when they were ready to return home, Asmund
Grankelson came with thirty men, and ordered them to give up all they
had taken. Harek's house-servants were not quick in complying, so that
Asmund attacked them. Some of Harek's men were cudgelled, some wounded,
some thrown into the sea, and all they had caught was taken from on
board of their boat, and Asmund and his people took it along with them.
Then Harek's servants came home, and told him the event. Harek replies,
"That is called news indeed that seldom happens; never before has it
happened that my people have been beaten."