The king asked, “Who are the leaders in this attempt to wrest the country from me?”
Freyvith made answer, “All Swedes desire to have the old laws and their full rights. Consider, my lord, how many of your chieftains are present here to take counsel with you. I dare say there are six of us here whom you call your counsellors; but all others have ridden and departed into the countryside, there to meet in assembly with the people. And, to tell you the truth, the war-arrows have been cut and sent about all the country, and a criminal court has been summoned. All three of us brothers have been asked to join this movement, but no one of us wants to be called a traitor to his king, for that our father never was.”
Then the king said, “What way is there out of this difficulty? I have run into great trouble. Advise me now, good chieftains, how I may keep my kingship and my paternal possessions, for I don’t want to fight against all embattled Swedes.”
Arnvith the Blind replied, “Sire, it would seem advisable to me that you ride down to Árós3 with all the troops that will follow you and there go aboard your ships and proceed to Lake Mælaren. Then summon the people to have a meeting with you. And do not behave with obstinacy but offer them to abide by the laws and the established rights of the country, and let them stop sending the war-arrows. It probably will not have gone far over the land, because only a short time has passed. Send men whom you trust to meet with the men who have a hand in these doings and see if this discontent can be allayed.”
The king said that he would follow that advice. “I wish,” he said, “that you three brothers would go on this errand, because I trust you most among my men.”
Then Thorvith the Stammerer said, “I shall remain behind, let Jákob [your son] go. That is necessary.”
Then Freyvith said, “Let us do as Thorvith says. He does not wish to part with you in this dangerous situation. But Arnvith and I shall go.”
King Óláf followed this counsel and proceeded to his ships and steered into Lake Mælaren where he was soon joined by a great multitude. But Freyvith and Arnvith rode to Ullarakr, together with Jákob, the king’s son, but concealed the fact that he was along. They soon became aware that the men were rushing to arms and that troops were gathering, and that the farmers were holding meetings day and night. Now when Freyvith and his brother encountered their friends and kinsmen there, they said they would join their troop, and that offer was joyfully accepted. Then they forthwith turned to the brothers for guidance and troops gathered around them, but all were agreed in saying that they would no longer have Óláf as king over them and that they would not stand his lawlessness and arrogance in not wanting to listen to what anyone said, even though great chieftains told him the truth.
Now when Freyvith saw the indignation of the people he recognized the precariousness of the situation. So he had meetings with the great chieftains of the land and spoke to them in this wise: “It would seem to me that if this important business of deposing Óláf Eiríksson is to go forward, then we men from Uppland Sweden should take the lead. It has always been the custom in this country that what the chieftains of the Uppland Swedes had agreed upon between them, that counsel was adopted by the people in other parts of the country. Our forefathers did not need to accept the advice of the West Gautar as to how the country was to be governed. So now do not let us be such weaklings as to need Emund to tell us what to do. I would that we stand together on that, all of us kinsmen and friends.” All were agreed and considered the point well made. After that all the multitude joined the union agreed on between the chieftains of the Uppland Swedes. It was headed by Freyvith and Arnvith.
But when Emund learned this, he suspected that his plan was not going to be successful. So he had a meeting with the brothers to discuss the matter. Then Freyvith asked Emund, “What think you [about] who is to be king if we put Óláf Eiríksson to death?”
Emund replied, “He who seems to us best fitted, whether he be of chieftainly race or no.”
Freyvith answered, “We Uppland Swedes do not wish that in our days the crown go from the line of the ancestors of our ancient kings while there is such good choice as we have. King Óláf has two sons, and we desire one of them to be king. But there is a great difference between them. The one is born in wedlock and of Swedish race on both sides whereas the other is the son of a servant woman herself half Wendish.”
This opinion was received with loud acclaim, and all wanted Jákob for king. Then Emund said, “You Uppland Swedes have the power to decide, this time; but I will tell you what will happen later, and that is that some of you who now insist on the Swedish crown continuing to go to men of the ancient line, that you will yourselves live to agree to it’s going to a different line,4 and that will [indeed] be of more advantage [to our country].”
Thereupon the brothers Freyvith and Arnvith had the king’s son, Jákob, brought before the assembly and had him given the title of king. At the same time the Swedes gave him the name Onund, and that name he bore till his death. At this time he was ten or twelve years old. Then King Onund chose for himself followers and chieftains to have about him, and all of them together had as great a force as he considered needful. Then he gave the assembled farmers leave to return to their homes.
Following this, messengers went between the two kings, after which they arranged to meet personally and concluded an agreement, as follows: Óláf was to be king over the land as long as he lived. Also he was to keep the peace and the agreements made with the king of Norway, as well as with all others who were involved in these affairs. Onund was also to be king and have as large a portion of the land as was agreed upon between father and son, but was to take the part of the farmers if King Óláf engaged in anything the farmers would not stand for.
Then emissaries were sent to Norway and King Óláf with the message that he should come with his fleet to a meeting with the Swedish king at Konungahella and also, that the Swedish king desired to confirm the peace between them. And when King Óláf learned of this message he was, as before, eager to maintain the peace, and so sailed with his fleet to the place agreed upon. The king of Sweden arrived there, and when son-in-law and father-in-law met they confirmed the peace and the agreements between them. Óláf, the king of Sweden, was affable then, and mild tempered.
Thorstein the Learned says that there was a settlement on the Island of Hísing which had alternately belonged to Norway and to Gautland. So the kings agreed between them to draw lots and throw dice for this possession. And he was to have it who threw the highest. Then the Swedish king threw two sixes and said that it was no use for King Óláf to throw. He replied, while shaking the dice in his hand, “There are two sixes still on the dice, and it is a trifling matter for God, my Lord, to have them turn up.” He threw them, and two sixes turned up. Thereupon Óláf, the king of Sweden, again threw two sixes. Then Óláf, the king of Norway, cast the dice, and one six showed on one of them, but the other split in two, so that six and one turned up; and so he took possession of the settlement. Nothing else is told about this meeting, and the kings parted with their differences made up.
Chapter 95. King Óláf Is Sole Ruler of Norway
After the events told above, King Óláf returned with his force to Vík. He first went to Túnsberg and resided there for some little time, then journeyed north and, in fall, all the way north to Trondheim, where he prepared his winter quarters and remained during the winter. Then Óláf was absolute king over all the realm Harald Fairhair had had, and all the more so since he was sole ruler in the land. Because he had then obtained by peaceful means and by agreements that territory which had belonged to the king of Sweden; but that portion which had been under the king of Denmark he took over by force and ruled it like any other [province]. Knút, king of Denmark, at that time ruled both Denmark and England, and himself resided for the most part in England, placing chieftains to govern in Denmark and making no claims on Norway.
Chapter 96.1 Of the Orkney Earls
We are told that in the days
of Harald Fairhair, king of Norway, the Orkneys were settled, which before had been a haunt of vikings. Sigurth was the name of the first earl in the Orkneys. He was the son of Eystein Glumra and the brother of Rognvald, Earl of Mœr. And after him, his son Guthorm ruled for one year. After him, Turf-Einar succeeded to the earldom. He was the son of Earl Rognvald, and was earl and a man of power for a long time. Hálfdan Longshank, a son of Harald Fairhair, attacked Turf-Einar, driving him out of the Orkneys, but Einar returned and slew Hálfdan on the island of Ronaldshay. Thereupon King Harald came to the Orkneys with a fleet, and Einar fled to Scotland. King Harald made the people of the Orkneys give up their allodial rights, after which the king and the earl came to the agreement that the earl should swear an oath of allegiance to the king and have his land in fief from him; but he was to pay no taxes since the land was greatly ravaged. The earl paid the king sixty marks of gold. Thereupon King Harald harried Scotland, as is told in the poem called Glymdrápa.2
After Turf-Einar, his sons Arnkel, Erlend, and Thorfinn Skullcleaver ruled the islands. In their days Eirík Bloodyaxe came over from Norway and the earls became his liegemen. Arnkel and Erlend died on warlike expeditions, but Thorfinn ruled over the lands and lived to be an old man. His sons were Arnfinn, Hávarth, Hlothvir, Ljót, and Skúli. Their mother was Gréloth, a daughter of Dungath, the earl of Caithness. Her mother was Gróa, a daughter of Thorstein the Red. During the latter days of Earl Thorfinn the sons of [Eirík] Bloodyaxe came over from Norway, fleeing from Earl Hákon, and they harried cruelly in the Orkneys.
Earl Thorfinn died of a sickness. After him his sons were rulers over his lands, and there are many stories told about them. Hlothvir survived them all and was sole ruler. His son was Sigurth the Stout, who inherited the earldom. He was a powerful man and a great warrior. In his days Óláf Tryggvason came from a viking expedition to the west. He anchored his ships in the Orkneys and took Earl Sigurth prisoner on the island of Ronaldshay. He had cast anchor there with one ship. King Óláf then offered the earl as a ransom to be baptized and adopt the true faith, to swear allegiance to him, and to proclaim Christianity in all the Orkney Islands. As a hostage, King Óláf took along his son, called Hundi or Whelp. From there Óláf sailed to Norway and became its king. Hundi remained with King Óláf for some years, and died in Norway. Thereafter, Earl Sigurth terminated his allegiance to King Óláf. He then married a daughter of Melkólm,3 the king of Scotland, and their son was called Thorfinn. There were also the older sons of Earl Sigurth, Sumarlithi, Brúsi, and Einar Wrymouth. Five years, or four, after the fall of Óláf Tryggvason, Earl Sigurth proceeded to Ireland, leaving his older sons to rule the islands. His son Thorfinn he sent to his father-in-law, the king of Scotland. On this expedition Earl Sigurth fell in the Battle of Clontarf.4
When the news of that reached the Orkneys, the brothers Sumarlithi, Brúsi, and Einar were chosen as earls, and they divided the islands between them into three parts. When Earl Sigurth fell, his son Thorfinn was five years old. When the news of Sigurth’s fall came to the king of Scotland he gave his kinsman Thorfinn the districts of Caithness and Sutherland. He bestowed the title of earl on him and appointed men to govern his lands for him. Earl Thorfinn was precocious in his youth and matured early. He was tall and strong, of ugly visage; and as he grew up it became clear that he was reckless, hard, cruel, and very shrewd. This is mentioned by Arnór the Earls’ Skald5 in this verse:
(81.)
270. Ne’er in the world so wide, to
ward his land ’gainst foes, was
man braver born than Einar’s
brother, nor one younger.
Chapter 97. Earl Einar Takes Possession of Two Thirds of the Orkneys
The two brothers, Einar and Brúsi, were unlike in temperament, Brúsi was gentle, very peaceable, wise, eloquent, and greatly loved by all. Einar was obstinate, reserved and unfriendly, covetous, and avaricious, and a great warrior. Sumarlithi was similar to Brúsi in disposition. He was the oldest of the brothers and the most short-lived of them. He died of a sickness. After his death, Thorfinn made claims to his portion of the Orkneys. Einar replied that Thorfinn had Caithness and Sutherland, the dominions their father Sigurth had had before him. He called that much more than a third of the Orkneys and was unwilling to let Thorfinn have that share. Brúsi, however, had no objections as far as he was concerned—“and I don’t covet more of the lands,” he said, “than the third part, which I possess by rights.” Then Einar took possession of two thirds of the islands and thus became a powerful man with many troops. He often went on viking expeditions during the summer and had a great levy of men in his lands; but he was not always so successful in making booty on these expeditions. Then the farmers became impatient about this burden; but the earl nevertheless harshly persisted in all his impositions and would hear of no opposition, for he was a most overbearing man. Then there resulted in his dominions a famine from the burdens and expense which the farmers had borne, whereas in the portion Brúsi had there was an excellent good season and the farmers lived an easy life, so he was popular.
Chapter 98. Feud between the Orkney Earls
There was a powerful and rich man called Ámundi. He lived in Sandvík at Hlaupandaness on the island of Hrossay [Pomona]. His son’s name was Thorkel, and he was of all men in the Orkneys the most accomplished. Ámundi himself was a very wise man and one of the most respected in the islands. One spring Earl Einar again called for a levy, as he was accustomed to. But the farmers complained bitterly about it. They brought their grievances before Ámundi and prayed him to say a good word for them with the earl. He answered, “The earl is self-willed,” and held that it would be of no use to entreat him about this or any other thing. “As it is, the earl and I are good friends, but I think it would be dangerous if we fell out, considering our different dispositions. I shall do nothing about it,” he said.
So they went to Thorkel to talk about this. He was unwilling to do anything about it, yet on their urging him he promised [to speak to the earl]. Ámundi considered that Thorkel had been too hasty about giving his promise. Now when the earl called a thing, Thorkel spoke on behalf of the farmers, begging the earl to spare the farmers [further] impositions, and told him how hard they were put to it. The earl gave a favorable answer, saying he regarded Thorkel’s wishes highly. “I had intended to set out with six ships, but now I shall have no more than three. However, Thorkel, be sure not to make any more such pleas in the future.” The farmers thanked Thorkel much for his help.
The earl went on a viking expedition and returned in fall. But in the following spring the earl made the same requisitions as he was wont to make and called for a meeting with the farmers. Then Thorkel spoke again and requested the earl to spare the farmers. To that the earl made an angry reply and said that the lot of the farmers should be all the worse for his intercession. And he grew so furious and wrathful that he said that another spring they would not both be alive at the assembly. With this, the meeting came to an end.
But when Ámundi learned what had passed between Thorkel and the earl he begged Thorkel to go abroad, and he sailed over to Caithness to Earl Thorfinn. Thorkel remained there for a long time and devoted himself to the earl since (the latter) was young. Thereafter he was called Thorkel the Foster Father and became a man of renown.
There were a number of influential men who fled their ancestral possessions in the Orkneys because of Earl Einar’s harsh rule. Most of them fled to Caithness and Earl Thorfinn, but some fled from the Orkneys to Norway, and still others, to various lands. Now when Earl Thorfinn was grown, he sent a message to Earl Einar, his brother, demanding from him that portion of the Orkneys which he considered was his; and that was a third of the islands. Einar was by no means willing to diminish his rule. Now when Thorfinn learned that, he ordered a levy of troops in Caithness and proceeded toward the islands. As soon as Earl Einar became aware of this, he gathered a force, intending to defend his lands. Earl Brúsi also collected troops, and went out to meet them
to bring about some agreement between them; and the agreement was made that Thorfinn was to have the third part of the Orkneys which was his by right. But Brúsi and Einar laid their shares together. Einar was to rule over them alone, but if one of them should die before the other, then the survivor was to take possession of the whole. But that covenant did not seem equitable, since Brúsi had a son, called Rognvald, but Einar was sonless.
Thereupon Earl Thorfinn assigned men to guard his share of the Orkneys while he himself most often was in Caithness. During the summer Earl Einar most often harried in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
One summer, when Earl Einar harried in Ireland, he had a battle in the Úlfreksfjord with Konofogor, a king of Ireland, as was written above,1 and there suffered a great defeat, losing many men. The summer 1019 following, Eyvind Úrarhorn sailed east from Ireland, intending to make Norway, but he encountered stormy weather and strong counter currents and so put into Ásmundarvág [Osmundwall] and lay there for some time weatherbound. When Earl Einar heard of that he sailed there with a large fleet, caught Eyvind and had him killed, but gave quarter to most of his men. They sailed to Norway in the fall, sought out King Óláf, and told him about the slaying of Eyvind. The king did not say much about it [at that time], yet people noticed that he felt he had suffered a great loss and that this was done mostly to spite him. He generally said little when matters ran counter to his interests.
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