The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 10

'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, --Worthy of three swords am I-- 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 manly exercises; 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 s.h.i.+eld 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 s.h.i.+p 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 friends.h.i.+p, 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 pa.s.s 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 G.o.d 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 s.h.i.+ps 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 ash.o.r.e 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 s.p.a.ce 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 s.h.i.+ps. But when the brothers-in-law of King Olaf, even the brothers Hyrning & Thorgeir learned of these happenings furnished they folk & gathered to themselves s.h.i.+ps 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 s.h.i.+ps 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 s.h.i.+p: a s.h.i.+p far mightier than any other s.h.i.+p of that land, and the stocks whereon she was built are still to be seen.

Of this s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p 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-s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+p, '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 s.h.i.+p and chopped the gunwale in such wise that all the notches were pared away, and the King said then, and all the others likewise, that now the s.h.i.+p was even so goodlier by far on that side on which Thorberg had cut the notches. So then the King bade him fas.h.i.+on both sides alike, & gave him land even for so doing, and thus was Thorberg master-smith on the s.h.i.+p, even until she was finished. A dragon-s.h.i.+p was she & wrought after the same fas.h.i.+on as the 'Serpent' which the King had brought with him from Halogaland; but was the new s.h.i.+p 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 s.h.i.+ps. This was the s.h.i.+p which was ye best equipped, and the cost thereof was the most money of any s.h.i.+p 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 change Brief s.p.a.ce 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 pa.s.sed 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 s.h.i.+ps & 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 viking craft or merchant-s.h.i.+ps even as they were sailing to land, and when he listed went he ash.o.r.e 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 aforetime That Eirik won the land?

In those days when the chiefs on Gotland's sh.o.r.es 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 s.h.i.+ps 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-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 sh.o.r.e.'

-- 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 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 s.h.i.+ps. It is thus spoken of in the Banda lay:

'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-s.h.i.+eld 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 from the marriage arose a friends.h.i.+p betwixt the brothers-in-law, and betwixt them and Earl Eirik Hakonson.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

-- 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 Tyri told 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 pa.s.sing 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 pa.s.s at which they now lay seemed it a hard thing to her to judge; yet on the other hand plainly perceived 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.