Snorri Sturluson

“ 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. ”

“ Thus saith Thiodolf the Skald:
‘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. ”

“ Nay, let us all rather be of one mind: to die with honour or to win England by conquest.’ Then did the horseman ride away, and King Harald Sigurdson asked of the Earl, ‘who was that long-tongued man, yonder?’ ‘That was King Harald Godwinson,’ said the Earl. ‘Too long was this kept from us,’ said King Harald Sigurdson, ‘they were come so nigh unto our host, that nought would this Harald have known how to tell of the death of our men.’ ‘True it is,’ said the Earl, ‘that such a chief went right unwarily, and that it might have been as thou sayest ”

“ Straightway did Sigurd take Olaf to the house of the Queen, and to her made known what had befallen. Her name was Allogia, and Sigurd prayed for her grace to protect the lad. The Queen beheld the boy and said that one so young and so well favoured must not be slain, and proclaimed her readiness to summon men fully armed. Now it fell in Holmgard that so great was the respect paid unto peace that it was lawful to slay any man who himself had slain another who was uncondemned ”

“ Now Olaf being minded to make assay of his cunning sent to him the finest and fairest of his men, in apparel as brave as might be, bidding him say that he was the King, for Olaf had become famous in all lands in that he was comelier and bolder and stronger than all other men. Since he had left Garda, howsoever, he had used no more of his name than to call himself Oli, and had told people that he was of the realm of Garda. ”

“ We will take Norway more easily than by fighting for her with all the hosts of Denmark. Send thou to thy foster-son Harald, and bid him receive from thee the lands and fiefs which they had aforetime here in Denmark. ¤ Appoint a tryst with him; then can Gold Harald in a short while win himself a kingdom in Norway from King Harald Grey-cloak.’ Then answered the King that it would be called of foul intent to betray his foster-son. ‘The Danes, I trow, will account it a better deed to slay a Norwegian viking than one who is a brother’s son and a Dane,’ answereth the Earl ”

“ From all sides had the war-ships been brought up around the ‘Serpent,’ and so great was the shower of weapons which fell on her, and so thickly flew the arrows and javelins from all sides, that men could but hardly ward off the missiles with their shields. The men that were with King Olaf had ere now waxed so furious that they had climbed up on to the bulwarks to the end that they might reach their foemen with their swords and slay them ”

“ An ill piece of work will the Norwegians have to drag thee, blind man, after them, and keep thee alive.’ ¤ Then answered back the Earl: ‘Many ill things have the Norwegians now to do, & the worst of these is thy bidding.’ ¤ Then said King Harald: ‘Wilt thou have grace, though grace deservest thou not?’ The Earl answered: ‘Not from thee, hound!’ The King said: ‘Dost desire that thy kinsman Magnus should give thee grace?’ Magnus, the son of King Harald, was captain of a ship at that time. ”

“ King Harald chanted this song:
‘Now of men eleven and two have I the bane been,
We incite to battle and full many a slaying I remember.
That mind which is with treason fraught
Seeks to tame men by falseness;
Men say ‘tis little that it takes such a balance to disturb.’
¶ So much to heart did Fin Arnison take the death of his brother that he quitted the land and came south to Denmark, and going unto King Svein was well received by him. ”

“ The kings who rule there are hated by all the folk of their land, & every man wishes them ill, as is but meet.’ 18 Then mused the King aloud: ‘Norway is a great land, and the folk are a hardy folk; it beseems me to be a land ill chosen whereon to fall with a foreign host. Thus did it happen to us when Hakon defended the land; many men were slain to us but no victory did we achieve. Moreover Harald Eirikson is my foster-son and hath sat on my knee.’ Then saith the Earl: ‘Long have I known that thou hast given help to the sons of Gunnhild ”

“ Even with great hosts of men,
The wound-bird on the sea gat food while waiting,
Each and every warrior was fain to follow Eirik.’
¶ So the King of the Swedes and Earl Eirik shaped a course to meet the Danish King, and when all the fleets were come together was there a host greater than one man could number.
¶ When King Svein sent for that fleet, sent he moreover Earl Sigvaldi to Wendland to spy on the expedition of King Olaf, and to lay such a lure that King Svein and the others might assuredly fall in with King Olaf. ”

“ Svein Hakonson, he that was the finest man that men have ever looked on, received earldom from Olaf the Swede. Eirik and Earl Svein were alike baptized into and made profession of the true Faith, but even so long as they ruled over Norway gave they licence to every man that he should please himself about what creed he would cleave to, & moreover maintained they the old laws honourably and likewise all the customs of the land; therefore were they justly men who were well-beloved and good rulers. ”

“ So Olaf went to him & communed with him, & asked him to prophesy about his future, whether or not he would win himself a kingdom or other good fortune. Then answered the prophet with saintly prophecy: ‘Thou wilt be a glorious King, & do glorious deeds, to faith & christening wilt thou bring many men, and thou wilt help thereby both thyself & many others. But to the end that thou shalt not doubt about this mine answer take this for a token: Hard by thy ships shalt thou meet with guile & with foemen, & thou shalt do battle; and of thy men some shall fall and thou thyself shalt be wounded. ”

“ 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 the 142 ships of Harald were hove out of berth, and King Magnus put his ships into their place. ”

“ Sigurd bade him come with him to the peasant Reas, and when they were come to the churl paid he him what price was covenanted between them for the boys and bare them with him to Holmgard. But never a word did he relate of the lineage of Olaf, yet held he him in high favour.
¶ It was that one day in the marketplace lingered Olaf Tryggvason when there was a gathering of many people. And it chanced that amongst them, spied he Klerkon who had slain his fosterfather Thorolf Louse-Beard. ”

“ Gold Harald will now slay Harald Grey-cloak and thereafter take himself a kingdom in Norway. ¤ Thinkest thou that he will be loyal to thee when thou givest him so much power? Thus said he in my presence last winter that he would slay thee could he but find occasion to do so. Now will I bring Norway under thy sway and slay Gold Harald, if thou wilt promise easy absolution at thy hands for the deed. ¤ Then will I be thine earl, and bind myself by oath that with thy might to be my aid I will bring Norway under subjection under thee, and thereafter hold lands under thy dominion & pay thee tribute. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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 Magnus had a son who was hight Hakon & his foster-father was Steig-Thorir; a youth of promise was he.
¶ After the death of King Harald Sigurdson, Svein, the Danish King, gave out that peace was at an end betwixt Norwegians and Danes, for the pact was made to endure only as long as both kings lived. So then were men mustered in both realms; King Harald’s sons called out a general-host and ships from Norway, and King Svein fared northward with the host of the Danes. ”

“ Ragnfrod sailed with his fleet southward to Stad, for he feared him that the land hosts might assemble and flock to Earl Hakon. But that earl waged war no more for unto his mind the difference betwixt the ships was over-great. In the autumn fared he north to Throndhjem, & there abode during the winter. King Ragnfrod therefore held all the land south of Stad: the Fjords, Sogn, Hordaland, and Rogaland. Many men were at his beck throughout that winter, and when the spring-tide came called he a muster and gat him many more. ”

“ Thorir answered: ‘The Earl is so mighty a man that no one durst speak but as he wills, nevertheless the reason of this is that we have none other to look to. Verily know I the minds of many mighty men, & of the people likewise, & that they would be eager & ready were a king of the lineage of Harald Fair-hair to come to the realm. ”

“ The twain of them were doughty men, and noble in England, and both were very sage and well-beloved by the King. Ketil Crook fared northward to Halogaland and King Olaf gat him a good marriage, and from him are descended many great men. Skuli, King’s-fosterer, was a wise and strong man, very fair to behold; he became captain of King Olaf’s body-guard, lent his counsel at the Things, and ruled with the King in all governances of the land. ”

“ King Harald sent round the whole of Norway calling out a levy, one half of the general war-muster. ¤ Now all this was much spoken of by men, and many were the guesses as to how things would go on the faring. Some reckoned & counted up all deeds of valour, swearing how naught would be impossible of King Harald, but said others that England would be difficult to conquer inasmuch as the people were exceeding numerous, & those warriors who were called the Thingmanna-host§ so doughty that one of them was better than two of Harald’s best men. ”

“ Howbeit one place is there wherein would I never seek for such a man 62 as thou, and that is in the swine-sty.’ So thither hied they and said the Earl: ‘Here then will we hide us, for it behoves us that first of all must we give heed to our own lives.’ Thereupon dug the thrall a large ditch in the sty & carried away the earth, and afterwards placed wood across it. ¤ And Thora brought unto the Earl tidings that Olaf Tryggvason was come up the fjord, and that he had slain the Earl’s son Erling. ”