Heimskringla

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222. OF THORGILS HALMASON.

A bonde, by name Thorgils Halmason, father to Grim the Good,
dwelt in Stiklestad farm. Thorgils offered the king his
assistance, and was ready to go into battle with him. The king
thanked him for the offer. "I would rather," says the king,
"thou shouldst not be in the fight. Do us rather the service to
take care of the people who are wounded, and to bury those who
may fall, when the battle is over. Should it happen, bonde, that
I fall in this battle, bestow the care on my body that may be
necessary, if that be not forbidden thee." Thorgils promised the
king what he desired.

223. OLAF'S SPEECH.

Now when King Olaf had drawn up his army in battle array he made
a speech, in which he told the people to raise their spirit, and
go boldly forward, if it came to a battle. "We have," says he,
"many men, and good; and although the bondes may have a somewhat
larger force than we, it is fate that rules over victory. This I
will make known to you solemnly, that I shall not fly from this
battle, but shall either be victorious over the bondes, or fall
in the fight. I will pray to God that the lot of the two may
befall me which will be most to my advantage. With this we may
encourage ourselves, that we have a more just cause than the
bondes; and likewise that God must either protect us and our
cause in this battle, or give us a far higher recompense for what
we may lose here in the world than what we ourselves could ask.
Should it be my lot to have anything to say after the battle,
then shall I reward each of you according to his service, and to
the bravery he displays in the battle; and if we gain the
victory, there must be land and movables enough to divide among
you, and which are now in the hands of your enemies. Let us at
the first make the hardest onset, for then the consequences are
soon seen. There being a great difference in the numbers, we
have to expect victory from a sharp assault only; and, on the
other hand, it will be heavy work for us to fight until we are
tired, and unable to fight longer; for we have fewer people to
relieve with than they, who can come forward at one time and
retreat and rest at another. But if we advance so hard at the
first attack that those who are foremost in their ranks must turn
round, then the one will fall over the other, and their
destruction will be the greater the greater numbers there are
together." When the king had ended his speech it was received
with loud applause, and the one encouraged the other.

224. OF THORD FOLASON.

Thord Folason carried King Olaf's banner. So says Sigvat the
skald, in the death-song which he composed about King Olaf, and
put together according to resurrection saga: --

"Thord. I have heard, by Olaf's side,
Where raged the battle's wildest tide,
Moved on, and, as by one accord
Moved with them every heart and sword.
The banner of the king on high,
Floating all splendid in the sky
From golden shaft, aloft he bore, --
The Norsemen's rallying-point of yore."

225. OF KING OLAF'S ARMOUR.

King Olaf was armed thus: -- He had a gold-mounted helmet on his
head; and had in one hand a white shield, on which the holy cross
was inlaid in gold. In his other hand he had a lance, which to
the present day stands beside the altar in Christ Church. In his
belt he had a sword, which was called Hneiter, which was
remarkably sharp, and of which the handle was worked with gold.
He had also a strong coat of ring-mail. Sigvat the skald, speaks
of this: --

"A greater victory to gain,
Olaf the Stout strode o'er the plain
In strong chain armour, aid to bring
To his brave men on either wing.
High rose the fight and battle-heat, --
the clear blood ran beneath the feet
Of Swedes, who from the East came there,
In Olaf's gain or loss to share."

226. KING OLAF'S DREAM.

Now when King Olaf had drawn up his men the army of the bondes
had not yet come near upon any quarter, so the king said the
people should sit down and rest themselves. He sat down himself,
and the people sat around him in a widespread crowd. He leaned
down, and laid his head upon Fin Arnason's knee. There a slumber
came upon him, and he slept a little while; but at the same time
the bondes' army was seen advancing with raised banners, and the
multitude of these was very great.

Then Fin awakened the king, and said that the bonde-army advanced
against them.

The king awoke, and said, "Why did you waken me, Fin, and did not
allow me to enjoy my dream?"

Fin: "Thou must not be dreaming; but rather thou shouldst be
awake, and preparing thyself against the host which is coming
down upon us; or, dost thou not see that the whole bonde-crowd is
coming?"

The king replies, "They are not yet so near to us, and it would
have been better to have let me sleep."

Then said Fin, "What was the dream, sire, of which the loss
appears to thee so great that thou wouldst rather have been left
to waken of thyself?"

Now the king told his dream, -- that he seemed to see a high
ladder, upon which he went so high in the air that heaven was
open: for so high reached the ladder. "And when you awoke me, I
was come to the highest step towards heaven."

Fin replies, "This dream does not appear to me so good as it does
to thee. I think it means that thou art fey (1); unless it be
the mere want of sleep that has worked upon thee."

ENDNOTES:
(1) Fey means doomed to die.

227. OF ARNLJOT GELLINE'S BAPTISM.

When King Olaf was arrived at Stiklestad, it happened, among
other circumstances, that a man came to him; and although it was
nowise wonderful that there came many men from the districts, yet
this must be regarded as unusual, that this man did not appear
like the other men who came to him. He was so tall that none
stood higher than up to his shoulders: very handsome he was in
countenance, and had beautiful fair hair. He was well armed; had
a fine helmet, and ring armour; a red shield; a superb sword in
his belt; and in his hand a gold-mounted spear, the shaft of it
so thick that it was a handful to grasp. The man went before the
king, saluted him, and asked if the king would accept his
services.

The king asked his name and family, also what countryman he was.

He replies, "My family is in Jamtaland and Helsingjaland, and my
name is Arnljot Gelline; but this I must not forget to tell you,
that I came to the assistance of those men you sent to Jamtaland
to collect scat, and I gave into their hands a silver dish, which
I sent you as a token that I would be your friend."

Then the king asked Arnljot if he was a Christian or not. He
replied, "My faith has been this, to rely upon my power and
strength, and which faith hath hitherto given me satisfaction;
but now I intend rather to put my faith, sire, in thee."

The king replies, "If thou wilt put faith in me thou must also
put faith in what I will teach thee. Thou must believe that
Jesus Christ has made heaven and earth, and all mankind, and to
him shall all those who are good and rightly believing go after
death."

Arnljot answers, "I have indeed heard of the white Christ, but
neither know what he proposes, nor what he rules over; but now I
will believe all that thou sayest to me, and lay down my lot in
your hands."

Thereupon Arnljot was baptized. The king taught him so much of
the holy faith as appeared to him needful, and placed him in the
front rank of the order of battle, in advance of his banner,
where also Gauka-Thorer and Afrafaste, with their men, were.

228. CONCERNING THE ARMY COLLECTED IN NORWAY.

Now shall we relate what we have left behind in our tale, -- that
the lendermen and bondes had collected a vast host as soon as it
was reported that King Olaf was come from Russia, and had arrived
in Svithjod; but when they heard that he had come to Jamtaland,
and intended to proceed westwards over the keel-ridge to Veradal,
they brought their forces into the Throndhjem country, where they
gathered together the whole people, free and unfree, and
proceeded towards Veradal with so great a body of men that there
was nobody in Norway at that time who had seen so large a force
assembled. But the force, as it usually happens in so great a
multitude, consisted of many different sorts of people. There
were many lendermen, and a great many powerful bondes; but the
great mass consisted of labourers and cottars. The chief
strength of this army lay in the Throndhjem land, and it was the
most warm in enmity and opposition to the king.

229. OF BISHOP SIGURD.

When King Canute had, as before related, laid all Norway under
his power, he set Earl Hakon to manage it, and gave the earl a
court-bishop, by name Sigurd, who was of Danish descent, and had
been long with King Canute. This bishop was of a very hot
temper, and particularly obstinate, and haughty in his speech;
but supported King Canute all he could in conversation, and was a
great enemy of King Olaf. He was now also in the bondes' army,
spoke often before the people, and urged them much to
insurrection against King Olaf.

230. BISHOP SIGURD'S SPEECH.

At a House-thing, at which a great many people were assembled,
the bishop desired to be heard, and made the following speech:
"Here are now assembled a great many men, so that probably there
will never be opportunity in this poor country of seeing so great
a native army; but it would be desirable if this strength and
multitude could be a protection; for it will all be needed, if
this Olaf does not give over bringing war and strife upon you.
From his very earliest youth he has been accustomed to plunder
and kill: for which purposes he drove widely around through all
countries, until he turned at last against this, where he began
to show hostilities against the men who were the best and most
powerful; and even against King Canute, whom all are bound to
serve according to their ability, and in whose scat-lands he set
himself down. He did the same to Olaf the Swedish king. He
drove the earls Svein and Hakon away from their heritages; and
was even most tyrannical towards his own connections, as he drove
all the kings out of the Uplands: although, indeed, it was but
just reward for having been false to their oaths of fealty to
King Canute, and having followed this King Olaf in all the folly
he could invent; so their friendship ended according to their
deserts, by this king mutilating some of them, taking their
kingdoms himself, and ruining every man in the country who had an
honourable name. Ye know yourselves how he has treated the
lendermen, of whom many of the worthlest have been murdered, and
many obliged to fly from their country; and how he has roamed far
and wide through the land with robber-bands, burning and
plundering houses, and killing people. Who is the man among us
here of any consideration who has not some great injury from him
to avenge? Now he has come hither with a foreign troop,
consisting mostly of forest-men, vagabonds, and such marauders.
Do ye think he will now be more merciful to you, when he is
roaming about with such a bad crew, after committing devastations
which all who followed him dissuaded him from? Therefore it is
now my advice, that ye remember King Canute's words when he told
you, if King Olaf attempted to return to the country ye should
defend the liberty King Canute had promised you, and should
oppose and drive away such a vile pack. Now the only thing to be
done is to advance against them, and cast forth these malefactors
to the wolves and eagles, leaving their corpses on the spot they
cover, unless ye drag them aside to out-of-the-way corners in the
woods or rocks. No man would be so imprudent as to remove them
to churches, for they are all robbers and evil-doers." When he
had ended his speech it was hailed with the loudest applause, and
all unanimously agreed to act according to his recommendation.

231. OF THE LENDERMEN.

The lendermen who had come together appointed meetings with each
other, and consulted together how they should draw up their
troops, and who should be their leader. Kalf Arnason said that
Harek of Thjotta was best fitted to be the chief of this army,
for he was descended from Harald Harfager's race. "The king also
is particularly enraged against him on account of the murder of
Grankel, and therefore he would be exposed to the severest fate
if Olaf recovered the kingdom; and Harek withal is a man
experienced in battles, and a man who does much for honour
alone."

Harek replies, that the men are best suited for this who are in
the flower of their age. "I am now," says he, "an old and
decaying man, not able to do much in battle: besides, there is
near relationship between me and King Olaf; and although he seems
not to put great value upon that tie, it would not beseem me to
go as leader of the hostilities against him, before any other in
this meeting. On the other hand, thou, Thorer, art well suited
to be our chief in this battle against King Olaf; and thou hast
distinct grounds for being so, both because thou hast to avenge
the death of thy relation, and also hast been driven by him as an
outlaw from thy property. Thou hast also promised King Canute,
as well as thy connections, to avenge the murder of thy relative
Asbjorn; and dost thou suppose there ever will be a better
opportunity than this of taking vengeance on Olaf for all these
insults and injuries?"

Thorer replies thus to his speech: "I do not confide in myself so
much as to raise the banner against King Olaf, or, as chief, to
lead on this army; for the people of Throndhjem have the greatest
part in this armament, and I know well their haughty spirit, and
that they would not obey me, or any other Halogaland man,
although I need not be reminded of my injuries to be roused to
vengeance on King Olaf. I remember well my heavy loss when King
Olaf slew four men, all distinguished both by birth and personal
qualities; namely, my brother's son Asbjorn, my sister's sons
Thorer and Grjotgard, and their father Olver; and it is my duty
to take vengeance for each man of them. I will not conceal that
I have selected eleven of my house-servants for that purpose, and
of those who are the most daring; and I do not think we shall be
behind others in exchanging blows with King Olaf, should
opportunity be given."

232. KALF ARNASON'S SPEECH.

Then Kalf Arnason desired to speak. "It is highly necessary,"
says he, "that this business we have on hand do not turn out a
mockery and child-work, now that an army is collected. Something
else is needful, if we are to stand battle with King Olaf, than
that each should shove the danger from himself; for we must
recollect that although King Olaf has not many people compared to
this army of ours, the leader of them is intrepid, and the whole
body of them will be true to him, and obedient in the battle.
But if we who should be the leaders of this army show any fear,
and will not encourage the army and go at the head of it, it must
happen that with the great body of our people the spirit will
leave their hearts, and the next thing will be that each will
seek his own safety. Although we have now a great force
assembled, we shall find our destruction certain, when we meet
King Olaf and his troops, if we, the chiefs of the people, are
not confident in our cause, and have not the whole army
confidently and bravely going along with us. If it cannot be so,
we had better not risk a battle; and then it is easy to see that
nothing would be left us but to shelter ourselves under King
Olaf's mercy, however hard it might be, as then we would be less
guilty than we now may appear to him to be. Yet I know there are
men in his ranks who would secure my life and peace if I would
seek it. Will ye now adopt my proposal -- then shalt thou,
friend Thorer, and thou, Harek, go under the banner which we will
all of us raise up, and then follow. Let us all be speedy and
determined in the resolution we have taken, and put ourselves so
at the head of the bondes' army that they see no distrust in us;
for then will the common man advance with spirit when we go
merrily to work in placing the army in battle-order, and in
encouraging the people to the strife."

When Kalf had ended they all concurred in what he proposed, and
all would do what Kalf thought of advantage. All desired Kalf to
be the leader of the army, and to give each what place in it he
chose.

233. HOW THE LENDERMEN SET UP THEIR BANNERS.

Kalf Arnason then raised his banner, and drew up his house-
servants along with Harek of Thjotta and his men. Thorer Hund,
with his troop, was at the head of the order of battle in front
of the banner; and on both sides of Thorer was a chosen body of
bondes, all of them the most active and best armed in the forces.
This part of the array was long and thick, and in it were drawn
up the Throndhjem people and the Halogalanders. On the right
wing was another array; and on the left of the main array were
drawn up the men from Rogaland, Hordaland, the Fjord districts,
and Scgn, and they had the third banner.

234. OF THORSTEIN KNARRARSMID.

There was a man called Thorstein Knarrarsmid, who was a merchant
and master ship-carpenter, stout and strong, very passionate, and
a great manslayer. He had been in enmity against King Olaf, who
had taken from him a new and large merchant-vessel he had built,
on account of some manslaughter-mulct, incurred in the course of
his misdeeds, which he owed to the king. Thorstein, who was with
the bondes' army, went forward in front of the line in which
Thorer Hund stood, and said, "Here I will be, Thorer, in your
ranks; for I think, if I and King Olaf meet, to be the first to
strive a weapon at him, if I can get so near, to repay him for
the robbery of the ship he took from me, which was the best that
ever went on merchant voyage." Thorer and his men received
Thorstein, and he went into their ranks.

235. OF THE PREPARATIONS OF THE BONDES.

When the bondes' men and array were drawn up the lendermen
addressed the men, and ordered them to take notice of the place
to which each man belonged, under which banner each should be,
who there were in front of the banner, who were his side-men, and
that they should be brisk and quick in taking up their places in
the array; for the army had still to go a long way, and the array
might be broken in the course of march. Then they encouraged the
people; and Kalf invited all the men who had any injury to avenge
on King Olaf to place themselves under the banner which was
advancing against King Olaf's own banner. They should remember
the distress he had brought upon them; and, he said, never was
there a better opportunity to avenge their grievances, and to
free themselves from the yoke and slavery he had imposed on them.
"Let him," says he, "be held a useless coward who does not fight
this day boldly; and they are not innocents who are opposed to
you, but people who will not spare you if ye spare them."

Kalf's speech was received with loud applause, and shouts of
encouragement were heard through the whole army.

236. OF THE KING'S AND THE BONDES' ARMIES.

Thereafter the bondes' army advanced to Stiklestad, where King
Olaf was already with his people. Kalf and Harek went in front,
at the head of the army under their banners. But the battle did
not begin immediately on their meeting; for the bondes delayed
the assault, because all their men were not come upon the plain,
and they waited for those who came after them. Thorer Hund had
come up with his troop the last, for he had to take care that the
men did not go off behind when the battlecry was raised, or the
armies were closing with each other; and therefore Kalf and Harek
waited for Thorer. For the encouragement of their men in the
battle the bondes had the field-cry -- "Forward, forward,
bondemen!" King Olaf also made no attack, for he waited for Dag
and the people who followed him. At last the king saw Dag and
his men approaching. It is said that the army of the bondes was
not less on this day than a hundred times a hundred men. Sigvat
the skald speaks thus of the numbers: --

"I grieve to think the king had brought
Too small a force for what he sought:
He held his gold too fast to bring
The numbers that could make him king.
The foemen, more than two to one,
The victory by numbers won;
And this alone, as I've heard say,
Against King Olaf turned the day."

237. MEETING OF THE KING AND THE BONDES.

As the armies on both sides stood so near that people knew each
other, the king said, "Why art thou here, Kalf, for we parted
good friends south in More? It beseems thee ill to fight against
us, or to throw a spear into our army; for here are four of thy
brothers."

Kalf replied, "Many things come to pass differently from what may
appear seemly. You parted from us so that it was necessary to
seek peace with those who were behind in the country. Now each
must remain where he stands; but if I might advise, we should be
reconciled."

Then Fin, his brother, answered, "This is to be observed of Kalf,
that when he speaks fairly he has it in his mind to do ill."

The king answered, "It may be, Kalf, that thou art inclined to
reconciliation; but, methinks, the bondes do not appear so
peaceful."

Then Thorgeir of Kviststad said, "You shall now have such peace
as many formerly have received at your hands, and which you shall
now pay for."

The king replies, "Thou hast no occasion to hasten so much to
meet us; for fate has not decreed to thee to-day a victory over
me, who raised thee to power and dignity from a mean station."

238. BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE OF STIKLESTAD.

Now came Thorer Hund, went forward in front of the banner with
his troop, and called out, "Forward, forward, bondemen!"
Thereupon the bondemen raised the war-cry, and shot their arrows
and spears. The king's men raised also a war-shout; and that
done, encouraged each other to advance, crying out, "Forward,
forward, Christ-men! cross-men! king's men!" When the bondes
who stood outermost on the wings heard it, they repeated the same
cry; but when the other bondes heard them they thought these were
king's men, turned their arms against them, and they fought
together, and many were slain before they knew each other. The
weather was beautiful, and the sun shone clear; but when the
battle began the heaven and the sun became red, and before the
battle ended it became as dark as at night. King Olaf had drawn
up his army upon a rising ground, and it rushed down from thence
upon the bonde-army with such a fierce assault, that the bondes'
array went before it; so that the breast of the king's array came
to stand upon the ground on which the rear of the bondes' array
had stood, and many of the bondes' army were on the way to fly,
but the lendermen and their house-men stood fast, and the battle
became very severe. So says Sigvat: --

"Thundered the ground beneath their tread,
As, iron-clad, thick-tramping, sped
The men-at-arms, in row and rank,
Past Stiklestad's sweet grassy bank.
The clank of steel, the bowstrings' twang,
The sounds of battle, loudly rang;
And bowman hurried on advancing,
Their bright helms in the sunshine glancing."

The lendermen urged their men, and forced them to advance.
Sigvat speaks of this: --

"Midst in their line their banner flies,
Thither the stoutest bonde hies:
But many a bonde thinks of home,
And many wish they ne'er had come."

Then the bonde-army pushed on from all quarters. They who stood
in front hewed down with their swords; they who stood next thrust
with their spears; and they who stood hindmost shot arrows, cast
spears, or threw stones, hand-axes, or sharp stakes. Soon there
was a great fall of men in the battle. Many were down on both
sides. In the first onset fell Arnljot Gelline, Gauka-Thorer,
and Afrafaste, with all their men, after each had killed a man or
two, and some indeed more. Now the ranks in front of the king's
banner began to be thinned, and the king ordered Thord to carry
the banner forward, and the king himself followed it with the
troop he had chosen to stand nearest to him in battle; and these
were the best armed men in the field, and the most expert in the
use of their weapons. Sigvat the skald tells of this: --

"Loud was the battle-storm there,
Where the king's banner flamed in air.
The king beneath his banner stands,
And there the battle he commands."

Olaf came forth from behind the shield-bulwark, and put himself
at the head of the army; and when the bondes looked him in the
face they were frightened, and let their hands drop. So says
Sigvat: --

"I think I saw them shrink with fear
Who would not shrink from foeman's spear,
When Olaf's lion-eye was cast
On them, and called up all the past.
Clear as the serpent's eye -- his look
No Throndhjem man could stand, but shook
Beneath its glance, and skulked away,
Knowing his king, and cursed the day."