The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 2

Thorleif moreover gave him a fifteen-benched s.h.i.+p with all the gear, tilts, and victuals that were needful. Eirik thence sailed from the fjord, and so south to More. Now it befell that Tidings Skopti was also at sea between his homesteads, & he too in a fifteen-benched craft; Eirik forthwith bore straight down on him and offered battle, and in the issue thereof fell Skopti, but Eirik gave quarter to such of his men who were not slain. Thus saith Eyolf Dadaskald, in the Banda lay:

'Late in the day, On the ski of the sea-king, With combatants equal, Fared the youth 'gainst the "hersir,"

Him the stout-hearted.

There 'neath the hand That a b.l.o.o.d.y blade wielded Fell Tidings Skopti.

(The feeder of wolves Was food for the ravens.)'

-- With that sailed Eirik south along the coast to Denmark, and adventured to King Harald Gormson, abiding with him the winter; but the spring thereafter the Danish King sent Eirik north, & bestowed on him the t.i.tle Earl & therewith Vingulmark-- and Raumariki, to be beneath his sway even under the self-same tenure as had tribute-paying kings aforetime been in fief and tribute.

-- In the days that were to come after waxed Earl Eirik, and men knew him as a mighty chieftain. All this while abode Olaf Tryggvason in Garda, at the court of King Valdamar, where he had much honour & enjoyed the faithful love of the Queen.

King Valdamar made him lord of the host which he sent out for the defence of his country, and for him fought Olaf divers battles and proved himself to be an able captain, and himself maintained a large host of warriors on the fiefs allotted to him by the King. Of no n.i.g.g.ardly disposition, Olaf was ever openhanded to the men that were with him and who for this self-same reason held him in affection; but as oft times happens when men who are not of the country are exalted to power, or are so greatly honoured that they take the lead of the men of the land, many there were who envied him the love he had of the King, & even so much the more that of the Queen.

Spake many men of that matter to the King, charging him to beware lest he should make Olaf over great: 'For a man of the kind might be harmful to thee, would he lend himself to such a deed as to make thee and thy realms suffer, so crafty & beloved of men is he; nor wot we what he & the Queen have thus oft whereon to commune one with the other.'

-- Now it was in those days generally the custom among great kings for the queen to possess half the court and to maintain it at her own charge, and for this purpose levied she her taxes and dues, in amount as much as she stood in need therefor. In this wise was it also with King Valdamar.

The Queen held no less splendid a court than pertained to the King, and vied they one with the other as to which might procure men of prowess, each having it at heart to possess such men for themselves. Now it happened that the King gave heed unto words of this fas.h.i.+on, which men spake unto him, & he waxed silent and with countenance aloof from Olaf.

And Olaf marking it well spake thereof to the Queen, and opened to her likewise how that it was the desire of his heart to journey even unto the north. His kin, said he, had held dominion there in days of yore, & therefore he thought it likeliest that he would there obtain the more advancement.

So the Queen bade him farewell, saying that wheresoever he might chance to tarry there would all deem him a man of prowess.

Olaf thereafter made him ready for his journey, went aboard his s.h.i.+p, and stood out into the Eystrasalt (the Baltic). Thence sailing west came he to Borgundarholm (Bornholm) and made thereon a landing and harried all in the isle. The men of the land came together and did battle with him, but Olaf gat the victory and much booty.

-- Now while Olaf lay-to off Borgundarholm, there was rough weather with a gale raging at sea, that their s.h.i.+ps began to drag their anchors, for which reason did they set sail south to the coast of Vindland (Wendland)-- on which sh.o.r.e were good havens, whereon s.h.i.+ps might ride at peace.

There did they tarry for long whiles.

The King of Vindland was named Burizlaf,-- & the three daughters to him were Geira, Gunnhild, and Astrid.

Now at the place where there came ash.o.r.e Olaf and his men did Geira hold rule & dominion, and under her he that exercised most authority was one hight Dixin. When it became known that strange men had come to the country who behaved themselves in seemly fas.h.i.+on & abode there in peace, Dixin hied to them with a message from Queen Geira bidding them sojourn in her land during the winter, seeing the summer was near spent, the weather threatening ill, & the storms waxing great. And being come thither Dixin saw on the instant that the captain of these men was one notable both for descent and appearance.

Therefore recounted he to them that the Queen invited them to her with messages of friends.h.i.+p, & Olaf nothing loath did her bidding and went to Queen Geira as her guest. It came to pa.s.s that they twain thought both so well one of another that Olaf made ado to woo Queen Geira, and so it befell that winter that Olaf took Geira to wife, & gat he the rule of the realm with her. Thereof spake Halfrod the Troublous-skald in the lay he made about Olaf the King:

'The chieftain at Holm let the sharp-edged swords be dyed blood-red Eastward too in Garda, nor can this be in any manner concealed.'

-- Now Hakon, he that ruled over Norway, paid no tribute, the reason whereof being that the King of Denmark had made a.s.signment to him of all the taxes to which the King had a right in Norway, by reason of the trouble & costs the Earl was put to in defending the land against the sons of Gunnhild.

-- Now it befell in those days that the Emperor Otta-- was in Saxland (North Germany), & word sent he to Harald, King of Denmark, that he and the people that were his must be baptized & accept the true Faith, or else, swore the Emperor that he would march upon him with an host. So the King of Denmark admonished those that defended the land that they should be ready at his call, Danavirki-- caused he to be well maintained, and his war s.h.i.+ps were manned; thereafter sent the King to Earl Hakon commanding him that he must come to him early in the spring-tide with even as many men as he might muster. So at the first song of the birds Earl Hakon levied an host from all parts of his dominions, and many men were enrolled to him; this host bade he take s.h.i.+p to Denmark and with them sailed he himself to meet the King of Denmark, and by him was received in right seemly fas.h.i.+on. With the King were there at that hour many another lord proffering help, so that all told gathered he together an host waxing exceeding large.

-- Now, as hath already been set forth, Olaf sojourned that winter in Vindland, & in the months thereof went he to those districts thereof which had formerly obeyed the rule of Queen Geira, but had now ventured to throw off allegiance & the payment of taxes. These did Olaf harry, slaying many men, burning the homes of some, and taking much booty; then having rendered these realms subject unto himself turned he him back again to his stronghold. So soon as the spring-tide was come, did Olaf make ready his s.h.i.+ps and put out to sea, sailing across to Skani (Scania) where he went ash.o.r.e.

The people of those parts a.s.sembled and fought against him; but Olaf was victorious and gat much plunder. Thence sailed he eastward to the island of Gotland, and took a merchant craft owned by men from Jamtaland who rendered a stout defence, but in such wise did the struggle end that Olaf cleared the s.h.i.+p, slew many men, & took possession of all the goods that were on board.

A third battle fought he in Gotland; there likewise the day was to his strength and much spoil was to his hand. Thus saith Halfrod the Troublous-skald:

'The foeman of the shrines slew merchants of Jamtaland And men of Vindland in battle As in days of youth had been his wont.

To those that lived in Scotland Was the lord of "hersirs" the bane.

Is it not told that the giver of gold Loved to fight in Skani?'

-- Therefore gathered the Emperor Otta a mighty host; men he had from Saxland (north Germany), Frankland (France), and Frisland, whiles out of Vindland, likewise King Burizlaf-- contributed a large host. With the array went the King himself and his son-in-law Olaf Tryggvason.

To the Emperor was a great body of hors.e.m.e.n, and so much the more a greater body of foot-folk.

From Holtsetaland (Holstein) likewise came to him a large host. As it is said in the Vellekla:

'So it befell likewise that the steeds of the sea Southward ran 'neath the deft riders to Denmark, And the Lord of the Hordmen, becoifed with the helmet, Chief of the Dofrar folk, sought the lords of the Dane-realm.

And the bountiful King of the dark forest lands Would in winter-tide test the warrior come from the north, What time that doughty fighter gat from his chief a message Bidding him defend the wall against the foes of Denmark.

Little gladsome was it to go against their hosts; Albeit the s.h.i.+eld-bearer did cause great destruction, And the sea-hero incited to battle When the warriors came from Frisland with Franks and Vandals.'

-- Now Earl Hakon set companies above all the gates of the fortification, but the greater part of his host sent he along the walls to defend the places where the onslaught was hottest, and many fell of the Emperor's host, but nothing did they win of the wall.

So then the Emperor turned him away, and no longer made trial there.

Thus it is said in the Vellekla:

'Spear-points were broken when in that war game s.h.i.+eld clashed against s.h.i.+eld and the foe gave not way; The steerer of the sea-steeds turned Saxons fleeing thence, And the chief 'fended the rampart 'gainst the foe.'

-- After this battle went back Earl Hakon even unto his s.h.i.+ps and would have homeward sailed unto Norway, but that he could get no wind, so accordingly he lay out in Limfjord.

-- Now turned the Emperor Otta his host so that they faced around & hied them to the gulf of Sle (Sleswick), whereat gathered he together a large host and took his men across to Jutland.

When the intelligence thereof came to the ears of the King of Denmark fared he forth against the Emperor with his host, and a great battle was fought betwixt them.

The issue was to the Emperor, and thereon the King of Denmark fled away to Limfjord & took s.h.i.+p out to Ma.r.s.ey.

Then did emissaries journey betwixt him and the Emperor, and a truce was covenanted, also that they twain should commune face to face. In Ma.r.s.ey, then, did the Emperor Otta and the Danish King confront one the other, & there a saintly bishop,-- Poppo by name, preached the faith before Harald, and to show the truth thereof bare he glowing iron in his hand, and Harald testified that the hand of the holy man was unscarred by the heated iron. Thereafter was Harald himself baptized with the whole of the Danish host that were with him.

Ere this had Harald the King, albeit that he abode the nonce in Ma.r.s.ey, summoned Earl Hakon to his aid, and the Earl had just come to the island when the King let himself be christened. So the King sent a message to the Earl to come to him, and when the Earl was come thither compelled him also that he should be baptized. After this manner was the Earl made a Christian, and all his men with him.

Thereafter did the King appoint him priests and other learned men,-- and commanded him to cause all the people of Norway to be baptized into the faith and with this they parted. Thereafter Earl Hakon put out to sea to await a favourable wind, and when a breeze sprang up, lo! without more ado set he all the learned men to wade even unto the sh.o.r.e and upon that wind himself stood out to sea. The wind was from the west, and the Earl sailed eastward through Eyrasund (oresund) pillaging whatsoever lands he sighted, & thereafter came east unto the Skani side, plundering and harrying wherever he put ash.o.r.e. Now as he was sailing his course off the skerries of east Gautland put he ash.o.r.e and offered up a great sacrifice, and whiles this was solemnized came two ravens flying up, loudly croaking, & for this reason deemed the Earl that Odin had accepted his sacrifice, and that good fortune would favour him in his battles. Even so burned he all his s.h.i.+ps and came ash.o.r.e with every man of all his host, and carried war throughout the land. Against him was arrayed Earl Ottar, he that held rule over Gautland, and they fought a great battle wherein was Earl Hakon victorious, & he slew Earl Ottar together with a great number of his host.

Earl Hakon then marched hither & thither carrying war through both the Gautlands, until he was come unto Norway, & then took he the road right to the north, to Throndhjem. It is of this that the Vellekla speaketh:

'The foeman of those who fled consulted the G.o.ds on the plain, and Gat answer Fret[--] from that the day was propitious to battle; There the war-leader saw how mighty were the corse-ribs; The G.o.ds of the temple would thin lives in Gautland.

A Sword-Thing held the Earl there where no man afore him With s.h.i.+eld on arm had durst to harry; No one ere this so far inland had borne That s.h.i.+eld of gold; all Gautland had he o'errun.

With heaps of the fallen the warriors piled the plain The kith of the aesirs conquered, Odin took the slain; Can there be doubt that the G.o.ds govern the fall of kings?

Ye strong powers, I pray, make great the sway of Hakon.'