The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 7

And being come together made they speeches and held consultations among themselves, & chose three men who were the most eloquent among them to answer back the King at the Thing. Moreover were they to speak against him and make it known that they would not suffer their laws to be broken even were it the King who ordained the same. Now when the peasants were a.s.sembled at the Thing & the Thing was opened, rose up King Olaf and spake, talking at the outset smooth and fair albeit it was manifest in his talking that it was his will that they should accept Christianity.

And after he had done with fair words he fell to vowing that those who spoke against him and would not do his bidding would bring upon themselves his wrath & chastis.e.m.e.nt and hard entreatment howsoever he might bring it about.

Now when the King had made an end to speaking there stood up one of the yeomen who was the most eloquent & who had been chosen as the first to make answer to King Olaf.

But when he was about to speak was he taken with such a coughing & choking that he could not get forth a word, and down sat he again.

Sorely as it had gone with the first yet nevertheless rose another man to his feet to take up the answer, but when he began to talk so greatly did he stammer that never a word could he get forth. Then all who were present fell to laughing, so that the yeoman sat himself down again.

Then stood the third man up with intent to speak against King Olaf, but so hoa.r.s.e was he and husky that no man could hear what he said, so down he sat likewise. There being now none of the chosen yeomen left to speak against the King, and no one else would answer him, the resistance that had been projected came to naught.

In the end therefore were all agreed to do the King's bidding, and all the Thing folk were christened there and then or ever the King departed from them.

-- King Olaf proceeded to the Gula-Thing accompanied by his men, for the peasants had sent unto the King saying that there they would answer him on this matter. But when both parties were come to the Thing the King made known that it was his wish first to have speech with the chiefs of the land, so when all were a.s.sembled there he set forth his purpose in being present, which was to impose baptism upon them.

Then spake Olmod the Old and said: 'We kinsmen have taken counsel together on this matter, and of one consent are we thereon. If thou, King, thinkest to force us kinsmen to such a thing as the breaking of our laws, and wilt bend us to thy will, then will we defy thee by all means in our power, & fate must decide whoso shall get the mastery.

But if thou, O King, wilt advance us kinsfolk somewhat then thou mayst bring it so well about that we shall turn to thee in hearty obedience.'

Quoth the King, 'What is that which ye demand that shall bring about good peace betwixt us?' Then said Olmod, 'Firstly is it thou shalt give thy sister, Astrid, in marriage to our kinsman Erling Skialgson, whom we now account the likeliest young man of Norway.'

The King said that to his mind this was a fair request and that it would be a good marriage seeing that Erling was of a great family, and withal goodly to look upon, but nevertheless said he, must Astrid herself have a word in the matter. Thereafter did the King speak with his sister on the subject, and she answered and said, 'little it availeth me that I am a King's daughter and a King's sister if I am to wed a man without a princely name, rather will I tarry a few winters for another suitor,'

and therewith ended their talking for the time being.

-- Now after these things King Olaf caused the feathers to be plucked from off a hawk appertaining to Astrid his sister, and thereafter he sent the bird to her. Then said Astrid, 'Wrathful is my brother now,'

& going to her brother, who bade her welcome, she spake unto him that he the King should give her in marriage as it seemeth best to him.

'Methought,' said Olaf, 'that I had power enough in this land to make whatsoever man I would a man of t.i.tle and dignity.'

So then the King summoned Olmod and Erling and all their kinsmen to him to talk with them anent this matter, and in such wise did their talking end that Astrid was betrothed to Erling. Thereafter the King called together a Thing, & offered the peasants Christianity, and though all their kinsfolk were with them in this matter yet were Olmod & Erling the most zealous of all men in forwarding the King's cause.

No one had any longer the courage to raise his voice against the wish of the King, and thereupon were the people all baptized and became Christian. Now the marriage of Erling Skialgson took place in the summer and many folks came together to be witness of it; thither likewise came King Olaf. On this occasion did the King offer to give Erling an earldom, but Erling spake & said: '"Hersirs" have my kinsmen been and no higher t.i.tle will I have than they; but this will I take from thy hands, King, namely that thou makest me to be the greatest in the land of that name.' So in accord with this did the King give him his promise, and when they parted bestowed on his brother-in-law Erling that land which is north of the Sogn-sea and lies eastward as far as Lidandisnes,-- on the same pact as Harald Fair-hair had given land to his sons, of which an account has been afore writ in fair scrip.

-- Then in the autumn after these things had come to pa.s.s, the King called together a Thing of four counties, & the meeting took place in the north, at Stad on Dragseid.

Thither came folk from Sogn, the Firths, South-More and Raumsdal. King Olaf himself fared to it with a mighty following of men that he took with him from the east of the country, and likewise men who had come to him from Rogaland and Hordaland. Then when he was come to the Thing offered he to those that were gathered together Christianity even as he had done at other places, and forasmuch as he had with him a very great host men were afeared of him.

Then did he give them for choice one of two things, either to accept Christianity and let themselves be baptized, or to be prepared to do battle with him. So the peasants foreseeing no chance of fighting against the King save with ill-hap, accepted the first choice he had offered them & embraced Christianity. Then fared Olaf with his men to North-More, and that country likewise made he Christian; thereafter sailed he in to Ladir & caused the temple there to be pulled down & took all the adornments & property from the temple and from the G.o.d.

A great gold ring which Earl Hakon had caused to be wrought took he moreover from the door thereof, & then after he had done these things caused he the temple to be burned.

-- Now when the peasants came to hear of what the King had done sent they war-arrows throughout the countryside, calling out an host & were about to rise against the King, but meantime sailed he out of the fjord with his men, and thereafter headed northward off-sh.o.r.e. Now it was the intent of Olaf to fare north to Halogaland in order thither to bring Christianity; but when he was come as far north as to Biarney gat he news from Halogaland that they had an host under arms, and were minded to defend their land against the King. The chiefs of this host were Harek of Tiotta, Thorir Hart of Vogar, and Eyvind Rent-cheek. So Olaf learning this, even as aforesaid, turned his s.h.i.+ps about & sailed southward off the coast. When he was come as far south as to Stad fared he more slowly, but nevertheless at the beginning of winter had he covered all the distance eastward to Vik.

-- Now the Queen of Sweden, whom men called the Haughty, was at that time living at one or other of her manors, and betwixt King Olaf and her fared there that winter emissaries who sought her hand in the name of the King.

Queen Sigrid received the offer in a friendly spirit, and in due time was their troth plighted.

King Olaf sent Queen Sigrid the great ring of gold which he had taken from off the door of the temple at Ladir, and it was deemed a most n.o.ble gift.

Now touching the matter of this marriage a meeting was to take place the following spring by the Gota river, on the marches of the country.

While this ring which King Olaf had sent to Queen Sigrid was being praised so exceedingly were the Queen's smiths, brothers, with her; & it befell that they took the ring, and weighed it in their hands, & then spake a word together privily. At this the Queen summoned them to her, and asked of them why made they such mock of the ring, but they denied that they were doing such a thing.

Then said she that she insisted upon knowing what it was they had discovered; & thereupon they told her that there was falsehood in the ring. Then did the Queen let the ring be broken asunder, and copper was found to be inside it.

Thereon was the Queen wroth, and said that Olaf might play her false in more things than this one.

-- That same winter went King Olaf up into Ringariki and introduced Christianity there. Now it had befallen that Asta, the daughter of Gudbrand, was speedily wedded after the death of Harald the Grenlander to a man named Sigurd Sow,-- who was King of Ringariki. Sigurd was the son of Sigurd o' the Copse who again was son to Harald Fair-hair.

Dwelling with Asta at that time was Olaf her son by Harald the Grenlander, for he was being reared at the house of his step-father Sigurd Sow. When King Olaf Tryggvason went to Ringariki to introduce Christianity, Sigurd let himself be christened together with Asta his wife, & Olaf her son,-- & for the latter stood Olaf Tryggvason sponsor; the babe was at that time three winters old.

King Olaf then fared southward again to Vik, and abode there the winter, & this was the third winter that he was King of Norway.

-- Early in the spring fared King Olaf eastward to Konungah.e.l.la (the King's rock) to the tryst with Queen Sigrid, and when they were met, talked they one with the other over the matter which had been set afoot in the winter, to wit, that they should wed one another.

Right hopeful did the matter seem to them, until King Olaf spake & said that Sigrid must accept christening and the true Faith.

Then did the Queen make answer: 'Depart from the faith that I have held aforetime, and which my kindred held before me will I never: yet will I not account it against thee shouldst thou believe on whatsoever G.o.d may seem best to thy mind.' Then Olaf waxed exceedingly wroth and made answer hastily: 'Heathen as a dog art thou-- why should I wed thee?' and smote her in the face with the glove he was holding in his hand.

Then stood he up on his feet & she arose likewise, and Sigrid said, 'This might be thy undoing.' Thereafter were they parted, the King going northward to Vik, and the Queen east to Sweden.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

-- Thence King Olaf fared to Tunsberg & having come thither held he a Thing and gave out thereat that all men who were known and proven to be dealers in witchcraft and spellwork, or were wizards, should depart out of the land. Thereafter did the King cause the countryside thereabouts be searched for such men, & commanded them to be brought unto him. And when they were come to him a man there was among them called Eyvind Well-spring, who was the grandson of Rognovald Straight-legs, the son of King Harald Fair-hair.

Now Eyvind was a wizard & well versed in witchcraft. King Olaf caused all these men to be a.s.sembled in a certain hall, which had been made ready for them in goodly wise, and therein feasted he them & gave them much strong drink, and when they were all drunken caused he the chamber to be set on fire. Thus it came about that all the folk who were therein were burned except Eyvind Well-spring who saved himself by climbing through the smoke-hole.

Eyvind having made off and sped far on his way, fell in with men who were going to the King, and he bade these men tell Olaf that he, Eyvind, had gotten away from out of the fire, and never again would he come into the King's hands; and that moreover would he pursue his arts even as he had done before.

When these men were come to King Olaf they told of Eyvind according as he had bidden them, and ill-pleased enough was the King that Eyvind was not dead.

-- When spring was come King Olaf left Vik and went the round of his manors, and sent he word throughout Vik that come the summer would he call out an host and with it fare northward in the land.

Thereafter went he north (west) to Agdir, and when Lent was drawing to an end sailed northward to Rogoland, and arrived on Easter Eve-- at Ogvaldsnes in the isle of Kormt, where an Easter festival had been made ready for him.

Nigh upon three hundred men had he with him. That same night Eyvind Well-spring came unto the isle in a long-s.h.i.+p fully manned, and the crew aboard her were all wizards and other folk versed in magic. Eyvind and his band went up ash.o.r.e from their s.h.i.+p and set to work on their wizardry. Such thick fog & darkness did Eyvind bring about that deemed he it would be impossible for the King and his folk to see them; but no sooner were they come nigh to the house at Ogvaldsnes than lo! it there became broad daylight. Mightily different was this from the desire that Eyvind had conceived, for the darkness which he had wrought by magic enveloped him and his folk so that never a bit more could they see with their eyes than with the napes of their necks, and even round and round went they in a ring.

Now the King's watchmen saw the wizards as they were moving about, and not knowing what kind of men they might be had the King aroused, and the King & his men got up and clad themselves. When King Olaf saw Eyvind & his folk, bade he his men take their arms and go out to discover what manner of men might these be. Now the King's folk recognizing Eyvind laid hands on him and the whole band, and brought them into the presence of the King.

Then did Eyvind relate all that had befallen him on his journey.

The King thereafter had them all taken out to a rock which was covered by the sea at high-tide and there let them be bound. Thus Eyvind & the others came by their end. Afterwards was that rock called Skrattasker.

-- Now it is told that while the King was on this visit at Ogvaldsnes that there came thither one evening an old man; he was one-eyed and wore a slouch hat, but very wise was he in his speech and of all lands could he tell.