Heimskringla

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Thorod remained the rest of the winter with the king, and in
summer got leave to return to Iceland; and he and King Olaf
parted the best of friends.

152. KING OLAF'S LEVY OF MEN.

King Olaf made ready in spring (A.D. 1027) to leave Nidaros, and
many people were assembled about him, both from Throndhjem and
the Northern country; and when he was ready he proceeded first
with his men to More, where he gathered the men of the levy, and
did the same at Raumsdal. He went from thence to South More. He
lay a long time at the Herey Isles waiting for his forces; and he
often held House-things, as many reports came to his ears about
which he thought it necessary to hold councils. In one of these
Things he made a speech, in which he spoke of the loss he
suffered from the Farey islanders. "The scat which they promised
me," he said, "is not forthcoming; and I now intend to send men
thither after it." Then he proposed to different men to
undertake this expedition; but the answer was, that all declined
the adventure.

Then there stood up a stout and very remarkable looking man in
the Thing. He was clad in a red kirtle, had a helmet on his
head, a sword in his belt, and a large halberd in his hands. He
took up the word and said, "In truth here is a great want of men.
Ye have a good king; but ye are bad servants who say no to this
expedition he offers you, although ye have received many gifts of
friendship and tokens of honour from him. I have hitherto been
no friend of the king, and he has been my enemy, and says,
besides, that he has good grounds for being so. Now, I offer,
sire, to go upon this expedition, if no better will undertake
it."

The king answers, "Who is this brave man who replies to my offer?
Thou showest thyself different from the other men here present,
in offering thyself for this expedition from which they excuse
themselves, although I expected they would willingly have
undertaken it; but I do not know thee in the least, and do not
know thy name."

He replies, "My name, sire, is not difficult to know, and I think
thou hast heard my name before. I am Karl Morske."

The king -- "So this is Karl! I have indeed heard thy name
before; and, to say the truth, there was a time when our meeting
must have been such, if I had had my will; that thou shouldst not
have had to tell it now. But I will not show myself worse than
thou, but will join my thanks and my favour to the side of the
help thou hast offered me. Now thou shalt come to me, Karl, and
be my guest to-day; and then we shall consult together about this
business." Karl said it should be so.

153. KARL MORSKE'S STORY.

Karl Morske had been a viking, and a celebrated robber. Often
had the king sent out men against him, and wished to make an end
of him; but Karl, who was a man of high connection, was quick in
all his doing's, and besides a man of great dexterity, and expert
in all feats. Now when Karl had undertaken this business the
king was reconciled to him, gave him his friendship, and let him
be fitted out in the best manner for this expedition. There were
about twenty men in the ship; and the king sent messages to his
friends in the Farey Islands, and recommended him also to Leif
Ossurson and Lagman Gille, for aid and defence; and for this
purpose furnished Karl with tokens of the full powers given him.
Karl set out as soon as he was ready; and as he got a favourable
breeze soon came to the Farey Islands, and landed at Thorshavn,
in the island Straumey. A Thing was called, to which there came
a great number of people. Thrand of Gata came with a great
retinue, and Leif and Gille came there also, with many in their
following. After they had set up their tents, and put themselves
in order, they went to Karl Morske, and saluted each other on
both sides in a friendly way. Then Karl produced King Olaf's
words, tokens, and friendly message to Leif and Gille, who
received them in a friendly manner, invited Karl to come to them,
and promised him to support his errand, and give him all the aid
in their power, for which he thanked them. Soon after came
Thrand of Gata, who also received Karl in the most friendly
manner, and said he was glad to see so able a man coming to their
country on the king's business, which they were all bound to
promote. "I will insist, Karl," says he, "on thy taking-up thy
winter abode with me, together with all those of thy people who
may appear to thee necessary for thy dignity."

Karl replies, that he had already settled to lodge with Leif;
"otherwise I would with great pleasure have accepted thy
invitation."

"Then fate has given great honour to Leif," says Thrand; "but is
there any other way in which I can be of service?"

Karl replies, that he would do him a great service by collecting
the scat of the eastern island, and of all the northern islands.

Thrand said it was both his duty and interest to assist in the
king's business, and thereupon Thrand returned to his tent; and
at that Thing nothing else worth speaking of occurred. Karl took
up his abode with Leif Ossurson, and was there all winter (A.D.
1028). Leif collected the scat of Straumey Island, and all the
islands south of it. The spring after Thrand of Gata fell ill,
and had sore eyes and other complaints; but he prepared to attend
the Thing, as was his custom. When he came to the Thing he had
his tent put up, and within it another black tent, that the light
might not penetrate. After some days of the Thing had passed,
Leif and Karl came to Thrand's tent, with a great many people,
and found some persons standing outside. They asked if Thrand
was in the tent, and were told he was. Leif told them to bid
Thrand come out, as he and Karl had some business with him. They
came back, and said that Thrand had sore eyes, and could not come
out; "but he begs thee, Leif, to come to him within." Leif told
his comrades to come carefully into the tent, and not to press
forward, and that he who came last in should go out first. Leif
went in first, followed by Karl, and then his comrades; and all
fully armed as if they were going into battle. Leif went into
the black tent and asked if Thrand was there. Thrand answered
and saluted Leif. Leif returned his salutation, and asked if he
had brought the scat from the northern islands, and if he would
pay the scat that had been collected. Thrand replies, that he
had not forgotten what had been spoken of between him and Karl,
and that he would now pay over the scat. "Here is a purse, Leif,
full of silver, which thou canst receive." Leif looked around,
and saw but few people in the tent, of whom some were lying upon
the benches, and a few were sitting up. Then Leif went to
Thrand, and took the purse, and carried it into the outer tent,
where it was light, turned out the money on his shield, groped
about in it with his hand, and told Karl to look at the silver.
When they had looked at it a while, Karl asked Leif what he
thought of the silver. He replied, "I am thinking where the bad
money that is in the north isles can have come from." Thrand
heard this, and said, "Do you not think, Leif, the silver is
good?" "No," says he. Thrand replies, "Our relations, then, are
rascals not to be trusted. I sent them in spring to collect the
scat in the north isles, as I could not myself go anywhere, and
they have allowed themselves to be bribed by the bondes to take
false money, which nobody looks upon as current and good; it is
better, therefore, Leif, to look at this silver which has been
paid me as land-rent." Leif thereupon carried back this silver,
and received another bag, which he carried to Karl, and they
looked over the money together. Karl asked Leif what he thought
of this money. He answered, that it appeared to him so bad that
it would not be taken in payment, however little hope there might
be of getting a debt paid in any other way: "therefore I will not
take this money upon the king's account." A man who had been
lying on the bench now cast the skin coverlet off which he had
drawn over his head, and said, "True is the old word, -- he grows
worse who grows older: so it is with thee, Thrand, who allowest
Karl Morske to handle thy money all the day." This was Gaut the
Red. Thrand sprang up at Gaut's words, and reprimanded his
relation with many angry words. At last he said that Leif should
leave this silver, and take a bag which his own peasants had
brought him in spring. "And although I am weak-sighted, yet my
own hand is the truest test." Another man who was lying on the
bench raised himself now upon his elbow; and this was Thord the
Low. He said, "These are no ordinary reproaches we suffer from
Karl Morske, and therefore he well deserves a reward for them."
Leif in the meantime took the bag, and carried it to Karl; and
when they cast their eyes on the money, Leif said, "We need not
look long at this silver, for here the one piece of money is
better than the other; and this is the money we will have. Let a
man come to be present at the counting it out." Thrand says that
he thought Leif was the fittest man to do it upon his account.
Leif and Karl thereupon went a short way from the tent, sat down.
and counted and weighed the silver. Karl took the helmet off his
head, and received in it the weighed silver. They saw a man
coming to them who had a stick with an axe-head on it in his
hand, a hat low upon his head, and a short green cloak. He was
bare-legged, and had linen breeches on tied at the knee. He laid
his stick down in the field, and went to Karl and said, "Take
care, Karl Morske, that thou does not hurt thyself against my
axe-stick." Immediately a man came running and calls with great
haste to Leif Ossurson, telling him to come as quickly as
possible to Lagman Gille's tent; "for," says he, "Sirurd
Thorlakson ran in just now into the mouth of the tent, and gave
one of Gille's men a desperate wound." Leif rose up instantly,
and went off to Gille's tent along with his men. Karl remained
sitting, and the Norway people stood around in all corners. Gaut
immediately sprang up, and struck with a hand-axe over the heads
of the people, and the stroke came on Karl's head; but the wound
was slight. Thord the Low seized the stick-axe, which lay in the
field at his side, and struck the axe-blade right into Karl's
skull. Many people now streamed out of Thrand's tent. Karl was
carried away dead. Thrand was much grieved at this event, and
offered money-mulcts for his relations; but Leif and Gille, who
had to prosecute the business, would accept no mulct. Sigurd was
banished the country for having wounded Gille's tent comrade, and
Gaut and Thord for the murder of Karl. The Norway people rigged
out the vessel which Karl had with him, and sailed eastward to
Olaf, and gave him these tidings. He was in no pleasant humour
at it, and threatened a speedy vengeance; but it was not allotted
by fate to King Olaf to revenge himself on Thrand and his
relations, because of the hostilities which had begun in Norway,
and which are now to be related. And there is nothing more to be
told of what happened after King Olaf sent men to the Farey
Islands to take scat of them. But great strife arose after
Karl's death in the Farey Islands between the family of Thrand of
Gata and Leif Ossurson, and of which there are great sagas.

154. KING OLAF'S EXPEDITION WITH HIS LEVY.

Now we must proceed with the relation we began before, -- that
King Olaf set out with his men, and raised a levy over the whole
country (A.D. 1027). All lendermen in the North followed him
excepting Einar Tambaskelfer, who sat quietly at home upon his
farm since his return to the country, and did not serve the king.
Einar had great estates and wealth, although he held no fiefs
from the king, and he lived splendidly. King Olaf sailed with
his fleet south around Stad, and many people from the districts
around joined him. King Olaf himself had a ship which he had got
built the winter before (A.D. 1027), and which was called the
Visund (1). It was a very large ship, with a bison's head gilded
all over upon the bow. Sigvat the skald speaks thus of it: --

"Trygvason's Long Serpent bore,
Grim gaping o'er the waves before,
A dragon's head with open throat,
When last the hero was afloat:
His cruise was closed,
As God disposed.
Olaf has raised a bison's head,
Which proudly seems the waves to tread.
While o'er its golden forehead dashing
The waves its glittering horns are washing:
May God dispose
A luckier close."

The king went on to Hordaland; there he heard the news that
Erling Skjalgson had left the country with a great force, and
four or five ships. He himself had a large war-ship, and his
sons had three of twenty rowing-banks each; and they had sailed
westward to England to Canute the Great. Then King Olaf sailed
eastward along the land with a mighty war-force, and he inquired
everywhere if anything was known of Canute's proceedings; and all
agreed in saying he was in England but added that he was fitting
out a levy, and intended coming to Norway. As Olaf had a large
fleet, and could not discover with certainty where he should go
to meet King Canute, and as his people were dissatisfied with
lying quiet in one place with so large an armament, he resolved
to sail with his fleet south to Denmark, and took with him all
the men who were best appointed and most warlike; and he gave
leave to the others to return home. Now the people whom he
thought of little use having gone home, King Olaf had many
excellent and stout men-at-arms besides those who, as before
related, had fled the country, or sat quietly at home; and most
of the chief men and lendermen of Norway were along with him.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Visundr is the buffalo; although the modern bison, or
American animal of that name, might have been known through
the Greenland colonists, who in this reign had visited some
parts of America. -- L.

155. OF KING OLAF AND KING ONUND.

When King Olaf sailed to Denmark, he set his course for Seeland;
and when he came there he made incursions on the land, and began
to plunder. The country people were severely treated; some were
killed, some bound and dragged to the ships. All who could do so
took to flight, and made no opposition. King Olaf committed
there the greatest ravages. While Olaf was in Seeland, the news
came that King Onund Olafson of Sweden had raised a levy, and
fallen upon Scania, and was ravaging there; and then it became
known what the resolution had been that the two kings had taken
at the Gaut river, where they had concluded a union and
friendship, and had bound themselves to oppose King Canute. King
Onund continued his march until he met his brother-in-law King
Olaf. When they met they made proclamation both to their own
people and to the people of the country, that they intended to
conquer Denmark; and asked the support of the people of the
country for this purpose. And it happened, as we find examples
of everywhere, that if hostilities are brought upon the people of
a country not strong enough to withstand, the greatest number
will submit to the conditions by which peace can be purchased at
any rate. So it happened here that many men went into the
service of the kings, and agreed to submit to them. Wheresoever
they went they laid the country all round subjection to them, and
otherwise laid waste all with fire and sword.

Of this foray Sigvat the skald speaks, in a ballad he composed
concerning King Canute the Great: --

"`Canute is on the sea!'
The news is told,
And the Norsemen bold
Repeat it with great glee.
And it runs from mouth to mouth --
`On a lucky day
We came away
From Throndhjem to the south.'
Across the cold East sea,
The Swedish king
His host did bring,
To gain great victory.
King Onund came to fight,
In Seeland's plains,
Against the Danes,
With his steel-clad men so bright.
Canute is on the land;
Side to 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."

154. OF KING CANUTE THE GREAT.

King Canute had heard in England that King Olaf of Norway had
called out a levy, and had gone with his forces to Denmark, and
was making great ravages in his dominions there. Canute began to
gather people, and he had speedily collected a great army and a
numerous fleet. Earl Hakon was second in command over the whole.

Sigvat the skald came this summer (A.D. 1027) from the West, from
Ruda (Rouen) in Valland, and with him was a man called Berg.
They had made a merchant voyage there the summer before. Sigvat
had made a little poem about this journey, called "The Western
Traveller's Song," which begins thus: --

"Berg! many a merry morn was pass'd,
When our vessel was made fast,
And we lay on the glittering tide
or Rouen river's western side."

When Sigvat came to England he went directly to King Canute, and
asked his leave to proceed to Norway; for King Canute had
forbidden all merchant vessels to sail until he himself was ready
with his fleet. When Sigvat arrived he went to the house in
which the king was lodged; but the doors were locked, and he had
to stand a long time outside, but when he got admittance he
obtained the permission he desired. He then sang: --

"The way to Jutland's king I sought;
A little patience I was taught.
The doors were shut -- all full within;
The udaller could not get in.
But Gorm's great son did condescend
To his own chamber me to send,
And grant my prayer -- although I'm one
Whose arms the fetters' weight have known."

When Sigvat became aware that King Canute was equipping an
armament against King Olaf, and knew what a mighty force King
Canute had, he made these lines: --

"The mighty Canute, and Earl Hakon,
Have leagued themselves, and counsel taken
Against King Olaf's life,
And are ready for the strife.
In spite of king and earl, I say,
`I love him well -- may he get away:'
On the Fields, wild and dreary,
With him I'd live, and ne'er be weary."

Sigvat made many other songs concerning this expedition of Canute
and Hakon. He made this among others: --

"`Twas not the earl's intention then
'Twixt Olaf and the udalmen
Peace to establish, and the land
Upright to hold with Northman's hand;
But ever with deceit and lies
Eirik's descendant, Hakon, tries
To make ill-will and discontent,
Till all the udalmen are bent
Against King Olaf's rule to rise."

157. OF KING CANUTE'S SHIP THE DRAGON.

Canute the Great was at last ready with his fleet, and left the
land; and a vast number of men he had, and ships frightfully
large. He himself had a dragon-ship, so large that it had sixty
banks of rowers, and the head was gilt all over. Earl Hakon had
another dragon of forty banks, and it also had a gilt figure-
head. The sails of both were in stripes of blue, red, and green,
and the vessels were painted all above the water-stroke; and all
that belonged to their equipment was most splendid. They had
also many other huge ships remarkably well fitted out, and grand.
Sigvat the skald talks of this in his song on Canute: --

"Canute is out beneath the sky --
Canute of the clear blue eye!
The king is out on the ocean's breast,
Leading his grand fleet from the West.
On to the East the ship-masts glide,
Glancing and bright each long-ship's side.
The conqueror of great Ethelred,
Canute, is there, his foemen's dread:
His dragon with her sails of blue,
All bright and brilliant to the view,
High hoisted on the yard arms wide,
Carries great Canute o'er the tide.
Brave is the royal progress -- fast
The proud ship's keel obeys the mast,
Dashes through foam, and gains the land,
Raising a surge on Limfjord's strand."

It is related that King Canute sailed with this vast force from
England, and came with all his force safely to Denmark, where he
went into Limfjord, and there he found gathered besides a large
army of the men of the country.

158. HARDAKNUT TAKEN TO BE KING IN DENMARK.

Earl Ulf Sprakalegson had been set as protector over Denmark when
King Canute went to England, and the king had intrusted his son
Hardaknut in the earl's hands. This took place the summer before
(A.D. 1026), as we related. But the earl immediately gave it out
that King Canute had, at parting, made known to him his will and
desire that the Danes should take his son Hardaknut as king over
the Danish dominions. "On that account," says the earl, "he gave
the matter into our hands; as I, and many other chiefs and
leading men here in the country, have often complained to King
Canute of the evil consequences to the country of being without a
king, and that former kings thought it honour and power enough to
rule over the Danish kingdom alone; and in the times that are
past many kings have ruled over this kingdom. But now there are
greater difficulties than have ever been before; for we have been
so fortunate hitherto as to live without disturbance from foreign
kings, but now we hear the king of Norway is going to attack us,
to which is added the fear of the people that the Swedish king
will join him; and now King Canute is in England." The earl then
produced King Canute's letter and seal, confirming all that the
earl asserted. Many other chiefs supported this business; and in
consequence of all these persuasions the people resolved to take
Hardaknut as king, which was done at the same Thing. The Queen
Emma had been principal promoter of this determination; for she
had got the letter to be written, and provided with the seal,
having cunningly got hold of the king's signet; but from him it
was all concealed. Now when Hardaknut and Earl Ulf heard for
certain that King Olaf was come from Norway with a large army,
they went to Jutland, where the greatest strength of the Danish
kingdom lies, sent out message-tokens, and summoned to them a
great force; but when they heard the Swedish king was also come
with his army, they thought they would not have strength enough
to give battle to both, and therefore kept their army together in
Jutland, and resolved to defend that country against the kings.
The whole of their ships they assembled in Limfjord, and waited
thus for King Canute. Now when they heard that King Canute had
come from the West to Limfjord they sent men to him, and to Queen
Emma, and begged her to find out if the king was angry at them or
not, and to let them know. The queen talked over the matter with
him, and said, "Your son Hardaknut will pay the full mulct the
king may demand, if he has done anything which is thought to be
against the king." He replies, that Hardaknut has not done this
of his own judgement. "And therefore," says he, "it has turned
out as might have been expected, that when he, a child, and
without understanding, wanted to be called king, the country,
when any evil came and an enemy appeared, must be conquered by
foreign princes, if our might had not come to his aid. If he
will have any reconciliation with me let him come to me, and lay
down the mock title of king he has given himself." The queen
sent these very words to Hardaknut, and at the same time she
begged him not to decline coming; for, as she truly observed, he
had no force to stand against his father. When this message came
to Hardaknut he asked the advice of the earl and other chief
people who were with him; but it was soon found that when the
people heard King Canute the Old was arrived they all streamed to
him, and seemed to have no confidence but in him alone. Then
Earl Ulf and his fellows saw they had but two roads to take;
either to go to the king and leave all to his mercy, or to fly
the country. All pressed Hardaknut to go to his father, which
advice he followed. When they met he fell at his father's feet,
and laid his seal, which accompanied the kingly title, on his
knee. King Canute took Hardaknut by the hand, and placed him in
as high a seat as he used to sit in before. Earl UIf sent his
son Svein, who was a sister's son of King Canute, and the same
age as Hardaknut, to the king. He prayed for grace and
reconciliation for his father, and offered himself as hostage for
the earl. King Canute ordered him to tell the earl to assemble
his men and ships, and come to him, and then they would talk of
reconciliation. The earl did so.

159. FORAY IN SCANIA.

When King Olaf and King Onund heard that King Canute was come
from the West, and also that he had a vast force, they sailed
east to Scania, and allowed themselves to ravage and burn in the
districts there, and then proceeded eastward along the land to
the frontier of Sweden. As soon as the country people heard that
King Canute was come from the West, no one thought of going into
the service of the two kings.