‘All men know that HaraldEighteen battles grim hath fought,Oft hath the peace of the chieftain been broken;The gray eagle’s sharp clawsIn blood didst thou dye, King,Ever was the wolf filled ere thou fared’st homeward.’
‘All men know that Harald
Eighteen battles grim hath fought,
Oft hath the peace of the chieftain been broken;
The gray eagle’s sharp claws
In blood didst thou dye, King,
Ever was the wolf filled ere thou fared’st homeward.’
¶ Harald with his men had now betaken themselves to Jorsalaland (Palestine) and thence to Jorsalaborg (Jerusalem), and whithersoever he went in Jorsalaland were all the towns and castles surrendered unto him; thus saith Stuf, who had himself heard the King recount these things:
‘The blade-bold smiting warriorTo subjection brought Jerusalem.The smiling land was captive to him and the Greeks,And by their might, unburned withal,Came the country under the warrior’s dictate.’
‘The blade-bold smiting warrior
To subjection brought Jerusalem.
The smiling land was captive to him and the Greeks,
And by their might, unburned withal,
Came the country under the warrior’s dictate.’
¶ Here it is recounted that this land came unburned and unscathed into Harald’s power. Thereafter fared he to the Jordan and bathed himself therein, as is the way with other pilgrims. On the Sepulchre of the Lord, the Holy Cross, and other holy relics in Jorsalaland bestowed Harald great benefactions. Then did he make safe all the road to the Jordan, slaying robbers and other disturbers of the peace. Thus saith Stuf:
‘By counsel and wrathful words the King of the Agdir folkWithstood on the banks of the Jordan the treason of men,But for true trespass had folk to pay dearly;Ill from the Prince suffered they.(In Christ’s eternal house).’
‘By counsel and wrathful words the King of the Agdir folk
Withstood on the banks of the Jordan the treason of men,
But for true trespass had folk to pay dearly;
Ill from the Prince suffered they.
(In Christ’s eternal house).’
¶ After these things fared he back to Miklagard.
¶ Now when Harald was returned to Miklagard from Jorsalaland was he minded to go to the north, even unto his own heritage; for it had come to his ears that the son of his brother, to wit, Magnus Olafson, was now King of Norway and of Denmark, and therefor gave he warning to quit his service with the King of Greece; but when Queen Zoe came to hear thereof waxed she very wrath & made dire complaint against Harald, averring that he had gone dishonestly to work with the wealth of the Greek King which had been taken in warfare what time Harald had been chief of the host. Now there was a damsel both young and fair, whose name was Maria,and she was the daughter of the brother to Queen Zoe.[§]Afore had Harald sought the hand of this maid in marriage, and by the Queen had his suit been refused. It has been told here in the north by Vaerings, who were then serving in Miklagard, that among those who should wot well of the affair was it averred that Queen Zoe desired to have Harald for her own husband, & therein lay the cause of all that which befell when Harald desired to leave Miklagard, though mayhap otherwise was given out before all folk. At that time was Constantine Monomachus King of the Greeks, and together with Queen Zoe ruled he the kingdom. Wherefore was it on these counts that the King of the Greeks caused Harald to be seized and cast into prison.
¶ But as Harald was drawing nigh unto the prison there appeared unto him the holy King Olaf and bade him be of good cheer for that he would come to his aid; & there in the street was afterwards builded a chapel, and was it consecrated to King Olaf, & that chapel has stood there unto this very day.§Now after such fashion was the prison builded that it had a high tower, & this was open at the top. Into the prison thereof was Harald thrown, and together with him were Halldor and Ulf. The night thereafter came a wealthy woman to the uppermost part of the prison, whither she had ascended by means of ladders, and with her were two serving-men and to either let they down a rope by which they drew the prisoners up. This woman had one time been healed by the holy King Olaf, and now had he appeared to her and laid upon her the injunction that she should release his brother from out of prison.Thereon hied Harald him to the Vaerings who with one accord rose to their feet when they beheld him, and acclaimed him welcome. ¤ Thereafter fell the whole of the host to arms and betook themselves to the place where the King was sleeping, and taking him captive thrust they out both his eyes. Thus saith Thorarin Skeggison in his lay:
‘The bold prince gold obtained,But the throned King of Greece gat blindness,And thereafter went with scars most grievous.’
‘The bold prince gold obtained,
But the throned King of Greece gat blindness,
And thereafter went with scars most grievous.’
Thus likewise saith Thiodolf the Skald:
‘The waster of wolves’ sorrowLet the eyes twain of the throned King be put out;The prince of the Agdir folk on the Eastern KingLaid a grisly mark whereby was he horribly blinded.’
‘The waster of wolves’ sorrow
Let the eyes twain of the throned King be put out;
The prince of the Agdir folk on the Eastern King
Laid a grisly mark whereby was he horribly blinded.’
In the twain of these lays concerning Harald, & also in many other songs, recorded is it how that he himself put out the eyes of the Greek King; but in lieu of thus singing, had they known it to be truer, full well might they have named a duke or count or some other nobleman. But Harald himself and the other men that were with him themselves boasted of this deed.§
¶ That same night went Harald and his men to the chamber wherein Maria lay sleeping, & by force bare her away. Then betaking themselves to where their galleys rode took they twain of them and anon rowed into Siavidarsund,§but when they were come thither found they that the iron chain was stretched right athwart the inlet, and so Harald commanded his men to fall to their oars on both the galleys, & those who were not rowing were all to run aft, and each one to have in his hand his own baggage-bag. ¤ In this fashion they ran the galleys on to the chain, and as soon as they were fast and the speed was stayed commanded he all his men to run forward. Then that galley whereon was Harald plunged forward, and after it had swayed on the chain slid from off it; but the other brake as it rode the chain, and many were drowned, albeit some were taken up out of the water. After this fashion did Harald escape from Miklagard, & thence fared he forth into the Black Sea. But ere he sailed from land he set the maid ashore, & gave her trusty followers to take her back to Miklagard; and he bade her ask her kinswoman Zoe how muchpower she had over him, or if her power had been able to hinder him from getting the maiden. Thereafter sailed Harald northward to Ellipalta§and thence fared all over the East-realm.§On this journey made Harald certain merry verses which together number sixteen, & all have the same refrain: this is one of them:
‘Past Sicily, far out, forged the ship;Proudly she strode and ably ’neath our feetNever before had Norseman come so far amain,Yet saith the Maid of the gold-rings in Garda that she scorns me.’
‘Past Sicily, far out, forged the ship;
Proudly she strode and ably ’neath our feet
Never before had Norseman come so far amain,
Yet saith the Maid of the gold-rings in Garda that she scorns me.’
¶ By this, allusion made he to Ellisif, the daughter of King Jarizleif of Holmgard.
¶ When Harald was come to Holmgard did King Jarizleif receive him with exceeding great kindness, and there abode he the winter through; at that time, moreover, took he into his own keeping all the gold and various other precious goods which he had sent thither out of Miklagard. So much wealth was indeed collected together, that no one there in the north had seen so great an amount before in the ownership of one man. On three occasions[§]the while he was in Miklagard had Harald ta’en his share in the spoiling of palaces, for it was a law that every time a Greek King died the Vaerings should have palace-spoil; at that hour might they go through all the palaces of the King, wherein his hoards of wealth were garnered, and take at will as much as ever they could lay hands on.
¶ That winter gave King Jarizleif to Harald his daughter in wedlock, her name was Elizabeth but Norwegians called her Ellisif. To this Stuf the Blind is witness in the following:
‘The alliance that he wishedGat the prince of the Agdirs;Gold amain won the friend of the men,And to boot the King’s daughter.’
‘The alliance that he wished
Gat the prince of the Agdirs;
Gold amain won the friend of the men,
And to boot the King’s daughter.’
¶ So it came to pass that ere long there arose some discord betwixt Magnus and Harald, and then were many men so evil-minded that they wrought bad blood betwixt the Kings.
¶ Now after the departure of Harald in the manner aforesaid, Svein Ulfson went on sleeping. Later made he close inquiry anent the journey of Harald; and when he came to know that Harald and Magnus had entered into covenant, and had now an host one with the other, steered he a course eastward alongside the coast of Skani and abode there with his host, until it came to his ears in wintertime that Magnus and Harald had fared northward even to Norway with their hosts. Thereupon shaped Svein a course southward (west) to Denmark, and that winter took he possession by force of all the dues of the King.
¶ So soon as the spring was come King Magnus and King Harald called out a muster from all Norway. ¤ Now it befell once upon a time that both the Kings were lying in the self-same haven, and the day thereafter Harald being the first to be ready sailed forthwith, and in the evening hove he to in the haven wherein he and Magnus had covenanted to lie that night; and brought he his ship into the King’s berth, and hoisted his tilts. ¤ King Magnus, he that had later in the day sailed forth, found also that haven, but when he was come perceived he that the men of Harald had by then gotten their tilts up; & saw he furthermore that Harald was lying in the berth of the King and that there was he minded to lie. Even so soon as his men had struck sail said King Magnus unto them: ‘Now shall my men take their places by the bulwarks and fall to their oars, and the others shall undo their weapons and arm themselves, and if Harald and his men gainsay us and will not make way, then will we fight them.’ When King Harald saw that King Magnus was minded to give battle spake he to his men and said: ‘Cut the hawsers and let us put off; wroth is now kinsman Magnus.’ So said so done; and theships of Harald were hove out of berth, and King Magnus put his ships into their place. ¤ When this had been accomplished went King Harald with sundry of his men up on to the ship of King Magnus, & the King greeted him well and bade him welcome. Then said King Harald: ‘I thought that we were come among friends; but just now I misdoubted that thou wouldst let this be the case; but true it is that children are petulent & I will not account it otherwise than that this was a childish deed.’ Then said King Magnus: ‘It was a kin-deed, not a child’s-deed; I can in good sooth remember what I gave and what I refused, but an it were allowed that this little matter were now done in our despite another would soon arise. In all things will we keep the covenant that we made, but thou on thy part must fulfil that which was agreed upon.’ Then said King Harald: ‘There is also an old custom which hath it that the wisest giveth way,’ & therewith went he back even to his own ship. In such like dealings betwixt the Kings was it difficult to hold the balance; the men to King Magnus swore even that he was in the right, but those who were dullards deemed that Harald had been slighted. ¤ The men that were of King Harald’s following said it were well and right that Magnus should have the berth had the two Kings come thither at the same time, but that King Harald could not be called upon to leave the berth wherein he were lying afore; and they declared that Harald had acted well and wisely, but those who wished to make the worst of things said that King Magnus desired to break the covenant, and that he had done King Harald wrong and injustice. ¤ Soon unwise men were talking so much about quarrels of this kind that discord arose between the Kings, and many things befell which the Kings took each after his own fashion albeit thereof is but little set down in writing.
¶ So King Magnus & King Harald brought their fleet down to Denmark, and when Svein heard thereof fled he away toSkani. The two Kings abode long in Denmark that summer, and brought the land into subjection; the autumn to them was in Jutland. There one night, when King Magnus lay abed, dreamt he that he himself stood there where his father King Olaf the Saint abode, & thought he that his father spake with him: ‘Which wilt thou choose, my son, to fare with me, or become of all kings the mightiest & live long, but to commit sin so great that thou wilt scarcely or never be able to atone for it?’ And he bethought that he answered, ‘I desire that thou choosest for me.’ ¤ Then the King seemed to answer: ‘Thou shalt fare even with me.’ King Magnus told his men of this dream. A little while later fell he ill of a sickness, and lay at a place called Sudatorp,§and when he was nigh unto death sent he his brother§Thorir to Svein Ulfson bidding the latter afford Thorir what help he might need, and with this message King Magnus also made it known that when his days should be ended it was his wish to have Svein to have dominion over the realm of Denmark, saying that it was meet that Harald should rule over Norway and Svein over Denmark. Thereafter died King Magnus the Good, & all folk mourned his death. Thus saith Od Kikina-Skald:
‘Full many a tear did men shedWhen the mild King was borne to the grave.Heavy the burden for those that he had benefited with gold,Sore were the hearts of the house carles,Their tears held they not back,And oft-times in sorrow now are his people down-cast.’
‘Full many a tear did men shed
When the mild King was borne to the grave.
Heavy the burden for those that he had benefited with gold,
Sore were the hearts of the house carles,
Their tears held they not back,
And oft-times in sorrow now are his people down-cast.’
¶ When he heard these tidings summoned King Harald his host to a Thing, and opened unto them a scheme whereof the purport was to fare forth to the Vebiorg Thing, and cause himself there to be acclaimed King of Denmark. ¤ Thence would he conquer his country, for he accounted Denmark his own heritage in succession to his kinsman Magnus in like manner as with the kingdom of Norway. ¤ And for this purposebade he his men give him their assistance, for then, said he, the Norwegians would be masters of the Danes for all time. Then up and spake Einar Thamberskelfir, and said, rather was it his duty to convey his foster-son King Magnus to the grave and to the latter’s father King Olaf, than to fight in a foreign land, or to covet ye might and dominion of another King; therefore concluded he his speaking by saying that better he deemed it to follow King Magnus dead than any other king living. Afterwards caused he the corpse to be ta’en and laid out in solemn state so that all might see it arrayed on board the King’s own ship. Thereafter all the men of Throndhjem and the Norwegians made them ready to return home with the body of King Magnus & the war-host was disbanded. Then did King Harald perceive that by so much was it his wisest policy to fare back even unto Norway and first of all things to make that country his own, and thereafter wax in power. So Harald hied him thither with the whole of his host thus unto Norway, and even so soon as he was come thither held he a Thing of the men of the land, and caused himself to be acknowledged King over the whole country; he fared right from the east, from Vik, and was acclaimed King by every folkland in Norway.
¶ Einar Thamberskelfir journeyed to Norway with the corpse of King Magnus; with him fared all the host of the Throndhjem folk; & they took the body to Nidaros where it was buried in the chapel of Saint Clement wherein was then the shrine of the sainted King Olaf. ¤ King Magnus had been of middle height, with a countenance ruddy and frank, fair-haired was he, and eloquent; quick to think, strong to decide, bounteous to give; withal a mighty man of war and very valiant to boot; of all Kings was he the most beloved, & praised was he alike by friend and foe.
¶ That autumn also was Svein Ulfson in Skani & was minded to fare eastward to the realm of Sweden; moreover thoughthe that he would lay down the title of King which he had taken to himself in Denmark. Peradventure as he was mounting his horse rode certain men up to him & told unto him the tidings that King Magnus was dead, and how that all the host of Norway had quitted clean from Denmark. ¤ To this made Svein hasty answer & said: ‘I call God to witness that never hereafter will I flee the realm of Denmark even so long as I live.’ Therewithal mounted he his horse & rode southwards in Skani, & to him were forthwith many folk gathered. That winter conquered he the whole of Denmark, & all the Danes took him for their King. Thorir, the brother of King Magnus, came to Svein with the message of King Magnus, as has been afore writ, & Svein received Thorir with good countenance; tarried he long with Svein and it was well with him.
¶ After the death of King Magnus Olafson, had King Harald Sigurdson possession of the whole realm of Norway. ¤ And when he had ruled over Norway for one winter, & the spring was again incomen mustered he men from out of all the land, one half of the general host in men & ships, & thence sailed south to Jutland where he harried & burned even very widely; that same summer hove he to in Godnarfjord. At that time made King Harald this verse:
‘While the linen-white womanHer song chants to her goodman,The anchor of the oaken shipWe drop in Godnarfjord.’
‘While the linen-white woman
Her song chants to her goodman,
The anchor of the oaken ship
We drop in Godnarfjord.’
Then spake he to Thiodolf, and bade him add thereunto; and he sang:
‘Next summer (foretell I)The anchor more southwardShall hold the ship with its fluke;Deeper shall we cast it.’
‘Next summer (foretell I)
The anchor more southward
Shall hold the ship with its fluke;
Deeper shall we cast it.’
And Bolverk in his lay mentions that Harald fared to Denmark the summer following on King Magnus’s death:
‘From that fair land the year thereafterA muster called’st thou out;When thou ploughed’st the seasWith sea-steeds full splendid.On darksome billow layThe dragons precious, and uneasyThe host thereof saw off land laden were the war-ships of the Danes.’
‘From that fair land the year thereafter
A muster called’st thou out;
When thou ploughed’st the seas
With sea-steeds full splendid.
On darksome billow lay
The dragons precious, and uneasy
The host thereof saw off land laden were the war-ships of the Danes.’
¶ It was at that time that they burned the homestead of Thorkel Geyser. He was a great chief, natheless were his daughters led bounden to the ships: the winter before had they shown themselves very scornful of Harald & had made mock of his war cruise to Denmark, & from cheese had they cut out anchors and said that most like these would well suffice to hold the ships of the King of Norway. Then was this chanted:
‘Now from their whey cheeses cutThe maids of Denmark rings for anchors,And this gibe annoyance gave the King.Now see I maidens many in the mornReach the King’s ships in fetters heavy:Fewer laugh now.’
‘Now from their whey cheeses cut
The maids of Denmark rings for anchors,
And this gibe annoyance gave the King.
Now see I maidens many in the morn
Reach the King’s ships in fetters heavy:
Fewer laugh now.’
¶ It is related that the look-out man who had observed the fleet of King Harald’s cried out to the daughters of Thorkel Geyser, ‘Ye Geyser daughters said that Harald would never come to Denmark.’ Quoth one of them, ‘That was yesterday.’
¶ At a very high price did Thorkel ransom his daughters. Thus saith Grani:
‘Of tears her eyesWere never dry;This wrong-headed womanIn the thick Horn-woods.The lord of Norway the fleeingFoe to the shore drave;For his daughters wealth amainHad to pay their father.’
‘Of tears her eyes
Were never dry;
This wrong-headed woman
In the thick Horn-woods.
The lord of Norway the fleeing
Foe to the shore drave;
For his daughters wealth amain
Had to pay their father.’
¶ The whole of the summer did King Harald harry in the realm of the Danes & gat to himself much plunder, natheless did he not there abide but fared he back to Norway in the autumn, and there tarried the winter through.
¶ That same winter, which was even that one after the death of King Magnus, did King Harald take to wife Thora, the daughter of Thorberg Arnason. To them were born two sons, the elder of whom was Magnus, the younger Olaf. ¤ King Harald and Queen Ellisif had two daughters; one of these was named Maria, and the other Ingigerd. When that following spring was come, and of that spring have we writ afore, did King Harald muster his host and again fared forth to Denmark in the summer & harried there, & the same did he now one summer after the other. Thus saith Stuf the Skald:
‘Falster was wasted, and to its folkMischance befell (so I heard).The raven his fill ate,But rapine feared the Danes each year.’
‘Falster was wasted, and to its folk
Mischance befell (so I heard).
The raven his fill ate,
But rapine feared the Danes each year.’
¶ Ever since the death of King Magnus had King Svein ruled the whole of the Danish realm; remained he at peace during the winters, but by summer went he out with his host & did threaten to journey north with the Danish host, and there do no less harm than Harald had done in Denmark. In the winter King Svein offered to meet King Harald in the River, and there fight together to the last, or else come to agreement; and thereafter, during that winter, were both one and other of them busied arming their ships, so that in the summer to come might one half of the general host be abroad. ¤ It was in that summer that there came from Iceland Thorleik Svein Ulfson; he had heard to wit, when he was north in Norway, that King Harald had fared south to the River against King Svein. Then did Thorleik chant this:
‘’Tis awaited that in spear-stormOn the sea-king’s pathThe doughty men of inner ThrondhjemWill meet the hardy King.God only can bring it to passThat one of them there takethLife or land of the other;Little wots Svein of concord.’
‘’Tis awaited that in spear-storm
On the sea-king’s path
The doughty men of inner Throndhjem
Will meet the hardy King.
God only can bring it to pass
That one of them there taketh
Life or land of the other;
Little wots Svein of concord.’
And furthermore he chanted this:
‘Harald the harsh who bearethOft a red shield off the land,Is guiding on Budli’s ways§The broad long-ships from the north.But southward o’er the seas,Doth come the warlike SveinIn animals gold-mouthed, masted,And painted in colours fair.’
‘Harald the harsh who beareth
Oft a red shield off the land,
Is guiding on Budli’s ways§
The broad long-ships from the north.
But southward o’er the seas,
Doth come the warlike Svein
In animals gold-mouthed, masted,
And painted in colours fair.’
¶ To the appointed trysting-place came King Harald with his host, and there heard that King Svein was to the south and lying off Zealand with his fleet. Then did King Harald part his host, sending the greater number of the peasant-host back, but retaining to himself his body-guard & friends and feudatories, also that part of the peasant-host which had been mustered nighest to the Danes. ¤ They fared south (west) to Jutland, southward of Vendilskagi, & thereafter still south past Thioda, & went everywhere with the war-shield aloft. Thus saith Stuf the Skald:
‘Fled Thioda folk from meeting with the King,Bold was he the stately dealer of blows.Harald’s soul in Heaven.’§
‘Fled Thioda folk from meeting with the King,
Bold was he the stately dealer of blows.
Harald’s soul in Heaven.’§
¶ They fared southward all the way to Heidaby, and when they were come thither seized they that town and burned it. Then a man that was thrall to King Harald wrought this:
‘Burnt from one end to anotherWas the whole of Heidaby;Ruthless treatment this, methinks;Our work, I trow, arouses grief in Svein.In the town spent I last night:Ere the eighth hour the flames shot up from the houses.’
‘Burnt from one end to another
Was the whole of Heidaby;
Ruthless treatment this, methinks;
Our work, I trow, arouses grief in Svein.
In the town spent I last night:
Ere the eighth hour the flames shot up from the houses.’
¶ Likewise Thorleik telleth in his poem that he heard that no battle befell at the River:
‘Among the King’s followersEach asks who doth not wot itHow ’twas that the prince avengerTo Heidaby did hie him,When Harald from the east with shipsSped early, without reason,To the royal town. In soothDestruction ne’er should have been done.’
‘Among the King’s followers
Each asks who doth not wot it
How ’twas that the prince avenger
To Heidaby did hie him,
When Harald from the east with ships
Sped early, without reason,
To the royal town. In sooth
Destruction ne’er should have been done.’
¶ After this fared Harald northward and with him had he sixty ships, the greater number were large & well laden with what plunder had been taken in the summer. But as they were faring northward and past Thioda came down King Svein from the land with a large host; & he proffered King Harald to come ashore & do battle. Now King Harald had less than half as many men as Svein and so he bade Svein fight with him at sea. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:
‘Svein, even he who was born to success in Midgard,Called on the mighty King in fight on land to meet him;But Harald shy of failing would liefer fight, quoth he,Aboardship, since the bold King held the land.’
‘Svein, even he who was born to success in Midgard,
Called on the mighty King in fight on land to meet him;
But Harald shy of failing would liefer fight, quoth he,
Aboardship, since the bold King held the land.’
¶ Thereafter sailed Harald northward past Vendilskagi; but the wind was against them & they brought-to under Lesey where they remained the night. Then were the ships encompassed with a thick sea-fog, but when it was morning, & the sun rose, beheld they on the other side of the sea what seemed to them like burning fires. And King Harald being informed thereof gazed thereat, & said straightway: ‘Strike the ships’ tilts, and let the men fall to their oars. The Danish host hath come after us. The darkness hath lifted, I ween, there wherethey are, and the sun is shining on their dragon-heads the which are overlaid with gold.’ And it was even as Harald said for behold there was come Svein, the Danish King, with a mighty host. ¤ Both the fleets now rowed with all speed, but the Danish ships were lighter under oars, the Norwegian ships being both water-logged and heavy laden. So the Danes drew on apace. ¤ Then did Harald perceive that this would never serve his purpose. Now his dragon was faring astern of all his other ships, and he commanded that some timber should be thrown overboard and apparel with other wares be placed thereon, and as the water was calm these things drifted with the current. ¤ When the Danes saw these goods drifting along on the sea those who were rowing ahead swerved aside after them, for they deemed it easier to take the goods as they were floating loose on the water than to seek them on board the Norwegian ships, and in this manner did their ships linger. When King Svein overtook them in his ship bade he them proceed, and said shame was it that with an host as large as his they could not take the Norwegians, to whom was but few men, and get the fellows into their power. ¤ Then began the Danes to row the harder again, and when King Harald saw that they were making way bade he his men lighten their ships by throwing overboard malt and wheat and swine-flesh, even to chopping open their kegs of drink, and for a while these aids availed them well. Then did King Harald command that the war-hurdles should be taken, also casks, and empty barrels, and be cast overboard and on them and in them were placed prisoners of war. ¤ Now when King Svein saw all of these floating together on the sea he ordered that the men should be rescued, and accordingly was this done. While his men were occupied in this their task, grew greater the distance between the fleets, and when the Danes were again about the chase had the Norwegians already made good their escape. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:
‘I heard tell in what manner SveinThe eastmen put to flight at sea,How the other King quick-minded gat him gone;All the plunder of the Thrond-folk’s KingOn the Jutland sea was floating;And sundry ships lost he withal.’
‘I heard tell in what manner Svein
The eastmen put to flight at sea,
How the other King quick-minded gat him gone;
All the plunder of the Thrond-folk’s King
On the Jutland sea was floating;
And sundry ships lost he withal.’
¶ Under Lesey, did King Svein withdraw his fleet, and there found he seven Norwegian ships, but aboard them were only peasants and men who had been mustered for war. ¤ When King Svein took them begged they for quarter and offered money in ransom. Thus saith Thorleik the Fair:
‘For grace did Harald’s friends stout-heartedPray the King, and they few laid down their arms;The peasants ready-witted refused to fight thereafter,Speaking because their lives out they wished to live.’
‘For grace did Harald’s friends stout-hearted
Pray the King, and they few laid down their arms;
The peasants ready-witted refused to fight thereafter,
Speaking because their lives out they wished to live.’
¶ Anent King Harald be it said that he was masterful and a strong ruler in his own land, a very sage man withal, & it be common talk that there was never a chief in the Northlands so wise or ready in resource as he. ¤ A great warrior also, and very valiant, stronger, & defter with weapons than any other man; but all this have we recorded before. ¤ Nevertheless the greater number of his doughty deeds go unrecorded, and this in part by reason of our lack of knowledge thereof, & in part by reason that we will not put in books tales for which there is no witness, even though in our hearing have such things been told. It beseemeth us better that something may be added hereafter than that much should need to be taken herefrom. About King Harald are many tales set forth in lays which the Icelandic men made to him or to his sons, & for this reason was he a firm friend to them. A firm friend also was he to all our countrymen, and once when there was a great famine in Iceland permitted King Harald four of his ships to carry meal to that island, and decreed that six bushels thereof should not cost more than a hundred ells of homespun; furthermore allowedhe those that were stricken by poverty to leave if so be that they could find themselves in victuals the voyage thro’ over to the main, and by these means was the land saved and the harvest thereof bettered. ¤ King Harald set up a bell for the church which was builded with timber sent hither by the sainted King Olaf, and raised on a site nigh by where the Althing takes place. Such memories have we here of King Harald & of many other great gifts which he granted to men that sought them. ¤ Halldor Snorrason and Ulf Uspakson, whereof we have afore wrote, hied them to Norway even into the service of King Harald. ¤ In manifold parts were they opposite one from the other. Halldor was very big & strong and handsome, and King Harald bore witness regarding him that he was among those of his men who altered least in unawaited circumstances: whether such might be peril or tidings of joy, or through things that might occur when danger was toward; never was he more pleased nor less pleased, never did he sleep more nor less; nor took meat & drink otherwise than as was his wont. Halldor was a silent man & harsh, speaking bluntly, also was he stubborn and unmeek; and this was not to the liking of the King since he had many other bold and willing men. ¤ Halldor abode with the King but a short time and then fared back to Iceland, and made to himself a home at Hiardarholt, abiding there till he was aged and become an old man.
¶ In great love dwelt Ulf Uspakson with King Harald; a very wise man was he, eloquent, strong, large-hearted, & resourceful. King Harald created him his marshal and gave him in wedlock Jorun the daughter of Thorberg whose daughter, to wit Thora, was wife to King Harald. The children of Ulf and Jorun were Joan the Strong of Rasvold, & Brigida, the mother of Sheep-Wolf, who was the father of Peter Burden-Swain§who again was the father of Ulf Fly and of the other brothers and sisters of this latter. The son of Joan the Strongwas Erling, he that was the father of Archbishop Eystein and his brothers. ¤ King Harald gave Ulf the Marshal the rights of a feudatory and a grant of twelve marks with more than half a folkland in Throndhjem; this according to Stein Herdison in the lay of Ulf.
¶ Now it came to pass that King Magnus Olafson had caused the church of Saint Olaf§to be builded in Nidaros on the self-same spot whereon his father’s body had rested for a night, and this spot was then above the town; there too builded he the King’s-House. ¤ The church was not finished when the King died. Harald completed that which was lacking to the church, and in the yard thereof laid he the foundation of a stone hall, but this was not ready before he set to work to build the church of Saint Mary up on the sand-bank, nigh the spot where the holy body of the King lay buried that first winter after his death. ¤ It was a great minster and so firmly was it builded with lime that it scarce could be broken when Archbishop Eystein had it pulled down. ¤ In the church of Saint Olaf were preservedyerelics of King Olaf§whiles the church of St. Mary was abuilding. ¤ King Harald builded a King’s-House below the church of Mary, by the river, where it now stands; & the hall which he had builded before, dedicated he to the church of Saint Gregory.§
¶ A certain man there was named Ivar the White, who was a bold feudatory; his seat lay in the Uplands, and himself was a grandson of Earl Hakon the Great. In appearance was Ivar exceeding comely. The son of Ivar was named Hakon, and it hath been said of him that he surpassed all the men in Norway at that time for strength and courage & ability; he was much in warfare in his youth & made great advancement for himself, and later was he a very famous man.
¶ Einar Thamberskelfir was the most powerful of the feudatories in Throndhjem; little friendship throve there betwixt himself & Harald, natheless retained he the land-dues whichhad pertained to him during the lifetime of Magnus. ¤ Einar was an exceedingly wealthy man; he was wedded to Bergliot daughter of Earl Hakon, as hath been writ before. Eindrid, their son, was now full-grown, and had to wife Sigrid the daughter of Ketil Calf and of Gunhild, the niece of King Harald through her mother. ¤ Eindrid inherited fairness and beauty from the kindred of his mother, to wit, Earl Hakon and his sons; and from his father, Einar, gat he height and strength and the craft which Einar had above all other men; a very hearty man was Eindrid withal.
¶ Orm was the name of a certain Earl in the Uplands, and his mother was Ragnhild the daughter of Earl Hakon the Great. This Orm was a very excellent man. ¤ In those days Aslak Erlingson lived eastward at Soli in Jadar; he had to wife Sigrid the daughter of Earl Svein Hakonson. ¤ Gunhild, another daughter to Earl Svein, was wedded to the Danish King Svein Ulfson. This anent the offspring in Norway of Earl Hakon at that time, and moreover anent many other bold men; all of the line of Earl Hakon were more comely than other folk and the most of them were very able men, but all were brave.
¶ King Harald loved power, & this grew according as he took root in the land; to so great an extent did it wax that in the case of most men it bootless was to speak against him, or to bring forward other matters than those which were to his mind. Thus saith Thiodolf the Skald:
‘The men of the war-wont chieftainAll humble have to sit or standThere in such place as the stern king desireth;Before the filler of ravens bend many men,And few there are indeed who will not do in all thingsWhate’er the King may bid.’
‘The men of the war-wont chieftain
All humble have to sit or stand
There in such place as the stern king desireth;
Before the filler of ravens bend many men,
And few there are indeed who will not do in all things
Whate’er the King may bid.’
¶ Ever was Einar Thamberskelfir the chief leader of the Throndhjem peasantry, and their spokesman at the Thing when the King proceeded against them. Well acquainted washe with the laws; nor, with all the peasantry at his back, was he lacking in boldness to carry through his cause at the Things, even though the King himself might be present. ¤ Now this made the King exceeding wroth, and at last were matters at such a pass that they disputed together with contentious words, Einar swearing that the peasants would not brook the lawlessness of the King if he should break the common law of the land. After this fashion did they fall out on sundry occasions. Then Einar started to have many men round him when he was at home, and many more when he came to town and the King was present. On one occasion when he fared in to town had he with him many folk, eight or nine long-ships, and nigh upon five hundred men;§and coming to town he went ashore with this fellowship, and King Harald who by hap was in the outer gallery of his house, stood and looked on as the men to Einar flocked up from their ships, and it is said that Harald thereupon chanted this:
‘Here see I speeding upWith his great followingEinar Thamberskelfir;Yea, he who cleaveth the waves.That lord full strong is mindedA princely throne to fill;At the heels of an earlHouse-carles but few will follow.He who the sword makes redWill beguile us of our landIf Einar kisseth notThe thin mouth of the axe.’
‘Here see I speeding up
With his great following
Einar Thamberskelfir;
Yea, he who cleaveth the waves.
That lord full strong is minded
A princely throne to fill;
At the heels of an earl
House-carles but few will follow.
He who the sword makes red
Will beguile us of our land
If Einar kisseth not
The thin mouth of the axe.’
¶ Some days that while tarried Einar in the town. ¤ Now it came to pass that one day a folk-mote was held, for it had befallen that a thief had been taken in the town, and it was at this mote that he was to be brought to trial, & the King himself was present. ¤ Aforetime had the man been in the serviceof Einar who had favoured him more than a little. Now of this matter was Einar told, and deemed he that the King would not be the more prone to liberate the man because he, Einar, set store by him, so accordingly bade he his men arm themselves and in force to proceed to the mote, and then took Einar the man away by dint of sheer strength. ¤ Thereafter mediated the friends of either in the matter, & the end thereof came that it was agreed that a tryst should be appointed and that the King & Einar should meet one another. There was a council-chamber in the King’s-House down by the river,§and into this chamber entered the King and with him therein were but few men; the others left he standing without in the courtyard. Now the King had had a shutter placed over the smoke-hole, & there was but a little opening. Then did Einar come into the courtyard with his men, and said he to his son Eindrid: ‘Remain thou out here with the men, and then will there be no danger for me.’ ¤ Wherefore did Eindrid take up his station without the door of the council-chamber. ¤ Now when Einar was entered into this room said he: ‘Dark is it in the King’s council-chamber,’ and even at that moment fell men upon him and some stabbed him & some hewed at him, and when Eindrid heard the tumult drew he his sword and rushed into the chamber whereon forthwith was he felled beside his father. ¤ Then did the King’s men run towards the chamber and before the door thereof, but the peasants were all at a loss because now to them pertained no leader; yet did they urge one another on saying that it were shame not to avenge their chief, but for all that did they naught, & made no essay to fight. Then went the King out to his men, set them in array, & caused his banner to be unfurled, but made he no onset & thereafter bade he all his men go out to his ship, then rowed they down the river and so out on the fjord. ¤ Now apace was brought the intelligence of the death of Eindrid to Bergliot his wife for she was in the lodging that she andEinar inhabited in the town. Thence went she up unto the King’s-House where was gathered the peasant host and them incited she to fight inasmuch as in her lay, but at that same moment rowed the King down the river, then quoth Bergliot: ‘Now lack we my kinsman Hakon Ivarson; ne’er would the murderers of Eindrid be rowing there adown the river were Hakon on its banks.’ ¤ Thereafter caused Bergliot the bodies of Einar & Eindrid be laid out, and they were buried in the church of Saint Olaf hard by the tomb of King Magnus Olafson. ¤ After the fall of Einar became King Harald so greatlyhated for his share in that foul deed, that the feudatories and peasants only held back from fighting with him because to them pertained no leader to raise the banner for them.
Harald and his men rowing down the river
¶ Now dwelling at Austrat in Iriar was Fin Arnison, feudatory of King Harald. ¤ Fin was married with Bergliot, the daughter of Halfdan the son of Sigurd Sow, & Halfdan was the brother of King Olaf and King Harald. ¤ Thora, wife to King Harald, was the daughter of the brother of Fin Arnison; sworn friends to the King were Fin and his brethren. Certain summers had Fin been in viking warfare westward and on those quests he & Guthorm Gunhildson§& Hakon Ivarson had sailed in company. So fared King Harald down the Throndhjem fjord and out to Austrat, where he was well received, and thereafter communed they together, Fin and he, & took counsel one with the other as to the outcome concerning what had but then befallen, to wit the slaying of Einar and his son, and then of that murmuring and turmoil the which the Throndhjem folk were raising over against the King. ¤ Fin answered hastily: ‘Wrong art thou on every count; whatsoever thou doest thou doest ill & thereafter art thou so afeared that thou knowest no whither to turn.’ ¤ The King rejoined laughing: ‘Kinsman-in-law, I will send thee in to town & thou shalt make it up betwixt the peasants and me; & if that business cometh to naught then shalt thou fare to the Uplands, & good feeling again cause with Ivar Hakonson & so bring it about that he goeth not to war against me.’ Fin answered: ‘What will be my reward an I go on this fool’s errand, for alike Throndhjem folk and Upland folk are so hostile to thee that no messenger of thine could fare to them save at his own risk.’ ¤ The King answered: ‘Go thou on this errand, kinsman-in-law, for well wot I an any man could bring us to a reconciliation it would be thee, & ask thyself of us what boon thou wilt have therefor.’ ¤ ‘Keep thou thy word, and I will choose the boon; I choose peace for my brother Calf andremoval of his outlawry, and the restoring unto him of all his possessions; and furthermore I ask that he shall have all his appointments and all the power that he had or ever he left the land.’ ¤ And the King said yea to all whatever Fin asked of him, & they twain before witnesses took one another by the hand thereon. Thereafter said Fin: ‘But what am I to proffer Hakon so that he may promise thee peace, for he it is who hath the upper hand of those kinsmen’? The King said: ‘First shalt thou find out what Hakon is like to demand so that reconciliation may be brought about, and thereafter must thou forward my cause as best thou canst; but should the worst come to the worst, then deny him nothing save & except the kingship itself.’
¶ Then went King Harald southward to More where mustered he men, and a great number was gathered unto him.
¶ So Fin Arnison fared into the town & took with him his house-carles to the number of some eighty men, and being come to the town held he a Thing with the townsmen. Now Fin spoke long and wisely at this Thing, bidding townsman and peasant take any other course rather than live in hatred with his King or drive him away; & he reminded them how much ill they had been brought to suffer when they had acted in this wise aforetime, towards the sainted King Olaf. ¤ He said, moreover, that the King would atone for these murders in such manner as the best & wisest men might adjudge; and the outcome of the speech of Fin was that the men gave their word to let the matter rest until the return of the messengers despatched by Bergliot to Hakon Ivarson in the Uplands. Thereafter fared Fin out to Orkadal with the men who had accompanied him to town, and further up to the Dofrafjal and eastward (south) across those mountains; and firstly went he to see his kinsman-in-law Earl Orm (the Earl was wedded to Sigrid the daughter to Fin) & to him disclosed his errand.
¶ When this was done, appointed they a tryst with HakonIvarson, & when they were met did Fin before Hakon lay his errand in accordance with the behest of King Harald. But on the instant was it seen from the speech of Hakon that he deemed himself bound to avenge the slaying of his kinsman Eindrid; and said he, moreover, that he had received word from Throndhjem that there would come to him forces sufficient for an uprising against the King.
¶ Then did Fin open unto Hakon what a difference would lie, and how much the more to his own vantage, were he, in lieu of risking battle against a King to whom he was already bounden by service, to accept from that King honour as great as he himself might demand. Fin said that Hakon might be unvictorious; ‘and then wouldst thou have forfeited both wealth and peace; and if thou wert victorious over the King then wouldst thou be dubbed a traitor.’ ¤ The Earl also supported this speaking of Fin. ¤ When Hakon had given the matter thought, made he known to them what was in his mind, & said: ‘I will accept reconciliation from King Harald if he will give me in wedlock his kinswoman Ragnhild, the daughter of Magnus Olafson, with such a dowry as is seemly for her, and as she herself may desire.’ ¤ Then Fin answered that he would promise the fulfilment of this request on behalf of King Harald, & therewith was the matter ratified between them. Thereafter fared Fin back north to Throndhjem, and all the disquiet and turmoil was set at rest; and so in the end kept the King his kingdom in peace within the land, for now the whole of that league came to naught which the kinsfolk of Eindrid had set against King Harald.
Hakon wooing Ragnhild
¶ Now when the time was come that Hakon was to demand the fulfilment of the contract, fared he to see King Harald; and when they began talking of the matter together, said the King to him that he on his side would keep to everything that had been covenanted twixt Hakon and Fin: ‘Thou shalt speak with Ragnhild herself, Hakon,’ said the King, ‘andask her consent to this match, but I would not advise thee, or any other, to wed Ragnhild save with her consent.’
Thereafter went Hakon unto Ragnhild and asked her hand, and she answered: ‘Indeed feel I that my father, King Hakon, is dead, since I am to be given to a peasant, fine man though thou art and of mighty prowess. Were King Magnus alive wouldhe never yoke me with any mate less than a king, nor can it be awaited now that I will wed a man without princely rank.’ Now after this went Hakon to King Harald & opened unto him of the colour of the speech of Ragnhild, & withal to his memory again commended the agreement betwixt himself and Fin; and Fin was there present, & sundry others who could also bear witness to what was pledged betwixt him and Fin. Then of them all demanded Hakon to bear him out in regard to the agreement that the King should give Ragnhild such dowry as was to her mind: ‘Since she will not wed an unprincely man then canst thou give me an earldom; lineage have I, and according to what folk say certain other qualities therewith that may well give me title to be an earl.’ Then said the King: ‘When King Olaf, my brother, & King Magnus, his son, ruled the kingdom, one earl did they allow to be in the country at a time; this likewise hath been my plan since I have been King, & therefore will I not take away from Orm the dignity which I have already given him.’ Then saw Hakon that his cause had not been forwarded and he liked it but ill, and Fin was likewise exceeding wrath that the King had not kept his word, and thereafter they parted. Hakon fared straightway from the country in a well-found long-ship, and southward steered a course for Denmark where he betook him to his kinsman-in-law, King Svein. The King received him with great pleasure & gave him large grants in Denmark and made he Hakon also captain of his coast defences, which were against vikings, who oft-times harried in the Danish realm, and Wends, and Courlanders, and other folk coming from the east. Therefore at sea, on his ships, dwelt Hakon in winter as well as in summer.
¶ Asmund was the name of a certain man who was said to be nephew§& foster-son to King Svein, a very able man was he, and well-beloved by the King. ¤ But when Asmund grew to man’s estate soon showed he himself of an unruly complexion& a manslayer; and the King being ill-pleased thereat sent him away, but gave him a company of men and a goodly feof whereof could he full well find support. ¤ Now no sooner had Asmund accepted the money of the King than gathered he many men to him, and thereafter, since the money the King had granted him sufficed in no sort for his charges, seized he many possessions of the King. ¤ For this ill conduct, when the King heard thereof, summoned he Asmund to him, and when they met told him that obeyed would he be, that he must enter his body-guard & no longer have his own company of men. When Asmund had been a time with the King, became he ill-content, & one night ran he away and rejoined his company, and thereafter wrought even more evil than aforetime. ¤ Then it befell once upon a time when the King was riding in his dominions, that he came nigh unto the place where then abode Asmund and he despatched men to take him by force, and that done the King had him put in irons and kept him thus for a while to see if he would not grow meeker. But when Asmund was let loose from his irons forthwith ran he the more away, & raised men and war-ships, and fell to harrying both at home and abroad, & much war-work did he, slaying many folk, and pillaging far and wide. Those men that were the sufferers from his raids went to the King and made plaint before him, and he rejoined: ‘Why say ye this to me, why do ye not fare to Hakon Ivarson? He is now the warden of my coasts, and is put there to punish vikings and keep the peace for ye peasants. It was told me that Hakon was a bold man and brave, but methinks that now is he never to be found where he deemeth danger to be toward.’ ¤ These words from the King, and many added to them, came to the ears of Hakon, & thereon went Hakon & his men in search of Asmund, & they were met on their ships, wherefore Hakon forthwith gave battle. A hard & great struggle was it; Hakon boarded Asmund’s ship and cleared it, and at the last he andAsmund themselves dealt blows one at another with their weapons & thus fell Asmund. Thereafter Hakon smote off his head, & then betook him with all speed to King Svein whom he found sitting at table. ¤ Hakon advanced before the table and laid the head thereon, in front of the King, and asked of him whether he recognized it. ¤ Never a word did the King answer, but he was blood-red to behold. ¤ Thereafter went Hakon away. A little later sent the King men to him, to bid him leave his service, & he said: ‘No hurt will I do him, but it is not for us to be the keeper of all our kinsmen.’
¶ Then when all these things were accomplished did Hakon quit Denmark & thence fared forth to the north of Norway, to his demesne. ¤ By that time was his kinsman, Earl Orm, dead. ¤ The friends and kindred to Hakon were rejoiced over his coming, and many a bold man set to work to make peace betwixt him & the King, & in the end were they reconciled, to wit, both King Harald and Hakon; and Hakon was given Ragnhild, the King’s daughter, in marriage, & King Harald gave him Orm’s earldom and such rule as had been Orm’s aforetime. Hakon swore fealty to the King, and likewise to afford him such service as he was bounden to give him.
¶ Since he had fared from Norway had Calf Arnison been living after the fashion of a viking westward, but the winters through oft-times abode he in Orkneyja (the Orkneys) with his kinsman-in-law, Earl Thorfin. Fin Arnison sent to his brother Calf to tell him concerning the covenant which he and King Harald had encompassed, the purport whereof being ye outlawry of Calf himself, to wit, that it should be once more lawful to him to dwell in his own land, and possess his estates, and such land dues as he had held aforetime from King Magnus. When Calf received this message, forthwith made he him ready to quit, and sailed he east to Norway, and firstly sought he his brother Fin. ¤ Thereafter Fin craved a truce for Calf, and then were they confronted, the Kingand Calf, & entered into a covenant like unto the agreement to which the King & Fin had arrived on this matter. Thereon gave Calf his hand, and bound himself on the same terms as he had bound himself to King Magnus aforetime, that he would do all such works as King Harald desired or deemed would be for the strengthening of his kingdom. ¤ Then was Calf re-endowed with all his possessions, and the land-dues which had been his in former days.
¶ Next summer called out King Harald an host and fared to Denmark where he harried during the summer. ¤ But when he was come south to Fion (Funen) found he a large host assembled against him, so bade the King his men leave their ships and arm themselves in order to make a landing; and parted he his host and gave to Calf Arnison command over one company thereof, and bade them go the first ashore and told them where to take up their station; himself, said he, would go up after them, and come to their assistance. ¤ Calf and his men went ashore, and anon a band of men set upon them, and Calf forthwith gave battle. Not long was the combat, for Calf was overborne by odds and fled with his folk. The Danes pursued them, slaying many of the Norwegians, and likewise Calf Arnison. ¤ When King Harald with his company were come ashore soon found they the slain, more especially the corse of Calf, and this was borne down to the ships, but the King pursued his march inland where he harried and slew many men. Thus saith Arnor: