Olaf and his men in the temple of Thor
¶ Now when King Olaf had been two winters in Norway there came to dwell with him a Saxon priest whose name was Thangbrand; violent was he & murderous, but a goodly clerk withal and an active man. So headstrong was he, howsoever, that the King would not keep him with him, but sent him to Iceland to make that country Christian. ¤ Thangbrand was given a merchant ship, & of his voyage it may be related that he fared to Iceland, and reached the eastern fjords in southern Alptafjord, & the winter thereafter abode with Hall at Sida. Thangbrand preached Christianity in the islands and Halland his folk and many other chiefs let themselves be baptized according to his word; but there were many others who spake against the new faith. Thorvald and Vetrlidi the skald made lampoons about Thangbrand, but he slew them both. Thangbrand abode three winters in Iceland, and was the slayer of three men or ever he departed thence.
¶ A certain man was there named Sigurd & another who was called Hawk; they were Halogalanders, and oft-times made voyages for the conveyance of merchandise. ¤ One summer fared they to England. When they were returned to Norway sailed they northward along the coast, & in North More fell in with the fleet of King Olaf. ¤ Now when the King was told that some heathen men, skippers, from Halogaland were there, summoned he them to him & asked them if they would allow themselves to be baptized, and thereto answered they nay. Thereafter did the King talk to them after diverse fashions, but it availed nothing; then he vowed that death or maiming should be their lot, but they obeyed him none the more for that. Then did he cause them to be put in irons, and kept them in durance for a while, and in fetters were they, and the King talked often with them, but naught prevailed. ¤ Then one night made they off, and no one knew anything about them, or in what manner they had gotten away; but in the autumn were they arrived north, at Harek of Tiotta’s, and right welcome were they made. ¤ There dwelt they throughout the winter & were well entertained in all fairness & hospitality.
¶ One fair day in spring it befell that Harek was at home on his farm and with him were but few men. Now the time hung heavy on his hands, and Sigurd spake to him & asked if they should not row out a little way, and so pass the time, and this liked Harek well. So betook they themselves to the shore, and did hale down a six-oared boat, & Sigurd from the boat-house fetched him a sail and the gear appertaining to the boat, and moreover shipped he the rudder. Sigurd and his brother werefully armed, as was their wont to be when they were at home with the goodman, and the twain were strong men. ¤ Now or ever they gat them into the boat did they throw into it some boxes of butter and a basket of bread, and between them bare they a large cask of ale down to the craft. This done did they all row from land, & having come away from the island hoist the sail, & Harek did steer, & away bore they speedily from the island. ¤ Then did the brothers go astern to where Harek was sitting. Saith Sigurd to Harek the yeoman: ‘Choose thou now betwixt several things: one of them is to let us brothers have the upper hand on this cruise, & another is to let us bind thee, & the third is that we can slay thee.’ Then Harek seeing in what a plight he was, inasmuch as he could not measure strength with more than one of the brothers even were he and they matched as to arms, chose what seemed to him the best of a poor business which was to let them do as pleased the twain. ¤ So swore he to them an oath and on that gave them a promise, and after that Sigurd was possessed of the tiller and did steer south along the coast on a fair breeze, and withal of a mighty care were the brothers not to fall in with other craft. They paused not on their cruise ere they came to Throndhjem and to Nidaros, and at that last place found they King Olaf. Then did the King summon Harek to talk with him, and thereupon offered him that he should embrace the good faith of Christ, but Harek would have naught of it. On this matter spake for many days the King and Harek, sometimes in the presence of many men, sometimes alone; but never were they come of one mind. ¤ So at the last said the King to Harek: ‘Home shalt thou go, and on these counts no harm will I do thee at present: firstly seeing that there is kinship betwixt us, and again lest thou mightest say that I had gotten thee by guile, but know ye of a truth that I be minded to come north in the summertime, & visit distress on ye Halogalanders, and then shall ye wot if I can chastise those which accept not thefaith which is of Christ.’ ¤ Right pleased was Harek that he could get away from thence so speedily; to him gave King Olaf a good ship rowing ten or twelve oars a side, and caused it to be well found with all things needful & of the best; thirty men did he send forth with Harek, stout fellows & all equipped of the best.
¶ Thus Harek of Tiotta sped from the town with all the haste that might be, whereas Hawk and Sigurd remained with the King, and the twain were both baptized. ¤ Harek continued on his way until he was come home to Tiotta, & from thence sent he word to his friend Eyvind Rent-cheek that Harek of Tiotta had spoken with King Olaf, but had not let himself be cowed into accepting the new God; & moreover Harek caused Eyvind to be told that King Olaf was minded to bring an host against them come summer-tide & that they must act warily, and Harek bade Eyvind come to him as soon as ever might be. When this message was brought to Eyvind, quoth he that it behoved them greatly to take such steps as would prevent the King from getting the upper hand of them, and he hied him away with all speed in a light skiff with but few men aboard it. ¤ When he was arrived at Tiotta Harek bade him welcome, and straightway went they, Harek and Eyvind, to talk together on the other side of the house-yard, but hardly had they speech of one another than they were fallen on by men of King Olaf, for so it was that these men had followed Harek northward. Eyvind was taken captive and led to their ship, and thereafter fared they away with him, and no pause did they make in their voyage or ever they were come to Throndhjem to find King Olaf in Nidaros. Eyvind was then haled before the King who offered him baptism in like manner as he had offered other men baptism, but to this Eyvind answered, ‘Nay.’ ¤ Then with fair words the King bade him be baptized and gave him many good reasons therefor, & the Bishop spake after the same fashion as the King, none the lesswould Eyvind in no wise suffer himself to be persuaded. Then did the King offer him gifts, and the dues and rights of broad lands, but Eyvind put all these away from him. Then did the King threaten him with torture even unto death, but never did Eyvind weaken his resistance. Thereafter caused the King to be brought in a bowl filled with glowing coals, and had itset on the belly of Eyvind, and not long was it ere his belly burst asunder. ¤ Then spake Eyvind: ‘Take away the bowl from off me for I would fain speak some words before I die,’ and accordingly it was done. ¤ Then the King asked: ‘Wilt thou now, Eyvind, believe on Christ?’ ‘No,’ answered he. ‘I am not such as can be baptized, I am a spirit quickened in the human body by the magic of the Lapps for before that had my father and mother never a child.’ Then died Eyvind who was the most skilled of wizards.
Sigurd and Harek (?)
¶ In the spring which followed on these happenings did King Olaf cause his ships and men to be made ready for war, taking for his own ship the ‘Crane,’ and there was mustered a large and goodly host. ¤ All things being now ready shaped he a course from out the fjord, and bringing his fleet north past Byrda fared northward to Halogaland. Wheresoever he landed, summoned he a Thing, & at it offered the people baptism in the true Faith. Now against this had no man the boldness to speak, therefore came it to pass that whithersoever he fared were all that were of those lands baptized. King Olaf visited Tiotta and was the guest of Harek, who was baptized at that hour together with all the folk that were about him. ¤ When the King departed thence Harek bestowed on him great gifts and became his man, and from the King received the dignity of bailiff with the dues and rights appertaining unto a lord of the land.
¶ Raud the Strong was the name of a peasant who abode at Godey in that fjord which is named Salpti (Salten). ¤ Raud was a man of much wealth and at his beck were many house-carles; a powerful man was he withal, for a large company of Lapps were ready to follow him to war whensoever he needed them. ¤ Raud was zealous as a maker of blood-offerings, and skilled also in witchcraft; even so was he furthermore a warm friend to that man about whom it has been writ before, to wit, Thorir Hart, & even like unto him was he also a mightychief. ¤ Now when it came to the ears of these men that Olaf was abroad with an host northward even in Halogaland, they too their men mustered, launching out ships, and assembling an host. To Raud appertained a great dragon-ship with golden heads thereto, a ship of thirty benches, and broad was she of beam for her length, and had likewise Thorir Hart also a ship of good size. ¤ Southward sailed they their fleet purposing to meet King Olaf, and when they were fallen in with him gave they battle, and fierce was the fight thereof. Soon men began to fall plenteously, but so much the more was this the case among the host of the Halogalanders; their ships were cleared and thereupon came fear & terror over them, & Raud rowed his dragon out to sea and hoisted the sail thereof. A breeze had he wherever he was minded to go, and this came of his powers of magic; but to cut short the tale of the cruise of Raud is briefly to relate that home sailed he even unto Godey. For land made Thorir Hart in all haste and his folk fled their ships, but King Olaf pursued after them & put them to the sword. Moreover then as ever when such doings were afoot was the King himself foremost among his men. ¤ He saw whither Thorir ran (and Thorir was exceeding fleet of foot) and thither went the King after him, followed by his dog Vigi. And the King called out: ‘Vigi, catch the hart,’ and Vigi sprang ahead after Thorir and straightway leapt up at him. ¤ Then Thorir had perforce to stop and the King threw a javelin after him, but Thorir struck the dog with his sword & wounded it sore, and at the same moment the King’s javelin flew under Thorir’s hand and went through him & out at the other side, and thus ended Thorir his life; but Vigi was borne wounded to the ships. ¤ To all those who asked it and were willing to accept baptism gave King Olaf quarter.
¶ Thence sailed King Olaf with his host northward along the coast, baptizing all folkwithersoeverhe went, & being come north to Salpti was he minded to go up the fjord & seek Raud.Foul weather howsoever set in with a gale blowing fiercely down the fjord, and though the King lay there nigh upon a week the same wind blew ever the while from the land, though without the fjord was there a fresh and favourable breeze for to sail north along the coast. ¤ Therefore it came to pass that the King set sail and fared all the way northward to Amd, and there the folk became Christians. ¤ After that went he about, and when he was come south again to Salpti he found a gale blowing down the fjord and driving spray into his countenance. ¤ There lay the King even a few more nights, but the weather waxing no better inquired he then of Bishop Sigurd whether or not he wotted of some remedy against the fiendcraft.
¶ So thereupon took Bishop Sigurd all the appurtenances that belonged unto the Holy Mass, and walked he forward therewith even to the prow of the King’s ship. There was a candle lit & was incense carried forward & thereafter was ye Holy Rood set at the prow. ¤ The gospel was read and also many prayers, and the Bishop sprinkled holy water over the whole of the ship. Thereafter bade he the crew unship the tilts and row up the fjord, and the King commanded that the other ships should row after them. ¤ No sooner had the crew of the ‘Crane’ fallen to their oars, & she the ship was set well up to the fjord, than felt they that there was no more wind against them, & in her wake was free sea and calm; but on both sides of her flew the spray & it drave so that no man could perceive the mountains on either side of the fjord. So it fared that one ship rowed after the other in the calm, and thus pursued they one another the whole livelong day, & throughout the night thereafter; and a little before dawn came they to Godey, and brought-to off the house of Raud, and there found his great dragon lying off-shore. ¤ Forthwith went King Olaf to the house with his men and made for the upper chamber wherein Raud was sleeping, and his folk burst open the door and ranin. ¤ Then was Raud taken and bound, but of the other men who were therein some were killed & others taken prisoners. Thereafter the King’s men went to the room wherein slept the house-carles of Raud, and some of them were then slain and some bound & some beaten. Then caused the King Raud to be led before him & offered him baptism. ‘Take from thee thy possessions I then will not,’ quoth the King, ‘but will the rather be thy friend, an thou wilt show thyself worthy of my friendship.’ Against this did Raud loudly raise his voice, saying that never would he believe on Christ, and blaspheming God. ¤ Then did the King wax wroth, and swore that Raud should suffer the worst of deaths, and the King commanded that he be taken and bound with his back to a pole and that a bit of wood be placed betwixt his teeth so that his mouth might be open, and caused an adder to be taken and set in his mouth, but the adder would in no wise enter therein but writhed away when Raud blew upon it. Then did the King cause the adder to be taken & put in a hollow stick of angelica and set in the mouth of Raud (albeit some say that the King let his horn be taken & put into the mouth of Raud, and that the adder was placed in this and pushed down with a red-hot rod of iron), and then the adder slid into the mouth of Raud, and thereafter down his throat, and cut its way out through his side. After this manner ended the life of Raud. Then did the King take thence very great wealth in gold & silver and other chattels, weapons, & divers kinds of valuable things. The King caused all the fellows that had been with Raud to be baptized save those who, not suffering this, were slain or tortured. Then King Olaf took the dragon that had pertained unto Raud and himself was her steersman, and a much larger and finer ship was she than the ‘Crane’: forward she was fashioned with a dragon’s head and aft with a crook§ending in like manner as the tail of a dragon, & both the prow & the whole of the stern were overlaid with gold. Now the King called thisship the ‘Serpent,’ for when the sail was hoisted aloft was it like unto the wings of a dragon, and this was the fairest ship in all Norway. ¤ The islands whereon Raud had lived were called Gilling and Haering, but together were they styled Godey, & the Godey current (Godöström) lies over to the north, betwixt them and the mainland. All that lived around this fjord did King Olaf convert unto Christianity, and then went he southward along the coast, and there happened much on that cruise which is set forth in many legends about a giant and evil spirits which attacked his men & sometimes himself, but rather will we write of facts even such as the conversion of Norway & of those other lands whither he bore Christianity. That same autumn did the King lead his host to Throndhjem, bringing-to at Nidaros, and there making ready for a winter sojourn.
¶ And now will I next write what there is to tell of the men of Iceland.
¶ That same autumn there came to Nidaros from Iceland Kiartan, the son of Olaf Hoskuldson and the grandson, on his mother’s side, of Eigil Skallagrimson, who hath been called the likeliest man of those born in Iceland. ¤ There was also Halldor the son of Gudmund of Modruvellir, and Kolbein the son of Thord Frey’s-priest, the brother of Burning-Flosi, and fourthly Sverting the son of Runolf the Priest. ¤ These were all heathen, as were many others: some powerful, and others not so powerful. ¤ There came also from Iceland noble men who had accepted the true Faith from Thangbrand, and one that was of these was Gizur the White, the son of Teit Ketilbiarnson, whose mother was Alof, the daughter of Bodvar Viking-Karason the ‘hersir.’ Bodvar’s brother was Sigurd the father of Eirik Biodaskalli, the father of Astrid, who was the mother of King Olaf. Another Icelander was named Hialti Skeggiason, and he had to wife Vilborg the daughter of Gizur the White; Hialti was a Christian, and King Olafreceived with pleasure Gizur and his son-in-law Hialti, and with the King did they abide. Those of the Icelanders, however, who were captains of the ships and were heathens to boot, sought to sail away even so soon as the King was come to town, for it was told them that the King constrained all men to embrace the faith of Christ. It so befell natheless that the wind was set against them, & drave them back off Nidarholm. The captains of the ships were hight Thorarin Nefiolfson, Hallfrod the Skald, the son of Ottar, Brand the Bountiful and Thorleik Brandson. Now it being told to King Olaf that some of the Icelanders, and they heathens, were hard by with their ships and were about to flee the town, he sent to them and forbade them to sail, but commanded them instead to come and lie off the town, and this they did but unloaded not their ships.
¶ Then came the holy season of Michaelmas,§and the King caused the feast to be well kept and a solemn Mass was said. Thereat were the Icelanders witnesses and hearkened to the fair singing and the ringing of bells. ¤ When they were come back to their ships each of them said what he had thought of the Christian men’s ways & Kiartan praised them, but most of the others mocked at them, & it befell that the King heard of this, for as the saying goes, ‘many are the King’s ears.’ Then forthwith that self-same day sent he an emissary to Kiartan, and bade him come unto him, & Kiartan went unto him with but few men, and the King bade him welcome. Now Kiartan was one of the biggest and fairest of men, with a great gift of speech. When they had parleyed a while did the King make proffer to Kiartan that he should embrace the true Faith, and Kiartan made answer unto him that he would not say nay to this if he might thus gain the friendship of the King, whereupon swore the King to him & pledged him his hearty friendship, & after this fashion was a compact struck between them. On the morrow was Kiartan baptized, and with him BolliThorleikson his kinsman, and all their fellows. ¤ Kiartan and Bolli were the guests of the King as long as they went in white weeds,§and the King was of kindly countenance toward them.
¶ It befell one day that King Olaf was walking in the street when some men came toward him, and he who was walking foremost greeted the King. ¤ The King asked of the man his name, and the latter said he was hight Hallfrod. ¤ Then said the King, ‘Art thou a skald?’ ‘I can make verses,’ said he. Then the King answered: ‘Thou wilt accept baptism as I trow and thereafter be my man?’ ¤ Quoth Hallfrod: ‘There must be a bargain on that matter if I am to suffer myself to be baptized, to wit, that thou, King, holdest me thyself at the font, for from no man else will I take it.’ ‘So be it,’ said the King, & so Hallfrod was baptized and the King held him himself at the font. Thereafter the King asked Hallfrod: ‘Wilt thou be my man?’ & Hallfrod made answer: ‘I was of Earl Hakon’s body-guard; and now will I not be the liege-man of thee or of any other chief unless thou givest me thy word that such a thing shall never befall as that thou shouldst drive me away from thee.’ ¤ ‘From all that is told me of thee, Hallfrod,’ said the King, ‘thou art neither so wise nor so meek but that thou mightest not do a thing which I could in no wise suffer.’ ¤ ‘Slay me then,’ said Hallfrod. The King said, ‘Thou art a troublesome skald, but my man shalt thou be all the same.’ Hallfrod answered: ‘What wilt thou give me, King, as a name-gift if I am to be called “Troublous-Skald”?’ Then did the King give him a sword, but it had no scabbard; and the King said, ‘Make now a stave about the sword, & let “sword” be in every line.’ Hallfrod sang:
‘One sword alone of all swordsHath made me now sword-wealthy;For the swinger of swordsWill there now be swords in plenty.No lack of swords will there be,—Worthy of three swords am I—Lord of the land were butThe sheath of that sword to be mine.’
‘One sword alone of all swords
Hath made me now sword-wealthy;
For the swinger of swords
Will there now be swords in plenty.
No lack of swords will there be,
Lord of the land were but
The sheath of that sword to be mine.’
‘There is not sword in every line,’ quoth the King. Then answered Hallfrod: ‘But there are three in one line.’ ‘So be it,’ said the King. Then did the King give him the scabbard. Now from that which is told in the lays of Hallfrod have we much knowledge & testimony concerning King Olaf Tryggvason.
¶ That same autumn came back Thangbrand the priest from Iceland to King Olaf and related to him how that his journey had borne no fruit, ‘for,’ said he, ‘the Icelanders made lampoons about me and some wished to slay me, and to my mind it cannot be expected that that country will ever be made Christian.’ ¤ At these words King Olaf waxed so hasty and wrathful that he summoned to him forthwith all the Icelanders in the town, and commanded that self-same hour that they should all be slain; but Kiartan and Gissur and Hialti and those that were of them who had made profession of the faith of Christ entered into his presence & said: ‘We trow, O King, that thou wilt not go from thy word, for thou hast said that no man may make thee so wrathful but shall he have thy forgiveness an he will be baptized and abjure heathendom. Now will all the Icelanders who are here suffer themselves to be baptized, & we can well devise a means whereby Christianity may gain an entrance into Iceland. The sons of many mighty men of Iceland are here present, & their fathers will, we trow, lend their aid in this matter. But Thangbrand there, as here, ever went about masterful and manslaying, and the people there would not endure it of him.’ Now the King lent an ear to these speeches, and all the men of Iceland who were there were baptized.
¶ Of all men of Norway of whom record hath come down to us was King Olaf in every wise the one most skilful in manlyexercises; stronger was he & more active than any other man, and many are the tales that have been written on this matter. One of these recounts how that he climbed the Smalshorn, and made fast his shield on the topmost peak; and another is of how he brought succour to one of his own body-guard who had climbed aforehand up the mountain and was come into such a plight that he could neither get up nor down, so that the King helped him by going unto him & bearing him down under his arm to the level land. King Olaf would walk from oar to oar, on the outer side of the ship while his men were rowing the ‘Serpent’, and with such ease could he play with three daggers that one was ever in the air and always caught he it by the hilt; with either hand could he strike equally well, and two javelins could he throw at one time. Of all men was King Olaf the lightest-hearted & of a very merry disposition; kindly was he withal & lowly-hearted; very eager in all enterprises, great in his bounty, & the foremost among those who surrounded him. Above all others was he brave in battle, but very grim when he was angered, and on his foes laid he heavy penalties; some he with fire burned, some maimed he & caused to be cast down from high rocks. For these things was he beloved by his friends, but dreaded by his foes; his furtherance was manifold for the reason that some did his will from love and friendship, and others again from fear.
¶ Leif, the son of Eirik the Red, he that was the first to settle in Greenland, came even that summer over from that land unto Norway; and King Olaf sought he and from him accepted Christianity, & abode even with King Olaf the winter thereafter.
¶ Now it came to pass that Gudrod, he that was the son of Eirik Blood-axe and Gunnhild, had over in the lands to the west done whatsoever he listed and broken the laws of God and of man ever since that time when fled he from his own country before the face of Earl Hakon. But in this summer,of the which somewhat has already been writ, even at the time when Olaf Tryggvason had held sway for four winters over Norway, came Gudrod to Norway with many ships of war, thither having sailed from England. When he deemed himself to be nigh to Norway, turned he his course southward along the coast where he bethought him that he might least chance to fall in with King Olaf and thus sailed he to Vik. ¤ Hardly was he come ashore than began he to plunder the people and bring them into subjection under himself, and of them demanded that they should take him as their King. And when the country-folk saw that a warlike host was come upon them craved they ever for grace and peace, & said to the King that they would send the summons for a Thing throughout the district, and were willing to submit to him rather than suffer at the hands of this his host, & it was agreed that there should be a truce even for so long a space as sat the Thing. Then did the King demand of them that they should provide provender for his men so long as they were waiting for the meeting of the Thing; but the yeomen chose rather that the King and his followers should be their guests for all the time he might need to be so, & the King agreed even to this, that should he travel that country through with some of the men that were with him and they the guests of the yeomen, ever the while others kept guard over his ships. But when the brothers-in-law of King Olaf, even the brothers Hyrning & Thorgeir learned of these happenings furnished they folk & gathered to themselves ships and sailed northward (west) in Vik, and by night were come to the place where lodged King Gudrod, & there fell they upon him and upon his men with fire and sword. So fell King Gudrod and the greater number of his men; while of those that abode on the ships were some slain but others escaped and fled far and wide. And this Gudrod was the last of all the sons of Eirik and Gunnhild; all were now dead.
¶ The winter after that King Olaf was come from Halogaland,caused he to be built under the cliffs at Ladir a great ship: a ship far mightier than any other ship of that land, and the stocks whereon she was built are still to be seen. ¤ Of this ship was Thorberg the master-smith, but with him were many others at work, some felling trees, some shaping them, some hammering nails, & some carrying timber. All the material was of the choicest, and the ship was both long and broad, built with great beams, and the bulwarks thereof were high. Now when the outer sheathing was being put on, some errand of necessity carried Thorberg thence unto his homestead, and there he tarried a great while. ¤ When he came back the ship was fully sheathed, and the King went in the evening, and Thorberg with him, even to see how all things had been done; and men said never before had been seen a long-ship so big or so fine. ¤ Then went the King back even unto his town, but early on the morrow came he once more to his ship and Thorberg accompanied him, and they found that the smiths were gone forward, standing there, all of them, without working. The King asked wherefore were they doing nothing, & they made answer that the ship had been spoiled; that a man must have gone from stem to stern hacking her with an axe even the whole length of the gunwale. ¤ Then went the King and witnessed with his own eyes the truth thereof, and straightway said he, & sware thereon, that die should that man once the King wot whosoever he was who from envy had spoiled the ship, ‘but he who can tell me this thing shall have great reward.’ Then said Thorberg, ‘I can tell thee, King, who it is that hath wrought this.’ ‘I cannot indeed expect of another that he should so well as thee get to wot of this matter & tell me thereof.’ ‘I will tell thee, King,’ quoth he, ‘who hath done it: I did it.’ ¤ Then answered the King, ‘thou shalt make it good, so that all shall be as well as it was before; and thy life shall be on it.’ ¤ Thereafter went Thorberg to the ship and chopped the gunwale in such wise that all the notches werepared away, and the King said then, and all the others likewise, that now the ship was even so goodlier by far on that side on which Thorberg had cut the notches. So then the King bade him fashion both sides alike, & gave him land even for so doing, and thus was Thorberg master-smith on the ship, even until she was finished. A dragon-ship was she & wrought after the same fashion as the ‘Serpent’ which the King had brought with him from Halogaland; but was the new ship much larger in all respects, built with the greater care, & called he her the ‘Long Serpent,’ and the other the ‘Short Serpent.’ On the ‘Long Serpent’ were there four-and-thirty benches of oars. Dight were her head and the crook all over with gold, and the bulwarks thereof were as high as on sea-faring ships. This was the ship which was ye best equipped, and the cost thereof was the most money of any ship that ever hath been built in Norway.
¶ Now after the death of Earl Hakon, did Earl Eirik Hakonson and his brothers, & many others of their kinsmen depart out of the country. ¤ Earl Eirik went east to Sweden, and he and his men were well received by King Olaf, the King of the Swedes, who bestowed sanctuary on the Earl and great grants withal, so that in the land could he well maintain himself and his men. Of this speaketh Thord Kolbeinson:
‘Foeman of robbers! Swiftly can fate effect changeBrief space ere the treason of men did Hakon to death,And to the land that erewhile in fight had that warrior conqueredCame now the son of Tryggvi when fared he from the west.’
‘Foeman of robbers! Swiftly can fate effect change
Brief space ere the treason of men did Hakon to death,
And to the land that erewhile in fight had that warrior conquered
Came now the son of Tryggvi when fared he from the west.’
¶ From Norway passed many men over unto Earl Eirik, to wit, all those that King Olaf had caused to flee the land; and as the outcome thereof did Eirik think good to procure himself ships & to go plundering so that he might get wealth for himself and for his men. First sailed Eirik to Gotland, and lay off that island a long time in summer-tide & waylaid he vikingcraft or merchant-ships even as they were sailing to land, and when he listed went he ashore and harried far and wide in the parts bordering on the sea. Thus in the Banda lay it is said:
‘In spear-storms many was the Earl thereafter victor:And did we not learn aforetimeThat Eirik won the land?In those days when the chiefs on Gotland’s shores went warring,Doughty, and peace-making by their might.More in his mind had Eirik against lord and KingThan spoken word revealed,As from him might be looked for.Wrathfully sought the Earl counsel of the Swedish King,Stubborn were the men of Throndhjem,Ne’er a one would flee.’
‘In spear-storms many was the Earl thereafter victor:
And did we not learn aforetime
That Eirik won the land?
In those days when the chiefs on Gotland’s shores went warring,
Doughty, and peace-making by their might.
More in his mind had Eirik against lord and King
Than spoken word revealed,
As from him might be looked for.
Wrathfully sought the Earl counsel of the Swedish King,
Stubborn were the men of Throndhjem,
Ne’er a one would flee.’
¶ Later sailed Earl Eirik southward to Wendland, and there chanced he to fall in with some viking ships off Staur, and so joined he battle with them; to him was the victory and there were the vikings slain. Thus saith the Banda lay:
‘The steerer of the prow-steedLet lie at Staur the heads of fallen warriors,Thereafter joy of battle inflamed the Earl.At the corses of the viking the ravens toreAfter that dire meeting of swordsNigh the sands of the shore.’
‘The steerer of the prow-steed
Let lie at Staur the heads of fallen warriors,
Thereafter joy of battle inflamed the Earl.
At the corses of the viking the ravens tore
After that dire meeting of swords
Nigh the sands of the shore.’
¶ Sailed thence Earl Eirik back to Sweden in the autumn and abode there a second winter; but in the spring made he ready his host and thereafter sailed eastward; & when he was come to the realm of King Valdamar fell he to plundering & slaying folk, burning whithersoever he went, and laying bare the land. Then coming to Aldeigiaborg§laid he siege unto it even until he had taken it, and then put he there many folk to the sword and utterly destroyed the town, and thereafter spread he war far and wide in Garda. Thus saith the Banda lay:
‘The chieftain fared forth to devastate with fire,Yea and with sword (so waxed the sword-storm),The lands of Valdamar.Aldeigia brok’st thou, lord, when east thou cam’st to GardaWell wot we how grim was the fight twixt the hosts.’
‘The chieftain fared forth to devastate with fire,
Yea and with sword (so waxed the sword-storm),
The lands of Valdamar.
Aldeigia brok’st thou, lord, when east thou cam’st to Garda
Well wot we how grim was the fight twixt the hosts.’
¶ For five summers together waged Earl Eirik this warfare, and when he left the realm of Garda he went fighting over the whole of Adalsysla & Eysysla;§there took he four viking boats from Danish men and slew all that were on the ships. It is thus spoken of in the Banda lay:
‘I heard where the swinger of the sword did battleOnce more in the isle-sound.Eirik wins the land;The bounteous lord four viking boats from Dane-folk tookDoughty and peacemaking.There where warriors hied to town, hadst thou, war-hero! strife with Goths.Joy of battle filled the Earl thereafter.The battle-shield he bore aloft to all the lands,And gently fared he not, over the country he rules.’
‘I heard where the swinger of the sword did battle
Once more in the isle-sound.
Eirik wins the land;
The bounteous lord four viking boats from Dane-folk took
Doughty and peacemaking.
There where warriors hied to town, hadst thou, war-hero! strife with Goths.
Joy of battle filled the Earl thereafter.
The battle-shield he bore aloft to all the lands,
And gently fared he not, over the country he rules.’
¶ Then Eirik the Earl fared to Denmark when he had abode one winter in Sweden, and coming unto the Danish King Svein Two-beard, wooed he his daughter Gyda and this marriage was agreed upon. Accordingly Eirik took Gyda to wife and one winter later a son was born to them whom they called Hakon. ¤ Mainly abode Eirik the winters through in Denmark, but whiles also in Sweden, but in the summers sailed he the seas over even as became a viking.
¶ Svein Two-beard, the Danish King, had Gunnhild, the daughter of the Wendish King Burizlaf, to wife; and in the days whereof now is the record writ happed it that Queen Gunnhild fell sick and died;§and a while thereafter wedded King Svein, Sigrid the Haughty, she that was daughter to Skogul-Tosti and mother to Oscar the Swede. ¤ And fromthe marriage arose a friendship betwixt the brothers-in-law, and betwixt them and Earl Eirik Hakonson.
Queen Tyri aboard the ship
¶ Now the Wendish King Burizlaf did make complaint to his son-in-law, Earl Sigvaldi, because the pact had been broken which Sigvaldi had made between King Burizlaf and King Svein: to wit, that King Burizlaf should have Tyri Haraldsdottir, King Svein’s sister, to wife; for this marriage had never come about, inasmuch as Tyri had said shortly ‘Nay’ to wedding a heathen and an old man to boot. King Burizlaf now sent word unto the Earl that he would demand the fulfilment of the pact, & bade the Earl go to Denmark & bring Queen Tyri to him. ¤ Then did Earl Sigvaldi hie him on his journey, and laid he the matter before the Danish King; and by his fair words came he even so far that into his hands gave King Svein his sister Tyri. With her went certain women to bear her company & do her service, & her foster-father, whose name was Ozur Agason, a wealthy man; & sundry other men withal. It was agreed between the King & the Earl that Tyri should have the estates in Wendland which had belonged to Queen Gunnhild, and that she should be given other great lands in dowry. ¤ Tyri wept sorely and departed very much against her will; but natheless when she and the Earl were come to Wendland was she wedded, & so King Burizlaf had Queen Tyri to wife. ¤ But ever so long as she was among heathens would she take neither meat nor drink from them, and in this wise was it for a sennight. Then right so one night fled away Queen Tyri and Ozur in the darkness unto the forests; and of this their journey it is briefest to recount that they attained Denmark, but there durst Tyri by no means remain inasmuch as her brother King Svein would, an he knew where she lay, have sent her back again to Wendland. ¤ So faring ever by stealth went they to Norway, and Tyri made no stay until she was come to King Olaf, who made her welcome, and gave them high entertainment. To the King Tyritold of her troubles, and begged counsel of him and sanctuary in his kingdom. Now Tyri had a smooth tongue in her head, and the King liked her converse well; moreover he saw that she was passing fair, & it entered into his mind that this would be a good marriage, and he turned the talking thereunto and asked her whether she would not have him to husband. But with her fortunes at the pass at which they now lay seemed it a hard thing to her to judge; yet on the other hand plainlyperceived she how good a marriage it would be to wed with so famous a King, and therefore entreated she him that he should make decision on the matter for her. Thereafter, when this thing had been duly discussed, took King Olaf Queen Tyri in wedlock; and they were abed in the autumn when King Olaf was come north from Halogaland. ¤ That winter abode King Olaf and Queen Tyri in Nidaros. ¤ Now in the spring-time thereafter oft-times did Tyri make plaint to King Olaf, and cried bitterly thereover, because albeit had she such great possessions in Wendland yet had she none in this country, and that she should have such deemed she but seemly for a Queen; & thinking that by fair words would she get her own prayed she him on this matter, and said that so great was the friendship between King Burizlaf & Olaf that even so soon as they should meet would the King give Olaf all he asked for. But when the friends to King Olaf came to know after what fashion was the manner of talking of Tyri with one consent gave they all counsel to him to refrain from such a course. One day early in the spring, so it is said, as the King was walking in the street came a man towards him from the market-place bearing many sticks of angelica, which same were wondrous big, seeing that it was early in the spring-tide. And the King took a large stick of angelica in his hand & went home therewith to the lodging of Queen Tyri. Now Tyri sat a-weeping in her hall even as the King came in, but he said to her: ‘Here is a great stalk of angelica for thee.’ Aside thrust Tyri it with her hand, and said: ‘Greater gifts gave Harald Gormson to me, but lesser feared he than thou dost to leave his land and seek his own, and the token thereof is that fared he hither to Norway and laid waste the greater part of this land and took to himself all taxes and dues; but durst thou not fare through the Danish realm for fear of my brother King Svein.’ Then up sprang King Olaf at these words, & called out loudly, and swore withal: ‘Never will I go in fear of thy brother KingSvein, and whensoever we meet shall he be the one to give way.’
King Olaf and Queen Tyri
¶ Not long after these things summoned King Olaf a Thing in the town, and made known to all the people that in the summer would he send an host out of the country, and that it was his will to levy ships & men from each county, & therewithdid he make it known how many ships he should require from the fjord there. ¤ Then sent he messengers inland both northwards and southwards, and along the coast on the outside of the islands and inside them along the land, and called men to arms. ¤ Thereafter did King Olaf launch the ‘Long Serpent’ & all his other ships great & small; and the ‘Long Serpent’ he himself steered, and when men were taken for a crew, with so much care was choice made that on the ‘Long Serpent’ was there no man older than sixty nor younger than twenty. All were chosen with the utmost care for their strength and courage, & the first taken were King Olaf’s body-guard, for composed it was of the stoutest & boldest men both from home and abroad.
¶ Wolf the Red was the name of the man who bore the banner of King Olaf, and his place was in the prow of the ‘Serpent’; there likewise were Kolbiorn the Marshal, Thorstein Ox-foot and Vikar of Tiundaland, the brother of Arnliot Gellini. Of the forecastle in the prow were Vak Raumason of the River, Bersi the Strong, On the Archer of Jamtaland, Thrond the Stout from Thelemark and Othyrmi his brother; and the Halogalanders Thrond Squint-eye, Ogmund Sande, Lodvir the Long, from Saltvik, and Harek the Keen. ¤ From Inner Throndhjem were there Ketil the Tall, Thorfin Eisli, and Havard and his brothers from Orkadal. Those manning the forehold were Biorn of Studla, Thorgrim Tiodolfson of Hvin, Asbiorn & Orm, Thord of Niardalang, Thorstein the White of Oprostad,Anor of More, Hallstein and Hawk from the Fjords, Eyvind Snak, Bergthor Bestil, Hallkel of Fialir, Olaf the Boy, Arnfin of Sogn, Sigurd Bild, Einar the Hordalander and Fin, Ketil the Rogalander, and Griotgard the Quick. In the main-hold were Einar Tamberskelfir, deemed by the others less able than they for then was he but eighteen winters old, Hallstein Hlifarson, Thorolf, Ivar Smetta, and Orm Skoganef. ¤ Many other men of valour were there onthe ‘Serpent’ though we cannot name them; eight were there to a half-berth, and chosen man by man. It was a common saying that the crew of the ‘Serpent’ was for goodliness, strength, and boldness, as much above other men as the ‘Serpent’ herself was above other ships. ¤ Thorkel Nefia, own brother to the King, steered the ‘Short Serpent,’ and Thorkel Dydril and Jostein, they that were uncles to him on the side of his mother, commanded the ‘Crane’; right well manned were these twain ships. Moreover had King Olaf eleven great ships from Throndhjem, ships of twenty benches, two smaller ships and victuallers.
¶ When King Olaf had completed the equipping of his fleet at Nidaros, appointed he men throughout the whole of the district of Throndhjem to be stewards collecting revenue, and annalists. He then sent to Iceland Gizur the White & Hialti Skeggison to convert that country to Christianity, and sent he with them that priest whose name is Thormod and other consecrated men, but kept back with him as hostages the four men of Iceland they that he deemed to be of greatest mark, to wit, Kiartan Olafson, Halldor Gudmundson, Kolbein Thordson and Sverting Runolfson; and it is said of the journey of Gizur & Hialti that they were come unto Iceland or ever the meeting of the Althing & were present at the Thing, and thereat was baptism legalized in Iceland and that summer all folk were brought into the true fold.
¶ The same spring likewise sent King Olaf Leif Eirikson to Greenland to convert the people, and fared he thither that summer. On the main found he the crew of a ship who were lying helpless on a wreck, and thereafter he discovered Vineland the Good,§yet came he the same summer to Greenland; and with him had he a priest and teachers, and he took up his abode at Brattalid with his father Eirik. Thereafter did men call him Leif the Lucky; but Eirik, his father, said that the one thing was a set-off to the other: on the one hand was thesaving of the ship’s crew by Leif & on the other the bringing to Greenland of that ‘juggler,’ to wit, the priest.
¶ Then took King Olaf his host southward following the coast, and many of his friends flocked to him, mighty men, who were bravely furnished for an expedition with the King. The first man of these was own brother-in-law to himself, Erling Skialgson with his large ‘skeid’§wherein were thirty benches, and right well manned was she withal. There came also to him his brothers-in-law Hyrning and Thorgeir, each steering a large ship. Many other mighty men accompanied him, so that when he left the country had he thirty long-ships. King Olaf sailed south through Eyrasund, off the coasts of Denmark, and in due course came he to Wendland. ¤ There appointed he a tryst with King Burizlaf, and the Kings met and spake together of the possessions claimed of King Olaf, and all the talk between them went in kindly wise and the claims whereof King Olaf deemed himself to have rights there were fully ordered. ¤ Abode he there a long while during the summer, and saw many of his friends.
¶ As hath been related ere this, King Svein Two-beard had wedded Sigrid the Haughty, & Sigrid was King Olaf’s greatest foe, the reason therefor being how King Olaf had broken his troth with her, as has been afore set in fair script, and how he had smote her on the face. ¤ Sigrid incited King Svein to do battle with King Olaf Tryggvason, saying pretext enough was it that he had wedded the own sister to Svein, she Tyri, without his leave: ‘And never would thy forefathers have suffered such a thing.’ Such words as these had Queen Sigrid ever on her lips, and so far went she with her persuasions that King Svein was full willing to do battle with Olaf. So early in spring-tide sent King Svein men east to Sweden, to Olaf the Swedish King, he that was his step-son, & to Earl Eirik, to tell them that Olaf King of Norway had his fleet abroad, and thought of faring to Wendland come summer; anothermessage took they likewise, namely that the Swedish King and the Earl should call out their hosts and go to meet King Svein, and that then altogether they should get their battle over against King Olaf. Now the King of Sweden and Eirik the Earl were ready and eager for this venture, so mustered they a large fleet in Sweden, and with the ships thereof went south to Denmark and came thither at the time when King Olaf had already sailed east. Of this speaketh Halldor in the song he made about Earl Eirik: