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diff --git a/old/69131-0.txt b/old/69131-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 6a8115e..0000000 --- a/old/69131-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8015 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Northmen in Britain, by Eleanor -Hull - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Northmen in Britain - -Author: Eleanor Hull - -Illustrator: M. Meredith Williams - -Release Date: October 10, 2022 [eBook #69131] - -Language: English - -Produced by: MWS, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was - produced from images generously made available by The - Internet Archive/American Libraries.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE NORTHMEN IN BRITAIN *** - - - - - -Transcriber’s Note: Italic text is enclosed in _underscores_. Other -notes may be found after the Index. - - - - - THE - NORTHMEN - IN BRITAIN - - - - - “_There is no man so high-hearted over earth, nor so good in - gifts, nor so keen in youth, nor so brave in deeds, nor so loyal - to his lord, that he may not have always sad yearning towards the - sea-faring, for what the Lord will give him there._ - - “_His heart is not for the harp, nor receiving of rings, nor - delight in a wife, nor the joy of the world, nor about anything - else but the rolling of the waves. And he hath ever longing who - wisheth for the Sea._” - - “THE SEAFARER” - (Old English Poem). - - - -[Illustration: _The Coming of the Northmen_] - - - - - THE NORTHMEN - IN BRITAIN - - _BY_ - Eleanor Hull - - AUTHOR OF - ‘THE POEM-BOOK OF THE GAEL’ ‘CUCHULAIN, THE HOUND OF ULSTER’ - ‘PAGAN IRELAND’ ‘EARLY CHRISTIAN IRELAND’ - ETC. - - _WITH SIXTEEN FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS BY_ - M. MEREDITH WILLIAMS - - [Illustration] - - NEW YORK - THOMAS Y. CROWELL COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - -_Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh_ - - - - -Foreword - - -Two great streams of Northern immigration met on the shores of Britain -during the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries. The Norsemen from -the deep fiords of Western Norway, fishing and raiding along the -coasts, pushed out their adventurous boats into the Atlantic, and -in the dawn of Northern history we find them already settled in the -Orkney and Shetland Isles, whence they raided and settled southward -to Caithness, Fife, and Northumbria on the east, and to the Hebrides, -Galloway, and Man on the western coast. Fresh impetus was given to -this outward movement by the changes of policy introduced by Harald -Fairhair, first king of Norway (872–933). Through him a nobler type of -emigrant succeeded the casual wanderer, and great lords and kings’ sons -came over to consolidate the settlements begun by humbler agencies. -Iceland was at the same time peopled by a similar stock. The Dane, -contemporaneously with the Norseman, came by a different route. Though -he seems to have been the first to invade Northumbria (if Ragnar -and his sons were really Danes), his movement was chiefly round the -southern shores of England, passing over by way of the Danish and -Netherland coast up the English Channel, and round to the west. Both -streams met in Ireland, where a sharp and lengthened contest was fought -out between the two nations, and where both took deep root, building -cities and absorbing much of the commerce of the country. - -The viking was at first simply a bold adventurer, but a mixture of -trading and raiding became a settled practice with large numbers -of Norsemen, who, when work at home was slack and the harvest was -sown or reaped, filled up the time by pirate inroads on their own or -neighbouring lands. Hardy sailors and fearless fighters they were; and -life would have seemed too tame had it meant a continuous course of -peaceful farming or fishing. New possessions and new conquests were the -salt of life. “Biorn went sometimes on viking but sometimes on trading -voyages,” we read of a man of position in Egil’s Saga, and the same -might be said of hundreds of his fellows. - -It was out of these viking raids that the Dano-Norse Kingdoms of Dublin -and Northumbria grew, the Dukedom of Normandy, and the Earldom of -Orkney and the Isles. - -The Danish descents seem to have been more directly for the purpose of -conquest than those of the Norse, and they ended by establishing on -the throne of England a brief dynasty of Danish kings in the eleventh -century, remarkable only from the vigour of Canute’s reign. - -The intimate connexion all through this period between Scandinavia, -Iceland, and Britain can only be realized by reading the Northern Sagas -side by side with the chronicles of Great Britain and Ireland, and it -is from Norse sources chiefly that I propose to tell the story. - - - - -Contents - - - THE AGE OF THE VIKINGS - - CHAP. PAGE - I. THE FIRST COMING OF THE NORTHMEN 11 - - II. THE SAGA OF RAGNAR LODBROG, OR “HAIRY-BREEKS” 15 - - III. THE CALL FOR HELP 22 - - IV. ALFRED THE GREAT 29 - - V. HARALD FAIRHAIR, FIRST KING OF NORWAY, AND THE - SETTLEMENTS IN THE ORKNEYS 36 - - VI. THE NORTHMEN IN IRELAND 45 - - VII. THE EXPANSION OF ENGLAND 52 - - VIII. KING ATHELSTAN THE GREAT 56 - - IX. THE BATTLE OF BRUNANBURH 65 - - X. TWO GREAT KINGS TRICK EACH OTHER 78 - - XI. KING HAKON THE GOOD 82 - - XII. KING HAKON FORCES HIS PEOPLE TO BECOME CHRISTIANS 85 - - XIII. THE SAGA OF OLAF TRYGVESON 91 - - XIV. KING OLAF’S DRAGON-SHIPS 100 - - XV. WILD TALES FROM THE ORKNEYS 108 - - XVI. MURTOUGH OF THE LEATHER CLOAKS 117 - - XVII. THE STORY OF OLAF THE PEACOCK 122 - - XVIII. THE BATTLE OF CLONTARF 135 - - XIX. YULE IN THE ORKNEYS, 1014 144 - - XX. THE STORY OF THE BURNING 157 - - XXI. THINGS DRAW ON TO AN END 166 - - - THE DANISH KINGDOM OF ENGLAND - - XXII. THE REIGN OF SWEYN FORKBEARD 179 - - XXIII. THE BATTLE OF LONDON BRIDGE 186 - - XXIV. CANUTE THE GREAT 191 - - XXV. CANUTE LAYS CLAIM TO NORWAY 198 - - XXVI. HARDACANUTE 211 - - XXVII. EDWARD THE CONFESSOR 221 - - XXVIII. KING HAROLD, GODWIN’S SON, AND THE BATTLE OF STAMFORD - BRIDGE 226 - - XXIX. KING MAGNUS BARELEGS FALLS IN IRELAND 237 - - XXX. THE LAST OF THE VIKINGS 244 - - - CHRONOLOGY 249 - - INDEX 251 - - - - -Illustrations - - - THE COMING OF THE NORTHMEN _Frontispiece_ - - FACING PAGE - LADGERDA 16 - - ALFRED AT ASHDUNE 26 - - HARALD FAIRHAIR 42 - - OLAF CUARAN 62 - - THOROLF SLAYS EARL HRING AT BRUNANBURH 72 - - THE DYING KING HAKON CARRIED TO HIS SHIP 88 - - KING OLAF’S “LONG SERPENT” 102 - - MURTOUGH ON HIS JOURNEY WITH THE KING OF MUNSTER IN FETTERS 118 - - “OLAF TOOK THE OLD WOMAN IN HIS ARMS” 132 - - DEATH OF BRIAN BORU AT CLONTARF 152 - - “THE VISION OF THE MAN ON THE GREY HORSE” 166 - - “COME THOU OUT, HOUSEWIFE,” CALLED FLOSI TO BERGTHORA 172 - - THE BATTLE OF LONDON BRIDGE 188 - - KING CANUTE AND EARL ULF QUARREL OVER CHESS 214 - - KING MAGNUS IN THE MARSH AT DOWNPATRICK 240 - - - MAP - - BRITISH ISLES IN THE TIME OF THE NORTHMEN 176 - - - - -Authorities - - - For the Sagas of the Norwegian Kings: _Snorri Sturleson’s - Heimskringla, or Sagas of the Kings of Norway_. Translated by S. - Laing and by W. Morris and E. Magnüsson - - For Ragnar Lodbrog: _Saxo Grammaticus_ and _Lodbrog’s Saga_ - - For Ragnar Lodbrog’s Death Song: _Corpus Poeticum Boreale_. Vigfusson - and York Powell - - For the Orkneys: _Orkneyinga Saga_ - - For the Battle of Brunanburh: _Egil Skallagrimson’s Saga_. Translated - by W. C. Green - - For the Story of Olaf the Peacock and Unn the Deep-minded: _Laxdæla - Saga_. Translated by Mrs Muriel Press - - For the Story of the Burning: _Nial’s Saga_. Translated by G. W. - Dasent - - For the Battle of Clontarf: _Wars of the Gael and Gall_. Edited by - J. H. Todd; _Nial’s Saga_, and _Thorstein’s Saga_ - - For Murtough of the Leather Cloaks: The bard Cormacan’s Poem. Edited - by J. O’Donovan (Irish Arch. Soc.) - - _English Chronicles_: The English Chronicle; William of Malmesbury’s, - Henry of Huntingdon’s, Florence of Worcester’s Chronicles; - Asser’s _Life of Alfred_ - - _Irish Chronicles_: Annals of the Four Masters; of Ulster; _Chronicum - Scotorum_; Three Fragments of Annals, edited by J. O’Donovan - - -I desire to thank Mrs Muriel Press and Mr W. C. Green for kind -permission to make use of portions of their translations of Laxdæla and -Egil’s Sagas; also Mr W. G. Collingwood for his consent to my adoption -in my map of some of his boundaries from a map published in his -_Scandinavian Britain_ (S.P.C.K.); and to the Secretary of the Society -for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge for giving his sanction to -this. - - - - -The Northmen in Britain - - - - -THE AGE OF THE VIKINGS - - - - -Chapter I - -The First Coming of the Northmen - - -The first actual descent of the Northmen is chronicled in England under -the year 787, and in Ireland, upon which country they commenced their -descents about the same time, under the year 795; but it is likely, -not only that they had visited and raided the coasts before this, but -had actually made some settlements in both countries. The Ynglinga -Saga tells us that Ivar Vidfadme or “Widefathom” had taken possession -of a fifth part of England, _i.e._ Northumbria, before Harald Fairhair -ruled in Norway, or Gorm the Old in Denmark; that is to say, before -the history of either of these two countries begins. Ivar Vidfadme -is evidently Ivar the Boneless, son of Ragnar Lodbrog, who conquered -Northumbria before the reign of Harald Fairhair. There are traces of -them even earlier, for a year after the first coming of the Northmen -to Northumbria mentioned in the English annals we find that they -called a synod at a place named Fingall, or “Fair Foreigners,” the -name always applied to the Norse in our Irish and sometimes in our -English chronicles. Now a place would not have been so named unless -Norse people had for some time been settled there, and we may take it -for granted that Norse settlers had made their home in Northumbria at -some earlier period. We find, too, at quite an early time, that Norse -and Irish had mingled and intermarried in Ireland, forming a distinct -race called the Gall-Gael, or “Foreigners and Irish,” who had their -own fleets and armies; and it is said that on account of their close -family connexion many of the Christian Irish forsook their religion -and relapsed into the paganism of the Norse who lived amongst them. We -shall find, as we go on in the history, that generally the contrary -was the case, and that contact with Christianity in these islands -caused many Norse chiefs and princes to adopt our faith; indeed, it was -largely through Irish and English influence that Iceland and Norway -became Christian. Though we may not always approve of the way in which -this was brought about, the fact itself is interesting. - -The first settlers in Iceland were Irish hermits, who took with them -Christian books, bells, and croziers, and the first Christian church -built on the island was dedicated to St Columba, the Irish founder of -the Scottish monastery of Iona, through whom Christianity was brought -to Scotland. - -Yet there is no doubt that the coming of the Northmen was looked -upon with dread by the English, and there is a tone of terror in -the first entry in the chronicles of their arrival upon the coast. -This entry is so important that we will give it in the words of -one of the old historians: “Whilst the pious King Bertric [King of -Wessex] was reigning over the western parts of the English, and the -innocent people spread through the plains were enjoying themselves -in tranquillity and yoking their oxen to the ploughs, suddenly there -arrived on the coast a fleet of Danes, not large, but of three ships -only: this was their first arrival. When this became known, the King’s -officer, who was already stopping in the town of Dorchester, leaped on -his horse and galloped forwards with a few men to the port, thinking -that they were merchants rather than enemies, and commanding them in an -authoritative tone, ordered them to go to the royal city; but he was -slain on the spot by them, and all who were with him.”[1] - -This rude beginning was only a forecast of what was to follow. We hear -of occasional viking bands arriving at various places on the coast -from Kent to Northumbria, and ravaging wherever they appeared. At -first they seem to have wandered round the coast without thought of -remaining anywhere, but about sixty years after their first appearance -(in 851), we find them settling on the warmer and more fertile lands -of England during the winter, though they were off again when the -summer came, foraging and destroying. This became a regular habit -with these visitors, and led gradually to permanent settlements, -especially in Northumbria. The intruders became known as “the army,” -and the appearance of “the army” in any district filled the inhabitants -with terror. Our first definite story of the Northmen in England is -connected with the appearance of “the army” in Yorkshire A.D. 867. We -learn from the English chronicles that violent internal discord was -troubling Northumbria at this time. The king of the Northumbrians was -Osbert, but the people had risen up and expelled him, we know not for -what reason,[2] and had placed on the throne a man named Ælla, “not of -royal blood,” who seems to have been the leader of the people. - -Just at this moment, when the country was most divided, the dreaded -pagan army advanced over the mouth of the Humber from the south-east -into Yorkshire. In this emergency all classes united for the common -defence, and we find Osbert, the dethroned king, nobly marching side -by side with his rival to meet the Northmen. Hearing that a great army -was approaching, the Northmen shut themselves up within the walls of -York, and attempted to defend themselves behind them. The Northumbrians -succeeded in making a breach in the walls and entering the town; -but, inspired by fear and necessity, the pagans made a fierce sally, -cutting down their foes on all sides, inside and outside the walls -alike. The city was set on fire, those who escaped making peace with -the enemy. From that time onward the Northmen were seldom absent from -Northumbria. York became one of their chief headquarters, and the -constant succession of Norse ships along the coast gradually brought a -considerable influx of Norse inhabitants to that part of England. It -became, in fact, a viking kingdom, under the sons of Ragnar Lodbrog, -whose story we have now to tell. This was in the time of the first -Ethelred, when Alfred the Great was about twenty years of age. Ethelred -was too much occupied in warring with the pagans in the South of -England to be able to give any aid to the Northumbrians. - - - - -Chapter II - -The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrog, or “Hairy-breeks” - - -According to the Danish and Norse accounts, the leader of the armies -of the Northmen on the occasion we have just referred to was the -famous Ragnar Lodbrog, one of the earliest and most terrible of the -Northern vikings. The story of Ragnar stands just on the borderland -between mythology and history, and it is difficult to tell how much -of it is true, but in some of its main outlines it accords with the -rather scanty information we get at this time from the English annals. -An old tradition relates how Ragnar got his title of Lodbrog, or -“Hairy-breeks.” - -It is said that the King of the Swedes, who was fond of hunting in the -woods, brought home some snakes and gave them to his daughter to rear. -Of these curious pets she took such good care that they multiplied -until the whole countryside was tormented with them. Then the King, -repenting his foolish act, proclaimed that whosoever should destroy the -vipers should have his daughter as his reward. Many warriors, attracted -by the adventure, made an attempt to rid the country of the snakes, -but without much success. Ragnar also determined to try to win the -princess. He caused a dress to be made of woolly material and stuffed -with hair to protect him, and put on thick hairy thigh-pieces that the -snakes could not bite. Then he plunged his whole body, clad in this -covering, into freezing water, so that it froze on him, and became hard -and impenetrable. Thus attired, he approached the door of the palace -alone, his sword tied to his side and his spear lashed in his hand. -As he went forward an enormous snake glided up in front, and others, -equally large, attacked him in the rear. The King and his courtiers, -who were looking on, fled to a safe shelter, watching the struggle from -afar like affrighted little girls. But Ragnar, trusting to the hardness -of his frozen dress, attacked the vipers boldly, and drove them back, -killing many of them with his spear. - -Then the King came forward and looked closely at the dress which had -withstood the venom of the serpents. He saw that it was rough and -hairy, and he laughed loudly at the shaggy breeches, which gave Ragnar -an uncouth appearance. He called him in jest Lodbrog (Lod-brokr), or -“Hairy-breeks,” and the nickname stuck to him all his life. Having laid -aside his shaggy raiment and put on his kingly attire, Ragnar received -the maiden as the reward of his victory. He had several sons, of whom -the youngest, Ivar, was well known in after years in Britain and -Ireland, and left a race of rulers there. - -[Illustration: _Ladgerda_] - -Meanwhile the ill-disposed people of his own kingdom, which seems -to have included the districts we now know as Zealand or Jutland, -one of those small divisions into which the Northern countries were -at that time broken up,[3] during the absence of Ragnar stirred up -the inhabitants to depose him and set up one Harald as king. Ragnar, -hearing of this, and having few men at his command, sent envoys to -Norway to ask for assistance. They gathered a small host together, -of weak and strong, young and old, whomsoever they could get, and had a -hard fight with the rebels. It is said that Ivar, though he was hardly -seven years of age, fought splendidly, and seemed a man in courage -though only a boy in years. Siward, or Sigurd Snake-eye, Ragnar’s -eldest son, received a terrible wound, which it is said that Woden, -the father of the gods of the North, came himself to cure. The battle -would have gone against Ragnar but for the courage of a noble woman -named Ladgerda, who, “like an Amazon possessed of the courage of a -man,” came to the hero’s assistance with a hundred and twenty ships and -herself fought in front of the host with her loose hair flying about -her shoulders. All marvelled at her matchless deeds, for she had the -spirit of a warrior in a slender frame, and when the soldiers began to -waver she made a sally, taking the enemy unawares on the rear, so that -Harald was routed with a great slaughter of his men. This was by no -means the only occasion in the history of these times that we hear of -women-warriors; both in the North and in Ireland women often went into -battle, sometimes forming whole female battalions. The women of the -North were brave, pure, and spirited, though often fierce and bitter. -They took their part in many ways beside their husbands and sons. - -About this time Thora, Ragnar’s wife, died suddenly of an illness, -which caused infinite sorrow to her husband, who dearly loved his -spouse. He thought to assuage his grief by setting himself some heavy -task, which would occupy his mind and energies. After arranging for the -administration of justice at home, and training for war all the young -men, feeble or strong, who came to him, he determined to cross over to -Britain, since he had heard of the dissensions that were going on, and -the weakness of the country. This was before the time of Ælla, when, -as the Danish annals tell us, his father, Hame, “a most noble youth,” -was reigning in Northumbria. This king, Ragnar attacked and killed, and -then, leaving his young and favourite son to rule the Danish settlers -of Northumbria, he went north to Scotland, conquered parts of Pictland, -or the North of Scotland, and of the Western Isles, where he made two -others of his sons, Siward Snake-eye and Radbard, governors. - -Having thus formed for himself a kingdom in the British Isles, and -left his sons to rule over it, Ragnar departed for a time, and the -next few years were spent in repressing insurrections in his own -kingdom of Jutland, and in a long series of viking raids in Sweden, -Saxony, Germany, and France. His own sons were continually making -insurrections against him. Ivar only, who seems to have been recalled -and made governor of Jutland, took no part in his brothers’ quarrels, -but remained throughout faithful to his father, by whom he was held in -the highest honour and affection. Another son, Ubba, of whom we hear in -the English chronicles, alternately rebelled against his father and was -received into favour by him. Then, again, Ragnar turned his thoughts to -the West, and, descending on the Orkneys, ravaged there, planting some -of those viking settlements of which we hear at the opening of Scottish -history as being established on the coasts and islands. But two of his -sons were slain, and Ragnar returned home in grief, shutting himself -up in his house and bemoaning their loss, and that of a wife whom he -had recently married. He was soon awakened from his sorrow by the news -that Ivar, whom he had left in Northumbria, had been expelled from the -country, and had arrived in Denmark, his own people having made him fly -when Ælla was set up as king.[4] Ragnar immediately roused himself from -his dejection, gave orders for the assembling of his fleet, and sailed -down on Northumbria, disembarking near York. He took Ivar with him -to guide his forces, as he was now well acquainted with the country. -Here, as we learn from the English chronicles, the battle of York was -fought, lasting three days, and costing much blood to the English, but -comparatively little to the Danes. The only real difference between -the Danish and English accounts is that the Northern story says that -Ælla was not killed, but had to fly for a time to Ireland, and it is -probable that this is true. Ragnar also extended his arms to Ireland, -after a year in Northumbria, besieged Dublin, and slew its king, -Maelbride (or Melbrik, as the Norse called him), and then, filling his -ships with the wealth of the city, which was very rich, he sailed to -the Hellespont, winning victories everywhere, and gaining for himself -the title of the first of the great viking kings. - -But it was fated to Ragnar that he was to die in the country he had -conquered, and when he returned to Northumbria from his foreign -expeditions he was taken prisoner by Ælla, and cast into a pit, where -serpents were let loose upon him and devoured him. No word of complaint -came from the lips of the courageous old man while he was suffering -these tortures; instead, he recounted in fine verse the triumphs of his -life and the dangers of his career. This poem we still possess. Only -when the serpents were gnawing at his heart he was heard to exclaim: -“If the little pigs knew the punishment of the old boar, surely they -would break into the sty and loose him from his woe.” These words were -related to Ælla, who thought from them that some of Ragnar’s sons, -whom he called the “little pigs,” must still be alive: and he bade the -executioners stop the torture and bring Ragnar out of the pit. But when -they ran to do so they found that Ragnar was dead; his face scarred by -pain, but steadfast as in life. Death had taken him out of the hand of -the king. - -In Ragnar Lodbrog’s death-song he recites in succession his triumphs -and gallant deeds, his wars and battles, in England, Scotland, Mona, -the Isle of Man, Ireland, and abroad. Each stanza begins, “We hewed -with our swords!” Here are the final verses, as the serpents, winding -around him, came ever nearer to his heart. - - -RAGNAR LODBROG’S DEATH-SONG - - We hewed with our swords! - Life proves that we must dree our weird. Few can escape the binding - bonds of fate. Little dreamed I that e’er my days by Ælla would - be ended! what time I filled the blood hawks with his slain, what - time I led my ships into his havens, what time we gorged the - beasts of prey along the Scottish bays. - - We hewed with our swords! - There is a never-failing consolation for my spirit: the board of - Balder’s sire [Woden] stands open to the brave! Soon from the - crooked skull-boughs[5] in the splendid house of Woden we shall - quaff the amber mead! Death blanches not the brave man’s face. - I’ll not approach the courts of Vitris[6] with the faltering - voice of fear! - - We hewed with our swords! - Soon would the sons of Aslaug[7] come armed with their flaming brands - to wake revenge, did they but know of our mischance; even that a - swarm of vipers, big with venom, sting my aged body. I sought a - noble mother for my children, one who might impart adventurous - hearts to our posterity. - - We hewed with our swords! - Now is my life nigh done. Grim are the terrors of the adder; serpents - nestle within my heart’s recesses. - Yet it is the cordial of my soul that Woden’s wand[8] shall soon - stick fast in Ælla! My sons will swell with vengeance at their - parent’s doom; those generous youths will fling away the sweets - of peace and come to avenge my loss. - - We hewed with our swords! - Full fifty times have I, the harbinger of war, fought bloody fights; - no king, methought, should ever pass me by. It was the pastime - of my boyish days to tinge my spear with blood! The immortal - Anses[9] will call me to their company; no dread shall e’er - disgrace my death. - - I willingly depart! - See, the bright maids sent from the hall of Woden, Lord of Hosts, - invite me home! There, happy on my high raised seat among the - Anses, I’ll quaff the mellow ale. The moments of my life are - fled, but laughing will I die! - - - - -Chapter III - -The Call for Help - - -It seemed, toward the close of the ninth century, that England -would gradually pass into the power of the Danes and cease to be -an independent country. They had established themselves not only -in Northumbria, but in East Anglia and parts of Mercia. We have to -think of England at this period not as one united kingdom, but as a -number of separate principalities, ruled by different kings. The most -powerful of these principalities was Mercia, which occupied the whole -central district of England, from Lincolnshire in the north to Oxford -and Buckingham in the south, and west to the borders of Wales. It was -governed by a king named Burhred, who found great difficulty in holding -his own against incursions from the Welsh on the one hand and from the -Danes of Northumbria on the other.[10] - -In the south the kingdom of Wessex was coming into prominence. During -the reigns of Alfred and his brother, Edward the Elder, Wessex not only -held back the Danes from their tide of progress, but gave its kings to -the larger part of England. The kingdom of Wessex extended from Sussex -in the east to Devon in the west, and included our present counties -of Hants, Dorset, Somerset, Berks, and Wilts. It was from this small -district that the saviour of England was to come, who, by his courage, -perseverance, and wisdom, broke the power of the Danes and kept them -back from the conquest of the whole country, which at one time seemed -so probable. This saviour of England was Alfred the Great. - -We know the history of Alfred intimately, for it was written for us -during the King’s lifetime by his teacher and friend, Asser, who tells -us that he came to Alfred “out of the furthest coasts of western -Britain.” He was Bishop of St David’s, in South Wales. - -The account of his coming at Alfred’s request to give him instruction -and to act as his reader must be told in his own interesting words. -He tells us that at the command of the King, who had sent in many -directions, even as far as Gaul, for men of sound knowledge to give him -and his sons and people instruction, he had come from his western home -through many intervening provinces, and arrived at last in Sussex, the -country of the Saxons. - -Here for the first time he saw Alfred, in the royal “vill” in which he -dwelt, and was received with kindness by the King, who eagerly entered -into conversation with him, and begged him to devote himself to his -service and become his friend. Indeed, so anxious was he to secure -Asser’s services, that he urged him then and there to resign his duties -in Wales and promise never to leave him again. He offered him in return -more than all he had left behind if he would stay with him. Asser nobly -replied that he could not suddenly give up those who were dependent on -his ministrations and permanently leave the country in which he had -been bred and where his duties lay; upon which the King replied: “If -you cannot accede to this, at least let me have part of your service; -stay with me here for six months and spend the other six months in the -West with your own people.” To this Asser, seeing the King so desirous -of his services, replied that he would return to his own country and -try to make the arrangement which Alfred desired; and from this time -there grew up a lifelong friendship between these two interesting men, -one learned, simple, and conscientious, the other eager for learning, -and bent upon applying all his wisdom for the benefit of the people -over whom he ruled. - -From the life of Alfred, written by his master, we might imagine that -the chief part of the monarch’s time was devoted to learning and study. -“Night and day,” Asser tells us, “whenever he had leisure, he commanded -men of learning to read to him;” so that he became familiar with books -which he was himself unable to read. He loved poetry, and caused it to -be introduced into the teaching of the young. He with great labour (for -his own education had been sadly neglected) translated Latin works on -history and religion, so that his people might read them. He kept what -he called a “Manual” or “Handbook,” because he had it at hand day and -night, in which he wrote any passage they came upon in their reading -which especially struck his mind. Asser tells us in a charming way how -he began this custom. He says that they were sitting together in the -King’s chamber, talking, as usual, of all kinds of subjects, when it -happened that the master read to him a quotation out of a certain book. -“He listened to it attentively, with both his ears, and thoughtfully -drew out of his bosom a book wherein were written the daily psalms and -prayers which he had read in his youth, and he asked me to write the -quotation in that book. But I could not find any empty space in that -book wherein to write the quotation, for it was already full of various -matters. Upon his urging me to make haste and write it at once, I said -to him: ‘Would you wish me to write the quotation on a separate sheet? -For it is possible that we may find one or more other extracts which -will please you; and if this should happen, we shall be glad that we -have kept them apart.’ - -“‘Your plan is good,’ he said; and I gladly made haste to get ready a -fresh sheet, in the beginning of which I wrote what he bade me. And on -the same day, as I had anticipated, I wrote therein no less than three -other quotations which pleased him, so that the sheet soon became full. -He continued to collect these words of the great writers, until his -book became almost as large as a psalter, and he found, as he told me, -no small consolation therein.” - -But, studious as was naturally the mind of Alfred, only a small portion -of his life, and that chiefly when he became aged, could be given to -learning. His career lay in paths of turmoil and war, and his earlier -days were spent in camps and among the practical affairs of a small -but important kingdom. Already as a child of eight or ten he had heard -of battles and rumours of war all around him. He heard of “the heathen -men,” as the Danes were called, making advances in the Isle of Wight, -at Canterbury and London, and creeping up the Thames into new quarters -in Kent and Surrey. There his father, King Ethelwulf, and his elder -brothers had met and defeated them with great slaughter at Aclea, or -Ockley, “the Oak-plain,” and they returned home to Wessex with the news -of a complete victory. It was probably to keep his favourite child -out of the way of warfare and danger that Ethelwulf sent him twice -to Rome; the second time he himself accompanied him thither, and they -returned to find that one of Alfred’s elder brothers, Ethelbald, had -made a conspiracy against his own father, had seized the kingdom, and -would have prevented Ethelwulf from returning had he been able. But -the warm love of his people, who gathered round him, delighted at his -return, prevented this project from being carried into effect, and -the old man, desiring only peace in his family, divided the kingdom -between his two eldest sons; but on the death of Ethelbald, soon after, -Ethelbert joined the two divisions together, including Kent, Surrey, -and Sussex in the same kingdom with Wessex. When Alfred was eighteen -years of age this brother also died, and for five years more a third -brother, Ethelred, sat on the throne of Wessex. - -[Illustration: _Alfred at Ashdune_] - -It was at this time, when Alfred was growing up to manhood, that the -troubles in Northumbria of which we have already given an account -took place. The reign of Ælla, and his horrible death at the hands of -Lodbrog’s sons, was followed by the advance of the pagan army into -Mercia, and it was here that Alfred came for the first, time face to -face with the enemy against whom much of his life was to be spent in -conflict. Burhred, King of the Mercians, sent to Ethelred and Alfred -to beg their assistance against the pagan army. They immediately -responded by marching to Nottingham with a large host, all eager to -fight the Danes; but the pagans, shut up safely within the walls of -the castle, declined to fight, and in the end a peace was patched up -between the Danes and the Mercians, and the two Wessex princes returned -home without a battle. It was not long, however, before the army was -needed again; for, three years later, in the year 871, when Alfred -was twenty-three years of age, “the army of the Danes of hateful -memory,” as Asser calls it, entered Wessex itself, coming up from East -Anglia, where they had wintered. After attacking the then royal city of -Reading, on the Thames, they entrenched themselves on the right of the -town. Ethelred was not able to come up with them at so short notice, -but the Earl of Berkshire, gathering a large army, attacked them in the -rear at Englefield Green, and defeated them, many of them taking to -flight. Four days afterwards the two princes of Wessex, Ethelred and -Alfred, came up, and soon cut to pieces the Danes that were defending -the city outside; but those Danes who had shut themselves in the city -sallied out of the gates, and after a long and hot encounter the army -of Wessex fled, the brave Earl of Berkshire being among the slain. - -Roused by this disaster, the armies of Wessex, in shame and -indignation, collected their whole strength, and within four days they -were ready again to give battle to the Danes at Ashdune (Aston), “the -Hill of the Ash,” in the same county. They found the Danes drawn up -in two divisions, occupying high ground; while the army of Wessex was -forced to attack from below. Both parties began to throw up defences, -and the Danes were pressing forward to the attack; but Alfred, who -was waiting for the signal to begin the battle, found that his elder -brother, Ethelred, was nowhere to be seen. He sent to inquire where -he was, and learned that he was hearing mass in his tent, nor would -he allow the service to be interrupted or leave his prayers till all -was finished. It had been arranged that Alfred with his troops should -attack the smaller bodies of the Danes, while Ethelred, who was to -lead the centre, took the general command; but the enemy were pushing -forward with such eagerness that Alfred, having waited as long as he -dared for his brother, was forced at length to give the signal for -a general advance. He bravely led the whole army forward in a close -phalanx, without waiting for the King’s arrival, and a furious battle -took place, concentrating chiefly around a stunted thorn-tree, standing -alone, which, Asser tells us, he had seen with his own eyes on the spot -where the battle was fought. A great defeat was inflicted on the Danes; -one of their kings and five of their earls were killed, and the plain -of Ashdune was covered with the dead bodies of the slain. The whole -of that night the pagans fled, closely followed by the victorious men -of Wessex, until weariness and the darkness of the night brought the -conflict to an end. - - - - -Chapter IV - -Alfred the Great - -(BORN 849; REIGNED 871–901) - - -It was in the midst of incessant warfare that Alfred ascended the -throne of Wessex. Ethelred, his brother, died a few months after the -battle of Ashdune, and in the same year, that in which Alfred came -to the throne, no less than nine general battles were fought between -Wessex and the Danes. Both armies were exhausted, and a peace was -patched up between them, the Danish army withdrawing to the east and -north, and leaving Wessex for a short time in peace. But they drove -King Burhred out of Mercia, and overseas to Rome, where he soon -afterwards died. He was buried in the church belonging to an English -school which had been founded in the city by the Saxon pilgrims and -students who had taken refuge in Rome from the troubles in England. - -It would seem that Alfred’s chief troubles during the years following -were caused by the fierce sons of Ragnar Lodbrog, brothers of Ivar -the Boneless of Northumbria. These three brothers, Halfdene, Ivar, -and Ubba, overran the whole country, appearing with great rapidity at -different points, so that, as one historian says, they were no sooner -pushed from one district than they reappeared in another. Alfred tried -by every means to disperse the Danish army. He made them swear over -holy relics to depart, but their promise was hardly given before it was -broken again; he raised a fleet after their own pattern and attacked -them at sea; and he laid siege to Exeter, where they had entrenched -themselves, cutting off their provisions and means of retreat. It was -like fighting a swarm of flies; however many were killed, more came -overseas to take their place. “For nine successive years,” writes -William of Malmesbury, “he was battling with his enemies, sometimes -deceived by false treaties, and sometimes wreaking his vengeance on -the deceivers, till he was at last reduced to such extreme distress -that scarcely three counties, that is to say, Hampshire, Wiltshire, and -Somerset, stood fast by their allegiance.” He was compelled to retreat -to the Isle of Athelney, where, supporting himself by fishing and -forage, he, with a few faithful followers, led an unquiet life amid the -marshes, awaiting the time when a better fortune should enable them to -recover the lost kingdom. One hard-won treasure they had with them in -their island fortress. This was the famous Raven Banner, the war-flag -which the three sisters of Ivar and Ubba, Lodbrog’s daughters, had -woven in one day for their brothers. It was believed by them that in -every battle which they undertook the banner would spread like a flying -raven if they were to gain the victory; but if they were fated to be -defeated it would hang down motionless. This flag was taken from the -brothers in Devon at the battle in which Ubba was slain, and much booty -with it. No doubt it was cherished as an omen of future victory by the -followers of the unfortunate Alfred in their retreat. - -But Alfred was not idle. Slowly but surely he gathered around him a -devoted band, and his public reappearance in Wiltshire some months -afterwards, in the spring or summer of 878, was the signal for the -joyous return to him of a great body of his subjects. With a large army -he struck camp, meeting the foe at Eddington or Ethandun, and there -defeated the pagans in so decisive a battle that after fourteen days -of misery, “driven by famine, cold, fear, and last of all by despair, -they prayed for peace, promising to give the King as many hostages as -he desired, but asking for none in return.” “Never before,” writes -Asser, “had they concluded such an ignominious treaty with any enemy,” -and the king, taking pity on them, received such hostages as they chose -to give, and what was more important, a promise from them that they -would leave the kingdom immediately. Such promises had been given by -the Danes before, and had not been kept. But the Danish chief or prince -with whom Alfred was now dealing was of a different type from the sons -of Ragnar. He was a man of high position and character; not a viking in -the usual sense, for he had been born in England, where his father had -settled and been baptized, and Alfred knew that in Gorm, or Guthrum, he -had a foe whom he could both respect for his courage and depend on for -his fidelity. - -This Gorm is called in the Northern chronicles, “Gorm the Englishman,” -on account of his birth and long sojourn in this country. Though a -prince of Denmark, he had spent a great part of his life in England, -and he had held the Danes together, and been their leader in many of -their victories against Alfred. It was during his absence from England, -when he had been forced to go back to Denmark to bring things into -order in his own kingdom, that the English had gathered courage, under -Alfred’s leadership, to revolt against him. His absence was short, -but he was unable on his return to recover his former power, and the -result was the great defeat of the Danes of which we have just spoken. -It had been one of Alfred’s stipulations that Gorm, or Guthrum (as he -was called in England), should become a Christian; this he consented to -do, the more inclined, perhaps, because his father had been baptized -before him; accordingly, three weeks after the battle, King Gorm, -with about thirty of his most distinguished followers, repaired to -Alfred at a place near Athelney, where he was baptized, Alfred himself -acting as his godfather. After his baptism, he remained for twelve -days with the King at the royal seat of Wedmore; and Alfred gave him -and his followers many gifts, and they parted as old friends. His -baptismal name was Athelstan. For a time he seems to have remained in -East Anglia, and settled that country; but soon afterwards he returned -to his own kingdom, where the attachment of his people seems to have -been all the greater on account of his ill-luck in England. Though he -irretrievably lost his hold on this country, he remained firmly seated -on the throne of Denmark. He was the ancestor of Canute the Great, -joint King of Denmark and of England, who regained all, and more than -all, that his great-grandfather had lost in this country, for Canute -ruled, not over a portion of England, but over an undivided kingdom. -Gorm died in 890. - -The latter part of Alfred’s reign was devoted to the affairs of his -country. He gave his people good laws; dividing the kingdom into -divisions called “hundreds” and “tythings,” which exercised a sort -of internal jurisdiction over their own affairs. He rebuilt London, -and over the whole of his kingdom he caused houses to be built, good -and dignified beyond any that had hitherto been known in the land. He -encouraged industries of all kinds, and had the artificers taught new -and better methods of work in metals and gold. He encouraged religion -and learning, inviting good and learned men from abroad or wherever -he could hear of them, and richly rewarding their efforts. He devoted -much time to prayer; but his wise and sane mind prevented him from -becoming a bigot, as his activity in practical affairs prevented him -from becoming a mere pedant. One of his most lasting works was the -establishment of England’s first navy, to guard her shores against the -attacks of foreigners. All these great reforms were carried out amid -much personal suffering, for from his youth he had been afflicted with -an internal complaint, beyond the surgical knowledge of his day to -cure, and he was in constant pain of a kind so excruciating that Asser -tells us the dread of its return tortured his mind even when his body -was in comparative rest. There is in English history no character which -combines so many great qualities as that of Alfred. Within and without -he found his kingdom in peril and misery, crushed down, ignorant and -without religion; he left it a flourishing and peaceful country, united -and at rest. When his son, Edward the Elder, succeeded him on the -throne, not only Wessex but the whole North of England, with the Scots, -took him “for father and lord”; that is, they accepted him, for the -first time in history, as king of a united England. This great change -was the outcome of the many years of patient building up of his country -which Alfred had brought about through wise rule. He was open-handed -and liberal to all, dividing his revenue into two parts, one half of -which he kept for his own necessities and the uses of the kingdom and -for building noble edifices; the other for the poor, the encouragement -of learning, and the support and foundation of monasteries. He took -a keen interest in a school for the young nobles which he founded -and endowed, determining that others should not, in their desire -for learning, meet with the same difficulties that he had himself -experienced. In his childhood it had not been thought necessary that -even princes and men of rank should be taught to read; and the story is -familiar to all that he was enticed to a longing for knowledge by the -promise of his stepmother Judith, daughter of the King of the Franks, -who had been educated abroad, that she would give a book of Saxon -poetry which she had shown to him and his brother to whichever of them -could first learn to read it and repeat the poetry by heart. Alfred -seems to have learned Latin from Asser, for he translated several -famous books into Saxon, so that his people might attain a knowledge of -their contents without the labour through which he himself had gone. -When we consider that he was also, as William of Malmesbury tells us, -“present in every action against the enemy even up to the end of his -life, ever daunting the invaders, and inspiring his subjects with the -signal display of his courage,” we may well admire the indomitable -energy of this man. In his old age he caused candles to be made with -twenty-four divisions, to keep him aware of the lapse of time and help -him to allot it to special duties. One of his attendants was always at -hand to warn him how his candle was burning, and to remind him of the -special duty he was accustomed to perform at any particular hour of the -day or night. - -The latter years of Alfred were comparatively free from incursions by -the Danes or Norsemen; this was the period during which the attention -of the Norse was attracted in other directions. The conquests of -Rollo or Rolf the Ganger or “the Walker” in the North of France were -attracting a large body of the more turbulent spirits to those shores -which in after-times they were to call Normandy, or the land of the -Northmen. After Gorm the Englishman’s submission to Alfred many of the -Danes from England seem to have joined these fresh bands of marauders, -advancing up the Seine to Paris, and devastating the country as far -as the Meuse, the Scheldt, and the Marne on the east and Brittany -on the west. In time to come, under Rollo’s descendant, William the -Conqueror, these people were once more to pour down upon English shores -and reconquer the land that their forefathers had lost through Alfred’s -bravery and statesmanship. Rollo overran Normandy for the first time -in the year 876,[11] and William the Conqueror landed at Pevensey -in 1066, nearly two hundred years later. William’s genealogy was as -follows:--He was son of Robert the Magnificent, second son of Richard -the Good, son of Richard the Fearless, son of William Longsword, son of -Rollo or Rolf the Walker--six generations. The direct connexion between -the Anglo-Norman houses was through Emma, daughter of Richard the -Fearless, who married first Ethelred the Unready, King of England, and -afterwards his enemy and successor, Canute the Great. It was on account -of this connexion that William the Conqueror laid claim to the Crown of -England. - - - - -Chapter V - -Harald Fairhair, First King of Norway, and the Settlements in the -Orkneys - - -There were yet other directions toward which the Norse viking-hosts -had already turned their eyes. Not far out from the coasts of Norway -lay the Orkney and Shetland Islands, and beyond them again the Faröe -Isles rose bleak and treeless from the waters of the northern sea. -The shallow boats of the Norsemen, though they dreaded the open -waters of the Atlantic, were yet able, in favourable weather, to push -their way from one set of islands to another, and from the earliest -times of which we know anything about them they had already made some -settlements on these rocky shores. To the Norseman, accustomed to a -hardy life and brought up to wring a scanty livelihood almost out -of the barren cliff itself, even the Orkney and Shetland Isles had -attractions. Those who have seen the tiny steadings of the Norwegian -farmer to-day, perched up on what appears from below to be a perfectly -inaccessible cliff, with only a few feet of soil on which to raise his -scanty crop, solitary all the year round save for the occasional visit -of a coasting steamer, will the less wonder that the islands on the -Scottish coast proved attractive to his viking forefathers. Often, in -crossing that stormy sea, the adventurous crew found a watery grave, -or encountered such tempests that the viking boat was almost knocked to -pieces; but on the whole these hardy seamen passed and repassed over -the North Sea with a frequency that surprises us, especially when we -remember that their single-sailed boats were open, covered in only at -the stem or stern,[12] and rowed with oars. We hear of these settlers -on our coasts before Norwegian history can be said to have begun; -and from early times, also, they carried on a trade with Ireland; we -hear of a merchant in the Icelandic “Book of the Settlements” named -Hrafn, who was known as the “Limerick trader,” because he carried on a -flourishing business with that town, which later grew into importance -under the sons of Ivar, who settled there and built the chief part of -the city. - -But during the latter years of Alfred’s reign and for many years after -his death a great impetus was given to the settlements in the North -of Scotland by the coming to the throne of Norway of the first king -who reigned over the whole country, Harald Fairhair. He established a -new form of rule which was very unpopular among his great lords and -landowners, and the consequence of this was that a large number of his -most powerful earls or “jarls” left the country with their families and -possessions and betook themselves to Iceland, the Orkneys and Hebrides, -and to Ireland. They did not go as marauders, as those who went before -them had done, but they went to settle, and establish new homes for -themselves where they would be free from what they considered to be -Harald Fairhair’s oppressive laws. Before his time each of these jarls -had been his own master, ruling his own district as an independent -lord, but paying a loose allegiance to the prince who chanced at -the time to prove the most powerful. From time to time some more -ambitious prince arose, who tried to subdue to his authority the men -of consequence in his own part of the country, but hitherto it had not -come into the mind of any one of them to try to make himself king over -the whole land. - -The idea of great kingdoms was not then a common one. In England up to -this time no king had reigned over the whole country; there had been -separate rulers for East Anglia, Wessex, Northumbria, etc., sometimes -as many as seven kings reigning at the same time in different parts -of the country, in what was called the “Heptarchy.” It was only when -the need of a powerful and capable ruler was felt, and there chanced -to be a man fitted to meet this need, as in Alfred’s time and that of -his son, Edward the Elder, that the kingdoms drew together under one -sovereign. But even then it was not supposed that things would remain -permanently like this; under a weaker prince they might at any moment -split up again into separate dynasties. In Ireland this system remained -in force far longer, for centuries indeed, the country being broken up -into independent and usually warring chiefdoms. Abroad, none of the -Northern nations had united themselves into great kingdoms up to the -time of Harald Fairhair, but about this date a desire began to show -itself to consolidate the separate lordships under single dynasties, -partly because it chanced that men of more than usual power and -ambition happened to be found in them, and partly for protection from -neighbouring States; in the case of Harald himself, his pride also led -him to desire to take a place in the world as important as that of the -neighbouring kings. In Sweden King Eirik and in Denmark King Gorm the -Old were establishing themselves on the thrones of united kingdoms. The -effort of Harald to accomplish the same task in Norway was so important -in its effects, not only on the future history of his own country, but -on that of portions of our own, that it is worth while to tell it more -in detail. - -Harald was son of Halfdan the Black, with whose reign authentic -Norwegian history begins. Halfdan ruled over a good part of the -country, which he had gained by conquest, and he was married to -Ragnhild, a wise and intelligent woman, and a great dreamer of dreams. -It is said that in one of her dreams she foretold the future greatness -of her son Harald Fairhair. She thought she was in her herb-garden, -her shift fastened with a thorn; she drew out the thorn with her hand -and held it steadily while it began to grow downward, until it finally -rooted itself firmly in the earth. The other end of it shot upward and -became a great tree, blood-red about the root, but at the top branching -white as snow. It spread until all Norway was covered by its branches. -The dream came true when Harald, who was born soon afterwards, subdued -all Norway to himself. - -Harald grew up strong and remarkably handsome, very expert in all -feats, and of good understanding. It did not enter his head to extend -his dominions until some time after his father’s death, for he was only -ten years old at that time, and his youth was troubled by dissensions -among his nobles, who each wanted to possess himself of the conquests -made by Halfdan the Black; but Harald subdued them to himself as far -south as the river Raum. Then he set his affections on a girl of good -position named Gyda, and sent messengers to ask her to be his wife. But -she was a proud and ambitious girl, and declared that she would not -marry any man, even though he were styled a king, who had no greater -kingdom than a few districts. “It is wonderful to me that while in -Sweden King Eirik has made himself master of the whole country and in -Denmark Gorm the Old did the same, no prince in Norway has made the -entire kingdom subject to himself. And tell Harald,” she added, “that -when he has made himself sole King of Norway, then he may come and -claim my hand; for only then will I go to him as his lawful wife.” The -messengers, when they heard this haughty answer, were for inflicting -some punishment upon her, or carrying her off by force; but they -thought better of it and returned to Harald first, to learn what he -would say. But the King looked at the matter in another light. “The -girl,” he said, “has not spoken so much amiss as that she should be -punished for it, but on the contrary I think she has said well, for she -has put into my mind what it is wonderful that I never before thought -of. And now I solemnly vow, and I take God, who rules over all things, -to witness, that never will I clip or comb my hair until I have subdued -Norway, with scat,[13] dues, and dominions to myself; or if I succeed -not, I will die in the attempt.” - -The messengers, hearing this, thanked the King, saying that “it was -royal work to fulfil royal words.” - -After this, Harald set about raising an army and ravaging the country, -so that the people were forced to sue for peace or to submit to him; -and he marched from place to place, fighting with all who resisted -him, and adding one conquest after another to his crown; but many of -the chiefs of Norway preferred death to subjection, and it is stated -of one king named Herlaug that when he heard that Harald was coming he -ordered a great quantity of meat and drink to be brought and placed in -a burial-mound that he had erected for himself, and he went alive into -the mound and ordered it to be covered up and closed. A mound answering -to this description has been opened not far north of Trondhjem, near -where King Herlaug lived, and in it were found two skeletons, one in a -sitting posture, while in a second chamber were bones of animals. It -is believed that this was Herlaug’s mound where he and a slave were -entombed; it had been built for himself and his brother King Hrollaug, -to be their tombs when they were dead, but it became the sepulchre of -the living. As for Hrollaug, he determined to submit to Harald, and he -erected a throne on the summit of a height on which he was wont to sit -as king, and ordered soft beds to be placed below on the benches on -which the earls were accustomed to sit when there was a royal council. -Then he threw himself down from the king’s seat into the seat of the -earls, in token that he would resign his sovereignty to Harald and -accept an earldom under him; and he entered the service of Harald and -gave his kingdom up to him, and Harald bound a shield to his neck and -placed a sword in his belt and accepted his service; for it was his -plan, when any chief submitted to him, to leave him his dominions, -but to reduce him to the position of a jarl, holding his rights from -himself and owning fealty to him. - -In many ways the lords were richer and better off than before, not -only because they had less cause to fight among themselves, being all -Harald’s men, but because they were made collectors of the land dues -and fines for the King, and out of all dues collected the earl received -a third part for himself; and these dues had been so much increased -by Harald that the earls had greater revenues than before; only each -earl was bound to raise and support sixty men-at-arms for the King’s -service, while the chief men under them had also to bring into the -field their quota of armed men. Thus Harald endeavoured to establish -a feudal system in Norway similar to that introduced into England -by William the Conqueror, and in time the whole country was subdued -outwardly to his service, and Harald won his bride. But although he -cut off or subdued his opponents and there was outward peace, a fierce -discontent smouldered in the minds of many of the nobles who hitherto -had been independent lords, and they would not brook the authority of -Harald, but fled oversea, or joined the viking cruisers, so that the -seas swarmed with their vessels and every land was infested with their -raids. It was at this time that Iceland and the Faröe Islands were -colonized by people driven out of Norway, and others went to Shetland -and the Orkneys and Hebrides and joined their countrymen there; others -settled in Ireland, and others, again, lived a roving life, marauding -on the coasts of their own country in the summer, and in other lands -in the winter season; so that Norway itself was not free from their -raids. King Harald fitted out a fleet and searched all the islands and -wild rocks along the coast to clear them of the vikings. This he did -during three summers, and wherever he came the vikings took to flight, -steering out into the open sea; but no sooner was the King gone home -again than they gathered as thickly as before, devastating up into the -heart of Norway to the north; until Harald grew tired of this sort of -work, and one summer he sailed out into the western ocean, following -them to Shetland and the Orkneys, and slaying every viking who could -not save himself by flight. Then he pushed his way southward along -the Hebrides, which were called the Sudreys[14] then, and slew many -vikings who had been great lords in their time at home in Norway; and -he pursued them down to the Isle of Man; but the news of his coming had -gone before him and he found all the inhabitants fled and the island -left entirely bare of people and property. So he turned north again, -himself plundering far and wide in Scotland, and leaving little behind -him but the hungry wolves gathering on the desolate sea-shore. He -returned to the Orkneys, and offered the earldom of those islands to -Ragnvald, one of his companions, the Lord of More, who had lost a son -in the war; but Ragnvald preferred to return with Harald to Norway, -so he handed the earldom of Orkney and the Isles over to his brother -Sigurd. King Harald agreed to this and confirmed Sigurd in the earldom -before he departed for Norway. - -[Illustration: _Harald Fairhair_] - -When King Harald had returned home again, and was feasting one day in -the house of Ragnvald, Earl of More, he went to a bath and had his hair -combed and dressed in fulfilment of his vow. For ten years his hair had -been uncut, so that the people called him Lufa or “Shockhead”; but when -he came in with his hair shining and combed after the bath, Ragnvald -called him Harfager, or “Fair Hair,” and all agreed that it was a -fitting name for him, and it clung to him thenceforward, so that he is -known as Harald Harfager to this day. - - - - -Chapter VI - -The Northmen in Ireland - - -There is yet another direction to which we must turn our attention, if -we would understand the grip that the Northmen at this time had taken -on the British Islands, and the general trend of Norse and Danish -history outside their own country. Their conquests and influence in -Ireland were even more widespread and equally lasting with those in -England. We find them from the beginning of the ninth century (from -about A.D. 800 onward) making investigations all round the coast of -Ireland, and pushing their way up the rivers in different directions. -The Norse, many of whom probably reached Ireland by way of the Western -Isles and Scotland, consolidated their conquests in the north under -a leader named Turgesius (perhaps a Latinized form of Thorgils), who -ruled from the then capital of Ireland and the ecclesiastical city of -St Patrick, Armagh. Thorgils was a fierce pagan, and he established -himself as high-priest of Thor, the Northman’s god of thunder, in the -sacred church of St Patrick, desecrating it with heathen practices; -while he placed his wife Ota as priestess in another of the sacred -spots of Ireland, the ancient city of Clonmacnois, on the Shannon, with -its seven churches and its high crosses, from the chief church of which -she gave forth her oracles. - -Soon after this there arrived in Ireland another chief, named Olaf the -White, who chose Dublin, then a small town on the river Liffey, as his -capital, building there a fortress, and establishing a “Thing-mote,” -or place of meeting and lawgiving, such as he was accustomed to at -home. From this date the importance of Armagh waned, and Dublin became -not only the Norse capital of Ireland and an important city, but also -the centre from which many Norse and Danish kings ruled over Dublin -and Northumbria at once. We shall see when we come to the time of -Athelstan, and the story of Olaf Cuaran, or Olaf o’ the Sandal, who -claimed kingship over both Ireland and Northumbria, how close was the -connexion between the two. - -The Danes, who succeeded the Norwegians, first came to Ireland in the -year 847, probably crossing over from England. They had heard much of -the successes of the Northmen or Norwegians in Ireland, and they came -over to dispute their conquests with them and try to take from them -the fruit of their victories. They did not at first think of warring -with the Irish themselves, but only with their old foes, the Norsemen, -whom they were ready to fight wherever they could find them; but as -time went on we find them fighting sometimes on one side and sometimes -on the other, mixing themselves up in the private quarrels of the -Irish chiefs and kings, often for their own advantage. On the other -hand, the Irish chiefs were often ready enough to take advantage of -their presence in the country to get their help in fighting with their -neighbours. - -The Kings of Dublin in the later time were Danish princes, who passed -on to other parts of Ireland, building forts in places which had -good harbours and could easily be fortified, such as Limerick and -Waterford, which were for long Danish towns, ruled by Danish chiefs, -most of them of the family of Ivar of Northumbria. Though their hold -on their settlements was at all times precarious, and they met with -many reverses, and several decisive defeats from the Irish, the Danes -gradually succeeded in building up their Irish and Northumbrian -kingdom. The official title of these rulers was “King of the Northmen -of all Ireland and Northumbria.” - -The story we have now to tell is connected with a prince who probably -was not a Dane, but a Norseman, or a “Fair-foreigner,” as the Irish -called them, to distinguish them from the Danes, or “Dark-foreigners.” -This was Olaf the White, who came to Ireland in 853. In the course of -a warring life he succeeded in making himself King of the Norse in -Dublin. He seems to have been of royal descent, and he was married to -Aud, or Unn, daughter of Ketill Flatnose, a mighty and high-born lord -in Norway. Aud is her usual name, but in the Laxdæla Saga, where we -get most of her history, she is named Unn the Deep-minded or Unn the -Very-wealthy. All this great family left their native shores after -King Harald Fairhair came to the throne, and they settled in different -places, Ketill himself in the Orkney Isles, where some of his sons -accompanied him; but his son Biorn the Eastman and Helgi, another son, -said they would go to Iceland and settle there. Sailing up the west -coast, they entered a firth which they called Broadfirth. They went -on shore with a few men, and found a narrow strip of land between the -foreshore and the hills, where Biorn thought he would find a place of -habitation. He had brought with him the pillars of his temple from his -home in Norway, as many of the Icelandic settlers did, and he flung -them overboard, as was the custom with voyagers, to see where they -would come ashore. When they were washed up in a little creek he said -that this must be the place where he should build his house; and he -took for himself all the land between Staff River and Lava Firth, and -dwelt there. Ever after it was called after him Biorn Haven. - -But Ketill and most of his family went to Scotland, except Unn the -Deep-minded, his daughter, who was with her husband, Olaf the White, -in Dublin, though after Olaf’s death she joined her father’s family -in the Hebrides and Orkneys, her son, Thorstein the Red, harrying -far and wide through Scotland. He was always victorious, and he and -Earl Sigurd subdued Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross between them, so -that they ruled over all the north of Scotland.[15] Troubles arose -out of this, for the Scots’ earl did not care to give up his lands to -foreigners, and in the end Thorstein the Red was murdered treacherously -in Caithness. - -When his mother, Unn the Deep-minded, heard this, she thought there -would be no more safety for her in Scotland; so she had a ship built -secretly in a wood, and she put great wealth into it, and provisions; -and she set off with all her kinsfolk that were left alive; for her -father had died before that. Many men of worth went with her; and men -deem that scarce any other, let alone a woman, got so much wealth and -such a following out of a state of constant war as she had done; from -this it will be seen how remarkable a woman she was. She steered her -ship for the Faröe Islands, and stayed there for a time, and in every -place at which she stopped she married off one of her granddaughters, -children of her son, Thorstein the Red, so that his descendants are -found still in Scotland and the Faröes. But in the end she made it -known to her shipmates that she intended to go on to Iceland. So they -set sail again, and came to the south of Iceland, to Pumicecourse, and -there their good ship went on the rocks, and was broken to splinters, -but all the sea-farers and goods were saved. - -All that winter she spent with Biorn, her brother, at Broadfirth, and -was entertained in the best manner, as no money was spared, and there -was no lack of means; for he knew his sister’s large-mindedness. But in -the spring she set sail round the island to find lands of her own; she -threw her high-seat temple pillars into the sea, and they came to shore -at the head of a creek, so Unn thought it was well seen that this was -the place where she should stay. So she built her house there, and it -was afterwards called Hvamm, and there she lived till her old age. - -When Unn began to grow stiff and weary in her age she wished that the -last and youngest of Thorstein the Red’s children, Olaf Feilan, would -marry and settle down. She loved him above all men, for he was tall and -strong and goodly to look at, and she wished to settle on him all her -property at Hvamm before she died. She called him to her, and said: -“It is greatly on my mind, grandson, that you should settle down and -marry.” Olaf spoke gently to the old woman, and said he would lean on -her advice and think the matter over. - -Unn said: “It is on my mind that your wedding-feast should be held at -the close of this summer, for that is the easiest time to get in all -the provision that is needed. It seems to me a near guess that our -friends will come in great numbers, and I have made up my mind that -this is the last wedding-feast that shall be set out by me.” - -Olaf said that he would choose a wife who would neither rob her of -her wealth nor endeavour to rule over her; and that autumn Olaf chose -as his wife Alfdis, and brought her to his home. Unn exerted herself -greatly about this wedding-feast, inviting to it all their friends and -kinsfolk, and men of high degree from distant parts. Though a crowd of -guests were present at the feast, yet not nearly so many could come -as Unn asked, for the Iceland firths were wide apart and the journeys -difficult. - -Old age had fallen fast on Unn since the summer, so that she did not -get up till midday, and went early to bed. She would allow no one to -come to disturb her by asking advice after she had gone to sleep at -night; but what made her most angry was being asked how she was in -health. On the day before the wedding, Unn slept somewhat late; yet she -was on foot when the guests came, and went to meet them, and greeted -her friends with great courtesy, and thanked them for their affection -in coming so far to see her. After that she went into the hall, and the -great company with her, and when all were seated in the hall every one -was much struck by the lordliness of the feast. - -In the midst of the banquet Unn stood up and said aloud: “Biorn and -Helgi, my brothers, and all my other kinsmen and friends, I call as -witnesses to this, that this dwelling, with all that belongs to it, I -give into the hands of my grandson, Olaf, to own and to manage.” - -Immediately after that Unn said she was tired and would return to -the room where she was accustomed to sleep, but bade everyone amuse -himself as was most to his mind, and ordered ale to be drawn out for -the common people. Unn was both tall and portly, and as she walked with -a quick step out of the hall, in spite of her age, all present remarked -how stately the old lady was yet. They feasted that evening joyously, -till it was time to go to bed. But in the morning Olaf went to see his -grandmother in her sleeping-chamber, and there he found Unn sitting up -against her pillow, dead. - -When he went into the hall to tell these tidings, those present spoke -of the dignity of Unn, even to the day of her death. They drank -together the wedding-feast of Olaf and funeral honours to Unn, and on -the last day of the feast they carried Unn to the burial-mound that -they had raised for her. They laid her in a viking-ship within the -cairn, as they were wont to bury great chiefs; and they laid beside her -much treasure, and closed the cairn, and went their ways. - -One of the kinsmen was Hoskuld, father of Olaf the Peacock, whose story -will be told later on. - - - - -Chapter VII - -The Expansion of England - - -While Harald Fairhair was occupied in settling the Hebrides and -Orkneys with inhabitants from Norway, and Rollo and his successors -were possessing themselves of the larger part of the North of France, -England and Ireland were enjoying a period of comparative repose. The -twenty-three years of Edward the Elder’s reign were devoted largely to -building up the great kingdom which his father, Alfred, had founded, -but not consolidated; he brought Mercia more immediately into his -power, and subdued East Anglia and the counties bordering on the -kingdom of Wessex; before his death Northumbria, both English and -Danish, had invited him to reign over them, and he was acknowledged -lord also of Strathclyde Britain, then an independent princedom, -and of the greater part of Scotland. In all his designs Edward was -supported by the powerful help of his sister, Ethelfled, “the Lady of -the Mercians,” as her people called her, a woman great of soul, beloved -by her subjects, dreaded by her enemies, who not only assisted her -brother with advice and arms, but helped him in carrying out his useful -projects of building and strengthening the cities in his dominions, -a matter which had also occupied the attention of their father. This -woman had inherited the high spirit of Alfred; she was the widow of -Ethelred, Prince of Mercia, and she ruled her country with vigour -after her husband’s death, building strong fortresses at Stafford, -Tamworth, Warwick, and other places; she bravely defended herself at -Derby, of which she got possession after a severe fight in which four -of her thanes were slain. The following year she became possessed of -the fortress of Leicester, and the greater part of the army submitted -to her; the Danes of York also pledged themselves to obey her. This was -her last great success, for in 922 the Lady of Mercia died at Tamworth, -after eight years of successful rule of her people. She was buried amid -the grief of Mercia at Gloucester, at the monastery of St Peter’s, -which she and her husband had erected, on the spot where the cathedral -now stands. - -The most severe attack of the Danes in Edward the Elder’s reign -was made by two Norse or Danish earls who came over from the new -settlements in Normandy and endeavoured to sail up the Severn, -devastating in their old manner on every hand. They were met by the -men of Hereford and Gloucester, who drove them into an enclosed place, -Edward lining the whole length of the Severn on the south of the river -up to the Avon, so that they could not anywhere find a place to land. -Twice they were beaten in fight, and only those got away who could swim -out to their ships. They then took refuge on a sandy island in the -river, and many of them died there of hunger, the rest taking ship and -going on to Wales or Ireland. One of the great lords of the Northern -army, well known in the history of his own country, Thorkill the Tall, -of whom we shall hear again, submitted to Edward, with the other Norse -leaders of Central England, in or about Bedford and Northampton. Two -years afterwards we read that Thorkill the Tall, “with the aid and -peace of King Edward,” went over to France, together with such men as -he could induce to follow him. - -Great changes had been brought about in England during the reigns -of Edward and his father. Everywhere large towns were springing up, -overshadowed by the strong fortresses built for their protection, many -of which remain to the present day. Commerce and education everywhere -increased, and there was no longer any chance of young nobles and -princes growing up without a knowledge of books. Edward’s large family -all received a liberal education, in order that “they might govern the -state, not like rustics, but like philosophers”; and his daughters -also, as old William of Malmesbury tells us, “in childhood gave their -whole attention to literature,” afterwards giving their time to -spinning and sewing, that they might pass their young days usefully and -happily. - -This was a change of great importance. The ruler who succeeded -Edward, his son, the great and noble-minded Athelstan, was a man of -superior culture, and the daughters of Edward and Athelstan sought -their husbands among the reigning princes of Europe. England was no -longer a mere group of petty states, always at war with each other, or -endeavouring to preserve their existence against foreign pirates; it -was a kingdom recognized in the world, and its friendship was anxiously -sought by foreign princes. - -Another thing which we should remark is that it was at this time -that the Norse first came into close contact with England. Hitherto -her enemies had been Danes, and the kingdom of Northumbria seems to -have been a Danish kingdom. But Thorkill the Tall, King Hakon, the -foster-son of Athelstan, King Olaf Trygveson, who all came into -England at this period, were Norsemen; and henceforth, until the -return of the Danish kings under Sweyn and Canute the Great and their -successors, it is principally with the history of the Kings of Norway -that we shall have to deal, in so far as these kings were connected -with the history of England. - -Hitherto the connexion between Great Britain and Norway had been -confined to the settlements of the Norse in the Western Isles and in -Northern Scotland; but the partial retirement of the Danes from the -South of England, and the importance to which the country had recently -grown, brought her into closer relationship with the North of Europe -generally, and with Norway in particular. This we shall see as our -history proceeds. - - - - -Chapter VIII - -King Athelstan the Great - -(925–940) - - -England was fortunate in having three great kings in succession at this -critical period, all alike bent upon strengthening and advancing the -prosperity of the kingdom. - -Athelstan, who came to the throne on the death of his father Edward, -had been a favourite grandson of Alfred, and people said that he -resembled his grandfather in many ways. When he was only a little -fellow, Alfred, delighted with his beauty and graceful manners, had -affectionately embraced him, and prayed for the happiness of his -future reign, should he ever come to the crown of England. He had -presented him at an early age with a scarlet cloak, a belt studded -with brilliants, and a Saxon sword with a golden scabbard, thus, as -was customary among many nations at this time, calling him even in -boyhood to prepare himself for war and admitting him into the company -of the King’s own pages. Alfred then placed him with his daughter -Ethelfled, the “Lady of Mercia,” to be brought up in a fitting way for -the future care of the kingdom. The young prince could not have had -a better instructress. Ethelfled’s liberal spirit, high courage, and -good understanding were passed on to her pupil. William of Malmesbury, -who had a great admiration for this prince and gives us an excellent -account of his reign, tells us that there was a strong persuasion among -the English that one more just and learned never governed the kingdom; -all his acts go to show that this praise was well deserved. He was -of a good height and slight in person, with fair hair that seemed to -shine with golden threads. Beloved by his subjects, he was feared and -respected by his enemies. He obliged the warlike tribes of Wales and -Cumberland to pay him tribute, “a thing that no king before him had -even dared to think of,” and he forced them to keep within limits west -of the Wye, as he forced the Cornish Britons to retire to the western -side of the Tamar, fortifying Exeter as a post of strength against -them. Not long after his consecration at Kingston-on-Thames, in 925, -amid the happy plaudits of the nation, Athelstan received from abroad -many marks of the esteem in which he was held by foreign princes. Among -others, Harald Fairhair sent him as a gift a ship with a golden prow -and a purple sail, furnished with a close fence of gilded shields. This -splendid present was received by Athelstan in state at York, and the -envoys who presented the gift were richly rewarded by him, and sent -home with every mark of respect and friendliness. - -There are two events in Athelstan’s reign that are of great importance -to us in connexion with Norse history in these islands, the first -being his wars in Northumbria, the second his accepting Hakon, Harald -Fairhair’s son, as his foster-child, and bringing him up in England -under his own charge and tuition. We will deal with these two events in -separate chapters. - -It was part of Athelstan’s fixed policy, when coming to the throne, -to bring into subjection to himself those outlying portions of -England which up to that time had stood aloof as determined enemies -to the central power and as absolutely independent kingdoms. Nothing -would induce the Welsh or Cornishmen to yield, and we have seen that -Athelstan was reduced to penning them up, as far as he could, into -their own districts, beyond rivers which he endeavoured to make -the borders of their respective countries. But in the north he had -yet a harder task in his endeavour to reduce the Danish kingdom of -Northumbria to submission. - -At this time the kingdom of Northumbria was ruled by two of the -fiercest and most renowned of all the Danish chiefs who at different -times made England their home. The names of these chiefs were Sitric -Gale, or “The One-eyed,” and his son and successor, Olaf Cuaran, or -“Olaf o’ the Sandal,” both men of wild and romantic careers. Some think -that the old romance of “Havelok the Dane” really describes the history -of Olaf Cuaran, but this I myself do not think to be likely, although -Havelok also is called Cuaran in the story. But the name in his legend -seems to mean a “kitchen-boy,” because he was at one time so poor and -needy that he was forced to act as messenger to an earl’s cook, whereas -Olaf’s title is an Irish word, meaning “a sandal.” We do not know -exactly why he was so named. - -It would seem that at the beginning of his reign, Athelstan endeavoured -by a friendly alliance to bring Northumbria back to English rule. It -was a favourite and wise plan of his to make alliances by marriage with -foreign princes, and it shows in what esteem he was held that men of -power and position were ready to unite themselves with his family. One -of his sisters he married to the Emperor Otto, the restorer of the -Roman Empire, and another he offered in marriage to Sitric Gale, after -a friendly meeting arranged by the two kings at Tamworth on the 3rd of -February in the year in which Athelstan came to the throne (925). With -Sitric Athelstan made a close and, as he hoped, a lasting covenant; but -alas! Sitric died hardly more than a year afterwards, and on his death -Athelstan, evidently in consequence of the arrangement made between -them, claimed the throne of Northumbria, where he seems to have been -peacefully received by the inhabitants. He spent this year in the -north in active endeavours to quell the last disaffected portions in -the realm. There is no doubt that at this time Athelstan designed to -unite the whole of Britain under his own sway. He at first drove Howel, -King of Wales, and then Constantine, King of the Scots, from their -kingdoms; but not long after, if we are to believe his admirer William -of Malmesbury, moved with commiseration, he restored them to their -original state, saying that “it was more glorious to make than to be a -king.” However, he obliged both these princes to accept their crowns as -underlords to himself, thus establishing a suzerainty over them. - -But his plans did not suit the turbulent Danish princes. Godfrey, -brother to Sitric, was at the time of Sitric’s death reigning as King -of Dublin, but on hearing of Athelstan’s succession to the sovereignty -of Northumbria he came over hastily and claimed the kingdom. He was, -however, a man hated both in Northumbria and in Ireland, and Athelstan -was strong enough to drive him out and send him back to Dublin with his -Danes in the year 927. - -But a more formidable foe than Godfrey was in the field. This was -Olaf o’ the Sandal (called Anlaf in the English Chronicle), son of -Sitric Gale, who seems to have been in Northumbria at the time, but -who was expelled with his uncle Godfrey, and went back with the Danes -to Dublin. Godfrey died soon after, as the Irish annals tell us, “of -a grievous disease,” and for ten years Olaf nursed his wrath against -Athelstan and awaited his opportunity to revenge himself upon him. He -went to Athelstan’s enemy, the Scottish King, Constantine, and entered -into a treaty with him, marrying his daughter; and Constantine never -ceased to urge him on to war with the King of England, promising to -support him in every way. Olaf remained long in Scotland, and was so -much mixed up with Scottish affairs, that some Scandinavian historians -call him “King of the Scots.” - -It was in the year 937 that their preparations were at length -completed, and one of the most formidable combinations ever formed -against England came to a head. The battle of Brunanburh, or Brumby, -fought in this year, is chronicled in the Irish and Norse annals, -and the Saga of Egil Skalligrimson gives us a detailed account both -of the battle itself and of the Norsemen who took part in it. The -English Chronicle breaks out into a wild, spirited poem when describing -this battle, and we are told by one English annalist that many years -afterwards people spoke of the greatness of this fight. - -The battle was probably fought not far from the Humber, though the -exact spot is not now known. From the north marched down the Scottish -King and his son, of whom the latter fell in the fight, Olaf o’ the -Sandal taking charge of a fleet of 115 ships, with which he sailed into -the Humber. From Dublin the whole force of the Danish host in Ireland -set sail to join and support their fellow-countrymen from Scotland, -Strathclyde, and Northumbria. This formidable host met the forces of -Athelstan and his brother, Edmund, and was completely overthrown. Five -kings lay dead on the field, and five of Olaf’s earls. King Olaf[16] -himself escaped to his ships and back to Ireland, with the shattered -remnant of his magnificent army, there to become a source of trouble -and terror in days yet to come. The poem in the English Chronicle thus -describes his flight:-- - - “There was made flee - by need constrained - the Northmen’s chief[17] - with his little band - to the ship’s prow. - The bark drove afloat, - the king departed - on the fallow flood, - his life preserved. - - * * * * * - - The Northmen departed - in their nailed barks; - on roaring ocean - o’er the deep water - Dublin to seek, - back to Ireland, - shamed in mind.” - -William of Malmesbury tells us a romantic story of Olaf Cuaran on -the night before the battle. It may very well be true; it accords -with all we know of his adventurous character. The chronicler relates -that on hearing of the arrival of the Danes and Scots in the North -Athelstan purposely feigned a retreat. Olaf, who was still quite young -and absolutely fearless, wishing to discover the exact strength of -Athelstan’s forces and how they were disposed, assumed the character of -a spy. Laying aside the emblems of royalty, he dressed as a minstrel, -and taking a harp in his hand, he proceeded to the King’s tent. Singing -before the entrance, and touching the strings of his harp in harmonious -cadence, he was readily admitted, and he entertained the King and his -companions for some time with his musical performance. All the time -he was present he was carefully observing all that was said and done -around him. When the feast was over, and the King’s chiefs gathered -round for a conference about the war, he was ordered to depart. The -King sent him a piece of money as the reward of his song; but one of -those present, who was watching him closely (for he had once served -under Olaf, though now he was gone over to the side of Athelstan), -observed that the minstrel flung the coin on the ground and crushed it -into the earth with his foot, disdaining to take it with him. When Olaf -was well away this person communicated what he had seen to the King, -telling him that he suspected that the minstrel was none other than the -leader of his foes. “Why, then, if you thought this,” said Athelstan -angrily, “did you not warn us in time to capture the Dane?” - -“Once,” said the man, “O King, I served in the army of Olaf, and I took -to him the same oath of fidelity that I afterwards swore to yourself. -Had I broken my oath to him and betrayed him to you, you might rightly -have thought that I would another time act in the same way toward -yourself. But now I pray you, O King, to remove your tent to another -place, and to endeavour to delay the battle till your other troops come -up.” - -[Illustration: _Olaf Cuaran_] - -The King approved of this, and removed his tent to another part of the -field. Well it was that he did so, for that night, while Athelstan was -still awaiting the remainder of his army, Olaf and his host fell upon -him in the darkness of the night, the chief himself making straight -for Athelstan’s tent, and slaying in mistake for him a certain bishop -who had joined the army on the night before and, ignorant of what had -passed, had pitched his tent on the spot from which the King’s tent had -been removed. - -Olaf, coming thus suddenly in the darkness of the night, found the -whole army unprepared and deeply sleeping. Athelstan, who was resting -after the labours of the day, hearing the tumult, sprang up and rushed -into the darkness to arouse and prepare his people, but in his haste -his sword fell by chance from its sheath, nor could he find it again in -the gloom and confusion; but it is said that, when placing his hand on -the scabbard, he found in it another sword, which he thought must have -come there by miracle, and which he kept ever after in remembrance of -that night. It is probable that in the hurry of dressing he had laid -his hand on a weapon belonging to one of the chiefs who fought on his -side. - -Thus in the darkness of night and in wild confusion began the battle -which, in spite of all, was to end victoriously for Athelstan and -disastrously for his enemies. The Northern story of the fight, which -we are now about to tell, occurs in the Saga of Egil, son of one -Skalligrim, an old man who had betaken himself to Iceland with most of -his family, from the rule of Harald Fairhair, and who stoutly opposed -him on every occasion. - -Skalligrim had two strong, warlike sons, Thorolf and Egil. They found -the life in Iceland wearisome, for they preferred the turmoil of war; -so they left old Skalligrim, their father, to his seal-fishing and -whale-hunting and his shipbuilding and smith-work, for he was a man -with many trades, and able and crafty, and careful in saving his money, -and went off to fight in Norway and in England. Before the battle of -Brunanburh they had offered their services to Athelstan, for the Norse -were ever ready to war against the Danes, and they were in the fight of -Brunanburh on his side, each of them commanding a troop of Norwegian -soldiers, and did much, as the Saga will show, to help in winning the -battle for the English. - -Here is the story from Egil Skalligrimson’s Saga. - - - - -Chapter IX - -The Battle of Brunanburh - - -The account of the battle of Brunanburh in Egil’s Saga begins by -describing the strong combination made against Athelstan by the princes -of the north of England with the Scots and Welsh and the Irish Danes, -of whom we have already spoken. They thought to take advantage of -Athelstan’s youth and inexperience, for he was at this time only thirty -years old. Olaf o’ the Sandal is here called Olaf the Red, which may -have been the title by which he was known in Norway. He marched into -Northumbria, “advancing the shield of war.” Athelstan, having laid -claim to Northumbria, set over it two earls, Alfgeir and Gudrek, to -defend it against the Irish and Scots, and they mustered all their -forces and marched against Olaf. But they were powerless against his -great army, and Earl Gudrek fell, while Alfgeir fled with the most -part of his followers behind him. When Alfgeir reported his defeat -to Athelstan he became alarmed, and summoned his army together; he -sent messengers in every direction to gather fresh forces, and among -those who heard that he wanted men and came to his assistance were -the brothers Thorolf and Egil, who were coasting about the shores of -Flanders. Athelstan received them gladly, for he saw that they were -trained fighting-men and brought a good following; but he wished them -to be “prime-signed,” in order that the Norse of his own army might -fight on good terms with them. - -It was a custom in those days, when pagan men traded with Christian -countries, or when they took arms for them, that they should -allow themselves to be signed with the cross, which was called -“prime-signing,” for then they could hold intercourse with Christians -and pagans alike, though they did not thereby give up their pagan -faith, and usually returned to their own worship when they went home -to Norway or Iceland. Egil and Thorolf consented to this, for England -was at that time a Christian country. They entered the King’s army, and -three hundred men-at-arms with them. - -But the victory of Olaf had so strengthened his cause that Athelstan -heard tidings from every quarter that his earls and subjects were -falling away from him and joining Olaf. Even the two princes of the -Welsh or Britons who had sworn allegiance to Athelstan, and who had -the right to march to battle before the royal standard, passed over -with their troops to the army of his foe. When the King received this -bad news he summoned a conference of his captains and counsellors, and -put before them point by point what he had been told. They advised -that Athelstan should go back to the south of England, levy all the -troops that he could get together and march with them to the north; -for they felt that only the personal influence of the King could save -his kingdom against such a combination as that which Olaf had gathered -together. While he was gone south the King appointed Thorolf and Egil -chiefs over his mercenary troops, and gave them the general direction -of his army. They were commanded to send a message to Olaf, giving him -tidings that Athelstan would offer battle to him on Vin-heath in the -north, and that he intended to “enhazel” the battle-field there; he -appointed a week from that time for the conflict, and whoever should -win the battle would rule England as his reward. - -When a battlefield was “enhazelled” it was considered a shameful act -to harry in the country until the battle was over. Olaf accepted the -challenge, and brought his army to a town north of Vin-heath and -quartered the troops there, awaiting the date of the battle, while -collecting provisions for his men in the open country round. But he -sent forward a detachment of his army to encamp beside Vin-heath, and -there they found the ground already marked out and “enhazelled” for -the battle. It was a large level plain, whereon a great host could -manœuvre without difficulty. A river flowed at one side, and on the -outskirts on the other hand was an extensive wood, and between the wood -and the river the tents of Athelstan were pitched. All round the space -hazel-poles were set up, to mark the ground where the battle was to be; -this was called “enhazelling the field.” Only a few of the King’s men -had arrived, but their leaders wished them to pass for a great host, -to deceive King Olaf. They planted the tents in front very high, so -that it could not be seen over them whether they stood many or few in -depth; in the tents behind one out of every three was full of soldiers, -so that the men had a difficulty in entering, and had to stand round -the doors; but in every third tent there were only one or two men, and -in the remaining third none at all. Yet when Olaf’s soldiers came near -them they managed things so that Athelstan’s men seemed to be swarming -before the tents, and they gave out that the tents were over-full, so -that they had not nearly room enough. Olaf’s troops, who were pitched -outside the hazel-poles, imagined that a great host must be there, and -they feared the return of the King himself with the succours he was -collecting in the South. Meanwhile, through every part of his dominions -Athelstan sent out the war-arrow, summoning to battle. From place to -place his messengers sped, passing the arrow from hand to hand, for it -was the law that the war-arrow might never stop once it was gone out, -nor be dropped by the way. From day to day men flocked to the standard -from all quarters, and at last it was given out that Athelstan was -coming or had come to the town that lay south of the heath. But when -the appointed time had expired and Olaf was busking him for battle and -setting his army in array, purposing to attack, envoys came to him from -the leaders of Athelstan’s host, saying: “King Athelstan is ready for -battle, and hath a mighty host. But he sends to King Olaf these words, -for he desires not to cause such carnage as seems likely; he is willing -to come to terms with King Olaf, and offers him his friendship, with a -gift as his ally of one shilling of silver from every plough through -all his realm, if Olaf will return quietly to Scotland.” Now this was -all a ruse, for in fact Athelstan had not yet arrived, and his captains -were only seeking more time, so that the battle might not be begun by -Olaf until the King and his fresh troops were come. - -Olaf and his captains were divided as to accepting these terms; some -were against postponing the fight, and others said that if Athelstan -had offered so much at first he would offer yet more if they held -out for higher terms; others, again, thought the gift so great that -they would do well to be satisfied with it and return home at once. -When they heard that there was division among Olaf’s counsellors, the -messengers were well pleased, and they sent word that if Olaf would -give more time they would return to King Athelstan and try if he would -raise his terms for peace. They asked for three days’ further truce, -and Olaf granted this. - -At the end of the third day the envoys returned, saying that the King -was so well pleased to have quiet in the realm that he would give, over -and above the terms already offered, a shilling to every freeborn man -in Olaf’s forces, a gold mark to every captain of the guard, and five -gold marks to every earl. Again the offer was laid before the forces, -and again opinions were divided, some saying the offer should be taken -and some that it should be refused. Finally King Olaf said he would -accept these terms, if Athelstan would add to them that Olaf should -have undisputed authority over the kingdom of Northumbria, with the -dues and tributes thereof, and be permitted to settle down there in -peace. Then he would disband his army. - -Again the envoys demanded a three days’ truce that they might bear the -message to the King, and get his reply; when this was granted, the -messengers returned to the camp. Now during this delay Athelstan had -arrived close to the enhazelled ground with all his host, and had taken -up his quarters south of the field, in the nearest town. His captains -laid the whole matter of their treaties with Olaf before the King, and -said that they had made those treaties in order to delay the battle -until he returned. - -Athelstan’s answer was sharp and short. “Return to King Olaf,” said -he, “and tell him that the leave we give him is to return at once to -Scotland with all his forces; but before he goes he must restore to us -all the property he has wrongfully taken in this land. Further, be it -understood that Olaf becomes our vassal, and holds Scotland henceforth -under us, as under-king. If this is carried out, then we will make -terms of peace, that neither shall harry in the other’s country. Go -back and give him our terms.” - -The same evening the envoys appeared again before King Olaf, arriving -at midnight in his camp. The King had to be waked from his sleep in -order to hear the message from King Athelstan. Straightway he sent for -his captains and counsellors, to place the matter before them. They -discovered, too, that Athelstan had come north that very day, and that -the former messages had not been sent by himself but by his captains. - -Then out spake Earl Adils, who had gone over from Athelstan’s side to -the side of the Scottish King: “Now, methinks, O King, that my words -have come true, and that ye have been tricked by these English. While -we have been seated here awaiting the answer of the envoys they have -been busy assembling a host. My counsel is that we two brothers ride -forward this very night with our troop, and dash upon them unawares -before they draw up their line of battle, so we may put a part of them -to flight before their King be come up with them, and so dishearten -the others; and you with the rest of the army can move forward in the -morning.” The King thought this good advice, and the council broke up. - -In the earliest grey of the dawn the leaders of Athelstan’s host were -warned that the sentries saw men approaching. The war-blast was blown -immediately, and word was sent out that the soldiers were to arm with -all speed and fall into rank. Earl Alfgeir commanded one division, and -the standard was borne before him, surrounded by a “shield-burgh” -of soldiers with linked shields to protect it. The second division, -which was not so large, was commanded by Thorolf and Egil. Thus was -Thorolf armed. He had a red war-shield on his arm, for the shields in -time of peace were white, but in time of war they were red. His shield -was ample and stout, and he had a massive helmet on his head. He was -girded with the sword he called “Long,” a weapon large and good. In his -hand he had a halberd, with a feather-shaped blade two ells in length, -ending in a four-edged spike; the blade was broad above, the socket -both long and thick. The shaft stood just high enough for the hand to -grasp the socket, and was remarkably thick. The socket fitted with an -iron prong on the shaft, which was also wound round with iron. Such -weapons were called mail-piercers. - -Egil was armed in the same way as Thorolf. He was girded with the right -good sword which he called the “Adder.” Neither of the captains wore -coats of mail. All the Norwegians who were present were gathered round -their standard, and were armed with mail at every point; they drew up -their force near the wood, while Alfgeir’s moved along the river on -their right. - -When the captains of Olaf’s party saw that their advance was observed, -they halted and drew up their force in two divisions, one under Earl -Adils, which was opposed to Earl Alfgeir, the other under Earl Hring, -which stood opposite to Thorolf and Egil. The battle began at once, and -both parties charged with spirit. The men of Earl Adils pressed on with -such force that Alfgeir gave ground, and then the men pressed twice as -boldly. In the end Alfgeir’s division was broken and he himself fled -south, past the town in which Athelstan lay. “I deem,” he said to his -followers, “the greeting we should get from the King would be a cool -one. We got sharp words enough after our defeat by Olaf in Northumbria, -and he will not think the better of us now, when we are in flight again -before him. Let us keep clear of the town.” - -So he rode night and day till he came to the coast, and there he found -a ship which took him over to France, and he never returned to England. -The captains who had fought with him thought him no loss, for he was -something of a coward, and his own opinion of himself was ever better -than that other men had of him, and they had not approved when the King -had forgiven him his first flight and set him again as captain in his -army. - -Now when Adils turned back from pursuing Alfgeir and his men, he came -to where Thorolf was making his stand against Earl Hring’s detachment, -and joined his forces to theirs. When Thorolf saw that the enemy had -received reinforcements he said to Egil: “Let us move over to the wood, -so that we may have it at our backs, that we be not attacked on all -sides at once.” They did so, drawing up under cover of the trees. A -furious onset was made upon them there, and furiously they repelled it; -so that though the odds of numbers were great, more of Adils’ men fell -than of Egil’s. - -[Illustration: _Thorolf slays Earl Hring at Brunanburh_] - -Then his “berserking fury”[18] came upon Thorolf, and he became so -furious that he bit the iron rim of his shield for rage; then he flung -his shield on his back, and, grasping his halberd in both hands, he -bounded forward, cutting and thrusting on every side. He shouted -like a wild animal, and men sprang away from him, so terrified were -they; but he cleaved his path to Earl Hring’s standard, slaying many -on his way, for nothing could stop him. He slew the man who bore the -earl’s standard and hewed down the standard-pole. Then he lunged at the -breast of the earl with his halberd, driving it right through his body, -so that it came out at his shoulders; and he raised the halberd with -the earl empaled upon its end over his head, and planted the butt-end -in the ground. There, in sight of friends and foes, the earl breathed -out his life, expiring in agony. Then, drawing his sword, Thorolf -charged at the head of his men, scattering the Scots and Welsh in all -directions. - -Thorolf and Egil pursued the flying foe till nightfall; and Earl Adils, -seeing his brother fall, took shelter in the wood with his company; he -lowered his standard that none might recognize his men from others. The -night was falling when Athelstan on the one side and Olaf on the other -came up with the fighting contingent; but as it was too dark to give -battle, both armies encamped for the night; and it was told to Olaf -that both his earls Hring and Adils were fallen, for no one knew what -had become of Adils and his men. - -At break of day King Athelstan called a conference, and he thanked -Thorolf and Egil for their brave fight on the day before, and placed -Egil as leader of his own division in the van with the foremost men -in the host around him. “Thorolf,” he said, “shall be opposed to the -Scots, who ever fight in loose order; they dash forward here and there -with bravery, and prove dangerous if men are not wary, but they are -unsteady in the fight if boldly faced.” Egil liked not to be separated -from his brother, and said that he thought ill-luck would come of it, -and that in time to come he often would rue the separation, but Thorolf -said: “Leave it with the King to place us as he likes best; we will -serve him wherever he desires us to be.” - -After this they formed up in the divisions as the King ruled, Egil’s -division occupying the plain toward the river, and Thorolf’s the higher -ground beside the wood. Olaf also ranged his troops in two divisions, -his own standard being opposite the van of Athelstan’s army, and his -second division, the Scots, commanded by their own chiefs, opposite to -Thorolf. Each had a large army; there was no great difference on the -score of numbers. - -Soon the forces closed and the battle waxed fierce. Thorolf thought -to turn the Scottish flank by pressing between them and the wood and -attacking them from behind. He pushed on with such energy that few of -his followers were able to keep up with him; and just when he was least -on his guard, and all his mind was fixed upon the army on his right, -Earl Adils, who all the night had lain concealed among the trees, -leaped out upon him with his troop, and thrust at him so suddenly that -he fell, pierced by the points of many halberds. The standard-bearer, -seeing the earl fall, retreated with the banner among those that came -on behind. - -From his position at the other side of the fighting-field Egil heard -the shout given by the Scots when Thorolf fell, and saw the banner in -retreat. Leaving the fierce combat in which he was engaged with Olaf’s -troops, he hewed his way across the plain until he came amidst the -flying Norsemen. Rallying them with his shouts, he turned them back and -fell with them upon the enemy. Not long was it ere Earl Adils met his -death at Egil’s hand, and then his followers wavered; one after another -they turned to fly before the fearful onslaught, each following his -fellow; and Egil, pursuing them, swept round behind and attacked the -troops of Olaf’s first division from the back. Thus, caught between two -dangers, the force recoiled, and havoc overtook them. King Olaf was -wounded, and the greater part of his troops were destroyed. Thus King -Athelstan gained a great victory. - -When Egil returned from pursuing the flying foe he found the dead body -of his brother Thorolf. He caused a grave to be dug, and laid Thorolf -therein with all his weapons and raiment. Before he parted from him, -Egil clasped on either wrist a golden bracelet, and then they piled -earth and stones upon his grave. - -Then Egil sought the King’s tent, where he and his followers were -feasting after the battle, with much noise and merriment. When the King -saw Egil enter the hall he caused the high seat opposite to himself -to be cleared for him; Egil sat him down there, and cast his shield -on the ground at his feet. He had his helm on his head and laid his -sword across his knees; now and again he half drew it, then clashed -it back into the sheath. He sat bolt upright, but as taking no notice -of anything, and with his head bent forward. The King observed him, -but said nothing. He thought the tall, rough warrior before him was -angry. Egil was well made, but big-shouldered beyond other men, and -with wolf-grey hair. Like his father he was partly bald, swarthy and -black-eyed. His face was broad and his features large and hard, and -just now he looked grim to deal with. He had a curious trick, when -he was angry, of drawing one eyebrow down toward his cheek, and the -other upwards toward the roots of his hair, twitching them up and down, -which gave him a ferocious appearance. The horn was borne to him, but -he would not drink. King Athelstan sat facing him, his sword too laid -across his knees. At last he drew his sword from the sheath, and took -from his arm a ring of gold, noble and good. He placed the ring on -the sword’s point, stood up and reached it over the fire to Egil. At -that Egil rose up and walked across the floor, striking his own sword -within the ring and drawing it to him. Then both went back to their -places, and Egil drew the massive ring on his arm, and his face cleared -somewhat, and his eyebrows returned to their natural place. He laid -down his sword and helmet and drank off at one draught the horn of wine -they brought him. Then he sang a stave to the King:-- - - “Mailed Monarch, lord of battles, - The shining circlet passeth, - His own right arm forsaking, - To hawk-hung wrist of mine; - The red gold gleameth gladly - Upon my arm brand-wielding, - About war-falcon’s feeder[19] - Its twisted folds entwine.” - -After they had supped, the King sent for two chests of silver that he -had by him in the tent, and handed them to Egil, saying, “These, O -Egil, I give thee to take to thy father in Iceland, in satisfaction -for his son Thorolf, slain in my service; and to thee, in satisfaction -for thy brother. If thou wilt abide with me I will give thee such -honour and dignities as thou mayest thyself name.” Then Egil grew more -cheerful, and he thanked the King, and said he would stay with him that -winter, but that in the spring he must hie him home to Iceland, to tell -the tidings to his father. He must go also to Norway, to see to the -family of Thorolf and how they fared. So he stayed that winter with the -King, and gat much honour from him, and in the spring he took a large -warship, and on board of it a hundred men, and put out to sea. He and -King Athelstan parted with great friendship, and the King begged Egil -to return as soon as might be. And this Egil promised that he would do. - - - - -Chapter X - -Two Great Kings trick each other - - -It was, as we saw, part of Athelstan’s policy of consolidation to ally -his family with foreign princes. After marrying one sister to Sitric -Gale, King of the Danes of Northumbria, and another sister to Otto, -who became Emperor of the West in 962, his next thought was how he -could mingle his country to his country’s advantage with the affairs -of Norway, which under Harald Fairhair was growing into a powerful -kingdom. An opportunity soon occurred, and Athelstan was not slow to -make use of it. - -King Harald Fairhair, who was then an old man of seventy years of age, -had a son born in 919. The mother was a woman of good family named -Thora, and at the time when the child was born she was on her way to -meet King Harald in a ship belonging to the great Earl Sigurd, one of -Harald’s wisest counsellors; but before they could reach the place -where the King was staying the boy was born at a cove where the ship -had put into harbour for the night, up among the rocks, not far from -the ship’s gangway. - -It was the custom in the old Norse religion of Odin or Woden to pour -water over a child after birth and give it a name, something after the -manner of Christian baptism; when the child was of high birth some -person of distinction was chosen to do this, for it was a matter of -importance and a solemn ceremony. We hear of Harald himself, and of -Olaf Trygveson, Magnus, and other kings, being thus baptized, and now -Earl Sigurd “poured water” over the new-born babe, and called him -Hakon, after the name of his own father.[20] The boy grew sturdy and -strong, handsome, and very like his father, King Harald, and the King -kept him close to himself, the mother and child being both in the -King’s house as long as he was an infant. - -Shortly after Hakon was born Athelstan had sent messengers to King -Harald to present him with a sword, gold-handled, in a sheath of -gold and silver, set thickly with precious jewels. Harald was much -pleased with this, thinking that it was a mark of respect to himself, -but Athelstan had another intention. When the ambassadors presented -the sword to the King, they handed him the sword-hilt; but on the -King taking it into his hands, they exclaimed: “Now thou hast taken -the sword by the hilt, according to our King’s desire, and as thou -hast accepted his sword, thou art become his subject and owe him -sword-service.” Harald was very angry at Athelstan’s attempt to entrap -him in this way, for he would be subject to no man. But he remembered -that it was his rule, whenever he was very angry about anything, to -keep himself quiet and let his passion abate, and when he became cool -to consider the matter calmly. He did this now, and consulted his -friends, who advised him to let the ambassadors go safely away in the -first place and afterwards consider what he would do to avenge the -insult put upon him. So Harald consented to this, and the messengers -went back to England in safety. - -But Harald did not forget what had happened. The next summer he fitted -out a ship for England, and gave the command of it to Hauk Haabrok, a -great warrior and very dear to the King. Into his hands he gave his -son Hakon. Now it was considered in those days that a man who fostered -another man’s son was lower in authority and consideration than the -father of the child, and it was Harald’s intention to make Athelstan -take his son Hakon as foster-son, and thus pay him back in his own -coin. The ship proceeded to England, and they found the King in London, -where feasts and entertainments were going forward. Hauk and the child -and thirty followers obtained leave to come into the hall where the -King was seated at the feast. Hauk had told his men how they should -behave. He said they should march into the hall and stand in a line -at the table, at equal distance from each other, each man having his -sword at his side, but fastened beneath his cloak, so that it could not -be seen. They were to go out in the same order as they had come in. -This they carried out, and Hauk went up to the King and saluted him -in Harald’s name, and Athelstan bade him welcome. Then Hauk, who was -leading Hakon by the hand, took the child in his arms and placed him on -the King’s knee. Athelstan looked at the boy, and asked the meaning of -this. “It means,” said Hauk, “that King Harald sends thee his child -to foster.” The King was in great anger, and seized a sword that lay -beside him, and drew it, as though he would slay the child. - -“Thou hast borne him on thy knee,” said Hauk, “and thou mayest murder -him if thou wilt; but I warn thee there are other sons of Harald behind -who will not let his death go unavenged.” - -Then without another word Hauk marched out of the hall, his men -following him in order; they went straight down to the ship and put out -to sea, for all was ready for their departure, and back they went to -King Harald. Harald was highly pleased when they told him what they had -done, for it made Athelstan, in the opinion of many people, subject to -him; but in truth neither was subject to the other, or less than the -other, for each was supreme in his own kingdom till his dying day. - -When Athelstan began to talk to the boy, and found him a brave, manly -child, well brought up and open in his ways, he took a liking to him, -and had him baptized with Christian baptism, and brought up in the -Christian faith and in good habits, and made him skilful in all sorts -of exercises; and the end of it was that he loved Hakon above all his -own relatives; and Hakon was beloved of all men. King Athelstan gave -the lad a gold-hilted sword, with the best of blades. It was called -“Quernbiter,” because to try it Hakon cut through a quern or mill-stone -to the centre. Never came better blade into Norway, and Hakon kept it -to the end, and it was with that sword he was fighting on the day when -he got the wound that brought him to his death. - - - - -Chapter XI - -King Hakon the Good - - -When he was fifteen years old news came to Hakon in England that his -father Harald Fairhair had died. He had resigned his crown three years -before his death, for he had become feeble and heavy and unable to -travel through the country or carry out the duties of a king. So he had -parted the kingdom between his sons and lived in retirement on one of -his great farms. He was eighty-three years of age when he died, and he -was buried under a mound in Kormsund with a gravestone thirteen and a -half feet high over his grave. The stone and the mound are still to be -seen at Gar, in the parish of Kormsund. - -No sooner was Harald dead than dissensions broke out between his sons, -and they went to war with each other, each one desiring to be sole -king, as their father had been. The chief of these sons was King Eric -Bloodaxe, whose after-history is much mixed up with that of England. He -fought his brothers, and two of them fell in battle; but the country -was disturbed because of these quarrels. Eric was a stout and fortunate -man of war, but bad-minded, gruff, unfriendly, and morose. Gunhild, -his wife, was a most beautiful woman, clever and lively; but she had a -false and cruel disposition. They had many children, who played their -part in English history. - -Hakon heard of all that was going on in Norway, and he thought that the -time had come when he should return to his own country. King Athelstan -gave him all he needed for his journey, men, and a choice of good ships -fitted out most excellently. In harvest-time he came to Norway, and -heard that King Eric was at Viken, and that two of his brothers had -been slain by him. Hakon went to his old friend and fosterer, Sigurd, -Earl of Lade, who was counted the ablest man in Norway. Greatly did -Sigurd rejoice to see Hakon again, grown a handsome, stalwart man, -as his father had been before him; and they made a league thereupon -mutually to help each other. But Hakon had not much need of help, for -when they called together a “Thing,” or parliament of the people of -that district, and Hakon stood up and proposed himself as their king, -the people said to each other, “It is Harald Fairhair come again, but -grown young”; and it was not long before they acclaimed him king with -one consent. Hakon promised to restore their right to own the land on -which they lived (called “udal-right”), which his father had taken -from them when he made them his vassals; and this speech met with -such joyful applause that the whole assembly cried aloud that they -would take him as their king. So it came about that at fifteen Hakon -became king, and the news flew from mouth to mouth through the whole -land, like fire in dry grass; and from every district came messages -and tokens from the people that they would become his subjects. Hakon -received the messengers thankfully, and went through all the land, -holding a “Thing” in each district, and everywhere they acclaimed him; -for the more they hated King Eric the more they were ready to replace -him by taking King Hakon. They called him Hakon the Good. - -At last, seeing that he could not withstand his brother, King Eric -got a fleet together and sailed out to the Orkneys, and then south -to England, plundering as he went. Athelstan sent messengers to him, -saying that as King Harald Fairhair, his father, had been his friend, -he would act kindly toward his son, and he offered to make him King -of Northumbria if he would defend it against other vikings and Danes -and keep it quiet; for Northumbria was by that time almost wholly -peopled by Northmen, and the names of many towns and villages were -Danish or Norse, and are so to this day. Eric gladly accepted this -offer, allowing himself to be baptized, with his wife and children -and his followers, and settled down at York; and this continued till -Athelstan’s death. - - - - -Chapter XII - -King Hakon forces his People to become Christians - - -It seemed that all would have gone well in Norway with King Hakon the -Good after King Eric Bloodaxe left the country, but that he had it -in his mind to make the people Christians whether they would or no. -Hitherto they had sacrificed to Odin, or Woden, who gives his name -to our Wednesday--_i.e._ Woden’s Day; and they had other gods and -goddesses, such as Thor, the God of Thunder, from whom we get the name -Thursday, or Thor’s Day, and Freya, a goddess, who gives her name to -our Friday. They had many special festivals, but the chief of all -was Yule, in mid-winter, when the Yule log was brought in from the -forests and burned with great rejoicings, and cattle and horses were -slaughtered in sacrifice, and their blood sprinkled on the altars and -temple walls, and on the people besides. A large fire was kindled -in the middle of the temple floor, on which the flesh was roasted, -and full goblets were handed across the fire, after being blessed by -the chiefs. Odin’s goblet was first emptied for victory and power to -the king, and afterwards Freya’s goblet for peace and a good season, -and after that the “remembrance-goblet” was emptied to the memory -of departed friends. It was a time of great joy and festivity. In -Scotland and other places the night of mid-winter is still called -Hogmanay night, that is, the Norse “Höggn-nott,” or slaughter night, -from the hogging or hewing down of the cattle for sacrifice, and many -Hogmanay songs are still sung in this country. - -The first thing King Hakon did was to order that the festival of Yule -should begin at the same time as Christmas did in Christian lands, as -is the case at this day; and this displeased the people, for they did -not like to change the day on which they and their forefathers had held -their feast. Then Hakon sent for a bishop and priests from England to -instruct the people in Christianity. Hitherto there had been no priests -in Norway, but every man was priest in his own house; and the chief man -of each place conducted the sacrifices for his neighbours. The people -were against giving up their own religion and adopting a religion which -they did not understand and which was foreign to them; but because -they loved their King they at first made no outcry, but deferred -consideration of the matter to the meeting of the chief “Thing,”[21] -which they called the “Froste Thing,” where men from every part of the -country would be present. When the “Froste Thing” met, both they and -the King made speeches, and Earl Sigurd begged the King not to press -the matter, as it was plain the people were against it; and at first he -seemed to consent to this. But the next harvest, which was the time of -the summer sacrifice, the nobles watched the King closely to see what -he would do. Earl Sigurd, who was a staunch pagan, made the feast, -and the King came to it. When the Odin goblet was filled, Earl Sigurd -blessed it in Odin’s name, and drank to the King, and then he handed -the goblet to the King to drink. The King took the goblet in his hand, -and made the sign of the cross over it before he put it to his lips. -“What is the King doing?” said a lord who stood near him. “He is making -the sign of Thor’s hammer[22] over the cup, as each of you would do,” -said Earl Sigurd, thinking to shield the King. For the moment this -satisfied the people, but next day when the sacrifices were offered, -and horse-flesh was eaten, as was always done at a solemn feast, Hakon -utterly refused to join in the heathen festival, nor would he touch -even the gravy of the dish. - -Great discontent was aroused at this, both the King and the people -being very ill-pleased with each other, and on the next occasion it -threatened to develop into war. From time to time Earl Sigurd came -between the King and the people and kept them at peace, but neither -loved the other as before. - -[Illustration: _The dying King Hakon carried to his Ship_] - -The latter years of Hakon’s reign were disturbed by the return of Eric -Bloodaxe’s sons, and their attempts to take the crown. For years they -had been marauding on the coasts, but Hakon had driven them off; and he -had conquered them in the great sea-fight of Augvaldsness, after which -they went south to Denmark, and rested there. King Hakon put all his -sea-coast subjects under tribute that they should raise and sustain -in each district a certain number of ships to defend the coast, and -that they should erect beacons on every hill and headland, which were -to be lighted when the fleet of Eric’s sons appeared, so that by the -lighting of the beacons the whole country could speedily be warned of -the coming of the enemy. But when Eric’s sons actually came at last -with an overwhelming host, provided for them by the King of Denmark, -the beacons were not lighted, because they came by an unexpected route, -where they were not looked for. The beacons also had so often been -lighted by the country-people whenever they saw a ship-of-war or viking -boat cruising about on the coast, thinking that it brought Eric’s sons, -that King Hakon had become angry at the waste of trouble and money -without any purpose, and had heavily punished those who gave the false -alarm. Thus it happened that when Eric’s sons’ host really came in -sight no one was ready, and they had sailed far north before anyone -was aware of their presence. The people were afraid to give warning -to the King, because of his anger if they gave a false alarm. So they -watched the great fleet making its way northward and turning in toward -the island where the King lay, and none of them dared go to inform him -of its coming. The King was supping in the house of one of his _bondes_ -named Eyvind, when at length one of the country-people took courage to -come to the house and beg that Eyvind would come outside at once, for -it was very needful. Eyvind went up a little height, and there he saw -the great armed fleet that lay in the fiord. With all haste he entered -the house, and, placing himself before the King, he cried: “Short is -the hour for action, but long the hour for feasting.” “What now is -forward, Eyvind?” said the King, for he saw that something of import -was in the air. Then Eyvind cried: - - “Up, King! the avengers are at hand! - Eric’s bold sons approach the land! - They come well armed to seek the fight. - O mighty King, thy wrath be light - On him who calls thee from thy rest - To put thee to the battle-test. - Gird on thy armour; take thy stand - Here where thy foes are come to land. - Quernbiter now shall bite again - And drive the intruder o’er the main!” - -Then said the King: “Thou art too brave a fellow, Eyvind, to bring us a -false alarm of war.” He ordered the tables to be removed, and went out -to look at the ships; and the King asked his men what resolution they -would take, to give battle there and then, or to sail away northwards -and escape. They gave their voice for war, for they knew that this -was what the King would choose, and made them ready speedily. A great -battle was fought that day, but in the end Eyvind was killed and the -King received an arrow through his shoulder, and though he fought on, -his blood ebbed out until he had no strength left, and he had to be -carried to his ship. They sailed on awhile toward King Hakon’s house -at Alrekstad, but when he came as far as Hakon’s Hill he was nearly -lifeless; so they put in to shore, and he died there by the shoreside, -at the little hill beside which he had been born. They buried his body -in a mighty mound, in which they laid him in full armour and in his -kingly robes; that mound is to be seen not far from Bergen at this day. -So great was the sorrow at his death that he was lamented alike by his -friends and his enemies; for they said that never again would Norway -see such a king. For all he was a Christian, they spake over his grave -wishing him a good reception in Valhalla, the home of Odin and the -gods. It was in the year 960 that the battle of Stord and the death of -King Hakon took place. The men who had fallen in his army were buried -in mounds along the sea-shore, each great man among them laid in his -armour, and one of the enemy’s ships turned bottom up over him, and the -whole covered in with earth and stones. These were called “ship-burial” -mounds, and many of them have been found in Norway. - -After Hakon’s fall the sons of Eric Bloodaxe ruled over Norway. - - - - -Chapter XIII - -The Saga of Olaf Trygveson - - -One of the greatest Kings of Norway was named Olaf Trygveson (_i.e._ -the son of Trygve), who became King of Norway in 995. He had an -adventurous career, part of it being connected with the British Isles, -where he spent ten years in hiding in his youth, only returning to his -native country when his people called on him to take the crown. - -His father, Trygve, had been treacherously put to death shortly -before he was born, and his mother had fled away with a few faithful -followers, and had taken refuge in a lonely island in a lake; here Olaf -was born in 963, and baptized with heathen baptism, and called after -his grandfather, a son of Harald Fairhair. - -During all that summer Astrid, his mother, stayed secretly in the -island; but when the days grew shorter, and the nights colder, she was -obliged to leave the damp island and take refuge on the mainland, in -the house of her father, reaching it by weary night-marches, for they -feared to be seen if they travelled by day. But soon news reached them -that their enemies were searching for them, and they dared not stay -longer, but clothed themselves in mean clothing and went on again, -meeting with many rebuffs, until at last they got out of the kingdom, -and were protected for three years by Hakon the Old, King of Sweden. -Now Astrid had a brother in Russia in the service of the Russian -King, and she thought that Olaf would be safer if she went thither -with him; so they set sail in a ship provided by Hakon the Old, but -again ill-luck overtook them, for they were captured by pirates in the -Baltic, and the little lad was separated from his mother, and sold as -a slave into Russia. But there a better fortune came to him, for he -fell in with his cousin, his mother’s nephew, who bought him from his -master, and took him to the King’s palace, and commended him to the -care of the Queen. There Olaf grew up, and men favoured him, for he -was stout and strong, and a handsome man, and accomplished in manly -exercises. But he dared not go back to his own country, so he took -ship and sailed to England, and ravaged wide around the borders. He -sailed right round Britain, and down to the coast of France, laying the -land waste with fire and sword wherever he came. After that he came -to the Scilly Isles, and lay there, for he was weary after his four -years’ cruise. This was in 988. He did not wish it to be known who -he was, so he called himself Ole instead of Olaf, and gave out that -he was a Russian. One day he heard that a clever fortune-teller was -in the place, and he sent one of his company to him, pretending that -this man was himself. But the fortune-teller knew at once that this -was not so, and he said: “Thou art not the King, but I advise thee -to be faithful to thy king.” And no more at all would he say to him -than that. Then Olaf went to him himself, and asked what luck he would -have if he should attempt to regain his kingdom. The hermit replied -that he would become a renowned king, and that he ought to adopt the -Christian religion and suffer himself to be baptized; and he told -him many things regarding his future. That autumn a summons was sent -through the country for a great Thing-mote, or meeting of the Danes in -the South of England; and Olaf went to the Thing in disguise, wearing -his bad-weather clothes and a coarse cloak, and keeping apart with his -people from the rest. There was also at the Thing a lady called Gyda, -who was sister of Olaf Cuaran, or Olaf o’ the Sandal, Danish King of -Dublin. She had been married to a great English earl, and after his -death she ruled all his property. She had in her territory a strong, -rough champion, named Alfvine, who wooed her in marriage, but she did -not favour his suit, saying she would only marry again as she pleased. -She said he should have his answer at the Thing, so he came in his -best, sure that the Lady Gyda would soon be his wife. But Gyda went -all round the company, looking in each man’s face, to see whom she -would choose; but she chose none until she came where Olaf stood. She -looked him straight in the face, and in spite of his common clothing -she thought the face good and handsome. So she said to him: “Who are -you, and what do you here?” “My name is Ole,” he replied; “but I am a -stranger here.” “In spite of that,” she said; “wilt thou have me for -thy wife, if I ask thee?” “I do not think I would say no to that,” he -answered; “but tell me of what country you are, for I am, as I said, a -stranger here.” - -“I am called Gyda,” said she; “and I am sister of the Danish King of -Ireland. But I was married to an earl in this country. Since his death -many have asked for my hand, but I did not choose to marry any of -them.” Then Olaf saw that she was a young and very handsome woman, and -he liked her well, and they talked a long while together, and after -that they were betrothed. Alfvine was furious when he heard this, -and he challenged Olaf to fight, but Olaf and his followers struck -down Alfvine and his men, and he ordered Alfvine to leave the country -and never return again. Then he and Gyda were wedded, and they lived -sometimes in England and sometimes in Ireland. - -It was in Ireland that Olaf got his wolf-hound, Vige. The Irish dogs -were famous all over the world for their great size and intelligence; -they were large, smooth hounds, and the constant companions of men. -One day Olaf and his men were sailing along the east coast of Ireland, -when, growing short of provisions, they made a foray inland, his men -driving down a herd of cattle to the water’s edge. One of their owners, -a peasant, came up and begged Olaf to give him back his own cows, which -he said were all the property he possessed. Olaf, looking at the large -herd of kine on the strand, told him laughingly that he might take back -his own cows, if he could distinguish them in the herd. “But be quick -about it,” he added, “for we cannot delay our march for you.” - -He thought that out of such a number of cattle it would be impossible -to tell which were owned by any single person. But the man called his -hound and bade him go amongst the hundreds of beasts and bring out -his own. In a few minutes the dog had gathered into one group exactly -the number of cows that the peasant said he owned, all of them marked -with the same mark. Olaf was so surprised at the sagacity of the dog -that he asked the peasant if he would sell him to him. “Nay,” said -the peasant, “but as you have given me back my cattle, I will gladly -give him to you: his name is Vige, and he will, I hope, be as good a -dog to you as he is to me.” Olaf thanked the man, and gave him a gold -ring in return, and promised him his protection. From that time forth -Olaf went nowhere without his dog Vige; he was the most sagacious of -dogs, and remained with Olaf till the day of his death. Once when Olaf -was fighting in Norway, and driving his enemies before him, Thorer, -their leader, ran so fast that he could not come up with him. His dog -Vige was beside him, and he said, “Vige! Vige! catch the deer!” In an -instant Vige came up with Thorer, who turned and struck at him with his -sword, giving him a great wound; but Olaf’s spear passed through Thorer -at the same instant and he fell dead. But Vige was carried wounded to -the ships. Long afterwards, when Olaf disappeared after the battle of -Svold, Vige was, as usual, on his master’s ship, the _Long Serpent_. -One of the chiefs went to him, and said: “Now we have no master, Vige!” -whereupon the dog began to howl, and would not be comforted. When the -_Long Serpent_ came near to land he sprang on shore, and ran to a -burial-mound which he thought was Olaf’s grave and stretched himself -upon it, refusing to take food. Great tears fell from his eyes, and -there he died, in grief for the loss of his master. - -Now it began to be whispered about in Norway that to the westward, over -the Northern Sea, was a man called Ole, whom some people thought to be -a king. At that time a powerful earl, named Hakon, ruled in Norway, -and the land prospered under him, but he himself was a man of unruly -passions, and his people, especially the great lords, hated him for his -exactions and cruelties, and were ready enough to turn against him. -Earl Hakon became alarmed lest this Ole, of whom men spoke, should turn -out to belong to Norway, and should some day dispute the sovereignty of -the kingdom with him. He recalled that he had heard that King Trygve -had had a son, who had gone east to Russia, having been brought up -there by King Valdemar, and he had his suspicions that this Ole might -prove to be Trygve’s son. So he called a friend of his, called Thorer -Klakka, who went often on viking expeditions, and sometimes also on -merchant voyages, and who was well known everywhere, and he bade him -make a trading voyage to Dublin, as many were in the habit of doing, -and there to inquire carefully who Ole was. If it should prove that he -was indeed Olaf Trygveson, he was to persuade him to come to Norway, -and by some means to ensnare him into the earl’s power. So Thorer -sailed west to Ireland, and found that Olaf was in Dublin with his -wife’s father, Olaf O’ the Sandal; then he went to do business with -Olaf, and, being a clever, plausible man, they became acquainted. -Thus gradually he learned from Olaf who he was, and that he had some -thoughts of going back to try to recover his kingdom; for his heart -turned often toward his native land. Thorer encouraged him in every -way, praising him highly and telling him that Earl Hakon was disliked -and that it would be easy for one of Harald Fairhair’s race to win -the country to his side. As he talked thus Olaf began more and more -to wish to return. But Thorer’s words were spoken deceitfully, for -he intended, if he could persuade Olaf to return to Norway, to give -Hakon warning, so that Olaf would at once be taken prisoner and put -to death. In the end Olaf decided to go, and they set out by way of -the Orkneys, with five ships; he sailed straight out to sea eastward -and gained the coast of Norway, travelling in such haste that no one -was well aware that he was coming. As they came close to land tidings -reached them that Hakon was near, and that his _bondes_ or farmers and -great men were all in disaccord with him. Thorer Klakka had not thought -of this, for when he left Norway the people were at peace with Hakon; -now he saw that things might turn out in a very different way from what -he expected. At that very moment Earl Hakon was flying from his lords, -who were determined to kill him, and it did not comfort him to hear -that Olaf Trygveson was come overseas and was anchored in the fiord. -He fled away with only one servant, named Kark, and took refuge with -a woman whom he knew, named Thorer, begging her to conceal him from -his pursuers. She did not know where she could hide him to prevent his -being discovered, for it was well known by all that she was a friend -of his. “They will hunt for you here, both inside my house and out,” -she said. “I have only one safe place, where they would never expect to -find you, and that is in the pig-sty; but it is not a pleasant place -for a man like you.” “Well,” said the earl, “the first thing we need is -our life; let it be made ready for us.” - -So the slave dug a hole beneath the sty, and laid wood over the place -where he had dug out the earth, and then the earl and Kark went into -the hole, and Thorer covered it with earth and dung and drove in the -swine round the great stone that was in the centre of the sty. - -When Olaf sailed with his five ships into the fiord all the _bondes_ -gathered joyfully to him, and readily agreed to make him King of -Norway. They set forth at once to seek Earl Hakon, in order to put him -to death; and it so chanced that they went straight to the house where -Hakon lay, and searched inside and out, but they could not find him. -Hakon, from under the sty, could hear them searching, and could dimly -see their forms moving about, and he was full of fear, for he was not -a very brave man. Then, close by the great stone, Olaf held a council, -and he stood upon the stone and made a speech to them, promising a -great reward to the man who should find and kill the earl. All this was -heard by Hakon and by Kark, his man. - -“Why art thou so pale at one moment, and again as black as death?” said -the earl to Kark. “Is it thy intention to win that reward by betraying -me?” - -“By no means whatever,” said Kark. - -“We were born on the same night,” said the earl, “and I think there -will not be much more difference between the time of our deaths.” - -King Olaf went away that evening. When night came the earl kept himself -awake, for he was afraid of Kark; but Kark slept a disturbed sleep. The -earl at last woke him and asked him what he was dreaming about. - -“I dreamed I was at Lade, and Olaf Trygveson was laying a gold ring -round my neck.” - -“It will be a red and not a gold ring that Olaf will put about thy neck -if ever he catches thee,” said the earl; “take you care of that. It is -only from me that you will enjoy good, so beware that you betray me -not.” - -From that time each of them kept himself awake, watching the other, -until toward daybreak the earl’s head fell forward, and he dropped -asleep, for the air was close and he was weary. But his sleep was -so unquiet that he suddenly screamed out loudly, and drew himself -together, as if to spring up. On this Kark, dreadfully alarmed, drew -a large knife out of his belt and struck at the earl, and in a moment -he fell dead, with his head severed from his body. Then in the early -morning Kark got out of the hole with Hakon’s head and ran with it to -Olaf, telling what had befallen them. But Olaf had him taken out and -beheaded. Soon after that Olaf was elected King of Norway at a general -Thing, as his great-grandfather, Harald Fairhair, had been. This was in -the year 995. - - - - -Chapter XIV - -King Olaf’s Dragon-ships - - -It does not concern us here to follow the story of Olaf Trygveson -point by point. Much of his history is taken up with attempts to force -Christianity upon his people, as King Hakon had done. Having learned -the doctrines of Christianity in England and been baptized there, he -was determined that all his people should follow his example and be -baptized also. But the chief doctrine of Christianity, the love of all -men as brothers and the forgiveness of foes, he had not learned; and -when he proclaimed abroad that “all Norway should be Christian or die” -he was far from the spirit of the Christian life. His persecutions -of his people stain an otherwise great and humane reign; and he was -not content with forcing his religion on Norway, but sent a priest of -much the same temper as his own to convert Iceland to Christianity by -similar means, stirring up strife and bringing misery upon a nation -that heretofore had been prosperous and peaceable. For though it may -have been well for these countries to forsake their old religion and -embrace Christianity, it was an evil thing to force it upon the people -in such a way. - -Otherwise the reign of Olaf was a happy one; he was loved by his -friends and feared by his foes. But, as was usual when things went -well, enemies began to gather about him, and a coalition was formed -between the Danish King Sweyn Fork-beard, and the Swedish King, who was -his brother-in-law, to fight Olaf, and drive him out of his kingdom. -It was Sweyn’s wife, Sigrid the Haughty, who urged him on to this. She -had once been betrothed to Olaf, but the betrothal had come to an end -because Olaf insisted that she should be baptized before he married -her. When he spake thus to her she had replied: “It is for you to -choose whatever religion suits you best; but as for me, I will not part -from my own faith, which was the faith of my forefathers before me.” -Olaf was enraged at that, and he struck her face with his glove in his -passion, and rose up saying, “Why should I care to marry thee, an aged -woman and a heathen?” and with that he left her. Sigrid the Haughty had -never forgiven the insult put on her by Olaf, and when she was married -to Sweyn she thought her time was come to be revenged; so she stirred -him up to make war on Olaf. - -Olaf was very fond of having fine war-vessels built for him, of greater -size and height than any that had been built hitherto. He had a fleet -of over seventy vessels, all good craft, to meet King Sweyn, but chief -of these were his own three ships, the _Crane_, the _Long Serpent_, -and the _Short Serpent_. These were the finest vessels that had been -planned in Norway, and were known all over the world. The lighter craft -sailed first, and got out to sea, Olaf with his great ships following -more slowly behind. Along with him was Earl Sigvalde, whom he thought -to be his friend, but who was secretly in the pay of King Sweyn; he -had induced Olaf to postpone sailing on one pretence or another, until -he heard that Sweyn had collected his whole army and fleet together, -and was lying under the island of Svold, in the Baltic, awaiting Olaf -Trygveson. The Swedish King, together with Earl Eirik were, with all -their forces, watching anxiously for the coming of Olaf’s fleet. The -weather was fine, with clear sunshine, and they went upon the island to -see the vessels coming in from the open sea, sailing close together. -They saw among them one large and shining ship. The two kings said: -“That is a large and very beautiful vessel; that will be the _Long -Serpent_.” But Earl Eirik replied: “That is not the _Long Serpent_; the -vessel in which Olaf sails is greater still than that.” - -Soon they saw another vessel following, much larger than the first, but -no figure-head on her prow. “That,” said King Sweyn, “must be Olaf’s -ship, but it is evident that he is afraid of us, for he has taken the -dragon off his prow, that we may not recognize his ship.” - -Eirik said again: “That is not yet the King’s ship, for his ship has -striped sails. It must be Erling Skialgson’s ship. Let it pass on, that -it may be separated from Olaf’s fleet.” - -[Illustration: _King Olaf’s “Long Serpent”_] - -Next came up Earl Sigvalde the traitor’s ships, which were in league -with the enemy; they turned in and moored themselves under the island, -for they did not intend to fight for Olaf. After that came three ships -moving swiftly along under full sail, all of great size, but one larger -than the rest. “Get your arms in your hands,” said King Sweyn, “man the -boats, for this must be Olaf’s _Long Serpent_.” “Wait a little,” said -Eirik again; “many other great vessels have they besides the dragon -ship.” Then all Sweyn’s followers began to grumble, thinking that -Eirik made excuses to prevent them from going to war, for he had been -Olaf’s vassal at one time, and they were doubtful of his fidelity. -But as they complained, Eirik pointed with his finger out to sea. And -there upon the horizon they saw four splendid ships bearing proudly -along, the one in the centre having a large dragon-head, richly gilt. -Then Sweyn stood up and said: “That dragon shall bear me high to-night, -for I shall be its steersman.” And they all cried: “The _Long Serpent_ -is indeed a wonderful ship, and the man who built it must be great of -mind.” But in his excitement Eirik forgot where he was, and he cried -aloud so that the King himself heard him: “If there were no other -vessels with King Olaf but only this one, King Sweyn would never with -the Danish forces alone be able to take it from him.” - -Then all the sailors and men-at-arms rushed to their ships and took -down the coverings or tents that sheltered them on board, and got them -ready for fighting. Earl Eirik’s vessel, which he used on his viking -expeditions, was a large ship with an iron comb or spiked top on both -sides to protect it, and it was iron-plated right down to the gunwale. - -When King Olaf sailed into the Sound, with the _Short Serpent_ and -the _Crane_ attending on him, the other boats were lying by under the -island, following in the wake of the traitor, Earl Sigvalde, with -their sails reefed, and drifting with the tide. On the other side of -the Sound were the fleet of the enemy, trimmed and in full battle -array, rowing out into the Sound; the fleets of Sweden and Denmark -united together. When some of Olaf’s men saw this, they begged him -to sail at full speed out of the Sound into the open sea again, and -not risk battle with so great a force. But the King, standing on his -quarter-deck, in view of all his host, exclaimed: “Strike the sails. No -man shall ever learn of me to fly before the enemy. Never yet have I -fled from battle, nor ever will. Let God dispose as He thinks best, but -flight I never shall attempt.” - -Then he ordered his war-horns to be sounded and the ships to close up -to each other, and lash themselves together, side by side, under the -island, as the Norse were wont to do in battle; thus no ship could -forsake the others, but all fought side by side to the end. The King’s -ship lay in the middle of the line, with the _Crane_ on one side and -the _Little Serpent_ on the other, all fastened together at the head; -but the dragon ship was so long that it stood out behind the others; -and when the King saw this he called out to his men to lay his _Long -Serpent_, the dragon ship, more in advance, so that its stern should -lie even with the other ships behind. - -“We shall have hot work of it here on the forecastle, if the King’s -ship stands out beyond the rest,” said Ulf the Red. - -“I did not think I had a forecastle man who would grow red with dread,” -said the King, punning on Ulf’s name. - -“I hope you will defend the quarter-deck as well as I defend the -forecastle,” replied Ulf, who was vexed at Olaf’s sneer. - -There was a bow in the King’s hands, and he fixed an arrow on the -string to take aim at Ulf. - -“Shoot the other way, King,” said Ulf, “where it is needed more; maybe -you will need my arm to-day.” - -King Olaf stood on the quarter-deck, high above all. He had a gilt -shield and a helmet inlaid with gold; over his armour he wore a short -red cloak, so that it was easy to distinguish him from other men. He -asked one who stood by him: “Who is the leader of the force right -opposite to us?” - -“King Sweyn, with the Danish fighting-men,” was the reply. - -The King replied: “We have no fear of those soft Danes, for there is no -bravery in them. Who are the troops on the right of the Danes?” - -“King Olaf the Swede, with his troops,” was the answer. - -“It were better for these Swedes to be sitting at home killing pagan -sacrifices, than venturing so near the weapons of the _Long Serpent_,” -said the King. “But who owns the large ships on the larboard side?” - -“Earl Eirik Hakonson,” said they. - -“Ah,” said the King, “it is from that quarter we may expect the -sharpest conflict, for his men are Norsemen like ourselves.” - -The battle of Svold was fought in September, in the year 1000, and it -was one of the hardest sea-conflicts ever known in the North. - -King Sweyn laid his ship against the _Long Serpent_, and on either -side of him the King of Sweden and Earl Eirik attacked the _Little -Serpent_ and the _Crane_. The forecastle men on Olaf’s ships threw out -grappling-irons and chains to make fast King Sweyn’s ship, and they -fought so hotly there that the King had to escape to another ship, and -Olaf’s men boarded the vessel and cleared the decks. King Olaf the -Swede fared no better, for when he took Sweyn’s place he found the -battle so hot that he too had to get away out of range. - -But it was a different story with Earl Eirik, as Olaf had said. In -the forehold of his ship he had had a parapet of shields set up to -protect his men; and as fast as one man fell another would come up to -take his place, and there he fought desperately with every kind of -weapon. So many spears and arrows were cast into the _Long Serpent_ -that the shields could scarce receive them, for on all sides the vessel -was surrounded by the enemy. Then King Olaf’s men grew so mad with -rage that they ran on board the enemies’ ships, to get at the people -with stroke of sword at close quarters, but many of them missed their -footing and went overboard, and sank in the sea with the weight of -their weapons. The King himself stood in the gangway shooting all day, -sometimes with his bow, but more often casting two spears at once. -Once, when he stooped down and stretched out his right hand, the men -beside him saw that blood was running down under his steel glove, -though he had told no one that he was wounded. - -Einar Tambaskelfer, one of the sharpest of bow-men, stood by the mast, -and aimed an arrow at Earl Eirik. The arrow hit the tiller end just -above the earl’s head with such force that it sank into the wood up to -the shaft. The earl looked that way, and asked if they knew who made -that shot, but just as he was speaking another arrow flew between his -hand and his side, and fixed itself into the stuffing of his stool, so -that the barb stood far out on the other side. “Shoot that tall man -standing by the mast for me,” said the earl to one who stood beside -him. The man shot, and the arrow hit the middle of Einar’s bow just as -he was drawing it, and the bow split into two parts. - -“What is that,” cried King Olaf, “that broke with such a noise?” - -“Norway, King, from thy hands,” said Einar. - -Not long after this the fight became so fierce that it seemed as though -none of Olaf’s men would be left alive. Twice Earl Eirik boarded the -_Long Serpent_, and twice he was driven off again, but so many of the -fighting-men fell that in many places the ships’ sides were quite bare -of defenders. At length Earl Eirik with his men boarded her again, and -filled the ship from stem to stern with his own host, so that Olaf saw -that all was lost. Then Olaf and his marshal sprang together overboard; -but the earl’s men had laid boats around the dragon ship, to kill all -who fell overboard. They tried to seize Olaf alive to bring him to Earl -Eirik; but King Olaf threw his shield over his head and sank beneath -the waters. - -Many tales were told of the King, for none would believe that he was -dead. Some said that he had cast off his coat of mail beneath the water -and had swum, diving under the long ships, and so had escaped; only one -thing is certain, that he never came back to Norway or to his kingdom -again. The poet Halfred speaks thus about him:-- - - “Does Olaf live? or is he dead? - Hath he the hungry ravens fed? - I scarcely know what I should say, - For many tell the tale each way. - This I can say, nor fear to lie, - That he was wounded grievously-- - So wounded in this bloody strife, - He scarce could come away with life.” - - - - -Chapter XV - -Wild Tales from the Orkneys - - -The wildest of all the vikings were those who settled in the Orkney -Isles and carried on their raids from there. After Ragnvald had given -up his possessions in the Isles to Earl Sigurd, the earl made himself -a mighty chief; he joined with Thorstein the Red, son of Olaf the -White of Dublin and Unn the Deep-minded, and together they harried and -won, as we have seen, all Caithness, and Moray and Ross,[23] so that -they united the northern part of Scotland to the Orkney and Shetland -Isles. The Scottish earl of those lands was ill-pleased at this, and he -arranged that he and Sigurd should meet and discuss their differences -and the limits of both their lands. Melbrigd the Toothy was the name of -the Scots’ earl, because his teeth protruded from his jaws; and they -arranged to meet at a certain place, each with forty men. But Sigurd -suspected treachery, and he caused eighty of his men to mount on forty -horses. As they rode to the place of meeting Melbrigd said: “I shrewdly -suspect that Sigurd hath cheated us; I think I see two men’s feet at -each side of the horses; thus, they are twice as many as we. Let us, -however, do our best, and see that each man of us can answer for a man -of them before we die.” So they marshalled themselves to fight, and -when Sigurd saw this he ordered one half of his men to dismount and -attack from behind, while the other half set on them in front. They had -a good tussle after that, and Earl Melbrigd fell with all his men, and -Sigurd’s men cut off their heads and fastened them to their horses’ -cruppers, and set off home boasting of their victory. The bleeding -heads dangled behind them; and as he rode, Earl Sigurd, intending to -kick his horse with his foot to urge him on, scratched his leg against -a tooth of Melbrigd which stuck out from his head, and the wound became -so swollen and painful that in the end he died of it. Sigurd the Mighty -is buried in a “howe,” or burial-mound, on the banks of the Oikel, in -Sutherlandshire. - -When Earl Ragnvald heard that his possessions in Orkney were again -without a lord, and that Sigurd his brother was dead, he sent one of -his sons, Hallad, to take his place; but vikings went prowling all -over those lands, plundering the headlands and committing depredations -on the coast. The yeomen brought their complaints to Hallad, but -he did not do much to right them; he soon grew tired of the whole -business, resigned his earldom, and went back to Norway to take up his -own property. When his father heard of this, he was by no means well -pleased. All men mocked at Hallad, and Ragnvald said his sons were very -unlike their ancestors. His eldest son, Rolf, was away in Normandy, -plundering and conquering. He was a mighty viking, and he was so stout -that no horse could carry him, and whithersoever he went he must walk -on foot; hence he was called Rolf Ganger, or Rolf the Walker. He was -the conqueror of Normandy, and from him the Dukes of Normandy and -Kings of England were descended. King Harald drove him out of Norway -because he had one summer made a cattle foray on the coast of Viken, -and plundered there. King Harald happened to be in the neighbourhood, -and he heard of it, and it put him into the greatest fury; for he had -forbidden, under heavy penalties, that anyone should plunder within the -bounds of his territories. Rolf’s mother, Hild, interceded for him, but -it was of no avail. She made these lines:-- - - “Think’st thou, King Harald, in thine anger, - To drive away my brave Rolf Ganger, - Like a mad wolf, from out the land? - Why, Harald, raise thy mighty hand? - - Bethink thee, Monarch, it is ill - With such a wolf at wolf to play, - Who driven to wild woods away, - May make the King’s best deer his prey!” - -What she had predicted came to pass, for Ganger-Rolf went west over the -sea to the Hebrides, and thence to the west coast of France, which the -Norsemen called Valland, where he conquered and subdued to himself a -great earldom, which he peopled with Northmen, from which it was called -Normandy. He was ancestor of William the Conqueror, King of England, -and ruled in Normandy from 911 to 927. - -Earl Ragnvald had three other sons living at home with him, and after -Hallad’s return from Orkney he called them to him and asked which of -them would like to go to the islands; for he heard that two Danish -vikings were settling down on his lands and taking possession of them. -Thorir said that he would go if his father wished. But Ragnvald replied -that he thought he had need of him at home, and that his property and -power would be greatest there where he was. - -Then the second, Hrollaug, said: “Father, would you like me to go?” -The earl said: “I think your way lies toward Iceland; there you will -increase your race, and become a famous man; but the earldom is not for -you.” - -Then Einar, the youngest, came forward; he was a tall, ugly man, with -only one eye, yet very keen-sighted, and no favourite with his father. -What he said was: “Would you wish me to go to the islands? One thing I -will promise you that I know will please you; it is that I will never -come back. Little honour do I enjoy at home, and it is hardly likely -that my success will be less anywhere else than it is here.” - -Earl Ragnvald said: “Never knew I any man less likely for a chief -than yourself, for your mother’s people come of thralls; but it -is true enough that the sooner you go and the longer you stay the -better pleased I shall be. I will fit out for you a ship of twenty -benches,[24] fully manned, and I will get for you from King Harald the -title of Earl of Orkney in my place.” - -So this was settled, and Einar sailed west to Shetland and gathered the -people round him, for they were glad to get rid of the vikings. They -slew them both in a battle in the Orkneys, and Einar took possession -of their lands. He was the first man who found out how to cut turf -for fuel, for firing was scarce on those islands and there was little -wood; but after that men used peat; and they called him Torf-Einar, or -Turf-Einar, on account of that. - -The chief difficulty that Torf-Einar had was from King Harald -Fairhair’s sons, who were now grown to be men. They were overbearing -and turbulent, for they thought their father ought to have given his -lands to them and not to his earls, and they set themselves to revenge -their wrongs (as they thought them) on the King’s friends. They came -down suddenly on Earl Ragnvald and surrounded his house and burnt him -in it and sixty with him. The King was so angry at this that one of -them, Halfdan Long-legs, had to fly before his wrath, and he rushed on -shipboard and sailed west, appearing suddenly in the Orkneys. When it -became known that a son of King Harald was come, the liegemen were full -of fear, and Earl Einar fled to Scotland to gather forces to resist -him. But later in the year, about harvest-time, he came back and fought -Halfdan, and gained the victory over him. Halfdan slipped overboard in -the dusk of eventide and swam to land, and a few followers after him, -and they concealed themselves in the rocks and cliffs of the islands. -Next morning, as soon as it was light, Einar’s men went to search the -islands for runaway vikings, and each man who was found was slain -where he stood. Then Torf-Einar began to search himself, and he saw -something moving in the island of Ronaldsay, very far off, for he was -more keen-sighted than most men. He said: “What is that I see on the -hillside in Ronaldsay? Is it a man or is it a bird? Sometimes it raises -itself up and sometimes it lays itself down. We will go over there.” -There they found Halfdan Long-legs, and they cut a spread-eagle on his -back, and killed him there, and gave him to Odin as an offering for -their victory; and Einar sang a song of triumph over him, and raised a -cairn over him, and left him there.[25] - -But when this news reached Norway it was taken very ill by Halfdan’s -brothers and King Harald, and the King himself ordered out a levy, and -proceeded westward to Orkney. When he heard that Harald was coming, -Torf-Einar fled to Caithness, but in the end the quarrel was made up -between them, on condition that the isles should pay the King sixty -marks of gold. The people were so poor that they could not meet the -fine, but Einar undertook the whole payment himself, on condition that -they should make over to him their allodial holdings, or freeholds. -They had no choice but to submit to this, and from that time till the -time of Earl Sigurd the Stout the earls possessed the properties; but -Sigurd restored most of them to their original owners.[26] - -Then King Harald went home to Norway, and Earl Einar ruled the Orkneys -till his death. - -It was a bad time for the Orkneys during the stay of Eric Bloodaxe and -his sons in England. He ruled from York, which had been the capital of -Northumbria ever since the half-mythical days of Ragnar Lodbrok. Every -summer Eric and his band of followers from Norway, bold and reckless -men like himself, went on a cruise, plundering in the Hebrides and -Orkneys, and as far as Ireland or Iceland. Wherever they appeared the -people fled before them. In the Orkneys they committed great excesses -and were much dreaded. This was in the time of Thorfin Skull-splitter, -Torf-Einar’s son, and of Earl Hlodver, his son, the father of Earl -Sigurd the Stout, who fell at the battle of Clontarf. Sigurd’s mother -was Eithne, or Audna, an Irish princess, daughter of Karval, King -of Dublin (872–887). It was she who worked the raven-banner that -was carried before the earl at Clontarf, which brought its bearers -ill-luck.[27] She was a very wise and courageous woman, and people -thought she was a witch on account of her knowledge. - -Earl Sigurd the Stout was a powerful man and a great warrior. While he -was Earl of Orkney, Olaf Trygveson made a raid upon the Orkney Isles -on his way to recover his kingdom of Norway. The earl had gathered -his forces for a war expedition, and was lying in a harbour near the -Pentland Firth, for the weather was too stormy to cross the channel. -As it happened, Olaf, or, as he was then called, Ole (for he was still -in hiding), ran into the same harbour for shelter. When he heard that -Sigurd the Stout was lying there he had him called, and addressed him -thus: “You know, Earl Sigurd, that the country over which you rule -was the possession of Harald Fairhair, who conquered the Orkneys and -Shetland (then called Hjaltland), and placed earls over them. Now these -countries I claim as my right and inheritance. You have now come into -my power, and you have to choose between two alternatives. One is that -you, with all your subjects, embrace the Christian faith, be baptized, -and become my men; in which case you shall have honour from me, and -retain your earldom as my subject. The other is that you shall be slain -on the spot, and after your death I will send fire and sword through -the Orkneys, burning homesteads and men. Choose now which you will do.” - -Though Sigurd saw well what a position he was in and that he was in -Olaf Trygveson’s power, he replied at once: “I will tell you, King -Olaf, that I have absolutely resolved I will not, and dare not, -renounce the faith which my kinsmen and forefathers had before me, -because I am not wiser than they; moreover, I know not that the faith -you preach is better than that which we have had and held all our -lives. This is my reply.” - -When the King saw the determination of the earl he caught hold of his -young son, who was with his father, and who had been brought up in the -islands. The King carried the boy to the forepart of the ship, and, -drawing his sword, said: “Now I will show you, Earl Sigurd, that I will -spare no one who will not listen to my words. Unless you and your men -will serve my God, I shall with this sword kill your son this instant. -I shall not leave these islands until you and your son and your people -have been baptized and I have completely fulfilled my mission.” In the -plight in which the earl found himself, he saw that he must do as the -King desired; so he and his people were baptized, and he became the -earl of King Olaf, and gave him his son in hostage. The boy’s name was -Whelp, or Hound, but Olaf had him baptized by the name of Hlodver, and -took him to Norway with him; the boy lived but a short time, however, -and after his death Earl Sigurd paid no more homage to King Olaf. It -was fourteen years after the death of Olaf that the earl went to -Ireland, and was slain at the battle of Clontarf in Dublin. - - NOTE.--Olaf Trygveson reigned in Norway from 995–1000; Sigurd the - Stout ruled in the Orkneys (according to Munch) from 980–1014. The - Icelandic annals say that he was earl for sixty-two years, which - would put his accession back to 952. - - - - -Chapter XVI - -Murtough of the Leather Cloaks - - -Ireland as well as Norway and the Orkneys had her saga-tales of the -events of the viking period. About the middle of the tenth century -two princes, one in the north of Ireland and one in the south, are -noted for their wars against the Norse. Both had strange and romantic -careers, and of both we have full details told by their own poets -or chroniclers. These two contemporary princes were Murtough of the -Leather Cloaks, in Ulster, and Callaghan of Cashel, in Munster. The -career of the former concerns us most. - -Murtough was a prince of the O’Neills, and he ruled his clans from an -immense fortress called Aileach, in North Londonderry, whose walls, -with secret passages in their thicknesses, remain to the present day -to testify to the massive strength of the old fortifications. He was -son of a brave king of Ireland, Niall Glundubh or “Black-knee,” who had -fallen in fight with the Danes of Dublin after a short but vigorous -reign, spent in warring against his country’s foes. Murtough had been -brought up in the tradition of resistance to the common enemy, and -well did he answer to the call of duty. No doubt he was determined to -avenge his father’s fall. Again and again he gathered together the -clans over whom he ruled and endeavoured to push back the invader. His -career is a brilliant succession of victories. We first hear of him in -full chase of Godfrey and the Dublin Danes during one of their raids -on Armagh. Murtough stole up behind, coming on their track at fall of -night, and only a few of the enemy escaped in the glimmering twilight, -because they could not be seen by the Irish. Four years afterwards he -dealt them another severe blow on Carlingford Lough, in the middle of -winter, which seems to have been Murtough’s favourite time for warfare, -and here eight hundred were killed, and the remainder besieged for a -week, so that they had to send to Dublin for assistance. King Godfrey -came to their aid, and raised the siege; but these defeats seem to have -discouraged the foreigners, for soon after this Godfrey left Dublin -to claim the throne of Northumbria, left vacant by the retirement of -Sitric Gale, and Murtough took advantage of his absence to make a -descent on Dublin with Donagh, the King of Ireland, raiding south to -Kildare. - -[Illustration: _Murtough on his Journey with the King of Munster in -Fetters_] - -A misfortune overtook Murtough soon after his return home. The Northern -foreigners laid siege to his fortress, and succeeded in taking him -prisoner, and carrying him off to their ships. The prince was ransomed -by his people, and took his revenge by penetrating with his fleet to -the Hebrides, and carrying off much booty from their Norse inhabitants. -This successful foreign expedition so much increased his fame that -we find him soon afterwards making a warlike circuit of the entire -country, and taking hostages of all the provincial kings of Ireland. It -was this circuit through Ireland that gained him his title of “Murtough -of the Leather Cloaks,” from the warm cloaks of rough hide or leather -which he and his attendants wore to protect them from the cold. The -famous journey was performed in the depth of the winter of 942, after -his return from “Insi-Gall,” or the Isles of the Foreigners, as the -Hebrides were frequently called. He summoned all the clans over whom he -ruled, and chose out of them a bodyguard of a thousand picked men, with -whom he proceeded eastward into Antrim, then south to Dublin, thence -into Leinster and Munster, and homeward through Connaught to Ulster -again. Leinster and Munster threatened to oppose him, but the sight of -his thousand chosen warriors seems to have deterred them. Murtough took -with him his clan bard, who has written in verse which still exists an -account of their journey. Their leather cloaks they used for wraps by -day and for tents by night. Snow often lay deep on the ground on which -they had to sleep, but they would “dance to music on the plain, keeping -time to the heavy shaking of their cloaks.” Murtough returned home with -an imposing array of princes as his hostages, for none dare refuse -to acknowledge his supremacy. Sitric, a Danish lord of Dublin, was -delivered to him by the Northmen; a prince of Leinster followed, and -a young son of Tadhg of the Towers, King of Connaught, who alone went -unfettered, while all the others were in chains. But his most audacious -stroke was the demand that Callaghan, King of Cashel, in Munster, -should be delivered to him fettered. Such an unheard-of demand was not -easily acquiesced in; but Murtough would accept no other hostage, and -at length, apparently at the King’s own request, he was delivered into -the hands of the proud prince of the North. This fettering of a King -of Munster caused a sensation at the time and was the burthen of many -poems. - -After his triumphal entry into his palace with his princely hostages, -rejoicings and feastings went on for the space of five months, -the hostages taking part in all the festivities and being royally -entertained. The Queen herself waited on them and saw to all their -wants. Before their arrival messengers had been sent forward to tell -the Queen to send out her maidens to cut fresh rushes for the floor -and to bring in kine and oxen for the feast. The Queen on her own -behalf, to show her joy, supplied them all with food, and her banquets -“banished the hungry look from the army.” - -When the season of rejoicing was past Murtough led the captive princes -out of his castle, and lest he should seem to be assuming glory and -rights not properly his own, he sent them under escort to the High-King -of Ireland, begging him, in courtly language, to receive them in -token of his submission and respect. His message runs thus: “Receive, -O Donagh, these noble princes, for there is none in Erin so greatly -exalted as thyself.” - -But Donagh, King of Ireland, would not accept so great a token of -submission at Murtough’s hands. He replied: “Now thou art a greater -prince than I, O King! Thy hand it was that took these princes captive; -in all Ireland is there none thine equal.” So the captives were sent -back, and apparently set free, with the blessing of the King of Ireland. - -Only one year afterwards, in 943, Murtough again met the angry Northmen -at the ford of Ardee, on the River Boyne, and fell by the sword of -Blacaire, son of Godfrey, lord of the Foreigners. There is something -romantic and unusual in every act of this Northern prince of the -O’Neills, and we feel inclined to echo the despairing words of the old -chronicler who records his death: “Since Murtough does not live the -country of the Gael is for ever oppressed.” - -It would seem to have been a daughter of this brave Murtough whose -story we find in the Icelandic Laxdæla Saga, and who in these troublous -times was carried away by the Norse out of her own country and sold as -a slave in Northern Europe, eventually being purchased by an Icelander -and carried away to Iceland. Her story is so interesting in itself and -throws so much light on the conditions of the time that we will now -tell it at length. If it was really Murtough of the Leather Cloaks -who was father to this poor enslaved princess, torn from her home in -Ireland and carried far overseas, never to return, we cease to wonder -at the persistent hatred with which Murtough pursued the foes at whose -hand he had received so great injuries as the death of his father and -the loss of his daughter. In this case he was the grandfather of the -famous Icelandic chief, Olaf Pa, or Olaf the Peacock. - - - - -Chapter XVII - -The Story of Olaf the Peacock - -(FROM LAXDÆLA SAGA) - - -Slavery was commonly practised in the days of which we are writing, -and slaves taken in war were often carried from the British Isles to -Iceland or Norway. There are many accounts of slaves with Irish or -Scottish names in the Icelandic “Book of the Settlements”; they appear -often to have given great trouble to their foreign masters. But it is -less common to find a lady of high rank, an Irish princess, carried -off from her people and sold as a slave in open market. The lady was -named Melkorka, and her story is found in Laxdæla Saga, from which Saga -we have already taken our account of the life and death of Unn the -Deep-minded.[28] Parts of this Saga are closely connected with Irish -affairs. - -There was in the tenth century in Iceland a young man whose name was -Hoskuld. He was of good position and held in much esteem both in Norway -and at his own home in Iceland. He was appointed one of the bodyguard -of King Hakon, and he stayed each year, turn and turn about, at Hakon’s -Court, in Norway and at his own home in Iceland, which he called -Hoskuldstead. He was married to a handsome, proud, and extremely -clever woman, named Jorunn, who, the saga says, “was wise and well up -in things, and of manifold knowledge, though rather high-tempered at -most times.” Hoskuld and she loved each other well, though in their -daily ways they made no show of their love. Hoskuld, with his wife’s -money joined to his own, became a great chieftain, for Jorunn was -daughter of the wealthiest land-owner in all that part of the country, -and his house and family stood in great honour and renown. - -Now there came a time when the King, attended by his followers, went -eastward at the beginning of summer, to a meeting at which matters -of international policy were discussed and settled between Norway, -Sweden, and Denmark. From all lands men came to attend the meeting, -and Hoskuld, who at that time was staying with his kinsfolk in Norway, -went along with the rest. There was a great fair going on in the town, -with eating and drinking and games and every sort of entertainment, -and crowds passed to and fro along the streets. Hoskuld met many of -his kinsfolk who were come from Denmark, and one day, as they went -out to disport themselves, he marked a stately tent far away from -the other booths, with a man in costly raiment and wearing a Russian -hat on his head presiding at the door of the tent. Hoskuld asked his -name. He said his name was Gilli;[29] “but most men call me Gilli the -Russian,” he added, “and maybe you know me by that name.” Hoskuld said -he knew him well, for he was esteemed the richest man of all the guild -of merchants. “Perhaps,” he said, “you have things to sell which we -might wish to buy.” Gilli asked what sort of things he might be looking -for, and Hoskuld said he was needing a bondswoman, if he had one to -sell. “There,” said the man, “I see that you mean to give me trouble by -asking for things you don’t expect me to have in stock; but after all -perhaps I can satisfy you.” - -Then Hoskuld noticed that right across the back of the booth there was -a curtain drawn; when the man drew the curtain, Hoskuld saw that there -were twelve women seated behind it in a line across the booth. Gilli -said that Hoskuld might examine the women if he chose. Then Hoskuld -looked carefully at them, and he saw one woman seated on the outskirts -of the tent, a little apart from the rest, very poor and ill-clad, but, -so far as he could judge, fair to look upon. Then he asked: “What is -the price of this woman if I should wish to buy her?” “Three silver -pieces must be weighed out to me for that woman,” Gilli replied. “It -seems to me,” said Hoskuld, “that you charge highly for this woman, -for that is the price of three.” “Choose any of the other women,” said -Gilli, “and you shall have them at the price of one silver mark; but -this bondswoman I value more highly than the other eleven.” “I must -see,” said Hoskuld, “how much silver I have in the purse in my belt; -take you the scales while I search my purse and see what I have to -spend.” - -Then Gilli said: “As you seem to wish to have this woman, Hoskuld, I -will deal frankly with you in the matter. There is a great drawback to -her which I wish to let you know about before the bargain is struck -between us.” Hoskuld was surprised, and he asked what it was. “The -woman,” said Gilli, “is dumb. I have tried in every way to persuade -her to talk, but not a word have I ever got out of her, and sure I am -that she knows not how to speak.” “Bring out the scales, nevertheless,” -said Hoskuld, “and weigh my purse, that we may see how much silver -is in it.” Then the silver was poured out, and it came to just three -marks. “Now,” said Hoskuld, “our bargain is concluded, for the marks -are yours, and I will have the woman. I take it that you have behaved -honestly in this affair, and have had no wish to deceive me therein.” -When he brought her home, Hoskuld said to her: “The clothes Gilli the -Rich gave you do not appear to be very grand, though it is true that -it was more of a business for him to dress twelve women than for me to -dress one.” With that he opened a chest and took out some fine women’s -clothes and gave them to her; and when she was dressed every one was -surprised to see how fair and noble she looked in her handsome array. -She was still quite young, for she had been taken prisoner of war and -carried away to Europe when she was only fifteen winters old, and it -was remarked by all that she was of high birth and breeding, and that, -in spite of her want of speech, she was no fool. - -When Hoskuld brought his slave home to Iceland, Jorunn, his wife, asked -the name of the girl whom he had brought with him. “You will think I -am mocking you,” said Hoskuld, “when I tell you that I do not know -her name.” “In that you must be deceiving me,” said Jorunn; “for it -is impossible that you have been all this time with this girl without -inquiring even her name.” So Hoskuld told her the truth, that the girl -was deaf and dumb, and he prayed that she might be kindly treated, more -especially on that account. Jorunn said she had no mind to ill-use -her, least of all if she was dumb. But nevertheless she treated the -poor girl with disdain, and made a waiting-maid of her, and one day -it is told that while Melkorka (for that was the woman’s name) was -aiding her mistress to undress, Jorunn seized the stockings that were -lying on the floor and smote her about the head. Melkorka got angry -at this, and Hoskuld had to come in and part them. He soon saw that -the mistress and maid could not live happily together, therefore he -prepared to send Melkorka away to a dwelling he had bought for her up -in Salmon-river-dale, on the waste land south of the Salmon River. -And all the time the desolate girl, either from pride and despair or -because she could speak no language but her native tongue, kept up the -illusion that she was deaf and dumb. Neither kind nor unkind treatment -could force her to open her lips. - -There came a time when Melkorka had a son, a very beautiful boy, who at -two years old could run about and talk like boys of four. And Hoskuld -often visited the two, for he was proud of the boy, and he named him -Olaf. Early one morning, as Hoskuld had gone out to look about his -manor, the weather being fine, and the sun but little risen in the -sky and shining brightly, it happened that he heard some voices of -people talking: so he went down to where a little brook ran past the -home-field slope, and he saw two people there whom he recognized as the -boy Olaf and his mother; then he discovered for the first time that she -was not speechless, for she was talking a great deal to her son. - -It was in Irish that she was talking. Then Hoskuld went to her and -asked her name, and said it was useless to try and hide it any longer. -They sat down together on the edge of the field, and she told him of -her birth and history, that her name was Melkorka, and that she was -daughter of a king in Ireland. Hoskuld said that she had kept silence -far too long about such an illustrious descent. From that time forward -Jorunn grew more bitter against the girl, but Hoskuld sheltered -her, and brought her everything she needed. And Olaf grew up into a -noble youth, superior to other men, both on account of his beauty -and courtesy. Among the things his mother taught him was a perfect -knowledge of her native tongue, which was destined to stand him in good -stead in later days. - -At the age of seven years Olaf was taken in fosterage by a wealthy -childless man, named Thord, who bound himself to leave Olaf all his -money. At twelve years the lad already began to ride to the annual -Thing meeting, though men from other countrysides considered it a great -errand to go; and they wondered at the splendid way he was made. So -handsome and distinguished was he even then, and so particular about -his war-gear and raiment, that Hoskuld playfully nicknamed him “the -Peacock,” and this name stuck to him, so that he is known in Icelandic -story as Olaf Pa, or the Peacock. When Olaf was a man of eighteen -winters Melkorka told him that she had all along set her mind upon his -going to Ireland, to find out her relatives there. “Here,” said she, -“you are but the son of a slave-woman, but my father is Myrkjartan -[Murtough], king amongst the Irish, and it would be easy for you to -betake you on board the ship that is now in harbour at Bord-Eye and -sail in her to Ireland.” Melkorka even determined, partly to gain money -for her son’s journey and partly to spite Hoskuld, whom she had never -forgiven for having bought her as a slave, to marry a man who had -long wished to wed her, but for whom she had no affection. He gladly -provided all that Olaf required for his voyage in return for Melkorka’s -hand, and Olaf made him ready to go. Before he left, Melkorka gave him -a great gold finger-ring, saying, “This gift my father gave me for a -teething-gift, and I know he will recognize it when he sees it.” She -also put into his hands a knife and a belt, and bade him give them to -her old foster-nurse. “I am sure,” she said, “they will not doubt these -tokens.” And still further Melkorka spake: “I have fitted you out for -home as best I know how, and taught you to speak Irish, so that it will -make no difference to you where you come ashore in Ireland.” After that -they parted. - -There arose a fair wind when Olaf got on board, and they sailed -straightway out to sea. On the way they visited Norway, and so well did -King Harald think of Olaf that he would fain have had him stay there at -his Court, but after a while he set forth the object of his journey, -and the King would not delay him, but gave him a ship well fitted out, -and bade him come again to him on his return. They met unfavourable -weather through the summer, with plentiful fogs and little wind, and -what there was contrary, and they drifted wide of their mark, until -on those on board fell sea-bewilderment, so that they sailed for days -and nights, none of them knowing whither they were steering. One night -the watchman leapt up and bade them all awake, for he said there was -land in sight, and so close that they came near to striking upon it. -The steersman was for clearing away from the land if they could; but -Olaf said: “That is no good way out of our plight, for I see reefs -astern. Let down the sail at once, until daylight comes, and then we -can discover what land it is.” Then they cast anchor, and they touched -bottom at once. During the night all on board disputed as to what land -they could have come to; but when daylight arose they recognized that -it was a desolate part of the Irish coast, far from any town; and Orn -the steersman said: “I think the place we have arrived at is not good; -it is far from any harbour or market-town where we should be received -in peace; here we are left high and dry, like sticklebacks, and -according to the Irish law it is likely they will claim our merchandise -as a lawful prize, seeing that we are near the shore; for they consider -as flotsam ships that are farther from the ebb of the tide than ours.” -But Olaf advised them to tow out their boat to a deeper pool in the -sea that he had noticed during the ebb tide, and then no harm would -happen to them. Hardly had they done so than all the people of the -neighbourhood came crowding down to the shore, for the news spread -of the drifting in of a Norwegian vessel close to the land. Two of -the Irish pushed out in a boat and demanded who they were, and bade -them, according to the law of the country, to give up their goods. But -Olaf’s knowledge of Irish stood him in good stead, for he answered -them in their own tongue that such laws held good only for those who -had no interpreter with them, and that they were not come to plunder, -but as peaceful men. The Irish, not satisfied with this, raised a -great war-cry, and waded out to try to drag the ship in-shore, the -water being no deeper for most of the way than up to their arm-pits, -or to the belts of those who were tallest. But just where the ship -was anchored the pool was so deep that they could not get a footing. -Olaf bade his crew fetch out their weapons and range themselves in -battle-line from stem to stern, their shields hung upon the bulwarks, -and overlapping all along the ship’s sides, and a spear-point thrust -out below each shield. - -Then Olaf, clad in gold-inlaid helmet and coat of mail, his barbed -spear in his hand and his gold-hilted sword at his side, walked forward -to the prow; before him was his red shield, chased with a lion all in -gold. So threatening did things look that fear shot through the hearts -of the Irish, and they thought that it would not be so easy a matter -to master the booty as they had imagined. They changed their minds, -and now thought that it was but the herald of one of those warlike -incursions of which they had had such frequent and terrible experience. -They turned back, and sent with all haste to the King, who happened -to be but a short way off, feasting in the neighbourhood. This King, -who rode down speedily with a large company of followers, looking a -party of the bravest, proved to be Murtough, or Myrkjartan, Olaf’s -grandfather. He was a valiant-looking prince, and the two companies, -Icelanders and Irish, must have made a brave sight as they stood -opposite to each other, one on the ship and the other on the shore, -divided only by a narrow strip of shallow water. The shipmates of Olaf -grew hushed when they saw so large a body of fighting-men, for they -deemed that here were great odds to deal with. But Olaf put them in -heart, saying, “Our affairs are in a good way; for the shouts of the -Irish are not against us, but in greeting to Murtough, their king.” -Then they rode so near the ship that each could hear what the other -said. The King asked who was master of the ship, and whence they had -put to sea, and whose men they were. Then he asked searchingly about -Olaf’s kindred, for he found that this man was of haughty bearing, -and would not answer any further than the King asked. Olaf answered: -“Let it be known to you that we ran our ship afloat from the coast -of Norway, and that these men with me are of high birth and of the -bodyguard of King Harald, lord of Norway. As for my own race, I have, -sire, to tell you this, that my father lives in Iceland, and is named -Hoskuld, a man of good birth; but as for my mother’s kindred, I think -it likely that they are better known to you than to myself. For my -mother is Melkorka, and it has been told me of a truth that she is your -daughter, O King. And it is this that has driven me forth on this long -journey, to know the truth of the matter, and to me it is of great -import what answer you have to make to me.” At that the King grew -silent, and hesitated long, consulting with his counsellors; for though -it was clearly seen that Olaf was a high-born man, and that he spoke -the best of Irish, the King doubted whether his story could be true. -But he stood up, and offered peace and friendship to those that were in -the ship. “But as to what you tell me, Olaf, we will talk further of -that.” After this they pushed forth their gangways to the shore, and -Olaf and his company went on land; and the Irish marvelled to see such -warrior-looking men. Olaf greeted the King, taking off his helmet and -bowing before him, and the King welcomed him gladly. They fell then to -talking, and Olaf pleaded his case in a long and frank speech, and when -he had done he took from his finger the ring that his mother had given -him at parting, and held it out toward the King, saying: “This ring, -King, you gave to Melkorka as a teething-gift.” The King took the ring -and looked at it, and his face grew red, and then he said: “True enough -are the tokens, and none the less notable to me is it that you have so -many features of your mother’s family, so that by those alone you might -easily be recognized, and because of these things I will, in sooth, -Olaf, acknowledge your kinship before all these men, and ask you to my -Court with all your following; but the honour of you all will depend -on what worth as a man I find you to be when I try you further.” Then -the King commanded that riding-horses should be given to them, and they -left some of the crew to guard the ship, while they rode on together to -Dublin. - -Men thought it great tidings that the King should be journeying to -Dublin with the son of his daughter, who had been carried off in war -when she was only fifteen winters old. But most startled of all at the -news was the foster-mother of Melkorka, who was bed-ridden, both from -heavy sickness and because of her great age; yet without even a staff -to support her she arose from her bed and walked to meet Olaf. - -The King said to Olaf: “Here is come Melkorka’s foster-mother, and she -will wish to hear all you can tell her about your mother’s life.” Olaf -took the old woman in his arms and set her on his knee and told her all -the news; he put into her hands the knife and the belt that Melkorka -had sent, so that the aged woman recognized the gifts, and wept for -joy. “It is easy to see,” she said, “that Melkorka’s son is one of high -mettle, and no wonder, seeing what stock he comes of.” And with joy the -old dame seemed to grow strong and well, and was in good spirits all -the winter. - -[Illustration: _Olaf took the Old Woman in his Arms_] - -The King was seldom at rest, for at all times the land was raided -by vikings and war-bands. But Olaf joined with him in driving off the -invaders, and those who came thought that his was indeed a grim company -to deal with. The King loved him better than his own sons, and at a -solemn gathering of the wise men of his realm he publicly prayed him -to remain with him, offering him the kingdom in succession when his -own day was done, and setting him before his people as his grandson -and Melkorka’s son. Olaf thanked him in fair and graceful words, but -he refused the offer, for he said he had no real claim to the kingdom, -as the King had sons, nor did he wish to stir up strife between them. -“It is better,” he said, “to gain swift honour than lasting shame.” -He added that he desired to go back to Norway, where vessels could -pass peaceably from land to land, and that his mother would have -little delight in her life if he went not back to her. So the King -said that he must do as he thought best, and the assembly was broken -up. Olaf bade a loving farewell to the King, who came with him to the -ship and saw him on board, and gave him a spear chased in gold, and a -gold-hilted sword, and much money besides. Olaf begged that he might -take her old foster-mother to Melkorka; but the King thought her too -aged for travelling, and he did not let her go. So they parted the most -loving friends, and Olaf sailed out to sea. After a winter spent with -King Harald in Norway the King gave Olaf a ship, and he sailed with -a fair wind to Iceland, and brought his vessel into Ramfirth, where -Hoskuld and his kinsmen greeted him warmly. It spread abroad through -all the land that he was grandson of Murtough, King of Ireland, and -he became very renowned on that account and because of his journey. -Melkorka came soon to greet her son, and Olaf met her with great joy. -She asked about many things in Ireland, of her father first and then of -her other relatives; and then she asked if her foster-mother were still -alive, and Olaf told her everything. But she said it was strange that -he had not brought the old woman back with him, that she might have -seen her once more. When Olaf told her that he had wished to bring her, -but that they would not allow her to go, “That may be so,” she said; -but it was plain to be seen that she took this much to heart. - -Olaf became a famous man both in Iceland and in Norway, and very -wealthy, and he made a good match with Thorgerd, daughter of Egil, and -prospered. He called his eldest son Kjartan, after Myrkjartan, his -mother’s father, the King of Ireland. - - - - -Chapter XVIII - -The Battle of Clontarf - - -We now come to a battle that is famous alike in Norse and in Irish -story. It was the final effort made by the Norsemen to assert -their supremacy over Ireland, and the last of several disastrous -defeats which they encountered at the hands of the Irish. Both the -story-tellers of the North and the historians and bards of Ireland -wrote long accounts of it, so that we know the details of the battle -of Clontarf perhaps better than we know those of any other ancient -battle fought in the British Isles. Except the battle of Brunanburh, -no other fight in these islands excited half so much attention at this -period. On the Norse side forces were gathered from the Orkneys, the -Isle of Man, and the Scottish coast to support the Norse of Dublin; on -the other were the united forces of Munster and Connaught, supported by -Danish auxiliaries, and led by the aged King of Munster, Brian Boru, -or “Brian of the Tributes.” Brian had risen from being an outlawed -prince of part of Munster, in the south of Ireland, to the position -of High-King of the whole country. When he was a boy the foreigners -had become so powerful in the south of Ireland that the Irish princes -despaired of either driving them out of the country or defeating them -in battle. They had adopted the weaker policy of paying the intruders -a heavy tribute, in order to keep them quiet; and when Brian’s father, -Kennedy, died, and Brian’s elder brother, Mahon, came to the throne, he -carried on the same policy. But Brian utterly refused to make any truce -with the Northmen, or to pay them any tribute whatsoever; and when he -saw that Mahon was determined at all costs to keep peace he left the -royal palace of Kincora, on the Shannon, and he and a band of the most -hardy and independent of the young chiefs of the neighbourhood betook -themselves to the forests and wild parts of North Munster, whence -they issued forth by day or night to attack and harass the Northmen. -Many of them they cut off and killed, but on the other hand a number -of Brian’s followers were slain, and they were all reduced to great -straits, from lack of food and shelter. For, like Alfred the Great in -similar circumstances, they had to live in huts or caves or wherever -they could get refuge; and often they could get no food but roots and -wild herbs, so that their strength was reduced, and in the wet weather -they became in wretched plight. Brian’s brother, Mahon, hearing of -this, sent for him, and tried to induce him to give up his roving life -and return to Kincora; but Brian, in no wise daunted by all that he -had gone through, reproached Mahon for having made a dishonourable -truce with the foreigners, which neither their father nor any of their -ancestors would have approved. When Mahon excused himself, saying that -he did not care to lead his clan to certain death, as Brian had led the -young chiefs, his brother replied that it was their heritage to die, -and the heritage of all the clan, and whatever they might do they could -not escape death; but that it was not natural or customary to them to -submit to insult or contempt at the hands of their enemies. And he so -wrought upon Mahon that he determined to adopt his brother’s advice, -and they called an assembly of the tribe, who with one heart gave their -voice for war. From that time forward Mahon and Brian grew stronger and -stronger. They gained a great victory over the foreigners at Limerick, -plundered their goods and sacked the fort; after that they set fire to -the town and reduced it to ashes, and they banished Ivar, Prince of -Limerick, to Wales. The soldiers of the Norsemen, who were billeted on -the people, and did them grievous wrong, were driven out, and Mahon -reigned as undisputed king. - -But treachery arose among his own followers, for some of them were -envious of his success, and Donovan and Molloy, two of his chiefs, -betrayed him in Donovan’s own house, being instigated to the foul act -by Ivar of Limerick, who wished to be revenged on Mahon. The prince was -suddenly surrounded while he was at a peaceful meeting with the clergy -of the province. He bore on his breast the Gospel of St Fin-Barre, -to protect him, but when he saw the naked sword lifted to strike he -plucked it out of his tunic and flung it over the heads of those that -stood nearest him, so that his blood might not stain it. The Gospel -fell into the hands of a priest who stood at some distance, with Molloy -beside him. Not knowing that it was Molloy who had planned the murder -of Mahon, nor understanding what was passing, the priest turned to -Molloy and asked him what he should do with the book. “Cure yonder -man with it if he should come to thee,” laughed the traitor, and with -that he leaped on his horse and fled from the place. When the cleric -perceived what was done and that Mahon had been slain, he fervently -cursed the deed, and prophesied that evil would befall Molloy. Looking -at the book he saw that it was sprinkled with Mahon’s blood; he gave it -to Colum, who was the abbot, and they wept at the sight of the blood on -its pages, and at the death of the King. - -After that the sovereignty fell to Brian, and the beginning of his -reign was one vigorous, long-continued struggle to rid his country from -the hosts of the invaders. He made untiring war on them, driving them -out of his territories, until he seated himself firmly on the throne of -Munster. Then he began to aspire further, and he thought that he would -attempt the High-Kingship of Ireland, and would endeavour to drive -the Northmen not only from the south, but from the whole country. He -marched north into Leinster, for the men of Leinster, with the Norsemen -of Dublin, revolted from Brian, and they met at the Glen of the Gap, in -County Wicklow, at the pass beside the ancient palace of the Kings of -Leinster. - -A great battle was fought between them, and Brian was completely -victorious; he marched on straight to Dublin, and took the Danish fort -of Dublin, and plundered it, gathering the spoil of gold and silver -ornaments and precious stones, goblets and buffalo horns, wondrous -garments of silk, and feather beds, with steeds and slaves, into one -place, and dividing it among the clansmen. From Great Christmas to -Little Christmas Brian rested his army there (_i.e._ from Christmas to -Epiphany), and from that time forth no Irishman or Irishwoman needed -any longer to set hands to menial labour, for things were changed, and -the foreigners became their slaves and did the kneading and grinding -and washing for the households of the conquerors. Up to this time the -foreigners had enslaved the Irish. Then Brian ravaged Leinster, and he -caught Melmora, the King, hidden in a yew tree, where Morrogh, Brian’s -young son, saw him concealed among the branches, and pulled him down. -He returned to Munster, having made peace with Melmora; and Sitric -Silken-beard,[30] the Norse King of Dublin, submitted to him, and Brian -gave him his daughter in marriage. For fifteen years there was peace -and prosperity in the country, and Brian sent abroad to purchase books, -and to find teachers and professors in place of those whom the Norsemen -had destroyed; he rebuilt churches, and encouraged learning, and made -bridges and causeways, and highroads all through the country; and he -strengthened the fortresses, and ruled well and generously. He made a -royal progress through the land, taking hostages from all the chiefs in -token of their subjection to him. But all the time the Northmen were -planning to avenge themselves upon him, by an expedition the like of -which had not been made before into Ireland; and the King of Ireland, -Melaughlan, whom Brian had dethroned, joined with them against him. - -A great fire may arise from a little spark, and the light which set -Ireland and the North ablaze was kindled by the angry words of a -jealous woman. - -Gormliath (or Kormlod, as she is called in Northern saga) was the -fiercest and most dreaded woman of her time. She is said in the saga -to have been “the fairest of women, and best gifted in everything -that was not in her own power, but it was the talk of men that she -did everything ill over which she had any power”--that is, she had -the best gifts of nature, but out of her own will she did nothing but -what was bad. Already she had been married to two husbands, to the -last Danish King of Dublin, Olaf o’ the Sandal, by whom her son was -Sitric Silken-beard, the reigning king when Brian conquered the fort -of Dublin. But even Olaf had found Gormliath too wicked a woman, and -he had sent her away, after which she married the King of Ireland, -Melaughlan, whom Brian dethroned. After his downfall she seems to have -gone with Brian to Kincora, and been married to him, though her former -husband was still alive. So wicked a woman was little comfort to any -husband, and it was not long before we find her parted from Brian also -and taking part against him in every way in her power. But at the time -of our story she was living with Brian at Kincora, though her acts -show that she had little love for him. She was a Leinster princess, -and sister of that King of Leinster whom Brian’s son had caught hiding -in the yew tree. Brian had made peace with him, and he had consented -to pay tribute to Brian as his over-lord. One day he set forth to -conduct a tribute of pine trees for ship-masts to Brian, but at a boggy -part of the road ascending a mountain a dispute broke out between -the drivers of the wagons, and to prevent the masts falling the King -himself sprang from his horse and put out his hand to support the mast -that was in front. In doing so one of the buttons of his silken tunic -broke off. The tunic had been a gift to him from Brian, and had on it -a rich border of gold and buttons of silver. When he arrived at the -palace Melmora took off his tunic, and took it to his sister Gormliath, -asking her to sew on the silver button. But the Queen angrily threw -the garment into the fire, reproaching him bitterly for taking gifts -from Brian or giving tribute to him, and in every way stirring him up -against her husband. - -The next morning fresh cause of quarrel arose out of a game of chess -which Morrogh, son of Brian, was playing with Conang, his nephew. -Melmora was standing by, teaching Conang the game, and he advised -a move which lost the game to Morrogh. At that angry words arose -between them, and Morrogh said: “It was thou that gavest advice to the -foreigners at the battle of the Gap when they were defeated.” “I will -give them advice again, and they shall not be defeated,” was Melmora’s -retort. “Take care that thou have the yew tree ready, then, in which -to hide thyself and them,” was Morrogh’s reply. At this the King of -Leinster grew furious, and the next morning, without asking permission -or taking leave of anyone, he left the palace, and started to return -to Leinster. He was mounting his horse on the east side of the wooden -bridge of Killaloe, when a messenger overtook him, sent hastily by -Brian to beg of him to return; he gave the King’s message, telling him -that Brian desired to part from him peaceably and to give him gifts of -gold and vestments. The only reply that Melmora made was to strike at -the officer with his horse-switch, so that he was carried back dying to -Kincora. - -When this was related to Brian some of those who stood round him called -on him to pursue Melmora and force him to submit. But Brian said that -he would not pursue one who had been a guest under his roof, but that -at the door of his own palace in Leinster he would demand satisfaction -from him. - -Hardly had Melmora returned to his own palace than he set himself -with all his power to raise up enemies to Brian. He said that he had -received insult, not only to himself, but to the province, in the house -of Brian, and he incited the princes of the province to turn against -the King of Munster. They declared for war, and began to assemble a -great host. Moreover, Melmora sent messengers to stir up the princes -of the north, so that on both sides, from Ulster and from Leinster, -war was declared against Brian. The rebels effected an alliance with -the foreigners of Dublin, who busied themselves in gathering the most -formidable host that ever reached the shores of Ireland. And on his -side also Brian bent all his efforts to gather together an army so -great that it could not be overcome, and he plundered far and wide to -get provisions for his host and to weaken the enemy. In the spring -he was ready to set out for Dublin with his army, and when Sitric -Silken-beard, Norse King of Dublin, saw that, he sent messengers to the -Orkneys and to the Isle of Man to stir up the Northmen there to come to -his assistance and to the assistance of the King of Leinster. It was -Gormliath who egged him on. After Melmora left Kincora she returned to -Dublin and she employed all her wit to set her son Sitric against her -husband, Brian. “So grim had she got against him that she would gladly -have had him dead,” says the saga. But Sitric and all the viking chiefs -knew the goodness of Brian’s heart, “that he was the best-natured -of all kings, and that he would thrice forgive all outlaws the same -offence before he would have them judged by the law; and from that it -was clear to them what a king he must have been.” But Gormliath would -take no denial, and in the end she got her way, and King Sitric set -sail for the Orkneys. - - - - -Chapter XIX - -Yule in the Orkneys, 1014 - - -We will now turn to the Orkneys and see what was happening there. It -is Yule or Christmas, and at Earl Sigurd the Stout’s Court a splendid -feast is in progress. The long hall is filled with guests, seated -between double rows of pillars, and on the hearth in the centre of -the hall the Yule-log is blazing. King Sitric Silken-beard, but newly -arrived from Ireland, is placed in the high seat in the centre of the -tables, with Earl Sigurd and Earl Gille on either hand. The guests are -ranged round the hall in the order of their rank, and behind the earls, -on the raised daïs, the minstrels are placed. Just at the moment a man -named Gunnar, Lambi’s son, is relating to the assembled company the -terrible story of the burning of Nial and his family in Iceland, which -had only just taken place.[31] - -Gunnar himself had had a hand in the dastardly deed, and to save -himself he was giving a garbled version of the tale. Every now and -again he lied outright. Now it so happened that while he was talking -two other Icelanders, close friends of the house of Nial, came up to -the door, and they stood outside and listened, arrested by the false -story which Gunnar was relating to the earl. They had lately landed -from Iceland, and the truth was well known to them. One of the two was -Kari, who had escaped from the burning, and he could not stand this, -and with swift vengeance, and a wild snatch of song upon his lips, he -rushed into the hall, his drawn sword in his hand. In a moment the -head of Gunnar was severed from his body, and it spun off on the board -before the King and earls, who were befouled with the spouting blood. -The earl exclaimed in his anger, “Seize Kari and kill him”; but never -a man moved to put forth his hand. “Kari hath done only what it was -right to do,” they all exclaimed, and they made a way for Kari, so that -he walked out, without hue or cry after him. “This is a bold fellow,” -cried King Sitric, “who dealt his stroke so stoutly and never thought -of it twice!” And in spite of his anger Earl Sigurd was forced to -exclaim: “There is no man like Kari for dash and daring!” - -Then King Sitric Silken-beard bestirred himself to egg on the earl to -go to war with him against King Brian, but at first the earl refused, -for all his host were against it, and liked not to go to war with -so good a king. In the end, however, Sitric promised him his mother -Gormliath’s hand and the kingdom of Ireland if they slew Brian, and -then Sigurd gave him his word to go. It was settled between them that -the earl should bring his host to Dublin by Palm Sunday, and on this -Sitric fared back to Ireland, and told Gormliath what luck he had had. -She showed herself well pleased, but she said that they must gather a -greater force still. Sitric asked where this was to be found, and she -said that she had heard tidings that two viking fleets were lying off -the Isle of Man, thirty ships in each fleet, with two captains of such -hardihood that nothing could withstand them. “The name of one,” said -she, “is Ospac, and the other’s name is Brodir. Haste thee to find -them, and spare nothing to get them into thy quarrel, whatever price -they ask.” So Sitric set forth again, but the price that Brodir asked -was the kingdom of Ireland and the hand of the fair Gormliath. Sitric -was much perplexed, but in the end he promised, for he thought that if -they gained the victory Earl Sigurd and the vikings could fight it out -between them, and if they were conquered no harm was done. So he ended -by promising all that they wished, only he stipulated that they should -keep the matter so secret that it would never come to Earl Sigurd’s -ears. They too were to arrive in Dublin before Palm Sunday, and Sitric -left well satisfied, and fared home to tell his mother. - -But hardly had he gone than a fierce quarrel broke out between the -brothers. It would seem that the conference had been between Sitric -and Brodir only, and that Ospac had not been informed of the pact -until after Sitric had left. Then he roundly said that he would not -go. Nothing would induce him to fight against so good a king as Brian. -Rather would he become a Christian and join his forces to those of the -Irish King. Ospac, though he was a heathen, is said to have been the -wisest of all men; but Brodir bears an ugly character. He had been a -Christian, and had been consecrated a deacon, but he had thrown off his -faith “and become God’s dastard,” as the saga says, “and now worshipped -pagan fiends and was of all men most skilled in sorcery.” He wore a -magic coat of mail, on which no steel would bite. He was tall and -strong and his hair was black. He wore his locks so long that he tucked -them into his belt. Fearful dreams beset him from night to night. A -great din passed over his ship, causing all to spring up and hastily -put on their clothes. A shower of blood poured over them, so that, -although they covered themselves with their shields, many were scalded, -and on every ship one man died. They were so disturbed at night that -they had to sleep during the day. The second night swords leapt out of -their sheaths, and swords and axes flew about in the air and fought -of themselves, wounding many. They had to shelter themselves, but the -weapons pressed so hard that out of every ship one man died. The third -night ravens flew at them, with claws and beaks hard as of iron, and -again in every ship a man died. The next morning Brodir pushed off in -his boat to seek Ospac to tell him what he had seen, and ask him the -meaning of the portents. Ospac feared to tell his brother what these -things boded, and though Brodir promised that no harm should follow, -he put off telling him until nightfall, for he knew that Brodir never -slew a man by night. Then he said: “Whereas blood rained on you, many -men’s blood shall be shed, yours and others; but when ye heard a great -din, then ye must have been shown the crack of doom, and ye shall all -die speedily. When weapons fought against you, they must forbode a -battle; but when ravens overpowered you, that marks the evil spirit in -whom ye put your faith, and who will drag you all down to the pains of -hell.” Brodir was so wroth that he could answer never a word, but he -moored his vessels across the sound that night, so that he could bear -down and slay Ospac’s men next morning. But Ospac saw through the plan, -and while Brodir’s men were sleeping he slipped away quietly in the -darkness, having cut the cables of Brodir’s line, and he sailed round -the south of Ireland, and so up the Shannon to Kincora. Here he told -all that he knew to King Brian, giving him warning; and he was baptized -at Kincora, and became Brian’s ally, joining his forces with those of -the King. - -All being prepared, King Brian marched on Dublin, setting fire on his -way to all the country round, so that the Norsemen when they arrived -saw the land as one sheet of flame. The battle was fought on the north -side of the River Liffey, where the land falls low toward the sea at -Clontarf, up to the wooded country on the heights behind which Phœnix -Park now extends. Here, with the wood behind them called Tomar’s Wood, -were the lines of the Irish forces, facing the bay where the Norsemen -brought in their ships. On the south side of the river was the fort of -the Norsemen, where Dublin Castle now stands, and from its walls King -Sitric and his mother Gormliath watched the fight. Besides these two, -another spectator followed the course of the battle. This was Sitric’s -wife, who was Brian’s daughter, married to the chief of her country’s -foes. Though she stood by her husband’s side, her heart was with the -men of Munster, and with her father and brothers who led their hosts. -In the beginning of the day it seemed to the men of Dublin who were -watching from the battlements that the swords of the enemy were mowing -down Brian’s troops, even as the ripe corn in a field might fall if two -or three battalions were reaping it at once. “Well do the Norsemen reap -the field,” said Sitric. “It will be at the end of the day, that we -shall see if that be so,” said the wife of Sitric, Brian’s daughter. - -All day long, from sunrise till evening, the battle was fought. At -full tide in the morning the foreigners beached their boats, but when -the tide returned at night, they were being everywhere routed before -the Irish, who rushed down upon them from the upland, pushing them -farther and farther backward toward the sea. Then, as they turned to -fly, hoping to regain their vessels, they saw that the rising tide had -lifted the boats from their resting-places and carried them out to -sea, so that they were there caught between their enemies on the land -and the sea behind, with no place of safety to turn to. An awful rout -was made of them, and the sounds of their shouting and war-whoops and -cries of despair were heard by the watchers of the fort. Then Brian’s -daughter turned to her husband. “It appears to me,” she said, “that, -like gad-flies in the heat, or like a herd of cows seeking the water, -the foreigners return to the sea, their natural inheritance. I wonder -are they cattle, driven by the heat? But if they are they tarry not -to be milked.” The answer of her husband was a brutal blow upon the -mouth. Close to the weir of Clontarf, where the River Tolka seeks the -sea, Turlough, the young grandson of Brian, pursued a Norseman across -the stream. But the rising tide flung him against the weir, and he was -caught on a post, and so was drowned, with his hand grasping the hair -of the Norseman who fell under him. - -The day on which the battle was fought was Good Friday, 1014. King -Brian himself was too aged to go into battle; besides, it was against -his will to fight on a fast-day; so his bodyguard made a fastness -round him with their linked shields upon a little height, and from the -time of the beginning of the combat he knelt upon a cushion, with his -psalter open before him, and began to read the psalms and to pray -aloud. There was with him a young lad, an attendant, who watched the -course of the fighting from the height, and from time to time he told -his master what was going forward. After the King had said fifty psalms -and prayed awhile he asked his attendant how the battle went. - -“Intermingled together and closely fighting are the battalions, each -of them within the grasp of the other,” said the boy; “and not louder -would be the sound of blows of wood-cutters on Tomar’s Wood if seven -battalions together were cutting it down, than are the resounding -blows that fall from the swords on both sides upon bones and skulls.” -The King said: “Do you see the standard of Morrogh, my son?” “It is -standing,” said the lad, “and the banners of Munster close about it; -but many heads are falling round it, the heads of our own clan and the -heads of foreigners also.” “That is good news,” said the King. Then the -lad readjusted the cushion under Brian, and the King prayed again and -sang another fifty psalms; and all the time the fighting was going on -below. “What is the condition of the battalions,” Brian asked again, -“and where is Morrogh’s standard?” The lad said that there was not a -man on earth who could distinguish friend from foe, so covered were -they all with gore and wounds; but as for the standard of Munster it -was still standing, but it had passed away to the westward. Then the -King said: “The men of Ireland will do well so long as that standard -stands.” - -So the lad adjusted the cushion again and the King prayed and sang -fifty psalms more; and now the evening was drawing on. Brian asked the -attendant again, in what condition the forces were. The lad replied: -“It seems to me as though Tomar’s Wood were all on fire, and that all -the young shoots and undergrowth had been cut away, leaving only the -great oaks standing; so are the armies on either side; for their men -are fallen thick, and only the leaders and gallant heroes remain alive. -For they are ground about like the grindings of a mill turning the -wrong way. Yet it seems to me that the foreigners are defeated, though -the standard of Morrogh is fallen.” “Alas! alas! for that news,” said -Brian. “The honour and valour of Erin fell when that standard fell, -and the honour of Erin is now fallen indeed; and what avails it to me -to obtain the sovereignty of the world if Morrogh and the chiefs of -Munster are slain?” “If thou wouldst take my advice,” said the lad, -“thou wouldst mount thy horse and take refuge in the camp, where every -one who escapes alive out of this battle will rally round us; for it -seems to me that the foreigners are afraid of retreating to the sea, -and we know not at any moment who may find us here.” “Indeed, my boy,” -said Brian, “flight becomes us not; and well I know that I shall not -leave this place alive. For Evill, the fairy maid who guards our clan, -appeared to me last night and told me that I should be killed this day. -Wherefore take my steed and escape, and arrange for my seemly burial, -and for my gifts to the Church, for I will remain where I am until my -fate overtakes me.” - -While he was saying these words a party of the Northmen approached -with Brodir at their head. “There are people coming toward us up the -hill,” said the boy, “and all our bodyguard are fled.” “What like are -they?” inquired the King. “A blue, stark-naked people they seem to -me,” was the reply. “Alas!” said Brian, “they must be foreigners in -armour: for the Northmen fight not like our people in their tunics, but -with blue armour on their bodies; and no good will come to us if it -is they indeed.” Then the old man arose and pushed aside the cushion -and unsheathed his sword. But Brodir marked him not, and would have -passed, had not one of his followers, who had been in Brian’s service, -recognized the King. “The King,” he cried, “this is the King!” “No, -no,” said Brodir, “this old man is a priest.” “By no means so,” replied -the man; “this is the great king, Brian.” Then Brodir turned, and swung -his gleaming battle-axe above his head, and smote the King: but ere he -did so Brian had made a stroke at him, and wounded him in the knee, -so that they fell together; but Brian, the King, was dead. The lad -Teigue had thrown his arm across the King to shield him, but the arm -was taken off at the stump with the same blow that slew the King. Then -Brodir stood up and with a loud voice exclaimed: “Now may man tell his -fellow-man that Brodir hath felled King Brian.” But not long was his -triumph: for Ospac his brother and some of the Munstermen came up, and -they took Brodir alive, and put him to a cruel death there upon the -spot. - -[Illustration: _Death of Brian Boru at Clontarf_] - -Two incidents must still be told. The first concerns the raven banner -that Earl Sigurd carried to the fight. It was made in raven-shape, -and when the wind blew out the folds it was as though a raven spread -its wings for flight.[32] The banner, which was wrought with fine -needlework of marvellous skill, had been made for Sigurd by his -mother, a princess of Irish birth, whose father was Karval, Prince of -Dublin. So clever was she that she had a reputation for witchcraft, for -men thought her knowledge was greater than that of a woman. She was a -person of spirit and mettle; for once when her young son, Sigurd, asked -her advice as to whether he should go out to fight with a Scotch earl, -whose followers were seven times greater in number than his own, she -scornfully bade him go. “Had I known that thou hadst a desire to live -for ever,” she had said, “I should have kept thee safely rolled up in -my wool-bag. Fate rules life, but not where a man stands at the helm; -and better it is to die with honour than to live with shame. Take thou -this banner which I have made for thee with all my cunning; I ween -it will bring victory to those before whom it is borne, but death to -him who carries it.” This was true; wherever the raven banner went -victory followed after it, and men were slain before it, but he who was -standard-bearer always met his death. Thus the banner came to have an -evil fame, and it was not easy to find a man to carry it into battle. - -In the battle of Clontarf the banner was borne aloft before the earl, -but one of the bearers after another had fallen. Then Earl Sigurd -called on Thorstein, son of Hall o’ the Side, to bear the flag, and -Thorstein was about to lift it when a man called out: “Do not bear the -banner; for all those who do so come by their death. Through it three -of my sons have been slain.” “Hrafn the Red,” called out the earl, -“bear thou the banner.” “Bear thine own crow thyself,” answered Hrafn. -Then the earl said: “’Tis fittest that the beggar should bear his own -bag, indeed”; and with that he took down the banner from its staff, and -hid it under his cloak. Only a short time after that, the earl fell, -pierced through by a spear. - -The other incident also concerns Thorstein, the brave young Icelander -who had accompanied Sigurd to Ireland. He was only twenty years of age, -and as fearless as he was brave. When flight broke out through all the -host of the foreigners, Thorstein, with a few others, took their stand -by the side of Tomar’s Wood, refusing to fly. At last, seeing that hope -was past, all turned to follow with the rout save Thorstein only. He -stood still to tie his shoe-string. An Irish leader, coming up at the -moment, asked him why he had not run with the others. “Because I am an -Icelander,” said Thorstein, “and were I to run ever so fast I could -not get home to-night.” The Irish leader was so struck by the young -warrior’s coolness and courage that he set him at liberty. Thorstein -remained for some time in the household of the Irish King, when all his -fellows returned home, and he was well beloved in Ireland. - -All through the North flew the tidings of Brian’s battle, and the -Norsemen felt that it was one of the most severe checks sustained by -them in Western Europe. On the evening of the battle a strange portent -happened in Caithness. A Norseman was walking out late at night alone. -He saw before him a bower, which he had never seen before, and twelve -women riding, two and two, toward it. They passed into the bower and -disappeared from sight. Curious to know what had become of the women, -he went up to the bower, and looked in through a narrow slit that -served for a window. Horrible was the sight he saw. The women were -seated in the bower, weaving at a loom. But when he looked he saw that -skulls of men served as the weights, and that the web and weft were the -entrails of dead men. The loom was made of spears, and swords were the -shuttles, and as the weird women wove, blood dripped from the loom upon -the floor. They sang this song as the shuttles sped, softly as though -they keened the slain:-- - -THE “DARRADAR-LIOD”, OR “LAY OF THE DARTS.” - - “See! warp is stretched - For warrior’s fall, - Lo! weft in loom - ’Tis wet with blood; - Now fight foreboding, - ’Neath friends’ swift fingers, - Our grey woof waxeth - With war’s alarms; - Blood-red the warp, - Corpse-blue the weft. - - The woof is y-woven - With entrails of men, - The warp is hard-weighted - With heads of the slain; - Spears blood-besprinkled - For spindles we use, - Sharp steel-edged the loom - Arrow-headed our reels, - With swords for our shuttles - This war-woof we work: - So weave we, weird sisters, - Our war-winning woof. - - Now War-winner walketh - To weave in her turn, - Now Sword-swinger steppeth, - Now Swift-stroke, now Storm; - When the shuttle is speeding - How spear-heads shall flash! - Shields crash, and helm-biter - On bucklers bite hard! - Now mount we our horses, - Now bare we our brands, - Now haste we, swift-riding, - Far, far from these lands.” - -Then they plucked down the woof and tore it asunder, but each held fast -to what she had in her hand. And the watcher knew that these were the -Valkyrie women, who weave the threads of life and of death. He fled -from the place, terrified, and spread the tidings of the slaughter; but -the Valkyrie maidens mounted their steeds and rode, six to the north -and six to the south; and the bower disappeared and was no more seen. - - - - -Chapter XX - -The Story of the Burning - -(NIAL’S SAGA) - - -What was the Story of the Burning that Gunnar was telling to Earl -Sigurd, and for his share in which he lost his head by Kari’s stroke? - -Of all the sagas of Iceland the most famous and the best known is the -saga of Njal, or, as it is sometimes called, the Story of the Burning. -Njal or Nial is an Irish name, and there may have been some Irish -mixture in his descent, though this is not proved from his genealogy. -He was well known to be the wisest and best of Icelanders, and he was -so learned a lawyer that all men desired his advice when any case came -before the Court of Laws. He was clear in his judgments, and on that -account it was believed that he could see into the future; people said -that he had the “second-sight” and could foretell what would happen. -Kind and generous too he was and always ready to help a friend in need. -His wife was Bergthora, a brave, high-spirited woman, and they had -three daughters and three sons; the names of the sons were Skarphedinn, -Grim, and Helgi. They had, moreover, a foster-son, Hoskuld, whom Nial -loved better than his own sons. Nial’s sons and Hoskuld were never -apart, and what the one thought or did the other did likewise. - -The desire of travel came upon Nial’s sons when they were men, and Grim -and Helgi fared abroad, and were away five winters, part in Orkney and -part in Norway (989–994). They were well received in Orkney by Earl -Sigurd the Stout, for he found them to be bold and trustworthy men, and -he took them into his bodyguard, and gave Helgi a gold ring and mantle -and Grim a shield and sword. It was in the Western Isles that they met -Kari, Solmund’s son, who gave them help and brought them to the earl, -and was ever their friend; and together they fought for Earl Sigurd -against the Scots in Caithness, and against Godred, King of the Isle -of Man, and everywhere they were successful and got renown. When their -time of sea-roving was past they busked them for Iceland, and Kari with -them; and Kari was there that winter with Nial, and asked his daughter -Helga to wife, and when they were married they were much with Nial, for -he was now an old man, and he liked to have his children about him. - -This was the more needful, for now when he was seventy winters old -troubles began to fall upon Nial and his sons. Evil men envied their -prosperity, and hated Nial the more that all spake honourably of him -and praised the valour and uprightness of his sons. These men of bad -feeling went about to separate the old man from his friends and stir up -suspicion against him, and it was thought likely that for all he was -aged, and the justest of counsellors and a friend whom no backbiting -could shake even when his friendship was sorely tried, his own prophecy -of himself would come true, and that his end would be far from that -which anyone could guess. But things went quietly for a time, because -it was hard to bring a cause of complaint against Nial. At last they -thought that they had found a handle to turn against him when he -erected a new Court of Law in the island, which he called the Fifth -Court; to this appeals might be made when for any reason a decision on -a case was not come to at one of the Quarter Courts then established in -Iceland. For there were many suits pleaded in the Quarter Court that -were so entangled that no way could be seen out of them, and many said -that they lost time in pleading their suits when no decision was come -to, and that they preferred to seek their rights “with point and edge” -of sword, and to fight it out; so that there was danger of anarchy in -the country. But Nial’s plan was to refer these disputed cases to a -higher court for its decision. But though all agreed that this was a -wise plan, many of the judges in the old Quarter Courts were annoyed -that their authority was lowered and the supreme jurisdiction given -to the new court, in which were to be placed only the wisest and best -men; and what angered them still more was that one of these new judges -was Hoskuld, Nial’s foster-son. In the time of paganism there were no -clergy such as we have to-day, but the chief of each large clan or -family was its priest, and there was only a fixed number of priests in -each district, men who were regarded as the head-men or chiefs of that -Quarter. So long as the old faith remained in the land it was the head -of the family who offered the sacrifices for his own people. Hoskuld -was made a judge in the new court, and he got the priesthood with it; -he was called the Priest of Whiteness. His judgments were so just that -many men refused to plead in the other courts and went to have their -suits pleaded before Hoskuld’s court. Out of this jealousies arose, -and above all two enemies of Nial, Valgard the Guileful and his son -Mord, were angry because their court was left empty, while Hoskuld’s -was full. One night Valgard was sitting over the fire when his son Mord -came in. Valgard looked up at him and said: “If I were a younger man -I should not be sitting here very busy doing nothing while the court -of Hoskuld is crowded with suitors; and now I regret that I gave up my -priesthood to thee; I see thou wilt take no action to support it; but -I, if I were young, would work things so that I would drag them all -down to death, Nial and all his sons together.” - -“I do not see,” said Mord, “how that is to be done.” - -“My plan is,” said Valgard the Guileful, “that you should make great -friendship with Nial’s own sons. Ask them to thy house and give them -gifts when they leave, and win their trust and goodwill, so that they -shall come to have confidence in thee as much as they have in one -another. For awhile say nothing that shall arouse suspicion of thy -friendship, but when once they are won over, begin little by little to -sow discord between them and Hoskuld, and keep on tale-bearing to each -of the other, so that they will be set by the ears, and will end by -killing Hoskuld and then it is likely that they themselves will fall in -the blood-feud that will arise from his death, and so we shall get rid -of all of them, and thou mayest seize the chieftainship when they are -all dead and gone.” - -“It will not be easy to do this,” answered Mord, “for Hoskuld is so -much beloved that no one will believe any ill of him. Moreover, he and -Nial’s sons, his foster-brothers, are so warm in friendship together -that they are always in each other’s company and support each other in -every way. Still, I will see what can be done, for Nial and his sons -are no dearer to me, father, than they are to thee.” - -From that time forward Mord was much at Nial’s house, and he struck -up a great friendship with Skarphedinn, and said he would willingly -see more of him. Skarphedinn took it all well, though he said that he -had never sought for anything of the kind before; and he encouraged -Mord to come backward and forward, so that often they spent whole days -together; but Nial disliked his coming, for he distrusted the man, and -often he was rather short with him. - -This was while Grim and Helgi were sea-roving. But when they came home -Mord said he would like to give a great feast in their honour, because -they had been long away. They promised to go, and he called together -a crowded feast, and at their going away he gave them handsome gifts, -with a brooch of gold to Skarphedinn, and a silver belt also to Kari. - -They went home well pleased, and showed their gifts to Nial. But all he -said was: “Ye will pay full dearly for those gifts before all is done.” - -From that time Mord began to drop hints to Nial’s sons that Hoskuld -was not dealing fairly with them, and to Hoskuld he told many tales of -slighting words spoken about him by Nial’s sons. At first they paid -little attention to it, but after a while, as these stories grew (and -Mord had ever a new one when they met), a coldness sprang up between -the sons and Hoskuld, and he came less often to their house, and when -they met they scarcely spoke together. But Hoskuld knew not what to -think, for he loved his foster-brothers well, and he found it hard to -believe that they had the designs on him that Mord made out. One day, -when Mord had brought him a new story that Skarphedinn carried an axe -under his belt, intending to take an opportunity to kill him, Hoskuld -broke out angrily: “I tell you this, Mord, right out, that whatever -ill-tales you tell me of Nial’s sons, you will never get me to credit -them; but supposing such things were true, and it became a question -between us whether I must slay them or they me, I tell thee that far -rather would I be slain by them than work the least harm to them. A bad -man thou art, with these tales of thine.” - -Mord bit his lip, and knew not what to answer, but soon after that he -went to Nial’s house and fell a-talking to Kari and Skarphedinn in -a low voice, telling them all sorts of evil of Hoskuld, worse than -before, and egging them on to kill him that very evening. He said -that if they did not kill Hoskuld he would kill him himself for their -honour. So he got his way with them, and bound them to meet him that -night with their weapons and ride down to Hoskuld’s house at Ossaby. - -That night Skarphedinn did not lie down to rest, nor his brothers, nor -Kari. - -Then Bergthora, Nial’s wife, said to her husband: “What are our sons -talking about out of doors?” - -“In the old days when their counsels were good,” said Nial, “seldom was -I left out of them, but now they make their plans alone, and tell me -nothing of them.” - -That night when it was dark the sons of Nial and Kari arose and rode -to Ossaby, their weapons in their hands. They stopped under the fence -that encircled Hoskuld’s house, hidden from sight. The weather was good -and the sun just risen. - -Now it happened that about that time Hoskuld, the Priest of Whiteness, -awoke, and put on his clothes and flung about his shoulders a new -crimson cloak embroidered to the waist, which Flosi, his wife’s uncle, -had given him. He took his corn-sieve and walked along the fence, -sowing the corn as he went; but in his left hand he carried his sword. - -Skarphedinn and the others sprang up as he came near, and made a rush -at him, but Hoskuld, seeing them, tried to turn away. It is not said -that he defended himself with his sword from Skarphedinn. - -Then Skarphedinn ran up, crying out: “Do not try to turn on thy heel, -Whiteness Priest,” and with that he hewed at him, smiting him on the -head with such a blow that he fell on his knees. - -“God help me, and forgive you,” said Hoskuld, as one after the other -they thrust him through. - -Then Mord slipped off as fast as he could, and gave out through the -country that Nial’s sons had slain their foster-brother, Hoskuld, but -nothing was said about his own part in the matter. - -The day was not far gone when he gathered men together to go down with -him to Ossaby, to bear witness of the deed, and he showed them the -wounds, and said that this wound was dealt by Skarphedinn, the next by -Helgi or Grim, the next by Kari, and so on; but there was one wound -that he said he knew not who dealt it, for that wound was made by -himself. He it was who set on foot the law against the sons of Nial. - -But the sons of Nial rode home, and Kari with them, and they told Nial -the tidings. “Sorrowful are these tidings, and ill to hear,” said Nial, -“and this grief touches me very nearly. Methinks I would have given two -of my own sons to have had my foster-son alive.” - -“We will excuse thy words,” said Skarphedinn, “seeing that thou art -an old man, and it was to be expected that this loss would touch thee -closely.” - -“It is true that I am weak and aged,” said Nial; “but my age will not -prevent what is to follow.” - -“What is to follow?” said Skarphedinn. - -“My death by violence,” he said, “and the death with me of my wife, and -of all you my sons.” - -They stood silent at that, for the old man’s prophecies had seldom -failed, and they felt that this one would come to pass. - -Then Kari said: “Am I in the one case with you all?” - -“Thy good fortune will bring thee safe out of it,” said Nial; “but they -will spare no pains to have thee in the same case with us.” - -This one thing touched Nial so nearly that he could never speak of it -without shedding tears. - -As the time of the suit about Hoskuld’s death drew on, all men wondered -how it would go with Nial’s sons. Those who knew Hoskuld contended that -he had been slain for less than no cause; and this was true; yet others -saw clearly that if men of such worth as Nial and his sons were slain, -whose family were always held in the greatest respect, the blood-feud -and the hue and cry would stir the whole country, and those who slew -them would be hated by all. But Mord would not let the matter rest, but -was ever urging the relatives of Hoskuld on his wife’s side to take -up the suit against Nial’s sons. So the suit went forward, some taking -Nial’s part and some the part of his enemies; but few men stood to aid -Nial in the suit. - -Nial was often found sitting with his chin on the top of his staff, -gazing out from the door of the booth, and his hair looked greyer than -its wont. “Things draw on to an end,” he would say; “and what must be, -must be.” - - - - -Chapter XXI - -Things draw on to an End - - -But Nial’s enemies were loth to wait for his clearing at law, and they -planned to bring about his death and the death of his sons. A man Flosi -was at the head of these conspirators, and he it was who gathered -together the party of men who had agreed to kill Nial. - -They all met together in Flosi’s house, Grani, Gunnar’s son, and -Gunnar, Lambi’s son, and others with them. - -Now about that time strange portents were seen at Bergthors-knoll, -Nial’s home, and from that Nial and Bergthora his wife guessed that the -end was near; but Skarphedinn laughed their fears to scorn. - -[Illustration: _The Vision of the Man on the Grey Horse_] - -A Christian man went out one night of the Lord’s day, nine weeks before -the winter season, and he heard a crash, and the earth rocked beneath -his feet. Then he looked to the west, and he saw a ring of fire moving -toward him, and within the ring a man riding on a grey horse. He had -a flaming firebrand in his hand, and he rode hard: he and the flaming -ring passed the watcher by and went down towards Bergthors-knoll. Then -he hurled the firebrand into Nial’s house, and a blaze of fire leapt up -and poured over the house and across the fells. And it seemed that the -man rode his horse into the flames and was no more seen Then the man -who watched knew that the rider on the grey horse was Odin, who ever -comes before great tidings. He fell into a swoon and lay senseless a -long time. - -Not long after this an old wizened woman who lived in Nial’s service -went out into the yard behind the house with a cudgel in her hand. -Nial’s sons called her the Old Dotard, because she would go about the -house babbling to herself, leaning on her crutch; but for all that -she was wise in many things and foresighted, and some things that -she prophesied came to pass. She was ever murmuring about a stack -of vetches that was piled up in the yard, that they should bring it -indoors, or move it farther away, and to soothe her they promised they -would do so; but the days went on, and something always hindered it. -This day she took her cudgel and began beating the vetch-stack with all -her might, wishing that it might never thrive, wretch that it was! - -Skarphedinn stood watching her, holding his sides with laughter. He -asked her why she beat the vetch-stack; what harm it had done to her. - -“It has not harmed me, but it will harm my master,” she said; “for when -they need firing for the fire that will burn my master, it is to the -vetch-stack they will come, and they will light the house with it; take -it away, therefore, and cast it into the water, or burn it up as fast -as you can.” - -Skarphedinn thought it a pity to waste the vetch, so he said: “If it is -our doom to die by fire, something else will be found to light the fire -with even though the stack be not here. No man can escape his fate.” -The whole summer the old woman was muttering about the vetch-stack, but -time went on and nothing was done. - -One evening, as usual, Bergthora prepared the supper, and she spoke to -those about her and said: “Let everyone choose what he would like best -to eat to-night, and I will prepare it for him, for it is in my mind -that this is the last meal that I shall prepare for you.” - -They asked her what she meant by that, and then she told them that -she had heard tidings that a large party was riding toward the house, -with Flosi at its head, and she thought it likely that this night -would be their last. Nial said that they would sup and that then they -would prepare themselves. When they sat down Nial sat at the head of -the board, but he ate nothing, and they saw that he seemed to be in a -trance. At last he spoke and said: “Methinks I see blazing walls all -round this room, and the gable is falling above our heads, and all -the board is drenched with blood. It is strange that you can bring -yourselves to eat such bloody food!” - -Then all that sat there rose, with terror on their faces, and they -began to cry out and say that they must save themselves before their -enemies came upon them. But Skarphedinn spoke up cheerfully, and bade -them behave like men. “We more than all others should bear ourselves -well when evil comes upon us, for that is only what will be looked for -from us,” he said. - -So they cleared the board, and Nial bade no man go to sleep, but to -prepare themselves for what might befall. Then they went outside the -door and waited. Counting Kari and the serving-men, they made near -thirty gathered in the yard and about the house. - -As it was getting dark they heard footsteps approaching, for the men -with Flosi had tethered their horses in a dell not far from the house, -and had waited there till sundown. Nial said to his sons: “A great -body of men seems to be approaching, but they have made a halt beyond -the house. I think they are more in number than ourselves, and that -it would be better for us to go inside the house and fight them from -there; the house is strong, and they will be slow to come to close -quarters.” - -Skarphedinn did not think well of that. “These men,” he said, “are come -out for no fair fight; they are come to do a foul and evil deed, and -they will not turn back till we all are dead, for they will fear our -revenge. It is likely that they will burn us out, dastards that they -are, and I for one have no liking to be stifled indoors like a fox run -to earth.” - -“In the old days,” said Nial, “when ye were young, it was ever my -counsel that ye sought, and your plans went well; but now I am old ye -will have your own way.” - -“We had better do what our father wills,” said Helgi; “whether his -counsel be good or bad, it were best for us to follow it.” - -“I am not sure of that,” said Skarphedinn, “for the old man is doting. -But if it humours my father to have us all burnt indoors with him, I am -as ready for it as any of you, for I am not afraid of my death.” - -With that they all went indoors, and Flosi, who was watching what they -would do, turned to his comrades and smiled. “The wise sons of Nial -have all gone mad to-night,” he said, “since they have shut themselves -up in the house; we will take care that not one of them comes out alive -again.” - -Then they took courage and went up close to the house, and Flosi set -men on every side to watch that no one escaped by any secret way. But -he and his own men went round to the front, where Skarphedinn stood in -the doorway. One of the men, seeing Skarphedinn there, ran at him with -his spear to thrust him through. But Skarphedinn hewed off the spear -head with his axe, and then with one stroke of his weapon laid the man -dead. - -“Little chance had that one with thee, Skarphedinn,” said Kari; “thou -art the bravest of us all.” - -“I am not so sure of that,” said Skarphedinn, but he drew up his lips -and smiled. - -Then Grim and Kari and Helgi began throwing out spears, and wounded -many of those that stood round, while their enemies could do nothing -against them in return. Flosi’s men, too, were unwilling to fight, -and when they saw the old man and Bergthora standing before them, and -the brave sons of Nial, and Kari, whom all men praised, their courage -oozed away, for these all were held in great respect from one end of -the land to the other. It seemed to them a shameful thing to attack -them in their own house. Grani, Gunnar’s son, and Gunnar, Lambi’s son, -moreover, who most had egged them on, now hung back, and were more -willing that others should go into danger than they themselves; they -seemed ready on the slightest chance to slink away, for they were -cowards. - -Flosi saw that if they were to carry out their plan they must try some -other means, for never would they overcome Nial’s sons with sword and -battle-axe, nor could they get at them within the house. - -So then he made them all fetch wood and fuel and pile it before the -doors. When Skarphedinn saw what they were about he cried out: “What, -lads! are ye lighting a fire to warm yourselves, or have ye taken to -cooking?” - -“We are making a cooking-fire, indeed,” answered Grani, Gunnar’s son, -“and we will take care that the meat was never better done.” - -“Yet you are the man whose father I avenged,” said Skarphedinn. “Such -repayment as this was to be looked for from a man like thee.” - -But the fire made little way, for as fast as they lit it the women -threw whey or water, clean and dirty, upon it, and extinguished it. But -one of the men said to Flosi: “I saw a vetch-stack standing outside in -the yard behind the house, dry and inflammable, and if we can stuff it -lighted into the loft above the hall it will set the roof ablaze.” - -They brought down the vetch, and stuffed it under the roof, and set -fire to it, and in a moment the roof was ablaze over the heads of Nial -and his sons. And Flosi continued to pile the wood before the doors, -so that none could get out. The women inside began to weep and to -scream with fear, but Nial sustained them all, saying that it was but -a passing storm, and that it was long before they were like to have -another such. Then he went to the door, and called out to Flosi, asking -him whether he would be content to take an atonement for his sons. - -Flosi replied that he would take none. “Here I remain,” said he, “until -all of them are dead; but the women and children and slaves may go -out.” Then Nial returned into the house, and bade the women go out, and -all to whom leave was given. - -“Never thought I to part from Helgi in such a way as this,” said -Thorhalla, Helgi’s wife; “but if I go out I will stir up my kindred to -avenge this deed.” - -“Go, and good go with thee,” said Nial; “for thou art a brave woman.” -But all grieved most that Helgi should die, for he was much beloved; -and one of the women threw a woman’s cloak over him, and tied a -kerchief round his head, and against his will they made him go out -between them. - -Nial’s daughters and Skarphedinn’s wife and the other women went out -too. - -Flosi was watching them as they passed, and he said: “That is a mighty -woman and broad across the shoulders that walks in the middle of the -others; take hold of her and see who she is.” - -When Helgi heard that he flung off his cloak and drew his sword, but -Flosi hewed at him, and took off his head at a stroke. - -Now the fire was mounting the walls, and Flosi’s heart smote him at -last that an old man like Nial should burn in his own house, who had -been so brave and noble a man. He went up to the door and called to -Nial, saying, “I offer thee and thy wife leave to go out, Master Nial, -for it is unfit that thou shouldst burn to death indoors.” - -“I will not come out,” said Nial, “for I am an old man, and the time is -past when I could have avenged the death of my sons, and I have no wish -to live in shame after them.” - -“Come thou out, housewife,” called Flosi to Bergthora; “for I would not -for anything in the world have thee burn indoors.” - -[Illustration: _“Come thou out, housewife,” called Flosi to Bergthora_.] - -“I was given away to Nial when I was young,” she answered, “and I -pledged my word to him then that we twain should share the same fate -together. But thou, child,” she said to Thord, Kari’s son, who had -stayed yet beside her, for he had the undaunted heart of his father -in him, “I would that thou shouldst go out while there is time; I -cannot brook to see a lad like thee burned.” - -“Thou hast promised me, grandmother, that so long as I desired to be -with thee, thou never wouldst send me away; and I think it now much -better to die with thee and Nial than to live without thee after thy -death.” - -So they turned back into the house. “What shall we do now?” Bergthora -said to Nial. - -“We will go to our bed,” said Nial, “and lay us down; I have long been -eager for rest.” - -Then they laid themselves down on their bed, and the boy lay between -them, with his arm round the old woman’s neck. - -“Put over us that hide,” said Nial to his steward, “and mark where we -lie, for I mean not to stir an inch hence however the smoke or fire -torment me. Here in this spot you will find our bones, if you come -afterwards to look for them.” - -The steward spread the hide over the bed, and then he went out with the -others. Then Nial and Bergthora signed themselves and the boy with the -cross, and confided their souls into God’s hand, and that was the last -word that they were heard to utter. - -Skarphedinn saw how his father laid him down, and laid himself out, and -he said this: “Our father goes early to bed to-night, and that is meet, -for he is an old man.” - -Then for a time Skarphedinn and Kari and Grim stood side by side, -catching the brands as they fell and throwing them out at their -enemies; and Flosi’s men hurled spears from without, but they caught -them and sent them back again. But in the end Flosi bade his men cease -throwing their spears, and sit down till the fire had done its work. - -One man only escaped from the burning, and that was Kari, who leaped -out on a fallen cross-beam, Skarphedinn helping him. “Leap thou first,” -said Kari, “and I will leap after you, and we will get away in the -smoke together.” But Skarphedinn refused, and would not go until Kari -had got safe away, for he had run along under the smoke, his hair and -his cloak blazing; and he ran till he came to a stream, and threw -himself into it, and so put out the flames; and he rested in a hollow, -and got away after that. - -But when Skarphedinn leaped to follow him the cross-beam gave way in -the middle where it had been burnt, and he was thrown backward into the -house; and with a great crash the end of the roof fell above him so -that he was shut in between the gable and the roof and could not stir a -step. - -All night the fire burned fitfully, sometimes blazing up and sometimes -burning low, and those outside watched it till dawn. And they said that -all in the house must have been burned long ago. Then Flosi told them -to get on their horses and ride away, and they were glad to do that. -But as they rode from the place they heard, or thought they heard, a -song rising from far down in the fire beneath them, and they shuddered -and looked each in the other’s face for fear. - -“That song is Skarphedinn’s, dead or alive,” they said. - -Some of them were for turning back to look for him, but Flosi forbade -them, and urged them to ride away as quickly as they could, for there -was no man he feared so much as Skarphedinn. - -But when, many days afterwards, they sought among the embers, they -found Skarphedinn’s body upright against the gable-wall, but his legs -burned off him at the knees. He had driven his axe into the gable-wall -so fast that they had much ado to get it out. - -Nial and Bergthora lay beneath the hide dead, but unburned by the fire, -and a great heap of ashes above them; also of the boy only one finger -had been consumed. - -This is the Story of the Burning, and of the death of Nial. - -[Illustration: BRITISH ISLES in the time of the Northmen.] - - - - -THE DANISH KINGDOM OF ENGLAND - -(1013–1042) - - - - -_We continue, in the following chapters, to use the Sagas of the Norse -Kings as supplementary to the accounts in the English Chronicles. That -they are not always accurately informed in regard to the actual course -of events in England is not surprising when we consider that reports -were not regularly transmitted by authorized means, as in our own -days, but were carried from country to country by chance travellers or -poets who recorded only what they had themselves seen or heard. Yet -to ignore the Norse accounts is to limit ourselves to one side of the -picture only, and only to half understand the causes and motives of -what was going on in Britain. Detached from their Danish history, Sweyn -and Canute were mere foreign adventurers whose power in England lacks -explanation._ - -_From the social side, the brilliant and spirited accounts in the Sagas -of the Kings of Norway are absolutely invaluable; and even as regards -actual occurrences we are inclined to rely upon them to a greater -extent than Freeman allowed himself to do. They bear the impress of -truth._ - - - - -Chapter XXII - -The Reign of Sweyn Forkbeard - - -Denmark became consolidated into a kingdom at a slightly earlier period -than Norway, and there was constant strife between the two young -nations. The first king of all Denmark was named Gorm the Old (b. 830), -but it is rather with the reigns of his grandson, Sweyn Forkbeard, and -his great grandson, Canute the Great, that we have to do, for it was in -their time that England was conquered by Denmark, and became for the -space of twenty-nine years, from Sweyn to Hardacanute (1013–1042), a -portion of the Danish dominions. This is an important incident in the -history of both countries, and we must now see what the sagas have to -tell us about these events. - -During the reign of Hakon the Good and the early years of Olaf -Trygveson in Norway, the King of Denmark was Harald Blue-tooth, son -of Gorm the Old, who reigned from 935 to 985, during the reigns -of Athelstan the Great and Edmund in England, and of the weak and -insignificant kings, Edwy, Edgar, and Ethelred the Unready, who -succeeded them. - -It was during the reign of Ethelred that for the first time there was -raised a regular tax in England, called the Danegeld, or Dane-gold, -paid by the English to the terrible Danes in order to purchase peace -from them. But the effect of the tax was just the opposite to that -which the English desired; instead of keeping the Danes out of the -country, it brought them over in greater numbers, in the hope of -getting more money out of the English. Both the south and east coast -were at their mercy, and wherever they appeared the English troops fled -at their approach; unled and unmarshalled, they could make no stand -against their foes. In the year 994 Olaf Trygveson (reigned 995–1000) -and Sweyn Forkbeard united their armies and made a descent upon London -with ninety-four ships, as we read in the English Chronicle. They -were driven away from London with great loss and damage, but they -went burning and slaying all round the coast. They went into winter -quarters at Southampton, where sixteen thousand pounds in money was -paid to them to induce them to desist from their ravaging. But in the -same year, at an invitation from the English king, Olaf paid a visit -of state to Ethelred, and pledged himself that he would no more take -arms against the English, which promise he loyally fulfilled. His -thoughts were, indeed, turning toward his own kingdom of Norway. But -Sweyn made no such promise. Sweyn Forkbeard, called in his own country -Svein Tjuguskeg, who reigned over Denmark from 985 to 1014, was son -to Harald, Gorm’s son. The year before his father’s death he had come -to him and asked him to divide the kingdom with himself; but Harald -would not hear of this. Then Sweyn flew to arms, and though he was -overpowered by numbers and obliged to fly, Harald Blue-tooth received a -wound which ended in his death; and Sweyn was chosen King of Denmark. -He was the father of Canute, or Knut, the Great. - -On his succession he had given a splendid banquet, to which he invited -all the chiefs of his dominions, and the bravest of his army and -allies, and of the vikings who had assisted him; on the first day of -the feast, before he seated himself on the throne of his father Harald, -he had poured out a bowl to his father’s memory, and made a solemn vow -that before three winters were past he would go over to England and -either kill King Ethelred the Unready or chase him out of the country. - -But a good time passed before Sweyn was able fully to carry out his -threat. In the meantime he was occupied with wars in Norway, where King -Olaf Trygveson had come to the throne. The first thing he did was to -marry Sigrid the Haughty, whom Olaf had once intended to marry, but -with whom he had quarrelled because she would not be baptized, and who -had never forgiven Olaf for striking her in the face with his glove. -Now she saw a chance of revenge, and she continually urged King Sweyn -to give battle to Olaf. In the end he consented to do this, and he -sent messengers to his kinsman the King of Sweden, and to Earl Eirik -of Norway, and together they made the formidable coalition which met -Olaf Trygveson at the great sea-fight of Svold in A.D. 1000, where Olaf -disappeared, as we have already related. - -We must inquire what causes so much incensed Sweyn against England -that he determined above all other things to go to that country and -avenge himself there. The thirty-seven years of Ethelred’s reign had -been miserable for English and Danes alike. An old historian says -that his life was “cruel in the beginning, wretched in the middle, -and disgraceful in the end.” Just at a time when a strong leader was -most needed this idle and frivolous King gave himself up to indolence -and every kind of wickedness. Instead of organizing his armies he -shut himself up in London, careless of what became of his kingdom and -people so long as he himself was safe. He was cruel to his wife, Emma, -daughter of Duke Richard of Normandy, a lady of high rank, and cowardly -before his enemies. Indeed, his only idea of freeing the country from -war was by paying large sums of money to the Danes to keep them quiet. -At one time he paid them twenty-four thousand pounds to go away, at -others sixteen and thirty thousand; but the only result of his gifts -was to bring them back in greater numbers. The English people were in -a pitiable condition, forced to raise these large sums to pay their -enemies, who at the same time were pillaging and robbing them all over -the country. - -Then the King, who was too cowardly to fight, bethought him of another -means to get rid of his enemies. On St Brice’s Day, 1002, he sent forth -a secret order that all the Danes in the kingdom should be massacred -in that single night. In many cases the Danes had become friends of -the English people among whom they lived, or had married English -wives and were living peaceably among the inhabitants; but on that -terrible night each Englishman was forced by his miserable King to -rise up and massacre in cold blood the Danish people who lived with -him, even wives being compelled to betray their husbands and friends -to put to death their friends. Among those who fell on that fearful -night was a beautiful sister of Sweyn’s, who had married an English -nobleman and embraced Christianity; she was living in England, and -her presence there was looked upon as a pledge that Sweyn would not -attack the kingdom. She was beheaded by command of one of the King’s -worthless favourites, whom he afterwards raised to a high position and -made governor of the Mercians. First he murdered her husband before -her face, and her young son was pierced through with four spears, and -finally she herself was beheaded by the furious Edric. She bore herself -with fortitude and dignity, and people said that in death she was as -beautiful as in life, for even her cheeks did not lose their colour. - -Sweyn knew England well, for he had several times raided there in his -youth, and he was probably kept fully informed of all that was going on -by the Danish chief of the East Angles of Norfolk and Suffolk, who is -well known both in Scandinavian and in English history. His name was -Thorkill the Tall, and he was a great viking, and called himself king, -even when he had no lands to rule over. He was one of the noblest born -of the Danish men, and King Olaf the Saint of Norway was not ashamed to -enter into partnership with him. In 1009 he sailed over to England with -a vast army, and landed at Sandwich, taking Canterbury and overrunning -all the south-east of England. Ethelred was so terrified by this fresh -incursion that he called the whole nation out against the invaders; -but in spite of this they marched about wherever they pleased, taking -Canterbury and settling down upon East Anglia, from which point -Thorkill the Tall ravaged the country. “Oft,” says the old chronicler, -“they fought against London city, but there they ever met with ill -fare;” but it was the only place of which this could be said. - -When Thorkill had firmly seated himself in England he invited Sweyn to -come over, telling him that the King was feeble, the people weak, and -the commanders jealous of each other; and Sweyn, who was only awaiting -his opportunity, got together his fleet, and landed at Sandwich in -1013. Before the year was out all England north of the Thames was in -his power, and paid him tribute and delivered hostages. Turning south, -he compelled Oxford and Winchester to submit, and committing his fleet -and hostages to the charge of his son, Canute, he turned against -London, the only city still holding out against him. Shut up within -their walls, the Londoners awaited the onslaught of the Danes; inside -were King Ethelred and Thorkill, who had deserted Sweyn and gone over -to the King’s side. The Danes came on with headlong fury, not even -waiting to cross the bridge, but flinging themselves into the river in -their haste to get over; but at the firmly closed gates of the city -they received a sudden check. The citizens made wonderful exertions, -and forced back the Danes from their walls; many of them were carried -away by the stream and drowned; and Sweyn was forced to retreat with -the shattered remnants of his army to Bath, where the western lords, or -thanes, submitted to him. - -But the brave resistance of London and the faithfulness of the city -made no impression on the wretched Ethelred, whose only thought was -how he might escape from his kingdom, even though his going left the -citizens without the semblance of a leader and open to the worst -assaults of their enemies. But the King knew not which way to turn; he -had alienated his friends and was despised by his foes. He fled first -to the Isle of Wight, reaching the Solent by secret journeys, and -thence he bethought him that he would pass over to Normandy, where his -wife Emma’s brother, Richard the Good, was Duke. He remembered very -well, however, that he had treated his wife cruelly, and he doubted -whether Richard would be willing to receive him. But taking refuge -now behind her whom he had formerly abused, he first sent Emma, with -their children Edward and Alfred, to Normandy, hoping that if they -were kindly received he himself might follow at Christmas. It was then -the month of August, and they set forth on a calm sea, with the Bishop -of Durham and Abbot of Peterborough to escort them, while Ethelred -anxiously awaited the message they would send. It was not long before -he learned the welcome news that Richard had received his sister with -great affection, and that he invited the King also to condescend to -become his guest. Delighted with this message, Ethelred lost no time in -following his family to Normandy. - -In the meantime Sweyn made himself master of the whole centre and north -of England, and was acknowledged as “full king.” Even London, fearing -worse evils, submitted; and Thorkill forced the inhabitants to support -his army at Greenwich, while Sweyn required other parts of the country -to raise provisions for his host.[33] - -But an end was soon made of Sweyn’s ambitions, for shortly after -Christmas, early in the year 1014, he suddenly died--people said -through the vengeance of St Edmund the Martyr. The Danish army elected -Canute, son of Sweyn, who was then in England, king in place of his -father. - - - - -Chapter XXIII - -The Battle of London Bridge - -“London Bridge is broken down” - - -When it became known that Sweyn was dead, it was agreed at a meeting -of the Angles to send for Ethelred out of Normandy; for the people -thought it would be wiser to have their own lord, if only he could -conduct himself better, rather than another foreigner for their king; -so they sent messengers to invite him to return. Ethelred was, however, -as little trustful of his own subjects as he was of the Danes; and -he first sent over his young son Edward to sound the English and see -if they were really inclined to obey him. Edward found them full of -friendship, and they swore to support their own princes, while every -Danish king they declared to be a foreigner and outlaw from England for -ever. When he heard this, Ethelred, flattered by the joyful greetings -of his subjects, set to work to gather together an army against Canute, -people flocking to him from every quarter. Among those who brought -vessels to support him was Olaf the Thick, afterwards King Olaf of -Norway. He came to the throne a year afterwards. On the death of King -Olaf Trygveson at the battle of Svold, Norway had been divided up, and -was ruled by Earl Eirik and King Sweyn. Olaf the Thick was a handsome -man, and bold in his character and acts. It is told of him that he -liked not his step-father’s ways, because his step-father, with whom he -was brought up, was a careful householder, who attended to his farm and -servant-men, and did not disdain to superintend the work in the fields -or in the smithy himself. Of this the young Olaf was disdainful, and -one day, when his step-father had sent him out to saddle his horse for -him, he saddled a large he-goat instead. When his step-father went to -the door and saw what Olaf had done, he looked at the lad and said: “It -is easy to see that I shall get little obedience from thee. It is plain -that we are of different dispositions, and that thou art a prouder man -than I am.” Olaf said nothing, but went his way laughing. - -Olaf was only twelve years old when he got his first war-ship and set -out a-foraying in Sweden and Denmark. He met there Thorkill the Tall, -who was come over from England to raise more troops, and entered into -alliance with him, and together they sailed to England, just before the -death of Sweyn. - -Olaf seems to have been sailing in the English Channel when Sweyn died, -for as soon as he heard that Ethelred wanted troops to aid him in -recovering his kingdom he joined himself to him, hoping, no doubt, to -reap some advantage from the war, and to inflict a defeat on the Danes, -whose kingdom it was always the desire of the Norsemen to add to the -crown of Norway.[34] - -Together he and Ethelred set sail, steering direct for London, which -had always been faithful to its king; but they found the Danish force -strongly ensconced behind deep ditches and a high bulwark of stone, -timber, and turf in their castle opposite Southwark, which the Danes -called Sudvirke or, Southern Town, a great place of trade. King -Ethelred sailed up the Thames, and ordered a general assault, but the -Danes defended themselves bravely, and Ethelred could make nothing of -it. - -[Illustration: _The Battle of London Bridge_] - -Between the Danish castle, which afterwards was known as the Tower -of London, and Southwark, was old London Bridge, which was broad -enough for two wagons to pass each other on it. The Danes had strongly -fortified it with barricades and towers, and wooded parapets along the -sides, breast-high, and behind this the soldiers, who thickly covered -the bridge, stood shooting down upon Ethelred’s fleet of boats beneath -them. King Ethelred was very anxious to get possession of the bridge, -but it was not clear how this was to be done. Then Olaf the Thick -said he would attempt to bring his fleet up alongside the bridge, if -the others would do the same. This was his plan. He first ordered his -men to land and pull down some old wooden houses that were near the -river, and with the wood he made great platforms tied together with -hazel withes, so strong that stones would not penetrate them. These he -placed over his ships on high pillars so that they stretched out on -each side of the boats, and it was possible for his men to fight freely -beneath them. The English ships did not take any precautions, but -rowed up as they were to the bridge: but so smart a shower of weapons -and great stones was shot down upon them that they were forced to -retreat, many of them badly damaged and their men wounded; for neither -helmet nor shield could hold out against such a storm of missiles. -But Olaf’s vessels rowed up quite safely beneath the bridge, where -they were sheltered from the enemy above; and when they came under -the bridge they tied their cables firmly round the wooden piles upon -which the bridge was built, and then rowed off as hard as they could -go down-stream, the force of the river and of their oars alike pulling -at the piles until they were loosened at the bottom, and dragged out -of their place. Now as the bridge was crowded with armed troops, and -heavy heaps of stones and weapons were collected upon it, when the -piles beneath were loosened it gave way with a great crash, and most -of those who were on it fell into the water, the others flying to -either side, some to the castle and some into Southwark for safety. -Then Olaf’s troops landed on the Southwark side, and stormed and took -the place; and when the people in the castle opposite saw that the -bridge and the city of Southwark were in the hands of the enemy, to -save more bloodshed they surrendered, for they saw that they could no -longer hinder the passage of the fleet up and down the river Thames. So -Ethelred became their king; and Olaf remained with him until the King -died, commanding all his forces and fighting many battles, of which one -was at Canterbury, where the castle was burned and many people killed. -Olaf fought also a great battle in East Anglia or Essex, and came off -victorious; indeed, he was so successful wherever he went that the -saga says that Ethelred entrusted him with the whole land defence of -England, and he sailed round the country with his ships of war! But the -“Thing-men” or bodies of men-at-arms, who were trained soldiers and -cared for little but fighting, still kept the field, and the Danes held -many of the castles. When Ethelred died Olaf stood out to sea, and went -harrying in Normandy. - -King Olaf always took his poet Sigvat, who was called his skald, with -him wherever he went. Sigvat sang the praises of his battles, and it is -partly from his songs that the history of the time is known. After the -battle of London Bridge he sang a song, a form of which is still common -among us, and which children sing in their singing-games, “London -bridge is broken down.” - -Here is a verse of Sigvat’s song, which he made in the year 1014, and -which is still known to-day, though few people remember when it was -made, or why: - - “London Bridge is broken down-- - Gold is won, and bright renown. - Shields resounding, - War-horns sounding, - Hild is shouting in the din! - Arrows singing, - Mail-coats ringing-- - Odin makes our Olaf win!”[35] - - - - -Chapter XXIV - -Canute the Great - -(1017–1035) - - -Canute, or Knut, the son of Sweyn, was in England when his father -died. The Danes immediately elected him king, and he lay at Lindsey -with his fleet when Ethelred returned to claim the kingdom. Canute was -one of the greatest kings who ever ruled in England. Though he began -his reign with an exhibition of ruthless cruelty by mutilating the -high-born young nobles whom Sweyn had placed in his charge, cutting -off their ears and noses, and afterwards boasting of his act, which -made the English fear that they had in him a cruel master, as time -went on his mind seems to have widened out into channels of broad and -humane government. Even the English in the end agreed in styling him -Canute the Great, a title they had heretofore given only to their own -Alfred and Athelstan, the most constant enemies of the Danes. Canute’s -ambitions were immense; he dreamed of no less a kingdom than the whole -North of Europe, from England and Scotland on the west to Sweden on -the East. Denmark and Norway he intended to weld into one country, -over which he was to reign from England; for it was his intention no -longer to rule England as a foreign conqueror, but to identify himself -with the country to which he had come and to be in every way an -Englishman. He determined that the country over which he ruled should -retain its own laws, and that the Church should be fostered and all -ancient dues discharged and rights respected. In the fifteenth year of -his reign he expressed his ideas of government in a letter which he -wrote to his people from Rome. It is worth while to listen to what he -says. “I call to witness and command my counsellors, to whom I have -entrusted the counsels of the kingdom,” he writes, “that they by no -means, either through fear of myself or favour to any powerful person, -suffer, henceforth, any injustice, or cause such to be done, in all my -kingdom.... I command all sheriffs or governors throughout my whole -kingdom not to commit injustice towards any man, rich or poor, but to -allow all, noble and ignoble, alike to enjoy impartial law, from which -they are never to deviate, either in hope of royal favour or for the -sake of amassing money for myself; for I have no need to accumulate -money by unjust exaction.... You yourselves know that I have never -spared, nor will I spare, either myself or my labours for the needful -service of my whole people.... I have vowed to God Himself, henceforth -to reform my life in all things, and justly and piously to govern the -kingdoms and the peoples subject to me, and to maintain equal justice -in all things.” - -These are the words of a high-minded man and a good sovereign; and our -English annals tell us that they were not mere words, but were borne -out by all Canute’s acts. - -Yet at the beginning of his reign there was little sign that the King -would rise above the level of his father Sweyn’s mode of life. His -mutilation of the young hostages was only one example of this. When -he began to reign he divided the kingdom into four parts, retaining -Wessex, and placing Mercia, East Anglia, and Northumbria each under -a separate chief. Two of these chiefs, Eirik and Thorkill the Tall, -are well known in Norse history. Earl Eirik, or Eric, as he is called -in the English chronicles, had been, as we have read, fighting on -the side of the Danish King, Sweyn, against his own sovereign, Olaf -Trygveson, at the battle of Svold.[36] He was son of Earl Hakon, the -most powerful lord in Norway and the ruler of Norway before Olaf came -to the throne[37]; after his fall and Olaf’s succession Earl Eirik and -his brother, with many valiant men who were of their family, had left -the country and gone over to Denmark. Eirik entered Sweyn Fork-beard’s -service and married his daughter in 996; he spent his time in cruising -and harrying, until he joined Sweyn in his wars against Olaf; and after -Olaf’s disappearance at the battle of Svold Earl Eirik became owner -of his war-vessel the _Long Serpent_, and of great booty besides. He -and Sweyn and the Swedish King divided Norway between them, and Eirik -got a large share and the title of earl, and he allowed himself to be -baptized. - -Earl Eirik had ruled peacefully over Norway for twelve years when -a message came to him out of England from King Canute, who was his -brother-in-law, that he should go to him in England and help him to -subdue the kingdom. Eirik would not sleep upon the message of the King, -but that very day he got his ships together and sailed out of Norway, -leaving his son, another Hakon, who was but seventeen years of age, to -rule in his stead. He met Canute in England, and was with him when he -took the castle of London, and he himself had a battle in the same -place, a little farther up the Thames. He remained in England for a -year, fighting on Canute’s behalf at one place and another; and on the -division of the kingdom by Canute he was made ruler of Northumbria. - -But no sooner had Canute bestowed these possessions on his followers -than he seems to have regretted it and desired to get them back into -his own keeping. There is no doubt that there was growing up in his -mind a design of ruling over a united England from Northumbria to the -English Channel. In later days he attempted to add Scotland also to his -dominions. - -Determined, then, to extend his personal rule over the whole country, -he began by causing Edric, Lord of Mercia, to be put to death. Edric -was a man of evil life, and both Danes and English were glad to be rid -of him. According to one account, he had brought, about the death of -the brave Edmund Ironside, Ethelred’s son, who had all this time been -the great antagonist of Canute, and who had engaged him in a series of -battles after the death of Sweyn, and in the end divided the kingdom -with him. It seems not impossible that Canute himself had connived -at the murder of Edmund, for Edric was then Canute’s friend; however -this may have been, it now served Canute’s purpose to accuse Edric -of compassing Edmund’s death and to punish him for it. Next, Eirik -was driven out of England at the end of the winter, and Canute added -Northumbria to his own dominions.[38] There now only remained Thorkill -the Tall to dispose of, who had long reigned over the East Angles, and -had proved himself a great warrior. On the first opportunity Canute -outlawed him and drove him out of the land; but no better fortune -awaited him in Denmark. Fearing that so mighty a warrior, in order to -revenge himself on King Canute, would excite rebellions and war in -their country, some of the Danish chiefs met Thorkill at the shore and -put him to death before he could step on land (1021).[39] Thus Canute -became sole King of England and Denmark. - -His next step was to banish Ethelred’s son Edwy out of England, and to -marry his step-mother, Ethelred’s widow, who, strange as it may appear -to us, consented to wed with the enemy of her husband and family. The -marriage was a politic one for Canute, for it brought to his allegiance -many of the English who had hitherto looked upon him as a foreign -conqueror and foe; and when in course of time Emma bore him a son and -daughter they began to look upon the son as the rightful heir to the -English crown. His father named him Hardacanute. Canute had also a son -by a former wife, whose name was Harald, who immediately succeeded his -father. - -The sons of Ethelred the Unready who had fled to Rouen to their uncle, -Richard, Duke of Normandy, did not at once give up hopes of regaining -the kingdom. Northern story says that Olaf of Norway was again cruising -in those waters when the sons of Ethelred arrived.[40] He was not at -all unwilling to enter into a compact to help them, if in return he -were rewarded for it; and they came to an agreement that, if they -succeeded, Olaf should have Northumbria as his portion. This was before -St Olaf had gained his kingdom of Norway from young Earl Hakon. They -sent Olaf’s foster-father, a man called Hrane, into England to sound -the people and to collect money and arms for the expedition. Hrane -was all winter in England, and several of the thanes joined him and -promised their aid; for they would have been glad again to have a -native king. But others had become so accustomed to the Danish rulers -that they were not inclined to revolt and bring about fresh war and -bloodshed in the country. So in the spring, when Olaf the Thick and -the sons of Ethelred set out and landed in England, though at first -they won a victory and took a castle, King Canute came down with such -a powerful host that they saw they could not stand before it, and they -turned back and sought safety in Rouen again. - -King Olaf did not return with them, for he bethought him that it was -time to seek his own dominions. He sailed first to the North of England -to see the country of the Northumbrians that had been promised to him. -There he left his long-ships in a harbour, and took with him only two -heavy seafaring vessels with 260 picked men in them, armed and stout. -They set sail then, but in the North Sea they encountered a tremendous -storm, and if they had not had “the king’s luck” with them all would -have been lost. But they made the shore in the very middle of Norway, -at a place called Saela. The King said it was a good omen that they -landed at this place, for Saell means “Lucky,” and he thought luck -would be with them. As they were landing the King slipped on a wet -piece of clay, and nearly fell, but he supported himself with the -other foot. “Alas! if the King falls!” exclaimed Olaf. “Nay,” cried -Hrane, “the King falls not, but sets his foot fast in the soil.” The -King laughed at that, and said: “If God will, it may be so.”[41] - -It was not long before they captured Earl Hakon, Eirik’s son, who was -ruling the country, by drawing a cable across the Sound between their -two ships as he was sailing by; for he thought they were two merchant -vessels, and had no suspicion that they were Olaf’s boats. As he passed -they drew up the cable tight beneath his vessel, so that it was lifted -half out of the water and could not pass, and the earl was taken -prisoner and brought before Olaf. This Earl Hakon, son of Earl Eirik, -was still only a youth as he stood before King Olaf. Olaf said he would -give him his life if he swore to give up the kingdom to him and leave -the country and never take up arms against him; and this he promised to -do, and swore an oath upon it. He turned his ships toward England, and -entered King Canute’s service; and Canute received him well, and placed -him at his Court, and there he dwelt a long time. - - - - -Chapter XXV - -Canute lays Claim to Norway - - -For the first nine or ten years of his reign, Canute remained in -England, only occasionally going over to Denmark to see that all was -going on well there. He spent this time in bringing back the English -nation to obedience to their own laws, the old laws of Edgar, for -the first time insisting that, as parts of the same nation, Dane and -Englishman were alike before the law and that no difference should be -made between them. He repaired throughout England the churches and -monasteries that had been injured or destroyed by the wars of his -father and himself, and at all places where he had fought he erected -churches in which prayers should be offered for those who had been -slain. A very splendid monastery was built by him at the town since -called Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk, at the place where lay the remains -of Edmund, slain by the Danes in 870, who was called King Edmund the -Martyr; parts of this monastery, at one time the richest in England, -remain to this day. It was little dreamed by Canute that at this -monastery the nobles of England would in aftertimes meet to consider -how they might wring their country’s liberties from an English king. -It was at Bury St Edmunds that Magna Charta was drawn up and signed by -the barons in 1214.[42] Besides these benefactions, his queen, Emma, -suggested to him that he should bestow rich alms on Winchester, the old -capital of the English, where was one of the finest cathedrals. Here -he gave so largely that the quantity of precious stones and valuable -metals dazzled the eyes of strangers. Emma seems to have thought that -if her husband gave his money in alms he would be the less likely -to go on foreign expeditions; but all the time Canute was planning -immense undertakings to extend his power in the North of Europe. He -grew tired of the peace that was so grateful to his subjects; but on -this occasion, instead of bringing fresh incursions of foreigners into -England, he designed to add Sweden and Norway by English arms to his -possessions in England and Denmark. He thought the time a good one -for his design, for the fame of his splendour and good government had -spread far and wide, and even from Norway a great number of powerful -men had gathered to him, leaving their country on various pretended -errands. To every one Canute gave magnificent presents, and the pomp -and splendour of his Court and the multitude of his adherents impressed -all who came. Peace was so well established in his realm that no man -dared break it; even toward each other the people kept faith and good -friendship. King Olaf, or, as it is better to call him, St Olaf, though -he did not get that name till after his death, was not altogether loved -in Norway, though the country had submitted to him with joy at the -first. The people found his rule harsh, and many of them would have -been willing enough to put the young Earl Hakon back in his place, -or even Canute himself. This came to Canute’s ears, and he instantly -equipped ambassadors in the most splendid way, and sent them in the -spring of 1025 with his letters and seal to Norway. Olaf was ill at -ease when he heard it, for he knew that it was with no friendly purpose -to him that the envoys were sent. For a long time he refused to see -them, and when they came before him and presented their letters he was -even more ill-pleased. Canute’s message was that he considered all -Norway as his property, and that if Olaf desired still to retain his -crown he must submit to him, become his vassal, and receive back his -kingdom as a fief from him, paying him “scat” or dues. - -At this Olaf answered furiously to the messengers: “I have heard,” -he said, “in old stories that Gorm the Old, first king of Denmark, -ruled but over a few people, and in Denmark alone, but the kings who -succeeded him thought that too little. Now it is come so far that -King Canute, who rules over England and Denmark, and the most part of -Scotland as well, claims also my paternal heritage, and then perhaps -will promise some moderation after that. Does he wish to rule over all -the countries of the North? Will he eat up all the kail in England? -He may do so if he likes, and make a desert of the country, before I -kneel to him, or pay him any kind of service. And now ye may tell him -these my words: I will defend Norway with sword and battle-axe as long -as life is given me, and I will pay scat and tribute to no man for my -kingdom.” - -The messengers were by no means pleased to take this message back to -King Canute. When they told him the reply of Olaf and that he would by -no means come and pay scat to him, or lay his head between his knees in -sign of subjection, Canute replied: “King Olaf the Thick guesses wrong -if he thinks I shall eat up all the kail in England. I will soon let -him see that there is something else under my ribs than kail; and cold -kail it shall prove for him.” - -Soon after that, in 1026, Canute went over to Denmark to see what Olaf -was about, and to try to detach the King of Sweden from Olaf’s side; -but this he failed to do, for the King of Sweden feared that Canute, -if he were successful against Olaf, would turn next against him and -swallow him up also; so as soon as Canute had returned to England the -King of the Swedes and the King of Norway made a meeting together, and -swore to support each other against Canute, both of them meanwhile -collecting what forces they could and agreeing to lie in wait for -the King of England. By the winter of 1027 Olaf had got a good fleet -together, and for himself he had built a very large ship with a bison’s -head gilded all over standing out from the bow. He called his vessel -the _Bison_. He sailed eastward with a mighty force, keeping close -to land, and everywhere inquiring whether anything had been seen of -Canute, but all he could hear was that he was fitting out a levy in -England, and getting together a great fleet, over which Earl Hakon was -second in command. Many of Olaf’s people got tired of waiting when -they heard that Canute had not yet come, and returned home, but the -best of his warriors remained with him, and with these he sailed south -to Denmark, giving out that he intended to conquer the country. Here -the King of the Swedes met him with his army, and together they made -fearful ravages in the land, treating the people with great severity, -and dragging them bound and wounded to the ships. Many of the people, -feeling themselves unable to withstand the united force of the two -kings, agreed to submit to them; but the others were wasted with fire -and sword. It was joyful tidings for them when they heard that Canute -and his fleet had really sailed and were on their way to their help. - -Sigvat the skald, who was sometimes with Olaf in Norway and sometimes -with Canute in England, made this ballad about the sailing of Canute -the Great: - - “‘Canute is on the sea - The news is told, - And the Norsemen bold - Repeat it with great glee. - It runs from mouth to mouth-- - ‘On a lucky day - We came away - From Throndhiem to the south.’ - - Canute is on the land; - Side by side - His long-ships ride - Along the yellow strand. - Where waves wash the green banks, - Mast to mast, - All bound fast, - His great fleet lies in ranks.” - -Sigvat was a great skald, but though he was sometimes in Canute’s -service he still loved Olaf the best. On one occasion he and another -skald, named Berse, were at Canute’s Court together, and the King gave -a gold ring to Sigvat, but to Berse (whose name means a “bear-cub”) he -gave two gold rings, much larger and weightier than Sigvat’s, besides -an inlaid sword. Sigvat made this song about it: - - “When we came o’er the wave, you cub, when we came o’er the wave, - To me one ring, to thee two rings, the mighty Canute gave; - One mark to me, - Four marks to thee, - A sword, too, fine and brave. - Now God knows well, - And skalds can tell, - What justice here would crave.” - -When Sigvat came back to Norway and presented himself before Olaf, who -some time before had made him his marshal, the King was about to sit -down to table. Sigvat saluted him, but Olaf only looked at him, and -said not a word. Then Sigvat and those who were standing by saw that -Olaf knew well that Sigvat had been in England and had been received by -King Canute. As the old proverb says, “Many are the ears of a king.” -The King said to Sigvat the skald: “I do not know if thou art my -marshal or if thou hast become one of Canute’s followers.” Then Sigvat -answered the King in verse, telling him that Canute had invited him to -stay with him, but that he preferred to be at home with Olaf. After -that King Olaf gave Sigvat the same seat close to himself that he had -had before, and the skald was in as high favour as ever with the King. - -Things went on for some time in this way, Canute passing backward and -forward between England and Denmark, and ever gathering more ships for -the final struggle with Olaf and the Swedish King. He himself had a -dragon ship, said to have had sixty banks of rowers, and the head gilt -all over. Earl Hakon had another dragon ship of forty banks, with a -gilt figure-head. The sails of both were in stripes of blue, red, and -green, and the vessels were painted from above the water-line, and -all that belonged to their equipment was most splendid. They had a -vast number of men sailing in the ships. On the other side the Kings -of Norway and Sweden set out also, but as soon as it was noised that -Canute the Old was on the seas no one thought of going into the service -of these two kings. When the Kings heard that Canute was coming against -them they held a council as to what they should do. They were then -lying with their fleet in the Helga River, in the south of Sweden, -and Canute was coming straight upon them with a war-force one-half -greater than that of both of them put together. King Olaf, who was very -skilful in making plans, went with his people up the country into the -forest. The river flowed out of a lake in the forest, and he set his -men to cut down trees and dam up the lake where the river emerged with -logs and turf, at the same time turning all the surrounding streams -into the lake, so that it rose very high. All along the river-bed they -laid large logs of timber. Then they waited till they got tidings from -the Swedish King (who had moved his fleet into concealment round the -cliffs not far from the mouth of the river) that King Canute’s ships -were close at hand. Canute arrived with his fleet toward the close of -day, and seeing the harbour empty, he went into it with as many ships -as he could, the larger vessels lying outside in the open water. In -the morning, when it was light, a great part of his men went on shore, -some to amuse themselves, some to converse with sailors from the other -ships. They observed nothing until the water of the river began to -rise, and then came rushing down in a flood, carrying huge trees in -its course, which drove in among the ships, damaging all they struck. -Olaf had broken up his dam and let loose the whole body of water from -the lake. In a few moments the whole of the low country was under -water, and the men on shore were all swept away and drowned. Those -on board cut their cables, and were swept out before the stream and -scattered here and there. The great dragon ship which Canute was in was -borne forward by the flood, and because of her size she was unwieldy, -and they could not prevent her from driving in amongst the Norwegian -and Swedish ships, whose crews immediately tried to board her, but her -height was so great and she was so well defended that she was not easy -to attack. Seeing that Canute’s ships were gradually collecting again, -and finding that little more was to be gained by an uneven fight, King -Olaf stood off and out to sea, and, observing that Canute did not -follow, sailed away eastward toward Sweden. Many of the Swedish crew -were so home-sick that they made for home, until the Swedish King had -few followers left, and Olaf was much perplexed what to do. Finally -he determined to send his ships eastward to the care of the King of -Sweden, and he himself with the bulk of his army set out to march on -foot across Sweden and so back to Norway, carrying their goods as best -they might on pack-horses. Some of the men were old and did not like -this plan. One of them, Harek of Throtta, who was aged and heavy, and -who had been on shipboard all his life, said to the King that it was -evident he could not go, nor had he any desire to leave his ship with -other men. The King replied: “Come with us, Harek, and we will carry -thee when thou art tired of walking.” But Harek waited until the -King’s party had set off, and then he slipped down to his own ship, -took down its flag and mast and sail, and covered all the upper part -of the vessel with some grey canvas, and put only two or three men -sitting fore and aft where they could be seen, while the others sat -down low in the vessel. In this way he made it appear that it was only -a merchant ship, and not a war-vessel, and so it slipped past Canute’s -fleet without attack. As soon as they were well beyond Canute’s fleet -they sprang up, hoisted the sails and flag and tore off the coverings, -and then Canute’s men saw that they had let a war-ship escape them. -Some of them thought it might even have been Olaf himself, but Canute -said he was too prudent to sail with a single ship through the Danish -fleet, and that more likely it was Harek’s ship, or some one like him. -Then his men suspected that he had come to a friendly understanding -with Harek to let him pass safely, and it became known that they were -on good terms after that. Harek went his way, and never stopped till -he came safe home to his own house in Halogaland. As he was sailing he -sang this ditty: - - “The widows of Lund may smile through their tears, - The Danish girls may raise their jeers, - They may laugh or smile, - But outside their isle - Old Harek still to his North land steers.” - -It was the policy of Canute to induce men to leave King Olaf the Saint -by the promise of advancement and by bestowing on them splendid gifts. -He drew such large revenues from England and Denmark that he was able -to make these presents without difficulty, and thus great numbers of -the nobles were drawn away from Olaf and secretly joined Canute. -This made Olaf suspicious even of his best friends, and sometimes his -suspicions proved to be true. There is a story of one Thorer, of whom -the King thought highly, and who had entertained him to a magnificent -feast, who had, in spite of all, taken gifts from Canute. One day the -King was speaking of this Thorer to his follower Dag, and he praised -him much; but Dag made short replies. Olaf asked him why he did not -answer; and Dag replied: “If the King must needs know, I find Thorer -too greedy of money.” “Is he a thief, or a robber?” asked the King. -“I think that he is neither,” said Dag. “What then is the matter with -him?” asked Olaf. “To win money he is a traitor to his sovereign,” said -Dag; “he has taken money from King Canute the Great to betray thee.” -“What proof hast thou of this?” demanded the King. Dag replied: “He has -upon his right arm, above his elbow, a thick gold ring, which Canute -gave him, but which he lets no man see.” Olaf was very wroth at that, -and the next time Thorer passed him, in seeing that the wants of his -guests were attended to, the King held out his hand to him, and when he -had placed his hand in the King’s, the King felt it toward the elbow. -Thorer said: “Take care, for I have a boil on my elbow.” The King said: -“Let me see the boil. Do you not know that I am a physician?” Then -Thorer saw that it was no use to conceal the ring, and he took it off -and laid it on the table. Olaf asked if he had received that ring from -King Canute, and Thorer could not deny it. Then the King was so wroth -that he would listen to no one, but ordered Thorer to be killed on the -spot. That act of Olaf’s made him very unpopular in the uplands. - -Meanwhile Olaf heard that Canute the Great was advancing with a mighty -host which was growing greater every day. Men were flocking to him, -and Olaf could not tell on whom to depend. His ships, too, which he -had left behind in Sweden, could not get out past Canute’s fleet to -come to his assistance; they had to wait until Canute had gone north to -Norway, and then the best of them managed to steer round the Sound and -join Olaf, and the rest were burned. King Canute made a march with his -host through Norway, holding a “Thing” in each place he came to, and -proclaiming Earl Hakon his governor-in-chief, and his son Hardacanute -King of Denmark. The great landowners, or _bondes_, gave him hostages -in token of their fidelity, and the skalds combined to sing his praises -and celebrate his journeys in song. So that without striking a blow -Norway gradually fell from the hands of Olaf into the hands of Canute. - -The next winter Earl Hakon followed Canute to England, but he was lost -in a storm on his way back; he had gone over to celebrate his marriage -to Gunhild, a niece of King Canute. He had been so much beloved in -Norway that Olaf had seen that it was impossible to stand before him, -for the King’s followers lost no opportunity of falling away from -him and placing themselves under the rule of Earl Hakon. The people -considered that Olaf had been too severe in his rule, although they -had to confess that he was just; but when he tried to abolish all -plundering and marauding, and punished all who disobeyed with death, -the chiefs turned against him, though this was a good law, and one much -needed to preserve peace and prosperity in the countries. - -Olaf thought it wiser to withdraw for a time, and he went east to -Russia, where he was well received, and there he remained until he -heard of Earl Hakon’s death. Then he returned and gathered his forces -together, and they met their foes at the famous battle of Stiklestad, -on 29 July, 1030, on the day of the great eclipse, fighting in the -dark for the most part of the day; there Olaf fell, at the age of -thirty-five years, with three wounds which Thorstein and Thorer Hund -and Kalf gave him; and the greater portion of his forces fell around -him. After he was gone and his severities were forgotten the people -canonized him as a saint, and he who during his lifetime was called -Olaf the Thick was called St Olaf thenceforth. - -King Canute never went again to Norway; he occupied the latter years of -his reign by quiet and good government in England, the country he had -made his home. He was a man who had dreamed a great dream, the union in -one vast sovereignty of Northern Europe, justly and peaceably ruled, -and in part his dream came true; but as soon as his strong hand was -withdrawn his empire fell to pieces of itself. His sons, Harald and -Hardacanute (Harthacnut), in England and Denmark, and Sweyn, in Norway, -had none of the great qualities of their father, and his kingdom parted -asunder in their hands. The popular idea of Canute’s invincible power -took shape in a story, well known to every one, that he one day caused -his kingly seat to be placed on the sea-shore and commanded the waves -to come no farther. When the water, in spite of his command, came -up frothing round his feet he pointed to it, bidding his flattering -followers mark that though they had protested there was nothing that he -could not do, the waves and winds were beyond his authority: and he -bade them refrain from such flatteries, and from giving to him praise -which was due to the Creator of the universe alone. - -Canute died at Shaftesbury, and was buried at Winchester, in 1035. - - - - -Chapter XXVI - -Hardacanute - - -We need not give much attention to the reign of Harald, the son and -successor of Canute. Though he reigned for over four years, there is -no good act told of him. The unfortunate son of Ethelred, Alfred the -Ætheling, came over to England about this time to try to recover his -kingdom, but he was seized by Earl Godwin, his eyes put out, and most -of his companions killed or mutilated. The young prince was sent to -Ely, where he lingered for a time, living a miserable existence on -insufficient food, and finally died, being buried in Ely Cathedral. -Harald’s next act was to drive Emma, the late King’s wife, out of the -kingdom. Emma was not his own mother; the chronicles show that he and -Sweyn were Canute’s sons by another wife. For some time Queen Emma -was protected by Earl Godwin, who was rapidly rising into power, and -whose own son, another Harald (spelled in English Harold), was soon -to reign over the kingdom; but as soon as the Danish King saw himself -safely seated on the throne he drove her out upon the sea, without any -kind of mercy, in stormy weather. This was the second time this woman -with a strange history was forced to take refuge abroad. She went at -first back to Normandy, where she had taken refuge as Ethelred’s -wife, but being ill-received there, she passed on to Bruges, where the -Earl of Flanders[43] welcomed her kindly. It is difficult to imagine -the feelings of this queen, allied as she was to the house of the -English kings by her marriage with Ethelred, and to the Danish kings, -their worst enemies, by her marriage with Canute: when her son Alfred -the Ætheling came to England, hoping to see his mother, she was not -permitted to see him, even had she wished it, or able to prevent the -evil deeds of his enemies. She remained in Flanders until her other -son, Edward the Confessor, came to the throne, when she returned -to Winchester. She is said to have been inordinately fond of money -and jewels, and to have accumulated great hoards of wealth. She was -sincerely attached to Canute, but would do nothing for her elder sons, -the children of Ethelred; when Edward the Confessor came to the throne -he complained greatly of this, and took from her all her possessions, -saying that she had never aided him with money when he was in need. She -died dishonoured at Winchester in 1052. - -When Harald died at Oxford in 1040, the English, “thinking that they -did well,” as the Chronicle says, sent at once for Hardacanute to -come from Denmark and occupy the throne of his father Canute and his -half-brother Harald. They hoped little from Ethelred’s sons, but much -from this son of the great Canute, whom they had rarely seen, for most -of his life had been passed in Denmark. He, too, was the son of Emma, -and seemed destined to unite the two races of Danes and English into -one nation. Their hopes in him were disappointed, as we shall see. -But first we must retrace our steps a little and tell the history of -this prince. When Canute returned from his visit to Denmark in 1026 he -had left his young son, then only nine years of age, to replace him -there. He placed him under the charge of a very distinguished man, -Earl Ulf,[44] who had married Canute’s sister and became the father -of Svein, or Sweyn, who afterwards was King of Denmark. Earl Ulf was -left to act as regent of Denmark during Hardacanute’s childhood; -but Queen Emma, the lad’s mother, was ambitious that her son should -actually reign, boy though he was. She persuaded Ulf to have him -proclaimed an independent king, without the knowledge of his father, -Canute. She secretly got hold of the King’s seal and sent it off to -Denmark, writing a forged letter, which was supposed to be from King -Canute himself, and which she signed with his name, commanding Ulf to -have Hardacanute crowned King of Denmark. The earl called together an -assembly of the nobles and declared that Canute had commanded him to -have Hardacanute crowned king; he produced in proof of this Canute’s -seal and the forged letter written by Queen Emma. In consequence of -this the nobles consented to take the boy for their king. Just at this -moment the news arrived that King Olaf was coming from Norway with a -great fleet, and was to be joined by the King of Sweden, as we have -related.[45] Ulf and the nobles gathered their troops together and went -to Jutland, but they saw that the army coming against them was far -too great for them to meet alone so they were forced to send for help -to King Canute, fearful as they were as to how he would regard their -doings. - -When Canute came with his army to Limfiord, where they were awaiting -him, they sent to beg Queen Emma to find out whether he were annoyed or -not. When Emma told the King, and promised that Hardacanute would pay -any fine he might demand if he should consider that the boy had done -wrong, Canute replied that he was sure that Hardacanute had not acted -on his own responsibility. “It has turned out exactly as might have -been expected,” he said. “He, a mere child without understanding, is -in a hurry to have a crown on his head; but when an enemy appeared the -country would easily have been conquered unless I had come to his aid. -If he wants me to forgive him, let him come to me at once and lay down -this mock title of king that he has taken, and I will see what is to be -done.” - -[Illustration: _King Canute and Karl Ulf quarrel over Chess_] - -The Queen sent this message to her son, and begged him not to delay his -coming. “For,” she said, “it is plain that you have no force to stand -against your father.” Indeed, this was very true, for as soon as the -army and people of Denmark heard that King Canute the Old was in the -land they all streamed away from Hardacanute to him with one consent; -so that Earl Ulf and his party saw that either they must make their -peace with Canute at once or fly the country. All pressed Hardacanute -to go to his father and try to make terms, and this advice he followed. -When they met he fell at his father’s feet, and laid the kingly seal -on his knee. Canute took Hardacanute by the hand, and placed him -beside him in a seat no lower than he had occupied before. Then Ulf -took courage and sent his son Sweyn, Canute’s nephew, a boy of the -same age as Hardacanute, to plead for him, and to offer himself as -hostage for his future loyalty. King Canute bade him tell his father to -assemble his men and ships and come to him, and then they would talk of -reconciliation. This the earl did, and together they met the Kings of -Norway and Sweden at the battle of Helga River, where, as we saw, many -of their ships were swept away by Olaf’s dam. - -But Canute had never forgiven Earl Ulf for his treachery to him; and -while they were lying in wait for the enemy’s fleet in the Sound it -happened that Earl Ulf invited him to a banquet to try to make peace -between them. The earl was a most agreeable host, and endeavoured in -every way to entertain and amuse the King, but Canute remained silent -and sullen, and his face was stern. At last the earl proposed that they -should play a game of chess, and a chess-board was set out for them. -When they had played awhile the King made a false move, at which Earl -Ulf took the King’s knight; but the King put the piece back on the -board and told the earl to make another move. At this the earl grew -angry, for he was hasty of temper, stiff, and in nothing yielding; he -threw over the chess-board, stood up, and went away. The King said: -“Runnest thou away, Ulf the coward?” The earl turned at the door and -said: “If thou hadst come to battle at Helga River thou wouldst have -run farther than I run now if I had not come to thy help. Thou didst -not call me Ulf the coward when the Swedes were beating thee like a -dog,” and with that he went out and retired to bed. The King also -retired, but not to forget the words of Ulf. Early in the morning, -while he was dressing, he was overcome by his anger, and said to his -footboy: “Go to Earl Ulf and kill him.” The youth was afraid to -disobey, but after a while he came back to the King. “Did you kill Earl -Ulf?” said the King. “I did not kill him,” said the youth, “for he was -gone to church.” At that the King called Ivar, his chamberlain, and -said to him: “Go thou and kill the earl, wherever he is.” Ivar went to -the church, and up to the choir, and thrust his sword through the earl, -who died on the spot. He came back to the King, with his bloody sword -in his hand. “Hast thou killed the earl?” said Canute. “I have killed -him,” said he. “Thou hast done well,” said the King. - -After the murder was committed the monks ordered the doors of the -church to be closed and locked. But the King sent a message that they -were to be opened and high Mass sung. Then Canute gave a great gift of -property to the church, and rode down to his ships, and lay there till -harvest with a very large army. - -When men fell away from King Olaf and joined Canute, as we have related -before, so that Norway fell under his sway, Canute determined to return -to England. He had Earl Hakon proclaimed Governor of Norway, and his -son Hardacanute he led to the high seat at his side, gave him the title -of king, and with it the dominion of Denmark. He himself took hostages -from all the great lords for their fidelity, and returned to England. - -When Earl Hakon died, Canute’s elder son, Sweyn, succeeded him in -Norway, but shortly after St Olaf’s fall at the battle of Stiklestad -his son Magnus had been accepted as King of Norway by the people, and -Sweyn saw that he could not stand before him: so he retired to Denmark, -where his brother Hardacanute received him with kindness and gave him -a share in the government of Denmark. There is little good to be said -of Hardacanute except this one thing, that he was kind to his brothers -and sisters, and even to his half-brother, Edward the Confessor, -who succeeded him on the throne of England; for, after Hardacanute -became King of England, the gentle Edward, wearied with wandering and -exile from his native country, came to England, and was most lovingly -welcomed by Hardacanute, and allowed to live in peace, so that he was -more happy than his brother Alfred, or indeed than any other of his -family. In other ways Hardacanute was a man with little to recommend -him, wild, undisciplined, and childish. The English had cause to regret -that they had chosen him to succeed the great Canute and his feeble son -Harald. - -Hardacanute came almost as a stranger to England when Harald died -in 1040. He had not been in the country since his babyhood, and -he was unknown to the English, as they were to him. His first act -showed his savage disposition. He caused the dead body of Harald, his -half-brother, to be dug up and the head cut off and thrown into the -Thames; but it was dragged up soon after in a fisherman’s net, and the -Danes buried it in their cemetery in London. His next act was to impose -an intolerable tribute on the country in order to pay the shipmen in -his fleet a heavy sum of money. This aroused so much opposition that -two of his collectors were murdered in Worcester, upon which he sent -his Danish commanders to ravage and burn the whole country and carry -off the property of the citizens. It was not long, therefore, before -all that had been gained of good friendship and understanding between -the Danes and English by the wise rule of Canute was lost again and -they hated each other as much as before. Nor was there any regret when, -two years after his arrival in this country, the people learned that -Hardacanute had fallen down in a fit while he was drinking at Lambeth, -and that he had died without recovering his speech. - -Instantly their thoughts turned to the race of their English kings, and -before Hardacanute was buried beside his father at Winchester they had -already chosen Edward as their king. He was crowned at Winchester, on -the first day of Easter (1043), amid the rejoicings of the people, and -with much pomp. Thus came to an end the union of Denmark and England, -and with it the mighty sovereignty of which Canute dreamed, and which -his own force of character had brought about. Norway and Denmark -reverted to their own line of kings, and Edward and his successors -sought no more to re-establish the great consolidation of nations over -which Canute ruled. - -But the power of the Danes in this country, though crippled and broken, -did not immediately come to an end: they played a large part in English -history for another twenty-four years, when the conquest of England by -the Normans brought to our shores another branch of the great Northern -family of nations and bound them to us for ever. William the Conqueror -was descended from Rolf the Ganger, or Walker, the viking chief who -had called the land he conquered in the North of France Normandy, or -“the Northman’s Land,” in memory of the country from which he had -come. The Dukes of Normandy were never part or parcel of the French -people amongst whom they made their home in the North of France, but -they speedily felt themselves at home amongst the English and Danish -population in England, for the same blood flowed in the veins of Saxon, -Dane, and Norman. All alike traced their origin to the free countries -of the North. - -During the intervening space of which we have now to speak the Kings of -Denmark and Norway more than once revived their claim on England; but -the time for such a union had gone by, and the English people no longer -desired to become a portion of the Danish realm: they felt themselves -strong and independent enough to stand alone. - -The first case of which we speak was a claim made by King Magnus the -Good, son of St Olaf. No sooner was he seated firmly on the throne of -Norway and become ruler of Denmark than he began to think of laying -claim to England, as his predecessors had done. He sent ambassadors -to King Edward the Confessor, with his seal and the following letter: -“Ye must have heard of the agreement that I and Hardacanute made, that -whichever of the two survived the other should have all the land that -the other possessed. Now it hath so turned out, as you have doubtless -heard, that I have taken the Danish dominions after Hardacanute. But -before he died he had England as well as Denmark; therefore I consider -that, in consequence of our agreement, I own England also. Therefore -I will that thou now deliver me my kingdom; and if not I will seek to -take it by force of arms; and let him rule it to whom fate gives the -victory.” - -When King Edward read the letter and heard this demand he replied: -“It is well known to all of you that King Ethelred, my father, -rightfully ruled this kingdom, both according to the old and new law -of inheritance. So long as I had no kingly title I served those above -me, in all respects as those do who have no claim to the kingdom. Now I -have received the kingly title and am consecrated king. If King Magnus -come here with an army, I will gather no army against him; but he shall -only get the opportunity of taking England when he first hath taken my -life. Tell him these words of mine.”[46] - -The ambassadors went back to King Magnus and gave him this message. - -King Magnus reflected a while, and answered thus: “I think it wisest, -and that it will succeed best, to let King Edward have his kingdom in -peace, so far as I am concerned, and that I keep the kingdoms that God -hath put into my hands.” This was the last time that a King of Denmark -laid formal claim to the throne of England. - - - - -Chapter XXVII - -Edward the Confessor - -(1042–1066) - - -We need not linger over the reign of Edward the Confessor, the weak -and womanish king who came to the throne of England on the death of -Hardacanute; in fact, the country can hardly be said to have been -governed by Edward, for he placed himself almost entirely in the hands -of Earl Godwin, who now with rapid strides advanced to be the first man -in the kingdom and the real ruler of England. Edward was more fitted -to be a monk than a king. The mournful circumstances of his life had -no doubt helped to make him timid and retiring, and he seems to have -inherited the weak character of his father, Ethelred the Unready. -Yet he was beloved by his people, who regarded him as a saint and -admired his devotion to the Church and to religion. He was simple and -abstemious in his dress and habits, sparing in imposing taxes, and -kind to the poor; it is said that he never uttered a word of reproach -to the humblest person. Moreover, though the sons of Godwin stirred -up strife at home, the King made no foreign wars, and the nation was -thankful for peace. The only person toward whom he seems to have acted -harshly was his mother, Emma, whom, as we have said, he deprived of -all her wealth and lands, because she had never assisted him when he -was in distress. Edward must have been nearly forty years of age when -he came to England from Normandy, just before Hardacanute’s death; all -these years he had passed in exile. It is a matter of wonder, when -we consider the miserable fate that overtook his brother Alfred on -venturing to England, that Edward came at all; but he was received with -kindness, and lived quietly till the death of his half-brother. When -he heard that Hardacanute had died he was lost in uncertainty whether -to fly the kingdom or what to do. His weak mind was unable to form any -plan, and in his perplexity he betook himself to Earl Godwin, throwing -himself at his feet and praying him to assist him in escaping back to -Normandy. At first Godwin was perplexed what course to take, but he no -doubt reflected on the power which the King’s weakness would throw into -his own hands, and he determined on a bold course. Raising the King -up, he reminded him that it was better to live worthily in a position -of power than to die ingloriously in exile; that he was the son of a -King of England, and the kingdom was his by right. If he thought fit to -rely on him, whose authority was already so great in the country, he -was sure that the nation would follow his lead. He proposed that Edward -should marry his daughter, and thus cement the friendship with himself; -and Edward, who was ready to promise anything to secure Earl Godwin’s -help, fell at once into his plans. Then, calling an assembly of the -people, Godwin addressed them so fluently and cleverly that, partly by -persuasion and partly by their willing consent, Edward was chosen king, -and soon after crowned at Winchester on Easter Day (1043), all those -who opposed his election being driven out of the kingdom. - -In spite of Edward’s marriage with Editha, the saintly, learned, and -beautiful daughter of Godwin, he soon fell out with the earl and his -sons. The historians of the time find it difficult to say who was to -blame in this, and where they fail we are not likely to succeed. - -Whether Godwin was sincerely attached to the cause of Edward or not, -it is likely that his great power made the King jealous; his sons, -too, especially one of them named Sweyn, were wild and lawless, and -constantly stirred up strife in the country. In the end Godwin and -his sons were outlawed by the King and retired, the earl and Sweyn -and Tosti to Flanders, and Harold to Ireland, where they lay all the -winter. Edward was so incensed with the whole family that he even -sent away his wife, stripping her of all her possessions, and handing -her over to his sister. There were threats of an invasion by Magnus, -King of Norway, and the whole country was disturbed; so much so that -Edward occupied himself in gathering together his fleet; and in spite -of inexperience and feebleness he himself took charge of the fleet at -Sandwich, watching for the return of Godwin. But after all Godwin came -back to England long before they were aware of it, and went secretly -from place to place, making friends with the sailors and boatmen all -along the coast from Kent to the Isle of Wight, so that he and Harold, -his son, enticed to their side quite a large army, with which they -began an advance on London. - -King Edward, hearing this, sent for more men, but they came very late, -and the fleet of Godwin sailed up the Thames to Southwark, waiting for -the flood-tide to come up. There they found the King’s men awaiting -them, and they sailed along by the south shore under the bridge, -their land forces gathered on one side and the King’s on the other. -But a fog that arose obscured the armies from each other, and a great -unwillingness was in the hearts of both to fight against their own -race, for nearly all on both sides were Englishmen. They felt that -if they began fighting each other, there would be no one to defend -the land from their common enemies; thus, happily, a truce was made -between them, and a general council called. There Godwin spoke so well -and eloquently that the King received him and his sons back into full -favour, restoring to him his earldom and possessions. The Normans who -had established themselves in Edward’s friendship during the absence -of Godwin, and who had helped to inflame the King against him, were -now in their turn driven from the country, or escaped across the sea -themselves. The Queen was recalled, and Godwin and Harold settled down -on their property; Sweyn, after many acts of piracy on the coast, -and after committing more than one murder, had gone on pilgrimage to -Jerusalem, but fell a victim to the Saracens and never returned. The -King had made Tosti Earl of Northumbria, but he was so turbulent and -harsh that the Northumbrians rose up and drove him out. Harold, his -brother, on hearing what had happened, went north with an army to his -assistance, but the Northumbrians, most of whom were Norsemen and men -of great spirit, declared that they could not put up with Tosti’s -cruelties, and they persuaded Harold to get the King to appoint a -prince named Morcar in his stead. Tosti, enraged against every one, -went with his wife and children to Bruges, in Flanders, where he -remained till the death of Edward. Shortly after this Godwin died -suddenly, while sitting with his son Harold at a feast with the King, -and Harold succeeded to the earldom. - -The short remainder of Edward’s reign was spent in planning for the -succession. He sent to the King of Hungary to ask him to send back to -England Edward the Ætheling, son of Edmund Ironside, who had taken -refuge in his country. Doubtless the English people would have welcomed -him as king; but he was, like so many of his family, a man feeble in -mind and body, and he died soon after landing in England and was buried -at St Paul’s. - -Some historians say, and William the Conqueror afterwards declared, -that Edward then sent Harold over to him in Normandy to offer the crown -to the duke; but we shall never know whether this is true or not. All -we know is that Harold was in Normandy about this time, cast upon the -Norman coasts by a storm, and that, as the price of his return to -England, William forced him to swear above holy relics an oath that he -would support the claim of the duke to the Crown of England. - -After a reign of twenty-four years Edward laid down the crown that he -had worn so uneasily, dying on the eve of Twelfth Day, immediately -after the consecration at Westminster of the glorious edifice that -he had built to receive his tomb.[47] His last act, the remission of -the hated Danegeld, now happily no longer needed, was one of the most -welcome measures of his long reign. His people thought that in the mild -King they had lost a saint, and they called him, as we call him still, -Edward the Confessor. - - - - -Chapter XXVIII - -King Harold, Godwin’s Son, and the Battle of Stamford Bridge - -(1066) - - -The king who succeeded Edward was in every way unlike him. The fair -hair and beard and blue eyes of Edward, described by our chroniclers, -his long, feminine fingers, his florid complexion and thin form, -belonged to quite a different type from the strong, able man who -succeeded him. Harold had, in fact, been the real ruler of the -kingdom since his father died; and he seems to have inherited much -of his father’s genius for administration. He, like all his family, -was strongly opposed to the Norman influence which was creeping into -England, and he was looked upon by the people as the guardian of their -liberties and the representative Englishman of his day. There was -no dispute or hesitation about his accession to the throne: had all -his race been royal he could not more quietly have succeeded to the -crown. His troubles arose, not from the English people, but from his -own family. The English chronicles say that he was the eldest son of -Godwin, but there seems some probability that the Norse sagas are right -in making him a younger son, who had been the favourite with his own -father and also with the King, and that it was Tosti’s anger at this -preference that made him, as the eldest son, take up arms against -Harold. They tell us that when Edward was dying Harold bent down over -the King, and then, straightening himself, he turned to those who were -standing by, saying, “I take you to witness that the King has now made -over to me the realm of England.” When the news reached Tosti, who -was, we remember, in exile in Flanders, he at once set out for Denmark -and Norway, to persuade their kings to help him to recover his own -possessions in England. To Sweyn, King of Denmark, he offered his help -to win the country for him and make him King of England, as Canute, his -uncle, had been, if he would dethrone Harold and restore to him, Tosti, -his possessions in Northumbria. But Sweyn, who was in perpetual warfare -with Norway, would not be induced to take another expedition on his -hands. - -“I,” he replied, “am so much smaller a man than Canute the Great that -I can hardly defend my own dominions against the Northmen. My uncle -Canute got the Danish throne by inheritance: he took England by slash -and blow. Norway he took without a blow at all. But it suits me much -better to do what I can with the little ability I have than to try -to imitate King Canute’s lucky hits.” Tosti was angry at this, and -replied: “The result of my errand is not what I expected of a gallant -man like thee when a relative came to ask thy help in time of need. It -may be that I shall seek help where it might be less likely to be got, -and that I may come across a chief less afraid than thou art, King, to -undertake a great enterprise.” The King and the earl parted, not the -best of friends. - -Then Tosti went on to the new King of Norway, Harald Sigurdson, called -“Hardrada,” and talked him over to his cause, and at last he promised -to go and attack England, Tosti having persuaded him that he could -easily conquer England and add it to the dominions of Norway. Harald -Hardrada sent out the split arrow, the sign of a war levy, through -Norway, while Earl Tosti sailed to Flanders to collect the men who had -accompanied him or had gathered to join his forces. There King Harald -Hardrada joined him with a large fleet of nearly 300 vessels, besides -provision-ships and smaller craft. Before leaving Nidaros, Harald had -visited St Olaf’s shrine, opened it, and taken out a piece of the -Saint’s hair; then he locked the shrine, and threw the keys into the -sea, since which time it has never been opened again. - -But it was with bad omens and many forebodings that Harald went on this -expedition. A man in his army dreamed that he saw a huge witch-woman -riding in front of the host on the back of a wolf, and she was feeding -the wolf with the bodies of men, and blood was dripping from its -jaws. Another dreamed that all over the fleet he saw a raven of death -sitting on every ship’s stern, waiting to devour the slain. And the -King himself dreamed that King Olaf met him and prophesied his death. -These visions made the whole host gloomy and fearful. The King took his -wife and two daughters and one of his sons with him to England, but he -caused his son Magnus to be proclaimed king over Norway in case he did -not return again. - -Harold, Godwin’s son, was hardly seated on the throne when he heard -that his brother Tosti was come to the South of England and was -gathering great multitudes of men in the Isle of Wight. Harold had -been collecting an army, fearing an invasion by William of Normandy, -for he knew well enough that William would never forgive him for having -broken his oath to him, or for forgetting his promise to come back from -England to marry his young daughter, to whom he had been betrothed in -Normandy. He immediately prepared to lead his army south toward the -place where he heard that Tosti was; but the earl took ship again and -slipped away north to his own old earldom of Northumbria, where, in -spite of his cruelties during his rule, he hoped to find some men to -help him. Harald Hardrada had crossed over with his fleet to Orkney, -where the Earls of Orkney, Paul and Erlend, joined him with a great -force; and there he left his wife and daughters, taking his son Olaf -with him, and sailing south to meet Tosti in Northumbria. When Tosti -arrived he found the Norwegian King already plundering the country, -and subduing the people all along the coast. At Scarborough, which -lies beneath a high cliff, the King had fought his way inland, and -on mounting the hill behind the town he had caused a great pile of -brushwood to be made and set on fire; then his men with pitchforks -threw the burning wood down upon the town, so that one house after -another caught the flame, and the people surrendered. Then he passed on -to the Humber, where Tosti joined him, and together they sailed up the -river, awaiting the coming of Earl Morcar, whom Harold, Godwin’s son, -had made earl when Tosti fled abroad, and who was advancing from York -with a large army. - -The King of Norway drew up his men near Fulford, south-east of York. -They stood with one end of their line toward the River Ouse, and the -other ran along a ditch on the land side. A deep morass, full of -water, lay beside them. The earl’s army came down along the ditch, -advancing bravely, for at first it seemed that the Northmen at the end -of the ditch would give ground before them. But King Harald Hardrada -heard that the enemy were approaching; he ordered his war-charge to be -sounded, and with his banner, the Land-ravager, borne before him, he -urged on his men. Very vigorous was the charge, and the earl’s army -broke before it; they turned and fled, some up and some down the river, -while many leaped into the ditch. So thick lay the bodies that it is -said the Norsemen could go dry-foot over the morass, walking on the -slain. The song called “Harald Hardrada’s Stave” says about this: - - “Earl Morcar’s men - Lay in the fen, - By sword down-hewn, - So thickly strewn - That Norsemen say - They paved a way - Across the fen - For brave Norsemen.” - -Earl Morcar is said by the Northern chronicles to have been slain, and -the rest of his men shut themselves up in York. - -It was at this moment that King Harold of England heard what was -happening in the North. With incredible quickness he turned his army -northward, marching night and day the long journey to York. On the 25th -of September, 1066, that fateful year for England, the two armies met -at Stamford Bridge, or Stanforda Bryggiur, as the Norsemen called it. -The Norsemen were far from expecting his appearance; only the night -before, York had surrendered into the hands of the Norwegian King, and -it had been promised that on the Monday morning a general “Thing” would -be held in the castle to receive the King of Norway’s officers and to -accept his laws. The King had gone to his ships in a merry mood and -was feasting with his men. It was at this very moment that Harold of -England arrived with his great army from the South. On his appearance -at York, the city had instantly opened its gates to him, amid the joy -and good-will of all the people in the castle. So closely did Harold’s -army beset the town that no news was allowed to pass out to let the -Norwegian King know what was happening inside. This was on Sunday night. - -On Monday morning the King of Norway called a levy, and ordered that -two out of every three men should follow him on shore, the remaining -third to stay and guard the ships with his son Olaf, and the Earls -of Orkney, Paul and Erlend. The weather was uncommonly hot, and the -sun blazing. The men therefore laid aside their armour, and went on -shore only with their shields, helmets, and weapons. They were very -merry, for all had given way before them. They were on their way to the -“Thing” at York, and they knew nothing about the arrival of Harold’s -troops. As they came near the castle they saw a cloud of dust rising -before them, as from horses’ feet, and shining shields and bright -armour seemed to be visible through the dust. The King halted his -people, and calling Earl Tosti he asked him what this could be. He said -it seemed like a hostile army, but on the other hand it might be some -of his relatives come to make peace with them. The King commanded a -halt to discover what army it was; and as it drew nearer it seemed to -increase in size, and the shining arms were to the sight like glancing -ice. - -The King said that there could be no doubt that this was a hostile -army, and he asked what counsel they should take in this strait. Tosti -advised that they should turn about to their ships and either take -refuge there or at least get their armour and weapons. But the King was -not of that opinion. He was for making ready for fight there and then. -He placed three of his swiftest lads on horses and sent them to gather -the rest of their people, and he ordered his banner, the Land-ravager, -to be set up, and arranged his army in a long, shallow, curved line, -with himself and his banner and choice followers in the centre. And he -said that the Englishmen should have a hard fray of it before they gave -themselves up for lost. - -The vast English army, both of cavalry and infantry, was not far off. -Harald, King of Norway, rode once round his troops, to see that all -were in position. As he came near the front, on his black horse, the -horse stumbled and the King fell off. He sprang up in haste, crying -out: “A fall is lucky for a traveller.” The English Harold saw his -namesake fall. He turned to the Northmen who were with him and said: -“Do you know the stout man who fell from his horse, with the blue -kirtle and the beautiful helmet?” “That is the King himself,” said -they. “A great man,” quoth Harold, “and of stately appearance; but I -think his luck has left him.” - -Then twenty horsemen, in full armour, with their horses also clothed -in armour, rode forward with King Harold at their head to speak to -his brother, Earl Tosti. The brothers had been long separated, and -neither of them at first recognized the other. Harold rode up to Tosti -and asked: “Is Earl Tosti in this army?” “It is not to be denied -that ye will find him here,” said the earl. Then Harold, feigning to -be a herald, said: “Thy brother, King Harold of England, sends thee -salutation, and offers thee the whole of Northumbria; and if this is -not enough, he will give thee a third of the kingdom, if thou wilt -submit to him.” - -The earl said: “This is something different from the scorn and enmity -he showed us last winter. But if I accept his offer what will he give -the King of Norway for his trouble?” - -“He has also spoken of this,” replied the horseman. “This will he give -him: seven feet of English ground to lie in, or as much more as he may -need if he be taller than other men.” - -“If that is so,” said Tosti, “go back and tell Harold to prepare for -battle; for never shall it be said that Tosti failed the King of Norway -when he came to England to fight for him. Rather we will resolve to die -with honour if we may not gain England by a victory.” - -When the horsemen rode back King Harald Hardrada said to the earl: “Who -was that man who spoke so well?” “That,” said Tosti, “was King Harold -Godwinson, the King of England.” “Had we only known that,” said the -King angrily, “never would Harold have returned alive to tell the tale.” - -But the earl said: “Although I knew my brother, I would not betray him -or be his murderer when he came to offer me peace; but that he was -bold to come thus so near us and ran a great risk, that is true, as you -say.” - -“He was but a little man,” said Harald, “yet I saw that he sat firmly -in his stirrups.” - -On this the fight began; and so long as the Northmen kept their ground -the English could do nothing against them, and kept riding round their -close ranks, seeking a weak spot. At length the Norse grew tired of -this, and broke their line, thinking to drive back the English in -flight; but from that time all went against them, and they fell in -multitudes under the English spears and arrows. King Harald Hardrada -became wild with rage, and burst forth from his men, fighting and -hewing down with both hands, so that no one could stand before him; -but at length he was hit in the windpipe with an arrow, and he fell, -for that was his death-wound. When they saw that the King was dead -the whole army paused awhile, and Harold again sent forward offers of -peace; but the Norsemen said they would rather fall one across the -other than accept quarter from the English. It is told in the English -chronicles that the hardest fight was on the bridge, where one single -Norseman stood at the entrance to the way to cover the flight of the -Norse to their vessels, cutting down all who ventured their feet upon -the structure. So many had he killed that at last the English feared -to attempt to pass, and all stood back, for the bridge was piled with -dead. They offered him peace, but scornfully he rejected it, and -called on them to advance, deriding them as cowards because they were -afraid of one single man. At length an iron javelin, thrown from afar, -transfixed the brave warrior, and on his death the English passed -the bridge and pursued the flying Norsemen. Many of the enemy fell -through pure weariness, dying without a wound, and darkness came on -before the slaughter was ended. Tosti was among the slain, but King -Harold protected Olaf, the young son of Harald Hardrada, and sent him -and the Earls of Orkney safely home, when they had sworn allegiance to -him. This prince was known as Olaf Kyrre, or “the Quiet,” in Norway, -where he reigned from 1068 to 1093. It is said that Harold would allow -no spoil to his soldiers; and on account of this many of them were -discontented, and stole away from him. - -Hardly was the battle of Stamford Bridge concluded than the news -was brought to Harold that William had landed at Pevensey, and was -overwhelming the South of England with his vast army. Seventeen days -later the battle of Senlac, or Hastings, as it is usually called, was -fought and won, Harold falling at set of sun, pierced by an arrow in -the eye. - -Thus came to an end at one time the English dynasty and the rule of -Danish kings. No future King of Norway or Denmark laid claim to the -Crown of England as part of his rightful heritage; but the Norman kings -who reigned in England were themselves part of the same stock, and the -fresh blood they brought was still Northman’s blood, come round by way -of Normandy. - -The body of King Harald Hardrada was a year later transported from -England to Nidaros,[48] and was there buried in a church that he had -built. From the time when, at fifteen years of age, he had fought with -his brother, St Olaf, at the battle of Stiklestad until his death, he -had ever been a bold and lucky warrior; but his luck turned at Stamford -Bridge.[49] He was of great height--four Danish ells, or nearly eight -feet. It was on this account that Harold offered him seven feet of -English ground to be buried in, “or more if he needed it.” - - - - -Chapter XXIX - -King Magnus Barelegs falls in Ireland - - -Harald Hardrada was not the last King of Norway to visit these -countries. Long after this the Norwegian kings tried at times to assert -their rights over the Orkneys and other parts of Scotland, and came -over to enforce their claim. King Magnus, who reigned after the death -of Olaf Kyrre (1094–1103), made several descents upon Britain and -Ireland; he stayed so long, and grew so fond of the latter country, -that he adopted the kilt, and was called in consequence by his own -people “Magnus Barelegs.” He seized the Earls of the Orkneys, the -brothers Paul and Erlend, and sent them east to Norway as prisoners, -and placed a son of his own over the Orkneys. Then he went south to the -Hebrides (Sudreyar) and conquered the whole of the Western Isles, and -seized the King’s son. After that he sailed to Wales, and fought the -two Hughs, Hugh the Stout, Earl of Chester, and Hugh the Bold, Earl -of Salop, in the battle of Anglesea Sound. He had with him there the -son of Earl Erland, afterwards Magnus “the Saint,” Earl of Orkney, who -sat down on the fore-deck with his psalter open before him and would -not take arms. The King asked him why he had not armed. He said he had -no quarrel with anyone there, and would not fight. Then the King said -angrily: “If you dare not fight, go down below, and do not lie among -other people’s feet, for I do not believe it is from religious motives -that you refuse to fight for us.” - -But the lad sat on quietly, taking no shelter, and singing during the -battle, but getting no hurt, though many of the King’s men were sorely -wounded. When Hugh the Bold was killed the others fled, and left the -victory with King Magnus. He never forgave Magnus, the earl’s son, for -refusing to fight at Anglesea Sound, and he made him his serving-man; -but one night the youth slipped away, and after concealing himself in -the woods he made his way to the Court of the Scottish King, and did -not return to the Orkneys until King Magnus was dead. - -The King remained all the winter in the Hebrides, though many of his -followers deserted and went home to Norway. The King of Scots offered -him all the islands lying west of Scotland between which and the -mainland he could pass with his rudder shipped. Then Magnus landed in -Cantyre, and had his boat dragged across the neck of the mainland, -himself holding the helm; thus he got Cantyre for himself as well -as the islands. He sent thence to Ireland for a wife for his son, -and married him to a daughter of Murtough, or Myrkiartan, King of -Connaught, though his son was only nine winters old and she only five. -Such early marriages were not uncommon in old times. - -When Magnus returned home after this viking cruise, his people were -astonished to see their King going about in a kilt, with bare legs and -over-cloak, like a Scotsman or Irishman; most of his followers being -dressed in the same way as the King. He was taller than most men, and -could everywhere be seen towering above his followers. His people had -many names for him. Magnus the Tall some called him, others Fighting -Magnus; but his usual name was Magnus Barelegs, or Barefoot. He always -said that he cared not when or how he died, so long as he lived with -glory; his motto was: “Kings should live for glory rather than for grey -hairs.” We shall see that he did indeed fall in youth, though rather -ingloriously; but that was through no fault of his own. - -When he had been nine years in Norway he began to long for the free -life of the West. In 1102 he equipped a great fleet to go out of the -country, and all the most powerful men in Norway accompanied him. He -spent the winter with the King of Connaught, whose daughter had married -his son, and they went on fighting raids together, conquering Dublin -and a great part of its neighbourhood. Toward the spring both kings -went on an expedition into Ulster, raiding and conquering in every -direction; and after that Murtough returned home to Connaught, bidding -Magnus good-bye, for he thought it was time to go back to his own -country. Magnus sent some of his men to defend the property they had -won about Dublin, and he himself sailed northward, and lay out to sea -with his whole fleet ready to sail. Unfortunately, on inquiry, they -found that they were short of provisions, and had not nearly enough for -the voyage. Magnus sent a message to Murtough, asking him without delay -to send a herd of cattle to him, and telling him that he would wait for -them till St. Bartholomew’s Day. But on the eve of that day the cattle -had not arrived, and Magnus, impatient to be off, said he would go on -shore himself and see if the cattle were coming, or if he could find -other herds for food. - -The weather was calm, the sun shone, and the road lay through marsh -and moss, with tracks cut through them and brushwood at the side of the -tracks. - -They pushed on till they got to a height whence they could see over -all the surrounding country. They noticed in the distance dust rising -up from the road as though under the feet of many men advancing toward -them. Some said it was the Irish army, others that it was their own -men returning with the cattle. They halted awhile, and one of Magnus’s -earls said: “What, sire, would you have us do? The men think that -we are advancing imprudently, for it is known that the Irish are -treacherous. Advise us what we should do.” - -The King commanded them to draw up in line, lest there should be -treachery, he and Eyvind, his earl, going on first in front of the -troop. - -The King had a helmet on his head, and a red shield inlaid with a -gilded lion, and his sharp sword, Segbit, in his hand. He wore a little -short cloak over his shoulder above his coat of mail, embroidered -before and behind with a lion in yellow silk, and all men said they had -never seen one handsomer or more active than he. Eyvind had also a red -cloak like the King. - -[Illustration: _King Magnus in the Marsh at Downpatrick_] - -As the dust-cloud came nearer they saw that it was their own men -driving the cattle. The Irish king had been faithful to his friends -and had sent the kine. Thereupon they all turned to go back to the -ships; but the passage was so miry that they could go but slowly and in -single file over the boggy places. As they were making their way thus, -suddenly from every side up started the Irish and set upon them. Every -mound or bushy point seemed to hold an enemy. Fighting began instantly, -but in the order in which they were going, divided into various -bands and marching singly on a raised passage of ground, they were a -good mark for the Irish, and they kept dropping one by one along the -route. - -Eyvind said to the King: “This retreat is going to be unfortunate for -our people; what counsel shall we give them?” - -“Blow the war-horn,” said Magnus, “and bid them form themselves as well -as they can into a body with their shields linked closely together, and -so retreat backward under cover of their shields; as soon as we get on -to firm ground out of this treacherous morass we shall clear ourselves -fast enough.” - -This was done, but though the Irish fell in crowds under their arrows -and spears, two seemed to appear out of the marsh for every one who -dropped. At one very difficult and swampy piece of ground where there -were few places on which they could stand or pass the Norsemen fell -in great numbers. The King called one of his lords and bade him take -his men out across a ditch to some points of higher ground and shoot -from there, while he and the main body got across the bog. But as soon -as ever these Northmen found themselves safe at the other side of the -ditch, thinking that they had had enough of it, they made off as fast -as they could to the ships, leaving their comrades in the lurch. - -“Alas that ever I made thee a great man!” said the King when he saw -this; “thou art deserting thy friends and thy King like a coward!” - -At the same moment King Magnus was wounded severely by a spear, which -passed through both his legs above the knees. Laying hold on the -spear-shaft between his legs, the King broke it in two, crying out: -“This is how we break spear-shafts, my lads. On with you all! Nothing -hurts me.” - -But it was not long afterward that, as he stumbled along on his wounded -legs, an Irishman came up behind and struck him in the neck with an -Irish axe, and that was his death-wound. He fell, and those around -him fled. But his man, Vidkun Jonson, smote down the Irishman who had -killed his master, and escaped, carrying with him the royal banner, and -the King’s sword, Segbit. But he was thrice wounded as he ran. He was -the last man who got to the ships alive. Many great people fell with -Magnus, but more of the Irish died than of the Norse. Those who got to -the ships sailed away at once, and took refuge in the Orkney Islands. -Magnus was thirty years old when he fell at Downpatrick, in Ulster. He -was beloved by his people, and there was quiet at home in Norway in his -days. But the _bondes_ thought him harsh, and they were oppressed by -the heavy levies he had to raise for his war-expeditions. He was buried -in Ireland. He was so fond of that country that in the last song he -made, when his followers were trying to persuade him to leave Ireland -and return to his capital of Nidaros (now Drontheim) in Norway, he sang: - - “Why should we think of faring homeward? - I shall not go back in the autumn to the ladies of Nidaros. - Youth makes me love the Irish girl better than myself!” - -But his son, Sigurd Magnusson, called the Jewry-farer, on account of -his visit to Jerusalem, although he had married in Ireland, did not -think as his father. As soon as he heard of his sire’s death he set off -immediately to claim the crown, leaving his Irish wife behind, and he -took with him his whole fleet, and never went back again to the West. -It is said that he ever held Vidkun Jonson in the most affectionate -regard, because he would not fly until he had saved the banner and -killed the man who gave Magnus his mortal wound. - -The fame of King Magnus never quite died out of Ireland. In old poems -he appears warring at the head of a band of men for the conquest of -Ireland, and in the “Ballad of King Magnus Barefoot” he is pictured as -a being of gigantic proportions and a mighty warrior. Many legends and -fairy-tales have Magnus for their hero. - - - - -Chapter XXX - -The Last of the Vikings - - -Though the viking period is generally spoken of as ending about A.D. -1100, it went on, as a matter of fact, long after that. The last of -the great vikings--that is, of those whose entire life was spent in -marauding expeditions--was Sweyn of Orkney, called Sweyn, Asleif’s -son, from his mother’s name, because his father had been burnt in his -house when he was entertaining a party at Yule. He was a wise man, -and far-seeing in many things, but so dreaded that when it was heard -that he was in any part of the islands all the inhabitants would hide -their movable property under the ground or cover it with heaps of -loose stones. When he was an old man he used to keep eighty men in his -house at his sole expense; and his drinking-hall was the largest in -the Orkneys. His plan of life was this: In the spring he would stay at -home and sow the most part of his property with seed, doing a great -share of the work himself; and while the seed was springing up he would -be off marauding in the Hebrides or in Ireland, returning home after -midsummer. This he called his spring viking. Then he stayed at home -awhile to reap his crops and get in the harvest, and as soon as this -was finished he would be away again up to the middle of winter, when -it became too cold. Then he would return again till spring. This he -called his autumn viking. - -The most famous of his viking raids was that called the “Broad-cloth -Voyage,” or in Norse “Skrud-viking.” Sweyn had been plundering with -five rowing vessels, all of good size, in the Southern Hebrides, -and thence he went south to the Isle of Man, but he had obtained -very little booty, for the people had got wind of his coming and had -concealed their goods. So he went across to Ireland, plundering on the -north coast, and making his way down to Dublin. At the entrance to -Dublin Bay they came across two English merchant ships going to Dublin -with a cargo of English cloth and other merchandise. Sweyn made for the -vessels and offered to fight them. Being merchantmen, they made little -resistance, and Sweyn’s party took from them every penny’s-worth that -was in the vessels, leaving the Englishmen only with the clothes they -stood up in and enough provisions to give them a chance of getting home -alive. They got away as quickly as they could, while Sweyn and his men -set sail for the Sudreyar, or Hebrides, and landed there to divide -their booty. As a piece of bravado, they sewed the cloth they had taken -over their sails, so that they looked as if they were all made of the -finest cloth, and so home to the Orkneys; and because of this the -cruise was known as the “Broad-cloth Cruise.” - -It was on one of his expeditions against Dublin that Sweyn met his -fate. This was when he was an old man. Not long before, Earl Harald, -who had been feasting with him after his return from the “Broad-cloth -Cruise,” on the English mead and the wine captured from the vessels, -said to him: “I wish now, Sweyn, that you would leave off your -marauding expeditions. Your plundering has been successful a long -while, but it might take a turn the other way; and it is good to drive -home with a whole wain. Men who live by unfair means often perish by -them in the end.” Sweyn answered the earl with a smile: “Excellent -advice, my lord, and spoken like a friend. A bit of good counsel from -you is worth the having. But I have heard it said that you have some -little matters on your own account to answer for, not unlike those of -which you complain to me.” “No doubt,” said the earl, “I have my own -share to answer for; I but spoke as it came into my head.” - -Sweyn answered: “I take your advice as it is offered to me, and, -indeed, I begin to feel that I am growing old. Long fighting and -hardships are beginning to tell upon me, and I had made up my mind -to go only upon one expedition more. I will make my autumn viking as -usual, and I hope it will go as well as my spring viking, and after -that my warfaring shall be over.” - -“It is difficult to know, friend,” said the earl, “whether death or -lasting fame will overtake you first,” and there their conversation -ended. - -Shortly after this Sweyn prepared to go on his autumn viking cruise -with seven warships. They found little booty in the Sudreyar, and went -on to Ireland, getting again as far south as Dublin, and entering -the town before the inhabitants were aware of their presence. His -attack was so sudden that he took the rulers captive, and gathered a -great deal of plunder, and the upshot of the matter was that the fort -surrendered to Sweyn and promised him a heavy ransom, and that he -might quarter his men on the town, and take hostages. - -That night the chief men of the town had a meeting to consider the -difficulties in which they were placed. They thought it grievous -hardship that they should have to surrender their town to the -Orkneymen, especially to him whom they knew to be the most exacting man -in the whole West; and they agreed that they would cheat Sweyn if they -could. Sweyn and his men were gone down to their ships for the night, -but in the morning they were to come into the town to receive the -hostages. The inhabitants resolved to dig deep trenches inside the city -gates, and in other places between the houses in the streets through -which Sweyn and his followers must pass, and armed men were concealed -in the houses. They placed planks over the pits, which would fall in as -soon as men stepped upon them, and strewed straw over the planks, so -that they might not be observed. All that night they worked and in the -morning they were ready. - -With the morning’s dawn Sweyn’s men rose and armed themselves, to march -into the town; and the Dublin men lined either side of the way from -the city gate to the trenches. Not being on their guard, Sweyn and his -men fell into them, and the Dublin people ran, some to the gates to -close them, and some to the pits to kill the men who had fallen there. -It was difficult to offer any defence, and Sweyn perished miserably -with all who accompanied him. This is the end of Sweyn’s history, and -after him few men gave themselves up to marauding, as was the custom -in the old days. Sweyn would often raid a village and burn six or more -homesteads in a morning, so that the inhabitants fled wherever he came. -An Icelander named Eric, who went about with Sweyn and plundered with -him, used to sing this ditty when they went out together: - - “Half a dozen homesteads burning, - Half a dozen households plundered; - This was Sweyn’s work of a morning-- - Wild his work, his vengeance cruel; - Every man who wanted fuel - Warmed him with his flaming homestead.” - -Sweyn died between 1160–1165. - - - - -Chronology - - - A.D. - 787 First appearance of the Norse in Northumbria - 795 First plunderings of the Norse in Ireland - 795 Irish monks in Iceland - 822 Halfdan the Black, King of Norway (_d._ 860) - 832 The Norse appear in Kent - 847 First coming of the Danes to Ireland - 853 Olaf the White, King of the Norse in Dublin - 867 Ælla King of Northumbria - 871 Alfred the Great, King of England (_d._ 901) - 872 Harald Fairhair, King of Norway (_d._ 933) - 875 The Danes are subdued by Alfred, and Guthrum is baptized - 878 Harald Fairhair raids in the Orkneys and makes Ragnvald earl. - During Harald’s reign Iceland is peopled from Norway - 890 Rolf Ganger, son of Ragnvald, Earl of More and Orkney, plunders - in Normandy - 900 Torf-Einar in Orkney. Harald Fairhair’s second expedition to - the West - 901 Edward the Elder, King of England (_d._ 925) - 902 The foreigners are expelled from Dublin - 917 Niall Glundubh (Black knee), King of Ireland, slain at battle - of Kilmashog - 924 Edward the Elder is chosen as “Father and Lord” by the Scots, - Northumbria, and Strathclyde - 925 Athelstan succeeds (_d._ 940) - 933 Eric Bloodaxe, King of Norway - 934 Hakon the Good returns to Norway and is crowned king - 935 Eric Bloodaxe leaves Norway and gets a kingdom in England - 937 Battle of Brunanburh - 939 Murtough of the Leather Cloaks makes a warlike circuit in - Ireland - 941 Olaf Cuaran (of the Sandal) chosen King of Northumbria - 942 The Danes desert Dublin and flee across sea - 944 Olaf Cuaran expelled from Northumbria - 949 Olaf Cuaran returns; expelled a second time in 952 - 960 Battle of Stord, and death of King Hakon the Good - 963 Olaf Trygveson born in exile. Norway ruled by the sons - of Eric Bloodaxe - 979 Ethelred the Unready, King of England - 985 Olaf Trygveson raids in the West and England. Sweyn - Fork-beard becomes King of Denmark. - 988 He marries Gyda, a sister of Olaf Cuaran. He is baptised - in the Scilly Isles - 993 Bambrough stormed - 994 Olaf Trygveson and Sweyn Fork-beard are driven back from - London. Olaf promises never again to fight with England - 995 Earl Hakon slain; Olaf Trygveson becomes king of Norway - 1000 He dies at battle of Svold - 1002 Massacre of the Danes on St Brice’s Day - 1004 Sweyn Fork-beard burns Norwich - 1009–10 England ravaged by the Danes - 1010 Siege of London and battle of Hringmara Heath - 1013 Sweyn Fork-beard, King of England (_d._ 1014) - 1014 Battle of Clontarf in Dublin. Ethelred II. goes to Normandy - 1015 Reign of St Olaf in Norway (_d._ 1030) - 1016 Death of Ethelred II. Reign of Edmund Ironside. Battle of - Assandun and division of England between Edmund and Canute. - 1017 Canute sole King of England - 1028 Canute subjugates Norway - 1030 Battle of Stiklestad and death of St Olaf - 1030 Sweyn, Canute’s son, King of Norway (_d._ 1035) - 1035 Magnus the Good, King of Norway (_d._ 1047) - 1037 Harald, Canute’s son, King of England - 1040 Hardacanute, King of England (_d._ 1042) - 1043 Edward the Confessor, King of England - 1065 Harold, Godwin’s son, consecrated king - 1066 Battle of Stamford Bridge - 1066 Battle of Hastings - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] Ethelwerd’s Chronicle, A.D. 786 (_recté_ 787). - -[2] Saxo’s Danish annals speak of Hame, the father of Ælla, as King of -Northumbria (see p. 18), but he is unknown to the English Chronicles. - -[3] This is the account of Saxo; the Norse accounts differ from him as -to the district over which Ragnar ruled. - -[4] The Northern chronicles here throw much light on the internal -affairs of Northumbria, which are only briefly dealt with in the -English chronicles. But the general outline of events fits well into -the English account. - -[5] _i.e._ the horns from which the ale was quaffed, made from the -branching or curved antlers of reindeer or ox. - -[6] _i.e._ “the Wanderer,” another name for Woden. - -[7] _i.e._ his sons, the children of Aslaug, his second wife. - -[8] _i.e._ the sword of Woden. The prophecy was shortly afterwards -fulfilled, for Lodbrog’s sons returned to Northumbria, dethroned Ælla, -and put him to a cruel death. - -[9] _i.e._ the High Gods, who dwelt in Valhalla, or the home of the -immortals. - -[10] The great province of Northumbria extended from the Humber to the -Firth of Forth. - -[11] The English Chronicle, dating his rule in Normandy from this, his -first expedition thither, gives him a reign of fifty years; he actually -reigned from 911–927 A.D. (see p. 110). - -[12] In hot weather a tent was erected over the boat. - -[13] Scat was a land-tax paid to the king in money, malt, meal, or -flesh-meat, and was adjudged to each king on his succession by the -“Thing,” or assembly of lawgivers. - -[14] The bishop of the islands is still styled Bishop of Sodor (_i.e._ -the Sudreys) and Man. Up to the fifteenth century these bishops had to -go to Trondhjem in Norway for consecration. - -[15] See chap. xv., “Wild Tales from the Orkneys,” p. 108. - -[16] Probably Olaf, son of Godfrey, King of Dublin. - -[17] _i.e._ Olaf Cuaran. - -[18] A sort of fury of war which attacked the Northmen when engaged in -battle, and made them half-mad with ferocity. - -[19] _i.e._ the dead bodies of the warriors whom his arm had slain fed -the falcons, or carrion-birds. - -[20] Unnecessary doubt has been thrown upon this practice of pagan -baptism, but the instances are too numerous to be set aside. Baptism -is a widespread custom among different races. In pagan Ireland also -there are instances recorded of a sort of child-naming, combined with -christening, by pouring water over the child. Baptism was not invented -by Christianity; it was adopted from the Jewish faith into the new -religion. - -[21] The “Thing” was a convention or parliament of the people assembled -to make laws or come to decisions on important matters. There were both -local and general “Things.” The place where the “Thing” was held was -called the “Thing-mote.” - -[22] The hammer of Thor was somewhat like a Greek cross. - -[23] Chap. vi., page 48. - -[24] Twenty benches probably meant forty rowers, besides other fighting -men. Two rowers at least would sit to each bench. - -[25] This cruel method of putting a foe to death was also practised on -Ælla of Northumbria; it was probably, as here, a sacrifice to Odin. - -[26] There are still a few _udal_, or allodial properties, in Orkney. - -[27] See pp. 152–3. - -[28] Chap. vi. p. 47. - -[29] The name Gilli is evidently either Scotch or Irish, which explains -the fact that he had an Irish girl among his slaves. He either was an -inhabitant of these countries pretending to be a Russian merchant, or -he was a Russian who had lived in Scotland. - -[30] Sitric Silken-beard was son of Olaf Cuaran, or Olaf o’ the Sandal, -and his wife Gormliath, or Kormlod. - -[31] For the story of the burning of Nial, see chap. xx. pp. 157–175. - -[32] The same description is given of the banner of the sons of -Lodbrog, taken by Alfred the Great. - -[33] Freeman (“Norman Conquest,” Vol. I., p. 342), considers that -Thorkill acted throughout independently of Sweyn, and aimed at setting -up a princedom of his own. He explains in this way Thorkill’s sudden -alliance with Ethelred against Sweyn in 1013. Thorkill remained -faithful to the English king until his flight, and later gave his -adherence to Canute, who first enriched and afterwards banished him -(see pp. 193–4). - -[34] See note at end of this chapter. - -[35] Freeman will not accept any part of this story of Olaf’s -intervention in English affairs, because it is not found in any of -the English Chronicles. It, however, reads like the record of an -actual attack upon the Danish forces in London, although the time and -circumstances may have become confused in the mind of the Northern -Chronicler. Sigvat’s poem tends to confirm its general accuracy. - -[36] pp. 102–107. - -[37] pp. 95–99. - -[38] The Norwegian chronicles say that Eirik died in England. - -[39] This is the Norse account. The English Chronicle, which is likely -to be correct in this matter, says that Canute was reconciled to Earl -Thorkill in 1023, and that he committed Denmark and his son Hardacanute -to his keeping, he himself taking Thorkill’s son back with him to -England. - -[40] Emma’s two sons by Ethelred were Alfred (see pp. 211–212) and -Edward the Confessor; she also had a daughter. Ethelred had several -sons by a former wife, of whom Edmund Ironside is the most famous. - -[41] The same story is told of the landing of William the Conqueror at -Pevensey; it is probably repeated from this incident in the life of -Olaf. - -[42] Magna Charta was then taken south by the barons to meet the King -at Staines; it was signed by King John on an island in the Thames -called Runnymede, on the 15th of June 1215. - -[43] Baldwin, Earl of Flanders in the ninth century, had married a -daughter of Alfred the Great, hence the connexion with England. The -same earl was, by another wife, the ancestor of Matilda, wife of -William the Conqueror. - -[44] The English chronicles say of Thorkill the Tall. - -[45] p. 201–3. - -[46] See the whole of Edward’s speech in Snorre, “Saga of Magnus the -Good,” Laing’s translation, 1889, vol. iii. p. 344–5. - -[47] Westminster Abbey was consecrated on the 28th of December 1065. - -[48] Nidaros, the old capital of Norway, was afterwards Throndhjem, or -Drontheim. - -[49] Freeman considers that some of the details of the battle of -Stamford Bridge, as given in the Norse story, belong rightly to the -battle of Hastings. - - - - -Index - - - Adils, E., 70, 71–74 - - Ælla, King of Northumbria, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21 and _n._, 26 - - Alfgeir, Earl, 65, 70–72 - - Alfred the Great, 14, 22–35, 37, 52, 56, 136; - his studies, 23, 24, 34; - his laws and navy, 32–33; - his “Manual,” 24; - his liberality, 33. - His “Life” (_see_ Asser) - - Alfred “the Ætheling,” 185, 211–212, 217, 222 - - Alfvine, a champion, 93–94 - - Amazons, 17 - - Anglesea Sound, B. of, 237–238 (_see_ Mona) - - Anses, the, 21 - - Antrim, 119 - - Ardee, B. of, 120 - - Armagh, 45–46, 118 - - Armour, 130, 152, 240 - - Ashdune, B. of, 27–28, 29 - - Aslang, w. of Raynar Lodbrog, 21 and _n._ - - Asser, 23, 28, 31, 34; - his “Life of Alfred,” 23, 24 - - Astrid, m. of Olaf Trygveson, 91, 92 - - Athelney, Isle of, 30, 32 - - Athelstan the Great, King of England, 46, 54, 56–77, 78–81, 84, 179 - - Aud (O. U. Audr), 47 (and _see_ Unn) - - Augvaldness, B. of, 87 - - - Baltic, 92, 103 - - Baptism, Christian, 81, 84, 114–115, 148; - Baptism, Pagan, 78–79 and _n._; - 91 (and _see_ “Prime-signing”) - - Bath, 184 - - Bedford, 53 - - Bergen, 89 - - Bergthora, w. of Nial, 157, 162, 168, 170, 172–73, 175 - - Bergthors-knoll, 166 - - Berkshire, E. of, 27 - - “Berserkin fury,” 72 and _n._ - - Bertric, King of Wessex, 12 - - Biorn, “the Eastman,” 6, 47–49, 50 - - Blacaire, Danish, Lord of Dublin, 120 - - “Bondes” or landowners, 88, 97, 98, 208, 242 - - “Book of Settlements,” 37 - - Brian Boru, King of Munster and Ireland, 135–142, 145, 148–152; - his hardships, 136; - King of Munster, 138; - his beneficent reign, 139; - his death at B. of Clontarf, 149–152 - - Britain, 6, 16 - - Brodir, a Viking, 146–147, 151–152 - - “Broad-cloth” Cruise, 245 - - Brunanburh, or Brumby, B. of, 60–77, 135 - - Burhred, King of Mercia, 22, 26, 29 - - Burial (in mounds), 41, 82, 89, 109; - (ship-burials), 51, 90 - - Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk, 198 - - - Caithness, 5, 48, 108, 154, 158 - - Callaghan, King of Munster, 117, 119 - - Canterbury, 25, 183, 189 - - Cantyre, 238 - - Canute, or Knut, “the Great” (King of England and Denmark), 6, 32, - 55, 179, 180, 185, 186, 191–210, 214–217, 218, 227 - - Carlingford Lough, 118 - - Christianity, 12, 66, 114–115, 146; - forced upon Norway, 85–87, 100 - - Chronicles-- - English Ch., 35 _n._, 60–61, 180, 192, 212; - Ethelwerd’s Ch., 13 _n._; - William of Malmesbury’s Ch., 30, 34, 54, 57, 59, 61; - Asser’s “Life of Alfred the Great,” 23, 24 - - Clonmacnois, 45 - - Clontarf, B. of, 114, 116, 135, 148–156 - - Conang, nephew of King Brian, 141 - - Connaught, 119, 135 - - Constantine, King of the Scots, 59, 60 - - Cornwall, 57–58 - - Cumberland, 57 - - - Dane’s, first arrival of, 11–13; - Conquests and Settlements, 5, 22, 25–27, 29, 46, 60–61, 111, 135, - 179, 182, 184, 186, 187, 217–218; - called “Dark Foreigners,” 47 - - Danegeld, 179–180, 152, 225 - - Danish Kings, 6, 31, 179, 180, 186, 191, 198–199, 208, 209, 211–213, - 217, 218, 219, 235 - - Danish Kings of Dublin and Northumbria, 6, 14, 29, 46–47, 58–59, 93, - 118–119 - - Death-Song (of Raynor Lodbrog), 20, 21 - - Denmark, 31, 39, 40, 87, 123, 179, 191, 203, 209, 212, 213, 216, 217, - 218, 219, 220 - - Derby, 53 - - Devon, 22, 30 - - Donagh, King of Ireland, 118, 120 - - Donovan, Munster Chief, 137 - - Dorchester, 13 - - Downpatrick, 242 - - Dublin, 19, 46, 96, 116, 117, 118, 142, 145, 148, 239, 245–47 - - - East Anglia, 22, 27, 32, 38, 183, 189, 193, 194 - - Eddington, B. of, 31 - - Edgar, King of England, 179; - laws of, 198 - - Editha, w. of Edward the Confessor, 223, 224 - - Edmund “the Martyr,” King of E. Anglia, 185, 198 - - Edmund, b. of Athelstan, King of England, 61, 170 - - Edmund “Ironside,” 194, 225 - - Edric, Lord, of Mercia, 183, 194 - - Edward the Ætheling, 225 - - Edward “the Confessor,” King of England, 185, 212, 217, 219, 221–225, - 226–227 - - Edward “the Elder,” 33, 38, 52–54 - - Edwy, King of England, 179 - - Edwy, s. of Ethelred the Unready, 195 - - Egil, s. of Skalligrim, 63, 65–66, 71–77 - - Egil’s Saga, 6, 60, 63–65 - - Einar (called “Torf-Einar,”) E. of Orkney, 111–113; - his son, 114 - - Einar Tambaskelfer, 106, 107 - - Eirik, King of Sweden, 39, 40 - - Eirik Hakonson, Earl, 102–107, 181, 186, 193, 194 and _n._ (and _see_ - Eric) - - Eithne or Audua, m. of E. Sigard, 114 - - Ely, 211 - - Emma, Queen of Ethelred II. and of Canute, 35, 182, 184–185, 195, - 199, 211–212, 213–214, 221 - - Englefield Green, B. of, 27 - - English Channel, 5, 187, 194 - - “Enhazelling,” a battle-field, 67, 69 - - Erling Skialgson, 102 - - Eric, or Eirik, “Bloodaxe,” King of Norway, 82, 84, 85, 113; - King of Northumbria, 84; - his sons, 82, 87–90, 113 - - Essex, 189 - - Ethelbald, King, 26 - - Ethelbert, King, 26 - - Ethelfled, “the Lady of the Mercians,” 52–53, 56 - - Ethelred I., King of Wessex, 14, 26, 27–28, 29 - - Ethelred II., “the Unready,” 35, 179–189, 219, 221; - his sons, 195–196, 211, 212 - - Ethelred, Prince of Mercia, 53 - - Ethelwulf, King, 25, 26 - - Eyvind, 88–89 - - Eyvind, a Norwegian lord, 240–241 - - - Faröe Isles, 36, 42, 48–49 - - Feudal System (in Norway), 42 - - Fife, 5 - - Fin-Barre, St, Gospel of, 137–138 - - Fingall, 11 - - Flanders, 65, 212 and _n._, 223, 224, 227 - - Flosi, an Icelander, 166, 170–174 - - Fosterage, 80–81, 128, 132–134, 157, 159 - - France, 18, 35, 52, 72, 92, 218 - - Freeman, “Norman Conquest,” 185 _n._, 190 _n._, 236 _n._ - - - Gall-Gael, 12 - - Galloway, 5 - - Gaul, 23 - - Germany, 18 - - Gilli, the Russian, 123 and _n._, 125 - - Glen of the Gap, B. of, 138, 141 - - Gloucester, 53 - - Godfrey, Danish King of Dublin, 59–60, 118 - - Godred, King of Man, 158 - - Godwin, Earl, 211, 221–225; - sons of, 221, 223, 226 - - Gorm the Old, King of Denmark, 11, 39, 40, 179, 200 - - Gorm, or Guthrum, “the Englishman,” 31, 32, 35; - baptismal name, Athelstan, 32; - King of Denmark, 31, 32; - King of East Anglia, 32 - - Gormliath, or Kormlod, 139, 140, 142–143, 145–146, 148–149 - - Grani, Gunnar’s son, 166, 170–171 - - Greenwich, 185 - - Grim, s. of Nial, 157, 158, 161, 163, 173 - - Gudrek, Earl, 65 - - Gunhild, w. of Eric “Bloodaxe,” 82 - - Gunnar, Lambi’s son, 144–145, 157, 166, 170 - - Gyda, w. of Harald Fairhair, 40 - - Gyda, sister of Olaf Cuaran, 93–94 - - - Hakon the Old, King of Sweden, 92 - - Hakon “the Good,” King of Norway, 54, 57, 79–90, 122–123, 179; - fostered by Athelstan, 80–81; - returns to Norway, 83–84; - forces the people to become Christians, 85–86, 100; - “Hakon’s Hill,” 89–90 - - Hakon, Earl, Governor of Norway, 95–99; - slain, 99, 193 - - Hakon, Earl, Eirik’s son, 193, 196, 197, 200, 208, 216 - - Halfdan, “Long-legs,” s. of Harald Fairhair, 112–113 - - Halfdan the Black, King of Norway, 39 - - Halfdene, s. of Raynar Lodbrog, 29 - - Halfred, Norse poet, 107 - - Hallad, s. of Ragnvald, 109–110 - - Hame, f. of Ælla, 14 _n._, 18 - - Hampshire, or Hants, 22, 30 - - Harald, King of England, s. of Canute, 195, 209, 211–212, 217 - - Harald “Blue-tooth,” s. of Gorm “the Old,” 179, 180 - - Harald Fairhair, King of Norway, 11, 36–44, 47, 52, 57, 78–81, 82, - 83, 84, 96, 99, 113; - his policy, 5, 37, 39, 40, 42; - his sons, 112–113 - - Harald Sigurdson, “Hardrada,” King of Norway, 228–236, 237 - - “Harald Hardrada’s Stave,” 230 - - Harald, E. of Orkney, 245 - - Hardacanute, King of Denmark and England, 179, 195, 208, 209, - 212–218, 221, 222 - - Harek of Throtta, 205–206 - - Harold, s. of Godwin, King of England, 211, 223, 224, 225, 226–236 - - Hastings, or Senlac, B. of, 235, 236 _n._ - - Hauk “Haabrok,” 80–81 - - Hebrides, or Sudreys, 5, 18, 37, 42, 43, 48, 52, 55, 110, 113, 119, - 237, 238, 244 - - Helga River, B. of, 204–205, 215 - - Helgi, s. of “Ketill Flatnose,” 47, 50 - - Helgi, s. of Nial, 157, 158, 163, 169–172 - - Hellespont, 19 - - “Heptarchy,” 38 - - Hereford, 53 - - Herlang, King, 41 - - Hlodver, Earl of Orkney, 114 - - Hlodver, Sigurd’s son, “Whelp,” 115 - - Hogmanay night, 86 - - Hoskuld, f. of Olaf the Peacock, 51, 122 - - Hoskuld, foster son of Nial, 157, 159–165 - - Howel, King of Wales, 59 - - Humber, River, 14, 60 - - Hungary, King of, 225 - - Hrafn, the “Limerick trader,” 37 - - Hrafn, “the Red,” 153 - - Hrane, 196–197 - - Hring, Earl, 71–73 - - Hrollaug, King, 41 - - Hrollaug, s. of Ragnvald, 111 - - - Iceland, 5, 6, 37, 42, 47, 49–50, 63, 66, 114, 121, 122, 144, 154, 157 - - Inti. Gall (_see_ Hebrides) - - Iona, 12 - - Ireland, 5, 6, 11, 16, 19, 20, 37, 38, 42, 45–47, 53, 114, 116, 117, - 145, 146, 223, 244 - - Irish hermits, 12 - - Ivar the Boneless, s. of Ragnar Lodbrog, 11 _n._, 16, 17, 18, 29, 30; - called Ivar Vidfadme, 11 - - Ivar, Prince of Limerick, 137 - - - Jorunn, w. of Hoskuld, 123, 125–126 - - Jutland, 16, 18 - - - Kari, Solmund’s son, 145, 158, 161–164, 168, 170, 174 - - Kark, a slave, 98–99 - - Kennedy, f. of King Brian, 136 - - Kent, 13, 25, 26, 223 - - Ketill “Flatnose,” 47–48 - - Killaloe, 141 - - Kincora, Palace of, 136, 140–142 - - Kingston-on-Thames, 57 - - Kjartan, s. of Olaf “Pa,” 134 - - - Law-courts in Iceland, 157–160 - - Laxdæla Saga, 121, 122 - - Lay of the Darts (“Darradar-Liod”), 155–156 - - Leicester, 53 - - Leinster, 119, 138–139, 142; - Melmora, king of, 139–141; - palace of, 138 - - Liffey, River, 148 - - Limerick, 37, 46, 137 - - Lincolnshire, 22 - - London, 25, 32, 80, 180, 183, 185, 187, 193, 217 - - London Bridge, B. of, 188–190 - - - Maelbride (Melbrik), King of Dublin, 19 - - Magna Charta, 198–199 and _n._ - - Magnus the Good, s. of St Olaf, King of Norway, 219–220, 223 - - Magnus the Good’s Saga, 220 - - Magnus “Barelegs,” King of Norway, 237–243; - ballad of, 243 - - Magnus, St, E. of Orkney, 237–238 - - Mahon, f. of King Brian, 136–138 - - Man, Isle of, 5, 20, 135, 142, 145, 158 - - Melaughlan, King of Ireland, 139 - - Melbrigd “the Toothy,” 108–109 - - Melkorka, m. of Olaf “Pa,” 122, 126–128, 131–134 - - Melmora, King of Leinster, 139–142 - - Mercia, 22, 26, 52–53, 183, 193, 194 - - Molloy, Munster chief, 137–138 - - Mona, or Anglesea, 20, 237–238 - - Morcar, Earl, 229, 230 - - Mord, s. of Valgard, 160–164 - - Morrogh, s. of King Brian, 139, 141, 150–151 - - Munster, 119, 135, 139; - Callaghan, king of, 117, 119; - Brian, king of, 135, 138; - men of, 148, 151; - standard of, 150 - - Murtough, King of Connaught, 238–239 - - Murtough “of the Leather Cloaks,” 117–121; - or Myrkjartan, 127, 130–133, 134 - - Myrkjartan (_see_ Murtough) - - - Nial, 144, 157–175 - - Nial’s Saga (Njala), 157 - - Niall “Glundubh,” or “Black-knee,” King of Ireland, 117 - - Nidaros (Throndhjem, or Drontheim), 228, 235 and _n._, 242 - - Normandy, 35, 109–110, 185, 189, 211, 218, 225, 229, 235; - Dukedom of, 6, 35, 109–110, 182, 218 - - Norsemen-- - Direction of their conquests, 5, 12, 45–46, 135, 138, 148–149, 154; - called “Fair Foreigners,” 47 - - Northampton, 53 - - Northmen (_see also_ Norsemen), 11, 12, 13, 14, 46–47, 118, 120, 138, - 142 - - Northumbria, 5, 12, 13, 18, 19, 22 and _n._, 26, 29, 38, 52, 61, 193, - 224, 227, 233; - Danish kingdom of, 6, 46–47, 54, 58–59, 78, 84, 113, 118, 194, 196 - - Norway, 36, 42, 43, 55, 66, 78, 100, 113, 114, 123, 158, 179, 187, - 191, 196, 199, 203, 209, 215, 216, 218, 219, 227, 237 - - - Ockley, or Aclea, B. of, 25 - - Olaf Cuaran “o’ the Sandal,” Danish King of Dublin, 46, 58–75, 96; - called Olaf “the Red,” 65 - - Olaf “Feilan,” 49–51 - - Olaf “Pa,” or “the Peacock,” 51, 121, 126–134 - - Olaf “the White,” King of Dublin, 47–48, 108 - - Olaf Trygveson, King of Norway, 54, 91–107, 114–116, 179, 180, 181, - 186, 193; - called Ole, 92–93, 95–96; - becomes King, 98–99; - his Irish hound, 94–95; - his war-vessels, 95, 101–107; - he disappears, 107 - - Olaf “the Thick,” King of Norway (called “St Olaf”), 183, 186–190, - 195–197, 199–209, 216, 228 - - Olaf, King of Sweden, 101, 102, 105, 181, 193, 201, 203–205 - - Olaf “Kyrre,” s. of Harald Hardrada, 229, 235, 237 - - O’Neills, Prince of, 117 - - Orkney Isles, 5, 18, 36, 37, 42, 43, 48, 52, 108, 109, 110, 113–115, - 117, 135, 142, 229, 235, 237, 238, 242, 247; - Earldom of, 6, 43, 111 - - Osbert, King of Northumbria, 13, 14 - - Ospac, a Viking, 146–148 - - Otto, Emperor, 58, 78 - - Ouse, River, 229 - - Oxford, 184 - - - Pagan army, 14, 26; - religion, 45, 66, 78, 85–87, 101, 146–147, 159 - - Paris, 35 - - Patrick, St, 45 - - Paul and Erlend, Earls of Orkney, 229, 231, 235, 237 - - Pentland Firth, 114 - - Pevensey, 235 - - Pictland, 18 - - Poets (called “bards” or “skalds”), 107, 135, 190, 202–203 - - Portents, 147, 151, 154–156, 166–167, 168, 228 - - Priesthood in Norway, 86, 159 - - “Prime-signing,” 66 - - - Radbard, s. of Ragnar Lodbrog, 18 - - Ragnar Lodbrog, 5, 11 _n._, 15, 113; - origin of his sobriquet, 15, 16; - his kingdom in Britain, 18; - his death, 19, 20; - his death-song, 21; - sons of, 14, 26, 29, 31, 37 - - Ragnhild, m. of Harald Fairhair, 39 - - Ragnvald, E. of More, 43–44, 108–111 - - “Raven Banner,” 30, 114, 152–154 - - Reading, 27 - - Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, 35, 182 - - Richard the Good, Duke of Normandy, 184–185, 195 - - Rolf, or Rollo “the Ganger,” 35, 52, 109–110, 218 - - Rome, 29, 192 - - Ross, 48, 108 - - Russia, 92, 96, 209 - - Russian slaves, 92, 123–124 - - - Sacrifices, Pagan, 85, 86–87, 113 and _n._, 159 - - Sagas-- - Egils, 6, 60, 63–65; - Ynglinga, 11; - Laxdæla, 47, 121, 122 - - Sandwich, 183, 184, 223 - - Saxo “Grammaticus,” 14 _n._, 16 _n._ - - Saxon Pilgrims in Rome, 29; - Saxon Sword, 56; - Saxon Poetry, 34 - - Saxony, 18 - - Scandinavia, 6, 183 - - Scarborough, 229 - - Scilly Isles, 92 - - Scotland, 18, 20, 37, 43, 48–49, 52, 55, 60, 108, 135, 194, 238; - Scottish warriors, 74 - - “Second Sight,” belief in, 157, 167 - - Shannon, River, 136 - - Shetland Isles, 5, 36, 42, 43, 108, 111, 114 - - “Shield-burgh” of soldiers, 71 - - Ships of War, called “Dragon-ships,” 95, 101–107, 111, 196, 201, - 203–206; - iron-plated, 103; - lashed together, 104; - prepared for war, 129–130; - as gifts, 57; - (and _see_ “Boats”) - - Sigrid “the Haughty” (w. of Sweyn), 101, 181 - - Sigurd “the Mighty,” Earl of Orkney, 43, 108–109 - - Sigurd “the Stout,” Earl of Orkney, 113, 114–116, 144–146, 152–154, - 157, 158 - - Sigurd, s. of Magnus “Barefoot,” 242 - - Sigurd, Earl of Lade, 78–79, 83, 86–87 - - Sigvalde, Earl, 101, 102, 103 - - Sigvat (Norse poet), 189–190 and _n._, 202–203 - - Silver, chests of, 76–77 - - Sitric, Danish lord of Dublin, 119 - - Sitric “Gale,” King of Northumbria, 58–59, 60, 78, 118 - - Sitric “Silken beard,” Danish King of Dublin, 139 and _n._, 140, - 142–143, 144–146, 148–149 - - Siward or Sigurd, “Snake eye,” 17, 18 - - Skalligrim, f. of Egil, 63–64 - - Skarphedinn, s. of Nial, 157, 161–164, 167–175 - - Slavery, 92, 121, 122, 123–126 - - Somerset, 23, 30 - - Southampton, 180 - - Southwark, 188–189, 223 - - Stafford, 53 - - Stamford Bridge, B. of, 230–236 and _n._ - - Stiklestad, B. of, 209, 216, 236 - - Stord, B. of, 90 - - St Brice’s Day, Massacre of, 182–183 - - Strathclyde, 52, 61 - - Sudreys, 43 and _n._, and _see_ Hebrides - - Surrey, 25, 26 - - Sussex, 22, 23, 26 - - Svold, B. of, 102–105, 181, 186, 193 - - Sweyn “Forkbeard,” King of Denmark and England, 55, 101, 179–185, - 187, 191, 192, 193, 209 - - Sweyn, or Svein, n. of Canute, King of Denmark, 213–214, 227; - Sweyn, s. of Canute, 216 - - Sweyn, Godwin’s son, 223 - - Sweyn, Asleif’s son, 244–248 - - Sweden, 18, 39, 40, 123, 199, 213, 215 - (and _see_ Olaf, King of Sweden) - - Swedes, King of, 15, 101–102 - - - Tadhg “of the Towers,” King of Connaught, 119 - - Tamworth, 53, 59 - - Temple pillars, 47–48 - - Thorstein, “the Red,” 48–49, 108 - - Thorstein, s. of Hall “o’ the Side,” 153–154 - - Thames, River, 25, 27, 188–189, 194, 217 - - “Thing” and “Thing-mote,” 46, 83, 86 and _n._, 93, 99, 208, 231 - - Thing-men or Soldiers, 189 - - Thora, Ragnar’s wife, 17 - - Thora, m. of Hakon “the Good,” 78 - - Thord, Kari’s son, 172–173, 175 - - Thorer, a Norwegian lord, 207 - - Thorer, a woman, 97 - - Thorer “Klakka,” 96–97 - - Thorfin “Skull splitter,” 114 - - Thorkill “the Tall,” 53–54, 183, 185, 187, 193–195 and _n._ - - Thorolf, s. of Skalligrim, 63, 65–66, 71–77 - - Tomar’s Wood, 148, 150, 151 - - Tosti, Godwin’s son, 223, 224, 226–229, 232–235 - - Trondhjem, 41 - - Trygve, f. of Olaf Trygveson, 91, 96 - - Turgesins, or Thorgils, 45 - - Turlough, King Brian’s grandson, 149 - - - Ubba, s. of Ragnar Lodbrog, 18, 29, 30 - - “Udal-right,” 83, 113 and _n._ - - Ulf, Earl, 213, 215–216 - - Ulf “the Red,” 104 - - Ulster, 117, 142, 239, 242; - Murtough, King of, 117–120 - - Unn, or Aud, “the deep minded,” 47–51, 108, 122 - - - Valgard “the Guileful,” 160 - - Valland, 110 - - Vidkun Jonson, 242–243 - - Vige, Olaf’s Irish hound, 94–95 - - Viken, in Norway, 110 - - Vikings, 15, 43, 145–146; - raids of, 18, 42, 108–109, 111, 244–248; - as traders, 6; - kingdom of, 14 - - Vin-heath, 66–67 - - - Wales, 22, 23, 53, 57–59, 137, 237 - - Warwick, 53 - - Waterford, 46 - - Wedmore, 32 - - Week, names of, 85 - - Wessex, 12, 22, 25, 26, 27, 33, 38, 193 - - Wight, Isle of, 25, 184, 223, 228 - - William the Conqueror, 35, 42, 197 _n._, 218, 225, 229, 235; - his genealogy, 35 - - Wiltshire, 23, 30, 31 - - Winchester, 184, 199, 210, 212, 218, 222 - - Woden, or Odin, 20, 21, 78, 85, 167, 190; - his goblet, 85, 87 - - Worcester, 217 - - - Ynglinga Saga, 11 - - York, City of, 14, 19, 53, 57, 84, 113, 229, 231; - B. of, 19 - - Yorkshire, 13 - - Yule, or Christmas, 85–86, 144 - - - Zealand, 16 - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes - - -Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a -predominant preference was found in the original book; 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