Heimskringla, or the Chronicle of the Kings of Norway Part 92

Skalds quoted in this saga are: Thorarin Stutfeld, Einar Skulason, Haldor Skvaldre, and Arne Fjoruskeif.

1. BEGINNING OF THE REIGN OF KING MAGNUS'S SONS.

After King Magnus Barefoot's fall, his sons, Eystein, Sigurd, and Olaf, took the kingdom of Norway. Eystein got the northern, and Sigurd the southern part of the country. King Olaf was then four or five years old, and the third part of the country which he had was under the management of his two brothers. King Sigurd was chosen king when he was thirteen or fourteen years old, and Eystein was a year older. King Sigurd left west of the sea the Irish king's daughter. When King Magnus's sons were chosen kings, the men who had followed Skopte Ogmundson returned home.

Some had been to Jerusalem, some to Constantinople; and there they had made themselves renowned, and they had many kinds of novelties to talk about. By these extraordinary tidings many men in Norway were incited to the same expedition; and it was also told that the Northmen who liked to go into the military service at Constantinople found many opportunities of getting property. Then these Northmen desired much that one of the two kings, either Eystein or Sigurd, should go as commander of the troop which was preparing for this expedition. The kings agreed to this, and carried on the equipment at their common expense. Many great men, both of the lendermen and bondes, took part in this enterprise; and when all was ready for the journey it was determined that Sigurd should go, and Eystein in the meantime, should rule the kingdom upon their joint account.

2. OF THE EARLS OF ORKNEY.

A year or two after King Magnus Barefoot's fall, Hakon, a son of Earl Paul, came from Orkney. The kings gave him the earldom and government of the Orkney Islands, as the earls before him, his father Paul or his Uncle Erland, had possessed it; and Earl Hakon then sailed back immediately to Orkney.

3. KING SIGURD'S JOURNEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY.

Four years after the fall of King Magnus (A.D. 1107), King Sigurd sailed with his people from Norway. He had then sixty s.h.i.+ps. So says Thorarin Stutfeld:--

"A young king just and kind, People of loyal mind: Such brave men soon agree,-- To distant lands they sail with glee.

To the distant Holy Land A brave and pious band, Magnificent and gay, In sixty long-s.h.i.+ps glide away."

King Sigurd sailed in autumn to England, where Henry, son of William the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, was then king, and Sigurd remained with him all winter. So says Einar Skulason:--

"The king is on the waves!

The storm he boldly braves.

His ocean-steed, With winged speed, O'er the white-flas.h.i.+ng surges, To England's coast he urges; And there he stays the winter o'er: More gallant king ne'er trod that sh.o.r.e."

4. OF KING SIGURD'S JOURNEY.

In spring King Sigurd and his fleet sailed westward to Valland (A.D.

1108), and in autumn came to Galicia, where he stayed the second winter (A.D. 1109). So says Einar Skulason:--

"Our king, whose land so wide No kingdom stands beside, In Jacob's land next winter spent, On holy things intent; And I have heard the royal youth Cut off an earl who swerved from truth.

Our brave king will endure no ill,-- The hawks with him will get their fill."

It went thus:--The earl who ruled over the land made an agreement with King Sigurd, that he should provide King Sigurd and his men a market at which they could purchase victuals all the winter; but this he did not fulfil longer than to about Yule. It began then to be difficult to get food and necessaries, for it is a poor barren land. Then King Sigurd with a great body of men went against a castle which belonged to the earl; and the earl fled from it, having but few people. King Sigurd took there a great deal of victuals and of other booty, which he put on board of his s.h.i.+ps, and then made ready and proceeded westward to Spain. It so fell out, as the king was sailing past Spain, that some vikings who were cruising for plunder met him with a fleet of galleys, and King Sigurd attacked them. This was his first battle with heathen men; and he won it, and took eight galleys from them. So says Haldor Skvaldre:--

"Bold vikings, not slow To the death-fray to go, Meet our Norse king by chance, And their galleys advance.

The bold vikings lost Many a man of their host, And eight galleys too, With cargo and crew."

Thereafter King Sigurd sailed against a castle called Sintre and fought another battle. This castle is in Spain, and was occupied by many heathens, who from thence plundered Christian people. King Sigurd took the castle, and killed every man in it, because they refused to be baptized; and he got there an immense booty. So says Haldor Skvaldre:--

"From Spain I have much news to tell Of what our generous king befell.

And first he routs the viking crew, At Cintra next the heathens slew; The men he treated as G.o.d's foes, Who dared the true faith to oppose.

No man he spared who would not take The Christian faith for Jesus' sake."

5. LISBON TAKEN.

After this King Sigurd sailed with his fleet to Lisbon, which is a great city in Spain, half Christian and half heathen; for there lies the division between Christian Spain and heathen Spain, and all the districts which lie west of the city are occupied by heathens. There King Sigurd had his third battle with the heathens, and gained the victory, and with it a great booty. So says Haldor Skvaldre:--

"The son of kings on Lisbon's plains A third and b.l.o.o.d.y battle gains.

He and his Nors.e.m.e.n boldly land, Running their stout s.h.i.+ps on the strand."

Then King Sigurd sailed westwards along heathen Spain, and brought up at a town called Alka.s.se; and here he had his fourth battle with the heathens, and took the town, and killed so many people that the town was left empty. They got there also immense booty. So says Haldor Skvaldre:--

"A fourth great battle, I am told, Our Norse king and his people hold At Alka.s.se; and here again The victory fell to our Nors.e.m.e.n."

And also this verse:--

"I heard that through the town he went, And heathen widows' wild lament Resounded in the empty halls; For every townsman flies or falls."

6. BATTLE IN THE ISLAND FORMINTERRA.

King Sigurd then proceeded on his voyage, and came to Norfasund; and in the sound he was met by a large viking force, and the king gave them battle; and this was his fifth engagement with heathens since the time he left Norway. He gained the victory here also. So says Haldor Skvaldre:--

"Ye moistened your dry swords with blood, As through Norfasund ye stood; The screaming raven got a feast, As ye sailed onward to the East."

King Sigurd then sailed eastward along the coast of Serkland, and came to an island there called Forminterra. There a great many heathen Moors had taken up their dwelling in a cave, and had built a strong stone wall before its mouth. They harried the country all round, and carried all their booty to their cave. King Sigurd landed on this island, and went to the cave; but it lay in a precipice, and there was a high winding path to the stone wall, and the precipice above projected over it. The heathens defended the stone wall, and were not afraid of the Northmen's arms; for they could throw stones, or shoot down upon the Northmen under their feet; neither did the Northmen, under such circ.u.mstances, dare to mount up. The heathens took their clothes and other valuable things, carried them out upon the wall, spread them out before the Northmen, shouted, and defied them, and upbraided them as cowards. Then Sigurd fell upon this plan. He had two s.h.i.+p's boats, such as we call barks, drawn up the precipice right above the mouth of the cave; and had thick ropes fastened around the stem, stern, and hull of each. In these boats as many men went as could find room, and then the boats were lowered by the ropes down in front of the mouth of the cave; and the men in the boats shot with stones and missiles into the cave, and the heathens were thus driven from the stone wall. Then Sigurd with his troops climbed up the precipice to the foot of the stone wall, which they succeeded in breaking down, so that they came into the cave. Now the heathens fled within the stone wall that was built across the cave; on which the king ordered large trees to be brought to the cave, made a great pile in the mouth of it, and set fire to the wood. When the fire and smoke got the upper hand, some of the heathens lost their lives in it; some fled; some fell by the hands of the Northmen; and part were killed, part burned; and the Northmen made the greatest booty they had got on all their expeditions. So says Halder Skvaldre:--

"Forminterra lay In the victor's way; His s.h.i.+ps' stems fly To victory.

The bluemen there Must fire bear, And Nors.e.m.e.n's steel At their hearts feel."

And also thus:--

"'Twas a feat of renown,-- The boat lowered down, With a boat's crew brave, In front of the cave; While up the rock scaling, And comrades up trailing, The Nors.e.m.e.n gain, And the bluemen are slain."

And also Thorarin Stutfeld says:--

"The king's men up the mountain's side Drag two boats from the ocean's tide; The two boats lay, Like hill-wolves grey.

Now o'er the rock in ropes they're swinging Well manned, and death to bluemen bringing; They hang before The robber's door."

7. OF THE BATTLES OF IVIZA AND MINORCA.