The Land of the Northmen

by Griff Hosker

  “When we fight, I am the one who plans and gives orders. I do not see your Count being happy to take orders from me. However, if you wish to take advantage of our raids and battles against the Franks then we are happy for we will be dividing his forces.”

  “You do not wish an alliance?”

  “Does your Count? Or did he send you to see what you could get from us?”

  “It is true what they say, Jarl Hrolf. You are shrewd. The Count does not trust you. Many of our lords do not trust you but we have learned to be wary of you. I came here to make sure that you did not plan war against us.”

  “Then you can return to your Count with good news. We will not make war on you.” He and his son smiled, “However, if you choose to take advantage of our wars against the Franks then beware. Hurt us and you had best kill us all for we never forget and we never forgive.” The priest had remained silent during the meeting. I suspected he was the Count’s spy. He had been sent to watch his two emissaries. He crossed himself. I smiled, “My wife is a Christian, priest, but my men are not. Forgiveness is not part of our way of life. You should remember that, Robert of An Orient.”

  He stood and held out his right arm. “Give me your arm, Jarl Hrolf. You are a warrior and I respect that. I will tell my lord all that has transpired. He gave a wry smile, “And Father Odo here will do the same.” He gave him a knowing look. “Of that I have no doubt.”

  After they had gone my wife and I sat before the fire. “What did you gain? I listened but I could not see how this helped us.”

  I nodded and poured myself some more of the wine. It was a fine jug my wife had broached. “I will not give my word not to fight another. We may well go to war with the Bretons but I warned the Count that if he attacked me it would not be soon forgotten as the Breton raid on Ċiriċeburh was. It might mean the death of all our people but it would make his land a wasteland. And I gave him a free hand to raid the Franks. I did not make a friend but nor did I make an enemy.”

  “You have the mind of a Byzantine.”

  “I take that as a compliment.”

  “You will keep this land safe but what of our son?”

  “He will rule this land when I am gone. I hope to give him the chance to rule a land as big as Britannia.”

  “Then why do you risk his life so? He goes to war and could be killed.”

  “He is a Viking. He may have Frankish blood in his veins but he is a Viking. He must lead so that men will follow. He is a good warrior and before I go to the Otherworld he will become better.”

  The next day I returned to the drekar with renewed hope for the future. The Bretons would not attack us. They might even attack the Franks and that meant I could sail and raid with impunity. Sigtrygg and Thorbolt had told me that they had met no opposition when they had raided. They might not have achieved gold and silver but the rewards seemed even greater as they had not lost any men.

  By Tvímánuður, we were ready to raid. Ragnvald had trained more young horsemen and he rode the borders with Alain of Auxerre. Bertrand had made Ċiriċeburh a port which attracted much trade. He did not overtax the ships which used it. Because the Franks had gone we drew Danes and Norse as well as Frisians and Saxons. People began to flock to the port to make money from its success. I was positive that Bertrand would make it a safe and profitable harbour. We sailed towards the Issicauna. We had three drekar and over a hundred warriors. I had never led such a large force over water. We headed for Ouistreham. There was now an abbey there. As the Franks had withdrawn from the places my drekar had raided, it had made Ouistreham even more necessary to the Franks. It was on the coast and ships could land their cargoes without negotiating the Orne. It also guarded the route to Caen. I had not forgotten Jean of Caen. Our raid there would help us to delve deeper along the Issicauna.

  With over sixty horsemen protecting my land and strong walls to protect my people I was confident about the voyage. We left in the late afternoon. The wind was with us and we did not have to row. My drekar led. It was the largest of the three vessels. Sven the Helmsman was not with us. He now had his shipyard and was building a drekar with twenty oars on each side. We had found the oak for the keel in the forests close to Ċiriċeburh. It was the last oak which was long enough. Its height determined the number of oars. It would take some time to build but there was no hurry. The three drekar we had would suffice for the winter.

  Folki stood with me in the prow. He and his brother had captured and, briefly, held Ouistreham. This raid was important to him. I had passed through the port with Father Michael when we had gone to buy the stone but this would be different. We would destroy all that we found. The goods and captives we took would make us stronger but I wanted the power of the Franks weakening. Fótr had been too hasty. We would not be able to capture this coast for some time. I wanted to make them nervous about building close to the coast. It would be my son who would do that but the sea grinds down cliffs and makes them rocks, then pebbles and then sand. We were of the sea and we would wear it down. The clan would rule.

  As we neared the mouth of the Orne, ‘Cold Drake’ and ‘Wild Boar’ headed for the beach to the west of the port. ‘Dragon’s Breath’ would attack from the river. I saw that they now had a wooden wall. That was to be expected. Our raids had done that. It would be an obstacle; no more. I had my shield hung over my back. Scrambling over the side and across ships meant I would need both hands. It was as we turned to row against the current that we were spotted. Harold Fast Sailing began a chant to make the men row faster. Every moment of delay meant more men we would have to fight. Of course, the Franks did not know about the fifty warriors who were already swarming up the sand dunes to attack from that side but I had my own crew to worry about.

  Siggi was the son of a warrior brave

  Mothered by a Hibernian slave

  In the Northern sun where life is short

  His back was strong and his arm was taut

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  When the Danes they came to take his home

  He bit the shield and spat white foam

  With berserk fury he killed them dead

  When their captain fell the others fled

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  After they had gone and he stood alone

  He was a rock, a mighty stone

  Alone and bloodied after the fight

  His hair had changed from black to white

  His name was made and his courage sung

  Hair of white and a body young

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  Siggi White Hair warrior true

  The song of the famous old warrior inspired the crew and we surged against the current. The quay had no spare berths. “Siggi, lay us alongside the middle two ships. While we are ashore see what cargo they carry.”

  “Aye jarl.”

  We had a completely new crew of ships’ boys. Since our last voyage many had chosen to become warriors. There were plenty of young boys who wished the adventure of the sea. Before I donned my helmet, I scanned the defences of this port. I had been there before and I knew the layout. As we drew closer I had a better view of the wall and the gate. The gate was not substantial on the sea side. It was only as high as a tall warrior. There was a fighting platform across its top. The crews of the ships were hurrying to get within the walls. A few arrows thudded into the hull as we edged closer.

  “Steerboard oars in!”

  As soon as the eighteen oars were withdrawn we crabbed sideways towards the moored ships. The ships boys had sacks of seaweed and old ropes. They draped them over the side, as buffers, to absorb the force of the collision. I stood on the sheerstrake and braced myself against the backstay. Siggi Far Sighted had learned well under the tutelage of Sven and Harold. We bumped into the Franks but there was no crash. I leapt
on to the deck of the Frank ship and ran across to the quay. I drew my sword as I leapt over the side and ran towards the gate. Arrows were sent in my direction; one even scored a line along my helmet but the Allfather watched over me and none struck. The gate slammed shut and I brought around my shield. There was no ditch and the walls were wooden. I saw the fighting platform as it filled with men. They were a mixture of the men of the port and the sailors.

  I waited for my men to join me. There would be a second gate on the landward side and my two jarls would already be swarming towards it. Arne Four Toes, Folki and Erik Long Hair joined me. I pointed my sword at the wall. It was just forty paces from us. They still sent arrows at us but we had our shields up. “Have our archers clear the gate.”

  Erik nodded, “Aye jarl. The Saami bows will knock them into their homes!” He turned to chivvy the archers. They began to choose their targets and send their deadly arrows to knock the Franks from the walls.

  “Arne gather six men with axes. Folki and I will make a shield wall. You and your men can demolish the gate. I doubt that they will have boiling fat or water to hand. We have caught them napping.”

  “Aye Jarl.”

  Folki turned and chose men who were the same height. He and I would be in the shield wall and we determined the men who would form it. When we had twenty of us we locked shields. Folki and I were in the centre. With two men either side of us the rest formed behind and their shields made the black night darker.

  “Forward!”

  We chanted as we marched. It stopped us from stumbling.

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  At first, they threw javelins and stones but, when we heard screams, it diminished as my archers cleared the walls. The wood of the gate was new. Two years before, the tree it had been made from had still been growing. It would be harder to break down than an older one. We had time. There would be no one coming to the aid of this port. Even if they had sent a messenger to Caen we would be within these walls before warriors could come to its aid.

  Arne shouted, “Make a hole there!”

  Still holding our shields above and before us we edged aside to allow the first two men with axes through. They would work in relays. Axes blunted and men tired. They would not be able to swing. It was almost as though they were using a side axe on a ship and it would take time but we would get inside. Arne and Petril began to hack. They could only bring the axes up from their knees to their heads. They took it in turns and soon had a rhythm going. Flakes and slivers of wood came away. They were hacking at the point where the two gates joined. There would be a bar there. By the time they had exposed the bar they were sweating and their axes were dull.

  “Change!”

  It was a relief to raise my arm and then lower it again. The next two axes had more to go on. They had the thick bar to strike but this was more resistant. They had to hack through the grain. Arne and Petril had gone with the grain. They were forced to stop when the bar was half cut. The last two would end the job. They found their job easier for the bar had been weakened. I watched as the gap they hacked became larger.

  “Ready. On my shout put your shoulders into it and we will break it down!” The end, when it came, surprised us all. The bar sheared and I shouted, “Push!” The twenty-two of us rammed our shields into the gate and it sprang apart. The defenders were waiting for us. A wall of Franks ran at us with spears. Sven and Finni had been using axes and they had no shields to protect themselves. Finni took a spear in the thigh while Sven caught the blade of another in his mail. The rest of us presented a solid wall and some of the spears shattered.

  Bringing my sword over my head I swung it over the top of the shield and it cleaved a helmet and skull in two. I punched with my shield and was rewarded with a grunt as it hit a Frank in the face. Before he could react, I had swung my sword sideways into the sailor’s unprotected side. Arne led the rest of my warriors through the shattered gate and they quickly surrounded the Franks who had tried to stop us. They were butchered.

  “To the church! The lord will be there.”

  The time it had taken to break down the gate had meant that, not only had dawn broken, but those who had mail had been able to don it. I had seen the lord when Father Michael and I had visited. He was a horseman. He would, however, be fighting on foot. As we neared his hall I saw him and his men gathered before it. The women and children were inside and he had gathered his men before it. I heard a cheer in the distance and knew that my other drekar crews had broken into the other gate. The outcome was no longer in question. It was now a case of when we would take the port.

  “Erik Long Hair, fetch the archers.” I knew that the Franks would find it hard to protect themselves from arrows and concentrate on fighting us. “Have the wounded taken to the drekar!”

  We had enough men to fight the Franks who remained. I knew that Jarl Sigtrygg and Jarl Thorbolt would soon be joining me. I waited until the first flight of fifteen arrows was in the air before I began banging my shield and chanting.

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  We began to march. We only had thirty paces to march and in that time, I saw some of the Franks struck with arrows. Their eyes flickered to the skies and then to us. The sound of the sword hilts banging on the shields and our voices was almost hypnotic. The Frank Leudes was no coward. He stood in the front rank. I had fought Hibernian champions and won. I had fought the fiercest of Viking warriors. He was outmatched before he struck a blow. He smashed his sword against my shield. Against a normal shield, it might have done some damage. Mine was made of leather and metal. It had a boss made of the finest steel and it was lined with sheepskin to protect my arm. I saw his eyes widen in his open face helmet as his sword bent a little.

  I smiled, “My turn!” I swung my sword over my head and he raised his shield. I was a bigger warrior and the arc of my swing was greater than his. My arm was more muscled and when I struck the shield it split. My sword carried on and tore through his arm, grating on the bone. Around him his best warriors were suffering the same fate.

  I heard shouts from my left and right as my other two drekar crews joined the fray. I raised my sword again. I would end it. I brought it down across his neck. He tried to bring his bent sword up but it was to no avail. He had a swift warrior’s death. His death was the last act of defiance. The sailors and townsfolk were beaten. Some threw down their weapons while others fought on albeit weakly. I cried, “Hold!” when it became obvious that they had had enough.

  Inside the hall, I heard the wailing of women. They knew their fate. Their men lay dead and soon they would be the property of Vikings. The lucky ones would be taken as wives and treated well. The others would not be treated badly but they would spend their lives serving. Perhaps the ones who would not notice a great change would be the children. They would grow up as Northmen. The ones with nimble fingers would be taken by my wife and trained to sew and make garments. Eda and Cwen had been two such slaves and now they were free women with husbands and children. Asser and Edward had been slaves did and now had a prosperous future. I had found that out. The trouble was that you had no idea what that future held for you.

  Chapter 15

  It took most of the day to sort out what we would take and what we would leave. Jarl Sigtrygg took the men to Dyflin to sell at the slave market there. Thorghest the Lucky was now jarl and although the price we would receive would not be high, it would be a better price than Dorestad. Four of the Frankish ships were good ones. We loaded them with slaves and the captured goods. The others we sank. Harald
Fast Sailing took the largest Frankish ship while Sigurd and Skutal Eriksson and Ambroch Sigurdsson sailed the others. I was the last aboard for I set fire to the walls of Ouistreham. We had had a good raid. Jarl Thorbolt had ransacked the Abbey. The monks had been taken to Dyflin to be sold. As we sailed down the Orne I saw riders coming from Caen. They might be able to salvage some of the walls but I doubted it.

  My men had to row, for the wind which had brought us there so swiftly now worked against us. Karl the Singer had composed a saga about Folki and his brother. We had not sung it before because it had not had an ending. It did now and as we headed west we all sang and remembered Fótr and the warriors who had died attacking Caen and defending Ouistreham.

  Fótr and Folki were brothers free

  Seeking fortune they sailed the sea

  The Norns brought them to the land of the horse

  They sailed they thought a charmed course.

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  Lying Frank and treacherous Dane

  Proved to be Fótr’s bane

  They fought as men all shield brothers

  None fled, none left the others

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  And now Folki is the last of his line

  Revenge is sweet like aged wine

  The Franks have paid a fearful price

  Their lord cut down by Heart of Ice

  Clan of the Horseman

  Warriors strong

  Clan of the Horseman

  Our reach is long

  Clan of the Horseman

  Fight as one

  Clan of the Horseman

  Death will come

  It was after dark when we reached home. I went to the Haugr while the others went to Bárekr’s Haven. When the cargos had been sorted, the Frankish ships would be sent to Ċiriċeburh. They would be used by those who lived there under Bertrand. We would still need to trade. The Bretons were now a trading partner. We would not need to rebuild ‘Kara’ . We had replacements courtesy of the Franks. We had brought our dead back with us and, before any treasure was taken from our ship, we laid them in the barrow we had prepared before we left. All of us had helped to dig it. It was good to know where your body would lie. By the time we had taken that which we had captured, I was exhausted. I had not slept on the return voyage. I had had three other ships to watch.