Olaf the Glorious: A Story of the Viking Age

by Robert Leighton

  CHAPTER VIII: THE YOUNG VIKINGS.

  So Olaf quitted Holmgard and went on shipboard, and stood out with hisviking fleet into the Baltic Sea. He now owed no allegiance to any man,but was free to journey where he pleased, a king upon his own decks. Atthis time he was scarcely eighteen summers old; but his limbs were sowell knit and strong, and he was withal so tall and manly, that heseemed already to have attained to man's estate. Yet, feeling that hisyouth might be against him, he had chosen that all his ship companionsshould be as near as possible to his own age. He had a score or so ofbearded berserks on each of his ships--men who feared neither fire norsteel, but who gloried in warfare, and loved nothing better than to bein the midst of a great battle. These indeed were full aged men; butfor the rest, his crew of seamen and his band of trained men-at-armswas comprised of youths, none of whom were older than ThorgilsThoralfson, or younger than Olaf himself.

  Olaf made his foster brother the chief in command under himself, givinghim power over both seamen and warriors. He made his friend Egbert thesailing master, while one Kolbiorn Stallare became his master-of-arms.

  Kolbiorn was the son of a powerful viking of Sognfiord in Norway. Hewas of an age with Olaf Triggvison, and so much did the two resembleone the other that, when apart, they were often taken to be brothers.Both had the long fair hair and the blue eyes of the Norseland, bothwere of nearly equal height; and it was Kolbiorn's habit to strive, bywearing similar clothing, to increase the likeness between himself andhis young master. But when the two were side by side the resemblanceceased, for then Olaf was seen to be both the taller and the moremuscular; his hair was seen to be more golden and silken, his skin morepurely fair; his eyes, too, were brighter and larger than those ofKolbiorn, and his teeth more even and white. So, too, when it came to atest of skill, Olaf had ever the advantage, notwithstanding thatKolbiorn had spent all his young days on shipboard, had been taught bythe vikings to perform all manner of feats, and had taken part in manybattles on both land and sea.

  On a certain calm morning, very soon after Olaf had set out on this hisfirst viking cruise, he stood with Kolbiorn at the ship's rail, lookingout over the sunlit sea as his vessel crept along propelled by herforty long, sweeping oars, and followed by his four longships.

  "I think," said he, "that we will amuse ourselves today, and try ourskill in some new game."

  "I am very unfit to try my skill against yours," returned Kolbiornmodestly, "for you have already beaten me at chess, at swimming, atshooting, and at throwing the spear. Nevertheless, it shall be as youwish."

  "Choose, then, what feat we are to perform," said Olaf; "I am willingto join in any exercise that you may know, and I do not doubt thatthere are many in which your skill must be greater than mine."

  "There is one," said Kolbiorn, "that I would be glad to see youattempt, although there is danger in it, and I may be doing wrong insuggesting it."

  "If it be new to me, then I shall be all the more pleased," said Olaf;"and none the less so though the risk be great."

  Kolbiorn drew the young commander across to the shady side of the ship.

  "It is that we shall climb over the bulwarks," said he, "and walkoutboard along the oars while the men are rowing."

  Olaf looked over the side, and for a few moments watched the regularmotion of the oars as they dipped into the green water and rosedripping into the air. He measured with his eye the space between eachof the twenty blades.

  "It seems not so difficult as I had hoped," he said, "but let me seeyou do it, and then I will follow."

  Kolbiorn climbed over the ship's quarter, and worked his way forward tothe first rower's bench. Steadying himself for a moment as he hung byone arm from the gunwale, he dropped with his two feet upon theaftermost oar, and stepped out thence from oar to oar until he reachedthe one nearest to the forecastle. Then, still balancing himself withoutstretched arms, he turned and walked aft by the same way to whereOlaf and many of the ship's company had stood watching him. All thoughtit a very wonderful feat.

  Olaf praised Kolbiorn's skill, but promptly prepared to follow hisexample. Throwing off his red silk cloak, lest, by falling into thesea, he should injure it, he climbed overboard, and without hesitationdropped down upon the square shank of the aftermost oar; then going outnear to the blade, he ran forward with quick, well measured strides.Once or twice, as the oars were dipped, he faltered and nearly lost hisbalance, but he reached the foremost one without accident, and returnedwith greater ease. When he again stepped upon the deck he appealed toThorgils Thoralfson to decide which had shown the more skill. ButThorgils was unable to determine the matter.

  "The game has not yet had sufficient trial," said Olaf; "it must begone through once more. But this time I will myself take the lead, andlet Kolbiorn or any other of our company follow."

  Then he asked Thorgils and Kolbiorn to lend him their handsaxes, andtaking his own from his belt he again climbed over the side, andwalking along the row of moving oars played with the three dirks,throwing them in turn up into the air, so that one was ever aloft andone hilt ever in his hand. Thus he played as he strode forward, withoutonce dropping one of the weapons, and without once missing his surefooting. Climbing over the forecastle deck he then returned along theoars on the other side, and reached the deck with dry shoes.

  No one on board could understand how Olaf had done this surprising featwithout having practised it many times before, and when he gave backthe two dirks to their owners, Kolbiorn stood before him and looked athim in silence.

  Olaf said: "Why do you stand thus and not try after me?"

  "Because I own myself beaten," answered Kolbiorn. "And yet," he added,"I cannot believe that you did this feat by your skill alone andwithout some secret power. Either you have the favour of Odin to aidyou, or else you are descended from some mighty king whose naturalskill you have inherited. Marvellous does it seem to me that whatsoeverexercise you attempt, in that you are certain to surpass all other men."

  Olaf laughed lightly and turned away towards his cabin, while his shipfellows continued to talk among themselves of this new example of hisgreat agility.

  Thus, even at the beginning of his free life as a sea rover, he hadmade upon his companions so deep an impression that they one and allrespected him, and openly acknowledged him their superior in all things.

  But most of all, they wondered of what kin he had been born that heshould so easily and with such little effort excel all men they hadknown. For although they well knew that he had been a favourite at thecourt of King Valdemar, yet none even guessed at the truth that he wasa blood descendant of the great Harald Fairhair; and less still did anyimagine that he was even now heir to the throne of Norway. None butThorgils Thoralfson knew his true name. At this time, and indeedthroughout the whole course of his after adventures in Britain, he wasknown only as Ole the Esthonian.

  Now although Olaf had spoken of his wish to return to the land of hisfathers, yet now that he was upon his own dragonship, and free tofollow where fortune should lead him, he showed no haste to make alanding in Norway. He bent his course across the Gulf of Finland, andthen westward among the many green islands and rocky holms that lie inthe mid sea between Finland and Sweden, and for many sunny days andcalm starry nights simply enjoyed the idle pleasures of his new life offreedom.

  It was the summer season, when all the channels of the sea were clearof ice, and there were many trading ships abroad which might have beenan easy prey had Olaf so chosen to fall upon them. But although he wasa viking, and had all the viking's lust for war and plunder, he yetremembered the time when his own mother had been taken by Jarl Klerkonand sold into bondage. So he determined to let all peaceful merchantships alone, and to join battle only with such vessels as were intentupon warfare. In token of this resolve he had the great dragon's headlowered from his prow, so that its wide open jaws and terrible aspectmight not strike fear into the hearts of the peaceable traders; and theshields that were ranged along his outer bulwarks were peace shields,painted whi
te, as showing that he meant no harm to those who mightchance to meet him on the seas.

  His berserks, and many of the young men who had joined his fellowshipin the hope of gain, grumbled sometimes when they saw him allow somerichly laden ship to go by without attacking her, and they declaredthat after all he was a viking only in name. Olaf bade them wait inpatience, reminding them that there was no lack of good food and wellbrewed ale on board, and that they had no need to feel discontent solong as their daily life was passed in bodily comfort.

  "And as to fighting," he added, "I cannot think that any of you wouldtake pleasure in drawing arms against men who have not been trained inwarfare."

  Not long did they need to wait ere their instinct for fighting was inpart satisfied.

  One gloomy forenoon his ships with their sails full set were speedingbefore a strong wind through the wide channel of sea dividing the twolarge islands of Gottland and Eyland. Thorgils was at the tiller of thedragon ship--a post which, in the viking times, was always held by thechief man on deck. As he stood there, his eyes swept the wide stretchof the grey sea in search of ships; for Olaf Triggvison had now put hisred war shields out on the bulwarks, and the winged dragon reared itsgreat gilded head at the prow, as if in menace. Olaf himself was belowin his cabin under the poop, watching a game of chess that Kolbiorn andEgbert were playing.

  The chessboard was a very beautiful one, its squares being of inlaidsilver and gold, with little pegs in the centre of each space uponwhich the pieces might be fixed, and so prevented from being upset orfrom changing place when the vessel rolled. It was accounted a greatprivilege by Olaf's companions to be allowed to play upon this costlyboard, and Olaf had made it a condition that all who used it must do sowithout dispute. For a long time Kolbiorn and Egbert went on peaceablywith their game. But while Olaf watched them, he noticed that Egbertbecame more and more ruffled, as he found himself being constantlybaffled by his opponent's better play. So great was Kolbiorn's skillthat Egbert at length became desperate, and only made matters worse byhis hasty moves. He wanted to move back a knight which he had exposed,but Kolbiorn would not allow it. Olaf advised them to leave the knightwhere it now stood, and not to quarrel. At this Egbert's anger grewhot, and declaring that he would not take Olaf's advice, he swept hishand over the board, upset the pieces upon the cabin floor, and leaningforward struck Kolbiorn a blow upon the ear, so that blood flowed.

  Kolbiorn rose from his seat and quietly turned towards the door. Therehe was met by one of his shipmates, who called out in an excited voicethat there was a large viking ship in sight, and that she was bearingdown towards them as though to give battle.

  Olaf followed Kolbiorn from the cabin, and together they mounted to thedeck. Looking out across the sea they saw the viking ship rowingtowards them against the wind. In her wake there was a second vessel,drifting helpless and untended, with her sail flapping wildly in thewind and her oars all inboard. Olaf quickly noticed that there werepeople on her forward deck, and that she was slowly sinking. It wasevident to him that she was a trading ship, which the vikings had butnewly attacked and plundered. For a moment he hesitated, wonderingwhether he should hasten to her rescue or at once enter in battle withthe vikings. He saw that his men were already eagerly preparing for afight. Some, according to their custom before a battle, were busilywashing themselves and combing their hair, while others were eating anddrinking. There was no need for them to make ready their weapons, forthese had been kept well prepared ever since the beginning of thecruise, and there was nothing further to be done than to bring thearrows up on deck and serve them round among the bowmen, twenty arrowsto each man's quiver; and as for swords, spears, and armour, every manon board knew well where to put his hand on his own.

  Bidding Kolbiorn go forward to the forecastle and marshal his berserksand bowmen, Olaf took down his war horn and blew a loud blast aschallenge. At the same moment a red painted shield was hoisted to theyardarm. Then he went aft and took the tiller from Thorgils, andsteered his bark as though to meet the approaching foe. But when he gotwithin arrow shot of the stranger he suddenly altered his course,crossing her bows. The vikings, who could not yet have noticed the fourconsort ships that were still far behind, no doubt thought that hemeant to make his escape, and they bore round in pursuit of him. Butnow Olaf had managed to get his vessel between the two other ships,and, having the wind in his sail and his oars at work, he quicklyoutdistanced the viking, and sped along at a great rate towards thesinking trading ship. Not too soon was he in getting alongside of her,for the vikings had scuttled her, and she had already settled down withher quarter bulwarks on a level with the water's edge. He rescued afull score of helpless men from her decks, and stood by her until shewent down. By this time the viking ship had again come within bow shotof him, and his four longships had appeared in sight from behind theheadland of one of the islands.

  Olaf had now his sail brailed up to the yard, and his vessel's prowturned towards the oncoming enemy. Having resigned the helm to thecharge of one of his seamen, he donned his war armour and went forwardto the prow. Here the strongest and most experienced of his men werestationed as stem defenders, armed with swords and spears, andprotected by their shields. Among them stood Olaf's standard bearer,round whom they were ranged in battle order. The station abaft thatoccupied by the stem defenders was manned by the berserks, and behindthe mast were the spearmen, archers, and stone slingers.

  Olaf and Kolbiorn, who were both armed with their longbows and a largenumber of picked arrows, as well as their swords, stood side by side bythe banner bearer. Olaf again blew his war horn, while Kolbiorn firedan arrow of challenge high over the mast of the viking ship. When thetwo vessels drew near, Olaf saw that the stranger's forward decks werecrowded, with fighting men, whom, by their dark hair and brown skin, herightly judged to be Danes. The ships crashed together stem to stem,and then grappling hooks were thrown out from either side, and thevessels were bound close together, so that neither might escape untilthe fighting was at an end.

  Thus at close quarters the battle began, and very soon the air wasthick with swift flying arrows, and with showers of spears and stones.The chiefs on either side shouted aloud, urging their fellows to thefray, and many a well tried warrior was sent that day to Odin's halls.For a long while it seemed that the Danes were getting the upper hand,for they greatly outnumbered the men on Olaf's dragonship. But as thefight grew fiercer Olaf's berserks worked themselves to a wild fury,and, led by Olaf and Kolbiorn, they made a rush upon the enemy'sforecastle, carrying all before them as an autumn wind carries thewithered leaves. For three long hours the battle continued, man to man;but at last Olaf got the victory, and took the Dane ship as his prize,with all the treasure and costly armour, all the slaves and stores onboard of her. His four longships had not joined in the contest, becauseit was always considered unfair to oppose an adversary with unequalforce. But now they were brought nearer, and when all the wreckage ofthe fight was cleared away he placed some of his own men on board theprize, divided the spoil among all his fellowship, and once more sailedoff, well satisfied with his first success.

  Southward he sailed down the Swedish coast, and met with adventures toomany to be told. And at length he made for Borgund holm, an island thatlies out in the Baltic to the south of Sweden. By this time his storeshad run short, so he fell upon the island and harried there. Thelandsmen came in great force and waged battle against him; but Olafagain won the victory, and got great plunder of horses and cattle.

  He lay by Borgund holm for many weeks, with his tents ranged in orderalong a stretch of the beach, and his ships drawn up to the high watermark. Every day his men held sports, and at night they all sat in theirtents drinking and throwing dice, or listening to the sagamen's storiesof the great deeds of byegone warriors. Olaf himself joined always intheir feasts and revels, and he was ever the merriest and gamesomest inthe company.

  One day while his ships were still at Borgund holm, his two chief men,Kolbiorn and Thorgils, were boasting of the
ir skill at climbing. Theycontended as to who could climb the steepest rock, and at last theymade a bet. Kolbiorn wagered his gold neck ring against Thorgils' bestbronze drinking horn. After this they both climbed the high cliff.Thorgils went so far that he was in danger of falling down, and hereturned in fear, saving himself with difficulty. Kolbiorn climbed upto the middle of the precipice; but there he dared go neither forwardnor backward, nor even move, for he had no hold upon the rock foreither feet or hands. His position was so perilous that he foresawcertain death if he should make the least movement. He shouted in greatfear for Olaf or his men to rescue him. Olaf called some brave man toventure the deed and offered a large reward; but not one of his companystirred. Then Olaf threw off his cloak and ran up the face of the rockas though it had been a level plain, took Kolbiorn under his arms, andwent farther up with him. He then turned to descend with the man underhis arm and laid him unharmed on the ground. All praised this as agreat feat, and the fame of it was widely spread. Long afterwards heperformed the similar feat of climbing to the topmost peak of themountain called Smalsarhorn, in Norway, and there suspending hisshining shield upon the summit, so that it shone like a sun across thesea.

  Many tales are told of his strength and agility--of how he could smitealike with either hand, of how he could shoot with two spears at once.It is said that he could jump higher than his own height both backwardsand forwards, and this with his weapons and complete armour on. He wasthe swiftest and strongest swimmer in all Scandinavia, and at runningand climbing no man was his equal.

  And yet he was no boaster. His great deeds came of his eagerness in allmatters, and not from a desire to belittle his companions. He was kindand lowly hearted, bountiful of gifts, very glorious of attire, andbefore all men for high heart in battle. It may be that he also wascruel, for it is told that he was stern and wrathful with all whooffended him, and that in punishing his enemies he knew no mercy. He,however, sought only to do all things that it was customary for aviking to do. To win fame, to gain wealth, to plunder, and toslay--these were the passions that ruled him. The ocean was his onlyhome. He derided the comforts of a warm fireside and scorned the manwho should sleep under a sooty rafter or die on a bed of straw. To giveup his last breath amid the clamour of battle was his one unalterableambition; for only those who died thus, besprinkled with blood, couldever hope to win favour of the pagan gods, or to enter the sacred hallsof Valhalla. In the spirit of his times he believed that the vikinglife was the noblest and most honourable that a man could follow; hebelieved that the truest title to all property was given by winning itwith the sword, and very soon he became as wild and reckless as any searover on the Baltic. No danger, howsoever great, had power to daunthim, or to lessen his joy in the fresh freedom of the open sea with itswild hoarse winds and its surging perilous storms.

  It was in the autumntide that Olaf encountered the first serious storm.By this time he had added to his fleet many vessels which he hadcaptured in battle, and some that he had had built by his shipwrights;and he bethought him that he would now sail out of the Baltic Sea andmake his way round to the coasts of Norway, where, with his great forceof men and ships behind him, he might surely hope to win the glory thathe coveted. He had kept his favourite companions and his chosenwarriors on board his dragonship, so that they might ever be near himin case of need. But Egbert of Britain and Kolbiorn Stallare, aftertheir quarrel over the game of chess, had not been friendly towardseach other, so Egbert was placed in command over one of the othervessels of the fleet--a Longship named the Snake.

  On a certain day the ships were making westward under easy sail whenthe storm burst suddenly upon them, with a bitter cold wind from thenorth that quickly whipped the sea into great towering waves. The hailand sleet fell so heavily that the men in the bow of each ship werehidden from those in the stern, and the seas broke over the bulwarks,deluging the decks and cabins, so that the men in the baling room werekept constantly at work with their scoops and buckets. All cried uponNjord, the sea god, and upon Thor and Odin no less, to save them out oftheir peril; but the raging storm continued throughout the night andthe whole of the next day, and all the time Olaf stood at the helm,bravely facing the tempest and keeping his vessel's prow pointingnorthward to meet the towering waves. Often it seemed that he would beswept overboard by the wild rush of water, but his great strengthendured the strain, and though nearly blinded by the pelting hail hestill held on.

  With the evening of the second day the wind's force abated, and theheavy clouds that had darkened the sky melted away in a glow of sunsetgold. Then Olaf looked around upon the wide turbulent sea and countedhis ships. Some had lost their masts, and others had been swept faraway towards the dim horizon. One of them alone was missing: it was thelongship of Egbert of Britain. Olaf had little doubt that she hadfoundered with all on board, and yet he knew that Egbert was a braveand skilful seaman, and he thought it strange that he should havefailed to weather the storm, so, finding no other explanation, hedeclared that it was because Egbert was a Christian that this disasterhad happened. Had he been a true believer in the mighty gods of thenorthmen, said Olaf, he would surely have surmounted all dangers, andhis ship and crew had been saved! And all who heard them regarded theyoung chief's words as words of wisdom, for they did not know, andneither did Olaf himself at that moment dream, that Egbert and hisship's company were safe and sound in the shelter of the high headlandof Borgund holm. Not for many years thereafter did Olaf and Egbertagain meet, and when they did so, it was face to face as foemen on thebattle plain of Maldon, in far off England.

  When the storm had spent its force, and the sea was calm, Olaf broughthis ships together, made the needful repairs, and led the way southwardto the shores of Wendland. There he got good haven and, faring fullpeacefully, abode there throughout the winter months.