The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) Part 21

Then said King Harald: 'Wilt thou have grace, though grace deservest thou not?' The Earl answered: 'Not from thee, hound!' The King said: 'Dost desire that thy kinsman Magnus should give thee grace?' Magnus, the son of King Harald, was captain of a s.h.i.+p at that time. Then said the Earl: 'What hath that whelp to do with the meting out of grace?'

Thereat laughed the King, for he deemed it good sport to bait him, and said he: 'Wilt thou accept thy life from the hand of Thora, thy kinswoman?'

Then the Earl said: 'Is she here?' 'She is here,' said the King.

Then did Fin utter the scurvy words which were remembered long thereafter, and all were witness of how wroth he was since he could not still his words: 'It is not to be wondered at that thou hast bitten well since the mare is with thee.'

To Earl Fin was given quarter, and King Harald kept him with him for a time, but Fin was somewhat unjoyful, and unmeek in his words. Then King Harald said: 'I see thou wilt not be friends with me nor with my kindred, so I will give thee leave to fare to Svein, thy King.' The Earl answered: 'That will I accept, and the sooner I fare hence the more grateful I shall be.' Thereafter the King let Fin be taken even to the land, where was he made welcome by the Hallanders.

Thence sailed King Harald north with his host to Norway, faring first to Oslo, and in that place gave leave to all his men who desired it to go even to their own homes.

-- It is said that King Svein abode that winter in Denmark, and held his state as before.

And in the winter sent he men northward to Halland to fetch Karl the Peasant to him, and likewise Karl's wife; and when they were come and he had summoned Karl unto him he asked him if he had seen him before. Karl answered: 'I know thee now, King, and I knew thee then even so soon as I saw thee, and it is under G.o.d that the little help which I was able to afford thee was of use.' The King answered: 'For all the days I have yet to live I have to reward thee. Now firstly will I give thee whatever homestead in Zealand thou art minded to have, and I will furthermore make thee a great man an thou wottest how to act.'

Karl thanked the King well for his words, and said that there was still a favour he would pray of him. And the King asked what that might be.

Karl said: 'I would ask this thing, King, that thou lettest me take my wife with me.' The King answered: 'I will not promise thee this thing, for I will get thee a much better & wiser wife; but thy wife may keep the small homestead ye have already; on that she can live.'

And the King gave Karl a large & n.o.ble stead & gat him a good marriage.

This was known and told far and wide, yea even as far north as Norway.

-- The winter following on the battle of the Niz King Harald spent in Oslo. And when the host came up from the south in autumn many tales and legends went abroad of the autumn outside the Niz river, & everyone who had been there deemed he had something to tell. Once it happened that some men were sitting drinking in a small chamber, & full of talk were they, talking of the battle of the Niz, and of whom might have derived the greatest renown therefrom. All were agreed on one issue, however, and that was that no other had been such a man there as Earl Hakon: he it was who had shown greatest prowess, who was the boldest under arms, and the ablest, and the most fortunate, and whatsoever he did was that which availed most, & to him was accounted the victory. Now Harald was without, in the courtyard, speaking with some of his men, and thereafter went he before the doorway of the chamber and said: 'Every man now would like to be named Hakon,' and therewith went his way.

-- Earl Hakon fared to the Uplands in autumn, even to his dominions, and there tarried throughout the winter.

Right well beloved was he of the Upland folk. Now once it befell, when spring was drawing nigh, that some men were sitting drinking, & their talk was yet again of the battle of the Niz; and men lauded greatly Earl Hakon, but a few praised others no less.

When they had been talking thus a while a man answered: 'Mayhap other men besides Earl Hakon fought boldly outside the Niz, yet nevertheless methinks no one can have had the luck he had.'

They said it was no doubt his greatest luck that he had routed many of the Danes. The same man answered: 'Luckiest for him was it that he gave King Svein his life.' Another answered him: 'Thou wottest not what thou art saying.' He answered: 'Yea, I wot full well, for he who set the King ash.o.r.e told me himself.' Thus it befell, as oft is said, that 'many are the King's ears.' These things were told to the King straightway, and the King had many horses taken and rode forthwith away in the night with two hundred men,-- and rode he the whole of that night and the following day. Then there came towards them on horseback certain men who were making for the town with meal and malt. Now faring with the King was one Gamal, & he rode up to one of the peasants who was a friend of his and spoke privily with him.

Gamal said: 'Money will I give thee, an thou wilt ride furiously by hidden ways such as thou wottest to be shortest to Earl Hakon: tell him that the King will slay him, for the King wotteth that the Earl helped King Svein to land outside the Niz.'

And the matter being covenanted between them rode the peasant hard, and came even to the Earl who was sitting drinking and had not gone to his rest. But when the peasant made known his errand, rose the Earl forthwith and all his folk; and the Earl caused his chattels to be removed from the house during the night. When the King arrived thither tarried he there the night, but Hakon the Earl had ridden his way. And in time came he east to the realm of Sweden, to King Steinkel, and abode with him the summer. King Harald then turned him back to town. In the summer the King fared north to Throndhjem and abode there, but in the autumn fared eastward again to Vik.

-- Earl Hakon went back in the summer to the Uplands, so soon as he learned that the King had fared northward, and there dwelt he until such time as the King came south again. Thereafter fared the Earl eastward to Vermaland and tarried there long in the winter; and King Steinkel gave the Earl rule and dominion over that part of the land.

When winter was wearing to an end, fared he westward to Kaumariki, and took with him many men whom the Gauts and Vermalanders had given him.

And he took thence his land-dues and the taxes which he had a right to demand, & thereafter fared he back east to Gautland and dwelt there the spring.

King Harald abode the winter in Oslo, and sent his men to the Uplands to gather taxes and land-dues and the King's fines; but the Uplanders said that they would not pay to him all dues which it behoved them to pay into the hands of Earl Hakon even so long as he was alive and had not forfeited life or dominions; & no land-dues did the King therefrom obtain that winter.

-- Now betwixt Norway and Denmark there were sent that winter messengers and messages, for both Norwegians and Danes alike desired to make peace and agreement either with other, and they prayed their Kings to do the same. The sending of these messages appeared p.r.o.ne to bring about concord, for in the end a peace-meeting was agreed upon in the River betwixt King Harald and King Svein. When spring-tide was come both Kings called out many men and s.h.i.+ps for this journey. Saith a skald in a poem:

'Leader of armed men, he who the ground engirdles From Eyrasund northward shuts with his long-s.h.i.+p's prows The land (the haven spurned he).

Gleaming with gold the stems cut the waves keenly; Onward of Halland west, with host aboard, and the keels thrilling.

Harald firm-oathed!

oft hast thou the earth engirdled with thy s.h.i.+ps; Svein, too, through the sound sailed the King to meet.

Praise-dight filler of ravens, who every bay doth close, Hath out a teeming host of Danes, from the south all.'

-- It is said here that these Kings kept to their agreement, to wit, that there should be a meeting betwixt them; and that both came to the marches. It is set forth thus below:

'Shrewd leader of armed men To trysting south once more Thou sailst as all Danes wished (No lesser was thy purpose).

Svein now to the northward fares The land-marches nigh, The tryst to keep with Harald-- Windy was the weather off the land.'

-- When the Kings were come face to face the one with other forthwith betwixt them was broached ye matter of peace; and no sooner was this opened than many men made plaint of the harm they had suffered through war-fare, rapine, and the slaying of men. And long talked they about this, as is said hereafter:

'The yeomen shrewd Such words do say aloud That when the men meet, An' angered are mostly The others. Far seemeth Concord to lie from men Who on all things quarrel (The chiefs' arrogance waxeth).

With danger fraught will be Wrath of the princes be If peace be agreed on, Those who are peace-makers In scales must weigh all things.

Seemly for Kings to say What e'er the host liketh; Bad will would it cause Were the yeomen's state worsened.'

-- Then the best men and the wisest conferred together, and peace was made betwixt the Kings, in such wise that King Harald was to have Norway & King Svein Denmark as far as the marches which had aforetime divided the kingdoms; neither was to make redress to other; there where the land had been pillaged the matter was to be pa.s.sed over; and he who had taken plunder was to keep it.

This peace was to ensue even so long as the twain were Kings; the covenant was bounden with oaths, & thereafter gave the Kings one another hostages; even as is said hereafter:

'Thus have I heard it said That Svein and Harald both (G.o.d works it) gladly gave Hostages one to other.

Let them so keep their vows (All ended was with witness) And the whole peace so fully That the folk break it not.'

-- King Harald tarried in Vik during the summer, and sent men to the Uplands to collect the dues & taxes he had there; but the peasants in plain words said that they would bide the coming of Earl Hakon, until such time as he should come to them. Earl Hakon was then up in Gautland with a large host. When summer was wearing to a close sailed King Harald south to Konungah.e.l.la (King's Rock), and he took all the light craft whereon he could lay hands & went up the River, and at the falls thereof had the boats haled across land and so put onto Lake Wenern. Thereafter rowed he east across the lake where he asked tidings of Earl Hakon.

Now when the Earl gat news of the journey of the King, came he down from the country and made endeavour to prevent the King from harrying, for to Earl Hakon was a large host which the Gauts had given him. King Harald laid his boats up the mouth of a river, and thereafter made a landing, but left some of his men behind to watch the craft. And the King himself and some of his men rode on horseback, but many more went afoot. Their way led them through a wood, & thereafter a bog lay before them on which were small bushes, then after that a copse, and when they were come up to the copse sighted they the host of the Earl; and a bog there was betwixt them and it.

Then both hosts arrayed themselves, & King Harald commanded his men to sit up on the hillside: 'Let us first tempt them to make an onset; Hakon hath no mind to wait,' said he.

The weather was frosty with some driving snow, and the men to Harald sat under their s.h.i.+elds.

Now the Gauts had taken little apparel on them and were starved with the cold, but the Earl bade them bide until the King should make an onset and they could all stand alike in height. Earl Hakon had the banner which had been that of King Magnus Olafson. Now the head-man to the Gauts was one hight Thorvid, and he was mounted on a horse the reins of which were tied to a stake standing in the bog. He spake & said: 'G.o.d knows we have a large host here and many stout men; let not King Steinkell hear that we are not helping this good Earl well. I wist that if the Norwegians make onset against us we shall stand firm, but if the young men falter & bide not, then do not let us run farther than thither to the brook, and if the young men again falter, which I wot will not befall, then do not let us run farther than thither to the hill.'

At that moment ran up the host of the Norwegians shouting their war-cry and beating their s.h.i.+elds, & then the host of the Gauts likewise began to shout, and the horse to the head-man pulled so hard at its rein, being afrighted at the host-cry, that the stake came up & flew past the head of the chief, wherefore he shouted: 'Such a mischance as thou shootest, Northmen,' and therewith galloped away. King Harald had ere this said to his men: 'Though we make din and shouting about us, yet let us not go down the hill or ever they come hither to us,' and they did according as he had said.

As soon as the war-cry was heard, caused the Earl his banner to be borne forward, and when they were come under the hill rushed the King's men down upon them, and some of the men to the Earl fell forthwith and some fled; but the Norwegians drave not them that fled very far, for it was late in the day. There took they the banner of Earl Hakon, and as much of weapons and apparel as they could lay hands on. And the King let both the banners be borne in front of him when he fared down the hill; and his men spake one with another as to whether or no Earl Hakon might be fallen. Now when it came to faring through the wood they had to ride in single train, and behold a certain man rode straight across their way, and thrust a spear through him that bore the banner to the King, and seizing the stave thereof rode he off another way in the wood with the banner. When the King was told of this cried he: 'The Earl lives! Give me my mail-s.h.i.+rt!' And rode he in the night to his s.h.i.+ps. Now said many men that the Earl had avenged himself. Then chanted Thiodolf:

'Steinkell's host who to the Warlike Earl should help yield (That brought the King to pa.s.s) To h.e.l.l, I ween, have fared.

But those who would better The matter say, Hakon fled because the hope of help Therefrom but ill had proven.'

-- King Harald spent what was left of the night on his s.h.i.+p. In the morn, when it was light saw men that ice had formed round the s.h.i.+ps so thick that it was feasible to walk round about them.

Then bade the King his men hew the ice and release his s.h.i.+ps into the lake, and so went the men and set to work to hew the ice. King Harald's son Magnus steered the s.h.i.+p which lay lowest in the river-mouth and nighest out to the lake.

Now when the men had almost chopped the ice away a certain man ran out on it to the place where they were about to hew, and thereafter fell to chopping as if he were mad and raving. Then said a man: 'Now is it again as often before, no one is so good at giving a helping hand as Hall Kodransbane; behold now, how he is hewing the ice.'