The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 15

It is told that altogether Harald fought eighteen battles on these journeys. Thus saith Thiodolf:

'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 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 folk Withstood on the banks of the Jordan the treason of men, But for true trespa.s.s 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 fas.h.i.+on 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.'

Thus likewise saith Thiodolf the Skald:

'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 n.o.bleman. 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 fas.h.i.+on 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 fas.h.i.+on did Harald escape from Miklagard, & thence fared he forth into the Black Sea. But ere he sailed from land he set the maid ash.o.r.e, & gave her trusty followers to take her back to Miklagard; and he bade her ask her kinswoman Zoe how much power 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 s.h.i.+p; 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 owners.h.i.+p 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 h.o.a.rds 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 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 pa.s.s 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 s.h.i.+p 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 the s.h.i.+ps of Harald were hove out of berth, and King Magnus put his s.h.i.+ps into their place.

When this had been accomplished went King Harald with sundry of his men up on to the s.h.i.+p 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 mis...o...b..ed 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 s.h.i.+p. 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 fas.h.i.+on 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 to Skani. 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 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 purpose bade he his men give him their a.s.sistance, 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 s.h.i.+p. 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 thought he that he would lay down the t.i.tle 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 G.o.d 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.