King Hrœrek was a shrewd and determined man, so King Óláf did not think he could be trusted even if he came to some agreement with him. He had him blinded in both eyes and had him with him, but ordered the tongue of Guthröth, the king of Guthbrands Dale, cut out. Hring and two others he made swear him oaths to leave Norway and never return. As for landed-men or farmers guilty of this treachery, some he drove out of the country, some he had maimed, and with some he made his peace. Of these events speaks Óttar the Black:
(59.)
248. Harshly hast thou, ruler,
handed out just sentence
on churlish landed chieftains
charged with treachery ’gainst thee.
For foul treason, folk-king,
fitting reward thou gavest
to Heithmork heathen thanes who
heinously betrayed thee.
(60.)
249. Out hast, arrow-storms’ fast
urger, driven—no wise
could they match thy might—the
mainsworn thanes from Norway.
Fled then from thee, as is
full well known, all chieftains.
The tattling tongue of him you
trimmed then who dwelled northmost.
(61.)
250. Now you govern—God did
give you, king, great victory—
lands which lieges five had
lately ruled between them.
Broad is, east to Eith,2 your
ancestral land. Never
war-play-urger under
welkin ruled a larger.
Then King Óláf subdued to his sway the lands these five kings had had, and took hostages from landed-men and farmers, and money, in the place of entertainment, from the Dales to the north and far and wide in Heithmork, then returned to Raumaríki and from there west to Hathaland. That winter Sigurth Sýr, his stepfather passed away. Then King Óláf returned to Hringaríki, where his mother Ásta prepared a great banquet to greet him. After that Óláf was sole king in Norway.
Chapter 76. King Óláf Tests His Young Half-Brothers
We are told that when King Óláf was at this banquet, his mother Ásta brought forward her children to show to him. The king set on one knee his brother Guthorm, and on the other, his other brother, Hálfdan. The king looked at the boys, frowning on them, and showing an angry countenance. Then the boys whimpered. Thereupon Ásta led up to him her youngest son, called Harald. He was three years old then. The king frowned down on him. But he faced him [fearlessly]. Then the king took the boy by his hair and tugged it. The boy grabbed the king’s mustache and twitched it. Then the king said, “You are likely to be vindictive when you grow up, kinsman.”
Another day the king, accompanied by his mother, was walking about the estate. They approached a certain pond, and there were the boys, Guthorm and Hálfdan, her sons, engaged in play. They had made big farmhouses and barns, with many cattle and sheep, and played with them. Not far from there at a muddy bend of the pond, there sat Harald and played with chips of wood, and had many of them floating on the water. The king asked him what they were. He replied they were his warships. Then the king laughed and said, “It may well be, kinsman, that the time will come when you will be in command of ships.”
Then the king called Hálfdan and Guthorm to come to him. He asked Guthorm, “What would you most like to have, kinsman?”
“Fields,” he replied.
The king said, “How large a field would you like to have?”
He answered, “I would like to have this whole point of land sown with grain every summer.” There were ten farms on it.
The king answered, “A great deal of grain might be grown there.” Then he asked Hálfdan what he would most like to have.
“Cows,” he replied.
The king asked, “How many cows would you like to own?”
Hálfdan replied, “So many that when they were watered they would stand thickly around the whole pond.”
The king answered, “You both want to own big farms, just like your father.” Then the king asked Harald: “And what would you most like to have?”
“Housecarls,” he replied.
The king asked, “And how many?”
“So many that they would eat up all of my brother Hálfdan’s cows at a single meal.”
The king laughed and said to Ásta, “In him you are likely to bring up a king, mother.” We are not told what else they said.
Chapter 77. Of the Divisions of Sweden and Their Laws
At the time when heathendom still prevailed in Sweden, it was an old custom there that the main sacrifices were held at Uppsala in the month of Gói [15th of February till the 15th of March]. Sacrifices were to be made at that time for peace and victory for the king, and people from all over Sweden were to resort there. At that place and time also was to be the assembly of all Swedes, and there was also a market and a fair which lasted a week. Now when Christianity was introduced, the general assembly and the market were still held there. But at present, when Christianity is general in Sweden and the kings have ceased residing at Uppsala, the market has been shifted to meet at Candlemas [February 2nd]; and thus has it been ever since, but now it lasts only three days. The general assembly of the Swedes is there, and they resort to it from all over the land.
Sweden is divided into many parts. One part is West Gautland, Vermaland, the Forest Districts, and contiguous areas. That is so large a dominion that under the bishop presiding over it there are eleven hundred churches. Another part of the country is East Gautland, which contains another bishopric. With it go the islands of Gotland and Eyland, and all together that constitutes a much larger bishopric. In Sweden proper there is a province called Suthrmannaland which forms one bishopric. Then there is Vestmannaland, also called Fjathryndaland, which forms one bishopric. A third part of Sweden [proper] is called Tíundaland; a fourth, Áttundaland; a fifth, Sjáland and the region contiguous to it in the east along the sea. Tíundaland is the best and most populous district in Sweden [proper], and there is the residence of the king and also the seat of the archbishop, as is the “Uppsala treasure,” as the Swedes call the possessions of the Swedish king.
Every part of the country has its assembly and its own laws about many things. In every legal district there is a lawspeaker, and he has the greatest power among the farmers, because whatever he decides to be the law stands. And whenever the king or an earl or bishop travel about the country and hold an assembly with the farmers, then the lawspeaker makes answer for them, and they all go by him in such fashion that even the most powerful chieftains hardly dare to come to their meetings unless the farmers and their lawspeaker permit them. But whenever there is a conflict in their laws, then the Uppsala laws prevail; and all the other lawspeakers have a lower rank than the one who functions for Tíundaland.
Chapter 78. Earl Rognvald Discusses Plans with Princess Ingigerth
At that time there lived in Tíundaland the lawspeaker called Thorgný. And his father’s name was Thorgný Thorgnýsson. His forefathers had been lawspeakers in Tíundaland during the lives of many kings. Thorgný was an old man at that time. He had a large retinue about him. He was called the wisest man in all Sweden. He was a kinsman of Earl Rognvald and the latter’s foster father.
Now it behooves us to tell about the men who arrived at the court of Earl Rognvald, sent west by Princess Ingigerth and Hjalti. They related their message to Earl Rognvald and Ingibjorg, his wife, and told them that the princess had often brought up before the king of Sweden the matter of reconciliation between him and King Óláf the Stout, and that she was a great friend of King Óláf, but that the Swedish king became furious whenever she mentioned King Óláf, and that as matters stood she could see no hope of reconciliation between the two. The earl told Bjorn what information had come to him from the east; but Bjorn insisted that he would not turn back before having met the king of Sweden, and said that the earl had promised to go with him to the court of the Swedish king.
Now the winter wore on, and right after Yule the earl made ready for the journey, accompanied by sixty men, with Bjorn and his companions among them. The earl journeyed east all the way to Sweden [proper], and as he got into that country, he despatched his men ahead of him to Uppsala with word from him to Princess Ingigerth that she should come out to Ullarakr1 to meet him. She had great estates there. And when this message came to the princess, she did not delay but made ready to travel with a great retinue, with Hjalti among them. But before his departure he went into the presence of King Óláf and spoke as follows: “All hail to thee, king! Truth to say, I have not anywhere seen such splendor as surrounds you here. I shall tell about that wherever I come later. Sire, I pray that you be my friend.”
The king answered, “Why do you seem so eager to be off? Where are you bound?”
Hjalti answered, “I shall ride to Ullarakr in company with your daughter Ingigerth.”
The king said, “Fare you well, then. You are a wise and well-mannered man, well-trained to be among chieftains.” Thereupon Hjalti departed.
Princess Ingigerth rode to her estate in Ullarakr and there had a great banquet prepared to welcome the earl, and when he arrived there he was received graciously. He remained there several days, during which time the princess and he discussed many matters, and especially the relation between the king of Sweden and the king of Norway. She told the earl that it seemed unlikely to her that a reconciliation could be brought about. Thereupon the earl said, “What would you say, kinswoman, if Óláf, the king of Norway, asked for your hand? It would seem to me to be an effective way to bring about such reconciliation if an alliance by marriage between the kings took place; but I don’t care to proceed in this matter if I know it is against your wishes.”
She replied, “My father will most likely look out for me [in selecting a spouse]; but among all my other kinsfolk I would most gladly follow your advice in matters of importance. Now, how advisable would you consider [such a marriage]?” The earl encouraged her strongly and enumerated a great many important considerations that spoke for King Óláf, and told her many particulars about the events which had taken place recently, when King Óláf had captured five kings in one morning and deprived them all of their possessions, adding them to his dominions. They discussed this for a long time and came to a perfect agreement. Thereupon the earl made ready to depart, and Hjalti travelled with him.
Chapter 79. Thorgný the Lawspeaker Promises to Help Earl Rognvald
One day at evening time Earl Rognvald arrived at the estate of Thorgný the lawspeaker. That was a large and stately establishment. A great many men were outside [in the courtyard]. They made the earl [and his company] welcome and took care of their horses and their baggage. Then the earl entered the living room. There were a great many people inside. An old man sat in the high-seat. Bjorn and his fellows had never seen so large a man. His beard was so long that it came down to his knees and spread over his whole chest. He was handsome and looked distinguished. The earl approached and greeted him. Thorgný gave him a friendly welcome and invited him to the seat he usually occupied; so the earl seated himself on the opposite side of the table, facing Thorgný. They remained there several days before the earl broached his business.1 He requested Thorgný to go to his conference room with him. Bjorn and his companions went with the earl.
Then the earl began and related how Óláf, the king of Norway, had sent his men east to conclude a peace, and he dwelled long on what difficulties there had been for the West Gautar in the hostilities between them and Norway. He told also about Óláf, the king of Norway, having sent emissaries to him—these were the men—and he had promised them to accompany them to the court of the king of Sweden. He further said that the Swedish king was so exercised about the matter that he would not allow anyone to bring it up. “Now the fact is, foster father,” said the earl, “that I cannot manage this business without help. For this reason I have come to see you, and from you I expect good counsel and your aid.”
Now when the earl had done speaking, Thorgný was silent for a while. But when he spoke he said this: “You behave strangely. You are eager to have princely rank, but as soon as you run into any difficulty you do not know how to help yourself and have no forethought. Why did you not consider, before promising to go on this expedition, that you had not the power to oppose King Óláf? It would seem to me not less honorable to be a farmer and be free to say what one pleases, even to the king’s face. Now I shall attend the Uppsala Assembly and support you so that you may speak to the king without fear and say what you please.” The earl thanked him for this promise. He dwelled with Thorgný until both rode to the Uppsala Assembly. A huge multitude was there. King Óláf also was there with his retinue.
Chapter 80. Thorgný Compels the King of Sweden to Come to Terms
The first day that the assembly met, King Óláf sat on his throne, with his retinue about him. On the other side of the assembly there sat Earl Rognvald and Thorgný, and in front of them, the earl’s followers and the housecarls of Thorgný, and behind him and all around in a circle stood the multitude of farmers. Some of them occupied rising ground and hills to listen to the proceedings from there.
Thorgný the Lawspeaker at the Uppsala Assembly.
Now when the communications from the king had been made known, as was the custom at assemblies, and this part of the proceedings was finished, then Bjorn the Marshal stood up by the seat of the earl and said aloud, “King Óláf sent me here for the purpose of offering to the king of Sweden peace and that boundary which has from of old been between Norway and Sweden.” He spoke so loud that the Swedish king could hear him well. Now when the king of Sweden heard Bjorn mention King Óláf, he thought that this man was dealing with some business of his [the king’s]; but when he heard him speak of peace and the boundary between Sweden and Norway, then he understood from which side the wind blew. Then he jumped up and shouted that that man should hold his peace and that such talk was of no use.
Thereupon Bjorn sat down. But when silence was restored, the earl got up to speak. He told about the message of Óláf the Stout and his offer to make peace with Óláf, the king of Sweden, and also that the West Gautar urged King Óláf to conclude a peace with the Norwegians. He mentioned what difficulties the West Gautar had in having to do without all those commodities from Norway which they required to sustain themselves; also that they were exposed to the attacks and forays of the Norwegians whenever the king of Norway gathered troops to make war on them. The earl also mentioned that Óláf, the king of Norway had sent ambassadors to them for the purpose of asking for the hand of Ingigerth, his daughter.
When the earl had ceased speaking, the king of Sweden arose. He was altogether set against making peace, and reproached the earl bitterly and harshly for being so bold as to come to any agreements and make peace with that fat man and to become his friend. He called him guilty of high treason against himself and said he deserved to be driven from his dominions. He said that all this resulted from the promptings of his wife Ingibjorg and that it was the worst possible counsel he could have gotten from the evil desires of such a wife. He spoke long and harshly, again referring in hostile fashion to Óláf the Stout.
When he sat down, there was at first silence. Then arose Thorgný. And when he arose, all farmers arose who had been seated before, and those who had been standing in other places crowded forward and wanted to hear what Thorgný had to say. At first there was much noise of the multitude and their weapons. But when silence was restored, Thorgný spoke as follows:
“Different is now the disposition of the Swedish kings from what it was before. Thorgný, my father’s father, remembered Eirík Emundarson, king in Uppsala, and related this about him that when he was in his best years he had a levy every summer and proceeded to various lands, subjecting to his sway Finnland and Kirjálaland, Eistland and Kurland1 and wide reaches of other lands in the east. And one may still see the fortifications and other great works which he made [the
re]; and he was not so haughty that he did not listen to men who had important business to discuss with him. Thorgný, my father, was a long time with King Bjorn, and he knew his way of dealing with men. And while Bjorn lived, his dominion flourished and in nowise decreased. His friends found him easy to deal with. I myself can remember King Eirík the Victorious, for I was with him in many warlike expeditions. He increased the dominion of the Swedes and defended it valiantly. It was easy to approach him with advice. But the king whom we now have lets no one presume to talk to him except about what he himself wants done; and on that alone he is intent, but lets lands tributary to him defect from him through his lack of energy and enterprise. He has the ambition to keep the dominion of Norway in his power which no other Swedish king ever coveted before, and that causes trouble to many. Now it is the will of us farmers that you make peace with Óláf the Stout, the king of Norway, and give him your daughter Ingigerth in marriage. Now if you intend to regain those lands in the east which your kinsmen and forbears have possessed there, then we shall all follow your leadership to do so. But if you will not do as we say, we shall set upon you and kill you, and not tolerate from you lawlessness and hostility. That is what our forbears did: at the Múlathing2 they plunged five kings into a well because they were swelled up with the same arrogance as you show against us. Say now right quickly what you decide to do.
Thereupon the people clashed their weapons together and made a great din [in approval of Thorgný’s speech]. Then the king arose and said that he would follow the will of the farmers in all matters, that all Swedish kings had done so and let the farmers take counsel with them in all they wished. Then the murmuring of the farmers stopped.
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