Heimskringla. Snorri Sturluson

Great would he be who could bring peace."

      King Sigurd Slefa came to the Herse Klyp's house. Klyp was a son of Thord, and a grandson of Hordakare, and was a man of power and great family. He was not at home; but his wife Alof give a good reception to the king, and made a great feast at which there was much drinking. Alof was a daughter of Asbjorn, and sister to Jarnskegge, north in Yrjar. Asbjorn's brother was called Hreidar, who was father to Styrkar, whose son was Eindride, father of Einar Tambaskielfer. In the night the king went to bed to Alof against her will, and then set out on his journey. The harvest thereafter, King Harald and his brother King Sigurd Slefa went to Vors, and summoned the bondes to a Thing. There the bondes fell on them, and would have killed them, but they escaped and took different roads. King Harald went to Hardanger, but King Sigurd to Alrekstader. Now when the Herse Klyp heard of this, he and his relations assembled to attack the king; and Vemund Volubrjot was chief of their troop. Now when they came to the house they attacked the king, and Herse Klyp, it is said, ran him through with his sword and killed him; but instantly Klyp was killed on the spot by Erling Gamle (A.D. 965).

      15. GRJOTGARD'S FALL.

       Table of Contents

      King Harald Grafeld and his brother King Gudrod gathered together a great army in the east country, with which they set out northwards to Throndhjem (A.D. 968). When Earl Hakon heard of it he collected men, and set out to More, where he plundered. There his father's brother, Grjotgard, had the command and defence of the country on account of Gunhild's sons, and he assembled an army by order of the kings. Earl Hakon advanced to meet him, and gave him battle; and there fell Grjotgard and two other earls, and many a man besides. So says Einar Skalaglam:—

      "The helm-crown'd Hakon, brave as stout,

       Again has put his foes to rout.

       The bowl runs o'er with Odin's mead,

       That fires the skald when mighty deed

       Has to be sung. Earl Hakon's sword,

       In single combat, as I've heard,

       Three sons of earls from this one fray

       To dwell with Odin drove away."

      Thereafter Earl Hakon went out to sea, and sailed outside the coast, and came to Denmark. He went to the Danish King, Harald Gormson, and was well received by him, and staid with him all winter (A.D. 969). At that time there was also with the Danish king a man called Harald, a son of Knut Gormson, and a brother's son of King Harald. He was lately come home from a long viking cruise, on which he had gathered great riches, and therefore he was called Gold Harald. He thought he had a good chance of coming to the Danish kingdom.

      16. KING ERLING'S FALL.

       Table of Contents

      King Harald Grafeld and his brothers proceeded northwards to Throndhjem, where they met no opposition. They levied the scat-duties, and all other revenues, and laid heavy penalties upon the bondes; for the kings had for a long time received but little income from Throndhjem, because Earl Hakon was there with many troops, and was at variance with these kings. In autumn (A.D. 968) King Harald went south with the greater part of the men-at-arms, but King Erlin remained behind with his men. He raised great contributions from the bondes, and pressed severely on them; at which the bondes murmured greatly, and submitted to their losses with impatience. In winter they gathered together in a great force to go against King Erling, just as he was at a feast; and they gave battle to him, and he with the most of his men fell (A.D. 969).

      17. THE SEASONS IN NORWAY AT THIS TIME.

       Table of Contents

      While Gunhild's sons reigned in Norway the seasons were always bad, and the longer they reigned the worse were the crops; and the bondes laid the blame on them. They were very greedy, and used the bondes harshly. It came at length to be so bad that fish, as well as corn, were wanting. In Halogaland there was the greatest famine and distress; for scarcely any corn grew, and even snow was lying, and the cattle were bound in the byres all over the country until midsummer. Eyvind Skaldaspiller describes it in his poem, as he came outside of his house and found a thick snowdrift at that season:—

      "Tis midsummer, yet deep snows rest

       On Odin's mother's frozen breast:

       Like Laplanders, our cattle-kind

       In stall or stable we must bind."

      18. THE ICELANDERS AND EYVIND THE SKALD.

       Table of Contents

      Eyvind composed a poem about the people of Iceland, for which they rewarded him by each bonde giving him three silver pennies, of full weight and white in the fracture. And when the silver was brought together at the Althing, the people resolved to have it purified, and made into a row of clasps; and after the workmanship of the silver was paid, the row of clasps was valued at fifty marks. This they sent to Eyvind; but Eyvind was obliged to separate the clasps from each other, and sell them to buy food for his household. But the same spring a shoal of herrings set in upon the fishing ground beyond the coast-side, and Eyvind manned a ship's boat with his house servants and cottars, and rowed to where the herrings were come, and sang:—

      "Now let the steed of ocean bound

       O'er the North Sea with dashing sound:

       Let nimble tern and screaming gull

       Fly round and round—our net is full.

       Fain would I know if Fortune sends

       A like provision to my friends.

       Welcome provision 'tis, I wot,

       That the whale drives to our cook's pot."

      So entirely were his movable goods exhausted, that he was obliged to sell his arrows to buy herrings, or other meat for his table:—

      "Our arms and ornaments of gold

       To buy us food we gladly sold:

       The arrows of the bow gave we

       For the bright arrows of the sea."

      King Olaf Trygvason's Saga

       Table of Contents

       1. OLAF TRYGVASON'S BIRTH.

       2. OF GUNHILD S SONS.

       3. ASTRID'S JOURNEY.

       4. HAKON'S EMBASSY TO SWEDEN.

       5. OF SIGURD EIRIKSON.

       6. OLAF IS SET FREE IN EISTLAND.

       7. KLERKON KILLED BY OLAF.

       8. OF HAKON EARL OF HLADER.

       9.