Heimskringla

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209. KING OLAF ADVANCES TO JARNBERALAND.

Just as King Olaf began his journey the men came to him whom the
Swedish king had given, in all 400 men, and the king took the
road the Swedes showed him. He advanced upwards in the country
to the forests, and came to a district called Jarnberaland. Here
the people joined him who had come out of Norway to meet him, as
before related; and he met here his brother Harald, and many
other of his relations, and it was a joyful meeting. They made
out together 1200 men.

210. OF DAG HRINGSON.

There was a man called Dag, who is said to have been a son of
King Hring, who fled the country from King Olaf. This Hring, it
is said further, had been a son of Dag, and grandson of Hring,
Harald Harfager's son. Thus was Dag King Olaf's relative. Both
Hring the father, and Dag the son, had settled themselves in
Svithjod, and got land to rule over. In spring, when Olaf came
from the East to Svithjod, he sent a message to his relation Dag,
that he should join him in this expedition with all the force he
could collect; and if they gained the country of Norway again,
Dag should have no smaller part of the kingdom under him than his
forefathers had enjoyed. When this message came to Dag it suited
his inclination well, for he had a great desire to go to Norway
and get the dominion his family had ruled over. He was not slow,
therefore, to reply, and promised to come. Dag was a quick-
speaking, quick-resolving man, mixing himself up in everything;
eager, but of little understanding. He collected a force of
almost 1200 men, with which he joined King Olaf.

211. OF KING OLAF'S JOURNEY.

King Olaf sent a message before him to all the inhabited places
he passed through, that the men who wished to get goods and
money, and share of booty, and the lands besides which now were
in the hands of his enemies, should come to him, and follow him.
Thereafter King Olaf led his army through forests, often over
desert moors, and often over large lakes; and they dragged, or
carried the boats, from lake to lake. On the way a great many
followers joined the king, partly forest settlers, partly
vagabonds. The places at which he halted for the night are since
called Olaf's Booths. He proceeded without any break upon his
journey until he came to Jamtaland, from which he marched north
over the keel or ridge of the land. The men spread themselves
over the hamlets, and proceeded, much scattered, so long as no
enemy was expected; but always, when so dispersed, the Northmen
accompanied the king. Dag proceeded with his men on another line
of march, and the Swedes on a third with their troop.

212. OF VAGABOND-MEN.

There were two men, the one called Gauka-Thorer, the other
Afrafaste, who were vagabonds and great robbers, and had a
company of thirty men such as themselves. These two men were
larger and stronger than other men, and they wanted neither
courage nor impudence. These men heard speak of the army that
was crossing the country, and said among themselves it would be a
clever counsel to go to the king, follow him to his country, and
go with him into a regular battle, and try themselves in this
work; for they had never been in any battle in which people were
regularly drawn up in line, and they were curious to see the
king's order of battle. This counsel was approved of by their
comrades, and accordingly they went to the road on which King
Olaf was to pass. When they came there they presented themselves
to the king, with their followers, fully armed. They saluted
him, and he asked what people they were. They told their names,
and said they were natives of the place; and told their errand,
and that they wished to go with the king. The king said, it
appeared to him there was good help in such folks. "And I have a
great inclination," said he, "to take such; but are ye Christian
men?"

Gauka-Thorer replies, that he is neither Christian nor heathen.
"I and my comrades have no faith but on ourselves, our strength,
and the luck of victory; and with this faith we slip through
sufficiently well."

The king replies, "A great pity it is that such brave
slaughtering fellows did not believe in Christ their Creator."

Thorer replies, "Is there any Christian man, king, in thy
following, who stands so high in the air as we two brothers?"

The king told them to let themselves be baptized, and to accept
the true faith. "Follow me then, and I will advance you to great
dignities; but if ye will not do so, return to your former
vocation."

Afrafaste said he would not take on Christianity, and he turned
away.

Then said Gauka-Thorer, "It is a great shame that the king drives
us thus away from his army, and I never before came where I was
not received into the company of other people, and I shall never
return back on this account." They joined accordingly the rear
with other forest-men, and followed the troops. Thereafter the
king proceeded west up to the keel-ridge of the country.

213. OF KING OLAF'S VISION.

Now when King Olaf, coming from the east, went over the keel-
ridge and descended on the west side of the mountain, where it
declines towards the sea, he could see from thence far over the
country. Many people rode before the king and many after, and he
himself rode so that there was a free space around him. He was
silent, and nobody spoke to him, and thus he rode a great part of
the day without looking much about him. Then the bishop rode up
to him, asked him why he was so silent, and what he was thinking
of; for, in general, he was very cheerful, and very talkative on
a journey to his men, so that all who were near him were merry.
The king replied, full of thought, "Wonderful things have come
into my mind a while ago. As I just now looked over Norway, out
to the west from the mountains, it came into my mind how many
happy days I have had in that land. It appeared to me at first
as if I saw over all the Throndhjem country, and then over all
Norway; and the longer this vision was before my eyes the
farther, methought, I saw, until I looked over the whole wide
world, both land and sea. Well I know the places at which I have
been in former days; some even which I have only heard speak of,
and some I saw of which I had never heard, both inhabited and
uninhabited, in this wide world." The bishop replied that this
was a holy vision, and very remarkable.

214. OF THE MIRACLE ON THE CORN LAND.

When the king had come lower down on the mountain, there lay a
farm before him called Sula, on the highest part of Veradal
district; and as they came nearer to the house the corn-land
appeared on both sides of the path. The king told his people to
proceed carefully, and not destroy the corn to the bondes. The
people observed this when the king was near; but the crowd behind
paid no attention to it, and the people ran over the corn, so
that it was trodden flat to the earth. There dwelt a bonde there
called Thorgeir Flek, who had two sons nearly grown up. Thorgeir
received the king and his people well, and offered all the
assistance in his power. The king was pleased with his offer,
and asked Thorgeir what was the news of the country, and if any
forces were assembled against him. Thorgeir says that a great
army was drawn together in the Throndhjem country, and that there
were some lendermen both from the south of the country, and from
Halogaland in the north; "but I do not know," says he. "if they
are intended against you, or going elsewhere." Then he
complained to the king of the damage and waste done him by the
people breaking and treading down all his corn fields. The king
said it was ill done to bring upon him any loss. Then the king
rode to where the corn had stood, and saw it was laid flat on the
earth; and he rode round the field, and said, "I expect, bonde,
that God will repair thy loss, so that the field, within a week,
will be better;" and it proved the best of the corn, as the king
had said. The king remained all night there, and in the morning
he made himself ready, and told Thorgeir the bonde to accompany
him and Thorgear offered his two sons also for the journey; and
although the king said that he did not want them with him, the
lads would go. As they would not stay behind, the king's court-
men were about binding them; but the king seeing it said, "Let
them come with us; the lads will come safe back again." And it
was with the lads as the king foretold.

215. OF THE BAPTISM OF THE VAGABOND FOREST-MEN.

Thereafter the army advanced to Staf, and when the king reached
Staf's moor he halted. There he got the certain information that
the bondes were advancing with an army against him, and that he
might soon expect to have a battle with them. He mustered his
force here, and, after reckoning them up, found there were in
the army 900 heathen men, and when he came to know it he ordered
them to allow themselves to be baptized, saying that he would
have no heathens with him in battle. "We must not," says he,
"put our confidence in numbers, but in God alone must we trust;
for through his power and favour we must be victorious, and I
will not mix heathen people with my own." When the heathens
heard this, they held a council among themselves, and at last 400
men agreed to be baptized; but 500 men refused to adopt
Christianity, and that body returned home to their land. Then
the brothers Gauka-Thorer and Afrafaste presented themselves to
the king, and offered again to follow him. The king asked if
they had now taken baptism. Gauka-Thorer replied that they had
not. Then the king ordered them to accept baptism and the true
faith, or otherwise to go away. They stepped aside to talk with
each other on what resolution they should take. Afrafaste said,
"To give my opinion, I will not turn back, but go into the
battle, and take a part on the one side or the other; and I don't
care much in which army I am." Gauka-Thorer replies, "If I go
into battle I will give my help to the king, for he has most need
of help. And if I must believe in a God, why not in the white
Christ as well as in any other? Now it is my advice, therefore,
that we let ourselves be baptized, since the king insists so much
upon it, and then go into the battle with him." They all agreed
to this, and went to the king, and said they would receive
baptism. Then they were baptized by a priest, and the baptism
was confirmed by the bishop. The king then took them into the
troop of his court-men, and said they should fight under his
banner in the battle.

216. KING OLAF'S SPEECH.

King Olaf got certain intelligence now that it would be but a
short time until he had a battle with the bondes; and after he
had mustered his men, and reckoned up the force, he had more than
3000 men, which appears to be a great army in one field. Then
the king made the following speech to the people: "We have a
great army, and excellent troops; and now I will tell you, my
men, how I will have our force drawn up. I will let my banner go
forward in the middle of the army, and my-court-men, and
pursuivants shall follow it, together with the war forces that
joined us from the Uplands, and also those who may come to us
here in the Throndhjem land. On the right hand of my banner
shall be Dag Hringson, with all the men he brought to our aid;
and he shall have the second banner. And on the left hand of our
line shall the men be whom the Swedish king gave us, together
with all the people who came to us in Sweden; and they shall have
the third banner. I will also have the people divide themselves
into distinct flocks or parcels, so that relations and
acquaintances should be together; for thus they defend each other
best, and know each other. We will have all our men
distinguished by a mark, so as to be a field-token upon their
helmets and shields, by painting the holy cross thereupon with
white colour. When we come into battle we shall all have one
countersign and field-cry, -- `Forward, forward, Christian men!
cross men! king's men!' We must draw up our meal in thinner
ranks, because we have fewer people, and I do not wish to let
them surround us with their men. Now let the men divide
themselves into separate flocks, and then each flock into ranks;
then let each man observe well his proper place, and take notice
what banner he is drawn up under. And now we shall remain drawn
up in array; and our men shall be fully armed, night and day,
until we know where the meeting shall be between us and the
bondes." When the king had finished speaking, the army arrayed,
and arranged itself according to the king's orders.

217. KING OLAF'S COUNSEL.

Thereafter the king had a meeting with the chiefs of the
different divisions, and then the men had returned whom the king
had sent out into the neighbouring districts to demand men from
the bondes. They brought the tidings from the inhabited places
they had gone through, that all around the country was stripped
of all men able to carry arms, as all the people had joined the
bondes' army; and where they did find any they got but few to
follow them, for the most of them answered that they stayed at
home because they would not follow either party: they would not
go out against the king, nor yet against their own relations.
Thus they had got but few people. Now the king asked his men
their counsel, and what they now should do. Fin Arnason answered
thus to the king's question: "I will say what should be done, if
I may advise. We should go with armed hand over all the
inhabited places, plunder all the goods, and burn all the
habitations, and leave not a hut standing, and thus punish the
bondes for their treason against their sovereign. I think many a
man will then cast himself loose from the bondes' army, when he
sees smoke and flame at home on his farm, and does not know how
it is going with children, wives. or old men, fathers, mothers,
and other connections. I expect also," he added, "that if we
succeed in breaking the assembled host, their ranks will soon be
thinned; for so it is with the bondes, that the counsel which is
the newest is always the dearest to them all, and most followed."
When Fin had ended his speech it met with general applause; for
many thought well of such a good occasion to make booty, and all
thought the bondes well deserved to suffer damage; and they also
thought it probable, what Fin said, that many would in this way
be brought to forsake the assembled army of the bondes.

Now when the king heard the warm expressions of his people he
told them to listen to him, and said, "The bondes have well
deserved that it should be done to them as ye desire. They also
know that I have formerly done so, burning their habitations, and
punishing them severely in many ways; but then I proceeded
against them with fire and sword because they rejected the true
faith, betook themselves to sacrifices, and would not obey my
commands. We had then God's honour to defend. But this treason
against their sovereign is a much less grievous crime, although
it does not become men who have any manhood in them to break the
faith and vows they have sworn to me. Now, however, it is more
in my power to spare those who have dealt ill with me, than those
whom God hated. I will, therefore, that my people proceed
gently, and commit no ravage. First, I will proceed to meet the
bondes; if we can then come to a reconciliation, it is well; but
if they will fight with us, then there are two things before us;
either we fail in the battle, and then it will be well advised
not to have to retire encumbered with spoil and cattle; or we
gain the victory, and then ye will be the heirs of all who fight
now against us; for some will fall, and others will fly, but both
will have forfeited their goods and properties, and then it will
be good to enter into full houses and well-stocked farms; but
what is burnt is of use to no man, and with pillage and force
more is wasted than what turns to use. Now we will spread out
far through the inhabited places, and take with us all the men we
can find able to carry arms. Then men will also capture cattle
for slaughter, or whatever else of provision that can serve for
food; but not do any other ravage. But I will see willingly that
ye kill any spies of the bonde army ye may fall in with. Dag and
his people shall go by the north side down along the valley, and
I will go on along the country road, and so we shall meet in the
evening, and all have one night quarter."

218. OF KING OLAF'S SKALDS.

It is related that when King Olaf drew up his men in battle
order, he made a shield rampart with his troop that should defend
him in battle, for which he selected the strongest and boldest.
Thereafter he called his skalds, and ordered them to go in within
the shield defence. "Ye shall." says the king, "remain here, and
see the circumstances which may take place, and then ye will not
have to follow the reports of others in what ye afterwards tell
or sing concerning it." There were Thormod Kolbrunarskald,
Gissur Gulbraskald, a foster-son of Hofgardaref, and Thorfin Mun.
Then said Thormod to Gissur, "Let us not stand so close together,
brother, that Sigvat the skald should not find room when he
comes. He must stand before the king, and the king will not have
it otherwise." The king heard this, and said, "Ye need not sneer
at Sigvat, because he is not here. Often has he followed me
well, and now he is praying for us, and that we greatly need."
Thormod replies, "It may be, sire, that ye now require prayers
most; but it would be thin around the banner-staff if all thy
court-men were now on the way to Rome. True it was what we spoke
about, that no man who would speak with you could find room for
Sigvat."

Thereafter the skalds talked among themselves that it would be
well to compose a few songs of remembrance about the events which
would soon be taking place.

Then Gissur sang: --

"From me shall bende girl never hear
A thought of sorrow, care, or fear:
I wish my girl knew how gay
We arm us for our viking fray.
Many and brave they are, we know,
Who come against us there below;
But, life or death, we, one and all,
By Norway's king will stand or fall."

And Thorfin Mun made another song, viz.: --

"Dark is the cloud of men and shields,
Slow moving up through Verdal's fields:
These Verdal folks presume to bring
Their armed force against their king.
On! let us feed the carrion crow, --
Give her a feast in every blow;
And, above all, let Throndhjem's hordes
Feel the sharp edge of true men's swords."

And Thorrood sang: --

"The whistling arrows pipe to battle,
Sword and shield their war-call rattle.
Up! brave men, up! the faint heart here
Finds courage when the danger's near.
Up! brave men, up! with Olaf on!
With heart and hand a field is won.
One viking cheer! -- then, stead of words,
We'll speak with our death-dealing swords."

These songs were immediately got by heart by the army.

219. OF KING OLAF'S GIFTS FOR THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO SHOULD BE
SLAIN.

Thereafter the king made himself ready, and marched down through
the valley. His whole forces took up their night-quarter in one
place, and lay down all night under their shields; but as soon as
day broke the king again put his army in order, and that being
done they proceeded down through the valley. Many bondes then
came to the king, of whom the most joined his army; and all, as
one man, told the same tale, -- that the lendermen had collected
an enormous army, with which they intended to give battle to the
king.

The king took many marks of silver, and delivered them into the
hands of a bonde, and said, "This money thou shalt conceal, and
afterwards lay out, some to churches, some to priests, some to
alms-men, -- as gifts for the life and souls of those who fight
against us, and may fall in battle."

The bonde replies, "Should you not rather give this money for the
soul-mulct of your own men?"

The king says, "This money shall be given for the souls of those
who stand against us in the ranks of the bondes' army, and fall
by the weapons of our own men. The men who follow us to battle,
and fall therein, will all be saved together with ourself."

220. OF THORMOD KOLBRUNARSKALD.

This night the king lay with his army around him on the field, as
before related, and lay long awake in prayer to God, and slept
but little. Towards morning a slumber fell on him, and when he
awoke daylight was shooting up. The king thought it too early to
awaken the army, and asked where Thormod the skald was. Thormod
was at hand, and asked what was the king's pleasure. "Sing us a
song," said the king. Thormod raised himself up, and sang so
loud that the whole army could hear him. He began to sing the
old "Bjarkamal", of which these are the first verses: --

"The day is breaking, --
The house cock, shaking
His rustling wings,
While priest-bell rings,
Crows up the morn,
And touting horn
Wakes thralls to work and weep;
Ye sons of Adil, cast off sleep,
Wake up! wake up!
Nor wassail cup,
Nor maiden's jeer,
Awaits you here.
Hrolf of the bow!
Har of the blow!
Up in your might! the day is breaking;
'Tis Hild's game (1) that bides your waking."

Then the troops awoke, and when the song was ended the people
thanked him for it; and it pleased many, as it was suitable to
the time and occasion, and they called it the house-carle's whet.
The king thanked him for the pleasure, and took a gold ring that
weighed half a mark and gave it him. Thormod thanked the king
for the gift, and said, "We have a good king; but it is not easy
to say how long the king's life may be. It is my prayer, sire,
that thou shouldst never part from me either in life or death."
The king replies, "We shall all go together so long as I rule,
and as ye will follow me."

Thormod says, "I hope, sire, that whether in safety or danger I
may stand near you as long as I can stand, whatever we may hear
of Sigvat travelling with his gold-hilted sword." Then Thormod
made these lines: --

"To thee, my king, I'll still be true,
Until another skald I view,
Here in the field with golden sword,
As in thy hall, with flattering word.
Thy skald shall never be a craven,
Though he may feast the croaking raven,
The warrior's fate unmoved I view, --
To thee, my king, I'll still be true."

ENDNOTES:
(1) Hild's game is the battle, from the name of the war-goddess
Hild. -- L.

221. KING OLAF COMES TO STIKLESTAD.

King O1af led his army farther down through the valley, and Dag
and his men went another way, and the king did not halt until he
came to Stiklestad. There he saw the bonde army spread out all
around; and there were so great numbers that people were going on
every footpath, and great crowds were collected far and near.
They also saw there a troop which came down from Veradal, and had
been out to spy. They came so close to the king's people that
they knew each other. It was Hrut of Viggia, with thirty men.
The king ordered his pursuivants to go out against Hrut, and make
an end of him, to which his men were instantly ready. The king
said to the Icelanders, "It is told me that in Iceland it is the
custom that the bondes give their house-servants a sheep to
slaughter; now I give you a ram to slaughter (1). The Icelanders
were easily invited to this, and went out immediately with a few
men against Hrut, and killed him and the troop that followed him.
When the king came to Stiklestad he made a halt, and made the
army stop, and told his people to alight from their horses and
get ready for battle; and the people did as the king ordered.
Then he placed his army in battle array, and raised his banner.
Dag was not yet arrived with his men, so that his wing of the
battle array was wanting. Then the king said the Upland men
should go forward in their place, and raise their banner there.
"It appears to me advisable," says the king, "that Harald my
brother should not be in the battle, for he is still in the years
of childhood only." Harald replies, "Certainly I shall be in the
battle, for I am not so weak that I cannot handle the sword; and
as to that, I have a notion of tying the sword-handle to my hand.
None is more willing than I am to give the bondes a blow; so I
shall go with my comrades." It is said that Harald made these
lines: --

"Our army's wing, where I shall stand,
I will hold good with heart and hand;
My mother's eye shall joy to see
A battered, blood-stained shield from me.
The brisk young skald should gaily go
Into the fray, give blow for blow,
Cheer on his men, gain inch by inch,
And from the spear-point never flinch."

Harald got his will, and was allowed to be in the battle.

ENDNOTES:
(1) Hrut means a young ram. -- L.