Heimskringla; Or, The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway
the feet; on the top lay the slab, and below on both sides were laid
small stones. The grave, mound, and stone, are there to the present day.
Harald Harfager was, according to the report of men of knowledge, or
remarkably handsome appearance, great and strong, and very generous
and affable to his men. He was a great warrior in his youth; and people
think that this was foretold by his mother's dream before his birth,
as the lowest part of the tree she dreamt of was red as blood. The stem
again was green and beautiful, which betokened his flourishing kingdom;
and that the tree was white at the top showed that he should reach a
grey-haired old age. The branches and twigs showed forth his posterity,
spread over the whole land; for of his race, ever since. Norway has
always had kings.
46. THE DEATH OF OLAF AND OF SIGROD.
King Eirik took all the revenues (A.D. 934), which the king had in the
middle of the country, the next winter after King Harald's decease. But
Olaf took all the revenues eastward in Viken, and their brother Sigrod
all that of the Throndhjem country. Eirik was very ill pleased with
this; and the report went that he would attempt with force to get the
sole sovereignty over the country, in the same way as his father had
given it to him. Now when Olaf and Sigrod heard this, messengers passed
between them; and after appointing a meeting place, Sigrod went eastward
in spring to Viken, and he and his brother Olaf met at Tunsberg, and
remained there a while. The same spring (A.D. 934), King Eirik levied a
great force, and ships and steered towards Viken. He got such a strong
steady gale that he sailed night and day, and came faster than the news
of him. When he came to Tunsberg, Olaf and Sigrod, with their forces,
went out of the town a little eastward to a ridge, where they drew up
their men in battle order; but as Eirik had many more men he won the
battle. Both brothers, Olaf and Sigrod, fell there; and both their
grave-mounds are upon the ridge where they fell. Then King Eirik went
through Viken, and subdued it, and remained far into summer. Gudrod and
Trygve fled to the Uplands. Eirik was a stout handsome man, strong, and
very manly,--a great and fortunate man of war; but bad-minded, gruff,
unfriendly, and silent. Gunhild, his wife, was the most beautiful
of women,--clever, with much knowledge, and lively; but a very false
person, and very cruel in disposition. The children of King Eirik
and Gunhild were, Gamle, the oldest; then Guthorm, Harald, Ragnfrod,
Ragnhild, Erling, Gudrod, and Sigurd Sleva. All were handsome, and of
manly appearance (1).
ENDNOTES: (1) Of Eirik, his wife, and children, see the following sagas.
HAKON THE GOOD'S SAGA.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS.
Of Eirik Blood-axe's five years' reign Snorre has no separate saga. He
appears not to have been beloved by the people and his queen Gunhild
seems to have had a bad influence on him.
Other accounts of Hakon may be found in "Fagrskinna" (chaps. 25-34),
"Agrip", "Historia", "Norvegiae", and in "Thjodrek" (chap. 4).
The reader is also referred to "Saxo", "Egla", "Laxdaela", "Kormaks
Saga", "Gisle Surssons Saga", "Halfred's Saga", "Floamanna Saga", "Viga
Glum's Saga", and to "Landnamabok".
Skald mentioned in this Saga are:--Glum Geirason, Thord Sjarekson,
Guthorm Sindre, Kormak Ogmundson, and Eyvind Skaldaspiller. In
the "Egla" are found many poems belonging to this epoch by Egil
Skallagrimson.
In "Fagrskinna" is found a poem (not given by Snorre) which Gunhild (his
wife) had made on King Eirik after his death, telling how Odin welcomed
him to Valhal. The author or skald who composed it is not known, but
it is considered to be one of the gems of old Norse poetry, and we here
quote it in Vigfusson's translation in his "Corpus Poeticum", vol.
i. pp. 260, 261. Gudbrand Vigfusson has filled up a few gaps from
"Hakonarmat", the poem at the end of this Saga. We have changed
Vigfusson's orthography of names, and brought them into harmony with the
spelling used in this work:--Ed.
"Odin wakes in the morning and cries, as he opens his eyes, with his
dream still fresh in his mind:--'What dreams are these? I thought I
arose before daybreak to make Valhal ready for a host of slain. I woke
up the host of the chosen. I bade them ride up to strew the benches, and
to till up the beer-vats, and I bade valkyries to bear the wine, as if
a king were coming. I look for the coming of some noble chiefs from the
earth, wherefore my heart is glad.'
"Brage, Odin's counsellor, now wakes, as a great din is heard without,
and calls out:--'What is that thundering? as if a thousand men or some
great host were tramping on--the walls and the benches are creaking
withal--as if Balder was coming back to the ball of Odin?'
"Odin answers:--'Surely thou speakest foolishly, good Brage, although
thou art very wise. It thunders for Eirik the king, that is coming to
the hall of Odin.'
"Then turning to his heroes, he cries:--'Sigmund and Sinfjotle, rise in
haste and go forth to meet the prince! Bid him in if it be Eirik, for it
is he whom I look for.'
"Sigmund answers:--'Why lookest thou more for Eirik, the king, to Odin's
hall, than for other kings?'
"Odin answers:--'Because he has reddened his brand, and borne his bloody
sword in many a land.'
"Quoth Sigmund:--'Why didst thou rob him, the chosen king of victory
then, seeing thou thoughtest him so brave?'
"Odin answered:--'Because it is not surely to be known, when the grey
wolf shall come upon the seat of the god.'
SECOND SCENE.--Without Valhal. Sigmund and Sinfjotle go outside the hall
and meet Eirik.
"Quoth Sigmund:--'Hail to thee, Eirik, be welcome here, and come into
the hall, thou gallant king! Now I will ask thee, what kings are these
that follow thee from the clash of the sword edges?'
"Eirik answers:--'They are five kings; I will tell thee all their names;
I myself am the sixth (the names followed in the song, whereof the rest
is lost.)
"Fagrskinna" says "Hakonarmal" was the model of this poem.
1. HAKON CHOSEN KING.
Hakon, Athelstan's foster-son, was in England at the time (A.D. 934) he
heard of his father King Harald's death, and he immediately made himself
ready to depart. King Athelstan gave him men, and a choice of good
ships, and fitted him out for his journey most excellently. In harvest
time he came to Norway, where he heard of the death of his brothers,
and that King Eirik was then in Viken. Then Hakon sailed northwards to
Throndhjem, where he went to Sigurd earl of Hlader who was the ablest
man in Norway. He gave Hakon a good reception; and they made a league
with each other, by which Hakon promised great power to Sigurd if he
was made king. They assembled then a numerous Thing, and Sigurd the earl
recommended Hakon's cause to the Thing, and proposed him to the bondes
as king. Then Hakon himself stood up and spoke; and the people said to
each other, two and two, as they heard him, "Herald Harfager is come
again, grown and young." The beginning of Hakon's speech was, that he
offered himself to the bondes as king, and desired from them the title
of king, and aid and forces to defend the kingdom. He promised, on the
other hand, to make all the bondes udal-holders, and give every man udal
rights to the land he lived on. This speech met such joyful applause,
that the whole public cried and shouted that they would take him to be
king. And so it was that the Throndhjem people took Hakon, who was
then fifteen years old, for king; and he took a court or bodyguard,
and servants, and proceeded through the country. The news reached the
Uplands that the people in Throndhjem had taken to themselves a
king, who in every respect was like King Harald Harfager,--with the
difference, that Harald had made all the people of the land vassals, and
unfree; but this Hakon wished well to every man, and offered the bondes
to give them their udal rights again, which Harald had taken from them.
All were rejoiced at this news, and it passed from mouth to mouth,--it
flew, like fire in dry grass, through the whole land, and eastward to
the land's end. Many bondes came from the Uplands to meet King Hakon.
Some sent messengers, some tokens; and all to the same effect--that his
men they would be: and the king received all thankfully.
2. KING HAKON'S PROGRESS THROUGH THE COUNTRY.
Early in winter (935), the king went to the Uplands, and summoned the
people to a Thing; and there streamed all to him who could come. He was
proclaimed king at every Thing; and then he proceeded eastward to Viken,
where his brother's sons, Trygve and Gudrod, and many others, came
unto him, and complained of the sorrow and evil his brother Eirik had
wrought. The hatred to King Eirik grew more and more, the more liking
all men took to King Hakon; and they got more boldness to say what they
thought. King Hakon gave Trygve and Gudrod the title of kings, and the
dominions which King Harald had bestowed on their fathers. Trygve got
Ranrike and Vingulmark, and Gudrod, Vestfold; but as they were young,
and in the years of childhood, he appointed able men to rule the land
for them. He gave them the country on the same conditions as it had been
given before,--that they should have half of the scat and revenues with
him. Towards spring King Hakon returned north, over the Uplands, to
Throndhjem.
3. EIRIK'S DEPARTURE FROM THE COUNTRY.
King Hakon, early in spring, collected a great army at Throndhjem, and
fitted out ships. The people of Viken also had a great force on foot,
and intended to join Hakon. King Eirik also levied people in the middle
of the country; but it went badly with him to gather people, for the
leading men left him, and went over to Hakon. As he saw himself not
nearly strong enough to oppose Hakon, he sailed (A.D. 935) out to the
West sea with such men as would follow him. He first sailed to Orkney,
and took many people with him from that country; and then went south
towards England, plundering in Scotland, and in the north parts of
England, wherever he could land. Athelstan, the king of England, sent
a message to Eirik, offering him dominions under him in England; saying
that King Harald his father was a good friend of King Athelstan, and
therefore he would do kindly towards his sons. Messengers passed between
the two kings; and it came to an agreement that King Eirik should take
Northumberland as a fief from King Athelstan, and which land he should
defend against the Danes or other vikings. Eirik should let himself be
baptized, together with his wife and children, and all the people who
had followed him. Eirik accepted this offer, and was baptized, and
adopted the right faith. Northumberland is called a fifth part of
England. Eirik had his residence at York, where Lodbrok's sons, it was
said, had formerly been, and Northumberland was principally inhabited by
Northmen. Since Lodbrok's sons had taken the country, Danes and Northmen
often plundered there, when the power of the land was out of their
hands. Many names of places in the country are Norwegian; as Grimsby,
Haukfliot, and many others.
4. EIRIK'S DEATH.
King Eirik had many people about him, for he kept many Northmen who had
come with him from the East; and also many of his friends had joined
him from Norway. But as he had little land, he went on a cruise every
summer, and plundered in Scotland, the Hebrides, Ireland, and Bretland,
by which he gathered property. King Athelstan died on a sick bed, after
a reign of fourteen years, eight weeds, and three days. After him
his brother Jatmund was king of England, and he was no friend to the
Northmen. King Eirik, also, was in no great favour with him; and
the word went about that King Jatmund would set another chief over