Heimskringla

by Snorri Sturluson

  King Haki had received such great wounds that he knew that his days were numbered. Then he had one of his galleys loaded with slain men and weapons. He had it moved out to sea, with the rudder shipped and with hoisted sails, and had a funeral pyre of resinous wood piled on the ship and fired. The wind blew from the land. By that time Haki was dead, or nigh unto death, when he was laid on the pyre. Then the ship stood blazing out to sea; and this event was celebrated for a long time thereafter.

  Chapter 24. King Jorund Is Captured and Hanged

  Jorund, the son of King Yngvi, was king in Uppsala. He governed his lands, and often in summer went on viking expeditions. One summer he sailed to Denmark with his fleet. He harried in Jutland, and toward fall sailed into the Limfjord and harried there. He lay with his ships in Odda Sound. Then Gýlaug, the king of the Háleygir and son of Guthlaug, mentioned before, approached with a large force. He gave battle to Jorund, and when the people of the country learned that, they came from all quarters with ships large and small [and joined Gýlaug]. Jorund was overpowered and his ships cleared of men. Then he leapt overboard but was captured and brought up on land. King Gýlaug had a gallows raised. He led Jorund up to it and had him hanged. Thus his life came to an end. As says Thjóthólf:

  (17.)

  17. Was Jorund,

  of yore who died,

  reft of life

  in the Limfjord,

  when the high

  horse, flax-bridled,1

  got to bear

  Guthlaug’s slayer,

  and Hagbarth’s

  hair-braided noose

  wound about

  the warrior’s neck.

  Chapter 25. King Aun Sacrifices Nine Sons to Prolong His Life

  Aun or Áni was the name of the son of Jorund, who ruled over Sweden after his father. He was a wise man and a great believer in sacrifices. He was no warrior but remained [quietly] in his lands. During that time when those kings ruled in Uppsala as has been told here, there reigned in Denmark, first, Dan the Magnificent—he lived a very long life—and then his son Fróthi the Magnificent or the Peaceful; and then his sons, Hálfdan and Frithleif. They were great men of war. Hálfdan was the older and the foremost of the two in all respects. He led his army to Sweden against King Aun. There were some battles, and Hálfdan always was the victor. Finally, King Aun fled to West Gautland.1 He had been king in Uppsala for twenty years. He also lived in Gautland for twenty years whilst King Hálfdan resided in Uppsala.

  King Hálfdan died in Uppsala of a sickness and was buried in a mound. After that, King Aun returned to Uppsala. At that time he was sixty years of age. Then he made a great sacrifice to have a long life, dedicating and sacrificing his son to Óthin. King Aun was given an answer by Óthin, to the effect that he was to live another sixty years. Then King Aun ruled in Uppsala for another twenty years. Then Áli the Bold, the son of Frithleif, invaded Sweden with an army. Some battles were fought, and Áli was always victorious. Then King Aun fled a second time from his kingdom and went to West Gautland. Áli was king in Uppsala for twenty years before Starkath the Old slew him.

  After Áli’s fall King Aun returned to Uppsala and ruled over it for another twenty years. Then he performed a great sacrifice, sacrificing his other son, and was told by Óthin that he would continue to live if he sacrificed him a son every tenth year; and also, that he was to name some district after the number of sons he had sacrificedlo Óthin. And when he had sacrificed seven of his sons he lived on for ten years in such a fashion that he could no longer walk and had to be carried in a chair. Then he sacrificed his eighth son and lived for another ten years, but bed-ridden. Then he sacrificed his ninth son and lived for another ten years, and had to drink from a horn like an infant. Then Aun had one son left and wanted to sacrifice him, and also dedicate to Óthin Uppsala and the districts adjoining it and call it Tíundaland.2 But the Swedes forbade him to do that, so no sacrifice was made. Then King Aun died. He is buried in a funeral mound at Uppsala. Since that time one calls it Aun-sickness when a person dies painlessly of old age. As says Thjóthólf:

  (18.)

  18. Of yore did

  old age at last

  fell King Aun

  at Uppsala,

  when, tough-lived,

  he had to take,

  as before,

  an infant’s food,

  and to him

  was turned the thinner

  end of an

  ox’s-brow-sword,3

  and his kin’s

  killer4 from teat

  lying down,

  lapped up his milk.

  Hardly could

  the Eastmen’s king5

  hold the horn

  upheld to him.

  Chapter 26. Tunni Rebels against King Egil—King Egil is Killed by a Bull

  Egil was the name of the son of Aun the Old who succeeded his father in Sweden. He was not a warlike man and resided quietly in his lands. Tunni was the name of one of his slaves, who had been the treasurer of Aun the Old. When Aun had died, Tunni took a great quantity of valuables and buried them in the ground. Now when Egil became king he put Tunni among the other thralls. That he resented bitterly, and absconded, together with many other slaves, and they dug up the goods he had hidden. He gave them to his men, and they chose him to be their leader. Thereupon a great many evildoers drifted to him, and they camped out in the woods, and ever so often made incursions into the farm lands, robbing or killing people.

  King Egil had heard of this and went out with his men to hunt them down. But one time when he had taken night quarters, Tunni came upon him with his band without warning and killed many of the king’s men. But when King Egil became aware of the surprise attack, he prepared to resist and raised his banner. But many of his men fled, and Tunni and his band assailed them briskly. Then King Egil saw no other recourse but to take to flight. Tunni and his men pursued them all the way to the forest. Then they turned back to the farm lands and harried and plundered, nor was any resistance made to them. All the property Tunni took in the countryside he gave to his followers, and by doing so he became popular and many flocked to him.

  King Egil collected an army and went to do battle with Tunni. They fought, Tunni was victorious, and Egil fled after losing many of his men. King Egil and Tunni fought eight battles, and Tunni was victorious in every one. Then King Egil fled his land and went to the Island of Seeland in Denmark to Fróthi the Bold. He covenanted King Fróthi a tribute from Sweden if he would help him. Then Fróthi supplied him with an army and his champions. Thereupon King Egil returned to Sweden. But when Tunni learned that, he marched against him with his army, and there was a great battle. Tunni fell, and King Egil regained his kingdom. The Danes returned. King Egil every year sent King Fróthi good and valuable presents but paid the Danes no tribute. Yet Fróthi and Egil maintained friendly relations.

  After Tunni’s fall King Egil ruled the land for three years. It so happened in Sweden that the ox that was intended for a sacrifice was old and had been given such strong feed that he became vicious; and when they wanted to capture him he ran to the woods and became wild and stayed in the thickets, doing much damage. King Egil was a great hunter and frequently rode to the woods to hunt animals. One time he had gone to hunt with his men. The king chased a deer for a long time, riding after it into the forest away from his men. Then he came upon the bull and rode up to him, intending to kill him. The bull turned upon him. The king thrust at him with his spear, but it glanced. The bull stuck his horns into the horse’s flank so that it fell flat, and the king with it. Then the king leapt to his feet and wanted to draw his sword, but the bull sank his horns deep into his chest. At that moment the king’s men came up and killed the bull. The king lived but a short while. He is interred at Uppsala. As says Thjóthólf:

  (19.)

  19. Fled his land

  the far-famed King,

  Týr’s offspring,1

  from Tunni’s power.

  But his brand


  the bull reddened,

  etin’s beast,2

  in Egil’s blood,

  which that ere

  in East Forest

  long had borne

  his brow-temple:3

  scabbardless,

  in Skilfing’s sib’s4

  heart did stand

  its head’s broadsword.

  Chapter 27. King Óttar Refuses to Pay Tribute to the Danes

  Óttar was the name of Egil’s son who succeeded to his realm and crown. He did not maintain the friendship with Fróthi. Thereupon Fróthi sent men to King Óttar to fetch the tribute which Egil had covenanted to him. Óttar made answer that the Swedes never had paid tribute to the Danes, and that he would not either. The messengers returned.

  Fróthi was a great warrior. One summer he proceeded to Sweden with his troops and made an incursion in it, harrying, and killing many, and making some prisoners. He collected immense spoils. He burned the villages far and wide, and ravaged the land.

  In the summer following King Fróthi sailed on a warlike expedition to the Baltic lands. King Óttar learned that Fróthi was not in his kingdom. Then he boarded his warships and sailed to Denmark, and there he ravaged the land without any resistance being made to him. He learned that a great army had gathered on Seeland. Then he steered west [north] in the Eyrar Sound,1 and then south [west] to Jutland and entered the Limfjord. Then he harried in the Vendil District, burning, and devastating the land.

  Vott and Fasti were the earls to whom Fróthi had assigned the defence of the realm of Denmark while he was abroad. Now when these earls learned that the Swedish king was harrying in Denmark they collected a force, boarded their fleet, and sailed south to the Limfjord. They took King Óttar entirely by surprise and attacked him at once. The Swedes made stout resistance, and many were slain on both sides; but as men fell in the Danish ranks, others and still more arrived from the surrounding countryside, and also the number of their ships was increased by all those in the neighborhood. The outcome of the battle was that King Óttar succumbed, together with the greater part of his host. The Danes took his corpse to the land, and laid it upon a hill to let the beasts and the birds devour it. They made a crow of wood and sent it to Sweden with the words that their King Óttar was of no more value [than that]. Thereafter they called him Óttar Vendil Crow. As says Thjóthólf:

  (20.)

  20. Fell Óttar,

  to eagles a prey,

  doughty prince,

  by Danes vanquished:

  his body

  blood-stained ravens,

  wide-ranging,

  in Vendil trod.

  And the work

  of Vott and Fasti

  to the Swedes

  a tale became,

  how island-

  earls of Fróthi

  o’erborne had

  the battle-urger.2

  Chapter 28. King Athils Brings Home Yrsa as His Queen

  Athils was the name of King Óttar’s son who succeeded him. He ruled for a long time and had great riches; and he, too, went on viking expeditions during several summers. One time King Athils came with his fleet to Saxland. A king ruled there by the name of Geirthjóf, and his wife was called Álof the Powerful. We are not told whether they had children. The king was [at that time] not in his land. King Athils and his men stormed on land to the king’s estate and plundered it. Some of them drove down the livestock to slaughter it on the shore. Those who had tended it were thralls, both men and women, and they were taken along with the cattle. Among them was a maiden of singular beauty. Her name was Yrsa. Then King Athils returned home with his booty.

  Yrsa was not put with the women thralls. It soon appeared that she was clever and spoke well and was well informed about all things. Everyone took a liking to her, but most of all the king. And it ended with Athils taking her to wife. So Yrsa became queen in Sweden, and she was considered a woman of great ability.

  Chapter 29. King Helgi Carries Off Yrsa and Engenders Hrólf with Her

  At that time King Helgi, the son of Hálfdan, ruled in Hleithrar. He went to Sweden with so mighty a host that King Athils saw no other alternative but to flee. King Helgi went on land with his army to harry, and got much booty. He captured QueenYrsa and took her with him to Hleithrar where he married her. Their son was Hrólf Kraki.

  When Hrólf was three years old, Queen Álof came to Denmark. She told Yrsa that King Helgi, her husband, was her father and Álof, her mother. Thereupon Yrsa returned to Sweden to rejoin Athils, and was his queen for the remainder of her life. King Helgi fell in warfare. Hrólf Kraki was eight years old then, and was chosen king at Hleithrar.

  King Athils fought great battles with King Áli of the Uppland District in Norway. They fought a battle on the ice of Lake Vænir.1 King Áli fell there, and Athils was victorious. Much is told about this battle in the Skjoldunga saga;2 also about Hrólf Kraki’s expedition to Athils in Uppsala. It was then Hrólf Kraki sowed gold on the Fýri Plains.3

  King Athils took great delight in fine horses and owned the best horses in those times. One of his steeds was called Slongvir, another, Hrafn. He had captured them when Áli had fallen, and between them was bred another horse called Hrafn. He sent him to King Gothgest in Hálogaland. King Gothgest rode him but could not rein him in, and was thrown and killed. That was in Omth in Hálogaland.

  One time King Athils attended the sacrifice to the Dísar and rode his horse about the hall of the goddess. The horse stumbled and fell, and the king was thrown. His head struck a rock so that his skull broke, and his brain spilled on the rock and he died. This happened at Uppsala, and a burial mound was thrown up for him. The Swedes considered him a mighty king. As says Thjóthólf:

  (21.)

  21. Learned I eke

  that Athils’ life

  a vile witch

  was to finish—

  that Frey’s sib4

  to fall was doomed,

  head foremost,

  from horse’s back,

  and with sand

  the sovran’s brain

  mingled was,

  the mighty king’s;

  and bold thane

  did breathe his last,

  Áli’s foe,

  at Uppsalir.

  Chapter 30. King Eystein Succeeds Athils

  Athils’ son, whose name was Eystein, succeeded him as king over Sweden. In his days Hrólf Kraki fell at Hleithrar. At that time, both Danish and Norwegian kings harried much in Sweden. Many of them were sea-kings who “never slept under sooty roof-beam and never drank by hearth-nook.”1

  Chapter 31. Solvi Burns King Eystein in His Hall

  Solvi was the name of a sea-king, the son of Hogni of Njarthey,1 who was at that time harrying in Sweden. He ruled over [a part of] Jutland. He led his fleet to Sweden. King Eystein was then being entertained in the district of Lófund. King Solvi came upon him in the night when he least expected it, and burned him inside his hall with all his following. Then Solvi proceeded to Sigtúna and demanded to be proclaimed king and be received as such; but the Swedes collected an army to defend their land, and there ensued a battle so great that it was said to have lasted more than eleven days. King Solvi was victorious and ruled over Sweden for a long time, until the Swedes betrayed and slew him. As says Thjóthólf:

  (22.)

  22. Is Eystein’s

  end known to me:

  at Lófund

  his life he lost;

  in Sweden

  Solvi did burn

  in his hall

  him and his host.

  And the fire

  fell upon him

  in his tight-

  timbered homestead,

  when the tang-

  of-slopes’-terror2

  overwhelmed

  him and his men.

  Chapter 32. King Yngvar Invades Esthonia and Is Slain

  After that, Sweden was ruled by Yngvar, the son of King Eystein. He was a great man of war and frequently on board his wars
hips, because before his time there had been many incursions made in Sweden, both by Danes and hordes from beyond the Baltic. King Yngvar concluded a peace with the Danes, and then took to harrying in the Eastlands. One summer he summoned his fleet and proceeded to Esthonia where he harried in the district of Stein. Then the Esthonians came upon him with a great host, and there was a battle. The army of the Esthonians was so strong that the Swedes were unable to withstand them. King Yngvar was slain then, and his host fled. He is buried in a mound there, close by the sea, in Athalsýsla District.1 After this defeat the Swedes returned home. As says Thjóthólf:

  (23.)

  23. Said it was

  that slaughtered had

  Esthnic folk

  Yngvar the fair,

  and at Stein

  had struck with force

  against the

  gallant leader.

  And the sea

  a song doth sing

  in the east

  to atheling slain.

  Chapter 33. King Onund Clears Forest Lands in Sweden

  Onund was the name of the son of Yngvar, who succeeded him. In his days, good peace prevailed in Sweden, and he became very wealthy in chattels. King Onund proceeded with his host to Esthonia to avenge his father. He landed, and harried far and wide and made great booty. In the fall he returned to Sweden. In his days there was great prosperity in Sweden. He was the most beloved of all kings. Sweden has much forest land, and there are such great stretches of it uninhabited that it takes many days’ journey to cross them. King Onund bestowed great diligence and expense on clearing the forests and cultivating the land which had been cleared. Also he had roads made through the uninhabited forests. Then many tracts were found throughout the forests which were not covered with woods, and these came to be populous districts. In this manner the land was populated, for there was no lack of people to cultivate it. King Onund had roads built throughout Sweden, both through forests and over bogs and mountains. Because of this he was called Road-Onund. King Onund established estates for himself in every large district in Sweden and made his royal progress throughout the land.