The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 17

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-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 s.h.i.+ps to carry meal to that island, and decreed that six bushels thereof should not cost more than a hundred ells of homespun; furthermore allowed he 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 circ.u.mstances: 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 Strong was 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 pa.s.s 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 preserved ye relics 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 surpa.s.sed 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 friends.h.i.+p throve there betwixt himself & Harald, natheless retained he the land-dues which had 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 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 was he 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 pa.s.s 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 fas.h.i.+on 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-s.h.i.+ps, and nigh upon five hundred men;-- and coming to town he went ash.o.r.e with this fellows.h.i.+p, 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 s.h.i.+ps, and it is said that Harald thereupon chanted this:

'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 pa.s.s 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 service of 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 p.r.o.ne 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 s.h.i.+p, 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 and Einar 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 greatly hated 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.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

-- 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.'