Heimskringla

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Peter, a son of Saudaulf, who was afterwards called Peter
Byrdarsvein, bore King Sigurd to the Thing. Then the king said,
"Ye must know that, if I am to advise, I will go as soon as
possible to my brother King Inge." Then others spoke, one after
the other; but although each began his speech in his own way, he
ended with agreeing to what Ottar Birting had proposed; and it
was determined to call together the war-forces, and go to the
east part of the country. King Sigurd accordingly went with
great armament east to Viken, and there he met his brother King
Inge.

10. FALL OF MAGNUS THE BLIND.

The same autumn (A.D. 1139) Sigurd Slembe and Magnus the Blind
came from Denmark with thirty ships, manned both with Danes and
Northmen. It was near to winter. When the kings heard of this,
they set out with their people eastwards to meet them. They met
at Hvalar, near Holm the Grey, the day after Martinmas, which was
a Sunday. King Inge and King Sigurd had twenty ships, which were
all large. There was a great battle; but, after the first
assault, the Danes fled home to Denmark with eighteen ships. On
this Sigurd's and Magnus's ships were cleared; and as the last
was almost entirely bare of men, and Magnus was lying in his bed,
Hreidar Griotgardson, who had long followed him, and been his
courtman, took King Magnus in his arms, and tried to run with him
on board some other ship. But Hreidar was struck by a spear,
which went between his shoulders; and people say King Magnus was
killed by the same spear. Hreidar fell backwards upon the deck,
and Magnus upon him; and every man spoke of how honourably he had
followed his master and rightful sovereign. Happy are they who
have such praise! There fell, on King Magnus's ship, Lodin
Saupprud of Linustadar, Bruse Thormodson; and the forecastle-men
to Sigurd Slembidjakn, Ivar Kolbeinson and Halyard Faeger, who
had been in Sigurd Slembe's fore-hold. This Ivar had been the
first who had gone in, in the night, to King Harald, and had laid
hands on him. There fell a great number of the men of King
Magnus and Sigurd Slembe, for Inge's men let not a single one
escape if they got hold of him; but only a few are named here.
They killed upon a holm more than forty men, among whom were two
Icelanders -- the priest Sigurd Bergthorson, a grandson of Mas;
the other Clemet, a son of Are Einarson. But three Icelanders
obtained their lives: namely, Ivar Skrauthanke, a son of Kalf
Range, and who afterwards was bishop of Throndhjem, and was
father of the archbishop Eirik. Ivar had always followed King
Magnus, and he escaped into his brother Jon Kauda's ship. Jon
was married to Cecilia, a daughter of Gyrd Bardson, and was then
in King Inge's and Sigurd's armament. There were three in all
who escaped on board of Jon's ship. The second was Arnbjorn
Ambe, who afterwards married Thorstein's daughter in Audsholt;
the third was Ivar Dynta, a son of Stare, but on the mother's
side of a Throndhjem family, -- a very agreeable man. When the
troops came to know that these three were on board his ship, they
took their weapons and assaulted the vessel, and some blows were
exchanged, and the whole fleet had nearly come to a fight among
themselves; but it came to an agreement, so that Jon ransomed his
brothers Ivar and Arnbjorn for a fixed sum in ransom, which,
however, was afterwards remitted. But Ivar Dynta was taken to
the shore, and beheaded; for Sigurd and Gyrd, the sons of
Kolbein, would not take any mulct for him, as they knew he had
been at their brother Beintein's murder. Ivar the bishop said,
that never was there anything that touched him so nearly, as
Ivar's going to the shore under the axe, and turning to the
others with the wish that they might meet in joy here-after.
Gudrid Birger's daughter, a sister of Archbishop Jon, told Eirik
Odson that she heard Bishop Ivar say this.

11. SIGURD SLEMBE TAKEN PRISONER.

A man called Thrand Gialdkere was the steersman of King Inge's
ship. It was come so far, that Inge's men were rowing in small
boats between the ships after those who were swimming in the
water, and killed those they could get hold of. Sigurd Slembe
threw himself overboard after his ship had lost her crew,
stripped off his armour under the water, and then swam with his
shield over him. Some men from Thrand's vessel took prisoner a
man who was swimming, and were about to kill him; but he begged
his life, and offered to tell them where Sigurd Slembe was, and
they agreed to it. Shields and spears, dead men, weapons, and
clothes, were floating all around on the sea about the ships, "Ye
can see," said he, "a red shield floating on the water; he is
under it." They rowed to it immediately, took him, and brought
him on board of Thrand's ship. Thrand then sent a message to
Thjostolf, Ottar, and Amunde. Sigurd Slembe had a tinder box on
him; and the tinder was in a walnut-shell, around which there was
wax. This is related, because it seems an ingenious way of
preserving it from ever getting wet. He swam with a shield over
him, because nobody could know one shield from another where so
many were floating about; and they would never have hit upon him,
if they had not been told where he was. When Thrand came to the
land with Sigurd, and it was told to the troops that he was
taken, the army set up a shout of joy. When Sigurd heard it he
said, "Many a bad man will rejoice over my head this day." Then
Thjostolf Alason went to where Sigurd was sitting, struck from
his head a silk hat with silver fringes, and said. "Why wert thou
so impudent, thou son of a slave! to dare to call thyself King
Magnus Barefoot's son?"

Sigurd replied, "Presume not to compare my father to a slave; for
thy father was of little worth compared to mine."

Hal, a son of the doctor Thorgeir Steinson, King Inge's court-
man, was present at this circumstance, and told it to Eirik
Odson, who afterwards wrote these relations in a book, which he
called "Hryggjarstykke". In this book is told all concerning
Harald Gille and his sons, and Magnus the Blind, and Sigurd
Slembidjakn, until their deaths. Eirik was a sensible man, who
was long in Norway about that time. Some of his narratives he
wrote down from Hakon Mage's account; some were from lendermen of
Harald's sons, who along with his sons were in all this feud, and
in all the councils. Eirik names, moreover, several men of
understanding and veracity, who told him these accounts, and were
so near that they saw or heard all that happened. Something he
wrote from what he himself had heard or seen.

12. TORTURE OF SIGURD SLEMBE.

Hal says that the chiefs wished to have Sigurd killed instantly;
but the men who were the most cruel, and thought they had
injuries to avenge, advised torturing him; and for this they
named Beintein's brothers, Sigurd and Gyrd, the sons of Kolbein.
Peter Byrdarsvein would also avenge his brother Fin. But the
chiefs and the greater part of the people went away. They broke
his shin-bones and arms with an axe-hammer. Then they stripped
him, and would flay him alive; but when they tried to take off
the skin, they could not do it for the gush of blood. They took
leather whips and flogged him so long, that the skin was as much
taken off as if he had been flayed. Then they stuck a piece of
wood in his back until it broke, dragged him to a tree and hanged
him; and then cut off his head, and brought the body and head to
a heap of stones and buried them there. All acknowledge, both
enemies and friends, that no man in Norway, within memory of the
living, was more gifted with all perfections, or more
experienced, than Sigurd, but in some respects he was an unlucky
man. Hal says that he spoke little, and answered only a few, and
in single words, under his tortures, although they spoke to him.
Hal says further, that he never moved when they tortured him,
more than if they were striking a stock or a stone. This Hal
alleged as proof that he was a brave hero, who had courage to
endure tortures; for he still held his tongue, and never moved
from the spot. And farther he says, that he never altered his
voice in the least, but spoke with as much ease as if he was
sitting at the ale-table; neither speaking higher nor lower, nor
in a more tremulous voice than he was used to do. He spoke until
he gave up the ghost, and sang between whiles parts of the Psalm-
book, and which Hal considered beyond the powers and strength of
ordinary men. And the priest who had the church in the
neighbourhood let Sigurd's body be transported thither to the
church. This priest was a friend of Harald's sons: but when they
heard it they were angry at him, had the body carried back to
where it had been, and made the priest pay a fine. Sigurd's
friends afterwards came from Denmark with a ship for his body,
carried it to Alaborg, and interred it in Mary church in that
town. So said Dean Ketil, who officiated as priest at Mary
church, to Eirik; and that Sigurd was buried there. Thjostolf
Alason transported Magnus the Blind's body to Oslo, and buried it
in Halvard's church, beside King Sigurd his father. Lodin
Saupprud was transported to Tunsberg; but the others of the slain
were buried on the spot.

13. EYSTEIN HARALDSON COMES TO NORWAY.

When the kings Sigurd and Inge had ruled over Norway about six
years, Eystein, who was a son of Harald Gille, came in spring
from Scotland (A.D. 1142). Arne Sturla, Thorleif Brynjolfson,
and Kolbein Hruga had sailed westward over the sea after Eystein,
accompanied him to Norway, and sailed immediately with him to
Throndhjem. The Throndhjem people received him well; and at the
Eyra-thing of Ascension-day he was chosen king, so that he should
have the third part of Norway with his brothers Sigurd and Inge.
They were at this time in the east part of the country; and men
went between the kings who brought about a peace, and that
Eystein should have a third part of the kingdom. People believed
what he said of his paternal descent, because King Harald himself
had testified to it, and he did not resort to the ordeal of iron.
King Eystein's mother was called Bjadok, and she followed him to
Norway. Magnus was the name of King Harald Gille's fourth son,
who was fostered by Kyrpingaorm. He also was chosen king, and
got a fourth part of the country; but Magnus was deformed in his
feet, lived but a short time, and died in his bed. Einar
Skulason speaks of them: --

"The generous Eystein money gave;
Sigurd in fight was quick and brave;
Inge loved well the war-alarm;
Magnus to save his land from harm.
No country boasts a nobler race
The battle-field, or Thing, to grace.
Four brothers of such high pretence
The sun ne'er shone upon at once."

14. MURDER OF OTTAR BIRTING.

After King Harald Gille's death Queen Ingerid married Ottar
Birting, who was a lendermen and a great chief, and of a
Throndhjem family, who strengthened King Inge's government much
while he was in his childhood. King Sigurd was not very friendly
to Ottar; because, as he thought, Ottar always took King Inge's
side. Ottar Birting was killed north in the merchant town
(Nidaros), in an assault upon him in the twilight as he was going
to the evening song. When he heard the whistling of the blow he
held up his cloak with his hands against it; thinking, no doubt,
it was a snowball thrown at him, as young boys do in the streets.
Ottar fell by the stroke; but his son, Alf Hrode, who just at the
same moment was coming into the churchyard, saw his father's
fall, and saw that the man who had killed him ran east about the
church. Alf ran after him, and killed him at the corner of the
choir; and people said that he had good luck in avenging his
father, and afterwards was much more respected than he had been
before.

15. BEGINNING OF KING EYSTEIN.

King Eystein Haraldson was in the interior of the Throndhjem
district when he heard of Ottar's murder, and summoned to him the
bonde-army, with which he proceeded to the town; and he had many
men. Ottar's relations and other friends accused King Sigurd,
who was in the town, of having instigated this deed; and the
bondes were much enraged against him. But the king offered to
clear himself by the ordeal of iron, and thereby to establish the
truth of his denial; and accordingly a peace was made. King
Sigurd went to the south end of the country, and the ordeal was
never afterwards heard of.

16. BEGINNING OF ORM THE KING-BROTHER.

Queen Ingerid had a son to Ivar Sneis, and he was called Orm, and
got the surname of King-brother. He was a handsome man in
appearance, and became a great chief, as shall be told hereafter.
Ingerid afterwards married Arne of Stodreim, who was from this
called King's-mate; and their children were Inge, Nikolas, Philip
of Herdla, and Margaret, who was first married to Bjorn Buk, and
afterwards to Simon Karason.

17. JOURNEY OF ERLING SKAKKE AND EARL RAGNVALD.

Kyrpingaorm and Ragnhild, a daughter of Sveinke Steinarson, had a
son called Erling. Kyrpingaorm was a son of Svein Sveinson, who
was a son of Erling of Gerd. Otto's mother was Ragna, a daughter
of Earl Orm Eilifson and Sigrid, a daughter of Earl Fin Arnason.
The mother of Earl Orm was Ragnhild, a daughter of Earl Hakon the
Great. Erling was a man of understanding, and a great friend of
King Inge, by whose assistance and counsel Erling obtained in
marriage Christina, a daughter of King Sigurd the Crusader and
Queen Malmfrid. Erling possessed a farm at Studla in South
Hordaland. Erling left the country; and with him went Eindride
Unge and several lendermen, who had chosen men with them. They
intended to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and went across the
West sea to Orkney. There Earl Ragnvald and Bishop William
joined them; and they had in all fifteen ships from Orkney, with
which they first sailed to the South Hebrides, from thence west
to Valland, and then the same way King Sigurd the Crusader had
sailed to Norvasund; and they plundered all around in the heathen
part of Spain. Soon after they had sailed through the Norvasund,
Eindride Unge and his followers, with six ships, separated from
them; and then each was for himself. Earl Ragnvald and Erling
Skakke fell in with a large ship of burden at sea called a
dromund, and gave battle to it with nine ships. At last they
laid their cutters close under the dromund; but the heathens
threw both weapons and stones, and pots full of pitch and boiling
oil. Erling laid his ship so close under the dromund, that the
missiles of the heathens fell without his ship. Then Erling and
his men cut a hole in the dromund, some working below and some
above the water-mark; and so they boarded the vessel through it.
So says Thorbjorn Skakkaskald, in his poem on Erling: --

"The axes of the Northmen bold
A door into the huge ships' hold
Hewed through her high and curved side,
As snug beneath her bulge they ride.
Their spears bring down the astonished foe,
Who cannot see from whence the blow.
The eagle's prey, they, man by man,
Fall by the Northmen's daring plan."

Audunraude, Erling's forecastle-man, was the first man who got
into the dromund. Then they carried her, killing an immense
number of people; making an extraordinarily valuable booty, and
gaining a famous victory. Earl Ragnvald and Erling Skakke came
to Palestine in the course of their expedition, and all the way
to the river Jordan. From thence they went first to
Constantinople, where they left their ships, travelled northwards
by land, and arrived in safety in Norway, where their journey was
highly praised. Erling Skakke appeared now a much greater man
than before, both on account of his journey and of his marriage;
besides he was a prudent sensible man, rich, of great family,
eloquent, and devoted to King Inge by the strictest friendship
more than to the other royal brothers.

18. BIRTH OF HAKON HERDEBREID.

King Sigurd went to a feast east in Viken along with his court,
and rode past a house belonging to a great bonde called Simon.
While the king was riding past the house, he heard within such
beautiful singing that he was quite enchanted with it, and rode
up to the house, and saw a lovely girl standing at the handmill
and grinding. The king got off his horse, and went to the girl
and courted her. When the king went away, the bonde Simon came
to know what the object of the king's visit had been. The girl
was called Thora, and she was Simon the bonde's servant-girl.
Simon took good care of her afterwards, and the girl brought
forth a male child (A.D. 1047), who was called Hakon, and was
considered King Sigurd's son. Hakon was brought up by Simon
Thorbergson and his wife Gunhild. Their own sons also, Onund and
Andreas, were brought up with Hakon, and were so dear to him that
death only could have parted them.

19. EYSTEIN AND THE PEASANTS OF HISING ISLE.

While King Eystein Haraldson was in Viken, he fell into disputes
with the bondes of Reine and the inhabitants of Hising Isle, who
assembled to oppose him; but he gave them battle at a place
called Leikberg, and afterwards burnt and destroyed all around in
Hising; so that the bondes submitted to his will, paid great
fines to the king, and he took hostages from them. So says Einar
Skulason: --

"The Viken men
Won't strive again,
With words or blows,
The king to oppose.
None safety found
On Viken's ground,
Till all, afraid,
Pledge and scat paid."

And further: --

"The king came near;
He who is dear
To all good men
Came down the glen,
By Leikberg hill.
They who do ill,
The Reine folk, fly
Or quarter cry."

20. WAR EXPEDITION OF KING HARALDSON.

Soon after King Eystein began his journey out of the country over
sea to the West (A.D. 1153), and sailed first to Caithness. Here
he heard that Earl Harald Maddad's son was in Thursa, to which he
sailed directly in three small boats. The earl had a ship of
thirty banks of oars, and nearly eighty men in her. But they
were not prepared to make resistance, so that King Eystein was
able to board the ship with his men; and he took the earl
prisoner, and carried him to his own ship, but the earl ransomed
himself with three marks of gold: and thus they parted. Einar
Skulason tells of it thus: --

"Earl Harald in his stout ship lay
On the bright sand in Thursa bay;
With fourscore men he had no fear,
Nor thought the Norse king was so near,
He who provides the eagle's meals
In three small boats along-shore steals;
And Maddad's son must ransom pay
For his bad outlook that fair day."

From thence King Eystein sailed south along the east side of
Scotland, and brought up at a merchant-town in Scotland called
Aberdeen, where he killed many people, and plundered the town.
So says Einar Skulason: --

"At Aberdeen, too, I am told,
Fell many by our Norsemen bold;
Peace was disturbed, and blue swords broke
With many a hard and bloody stroke."

The next battle was at Hartlepool in the south, with a party of
horsemen. The king put them to flight, and seized some ships
there. So says Einar: --

"At Hartlepool, in rank and row,
The king's court-men attack the foe.
The king's sharp sword in blood was red,
Blood dropped from every Norse spear-head.
Ravens rejoice o'er the warm food
Of English slain, each where he stood;
And in the ships their thirst was quenched:
The decks were in the foe's blood drenched."

Then he went southwards to England, and had his third battle at
Whitby, and gained the victory, and burnt the town. So says
Einar: --

"The ring of swords, the clash of shields,
Were loud in Whitby's peaceful fields;
For here the king stirred up the strife. --
Man against man, for death or life.
O'er roof and tower, rose on high
The red wrath-fire in the sky;
House after house the red fiend burns;
By blackened walls the poor man mourns."

Thereafter he plundered wide around in England, where Stephen was
then the king. After this King Eystein fought with some cavalry
at Skarpasker. So says Einar: --

"At Skarpasker the English horse
Retire before the Norse king's force:
The arrow-shower like snow-drift flew,
And the shield-covered foemen slew."

He fought next at Pilavik, and gained the victory. So says
Einar: --

"At Pilavik the wild wolf feeds,
Well furnished by the king's brave deeds
He poured upon the grass-green plain
A red shower from the Perthmen slain.
On westwards in the sea he urges,
With fire and sword the country purges:
Langtown he burns; the country rang,
For sword on shield incessant clang."

Here they burnt Langatun, a large village; and people say that
the town has never since risen to its former condition. After
this King Eystein left England in autumn, and returned to Norway.
People spoke in various ways about this expedition.

21. OF HARALD'S SONS.

There was good peace maintained in Norway in the first years of
the government of Harald's sons; and as long as their old
counsellors were alive, there was some kind of unanimity among
them. While Inge and Sigurd were in their childhood, they had a
court together; but Eystein, who was come to age of discretion,
had a court for himself. But when Inge's and Sigurd's
counsellors were dead, -- namely, Sadagyrd Bardson, Ottar
Birting, Amunde Gyrdson, Thjostolf Alason, Ogmund Svipter, and
Ogmund Denger, a brother of Erling Skakke (Erling was not much
looked up to while Ogmund lived), -- the two kings, Inge and
Sigurd divided their courts. King Inge then got great assistance
from Gregorius Dagson, a son of Dag Eilifson by Ragnhild a
daughter of Skapte Ogmundson. Gregorius had much property, and
was himself a thriving, sagacious man. He presided in the
governing the country under King Inge, and the king allowed him
to manage his property for him according to his own judgment.

22. HABITS AND MANNERS OF HARALD'S SONS.

When King Sigurd grew up he was a very ungovernable, restless man
in every way; and so was King Eystein, but Eystein was the more
reasonable of the two. King Sigurd was a stout and strong man,
of a brisk appearance; he had light brown hair, an ugly mouth;
but otherwise a well-shaped countenance. He was polite in his
conversation beyond any man, and was expert in all exercises.
Einar Skulason speaks of this: --

"Sigurd, expert in every way
To wield the sword in bloody fray,
Showed well that to the bold and brave
God always luck and victory gave.
In speech, as well as bloody deeds,
The king all other men exceeds;
And when he speaks we think that none
Has said a word but he alone."

King Eystein was dark and dingy in complexion, of middle height,
and a prudent able man; but what deprived him of consideration
and popularity with those under him were his avarice and
narrowness. He was married to Ragna, a daughter of Nicolas Mase.
King Inge was the handsomest among them in countenance. He had
yellow but rather thin hair, which was much curled. His stature
was small; and he had difficulty in walking alone, because he had
one foot withered, and he had a hump both on his back and his
breast. He was of cheerful conversation, and friendly towards
his friends; was generous, and allowed other chiefs to give him
counsel in governing the country. He was popular, therefore,
with the public; and all this brought the kingdom and the mass of
the people on his side. King Harald Gille's daughter Brigida was
first married to the Swedish king Inge Halsteinson, and
afterwards to Earl Karl Sonason, and then to the Swedish king
Magnus. She and King Inge Haraldson were cousins by the mother's
side. At last Brigida married Earl Birger Brose, and they had
four sons, namely, Earl Philip, Earl Knut, Folke, and Magnus.
Their daughters were Ingegerd, who was married to the Swedish
king Sorkver, and their son was King Jon; a second daughter was
called Kristin, and a third Margaret. Harald Gille's second
daughter was called Maria, who was married to Simon Skalp, a son
of Halkel Huk; and their son was called Nikolas. King Harald
Gille's third daughter was called Margaret, who was married to
Jon Halkelson, a brother of Simon. Now many things occurred
between the brothers which occasioned differences and disputes;
but I will only relate what appears to me to have produced the
more important events.

23. CARDINAL NIKOLAS COMES TO THE COUNTRY.

In the days of Harald's sons Cardinal Nikolas came from Rome to
Norway, being sent there by the pope. The cardinal had taken
offence at the brothers Sigurd and Eystein, and they were obliged
to come to a reconciliation with him; but, on the other hand, he
stood on the most affectionate terms with King Inge, whom he
called his son. Now when they were all reconciled with him, he
moved them to let Jon Birgerson be consecrated archbishop of
Throndhjem and gave him a vestment which is called a pallium; and
settled moreover that the archbishop's seat should be in Nidaros,
in Christ church, where King Olaf the Saint reposes. Before that
time there had only been common bishops in Norway. The cardinal
introduced also the law, that no man should go unpunished who
appeared with arms in the merchant-town, excepting the twelve men
who were in attendancce on the king. He improved many of the
customs of the Northmen while he was in the country. There never
came a foreigner to Norway whom all men respected so highly, or
who could govern the people so well as he did. After some time
he returned to the South with many friendly presents, and
declared ever afterwards that he was the greatest friend of the
people of Norway. When he came south to Rome the former pope
died suddenly, and all the people of Rome would have Cardinal
Nikolas for pope, and he was consecrated under the name of
Adrian; and according to the report of men who went to Rome in
his days, he had never any business, however important, to settle
with other people, but he would break it off to speak with the
Northmen who desired to see him. He was not long pope, and is
now considered a saint.