Heimskringla

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Karle replies, "King Olaf has the half part of all the goods I
gather on this voyage, and I intend the ornament for him. Go to
him, if you like, and it is possible he will give thee the
ornament, although I took it from Jomala."

Then Thorer insisted that they should go upon the island, and
divide the booty.

Gunstein says, "It is now the turn of the tide, and it is time to
sail." Whereupon they began to raise their anchor.

When Thorer saw that, he returned to his boat and rowed to his
own ship. Karle and his men had hoisted sail, and were come a
long way before Thorer got under way. They now sailed so that
the brothers were always in advance, and both vessels made all
the haste they could. They sailed thus until they came to
Geirsver, which is the first roadstead of the traders to the
North. They both came there towards evening, and lay in the
harbour near the landing-place. Thorer's ship lay inside, and
the brothers' the outside vessel in the port. When Thorer had
set up his tents he went on shore, and many of his men with him.
They went to Karle's ship, which was well provided. Thorer
hailed the ship, and told the commanders to come on shore; on
which the brothers, and some men with them, went on the land.
Now Thorer began the same discourse, and told them to bring the
goods they got in booty to the land to have them divided. The
brothers thought that was not necessary, until they had arrived
at their own neighbourhood. Thorer said it was unusual not to
divide booty but at their own home, and thus to be left to the
honour of other people. They spoke some words about it, but
could not agree. Then Thorer turned away; but had not gone far
before he came back, and tells his comrades to wait there.
Thereupon he calls to Karle, and says he wants to speak with him
alone. Karle went to meet him; and when he came near, Thorer
struck at him with a spear, so that it went through him.
"There," said Thorer, "now thou hast learnt to know a Bjarkey
Island man. I thought thou shouldst feel Asbjorn's spear."
Karle died instantly, and Thorer with his people went immediately
on board their ship. When Gunstein and his men saw Karle fall
they ran instantly to him, took his body and carried it on board
their ship, struck their tents, and cast off from the pier, and
left the land. When Thorer and his men saw this, they took down
their tents and made preparations to follow. But as they were
hoisting the sail the fastenings to the mast broke in two, and
the sail fell down across the ship, which caused a great delay
before they could hoist the sail again. Gunstein had already got
a long way ahead before Thorer's ship fetched way, and now they
used both sails and oars. Gunstein did the same. On both sides
they made great way day and night; but so that they did not gain
much on each other, although when they came to the small sounds
among the islands Gunstein's vessel was lighter in turning. But
Thorer's ship made way upon them, so that when they came up to
Lengjuvik, Gunstein turned towards the land, and with all his men
ran up into the country, and left his ship. A little after
Thorer came there with his ship, sprang upon the land after them,
and pursued them. There was a woman who helped Gunstein to
conceal himself, and it is told that she was much acquainted with
witchcraft. Thorer and his men returned to the vessels, and took
all the goods out of Gunstein's vessel, and put on board stones
in place of the cargo, and then hauled the ship out into the
fjord, cut a hole in its bottom, and sank it to the bottom.
Thereafter Thorer, with his people, returned home to Bjarkey
Isle. Gunstein and his people proceeded in small boats at first,
and lay concealed by day, until they had passed Bjarkey, and had
got beyond Thorer's district. Gunstein went home first to Langey
Isle for a short time, and then proceeded south without any halt,
until he came south to Throndhjem, and there found King Olaf, to
whom he told all that had happened on this Bjarmaland expedition.
The king was ill-pleased with the voyage, but told Gunstein to
remain with him, promising to assist him when opportunity
offered. Gunstein took the invitation with thanks, and stayed
with King Olaf.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Ludr -- the loor -- is a long tube or roll of birch-bark
used as a horn by the herdboys in the mountains in Norway.
-- L.

144. MEETING OF KING OLAF AND KING ONUND.

King Olaf was, as before related, in Sarpsborg the winter (A.D.
1026) that King Canute was in Denmark. The Swedish king Onund
rode across West Gautland the same winter, and had thirty hundred
(3600) men with him. Men and messages passed between them; and
they agreed to meet in spring at Konungahella. The meeting had
been postponed, because they wished to know before they met what
King Canute intended doing. As it was now approaching towards
winter, King Canute made ready to go over to England with his
forces, and left his son Hardaknut to rule in Denmark, and with
him Earl Ulf, a son of Thorgils Sprakaleg. Ulf was married to
Astrid, King Svein's daughter, and sister of Canute the Great.
Their son Svein was afterwards king of Denmark. Earl Ulf was a
very distinguished man. When the kings Olaf and Onund heard that
Canute the Great had gone west to England, they hastened to hold
their conference, and met at Konungahella, on the Gaut river.
They had a joyful meeting, and had many friendly conversations,
of which something might become known to the public; but they
also spake often a great deal between themselves, with none but
themselves two present, of which only some things afterwards were
carried into effect, and thus became known to every one. At
parting the kings presented each other with gifts, and parted the
best of friends. King Onund went up into Gautland, and Olaf
northwards to Viken, and afterwards to Agder, and thence
northwards along the coast, but lay a long time at Egersund
waiting a wind. Here he heard that Erling Skjalgson, and the
inhabitants of Jadar with him, had assembled a large force. One
day the king's people were talking among themselves whether the
wind was south or south-west, and whether with that wind they
could sail past Jadar or not. The most said it was impossible to
fetch round. Then answers Haldor Brynjolfson, "I am of opinion
that we would go round Jadar with this wind fast enough if Erling
Skjalgson had prepared a feast for us at Sole." Then King Olaf
ordered the tents to be struck, and the vessels to be hauled out,
which was done. They sailed the same day past Jadar with the
best wind, and in the evening reached Hirtingsey, from whence the
king proceeded to Hordaland, and was entertained there in guest-
quarters.

145. THORALF'S MURDER.

The same summer (A.D. 1026) a ship sailed from Norway to the
Farey Islands, with messengers carrying a verbal message from
King Olaf, that one of his court-men, Leif Ossurson, or Lagman
Gille, or Thoralf of Dimun, should come over to him from the
Farey Islands. Now when this message came to the Farey Islands,
and was delivered to those whom it concerned, they held a meeting
among themselves, to consider what might lie under this message,
and they were all of opinion that the king wanted to inquire into
the real state of the event which some said had taken place upon
the islands; namely, the failure and disappearance of the former
messengers of the king, and the loss of the two ships, of which
not a man had been saved. It was resolved that Thoralf should
undertake the journey. He got himself ready, and rigged out a
merchant-vessel belonging to himself, manned with ten or twelve
men. When it was ready, waiting a wind, it happened, at Austrey,
in the house of Thrand of Gata, that he went one fine day into
the room where his brother's two sons, Sigurd and Thord, sons of
Thorlak, were lying upon the benches in the room. Gaut the Red
was also there, who was one of their relations and a man of
distinction. Sigurd was the oldest, and their leader in all
things. Thord had a distinguished name, and was called Thord the
Low, although in reality he was uncommonly tall, and yet in
proportion more strong than large. Then Thrand said, "How many
things are changed in the course of a man's life! When we were
young, it was rare for young people who were able to do anything
to sit or lie still upon a fine day, and our forefathers would
scarcely have believed that Thoralf of Dimun would be bolder and
more active than ye are. I believe the vessel I have standing
here in the boat-house will be so old that it will rot under its
coat of tar. Here are all the houses full of wool, which is
neither used nor sold. It should not be so if I were a few
winters younger." Sigurd sprang up, called upon Gaut and Thord,
and said he would not endure Thrand's scoffs. They went out to
the houseservants, and launched the vessel upon the water,
brought down a cargo, and loaded the ship. They had no want of a
cargo at home, and the vessel's rigging was in good order, so
that in a few days they were ready for sea. There were ten or
twelve men in the vessel. Thoralf's ship and theirs had the same
wind, and they were generally in sight of each other. They came
to the land at Herna in the evening, and Sigurd with his vessel
lay outside on the strand, but so that there was not much
distance between the two ships. It happened towards evening,
when it was dark, that just as Thoralf and his people were
preparing to go to bed, Thoralf and another went on shore for a
certain purpose. When they were ready, they prepared to return
on board. The man who had accompanied Thoralf related afterwards
this story, -- that a cloth was thrown over his head, and that he
was lifted up from the ground, and he heard a great bustle. He
was taken away, and thrown head foremost down; but there was sea
under him, and he sank under the water. When he got to land, he
went to the place where he and Thoralf had been parted, and there
he found Thoralf with his head cloven down to his shoulders, and
dead. When the ship's people heard of it they carried the body
out to the ship, and let it remain there all night. King Olaf
was at that time in guest-quarters at Lygra, and thither they
sent a message. Now a Thing was called by message-token, and the
king came to the Thing. He had also ordered the Farey people of
both vessels to be summoned, and they appeared at the Thing. Now
when the Thing was seated, the king stood up and said, "Here an
event has happened which (and it is well that it is so) is very
seldom heard of. Here has a good man been put to death, without
any cause. Is there any man upon the Thing who can say who has
done it?"

Nobody could answer.

"Then," said the king, "I cannot conceal my suspicion that this
deed has been done by the Farey people themselves. It appears to
me that it has been done in this way, -- that Sigurd Thorlakson
has killed the man, and Thord the Low has cast his comrade into
the sea. I think, too, that the motives to this must have been
to hinder Thoralf from telling about the misdeed of which he had
information; namely, the murder which I suspect was committed
upon my messengers."

When he had ended his speech, Sigurd Thorlakson stood up, and
desired to be heard. "I have never before," said he, "spoken at
a Thing, and I do not expect to be looked upon as a man of ready
words. But I think there is sufficient necessity before me to
reply something to this. I will venture to make a guess that the
speech the king has made comes from some man's tongue who is of
far less understanding and goodness than he is, and has evidently
proceeded from those who are our enemies. It is speaking
improbabilities to say that I could be Thoralf's murderer; for
he was my foster-brother and good friend. Had the case been
otherwise, and had there been anything outstanding between me and
Thoralf, yet I am surely born with sufficient understanding to
have done this deed in the Farey Islands, rather than here
between your hands, sire. But I am ready to clear myself, and my
whole ship's crew, of this act, and to make oath according to
what stands in your laws. Or, if ye find it more satisfactory, I
offer to clear myself by the ordeal of hot iron; and I wish,
sire, that you may be present yourself at the proof."

When Sigurd had ceased to speak there were many who supported his
case, and begged the king that Sigurd might be allowed to clear
himself of this accusation. They thought that Sigurd had spoken
well, and that the accusation against him might be untrue.

The king replies, "It may be with regard to this man very
differently, and if he is belied in any respect he must be a good
man; and if not, he is the boldest I have ever met with: and I
believe this is the case, and that he will bear witness to it
himself."

At the desire of the people, the king took Sigurd's obligation to
take the iron ordeal; he should come the following day to Lygra,
where the bishop should preside at the ordeal; and so the Thing
closed. The king went back to Lygra, and Sigurd and his comrades
to their ship.

As soon as it began to be dark at night Sigurd said to his ship's
people. "To say the truth, we have come into a great misfortune;
for a great lie is got up against us, and this king is a
deceitful, crafty man. Our fate is easy to be foreseen where he
rules; for first he made Thoralf be slain, and then made us the
misdoers, without benefit of redemption by fine. For him it is
an easy matter to manage the iron ordeal, so that I fear he will
come ill off who tries it against him. Now there is coming a
brisk mountain breeze, blowing right out of the sound and off the
land; and it is my advice that we hoist our sail, and set out to
sea. Let Thrand himself come with his wool to market another
summer; but if I get away, it is my opinion I shall never think
of coming to Norway again."

His comrades thought the advice good, hoisted their sail, and in
the night-time took to the open sea with all speed. They did not
stop until they came to Farey, and home to Gata. Thrand was ill-
pleased with their voyage, and they did not answer him in a very
friendly way; but they remained at home, however, with Thrand.
The morning after, King Olaf heard of Sigurd's departure, and
heavy reports went round about this case; and there were many who
believed that the accusation against Sigurd was true, although
they had denied and opposed it before the king. King Olaf spoke
but little about the matter, but seemed to know of a certainty
that the suspicion he had taken up was founded in truth. The
king afterwards proceeded in his progress, taking up his abode
where it was provided for him.

146. OF THE ICELANDERS.

King Olaf called before him the men who had come from Iceland,
Thorod Snorrason, Geller Thorkelson, Stein Skaptason, and Egil
Halson, and spoke to them thus: -- "Ye have spoken to me much in
summer about making yourselves ready to return to Iceland, and I
have never given you a distinct answer. Now I will tell you what
my intention is. Thee, Geller, I propose to allow to return, if
thou wilt carry my message there; but none of the other
Icelanders who are now here may go to Iceland before I have heard
how the message which thou, Geller, shalt bring thither has been
received."

When the king had made this resolution known, it appeared to
those who had a great desire to return, and were thus forbidden,
that they were unreasonably and hardly dealt with, and that they
were placed in the condition of unfree men. In the meantime
Geller got ready for his journey, and sailed in summer (A.D.
1026) to Iceland, taking with him the message he was to bring
before the Thing the following summer (A.D. 1027). The king's
message was, that he required the Icelanders to adopt the laws
which he had set in Norway, also to pay him thane-tax and nose-
tax (1); namely, a penny for every nose, and the penny at the
rate of ten pennies to the yard of wadmal (2). At the same time
he promised them his friendship if they accepted, and threatened
them with all his vengeance if they refused his proposals.

The people sat long in deliberation on this business; but at last
they were unanimous in refusing all the taxes and burdens which
were demanded of them. That summer Geller returned back from
Iceland to Norway to King Olaf, and found him in autumn in the
east in Viken, just as he had come from Gautland; of which I
shall speak hereafter in this story of King Olaf. Towards the
end of autumn King Olaf repaired north to Throndhjem, and went
with his people to Nidaros, where he ordered a winter residence
to be prepared for him. The winter (A.D. 1027) that he passed
here in the merchant-town of Nidaros was the thirteenth year of
his reign.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Nefgildi (nef=nose), a nose-tax or poll-tax payable to the
king. This ancient "nose-tax" was also imposed by the
Norsemen on conquered countries, the penalty for defaulters
being the loss of their nose.
(2) Wadmal was the coarse woollen cloth made in Iceland, and so
generally used for clothing that it was a measure of value
in the North, like money, for other commodities. -- L.

147. OF THE JAMTALAND PEOPLE.

There was once a man called Ketil Jamte, a son of Earl Onund of
Sparby, in the Throndhjem district. He fled over the ridge of
mountains from Eystein Illrade, cleared the forest, and settled
the country now called the province of Jamtaland. A great many
people joined him from the Throndhjem land, on account of the
disturbances there; for this King Eystein had laid taxes on the
Throndhjem people, and set his dog, called Saur, to be king over
them. Thorer Helsing was Ketil's grandson, and he colonised the
province called Helsingjaland, which is named after him. When
Harald Harfager subdued the kingdom by force, many people fled
out of the country from him, both Throndhjem people and Naumudal
people, and thus new settlements were added to Jamtaland; and
some settlers went even eastwards to Helsingjaland and down to
the Baltic coast, and all became subjects of the Swedish king.
While Hakon Athelstan's foster-son was over Norway there was
peace, and merchant traffic from Throndhjem to Jamtaland; and, as
he was an excellent king, the Jamtalanders came from the east to
him, paid him scat, and he gave them laws and administered
justice. They would rather submit to his government than to the
Swedish king's, because they were of Norwegian race; and all the
Helsingjaland people, who had their descent from the north side
of the mountain ridge, did the same. This continued long after
those times, until Olaf the Thick and the Swedish king Olaf
quarrelled about the boundaries. Then the Jamtaland and
Helsingjaland people went back to the Swedish king; and then the
forest of Eid was the eastern boundary of the land, and the
mountain ridge, or keel of the country, the northern: and the
Swedish king took scat of Helsingjaland, and also of Jamtaland.
Now, thought the king of Norway, Olaf, in consequence of the
agreement between him and the Swedish king, the scat of Jamtaland
should be paid differently than before; although it had long been
established that the Jamtaland people paid their scat to the
Swedish king, and that he appointed officers over the country.
The Swedes would listen to nothing, but that all the land to the
east of the keel of the country belonged to the Swedish king.
Now this went so, as it often happens, that although the kings
were brothers-in-law and relations, each would hold fast the
dominions which he thought he had a right to. King Olaf had sent
a message round in Jamtaland, declaring it to be his will that
the Jamtaland people should be subject to him, threatening them
with violence if they refused; but the Jamtaland people preferred
being subjects of the Swedish king.

148. STEIN'S STORY.

The Icelanders, Thorod Snorrason and Stein Skaptason, were ill-
pleased at not being allowed to do as they liked. Stein was a
remarkably handsome man, dexterous at all feats, a great poet,
splendid in his apparel, and very ambitious of distinction. His
father, Skapte, had composed a poem on King Olaf, which he had
taught Stein, with the intention that he should bring it to King
Olaf. Stein could not now restrain himself from making the king
reproaches in word and speech, both in verse and prose. Both he
and Thorod were imprudent in their conversation, and said the
king would be looked upon as a worse man than those who, under
faith and law, had sent their sons to him, as he now treated them
as men without liberty. The king was angry at this. One day
Stein stood before the king, and asked if he would listen to the
poem which his father Skapte had composed about him. The king
replies, "Thou must first repeat that, Stein, which thou hast
composed about me." Stein replies, that it was not the case that
he had composed any. "I am no skald, sire," said he; "and if I
even could compose anything, it, and all that concerns me, would
appear to thee of little value." Stein then went out, but
thought he perceived what the king alluded to. Thorgeir, one of
the king's land-bailiffs, who managed one of his farms in
Orkadal, happened to be present, and heard the conversation of
the king and Stein, and soon afterwards Thorgeir returned home.
One night Stein left the city, and his footboy with him. They
went up Gaularas and into Orkadal. One evening they came to one
of the king's farms which Thorgeir had the management of, and
Thorgeir invited Stein to pass the night there, and asked where
he was travelling to. Stein begged the loan of a horse and
sledge, for he saw they were just driving home corn.

Thorgeir replies, "I do not exactly see how it stands with thy
journey, and if thou art travelling with the king's leave. The
other day, methinks, the words were not very sweet that passed
between the king and thee."

Stein said, "If it be so that I am not my own master for the
king, yet I will not submit to such treatment from his slaves;"
and, drawing his sword, he killed the landbailiff. Then he took
the horse, put the boy upon him, and sat himself in the sledge,
and so drove the whole night. They travelled until they came to
Surnadal in More. There they had themselves ferried across the
fjord, and proceeded onwards as fast as they could. They told
nobody about the murder, but wherever they came called themselves
king's men, and met good entertainment everywhere. One day at
last they came towards evening to Giske Isle, to Thorberg
Arnason's house. He was not at home himself, but his wife
Ragnhild, a daughter of Erling Skjalgson, was. There Stein was
well received, because formerly there had been great friendship
between them. It had once happened, namely, that Stein, on his
voyage from Iceland with his own vessel, had come to Giske from
sea, and had anchored at the island. At that time Ragnhild was
in the pains of childbirth, and very ill, and there was no priest
on the island, or in the neighbourhood of it. There came a
message to the merchant-vessel to inquire if, by chance, there
was a priest on board. There happened to be a priest in the
vessel, who was called Bard; but he was a young man from
Westfjord, who had little learning. The messengers begged the
priest to go with them, but he thought it was a difficult matter:
for he knew his own ignorance, and would not go. Stein added his
word to persuade the priest. The priest replies, "I will go if
thou wilt go with me; for then I will have confidence, if I
should require advice." Stein said he was willing; and they went
forthwith to the house, and to where Ragnhild was in labour.
Soon after she brought forth a female child, which appeared to be
rather weak. Then the priest baptized the infant, and Stein held
it at the baptism, at which it got the name of Thora; and Stein
gave it a gold ring. Ragnhild promised Stein her perfect
friendship, and bade him come to her whenever he thought he
required her help. Stein replied that he would hold no other
female child at baptism, and then they parted. Now it was come
to the time when Stein required this kind promise of Ragnhild to
be fulfilled, and he told her what had happened, and that the
king's wrath had fallen upon him. She answered, that all the aid
she could give should stand at his service; but bade him wait for
Thorberg's arrival. She then showed him to a seat beside her son
Eystein Orre, who was then twelve years old. Stein presented
gifts to Ragnhild and Eystein. Thorberg had already heard how
Stein had conducted himself before he got home, and was rather
vexed at it. Ragnhild went to him, and told him how matters
stood with Stein, and begged Thorberg to receive him, and take
care of him.

Thorberg replies, "I have heard that the king, after sending out
a message-token, held a Thing concerning the murder of Thorgeir,
and has condemned Stein as having fled the country, and likewise
that the king is highly incensed: and I have too much sense to
take the cause of a foreigner in hand, and draw upon myself the
king's wrath. Let Stein, therefore, withdraw from hence as
quickly as thou canst."