Heimskringla
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Chapter 88. King Harald Decides to Make a Stand
Then King Harald Sigurtharson said, “Let us now decide on some good and wise plan, because we can’t shut our eyes to the fact that this means trouble, for this is probably the king himself.”
Then the earl answered, “The first thing to do is to turn back the fastest we can to our ships for our men and our weapons, and then make a stand as best we can, or else let our ships defend us, for then horsemen have no power over us.”
King Harald replied, “I mean to follow another plan: Let us put three of our best men on the fastest horses and let them ride with all speed to inform our men, and then they will quickly come to our help—because the English shall have to expect the hardest fight rather than we suffer defeat.” Then the earl said that the king should have his way in this as in other matters, and that he too was unwilling to flee. Then King Harald had his banner Landwaster raised. Frírek was the name of the man who bore the banner.
Chapter 89. King Harald Puts His Army in Battle Array
Thereupon King Harald put his army in battle array, with the lines long and not deep. He bent the wings back so that they touched, so as to form a wide and thick ring everywhere even on the outside, shield by shield, and one above the other. The king with his retinue was inside the ring, with the banner—a picked force. At another place stood Earl Tostig with his troops. He had a different banner. The reason for this arrangement was that the king knew that the horsemen were wont to attack in small detachments and retreat at once. Now the king ordered that his retinue and that of the earl were to attack at the point where it was most needed—“but our archers also shall be there with us; and those men who stand in front are to set the ends of their spear shafts on the ground and turn the points toward the breast of the horsemen, if they ride against us; and those standing next behind them are to turn the points of their spears against the breast of their horses.”
Chapter 90. King Harald Is Thrown by His Horse
King Harold, the son of Godwine, had come there with an overwhelming army of both horsemen and foot soldiers. King Harald Sigurtharson then rode around his troops to examine how they were arrayed. He rode a black horse with a white mark on its forehead. The horse fell under him, and the king was thrown forward. He rose quickly and said, “A fall betokens luck on the journey!”
Then Harold, the king of the English, said to the Norwegians who were with him, “Did you recognize the big man who fell off his horse there, the one with the blue doublet and the shining helmet?”
“That is the king himself,” they said.
The king of the English said, “A big man and stately; but more likely his good luck has deserted him.”
Chapter 91. King Harold Offers Tostig a Third of His Kingdom
Twenty horsemen rode out in front of the army of the king’s housecarls and toward the array of the Norwegians. They were in armor from head to foot, as were their horses. Then one of the riders spoke up: “Is Earl Tostig in this army?”
Tostig answered, “I shall not deny it, here you may see him.”
Then one of the riders said, “Harold, your brother, sent you greetings and this message, that you shall have peace and all Northumberland; and rather than that you fight him he would give you a third of all the kingdom to share with him.”
Thereupon the earl answered, “That is an offer different from the one of last winter, when I was shown contempt and hostility. If it had been made then, many a man would be alive who is dead now, and the king’s power in England would stand on firmer ground. Now if I should accept this, what will he offer King Harald Sigurtharson for his pains?”
Then the horseman said, “He did say something about what he would grant him of England: seven feet of English soil or so much more as he is taller than other men.”
Then the earl replied, “Go now, and tell King Harold to prepare for battle. This, the Norwegians shall not have to say about Earl Tostig, that he forsook King Harald Sigurtharson to join his enemies, the time he came to do battle west in England. Rather shall we all resolve to die with honor or else win England and victory.” Then the horsemen rode back.
Thereupon King Harald Sigurtharson asked the earl, “Who was that man who spoke so well?”
The earl replied, “That was King Harold, the son of Godwine.”
Then King Harald Sigurtharson said, “Too late were we told of that. They had approached our army so close that this Harold would not have lived to tell of our men’s death.”
Then the earl said, “That is true, sire; it was incautious for such a chieftain, and it might have been as you say. I saw that he wished to offer me peace and much power and that I would be the cause of his death if I told who he was. But I would rather that he slay me than I him.”
Then King Harald Sigurtharson said to his men: “A little man that was, and proudly he stood in his stirrups.”
It is told that King Harald Sigurtharson spoke this verse:
(115.)
522. We stride forward,
fighting bravely,
though byrnieless,
’gainst blue-steel swords.
Helmets do shine—
I have not mine:1
below in the ships
lies our armor.
His coat of mail was called Emma. It was so long that it reached down to below his knees, and so strong that no weapon was known to have pierced it. Then King Harald Sigurtharson said, “This verse is poorly composed, and I shall have to make another and better one.” Then he spoke this verse:
(156.)
523. Hide within the hollow—
high-born maid thus bade me—
of our shields we surely
shall not, in battle-tumult:
high she bade me hold my
head, the Hild-of-combat,2
when in bloody battle
blades and skulls were clashing.
Then Thjóthólf also spoke a verse:
(157.)
524. Ne’er shall my fealty fail, though
fall the prince himself—but
God does govern all—to
gallant sons of the sovran.
Shines not the sun on sightlier
scions—avengers they of
hard-fighting, high-hearted
Harald—than both these eaglets.
Chapter 92. King Harald Sigurtharson Falls
Now the battle began, and the English horsemen rode down upon the Norwegians. They met hard resistance, for it was not easy for the English to ride down upon the Norwegians because of [the volley of] shots, so they rode in a circle around them. At first it was not a fight at close quarters while the Norwegians held their order of battle. The English rode upon them fiercely, but retired when they could do nothing against them. But when the Norwegians saw what they conceived to be feeble attacks, they attacked in their turn and wished to pursue them; but when in so doing they broke up their shield castle, then the English rode down upon them from all sides with spear thrusts and arrow shots.
But when King Harald Sigurtharson saw that, he advanced in the battle where the fighting was hardest. It was a fierce fray, and many fell on both sides. Then King Harald Sigurtharson became so [ungovernably] fighting mad that he ran out in front of the battle line, slashing with both hands. Neither helmet nor corselet held out against him, and all those close by turned tail, and a little more and the English would have taken to flight. As says Arnór the Earls’ Skald:
(158.)
525. Little sheltered him, nor shook in
shattering-of-shields the
heart—no whit then gave he
heed—of fearless sea-king,
when the host all saw it,
how the embattled war-lord’s
bloody sword in swaths did
slash the ranks of foemen.
King Harald Sigurtharson was struck in the throat by an arrow. That was his death wound. He fell, and with him all the men who had advanced to the front with him, except those who retr
eated; and they held onto the banner. Then again ensued the fiercest struggle. Earl Tostig had the king’s banner raised over him, and both sides reformed their lines, and there ensued a long pause in the fighting. Then spoke Thjóthólf this verse:
(159.)
526. Upon evil days has
all the host now fallen:
needless and for naught from
Norway brought us Harald;
ill bestead now are we—
ended is the life of
him who boldly bade us
battle—here in England.
But before this last battle began, Harold, the son of Godwine, offered quarter to his brother, Earl Tostig, and to all the Norwegians still alive. But the Norwegians all shouted together and said they would rather fall one upon the other than accept quarter from the English, and raised their war-whoop. Thereupon the battle started again. As says Arnór the Earls’ Skald:
(160.)
527. Ill-fated the fierce king’s
fall in storm-of-arrows:
gold-wound spears did spare the
spender-of-rings but little.
Death would rather dree the
doughty chieftain’s henchmen,
thronging thickly about him,
than be given quarter.
Chapter 93. Eystein Orri Renews the Battle
Just then Eystein Orri and his men arrived from the ships. They were in full armor. Eystein then seized hold of Landwaster, the banner of King Harald. And now battle was joined for the third time, and most grimly. Many of the English fell, and they came close to fleeing. This engagement is called Orri’s Charge. Eystein and his men had marched in such haste from the ships that they were so tired to start with that they were nearly undone, but later on they were so frenzied that they did not shield themselves so long as they could stand upright. Finally they shed their coats of ring-mail. Then it was easy for the English to find their unprotected parts; but some died unwounded from sheer exhaustion. Nearly all men of rank among the Norwegians succumbed. This happened in the latter part of the day. As was to be expected, not all were equally brave, many fled, and many were fortunate enough to escape. Also, it grew dark in the evening before the slaughter came to an end.
Chapter 94. Marshal Styrkár Deprives an Englishman of His Jacket
Styrkár, the marshal of King Harald Sigurtharson, and an excellent man, managed to escape. He procured a horse and rode away on it. In the evening a rather chilly breeze arose, and Styrkár had nothing on but a shirt. He was helmeted and held a naked sword in his hand. And when the weariness had worn off he began to feel chilly. Then he met a man with a cart who wore a lined skin jacket. Then Styrkár said, “Will you sell me your jacket, my good man?”
Styrkár kills the English farmer.
“Not to you,” he replied. “You are probably a Norwegian, I know you by your speech.”
Then Styrkár said, “If I am a Norwegian, what would you do?”
The farmer replied, “I would kill you, but unfortunately I don’t have a weapon by me to do it with.”
Then Styrkár said, “If you can’t kill me, farmer, then I shall see if I can kill you”—and raising his sword he cut off his head so that it tumbled on the ground. Then he took the skin jacket, leapt on his horse, and rode down to the shore.
Chapter 95. Earl William the Bastard Invades England
William the Bastard, earl of Rouen, had learned of the death of his kinsman, King Eadward, and also, that thereupon Harold, the son of Godwine, had been chosen king of England and had been anointed as such. But William considered himself better entitled to the English realm than Harold because of the kinship between him and Eadward. Another reason was that he wished to avenge the affront put on him by Harold in breaking the engagement with his daughter. For all these reasons William gathered an army in Normandy. It was exceedingly numerous, and he also had a sufficiently large fleet [to transport it].
On the day when he rode out of his castle down to his ships and he had already mounted his horse, his spouse went up to him and wanted to speak with him. But when he saw her, he struck at her with his heel, piercing her breast deeply with his spur so that she fell down dead. But the earl rode down to his ships and sailed to England with his army. With him was Bishop Ótta, his brother. And when the earl arrived in England, he harried and took possession of the land wherever he went. William was taller and stronger than other men, an excellent horseman, a great warrior, of cruel disposition, a very shrewd man. He was called double-tongued.
Chapter 96. King Harold of England Falls in the Battle of Hastings
King Harold, the son of Godwine, gave permission to Óláf, the son of Harald Sigurtharson, to leave the country with the men who had not fallen in the battle. But he himself and his army marched to southern England, because the news had come to him just then that William the Bastard had invaded England in the south, taking possession of the land. At that time there were in King Harold’s company three of his brothers, Svein, Gyrth, and Wæltheow. The locality where the clash between King Harold and Earl William occurred was in southern England, near Helsingjaport [Hastings]. A great battle took place there. King Harold fell there, also Gyrth, his brother, and a large part of their army. That was nineteen days after 1066 the fall of King Harald Sigurtharson [October 14th]. Earl Wæltheow escaped by flight, and late in the evening the earl encountered a small band of William’s followers. When they saw the troops of the earl they fled into a certain oak forest. They were one hundred [120] men. Earl Wæltheow laid fire to the forest and burned them all. As says Thorkel Skallason1 in the poem called Valthjófsflokk.2
(161.)
528. King’s henchmen one hundred
had the Ygg-of-combat3—
a baleful blaze was that—
burned in raging fire.
Heard I have that Franks ’neath
horse-of-troll-woman’s4
claws did come to lie, and
corpses fed the wolf-brood.
Chapter 97. William Has Himself Proclaimed King of England
William had himself proclaimed king of England. He sent word to Earl Wæltheow about coming to terms with him, and gave him assurance of safe-conduct for coming to a meeting with him. The earl journeyed with but a few men, and when he came to the heath north of Castlebridge, he encountered two stewards of the king with a troop of followers. They took him prisoner and set him in chains, and later he was put to death. The English consider him a saint. As says Thorkel:
(162.)
529. Well I know that William—
war-targes he bloodied—
from the south who sailed the
sea, cozened brave Wæltheow.
Not soon will cease, ween I—
certes never died a
bolder baron than he was—
bloodshed dire in England.
After that, William ruled England as king for twenty-one years, and his descendants, ever since.
Chapter 98. Óláf, the Son of Harald, Is Chosen as King of Norway
Óláf, the son of King Harald, brought his force away from England, sailing out of Hrafnseyr [Ravenspur] and toward fall arrived in the Orkneys. And there he learned that Máriá, the daughter of King Harald Sigurtharson, had died suddenly the same day and at the same hour as did her father, King Harald. Óláf remained there during the winter, and in the following summer sailed east to Norway. There he was chosen king, together with his brother Magnús. Queen Ellisif and her daughter Ingigerth accompanied her stepson Óláf when he sailed east. With them from the west came also Skúli, who later was called the king’s foster father, and Ketil Krók, the latter’s brother. They both were excellent men and of noble English extraction, and both exceedingly wise. Both were much beloved by King Óláf. Ketil Krók journeyed to Hálogaland, where King Óláf procured him a good match; and many persons of note are descended from him. Skúli, the king’s foster father, was a wise man and a man of great account, as well as of very handsome appearance. He became the leader of K
ing Óláf’s retinue. He spoke at the assemblies and gave the king advice in all matters of government. King Óláf offered to give Skúli a county in Norway, the one which suited him best, with all the income and revenues due to the king. Skúli thanked him for his offer but said he would rather ask for other things; because—“if there is a change in the succession, it may be that this gift may be taken away from me. I would like,” he said, “to be granted some possessions lying near to the market towns where you, sire, are accustomed to reside and have your Yule entertainment.”
The king granted him this and assigned to him landed possessions east near Konungahella, near Ósló, near Túnsberg, near Borg, near Bjorgvin [Bergen], and in the north near Nitharós. These were about the most valuable estates in every place, and they have since been in the hands of the kinsmen who are descended from Skúli. King Óláf gave him in marriage his relative, Guthrún, the daughter of Nefstein. Her mother was Ingiríth, the daughter of King Sigurth Sýr and Queen Ásta. She was thus a sister of Holy King Óláf and of Harald. The son of Skúli and Guthrún was Ásólf at Rein. He was married to Thóra, the daughter of Skopti, the son of Ogmund. Their son was Guthorm at Rein, the father of Bárth, the father of King Ingi and of Duke Skúli.
Chapter 99. Of King Harald’s Appearance and Character
One year after the fall of King Harald, his body was brought east from England to Nitharós in the north, and interred in the Church of Saint Mary, the one he caused to be built. It was the opinion of everybody that King Harald had excelled other men in shrewdness and resourcefulness, whether he had to act on the spur of the moment or to make plans at long range for himself or others. He was exceedingly skilled in arms, and victorious in his undertakings, as was set down above. As says Thjóthólf: