The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 8

This man managed to have speech of the King, & the King found much entertainment in his conversation and questioned him closely on many subjects, & the guest made ready answer to all that he asked him, wherefore sat the King till late in the night conversing with him.

The King asked if he wotted who Ogvald was, whom the ness & homesteads were named after, & the guest answered that Ogvald was a king and a great warrior who made sacrifice above all to a cow, and took the cow with him whithersoever he went, for wholesome did he deem it to drink ever of her milk. King Ogvald fought with that King who is hight Varin, & fell in the combat. He was buried in a barrow not far from the house, and a stone was set up which is still standing. In a place not far from thence was the cow buried, likewise in a barrow. Such things as this told he of kings; and other ancient tidings withal. Now after they had sat thus till late in the night, the bishop reminded the King that it was time for them to rest, & the King did according as the bishop had said. But when the King was unclad and had laid him in his bed, the guest sat himself on the step thereof, and again talked for long with the King; and ever when he had told of one matter did the King long for more. Then spake the bishop to the King saying that it was time for sleep, and the King settled himself for sleep according as the bishop had said & the guest gat him gone, but soon thereafter the King awakened, and asked after his guest, & bade him be called unto him, but nowhere was the guest to be found. On the morrow early the King summoned his cook to him and he who had charge of the drink withal, and asked them if any unknown man had come in to them; & they answered that as they were making ready the food a man had come to them & said that they were boiling but scurvy meat for the King's table, & therewith he gave them two mighty fat sides of neat & these they boiled with the other flesh. Then commanded the King that all that food should be destroyed, saying that this had not been any man but rather Odin himself, whom heathen men had long believed on, but, said he, never should Odin beguile them.[--]

-- Now when summer was come called King Olaf together a large host from the east of the country and with it sailed he northward to Throndhjem, going in first to Nidaros. Thereafter sent he round the whole of the fjord bidding men a.s.semble at a Thing, and there gathered at Frosta a Thing of eight counties.

Now the peasants, be it said, had turned this Thing summons into a war-arrow,[--] and to the a.s.sembly came men from the whole of the district of Throndhjem, so that when the King arrived at the Thing, thither likewise was come the peasant host fully armed.

The Thing being established, the King addressed the people and bade them accept Christianity, but when he had been speaking but a little while the peasants called out to him, & bade him be silent or otherwise, said they, would they rise against him and drive him away. 'Thus did we,'

said they, 'with Hakon Adalstein's foster-son when he commanded a thing of the kind, and hold we thee in no more respect than held we him.'

Then did King Olaf seeing the ire of the peasants, and moreover knowing full well that they had so large an host, change his manner of address and made as if he were agreed with them and spake to them thus: 'It is my wish that we should be friends again, in such good accord as we were aforetime.

Thither will I go wheresoever ye hold your greatest blood-offering, & witness your wors.h.i.+p; then will we all take counsel together as to what manner of wors.h.i.+p we will have, and be then all of one mind thereon.'

Now when the King spake thus mildly to the peasants, grew they softened in temper, and all the converse went peaceably and in seemly fas.h.i.+on, and at the end was it determined that there should be a midsummer sacrifice at Maerin, and that thither all the chiefs and wealthy peasants should go as the custom was, and that thither likewise King Olaf was to go.

-- Now there was a certain wealthy yeoman whose name was Skeggi (Iron Beard, called they him) who dwelt at Uphaug in Yriar, and he it was who first spake up against the King at the Thing, and the cause thereof was because he was the spokesman of the peasantry against Christianity. But in the manner aforesaid was the Thing brought to an end, and the peasants went to their homes, and the King across to Ladir.

-- At this time was King Olaf lying with his s.h.i.+ps in the Nid (thirty s.h.i.+ps had he, and his folk were of great prowess) but the King himself was ofttimes at Ladir, being kept company by his body-guard.

Now when the time appointed for the blood-offering at Maerin was drawing nigh held King Olaf a mighty feast at Ladir; thither there came to it chieftains and other wealthy peasants from Strind & from places up in Gauldal, in accordance with the bidding of King Olaf. When all things were ready and the guests come, there was held on the first evening a large banquet, and the cups thereat were often charged & men became drunk; that night slept all men there in peace. On the morrow early, after the King was clad, ordered he Ma.s.s to be said, and when the Ma.s.s was ended his men sounded their horns for a house-Thing, and the Thing being established rose the King to his feet and spake, saying: 'A Thing held we at Frosta, and thereat I bade the peasantry let themselves be christened; but they in their turn bade me attend a blood-offering with them, even as the foster-son to King Hakon Adalstein had attended one.

And there was accord betwixt us inasmuch as it was determined that we should meet at Maerin & make a great blood-offering.

But if I am to turn to sacrificing with you, then will I cause to be made the greatest sacrifice that can be, namely, the sacrifice of men.

Nor will I choose as gifts for the G.o.ds thralls and evil-doers, but the n.o.blest men, and by this token name I Orm Lygra of Medalhus, Styrkar of Gimsar, Kar of Gryting, Asbiorn Thorbergson of Varnes, Orm of Lyxa, and Haldor of Skerdingsted.' Added to these named he five other men who were of the n.o.blest there; all these, said he, should be sacrificed for peace and a good year, & he commanded that they should be seized forthwith.

Then the peasants seeing that they were not numerous enough to withstand the King begged for grace and gave the whole matter into his hands, whereupon it was agreed that all those who were come thither should let themselves be baptized, & swear an oath unto the King to hold fast the true Faith, and have naught further to do with sacrificing.

All these men kept the King at his feast until they gave their sons or brothers or other near kin to be hostages.

-- Then fared King Olaf with all his men in to Throndhjem; and when he was come to Maerin found he there a.s.sembled all the chiefs that were of Throndhjem; those who were most zealous to withstand the Christian faith. With them were all the wealthy yeomen who had hitherto upheld blood-offerings in this place, a right goodly gathering of men, even as it had been aforetime at the Frosta-Thing.

The King having required that the Thing should meet, both sides betook themselves to it, and they were fully armed. Then when the Thing was established the King spake and offered the men Christianity, & Iron-Beard answered on behalf of the peasants and said that now even as before would they not suffer the King to break their laws: 'We desire, King, that thou makest sacrifice, even as other kings in the land have done before thee.' Greatly was this speaking applauded by the peasants, & they shouted that everything must be according unto the words of Skeggi. Then made the King answer that he would go to the temple and witness their wors.h.i.+p when they were sacrificing, and at this were the peasants well pleased, and both sides betook themselves thither accordingly.

-- Now with King Olaf when he entered into the temple were a certain few of his men & a certain few of the peasants. When the King was come unto the place of the G.o.ds where sat Thor, all adorned with gold and silver, then did King Olaf lift up a gold-wrought pike which he had in his hand and smote Thor so that he fell from off his altar, & thereupon the King's men ran up & cast down all the other G.o.ds from their altars.

While they were within the temple was Iron-Beard slain before the entrance-door thereof, and this deed was done by the men of the King.

Then when the King came forth again to his folk, bade he the peasants choose one of two conditions: and these twain conditions were either that they should accept the Faith of Christ, or in default thereof do battle with him. Now Iron-Beard having been slain was there no man to raise the banner against the King, so then was that condition accepted which meant going over unto the King & doing that which he had commanded.

Then caused King Olaf all the folk who were present to be baptized, and from them took hostages that they would cleave to the new faith that was given them.

Thereafter sent the King his men round to all the different parts of Throndhjem, and durst no man utter a word against the faith of Christ.

-- Then went King Olaf with his men to Nidaros, and on the banks of the river Nid caused houses to be built, and appointed that on the spot should arise a merchant-town. He gave men sites on which to build them houses, & his own King's-House built he above Sc.i.p.a-Krok.--

In the autumn caused he to be brought thither such goods as were necessary for a sojourn there during the wintertide; and with him were a great company of men.

-- After the death of Iron-Beard was his body borne out to Yriar; and he lies in the Skeggi barrow at Austratt.--

King Olaf summoned a meeting of the kith of Iron-Beard and forasmuch as his folk had slain this man offered he to pay atonement for the deed, but there were many brave men to make answer on behalf of Iron-Beard.

Now Iron-Beard had a daughter whose name was Gudrun, and in the end was it agreed betwixt those concerned that the King should wed this Gudrun.

When the marriage time was come went they both of them into one bed, King Olaf and Gudrun, and the first night as they were lying together no sooner had the King fallen asleep than Gudrun drew forth a knife, and was about to thrust it into the King, when he awoke and wresting the knife from her cried out to his men to tell them what had befallen.

Gudrun & all the men who had accompanied her then took their apparel and gat them gone in haste; & never afterwards did Gudrun lie in the same bed with King Olaf.

-- That same autumn King Olaf caused a great long-s.h.i.+p to be built on the sands at the mouth of the Nid; a cutter was she, and at work on the building thereof were many smiths.

At the beginning of winter she was completed, and there were in her thirty holds, & the prow and stern were lofty withal, yet was she not broad of beam. That s.h.i.+p called he the 'Crane.'

[Ill.u.s.tration]

-- Now when King Olaf had been two winters in Norway there came to dwell with him a Saxon priest whose name was Thangbrand; violent was he & murderous, but a goodly clerk withal and an active man. So headstrong was he, howsoever, that the King would not keep him with him, but sent him to Iceland to make that country Christian.

Thangbrand was given a merchant s.h.i.+p, & of his voyage it may be related that he fared to Iceland, and reached the eastern fjords in southern Alptafjord, & the winter thereafter abode with Hall at Sida. Thangbrand preached Christianity in the islands and Hall and his folk and many other chiefs let themselves be baptized according to his word; but there were many others who spake against the new faith. Thorvald and Vetrlidi the skald made lampoons about Thangbrand, but he slew them both.

Thangbrand abode three winters in Iceland, and was the slayer of three men or ever he departed thence.

-- A certain man was there named Sigurd & another who was called Hawk; they were Halogalanders, and oft-times made voyages for the conveyance of merchandise.

One summer fared they to England. When they were returned to Norway sailed they northward along the coast, & in North More fell in with the fleet of King Olaf.

Now when the King was told that some heathen men, skippers, from Halogaland were there, summoned he them to him & asked them if they would allow themselves to be baptized, and thereto answered they nay.

Thereafter did the King talk to them after diverse fas.h.i.+ons, but it availed nothing; then he vowed that death or maiming should be their lot, but they obeyed him none the more for that. Then did he cause them to be put in irons, and kept them in durance for a while, and in fetters were they, and the King talked often with them, but naught prevailed.

Then one night made they off, and no one knew anything about them, or in what manner they had gotten away; but in the autumn were they arrived north, at Harek of Tiotta's, and right welcome were they made.

There dwelt they throughout the winter & were well entertained in all fairness & hospitality.

-- One fair day in spring it befell that Harek was at home on his farm and with him were but few men. Now the time hung heavy on his hands, and Sigurd spake to him & asked if they should not row out a little way, and so pa.s.s the time, and this liked Harek well. So betook they themselves to the sh.o.r.e, and did hale down a six-oared boat, & Sigurd from the boat-house fetched him a sail and the gear appertaining to the boat, and moreover s.h.i.+pped he the rudder. Sigurd and his brother were fully armed, as was their wont to be when they were at home with the goodman, and the twain were strong men.

Now or ever they gat them into the boat did they throw into it some boxes of b.u.t.ter and a basket of bread, and between them bare they a large cask of ale down to the craft. This done did they all row from land, & having come away from the island hoist the sail, & Harek did steer, & away bore they speedily from the island.

Then did the brothers go astern to where Harek was sitting. Saith Sigurd to Harek the yeoman: 'Choose thou now betwixt several things: one of them is to let us brothers have the upper hand on this cruise, & another is to let us bind thee, & the third is that we can slay thee.' Then Harek seeing in what a plight he was, inasmuch as he could not measure strength with more than one of the brothers even were he and they matched as to arms, chose what seemed to him the best of a poor business which was to let them do as pleased the twain.

So swore he to them an oath and on that gave them a promise, and after that Sigurd was possessed of the tiller and did steer south along the coast on a fair breeze, and withal of a mighty care were the brothers not to fall in with other craft. They paused not on their cruise ere they came to Throndhjem and to Nidaros, and at that last place found they King Olaf. Then did the King summon Harek to talk with him, and thereupon offered him that he should embrace the good faith of Christ, but Harek would have naught of it. On this matter spake for many days the King and Harek, sometimes in the presence of many men, sometimes alone; but never were they come of one mind.

So at the last said the King to Harek: 'Home shalt thou go, and on these counts no harm will I do thee at present: firstly seeing that there is kins.h.i.+p betwixt us, and again lest thou mightest say that I had gotten thee by guile, but know ye of a truth that I be minded to come north in the summertime, & visit distress on ye Halogalanders, and then shall ye wot if I can chastise those which accept not the faith which is of Christ.'

Right pleased was Harek that he could get away from thence so speedily; to him gave King Olaf a good s.h.i.+p rowing ten or twelve oars a side, and caused it to be well found with all things needful & of the best; thirty men did he send forth with Harek, stout fellows & all equipped of the best.