Olaf the Glorious: A Story of the Viking Age

by Robert Leighton

  CHAPTER XIX: SIGVALDI'S TREACHERY.

  So, when Eastertide with all its religious ceremonies had passed by,King Olaf summoned a great gathering of his people, whereat he setforth that he intended to make an expedition into the Baltic, and thathe required a levy from every district, both of men and of ships. Hethen sent messengers north and south along the land, bidding themmuster his forces. The ships were to assemble in Thrandheim Fiord inthe first week in summer.

  Olaf paid great attention to the manning of the Long Serpent, and hisseamen and warriors were so well chosen that it was said that the crewsurpassed other men as far in strength and bravery as the Long Serpentsurpassed other ships. Every man was picked by King Olaf himself, whodetermined that none should be older than sixty years, and none youngerthan twenty. He made only one exception to this rule. It was in thecase of Einar Eindridson, surnamed Thambarskelver. Einar was buteighteen years old; but, young though he was, he was considered themost skilful archer in all Norway. With his bow, called Thamb, he couldfire a blunt arrow through a raw ox hide, and not even King Olaf couldaim more true or hit the mark at a greater distance. In after yearsEinar became a very famous warrior and lawman, and his name is oftenmentioned in the history of Norway. Wolf the Red was King Olaf's bannerbearer, and his station was in the prow of the Serpent, together withKolbiorn Stallare, Thorstein Oxfoot, Vikar of Tiundaland, and others.Among the forecastle men were Bersi the Strong, Thrand Squinteye,Thorfinn the Dashing, Ketil the Tall, and Ogmund Sandy. Thirty of thebest men were in the fore-room, in front of the poop. Young EinarEindridson was stationed in the main hold among the rowers. Thecomplete ship's company numbered seven hundred men.

  The Short Serpent was commanded by Thorkel Nefja, a kinsman of Olaf's;and Thorkel the Wheedler (brother of Queen Astrid) commanded the Crane.Both these ships were very well manned. Eleven other large ships leftThrandheim with Olaf, also some smaller vessels of war, and six thatwere loaded with stores. He set sail with this fleet in the early daysof the summer, and Queen Thyra went with him. Southward he sailed, andas he came in turn to fiord after fiord many vikings and wealthywarriors joined him with their ships. When at length he stood outacross the Skager Rack, he had a fleet of sixty longships and sixtysmaller transports, and with these in his wake he sailed south alongDenmark through the Eyr sound, and so to Wendland.

  This expedition was not made with any warlike intent. Olaf did notexpect that war would follow. But he knew that King Sweyn Forkbeard washis bitterest enemy, and that there was danger in passing so near toDenmark, and he thought it well to have a large number of battleshipsin his train in case of need.

  He arrived off the Wendish coast without being in any way molested, andhe anchored his fleet in the great bay of Stetten haven. Thence he sentmessengers to King Burislaf appointing a day of meeting. Burislafinvited him to go inland and be his guest at his castle, and Olaf went,leaving Queen Thyra behind on board the Serpent, for she would by nomeans consent to come into the presence of the man whom she had jilted.

  King Burislaf received him well, and gave him splendid hospitality.Olaf spoke of his queen's estates and of the revenues that were due toher. Burislaf was a just man in his own heathen way, and he answeredthat, since he had not got the wife that had been promised him, he didnot think it right that he should enjoy her dowry. So he yielded toOlaf's claims, and at once delivered to him the full value of QueenThyra's estates. Olaf abode in Wendland for many days, and at lengthreturned to the coast, carrying with him a great store of gold andjewels, which, when he went on board his ship, he gave to his queen.

  Thyra was now well satisfied, and never again did she attempt to tauntKing Olaf concerning her estates. On the contrary, she gave him allpraise for having done so much for her sake, and all her contempt ofhis seeming cowardice was turned to admiration of his courage.

  Now, at this same time King Sweyn Forkbeard was in Denmark, living withhis new wife, Queen Sigrid the Haughty. Even as Thyra had taunted OlafTriggvison concerning her possessions in Wendland, so had Sigridtaunted Sweyn Forkbeard concerning her hatred of King Olaf of Norway.She could never forget how Olaf had smitten her in the face with hisglove, and from the earliest days of her marriage with King Sweyn shehad constantly and earnestly urged him to wage war against OlafTriggvison. Sweyn, knowing the risks of such a war, turned a deaf earto his proud wife's entreaties. But when at last Sigrid heard that Olafhad given protection to Sweyn's sister, and made Thyra his queen, sherenewed her urging with increased earnestness, and so well did shesucceed that Sweyn was roused to great anger against King Olaf, and heresolved to get ready his forces and abide by Queen Sigrid's counsel.

  He was in this belligerent mood when the rumour reached him that OlafTriggvison was at sea with his fleet, and was minded to make the voyageto Wendland. With this rumour also came news of the splendid dragonshipthat the Norse king had built.

  Now, Sweyn Forkbeard was a very cautious man in the affairs of war, andhe well knew that he was himself no match for so powerful a warrior asOlaf the Glorious. But he remembered that he was not alone in hisdesire to humble the monarch of the Norselands. His own son in law,Olaf the Swede King, had sworn by Thor's hammer to avenge the insult tohis mother Queen Sigrid the Haughty, and the help of the Swede King inthis war would be of great account. In addition to the King of Swedenthere was Earl Erik of Lade, who was eager to take vengeance upon OlafTriggvison for the slaying of his father Earl Hakon. Since the comingof King Olaf into Norway, Earl Erik had become famous as a viking; hehad engaged in many battles both on land and on the sea. It has alreadybeen told how he fought in the sea fight against the vikings ofJomsburg. He was now one of the strongest war men in all Scandinavia,and his fleet of battleships was equal to that of either Sweyn ofDenmark or Olaf of Sweden.

  So when Forkbeard heard that Olaf Triggvison had entered the Baltic hesent men east into Sweden, bidding them give word to the Swede King andto Earl Erik that now was their time if they would join in battleagainst their common foe.

  Sweyn Forkbeard was at this time very friendly with Earl Sigvaldi, thechief of the Jomsvikings, and he enlisted his help. It happened thatSigvaldi's wife, the Princess Astrid, was then staying at the court ofher father King Burislaf, in Wendland. It was, therefore, a verynatural thing that the earl should go thither also. Sweyn urged him tomake the journey, to spy upon King Olaf's fleet, and to lay such a trapthat Sweyn and his allies should not fail in their object. EarlSigvaldi undertook this mission, and fared eastward to Wendland witheleven longships. Meeting King Olaf he made pretence to renew his oldfriendship with the man whom he had formerly known as Ole theEsthonian. He flattered him, praised his great wisdom, and, more thanall, spoke highly of his fleet and the surpassing splendour of the LongSerpent. Their discourse was most friendly at all times, nor did Olaffor a moment suspect the treachery that underlay the earl's softspeeches and his seeming goodwill. Deep into the king's open heartSigvaldi wormed his way, until they were as brothers one with theother. When Olaf hinted that he would be going back to Norway, that theweather was fair for sailing, and that his men were homesick and wearyof lying at anchor, Sigvaldi made some plausible excuse and still heldhim back; and the time went on, the summer days grew shorter, and yetOlaf made no move.

  But on a certain day there came a small fishing boat into the bay, anddropped anchor near to the earl's longship. In the darkness of the nextnight one of her men had speech with Sigvaldi, and gave him the tidingsfor which he had so long waited. These tidings were that the host ofthe Swede King had now come from the east, that Earl Erik also hadarrayed his forces, and that these lords had joined with SweynForkbeard, and all were sailing downward to the coast of Wendland. Theyhad appointed to waylay King Olaf Triggvison in a certain channelrunning between the mainland and the island of Svold, and Sweyn had nowsent this messenger bidding the earl to so bring it about that theymight fall upon King Olaf in that place. On the next morning Sigvaldiput out one of his boats, rowed alongside of the Long Serpent, andstepped upon her deck. He found King Olaf s
itting at his ease againstthe rail, carving runes upon the lid of a wooden box that he had madefor the holding of the queen's jewels. Sigvaldi did not disturb him,but took a few turns across the deck and looked up into the sunlit sky.The king blew away the chips of wood that he had been cutting from thebox lid and looked up.

  "A fairer and finer day for sailing I have never yet seen," said he."Why should we not heave anchor this very morning? The wind bodes wellfor a free run westward, and in truth, Sigvaldi, I am getting weariedof this idleness and the sight of these sandy shores."

  "Let it be so by all means if you so wish it," answered the earl in alight tone of unconcern. "I, too, should be not ill pleased to be oncemore upon the open sea, although I shall be sorry to make an end to ourclose intercourse, for the sooner we sail the sooner must we part."

  "The parting need not be for long," said the king. "I am hoping thatyou will soon see your way to coming north to Thrandheim, there tospend many happy summer months with us. And we may take a cruise in theLong Serpent across to the Orkneys, or north even to Iceland."

  A mocking smile played about the earl's lips.

  "You are ever ready with your bright plans for the future, King Olaf,"he said, as he raised his great hand to stroke his bushy black beard."But the next summer is a long while off, and it may be--who cansay?--it may be that we shall not then be both alive."

  King Olaf gave a playful laugh.

  "Your thoughts are passing gloomy this morning," said he. "Why shouldyou speak of death? You are still but in the prime of manhood, and areblessed with the best of health. As to a death in battle, you, who arestill a believer in Odin and Valhalla, can have no fear of warlikeenemies."

  "It was not of myself that I was thinking," returned Sigvaldi.

  "Then why should it be for me that you fear?" asked Olaf. "I am of along lived race, and, since I am now a man of peace and no lover ofbloodshed, I am not likely to be mixed up in any wars--at least, notwars of my own making. And there is but one man I know of who has anywish to wage battle with me."

  "Who is that?" questioned Sigvaldi.

  "King Sweyn of Denmark," answered Olaf. "And it seems that he is atthis very time abroad with his hosts in search of me."

  A look of alarm came upon the earl's dark face. He marvelled how Olafhad come to hear this news, and he feared also that his own schemesmight end in failure.

  "These are strange tidings you tell, King Olaf," he said. "One wouldthink that, like Odin, you employed the birds of the air to bear younews."

  "The bird that told me these matters was but a poor fisherman," saidOlaf. "Yesternight I met him on the shore, and, seeing that he was aDane, I had speech with him, and he said that King Sweyn, with two orthree longships, had been seen bearing southward to Wendland."

  Earl Sigvaldi breathed a deep breath of relief. There was still greathope of his scheme succeeding. He glanced round the bay at Olaf's greatfleet, and thought of the reward that Sweyn had offered as the price ofhis treachery.

  "Little would it avail King Sweyn to enter unaided into a battle withso well equipped and so brave a warrior as you, King Olaf," he said."But, for my own part, I do not believe this tale. I have known theDane King in past times, and he is far too wary to attempt so bold anattack. Howbeit, if you misdoubt that war will beset your path, thenwill I be of your company with my ships. The time has been when thefollowing of the vikings of Jomsburg has been deemed of good avail tomighty kings."

  Then when the earl had gone off to his own ships, Olaf turned to gobelow to his cabin.

  At the head of the cabin stairs he was met by young Einar Eindridson.

  "So please you, O king," said the lad in a halting voice, "it chancedyesternight that I had a dream--"

  "Well," smiled the king, "and what of that? The people of heathen landsdeem it a grave misfortune if a man cannot dream; therefore you may beaccounted fortunate."

  "Dreams may sometimes avert misfortune," said the lad, "and this that Idreamt yesternight may be of service to you, my master. While I slept,it seemed to me that I saw you standing at the brink of a deep well ofwater. At your side stood the Earl Sigvaldi. Suddenly he put his handupon your back and pushed you forward, so that you fell into the waterand sank deep, deep down, and then all was dark. I am no great readerof dreams, O king; but this one has sorely troubled me, for I fear thatEarl Sigvaldi is a treacherous friend, and that he is now minded to doyou an injury."

  "Leave the reading of such sleeping fancies to wizards and witches,Einar," said King Olaf. "It is not for Christian folk to inquire intothe future. We are in God's hands, and He alone can determine what pathwe shall tread. As to my good friend Sigvaldi, I will hear no wordagainst him."

  Now when Olaf went into the cabin, he found there Sigvaldi's wife, theprincess Astrid, who had been for some days in companionship with QueenThyra. Astrid warned him, as openly as she dared, that her husband wasworking against him. But Olaf turned aside her warnings with a jest. Astrange infatuation bound him to his false friend, and nothing wouldshake his confidence. He resolved to abide by the earl's advice in allthings.

  It was yet early morning when King Olaf again went on deck. The windblew light from the southeast, and all was favourable for departure.Loud over the bay sounded the bugle horns. Mariners cried aloud intheir joy as they hoisted the yards. The sails fluttered out in thebreeze, and the anchors were weighed. Gaily the ships sped out of thewide bay, and forth through the western channel past the vikings'stronghold of Jomsburg. Seventy-one keels in all there were, and thesmaller vessels led the way, right out into the open sea, nor waited toknow which course the king should take, for all knew that they werehomeward bound for Norway, and that although there were many ways, yetthey all led north beyond Denmark, and so onward into the breezy SkagerRack.

  Little did Olaf see the need of keeping his fleet together. He fearedno foe, and was well aware that every craft had a trusty crew who werefully able to look after their own safety. His own knowledge of theseseas told him also that, however much his ships might be scattered incrossing the Baltic, they must all gather together again, as he hadcommanded, before entering the Eyr Sound.

  Now the treacherous earl, whose craft and cunning had been busily atwork throughout that morning, saw, in this scattering of the ships, thefulfilment of his dearest hopes. King Sweyn had enjoined him beyond allthings to so manage that Olaf Triggvison should be separated from themain body of his fleet, so that he might thus fall into the trap thatwas laid for him, and be speedily overcome by the superior force thatnow awaited him behind the island of Svold. Sweyn Fork Beard's planswere well laid; and if Earl Sigvaldi could but contrive to lead Olafbetween the island and the mainland, instead of taking the northwardcourse across the open sea, success for the allies was certain.

  The earl was careful to keep his own vessel within the closeneighbourhood of the Long Serpent. In the wake of these two sailed theearl's ten other viking ships and a similar number of King Olaf'slargest dragons, including the Short Serpent and the Crane.

  The remaining portion of the king's fleet had already passed inadvance, bending their course due north. Sigvaldi had tried, bydelaying Olaf's departure out of the haven, to still further reduce thenumber of the king's immediate followers. But he knew the extent ofSweyn Fork Beard's forces, and he was content that Olaf should retainsuch chances as were afforded by the support of eleven of his bestbattleships.

  Now Olaf was about to steer outward into the sea when Sigvaldi hailedhim.

  "Follow me!" cried the earl. "Let me be your pilot, for I know all thedeepest channels between the isles, and I will lead you through them bysuch ways that you will come out far in advance of your other ships!"

  So King Olaf, over confident and never dreaming of treachery, followedwestward into the Sound, and went sailing onward to his doom.