Olaf the Glorious: A Story of the Viking Age

by Robert Leighton

  CHAPTER V: THE STORY OP THE NORSE KINGS.

  "On a time very long ago," began Sigurd, as he sat beside Olaf on abench facing Queen Allogia, "there reigned in the south of Norway ayoung king named Halfdan the Swarthy. His realm was not large, for thecountry was at that time divided into many districts, each having itsindependent king. But, by warfare and by fortunate marriage, Halfdansoon increased the possessions which his father had left to him, sothat he became the mightiest king in all the land. The name of his wifewas Queen Ragnhild, who was very beautiful, and they had a son whomthey named Harald.

  "This Harald grew to be a very handsome boy, tall and strong and ofgreat intelligence. He was fond of manly sports, and his skill andbeauty brought him the favour and admiration of all men of thenorthland. Well, when Harald was still a youth of ten winters, hisfather was one day crossing the ice on the Randsfjord when the icebroke under him and he was drowned, so his kingdom fell to his son. Thekings whom Halfdan the Swarthy had conquered then bethought them thatthey might win back what lands they had lost, and they accordingly madewar against the young king. Many battles were fought, but Harald wasalways victorious. Instead of yielding to his enemies he soon extendedhis dominions until they stretched as far north as Orkadale. And thenhe was content."

  Sigurd here raised his eyes and looked across at Allogia as shesilently plied her busy needle.

  "It is a long story, lady," he said; "and it may be that it is not newto you."

  "Tell it to the end," returned the queen.

  "There lived at that time in Valders a maid named Gyda," continuedSigurd. "She was the daughter of King Erik of Hordaland, and KingHarald, hearing that she was exceedingly fair and high minded wouldfain have her to be his wife. So he sent forth messengers to her,asking her to wed with him. Now the maid was proud as well asbeautiful, and when she received this message she answered thus: 'Tellyour master,' she said, 'that I will not sacrifice myself to be thewife of a king who has no more realm to rule over than a few counties.Marvellous it seems to me that there is no king who can make all Norwayhis own and be the sole lord thereof, as King Erik in Sweden, and KingGorm in Denmark. Give this message to King Harald, and tell him that Iwill only promise to be his wedded wife on this condition, that he willfor my sake lay under him all Norway. For only then can he be accountedthe king of a people."

  "Now these words of Gyda were taken duly to the king, and they awakenedin his mind a thought which had never before occurred to him, and hesaid, in the presence of many men: 'This oath do I now solemnly make,and swear before that God who made me and rules over all things, thatnever more will I cut my hair nor comb it until the day when I haveconquered all Norway, and have made myself the sole ruler of theNorthmen. And if I do not fulfil my vow, I shall die in the attempt.'"

  "Spoken like a true king!" interrupted Allogia. "I trust, for the proudmaiden's sake, that he did not take long to fulfil his vow."

  "Ten long years it took him," returned Sigurd. "Northward he salliedwith a vast army and conquered Orkadale, Trondelag, and Naumdale, andall the country about Thrandheim, making himself the overlord of allthe old kings who thereafter became his earls and vassals. Those whowould not be subdued he killed or maimed. He made new laws, took fromthe peasants their odal estates, and declared all land to be the king'sproperty. Many of the conquered people rebelled against his rule andhis strict feudal laws, and some of his provinces had to be conqueredtwice over. But with every year he came nearer to his goal, and thosewho opposed him only brought about their own ruin.

  "At last the old kings, smarting in their subjection, banded themselvestogether, resolving to assert their ancient rights in a pitched battle.They assembled a great fleet of warships and met the conqueror in theHafrsfjord. In the sea fight that followed many of Harald's bravest menwere slain; spears and stones fell about them on every side; the airwas filled with the flying arrows as with winter hail. But the king'sberserks at length took on their fury and won for their master thegreatest battle that has ever been fought in Norway. Thus, after a tenyears' struggle, did Harald fulfil his vow.

  "At a feast which followed this fight his hair was cut and combed. Menhad formerly named him Harald Shockhead; but now they marvelled at hisnew made beauty and called him Harald Fairhair. Then, having done whathe set out to do, he married Gyda and lived with her until she died.

  "From that day forth," continued Sigurd, "Harald Fairhair ruled withgreat rigour, and so severely did he tax his people that many of thenobler and prouder sort grew discontented and straightway abandonedNorway to seek new homes across the sea. Many were content to roam uponthe waters as vikings; others sailed west to the Faroe Isles, somesettled in Shetland and the Orkneys, while others went far north intoIceland--a country so rich that, as I have heard, every blade of grassdrips with butter. But Harald followed these adventurous men who hadthus sought to escape his rule, with the result that he reduced allthese islands to his sway."

  At this point of the steward's narrative the queen moved impatientlyand said:

  "All this may be very well, Hersir Sigurd. But I fail to see how thishistory can bear upon the story of the boy Ole."

  "You shall see its bearing very soon," returned Sigurd. "But, if you sowish, I will cut it short."

  "Nay, tell it in your own way," said the queen, "for my time is of noaccount."

  "You must know, then," pursued Sigurd, "that King Harald Fairhair hadmany wives, other than Gyda. And as he had many wives, so had he manysons. These sons as they grew up to manhood became to him a serioustrouble. They were jealous of each other and for ever quarrelling amongthemselves. A chief cause of their disagreement was their bitterjealousy of Erik, the son whom Harald favoured above all the rest.

  "When Erik was but a mere boy--no older than young Ole, here--hisfather gave him the command of five great ships of war, and with apicked crew of hardy warriors the boy went a-viking along the coasts,harrying and plundering, fighting and slaughtering wherever he fell inwith ships less powerful than his own. He became a terror to allpeaceful folk, and for his murderous deeds by sea and land he won thename of Erik Bloodaxe.

  "It was through his foolish love of this wild hearted son that HaraldFairhair was led to commit an act whereby he undid all the great workof his life. He had succeeded in uniting all Norway into one nation,and this was good. But now nothing would suit him but that he shouldonce more divide his great realm into many provinces. He thereforecreated all his sons kings, and gave to each his portion of thecountry, on condition that after his own death they should allacknowledge Erik Bloodaxe their overlord.

  "But no sooner had this unwise course been taken than the sons began toquarrel more wildly than ever. There was but one son among them who waswise enough to enjoy his share in contentment and keep peace. This wasOlaf, the son of Queen Swanhild. To him King Harald had given thecountry of Viken, in the south of Norway. Olaf was the father ofTriggvi, and the grandfather of the boy who is now before you."'

  Allogia's eyes were now fixed upon young Olaf, who sat at his ease infront of her with his arm resting on the back of the bench and hisfingers playing idly with his long gold curls.

  "Truly did I guess," said she, "that the boy had kingly blood in him.Such silken hair, such clear soft skin, and beautiful blue eyes couldnot possibly have come of lowly birth. And now do I well believe thatit was he whom the king's mother meant when, at the yuletide feast, shespoke of the child who was destined to be brought up here in Holmgard,and who was to grow to be a famous prince." She smiled softly on theboy as she said this. "And now, hersir," she added, "we will hear therest of your saga."

  Sigurd rose from the bench and began to pace slowly to and fro with hishands clasped behind his back.

  "Of all King Harald's sons," said he, "Erik Bloodaxe was the one whohad the most ambition and who fought hardest to win worship from hisbrothers. In his strivings he did not scruple to act unfairly. Hestooped to treachery, and even to murder. He first killed his brother,Ragnvald Rattlebone, because he was said to be a s
orcerer. Next hekilled his brother Biorn, because he refused to pay him homage andtribute. None of Harald's sons could be safe while Erik was thusallowed to take the law into his own hands; so two other of thebrothers attempted to take Erik's life, by setting fire to a farmhousein which he was feasting. But Erik escaped with four men, secured hisfather's protection, and for a time there was peace.

  "Now King Harald Fairhair had a young son named Hakon, the child of hisold age, and this son became in the after years a very great man in theland, and was called Hakon the Good.

  "The King of England in those days was named Athelstane the Victorious,and it is told that on a time Athelstane, who was passing jealous ofthe power of Harald Fairhair, sent a messenger to Norway bearing aprecious sword as a gift to King Harald. The sword was done with goldabout the hilt and set with dear bought gems, and well tempered in theblade. So the messenger fared to Lade, in Thrandheim, where Haralddwelt, and said he: 'Here is a sword which the King of England sendeththee, bidding thee take it withal.' So the king took the grip of it.Then said the messenger: 'Thou hast taken the sword even as our kingwished, and thou art therefore his sword taker and vassal.'

  "Well, Harald was angry at being thus tricked, and he pondered how hemight pay back King Athelstane, so the next year he got ship and senthis young son Hakon to England, along with a great berserker, orchampion, named Hawk, and thirty warriors. They found the king inLondon town, and, being fully armed, they entered his feasting hallwhere he sat. Hawk took the child Hakon and placed him on KingAthelstane's knee, saying: 'The King of Norway biddeth thee foster thishis child.'

  "Athelstane was exceeding wroth, and he caught up his sword that laybeside him and drew it as if he would slay the lad. Then said Hawk:'Thou hast set the child on thy knee and mayest murder him if thouwilt, but not thus withal wilt thou make an end of all the sons of KingHarald Fairhair.'

  "Thus did the King of Norway pay back the King of England in his owncoin, for men ever account the fosterer less noble than him whose childhe fosters. Howbeit, King Athelstane kept the lad and fostered himright well. Thereafter he treated young Hakon with great kindness,taught him good manners and all kinds of prowess, and in the end grewto love him more than any of his own kin. In England, Hakon abandonedhis faith in the gods of Scandinavia, and became a worshipper of theWhite Christ, for in that land all men are Christians, and Thor andOdin have no power.

  "Now, while Hakon was away in England, his elder brother, ErikBloodaxe, went a-warring in his viking ships to many lands--Scotland,Wales, Ireland, and Normandy, and north away in Finland. And in Finlandhe found a certain woman, the like of whom he had never seen forfairness in all his roamings. She was named Gunnhild, and had learnedall kinds of sorcery and witchcraft among the Finns. Erik wedded withthis woman, and it afterwards befell that she wrought more evil inNorway than even Erik himself. She was his evil genius, egging him onto deeds of treachery and violence which made him detested of all men.

  "Glad was Gunnhild when Harald the Fairhaired, being stricken in years,declared that he felt no longer able to bear the burden of thegovernment. This he did when he was eighty years old. He led his sonErik to his royal high seat and put him there as the king, so thatGunnhild by this became the queen, and could work her evil as shewilled.

  "Three years afterwards Harald Fairhair died in his bed, having ruledover Norway for seventy-three years."

  Sigurd paused in his narrative and sat down beside Olaf. He felt thatthe queen's interest in his nephew was now secure and that it bodedwell for Olaf. Allogia set aside her needle and nodded to the stewardas if she would tell him to continue his saga. Sigurd leaned back inhis seat, crossed his legs, and went on.

  "King Erik now held dominion over the larger part of Norway," said he."But there were two of his brothers who would not yield to him, and whoyet peacefully ruled in the realms over which their father had placedthem. Olaf--the son of King Harald and Queen Swanhild--was thesovereign king in Viken, and his brother Halfdan in like manner ruledin Thrandheim. Full ill content was Erik that he could not truthfullycall himself the lord over all Norway. But, as he could not be king byfavour alone, he resolved to become so by other means. Two wintersafter Erik's enthronement his brother Halfdan died a sudden and painfuldeath at a feast in Thrandheim. It is told that he was cunninglypoisoned by Queen Gunnhild. Erik straightway claimed his dead brother'skingdom; but the Thrandheimers would have none of him; they declaredagainst him, and took another brother, Sigrod, for their king. Toprotect themselves against their overbearing brother, Sigrod and Olafjoined their forces. But Erik attacked them unawares with a great armyat Tunsberg and won the day. Both Olaf and Sigrod, champions in thebattle, were killed. Olaf's son, Triggvi, escaped, however, and fledaway to the Uplands, where he remained as long as Erik Bloodaxe wasmaster in the land. Triggvi was the biggest and strongest of men, andthe fairest of face of all that have ever been seen.

  "Erik Bloodaxe had now killed four of his brothers and caused the deathof a fifth. He had made himself the king of all Norway, even as hisfather had been. Yet the people misliked him sorely, they were for everstriving to displace him and to set up Triggvi Olafson in his stead.Then Queen Gunnhild swore that, if Erik would not make his rule acertainty, she at least would not rest until she had exterminated allthe race of Harald Fairhair outside of her husband's line."

  Here Olaf spoke, leaning forward and looking round into Sigurd's face.

  "I think," said he, "that if I had been in my father's place I wouldhave rid the earth of so murderous a traitor as Erik Bloodaxe."

  "Your father was a peace lover," returned Sigurd, "though, indeed,there was not in all the land at that time a more splendid warrior thanhe. But there were other reasons. The first was that Triggvi waspassing content in the place where he was living, away in the Uplands,for there he had become the friend of a great earl who had mostfruitful lands at Ofrestead, and he had won the love of the earl'sdaughter, Astrid, the most beautiful maid in all Norway. Her he hadwedded, and they were very happy together and free from all the caresof state and war. This do I know full well," added Sigurd, addressingAllogia, "for Queen Astrid was my own dear sister, and Earl Erik ofOfrestead was my own father."

  "Then," said Queen Allogia, "it must be that Astrid was the mother ofthis boy whose cause you are now pleading; and in that case youyourself must be our young Ole's uncle?"

  "It is even so," replied Sigurd. "And now I must tell the second reasonwhy Triggvi did not try to compass the death of King Erik. It was thatQueen Gunnhild had already been seeking to fulfil her vow, and had beenattempting through her wicked sorcery to bring about young Triggvi'sdeath. So Triggvi thereupon left Astrid in the care of her father, andwent a-warring as a viking. He sailed west over sea to Scotland, andthere harried the coasts; and then to the Orkneys, where he had manybattles with the vikings of the isles. So that when the people soughtfor him, wishing to make him their king, he could not be found.

  "Well, in the meantime there had appeared another who had rightfulclaim to the throne. Hakon, Athelstane's foster son, had come back fromEngland on hearing of King Harald's death. He was now a full grown manand a valiant warrior. When he landed in Trondelag the people hailedhim with great rejoicing, and declared that old Harald Fairhair hadcome back once more, gentler and more generous than before, but no lessmighty and beautiful. They claimed him as their king, calling him Hakonthe Good, and he reigned in Norway for many years, nor did he seek todo any ill to his nephew, Triggvi Olafson, but confirmed him as king inViken.

  "Now when Hakon the Good returned it was an ill day for his elderbrother Erik Bloodaxe, for the people had become so wroth against himthat he could find no peace. At first he tried to raise an army, butnone would serve him, and he was forced to flee from the land with hiswife and children and a few weak followers. He thereupon took a shipand roamed about as a viking. He fared westward to the Orkneys, and gotmany vikings to join him, then he sailed south and harried all aboutthe north parts of England. So greatly did he trouble the Englishpeople
that at last King Athelstane, to win his peace, offered Erik thedominion over Northumberland, on the condition that he would become theking's vassal and defend that part of the realm against the Danes andother vikings. Erik agreed, allowed himself to be christened, and tookthe right troth.

  "Now Northumbria is accounted the fifth part of England, and the betterbargain was on Erik's side. He made his abode in the town of York, andhe warded the country well, for full oft did the Danes and Northmenharry there in the earlier time. But very soon, urged, it may be, byQueen Gunnhild, he sought to increase his wealth and to add to hislands; and when Athelstane died and King Edmund became the monarch ofEngland Erik Bloodaxe went far into the land, and forcibly drove thepeople from their homes. Too greatly did he reckon upon success, for ithappened that there was another who, like himself, had been set thereby the king for the warding of the country. This other gathered an armyand fell upon Erik. There was a great battle, and many of the Englishfolk were killed; but ere the day was ended Erik lay dead upon thefield, and that was the last of him.

  "No longer could Queen Gunnhild hope to dwell at peace in England. Herhusband's estates were forfeited, and she had no home. So she took herchildren and sailed east to Denmark. There she was well received by theDanish king, Harald Bluetooth. But in spite of her misfortune herambitions were not dead, for she had many sons growing up, and she hada mind to make them all kings in Norway. These sons, as you may wellsuppose, had little goodwill for Hakon the Good, who had dispossessedthem of their inheritance. The eldest of them had roved for a while asvikings, and were already skilled in warfare, so Gunnhild contrived toget them ships and followers, and sent them across to Viken, the partof Norway where, as I have said, King Triggvi Olafson reigned. They hadmany battles with Triggvi, but they could not conquer him. But at lastKing Hakon came to his nephew's help, and with him pursued the sons ofGunnhild into Denmark.

  "This attack upon Danish soil brought about a war between the kings ofDenmark and Norway, and in a battle at Sotoness Triggvi Olafson wasdefeated. He was forced to abandon his ships and save himself byflight. In a later battle Hakon the Good was killed. It is said thatGunnhild had bewitched the arrow that slew him.

  "Hakon had never tried very hard to make his people Christians, and hehad himself drifted back to the worship of Thor and Odin. One of hisfriends, when he was dying, offered to take his body over to England,so that he might be buried in Christian soil, but Hakon replied: 'I amnot worthy of it. I have lived like a heathen, and therefore it is meetthat I should be buried like a heathen.'"

  Queen Allogia drew a heavy breath at this point in Sigurd's narrative,as if she thought that the story would have no end.

  "Your voice gets tired, hersir," said she, "and it may be that youwould wish to keep the rest of the saga for another time!"

  "There is but little more to tell," returned Sigurd, looking up withanxious eyes. "And as what is left is the more important part, I begyou to hear it to the end."

  The queen assented, and Sigurd took up the thread of his story:

  "Little time did the sons of Gunnhild lose," said he, "in claiming thekingdom of their fathers; but it was only the middle part of Norwaythat they could possess in safety. To gain the whole country they hadneed to break the power of Triggvi Olafson and Gudrod Biornson, bothgrandsons of Harald Fairhair, who ruled as independent kings. To dothis in open warfare was not easy. Gunnhild, who now forced her sons toaction, as she had formerly forced Erik Bloodaxe, found treachery aneasier means; so she got one of her sons to feign hostility to hisbrothers and to make a show of friendship for Triggvi Olafson. KingTriggvi was invited by this son to go out on a cruise with him. Triggviyielded to his false friend's wish, and on reaching the place ofmeeting he was foully murdered with all his men. His cousin, KingGudrod Biornson, was at about this same time surprised at a feast byHarald Greyfell and slain after a desperate fight.

  "Thus did the sons of Gunnhild clear their path. Thus, too, did thewicked queen fulfil the vow that she had sworn many years before, toexterminate the whole race of Harald Fairhair outside her husband'sline.

  "But," added Sigurd, in a deep and solemn voice, "the flower that istrampled under foot may yet leave its seed behind to come forth in itsown season and flourish. The race of King Harald was not yet dead, andQueen Gunnhild presently found that there was a woman in Norway whosetrue love and faithfulness were better than all the guile and treacherythat jealousy could devise. Triggvi Olafson's widow, Queen Astrid, whenshe heard tidings of his murder, guessed rightly that Gunnhild wouldpursue her, so she fled from Viken, and journeyed north towards theUplands, taking with her her two young daughters, Ingibiorg and Astrid,together with such chattels as she might have with her. In her companywas her foster father, Thoralf Lusaskegg by name, and his young sonThorgils. Thoralf never left her, but guarded her always mostfaithfully, while other trusty men of hers went about spying fortidings of her foes.

  "Now very soon Astrid heard that Gunnhild's sons were pursuing her withintent to kill her, so she let herself be hidden on a little island inthe midst of a certain lake. There on that island her son was born, andshe had him sprinkled with water and named Olaf, after his father'sfather."

  Sigurd paused, and laying his hand on Olaf's shoulder, "This," said he,"is that same child, Olaf Triggvison, and he is the one true flower ofwhich King Harald Fairhair was the parent stem. An ill thing would itbe for Norway if, for the slaying of Klerkon the Viking, he were now tolose his life. And I beg you, oh, queen! to deal kindly with thisking's son so hardly dealt with, and to deal with King Valdemarconcerning him that his life may be spared."

  Then Queen Allogia answered, looking on the lad, that she would do asSigurd wished.

  "And now," she added, "tell me how it came to pass that the boy wasever brought across the sea to Esthonia."

  So Sigurd told how Queen Astrid journeyed farther into the Uplandsuntil she came to her father's manor at Ofrestead; how, dwelling there,she had been at last discovered by Gunnhild's spies, and been forced totake flight that she might save young Olaf from their murderous hands.For Gunnhild had now heard of the birth of this son of King Triggvi,and nothing would content her, but that he should die ere he could growup to manhood, and so dispute with her own sons the realm that they nowusurped.

  He told how Queen Astrid, leaving her two daughters at Ofrestead, hadfared east away into Sweden, and of what privations she had borne forher son's sake, and of how, still pursued by her enemies, she had atlength taken safe refuge with Hakon Gamle, a friend of her father's.

  "But even here," continued Sigurd, "Queen Gunnhild's enmity followedher. This time it was not with the sword but with soft words thatGunnhild sought to gain her ends. She sent a message through the Kingof Sweden, asking that she might have Olaf back in Norway to live inher court, and to be taught and nurtured as behoved one of such exaltedbirth. But Astrid knew full well that there was falseness underlyingthis message, and she sent word back to Norway saying that her boystood in no need of such help, and that she would herself see that hewas both well nurtured and fitly taught.

  "I have told you," said Sigurd, "that Queen Astrid was my own sister.Now, at the time I speak of I was already in the service of KingValdemar; so Astrid thought that the best means of escaping her enemiesand of saving her son was that she should come here with Olaf intoHolmgard. The boy was then three winters old and full sturdy. So HakonGamle gave her a good company of men, and took her down to the seacoastand gave her into the care of certain traders whose ship was boundeastward.

  "But now as they made out to sea vikings fell on them, and took bothmen and money. Some they slew, and some they shared between them forbondslaves. Then was Olaf parted from his mother, and the captain ofthe vikings, an Esthonian named Klerkon Flatface, got him along withThoralf and Thorgils. Klerkon deemed Thoralf over old for a thrall,and, seeing no work in him, slew him and flung him overboard, but hehad the lads away with him, and sold them into slavery. Olaf andThorgils swore foster brotherhood, and they took oath in hand
shakingthat they would bring this viking to his bane. That oath did Olaffulfil this day, when he drove his axe into Klerkon's head."

  Sigurd rose from his seat and stood before the queen.

  "And now," said he, "my story is at an end, and you know of what kinthis boy has come. Well am I aware, oh, queen! that in fostering aking's son I have broken the law of this land. I seek no pardon formyself. For Olaf alone do I ask your help. And if King Valdemar condemnhim to death for his crime, then do I crave that my life, and not theboy's, be taken."

  "Go with the boy to your home," returned the queen. "None shall hurteither him or you. Wait in patience until the sun rise, and then youshall know the issue of my pleadings with the king."

  And so saying, she signed to them to leave the hall.